SMA Plug

Six graduate programmes will be offered by SMA for a July 2006 intake.

Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA) is collaboration between NUS and NTU in Singapore and MIT in the US. SMA offers DUAL DEGREES: either a Masters degree from MIT and a Masters degree from NUS/NTU; or a Masters degree from MIT and a PhD from NUS/NTU in addition to direct PhD degrees to be awarded by either NUS or NTU.

SMA Graduate Fellowship Benefits:
· Full support for tuition and fees at MIT and either NUS or NTU
· Monthly stipend of up to S$2500
· Roundtrip airfare between Singapore and MIT
· Living allowance of up to US$6000 during residency at MIT

Study Burnout

Spent so much time revising the chapter on normalisation and decomposition. Managed to finish going through the notes and understood them with reinforcements from the textbook and help from my classmates. But some doubts still remain. I guess these must be clear through practising with questions and working through the assignments.

Had not touched the project yet. Was so obsessed with the normalisation and decomposition that I didn't do anything else. My lack of background in databases is killing me. I am falling behind everybody else.

Almost didn't want to eat. Couldn't get to Funan like I originally planned because I could not finish the damned studying in time. Left the lab at 9:30pm and went to Tiong Bahru.

Went into LJS wanting to try their Spicy Lemon Baked Fish. Already had a stressful day - and guess what happened? The Spicy Lemon Baked Fish comes with a soft drink. I said "regular" Coke, only to realise later that I was being charged 30cents more. "Regular" is the MEDIUM capacity drink; "Small" is the actual smallest size! Come on! Can everyone standardise on the convention!!! Alright, my fault ... I cannot expect the staff to remind me that regular is the medium size and it costs more. Nevermind that this is a very common mistake made by customers.

I paid, the drink came, and I was told to take a seat, presumably while the main course was being prepared. So I went to take a seat (expecting to at least be called or have my order brought to me once it was ready, since there were no more customers), and took out my notes to study, examining the difference between the text and the lecture slides - text book says a BCNF decomposition of R with X->A violating BCNF goes into R1=(R-A) and R2=(XA), while the lecture slides say R1=(R-X⁺ )∪X and R2=(X⁺). In fact, I managed to analyse that both are in fact valid methods - BUT my order STILL has not arrived.

After deciding that even if they had to catch the fish from the tank and cook it, it would be done by then - anyway, IT IS FAST FOOD isn't it - I went back to the counter, and in no friendly tone, ask if my order was ready. The supervisor said "yes" and tried to confirm with me my order, saying something that I couldn't make out what it was. True enough, the fish was on the kitchen window, cooling off. The sup plunked on the tartar sauce and gave it to me.

"Was I supposed to come get it myself?!" "Umm ... no". He pointed to the girl who took my order, standing in front of the counter ready to go home, "you forgot." She giggled, yeah right, like it is very funny. No apologies, no explanations, NOTHING.

Very good service, LJS! Very good indeed! (I am being extremely sarcastic here). Instead of a bell that people ring for good service, put up a LOUD buzzer that people sound for bad service. That will tell you if you are doing well or not!

The gliding support of my mouse has fallen off and gone missing.

Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse is next on my wishlist. The Logitechs are more expensive.

Been looking for a new handphone. Possible candidates are the Nokia 3230 or the Nokia 6020.

Cool!

Just came back from SMA Orientation Day 1. Tiring, even though the whole day was spent inside the Lecture Theater.

We met our classmates, got our rooms and workstations, got shown around the place, not too bad.

Have to be at the video conferencing lab at 7:30am tomorrow! Gosh, what time must I wake up to make it there? I'm never going to make it man.

Kenna suan 3 times by Yuet Ying today, insinuating that I didn't know how to read instructions properly, and that I'm a latecomer. She's right about the late part though. Hope to be able to change it.

Hmm, cool. It seems like nobody reads my blog, muahahaha. Which is well, so that my identity would not be compromised.

My last day of work was last friday. I'm on 'paid' leave until end of July, which is well too!

Popped by the Microsoft Embedded Seminar yesterday. Met some old friends as well as new ones. Of course, being a free seminar, there's nothing much to be learned from such events except the opportunity to maintain, if not expand your industrial network. If I were not on leave, FAT chance that I would be able to attend. I know the company only too well.

Starting SMA Orientation later today at 8:30am. Have to wake up at 7am. Hope I can drag my lazy bones up.

I hope the team holds out fine without me. I may be over-estimating my importance to the team, but I believe they would be able to sort things out on their own.

