2006: Happy New Year!

Ah, 2005 finally come to an end.

Looking back, 2005 has been quite an eventful year, the Australia trip with friends, internship at the Prime Minister's Office, et cetera.

Ushering the new year, 2006, we have deadlines for the various projects. Quite a turn off actually, but it's the last semester, so I'm not complaining.

Next milestone in this year? National Service.

Hope things go my way in this new year. For now, I shall look forward to the coming Chinese New Year celebration.

The term break without a break.

A few days back, had a post-Christmas gathering with friends from secondary school, namely, Ron, Ling, Max, Zhi and Yu. After our steamboat dinner, under the cosy ambience of the dessert shop, we exchanged our Christmas presents.

Thanks for both the Christmas present and belated birthday present. I'm sure it will be bring to good use for my upcoming presentation. :)

Not so much of a break for this term break. I'm back to school daily just like any other days, sans the tutorials and lectures. While I enjoyed coding, the impending deadline seems to take the joy out of it.

Admission exercise for Singapore Management University has already started. I'm quite hesitant to press the submit button, facing the same dilemma I faced during my GCE 'O' level days.

So much to do, so much to decide.

Merry Christmas!

Spent the Christmas eve with Ivan on a shopping spree in Orchard Road. Traffic was heavy, but we still manage to walk quite a distance around the Orchard area.

Ah, the Christmas promotion are pretty tempting too, each of us bought a t-shirt.

From 3 in the afternoon to 11 before Christmas, that's how long we shopped in Orchard. Had our late dinner at Swenson's. The steak we ordered was almost oozing with blood, gosh. It tastes good, nevertheless.

Managed to get a bottle of Hoegaarden Witbier, an unfiltered french beer, from Carrefour after dinner. Taste much better than Tiger, with a slight hint of spices and orange peel.

Christmas came and go pretty fast. Time to focus on the remaining projects before graduation.

Woohooo. Birthday.

Term tests can be such mood spoiler, especially when it's a tough one. After the last paper, Enterprise Resource Management, my friend and I felt so gloomy that we decided to cancel our trip to IKEA.

Not feeling so much of a Christmas mood with projects to rush and an online test falling on my birthday.

Out of fun, I wrote a RSS PHP script, syndicating comments from my tagboard. For those using RSS aggregator, you can add this link, http://geek-at-work.com/rss.php , to receive feeds from my tagboard.

To friends from my polytechnic, secondary school, Adeline and Wan Cheng, thanks for the birthday greetings! Thanks to Carolyn too, for the birthday present! I have yet to open it, leaving it for the actual day.

You guys make my day. :)

Projects. Deadlines. Tests. Dead.

With projects piling up, I find it hard to settle down without having it off my mind. Perhaps that's the reason why this blog was left untouched for weeks.

My family arranged for a short trip to Hong Kong during the week of Christmas, which happens to be my term break. Unfortunately, with the approaching deadlines, I couldn't commit and so it had been postponed.

Attended the Students' Forum organised by my school yesterday. This time represented my class to be there. It's just so typical, majority of the issues raised up are course-centric rather than the school as a whole. We have students from the satellite academy over at Sentosa wanting a bus straight to the Tampines campus and marketing students complaining the lack of time spent in school after their internship.

The notable one was raised by a tourism student, on the unfair admission of students from Joint Admission Exercise (JAE). She claimed that students admitted from Direct Admission Exercise (DAE) are more passionate in their studies and students from JAE lack passion and motivation. She explicitly implied that DAE students are much superior than their counterpart from JAE.

I am quite surprise she could speak with such elitism without feeling ashamed. Education is for everyone, why bother whether people are admitted from a different admission exercise and whether are they passionate about their studies?

With the white elitism fever going on in Australia, I really wonder what going to happen to us if we have more of such elitists over here.

Having my term tests in the coming week and I haven't touch a single note yet. Sigh.

What a gloomy Christmas.

Hypocrisy on a bigger scale

When Amrozi was sentenced to death for his role in the Bali bombing, no protest was raised by the Victorian Government nor any public outcry from the citizens of Australia.

But when it comes to Nguyen Tuong Van, the Vietnamese-Australian convicted of drug trafficking in Singapore, I fail to comprehend the strong reaction coming from Australia and its Government.

Indeed, Australia has abandoned the death penalty and considered it inhumane. But why the double standards? Clearly, one can see the difference. Amrozi killed Australians. Nguyen is different because he did not kill Australians.

But if one is to think rationally, the end result is the same, drug users in Australia are still killed by the peddled heroin, albeit subtlety.

It is startling that those Australians could not see beyond the problem and instead attack the very sovereignty of Singapore. I quote Mr Rudd of the opposition foreign affairs,

The Singaporean Government has treated Australia with contempt on this question.

By protesting against his sentence and lobbying for his freedom, the people of Australia have treated Singapore with contempt and questioned the very existence of Singapore as a sovereign country and its right to make her own laws.

Be it foreigner or local, everyone is equal before the law. I admire my country courage to stand by its decision and not sway to foreign intervention.

Technorati Tags: Nguyen Tuong Van

The nosy ones

A lesson learnt, it never pays to be helpful.

I am kind enough to loan my Apple Powerbook for today's photos shots that will be published in my course's prospectus. I didn't expect the student models from my course to be nosy enough to peek into my folders. An invasion of privacy or sort, I reckoned.

I felt sickened knowing my personal stuff had been touched, invaded and laughed at. But frankly speaking, what is so funny about the photos I took during the Director's Honour List ceremony, my family's gathering or when I'm driving?

People have to grow up, seriously, I don't expect students of my age to behave in such manners, especially when we are in the last year of our diploma. Apparently, last semester's internship programme did not instill the slightest bit of maturity in them.

I shall never let my Powerbook gets violated again.

The grade for the group's major report was out this afternoon and I'm proud of it. Thanks to each member of my group for the job well done.

Let's work hard for our next project milestone.

Prime Minister Office Dinner and Dance 2005

It's nice to meet ex-colleagues again. The day before, I attended the Prime Minister Office's Dinner and Dance together with ex-colleagues, at Grand Hyatt Singapore.

Theme for this year Dinner and Dance was, "Musical Extravaganza Around The World". Many were in indian and malay ethnical costumes and a few turned up in african costumes. There's also quite a handful of people like me that turned up in shirt and tie.

Here's a picture of the ticket,



The Master of ceremonies was Mark Van Cuylenburg, better known as, The Flying Dutchman. He is as funny as he is in class 95 radio channel.

Food served is your typical kind of 8 course wedding dinner fare, though I was half expecting international cuisine, just like the theme on that night.

The amazing ethnical performances aside, one of the most memorable segment of the Dinner and Dance was the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Eddie Teo, farewell.

The function ended close to midnight, with three toasts offered to the Permanent Secretary for good luck in his later endeavours at Foreign Service.

It's a hectic start to school, it just two weeks after the new semester starts, I am already up to my neck for final year project, the over-emphasised problem based learning, e-learning for business intelligence and group work.

Group work just isn't my cup of tea. My profile in VBUS reflects my thought on collaborative learning.

Sigh, trying to take things in stride.

Starting to feel the festival mood of Christmas. For goodness sake, it's mid November already! Ahhh... it's the time of the year again.

Recycled previous year Christmas decor for my blog. Tied up with too many commitment to work on a new one.

Hectic first week of school

Although it is only the first week of school, I am starting to feel the work accumulated (increasing still even now) is worth a month of schoolwork already.

The first three days are filled with intensive group activity to get the final year project report out. Sleeping pattern is definitely affected. A short nap before dinner before working till the wee hours of the morning.

It's a short bliss now with the report done, save for a few amendments here and there, and having the whole thursday for myself.

Headed to Central Manpower Base the day before for my medical checkup. As a matter of fact, with my hospitalization and medical reports, I was expecting a PES C classification, which would have restricted me to certain vocations (read: Storeman, Driver, Clerk). I was bewildered when I receive a PES A classification instead.

Embarked on my first e-learning for Business Intelligence. I heard much about it from the Ms. Chong during the Australia trip. I was skeptical about it initially, but after experiencing it first hand, I think I convinced, at least for the first e-lecture. I also had an engaging chat with the lecturer on the ethics issue of data collection which could inevitably lead to targeted marketing aimed at the individuals.

A classic example of invasion of privacy, I say.

Coming new semester

The new semester timetable is definitely something to look forward to, no 9 to 5 schedule nor the usual long period of wait in-between lessons. I still dread the final year project though. Disappointingly, just like the last few semesters, I’ll be alone in my new class.

The remaining two weeks of vacation were spent with family and friends. Just the day before, shopped at Orchard and had midnight supper with friends.

Another thing to look forward to the new semester, I have been informed by my intel that the new canteen at School of Information Technology and Applied Science will commence operations next week. Let’s see, a two storey and air-conditioned Food Junction. Great!

Goodbye, PSC

After half a year, my stint at the Commission has finally come to an end.

