Behind The Wheel

It's been a while...yet again

2011-08-03T01:47:00.000+08:00

Sometimes I do wonder if anybody reads my blog. It's been a while since I've posted anything here and yet nobody's complaining about the lack of new content.

Anyway, right after having that lucid dream in my last post, the Japan Earthquake struck. Boy was it scary watching live as the massive wall of water rolled inland, unstoppable. Mankind has yet to conquer nature and I believe we never will. Nature will always win in the end.

What have I been up to lately? Well, apart from being buried in work, I've been taking lots of pictures lately. I did a shoot with Trina and also spent some time before my shift started and shot The Clubster.

Here are some of the shots...both of Trina & of The Clubster.

A Lucid Dream

2011-03-11T12:58:00.000+08:00

Weird dream today. Mom wanted me to renew passport and mine was left in cabrio but was driving Octy. While driving home route was semi-familiar but full of industrial obstacles; gas pipelines and viaducts being constructed. Also, road was full of morons running red lights and light trucks racing me. Car felt very sluggish and on one instance forgot to release parking brakes. Very stressful dream which led to me waking up with palpitations. Realized also that I do dream in living colour. What kind of time constraint and rat race am I supposedly feeling the pressure from to have a dream such as this?

Bragging Rights...

2011-02-05T10:14:00.003+08:00

Yeap, I think I've earned it this time round.

The penultimate geek in me still takes the helm of my rather oblique lifestyle of trying to mold myself into something I'm so not. So here goes the tech-speak...or so to speak.

Laptop...
Dell Studio
17-Inch wide LED Backlit
Processor Intel i7 - Q720
RAM : 4GB
Display Adapter : ATi Radeon Mobility w 1GB VRAM dedicated
Built-in Blu-ray/DVD-RW drive
Built-in 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi
Built-in HSDPA GSM/3G Broadband Modem
Built-in Bluetooth
O/S Drive - Plextor 64GB SSD (Yeap. Solid State)
Data Drive - 500GB 7200rpm Seagate
JBL Speakers with Built-in Subwoofer

This would be for me, the ultimate desktop replacement rig. Only thing I've ordered and still on the way now is the Backlit keyboard.

Oh and the iPad rocks!

Exclusivity?

2011-02-04T10:21:00.003+08:00

Fact of Life : Men want women to see them exclusively but do not want to be exclusive to the women themselves.

Some claim to be afraid of commitment. That's utter rubbish. If someone came along and he thinks she's the right one, he'd jump into the commitment wagon instantly. The problem isn't with committing, the problem is ruling out other commitments.

We're committed only when things are reasonable. Once something unreasonable comes, the commitment goes right out the window.

I have the same problem with my cars. On one hand, I love the way the Octy drives, the comfort, and it's power. On the other hand, it doesn't grab anyone's attention and I love attention; so I get myself a convertible. It drives crappy, doesn't have any power and well, is not particularly comfortable.

So now, I'm torn between 2 girls...the reliable wife who's always there, and the supermodel who's not particularly bright and follows whatever she fancies.

Life is just so that you can't have the cake and eat it...at least for most of us.

Get used to it.

Once again...that birthday calculator...

2010-10-24T22:47:00.000+08:00

Your date of conception was on or about 21 June 1970 which was a Sunday.

You were born on a Sunday
under the astrological sign Pisces.
Your Life path number is 8.

Your fortune cookie reads:
You will inherit some money or a small piece of land.

Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 8, 11 & 22.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path number 6.
You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 1 & 5.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 3, 7 & 9.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2441024.5.
The golden number for 1971 is 15.
The epact number for 1971 is 3.
The year 1971 was not a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 1/27/1971 and ending 2/14/1972.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Pig.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Wolf; your plant is Plantain.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Pachons, the first month of the season of Shomu (Harvest).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 17 AdarI 5731.
Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 18 AdarI 5731.

The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.17.17.11.0 which is
12 baktun 17 katun 17 tun 11 uinal 0 kin

The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Sunday, 16 Muharram 1391 (1391-1-16).

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 11 April 1971.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 18 April 1971.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 24 February 1971.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 30 May 1971.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 6 June 1971.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Tuesday, 21 September 1971.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Sunday, 11 April 1971.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 23 February 1971.

As of 10/24/2010 10:47:05 AM EDT
You are 39 years old.
You are 475 months old.
You are 2,067 weeks old.
You are 14,469 days old.
You are 347,266 hours old.
You are 20,836,007 minutes old.
You are 1,250,160,425 seconds old.

Celebrities who share your birthday:
Taylor Hanson (1983) Kirby Puckett (1961) Billy Crystal (1947)
Michael Caine (1933) Quincy Jones (1933) Frank Borman (1928)
Hank Ketcham (1920) Les Brown (1912) Albert Einstein (1879)

Top songs of 1971
Joy to the World by Three Dog Night Maggie May by Rod Stewart
It's Too Late by Carole King One Bad Apple by Osmonds
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart by Bee Gees Knock Three Times by Dawn
Brand New Key by Melanie Go Away Little Girl by Donny Osmond
Family Affair by Sly & the Family Stone Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves by Cher

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 5.66301369863014 years old. (You're still chasing cats!)

Your lucky day is Thursday.
Your lucky number is 3 & 7.
Your ruling planet(s) is Jupiter & Neptune.
Your lucky dates are 1st, 10th, 19th, 28th.
Your opposition sign is Virgo.
Your opposition number(s) is 5.

Today is not one of your lucky days!

There are 141 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 40 candles.

Those 40 candles produce 40 BTUs,
or 10,080 calories of heat (that's only 10.0800 food Calories!) .
You can boil 4.57 US ounces of water with that many candles.

In 1971 there were approximately 3.7 million births in the US.
In 1971 the US population was approximately 203,302,031 people, 57.4 persons per square mile.
In 1971 in the US there were approximately 2,158,802 marriages (10.6%) and 708,000 divorces (3.5%)
In 1971 in the US there were approximately 1,921,000 deaths (9.5 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.

In 1971 the population of Australia was approximately 13,198,380.
In 1971 there were approximately 276,361 births in Australia.
In 1971 in Australia there were approximately 117,637 marriages and 12,947 divorces.
In 1971 in Australia there were approximately 110,650 deaths.

Your birth flower is DAFFODIL

Your birthstone is Aquamarine

The Mystical properties of Aquamarine

Aquamarine is often used to experience love and mercy. It is said to help ease depression and grief.

Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)

Jade, Rock Crystal, Bloodstone

Your birth tree is

Lime Tree, the Doubt

Accepts what life dishes out in a composed way, hates fighting, stress and labour, tends to laziness and idleness, soft and relenting, makes sacrifices for friends, many talents but not tenacious enough to make them blossom, often wailing and complaining, very jealous, loyal.

There are 62 days till Christmas 2010!
There are 75 days till Orthodox Christmas!

The moon's phase on the day you were
born was waning gibbous.

Canon EOS 60D - 2010 Škoda Octavia

2010-10-09T18:10:00.000+08:00

A re-edit following some suggestions.

Playing with Video

2010-10-07T17:21:00.004+08:00

So yeah...by now, everyone knows that I got my hands on a Canon EOS 60D...

Here's the first "serious" production I did with it.

A new chapter...

2010-04-06T01:55:00.002+08:00

A new chapter begins.
Two carcasses of cockcroaches lay strawn on the floor at the void deck and I wonder, when insects die, why do their legs bend back into their bodies.
I realize that I am no longer in the City that Never Sleeps. This city does sleep and it's dozing off right now. It's a humid night. You can almost feel the water surrounding you and every breath is heavy and damp. Perfect for growing moulds and fungi.
Everyone around has a certain stench. It doesn't matter how many times you shower or how much perfume you spray on. It just reeks at the end of the day.
Midnight tomorrow is when I take over the shift. At least I have reliable and helpful people to fall back on. I'm not entirely aware of the things I'm going to have to do but I'll have to give it my best.
It looks like it'll be a clear day. Might be able to make the most of the weather and shoot something good. Camera's stored in the dry cabinet. It's the only place that I can keep it to prevent things from growing inside it. Sounds almost grotesque...like a tumor.

Would I consider it?

2010-03-24T06:30:00.002+08:00

Living in New York for good? Perhaps not but I would definitely not feel odd or out of place in this city. As the lyrics go,

"Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
There's nothing you can’t do,
Now you're in New York!!!
These streets will make you feel brand new,
the lights will inspire you"

It is rather inspiring. Because there's the old coupled with the new. Compare that with Singapore...our MRT stations look fabulous because they're new; but they also lack character which comes with age. Why do you think those lines on your face are called character lines?

If I did move in to New York to live, however, I would have to be single and I would work as a photographer. Well, I suppose it would ring true for London & Paris as well but that's the beauty of these cities.

Besides, these cities are in countries that have way more to offer in terms of places to go and sights to see. I think I'd like to make every holiday trip I have thereafter one to either of these cities. I would never grow sick of them.

Some pictures to show you what I mean...

Money, the motivator

2009-12-12T11:01:00.002+08:00

In a company where performance is measured by monetary profits, it would only make sense that its staffers are motivated by their paychecks.

It would be rather strange if staff weren't motivated that way. After all, passion can't be measured...or can it?

It takes all sorts of characters to make up the world we live in. That's what makes our world as interesting as it is. People invent new things, technology progresses, service levels improve, all for that ever elusive goal of earning more.

If the world did not have an economy or if humans weren't by nature always wanting more, then what would be the point of progress? We'd still be living in the stone age and the wheel would never have been invented.

All it takes is for 1 incredibly intelligent and ambitious person to be greedy and voila! we'd have progress...or at least a new invention. These days, there are less and less inventions, more innovations. To invent something requires genius at a different level. One has to be both a genius in terms of creativity as well as ingenuity and that is a rare thing.

How many Da Vinci's, Galleileos, Newtons or Einsteins are out there? Perhaps one per generation or less. In terms of inventions, it's getting more and more stagnant. After the invention on Radio, Television and the light bulb, the rest are pretty much innovations...improvements, upgrades and downsizing has taken over the inventive mind.

Oh well. Lets hope that the next one is about to come. Maybe the person would be able to invent cold fusion and rid the world of the huge disparity between the rich and the poor.

Cheers to HOPE!

A New Ride

2009-12-06T19:54:00.003+08:00

They pulled through! Harvest Auto that is...

I'm now the happy owner of a Skoda Octavia 1.4 TSi DSG!
It's strange though that people think that just because the car is new that I'll be the overly concerned driver who's worried about getting scratches on the bodywork.

Too bad for them that they encountered me cause I treat all cars alike, old or new.

Just that I'm a little more happy with the Value-for-money that this car gets me.

Well, read about this car in three years' time and we'll see if I'm still as happy hahaha!

The Energizer Bunny

2009-08-03T13:35:00.002+08:00

If I chuck her into a bunny suit, she's either look like a Playboy® magazine playmate or she'll bounce around like the Energizer® Bunny.

This is who I'm talking about...

These were shot when I needed test out the camera and lights...

And I'm still trying to figure out why I'm having problems high-speed synching with the 180s but not with the 630..hmm...maybe duration's longer.

Well, back to the drawing board I suppose.

Shooting on film

2009-07-28T11:14:00.005+08:00

Quite a bit has happened since I last posted an article here...

I bought my first item from eBay (29 June 09)for US$149.99...

Yes it's a Nikon F3 HP film camera and it works really well.

Here are some shots taken using the camera:

Model is Winnie L.
Film used was ILFORD XP2 ISO 400 Process C-41.
It was pull processed for ISO 50 exposures to give better contrast and finer grain.
Lens used was a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 Series E purchased from Jeremy T for S$50 haha...Thanks Jeremy!

Here's a comparison between the Canon EOS 30D DSLR with Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens and the Nikon F3 HP with Kodak Gold 200 film and Nikon 50mm f/1.8 Series E lens.

Model: Eileen.
Strobes: Jinbei Delicacy 180 Kit.
Wardrobe: PopCherryCrush
Accessories: Model's own.

In any case, I'm now complementing my photography with film for non-commercial shoots. It's really great so I'm having tons of enjoyment with both cameras.

