Circle of Life

Now that everything has settled back to some form of normalcy, I feel that I can blog about it without having to worry about overwhelming emotions. My Grandma passed away on the 13th of this month. Well, as some of you might have known, she was not in good health anyway and I have since been mentally prepared for such a day to arrive.

The interesting thing is, no matter how I prepared myself for it, reality can really hit you hard. I guess for a person like me who have spend a good 1/3 of my life with my grandma, living with her, sleeping beside her and such bonds are hard to ignore, especially when one end of the bond had come to pass.

Life is always contradicting isn’t it, when she was ill, I really hope that she could just pass on as soon as possible to end her suffering (luckily, she wasn’t suffering a lot, but we are suffering to see her like that), yet, when she really did move on, I wasn’t happy, it feels more like a huge chunk of me is gone for good.

Well, there are always memories but I try not to think about them, cos that will make me unhappy again. I guess the KL trip was a good escape, even though I think shopping is a very stressful and tiring event ( I HATE shopping…so there)…

Anyway, Life always comes with death, which is something all of us cannot escape from. We have to face it sooner or later in life.

Thanks piggy.

I need protein

Help. I need meat! Drooling over lamb chops and nice juicy meat~

GIC is an impressive place

Yesh, GIC is an impressive place. The reception area is totally cool and the receptionist is top notch... this was what happened...

Receptionist(million dollar smile):"Sir may I Know your name please"
Me(What the hell? First time hear receptionist speaks perfect English those you hear in telephone recordings, only live): *awe struck*
Receptionist(still with million dollar smile):*waits patiently for my reply*
Me:Er.. *still awe struck*

Yeah, that's how impressive the Company is. Learned Later that she was headhunted. Which company on earth headhunts receptionist?!?

Elections confirm plus gurantee chop IS coming!

Elections lai liao lo... you can feel it in the air, you can hear it in the winds.. ok...actually no la, you can actually read about it from the Media... and in case you dunno, here are some of the points why I think the elections is coming

1) Aljunade(forgot how to spell, cos I dun live there) got upgrading program
2) ECPark got $160 million upgrade
3) Yesterday Ch8 evening news report dunno got what housing upgrades in places EXCEPT opposition party(more about this later)
4) Got lots of subtle good news coming in(dunno how true or false IMHO) eg. rising employment, rising GDP, blah blah blah, but I dunno why my stocks fall fall fall
5)Government definately need to have election soon la...if not sure got people will gossip one. GOssip about what? Not telling. Or rather cannot tell...heh heh

Anyway, back to point number 3... yesterday while watching the chinese news( yes i know... i dun really watch chinese news) they announced something something upgrade except the opposition and the news commentor actually said(In CHINESE) "With this news, people are asking if this means a sign that elections is coming"...then hor... Minister Mah Bow Tan was onscreen and he replied (in ENGLISH)"I was expecting this question...(talk talk)... and I can assure you that this upgrading is not just for this elections but EVERY elections...(talk talk)..."

WAIT A MINUTE.... what did he exactly mean by "not just for this elections but every elections?" and what is WITH that SMIRK? that HKL smirk?? Is this guy telling us that "Hey Singapore~ we do this upgrading project to win your vote and we gonna use this upgrading thingy again and again for every elections to win your vote" I mean, picture that with a hKL smirk and you feel like whacking this guy...

Awww....come on..Singaporeans are not KIDS...you DON'T dangle sweets in front of us and expect us to come to you and you have just insulted us Singaporeans by saying that we are sooo DUMB that you can use this sweets every elections and we will still vote for you... come on... don't treat us like kids....

In other countries, political elections is more about hearing what the elect is going to do to help improve the country, what policies, how to improve the economy blah blah...and here in Singapore, the politicians go "HDB upgrades!! HDB Upgrades...Huh? you voted for the opposition...no upgrades for you!"...

Dying sadly, dying softly

This turtle was found dying after a shark attacked it.... i feel like that turtle now...

Singapore: The Island of Death??

The Australian, one of Australia's newspaper publisher wrote an article condemning Singapore's decision to hang one of their fellow Australians. Actually, "condemning" is a mild word to use already, considering phrases like "To Hell with Harry Lee's Line of Asian Values". On an interesting side note, why is it MM Lee's Line of Asian Values and not Singapore's line of Asian Values?



Source:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/
0,5744,17319489%255E12272,00.html

Anyway, back to the main topic, I have no qualms nor comments on either side of the camp regarding this issue as each have their own valid points. All I'm wondering is that if Singapore insist on going things her way, I wonder how that would affect our position, both economically and socially.... then again, i'm sure it will just be another passing phase, just like the michael fay incident.

And Yes, I'm sure Singapore is going on with the execution unless something not short of a miracle happens.

I just did something bad....

This afternoon my mum came into my room with an interesting piece of card board. It is a cockroach trap. a cardboard like house with sticky "floor mats". She placed one under my bed and said it will help catch cockroach and lizards...

Lizards...gosh, my heart stopped... I had the chance to meet a cute and handsome looking lizard every night and the thot of it getting stuck on that thing struck a cord in my heart.

So... just now, I removed the pellet of chemical meant to attract them and proceed to place the card board above the floor. I mean, I can't tell my mum that i don't want the trap cos I'm feeling attached to a lizard right??

I'm so glad i'm living in Singapore

Ensure PAP remains the party of choice to be in Government: Lim Boon Heng
By May Wong, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE : The Chairman of the People's Action Party, Mr Lim Boon Heng, has called on its members to ensure that PAP remains the party of choice to be in Government.

He said the PAP would soon be called again to win the mandate of the people, and all members must be ready to enter into the contest.

Mr Lim was speaking at the Presentation of Party Awards at Kallang Theatre on Saturday.

The next general election has to be held by June 2007.

At the award ceremony, Mr Lim also commended several staunch PAP members.

One of them was former Political Secretary for Home Affairs Ministry and MP for Hong Kah GRC, the late Harun Ghani, who had worked tirelessly to tackle drug problems in Singapore.

Mr Lim said: "Our Party has had dedicated Members of Parliament who have worked hard on the ground, keeping in touch with the concerns of the people, reflecting their views both in Parliament and outside Parliament, and solving their problems.

"Our MPs are a crucial link between the people and the Ministers. Their feedback ensures that Government correctly feels the pulse of the nation and devise the right policies."

Mr Lim also cited two other factors that have kept the PAP in government for 45 years.

He said the Party was founded by able people who have built a system of leadership succession.

And Party members have supported the MPs and worked with grassroots organisations to identify and solve issues of concern to Singaporeans. - CNA/de
===================================================

We, as Singaporeans should vote wisely. It's our Country after all.

My car condition after 1.4 years....

Every time you will see nice and flashy cars, not those convertable types but those polish unitl machiam mirror type, then you would envy them, "wah... so shiny, how I wish I can do until shiny-shiny for my car", but actually, in this cruel world, having a shiny car comes with a price, either the owner is damn rich and pays like 400-600 bucks for professional grooming, OR, he is a DIY frantic and polish until you can see his arms muscles like Rambo...

And it's tough maintaing the car in tip top condition, i'll let my car show u why...after being on the road for just 1.4 years...


My front bumper, with a stone chip, proberbly as a soveniour from the AYE-TUAS expressway


I've no idea where the scatches came from....sianz...


Never drive when you are like still awake at 5am in the morning. Got this when i introduce my bumper to a hyundai Getz right front bumper...

so... if you do see a nicely polished car that seems just fresh out from the showroom, give the driver a thumbs up for his hard work or deep pocket, or you could throw eggs at his car in envy. I know what I would do. *heh heh*

Interesting Article from Phillipines

SINGAPORE - Singapore's government urged drivers to apologize for "errors of judgment" on the road and wave to fellow motorists, in its latest behavior modification campaign rolled out Thursday.

"If you do make an error of judgment on the road, a simple apologetic wave on your part will go a long way to defuse the situation and avoid confrontation," said Ho Peng Kee, the country's senior minister of state for law.

"Singapore roads need not be stressful if we all drive with consideration, with care, with courtesy in mind," he said.

Ho said the Singapore Road Wave would be incorporated into the annual road courtesy campaign.

Around half a million leaflets with road safety messages will be distributed as part of the promotion, he said. And there's road courtesy for children too.

"A story book entitled James and the Big Red Car, which highlights the importance of child seats, will be re-launched to incorporate road courtesy messages at the back of the book," Ho said.

Singapore, a tiny, wealthy city-state, is well known for its campaigns to modify behavior. Among its efforts have been campaigns to teach Singaporeans to speak English properly, to show people how to be more romantic, and to flush public toilets.

Critics have denounced the numerous promotions of morality as Orwellian and condescending toward citizens. AP/The Manila Times
===================================================

Hahahahaha..... I love the sentence in bold. Obviously taking a swipe at us. Beware people! Our behaviour is being modified! Mwhahahaha.....

Glum.

The whole world seems to be on a roll. I'm not. Every single day of my life I felt down. people pass me by. people talked to me. But no one knew. Knew of my misery. My Pain. My Sadness. My path before me. Each step I took. I wish it was better. Better than the step after me. Alias. No. Its always the same. Same old misery. Nothing more.

I want out. OUT!




But i can't.

I can't get out.

Can't.

NUS got new ATM machine out LT27

New member to NUS, an ATM machine outside LT27, finally leh...so hand itchy went to queue to draw money from the new machine...

very long queue...sianz...nvm...still queue, then those people in front of me kept drawing $50 bucks... farnie leh... students so rich one time draw $50 bucks heart not pain meh....then my turn to draw, wah...button so nice to press, got 'NEW' feel to it... *press* *press*... shit! ATM new machine got no more 10 dollars notes, no wonder every one draw 50 dollars.... @#$%^&^ draw lor...no choice..if not no need to eat my favourite vegetarian food liaoz...then while drawing, Cuiying also came and draw...

CY: Jarvis!
Binks: Yo!
CY: Damn sianz I'm going SGH!
Binks: for wat?
CY *points to a Cole box*: collect tissues samples lor....and taking MRT with it leh..
Binks: Wah... don't leave that box unattended or your face will be in the news liaoz ha ha

She must have guarded the box very jealously cos until now, newspaper also never report buona vista got bomb attack by terrorist... *heh heh*

Am I missing something?

Taken off CNA website:

Singapore's electricity price the same despite sharp oil price hike
By S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia


From Answers.Com


Competition in the electricity market and measures to enhance efficiency and reliability have paid off in Singapore's electricity industry.

One positive result is that the price of electricity has remained the same as that about five years ago.

This is according to the Energy Market Authority's (EMA) latest annual report.

The price of electricity and the amount chalked up are a closely-watched expense item in Singapore households.

The EMA report says that competition in the electricity market has led the price of electricity to fall by about 10%, had oil prices stayed the same.

Even so, with oil prices up by three times, the price of electricity is still about the same as that five years ago - due to greater efficiency.

The EMA also reports that it has learnt from the lessons of last year's major power outage on 29 June which had caused disruption to both homes and industries.

The EMA chairman said the incident was a reminder of the need to maintain a robust electricity system in Singapore.

In that incident, a disruption in the gas supply from West Natuna caused a two-hour power failure.

Conoco Phillips , which operates the gas receiving facility, has implemented 80 percent of the measures it identified to prevent another such incident.

Most gas generating companies have also since ensured that they can switch to a second source of gas if the first fails.

In the last five years, Singapore has become more reliant on natural gas.

It has replaced fuel oil to become the main source, generating 70 percent of total electricity. - CNA/ir

=================================================================

In my opinion, this article is pure eye candy to me.

Firstly, the first bold sentence said that electricity prices remain the SAME as of 5 years ago. Is it really THE SAME? i thought they had just raise electricity by a few cents a few weeks back? Give me figures and not quantitative crap and I'll believe.

However, the real shit is the following point:
The article claims that they have been more reliant on natural oil over the past 5 years. According to NaturalGas.org, the Department of Energy states that natural gas costs less than 30 percent of the cost of electricity, per Btu (British thermal unit). if Natural Gas is cheaper than oil and they have been using it over the last 5 years, not baring the recent increase in oil prices, then how come our electricity bill doesn't get any lower? WHERE have the cost savings gone to?

In summary, this article can only mean one thing. And it's not hard to guess what that is.

Wake up and Smell the roses....

Source

Warwick lecturers vote against Singapore campus
By John Burton in Singapore
Published: October 14 2005 11:57 | Last updated: October 14 2005 11:57

Senior lecturers at Warwick University in the UK have voted against setting up a branch campus in Singapore due to worries about limits on academic freedom, dealing a possible setback to the city-state's ambitions to become a regional hub for higher education.


Singapore requires international educational institutions operating in the city-state to agree not to conduct activities seen as interference in domestic affairs.

The lopsided 27-13 “no” vote by Warwick's senate this week is believed to be the first time a foreign university has rejected the conditions set by Singapore. Although the vote is non-binding, it is likely to put pressure on the university council to abandon the Singapore plan when it makes a final decision on October 18.

Warwick and Australia's University of New South Wales are the only two foreign universities selected by Singapore's Economic Development Board to set up a full-scale campus.

The city-state has succeeded in attracting smaller schools operated by several top institutions, including Insead and the University of Chicago Graduate Business School, in an effort to triple the number of university students to 150,000 in the next decade.

The Warwick vote came as the outgoing US ambassador to Singapore warned in a farewell speech that Singapore's limits on expression might cause the government to “pay an increasing price for not allowing full participation of its citizens”.

Faculty and students at Warwick have questioned the costs of the nearly £300m ($525m) project and the university's ability to attract quality students and staff to the Singapore campus. But much of the criticism has focused on limits on academic freedom and civil liberties, including curbs on gay rights and high execution rates for criminals.

Warwick recently sent a letter to EDB asking that its students in Singapore be exempt from strict laws limiting freedom of assembly, speech and the press, and the removal of bans on homosexuality and certain religious practices on campus.

It also sought guarantees that staff and students would not be punished by the Singapore government for making academic-related comments that might be seen “as being outside the boundaries of political debate”. EDB said it would not comment.

The demand that the Singapore campus enjoy the same degree of academic freedom as in the UK came in response to an advisory report by Thio Li-ann, a law professor at the National University of Singapore, which said freedom of “speech is permissible as long as it does not threaten real political change or to alter the status quo”.

She warned that “the government will intervene if academic reports cast a negative light on their policies” but said the presence of Warwick in Singapore could “serve as an impetus for continued liberalisation”.

===========================================
I. Do. Not. Need. To. Say. More.

My RSS Feed is up!

Yesh..student syndrome is in effect...suppose to do some work but instead, i added an RSS feed into my blogspot(but hey! it's for my 4251 sake you know?). Anyway, for those using FF/Mozilla, all you need to do is to click on the orange icon at the bottom right corner whenever you are at my page.

I'm Tired le....

I'm now listening to "Colors of the Wind" by Vanessa Williams. I do not know why, but everytime when I listen to this song, I feel kinda relaxed... and I feel that I should...

I'm so tired, I try my best every semester including this semester but things seems to go wrong at each turn, I struggled every tutorial, every assignment to get some positive signs that can encourge me on for the next 6 months or so....nothing...I tried to motivate myself, telling myself that the next tutorial will be better, the next day will be better...nothing...

The saying goes, one cannot stop the tide... Even though my heart is willing, I can't do it alone... I tried every turn, every corner, but I just don't have the strength anymore...i'm so tired....I need a miracle...

VoIP in NOC

Source: Cisco manual on web (I think)

Ok, today, we had a newcomer to NOC, 8 Cisco VoIP phones and my initial impression was that it's just a normal telephone with a LCD screen BUT I was not entirely correct...I guess in this age and time, one shouldn't underestimate the power of the internet...

The phone comes with many functions, of which 4 I am very impressed with...

1) It has an online phone directory for the whole of NUS, all you have to do is to search...no more going into exchange mail and do searching...

2) not impressed yet? How about, it comes with a government directory with it too? (I think the government is going VoIP too...)

3) still not impressed, how about, it comes WITH a S'PORE Company directory??? (bye bye yellow pages)... all you need is a little imagination and very soon we can search for any singporeans on the streets using the phone...why not?...

4) Still not impressed? (then you are really a Pain in the ASS)The phone...comes with... a function to view....WORLD NEWS... yesh, you can view global news, singapore news, business news, you name it, they got it...updated news somemore... I kid you not... another useful invention to be skiving at work while looking dead busy with the phone....

AND can someone tell me WHY it's not the choice OVER PODCAST?!? (pun intended)

The end of the world....

Image taken off NASA website.

I've mulled over the things that I would want to write in my blog and now given a chance, I've decided to write about the earth...

Yesh, the earth...you see, the earth is a very complex and delicate system. Why do I say that? Simply because the earth is the only planet in our solar system that is able to support human life. And the very fact that we are unique in this solar system tells us that our development cannot be naturally replicated else where. The earth is who she is because she happens to have the right conditions...

Yet, these "right conditions" are being altered by us... let me explain with an example. Earth, venus and mars are thought to be similar to each other, yet they are as different as a cat is to a dog to a donkey. Venus is damn bloody warm and mars is damn bloody cold and earth is at the right temperature...

The reason to all this is greenhouse warming...greenhouse warming is the retention of heat by water vapor and CO2. Without greenhouse warming, earth will be 50K cooler and you can have polar bears to rule the entire earth. Luckily for us, the temperature is condusive and human beings flourish...

CO2 is king here. Mars and venus were unable to support human life because of CO2. Venus has too much of it and mars have too little of it in the atmosphere. Venus, with it's runaway greenhouse effects (think global warming on a screwed up scale), pushes it's temperature to a high of 700K (ard 400 deg. Cel.) and mars is the opposite, freezing it's ass until all the CO2 and water froze and the planet literally freezes...

This shows us how changes to our environment can alter the living environment...
although earth will never end up as hot as venus or as cold as mars, our environment is indeed changing due to greenhouse gases...

The recent 'firsts' of a series of hurricane devastating the coast of US is a stark reminder of the changing weather, a probable sign that we are looking at a global warming which indicate that more of such "extreme" weather is here to stay if we do not do anything to curb the rising CO2 levels....



image by Robert Simmon, taken off NASA website

The koyoto protocol is one such pace by world leaders to reduce CO2 level but as my impression goes, some countries are unable to achieve their reduction targets ( I know Britain is one of them)...

If left uncheck, I wonder how would life will be for our children's children....

Me as a southpark character!

Wanted to post this up since last night but too lazy to even log into blogspot...anyway here is it, yeah, the gun and the blood stain shirts seem oddly at ends with my character...but well...it looks kinda cool anyway...so...

Cold and Hungry

it's cold in the office and i'm very hungry...waiting for the interviews to end...