there's something about ..... year end

I'm always quite nostalgia about the year's end. I willl always look back on the year and think what have I done, what happened in the year, what's the up and down of the year etc etc.

So this is the TOP 10 things of 2005 to me.

AT NO. 10. Setting up this blog. It's no big deal as it's really quite simple, even for a technical nerd like me. But what is significant is that, I actually stick to my 2005 resolution of doing something like this.

NO.9. My maid arrived. While this is also no big deal to most people, but this present a change in lifestyle to me. I can't walk freely in my bare body, I can't talk and act crazy, I have to constantly look Fierce, which is hard.

NO.8. Got a "new" Desktop PC. This will deserve a mention since this only happen like once every 5 years. Surely this must be very shallow, considering even without one, my life will not be any better or worse. But you must know, with a boring life like mine, such things can be top 10 lah.

NO.7. Treasure Hunt. I really enjoy this. It's something I look forward to experiencing it for a long time ago, so this is definitely a highlight of the year.

NO.6. My birthday. While I celebrated this every year, this is the first year I celebrated as a father. It's a big jump in your life.

NO.5. Send my maid back. It's not so much about the sending. But the events that lead up to the sending off. It was a nightmare over 2 weeks, constantly staying up in the middle of the night to play dedectives, constantly worrying about strangers coming into our house, and the safety of my family.

NO.4. Sold of my car. This was an emotional send-off. Yes... I initiated the selling. I wanted to sell. But that doesn't mean I can't miss my car, especially it also goes with my number plate over 13 years.

NO.3. Liverpool win Champions League. Grown man do cry.

NO.2. Going thru labour with my wife. It's a hell of a experience. I'm sure my wife felt the same way. This not only rank as the highlight of the year, but I guess it's also the highlight of our lives.

NO.1 Birth of my son. Grown man do cry.

Anyway, 2005 is coming to an end. I will always remember it for the lovely memories it gave me.

My resolution for 2006, in no particular order.

No.1. Learn how to set up webpage. I think this is a natural progression from Blog.

No.2. To improve on my business and hope for a breakthru year.

No.3. To become a better father. I think I'm lagging from my wife.

No.4. To lose weight. I have lost 2 kg in the last few months, hope to hit 75kg.

No.5. To find a new hobby.

So, meanwhile, I wish 2006 a better year for everyone.

Cheers.

there's something about ..... Christmas

Christmas come and gone. Nabeh.

Good things always come and go very fast. Bad things come very fast but go very slowly.

Boxing Day is literally a day where I kenna "box", some more over the trivial of matters, none of which is my fault.

That is the problem when your job nature is 24/7. I ever received an SMS from my client 4am in the morning, she decided to send me the sms when she remembers in the middle of the night because she was afraid of forgetting it the next day. Problem is, I forgot to set my phone to silent mode.

Anyway, Christmas Gathering at Jeff's was good. And when I arrived, I realised we haven't been to their place since exactly a year ago. Wow... that must have broken some record, considering I was a regular visitor to their house....... and toilet.

Again, we never seems to learn.... we seems to have over-catered the food.



Very merry

What is see above did not even include 2 boxes of Salad which was left untouched, half the logcake not finished, 1 bottle of juice-wine not opened.

I reckon based on value, it's probably a wastage of about $80.

Log cake

How come Christmas Cake must be a Log Cake? I haven't eaten anything christmas cake that is not a "LOG" cake. Just because Chocolate cake is popular, they conveniently use chocolate to make a brown-looking cake and named it "log"? Nabeh. Talk about creativity.



Playing some one else's present

I think my kid inherited abit of me. Which is, can Play... no need to sleep. In fact, every day he sleeps around 12 plus, which I was told it's bad for the kid. But what to do.

He sleeps with us and we don't sleep until he sleeps. If we awake, how he sleeps early. That night, he slept around 1 plus 2, and even that it's due to much coasing.

I think at baby's term, he seems to enjoy that night. I think he got sick of the same old toys he has at home, and Jeff's place got alot of different toys. Hor say liao, I just found myself a new excuse to go Jeff's place more often.

Gift exchange this year is kinda of interesting. The value is upped to $20, first time since we celebrate christmas together.