Next up would be my bidding for a medium format film camera...hopefully I can buy it cheap. Wish me luck! =)

Winnie...

2009-06-14T11:35:00.004+08:00

I met with with Winnie for an outdoor photoshoot yesterday..

Overall, I'm quite pleased with the result (probably cause she's good at posing) although the weather was freakish...

Halfway through the shoot, it decided to rain...WTH!!!

Anyway, the results of some of the photos...

I did have to do a little photoshop editing as usual =)

The sweetest thing...

2009-06-12T16:17:00.004+08:00

This girl is soooooooo sweet (both sweet looking and personality) that I wanna adopt her as my little sis liao...

Hahaha...cannot tahan lei. Sunny disposition, no temper, super modest and unassuming.

Who am I talking about? Eileen.

I did a photoshoot with her yesterday. One of the sweetest models I've worked with.

Here's a few shots.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Over a year...

2009-05-16T11:27:00.003+08:00

A year has passed but I don't feel older or wiser by any means.

Well...I'm just gonna put pictures up here cause I've lost 6 years' worth when my backup HDD crashed.

Maxtor/Seagate has a lot to answer for.

A concept shot...

And the dog which I'm currently (and whenever mom's not around) babysitting...

Posthumous awards...

2009-02-23T13:12:00.003+08:00

So Heath Ledger won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

It is as expected and rather predictable. Why do I say that? Well, people tend to honor the dead (and those who died prematurely) more than the living. As the old saying goes, artists only get rich after they're dead.

What is it with this screwed up world that prevents artists from getting paid their dues before they die?

The NYC medical examiner's office "concluded that the manner of death is accident, resulting from the abuse of prescription medications". It's quite contradictary that an abuse of perscription medications can be deemed "accidental". I find it quite funny actually.

Okay, it makes sense that he didn't intend to die but isn't it quite obvious that when a person abuses something, it's usually bad in the first place? When the substances being abused are drugs, in large amounts aren't they usually fatal?

Okay so he wasn't suicidal but he was definitely self-destructive. Obviously he can't handle the pressure (whatever pressure it may be) and therefore in my books doesn't deserve even a pity vote.

Well, I suppose he paid for it with his life. He could've had so much more. Too bad then.

All that talent's just been flushed down the toilet.

Back to my point, why don't they honor the living as much as the dead?

Humans are selfish by nature and in their selfish manner, the want to make themselves feel better by honoring those that they feel have "sacraficed" for the art/cause/whatnot.

If you ask me, wanna honor someone? Do it while he/she is ALIVE! Then at least it's appreaciated.

Well, Mr Ledger, you can bury your award statue with you now. RIP.

The automotive debate

2009-02-08T13:05:00.004+08:00

I'm a snob. Oh I'm sure many people have had those thoughts about me before. Here I am admitting it.

Why the sudden admission? Well, I've come to realise that there isn't a single Japanese car that I'd really really really want.

Now by saying that I like the car, it just means that I'm okay with it, I can live with it but it's still not the driving machine that I'd really want.

So that's the reason why I'm admitting that I'm a snob. Let me explain.

I've had may debates with a number of people regarding this issue; a Japanese car, like a Korean car, Chinese car, Indian car; Russian car...oh you get the picture, will NEVER EVER, in my opinion be anything close to being luxurious.

First and foremost, luxury items are not mass produced. They are hand-built for the select few. Examples that comes to mind would be:

1) Rolls Royce
2) Bentley
3) Maybach

Now obviously these are really exclusive cars reserved for the very elite. What about for the millionaires out there? The corporate chiefs and directors?

Well, there you have Mercedes, BMW, Aston Martin, Maserati, Porsche, Ferrari, Jaguar etc.

For the junior executive (people that generally make more than S$100K annually)? Well, now comes the Volvos, Saabs, Volkswagens, Audis and continental cars priced within say S$100K-$250K. Why didn't I mention a single Japanese car then?

Here's the reason.
Although the Japanese have their own so-called "Luxury" brands; Lexus being the first to pop into your mind I assume, to me (and YES this is a personal view), they are not luxurious.

They are corporate and efficient, well engineered vehicles but they do not make me enjoy driving. Of course not every car in my junior exec. list will make me enjoy driving either but it's different.

What then defines a luxury car to me then? Passion.

Ever wonder why the Japanese have yet to come up with a car that's remotely close to the emotions that a Ferrari or Lamborghini brings to a person? Why most dream-cars are the likes of th F-word and the L-word?

You might wanna argue "What about the new GT-R?" Oh it's a wonderful car. Marvelously engineered. Brilliantly hand-assembled. But it's designed and built by a bunch of engineers whose passion is not really the whole package of how the car looks, handles, drives and is engineered but rather whose passion is "Lets bring engineering to its limit" or "Lets see if we can come up with the best-handling, fastest car".

In North America, Japan, China; the new automobile manufacturing countries, it's all about making money. They've applied Ford Model-T's principle of "Lets bring cars to everyone". Therefore, they build cars that are reliable, fuel-economical, reasonably comfortable and nice to look at.

But that's it. And I dare say that Lexus is just another one of these. It's still just a Toyota with better handling, a better engine, slightly more comfortable leather seats but it's still just a Toyota.

The designers didn't put any passion into the car. Thus, to me, they're just boxes on wheels, some better equipped than others, but not something that I'd really really want.

The Game of LIFE

2009-02-07T02:17:00.002+08:00

The problem with life is that when the Almighty created it, for whatever reason, he forgot to "Enable Cheats" and include a "Reset" button.

It's a journey that all of us have to take no matter what. Some attempt to shorten their miserable lives by ending it prematurely and most succeed. Those that don't, well, their misery lives on (pun intented).

If a person/animal's consciousness is nothing but energy, what happens when we die?

Does it get dissipated slowly? After all, the amount of matter and energy in the universe remains constant. That, is a scientific fact. However, have you ever wondered about the energy which makes up our soul?

It has to be energy since we consume food to remain conscious and alive.

Someone mentioned to me before that if a person's spirit or soul goes someplace, then that place would be over-crowded with the spirits and souls of countless individuals.

I'd probably think that it'll all dissipate into space. After all, it's the one place that no one really knows what goes on in. I'd like to think of my soul, when I die as becoming a space dwelling free-spirit.

Different people have different opinions about what happens when they die so, lets hear your belief.

I may have gone slightly mad...

2009-02-03T11:12:00.002+08:00

Right after a 45-day wait to get the ride back, I'm surfing the internet for water injection kits.

You think I'm mad, don't you? Well, the ironic fact of the matter is; is that water injection actually prevents pre-detonation caused by fuel starvation and cools down the air going into the combustion chamber.

Okay, that sounded like a whole bunch of geek talk but in essence, it prevents the engine from 'knocking' when boost is being increased.
Yes yes yes, the draw of increasing boost is still there and will probably never go away. But. Lesson learnt. Will do it a little more carefully.

In any case, it might not be that bad an idea to head to some accessories shops to look for a gear knob. The stock one's beginning to look a little aged. Of course I can't forget about my matt black racing stripes as well.

It'll come together in time...slowly, but surely. Meanwhile, I'm still considering buying a Made-in-China car, pay for it upfront and mess around with the engine after that. Then we'll see what the limits of those engines are before they break apart.

Heh heh heh.

45 days and a few hours away...

2009-02-02T14:17:00.003+08:00

It's been a record for me since my drivers licence got suspended 9 years ago...

That was well...a valid reason as to why I didn't own a car. But I didn't own a car back then for only a couple of weeks.

That was when I was changing the Accent to the 6.

Now...45 days later, I'm a few hours away from getting my ride back. I don't think I've been this excited since...gosh...I bought my first car.
It's probably because of the piece of crap that I've been driving around which was loaned to me.

I mean, I'm paying premium repayments for my ride and yet I have to settle for the crappy cheaper version. Gawd! How can anyone be attached to something that's substandard I have no idea.

In any case...I'm just waiting and waiting...for the time to pass quickly!

Oh and 45 days is half the time it takes to hand-build a Rolls Royce from time of order to date of delivery...

Or I could get an Aston Martin hand-built for me already...

Questions...

2009-02-01T00:22:00.002+08:00

When energy is expended to do something, it's converted from one form to another. Simply put, potential energy is converted to kinetic energy.

Now, if I travelled from point A to point B. The energy used to travel the distance is used up over time.

Where does the energy go?

It's converted to travelling between point A and B in that given time of course.

So the energy is forever used up and no longer exists.

Or does it?

If there's a way to "see" energy, it would make things alot simpler. However, even if we can 'see' this energy, once it's gone through time, it's over.

Since time is linear and eternal. I often wonder, when I began to type this entry to this point in time now. The beginning time is gone. Is there absolutely no way of getting it back?

Okay...this is getting too heavy for me at 29 minutes past midnight. I'll sleep on it and ponder again some other time.

Shortest shortlist

2009-01-31T14:16:00.001+08:00

Well, with the current economic climate, there's little or no way that I can sell my car for anything more than 2k above scrap value...

Which means...

Yes...no more shortlist.

This sucks.

Well...maybe next year.

Shortening the shortlist...

2009-01-30T18:22:00.002+08:00

Some dealers try very hard to sell you their cars.

Then then there are those that don't really care if they sell cars or not.

Those dealerships made shortening my shortlist so much easier.

The following are still on my shortlist:

1) Mazda 6 - Nice design

2) Toyota Camry - Economically prudent

3) Volswagen Jetta - Good mix of power & economy

4) Subaru WRX - To satisfy the boyracer in me

5) Suzuki Vitara - For the outdoorsy guy in me

The Volvo's price went up from what was shown online so it's above budget now hence the removal.

The Prius...well, I can forgo being a greenie for the sake of performance. Besides, 1 person really really can't make a difference.

The Mondeo...The dealership definitely didn't think of me as anything close to being Mr Bond (a.k.a 007) and with only 1 sales rep there...it shows that they're not too concerned about poor sales and Ford's financial troubles over in the States. Besides, the car is frightfully overpriced.

The Honda City is budget motoring and it's budget shows in the interior quite obviously.

I have, however added a car to my shortlist.

6) The Honda Accord 2009 - Nice european looks

Rideless & at Wits End...

2009-01-30T09:35:00.004+08:00

This is the condition of my ride as it stands now...

It's been in this condition since Dec 19 2008...

Which goes to stand that...wait for it...

YES! I haven't had my car for the past 42 days!!!!

I only have this to say...some mechanics are good, but those at my dealership SUCK!

Therefore, I am now looking for a replacement for my ride. Why? Because of the lack of expertise in my particular model of car.

So my long shortlist for a new ride would be (in no particular order):

1) Toyota Prius(hybrid) - For the tree-hugging peace lover in me

2) Mazda 6 - Nice design

3) Toyota Camry - Economically prudent

3) Volswagen Jetta - Good mix of power & economy

4) Subaru WRX - To satisfy the boyracer in me

5) Honda City - Sporty design & the cheapest on the list

6) Ford Mondeo - For the Bond wannabe in me

7) Volvo S60 - The most expensive in my list

8) Suzuki Vitara - For the outdoorsy guy in me

Suggestions?

When terrorism strikes home

2008-11-30T08:00:00.003+08:00

The success rate of terrorism as it now stands is : Zero.

And yet, these people still try. Are they that desperate? Or are they just another band of brigands and thugs seeking power?

The answer is obviously the latter.

In a desperate situation, it has been proven time and again, the only way to gather sympathy is through sacrafice.

Terrorism has NEVER been looked upon favourably by anyone. It's not a "last resort" measure either. It is for the weak and cowardly to feel a sense of power and dominance.

When one's plight is made known through the act of senseless, thoughtless terrorism, the plight no longer takes front and centre stage. The act of terrorism does.

Terrorism would only make the general public loathe the people who are fighting for the cause more.

When one is oppressed, if the plight is made known, people would sympathise with the oppressed and rise up against the oppressors. However, when innocent bystanders are dragged in to the fight, the cause no longer matters.

