nothing is impossible

shit before run...

2010-07-01T11:47:00.003+08:00

how many times have i said this...

SHIT

BEFORE

RUN

knn...

innovative design for the busy people...

2010-06-24T11:15:00.004+08:00

courtesy of 9gag.com

i think this will suit Me and Her...

but after reading one of the comments,
"1. person is typing
2. person is called to other place
3. person lifts hands
4. person trows tray in the air, spilling the coffee on the keyboard, screen and all important papers on the desk, and having the sandwich's mayonnaise stain an important document
5. FFFFFUUUUUUU--"

i doubt so...

is this what you are doing everyday [online]?

2010-06-14T08:52:00.004+08:00

i believe this is happening to me most of us...

Source: http://9gag.com/full/26036

Our europe trip... 9th May - 30th May 2010

2010-06-11T21:21:00.012+08:00

Definitely not a post that summarize the WHOLE trip but I guess this highlighted some (un)interesting matters We encountered on off & I wrote them down during the long train rides using my handphone E63...even prepared a list ‘Things to Bring’ for future overseas trip!

I'm sorry...but behold!

WALL OF TEXT
{click the pictures to see the whole set of photos...}

ITALY
finally after 16hrs (includ. transit time), we finally reached Rome! Bought the train tickets to the City area & check-in Hotel Planet. The worst accommodation booked for this trip :( First, it charged me the usual rate instead of the online promo due to technical difficulties from the online agency (kena cheated?), unfriendly reception, wifi charge was needed, there was no drinking water & a weird smell in the room. On the bright side, it's really near to the train station; Breakfast was provided- a croissant & a cup of cappucino from the bar opposite.

Visited the historical sites all by walking & the buses. Must be brave & good in acting: hop on the bus & do what the Romans do-act normal till your destination. (it works almost in every places in Italy...)

2nd stop: Firenze (Florence)!!
Booked this popular backpack's accommodation, Archi Rosti Hostel and it was so much better than the previous one.

Last stop in Italy: Venice!
Good location which is just beside the train station, Hotel Florida is definitely one of the cheaper hotel available..not exactly as it still cost €120/night :x

The transportation wasn't cheap as well though it was something different from other places. One way on the boat-bus cost €6.50 & a 12h ticket cost €16/pax. Of course, u get the 12h one right?? Though you can, act blur with the 1-way ticket-so far yet to witness a conductor checking whether the ticket is valid or not.

SWITZERLAND
After a rush breakfast buffet (only serve from 730am onwards & our train departs @750am), we travelled up to Auth-gold station where we changed train to Luzern.

Met this old couple from Australia on train who were on their way to Munich, Germany. They were on a 5-month retirement trip in Europe! Shocked & amazed-envy them to the max! "We deserved it!" as they claimed. They took a year to plan and they set no budget limit! we chit-chat the places we had visited, complaint how it is near impossible for Singaporeans to do the same thing as they did...while admiring the scenery outside, haha!

Reached Luzern after ~3hrs journey & walked a good 15mins,pulling our luggage before we checked in Backpack Luzern. Went around to see the local attractions e.g. Chapel Bridge, Old Town with the snowy mountains in the background...

went up to Mt. Titalis but unfortunately it was drizzling and foggy during the day. Visibility was low and nothing much can be seen clearly when we were at the peak. Enduring the cold & strong chilling wind, we bravely took some photos but the digital camera were unable to (prob. due to the low temp.) capture the pictures well...At one point of time, I really thought my toes kena frostbite as I was wearing only a thin pair of socks & a pair of sport-shoes that has many holes for ventilation!

The consolation part is, both of us finally got to see & play the real snow! Definitely different & superb feeling from what we have in Sgp Snow City, Ice-Skate or see on-screen.

Next stop is, Interlaken. Check-in under the same org., Backpack Villa Sonnenhoff & it felt more like a Hotel than a hostel! Spacious lobby area, free laundry, buffet breakfast, 24/7 wifi...Best accommodation stayed up till now!

Took train (50mins) up to Bern, another small town but a busier one than Interlaken. It was also an UNESCO place, confirmed worth the trip! This is a place where the Bear is the symbolic animal & even have a bear pit/park!

In mind of our disappointment we had in Luzern, we prayed hard for a better weather before we bought the utterly expensive round trip tix up to Jungfraujoch. It cost CHF$136.50 (~S$178)/pax (even after 25% discount with Eurail pass) to change 2x/way trains, view the LOTR-type of scenes with gigantic snowy mountains throughout the 2hr/way journey, awwww at the goats & cows & HUGE dogs, experience the slight discomfort at 11000m above sea level, suffer the cold & wind out at the Plateau.

...but we knew, all these were worth it ;)

I still feel the ticket is very costly, in fact, anything in Europe is :x

Final stop @Geneva (~3hrs from Interlaken) & stayed in a decent hotel, Hotel Ibis. Breakfast buffet required a small amount which we still felt the variety wasn't that great & it was expensive. Began our walk to the attractions, one of which is the powerful jet fountain, shooting 500l/s of water up..but it wasn't working on that day!! and actually that's about it, nothing much fancy us. Many people were french-speaking, things cost slightly more than in previous 2 places.

Nothing much.

we did however, had our first cheese fondue dish! She didn't like it too well as the local flavour mixed it with white wine & alcohol wasn't her kind of liking. And also finally steak with fries! Filling and satisfactory~

Paris, FRANCE

we stayed in Hotel Armstrong for our last stop in Paris. During the trip, I only realised that the accommodation wasn't near to the train stations or any attractions. I had booked this at the very last min before departure cuz the rest were either too expensive (>€100+) or unavailable for the requested dates :(

It took awhile to understand its Metro system and getting there. On first look, the surrounding didn't look that interesting and it seemed kinda creepy if dark. Only till near the end of day, I felt that this place was a hidden treasure though She was still uncomfortable with the location :x

We quickly went down to Chatalet station to start our tour. Weather was very good & sunny, we felt hot for the first time, haha! Place was really crowded with locals & tourists. Experienced the City of Love everywhere as couples were hanging out together, displaying their affection through their long passionate kiss/ hugs, regardless of age/ size.

Return to Hotel early to catch the live telecast Champions League match between Inter Milan/ Bayern Munich. LOL, She loves soccer! Had a super duper filling takeaway dinner which only cost us less than €10 in total- bought a WHOLE spring chicken, 2 packets of rice, a pack of strawberries, an enormous slice of pie & a litre of mixed fruit juice!! Eating all these junk while watching the exciting soccer in the comfort of our own room was just toooooo good!

So full!

Took 50mins to get to the station terminal, Versailies-Rive Gauche, another 1h10mins to buy the entrance tickets, another 35mins to enter the huge Palace which took around 1h15mins to complete...

Damn crowded on a Sunday! (or it always happen in any day?)

Later, we went to Monmarte area to check out another attraction. And to visit Moulin Rouge, where we walked the stretch of sex shops selling. There is a museum nearby which houses a worldwide collection of erotic stuffs but I guess She wasn't that interested + admission charge.

Daylight was up all the way till 9+pm and we were wondering how late we need to stay at Effiel Tower in some other day if we want to admire the beautiful lighting on it :s

Yet another scenic route to Strasbourg but this time round, it was sunny and large green fields with yellow flowers.

Weather was superbly sunny but it got really hot in the afternoon. Too bright to look far & She got 2 different skin tones afterwhich due to the shades she was wearing.

Another very filling lunch near the Cathedral as we ordered a pork knuckle + rosti w/ cheese,cream & sausages. Our very first time as well-ordered a Coke and it had never tasted so goooood in a hot day like this.

Time to return Paris for a good rest for Her shopping spree the next day!

As expected, She wasn't going to buy. The trip was a recce one to decide whether to buy what she originally wanted or MORE.

The day before leaving for a short trip to Amsterdam, we visited the Arc and a long walk to the museum where it's facing directly Tour Effiel. Majestic tower & it looked fantastic at night with the lights on. Surprise blinking lights were switched on for approx. 5mins hourly. The place was filled with people all the time despite getting real late. Bopian, the sky darkened after 10pm...

Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
To the land of canals!!
Sidetrack: Had the best train ride of all! All along was 1st class seats but only this to&fro trip we were offered meals & light snacks! Juz like what one'll get on aeroplane! Steadyyy!
Got the coolest accommodation of the trip-St. Christopher's Winston Hotel. A pub right below which we would have discounts! Breakfast also provided & provided good security for the hotel guests. Daytrip- visited a small little area in Marken, tasted fried herling bits, understood the process of cheese & wooden cloaks manufacturing, saw the few remaining windmills in Volendam.
Strolled down the Red Light District.. And Specially entered 2 museums: Erotic Museum & Sex Museum. Enriching experience..only in Amsterdam, Woot!

Set of photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36773434@N00/sets/72157624252259126/

Paris, France
Returned back to the same hotel & quickly checked our stored luggage-Her branded goods were locked inside~ :x

'When someone said "bonjour" to you, you should also greet back "bonjour" as well. It is very important in France!' - kena suan advised by the cashier in the Bakery Shop near our Hotel. Damn paiseh...

*

And yes! I finally got the 2 missing Absolut Vodka-Kurrant & Peppar- @Dubai Airport during the transit back! Yes, full collection so far!!!

Set of photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36773434@N00/sets/72157624127848583/

Where to watch the World Cup (West)...

2010-06-11T08:10:00.000+08:00

woot!!!

WEST
NUSS Club (The Ridge Bar, Kent Ridge Guild House)
Live on Big Screen
SAFRA Jurong
Get in2 the World Cup Fever @ SAFRA!
Watch 'live' telecasts of the World Cup Final. Entry to the four clubs will be free, although guests may purchase drink vouchers ($16.05 for SAFRA members and $21.40 for non-SAFRA members) which entitle them to free flow of beer
Drink For Your Team Challenge where participants will compete with one another to down a jug of beer in the fastest time. The aim of this challenge is to excite the crowd and get them into the World Cup spirit before the World Cup Final commences
There will be ongoing mini contests such as "Guess the Number of Balls", "Guess the Winning Team," and "Guess the Score"
COFFEE SHOPS/ FOODCOURTS West
Blk 450 Kopitiam Blk 450 Clementi Ave 3
Clementi 881 Coffeeshop 33 Lorong Liput
Kopitiam Blk 632 Bukit Batok
Central Kopitiam Blk 273 Bukit Batok East Ave 4
Kopitiam Blk 277 Bukit Batok East Ave 4
Kopitiam Blk 503 Jurong West St 52
NTI Food Court Blk 964 Jurong West St 91
S11 Clementi 445 Food House Blk 445 Clementi Ave 3
S.G. Holland Village Food Corner 40 Holland Drive
Sin Huat Lee Restaurant Blk 371 Bukit Batok St 31
Walson Food Junction Blk 78B Telok Blangah Street 32
Macdonalds
Bukit Batok Blk 632 Bukit Batok Central, #01-138/#01-140 / #01-142, S(650632)
Chua Chu Kang CC 35 Teck Whye Avenue #01-01
Chua Chu Kang Community Club, S(688892)
Jurong Bowl 1 Yuan Ching Road, Jurong Family Bowl, S(618640)
Jurong East 24 Blk 256
Jurong East Street 24, #01-381, S(600256)
Pioneer Mall Blk 638 #01-01/02, Jurong West Street 61, S(640638)
West Coast Park 71 West Coast Highway, S(126844)
People's Association Community Clubs
Choa Chu Kang Community Club
35 Teck Whye Avenue (688892)
6769 1694
Clementi Community Centre
220 Clementi Ave 4 (129880)
6778 1950
Gek Poh Ville Community Club
1 Jurong West Street 74 (649149)
6792 0095
Jurong Spring Community Club
6 Jurong West Ave 1 (649520)
6567 1374

10 days left......!

2010-04-22T08:29:00.002+08:00

10 days left...!

And there's so much 'things' yet to be done..

And I've just started taking my examination..

oh no..................

what was the focus?

2010-04-14T22:38:00.003+08:00

doing revision today...

"picture speaks a thousand words" is my belief and as usual, trying to link up the knowledge through the picture...

Not sure if I had learnt anything in the end...

emo........

2010-03-08T13:55:00.004+08:00

Went to sch early in the morning and wanna put my stuffs into the locker before the lesson starts, only to find MY locker had no lock!

"I hope my stuffs are still inside!" was the first thought that comes to my mind though I knew it's nearly impossible to be true.

Sad enough, my stuffs were wiped out cleanly. Checked the rest of the lockers around, hoping that there was some prankster hiding my stuffs elsewhere. The result again was disappointing.

The only thing found was the cleanly cut key lock at the top of the locker cabinet. Nice clean cut done by a 'professional'.

I knew my stuffs are not going to ever appear in front of me again...

Nooooooo~

Things lost:
1x badminton racquet+cover as a birthday gift from my close friends few years ago...

2x badminton racquets+cover which belongs to my classmate (& i'm really terribly guilty of losing them despite his understanding and kindness of accepting the fact that they were stolen)...

1x pair of Nike Court shoes which were bought less 4 months ago...

And it sets me thinking what I have done wrong recently to receive such 'punishment' or karma...

parkour!

2010-01-26T17:06:00.000+08:00

awesome!

parkour motion reel from saggyarmpit on Vimeo.

exciting week...

2010-01-15T09:41:00.003+08:00

for the past few days...

I drove to school and it was nice to get to places that conveniently :D

I ran more than I did in the previous 3 weeks;

I swam faster and longer than I did in the past 1 month, so called "overtrained", and I felt sick (running nose and flu) as a result~

I misplaced my ez-link card when I had just freaking top up, bloody hell!

I realised my badminton skill is not that proficient as I thought so. Like shit!

I get increasingly worried about finishing the MH's Urbanathlon in a good timing...

but

I still look forward to next week with more hell training! Y E A H!

Hope I recover soon though

bejeweled craze...

2010-01-06T10:16:00.003+08:00

Been addicted to this Facebook's game for a long time...

and recently encountered such problem the first time:

you bomb it, and that's it. empty spaces left - no more continuation.....

FB is stopping me from getting too seriously addicted~

greeeeeetings from 台北！！

2009-12-31T09:25:00.002+08:00

Cooling weather in Taipei.

Good food in Taipei.

Enjoying ourselves in this festive season and excited to experience the massive countdown party in Taipei....

Happy 2010 Everybody!

After the new year, we will be busy counting down to our 大喜日... [>_<]

p.s. I cant send back sms that required you to do so to show that you love and do no want to lose in 2010, including the sender...'cuz i'm in Taipei!!

杜兰的一天

2009-11-26T12:45:00.002+08:00

Woke up early in the morning, plan to go for swim after breakfast. Planned to do a swim workout, tire myself out, have a satisfying lunch then day-dream in the afternoon lesson...Packed my stuffs, feeling excited like a little boy going to the beach - looked out of the windows, the weather was superbly sunny~

Sibeh heng, bus came the moment I reached the bus-stop. Alighted and walked briskly down the long road to the swimming pool...Weather was still sunny and I was thinking today gonna be a good suntan day! Reached the gate and it was...... freaking closed!!! [o.o]

Closed for freaking construction works!!! Arghhhhhhhhhh!!

You know how it feel? A boy was so eager to go to beach and have a jolly good fun at the sea, then when the boy reached the beach, only to find out that the sea was out of freaking bounds!

瓦德法！

"Nothing's gonna stop me from swimming!"

Walked out to the main road and took a bus out of the institution to the nearby public pool. Eventually after 45mins, I reached a pool, paid the freaking $1.50 for the entrance fee and another 40¢ for the locker...

FINALLY! I got to freaking SWIM!

真的是。。。

杜兰的一天!

fugging trend...

2009-11-13T08:34:00.003+08:00

$%^&*#@%$!&^

A FOUR-ROOM Queenstown HDB flat has sold for $653,000, setting a new record for price per sq ft (psf), amid continuing red-hot demand for resale flats.

SOME RECORD FLAT PRICES
FOUR ROOMS: November 2009 - $653,000 ($674 psf), Strathmore Avenue
Previous record: January 2008 - $590,000 ($609 psf), Jalan Membina

The buyers, a male Indonesian permanent resident and a Singaporean woman, could have bought a condominium unit in an outlying area for the price.
But they were won over by the location, just five minutes walk from Queenstown MRT station, and on the top, 40th floor of the block, with unblocked views of greenery from all windows.