After finishing up my last task and preparing for the hand-over, took a walk down to Polar Cafe to collect the pastries I ordered the day before.

Distributing the 50 odd kueh-lapis and sugar rolls from desk to desk and listening to colleagues' well wishes, I felt a sense of self-worthness. Luncheon with my department was at our favourite restaurant in Raffles City. I enjoyed the light hearted mood then and the spontaneous exchange of ideas and jokes.

The finest hour of the last day was the presentation and sharing session I conducted.

After taking photos with my department, they presented me, unexpectedly, a farewell card and present. Words can't express my feeling at that point of time.

After sending off my last email of appreciation to everyone, with a heavy heart, I surrounded my security clearance pass to the superintendent and left the office.

Although things have more or less come to an end now, the experience here has influenced my bearing in life positively. "If you need a job, come to me." said the Assistant Director. A very attractive offer, I would say.

For the short term, my supervisor had expressed interest in taking me back after my examinations while waiting for enlisting for National Service. I would definitely accept it if enlistment is not anywhere near April or May.

Back at home, I am touched by the card they gave me, signed by everyone in the department with their well-wishes. The present was a bigger surprise, the latest Toshiba executive USB thumbdrive.

Looking back now, I am really glad that I have such supportive colleagues that provide me with ample opportunity to self-actualise and put my tertiary education into good use.

Four weeks from now, I will be attending the Prime Minister's Office annual Dinner and Dance at Grand Hyatt Singapore. This I have to thank my colleagues, once again, for their invitation.

Internship: A day before my last

These few days had been preoccupied wrapping out my work and preparing for the hand-over to fellow colleagues. I felt appreciative for what my colleague had done. She went through the trouble of cooking a simple yet delicious meal for me and the fellow colleagues in the same unit.

Not going to leave without showing my appreciation, I've specially ordered a cake large enough for everyone over my office wing.

Going to miss working in the imperial-looking City Hall.

Internship : The end approaches

I'm up to my neck in handling my final year project and office work, so I won't be blogging as often as usual. In fact, I realised I have not been blogging as often since embarking on my internship.

Coming to almost half a year, my stint at the Commission is finally reaching a closure this week. How time flies.

At the end of my stint here, I will be sharing my work here and a presentation on the tools I wrote for the Commission.

I'm not sure if I am looking forward to the two weeks vacation and the start of the new semester going by the recent development.

The Zeigarnik Effect

Read up on a psychology article on The Zeigarnik Effect, a phenomenon whereby people remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed ones.

It is also suggested that by taking frequent breaks in-between study will aids the learning process.

Cool eh?

Sister celebrated her birthday a few days back. A proud owner of the iPod nano, she is. Refer to my earlier post for details. Still happily attached to my 3rd generation iPod, which was revamped recently.

Fallen in love with this song, Tears and Rain by James Blunt. Find the lyrics of the song meaningful too.

Tears And Rain - James Blunt
How I wish I could surrender my soul;
Shed the clothes that become my skin;
See the liar that burns within my needing.
How I wish I'd chosen darkness from cold.
How I wish I had screamed out loud,
Instead I've found no meaning.

I guess it's time I run far, far away; find comfort in pain,
All pleasure's the same: it just keeps me from trouble.
Hides my true shape, like Dorian Gray.
I've heard what they say, but I'm not here for trouble.
It's more than just words: it's just tears and rain.

How I wish I could walk through the doors of my mind;
Hold memory close at hand,
Help me understand the years.
How I wish I could choose between Heaven and Hell.
How I wish I would save my soul.
I'm so cold from fear.

I guess it's time I run far, far away; find comfort in pain,
All pleasure's the same: it just keeps me from trouble.
Hides my true shape, like Dorian Gray.
I've heard what they say, but I'm not here for trouble.
Far, far away; find comfort in pain.
All pleasure's the same: it just keeps me from trouble.
It's more than just words: it's just tears and rain.

Dinner at Siam Kitchen

A break from my usual routine. Joined Ling and friends for dinner at Suntec City last night.

Before the meetup, we more or less decided to have dinner at The Rice Table, but to our disappointment, it was fully booked for that day. Settled for The Siam Kitchen after a few rounds of scouting at the basement.

The fare was very much similar to The Rice Table's offerings though I have not patronise the latter previously.

My stint at the Commission coming to an end soon. I was offered yet another extension, but declined. Another tempting offer, to continue on after graduation. I'm keeping my options open for now.

Had the thought of creating a farewell gift in the form of a flash website for the friendly colleagues in my department. After spending a day self-learning how Flash works, decided it's not feasible to complete in such a short timeframe. Instead, decided to get them a gift each.

With the higher salary I am receiving now as a Corporate Officer, overspending should not be a problem. It's the least I can do for the wonderful people in the Commission.

Gotten a album by 鄧麗君. Need no further explanation, her distinctive and mellow voice says it all.

iTunes playing: 假如我是真的 from the album "8th Anniversary" by 鄧麗君

Foreign versus local degrees

Yesterday's Straits Times featured an interesting article on foreign degrees versus local degrees.

Quoting the writer, a third-year student at London School of Economics,

I have always seen myself reading law, and I was disappointed when I was not offered a place at a university back home in Singapore

Ah, I see myself in a similar situation as the writer.

I have the opportunity to make friends and study with youths from countries as diverse as Mauritius and Iceland.

Universities in Singapore have their fair share of foreign students, however, diversity is only limited to countries in the S.E. Asia region.

Tasks such as shopping for good meat cuts, cooking your own meals and scrubbing your own toilet bowl are all part of an overseas student's routine.

Hall accommodation in local universities are usually provided for students active in hall activities. Back to square one on learning to be independent.

No doubt, you can be independent even when you're staying with parents. However, laziness is a vicious cycle that ultimately lead to dependency.

In a year, I will graduate with a degree from one of the foremost schools in the world, which will probably open up job opportunities in several countries - something a Singapore degree may not necessarily offer.

Mention Singapore in the other side of the globe, most people would have thought it's a province in China, not to mention the universities in Singapore.

Nothing much I can derive from the write-up by a first year law student in NUS. For some reason, I sense that it was written for the purpose of 'self-comfort'.

I was heartbroken when I received my A-level results, which did not match my expectations.

It did not help to see my schoolmates go to exciting new destinations to embark on a whole new chapter of their academic life.

I had a dim view of local education, seeing it as inferior and less exciting.

The rest of the article talk about his realisation on his distorted view on local universities and the supportive coursemates he came in contact with. Not much was shared on the the experience in a local university.

To sum up this post, here's an extract from the first article,

An Education is only as good as the student. A successful career is sustained by one's willingness and ability to learn on the job, and is not built solely on one's formal education.

Entrepreneur at work

Read this off Temasek Polytechnic's website,

Chasing his dreams: three-time entrepreneur Lau Jiarong

TP graduate Lau Jiarong is a young man in a hurry to realise big dreams. Inspired by the rags to riches stories of his enterprising immigrant grandfathers, it has been his goal to become a successful entrepreneur. The 22-year old currently owns two companies, but he still has bigger dreams to chase.

One of his companies, Lobangz Pte Ltd, was set up while he was studying in TP. Under a scheme to encourage entrepreneurship, called Startup@BIT and open to students of the Diploma in Business Information Technology (BIT) course, Jiarong and three of his classmates set up the company to provide web hosting, networking and other IT-related services. Starting the business was not easy. They even had to build their own equipment before earning enough money to purchase their own server. The team persevered and today, the company continues to be profitable. In the near future, Lobangz Pte Ltd hopes to expand into Malaysia where the market is bigger.

Jiarong’s entrepreneurship drive began even before he joined TP when he started an online radio station called DreamstationZ in 2002. At its peak, the station registered over 200 simultaneous listeners and had a crew of 15 which included DJs, web designers and scriptwriters. Although it had to cease operations in December 2004, in accordance with new digital music infringement laws, Jiarong intends to revive it in the near future.

In his final semester at TP, Jiarong started yet another business – Asia Business Communications Pte Ltd (ABC), providing competitively charged IDD and Call Back/Forward services to substitute costly roaming services. ABC is a joint venture with Asiatel Pte Ltd, a telecommunications company that provides technical expertise to facilitate IDD calls. Currently, ABC enjoys a vast clientele base from all round Asia and is looking into launching its latest service, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) which allows users from two or more countries to communicate at little or no expense.

Next year, Jiarong plans to pursue another dream – a degree in Asian Studies from the Australian National University. Jiarong is truly a man with big dreams!

During my stint in the interest group committee, had the opportunity to work with Jiarong and his group of friends. A bunch of friendly people, always helping us with our logistics and participating in a few events organised by us.

Read the full article here.

"Little red dot" Singapore now an international military player

Read this article published by Agence France-Presse,

SINGAPORE, Sept 25 (AFP) - From tsunami-hit Aceh to hurricane-battered New Orleans, Singapore's role in international relief efforts has thrown the spotlight on the city-state's rise as a Southeast Asian military power.

