Googling

Slurp in chinese.

First video yay

Look, if you had one shot, one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted - One moment
Would you capture it or just let it slip? 

Kids

When I was much younger I imagined working adults to be very proficient in their work and mature in their dealings. I later learnt in the army that this is called 'professionalism'. I tried to learn as much as I can in the army to achieve this professionalism and tried to earn as much respect I can with what little role I play in the organisation.

Just when I finally understood what was professionalism about, and was feeling a little better about my slight increase in professionalism, my term of service was up and I left, a slightly better person.

To my intense disappointment, this professionalism that I have so held dear to my heart was extremely lacking in what used to be my utopic idea of the working society.

Faith in humanity reduced.

Long day, little reward

There is no screen too big, no price too high, as long as it is what you like.

Something that I keep seeing at telcos and gadget shops: A shopper looks at a phone he doesn't like and says "the screen is too big" and goes on to buy one he likes with a bigger or same size screen. Another says he "doesn't want to spend too much on a phone" he doesn't like and goes on to buy one that appeals to him but with a higher price tag. This world is so surreal, filled with excuses and annoying people.

But what I wanted to say was I have been reminded that

There is nothing too big to handle, no price too high, as long as you want it.

Lessons

I was scanning through my old blog posts to put the new 'Food' label on those posts about new foodie haunts. I came across some posts about my NS experience too, and I figure, I'm finally coming to the realisation that the good times actually manage to balance out the really bad ones. Took me long enough huh. For example I came across the one on Juliet ProTerm/Golf FoundTerm graduating and some memories came flooding back, especially the ones in Thailand. I made lots of mistakes, but in the end my cadets appreciated and credited my efforts. The section was small and tight-knit, and they all graduated successfully. I managed to see mirror images of myself in a couple of them, and I hoped I gave them a better training than my predecessors gave me.

On hindsight, even though I knew I have been careful with the lives of my charges, especially during those code black training days, there were some occasions where I might have toed the line. I have never fallen out during training sessions myself; so I expect everyone else to be able to be stronger than me, because I was really unfit. But you won't been thinking that when there is a death of a trainee on your hands.

There were lessons to be learnt then.

Serious question, but not being political or solemn here. Just curious.

Is the government's basis for the GRC a form of affirmative action? Was reading an article on Harvard shared on Facebook when I came across this term.

On a lighter note, I found this when retrieving CH's notes, a 'souvenir' from TQ Live '09:

Again, a lower-quality photo for quick upload

Oracle sent us a CD souvenir of our antics at TQ Live and this amount of packaging is required for something the size of a CD jewel case, albeit slightly thicker (but bubble wrap is always appreciated!). I had refused to discard the box at that time due to a weird hoarding habit but it's now waiting to be canned together with other cardboard pieces.

Hay Dairies

If anyone is interested in trying goat milk, we can order together next time so you won't have to go down to Lim Chu Kang or purchase 1.6L at a go. Eight dollars for a 800ml big bottle and $2.50 for a 200ml one. Chocolate milk is only available in 200ml bottles.

Does anyone remember the Sony Ericsson W950i and W900i? I liked these two phones at the time but they were just too expensive. The 950i boasts an 'incredible' onboard 4GB of memory'! I was all 'wow 4GB?!' The only drawback was there wasn't a camera (I think I considered buying this phone before enlistment.) The 900i has this 'cool' swivel design that not many phones had and was so drool-worthy to me. Also, I just discovered that the 'chin design' is not unique to HTC (think Hero and One V)! The SE W910i has a reverse 'chin' too.

Pretty good colour reproduction, I would say

I took this test shot to see if the demonstration phone was working as it should. Do you see what I see? A HTC booth using a Samsung TV??

(With the recent launch of the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2, I'm seeing some challenges ahead for the One V and Desire C...)

This photo took so long to upload! This is just a 600+ kb copy.

Huh what is this?

Drink of the year.

The soya bean milk turned to curd in less than a day... It's kind of tasteless and would probably make you shit your pants all day long. Don't try. Apparently mr bean sells soya bean pudding too.

Ang moh sizes are so big, korean sizes so small.

I'm giving away this Threadless tee, size large. It's not been worn before but it went through the washing machine once. To give you an idea of the sizing, it's too big for me - too wide at the shoulders and too long. 

Toast Box

I'm waiting for my goat milk now. Placed the order on Saturday and it's arriving on Thursday.

I bought goat milk because a friend has gastric problems and he claims that the milk can alleviate his ills. So I'm going to try starting/ending the day with warm/cold goat milk and see if it helps. My stomach ailments have become more frequent and it is very distracting indeed. I have stopped taking coffee in the morning because I always wake up with a swirling stomach and coffee seems to make it worse. This is also the reason I am looking for ginger tea, but the ginger tea I have at home is spicy on the palate but doesn't really warm up the stomach. I've browsed through some basic TCM books and a few claim that Asians tend to have 'cold' stomachs (寒胃)?

Had our first meal at Toast Box today; don't try the ice tea/coffee melaka! Not for the faint-hearted. The coconut sugar has a very weird taste that I couldn't cope with and eventually I left half of it untouched. There goes $1.90 ($3.80 per glass)! The thick toast and eggs were fine though, but the supposedly delicious Bo Luo You (pineapple bun with a slice of butter) was not great. Toast-wise the butter milk thick toast was fragrant but it might get a little jelat if you try to finish it all by yourself. I have no preference for the 'traditional kaya toast' between Ya Kun or Toast Box but the folks find the Ya Kun's bread crispier. Planned to eat the fried dumplings and rice dumplings at Neil Road but were too filled up at Toast Box and Outram Park MRT felt like an inconvenient ride from MBS~

Yep, went to MBS (ArtScience) for the HP Exhibition, which I didn't really enjoy because I have ceased being a HP fan since a few years back? It felt a little short and the (I forgot the word 'merchandise' and went to google but turned up this (?!) instead) stuff at the end were total rip-offs. Some of the wands felt so plasticky but were super pricey (there is a set of six wands going for $350). A plain t-shirt with a HP crest costs fifty bucks. The cheapest things - Bertie Botts' (jelly beans...) and 'chocolate frogs' cost six bucks a pop. An exhibition guide alone would set you back by thirty. A photograph that was taken before the exhibition trail by temp staff would be another twenty for a 6R size. Too crazy!

Beverages

Looking for two beverages, please do tell me if you know of any of the following:

COFFEE

1) Strong, but low-sugar/sweetener content

2) Decaf with as little chemicals as possible

GINGER DRINK/TEA

Spicy in the stomach but not on the palate

Update: Oh I just realised it is no longer "blogspot.com" but "blogspot.sg"

Update again... : I was thinking of trying out goat milk from Hay Dairies, but... DILEMMA! I either have to go down to Lim Chu Kang (it's somewhere along the SCS 28km NE march route so it's not exactly convenient) or order via its delivery service which requires a minimum 1.6L purchase. How??

16 July

The horizons appear much brighter when you have things to look forward to do. Even apparently mundane tasks like clearing out your desk and wardrobe, refiling your paperwork and throwing out the clutter. Which is what I am going to do later tonight and tomorrow onward, hopefully finishing next week and preparing for the return to academics. Clothes in good condition that haven't been worn for months are GOING (to the Salvation Army). Waste papers on the desk are GOING (to the karung guni). The miscellaneous trash is GOING (to be binned - what else?). My life is GOING (to be an uphill battle).

When it comes to education, I am not a savvy investor. I have once been included in a collective rebuke - labelled as 'having no sense of ownership' by an infuriated educator. Apparently a monthly school fee of about thirty dollars was insufficient to wake up my idea, such that the current situation asks for more than five thousand a semester to keep me awake to reality. I did not appreciate the high quality of education provided to me at a low cost of one dollar a day back then; now I have to pay a handsome sum for one that is unlikely to be in the better segment of Singapore's market. I am not comparing the dollar-for-dollar value of pre-university and university education, just that if I have done better in pre-university I will certainly be forking out lesser monies right now.

Keeping in mind that I am paying more for a tertiary education than most of my friends out there, while receiving one that is unlikely to be better than what they are receiving, AND considering the fact that I am signing myself up for a life that is meaningful but unprofitable, do you believe me now when I say I am not a savvy investor?

That is the economic part, which will probably follow me into my future rat race. It's time to straighten out my finances before it's too late; to make an attempt to break from the inevitable bread-and-butter forces that will push me toward the path that my parents have taken.

I started off the day on the wrong foot - my mind fraught with negativity. The day progressed slowly and was made worse by 'deaf' shoppers. Zero sales figures coupled with the team leader's unwillingness to help pushed me towards the verge of volcanic eruption. One customer walked in and asked where was tower two. I replied that I didn't know and she retorted "You work here and you don't know??" and walked off without a second word. Was boiling mad but I recalled the saying "把脾气拿出来是本能，把脾气压回去是本事" - interesting huh? But later on, *faith in Singaporeans restored!* a lady walked in to thank a guy who gave her directions. So I guess for every person who is "心理不平衡" there will be another who is perfectly normal and understanding. Next I saw parents who only use their mouths to control their kid, but physically fail to keep him in check (is this what they call 爱的教育 nowadays), then I witnessed a father sternly disciplining and physically stopping his young son from continuing a dangerous deed. Balance? Yep.

Looking forward to... something

This week must be food week? Mum mentioned a korean eating place near chomp chomp which has an awesome $10 lunch promotion. The meal comes with ten side dishes, all refillable. I suggested trooping down together this afternoon for me to widen my korean food horizons but due to unforeseen circumstances lunch became dinner at a more costly place at Kovan...

Excellent service came with
BBQ beef
- grilled to perfection by manga character-like guy who should be the manager

- not for the weak-hearted

Spicy pork ribs

- grilled nicely as above

- but still has lingering 'raw porky' taste

Pork kimchi pancake

- delightful crisp

- same lingering taste as above

Ginseng chicken stew

- average

Radish duck wrap

- dryness is balanced by wet, crunchy radish slices

- starting to like duck but the folks disliked the smoky taste

Spicy stir-fried rice cakes
- too tender

The folks were planning to go to sakura this coming friday, but I compelled them to cater to my whims because I was going to Qun Zhong Eating House for 锅贴...

So sakura next week...

Then some other buffet near Tuas...

It's not food week; it's gluttony month!

Questions > Answers

If we didn't expect something in return for a good deed done, then why do we feel indignant if someone we helped snubs us?

Why are so many people willing to spend their hard-earned cash on technology they can never fully appreciate?

Why can't HTC add a removable battery with a larger capacity and microSD support to their flagship products?

The funniest thing I've heard today

“在哪里跌倒，在哪里躺下。”

July draws near...

A failed birthday surprise? Got caught by the protagonist in the act of linking up with fellow perpetrator... Haha! You spoiled the surprise yourself!

So if school starts in July, I've got to prepare myself for things I have been avoiding... Got to be tough and have some self-discipline, and toss some of that awkwardness out of the window. Tighten my belt and pull up my socks, so to speak. Cheehow mentioned something about a part-time degree, but I shrugged that notion off. Too difficult for me. Then there will be a period whereby everyone is enjoying their orientation camps and looking forward to a new life, while I'll be worrying about starting off school on the wrong foot?

Been wanting to volunteer my remaining free weekdays away but that's not going to happen anytime soon because the volunteer schemes require me to be 'of age'. So October you'd better come soon then I will have better opportunities coming by.

Yup, just trying to get by. My life feels like a field camp - counting the days towards 'exercise cut', always running on 50% battery and getting by on mucky rations.

风中摇曳的烛光

所以，不要过着那种还债的人生。还没开始就动摇，那是不祥的预兆。

超好吃的，我发誓，我确定，要我跪下来吗？

So......! Mr YA finally 实践诺言, bringing us to the famed Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle.

Three of us had mee kia da, ai hiam. I was not ravenous so I ordered the $5 bowl while the rest went for the adventurous $6 deal. There is also a $4 option. The $6 bowl looked the same as mine, except with an additional meatball (and more noodles?). Sorry to burst your bubble YA but it wasn't that extraordinary! Indeed, the turkwa was not overcooked, retaining the softness and 'powdery' texture that good turkwa should have. The bak chor was well minced and fresh. There were also two dumplings for each of the $5 and $6 bowls, which we wouldn't usually associate with bak chor mee. Long queue, 35 minutes wait; not an EXPLOSIVE meal. :)

Aramis, Athos, and Porthos

And so we concluded our adventures on a high note! Actually, no, our departing meal in Hanoi was instant noodles served with 'lean meat'. And it was 45.000 dong too, which roughly equates to S$2.80 per bowl. Similar taste to the Nissin cup noodles but at twice the price! Oh by the way, they use decimals as digit separators and vice versa for their prices...

(Wanted to add a photo here but it was taking forever.)

We stayed at three places over our 7-day stint in chaotic yet efficient Hanoi. Hanoi Old Centre Hotel, on a junk with Oriental Sails, and a hotel at Sapa whose name I can't recall. I thought the food and lodging at all three places were perfect! (Mr YA might have a fit over the use of 'perfect' here but it really was amazing, and at the risk of sounding unappreciative, better than home!) Yes we didn't have the 'great city view' on our first day in old centre, but the immaculate service and friendliness more than make up for it. The sticky rice with roast pork, banana pancakes, toasty baguettes and omnipresent sweet pineapples-watermelons-bananas combo are spirit-raising too.

The junk (again, wasn't up to Mr YA's standards/expectations) was pretty awesome too; we met a couple of friends from Singapore (teachers! 为人师表). I really liked the bathroom because it didn't give me the creepy feel of foreign toilets. Homely bathroom! And really clean too. Lots of dishes during meals (strange to jump from the WC to food right after) - really nice decorations too. Fried taro, green papaya salad, water chestnut-carrot salad, just a few I can recall. Oh and fried spring rolls! They are everywhere.

The food at Hoang Ha (did I spell that right?) and the other Sapa hotel was fabulous too! Pumpkin soup or potato and ham soup?? I prefer pumpkin soup! Would make a pretty good dessert too, if sweetened. Didn't really like the lemongrass though, left a bitter aftertaste.