Interestingly, a Straits Times article a day before was on Gifts that Most people dislikes. Not surprisingly.... NO.1 ..... PHOTO FRAMES. Hahaha.

We went shopping for Gift Exchanges at Takashimaya this year. Not only for the gathering, but also for my wife's office party.

The office party has a $10 budget which after years of experience, I could almost immediately know what to buy. I reckon, if I were to buy it, I can choose something and pay up in less than 5 mins.

But my dear wife..... woman being woman... they want to spend more time choosing the right present, making sure that whoever receive it will like it.

My explanation to my wife (often fell on deaf ears) is like this, firstly, there aren't that many choices at $10 where "whoever receive it will like it". I told her, have we like any of the presents in the last donkey years of gift exchange at $10? Except... the very last one where I got a key pouch and even that is not $10.

So, if you can't determine who will get your present, the profile of the person that will get your present, how can you determine what present that someone will like?

So I told her, to waste time, and just buy. But as I said, it often fell on deaf ears.

After like 40 mins, we go pay up.... and she got a PHOTO FRAME for her office party. Wah.... luckily I don't work there.

I don't know what's with TAKASHIMAYA's Wrapper. Every girl crave for the wrapper. The queue for the wrapper is like super long. My wife insisted that I queue for it.

I told her... aiyeah... just take any wrapper we have at home lah... why must queue for it. Of course, again... it fell on deaf ears. And I have to queue.

Maybe it's the fact that Taka got this snob appeal and thus everything that comes with a Taka wrapper, must be expensive.... even if it is a $10 PHOTO FRAME. Ultimate.

Lesson learnt no.1. It's not what's on the outside, it's what's in the inside.

Back to our gift exchange, this year $20 budget present some unusual things. I was quietly observing to see if there is a more expensive photoframe or a more expensive mug. But... they veli good.... they put in more thoughts this time round, maybe because at $20, there are more options.

We have :

• Optical microsoft mouse. Veli happening... because the buyer of that gift decided to go MOTOROLA RAZ V3 by buying 2 of different colours... one black and one pink. PINK mouse.... to me... that is really cute.
• cushion Clock.
• Fila Bag
• key chain
• Soft toy
• Towels

I think every thing this year is quite practical.

I remember the most classic of gifts in the past....

• 2 metal balls that one rolled within their hands, supposedly for blood circulation. That balls without parantel supervision, can killed someone if some kid use it and play baseball with it.

I hope edwin has improved health since then.

there's something about ..... charging Durai

Read with interest on the NKF saga. So much info overload, it's getting quite repetitive.

But will Durai be charged?

• Backdating his pay? ...... No.
• Backdating his annual leave and cash them out ..... No.
• Increase salary of his staff a few times a year ..... No.
• Surpassing the 30% mark of expenditure for fund raising events .... No.
• Fly First Class even if it is donor's fund ...... No.
• Buy many air tickets but never use them ..... No.
• Buy medicine but earn a profit by charging patients higher ..... No.
• Only 10 cent of every dollar spend on patient ..... No.
• Buying Gold taps ..... No.
• Spending 30k a month on credit card .... No.
• Misleading information...... No.

All the above are just corporate governance goes haywire, so what if they are a charity entity.

If your board approved your salary.... what can you do. If the CEO approve pay increment, it is his right to do so. He is the CEO afterall.

He can spend all the money he wants but he also ensure the "company" is not in the red. He didn't borrow money to spend. He spend on "profits". What's wrong with that.

Charging patients at a profit but patients still pay lower than elsewhere, what's wrong with that.

Ok.. surpass the 30% mark for expenditure.... sorry... wrong judgement... what you want me to do now... I already spend them. Go ask Mediacorps to return you the money, ask SPH to return you the money.

10 cent out of every dollar spent on patient. But nobody complain before.

Misleading information. It's a different perspective.

My point is, these are just problems associated with corporate governance and it is not a criminal offence nor a white collar crime.

Any problem with whatever happen only means NKF will face penalties or fine. But not Durai, even if he is the CEO.

What I'm hoping to happen is this.

Money that goes into those 2 companies that failed to deliver, indirectly goes back to Durai.

THAT would be white collar crime.

That would be fine and perhaps jail. And fine will not be small. Whatever the amount fine.... hopefully the government will return back to NKF.