New Photo Album

I've got a new photo album at MyPhotoAlbum.

Feel free to look browse some photos from my recent trip to the US, as well as some photos that I have taken of my niece and nephew.

Hmm ... does direct linking work?


Well, it should, but MyPhotoAlbum happens to be hosted by FortuneCity. Hmm ... do referrers work in a link, or in Javascript?


Enjoy!

Job Interrupted

I've just received news - I've been admitted to the highly competitive (28 students were accepted for the Masters program out of a total of 700+ applicants) and intensive Singapore-MIT Alliance program for a Masters Degree in Computer Science. The program comes with a full scholarship and a tuition subsidy. The best of both worlds, studying at home in NUS with the prestige of a MIT certificate. There will be a Summer Conference in Boston starting mid-July. I'm really looking forward to learning much from the program and going to Boston.

Many thanks to the people who have encouraged, informed, supported, and helped me in one way or another. There is no way that I could have done this without these wonderful people. Keng Peng for introducing me to the program, and believing in me. Sam for giving me the push to go ahead with the applications. Boon Pang being such a great help for coordinating the completion of evaluation letters at UIUC. Profs Lockwood and Lumetta, Hon Kit and Tony for writing glowing evaluations. Ms Komathi, Profs Wong (Sorry Prof Wong, I didn't manage to see Prof Hwu when I went back to UIUC earlier this month) and Hsu at the SMA for being so kind and accomodating. Dixon and He Jun for your support, encouragement, and reassurance. Thank you all for believing in me!

Will be putting my job on hold for a year until I finish the course. My boss is kind enough to hold the post for me until I get back. Ultimately, we realise that it is a win-win situation for both the company and myself, because we both get to benefit from the extra insights that I will gain from this intensive, enriching course.

Singapore Tourist Guide

(Something that I wrote in an email to a friend. Rather useful, I must say!)

I don't want to waste your time and mine. I just found this comprehensive
site that is absolutely great http://www.visitorsingapore.com/

Meanwhile, here is a summary of my recommendations. Hope you find it useful.

Getting around in Singapore:

1. Get an EZlink card from the airport. This allows you to take the MRT and
bus services all around Singapore. You can top up the card with cash at all
MRT stations. The MRT passes by most of the major attractions and
sight-seeing places in Singapore. You can simply take the MRT along the
whole line to explore the island.

2. Get a Mighty Minds travel map with details of the bus and MRT services
around Singapore. This is available in any bookstore like WHSmith or Popular
Bookstore, 7-Eleven, convenience store, etc. Just ask!

3. For more details about the bus services, simply get a copy of the bus
guide from any ticket sales counters during their opening hours. You can
also try the bookshops.

Communication: If you have roaming enabled, you might be able to make local
calls directly once you are connected to the Singapore network.
Alternatively, pre-paid SIM cards are available from Singtel, M1 or Starhub
shops located at various places around the island. You just need to provide
your name and show some ID like passport. It is a very cost effective way to
call in Singapore.

Chinatown is the early settlement of the Chinese migrants into Singapore. It
is not much different from the other Chinatowns in other places. It will be
interesting to see how the place has evolved over the years

Sim Lim Square and Funan Center are the computer and IT centers of
Singapore. Nowhere else is there a greater concentration of computers and
peripherals. Must visit places for any IT fan!

Take a stroll, and enjoy the breeze along the Singapore River and watch the
much touted Merlion in its splendour, en-route to The Esplanade (durian),
which is the cultural performance center of Singapore. Besides a wide
plethora of cultural and musical performances, there is also speciality
shops as well as an arts library to suit all tastes. Beside it is a
two-storey night club called Embassy, famous for its transparent glass
celing on the first floor. :) Marina Square will be your next destination.

Shopping is never complete without visiting evergreens like Raffles City,
Suntec City, as wel as the shops along Orchard Road. You can start off at
Suntec City after walking over from the adjacent Marina Square, and if you
survive the ordeal, you can walk via CityLink Mall (yet another shopping
stretch) to Raffles City. After Raffles City, you can walk out and start off
towards Dhoby Ghaut, located at the east end of Orchard Road. Both sides of
the mile-long Orchard Road are filled with shopping centers, shops, and
restaurants! Walk all the way up to Borders bookstore, and further up to
Forum Galleria where there is a huge Toys'R'Us. You better stay at the
Shangri La, cos that's where you will end up at the extreme west end of
Orchard Road, so you can get your well deserved rest!