The four-year-old 969sqft unit at Forfar Heights, Strathmore Avenue, sold for $68,000 above valuation - a level determined by an independent valuer.

This works out to $674 psf, smashing the previous record of $609 psf, achieved in January last year, by about 10 per cent.

This may be an unusually high price but resale prices have been moving up.
Source

song boh?

:(

yes..kiwi fruits are good!

2009-10-23T11:24:00.002+08:00

According to a study by LaChance(1), Kiwifruit was ranked #1 amongst a list of 27 popular fruits in terms of nutrient density. That means that for children especially, every mouthful of kiwifruit carries more nutritional value than if he was eating other fruits.

知足最好

2009-10-13T08:01:00.000+08:00

錢多錢少，夠吃就好。

人醜人美，順眼就好。
人老人少，健康就好。
家窮家富，和氣就好。
老公晚歸，有回就好。
老婆嘮叨，顧家就好。
孩子從小，就要教好。

博士也好，賣菜也好，
長大以後，乖乖就好。

房屋大小，能住就好。
名不名牌，能穿就好。
兩輪四輪，能駕就好。
老闆不好，要忍就好。

一切煩惱，能解就好。
堅持執著，放下最好。
人的一生，平安就好。
不是有錢，一定會好。
心好行好，命能改好。
誰是誰非，天知就好。
修福修慧，來世更好。
天地萬物，隨緣就好。
很多事情，看開就好。
說這麼多，明白就好。
人人都好，日日都好。

你好我好，世界更好。

總而言之，知足最好。

being Ugly...

2009-08-13T09:27:00.001+08:00

Everyone in the apartment complex I lived in knew who Ugly was. Ugly was the resident tomcat.

Ugly loved three things in this world: fighting, eating garbage, and shall we say, love. The combination of these things combined with a life spent outside had their effect on Ugly.

To start with, he had only one eye, and where the other should have been was a gaping hole. He was also missing his ear on the same side, his left foot has appeared to have been badly broken at one time, and had healed at an unnatural angle, making him look like he was always turning the corner. His tail has long since been lost, leaving only the smallest stub, which he would constantly jerk and twitch. Ugly would have been a dark gray tabby striped-type, except for the sores covering his head, neck, even his shoulders with thick, yellowing scabs.

Every time someone saw Ugly there was the same reaction. "That's one UGLY cat!!"

All the children were warned not to touch him, the adults threw rocks at him, hosed him down, squirted him when he tried to come in their homes, or shut his paws in the door when he would not leave.

Ugly always had the same reaction. If you turned the hose on him, he would stand there, getting soaked until you gave up and quit. If you threw things at him, he would curl his lanky body around feet in forgiveness. Whenever he spied children, he would come running meowing frantically and bump his head against their hands, begging for their love. If you ever picked him up he would immediately begin suckling on your shirt, earrings, whatever he could find.

One day Ugly shared his love with the neighbors huskies. They did not respond kindly, and Ugly was badly mauled. From my apartment I could hear his screams, and I tried to rush to his aid. By the time I got to where he was laying, it was apparent Ugly's sad life was almost at an end.

Ugly lay in a wet circle, his back legs and lower back twisted grossly out of shape, a gaping tear in the white strip of fur that ran down his front. As I picked him up and tried to carry him home I could hear him wheezing and gasping, and could feel him struggling. I must be hurting him terribly I thought.

Then I felt a familiar tugging, sucking sensation on my ear - Ugly, in so much pain, suffering and obviously dying was trying to suckle my ear. I pulled him closer to me, and he bumped the palm of my hand with his head, then he turned his one golden eye towards me, and I could hear the distinct sound of purring. Even in the greatest pain, that ugly battled-scarred cat was asking only for a little affection, perhaps some compassion.

At that moment I thought Ugly was the most beautiful, loving creature I had ever seen. Never once did he try to bite or scratch me, or even try to get away from me, or struggle in any way. Ugly just looked up at me completely trusting in me to relieve his pain.

Ugly died in my arms before I could get inside, but I sat and held him for a long time afterwards, thinking about how one scarred, deformed little stray could so alter my opinion about what it means to have true pureness of spirit, to love so totally and truly. Ugly taught me more about giving and compassion than a thousand books, lectures, or talk show specials ever could, and for that I will always be thankful. He had been scarred on the outside, but I was scarred on the inside, and it was time for me to move on and learn to love truly and deeply. To give my total to those I cared for.

Many people want to be richer, more successful, well liked, beautiful, but for me, I will always try to be Ugly.

fwd: 要溝通無礙千萬不要跟你所愛的人嘔氣太久...

2009-07-28T18:22:00.001+08:00

definitely worth reading...

(use google translate!)

千萬不要跟你所愛的人~嘔氣太久,尤其現在的男女很愛嘔氣
請疼惜您身邊所擁有的珍藏，追尋您一生所期盼的夢想----- 這是個真實的故事（蘆荻
口述　連淑香整理)

一個個無情的誤解﹐紛亂了幸福的腳步。
當命運的死結終於用代價打開﹐一切都為時已晚﹐

接婆婆來家安度晚年﹐結果卻背離我們的初衷﹐
結婚二年後﹐先生跟我商量把婆婆從鄉下接來安度晚年。
先生很小時父親就過世了﹐他是婆婆唯一的寄託﹐

婆婆一個人扶養他長大﹐供他讀完大學。
“含辛茹苦”這四個字用在婆婆的身上﹐絕對不為過！
我連連說好﹐馬上給婆婆收拾出一間南向帶陽台的房間﹐
可以曬太陽﹐養花草什麼的。
先生站在陽光充足的房間﹐一句話沒說﹐卻突然舉起我在房間裡轉圈﹐
在我張牙舞爪地求饒時﹐先生說﹕“接咱媽去。”
先生身材高大﹐我喜歡貼著他的胸口﹐

感覺嬌小的身體隨時可被他抓起來塞進口袋。
當我和先生發生爭執而又不肯屈服時﹐先生就把我舉起來﹐
在腦袋上方搖搖晃晃﹐
一直到我嚇得求饒。
這種驚恐的快樂讓我迷戀。
婆婆在鄉下的習慣一時改不掉。

我習慣買束鮮花擺在客廳裡﹐婆婆後來實在忍不住﹕
“你們娃娃不知道過日子﹐買花幹什麼？又不能當飯吃！”
我笑著說﹕“媽﹐家裡有鮮花盛開﹐人的心情會好。”
婆婆低著頭嘟噥﹐先生就笑﹕
“媽﹐這是城裡人的習慣﹐慢慢的﹐你就習慣了。”
婆婆不再說什麼﹐但每次見我買了鮮花回來﹐依舊忍不住問花了多少錢﹐我說了﹐他就
“嘖嘖”咂嘴。
有時﹐見我買大包小包的東西回家﹐她就問這個多少錢那個多少錢﹐我─如實回答﹐她
的嘴就咂的更響了
先生擰著我的鼻子說﹕“小傻瓜你別告訴她真實價錢不就行了嗎？”快樂的生活漸漸有
了不和諧音。婆婆最看不慣我先生起來做早餐。在她看來﹐大男人給老婆燒飯﹐哪有這
個道理？
早餐桌上﹐婆婆的臉經常陰著﹐我裝做看不見。

婆婆便把筷子弄得叮噹亂響﹐這是她無聲的抗議。
我在少年宮做舞蹈老師﹐跳來跳去已夠累的了﹐
早晨暖洋洋的被窩﹐我不想扔掉這惟一的享受﹐
於是﹐我對婆婆的抗議裝聾作啞。婆婆偶樂幫我做一些家務﹐她一做我就更忙了。
比如﹐她把垃圾袋通通收集起來﹐說等攢夠了賣廢塑料﹐
搞得家裡到處都是廢塑料袋；
她捨不得用洗潔精洗碗﹐為了不傷她的自尊﹐我只好偷偷再洗一遍。
一次﹐我晚上偷偷洗碗被婆婆看見了﹐

她“啪”的一聲摔上門﹐趴在自己的房間裡放聲大哭。
先生左右為難﹐事後﹐先生一晚上沒跟我說話﹐
我撒嬌﹐耍賴﹐他也不理我。
我火了﹐ 問他﹕“我究竟哪裡做錯了？”
先生瞪著我說﹕“你就不能遷就一下﹐碗再不乾淨也吃不死人吧？”
後來﹐好長一段時間﹐婆婆不跟我說話﹐

家裡的氣氛開始逐漸尷尬。
那段日子﹐先生活得很累﹐不知道要先逗誰開心好。
婆婆為了不讓兒子做早餐﹐義無反顧地承擔起燒早飯的“重任”。
婆婆看著先生吃得快樂﹐再看看我﹐用眼神譴責我沒有盡到做妻子的責任。
為了逃避尷尬﹐我只好在上班的路上買包奶打發自己。
睡覺時﹐先生有點生氣地問我﹕

“蘆荻﹐是不是嫌棄我媽做飯不乾淨才不在家吃？”
翻了一個身﹐他扔給我冷冷的脊背任憑我委屈的流淚。
最後﹐先生嘆氣﹕
“蘆荻﹐就當是為了我﹐你在家吃早餐行不行？”我只好回到尷尬的早餐桌上。
那天早晨﹐我喝著婆婆燒的稀飯﹐忽然一陣反胃﹐

肚子裡所有的東西都搶著嚮外奔跑﹐我拼命地壓製著不讓它們往上涌﹐
但還是沒壓住﹐我扔下碗﹐衝進衛生間﹐吐得稀裡嘩啦。
當我喘息著平定下來時﹐見婆婆夾雜著家鄉話的抱怨和哭聲﹐
先生站在衛生間門口憤怒地望著我﹐
我幹張著嘴巴說不出話﹐我真的不是故意的。
我和先生開始了第一次激烈的爭吵﹐婆婆先是瞪著眼看我們﹐
然後起身﹐蹣跚著出門去了。
先生恨恨地瞅了我一眼﹐下樓追婆婆去了。
意外迎來新生命﹐卻突然葬送了婆婆的性命！
整整三天﹐先生沒有回家﹐連電話都沒有。

我正氣著﹐想想自從婆婆來後﹐我夠委屈自己了﹐還要我怎麼樣？
莫明其妙的﹐我總想嘔吐﹐吃什麼都沒有胃口﹐
加上亂七八糟的家事﹐心情差到了極點。
後來﹐還是同事說﹕“蘆荻﹐你臉色很差﹐還是去醫院看看吧。”
醫院檢查的結果是我懷孕了。

我明白了那天早晨我為什麼突然嘔吐﹐幸福中夾著一絲幽怨﹕
先生和作為過來人的婆婆﹐他們怎麼就絲毫沒有想到這呢？
在醫院門口﹐我看見了先生。僅僅三天沒見﹐他憔悴了許多。
我本想轉身就走﹐但他的模樣讓我心疼﹐沒忍住﹐我喊了他。
先生循著聲音看見了我﹐卻好像不認識了﹐

眼神裡有一絲藏不住院的厭惡﹐它們冰冷地刺傷了我。
我跟自己說不要看他不要看他﹐伸手攔了一輛出租車。
那時﹐我多想向先生大喊一聲﹕
“親愛的我要給你生寶貝了！”然後被他舉起來﹐幸福地旋轉。
我希望的沒有發生。在出租車裡﹐我的眼淚才遲遲地落下來。
為什麼一場爭吵就讓愛情糟糕到這樣的程度？
回家後﹐我躺在床上想先生﹐想他滿眼的厭惡。我握著被子的一角哭了。夜裡﹐家裡有
翻抽屜的聲音。
打開燈﹐我看見先生淚流滿面的臉。他正在拿錢。
我冷冷地看著他﹐一聲不響。他對我視若不見﹐拿著存折和錢匆匆離開。或許先生是打
算徹底離開我了。
真是理智的男人﹐情與錢分得如此清楚。
我冷笑了幾下﹐眼淚“嘩啦嘩啦
”的流下來。
第二天﹐我沒去上班。想徹底清理一下自己的思緒﹐找先生好好談一次。找到先生的公
司﹐秘書有點奇怪地看著我說﹕
“陳總的母親出了車禍﹐正在醫院裡呢。”我瞠目結舌。
飛奔到醫院﹐找到先生時﹐婆婆已經去了。先生一直不看我﹐一臉僵硬。我望著婆婆幹
瘦蒼白的臉﹐眼淚止不住﹕天哪！怎麼會是這樣？
直到安葬了婆婆﹐先生也沒跟我說一句話﹐

甚至看我一眼都帶著深深的厭惡。
關於車禍﹐我還是從別人嘴裡了解到大概﹐婆婆出門後迷迷糊糊地向車站走﹐
她想回老家﹐先生越追她走得越快﹐穿過馬路時﹐一輛公交車迎面撞過來……我終於明
白了先生的厭惡﹐如果那天早晨我沒有嘔吐﹐
如果我們沒有爭吵﹐如果……在他的心昊﹐我是間接殺死他母親的罪人。先生默不作聲
搬進了婆婆的房間﹐每晚回來都滿聲酒氣。
而我一直被愧疚和可憐的自尊壓得喘不過氣來﹐
想跟他解釋﹐想跟他說我們快有孩子了﹐
但看著他冰冷的眼神﹐又把所有的話都咽了回去。
我寧願先生打我一頓或者罵我一頓﹐雖然這一切事故都不是我的故意。日子一天一天地
窒息著重覆下去﹐先生回家的時間越來越晚。
我們僵持著﹐比陌路人還要尷尬。我是繫在他心上的死結。
一次﹐我路過一家西餐廳﹐穿過透明的落地窗﹐

我看見先生和一個年輕女孩面對面坐著﹐
他輕輕地為女孩攏了攏頭髮﹐我就明白了一切。
先是呆﹐然後我進了西餐廳﹐站在先生面前﹐死死盯著他看﹐眼裡沒有一滴淚。
我什麼也不想說﹐也無話可說。
女孩看看我﹐看看我先生﹐站起來想走﹐我先生伸手按住她﹐
然後﹐同樣死死地﹐絕不示弱地看著我。
我只能聽見自己緩慢的心跳﹐一下一下跳動在瀕臨死亡般的蒼白邊緣。輸了的是我﹐如
果再站下去﹐我會和肚子裡的孩子一起倒下。
那一夜﹐先生沒回家﹐他用這樣的方式讓我明白﹕

隨著婆婆的去世﹐我們的愛情也死了。
先生再也沒有回來。有時﹐我下班回來﹐看見衣櫥被動過了──先生回來拿一點自己的
東西。我不想給他打電話﹐原先還有試圖向他解釋一番的念頭﹐
一切都徹底失去了。我一個人生活﹐一個人去醫院體檢﹐
每每看見有男人小心地扶著妻子去做體檢﹐我的心便碎提不像樣子。
同事隱約勸我打掉算了﹐我豎決說不﹐
我發瘋了一樣要生下這個孩子﹐也算對婆婆的死的補償吧。我下班回來﹐先生坐在客廳
裡﹐滿屋子煙霧彌漫﹐茶幾上擺著一張紙。沒必要看﹐我知道上面是什麼內容。先生不
在家的二個多月﹐我逐漸學會了平靜。
我看著他﹐摘下帽子﹐說﹕“你等一下﹐我簽字。”先生看著我﹐眼神複雜﹐和我一
樣。我一邊解大衣扣子一邊在心裡對自己說﹕“不哭不哭……”眼睛很疼﹐
但我不讓它們流出眼淚。掛好大衣﹐先生的眼睛死死盯在我已
隆起的肚子上。
我笑笑﹐走過去﹐拖過那張紙﹐看也不看﹐簽上自己的名字﹐推給他。
“蘆荻﹐你懷孕了？”自從婆婆出事後﹐這是先生第一次跟我說話。我再也管不住眼
睛﹐眼淚“嘩啦”地流下來。我說﹕“是啊﹐不過沒事﹐你可以走了。”先生沒走﹐黑
暗裡﹐我們對望著。先生慢慢趴在我身上﹐眼淚滲透了被子。
而在我心裡﹐很多東西已經很遠了﹐遠到即使我奔跑都拿不到了。不記得先生跟我說過
多少遍“對不起”了﹐
我也曾經以為自己會原諒﹐卻不能﹐在西餐廳先生當著那個女孩的面﹐
他看我的冰冷的眼神﹐這輩子﹐我忘記不了。我們在彼此心上劃下了深深的傷痕。我的
﹐是無意的；他的﹐是刻意的。
期待冰釋前嫌﹐但過去的已無法重來！
除了想起肚子裡的孩子時心裡是暖的﹐而對先生﹐我心冷如霜﹐
不吃他買的任何東西﹐不要他的任何禮物﹐不跟他說話。
從在那張紙上簽字起﹐婚姻以及愛情統統在我的心裡消亡。
有時先生試圖回臥室﹐他來﹐我就去客廳﹐先生只好睡回婆婆的房間。
夜裡﹐從先生的房間有時會傳來輕微的呻吟﹐我一聲不響。
這是他習慣玩的伎倆﹐以前只要我不理他了﹐他就裝病﹐
我就會乖乖投降﹐關心他怎麼了﹐他就一把抓住我哈哈大笑。
他忘記了﹐那時﹐我會心疼是因為有愛情﹐現在﹐我們還有什麼？
先生用呻吟斷斷續續待續到孩子出生。