Thanks to billions of dollars in defense spending powered by explosive economic growth, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has left its neighbors behind in terms of sheer firepower, although it has yet to be tested in combat.

"The SAF lacks operational experience no doubt, but in terms of its training, its military hardware, and its doctrines, it is certainly the most developed and mature conventional military force in Southeast Asia," said Assistant Professor Bernard Loo, a military analyst in Singapore.

Singapore's new arms orders will further reinforce its position.

The ministry of defense has announced that it is negotiating with Boeing to buy a squadron of F-15 Eagle fighters, just two months after taking delivery of the first of six "stealth" frigates from French contractor DCN.

The fighter and frigate deals are estimated to be worth one billion US dollars each. The F-15 will replace an older generation of fighters and join F-16s already in Singapore's arsenal.

Singapore has been spending around six percent of gross domestic product -- its total economic output -- annually on defense, a legacy of its vulnerable early days as a republic.

In the fiscal year to March 2006, its defense budget is 9.26 billion Singapore dollars (5.5 billion US), up 7.4 percent from a year ago and accounting for almost a third of the national budget.

The island once contemptuously dismissed by former Indonesian president BJ Habibie as a "little red dot" on the map came to its giant neighbor's aid last December when a tsunami struck Aceh province, leaving some 131,000 people dead.

The SAF's C130 transport aircraft, heavy naval vessels and Super Puma and Chinook helicopters threw a lifeline to Aceh's survivors in the crucial days before a massive global relief effort could be launched.

The role was repeated on a smaller scale when Singapore's Texas-based Chinook helicopters helped in the post-hurricane relief efforts in New Orleans.

Four Chinooks flew more than 80 sorties, transporting over 800 evacuees and security personnel and more than 540 tonnes of equipment, humanitarian supplies and sand in the Hurricane Katrina disaster zone.

Because of its limited land area and air space, Singapore has to station some of its air assets in friendly countries like the United States, Australia and France for training.

Singapore has also played a minor role supporting US forces in the Gulf. Last weekend, a KC-135 refuelling aircraft returned here after completing a three-month mission with the multinational reconstruction effort in Iraq.

-- Siege mentality --

While untested in combat, analysts say the SAF has become a formidable force thanks to compulsory military service, in addition to the hardware.

All able-bodied Singaporean men including permanent residents are required to undergo two years of full-time National Service training, followed by regular refresher courses until they are in their mid-30s.

This gives Singapore, which has only 3.4 million citizens and permanent residents, a pool of some 350,000 reservists who can, at least in theory, be mobilized within hours for combat.

Robert Karniol, Asia-Pacific editor of the military affairs journal Jane's Defence Weekly, said only Vietnam among the Southeast Asian nations could possibly be a military match for Singapore.

"In terms of a standing army and combat capability, the Vietnamese armed forces have an awful lot of combat experience which the Singaporeans don't," he said. "The Singaporeans have proven to be capable when called upon, but they've never been able to do anything as complex as the Vietnamese have.

"Before building up its firepower to current levels, Singapore used to follow a "poisoned shrimp" doctrine, he said.

"We're small but if you try to eat us, you will get very sick," Karniol said, summing up the philosophy.

"But it's not a relevant policy anymore because the SAF have become increasingly more powerful and their primary function as with any military force is to deter attack and if attacked to defeat an attack.

"The SAF was a puny force in the early years after Singapore was ejected from the Malaysian federation in 1965 and its survival as a republic was in doubt.

When other countries refused to help, Israel sent military advisers but they were officially disguised as Mexicans to avoid offending Singapore's Muslim neighbors.

"They looked swarthy enough," independence leader Lee Kuan Yew wrote in his memoirs.

Abdul Razak Baginda, executive director of the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre, maintained that Singapore still has an "Israeli siege mentality".

"That mentality is I think embedded in the psyche of the Singapore leadership, the Singapore people and the military," he said. "Singapore is surrounded by the Malay world.

"But others point out that instead of a hardline stance, Singapore has opted for what Karniol called "defense diplomacy" to enhance its security.

"It effectively involves using your armed forces as one of your tools of diplomacy. It's an established function for armed forces, except that the Singaporeans are much better at it."

Singaporean analyst Loo of the Nanyang Technological University said the city-state "has always maintained that it sees no direct military threats coming from the region of Southeast Asia".

"Its deterrent posture is one of general deterrence, derived from the basic assumption that international politics is one of self-help, and if ever a direct military threat arose, the country would then need a strong, well-trained SAF that can deter a more immediate military threat."

I would have doubted the creditability of the article if it was published by the local media. But from a foreign news agency and a reputable one, it is something that should not be taken lightly.

Kudos to the singaporeans out there who helped in the tsunami disaster and the Hurricane Katrina operation in New Orleans.

Catching up

Life has been rather routine these days, the usual 9 to 6 working life, jog, eat, sleep. That's how I spent my life away. For the cold comfort, at least, I am occupied with work instead of rotting my life away at home (Though it can be tempting sometimes).

The release of exam results through SMS always caught me by surprise. Each time, it seems to be the moment I least expected. Anyway, things went well for me. :)

Here's some photos to share before ending my post.

iTunes playing: You're Beautiful from the album "Back To Bedlam" by James Blunt

Thoughts, endless of it.

After 3 years of blogging here, I find it hard to part with this blog and at the same time, a tad strange to the new blog's platform - WordPress.

Made up my mind instead of totally abandoning this, I shall continue to blog here and the new blog for intimate details of my life.

Life has been pretty much the same, I'm still with the Commission except for the change in job title. Much has happened since my last blog entry, Sharon in France for her month long vacation and Bin encountered a near-death experience after crashing his car.

Lately, I had given considerable thought on my future after tertiary education. This was after a spate of thought-provoking conversations with ex-lecturer, Mr. Peh on overseas education. His opinion on local and overseas universities echoed that of my dad.

As much as I yearn for an overseas education, a rational thought arise, will an overseas degree be worth its value in term of job prospect, future earnings and intangible benefits compared to a local degree?

After all this thought, it still boil down to whether am I able to enter any of the local universities.

Depressing thoughts away, felt humbled and excited after my supervisor at the Commission broke the news to me. Nothing negative, it's good news but I'm spilling the beans as for now. *grin*

A new background music, yea, it's french. That's for you, Sharon. Have fun!

Woohoo!

Unbelievable, the two campus' photocopy shops ran out of binders! At the 3rd one, they almost ran out of clear plastic cover. A series of unfortunate events, yet things still go my way in the end.

I'm moving. To be precise, I'm moving my blog. It was after the spate of events, the infamous Sri Lankan who terrorize fellow friends' blogs, being questioned on the motive of my blog (My project mates' incident), and so much more, that I decided a move would be in my best interest.

As a matter of fact, I worked on the move since the weekend with the burden of the report off my mind. Had this little cool program that extracted out every posts since 2003 for my migration.

I treasure my privacy, in fact, a little extreme I felt. Therefore, I won't be revealing the new blog to everyone as it's back to square one when everyone start updating my new blog address in their blogs.

I will still update this blog occasionally, if I have the time to spare.

Anyway, started work today back at the Commission on a contract basis. Back than slacking off during the school vacation, I guess.

iPod Nano is just so cool! Photos will be up soon. *grin*

iTunes playing: Luzir from the album "Meuanjo" by Lisa Ono

Life's good when you're feeling great.

After countless late nights and consuming continuous flow of caffeine-ladened coffee and tea, the SIP report is finally completed! Allow me to breathe a sigh of relief before continuing.

The extension for the report doesn't help much if you ask me. Working in the day, the only time I can touch on my report is during the night.

To start off with the completion of the report, went window shopping with dad in the afternoon. Everything seems to be moving in a pleasantly slow motion with the biggest burden off my mind.

Ah, that reminds me about the Final Year Project report. Apology to my group members, just let me enjoy for today and I will get back to work in full force.

Moon Festival approaching the coming sunday! I am already gobbling up the boxes of rum and raisin and champagne truffle and ganache mooncakes from Raffles The Plaza!

Eyeing greedily at the box of flaky crusty yam mooncakes from Crown Prince Hotel.

Sister holding a little celebration with lunch buffet for Ethan's full month over at her place. Looking forward to see my little nephew. :)

PSD Active Day

Today was the Public Service Division Active Day, decided not to join after much consideration. It's really hard to commit myself to any activity right now with the SIP report clouding my mind.

Headed to Delifrance instead for my evening cup of coffee and doing up the report. The whole of Funan the IT Mall is WiFi-enabled, pretty neat eh? Still can't get my Powerbook to work with McDonald wireless though.

Report at its fourteenth page and still remains there without any progress. Suffering from severe writer's block just can't think of a superb finish for it.

Much work to do, guess I'll stop here. Bonne nuit.

Drained.

Have been rushing through several school reports, explaining for the lack of updates these few days.