Holland Village is the expatriate locale in Singapore. There are a wide
variety of restaurants, pubs, and massage parlours (decent ones) for you to
explore. It is located between the Ghim Moh and Commonwealth MRT stations.

East Coast Parkway is the most popular destination for locals and tourists
alike to swim, barbecue, cycle, jog, rollerblade along the south eastern
coast of Singapore. Of course, there is also a wide variety of seafood there
for visitors to recharge after a hard day of playing!

Newton Food Centre, located just outside Newton MRT, is a wildly popular
tourist attraction for a wide range of local food fare. Have Indian murtabak
while dissecting a fried stingray, and washing that down with freshly
squeezed sugar cane juice. Simply delicious.

If you haven't had your fill, or feel that the touristy Newton Food Centre
is not to your liking, then the next destination is Geylang. Despite having
a main reputation as a red-light district, it is also the local food
capital. Just keep to the main road and do not venture into the side roads.
:)

Sentosa is the most popular offshore destination located off the Southern
tip of Singapore. You can get there by cable car from Mt Faber, taking in
the magnificent view of the south side of Singapore as well as the southern
islands. Notable attractions include the Underwater World and Siloso Beach.

The Night Safari is one of the foremost places that any visitor to Singapore
should visit. It houses an interesting range of nocturnal animals, showing
you their life, and behaviour up close. http://www.nightsafari.com.sg/

The Jurong Bird Park is a 20.2 hectare open-concept park. It is the largest
in the Asia Pacific and one of the finest bird parks in the world. Its
collection of more than 9,000 birds from 600 species is among the largest in
the world. The Park specialises in birds from Southeast Asia and the more
exotic and colourful tropical birds. http://www.birdpark.com.sg

The Singapore Science Centre was established for the purpose of:
- displaying exhibits illustrative of the physical sciences, life sciences,
applied sciences, technology and industry, and
- promoting the dissemination of knowledge in science and technology.
http://www.science.edu.sg

Little India is where the early Indian settlers lived in the early years of
Singapore as a British colony.
http://www.littleindia.com.sg/stb/stb_index.htm

Shenton Way is the business and financial hub of Singapore. Along it there
are many banks, financial and business institutions. Visit it during office
hours to experience the hustle and bustle of the earliest and busiest
business district of Singapore.
http://www.visitorsingapore.com/photo_gallery_shentonway.htm

Boat Quay / Clark Quay has a bustling nightlife scene. A string of pubs and
restaurants along the Singapore River spoils the visitor for choice. Sunday
mornings will see a flea market with peddlars selling their excess or old,
valuable wares.

Definitions

From the Sharpie permanent marker FAQ:

Question: I purchased a marker that stated it was waterproof, but when water came in contact with the writing, the ink smeared. Why is this?

Answer: Within the writing industry, a marker is defined as waterproof if the writing is still legible after it comes in contact with water.

Passing on the Spark of Love

Quoted from a forwarded email ...

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning
disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that
would never be forgotten by all who attended.

After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question.
"When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
children
do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural
order of things in my son?"

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. "I believe, that when a child like Shay comes into the
world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it
comes, in the way other people treat that child."

Then he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
playing baseball.

Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me play?"

Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on
their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to
play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging. Shay's father
approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play.

The boy looked around for guidance and, getting none, he took matters into
his
own hands and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth
inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in
the ninth inning."

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was
still behind by three.

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the
outfield. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just
to
be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father
waved
to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two
outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay
was
scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, would they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win
the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was
all but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat
properly,
much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved in a few steps
to
lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The
first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took
a
few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.

As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
right
back to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have
easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and
that
would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher took the ball and turned and threw the ball on a high
arc
to right field, far beyond the reach of the first baseman.

Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!"

Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the
baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!"

By the time Shay rounded first base, the right fielder had the ball. He
could
have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood
the
pitcher's intentions and intentionally threw the ball high and far over the
third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward second base as the runners ahead of
him
deliriously circled the bases toward home. Shay reached second base, the
opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base,
and
shouted, "Run to third!"

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming, "Shay, run
home!" Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero
who
hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team.

"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
"the
boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into
this
world."

Fit for Action

I've passed my IPPT! Hurrah! I've made the Silver timing by 2 seconds! Nothing to be proud of actually, but well, my efforts have paid off.

I've been putting in effort to run 3 times a week to get into shape. Seriously, it is not easy, especially since age is catching up with me. I'm no longer the 21 year old chap who can regain his fitness with a few weeks of training!