他幾乎每天都在給孩子買東西﹐嬰兒用品﹐兒童用品﹐
以及孩子喜歡的書﹐一包包的﹐快把他的房間堆滿了。
我知道他是用這樣的方式感動我﹐而我已經不為所動。
他只好關在房間裡﹐用電腦“□哩啪啦”敲字﹐
或許他正網戀﹐但對我已經是無所謂的事了。
轉年春未的一個深夜﹐劇烈的腹痛讓我大喊一聲﹐

先生一個箭步衝進來﹐好像他根本就沒脫衣服睡覺﹐
為的就是等這個時刻的到來。
先生背起我就往樓下跑﹐攔車﹐一路上緊緊地攥著我的手﹐不停地給我擦掉額上的汗。
到了醫院﹐背起我就往產科跑。趴在他幹瘦而溫暖的背上﹐一個念頭忽然闖進習裡﹕
這一生﹐誰還會像他這樣疼愛我？
先生扶著產房的門﹐看著我進去﹐
眼神暖融融的我忍著陣痛對他笑了一下。從產房出來﹐先生望著我和兒子﹐眼睛濕濕地
笑啊笑啊的。我摸了一下他的手。先生望著我﹐微笑﹐然後﹐緩慢而疲憊地軟塌塌倒下
去。
我痛喊他的名字……
先生笑著﹐沒睜開疲憊的眼睛……我以為再也不會為先生流一滴淚﹐
事實卻是﹐從沒有過如此劇烈的疼撕扯著我的身體。
醫生說﹐我先生的肝癌發現時已是晚期﹐他能堅持這麼久是絕對的奇蹟。我問醫生什麼
時候發現的？
醫生說五個月前﹐然後安慰我﹕“準備後事吧。”
我不顧護士的阻攔﹐回家﹐衝進先生的房間打開電腦﹐
心一下子被疼窒息了。
先生的肝癌在五個月前就已發現﹐他的呻吟是真的﹐
我居然還以為……電腦上的20萬字﹐是先生寫給兒子的留言﹕

孩子﹐為了你﹐我一直在堅持﹐等看你一眼再倒下﹐
是我現在最大的願望……
我知道﹐你的一生會有很多快樂或者遇到挫折﹐如果我能夠陪你經歷這個成長歷程﹐該
是多麼快樂﹐
但爸爸沒有這個機會了。

爸爸在電腦上﹐把你一生可能遇到的問題一一地寫下來﹐
等你遇到這些問題時﹐可以參考爸爸的意見…………
孩子﹐寫完這20多萬字﹐我感覺像陪你經歷了整個成長過程。

真的﹐爸爸很快樂。
好好愛你的媽媽﹐她很辛苦﹐是最愛你的人﹐也是我最愛的人……
從兒子去幼兒園到讀小學﹐讀中學﹐大學﹐到工作以及愛情遙方方面面﹐事無巨細都寫
到了。
先生也給我寫了信﹕

親愛的﹐娶了你是我一輩子最大的幸福﹐
原諒我對你的傷害﹐原諒我隱瞞了病情﹐
因為我想讓你有個好的心情等待孩子的出生……
親愛的﹐如果你哭了﹐說明你已經原諒我了﹐我就笑了﹐謝謝你一直愛我……
這些禮物﹐我擔心沒有機會親自送給孩子了﹐
麻煩你每年替我送他幾份禮物﹐包裝盒子上都寫著送禮物的日期……
回到醫院﹐先生依舊在昏迷中。我把兒子抱過來﹐放在他身邊﹐我說﹕
“你睜開眼笑一下﹐我要讓兒子記住他在你懷抱裡的溫暖……”
先生艱難地睜開眼﹐微微地笑了一下。兒子偎依在他懷裡﹐舞動粉色的小手。我“喀嚓
喀嚓”按快門﹐淚水在臉上恣意地流……
親愛的朋友們 :

轉傳一篇感人的文章與你們分享，在你看完了故事，並哭紅了你的雙眼時，
記得這個故事警惕我們，有話要講出來，不要憋在心裡，導致更大的誤會更不要跟你所
愛的人嘔氣太久，
或是做出讓彼此無法挽回的錯誤，誰知道，明天會怎樣呢，你說是不是 ?

曾看過一句話，非常受用 :

如果發現明天就是世界末日了，對你現在所說所做的事情會不會後悔？
行動說話之前想一想，不要造成永遠無法彌補的遺憾]
這個故事是否告訴我們，

婆婆因為堅持著自己莫須有的原則，
而在無意中成為扼殺小夫妻幸福婚姻的殺手呢？？？
各位為人夫君或可能成為別人婆婆的好友們，可得引以為鑑哦...

"wayyyyy too cool!" - Michael Jackson Tribute

2009-07-10T12:06:00.001+08:00

WOAH!

WOAH!

*inspired by the T-mobile ad?*

Melbourne Day 04- OZ trip 2009 Part 1 of 3

2009-07-09T10:19:00.010+08:00

*previously...Day 03*

Melbourne City Tour!

Returned the car early in the morning back to Budget - we didn't wanna get charged for an extra hour! But sadly, the driver with poor topography skills spent quite some time just to navigate back to the garage and ended up with a slightly less than full tank.

They didn't care and they charged you!

:(

Walked back to our hostel to put back our stuffs...

passed by Crown Entertainment Centre...

and ready to explore around the City Centre!

YHA Melbourne Central

outside of the hostel...

Flinders Street Station

Took the free City Circle Tram, located just infront of the main door, down to Flinders St. Station.

Wordings that you must take a photo with when you are there :(

Federation Square

Beside the train station is the Fed. Sq., place you will see some pretty nice infrastructures around.

是帅的~

Common sight seen around in Aussie, these birdies are forever hungry and ready to pounce onto your food if you are not careful...

A cooling weather, not too cold like the past few days, with the morning sunlight shone on us - it was perfect for a walk around the area...

passed by Yarra River/ Bridge Rd.,

Lunch break!

Tokyo House

Not surprising, chef was an Asian, probably a Korean, Auntie - serving both Japanese & Korean food. Tasted really good and at an affordable price. One of the eatery outlets along Bridge Rd. that have the most customers...

niceeeeeee~

Carried on with our walk down to Chapel St...

Took a tram to Lygon St... and finally back to, Swanston St. Few shopping malls to check out but nothing really fanciful. Saw a BreadTalk-lookalike with the same concept bakery inside that named itself BreadTop...hmmm~

ok, this is so random~

Dinner @Mekong Vietnam

Went to one of the recommended restaurant along the street,

Former president Bill Clinton once tried the food here as well~

From the crowded scene inside, you know the quality of the food wouldn't go wrong. Even AngMohs like it, how can Asian don't like it??

final shot...

Tiring day for our feets after so much walking, went back early to rest...and an unexpected drama on the very next morning as we prepared to go Tasmania!

*on the next episode...Day 05 @Tasmania!*

Melbourne Day 03 - OZ trip 2009 Part 1 of 3

2009-07-07T21:20:00.012+08:00

*previously...Day 02*

1.5hrs drive away from Melb City...

the destination is on the other end of the bridge!

Phillip Island Tour!

Upon entering the island after the bridge, we headed to the Visitor's Info Centre. To get a map of the island, some brochures on the attractions and asked the friendly staff to plan the programmes for the day :x

It was where we purchased the 3-Parks Pass(AUD$35/pax) too, discounted entrance fees to 3 main attractions - Churchill Island, Koala Conservation Centre & Penguin Parade + a free bowl of soup at The Noobies Centre (we missed it thou 'cuz we were late...)

Right across the Info Centre was the first attraction we went...

Panny's Chocolate Factory

impt thing to note: FREE Samples

Inside the factory, there is a exhibition hall showcasing the making of chocolates, some interesting stuffs made up of choc., videos and games that one can play. Entrance fee per pax will be AUD$12 but...! You will get 10% discount if you show your expired student matri. card. That's why you need to bring!

made up of mini choc. balls!

machine which you can customise your own chocolate bar with a fee of $2

Bought a few goodies from the shop outside and of course getting a cup of hot chocolate for a cold day before we left~

woooooo!

before going in further to the mainland attractions, we tracked back a bit and went to another island...

Churchill Island

linked up to Phillip Island by a narrow bridge which allows only one car to pass through. This island is a huge farm and garden~

Walked around, admired the big patch of green field, hearing the sounds of waves beside us, appreciated the stuffs used in an ancient cottage, teasing at the farm animals etc...

it was way too close!

love the view~

Koala Conservation Centre

Onwards to the next attraction, time to see Koala bears!

not worthwhile at all as most of them were sleeping or hiding somewhere! Spotted afew of them high up nia...quite a waste of time :(

their excuse...

Cowes

Took a break, went to the end of the island, Cowes and walked around...

Time for lunch break~

seafood platter for 2~

Phillip Island Wildlife Park

If you really wanna check out Koala bears, this is the place~you will see much more than in KCC and be able to get closer to them!

Plus, you get to see other animals, including reptiles. Entrance fee~ AUD$15/pax with a free packet of foodie to feed the wallabies and kangaroos.

must be brave enough to let them come close to you...

Left the place and quickly went down to The Noobies Centre...

stop by awhile as we spotted a place good for photo-taking...

Enjoyed the sea breeze (very cold thou) and coastal scenery at the Noobies Centre and then to Penguin Parade to witness the little birdies swam up the shore and wobbled back to their nests.

+Tip: With the 3-Parks Pass, the entrance is free even though you have the option to upgrade to Penguin Plus where you get to watch these penguins even closer. Not necessary to buy/upgrade as you will still be able to see them at other parts of the park - you can't take videos/photos anyway.

turkish? dinner of the day - 3 types of curry with a pan of garlic pizza

Went back to Cowes for dinner and check in to the nearby accommodation we had booked in advance - Chillout House.

+Tip: Able to drive back to Mel. City (1.5hrs drive only) as the night was still early. But we had booked this accommodation earlier and the driver was too timid to drive back at night :(

*on the next episode...Day 04*

Melbourne Day 02 - OZ trip 2009 Part 1 of 3

2009-07-06T22:23:00.010+08:00

*previously...Day 01*

Woke up early for the day. Made our own breakfast using the strawberries we bought from QVM previously together with cereals & milk bought at a nearby convenience store yesterday night...

healthy, nutritious and cheap breakfast! :)

Left the hotel at 8am as we going to spend a long day ahead on the road. A long long journey~

Walked down to nearby Car Rental Companies, only 2 in fact: Europcar & Budget. Checked out the price for 'compact, automatic car' and decided to rent the cheapest offer by Budget: Hyundai Getz 3Door ~$40/day with some hidden costs...

:(

+Tip: Plan ahead and book the car online in advance. It will be cheap, much cheaper than you book from the counter directly. Sometimes they may give you free upgrade, extra 1 day of rental etc.

long long way down to GOR!

Great Ocean Road

it was a ~1hr drive down to Geelong where we came across the first Information Counter. Stopped to check our bearings and buy a snack-mashed potato- from KFC beside it, before we carried on to our first stop along GOR...

Bells Beach

A beautiful place with a clear wide view of the ocean ahead. A famous destination for hardcore surfers as well. It was winter time and blardy cold as usual but we still managed to spot 2 heroes surfing and more to come at a later time.

Probably we were early, but the beach was empty and you will start to take ~~silly~~funny shots, something like this:

supposed to be a star-jump :x

enough of the shootings we went to the next stop ~30mins away. Time taken to travel from point to point may be long but the scenery along the GOR is something that you can admire during the trip. New experience!

Split Point Lighthouse

Hmmm, a lighthouse with some history behind it but we didnt really bother to find out more :x Just walked up, view the majestic tall lighthouse and its surroundings. Took a few shots and off we went...

continued our road trip down the GOR...and passed by this trademark signboard, of course must stop and park your car. Take a shot and tell fellow friends...

"hey, i was here!"

another 3~hrs drive to our next stop for lunch...

Apollo Bay

quiet town with a few seafood restaurant...

we ordered: fried dory (very 'big!') and a chicken fillet burger. Sat by the garden facing the ocean and had our warm lunch...shiok!

Time was getting late and I meant that the daytime going to end soon (usually around 4+pm) hurrily we proceeded to the next stop which would take another ~2hrs. Yeah, it was long and we were sleepy. Quite dangerous and it was drizzling plus there were alot of bends to turn...

buey tahan, took a break halfway...freshen myself abit~

12 Apostles

Finally! We reached here safe and sound!

Must take photos!

:x

"12 Apostles (huge tall limestones) captivate everyone who visits, especially at sunrise and sunset when their artistic poses are silhouetted to striking effect"

hmmm...I can't remember if I was captivated by them thou it was close to sunset by the time we reached. Well, at least something we wouldn't be able to see in Singapore or Asia? Nice~

Alright, the horrible part - back to melbourne city! All the way!

have some snack 'Banana Sponge Cake', bought @Apollo Bay to fill our stomachs abit...

whollyholly ~5hrs drive back to Melbourne City!!! No street lights most of the time and not forgetting the bends and curves to negotiate and the light rain going on...come to think of it, I was really glad nothing bad happen (tyres punctured, engine stalled etc.) arboh i also don't know what to do. Also, we were vv sleepy - hey the view infront of you is pitch black and motivating you to sleep

:(

+Tip: I sang most of the time while She slept (i wonder how) and kept eating sweets to keep myself awake. If possible, have a toilet break when you pass by petrol stations.

Managed to find our way back to our Hostel and a free parking lot just outside. Put back our stuffs and went nearby to buy our dinner...

quick dinner of the day

Tiring day...for both the driver and Her, being a vehicle commander ~~who slept most of the time~~ :x

end of day 02...

*on the next episode...Day 03*

Melbourne Day 01 - OZ trip 2009 Part 1 of 3

2009-07-06T18:10:00.017+08:00

*finally, free to do up the very first post on Our OZ trip recently in June. Brief description as much as possible will do :x

Nope, I have not forget about the incomplete 'Japan trip 2008' :( give me some more time...*

Departure on 31st May...

Been a rushing and anxious planning & bookings for the past 2~3weeks - juggling between work in School and detailed researching & planning on Our OZ itinerary; ended up we still didn't manage to finish up the itinerary :p

first time departure from T3 for me - very excited!

Arrival - Melbourne

after ~7hrs journey on SQ, we arrived! Quickly cleared the customs, bought the Skybus return tickets for transport to&fro Mel. City. Expected cold weather as it was into winter season but it was much much colder~

:-~(

Probably we reached too early, moreover it was a lazy Sunday morning - not much people around. Walked from Skybus terminal @Southern Cross Stn. to Flinders St. to check-in our luggages in YHA Mel. Central...no time to waste!

To our first stop of the day...

St. Kilda

Supposed to get metlink card (similar to our farecard used long ago in Singapore) but didn't know where to get it and thought it can be bought onboard - we happily hopped onto the tram (Tram 96 from Bourke St.)... No vending machines! Driver ignored us! And so...we ignored also :x

graffiti on the walls are common in Australia and pretty nice works around :)

took this photo for the sake of taking :D
an old amusement park - Luna Park. Another one can be found in Sydney.

We were early and the highlight of that place - Esplanade Market, opens every Sunday, not yet set up. Thus, decided to roam around the place and beach...

Open! Arty farty flea market set up along the roadside - handmade artworks are nice to see, but not pretty kind to your wallet thou, imo. Crowds starting to come in at this time...