SIP Report progressing well, at my twelve pages and still going strong. Just afraid I might exceed the page limit.
Settled most of the stuff before my non-physical departure as an intern, organisation endorsement, testimonial, allowance, etc.
Spent quite a sum during Comex 2005 IT Show. Thought of getting a cheap tiny mp3 player during the IT Show. Quite unsightly to jog with a brick-size iPod neither do I bear to bring my delicate iPod shuffle.

Anyway, I'm glad I did not get one in impulse because Creative Warehouse is coming. So much for Comex 2005 when things are gotta be much cheaper at the warehouse sale.


This friday would be Public Service Division (PSD) Active Day. Seem a little crazy to come to work in sports attire when the air conditioners are running at sub-zero temperature in the office. The event will be launched by Prime Minister Lee followed by 2.5km jog around the Esplanade area. There will be a 5km route for extreme sportsmen.

Thoughts.

Shopped around Sim Lim Square in the afternoon. Nothing much, got myself a new stick of memory for the computer.

Next was the Scholarships' Seminar at Suntec Singapore International Convention Centre. Familiar faces around, but felt out of place since almost everyone there are from junior colleges.

Another round of research at Comex 2005. Saw a few friends there, our BIT resident bear, the other Ivan and ah loong, who thought I'm weird for coming down a second time. Just wait till he sees me the next day again. *grin*

After spending 3 hours, already had in mind what I'm getting for my next visit the next day.

An auntie chatted up with me while I'm on my way home. First thought that comes to everyone's mind when a stranger chat up with you, "Is that person mentally stable"?

I ponder a while on that before speaking up. Anyway, it's just a normal chat with a nice auntie showing concern.

I guess this is the common mentality when human contact are scarced in the sterilely clean Singapore.

Back in Australia, I remember having a jolly chat with this australian who stayed in the same hostel as me. And we were strangers to start off with.

Friends, or rather, one of my friends, not keen on the short trip out of Singapore. Guess I'll be spending the few weeks of my holiday in Singapore. They suggested chalet instead, oh well. With that kind of turn up rate, I guess I'll rather stay in the comfort of my house.

Maybe I should just extend my work over at the Commission until school starts.

Friday night out

Met up with Sharon and friends after work at the Starbucks outlet at Raffles City Shopping Centre. Did some catching up, you know, the usual gossips and rants, before proceeding to formal issue.

Sharon leaving for France in 2 weeks time, remember to take more pictures to share with us, yeah?

Parted with them and joined Ling and Ron at Suntec for Comex 2005. As usual, don't usually spend my dough on the first day. Will be making another trip down tomorrow after attending the scholars' seminar at my manager and supervisor's invitation.

Headed to the street alley near Bugis that's lined with bistros and cafes for our dinner.

What a hectic week, balancing SIP report with office work. Time to get the engine on overdrive mode.

Prime Minister's Office Excel Convention 2005

Headed down to SPRING (Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board) after lunch with my supervisor and manager. It makes me feel bad when colleagues insist on paying the tab whenever I lunch with them.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Excel Convention is an annual event where departments under the PMO showcase their WITs projects and the best project will represent the PMO in the Government-wide Excel Convention.

The convention started off with a video tribute to our late deputy secretary, Phoon Lee Chaeng.

The convention then starts off with presentations by various departments, to name a few, IT Department, Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, Public Service Commission, The Enterprise Challenge unit (Public Service 21 Office).

A flash presentation, done by Jiayi, was used by my department to convey briefly what their WITs project was about.

Went against my doctor's advice and had a cup of tea during the tea break. Wasn't on medication at that time, should be fine, I guess.

Anyway, congratulations to my department for coming up first in the convention.

Shopped around the place that used to be the headquarter for HDB with my supervisor and manager before heading home.

Time to work on my SIP report. Later.

Day in brief.

Was invited to join as a member of a panel of interviewers to interview the vendor's programmer who will be working with the Commission. A different kind of experience sitting behind the table interviewing and not being interviewed. Can't think of any questions, just asked one. At least, it's constructive one.

Will be heading to SPRING Singapore the next day for Excel Convention 2005. Majority of civil servants will be there and my unit will be giving a presentation on their WIT (Work Improvement Tool) project. Not very keen to attend with the SIP report hanging over my head.

Perhaps I should bring my trusty powerbook along and work on my report instead.

Another compulsory event next week, PSD Active Day. Some mass exercise event for the whole ministry.

A little stressed but not yet stressed.

Was bedridden for one whole day, overwhelmed with pain.

Decided to give my family doctor a visit when the pain did not subside.

Doctor diagnosed my illness as stress induced pyrosis, was certified unfit for work and even prescribed me with CNS anti-depressent. Seem to be a little extreme to me.

I miss spending the day at home doing nothing. Till then.

What lies ahead now?

Today marks the end of internship, with everyone looking forward to it in great anticipation. I'm not sure what goes into me, but I dread going to work today with the thoughts of my two course-mates leaving the ministry lingering in my mind.

Gone are the regular email chats with them and other friends and the regular lunch meet-up. Guess I'll just have to adapt to the solitary working life.

Had our last lunch together with our liaison officer, Ms. Ng the day before at Suntec City. We stopped by Millenia Walk and shopped awhile over at Candy Empire. Should have seen the amount of candies she bought, it's equivalent to a day's meals.

Lunch was at Secret Recipe, a humble looking restaurant that serves great tom yum kung and western delights. The main course was filling enough but we just can't resist the irresistible desserts. Had almond brownie with ice cream while the rest ordered cheesecakes laced with caffeine.

It was an amazing lunch though a little late to start appreciating their company now.

Condolences to the family of of the late Phoon Lee Chaeng

My condolences to the family of of the late Phoon Lee Chaeng, ex-Secretary of the Public Service Commission, who passed away peacefully this monday morning from her battle with cancer.

It is saddening to see someone so determined to live, battling with cancer for a chance of survival, departing so abruptly. I remember just last week, fellow colleagues from the commission were preparing a get-well gift for her.

It is such unforeseen moments of life that we must treasure the people around us.


iTunes playing: Yesterday from the album "My Way: The Best of Frank Sinatra" by Frank Sinatra

All work and no play

While friends are ending their internship this week, it will be another 2 weeks more for me. I will surely find it hard to adopt to working life without my two friends working in the same area as me, after being accustomed to their company, be it lunchtime or after work, knocking into them occasionally.

Furthermore, I have confirmed my extension at the commission and it will be another transition period to a new environment when the commission shifts to the new NLB National Library at Bugis.

I guess the best part of the extension is being able to take leave. Now, I can almost see the fulfillment of my short escapade to nearby countries.

Speaking of which, I am so jealous of my sister's trip to a seaside resort in Thailand. En suite with private outdoor bathroom, private swimming pool and a personal butler. Tell me is this heaven? I would have made this my short escapade if not for the exorbitant rate per night.

The 15 pages internship report seems a little daunting as the deadline draw closer. At my 6th pages, more late nights ahead, I guess.

iTunes playing: Adagio For Strings from the album "Classical Legends" by Eugene Ormandy

Back with a vengeance

Ditched the old tagboard and brought back the original one I been using previously. It's backed by view restriction feature, meaning unwelcome guests won't be able to view its content.

I intend to roll out the tagboard to friends affected by the recent chaos once I'm free.

For now, peace shall prevail.

Here's a picture of Ethan, my nephew, taken soon after sister's labour.

Adorable, isn't he?

Will post more pictures of Ethan the next time. :)


iTunes playing: My Way from the album "My Way: The Best of Frank Sinatra" by Frank Sinatra

Potluck breakfast

The buffet-style potluck breakfast organised by the commission was great. Quite a wide spread, just to mention a few dishes contributed by the staff, there's cold slice tofu with japanese sauce and cuttlefish, glutinous rice with nuts and mushroom, putu mayam and soon kueh.

Ended up skipping lunch after the heavy breakfast. *burp*

Gotten Ethan's pictures today! He's so adorable! Might post it once I settle my web hosting issue.

The $50 iBook laptops madness

People often accuse Singaporeans of being afraid of losing out (read: Kiasu - Hokkien adjective), yet today newspaper suggests such phenomenon is not only exclusively confined to the tiny island of Singapore.

Extract of article from Richmond Times - Dispatch,

Chaos erupted yesterday morning at Richmond International Raceway as people stampeded through the gates in a rush to buy used iBook laptops for $50 each.

Mothers clutched their children for protection, people screamed as they were knocked to the ground, a stroller was demolished, cars inched through the crowd.

"I can't believe people are so barbaric," said Grace Wang, a rising senior at Henrico County's Godwin High School.

"It's like the people are going to die if they don't get a computer," he said. "This is like the last chopper out of Saigon."

Potluck breakfast with colleagues from the commission tomorrow. Interesting idea, I thought.