Alright, having another $200 in the bank, my next goal is to make the Gold standard by the next IPPT. Hope I can really do it!

That's it! I have booked my IPPT date for 16 June 2004 (exactly mid month)! Time to bite the bullet! My last book date is 31 July 2004, which gives me another chance to book a date for retest in mid July as well. There is not much time left. Really hope that I muster up enough discipline to train, go for runs to get into enough shape to get back a silver medal. I used to think to myself, after ORD, that I would be able to keep up with the training and maybe run a time of under 10 minutes consistently for 2.4, but I just got lazier as time went by, and fatter. Sigh ... now I have to rely on the lower Category Y fitness standards. Argh!

What a productive pre-Labour Day April 30th has been! I collected my two free gift fruit blenders from UOB, updated two bank passbooks, terminated my extra Singtel and M1 lines which costed me an extra $50/mth, and watched a performance staged by my old school RJC in the evening, catching up with some old friends in the process.

Hmm, why am I putting all these in a BLOG? Interesting!

Now to get back to work and beat that deadline! Positive my man! Must be positive!

The office had a massive redesignation exercise. It is not called a promotion because it is free. No salaries were raised - only work load and job responsibilities. Also because it is free, many people were redesignated 3 to 4 ranks higher.

New Firmware - NA3000

A new firmware for Aztech NA3000 is being finalised finalized. It is waiting for unit test and then it will see the light of day. All the features that people have been wanting but did not get are mostly available. Exciting new features in this new firmware release will include

• Stateful Packet Inspection firewall
• Range Port Forwarding with Popular Application shortcuts
• Triggered Port Forwarding
• Dynamic DNS Client (Supporting DynDns.Org)

Sorry, NAT loopback is still not supported, but I have seen how it is done on competing products and will be implementing it on the NA3000 soon. Note that this development is done on my own time. I am supposed to be working on another product now.

Share Some Pictures

Slideshow with Chloe's Pictures.

Many people are looking for the DSL305E firmware. Please try the Aztech website. If you have any technical queries, you can ask me and I'll try to help.

I also provide consultation for networking, wireless, and software. Feel free to contact me.

Virgin Performance

Nov 24, 2007: I've had many hits by prospective wedding emcees looking for a script to follow. These can usually be obtained from the hotel banquet manager (that's where I got mine). However, for the convenience of those who want some prior preparation, here is a pretty good one which has both English and Chinese versions. I'm also available for hosting arrangements, please leave me a comment!

Sunday, December 14, 2003 will be a forever memorable day.

I did it! I did it for the first time. I have ventured into uncharted waters.
Just what the heck did I do? I hosted Guowei's (one of my best friends) wedding!
On top of that, I was also time keeper and contact person for the ceremony in
the day activites (tea ceremony, etc). This certainly is a great honour to be
such an important person at my friend's wedding!

Guowei and I have been friends since Secondary 3 in school. We went through the
last 2 years of secondary school and 2 years of JC. Though we took separate
paths since then, through army and university, I can say we have that unique
irreplacable connection between us that time will not be able to break.

It was 3 weeks ago that we met up. Then he popped the question to me - he asked
me to be the MC for his wedding dinner! I have absolutely no prior experience,
but the lack of experience is no excuse, because everyone has to start
somewhere. After a grand 10 seconds of comtemplation, I agreed, knowing full
well in my heart that I have many obstacles to surmount. There is only one
option for me - that is I have to do a good job - nothing else!

There would be two emcees for the dinner. One would be a friend of the bride
(her name is Xinyi) and myself. The choice of the co-host was a toss up between
Shan Shan and Michelle. Michelle was originally asked to be the English speaking
host, but she declined, stating stage fright. So Shan Shan was was asked to be
the Mandarin speaking host. We decided on Michelle in the end. I was happy to be
speaking either English or Mandarin.

I was apprehensive and nervous prior to the big day. My mind was in a constant
whirl because I didn't know exactly what to do, which given my character, I
absolutely dislike. I even paid my uncle a visit to get some pointers from him.
This uncle of mine is a veteran in hosting wedding dinenrs, having done so for
more than 3/4 of the weddings in our family. He is the de-facto MC for every
event.

After all the preparation, quesions asked, I still felt unsure. This confidence
has to be built from experience, through actually hosting events. I'm just going
to do it. Things will turn out fine. Positive psychology helps, definitely!