Perhaps these people should learn that diplomacy, no matter how long it takes, is still the best viable solution to end their suffering.

I would like to extend my deepest condolences and sympathies to the families and friends of victims of terrorism.

Try to maintain...

2008-07-10T12:57:00.002+08:00

It's difficult to do APAD when most of the time is taken up @ work. Just trying to maintain it for now I guess...even so, it's nice to be able to take pictures everyday.

Here's the best of 8 July...

Eco-Friendly Energy

2008-07-03T17:58:00.003+08:00

Energy crisis...

High fuel costs...

Greenhouse gas emissions...

Global Warming...

What else is new?

Wouldn't it be great if we could somehow build a digestive system that's able to take in biological items and convert them into energy without emitting too much of those?

I've been pondering over the same thing. Humans create energy through digestion. What if we were able to come up with a "biological" car? Something like a horse, except that it's manufactured.

Alright, before I get people up in arms saying that I'm trying to play GOD, no I don't intend to clone animals. Merely "engineer" them.

What if we could create a part of an organism that's not from any other. For example, we create a digestive system which will break down the "food" and store the energy in batteries of some sort (biological) naturally.

The technology is definitely not there right now but wouldn't it be cool if we could "feed" our cars of the future real food (i.e. edible by humans) and it then converts the food to energy and the only by-product is manure?

I guess the easier way out would be just to go back to basics, horse-drawn carriages and the likes. Although some might still think that's it'll be inhumane or cruel to subject horses (or animals) to labour.

Hence to be morally free, we'll have to create non-sentient beings to do stuff. I guess it's still science fiction but wouldn't it be cool if one day, we could have a headless horse carting us around?

1st Sunset of The month

2008-07-01T19:29:00.002+08:00

And it's a beautiful one!

I just got home from work and was eager to test out the 17mm-40mm f/4L after the cleaning service done by Canon Sg.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised by the result.

Then I noticed the sun peeking through the clouds just as it had a few days back @ Punggol beach.

So out came the C90 and within minutes, I was shooting away at the fast disappearing sun...here's my favourite among all of them...

Another new phone...

2008-06-30T10:17:00.002+08:00

I got my hands on the C702 yesterday and was pleasently surprised by the design, balance and materials used for the phone.

It's not a lightweight and it's definitely for the outdoorsey, sports person.

Anyway, it's splashproof, dustproof and shock resistant.

Here's a picture taken using it's 3.2MP Camera. It's also another of my APAD shots.

PowerJam 2008 Semis

2008-06-28T21:39:00.002+08:00

Well, the semis are over and 5 bands have made it through. It was a good semi-finals and the bands were excellent. There were a couple of bands which should've played other covers.

Timeless classics from bands such as The Eagles, Journey and Chicago have really tough vocals and if not sung right, sounds bad cause we're so used to hearing them they way they're originally sung.

Anyway, I thought this Guitar would be excellent for my A.P.A.D project...so here it is, after some editing with Photoshop.

Riding off to the Sunset

2008-06-28T00:29:00.004+08:00

I didn't really have much to do while waiting for Mike to arrive. I also happen to see a couple of photographers taking the sunset @ the usual spot (Punggol Beach).

I was there more for stargazing than anything else but the weather wasn't co-operating at all. It was cloudy throughout and although I did have a sneak peak @ Mars, we didn't manage to catch anything else.

The mosquitos did have a feast tho.

I also came across this couple that asked me to take a photo of them and send it over via email. I guess that's just what I'll do. I respect their privacy so I won't post their photo here.

Morning @ BB

2008-06-26T09:42:00.002+08:00

I was walking towards the lift then the scene caught my eye. I've never seen the block from that angle before so I thought it would be pretty refeshing to put that shot in as one of my APAD projects.

Here it is...

Faces

2008-06-26T00:07:00.004+08:00

I thought that the foyer at The Cathay was pretty eye-catching.

This is what I saw thru the lens...not one of my better shots but still, it's catchy.

I also got a new cartridge for my turntable. Not that I disliked my original Elektra but I don't think I can find the same stylus anymore...

A Picture a day...

2008-06-24T18:08:00.002+08:00

This is something I'm starting. Just to see how I can work photography into my daily routine.

Ah...daily routines...just what the picture is about eh? :D

Yup. My quest for bigger arms and tighter abs (six pack to be exact) still hasn't ended. I can see a little improvement but I do hope that the improvements are coming in bigger steps hah!

Half a year on...

2008-06-22T22:05:00.004+08:00

It's been almost half a year since I've posted anything here.

I guess nothing much has been happening in my life. I've been holed up at home pretty much lately as well.

I did, however, get my hands on an EOS 30D at a decent price. Took it out and tried some shooting with it recently. So here are the shots.

These were shot at Punggol Beach. I was trying to capture the last half hour of daylight for today.

These were taken last weekend at Changi Boardwalk...

Dairy of a Red Dress

2008-01-27T02:08:00.000+08:00

There's this thing about being up and alone on the 12th floor at 2am. The silence of the night, the backlit keyboard, the darkened room with the monitors as the only sources of light. A cigarette burns in my hand while I tap away at the keyboard posting another entry.

The sound of a car racing by in the distance breaks the silence. The occasional cats fighting, the sky lit by lights from fellow insomniacs. It all sets a mood.

The whirr of fans in the cpu accompanies me.

Just having got back from Conrad after a great but rather short evening out. She was dressed in a red dress. The rest of the world became black and white with only the dress having colour. It reminds me of the opening scene of a movie I recently watched.

There's the sparkle in her eyes and they catch my attention. I look deep into them wondering what kinds of feelings they portray. We have a lot to talk about as always. We don't seem to run out of topics. I feel a certain chemistry there but I'll wait and see if she feels it too.

I image of her in the scarlet dress is burned in my mind and I'll carry it with me always.

Proverbusters

2008-01-15T00:03:00.000+08:00

"Lightning never strikes the same place twice" - Proverb

I stand here with fact that lightning does strike the same place twice. Whomever's the idiot that came up with that proverb's obviously not an employee of SR.

Not only does ligtning strike more than once at the same place, it pretty much does the same damage to the equipment as well.

Besides the lightning strike, today was rather uneventful. Although I think A's falling sick big time. She was complaining of gastric pains on saturday evening (which after Timbre I headed straight home), is suffering from a mild fever today.

I think I've become more stoic with age...I don't know why but alot of my passions are gone and I'm beginning to feel more indifferent now.

Who else can I blame but myself right?

Justification

2008-01-14T00:05:00.000+08:00

I used to be the easy-going, carefree person but events in the past couple of years has taught me one thing. It's better to be just that little bit anal retentive and make sure you've got yourself covered.

I hated confrontations and hated situations where it would put a strain on friendships or relationships but things have happened in a way where, well, it's become unavoidable.

I suppose after having my easy-going nature taken advantage of one too many times, I was prepared to harden myself. It no longer mattered if whatever I did was diplomatic or not.

I'm beginning to understand why popular politics and leadership never works here. People just take advantage of it.

What a sick world it is that we live in. It's pathetic.

Leadership is earned, not thrust upon

2008-01-12T08:53:00.001+08:00

There's a contridiction in terms there. I do believe that respect is earned and not a given but leadership?

Well, I've seen situations whereby a person is thrown into the position of being a leader even when the person is totally inept and incompetent.

Most of the time, a leader is chosen when the highest ranking person is no longer allowed thus the 2 I/C takes over. In my case, it's be thrust upon me but without the benefits.

I figured that it's more of an excuse to make use of the person to the max. Pushing someone to the limit. I'm fine with that except that the reparations aren't there. Oh well...such is the life.

2007 in retrospect...

2007-12-24T08:25:00.000+08:00

Quite a lot has happened to me in the short space of 358 days...

The most significant would of course be the passing of my father. Oddly, although I miss him dearly, I shed no tears nor do I feel the sadness that accompanies the passing of a loved one.

Perhaps I've come to terms with the fact that he would not be around from his constant "I can drop dead any minute" speeches. I guess that may have been his own way of preparing us for the worst.

Moving on, I got a fulltime job (finally) and gave up photography as the only means of income.

I met a whole lot of nice and new people.

I poked all the girls I know on facebook (almost on a daily basis)...

I went on a cruise and to Cambodia (I don't remember ever taking 2 holiday trips in a year).

I think it's a pretty eventful year....yup that it was indeed.

Oh and if anyone's intersted, you can add me to your facebook too. Just look for the email address bb354@hotmail.com.

Spring Cleaning...

2007-12-11T13:45:00.000+08:00

One of the toughest things to do is spring cleaning. Why? Because old, obsolete items that are still working need to be thrown away. More often that not, we keep stuff for their sentimental values.

Some people might just say, move on and look towards the future instead of living in the past. At the same time, without the past, what future would there have been in the first place?

It's such a catch-22.

So now it's back to square one.

There's also this superstition that nothing can be done for at least a year. I guess it's out of respect and memory that it exists.

Oh well...time to move on...

Reality Bites

2007-12-10T12:35:00.000+08:00

Sometimes reality hits so hard, it not only knocks your socks off but takes a few teeth along with it.

The self-realisation that I've gone past the three five is beginning to sink in and boy does it hurt.

A self-appraisal once a year is good though. It kinda allows me to reflect on what I've done, what I'm planning to do and what I'm currently working on. It's an opportunity to work things out I guess.

After a couple of days when the self-realisation is done, I wake up with an attitude and a vengence.

Time to wake up!

Row row row your boat...

2007-12-06T12:46:00.000+08:00

For those of you who didn't know, I was on a cruise from Sg to Phuket n back over the past 4 days...heh

Here are some pictures that I took with my trusty Canon Powershot A80 (not the DSLR).

Totally unfit...

2007-12-01T20:06:00.000+08:00

Just how unfit am I? Well, the short of it is that I ran up 10 storeys and almost died by the time I got to the roof.

My legs feel like lead weights had been tied to them after the 8th story...I was practically on all fours by the time I reached the roof. I was seeing stars too!

Obviously, this lack of excercise and physical fitness (the lack of that is...) is worrying. Once you hit the big 3-0, according to dieticians, the body's metabolism slows down. The worrying thing is that mine's almost at a complete stop.

I keep putting off excercise for various reasons but it's obviously because I'm just plain lazy. Therefore, from today on, I shall use the stairs every time I pay a visit to the transmitters. It pays to be in good health while being zapped by 5kW of radiation.

Gotta cut down on the ciggies too...damn.

Roller blading's gonna start to feature more prominantly on my schedule and so's the gym, dumbbells and pilates. Gotta start getting that "beach" physique I've been dreaming of since I hit puberty.

A little too much information, perhaps?

2007-11-28T10:08:00.000+08:00

I chanced across a website and this is what it chugged out...
14 March 1971
Your date of conception was on or about 21 June 1970 which was a Sunday.

You were born on a Sunday
under the astrological sign Pisces.
Your Life path number is 8.

Your fortune cookie reads:
Plan for many pleasures ahead.

Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 8, 11 & 22.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path number 6.
You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 1 & 5.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 3, 7 & 9.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2441024.5.
The golden number for 1971 is 15.
The epact number for 1971 is 3.
The year 1971 was not a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 1/27/1971 and ending 2/14/1972.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Pig.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Wolf; your plant is Plantain.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Pachons, the first month of the season of Shomu (Harvest).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 17 AdarI 5731.
Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 18 AdarI 5731.

The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.17.17.11.0 which is
12 baktun 17 katun 17 tun 11 uinal 0 kin

The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Sunday, 16 Muharram 1391 (1391-1-16).

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 11 April 1971.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 18 April 1971.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 24 February 1971.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 30 May 1971.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 6 June 1971.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Tuesday, 21 September 1971.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Sunday, 11 April 1971.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 23 February 1971.

As of 11/27/2007 9:05:08 PM EST
You are 36 years old.
You are 440 months old.
You are 1,915 weeks old.
You are 13,407 days old.
You are 321,789 hours old.
You are 19,307,345 minutes old.
You are 1,158,440,708 seconds old.