Finished checking out the market - time for some food! Went down to Acland St. nearby, near Alfred Square...Many dessert/cakes shops along that street, great hangout place for morning breakfast!

recommended by Lonely Planet and came across various online reviews, We went into Monarch Cakes to try out...

best dessert tried throughout this OZ trip - unforgettable :(

delicious yummy Choc. Kugelhougf cake AUD$6

graffiti on the wall beside the shop...

time to leave, took Tram 96 back to CBD area. Again, We hopped on and kena ignored so we also ignored buying...:(

to the next stop...

Queen Victoria Market

one big wet market plus foodie place...

piping hot sausage with lotsa liao which added to the cost :(

I didn't know...

it'll blow your mind away!

Smith St.

Depending on my instinct and my limited-confidence in topo., We thought we can walk down to Smith St.- a street with a few sporty factory outlets. Must check out!

walked and walked and walked...geting frustrating as nothing sporty can be seen!

the street is bloody long and the actual location of the shops are very far down from the place we started to walk, so much so that We almost gave up searching. But Commando never say give up and so is His partner...

:(

+Tip: Should take Tram 86 down to Smith St. and you will alight once you see the very first sport brand shop.

Yeah, the stuffs are cheap, alright. But funny was, i wasn't that keen to get anything -shoes particularly, this time round...I have too many currently!

kinda wasted trip down here thou.

the only shot we took :(

took tram back to CBD area and alighted before Chinatown area...see see look look around and finally got to rest and settled...

Dinner @Swanston St.

so-so, not much to mention about :x

Soon I realised, I have been eating lotsa ~~junk~~ high-carbo food throughout this trip...

End of day 01...

slow walk back back to our Hostel...

i love such public toilets...it's a modern art piece the public can use in case of emergency

*on the next episode...Day 02*

it's like doing sales...

2009-06-29T20:17:00.004+08:00

Being a sales consultant is not always smooth sailing. But over 9 years on the job, she has learnt not to take it personally when customers criticise her.

"The fault lines appear when you think they're targeting you, and you get defensive. But if you can impress challenging customers, they will usually stay with you for a longer time," she said.

-
"Constant drive to improve service"
ST/Home, 290609

getting ready for the OZ adventure...

2009-05-30T20:11:00.001+08:00

:)

OZ!!! We're coming!!!

Away from 30th May till 14th June...

:)

wash your hands too!

2009-05-27T23:39:00.000+08:00

courtesy of mrbrownshow.com

biggest self-pwn of my life so far...

2009-05-10T22:00:00.000+08:00

it's my fault;

my own fault.

no one to blame.

and it made me feeling so guilty;

biggest self-own incident of my life so far...

gonna clear things up so as to feel better even the other party may or may not accept it.

worst bastard on a Sunday night

:(

the next big thing...

2009-05-05T18:10:00.003+08:00

the next big thing imo...

and he's still so young!

he deserves the award this year!

:)

new haircut...

2009-04-20T22:07:00.003+08:00

it was just another haircut i had every 4weeks.
a usual high-sloped shave at the sides and the back, 'mohawk' style which i can gel my hair spiky.
but the hairdresser asked me if i wanna try an additional cut - shave the fringe? ok, i thought it was just making my fringe shorter than usual...

in the end, i like the overall look, thou i feel abit unsure if as a 'cher, is allowed such hairstyle...

:x

went back to school on Monday morning, expected but certainly didn't expect a huge response - so much so that i joked with them...

student, "wah, 'cher, you cut hair ah?"

me, "no leh. i woke up this morning and realised my hair just shorten and dropped around my pillow. i was definitely shocked! but it turned out to be a nice hair style right?"

student, "hur hur hur! 'cher, nice sia!"

also, they kept telling me my hairstyle was what - 'ma-let' haircut. i really don't understand the term...

but from this incident, i can see that students like to check on my appearance...

:x

Nick Vujicic

2009-03-24T21:57:00.002+08:00

I thought this guy really preaching something similar to the title of my blog...

Presenting Nick Vujicic...

And i'm seriously shaking my head when i see the kids nowadays grumbling of pain when they just do 10 bloody push-ups - lie down on the floor and simply refuse to get up...

[video] signs

2009-03-20T08:38:00.002+08:00

A simple short film about communication.

for those who are going through a mundane working life...

Japan trip 2008 - Day 06

2009-03-17T18:00:00.001+08:00

Journey: Osaka, HEP 5 Shopping Mall > Naniwa Gyouza Stadium @Namco City > Osaka Castle > Dotombori

Early in the morning, went out and walked around (sorry, but i really can't remember the name of the place) the underground shops...before we head towards HEP 5 shopping mall...

We were to choose something to eat for breakfast, but there were sooooooo much choices!

Such a huge variety, so little moolah to spend

:(

take a break, breathe in once more...here we go again....

ended up we had a little bit of here and there, not a light breakfast we intended to have.

:x

Next, to HEP 5!

Took the ferris wheel (¥500 per pax)~

Next, to Namco City...

at level 3, there is this place called Naniwa Gyouza Stadium - stalls in here selling delicious and variety of dumplings!

We still had time, went to check out Osaka Castle, then realised it closed by the time we reached...

I think it was good enough we had a pretty good shot of it as our background...

:(

Once again, back to food street, Dotombori!

Decided to try out this famous crab restaurant.
Due to budget constrain, we dropped the idea of having 1x good luxurious dinner in there and decided to just buy the BBQ crab-legs takeaways just outside the entrance...

not cheap, ¥500 for this pathetic portion...

:(

Delicious la, but but....

:'(

Of course, that (starter) couldn't fill up our stomachs and we bought the next dish for our dinner - Fried Noodle!

¥300

Next, the main course for the dinner - Ra-Men from this 金龙 stall!
Fantastic ramen from this stall as recommended by guide books and full house of locals eating in there~

Ain't sure why the Jap love this figure, i think that figure is like our 财神爷, bring luck and fortune etc.?

Not sure.

Last night in Osaka...

trackback: prelude, day 01, day 02, day 03, day 04, day 05...

Meet FAITH the 'standing dog'...

2009-03-16T22:09:00.002+08:00

courtesy of edmw:

This is 'Faith'

This dog was born on Christmas Eve in the year 2002. He was born with 3 legs - 2 healthy hind legs and 1 abnormal front leg which need to be amputated. He of course could not walk when he was born. Even his mother did not want him.

His first owner also did not think that he can survive. Therefore, he was thinking of 'putting him to sleep'. By this time, his present owner, Jude Stringfellow, met him and wanted to take care of him. She is determined to teach and train this dog to walk by himself. Therefore she named him 'Faith

In the beginning, she put Faith on a surfing board to let him feel the movements. Later she used peanut butter on a spoon as a lure and reward for him to stand up and jump around. Even the other dog at home also helped to encourage him to walk. Amazingly, only after 6 months, like a miracle, Faith learned to balance on his 2 hind legs and jumped to move forward. After further training in the snow, he now can walk like a human being.

Faith loves to walk around now. No matter where he goes, he just attracts all the people around him. He is now becoming famous on the international scene. He has appeared on various newspapers and TV shows.

There is even one book entitled 'With a little faith' being published about him. He was even considered to appear in one of Harry Potter movies.

His present owner Jude Stringfellew has given up her teaching post and plans to take him around the world to preach that even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul'.

In life there are always undesirable things. Perhaps one will feel better if one changes the point of view from another direction.

I hope this message will bring fresh new ways of thinking to everyone and that everyone can appreciate and be thankful for each beautiful day that follows.Faith is the continual demonstration of the Strength of Life

macau/hk trip 2008 [day 03 & 04]...

2009-03-15T21:18:00.005+08:00

dim sum breakfast in this restaurant @HK Cultural Centre, Restaurant Blk, Salisbury Road...

Serenade Chinese Restaurant

Write-It-Yourself...

another (probable) reason why the food was abit tat pricier...a good view of the Harbour outside.

incoming!!!

my favourite - water chestnut cake!

a runner training (probably for the upcoming Standard Chartered Marathon HK thou the weather was very cold then!

day shot of the harbour!

yes, quite full but we had to try out the desserts in the famous Sweet Dynasty shop, which is located down the Canton Road!

but to our disappointment, the special dish we wanna try wasn't available!

:(

ended up, ordering not-so-special desserts...

:(

Highlight of the day: Shopping spree at Factory Outlets!

Adidas Factory Outlet
Lai Chi Kok MTR
Level 7, Blk B, HK Industrial Centre, 489-491 Castle Peak Rd

View Larger Map

and there were other factory outlets in the building too - the girls bought formal dresses costing S$30 on average per piece!

Quick Bite before going up to The Peak!

Knew there would be long queue taking tram up to Peak, we took the alternative solution - public bus...

Met qing's colleague and had Dinner @Yung Kee!

Dessert time @Yee Shun Milk Co!

Dessert time @Lucky Dessert!
Must try as this stall is (according to most locals) comparable if not, better than 'Xu Liu Shan' & 'Sweet Dynasty'!

we thought we would miss these fabulous desserts when we returned to Singapore - but apparently, similar desserts can be found in 记得吃 (JI DE CHI) dessert stalls located in Bugis and Jurong Point! Cost approximately the same.

DAY 04

> woke up late despite alarms set before hand.
> rushed to board trains to ferry terminal
> rushed to board the ship
> queuing up for a long time in Macau Airport during departure
> had expensive & not so fantastic brunch before we board the plane...

macau/hk trip 2008 [day 02]...

2009-03-15T20:00:00.001+08:00

http://chuan3205.blogspot.com/2007/07/hk-trip-day-05.html

http://chuan3205.blogspot.com/2007/07/hk-trip-day-06.html

Breakfast:

that was the place(circled) where we had our breakfast - 15mins walk. click for bigger picture.

Outside the 'kopitiam'

given menu:

we had...

an overall picture:

Bought some famous & delicious egg-tarts in Macau, further down the street...

freshly-baked egg tarts...

served to us piping hot~

down the same street, further and further - you will reach at this space - where we bought more 手信s back to HK:

on way back to hotel, ready for check-out and to our next destination - HK...

view of the hotel building we were staying in...

Lunch at one of the locals' favourite stalls! Courtesy of Qing's colleague who brought and introduced good food to us for the next few days~

look at the queue!

Actual location around On Wo Lane:

View Larger Map

another famous stall across the street:

special drink of the day - sprite with mandarin orange

special dish of the day - macaroni with beef

special dish [2] of the day - curly mee with lotsa of tomato mash/puree

special toast bread - despite the fact that we were already full by then...

Dessert time at 许留山!

conclusion - overrated or probably our expectations were too high...

Along Stars Avenue:

Off to Mongkok!

off-topic:
some pretty show girls along one of the mongkok streets...

Late dinner at...

macau/hk trip 2008 [day 01]...

2009-02-27T22:33:00.000+08:00

Zhuhai

Venetian

Shanghai Food

click for a bigger pic

View Larger Map

Dessert

Macau

Room

小孩不笨2

2009-01-24T10:15:00.000+08:00

"天底下没有教不会的小孩，就只有不会教的父母

---《小孩不笨2》

WTS: Brand New Sony DSC-W150 + free gifts !!!

2009-01-01T11:39:00.002+08:00

Won it from a lucky draw but not needed as She has her own digicam already,
thus looking for a new owner...

:D

picture for reference;
the one you are getting from me is in GOLD color.

Specs and review on this camera can be read here or google further.

Brief features
* 5x Optical, 5.1x HD Smart (16:9),
* 8.1 Megapixels
* 28mm wide angle
* Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar® Lens
* 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD Plus
* Double Anti-blur
* Smile shutter
* Advanced Face detection
* 400 shots per full charge
* View finder

Package that you are getting:
* Original camera bundle box (unopened)
* Mini tripod
* Original Sony 4GB memory stick

Selling it at S$379/-
(Retail pricing is around S$440)

Anyone interested?

macau/hk trip 2008...

2008-12-27T09:27:00.003+08:00

the view looks the same as We saw in 2007 but the feelin' will always be different each time round...

Yeah, We went to Macau & HK in 2007 and decided to go again this year when We chanced upon cheap tickets (S$230 in total for 4D3N trip) via Tiger Airways.

Plus this time round, Her Sis was coming along to share the cost, and she had friends working in both Macau and HK, meaning...

we got to eat more, shop more, eat more and shop more (local favorite stuffs mainly).

their 战利品...

not mine :(

Additional plus point, we got to spend Christmas 2008 in overseas, and with the current weather in Macau/HK - this festive season was well spent and celebrated...

roadside deco along Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon...

Went back same few places, tried the same few food 'cuz they are definitely worth eating again...

mong konk mtr station, kowloon...

and not forgetting to explore more and further, with info from the local HK-er and new info from my usual reliable source...

stay tuned!

p.s. i didn't forget about my Japan trip, i will try to complete asap...

:x

i sneezed = i'm aroused...?

2008-12-20T09:17:00.003+08:00

oh dear, i have to be discreet when i'm about to sneeze...

Taken from BBC news:

A simple sneeze may be a tell-tale sign of sexual arousal for a select few, research suggests.

Two British doctors investigated the phenomenon after reading of a middle-aged patient who had uncontrollable sneezing fits when he thought of sex.

They unearthed evidence, via internet chat rooms, of 17 others - of both sexes - with the same problem.

The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine study suggests it may be down to a mix-up in brain circuitry.

.......

Mr Andrew McCombe, an ENT consultant at Frimley Park Hospital said there was a possible physiological explanation for a link between sexual arousal and sneezing.

He said during arousal the autonomic nervous system fires off signals to trigger changes in the genitals of both men and women.

However, the nose also contains erectile tissue, and this may also become engorged during arousal, triggering the need to sneeze.

There is a condition known as honeymoon rhinitis, in which men and women experience nasal stuffiness during sex.

Read the complete article here...

Cannot sneeze loud loud like this panda...

:x

new balance year-end-sale...

2008-12-17T19:23:00.005+08:00

Yet another sporty brand having sale! How can I miss it - in the west side too!?

Field report:
-Shoes at 50% off, limited (running) models & sizes especially, US Sizes 8 and 9, court shoes from $39 onwards, 'jalan jalan' shoes from $59 onwards...
-Apparels up to 40% off e.g. dri-fit tees $17 onwards, jackets $33 onwards...

Luckily, i was able to get the last pair (probably) for this:

MR826 light weight trainers...

Damage: S$69/-

Description:
A highly responsive lightweight trainer developed for runners with a neutral gait

Features:
* Stability Web
* NLOCK®
* Acteva Lite Midsole
* Ndurance® Outsole
* Abzorb® Strobel Board and Insert
* Dual-Density Collar
* Lightning Dry®
* Abzorb® Heel and Forefoot
* Sure Lace
* Phantom Liner

Shoe Review by other users

It's going to be one of my AHM & Marathon training shoes next year~

Few months ago after AHM, i bought a pair of trainers in WOS. It was having a 30% + 10%(for members only) storewide sale and fortunate me, had a sponsor to claim from...

Mizuno Wave Rider 11, another light weight trainers...

Damage: S$120.95

yeah, stained looking due to SCSM'08 recently. The padang field was muddy!

Erhm,

looks like I can stop buying shoes for the time being?

[link] school killed confidence and creativity...

2008-12-16T15:54:00.002+08:00

Interesting article which I myself agree somewhat...

Source:

Mr Alfie Othman threw 2 questions to the audience ( http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/12/interesthink-3-gets-people-talking/ ):

How do we teach students to be creative? How do we teach students to be confident?

A few years back, I was teaching Sunday School in church. During the singing session, where the entire group of 3 – 7 yr olds gathered to have fun singing together, it was really easy to tell apart the 6 year olds from the 7 year olds.

Children 6 and below had a spark in their eyes, a joy in their movement. When they reached 7, this spark was gone, their movements muted.

What happened to them, that made them change so much in just one year? They entered primary school – that’s what happened.

Children who are in kindergarten or pre-school tend to respond freely to the Song Leader. They dance freely on their own accord, they sing loudly, they might run around a little, disturb their friends a little. When the Song Leader shouts a question out to the audience, they raise their hands, jumping up and down, shouting out their answers and opinions.

Meanwhile, the primary one group of students would be standing there, singing because they are supposed to, but they no longer jump up and shout out with enthusiastic spontaneity anymore.