I put on my new shirt and tie, made sure my hair looked good, and put on my
jacket, looking my best. They say any guy looks good in a suit and tie. Haha. A
good thing, since the air-conditioning in the hotel was extremely cold. Michelle
was feeling cold, but looking stunning in a simple black dress.

I kept fumbling during the rehearsal. I either forgot my lines, or mispronounced
words. A clear sign of nervousness. I was thinking that if I fumbled during
rehearsal with no one watching, then how I would perform with 400 paris of eyes
on me. More about this later...

Michelle and I had only about one hour to plan what we were to say and how we
were going to say it. We decided that I would first speak in Mandarin, and she
would follow up with the English version. Most of the guests would understand
Mandarin, so it would be more appropriate to start off in Mandarin. We didn't
want to deliver a clinical performance, which while proper, was boring. Luckily,
despite our inexperience, we managed to plan in some banter to make the event
appear to be more lively and spontaneous. We also had help from the event
manager at the hotel who provided us with a wedding dinner script template, from
which we extracted information about the champagne pouring ceremony into the
speech. Someone later told me that it was a good move to mention the
significance of the champagne pouring, which my the way, symbolises wealth and
the overflowing of the couple's love.

I was already down with a bad cough. In the morning, I was still feeling
relatively alright. But into the evening, no amount of lozenges could sooth my
irritated throat. I just kept coughing and coughing. I had to drink lots of warm
water and chinese tea, which helped somewhat. Thank my lucky stars I could
finish my speech without breaking into a coughing fit.

I didn't dare to eat anything because I feared agitating my throat. So I only
had shark's fin, some vegetables and noodles, which came after we have finished
the champagne pouring and toasting.

Guests at the wedding, please skip ahead two paragraphs ... ignore the following
one.

Things went without noticable hitches. But there were some unexpected turns. I
forgot to ask the guests to raise their glasses before the 'yum seng'. I did not
expect that I had to lead the 'yum seng' as well! I also forgot to touch glasses
with my co-host during the 'yum seng', how ungracious of me! There was also once
that Michelle had to remind me to stand straight, because I was leaning on the
rostrum with my weight on only one leg; that looked ugly!

While our performance cannot be compared with the professionals, but I think it
was a credible first time performance for both of us. It was hard, but yes, we
pulled it off! Good work, Michelle!

To Guowei and Xinyi, I have witnessed your romance blossom 10 years ago; you
have stayed with each other through the years. I only have this to say - that
you two are a perfect match - althought you still have your little arguments. I
have not seen another couple who fit each other so well. Now your love has
matured, become more deeply rooted; may your love be stronger with each passing
day. So, when is the tree bearing fruit?

When and How to Lie Effectively

Yes I know, people hide or distort the truth for various reasons. Not all the reasons are malicious, of course, there may be a really sensible one. For example, you deliberately ignore a call from someone you don't like. When the person next asks you why you did not answer the call, you will cook up some excuse like "the phone was on silent" and "I was asleep", or "watching TV". It would be bad manners to admit that you deliberately ignored the call, wouldn't it? But then again, it would be overkill to emphasize how tired you were, or even going to the extent of saying that you fell asleep a few minutes before the call came in. Talk about being lame!

Restaurants and Food Places

Hmm ... realised that the first Mc Cafe is at Great World City first floor. On the same floor, there is Delifrance and Coffee Bean, all within line of sight of one another. Talk about competition. There is also a Kenny Rogers at Great World City! I thought only Suntec and Tampines Mall had it. Tiong Bahru Plaza have some new restaurants on the second level. Seems that these places are springing up all over the place. I should frequent Great World City more.

Taking Hints

Yeah, I geuss some people dun like to be direct and straight to the point. They prefer to beat around the bush till the cows come home. Please pardon my poor language. Well, unfortunately, if you wanna tell me something, you have to tell it to me straight. Beating around the bush never gets the point across. This explains why I am taking up Wing Chun kung fu.

We're Screwing You - Hope You are Okay with It.

I misplaced my EZLink card (with $20) since Friday. I could have dropped it on
the cab, or it could be in an obscure corner at home, to be found only many
years later if and when we are moving.

While I was buying a replacement card this morning, the helpful station staff
advised me of the revised charges, that the $15 we are paying for the card only
gives us $7 in value with a non-refundable $3 deposit.

As if headline coverage in all the local media over the past week has not been
enough! He asked me if I was okay with the new conditions, to which I replied,
"I am being very sarcastic here, but tell me, do we have a choice?"