Celebrities who share your birthday:
Taylor Hanson (1983) Kirby Puckett (1961) Billy Crystal (1947)
Michael Caine (1933) Quincy Jones (1933) Frank Borman (1928)
Hank Ketcham (1920) Les Brown (1912) Albert Einstein (1879)

Top songs of 1971
Joy to the World by Three Dog Night Maggie May by Rod Stewart
It's Too Late by Carole King One Bad Apple by Osmonds
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart by Bee Gees Knock Three Times by Dawn
Brand New Key by Melanie Go Away Little Girl by Donny Osmond
Family Affair by Sly & the Family Stone Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves by Cher

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 5.24735812133072 years old. (You're still chasing cats!)

Your lucky day is Thursday.
Your lucky number is 3 & 7.
Your ruling planet(s) is Jupiter & Neptune.
Your lucky dates are 1st, 10th, 19th, 28th.
Your opposition sign is Virgo.
Your opposition number(s) is 5.

Today is not one of your lucky days!

There are 108 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 37 candles.

Those 37 candles produce 37 BTUs,
or 9,324 calories of heat (that's only 9.3240 food Calories!) .
You can boil 4.23 US ounces of water with that many candles.

In 1971 there were approximately 3.7 million births in the US.
In 1971 the US population was approximately 203,302,031 people, 57.4 persons per square mile.
In 1971 in the US there were approximately 2,158,802 marriages (10.6%) and 708,000 divorces (3.5%)
In 1971 in the US there were approximately 1,921,000 deaths (9.5 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.

In 1971 the population of Australia was approximately 13,198,380.
In 1971 there were approximately 276,361 births in Australia.
In 1971 in Australia there were approximately 117,637 marriages and 12,947 divorces.
In 1971 in Australia there were approximately 110,650 deaths.

Your birthstone is Aquamarine

The Mystical properties of Aquamarine

Aquamarine is often used to experience love and mercy. It is said to help ease depression and grief.
Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)

Jade, Rock Crystal, Bloodstone

Your birth tree is

Lime Tree, the Doubt
Accepts what life dishes out in a composed way, hates fighting, stress and labour, tends to laziness and idleness, soft and relenting, makes sacrifices for friends, many talents but not tenacious enough to make them blossom, often wailing and complaining, very jealous, loyal.

There are 28 days till Christmas 2007!
There are 41 days till Orthodox Christmas!

The moon's phase on the day you were
born was waning gibbous.

Farewell, Father.

2007-11-05T01:18:00.000+08:00

This is for my father, Wang Yu Yung.

He was born on May 29, 1934 and died peacefully with my mother at his side on 28 October 2007 in China.

A man who was a role model to me
I followed in his footsteps as best I could
Always giving always loving
His family most important to him

Working hard to provide for us
as best as he could
We all enjoyed the fruit
of his labour

I never for once thought that he would go
for so soon it seemed
Time not enough, never enough
Go freely for it was your wish
To be able in death to experience
The freedom which you so deserve

Never shall we forget you
and all your good deeds
for many lives have you touched
and many more have you provided for
as the old saying goes

"Give the man a fish and he eats for a day,
Teach him how to fish and he eats every day."
Neither fire nor wind, birth or death
can destroy our good deeds.

In loving memory of my father,
Wang Yu Yung
29/05/1934 ~ 28/10/2007

The Click 5!!!

2007-10-24T13:57:00.000+08:00

Yesh!!! They were at our station (Power98FM) today. They played LIVE in the studio!!!

As I was the only Tech dude in the office today, it fell upon me to fix up the mics and do the audio checks. The studio's designed for 3 guests and 1 DJ (that was the mic assignment) so there was some testing to do to see if we could fit the 5 band members and 2 contest winners.

Well, it worked out pretty well. I've got a recording of the song Jenny which they sang live off-air.

That was pretty cool.

Anyway, here's a picture of the whole gang with Harry (Our DJ who hosts the Double Xpresso lunch-hour show).

This is me with Ben Romans...

And this is their lead...Kyle Patrick...

Words that attract spam...

2007-10-23T22:09:00.000+08:00

I spent a good 10 minutes deleting idiotic spam from my Tag Board.

Why?

Simply because I've got keywords such as p*rn and ad*lt m*vies in my blog. Geez. I honestly wonder why they even bother. It's not like as if I'm hooked on to it. I was just mentioning the fact that some Korean actresses looked like drag queens.

In any case, an interesting topic popped up @ work today.

It was about ladies, short skirts and legs. To be honest, I'm a legs, neck and shoulders guy. Lemme see a lady in a dress which exposes all three and well...

You get the idea.

It's a pity that not many local women dress up in clothes which expose all three at the same time. By expose, I don't mean show EVERYTHING...just a hint of what to expect would be great. Too much skin isn't necessarily a good thing either.

Sometimes I do wonder though, if there's something that you're after for very long remains unobtainable, would you persist or give up hope, cease and desist? I've been wondering if I should continue the persistance which after a whle may seem pesky...ah, to strike that balance...

Nostalgia...

2007-10-03T10:38:00.001+08:00

This picture was taken in Vancouver in 1991...I just dug it up and scanned it and boy does it bring back memories...

Sleeping in the VW Golf cabrio @ Whistler in autumn and freezing out butt off...(it was like -5°C then. And that jacket...I loved that jacket. It was like CAN$49.99 when I bought it.

This one was taken in 1994 while I was already in Perth and SY was just visiting and checking out the school before she went there as well.

Anyway, I miss that jacket and have no idea where it's gone. :( Well, it has been more than 10 years I guess but still...I think I can still squeeze into it heh.

This shot was taken in 1991...when I was still pretty new to photography really. One of those priceless film shots taken with a Yashica FM2 camera (which was a fully mechanical, manual SLR - my first). Anyway, it's super nostalgic to me. I was there studying and she came to visit...awww so sweet. And we've only been dating for 2½ years too! :P

The Birthday Bash...

2007-09-29T17:41:00.000+08:00

Alright, so I haven't updated in a week or so. I had to leave Daughtry up there cause he was giving me more hits!!! HAHAHA!

In any case, we had a ball of a time at Go India restaurant. It was an FM club outing. We also celebrated 2 birthdays. And a first at SAFRA Radio! Boi turns 21!!! Talk about young! He's like the 'baby' of the company although he hates being called that.

Well, that's because us old farts hate being old...that's why we're all young at heart! hahaha!

Well, all the best for the birthday boy and girl! :D

Here's the BD boi...

And the birthday girl girl...isn't she just sooooo sweet!?

DAUGHTRY!

2007-09-19T16:33:00.000+08:00

Chris Daughtry and Brian Craddock!!! Woohoooo!!!
They were the in-studio guests on Harry's Double Expresso.

Sony-BMG brought them in and man...the groupies in us turned out at full force.

Okay, so they're not as tall as I expected but they're both way cool dudes.

Was great and we had a helluva time taking pictures with them ahaha!

Anyway, since they had a pretty long day ahead, they didn't stay here for too long.

In any case, it was pretty fun meeting them.

A Clear Night

2007-09-18T22:09:00.000+08:00

It's such a beautiful sight. After a cloudy weekend (it's M's fault. He left for China today) it's CLEAR!!!!

I instantly whipped out my C90, mounted the camera onto it prime focus and voila! A nice shot of the moon.

Yes, it was sharpened a little because the original shot had the moon slightly soft. That's probably because of the 7 year old optics which to be honest, weren't maintained very well.

Still, it was a sight to see. Pity I didn't have the time to do shots of Jupiter as well because through the eyepieces, tonight gave a good showing of the planet along with its 4 biggest moons. Callisto, Io, Europa and Ganymede.

Well, I think the shot of the moon alone was well worth the trouble of packing and unpacking the gear. Heh.

And yes, the images are shot by me in Singapore and they're my copyright HAHAHA!

42 minutes past Midnight

2007-09-18T09:33:00.001+08:00

This was what it was like at Seletar Reservoir 42 minutes past midnight. It was on the 16th September 2007.

A rather still night with no wind. Clouds hung overhead giving the surroundings a surrealistic glow from the reflection of streetlights.

A couple finds solitude for themselves and escape from the daily grind of city life.

Sick...

2007-09-17T21:30:00.000+08:00

My mouth is dry, my head's spinning and my hands are clammy. This to top off with the fact that I'm running a temperature. Damn I hate having a fever.

Backyard astronomy's a good way of feeding mosquitos. We covered more mileage than I'd care to remember driving from Seletar to Tuas to Sungei Buloh and finally to Pasir Ris...all in that sequence!

At the end, I blame M for bringing the rainclouds where ever he goes HAHAHA!

Oh well, I have to be optimistic about this coming weekend though. Might even do some sky tracking in order to get some nice wide shots.

Lets hope I get well by then.

Face Booked

2007-09-15T08:30:00.000+08:00

Man...since I got an account on facebook.com, I've been swamped by pokes, beer and God knows what else.

There's been very little happening these couple of days apart from the excitement of horizontal lightning, telescopes and earthquakes...

Okay, so it was a pretty big deal that we felt the tremors here as well but frankly speaking, it wasn't quite what I expected. After all, I've experienced tremors along the west coast of North America before and those were quite something else.

In any case, I won't be living anywhere close to a fault line anytime soon.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for clear skies tonight. Hopefully then I can photograph some nice Messier objects such as M31 or M42.

Polar alignment's still a headache for me though and I believe that M's big ass Celestron's gonna be hogged by his 350D. Still, one can always try.

One wonders what of the local trees that people have spotted with growths on the trunk that look like The Monkey God and the Elephant God. It's probably just a coincidence but since when should we start worshipping trees? It's a strange world that we live in I guess.

Shake it shake it baby!

2007-09-13T08:44:00.000+08:00

Yup, some of us here at D-E-P-O-T R-D felt the tremors.

Apparently, our local tremors were caused by a 7.8 (according to USGS as of 8:47am) / 7.9 (according to NEA.gov.sg as of 8:47am) earthquake that happened at 7:49:01am local time in SOUTHERN SUMATERA, approximately 550km SW of Singapore and 90km SW of Sungai Penuh, Sumatra, Indonesia.

The 883Jia DJs felt it while they were still on-air and announced it as it happened. Quite drama yah?

Anyway, I didn't really feel anything much but it could be because of my rather central (in the building) location. They were closer to the edges of the building so they might have felt it more.

Oh well...

If you want more updates, check out NEA's Earthquake Monitoring webpage
or
the USGS Worldwide Earthquake info centre

Maybe they should stop doing the "jogek" for a while there...

Okay okay...not nice to make fun of disaster but have to make light of it lor...otherwise everyone so sad. :P

In The News...

2007-09-13T01:53:00.000+08:00

Got a call today...was kinda half asleep when I answered...

"Yo Boz! I saw your photo in the papers!" - Older Sis
"Is it?" - Me
"Yar! You're the Vincent Wang that shot the lightning right?" - Older Sis
"Guess so...not that many Vincent Wangs living on the 12th floor in Bt Batok" - Me
"Niiiiiiiice!" - Older Sis
"Thanks!" -Me
"You got newspapers or not?" - Older Sis
"No lei" - Me
"Okay I cut out for you to frame up." - Older Sis
"Thanks!" - Me
"Click"

So I got up still a little stoned to check out the Stomp! site...

hmm...1200+ views...not bad..get good exposure in Stomp! lei...

So later on when I came into the office I check out the papers...Yup...there it is. The cover photo for Stomp! on today's paper.

Looks like recently I've been involved a lot more in the Media...lending my voice for commercials and spots in Power98, photos posted in the newspapers and on the online portal etc...I kinda enjoy it.

Okay okay...it's attention seeking but then again, it's also fun. Heh :)

STOMPed...

2007-09-11T18:25:00.000+08:00

Well, if you guys happen to be visiting the STOMP website, you can see the pictures that I've taken previously of the cloud formation and lightning.

They've been posted here

Now I feel like a typical local "Kaypo" but I do feel that sights such as these should be shared.

It's Showing its Age...

2007-09-11T01:26:00.000+08:00

Yup...the 10D is 4½ years old now...and it's showing its age.