Jail term... I don't think so even if it is what everyone wanted. But he is finished in Singapore. His only option is back in INDIA. So the best way is to fine him hard hard, so even if he leaves Singapore, at least Singapore can retrieve whatever amount belonging to Singaporean's patients and not be siphorned into India.

there's something about ..... pc upgrade

My PC is finally upgraded!!!!

I do this (I meant the whole excercise) like every 5 years. And I'm not joking. Just to share with you a bit history of my PC.

I bought my PC in 1992. If you ever remember, DIGITEK. Last time this brand like machiam damn can. Before that, my PC was SHERRY... remember that brand. Like also machiam very can also.

But both the brands now... not very can. Cannot find.

Some time in 1998/9, I took over Anthony's hardware and put it into my Digitek. I believe it was Pentium 2.

And now... in 2005 December, almost 2006... I inherited Lily's PC. A pentium 3. But this process is damn CHI CHAM.

2 weeks ago, lily bought a new harddisk for the setup. After installing all the software, I think the PC got error... cannot run.

Over the weekend, lily tried again... and it was working. Hor Say liao, I took it back yesterday with full of anticipation, set it up at home.....

And..... I got an error "65k/56hz frequency out of range".

Win liao... monitor problem. Lily did the setup at her place and the system accepted her LCD panel as default and my 1998/9 Philip CRT monitor cannot accept the frequency. Nabeh.

I was given 3 solutions today:

1. Bring the system back to Lily and set the monitor to a lower resolution and bring it back.
2. Buy a new LCD panel.
3. Re-install XP and thus all the softwares that I bought original from local shops (DO NOT BUY PIRATES) and was previously installed by Lily into the system will thus be gone.

I wouldn't have mind the first option accept.... the system is too heavy. I reckon is near 10kg. Bringing it around don't sound like a good idea in case something inside got loose due to vibration.

Lily suggested lending me the LCD panel instead but didn't want to bother her with that again.

So I decided to buy a LCD panel 17 inch. Almost commited to a LG one at $400. But for whatever technical thing that I buy, I will always call Anthony and Lily to get a final opinion first.

Anthony felt I should really try option 1 before buying. Lily felt I shouldn't even buy at all as the investment may not give me much return since I may not used it as frequent. And she ask me to go for option 3 saying that I need to go thru the process to learn.

And luck would have it, she accidentally left my original XP disk inside the CD rom. Thus I was able to proceed re-installing immediately.

But suay suay.... going thru half way, I realised I need to have product key and the box is with her back home.

Anyway, after all the hassle, finally everything is up.

I reckon by my next upgrade.....

• Casino will be up.
• Circle line will be up.
• Singapore DAM will be up.

there's something about ..... pang sai

So I admit.... I probably got a mild Irritational Bowel Syndrome. I have probably used all toilets in Singapore... including Jeff's house (many times), anthony's house, Lily's house, Leon's house....

Yesterday, I used the toilet at NTUC Temporary supermarket at Ang Mo Kio Central. Temporary because their megamart is currently under construction, so they did up a very decent like machiam actual supermarket like that, at a temporary site.

Their toilet is located on one end right at the front portion of the supermarket, where all the cashiers are located. So the moment you are out of the cashier, you can't miss the toilet. IT'S THAT VISIBLE!!!!

As a government-linked supermarket, I expect them to adhere to MOH regulations that ALL PUBLIC TOILETS must have toilet papers. The 10 cent you pay is meant for the cleaners to clean the toilet and toilet paper should come free.

Anyway, this NTUC do not give out free toilet papers. Nabeh. They have this "TOILET PAPER DISPENSER" right outside the toilet, AT FULL VIEW FROM THE PUBLIC. You pay 10 cents and the machine will "churn" out the toilet paper.... WITH A LOUD MOTOR ROTATING NOISE.

It almost felt like the sound travels to as far as the first few cashier counters.

NABEH!!! win liao lor... now everyone queuing will know that I'm going to Pang Sai!!!

And 10 cents barely produce enough toilet paper. I don't know about everyone, But I uses ALOT, for other practical reasons other than cleaning.

I uses toilet paper:

• To clean the toilet seat.
• To lay one round, sometimes 2 layer of toilet paper on the Toilet Seat to protect my beautiful ass from germs.
• To put some into the water to minimise "splashing".