They are the favorites of most Song Leaders, to be fair. They are the first group to respond when the Song Leader is trying to quiet the crowd, to get the crowd lined up into their respective age groups, or simply to respond to any instructions give. They sing when asked, stand when asked, answer questions only when called on and asked directly. Their answers are short, sharp and to the point, unlike the 3 year olds who tend to launch into their entire life history to explain their answer.

The Killing of Confidence and Creativity

What has happened here? Confidence has been killed, creativity has been killed.

In my view, children are born with a natural confidence and creativity. I’ll invite anyone looking for evidence to spend a day with a toddler. Ask the child a question, and she’s likely to give you all and any thing that pops into her mind without worrying if that’s correct or silly – that’s confidence. Leave a child alone at your work desk, and you’ll find him taking apart every gadget you have, or putting things together in the most unimaginable ways – that’s creativity.

So asking the question, How do we teach Confidence and Creativity ? , might be the wrong question to ask.

The question we need to ask is, How did we kill Confidence and Creativity?

And it’s so important to start with the right question, before we can get solutions that work.

So what killed confidence?

Here’s my take. When each test and assignment is graded, when students are separated into classes and schools according to their grades, it reinforces the message that “You’re not good enough” in EVERYBODY – yes, even that child who was second best in the whole country. Think about this, if your spouse told you, You are the second best in my life, or your parent told you, You are the second best child I love, would you feel happy that you are better than ten thousand others, or will you be devastated? How many test results does a child have to get back, before his confidence is shattered? Looking at the Primary One kids in my Sunday School, I’ll say, ‘Not many’.

How then do we assess students and motivate them to study? What other way is there?

I think the children have already given us the answers. Look at their games – their Xbox, their PSP. What motivates them to spend hours and hours on the games, ignoring their meals, their sleep, and everything else in life? The games that can be a much bigger challenge than Maths or Chinese or English combined.

I do find an addictive thrill trying a task again and again, till I’m good enough to advance to the next level, where I’ll try again and again to get to the next. I also know that if you put me at a gaming center, hired a tuition teacher to stand behind all of us, distribute big crosses whenever we make a mistake, constantly yell that’s not the right way to do something, distributed grades to all of us after each try, and gave us only 2 tries at most, I will never ever touch a game ever again.

I’m not an expert at game psychology, I can’t pinpoint an theories behind gaming motivation. But I suspect that we should get gamers and game designers into our education overhaul committees instead of educators, who are very experienced at killing confidence.

How about Creativity? What killed Creativity?

Coming from NUS Science, and being part of the emerging Life Sciences research industry, I’ve the privilege of saying that more than 50% of people are interact with are foreigners. The second most common trait (the first being apathy) that differentiates locals and foreigners is that locals are always looking for the “correct answer”. Have a discussion with locals about the education system, and half will be asking ‘ what is the right way to teach?’ ‘who knows the right way?’ ‘what are that person’s qualifications?’ – there is always this need to look at an authority to provide the answers, and there is always this need to look for a “qualified” person. The other half will of course tell you ‘I don’t know. No use one lah, cannot do anything about it anyway’. Foreigners on the other hand, will tell you their personal opinion, and the discussion will be about all the different opinions brought up, what their strengths and merits are. And all these locals and foreigners are your university graduates and PhD graduates.

I think an education system where there are answer sheets and model answers, where an answer is either right or wrong, and the teacher unilaterally determines the right and wrong, builds a culture where there is a “right” way for everything that is determined by a qualified authority. That is the antithesis of creativity.

You may ask, ‘Creative answers are possible for art and literature, but what about Mathematics? 2+2 will always be 4, there has to be a right answer!’

My proposal is this.

Stop setting questions that ask “ 2+2 = ?”

Instead ask “List 5 equations that give the answer 4”

Possible equations = 1 x 4 = 4 , 8 – 4 = 4 , 8 / 2 = 4 , 2+2 = 4, 20 – 16 = 4 ………. The answers are infinite….

Our grave need for an education overhaul

The need for an education overhaul that stops segregating students according to artificial measures of merit and that stops people from saying ‘No other way’ , goes far beyond education itself.

Our educational stratification and ways of selecting leaders from the elite has resulted in policy makers that see poverty as a number, a grade on their career exam sheet, and not the suffering and hopelessness that is the reality of 300,000 (Ravi Philemon, http://singaporesocialactivist.blogspot.com ), because they don’t have a single friend who cannot pass even primary school. The stratification has created a poverty trap as well, filled with the people who couldn’t pass primary school , and has not a single friend from the university to make them feel like that could be a possibility for them too.

Our education system that breeds a culture where there is a right answer to everything, and that right answer is determined by qualified authorities opens up a huge potential for abuse, where qualified authorities recommend policies out of their own self-interest, and no one questions them because of the strength of their qualifications.

What YOU , my reader, can do about this

My dear readers, if you have read up to this point, I want to go beyond thanking you. I want to ask you to take one more step, to share YOUR ideas. There are several ways to. The convenient way is to leave a comment, or email me privately at mathialee@yahoo.com . You can also give your feedback and suggestions directly to the government committee here http://app.reach.gov.sg/reach/Events/PRIMARYSCHOOLEDUCATIONREVIEW/tabid/149/Default.aspx .

But of course , you know the most important thing you must do : Stop killing the confidence and creativity of any child you might ever meet.

(Background: Mr Alfie Othman gave a talk at interesThink3 (http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/12/interesthink-3-gets-people-talking/ ). Mr Alfie Othman is part of the Primary Education Review and Implementation (PERI) Committee is convened by the government to study ways to enhance primary education in Singapore. (http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/2008/10/ms-grace-fu-forms-primary-educ.php) )

It's really quite true...

scsm 2008...

2008-12-13T09:15:00.003+08:00

Ran and completed SCSM 2008 with bit of ease. Bit of ease 'cuz my legs didn't experience excruciating 'suan-ness' after the day as I wasn't targeting any timing this year.

Accompanied & sort of pacing my friend at the same time, to help him complete the Marathon in sub-5hr timing. We ran and walked all the way 'till 40KM mark where he really can't jog at the pace we initially agreed on anymore. This was because his weak ankles were too painful due to his new, tight ankle guards and the long distance.

Encouraged by him to run the last 2KM myself, I carried on and finished the last stretch in less than 10'. Guess this is something I can be proud of - to be able to run at that speed after 40KM run? *ahem*

But what is more satisfying to me was that my friend managed to jog-walk the last stretch all the way to meet his objective - sub-5hr timing (4h 56')! Woot!! Congrats~

Results can be found by your bib number or name while the analysis of your whole run, courtesy of Runpix, can be read here...

Mine:

Thanks to Zhenyao who readily give up his running tag to me as he wasn't physically prepared for the race (I guessed so) and I was last minute informed that my Army unit not sponsoring any ppl for this year SCSM. Thanks to him I was able to take part to suffer~

Photos were out the very next day too but imo, the photographers didn't take much of me (and those available are small...) this year...

the one in red...

why so serious-looking?

:x

the enlarged jurong point...

2008-12-11T09:00:00.001+08:00

Finally the renovated part of Jurong Point, called THE ENLARGED JURONG POINT (JP2) is opened to public.

Thanks to the pictures taken by qwerty88 from EDMW on 10Dec08.

JP2那么大大大大大大大大大大~~

Read through the shop directory, i'm already frightened of the possible crowd during weekends. Look at the pictures again, not all the shops are opened, it was a weekday and the new place was fairly crowded already...

omfg~

mango sago dessert

2008-12-10T17:16:00.003+08:00

For the upcoming x'mas gathering, some of us have to DIY dishes for the dinner again. And since creating our
award-winning dessert (choc fondant) last year, We don't make desserts any more for ourselves. Yes, I admit it - We are lazy. This year, We decided to make a dessert We both like and I mean most people like too - Mango Sago Dessert!

Googled and many similar recipes will be given but We decided to follow this one written by thelazychef for it's more detailed than the majority.

:x

alright, showing you the steps copied from the other site:

Ingredients
600gm mango (abt 2 honey mangoes)
400ml mango juice (Peelfresh or any other similar brands)
125ml evaporated milk
80g sago pearls (original uses 300gm pomelo, split into small pieces)
250ml water
2~3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornflour/tapioca starch
1 tbsp water
extra 100ml water

Directions
1. Boil 250ml water and sugar till sugar dissolves.
2. Mix cornflour/tapioca starch with 1 tbsp water and pour into the syrup and stir over low heat until mixture is smooth.
3. Take syrup and cornflour mixture off the heat and leave it to cool.
4. Cut the sides of the mango and cube them.
5. Scrap the remaining mango and put in a bowl, add 100ml of water to blend, put aside.
6. Add blended mango, cubed mango, mango juice and evaporated milk into the syrup solution (from 1) then stir.
7. Add sago pearls and stir, if too thick, add abit of cooled boiled water or more mango juice.
8. Chill before serving.

Preparation of sago pearls
1. Soak sago pearls in water till they turned abit translucent (About an hour)
2. Boil the pearls with water till it turns totally translucent.
3. Pour the cooked pearls into a sieve and wash it with tap water remove the starch and now it's ready to be used

And it happens that currently, i'm the one who seem to be having lotsa of free time and thus, I went about doing it. We tried before few weeks ago but it didn't really turn out well, too watery, quite plain and sago seeds error.

Yeah, i'll be the first one to taste the worst in this case too :(

Some WIP pictures:

some of the stuffs that I will need...

Soak the sago seeds for an hour as written but ended up, these seeds didn't really turn translucent...

Meanwhile, cut up the mangoes on the sides - cubed them,

too big chunks thou...

blend the rest of the flesh to make mango puree...

Afterwhich, mix it with other ingredients, left it aside and time to cook the sago,

Boiled it and washed it...this is what you get. Tried some and IT WAS CHEWY 的咯~

Finally, mix all up and put into fridge for some time...

presenting...

Mango Sago Dessert_version_01

是甜的咯~

*slurp*

ST: Mkt-based pricing for new flats...

2008-11-19T13:20:00.002+08:00

Calling it a market-based approach, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said it was the fairest way of pricing new flats. -- PHOTO: THE NEW PAPER

By Aaron Low -
WHEN pricing an HDB flat, costs are not taken into account. Its price is based on what the flat is worth at the point of purchase.
Calling it a market-based approach, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said it was the fairest way of pricing new flats.

'It reflects what the flat is worth at the point of purchase, which may have no relation to what it cost to build,' he added.

Mr Mah gave this response in Parliament yesterday to Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC) who had asked if the Government would consider pricing flats according to costs.

The minister also said that as the HDB did not take into account costs, its building programme suffered losses of $530 million a year over the last three years.

Mr Mah said a typical four-room flat in Sengkang costs more than $300,000 to build. This is above the $200,000 to $260,000 price at which HDB sells it.

He noted that there were concerns over the high prices of premium flats like the Pinnacle@Duxton, with prices ranging from $457,000 to $645,000.

But the prices reflected the value of the flats, which are located in Tanjong Pagar. For every one unit on sale, seven people want to buy it, said Mr Mah.

It shows people are willing to pay for flats with good value, he added.

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition (Nov 18, 2008) of The Straits Times.

[o_o]

"... ..."

[-_-"]

mccain...

2008-11-11T18:19:00.002+08:00

it's been a long time since i really take some time off rendering my work in PS.

it's not easy to do it properly using a mouse and it's eye-straining...

gave up after doing the face

:x

McCain, the US presidential candidate

he tried his best.

:x

table tennis...

2008-11-03T17:18:00.001+08:00

"我專心打球的側臉還滿好看..."

in this economic crisis...

2008-11-01T12:37:00.005+08:00

This show is about a couple having a combine salary of 3k plus and been able to afford to own new 4 room flat, maintain a car and to hire a maid...

Then now wife lost her job...
Picky on the job, not willing to take a new job that pays a lower salary when she is only able to work for 2 months...

Demanding a permanent pay for a temporary work... Then say after deduction of CPF, take home pay is low...

A 8+min documentary video which reminds me why financial planning is important, especially for couples.

Hope the pregnant lady does find her dream job of $1.6K salary or at least get some compensation from her previous employer whom she claimed that she was fired "unreasonably".

:(

五月天 MAYDAY - 生存以上生活以下

2008-10-31T15:52:00.002+08:00

from its latest album "后。青春期的诗"

Recommending this song,

生存以上生活以下

作曲: 马莎填词: 阿信

连刷牙也照着节奏冲了马桶洗了脸上的疲惫泡沫
没有梦昨夜没有梦镜子里的陌生人已经不再做梦
上课钟变成打卡钟单行道般的人生流失在车阵中
进行曲规律的平庸活的像是一句标语压韵而服从

午餐是随便还是都好还是跟你一样的任何一种
奇怪呢很久以前我是很有想法主见心跳很执着

伤心再也不吹风现在只害怕伤风耽误了谁和谁的要求一天一天
看日升日落看月圆月缺年复一年的经过看谁把我变成现在的我
怕潮起潮落怕患得患失错了又错的疼痛终于我的生命只剩生存
活着只会呼吸吃饭喝水的生活

小时候只要看天空枕着白云就觉得全世界都拥有
长大了拥有的更多为何感觉到越来越匮乏越贫穷
那一年只追逐自由现在只能追逐着涨不停的石油
是不是地壳又震动要从家里震落才悔恨这样生活

生活的反面会是死去还是这般生存不再有冲动
闭上眼就能感觉生命正在一分一秒飞奔远离我

还不如一只昆虫至少能破茧展翅飞像那被夺走的天空一天一天
看日升日落看月圆月缺年复一年的经过看谁把我变成现在的我
怕潮起潮落怕患得患失错了又错的疼痛终于我的生命只剩生存
活着只会呼吸吃饭喝水的生活

一年有三百六十五个日子五十二万五千多分钟
一生有三十四亿五千六百七十八万九千下脉搏

为爱而生之后生命要怎么挥霍直到我化成烟的时候一天一天
看日升日落看月圆月缺年复一年的经过看谁把我变成现在的我
怕潮起潮落怕患得患失错了又错的疼痛终于我的生命只剩生存
活着只会呼吸吃饭喝水的生活一天一天

看日升日落看月圆月缺年复一年的经过曾经我也那么独一无二
怕潮起潮落怕患得患失错了又错的疼痛终于我的生命只剩生存
活着只会呼吸吃饭喝水的生活

连刷牙也照着节奏然后设定了明天六点半的闹钟

angry (生气)...

2008-10-26T19:52:00.002+08:00

*sorry, I ain't good in translating into English :(*

人生就像一場戲，因為有緣才相聚
相扶到老不容易，是否更該去珍惜
為了小事發脾氣，回頭想想又何必
別人生氣我不氣，氣出病來無人替
我若氣死誰如意，況且傷神又費力
鄰居親朋不要比，兒孫瑣事由他去
吃苦享樂在一起，神仙羨慕好伴侶

当火气将要冒出，身陷"心理火炉"时，不妨在心中唱唱《不气歌》。这首歌的歌词是："他人气我我不气，我本无心他来气，倘若生病中他计，气出病来无人替。请来医生将病治，反说气病治非易。气之为害大可惧，诚恐因病将命废。我今尝过气中味，不气不气真不气！"风趣幽默的《不气歌》唱罢，再凝神静想一番，相信你的情绪松弛了，火气减轻了，不满抵消了，说不定还会不自主地笑上一笑呢。

　　最后再讲一个有意思的故事：

　　在古老的西藏，有一个叫爱地巴的人，每次当他要生气和人起争执的时候，就以很快的速度跑回家去，绕着自己的房子和土地跑3圈，然后坐在田地边喘气。爱地巴工作非常努力，他的房子越来越大，土地也越来越广，但不管房地有多大，只要与人争论生气，他还是会绕着房子和土地绕三圈，爱地巴为何每次生气都绕着房子和土地绕三圈？所有认识他的人，心理都起疑惑，但是不管怎么问他，爱地巴都不愿意说明。直到有一天，爱地巴很老，他的房地又已经太广大，他生气，拄着拐杖艰难地绕着土地跟房子，等他好不容易走三圈，太阳都下山了，爱地巴独自坐在田边喘气。他的孙子在身边恳求他："阿公，你已经年纪大，这附近地区的人也没有人的土地比你更大，您不能再像从前，一生气就绕着土地跑啊！您可不可以告诉我这个秘密，为什么您一要生气就要绕着土地跑上三圈？"爱地巴禁不起孙子恳求，终于说出隐藏在心中多年的秘密，他说："年轻时，我一和人吵架、争论、生气，就绕着房地跑三圈，边跑边想，我的房子这么小，土地这么小，我哪有时间，哪有资格去跟人家生气，一想到这里，气就消，于是就把所有时间用来努力工作。"孙子问到："阿公，你年纪老，又变成最富有的人，为什么还要绕着房地跑？"爱地巴笑着说："我现在还是会生气，生气时绕着房地走三圈，边走边想，我的房子这么大，土地这么多，我又何必跟人计较？一想到这，气就消了。"

and this is how I try to remain 'calm'...