Just two days ago, I tried taking a long exposure photo of the lightning (see previous post) storm and the number of hot pixels that popped up are definitely more than when I first bought the camera.

I guess it's kinda protesting against the abuse that it's gone through. I suppose once I save enough for the new 40D. At least it's got "Liveview" which should help in getting a more accurate focus while shooting either prime focus or through eyepiece projection.

Orion's 120mm ST OTA is a 600mm f/5 and is going for under 1K at Astro, but after reading about it, I'm beginning to wonder if a shorter but faster 600mm is a good alternative to my current 1000mm f/11 mirror...

Or should I get a NexStar??? The Orion accepts 2" eyepieces which is a BIG bonus cause I wear eyeglasses...

The difference between the new generation C90 (M's Scope) compared to my old C90 is quite obvious. The new C90 is a 1200mm f/13.3 which appears very dark even though the magnification is better...

Maybe I should continue with the C90 first because it's a pretty decent all-rounder and M's already got the monster NexStar 8SE...

Argh...decisions decisions...

Big Ass Scope

2007-09-10T09:19:00.001+08:00

M collected his big ass Telescope yesterday...and today he flew off to Manila.

At least he loaned me his C90 to mess around with along with the NexImage CCD. Haven't had a chance to try them out yet though.

Compare that with my own very old C90 side by side and you'd notice some differences; such as...

1) on mine, the darn focusing ring is on the tube itself...so whenever I try to focus, the whole scope would move...a big no-no if you're trying to spot Jupiter or Saturn...

2) I don't have the 90° dual-view thingy. which means that I have to rely on a star dianganol.

3) Mine's an 1000mm f/11 as compared to his 1200mm f/13 so it's a little bit brighter.

Anyway, he's coming back on the 14th so we're gonna go hang out somewhere n do some stargazing.

Storm on a Starry Night...

2007-09-09T20:32:00.000+08:00

The raw power of nature...The picture above was taken at about 6.40pm and you can see the storm clouds brewing. Equally impressive is the super long shadow cast by the clouds from the setting sun. It was just a beautiful sight.

An aeroplane passing by the storm. Obviously the storm's quite a distance away. Probably hitting Johor Bahru and further north to perhaps Senai. In any case, the plane still looks puny!

Horizontal lightning was spotted from my front door and I decided to capture some images. This is what the storm front looks like when lit by the lightning from within...you can also see stars in the sky which made it an even more interesting experience.

This is a 100% crop of the above image...no resizing was done.

Truely a magnificent sight.

Mistaken

2007-09-08T12:05:00.000+08:00

People often mistake acts of concern or goodwill (especially from the opposite sex) as a sign of affection (so I've said before).

However, having said that, it's only fair that the party not be kept in the dark about it or be led on. J recently had made this mistake with his ex and when she ignored him, he was utterly depressed.

It's no surprise that he feels that way since he still does have strong feelings towards her. I guess sometimes, women enjoy the attention for a while and then once that initial buzz of it wears off, it becomes tedious.

Guys just have to know when to quit.

Of course, there are times when persistence pays off but it seldom happens if ever at all. Persistence can sometimes become an irritant actually.

It's happened to me in the distant past so I guess you could say that I've got a certain amount of experience with this.

Besides, it doesn't pay to have a crush on someone who's self-centered and in need of temporary attention. You'll just end up being ignored when the person finds a new playmate or interest.

I guess there are people out there whom don't know how to put in a nice way that they want some time to themselves but rather choose to ignore as the easier way out. Humans are always looking for the easy way out. Otherwise, John F. Kennedy wouldn't have had to say, "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard... because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and others too." at the Rice University Address on September 12, 1962 (full transcript here).

Escapism

2007-09-07T10:21:00.000+08:00

There are some people that I know that would make Houdini look like an amateur.

Of course they would have their reasons for it. However, it's the fact that it occurs without knowing when it'll happen that gets a little on the nerves.

Otherwise it wouldn't be called disappearing I suppose.

How effective is the Internet in searching someone up? Not very if the person suffers from technophobia I'm afraid. There are quite a few people I know of that are certifiable technophobes. It's a little strange though because first of all, they're my age and secondly, how can anyone truly survive in this country being a technophobe?

It is good to know though that there are senior citizens out there that try to embrace technology with open arms. Even though oftentimes it's a pain to teach them about it, one just has to be patient of the fact that:

A) Because they think they're old, they automatically have bad memories...(but they can remember what you did wrong two months ago)

B) Because they think they're old, they say that it's more difficult for them to learn new things (well, lets just put it down to experience-induced stubbornness).

Imagine that we have this so-called aging population (that's according to a government census), think of the sheer numbers of hair-tearing moments that will occur when our population reaches the average age of 50...dang, we'd have a whole bunch of bald-spotted 20-somethings then wouldn't we?

Oh well...

The World will miss a Great Tenor

2007-09-06T22:03:00.001+08:00

Luciano Pavarotti...

One of the greatest tenors of our time and an opera legend has died. He was 71 years old. BBC News has more.

If ever a movie were to be made of his later life (say past 40s), I think the perfect actor to portray him would be actor John Rhys-Davies don't you agree?

They both bear a striking resemblance to each other.

Don't you agree?

And another...

2007-09-06T21:58:00.000+08:00

Yup...another ticket at 4:41pm. This AFTER I went to the Branch Office to change back the valid season ticket for my own car.

What can I say? Are they INEFFICIENT or what?

I sometimes wonder what's the use of implementing all that technology if none of it is put to good use? That's so weird.

An Addendum

2007-09-06T11:18:00.000+08:00

And I got a ticket about 2 hours after parking at my own house!!!

Hellooooo!

CISCO/HDB Car parks section needs to WAKE UP THEIR FRIGGIN IDEA!!!

I temporarily transferred my season parking ticket to the "loaner" which was from 30 Aug - 10 Sep (being kiasu). I collected my car and by the time I got home, it was roughly 6.30pm (which is obviously after government offices end their business day).

So I didn't have a chance to transfer my season parking back to my own car.

And they gave me a ticket.

Car parks division, being armed with all that technology obviously doesn't make life for me any easier.

I went down to the branch office today to transfer back the season ticket and also to try to get the parking offence notice voided. Lo and behold, the counters that settle ALL season parking matters do not have the authority to void 1 idiotic parking offense notice in a situation is as clear cut as god knows what. So I was informed to get a queue number and join ANOTHER queue to get that done.

Obviously, I opted to do it over the Internet and at the same time, write a long-winded letter on why I be penalised for their or their systems' shortcomings.

Lets see how things go from there...it could be interesting.

Obviously, bureaucratic mentality is STILL the only constant in the universe...and is probably the glue that's holding the entire civil service (of any country for that matter) together.

iPod, iPhone, iPay

2007-09-06T05:49:00.001+08:00

According to Dailytech.com, an iPhone customer has filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple.

I guess the iPhone customer must have been asleep or been living in a cave/under a rock before he purchased it because according to the lawsuit, it claims that Apple did not disclose the fact that the iPhone did not have a user-replaceable battery.

Well, all of Apple's portable products with the exception of their laptops don't have user replaceable batteries.

The ironic fact is that even though Apple's batteries for their portable products cost a bomb to replace, people are still snapping them up without much hesitation. Such is the power of marketing and the urge of blending in with the crowd.

People may have bought the iPod perhaps for the fact that they wanted to display their individuality/creativity by buying an Apple product (Apple products gave the impression that the person using their products are "artsy" since many designers have adopted their MacIntosh computers for that purpose).

Well, of course the beautifully designed iPods attracted attention as well..duh!

But lets be honest, non-user replaceable batteries? It'd be such an inconvenience if say you were listening to your iPod one day and it (the battery) just died and can't be charged anymore. You'd have to go through the hassle of sending the thing in to have the battery (which, lets be honest, is a pretty simple replaceable item) changed. That kinda sucks.

Imagine that happening to your phone...major inconvenience.

I don't doubt though that Apple's iPhone will still sell like hotcakes since we're such a bunch of consumers here. To me, it's profiteering from poor product design (or just plain profiteering because they can). Imagine this, in the States, you gotta pay $79 for the battery plus $6.95 for shipping which puts you out of reach for about a week cause you gotta send the phone in to have the battery replaced. To top it off, they even have the cheek to charge you $29 to rent another iPhone...what about your contacts, smses and other stuff that's in the phone with the dead battery???

I definitely wouldn't wanna buy the phone for that and that reason alone.

Oh and by the way, I GOT MY CAR BACK! Wooooooooooohoooooooooo!!!!!

Maintenance

2007-09-05T14:49:00.000+08:00

Coffee to me, is the liquid life saver.

Now, I'm no coffee connoisseur but I do enjoy a good cuppa ever so often.

There are 2 known types of women in this world, as coined by Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron; they are the "Low maintenance" woman and the "High maintenance" woman. Lets shed some light on the definitions of "low/high maintenance".

No, it's not the Dictionary.com definition. Instead, the "high maintenance" here would equate to a more picky, more demanding person whom insists on having things done her way.

"Low maintenance" would then describe a more nonchalant, unconcerned or indifferent person in terms of personal requirements.

The worse kind of woman, would be the type that is high maintenance but think that they're low maintenance because they don't realise that they are in fact, rather demanding.

On another note, I've realised that when a woman shows concern towards me, I'm pretty appreciative of it. When I find the person attractive and she shows concern towards me, I may have the misconception that she actually likes me enough to perhaps have a date with. Do all guys think that way? I don't know but lets hope it's unique to me. Otherwise, the world would be in chaos over such misconceptions.

An untitled entry

2007-09-05T09:01:00.000+08:00

Yup...I've run out of creative juice and so this is the title of the post.

While everyone (including me at times) is guilty of posting blogs about their love lives, there have been times when I think out loud, "Enough Already!".

Oh...need a crap break...

Back to the post...

But then again, what is this 4 letter word that can sometimes be vulgar?

It's nature at work of course. Because we've evolved into intelligent (at least for some of us) sentient beings with a sense of morality driven into us, we look upon procreation as first having a sense of belonging followed by a sense of responsility towards one another. Jealousy would take over because if the belonging were to be taken by someone else, we'd feel the loss.

Many times, after the institution of marriage has been applied and women have borne offspring, the men have a need to sow seeds further. This is nature's way of ensuring that only the best offspring are born. After all, diversity is the key method of ensuring difference.

Some offspring may be weak physically but strong mentally, others the opposite way round. It's only natural that a parent (be it father or mother) look upon another mate to ensure the diversity of their offspring.

However, this would be contrary to our modern-day standards of morality which condemns so-called adultry. When that happens, one of the parties in the marriage will obviously be hurt but sometimes, the natural instinct is so strong that it overrides the sense of morality and we give in to temptation.

For the sake of sounding sensitive and politically correct though, we would always say that we're married to the person of our dreams. Be honest though, we'll always have a roving eye when disagreements arise.

I may be wrong, I may be right but so far, this is what I've observed. Perhaps my observations are biased by my own upbringing and experiences (yes, they're getting a divorce after 40 years of marriage) and I'm a little sour about that.

On other topic, I'M GETTING MY CAR BACK AT 5!!!!! Wooohooooo!!!! I can at last rid myself of this abomination on the road with a rubber-band engine and transmission although I must say that I haven't laughed so hard while driving because of a car before. It's so bad, it's funny!

Interesting quote of the day (after I wrote this entry) : Many a man who falls in love with a dimple make the mistake of marrying the whole girl.
- Evan Esar

Word of the day : Perambulate

The "Loaner"

2007-09-04T01:57:00.000+08:00

Okay, for those out there driving the 1.6litre Mitsubishi Lancer CV-T, I have nothing but pity for you.

THE CAR SUCKS! OMG!!!!

Here's the scenario...I step on the gas...the car crawls forward and the engine revs a little...

I floor the gas pedal, the car crawls forward (albeit a little faster), the engine revs to REDLINE and makes a freakin' helluva lot of noise.

For a moment there, I thought I'd busted up the dang CV-T (Continuously Variable Transmission) cause the speedo wasn't climbing...just the tacho.