After much deliberating, decided to bring back the tagboard. Not the usual one, but I guess this will just do fine.

iTunes playing: Delicate from the album "O" by Damien Rice

The arrivial of Ethan

What a joyous day today! The arrival of my nephew, Ethan!

Since sunday, I have been feeling a mix of anxiousness and excitement. Sister checked in on sunday night for inducement. Luckily, my other sister was able to make it back to Singapore in time for Ethan's arrival.

Finally got the good news this morning. I admire my sister for being able to contact every single one of the family straight after labour!

Rushed down to Gleneagles Hospital after work and meet up with my other sisters and parents. The hospital suite was crowded with my sister's friends who are just as excited as us.

Ethan is so cute! Everyone just took there surrounding Ethan, observing every little actions of his.

Will post pictures of Ethan once sister sent the pictures over to me. :)

iTunes playing: 我的愛 from the album "Stephanie" by 孫燕姿

Friends: The good and the bad.

Spent half the day with friends from TB030 the day before in town, the day before. Everyone went gaga over electronic goods and even came up with the weirdest uses for a humidifier. The hilarious part was meeting a group of guys that resemble someone from our course at McDonalds.

Enjoyed myself although it's an impromptu gathering.

The revelation from encounters with so-called friends tells me how one should be cautious in their dealing with others. Occasionally, I have friends who have not contacted me for ages suddenly chatting with me for no apparent reason. Their sly motive show up after thing gets a tad too comfortable, asking me for help on various issues they have.

It irritates me when so-called friends only think of you when they are in need of help. An occasional greetings will do fine to sustain a friendship. Maybe they find no reason to contact me so neither do I.

Just a few weeks ago, this acquaintance of mine asked me out to the gym. Although I rejected him as I do not have my sports gear with me on that day, I thought it was kind of him to invites me. Until I heard from numerous sources that he is in multi-level marketing and trying to work his entrepreneurialism charm on his friends.

I am also piqued by how forgetful some friends are. Forgetting how someone was there to help them one way or another in desperate time. Yet they treat you indifferently after a period of time. I don't seek reward for helping others, but at least be grateful for what others did for you.

After all these incidents, I am just glad how independent I am, not depending on others and the ability to do things alone. Self-serving friendship with self-centered individuals disgust me utterly.

iTunes playing: Luna Mezz'o Mare from the album "The Italian" by Patrizio Buanne

Presidential Hopeful - Andrew Kuan

Just when I thought a suitable candidate, Andrew Kuan, finally comes forward to run for the presidency, a series of bad press is causing his downfall and discrediting him as a candidate for president.

For my non-chinese readers, here's a translation of the press conference by JTC Corporation,

• June 2001 -Appointed Chief Finance Officer of JTC
• April 2002 - Management unsatisfied with his performance but he was given another chance
• September 2003 - Management requested for his resignation
• February 2004 - Andrew Kuan requested to extended his term of service to 3 years
• June 2004 - Management issued last warning for his resignation
• July 2004 - Andrew Kuan officially resigned

So much for all the big talk by him on his contributions to the corporation. Read the news here [Link expires 18 August 2005].

Not that I doubt the ability of our incumbent president, Mr. S.R. Nathan, but I always in giving citizens a choice in choosing their president instead of walkover. A mandate is only truly gained this way.

Enough of presidency issue. Joined my colleagues for lunch at a restaurant in Raffles City. Feel bad that they're always treating me.

Time to enjoy the coming weekend.

Corrinne May in Concert - Safe in a Crazy World

It was a wonderful night attending Corrinne May's concert at the Esplanade with Max, Ling and her brother.

I thought that her performance today was simply excellent, it invokes a deep emotional response that tinged the soul. It was pure enjoyment listening to her luminous voice and watching her excellent piano play.

It was a touching moment when she sang Close to you at her 2nd encore.

Her witty narration before each song just bring smile and laughter to the audience. I can't be wrong when each song was received with raving applauds from the audience and the repeated request for encore.

Here's a list of the songs she performed, hope I didn't miss out anything,


Main Performance (In order of performance)

• Save Me (From album, Safe in a Crazy World)
• Little Superhero Girl (From album, Safe in a Crazy World)
• Angel In Disguise (From album, Safe in a Crazy World)
• Same Side of the Moon (From album, Fly Away)
• If You Didn't Love Me (From album, Fly Away)
• Free (From album, Safe in a Crazy World)
• Fall to Fly (From album, Fly Away)
• Mr. Beasley (From album, Fly Away)
• Something About You (From album, Fly Away)
• Will You Remember Me (From album, Fly Away)
• Safe in a Crazy World (From album, Safe in a Crazy World)
• Fly Away (From album, Fly Away)
• Let It Go (From album, Safe in a Crazy World)
• All That I Need (From album, Fly Away)
• Everything In Its Time (From album, Safe in a Crazy World)
• Journey (From album, Fly Away)
• Happy Birthday (From album, Safe in a Crazy World)
• If I Kissed You (From album, Safe in a Crazy World)

Encore (In order of performance)

• Every Beat of My Heart (From album, Safe in a Crazy World)
• Close To You
• Walk Away (From album, Fly Away)

Had my CD autographed at the end of the performance. I'm a satisfied boy with my autographed CD. :)

Given a new school project to work on. It seems like August is my month. :)


iTunes playing: Angel In Disguise from the album "Safe In A Crazy World" by Corrinne May

Technorati Tags: Corrinne May concert - Safe in a crazy world, Corrinne May in concert

The Nation celebrates.

I was surfing Singapore National Day Parade 2005 website when I stumbled on the videos section with videos showing Singapore citizens from all over the world congratulating Singapore on its 40th years birthday. Quite a novel idea of showcasing Singaporeans aboard.

Find this year National Day Parade much interesting than previous years, perhaps this is due to the fact that I helped out during the rehearsals. The display of fireworks were spectacular too, especially the star shaped fireworks.

The National Day Observance Ceremony organised by Public Service Division were mentioned in one of the articles by Channel News Asia. Here's the link [Link expires 15th August 2005] an extract of the article,

A highlight of the ceremony at the Treasury building was a cheque presentation to the President's Challenge. Staff from the Ministries of Finance, Trade and Industry and Law raised more than $20,000 for the charity.

Looking forward to Corrinne May's concert tomorrow.

iTunes playing: Little Superhero Girl from the album "Safe In A Crazy World" by Corrinne May

Technorati Tags: NDP 2005, National Day Parade 2005

Public Service Division - National Day Observance Ceremony

My mood wavered a little when it the sky turns dark followed by a heavy downfall in the morning. Fortunately, all was well in the later part of the morning.

The Treasury atrium was bursting with life with staff from various ministries such as, Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Law, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Public Service Commission and Accountant-General Department, joining in the observance ceremony.

It was a solemn affair with everyone stand at attendance singing the national anthem - Majulah Singapura and reciting singapore pledge, together with the VIPs, mostly ministers with the most prominent one, Prof. S Jayakumar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Law.

The kids from Learning Vision Child Care Centre are so adorable! They danced to the tune of Singapore Town and 童谣 (Tong Yao) and practically everyone are cheering for them.

The in-house choir leads everyone well vocally with a few National Day's theme songs. Danielle Goh, a student from Raffles Girls' Primary School who participated in the music video of Home, singed for us with her bubbly voice.

The Public Service Division also launches the President's Challenge Heart Bus, Service 51, with signatures of staff decorating the bus external.

At the end of the observance ceremony, proceeded to Restaurant 1827, for buffet reception. It's a whole new experience having lunch in a museum with a variety of delicious Thai dishes.

Joined my colleagues for a photo taking session outside our office building - City Hall. I am speechless when handed a Canon EOS D - DSLR coupled with a gold-band grade Tokina lens. It's my dream camera! A Canon EOS D with stock lens could easily costed a few thousands!

Pre-National Day celebration never fell so good. :)

iTunes playing: Part-Time Love from the album "The David Gates Songbook" by David Gates

Technorati Tags: National Day Observance Ceremony, Restaurant 1827, Danielle Goh

Uniquely You.

Decided to use Uniquely You, one of the National Day's theme songs for this year, for my blog.

Lyrics included for readers to sing along. *grin*


Uniquely You
Lyricist: Ken Low
Singer: Wendi Koh

here's a place in my heart
That I keep for someone special
Memories forever true to me
Take me through those tougher days

Suddenly I found in you
All the joy, the smiles and laughter
All the hope and love divine
Always you - you on my mind

I always knew - there would be the day
When I give my heart away
To the one who'll always keep me safe and warm
If I should go - I won't ever forget
The special days, the times we had
And no matter what - whether winds of change
You will always be - Uniquely you

...... In my heart
Where I keep my little treasure
It's a time I always turn to
It's the place where you're by my side

I always knew - there would be the day
When I give my heart away
To the one who'll always keep me safe and warm
If I should go - I won't ever forget
The special days, the times we had
And no matter what - whether winds of change
You will always be - Uniquely you

There's a place in my heart
That I keep for someone special
It's a time I always turn to
It's the place where you're by my side
You're the special one - my only
'Cos it's you - Uniquely You

Trivia to share, The lyricist of Uniquely You, Ken Low, is the man behind the "Uniquely Singapore" brand for promotion of tourism in Singapore. See the link now? :)

iTunes playing: Uniquely You from the album "Uniquely You" by Wendi Koh

Technorati Tags: Ken Low, Uniquely You

A fulfilling saturday.