So most of our time were spent walking to our 'Objectives'. The first food adventure should be the one to Quan An Ngon! A ?Marche?-styled eatery that lets you place orders using a single menu. The place is crowded, but we were still comfortably sat at a relatively private corner. We had our virgin bun cha here! Barbequed pork balls (slightly flattened at the top and bottom - think Earth) and slices in a smoky soup, paired with vermicelli and veggies. Highlight!! Some roll-yourself spring roll which we all pretended to be 'grand masters' at. I tried bia hoi, cold hanoi beer and the rest had SAPODILLA SHAKES. Mr WS said it was chiku (see this).

We tried xoi xeo and bun cha at other places, and I figured we were being scolded for being stingy tourists (sharing one bowl among three pax!).

I guessed I enjoyed the trek the most, even though there were some minor 'hiccups' - me not buying souvenirs from the 'yellow-robed girl', and failing to tip our guide D: even though he was fairly good. Mr YA's camera also suffered a mishap here and I believed suffered a sleepless night with it being in foreign hands (repair shop). But the walks to find 8.000 dong (roughly $0.50) bottled water and clothes were surprisingly ?fun?.

The trip to West Lake wasn't too interesting, but the day was rescued by the 5.000 dong ice cream (unknown flavour!) and a hearty dinner at our favourite location in Hanoi, Quan An Ngon. Shrimp pancake with rice paper, chee cheong fun-like dish, buns with pork filling, and grilled squid. Sound ordinary but pretty awesome. What I didn't like was the last day! Tried to find the museums but went to the wrong one in the end!! And I think we missed a part of the temple of literature too.

But now it's back to the grind of the routine here - but the best we can do is to do something different each day to make this routine more interesting. We've got to do something different to see a different result. And I must tell myself that 还没开始就动摇，要怎样坚持理念？

Monday greens

This is one of those days when I don't feel like doing anything. I have already been relentlessly reminded to get off my ass to get one of these things done instead of being a useless skill-less unemployed bum: Go apply for school; go learn some important skill ('that a guy MUST have', like driving); write in to HOTA and tell them to stay away from my organs (I was trying to delay this so mum would forget about it); go do something important with my life.

These days I keep getting flashbacks about my trainee days in ns, mostly in that dreaded place called pasir laba camp. When I was at my lowest, where were you? Same bunk as you but I never did get a firm hand to pull me up. And yet you claimed that I was one of your closer friends. All I ever had was the familiar tall dark figure of mr HBH in camp. I won't ever forget what happened in neo tiew - the fog and camo smudges in the loose, scarred goggles; the fit-like panting; the tears; the cold feet; the stares; the face; the disgust - or on that nights-out evening.

My painting lies unfinished on the desk, things that I need and want to print are still in soft copy. The world goes by outside the window. I am overwhelmed, not by the things I need to do - I have rarely been overwhelmed by that; it is the monsters that I hide under the bed that threaten to spill over into my rational life. What do you want? Someone I got to know yesterday said that. I didn't know because I didn't dare. All these mollycoddling for years have broken me down. I feel like blaming someone for stunting my growth. I always thought I was easily understood by my parents! Only recently I realised how wrong I was. No one knows what you are hiding if you don't say. Sometimes your enemies know you better because they can tell you are hiding stuff.

I don't know if I have become quieter at home, and noisier outside. I adopted a don't ask don't say policy. If I wish to talk about it I will drown you in my saliva. If not, don't ask - it doesn't help with the blood pressure. Maybe it's time for you to think about my behaviour and not for me to keep checks on my temper. I endure so much inside then I tolerate so much outside, I may implode.

±

On a brighter note, I did a four-hour cycling trip to pasir ris park last saturday before I met up with my buddies ws and ya (haha!). This is the route I took:

Starting from the park connector (serangoon park connector?) at the end of hougang ave 5, I sped in the direction of halus wetland. Upon reaching the connecting bridge, dismount and cross.

Next, find the road that connects halus wetland to pasir ris farmway 3 and cycle non-stop onwards! Eventually you will reach the junction that will lead you on to pasir ris drive 1. Keep going on the left side of the road and you encounter a park connector (can't remember the sungei name). Turn in and go, go, go and you will see a horse-riding school later and soon you are at the park.

Did a quick spin and decided to come back quickly because my saddle was becoming loose again.

In the afternoon I was planning to go to cafe e jardin but damn it my brain forgot it was a public holiday. So it was closed. So we ended up at Subway, and I fumbled around before asking the subway guy (who was very polite and friendly) for the password to the joint's wireless network. As usual ya was being selective about his googled sites but eventually we went to get our one million dolla-dong! :D