Oddly though, I managed to dodge an Accord 2.0 (Euro version) non-Euro-R along CA6 last evening. The moron actually decided to tailgate me while I was passing another CMI Lancer on the right lane at the bend which leads from the PIE to Clementi Ave 6.

Obviously, being very familiar with that particular bend, I took it at about 70km/h and was still accelerating (at a snail's pace) when this idiot in a White Accord decided to come right up to my ass.

Having a Honda Civic recently kiss my own car's ass didn't make me feel any better with this moron sitting behind the loaner car's ass so I floored the pedal and managed a decent slingshot acceleration around the bend.

I guess it kinda took him by surprise cause it was a while before I heard his engine revving trying to catch up. By then I'd already pulled quite a distance from him and was overtaking another car and getting stuck behind a matrix.

Well, sufficed to say, this moron was lucky that I wasn't driving my own car (it's still in the workshop undergoing repairs to the rear-end which was damaged by the Civic) otherwise I would've blow-offed his ass to high heaven and probably given him a layer of soot to wipe off his piss ant faggoty white accord.

It's been a pretty boring day with little or nothing much happening to me. I have the night shift so it's the daytime that's boring. B's got this problem though. He's been around for a fair bit and obviously knows the place inside out and exactly what to do when something happens (or doesn't). What he fails to realize is that the rest of us are pretty darn new to this and honestly, don't really know what's the norm and what ain't. In any case, either way, it's gonna be sad to see him leave but we've gotta make sure that everything's handed over right before he goes. Otherwise, all hell would break loose here.

It's interesting to note that Porcupine a.k.a KXXZ a.k.a SLK seems to not think of anyone besides herself. I don't mean that she doesn't think but rather, if you like someone enough, you'd spend sometime thinking of that person wouldn't you? Obviously I feature very low on the likable scale since she admitted today that she doesn't think of me at all. That kinda sucks.

I can't wait till Wednesday to get my car back! I'm dying here with this piece of junk that they've loaned to me. Yes, yes, some might say that I at least have a loaner. Well, DUH! If I didn't have one, I wouldn't even think of going there to get my car fixed now would I??? Of course I'd want something that at least on the same trim level as the car I'm sending in. After all, fair is fair. I didn't hit the bugger, he hit me!

Time and again...

2007-08-31T23:09:00.000+08:00

Being able to blog frequently doesn't necessarily mean that the person has nothing better to do.

For me, blogging is an outlet. A way of putting my thoughts into writing. It's also a good place to store events in my life that I might want to remember later and also to let people around me who read it frequently to know what I'm going through.

I enjoy moments of solace where I can organize my thoughts into words and pen it down. I've tried keeping a diary but I have the tendency of losing them. Anyway, all this is probably just justification for my seeking more attention I suppose. That's what most people who blog are after; some sort of recognition that they actually exist in a world of 6 plus billion people. It's also a way of demonstrating individuality.

I tend to blog more when I can't sleep. I guess the whole reason why I can't sleep in the first place is because my mind's a little too active. So putting the thoughts into words does help.

Kay's got this great Nike Dumbbell in the studios. Kay, if you don't mind, I'm gonna borrow it to use from time to time in an effort to gain bigger arms. Dang, I might end up with huge arms, a small body and tiny legs....geez that'd be weird.

Good thing I bought my camper's mat so I can still do crunches and sit-ups since I can't really sleep on the job anyway heh. That helps.

SLK tried to predict what I was going to blog about tonight. Well, I hate being a forgone conclusion and predictable so, nope, I'm not blogging about what you think I'm gonna be blogging about ;) heh..

I might do it later though.

Word of the day: Egregious <- kinda sounds a little like erogenous doesn't it? :P

Dumb-Bell!

2007-08-31T06:52:00.000+08:00

I chanced upon this local website while surfing around looking for a place to get the Nike 5lbs dumbbells.

http://forums.ohgenki.com/lifestyle/health-fitness/

Okay, some of the people that post in there have like Mr Universe muscles etc but that's not really what I'm looking for. Me, being the lazy sort would rather work out for nice abs and well, big arms just for the sake of looking better in a t-shirt.

Well, this guy (Wow his online moniker), seems to be confident of his exercise regime so if you guys want to take a look at it, the link's here

I'm still a firm believer in "Great abs and big arms" so I'll continue to work them out even though the pain's really something the first few times.

It's an interesting enough forum but I doubt I'd make my presence there felt. Does seem to suit the more superficial since it's all about looks. Yes, yes, I'm contradicting myself here but then again, since when are we not at least a little vain?

All I get is a...

2007-08-31T02:42:00.000+08:00

Lancer 1.5CVT...that's the loaner car that I got from Star.

Kinda sad cause the civic dude which went there in the morning managed to get his hands on a Camry. I should have gone there earlier, then I might have had first dibs on what car I'd get.

The choices were pretty simple actually, either a Lancer 1.5 or a Latio 1.5. Obviously I'd forgo the Nissan. I'm beginning to regret it now though cause the Lancer's got a rubber-band engine.

I managed to meet SLK today but only for a short while. She looks absolutely fantastic I must add. As usual though, she turned porcupine on me.

And she spent more than she intended to which is I guess normal. Since when does a woman go shopping and not bust her budget? Never!

I got myself a camper's mat from Giant. It's about the same size as the one I was almost gonna get at West Mall except that this one costs only $5.60 instead of $12.10. It's like totally less than half the price. Couldn't get the colour I wanted though.

I'll be heading down to Astro with Mike on Sat PM to go take a look at some scopes. Looks like the boy's found himself a new hobby. One that he's just as clueless to and just wants to spend moolah on. In any case, I'd just tag along and maybe give him some advice on which scope to get.

Word of the day : Supernal <- does sound a little like "Anal" doesn't it? :P

Bang! crash!

2007-08-30T10:43:00.000+08:00

This is what happens when people tailgate or stop concentrating for a minute while on the expressway...

I was the first car and the second car was an 8th Gen civic (FD) 2.0. He managed to stop in time as well but was rather close to me. The third car, which was a Comfort Taxi (I've been hit by cabs before...so it's not surprising that a taxi was either involved or the cause of it somewhere along the line) however was obviously tailgating and not paying attention...

After about half a second from slowing down to a stop, the bang started followed by another while my car was jerked forwards. At first, the damage didn't seem more than minor bumper-bumper but upon closer inspection, it looked more apprarent that there was internal structural damage. Well, the C&C guys will know what to do :P.

So much for a nice peaceful morning...

A 2.30am post...

2007-08-30T02:28:00.000+08:00

No, I'm not working at the moment but rather, my slumber was interrupted.

I woke up thinking, what happens when the fuel for the fire of passion runs out?
When we get complacent and think that we know what our partners are thinking?
When we stop listening to one another?
When somehow or other, the realisation that the relationship has hit a point where it's too comfortable?
When all there is left is platonic love?
Do we become lifelong friends? Does it mean that physical contact is no longer required? What happened to the hugs and kisses that used to be delivered?

There are some people that believe that showing affection physically, such as holding hands, hugging, kissing and basically just skin contact is not necessary.

I for one am not that sort. I need to feel the reassurance of touch. The warmth of a hug and the passion of a kiss.

When these things go missing or are denied, it gives me the impression that the love that once was, no longer exists. Some will find the excuse saying that well, "it's been so long and I don't feel the need to remind you all the time about how I feel for you".

But it's only natural to have physical contact to show care and affection isn't it? A child feels safe, secure when he/she is held. Even a pet dog feels the need to be patted.

I try to explain these things but they seem to fall on deaf ears and nothing has changed. It's all for the sake of keeping it all together now.

You know what? It's depressing.

It's also the fastest way to infidelity.

Slow E-Mail Day...

2007-08-28T21:55:00.001+08:00

This is what happens when the eclipse of the moon is obscured by cloud cover.

It becomes a slow e-mail day for me.

I have no new pictures to post either here, or on my Multiply site. I tried to get as much sleep as I could failing to which I then decided to blog blog and blog more. I think it's becoming a little more and more time consuming.

To the people at NETS (Network of Electronic Transfers Singapore Pte Ltd) I have this to say:

REDUCE THE DAMN TRANSACTION CHARGES SO THAT MERCHANTS DON'T IMPOSE A MINIMUM PURCHASE AMOUNT YOU MORONS!!!!!

I saw the mat which I wanted to buy to improve my work conditions but alas, it cost less than $20. I had previously walked past the POSB ATM and the line was at least 20 people long and there was only 1 ATM. They used to advertise "Why Queue?" when ATMs were first introduced as a convenient alternative to non-communicative transactions with banks but they seem to have forgotten about what they had advertised.

The "GURUs" which decide where and how many ATMs to place should themselves be forced into a situation where they have to wait at least a half hour before being able to withdraw any money. They probably survive on credit cards and seldom have purchases that amount to less than $20. Idiots.

I suppose, in today's society, there's a premium to be paid for everything including BAD SERVICE. And here we are, talking about trying to improve service levels. Well, efficiency is only a PART of good service and not the definition of it.

Well, glad I managed to get that off my chest.

I enjoyed a couple of Chili Cheese Dogs at Superdog before going to work. KXXZ (a.k.a SLK) decided to go for a lighter Yogurt drink and Ben & Jerry Ice Cream. Some people just know how to contradict themselves (food-wise that is). That's why men will NEVER understand women; and it should stay that way. It's because of the mysteries of women that keep us men interested in them.

Again, she has become a porcupine with icy-cold spikes...

This is what happens on a slow e-mail day...

Eclipse and Weather

2007-08-28T15:20:00.000+08:00

Well, I guess someone's been doing unauthorized rain dances cause the sky's pretty much completely overcast.

This at 3pm doesn bid well for me as there's only 4 hours left before moonrise and the eclipse. Mr Tang, my dad's associate calls this type of rain "长气雨" or "Long-winded rain" which would usually last for a day while the sky remains overcast for the next couple of days.

Just my luck I suppose.

Cat called me up just to ask me about a previous post. Okay, I know it's not considered impolite to call someone during the day at all but I work nights!!!

Needless to say, after the call, I actually dreampt about her although the salient details have already faded away; plus I was in a semi-sleep mode which at the end of the day, amounts to nothing in terms of sleep. I did also dream of KXXZ and the details are as fresh as if I'm still dreaming of her...I won't reveal too much here though and NO IT WASN'T A WET DREAM!

*sigh*

Nightshift...

2007-08-28T08:42:00.000+08:00

Pros and Cons of working 12 hour nightshifts...

Pros:

1. You get the whole office to yourself
2. You get to convert parts of the office to a disco
3. You get to eat loads of junk food with an excuse
4. You get to act silly and nobody knows

Cons:

1. 5am
2. 6am
3. 7am
4. 8am
5. Might fall asleep on the drive home

Mixed Vegetables...

2007-08-27T23:54:00.000+08:00

Ratatouille

That's the title of the movie that I watched tonight. There's gonna be one more from Disney that I'd wanna watch (hopefully with you-know-who)...

It's called "Enchanted" and the trailer was played before the movie Ratatouille began.

I actually found out what "ratatouille" meant (initially, I thought it was the name of the rat) from Rocky Masters (a new cafeteria at DTTB) quite by accident today. I was ordering an Iced Mocha when I saw the word "Ratatouille (Mixed Vegetables)". Okay, I did take French 11/12 and French 101/102 but you'll have to forgive me because it has been 15 years since I last spoke French.

In any case, it's considered "peasant food" in the movie since it is a vegetarian dish. I beg to differ though cause about 6-7 years ago, I dined at Original Sin at Holland Village and they served Vegetarian food and I can tell you that the prices there were WAY beyond what peasants would pay for.

In case you guys need to know, I feel that it's about time that I beefed myself up. Not just from a vanity point of view but also just to improve my own self-confidence. The strange thing is that while I may lack self-confidence when I'm alone or out with some people, I feel really confident about myself whenever I'm with KXXZ. Don't ask me why but I just feel that there's the right chemistry there although I'm not certain if she feels ditto.

The irritating thing about beginning to work out is the fact that my arms are really stiff now and I can't keep them in the same position for too long. Otherwise, they hurt like hell when I bend or flex my elbows...ouch!