Had a small talk with two international students from TP International Students interest group (TPIS). One came from China while the other is from Hong Kong on an exchange program. Both of them are very easygoing and clicked quite well for our first meeting. Sadly, I forgotten to ask for their contact to keep in touch.

Realised that when speaking to native chinese speakers, I tend to slang my accent towards theirs. It happened in Australia before. Perhaps this is a reflex action?

Tennis is fun! Most of the time we're fetching the balls instead of hitting it but we finally got the gist of it at the later part of the game.

Playing badminton and tennis consecutively in 4 hours can be exhausting. It was a great day nevertheless, love the feeling of sweating everything out.


iTunes playing: Midnight Garden from the album "Classified" by Bond

A time for celebrations and revelations

How eager I am looking forward to the arrival of next week with National Day holiday and Corrinne May's concert.

The Public Service Division would be having National Day Observance Ceremony at The Treasury with a list of events, from choir performance by staff from The Treasury and performance by Raffles Girls' Primary School. Following next, a buffet reception at The Arts House (Former Parliament House).

I was also presented with 40 Today, a DVD video produced by Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, commemorating Singapore's 40th birthday by showcasing 40 Singaporeans from all walks of life, reflecting their hopes and aspirations.

It will be aired over Channel 8 on eve of National Day at 2015 hours. If you failed to catch it, I am more than willing to offer my DVD for loan. No infringement of copyright, of course.

From internal source, understand that should I stay on as a staff after the end of my internship, I would be receiving almost triple the allowance I am receiving from stint as an intern. Of course, I am never bothered by how big or small the paycheck would be, I am more of an experience goer, seeking exposure to the corporate environment for self-fulfillment.

I have yet to confirm with my supervisor as I am keen to go on a short trip out of Singapore during mid October.

Spent a quiet moment at Suntec City after work. They were playing "Home" by Michael Buble at the fountain of wealth and I find the lyrics rather suitable at that point of time. Oh, it seems to be the ideal location for TB030 gathering too.

Sharon and Faith, any updates since our last email correspondence on gathering? :)

Yet another inspirational banter with ex-lecturer, Mr. Peh. I never fail to get inspired and motivated from the subliminal revelation revealed from his words. Even after leaving the polytechnic, he is still as willing as before to help his students.

iTunes playing: Everything In Its Time from the album "Safe In A Crazy World" by Corrinne May

Job offer.

It's official. I'm offered the chance to resume my work at the Prime Minister's office straight after my internship as a staff.

The offer came quite spontaneously during the team's meeting. In the midst of the meeting, I was asked when is the start and end of my school vacation before the question was brought up.

Frankly speaking, I'm looking forward to the two months long vacation to give myself a break before the start of the new semester, when all hell will break loose from the modules and the final year project.

As my colleague points out, what job offers a polytechnic student in an office environment with 5 days work week? Not to mention the wonderful food I'm pampered with over here. Just today, a colleague cooked green bean soup with durian and curry to share with fellow colleagues.

Less than a month to decide. *sigh*

iTunes playing: Moon River from the album "My Way: The Best of Frank Sinatra" by Frank Sinatra

Afterthought.

To date, I had spent almost 3 months at the Prime Minister's Office. In a few more weeks, it will be the end of my stint and I can't deny through this period, I had developed a strong sense of attachment to the commission and the people that keeps the commission going.

Likewise, I believe majority of my course-mates will share the same sentiment with me.

The spontaneous jokes and laughter, the familiar faces, the sincere concern when I'm sick and the regular stress arising from work, how I will miss them at the end of my stint. It is those that make office life enjoyable and complete.

Quoting from Elbert Hubbard, an American philosopher,

"Get happiness out of your work or you may never know what happiness is"

Such simple quote yet it forms the basic foundation of work satisfaction.

It will be a full day on the eve of National Day, but there will be a few events going on, so unofficially, it's a half day.

In the morning, will be heading to The Treasury for National Day observation ceremony and performance. Following next, buffet lunch in the afternoon at Old Parliament House.

So much for an afterthought. Till then.

iTunes playing: Le Mouni Li Gharou Menui from the album "Meuanjo" by Lisa Ono

Lisa Ono - Romance Latino Vol. 1

Lisa Ono's latest album, Romance Latino Vol. 1 is out. Spotted it while doing my regular window shopping after work.

So did I spot Elton John greatest hits with compilation from 1970 to 2002.

There goes my favourite pitch, support your favourite artists by purchasing authentic albums, piracy is not the way to go.

The commission offering free National Day Parade tickets, but decided not to get any since I have been to two previews. Surely there are people who need it more than me.

Off to get some work done. Au revoir.

Technorati Tags: NDP 2005

August - A month-long celebrations

Finally, it's the month of August! There's just so many reasons for looking forward to the month of August.

First, there is the Corrinne May concert at Esplanade. Corrinne May will be performing from her debut album, Fly Away, and also her latest album, Safe in a Crazy World. Will be watching the concert with a group of friends.

Second, National Day celebration in the office. Unsure on the details, but should be a grand affair in the civil service sector.

Lastly and the most exciting cause of joy, sister giving birth in mid August! A few weeks from now, I'll wait patiently. :)

A short friday.

I thought fridays are short but today was even shorter. Work was disrupted in mid afternoon for bomb sweeping by the police.

Took the opportunity to shop around Suntec City and Marina Square. The newly renovated Marina Square is a complete different shopping mall from its former self. Noticed the whole mall is dotted with bistros. A perfect venue for TB030 outing, I thought.

*Yawn* 3 in the morning, guess i'll end here.

A new album - Patrizio Buanne

While having my lunch at Raffles Shopping Centre, bumped into one of the NDP volunteers whose wife works in National Computer Systems (NCS). I responded strangely when I saw him, he seems familiar yet I am unsure of my own judgement and he was staring and smiling at me and afraid of reacting if he is, instead, looking at someone else.

Anyway, we exchanged a few words, mostly work and stuff.

Bought Patrizio Buanne's album, Italian today after work. Have not go through the whole album yet but I already fallen in love with the first track - Il Mondo, a mix of english and italian thats perfectly in-sync and a a dramatic orchestral opening that is as impressive as Patrizio's voice.

iTunes playing: Il Mondo from the album "The Italian" by Patrizio Buanne

Technorati Tags: Patrizio Buanne

Are you full of yourself today?

It's repulsive to see how some people are so full of themselves. Let's just say, arrogance and self confidence doesn't mix.

People can brag all they want but they should know that at the end of the day, they are not privy to the success of their faction. Their only role and talent is limited to self-marketing and empty talks.

Pride can be a good thing if you are able to manipulate it modestly. You are nothing short of a showboat if you flaunt it perpetually.

Remember when I almost freaked out during the submission date for System Analysis and Design when a few of the the diagrams was left undone by a certain group member?

He messaged today and wanted to join me.

I'm surprise he's in such a sticky situation given the number of friends he has in the course.

In conclusion, do not judge others by the number of friends they have. Quality and substance override quantity.


iTunes playing: Volcano from the album "O" by Damien Rice

Feeling sore

The numerous jokes started off by the recent NKF fiasco are passé, yet people are still using it as a source of amusement. It irritates me whenever I heard someone joking about the peanuts comments made by Mrs. Goh Chok Tong.

Seriously, what is so funny spinning off from her comments and joking that peanuts cost $60,0000?

Opportunities come and go. Learnt that the hard way today. Nothing I can do except feeling sore the whole day for something which rightfully belongs to me.

After a bout of sickness, I felt great able to consume normal solid food again after my recovery, especially today, spent the night with my parents for dinner and shopping.

Volunteering @ National Day Rehearsal II

Second time volunteering for National Day Rehearsal (National Education) but a different role this time round. Instead of being a MRT marshal, took on the role of school co-ordinator for Tao Nan School, a primary school located near East Coast.

It's not easy co-ordinating and taking care of school kids, especially when Tao Nan School has one of the highest number of students attending the rehearsal. I'm glad at the end of the day, everything goes according to plan.

Volunteers like us are generally well taken care of, free dinner from the school and the national day celebration organiser - MINDEF. Ended up with two set of dinners, a mix-vegtables rice meal provided by the school and KFC dinner provided by MINDEF.

This week, I have the chance to finish showing the whole NDP rehearsal unlike last week when I had to leave early to prepare for the heavy traffic at City Hall MRT station.

Ah, it was great sitting at the red section of Padang with the excellent view of the whole parade. It is also where the VIPs will sit on the actual day.

Although it rained in the middle of the parade, our patriotic mood weren't dampened.