LIKE THAT... WHERE GOT ENOUGH?!??!

Because of the loud motor sound, I'm too pai seh to insert another coin for more toilet paper. Also... 20 cents for a toilet in NTUC? This is not Paragon. Even Paragon is free now, with ALOT of toilet paper, can even Da Pao one stack for future use.

So, if I only have enough to clean and nothing more for the above antics.... And the toilet being the sitting type and not the squatting type.... how?

Nabeh......I Squat on the Toilet bowl.

If you haven't try that before.... you should try.... it's super straining on your feet and calf. And if you are a six-footer like me......

there's something about ..... being creative

Creative: Zen Vision:m
SINGAPORE - December 8, 2005 - Creative Technology Ltd. (NASDAQ: CREAF), a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products and the number one manufacturer of MP3 players with music subscription support, today introduced the Zen Vision:M, Creative's premier 30GB video player, photo viewer and MP3 player. Designed with a stunning, 2.5-inch, high-resolution 262,144 color LCD screen, the Zen Vision:M displays rich, vibrant digital video, and photos, full-color menus and album art. The Zen Vision:M will be available in gorgeous high-gloss black, white, blue, green or pink this month for US$329.99 at www.asia.creative.com.

"When people see the Zen Vision:M, they tell us it's incredibly cool," said Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and CEO of Creative. "We designed the Zen Vision:M with its mesmerizing 262,144 color screen to display four times the color of the 30GB iPod that plays video, and to provide twice the battery life for video playback. Plus, we offer people the freedom to choose their video in a variety of different formats, and to get subscription music or download tracks from a number of different sites to their player."

I'm not promoting this gadget because I'm not popular enough for someone to give me gifts to promote it in blog.

In fact, I'm neutral to the brand Creative. Just like I'm neutral to the brand Apple. But I do know what "cool" is.

While ipod is considered as cool by everyone, it is something unspoken. It's not something that can be define.

To borrow what Mark Lee said during Star Awards "If you are good, you don't have to say you are good, people will say you are good, the road is long, my heart will go on".

"Cool" is something like that.

However, carrying an ipod doesn't make you cool instantly. Ask Edwin.

Paris Hilton was using Zen micro mini, but people didn't think she was uncool.

So what ipod did was great marketing. Create something that is beautiful, so be it if the gadget is mediorcre, and people (both cool and those not cool but want to be cool) will buy it.

What Creative did was marketing suicidal. Create something that looks so-so but on a gadget that gives a great punch, pronounce it as cool, price it $100 cheaper than the market leader, add lots of colour, and hope people (both cool and those not cool but want to be cool) buy it.

Now.. let's do your math.

Ipod: simple gadget + just 2 colours (black/white) + cost more = profitability

Zen: give more in gadget thus more components + lots of colours means more stocks and costs + charge lesser = tight profit margin.

Now... let's examine what Sim Wong Hoo says.

"When people see the Zen vision:m, they tell us it's incredibly cool"

Sim Wong Hoo: So what do you think of this product?

Staff A: Oh.. it's beautiful.

Sim Wong Hoo: YOU ARE FIRED!! Next... what do you think of this product?

Staff B: errr.... it's fantastic?

SWH: YOU ARE FIRED!!! Next... what do you think of this product?

Staff C (flipping thru dictionary): err...it's cool?

SWH: YOU ARE DEMOTED!! You... what do you think of this product?

Staff D: err.... it's incredibly cool?

SWH: YES.... YES!!! I just knew it!!! That is what I always says... Creative is incredibly Cool!!!

there's something about ..... dvd review: tom yum goong

tom yum

Caught this show in DVDp at my inlaws on Sunday. I must say the DVDp quality is very good. Like real DVD.

This is the second show featuring the Jackie Chan of Thailand since that fairly popular movie ONG BAK. And I must say, this movie not only live up to the last one, but even surpassing it where action is concerned.

This show has no relation to Ong Bak, or I believe. When things are in Thai language and in English Subtitles, sometimes certain things are lost in translation.

The fighting scenes are alot more elaborate this time round and with choreography that resembles the earlier Jackie Chan Movies, you almost forgot you are not watching Jackie Chan but some guy that looks like a Thai Construction Worker.

The fact that he looks like a construction worker only means his characterisation will often remains the same.... that is a thai farmer being sent to another place seeking something that was lost. Both shows goes along the same line. That same anguished look has not changed since Ong Bak.

This time round, this thai farmer is sent to Sydney to look for his "loved ones" that were kidnapped in thailand.

Production value for this show has vastly improved. Trying to add that international feel to it, the show is filmed in Sydney with English, Chinese and of course Thai Language featuring throughout the show. Of course, the elaborate scenes are really a plus here as compared to Ong Bak where most of the scenes were in the underground fighting ring. At one point, few minutes of action was film in one continuous take, probably thru a handheld. That was impressive.

Where storyline goes, as mentioned, it's always that thai farmer being sent to another place looking for something that hold dear to him or his village.

Ong Bak was about finding a Buddha Statute's head that was sacred to his Village and was stolen by a syndicate. And the word ONG BAK was in reference to this statute's head called ONG BAK.

Ultimate!! If a pig was stolen, the show would have been called BAK KUT TEI.

That aside, this show is about him looking for his "loved ones". Towards the end, (spoiler), when he found that his "loved ones" was actually killed, the lead character cried so bad that all those beatings he received at that point was numb to him.

Of course, during such fighting shows, the lead character will always draw strength from the death of their "loved ones", and somehow displayed super duper solid fighting skill that will defeat all enemies that was impossible to beat earlier, very much like those old Kung Fu movies.

Now... why did I quote, unquote the word "loved ones".

For all the trouble, all the drama, all the fighting, all the sacrifice is because his "loved ones" is a pair of......................................................

ELEPHANTS

WAH........ Does that mean Tom Yum Goong is reference to Elephants?

At one point, when he was desperately looking for his loved ones, he called out (in thai) : WHERE IS MY ELEPHANTS?

So how would I rate this show.....

**** for the pure enjoyment of the fighting sequence

* storyline

there's something about ..... our president

I'm not making fun of our president because I do like him as a person. But I can't help feeling that he was sabotaged by TCS.

TCS event organiser chairman: Mr President, do we have the honour to have you to be our guest of honour for the Media Event of the year?

Mr President: Oh... sure... but I thought NKF no longer have charity show... and Singapore Idol not here yet right?

TCS event organiser chairman: No.. it's much bigger than that, it is so big that it will be telecast over 2 channels simultaneously and 1.7m viewers are expected to watch the show because we will make sure they have nothing else to watch.

Mr President: Wah... like that, I definitely have to grace the event. Which charity event is it?

TCS: Err.. Mr President, it's not a charity event, but it's bigger than that. It's the STARS AWARDS, where we present awards to TCS artistes every year.

Mr President: huh?!?!??!

TCS: Not only that, you will give out the ALL TIME FAVOURITE AWARD to an international Star, very famous one, got film in Hollywood, China and taiwan one. So which is why we must also have a heavyweight to present this award, no one better than our president, your honour. Imagine, all the regional press will be present to capture this moment, and your picture will be splash across all major newspaper in the region and worldwide. We are talking about International Star here.

Mr President: ok. ok. ok. Hollywood star. So who is it?

During the show..........

Mr President: Thought you guys told me this is an english event?

Mr Banyan Tree aka chairman of Mediacorp: But we do have International Stars coming over from Taiwan and Hong Kong and I'm sure they speak English. Don't worry, I have already told Gurmit Singh and Mark Lee to say something in English later.

Mr President: Now that I have presented the award to the hollywood star, can I leave now?

Mr Banyan Tree: I'm afraid not sir, this is a 3 hours show....

Mr President: But everything in Chinese and I don't understand.

Mr Banyan Tree: It's ok sir, which is why I'm sitted next to you so that I can translate everything they say... that lady there, she is zoe tay, she come out and try to be funny, want that guy there call Christopher Lee next to her to proposed on stage to the hollywood star, this one hor... unscripted one, I also dunno she will do that, .... DEAR... can you stop showing that magazine to Mrs Nathan, it's very distracting.

Do we really need our president to be guest of honour in a Show like this? Even a member of Parliament would have been overkilled. I wish TCS would stop making a mockery of our honour in future by making him sit throughout a 3 hour event show in a language he couldn't understand and a show that is gossipy in nature.

I feel sorry for him. But at least he got to hug Fann Wong UPCLOSED.

there's something about ..... foodcourt

Brought my whole family to THE Foodcourt of the moment, FOOD REPUBLIC or 大食代 at wisma Atria on wednesday night.


Food Republic

If you haven't heard about it yet..... HELLO.... ARE YOU A TOURIST? I suspect even tourists have been there given their good location. If you ever remember, WISMA ATRIA 4th floor used to be a cluster of small shops and 1 side of it is the foodcourt. A not so popular foodcourt.

But NOW.... OMFG.... the whole floor less Isetan is Food Republic. And this food court come highly rated and highly publicised because their foodstalls and mini-restaurants boast some of the famous stalls as well as some famous chefs etc etc.

And if you are wondering why the name is so Cina, it's because it is. Food Republic first opened in Shanghai by our Singaporean Mr Breadtalk or previously known as Mr Food Junction. So this is the first overseas branch by a local company. So does it make this a local branch with a overseas branch in Shanghai?

And the crowd.... OMFG x 2. To say KANG SI LANG crowded is understatement. There are as many people walking around looking for a table than tables available. And we are talking about a very big foodcourt here and we are talking about Wednesday night.

Finding a table in a foodcourt is 50% art, 40% skill and 10% thick skin. And Finding a table in Food Republic is 20% art, 50% skill and 30% emotional blackmail.

I deployed my whole family, including my boy, to look for tables across the whole foodcourt, and we communicate via walkie-talkie aka handphones.

You know how sometimes you saw a table of patrons finishing their last bite of their food and then when they saw you standing next to them, they will then take their own sweet time drinking their coffee, chit chat and try to avoid eye-contact with you as if you are damn invisible?

I just invented a new technique which I hope to patent it, call "ianah". I have success using this technique and works 100% of the time by at least saving 5 mins of waiting time. I will first find a table of majority ladies finishing their food, call out to my wife/mother carrying my boy in their arms (eventhough we could have put the boy in the stroller) and stand next to them. This emotional blackmail works wonder. It fact, my mum overheard one of them rushing their friend because of us waiting with baby in toll.

I have been to this foodcourt twice and so far it takes me about 15 mins to get a table of 4.

thye hong hokkien mee

This foodstall sells the famous hokkien mee featured at the old Glutton Square, car park next to John Little. It was featured in the papers as the most popular dish at glutton square with about 10,000 plates being served per night.

Of course, Singaporeans love to queue for popular-but-so-so food. We are blinded by brands. We think anything that people queue is damn nice. And we think anything that is featured is newpaper must be damn super nice. So we queue. If we do a study on this herd instinct, I think such queueing time will caused Singapore of at least 2% GDP growth on productivity lost.

I queued. 30 minutes. Assuming I have an $100 hourly rate, that is $50 lost on 3 plates of Hokkien Mee/Orh Luat.

And the funny thing is, I have meant to just buy 1 plate of Hokkien Mee. But I thought... nabeh.. queue so long, might as well buy 2 more plates for sharing.

So after queueing for a while and about 10 person away from my turn, they have one of the stall helper "taking orders" for everyone in the queue, up to probably 15 patrons.

To my astonishment, everyone else has multiple orders. It's damn scary. 3 plates of this, 5 plates of that, 2 plates of this and 1 plate of that plus da pao 2 packets of that, one with HARM, the other no chilli etc. The latter one is not a joke. The ah soh in front of me really did order such a long list. Nabeh. This is disgusting.

Based on my estimates, this stall have a turnover of at least $20,000 to $30,000 a day. I'm actually contemplating to groom my son to be a Hokkien Mee Seller. Why study so much so that you earn a respectable income with annual leaves and stays in HDB Flats. Might as well be a Hokkien Mee Seller, works 363 days a year and stays in a bungalow.

Anyway, is the Hokkien Mee good?

Let's just say I wouldn't queue 5 mins for it.

Is the ORH LUAT good?

Let's just say I don't mind queueing 10 mins for it.

Is the overall experience at Food Republic Good.

It's good enough for me to patronise them twice in a week. With lots of Chio Bu and relatively good hawker food, it's a joy.... but I will only go if my son comes along.

there's something about ..... jar jar bing and his nike ad

The widely publicised and talked about footage from Nike and I named the video "WU EIA BOH".