My Wave-Card arrived today!!! Maurice was nice enough to get it done for me when I asked him about it during BOTEF. So now I can get into Sentosa free! That's just so excellent man!

I didn't even notice the envelope until I searched around. I guess the guys must have been real busy to let me know that I've got mail. Gotta keep my eyes open from now. Heh.

Word of the day : Atelier

First attempt at big arms...

2007-08-27T10:40:00.000+08:00

Okay, I really overdid the stuff with the dumbell. I should've used a lighter one perhaps? 3kg instead of 5?

I'm now stinking of mesaltopic ointment which I rubbed on my arms after getting out of bed. The ointment is made of 50% Methyl Silicate (a toxin that's damaging to the cornea), 10% Menthol together with Cajuput and Eucalyptus Oil.

I woke up to arms that couldn't stretch at the elbows at all...imagine me walking around with half-bent elbows?

No wonder beefcakes at the gym all look like gorillas...they spend more time in pain and unable to stretch out than anything else.

I'm definitely going to have to give my arms at least a 4 day break from heavy work of any sort. But, being the vain pot that I am, I shall thus work on my Abs instead. Heh heh heh...

Space Time Continuum

2007-08-26T22:43:00.000+08:00

Credit: NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STSci) and the HUDF Team.

I decided to add another post because of my own thoughts on what the Hubble Space Telescope has shown us.

NASA Astronomers and Physicists at JPL say that the Hubble has showed us galaxies that are about 12 billion light years away...our universe is supposed to be approximately 13.7 billion years old give or take about 200 million years, based on today's observations - wikipedia.

If that were the case, wouldn't we be looking at galaxies approximately only 1.7 billion light years away?

If the universe started off with a big bang, and the galaxies are moving away from each other, then at the distance of 12 billion light-years, the distance that they would be now, can be said as approximately 27 billion light-years away wouldn't it?

This is where I get a little confused (hopefully, I haven't lost you guys).

Light travels at a speed of approximately1,079,252,848 kilometers per hour - wikipedia.org or 9,454,254,948,480(9.5 billion)km/year and therefore, if the light takes 12 billion years to reach the HST, then it would mean that the distance of the galaxies are about 113,451,059,381,760,000,000,000,000km from us (or roughly 113 septillion kilometres).

Does that also mean that since this light is 12 billion years old, the current distance of the galaxies would then be a further 12 billion light years (which makes it 24 billion light years) or 226,902,118,763,520,000,000,000,000km (or almost 227 septillion kilometres) away by now?

If that were the case, since the universe is only 13.7 billion years old, wouldn't the distance of the galaxies be only 1.7 billion light-years or 16 072 233 412 416 000 000 000 000(16 septillion kilometres) away when we're viewing it now instead?

Rather, we'd be looking so far back in time that the galaxies would only have been 1.7 billion light years away at the point in time which they are viewed now?

I'm so darn confused...

Of Pizzas and Shoes...and 9 lives (almost)

2007-08-26T19:53:00.000+08:00

Queensway and I'm told that KXXZ wants to buy a pair of shoes for her friend.

I mentioned the fact that her friend should buy her own shoe because of the number of designs available and the one that she chooses might not be the one that her friend likes. Well, she was insistent that her friend trusts her taste in shoes...

She ended up getting a rather futuristic looking pair of runners with no laces (which I also mentioned that might fly off her friend's foot when running) but she thought that it'd be okay. I made several remarks about the shoe but she threatened to kill me with it and so I prudently stopped those remarks.

Dinner was at Pasta Mania @ Suntec City.

Because of some technical glitch, my Hawaiian Pizza came later than usual and so they offered me extra garlic bread & up-sized it from a 7" to a 10" pizza. I thought that it was a really nice gesture but I didn't really need the extras cause I was pretty sure that I'd overeat. In any case, it was appreciated and I must say that the staff were really nice and all.

That's a real thumbs up for Pasta Mania and I'm definitely gonna go back there to dine again.

I also think that KXXZ's beginning to warm up to me a little more cause we were closer than the past few times we went out together...that's a a good sign for me I hope.

Tuesday's gonna have the Lunar Eclipse and I hope that the local weather will cooperate and at least let me have a few nice shots from the East Coast Park.

At the end of the day, I think I've been killed several times by her using...

1) Shoes
2) Wallet
3) Handbag
4) Fork
5) Mobile phone
6) Dumbbell
7) Barehands

At least if I were a cat, I'd still have 2 lives to go before being really dead.

My arms are aching as well because I was working out using the dumbbell that I bought yesterday...the things we do for bigger arms...

"I have a weakness for hot guys...for tight abs and big arms..." - Megan Fox, Transformers

Word of the day : Gravitas

Porcupines Personified

2007-08-25T01:10:00.000+08:00

Creatures with highly developed defense systems either mate very carefully or not at all.

A good example is the porcupine. Don't see many of them around do ya?

In humans, a person with that would have a tendency to become a loner (or Lone Ranger - according to KXXZ)

So what exactly does that mean? It's difficult to say exactly but I suppose having a non-committal relationship would suit such a person very well. When one shuts out emotions, the solitary retreat is all that's left. I guess everyone goes through that state once in a while.

I was introduced to Rochor Soya Bean today and I must say that they do make a pretty mean Soya Bean drink. Pity it wasn't really enough nor was it cold by the time we got to Empress Place to soak up the sights and enjoy the beanie stuff.

It's also time that we got rid of the leftover junk in the office that's been written off. I have no idea how long the stuff's been sitting there but there are some treasures to be had from the pile sitting in one of the producion studios. I just hope that they're really written off cause then I can grab them and mess around with them at home. I'm pretty sure that some of the stuff are actually salvageable.

We'll see...

Word of the day : Melange

The Bourne Trilogy...

2007-08-23T23:02:00.000+08:00

THE BOURNE TRILOGY

Identity...

Supremacy...

Ultimatum...

Which is the best? Well, to be honest, I liked 2 followed by 1 and then 3. Somehow, the third one lost it's edge but I suppose after the second (Supremacy), it's a tough act for Greengrass to follow. He may have set the expectations a little on the high side.

I feel that he's gone overboard with the handheld camera this time. It's almost like he took the entire car chase scene from Bourne Supremacy and applied the technique throughout. Made me a little sick to be honest.

Overall, I guess it would have to be 2-1-3. The first and second really demonstrated Bourne's ability to improvise and obtain information. Whereas the third had Pamela and Nikki helping him out which kinda spoiled it for me. Jason Bourne is supposed to be a loner (okay, the first one he had Marie) but she was pretty helpless most of the time.

He still had to rely on his wits a little more. I felt that the only part that made that bit was in the safe-house in Spain when he met Nikki again...okay, that be a spoiler.

I will therefore shut up.

Word of the day? Well, my previous post already had one so...I'll spare you guys this time.

Onomatopoeia

2007-08-23T11:09:00.000+08:00

Ping Pong...now that's Onomatopoetic

Talking about ping pong, there's the Ping Pong song...

"Do you know what it feels like loving someone that’s in a rush to throw you away?
Do you know, do you know, do you know, do ya?
Do you know what it feels like to be the last one to know the lock on the door has changed?
Do you know, do you know, do you know, do ya?"

There are days that the feeling's exactly like the lyrics to the song.

The new servers @ work are great! I love the noise they make when they start up man...it's like a jet engine spooling up...reminds me of turbos hahaha!

Too bad it only lasts for like 2 seconds. I wonder if IBM can make them run a little longer...closer to a minute would be perfect.

I've got to get me one of those...

Word of the day you ask? Read the title!

Just a couple of new stuff...

2007-08-19T01:10:00.000+08:00

Bought myself a new phone...for S$348 without contract which is pretty good. The National Day promotion is still on unlike what the moron at G-Force(West Mall) told me and tried to rip me off by saying that it was ovr and thus the price was back to $438.

I used to think that the shop was pretty competitively priced but I guess I was wrong. I shall therefore boycott them from now on for sounding so confident and giving me the wrong info...

We went to watch the fireworks since someone managed to get a room on the 47th floor of the Swisshotel Stamford. That made it a helluva lot better to watch than from the ground since we really had a bird's eye view. Traffic was a nightmare though and someone rammed into my car's ass on the way out. Stupid me waved it off as just a bumper rub but when I check it out more carefully at KXXZ's house, it turned out to be a little more than a bumper rub. :( That's so idiotic though why it happened. Just because people were in a mad rush to get out of the carpark, we forget to give way or to alternate-merge. At the end, everyone had to wait while I assessed the damage...purely a bigger waste of time isn't it?

Then, at KXXZ's house, some idiot mistook my car for his friend's and decided to open my passenger door. Was about to hop in when I gave him one of my stares which made him back off. I guess he'll think twice about not checking the plates of the car before opening the door. Hahaha! I think he was pretty embarrassed. Well, serves him right! Ha ha ha!

Word of the day: Masticate <- Sounds like masturbate :P

Movie Classic...

2007-08-16T09:37:00.000+08:00

Have you ever watched "When Harry Met Sally" (1989)?

It's a classic romantic comedy and romantic comedies after that have been using that as the benchmark.

The best dialogue in a movie of the genre would be this...

"Harry Burns: You realize of course that we could never be friends.
Sally Albright: Why not?
Harry Burns: What I'm saying is - and this is not a come-on in any way, shape or form - is that men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.
Sally Albright: That's not true. I have a number of men friends and there is no sex involved.
Harry Burns: No you don't.
Sally Albright: Yes I do.
Harry Burns: No you don't.
Sally Albright: Yes I do.
Harry Burns: You only think you do.
Sally Albright: You say I'm having sex with these men without my knowledge?
Harry Burns: No, what I'm saying is they all WANT to have sex with you.
Sally Albright: They do not.
Harry Burns: Do too.
Sally Albright: They do not.
Harry Burns: Do too.
Sally Albright: How do you know?
Harry Burns: Because no man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with her.
Sally Albright: So, you're saying that a man can be friends with a woman he finds unattractive?
Harry Burns: No. You pretty much want to nail 'em too.
Sally Albright: What if THEY don't want to have sex with YOU?
Harry Burns: Doesn't matter because the sex thing is already out there so the friendship is ultimately doomed and that is the end of the story.
Sally Albright: Well, I guess we're not going to be friends then.
Harry Burns: I guess not.
Sally Albright: That's too bad. You were the only person I knew in New York."

And would you people out there think that it actually makes sense? I would tend to agree with Harry...as would most men but they'd most likely deny that association. Why? Because we're now living in the 21st century which is way past the "Sensitive New Age Guy" era of the 90s and we've moved on.

What may have applied to New Yorkers and Americans in general circa late 80s early 90s might be beginning to apply here now? So we're 20 years behind a socially developed country. Well, to a certain extent, we're still socially inept.

Well, anyway, at least the movie has a happy ending...unlike real life. How often does life have a happy ending right?

Word(s) of the day: Faux Pas

Strange Days...

2007-08-15T19:33:00.000+08:00

I got a call at 10:44am this morning on my mobile phone with "Unknown" listed in the caller ID.

This woman starts spouting something in mandarin which if you know me, I have little or no ability to speak.

Anyway, I was busy driving and trying to overtake a truck but I digress. Needless to say, after a full 40 seconds of gibberish, I managed to retort with a "I can't speak chinese". Needless to say, I believe that it was an overseas call since local calls would have "Number Withheld" or just "Withheld" on the caller ID if it was a private number.

The girl was rather disappointed and managed an "Oh...goodbye" and hung up.

I forgot about the call until a friend of mine who lives in KL dropped me this URL on my MSN Messenger..

Cheated By The Hong Kong Lucky Draw Scam

That got me thinking...God I'm glad I didn't and couldn't understand what the heck she was talking about.

Talk about ironic coincidence that I got the call this morning and the message this afternoon...

My vocal talents are once again used for the BOTEF Chant. Listen out for it...you might actually hear me among the 12 or so voices that have been digitally enhanced.