Pictures for viewing as usual. Here goes.

iTunes playing: In Paradisum (Requiem) from the album "Classical Legends" by King's College Choir

Thank God, it's friday!

finally, it's the time of the week again. After embarking on my internship, I have been looking forward to fridays, I suppose such eagerness is shared by all white collar workers.

Met Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development. Youth and Sports and Second Minister for Trade and Industry, today during lunch. No air around him, politely give up his queue to us.

Sometimes, it's good to have a opposite sex to give you opinion on dressing sense. Bought a new formal shirt at the recommendation of my friend.

Joined dad for dinner at Regent Hotel after shopping. Nice food and nice hotel. Gave a hospitable feeling, especially at the lobby with plentiful of sofas for guests.

Volunteering for National Day rehearsal - National Education later in the afternoon. Time to tuck in now.

End of a saga and beginning of another one

In a rare demonstration of people's power, NKF board and CEO finally resigned from the pressure bought about by the public outcry.

Ironically, it is the libel suit they initiated against Singapore Press Holding that bought them down. Who will have thought SPH would prepared such a sound attack against them?

Reminds me of the people's power revolution that happened in Philippines twice.

Let's just pray history won't repeat itself with the new interim management team in NKF.

I rest my case on NKF for now and yes, my family are still continuing with the monthly donation to NKF.

To that person who referred me as ignorant and even bought my family to this pointless quarrel, here goes:

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"

I'm not going to type out a lengthly rebut. I'm fine if you want to bring our families into this. It just tell so much about your lack of maturity and ability of comprehend human emotions.

I and my siblings have never been slapped before, not for a joke nor for malice statement. You're slapped by your own family, then be it, it's your personal problem, we do not need you to impose your personal experience or idealistic view on us.

You may like to refer to the dictionary at times. I didn't know presenting my point of view is a denial of your freedom of speech. Do you actually understand what is freedom of speech?

You speak as if you are the oh-so-innocent victim. For goodness sake, you should ask what your colleagues are spreading behind your back. I've never mention this to you, as I believe it's nothing but frivolous statement, but your words today speak otherwise.

Now, I wonder who's the ignorant one.

And bloody yes, I'll sleep soundly tonight, in fact, every night.

iTunes playing: The Ocean Breathes Salty from the album "Good News for People Who Love" by Modest Mouse

NKF Saga II

This NKF saga has become the talk of the town, in the office, on the streets, in the coffee shop even on the bus while I'm on the way back home.

Reading the news, I'm just disappointed on how someone or some people react, resorting to graffiti to get the message through is just a plain act of stupidity and does no help except for stirring up public emotions.

Personally I'm against the exorbitant sum of money and benefits the CEO is receiving annually, but, I like to urge people out there not to let this incident overshadow the mission of NKF, that is, saving lives.

With this incident coming to light and attracting such strong public interest, I believe the Government will step in and ensure charity organisations are more transparent with their accounts.

Quoting Mrs. Goh Chok Tong, patron of NKF,

"For a person who runs a million-dollar charitable organisation, $600,000 is peanuts as it has a few hundred millions in reserves."

This is not what I'm expecting from the wife of the Senior Minister, Mr. Goh Chok Tong, someone who I hold high esteem for. Totally tactless, I will say.

Let's hope NKF surprises will stop here.


iTunes playing: Sunshine from the album "Hopes And Fears" by Keane

The NKF: Controversially ahead of its time?

It disgusts me knowing my family monthly donation to NKF was spent excessively on the CEO. First class air travel, 12 months bonus (plus annual income amounting to $1.8 million), office decorated lavishly with gold plated toiletries, road tax and maintenance for the CEO's personal car. So much more that it sounds like the typical case of mismanagement that happened in USA before.

The crux of this matter is the accountability for the administration of donations from the public, or the lack of. As a trustee of people's money, instead of making the fullest use of monies to help patients in need, excessive amount are spent on the CEO solely for material comfort.

Quoting from its website,

We are the largest charitable organisation in Singapore dedicated to the cause of saving and transforming lives. We are recognised as a world-reputed, not-for-profit healthcare institution ...

During the cross examination by Mr Davinder Singh, the CEO replied, "I am just like every other CEO entitled to benefits and rights. We run a business organisation with a turnover of $120 million.

How can a charitable organisation be a business organisation? A business organisation is only preoccupied with profit-making and value-adding stakeholders' shares while a charitable organisation aims to devote its funds to helping the needies.

After much of the truths have been revealed, NKF decided to discontinue its proceedings against Singapore Press Holdings and the senior writer Ms Susan Long.

So much for the dirty linen already washed in the public.

More could be read over here.

National Day Parade Rehearsal (National Education)

It's pathetic after all these years of being a singaporen, I have not attend a single National Day Parade, not even rehearsals. I see National Day Parade as a pilgrimage for all singaporeans, you are never whole as a citizen unless you been there done that. A reason why I grabbed the opportunity to volunteer without giving a second thought about it.

Was part of National Computer Systems Pte Ltd (NCS) volunteers' contingent, which I serve as a station marshal for traffic, students and crowd control. Another peak of volunteering, getting to know people from all walks of life.

I was the only one from Prime Minister's Office, while the rest are from Singtel and NCS. Clicked quite well with them, such warm people, they are.

Watching National Day rehearsal right from Padang itself is definitely a different experience compared to watching it at home. Everything just felt so real when you are in the front of all the actions.

Unfortunately, during the free fall event, one of the parachuters lost control of his parachute and crashed onto the ground. Hope it's nothing serious. Read more over here.

As mentioned in one of of my posts, I'm impressed with the mass precision drill performance. Every action was so synchronized.

The spectacular aerial display is the trademark of the national day parade and never fails to grab the attention of all the audience, including me.

Like usual, pictures are still the most effective method to get words across. Here, enjoy.

A red MRT crowd

Sea of red

Free fall by the Red Lions

Night fallen

iTunes playing: Til Kingdom Come from the album "X&Y" by Coldplay

Technorati Tags: National Education, NDP 2005, NDP rehearsal

Terrorists strike again

Just when the memories of 9/11 begin to fade, terrorism strikes again in London with a vengeance.

LONDON : At least six blasts have rocked London buses and underground stations leaving two people dead and scores injured a day after the city won its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, and as G8 leaders gathered in Scotland. [Click here to read more]
- Channelnewsasia.com

Just when celebrations for London's victorious bid for Olympics 2012 is about to happen, such dreadful attack has to happen.

It's quite depressing to see the world we are living in, moving slowly towards catastrophic self destruction.

Full dress rehearsal already happening over at Padang. Today was the rehearsal of the Provost unit with bagpipe performance.

iTunes playing: Somewhere Only We Know from the album "Hopes And Fears" by Keane

Rehearsal @ Padang

Channel U current affairs show @ Funan

Technorati Tags: 40th Singapore National Day, Singapore National Day Rehearsal

117th IOC Session - Singapore

Je suis déçu.


First, I like to express my disappointment that Paris was not selected to be the host for Olympic 2012. It was a close fight, a 54-50 margin, this shows how close the fight between London and Paris was. It was the frontrunner for the selection, so it comes quite a great surprise to me naturally.

Anyway, good job Singapore. You have done everyone of us proud in hosting this prestigious event and putting us in the centre stage of the world.

I'm also impressed by one of the host, Nicholas Fang. He speaks fluent french although he stumbles during one of his speeches, he was still good nevertheless.

The short presentation video on Singapore was as impressive as the event itself. Almost forgotten about it but was fortunate enough to be reminded from a internal circular from Ministry of Information, Communications and Arts during office today.

I love the picturesque scene depicting the New Supreme Court superimposed by the City Hall and Old Supreme buidling. Very Uniquely Singapore. :)

$5600 in lost opportunity costs, quite an expensive lesson to learn for carelessness.

Group photo at Phillips Island, Melbourne

One of my favourite pictures, taken at Phillips Island - Melbourne.

iTunes playing: God Only Knows from the album "Pet Sounds" by The Beach Boys

Technorati Tags: 117th IOC Session, Olympic 2012

Congregation of the boys in blue

It's not often one sees a mall filled with policemen, almost every inches of it.

Went to Raffles City Shopping Centre to run a few errands and have my lunch takeaway today. A group of policemen would passed by every few steps I took. One of the amazing sighting is a whole group of policemen, hands full of styrofoam lunch-boxes, on the escalator.

With international medias and prominent delegates from all over world in tiny Singapore for IOC Session, it's understandable the tight security is needed to safeguard Singapore's reputation as a convention hub.

Taking about security, that reminds me to a displeasingly encounter with the policeman at Supreme Court today.

Helping the kids captivated for two hours: priceless

Familiar slogan? Make a guess what's that. :)

iTunes playing: Theme From Schindler's List from the album "Piano & Movies" by Mike Strickland

Have a little faith in me.

This week passed quickly, in a flash, it's weekend already.

Working on SQL again. I thought it will be the last time I'm touching on raw SQL statement after the module on object relational database. Stunned, I was, when given database problems to work on.

The initial fear was soon cleared after a few attempts. Enjoying sub-queries in statement very much now, though it used to be one of my hated database query technique when taking the module back in school.

Was told by my supervisor that I'm allowed to take time off if there's a need to, no special reason needed. I'm flabbergasted by what she said after I told her I'm just an intern, "All of us need a break from work sometimes, no matter whether you are an intern or full time employee. Just come to me if you need time off".

Fortunate to have someone like her as my supervisor. Who knows, maybe I'll grab the offer to come back.

Saturday was pretty much as usual like last week, headed back to school for sports. Learnt quite a few techniques from Max, i.e. backhand, etc. Didn't know most of my returns are backhand until now.

Feeling rather nationalistic for the past few days, listening to national day theme songs, MTVs and even volunteering for the National Day Preview for primary school kids.

Corrinne May will be performing next month in the Esplanade and I'll be watching, yeah! Never been so devout to any singers until I come to know about her. She's even took the effort to reply to my email.

Do support her by purchasing her CDs.

Sense of satisfaction over a simple meal

Every now and then, I enjoy experimenting with food and cooking up a fine meal for myself and family. Being alone today, decided to cook my own meal instead of having my meal outside.

---

Here's the recipe for today 'experiment'.

• 1 Yellow pepper


• 1 Tomato


• 1 pack of Japanese udon


• Light japanese soya sauce

1. Mix a little olive oil with a dash of salt and black pepper. Coat sliced yellow pepper and tomato lightly with this.
2. Place coated yellow pepper and tomato in preheated oven.
3. Remove from oven once yellow pepper and tomato are browned.
4. Mix light japanese soya sauce with water in 2 to 1 ratio.
5. Pour boiled udon into light japanese soya sauce mix and drain the excess.
6. Place seasoned udon, grilled yellow pepper and tomato in plate. Voila!

---

Volunteered myself thru the commission for the National Day Show only for Primary 5 students. Pretty excited over it since it's my first time volunteering for such a big event.

Another start of a week...

Another start of a week, things go at a fast pace everytime I'm back, another look at my watch, an hour is gone.

Yet another meeting marathon, seems like this going to be a permanent fixture every monday. 3 hours of meeting could be daunting.

It just feels good when you know your effort and contribution is appreciated. Was asked by supervisor when am I graduating as she wants me to come back to be part of the team. I have not gave her an definite answer yet. Nothing unusual for the indecisive me not to give a reply immediately.

Managed to took a few pictures of my office surroundings, quite a risky thing to do when security is tight here with police patrol. Here goes,






Was given a project to work on for the final year project. Quite a time saver since I won't have to go around searching for a problem to work on.

Another piece of good news, family's new car coming early this July. Now, where's my driving licence?

Striking a balance between work and leisure

Attended a cooking demonstration during work yesterday. Cooking black pepper crabs, shark fin soup, deep fry chicken wings in prawn paste, creamy corn dessert and dishes that can only seen at restaurants was never that easy until this demonstration. At the end of the demonstration, everyone dig in heartily at the wonderful dishes of food laid in front of us.

Enjoying my days working in the public sector, definitely a change in my initial impression of corporate bureaucracy in the public sector, especially in the Prime Minister's Office.

Invested in some sporting accessories, tennis racquet grip and a adidas performance shoebag. Hopefully, I'll be able to substain my ethnusiasm in sports.

Speaking of which, spent the morning and afternoon in school playing sports. Love the quietness of the campus on saturday, maybe I should do it often.

Looking forward to a set of tennis game next week when I'm back to school again.

You're now entering military installation.

I wonder whether am I entering a military installation while heading to work today. Every corner of the street was guarded by soldiers. They are preparing for the National Day too, every afternoon, national day theme songs could be heard, makes me hyped up and wanting to join in.

Went for health screening, organised by the Public Service Division, today with the rest of my colleagues. I'm impressed by the medical centre service, they explained everything in details and so willing to serve. But I find it weird that everyone of them addressed me by Mr. Brandon instead of my last name.

The penetration from the needle during blood drawing doesn't hurt at all. It's either the skill of the laboratorian or I'm used to injections.

After health screening, there's a breakfast buffet waiting for us. The spread was great, especially the fruit tarts. Worth the effort of fasting the night before.

Was asked by the events and corporate communications people whether I have a suit. Seems like something big is coming this August at the Istana. :)

Meeting marathon

Today simply a meeting marathon day. 3 hours straight of meeting to discuss on IT project, 1.5 hours of lunch break before continuing on another 3 hours meeting. All in a day's work.

Did some catch up with ex-colleagues, everyone still as lively as before. Should meet up with them one of these days.

The move.

Overnight, the old Supreme Court was deserted and former occupants were shifted to the new Supreme Court which its weird alien dome. Security presence also reduced, from the usual 3 policemen manning the entrance to just one.

Still, business as usual for us.

Early celebration for Father's Day.

A joyous day for me yet what happened in the morning affected me slightly for the rest of the day.

Attended a make-up SIP session with my Liaison Officer in the morning. Afterward, I was bought to a room with my coursemates and briefed on new projects which we could undertake for the final year project.

I glanced at my cellphone and laughed silently, something I do habitually and unconsciously when I receive a message that is humourous in nature. This guy besides me suddenly utter some hokkien expletives.

I didn't really care or know the meaning of it till I repeat it in my mind. Apparently, this hokkien punk thought I was laughing at the question he posed to the tutor. To have my ears fouled by such trash early in the morning and minutes before the ceremony, is not something I'm looking forward to.

Being invited to this briefing, I guess his ego was raised disproportionately and he thought he could particpate actively by asking dumb questions. Oh wait, there's no dumb question, only dumb people. Midway through the briefing, he actually have the guts to ask what's the whole project is about and it was at that time, I was glancing at my cellphone.

Makes me wonder what in the world is he doing in the briefing when he's the only one in informal wear. Must have caused him to be overwhelmingly paranoid to even a smile on my face.

You can be particpative, but please do it mindfully, a hundred stupid questions does not make one good question.

Had a wonderful night with my family. Headed to a chinese restaurant at Far East Square to have an early celebration for Father's Day. Nice food and warm service over there, worthy of my compliment.

Lastly, Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there. :)

A little treat.

A little treat from my colleague and I'm totally addicted. Bought a few of this (Peanut Candy) at the Cold Storage near my working place.

All in a day's work.

I've never been so busy since the start of my internship.

Accomplishment of the day:

• 2 Presentations


• 1 Report


• Research findings

Exhausted at the end of the day. Guess what I'm looking forward everyday after work is my comfy bed. And the cycle repeat all over again.

Bundle of joy.

After spending a day at my friend's house, I realize how old I am now as the time passes by. I seem to have lost touch with the simplest things in life, simple things in life that makes us whole. Is it true, in the pursue of our goals in life, we have to abandon what we held dearly?

I'm atonished how technology have advanced. I was shown a picture of my sister's baby taken using 3D ultrasound and my, I'm taken aback at the clarity of the baby's face.

Such innocent life, yet I can't comprehend why do people practice infanticide. Is it because of how fast we've developed from third-world country to the current state of nation we are in now or the negative influence we absorb mindlessly from western lifestyle?

Besides my sister's good health, I'm excited over the prospect of a new car in the family.

Oh, gotten 光良 album (童话) after I'm addicted to one of his songs, 童话. New addition to my iPod.

Shifting of Supreme Court.

You can grow fat by simply attending staff meetings and talks. Something which I found out after 2 weeks of internship.

Supreme Court having mid year break now, will be starting its session at the new supreme court just a road away from City Hall. No wonder I didn't see any more lawyers entering City Hall now.

The Commission shifting too. At the end of this year, to the new library building close to Bugis Junction.

Heard this song over at my friend's place. Sticking in my head now.

童话 by 光良
忘了有多久 再没听到你对我说你最爱的故事
我想了很久 我开始慌了 是不是我又做错了什么
你哭著对我说 童话里都是骗人的 我不可能是你的王子
也许你不会懂 从你说爱我以后 我的天空 星星都亮了
我愿变成童话里 你爱的那个天使 张开双手变成翅膀守护你

你要相信 相信我们会像童话故事里 幸福和快乐是结局

你哭著对我说 童话里都是骗人的 我不可能是你的王子
也许你不会懂 从你说爱我以后 我的天空 星星都亮了
我愿变成童话里 你爱的那个天使 张开双手变成翅膀守护你
你要相信 相信我们会像童话故事里 幸福和快乐是结局

我要变成童话里 你爱的那个天使 张开双手变成翅膀守护你
你要相信 相信我们会像童话故事里 幸福和快乐是结局
我会变成童话里 你爱的那个天使 张开双手变成翅膀守护你
你要相信 相信我们会像童话故事里 幸福和快乐是结局
一起写我们的结局