JJ 陆 Sixology...

2008-10-24T20:01:00.001+08:00

Nice songs, nice album!

Just kidding~

sketch - d.berbatov...

2008-10-22T21:54:00.001+08:00

Man Utd's newly signed striker has been contributing well to the team.

Well done!

Go Man U!!!

caricature - fabio capello...

2008-10-19T22:35:00.002+08:00

sketch of England's new manager who did a pretty good job thus far

:)

sketching

2008-10-17T14:38:00.004+08:00

it has been a long time since i really take some time off to draw something...

anything...

i was sketching randomly, or rather practising caricature drawing...

i sketched and sketched...

i got an undescribable feeling coming up to me...

feelin' that made me so energetic,

that got me really high,

that made me happier and happier~

the same feelin' which i get from running - "runners' high"

i think i really miss drawing...

ya, he doesn't look like TD but I tried my best :(

at least this is what i (my hands) concluded.

:)

i will post up the sketches soon!

how to seal a bag of chips without clips~

2008-10-15T19:17:00.002+08:00

Interesting~

Try it!

周杰伦 - 乔克叔叔

2008-10-03T13:39:00.003+08:00

*Jay's new song!

Unique style and a song describing the life of a clown...

亲爱的别吓到闭上了眼睛
小丑把戏不是大家都可以
夸张眼影蓝色忧伤的泪滴
丢丢刀喷喷火踩高跷吹笛
跌倒失手烧到眉毛我故意
哈哈你笑的开心我可是在玩命
扑克牌里我的肖像才一两张
你看你看我的重要性
彩色的大卷发红鼻子最滑稽
的步法这样的快乐你学会了吗
用笨拙又惊险的杂耍继续对
你装傻所有的悲伤通通忘了吧
听我说拿出你的钞票笑平常买不到
先生小姐们赶快来赶快来
再慢就看不到座位没剩多少
还能跟乔克叔叔拍一张照
我只是卑微的小丑
翻几个跟斗就等你拍一拍手
人群散了后夜色多朦胧
月光也会跟著我
我不是孤独的小丑
你笑了之后不需要记得我
灯熄的时候满天的星空
最明亮的是寂寞
下著雨我躲在面具里偷偷地
在哭泣因为看了不能说的秘密
魔术师我恨你抢走我的生意
别忘记蝙蝠侠靠我才票房冠军
听我说拿出你的钞票笑平常买不到
先生小姐们赶快来赶快来
再慢就看不到座位没剩多少
还能跟乔克叔叔拍一张照
我只是卑微的小丑
翻几个跟斗就等你拍一拍手
人群散了后夜色多朦胧
月光也会跟著我
我不是孤独的小丑
你笑了之后不需要记得我
灯熄的时候满天的星空
最明亮的是寂寞

morning breakfast before run...

2008-09-25T13:13:00.002+08:00

Even if you are running less than 5KM in the early morning, I will still highly advice you to eat something beforehand...

taken from RunnersWorld.com,

"...most of the glucose and glycogen you need to burn up in an hour of training will come from your meal the night before. That being said, there are some fuel sources that can eliminate the need to run on an empty stomach. I do not like the idea of stomach wall vs. stomach wall, secreting enzymes with nothing to absorb it—that won’t make for a comfortable run.

Toast, hot tea, half a banana, or orange juice are some easily digestible foods that will give you energy for your hour-long run. Keep in mind that if you are running more than a hour, you will need to eat a bit more beforehand and even consume some calories on the run.

To avoid digestive troubles, stay away from any dairy products before you head out the door. Dairy is fine afterward, as I advise an eight-ounce glass of low-fat chocolate milk when you return home for immediate replenishment; studies show that it's as effective as recovery drinks at replacing your glycogen stores but it packs more bone-strengthening calcium per serving."

- Pat Connelly has coached 30,000 finishers of the L.A. Marathon with a training program that's also used by the Las Vegas and Salt Lake City marathons. He is the head track and cross country coach at Valencia High School in Valencia, California.

It's true.

I drank milk once before a long run, and I lao sai....

{-_-"}

Japan trip 2008 - Day 05

2008-09-09T19:10:00.008+08:00

Preview first~

Will update asap!
UPDATED!

:)

*** ***

Journey: Osaka, Universal Studios > Dotombori

Set off early to the destination of the day - Universal Studios! And like Disneyland Resort, Uni. Studios has its trains fully decorated with related themes and characters...

Reached the train station and had to walk a short distance towards the entrance, pass by row of shops, and one of them is this Popcorn Papa!

"Who's the biggest popcorn king here? Of 'cuz it's ning lao peh!"

Forever...we thought we were early but these people were earlier! So, you see - humans are kiasu and not just we Singaporeans~

They queued right in front of the main entrance despite the hot gruelling weather on that fateful day. So hot that She had to use the themepark map as a stand-in umbrella~

Swee tickets which were worth keeping it for remembrance~

I thought it was incredible to be able to get this shot of her right infront of the Globe with no other people around! If you ever visit there, try doing it! ;)

I bet you can't do it...

Gate released! And it was all about play and shoot!

The timings of various shows given on the brochure were ain't exactly correct, plus due to unforeseen circumstances, shows will be delayed or cancelled hence visitors should make use of this Studio Information booth to check the latest updates.

Universal Studio, a themepark which will take up nearly one day, till late evening, to enjoy the entertainment...

Next, we proceed to the Universal City Walk mall to check out...

Takoyaki Museum!

ssssooooo many shops selling it...with many varieties!

~yummy~

Of 'cuz, few mini balls of flour with sotong couldn't be our dinner for that day. We returned to Dotombori and came to this building...whereby an event promoter informed us of the heavily discounted entrance fee.

Tio tempted~

and we decided to have our dinner in there...

hidden ancient backdrop in this tall building with many many eateries...

Nice!

trackback: prelude, day 01, day 02, day 03, day 04...

smart move...

2008-09-01T09:31:00.001+08:00

I never quite figured out why the sexual urge of men and women differ
so much. And I never have figured out the whole Venus and Mars
thing. I Have never figured out why men think with their head and women with
their heart.

FOR EXAMPLE:

One evening last week, my girlfriend and I were getting into bed.
Well, the passion starts to heat up, and she eventually says, "I don't
feel like it, I just want you to hold me."

I said, "WHAT??!! What was that?!"

So she says the words that every boyfriend on the planet dreads to
hear..."You're just not in touch with my emotional needs as a woman enough
for me to satisfy your physical needs as a man."

She responded to my puzzled look by saying, "Can't you just love me
for who I am and not what I do for you in the bedroom?"

Realizing that nothing was going to happen that night, I went to sleep.
The very next day I opted to take the day off of work to spend time
with her. We went out to a nice lunch and then went shopping at a
big,big unnamed department store. I walked around with her while she tried
on several different very expensive outfits. She couldn't decide which
one to take, so I told her we'd just buy them all. She wanted new
shoes to compliment her new clothes, so I said, "Lets get a pair for each
outfit."

We went on to the jewelery department where she picked out a pair of
diamond earrings. Let me tell you... she was so excited. She must have
thought I was one wave short of a shipwreck. I started to think she
was testing me because she asked for a tennis bracelet when she doesn't
even know how to play tennis.

I think I threw her for a loop when I said, "That's fine, honey." She
was almost nearing sexual satisfaction from all of the excitement.
Smiling with excited anticipation, she finally said, "I think this is
all dear, let's go to the cashier."

I could hardly contain myself when I blurted out, "No honey, I don't
feel like it."

Her face just went completely blank as her jaw dropped with a baffled,
"WHAT?" I then said, "Honey! I just want you to HOLD this stuff for a
while.
You're just not in touch with my financial needs as a man enough for me to
satisfy your shopping needs as a woman."

And just when she had this look like she was going to kill me, I added,"Why
can't you just love me for who I am and not for the things I buy you?"

Apparently I'm not having sex tonight either....but at least that
bitch knows I'm smarter than her.

Singapore Bay Run & Army Half Marathon 2008

2008-08-24T21:00:00.002+08:00

YES!

We did it again!!

2nd time in the history...

CDO won the overall team champion!

Woot!

Happy and satisfied with my run this year thou I could feel that my calves were going to get cramp anytime after 10KM mark, luckily it didnt happen and I hold on to finish the race with a full burst at the last 400m...

Completed the race in 1h' 28".

Certainly not very impressive compared to my fellow team-mates and other fast runners but I'm delighted with this result as I had set a target of 1h 30" for this year. All the travelling to&fro camp for trainings, speed workouts, long boring runs in the past few months were worth it...

Good enough.

Good enough to contribute & help my Unit to imerge as Champion once again!

For Honour and Glory!!!

'till next year, defend the title!

Japan trip 2008 - Day 04

2008-08-08T22:23:00.004+08:00

Journey: Fuji Go Ko, Oshino Hakkai, Kawaguchiko > Osaka

*you will realise how lazy i'm as i continue to blog about my japan trip, starting from this post onwards...

shot of Mt. Fuji taken from the room in Inn Fujitomita at....3+am (Japan Time) and that means, the sky was already quite bright at that moment~

leaving this nice guest house early in the morning to our next destination...

walking to Oshino Hakkai (忍野八海) which took ~20mins...

had my first meal of the day - 草饼 ('Grass Biscuit')
No, it's not as hard as a biscuit; it's as soft as a 'kueh'...

map of the area - and locations of some of the 8 'holy lakes'...

if i remember correctly, this should be the clearest and cleanest ponds of all...

at the end of the picture is the 'Chop Carrot Head' shop...

my next meal of the day - stick of BBQ riceballs with Japan-exclusive-sauce~

Oiissshhhhhhhhiiiii! (She disliked the taste thou)

and to our next destination - Yamanakako Park 花都公园

walking towards the entrance, you will pass by this bridge and the backdrop will be a large field of different flowers together with Mt. Fuji. But, that day, Mt Fuji was shy and hid behind the clouds. The flowers were still sleeping and yet full bloom~

:(

The only flower that really really appreciate tourists coming to Japan at that period is Miss Lavender...

bus ticket showing the date and the station no. you board, and you will need to insert into a machine before you alight to check how much you will need to pay...

back to Kawaguchiko Station and had our lunch at the cafe inside...

Udon!!

i can't read Japanese and ain't sure the English proficiency level of the staff who served us, but she said this bowl is of horse meat...

Tempura Udon that she ordered...

continued Kawaguchiko exploration, took a boat ride~

spent some time walking down the stretch of 'Chop Carrot Head' shops and admired the range of goodies Mr and Ms Roberts can purchase...

we had another ice-cream - triple flavours! Don't play play~

Time to leave Fuji Go Ko area and to the next perfecture - Osaka!
Took the bus to Matsushima Station which we later changed to JR Shinkansen...

The sleepy journey down to Osaka took approximately 3hrs...

Slept like there's no tomorrow.

Upon arrival, we quickly took Osaka JR train to our hotel, Hotel Chuo, to put down our bags. It was quite late and we hoped to have nice dinner at the famous Dotombori place...

To our surprise, Dotombori was much much bigger than expected, plus we were tired after one day's of travelling around - thus, dropped the idea of exploring and settled our meals in underground Namba Walk...

Dinner @黑门屋!

Sumimasen, but I can't read at all!

Curry Rice and erhmm, I forget the name but it was eggs with chicken bits...

Brieftly walked through Dotombori area and this was one of the symbolic signboard you confirm will see and confirm, CONFIRM, will take a picture of it.

you wanna bet?

sidetrack: Does this crab look familiar? Got a big shock when I came back to Singapore and realised, Jurong Point had renovated part of its basement and converted to Osaka food street. It put up this crab as well (thou a smaller version)!~

come to Osaka, you can't miss eating Tako Yaki - it's the origin place! Everywhere you go, you sure see the stall selling, buy from the stall and confirm, confirm take a picture of the stall...

end of day 04...day 05 - Universal Studios trip to be continued!

trackback: prelude, day 01, day 02, day 03...

Japan trip 2008 - Day 03

2008-08-06T20:45:00.006+08:00

*Yes!! The long awaited post on Japan trip, day 03! {-_-"}*

Journey: Hakone > Gotemba > Fuji Go Ko

(Continued...) Nothing much to do/shop/walk at night except from watching TV programmes in Hakone and we were tired from the walking all day, hence we slept real early...

Woke up early to have the buffet-style breakfast, complimentary to all house guests. It was a mixture of Western and Japanese food...

half-boiled egg but tasted reaaaaally raw ;x

mini hotdogs and plums...

Left early to get to Gotemba Station where we were getting to our next destination - Lake Kawaguchi! For what? To see the whity Mount Fuji!

the outer look of Ichinoyu Honkan...

At the bus interchange outside Gotemba Station, we get the 2-Day Fuji-Gotemba Pass @¥3000 each, this is for the transport between Gotemba/ Matsushima Station and Lake Kawaguchi/Sai.

Bus trip took nearly 2 hours to reach the final stop at Kawaguchiko Station. During the trip, we saw a mountain at the background but we ain't sure that was the Mt. Fuji! Mt. Fuji so easily be seen?? I heard many tales that one have to be lucky to see the whole of it clearly...

Kawaguchiko Station...

*~~Warning~~Advice- Buses around Fuji Go Ko area are not that frequent, practically follow a time schedule which you can actually get an English version from the Tourist Information Centre at Kawaguchiko Station. We didn't know hence, it was a rush visit due to time constraint and we had to visit again on the next day.
There's lockers for visitors to use as well hence, you need not worry about carrying heavy backpacks around.

We took the 'Retro Bus' and this is where we bought the '2-Day Fuji Go Ko Pass' @¥1000 each from the friendly driver. We went to visit the Natural Living Center, as recommended by the staffs in Tourist's Info Center.

the 'retro bus'...

2-Day Fuji Go Ko Pass

Natural Living Center - beautiful place with lavenders around and Mt. Fuji at the background...

then of course, must take a photo for remembrance!

it is where we had an Blueberry + Vanilla flavoured ice-cream~ ¥300.

Time to leave. No choice, it was getting late and public transport ends quite early, so we gotta check in to our next accommodation place - Inn Fujitomita.

The owner of the house, David, came to fetch us at somewhere which we had decided early through e-mails. Probably it wasn't the peak period/ holidays yet (thou July & August were the best times to climb Mt. Fuji, we were the only guests! We were given a room where we were able to look at Mt. Fuji again :)

Spacious room...

Fyi: Accommodation @ ¥10,500/night plus, ¥2100/pax for dinner.

Put down our barang barang, washed up before David's daughter came and informed us that the dinner was ready. The meal that David cooked all by himself and how marvellous it was~

Dining room. At the far end is where they keep the all sorts of compliments (pictures, photos, emails) from the previous guests in clear files. They have many many....files. Amazing.

Here comes the dinner:

overview...

some sort of fish cake

slices of bean curd skin

sweet sour mixed veggies

seaweed. Yes, I get to eat Her share since she dislikes it.

His DIY wasabi which wasn't that strong flavoured as we tasted in Singapore

tasty light mushroom soup with some riceballs

my favourite dish: David's special sauced chicken

baked cheesy salmon

Probably you may find the servings quite small but we were really full at the end and we sat quite awhile in the dining room, just for our stomachs to digest the food properly and reading through the compliments previous guests had left :p

It was an unforgettable dinner for me in this Japan trip - exclusive set meal.

Like in Hakone, nothing much to do except from watching TV programmes, we brieftly planned our itinerary for the next day - the times we must meet so as to visit as many places as possible and not waiting too long for the Retro Buses....

too tired..Must sleep!

trackback: prelude, day 01, day 02...

Greeeen - キセキ Kiseki "miracle"

2008-08-05T19:04:00.003+08:00

*just in case you think I have forgotten about this blog...

Theme song for the J-Drama "Rookies", based on a popular manga in Japan.

The song which brings so much motivation to me upon hearing it.

Well, probably because due to the show as well.

If you have the chance, please do try to watch. Niceeeeeee~

AHM Training Log Wk 08...

2008-07-21T20:32:00.002+08:00

Mileage for the week wasn't too little;
especially I did another form of 'running' for 2 weeks.
Hey, I walked a lot in Jeepun hor~
Not easy.

These 2 weeks gonna have high-intensity workouts,
and I had survived one, together with Army mates;
Another one I will have to do it on my own,
if I manage to find time after work...

:(

My first time completing 2 complete rounds in Mac. Reservoir,
each at ~10.5KM;
shagged but shiok~
this is what runner's high is about~

~1 month to Race day! Woot!!

Japan trip 2008 - Day 02

2008-07-15T19:32:00.010+08:00

Journey: Ikebukuro> Odawara> Hakone-Yumoto

An overall look of Hakone Area..Ignore the 'zoom'

'Too excited' and woke up early to get to Tokyo Station to board the Shinkansen (a.k.a. bullet train) - to Odawara in around 40mins, where we would transfer train to Hakone-Yumoto by the Hakone Tozan Line.

Spacious seating, much better than the airplane's...

JR Pass - ultimate convenient & cheap traveling tool, if you're crossing to other prefectures.

Our breakfast:

Chicken + egg&ham sandwiches and red tea, total @¥470

Upon reaching Odawara, we bought the Hakone 2-Day Free Pass (¥3900/pax). Even if you are touring Hakone for 1 day only, the pass is still worth the money as the transportation around is not cheap if you are paying by cash. If the locals are buying it, you don't gek qiang and refuse to buy.

It will take around ~15mins to travel to Hakone-Yumoto from Odawara. Oh, if you are worrying about carrying heavy backpacks or pushing lugguage around, there are coin lockers (ranging ¥200-500) outside Hakone-Yumoto station which you can use to store your 'burden' temporarily.

Hakone Pass

a 3-D look of Hakone Area showing all kinds of transport one will be taking

the cable car traveling between Souzan and Gora

We started our own tour by traveling downwards to Moto-Hakone (clockwise direction) where we would board the Boat a.k.a. 海贼船 to Togendai. You may board the boat at Hakone Machi as well, I thought it was the stop but apparently, we were one stop earlier. Luckily, we were still able to board it as the place was one of the stopovers.

the 'Gate' you will pass by at Moto Hakone

the boat we had taken..

Not sure how many kinds of boat there are, but we saw another one which really suit the title of being a 海贼船 - there are statues of pirates on it!

Looks much nicer as well...

At Togendai, we hopped onto the ropeway to travel up to Souzan...

In Singapore, it's called Cable Car isn't? I'm confused.

The weather wasn't too good that day; it was drizzling and strong cold wind blowing. That's why we didn't take much photos onboard. When we reach Souzan, we saw this stall selling sweet potato! Steamy hot!!

Confirm guarantee chop most tourists can read...

food which brought us warmth in the cold cold weather...

Went out of the Ropeway station and it was crazily hazy...

No, we are not in Genting Highlands

Explored around and we took some pictures with the animals...

She with the Hello Kitty in the Black Egg suit..

Me posing in front of this great pig..

And bought the famous snack in the area - Black Eggs! Boiled and cooked in the natural hot springs around the mountain areas. Supposed to increase your life span by 7 years after consuming. Erhmmm~ selling 6 for ¥500 in a packet.

Not much difference from the ones I usually cooked at home thou

A landmark of the area...

on the left is the area where they boiled the eggs then on the right has a stall selling hot black eggs to the tourists who climbed up this far

At the garden...

Waiting for the cable car down to Gora Station...

Local snack - red bean bun. But actually, you can eat such snack anywhere in Japan. Not just red-bnean paste, it was filled with literally red-beans and the paste!

We purposely went to this Little Prince Mansion (~20mins bus ride from Gora Station) to check out how it looked like. Ended up we didn't go in as the admission fee is not cheap and both of us never read the story before~ Haaha!

~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~

Now, introducing the most expensive stay we had in this trip - Ichinoyu Honkan. Spent a total of ¥24, 240 for one night stay - inclusive of dinner and the tax for hot spring at ¥150/pax.

reception area...

resting area at the lobby, on the right is the pathway to hot spring rooms

Our room, was really really big~

Each room faces the river...

'open-air' bathroom, which is facing the river as well

Woo, separate slippers for toilet!

Well, showing you how the private hot spring room looks like:

wash up area before one gets in the hot spa...

Dinner time!

Cold appetizers!

upclose look at the unique bowl of rice

Shabu-Shabu!

beef slices were fresh and not chewy at all after it was cooked

the biggest let down of the whole course - so-so tempura fish :(

Big big scallop and fresh!

Not sure if they use instant miso soup paste but upon adding the water from the Shabu-Shabu, it was simply tasty yet not too salty. Shiok ah!!

Miso-soup paste

After the dinner, there was practically nothing to do in this Ryokan. There are 2 Internet terminals which you will need to pay (¥100/10-15mins) but we were not that keen to use. Watched some TV programs which we didn't understand at all, planned the itinerary for the next day and we turned in early~ Probably we were too tired from walking the whole day.

~happy 130th month anniversary~

Getting lazy to write up too much; Less words, more pictures - She said.

trackback: prelude, day 01...

Japan trip 2008 - Day 01

2008-07-14T20:25:00.006+08:00

Journey: Singapore > Narita Airport > Ikebukuro

Flight at 0630hrs and I guess this is the only timing NWA offers for flights going to/ transiting at Tokyo. And that means we reached Changi Airport at 4+am and this means another thing - we kena midnight charged cab fare...

:(

Ok this is bopian one. At least we get to check in successfully, especially the checks by the security are quite stringent as it is an American airline and bound for America eventually. I was "omg~" when he asked if I had any one of the items shown in a poster held by him, and I saw shaver and nailclipper...

"Err, I got those in my lugguage?" I honestly told him and hoping not to get any extreme reaction from him. He replied it's fine. Knn, he meant if I had those in my handbag/ backpack...

Ok, yet another unimportant matter.

Finally a F&E trip with meals onboard since previous trips were on budget airlines.

Breakfast:

So-so but it was shiok to have such a full breakfast meal. Anyway it's supposed to last for the 7-hours journey.

Reached the airport, check out after getting photographed and finger-printed, collected luggage and follow the directions to take train down to Tokyo! Woot!! It went smoothly as planned...

Remember - it's Narita Airport Terminal 1. Don't get off the wrong station when you are returning...

Bought Keisei Limited Express tickets, which is considered the cheapest way to travel to Tokyo but may be the slowest to get there as well.

It will take around 60~70 minutes to get to Nippori whereby you will transfer (pay another ticket fare by then) to Japan Rail (JR) train to your destination in Tokyo. If you wanna get the hell down to Tokyo asap, maybe you can try taking Keisei Skyliner, which will only take ~40mins but will cost almost double - ¥2100.

Ticket to Nippori which is linked to JR Station - ¥1000

Timetable for Skyliner, none of our business but I was too excited - Just wanna snap pictures...I'm in Japan! :x

If you think this train system is confusing wait till you see the one in Tokyo train stations where they connected up all subways in one picture, something like this.

A look at the inside of Keisei Ltd Ex. train:

Advertisements covering the top space of the carriage, many hangers around...

Spotted 'L' and his handphone?

Reached Ikebukuro station eventually and the crowd in the underground station was horrifying. It was as though all were going to work or getting back home. Alot of exit signs around and we were searching for the west exit which will lead us to another way to our hotel, Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro.

But it was raining quite heavy outside and we didn't bring umbrellas! I brought it during last 2 trips but never get to use it and this trip I was thinking may be unnecessary and it rained.

[-_-]

Followed the instructions given and managed to find the hotel without much trouble. Probably fatigue set in, due to bad and cold weather and hungry stomachs, the route to the hotel wasn't that short, and took more than 6minutes as the site stated.

Double Room (Small) @¥9000/ night:

Not that small compared to the one I lived in Taipei :p Got free cable to get online, strong aircon system, IKEA chair & LCD TV leh~

Quickly put down the 'burden' and left the room for our first meal in Tokyo! Yosh!!!

误打误撞 - we came across one of the recommended eatery in Ikebukuro as recommended by the guide-book we had with us.

Anyone know how to pronounce?

Most of the eatery stalls in Japan have these 'ticket vending machine'. You insert the cash > press the button for the desired meal > collect the ticket and change (if any) > enter the stall and hand over the ticket > wait for your delicious meal!

Wondering how it works exactly 'till we witnessed the local using it :p

This stall is the only Ra-Men stall in our trip which has a form for you to fill in to confirm your preferences such as how salty you want the soup to be, what are the ingredients you want in your Ra-Men etc.

They have a Chinese&English translation menu for you to refer to while filling up the form...

Same noodle but with different ingredients and salty level of the soup. Cost ¥700 each.

I like the soup :) And the feeling was 'dare' one - hot soup in the rainy cold weather. Wah shiok! A good start for our first meal in Japan!

Cheeky device. If customer wants to add noodle, simply insert ¥100 coin in and the lantern will light up and inflate itself then sounding out a bell. The staff will know and serve you in awhile

Wandered around in the underground station after the meal and trying to understand the structure since we will be coming to this station often at the later stage of the trip. Planning to go window shopping in departmental stores but they were closing soon. Most shops here close at around 2000~2100hrs! Decided to go back hotel and rest as we need to leave early the next day for '~5-days-side-trip'.

Came across a cafe on our way back and decided to buy some hot drinks to warm ourselves in the cold night. I thought it is supposed to be hot in summer??

Sgt. Keroro only picture and he went away on his own...

Lucky again. Able to watch Euro 2008 Final between Spain & Germany over there and the screen quality was crystal clear. Can see the 毛孔, serious. Just that the screen is too small to watch far on bed. I tried to wake Her up to watch as she was more excited than me to watch this final but She woke up, mumbled abit, and fell back to deep sleep...

[-_-"]

I watched alone and heng heng, witnessed the only goal of the game LIVE, before dozing off at later half of the game. Woke up and saw the final few minutes and abit of celebration...

Germany 0 Spain 1

......

Ready for Day 02!

trackback: Prelude...

f.y.i:

¥100 = ~S$1.30
Japan is 1 hour faster than in Singapore. GMT +9?

Japan trip 2008 - Prelude

2008-07-13T00:20:00.006+08:00

Woot! I'm back!!

In one piece, fortunately.

This trip can be considered as my graduation trip and I believe it is the best overseas F&E trip (and the longest too) so far.

Explored Hakone, Fuji-Go-Ko (a.k.a. Fuji 5 Lakes), Osaka, Tokyo in ~13days. Total expenditure inclusive of air tickets via Northwest Airlines (NWA) and etc. etc. etc., was around S$3K for me.

We were lucky as well...

Mt Fuji view on 2nd day at Hakone

very very very, very lucky to view Mt. Fuji in full on the 2nd day, unbelievable sight such that both of us were wondering if it was the famous Fuji itself!

Wahahaa!!

Overall, this trip is,

敢敢吃!
敢敢买!
敢敢花!

Communication with the Japanese was both amusing and frustrating. Amusing 'cuz we at times will speak Singlish, English and mixed with Chinese during questioning and ended up confusing them even further. Tthey can't really express themselves well and majority can only speak very very basic English language so they will reply with words and hand signals. Frustrating 'cuz you can't express yourself clearly as well to them, for example, those roadside eateries may not have English menus and worse case is, their menus are fully described by Japanese language (not Kanji, which Chinese people like us can still understand a little), hence the only dishes you can order is the one they recommend. I know, recommended food is better but probably there are some interesting ones you may wanna try mah~

interesting ad. poster such as above can be seen around the train stations and onboard.

Navigation problem? Forget about understanding their entire railway system. Know your origin point and destinated station, use this site to show you the railway lines to take, time taken for the journey and the fares incurred. Every stations has signboards to direct you to various attractions and roads, imho, quite idiot proof and if you think you may have get your lost - U-Turn and start all over again OR just ask the Japanese for help. They are helpful, at least none rejected me :p

finally found this box of holly great white choco biscuits @Narita Airport when we checked in - highly recommended by local 93.3FM DJ Cruz specially and also by most of whom had tried before.

This trip was completed successfully and safely with the help of friends, useful sites and guide books:

Other than the usual 'branded' travel-guide books such as Lonely Planet, Forummer etc, maybe you can try using this book (I'm sorry, only applicable for those who can read traditional Chinese words),

Really a great ultimate guide book for us to try out all the recommended stalls and hidden treasures!!

Also not forgetting, the ultimate useful travel forum I used for my previous 2 trips and always recommend to my friends,

HWZ - Travel & Accommodation

& 2 great links on tourism in Japan,

Of course more useful info can be found to aid in your planning simply just by Google-ing.

Alright, be patient.
Coming soon...Japan trip 2008 - Day 01~

:)

p.s. NWA cheapest deal to Tokyo, Narita is now on! Only $399*!! Check it out!

boarding soon...

2008-06-29T05:20:00.002+08:00

Checked in!

Walking towards our boarding gate,

I saw the free internet access booth.

don't use white don't use,

so decided to post an entry...

Jeepun, I'm coming!

I'm mentally prepared to get lost down there,

to figure out how to get from point X to Y,

to kena 1x good one from Her for getting lost again,

and to enjoy to the fullest!

AHM Training Log Wk 05...

2008-06-28T18:20:00.002+08:00

different colors represent the intensity of the training - green as easiest to red as the hardest...

Amazing~
In just 6 days,
my mileage for this week 05 had shot up to nearly 100KM;
it would have be 100KM,
if I didn't go half-day off in one of the weekdays.

Of 'cuz I can feel the fatigue in my legs,
but still feeling that
I should be able to recover for a brand new week...

However...
I'm going on a holiday!!!
Woot!

:)

And mileage will drop back to zero for almost next 2 weeks.
Is it going back to square 1 for my AHM training??

:(

Is walking around Japan,
consider training too?

:P

trackback: wk01, wk02, wk03, wk04...

how to pass IPPT and not going to Gym...

2008-06-25T20:53:00.003+08:00

Just my 2¢ opinion, how to pass IPPT and not going to Gym.

Nature is your playground.

Sit-ups
I did this station first and after completion, all my friends said I siao, 'cuz this station was the most xiong out of the 4 static. Not entirely true thou - can means can, cannot means cannot.
Lots of Abs training programe online you can google but below are what I have done for training.

Suggested trainings:
- Leg raises, similar to 'Flutter Kicks' as known in Army.
- Crunches/ Half Sit-ups.
- Try out the Crossfit Knees to Elbows Exercise!

Standing Broad Jump
Paiseh, not I LL but this station was not much a problem to me all along... :( Play Basketball? May helps and make sure you jump to your fullest every time. More of technique probably - imagine there's a low wall in front of you and you will need to jump over it.

Suggest trainings, which I really never tried out:
- Half squats...
- Climb stairs...
:x

Pull-ups
Firstly, try to cut down your weight as much as possible. The lighter you are, the lesser the burden you going to pull.

Suggested trainings:
- More pull-ups, no kidding. Try to do 3~5 sets of 5 - 8 pulls. If you can't manage to do pull ups initially, do at least 1 pull, by hook or crook, hold your chin above the bar for as long as you can. Rest. And do for a few sets.
- Push ups. Do all sorts of push ups, wide-arms, diamond, knuckles etc. Refer to this.

Shuttle Run
Similar to standing board jump, not I LL but it was not of a problem to me all along. I guess I'm really lucky. Maybe playing basketball helps - chasing the bball, opponent, fast breaks etc.

Suggested trainings:
- Erhmmmm...do sets of sprints (25m and 50m)? Not sure how fast is consider fast but make sure for every set, you complete consistently or even faster.
- Train your technique in touching the line and turn back in a swift motion. You may ask me to demo it next time when you see me. :p

2.4KM Run (only applicable for Maju Camp)
"50% discount in here! Other camps you have to run 6 rounds but over here, you only need to clear 3 rounds. 50% discount huh!" exclaimed by the senior PTI.
How motivating.
As I need to run under 9'15" in order to get maximum 5 points, I always plan my run, that is to complete each round in 3 mins, +/-. It works every time, so far, and of course you need to train beforehand, at least 1-2 months.

Suggested training:
Endurance:
- Go for at least a 5KM long slow run, probably around 6'/KM pace, which means you'll complete the run in 30'. Get comfortable with this pace and slowly increase it 'till 5' - 5'15"/KM.
Speed:
- There are various ways to improve your speed and I'm just giving one sample. Do your speed workout on track, preferably as you will have accurate distance markers. Try to complete 400m round in around 1'50", rest 100% i.e. for 1'50". Do 5 sets, consistent - 1'50" for every set. Slowly, try to complete 400m in 1'40", 1'30" and increase to ~8sets in later weeks.

what not-to-do?
Read this. I said before, shit before you run! Thou he had shit before that but he didn't clear them all!

IPPT 2008

2008-06-25T19:20:00.002+08:00

*overdue post due to ICT...

Remember my 2007's IPPT? I even titled 'PART I' 'cuz I originally wanted to retake it again to achieve my Gold but ended up, due to various unforeseen circumstances and lots of bullshit excuses, I didn't. I still remember vividly that my incentive for IPPT was only $200 instead of $400, because I missed the maximum point for sit-up station by 1x sit-up. Knn...

:(

This year, I was sort of afraid to take IPPT, particularly pull-ups and sit-ups; but bopian, need to clear it before my ICT.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Surprising, surprising~
I managed to get it through!
With a better 2.4KM timing!!
Woot!!!

thank you very much~
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

AHM Training Log Wk 04...

2008-06-22T23:50:00.002+08:00

Back to camp for ICT-AHM training for only 3days
and my mileage for this week had increased,
around 25% more than previous week.

Muscles aching as usual;
Getting tanned more;
More curse & swear going on during training
but I like it.

14KM time trial on Saturday morning was good;
well imho, not too bad for my current fitness(mileage) level.
Able to maintain 4'10"/KM pace throughout 'till I opened up the last 1KM (3'45"/KM)...
Completed in ~59'.

Another week of ICT-AHM training!
Endure!

加油! 加油! 加油!

Then I will reward myself for the hard work I put in during my upcoming Japan trip~!

:3

trackback: wk01, wk02, wk03...

Japan trip confirmed!

2008-06-17T12:30:00.002+08:00

After lots of roller coaster rides of problems for the past few weeks...

Our Japan trip is confirmed!!!

Woot!!!

Coming soon...

AHM Training Log Wk 03...

2008-06-17T12:14:00.004+08:00

Oh gosh~
Mileage getting lesser week after week...

Longest run completed so far
was only merely 13KM...

And I have an upcoming 14KM time trial this Saturday

Hosay liao!

But I'm sure my mileage will be increased tremendously next week;
'cuz my ICT-AHM training starting tomorrow!!!

Hosay liao!!

:x

trackback: wk01, wk02...

crossfit exercises...

2008-06-10T14:38:00.002+08:00

Chance upon Crossfit exercises while I was reading some fitness stuff online in HWZ Health & Fitness Corner, downloaded this video:

Knee to Elbow

I tried this morning after my run and I was surprised I could do a few but ain't too sure if my way of doing it is correct or not. Probably will incorporate this exercise as one of the static exercises after Runs :x

Went back home to do more research on this Crossfit thing. I clicked and watched the related videos under Crossfit on Youtube...

"oh my oh my"

Push-ups

Squats

oh my...

*speechless*

Shall try them out someday!

tioman trip 170508 - 190508...

2008-06-09T22:11:00.014+08:00

n.b. this is an overdue post due to unforeseen circumstances :p

We bought the Five Stars's package for P.Tioman. Originally wanna get Paya Beach Resort package but we underestimated the peak period crowd, it was fully booked 2~3weeks earlier and hence we settled for Tioman Paya Resort's with Full Board Package.

Important lesson - if wanna go, better book early to avoid disappointment, and to pay lesser :p

Day 1

Bus left Golden Mile Complex at around 6+am and there was a massive jam at the Causeway, not surprising. Everyone was getting out of Singapore for a short getaway trip. Then it was around 11+am when we reached the ferry terminal in M'sia where we were told to board the ship at 1230pm...

All of them like us, were going to Tioman...

But it was till 1+pm then we finally get to board the ship :( And the trip from the ferry terminal to our resort will take another 1+hrs...

Oh damn, what a long journey~

Reached!!! And it was...

拍!拍!拍!

Snap! Snap! Snap!

along the beach in front of Paya Beach Resort, not ours :(

Registered and put down our stuffs in the resort room and went around to explore. Teabreak time! :)

the only 'cafe' that was opened at that time...

fries...

'Special' Ramly Burger

Lime Water - literally, lime + water :x

Ice Kachang with Milo powder on top!

Weather too hot and sunny, went to the beach for a dip, suntanning...

:o whose foot!?

Sunset coming...

Table for meals allocated according to Room No.

Soon, it was dinner time. Package included all meals under Tioman Paya Resort. Food was mainly prepared chinese style as the owners were Chinese and honestly, not that fantastic but I did finished them all up...

Went out again to explore the night activities...Don't have much except for a mini open-area 'pub' where there was a projection screen showing sports and basically that was about it. There were 2 'mama' shops along the beach, 1 restaurant that served grilled seafood and the 'cafe' we visited earlier in the day was opened. Outside the 'cafe' had a pushcart stall selling satay! :p

Beer for me, Teh for her and a plate of delicious chicken satays as our 'supper'!

night view from the bridge...

Day 2

Snorkeling Day! We had early breakfast...

The area for our meals..

tempting look?

Rented the equipments and we were ready to go for our first snorkeling trip! Woot!

crowds of people ready for the snorkeling/diving trip...

while waiting for the boats to pick us up...

Not much 拍!拍!拍!/ Snap!Snap!Snap! photos 'cuz our camera is not a swimmer, and did not have the necessary equipment to protect itself...

our packed lunch - damn miserable...

taken at Marine Park...

Problem of going to such beaches during peak period, there were so many people snorkeling around, feeding the fishes, occupying the spaces that you can't really enjoy the nature beauty and somehow, I felt disgusted too. 'Cuz I will always happen to witness ugly sides of humans :(

Btw, I feel sorry for the corals and fishes as well.

Just before we returned to our resort beach, we were taken to a so-called 'DFS' shop in another area...

And that was where I opened my jaw big big...

whollycow! 1.75l Absolute Vodka!

More vodkas!

Too bad I couldn't buy any of them back and impossible for me to drink all up to bring back the empty bottles...

When we returned to Paya Beach, it was still early - ~3pm and decided we go to snorkel nearby...

proof that She did snorkeled thou She can't really swim :x

Dinner time...

A very tiring day...

Day 3

Had a very hearty, full breakfast, as it would be a long long long, torturous journey back to Singapore!!!

Oh yah, you will need to walk ~5mins along this wooden-planked-path to reach Tioman Paya Resort from the ferry bridge...

I like this shot :3

Tip: Dabao burgers back on your way so you can save up $$ during the stopover back to Singapore where you will need to pay quite a heavy sum on your lunch...

We did that :x

the Chef...

Why is it called Special Ramly Burger? 'Cuz the meat patty is covered by the battered egg. That's it. And I was wondering what's so special about it... :(

One day, we shall try out the beach front Resorts...

:3

The long journey to and fro really makes me to think twice of visiting the beach again thou the beach and snorkeling experience was really amazing.

hmmmm...

AHM Training Log Wk 02...

2008-06-09T13:29:00.003+08:00

Mileage slightly lesser than previous week :(

Gonna add in more this week and I hope I can still wake up early to do so. Euro 2008 started!!!

Run, Run, Run!!!

trackback: wk01...

god keron...

2008-06-07T18:44:00.002+08:00

knew Bandai gonna play its usual marketing trick when it first released the Keroro Robo MK II...I waited several months and true enough, the company compiled all the Robos into one package and adding in a few extra accessories...

Pre-ordered from my usual toy-supplier and finally it arrived recently. What a big box!

damage = S$58/-...

(that's a 30cm steel rule btw...)

Not sure when i'm gonna build it when its predecessor, MK I robos are not finished and my back log of gundams is getting more and more and more...

and i'm feelin' lazy to start gunpla nowadays...

:x

2nd round breakfast...

2008-06-06T11:39:00.002+08:00

Woke up early to have a light breakfast - one slice of bread with cheese and peanut butter and a cup of coffee, before I started my morning exercise around 30mins later...

Ran to school and swam and ran back home!

Hot sunny mornng!

Then I had my 2nd round breakfast:

2x "3/4-boiled" eggs + a bowl of cornflakes with raisins...

Not my brunch meal.
I was going to have lunch at a later time thou.

academic results for AY07/08 semester 2...

2008-06-05T07:40:00.004+08:00

At 0000hrs on 5th June night,
I clicked, clicked and clicked...
Refreshed , refreshed and refreshed...
Repeat these steps 'till 0200hrs and finally,
gave up trying and went to sleep.

Woke up in the morning 0700hrs, to try again.
Still couldn't get through the usual link, knn!
Got a link from a Comp. Eng. 1st Class online forummer and tried it,

And...

it worked!

updated with the official site screenshot:

Woot! 2nd Class(Upper Division)

WOAH!!! Woahhh!!!

Thanks :)

Looks bad on the first look :x
But at least I have one jiam tao, compared to last semester.
As always, expectations are exceeded:
A- : I think I'm lucky :)
B, : erhm...ok that's expected :|
B+ : I really have no idea, but I know I can crap!
B+ : FYP! Not a very good grade as probably most of you will think; Heng leh, 'cuz I think it's the minimum requirement for the 2nd Upper Class Honours! Guess my Professor likes me afterall~
B- : erhm...ok that's expected :|

~~~~
anythingggg laaaaa

Manz, I'm gonna graduate. Moving on to the next major phase of life...

FYI, I was expecting 2nd Class (Lower Division) due to many factors I had seriously considered before so...hahaha!

keep praying...

2008-06-04T18:03:00.003+08:00

the moment of truth is nearing...

I pray it's not too bad;
I hope I can still accept,
duh,
I have no choice but to accept.

Still,
I pray it will be good,
it's gonna be good,
it is good...

:3

river valley high school new site...

2008-06-03T12:32:00.003+08:00

This was taken on 26th Oct 2006, the plot of land formerly occupied by ITE Boon Lay and Boon Lay Garden Primary School,

click for bigger picture...

This was taken on 5th June 2008,

construction carrying out almost everyday...

"The new site for River Valley High School(RVHS), supposedly to be ready for usage in late 2009 or early 2010. Able to accommodate 6 cohorts of students who are under the RV Integrated Programme (introduced in 2006)."

Massive air pollution to my estate and the neighboring ones as well, in my opinion. Not too much noise pollution but can see that all workers are damn hardworking to work till 8-9+pm and almost everyday. Salute!

brew it the 'hirameki' way...

2008-06-02T18:25:00.002+08:00

Realized there's a new method to brew Lipton tea...

the front cover of the box...

Wow~ 'Hirameki' way!

click to read it clearly...

Interesting~

I have yet try it :x

shit before run!

2008-06-02T17:50:00.005+08:00

Remember the post 'lesson(s) learnt' I had written few days ago? One of which is to remind you not to run long distances without doing your big business in the toilet...

'Cuz if you dont, probably you will end up something like this:

courtesy via EDMW...

"the story ish this guy got acute diarrhea but he die die still want to run the marathon."

It's not funny~ But I really salute this guy:

Really mind over body...

:(

AHM Training Log Wk 01

2008-05-31T10:37:00.002+08:00

Struggling to keep to 5 min/KM pace and fatigue really sets in my legs. Need to do more workouts. Speed trainings are coming soon in the next few weeks. Right now I shall just concentrate in clocking mileage...50KM ~ 60KM/WK!

lesson(s) learnt...

2008-05-30T12:20:00.002+08:00

For the past few days, I have been training on my own for the AHM'08 and to lessen my suffering when the in-camp training for this event comes in end-June. Can't bear to imagine the torture I will have to go through, again.

New shoes are good! Of course they are and I'm glad they serve well. Cushioning is No.1 and so much so that I felt it was more comfortable than the Nike one I had bought in HK last year. :x

Also I have really learnt some lessons throughout the past few trainings:

1) I think I had mentioned this before: Never, never, never go run a long distance without shitting first. And make sure you really shit all the shit out. Serious, or probably just me who tend to have high metabolism rate. Recently in one 10KM run, I had done my 'business' before the run but somehow I had to stop halfway and used the toilet again. Damn fugged up, especially you have to break the momentum and start the run all over again after you finished the business.

Yeah, I'm full of shit :(

2) I shall not wear SAF New Balance Shoe without wearing socks. Damn, it was less than 2KM mark and already I was feeling the skin at the heel are bua-ing the shoe. Luckily, I was going for a swim hence the abrasion wasn't too serious. I shall not wear SAF New Balance Shoe without wearing socks. Or I can wear other shoes.

Painful lessons.

cool tips for hot running...

2008-05-28T21:58:00.002+08:00

An article from Runners World and find it useful for a tropical country like Singapore. Frequent joggers do read it, may come in handy~

I'll just quote some of the tips which I think are particularly important:

Twenty tricks to help you perform well throughout the summer

By Jeff Galloway

1. Try running in the early a.m. It's the coolest, most serene part of the day, and there's nothing like a morning run to boost your mood all day long.

3. Drink like crazy. Even if you don't feel thirsty, drink at least 8 ounces of fluid each hour, and more if you're outside or tend to perspire a lot. You'll run better with adequate fluid intake, and you'll feel better, too. By keeping your water storage high, you'll also improve your body's cooling mechanisms.

11. Start slowly. I'm a big proponent of doing this in all seasons, but starting your run slowly is particularly beneficial on hot days. The slower you start, the longer you'll keep your body heat from reaching the misery threshold. If you normally run at an 8-minute mile pace, for example, do your first mile at a 10-minute pace.

14. Run fountain-to-fountain. As a fallback for those beastly hot days, design a run that takes in frequent water stops. Water fountains are the obvious choices, but there are many more possibilities. When you map out your route, consider gas stations, health clubs, hospitals, schools, convenience stores and city parks.

16. Heed the heat warnings. You need to be very sensitive to the warning signs of heat illness, which, if it progresses, can be fatal. If you feel trouble coming on, you need to stop running, find some shade, get liquids and then find a ride or walk home. Following are signs of impending heat illness:
* Headache or intense heat buildup in the head.
* Confusion or lack of concentration.
* Loss of muscular control.
* Oversweating followed by clammy skin and cessation of sweating.
* Hot and cold flashes.
* Upset stomach, muscle cramps, vomiting, dizziness.

20. Bag it if it's too hot. Some days are going to be unsafe for running, especially if you live in an urban area where air pollution is also a concern. On those occasions, consider skipping running altogether. Or run inside on a treadmill. Or hit the pool for some laps.
(best tip imo, hahaa!!)

Read more...

scary youth...

2008-05-28T08:56:00.002+08:00

Read...

Youth gets 15-month probation for threatening teacher

Elena Chong
Tue, May 27, 2008
The Straits Times

A YOUTH was placed on 15 months' supervised probation on Tuesday for using threatening words on a teacher.

Longiness Roy Neo Long Long, 17, had earlier pleaded guilty to threatening Mr Chin Jun Feng, 24, by saying: 'You will not live more than two days. I will get people to kill you and attend funeral'.

He said this during a class at his school in Jurong West last Aug 17.

A Community Court heard that Mr Chin was invigilating the class when Neo made a lot of noise. When asked to leave, Neo uttered the words in Mandarin before leaving the classroom.

The teacher felt alarmed and made a police report. Under the order, Neo will have to observe curfew between 9pm and 6am and do 60 hours of community service.

His father, who is divorced and now has another family, signed a $4,000 bond to ensure his good behaviour.

If you were the young teacher, what would you do?

free newspaper wo...

2008-05-27T18:11:00.002+08:00

courtesy of life_line,

Do you know you can get FREE Straits Times & others online ?

i just found out from my son.
just go to: www.nlb.gov.sg
then: eResources for Adults
then: eNews
then: Library PressDisplay

of course you will need to register... FOC for singaporeans.
something wrong with my account (some bugs), so i am using my son's.
all the major international newspapers are found here, in its newsprint format!

cheers

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