I'm gonna meet KXXZ later. Just wanna see what she's up to actually. Nothing more than that. Perhaps chat a little about the old times...old school days heh. It's nice to be able to have a second opinion on things that are going on in life don't you think?

Today's word of the day: Plenipotentiary

What is to be done...

2007-08-15T00:22:00.000+08:00

Ralph has got to be one of the most comical names in human history. Before that would be Bozo and after it, well, Buddy would seem appropriate.

I have no idea why I'm opening the post with this but it just occurred to me.

Anyway, I once mentioned before that a probable impossibility is preferable to an improbable possibility. What I'm going through now, has the virtue of both being improbable as well as impossible.

How's that for firmly getting a fix?

In any case, I'm chasing the dream, not quite living it yet so I'll still have to give myself some time; also, I think that there's little doubt after Saturday's event that I've officially been appointed the company's photographer which means that I get to attend almost every event organised.

Which is good actually because not only are the staff encouraged to go to company organized events, they're required to and I have a specific task to perform each and every time. It gives me an objective as well.

And today's word of the day is...Permutation a significantly more commonly used word than the others that I've put up so far.

Sun, Sand, Surf and BOTEF!

2007-08-12T08:10:00.000+08:00

Well done and not medium rare is what I'd have to call my skin at this moment. If someone were to ask me to discribe myself in 2 words, it'd be "Simply Red" <- this courtesy of Shaun who as it turned out, become redder (if that is at all possible) than me.

By the end of the day, he pretty much looked like a cooked lobster absolutely glowing red.

Battle of The EPL Fans (BOTEF for short) was organized by SAFRA Radio stations Power98FM and 883Jia FM. The event was held at Sentosa (yeap...the perfect place to get burnt under the sun. Actually, the weather was a little threatening in the morning but the winds co-opereated and sent the clouds packing and scurrying which meant loads of sunblock for us office dwellers.

The Nivea tent was a godsend to some of us and the babes at the Nivea tent were hot (metaphorically as well as literally).

Being my first on-site event, I must say that I had a great time there as well. Most of us were busy with tasks given and my job was photography. I must say, having shot whole day events before, this was a heck of a lot easier. It also gave me more opportunities to hide from the sun compared to what some of the other guys had to do.

The photos of the event itself are HERE and leave a comment if you feel that a shot grabbed your attention.

I must add now though that a thurough cleaning of my gear would seriously be required.

Some of us were busy playing Futsal, and some others, well...this is what the spouses and children did...

There were the SAFFC players..

There were VIPS...

And...there were Babes and Hunks!

New word for the day : Soliloquy

Ah...the Nostalgia...

2007-08-10T13:25:00.000+08:00

I don't know if you remember this but when I was in like my second year of kindergarten or primary 1, they had this cartoon going on Channel 10 (RTM 2 I think). After searching for it, I managed to track it down.

This was one of the most beautiful theme songs for a cartoon that I've heard. Almost brought a tear to me eye.

After remembering this cartoon, I sorta began digging for others and found this one too.

Remember Marine Boy? He had to chew some gum in order to breathe underwater...hahaha...

I'm gonna go search for more nostalgic TV Series Opening themes! :P

New Word : Syllogism

There's nothing worse than...

2007-08-10T00:17:00.000+08:00

The inability to follow simple instructions...

We ordered a meal from McD's and asked for delivery. Because we're in a secure location they have to wait outside and call my mobile number which was clearly given and repeated back to me upon arrival.

Well, through the chain of command, my instructions must have been truncated since I never got the call from the delivery dude. Suffice it to say, that the main delivery office called me up and claimed that the guy called and someone who was my namesake said that they didn't order anything.

When I went down to the guardroom, the said that the delivery dude did turn up, didn't call but instead, asked the guards on duty if anyone ordered a meal from McDs to have it delivered. Of course, those poor 19 year-olds would say no because they didn't have a clue as to who ordered the friggin meal. That's was why I had pre-arranged for them to bloody call my mobile phone instead.

Anyway, besides that, the straws that came were broken and the curry sauce that I asked for with my nuggets didn't come but was given 2 packets of BBQ sauce instead. Geez! I guess even with all this technology of a central call centre/logistical distribution to the nearest restaurant for delivery etc, it still pins down to the guy that has to take the instructions and follow them.

God!

Word of the day : Megalomaniac <-- does it describe me well?

Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde

2007-08-09T05:05:00.000+08:00

I think I suffer from that Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde type of schizophrenia. After all, once in a while, I do believe that I can be the Sensitive Peace-Loving, Tree-Hugging, Environmentalist/lobbyist Guy and other times, I turn into Mr Dominating Elitist All-brawn No Brain Fascist Pig.

Those that know me well enough would probably have seen both of these characteristics (especially the latter) pop up.

In any case, I feel rather tired that my relationships aren't getting anywhere. The job's really great so career-wise, I ain't got no complaints there. When it comes to relationships though, I think I've stagnated. I'd love to move forward but I seem to he held back all the time.

If it's not one thing, it's another. Maybe I'm looking at it wrong but it's probably and possibly due to the fact that I try too hard and not let things progress naturally. In any case, it's stuck in 2nd gear and it's quite uncomfortable.

Well, I found out that I've been requested by the highest authority sitting in our office to be the official photographer for this coming weekend's event, Battle of the EPL Fans (BOTEF). At least I get to go on site for the event...heh. It's gonna be great.

I've also managed to get the Photoshop software working on this Mac so it's gonna be great working on the pictures. Now all I need is to calibrate the display so that it renders the colours accurately.

Interestingly, there are only 2 words in common usage that end with 'gry'. Angry and hungry. The rest are not common usage words and can probably only be found in the complete oxford dictionary.

Word of the day: Neologism - Podcast is an example.

MacIntel Whispers the Time!

2007-08-06T23:30:00.000+08:00

Yup...it does! You can set the clock to tell you the time every hour on the hour, more or less...I've set mine to talk to me, thus keeping me company once every 15 minutes.

I think I'm coming down with something...I've just about sneezed my nose silly, my eyes are swollen and I've got this uneasy, heaty feeling within. I sure hope I don't come down with anything though. I'm pretty sure the flu bug's running rampant though.

KXXZ is back! She's down with the flu though (but I'm pretty sure I'm not getting sick cause of her). She insists that eating ice-cream while having a bad cough will not make it worse...well, I rest my case.

Went to the lawyers today to get the property transferred from dad to mom and me. I guess they're really going forward with the divorce. I don't know why but I feel so caught in between them...I hate it. So many things to hide from parents, and having to take sides, that's the crappiest of crappy crap.

Anyway, I'm just rambling on and on and on...

Apparently, there's only one word in standard english usage that has 5 consecutive vowels. It's "Rousseauian". What does it mean? Well, according to the Oxford Dictionary, it means "pertaining to Rousseau or his views on religion, politics, education, etc." his full name's Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Well, whoever that was :P...I better go wiki it up.

How I wish I had a page on wikipedia dedicated to me...I also wish my name was as cool and had a Jean-Jacques or Jean-Luc in there somewhere.

Well, that was the word of the day...

Weekend's Over...

2007-08-05T20:37:00.000+08:00

So a relatively uneventful weekend and it's over. Was out at ECP last night with Damian and gang...the usual. Nothing much to report happening there though.

So how do you console a friend whose GF has been caught cheating on him? At the same time, he's inconsolable as well as insecure. Would it work by bringing out clubbing and introducing him to more potential "players" out there?

In the end, he might curse at you for going along in the first place. I guess the only solace one can find in such a situation is in believing in oneself and keeping busy. With what though...I guess there're a million things one can do or think of to keep busy. Oh well...

I've been in those shoes before and I must say that it hasn't been a very nice experience.

I've got a pretty busy week ahead and I suppose that's good too. We'll see what crops up this coming week after the return of KXXZ

Word of the day: Polyglot

I'm on air!!!!

2007-08-03T19:15:00.000+08:00

Guess WHAT!?

My first lines on air are "Brudder, must be disciplined. We are preparing for the SAFRA Benjamin Sheares Bridge run and Army Half Marathon."

So if you hear that on the air, you'll know who said it. Heh.

So what's been going on lately? Nothing much actually. Apart from the routine stuff that I'm tasked to do, once in a while, something interesting happens although today is not one of those days.

Amy did mention that someone told her that I'm very young...I do wonder who it would be that mentioned that to her. The fact of the matter is that I'm like the 5th oldest person in the company.

I think maybe when I renew my contract, I might ask for a different position...who knows? That's like 2 years away from now though so I've got plenty of time to practice.

I'm beginning to miss KXXZ who's spending the next few days in HK.

Next movie on my list after watching The Transformers will be The Simpsons. Can't wait for free time to go watch it.

Well, here's to working towards my celebrity status.

Word of the day : Interregnum

From 1986 to 2007...

2007-08-02T09:54:00.000+08:00

"One shall stand, one shall fall" - Optimus Prime.

This is the exact same line spoken in the 1986 Transformers : The movie by Optimus Prime just before the big battle. As homage to the original, that same line was said in the Transformers 2007 movie as well. How cool is that?

With digital technology the way it is today, comic book heros are no longer restrained to the comic books. And what was seemingly impossible back in the 1980s and 1990s is now brought to life in such a spectacular manner.

It's interesting to note though that Star Wars, Ep. I, II and III does suffer from unrealistic CGI characters (a tall lengthy Jar Jar Binks being a prime example). Comparatively, I've always felt that Micheal Bay Movies had better CGI work. Take Bad Boys for example, you probably didn't even realise that there was CG Involved right?

There ya have it...

Word of the day : Punctilious

Sleep...eat...whatever...

2007-07-31T09:50:00.000+08:00

Lets see, according to my calculations I stayed awake for...

OMG! 63 hours!!!! But I must admit that I wasn't alert for probably 1/2 the time I was awake with my eyes open. Catching little catnaps in between (in which the longest lasted for 45 minutes) did help though.

Cigarettes help as well.

Carl's Jr. Makes the best burgers, period. I seriously always enjoy the Bacon Double Western thingamajig.
It wasn't as messy as I thought it would've been though. I'm getting skilled @ burger munching. Anyway, dinner with KXXZ was great but sometimes I wonder if she really enjoys my company. Well, I guess I'd have to keep wondering.

There are TV series and then there's "The West Wing"...I've always enjoyed watching stuff written by Aaron Sorkin.

I must say that it did become less witty and interesting after the departure of Sorkin at the end of the fourth season. Naturally, their ratings took a nosedive as well. Of course there will be some fans out there of the series that are trying to get NBC to continue probably to like the 10th season or something.

How many times have I watched an rewatched the series...it's time I completed my collection and bought season 7...the final. I must say though that I think not enough credit has been given to the casting director because without such a great cast, it wouldn't be as good.

Oh well, sometimes, things just fall into place for no apparent reason and they also sometimes fall apart for no apparent reason.

I STILL LOVE MY MacINTEL!

I'm gonna start a section on "New Word of the day".

Today's new word is : Anthropomorpic

MacIntel...Hahaha!

2007-07-28T22:38:00.000+08:00

Yeap...it's just another day. Amazingly, I had dinner with KXXZ @ Botak Jones. According to KXXZ, the hungry one will get his/her food last. In the case of today, her prediction came true. So I was enjoying myself stuffing her with chips from my Hot Dog set.

It was a rather good dinner actually. It also gave me the opportunity to flip flop and pour out my frustrations over the past few days, weeks, months and years. At least she can offer a listening ear which is really nice.

Dinner ended on a pretty good note for me although I keep wondering if that was true for her as well. In any case, I shall learn from Commander Taggart (of NSEA Protector) to "Never Give Up, Never Surrender!".

Lets see what happens after...

I did mention to her though that to live a moment of happiness is better than not to have experienced that happiness at all.

Oh...I've got my Mac X86 wireless working by using the D-Link DWL-G122 USB

I've also got an external speaker hooked up to the Travel Pac USB Audio device because the internal SoundMAX 1986 card doesn't seem to have any Mac drivers. So, the Philips speakers are doing their job pretty well.

So the final setup of the Asus A8Fseries laptop running Mac OS X 10.4.9 looks kinda like this: