Bananas
The bananas are ripe again.
The last bunch of bananas were thrown away before CNY as I didn't particularly fancy keeping a bunch of dark, spotted stuff over the new year.
I'm a traditional person.
On my goodies table, I have a pair of oranges with the stalks and leaves on, a pomelo, a bunch pineapple buds, glutinous rice cakes (stack of 2), "huat kuey", bananas, cooked rice, a pumpkin, and 4 mandarin oranges. All in all, I have 9 items to pass the new year with. Each has its significance.
The two types oranges are both known as "kum" or gold in Cantonese. The ones with the leaves signify exuberance, and I always like fruits with their stems and leaves on, as it also shows how fresh they are. The bananas are called "chew" in Cantonese, and signify "chew chai", meaning attracting wealth.
The rice is a traditional thingy, signifying abundance. The rice has turned entirely mouldy and that is a good sign, as the process of getting mouldy is called "fa" (prosperous).
The huat kuey is for prosperity, while the glutinous cakes (nian gao) is for "nian nian gao sheng" or promotions/raises every year.
The pumpkin is called jin gua or gold melon in mandarin. I guess that does not need further explanations, right?
The pineapple (or "wang lai") is to invite prosperity and luck, the pomelo is for blessing the descendants.
I had bought a bunch of green bananas, but they are ripe now. Monkey time! Again...
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
CNY Days 2 and 3
CNY Days 2 and 3
Day 2
Woke up in the morning and took my morning bath. When I walked out of the bathroom, I saw a lizard on my freshly done handkerchief. My laundry!
Calmness! Don't freaking panic! Stay cool. You know what to do.
Found a pair of chopsticks and went to the lizard. Hai....yah! Managed to twist the chopsticks across the midsection of the lizard. It fell to the floor.
I emptied the dustpan where it had fallen on and then I saw it on a stack of folded newspapers. It ain't that dead yet. So I flicked it off the paper and it landed on its feet. It looked ready to bolt!
Heck! Take a deep breath. Don't freak out now. Ok. Got it!
Take the chopsticks and do the mad piercing. On the third thrust, I landed squarely in its midsection once again. It was amazing. The lizard did not even have time to drop its tail.
Pick up carcass with chopsticks, packed it within folded newspapers and tie up in a pack.
Threw it away with the rest of the rubbish later. (Of course, the fermented beancurd in the bin the night before went on fermenting and my bin is now full of its "fragrance".)
Other than that, Day 2 came and went rather uneventfully. Visited some friends and caught up with the latest.
Day 3
Visited a friend and proceeded to spend the entire afternoon watching about 8 episodes of Desperate Housewives Season 2. Goodness, it must have been the most fruitful of the past 3 days!
There were a couple of spoilt episodes, due to poor downloading but I didn't miss that terribly much. Also, the flashbacks helped me piece the missing parts together somewhat.
It was a good break, being a couch potato.
Day 2
Woke up in the morning and took my morning bath. When I walked out of the bathroom, I saw a lizard on my freshly done handkerchief. My laundry!
Calmness! Don't freaking panic! Stay cool. You know what to do.
Found a pair of chopsticks and went to the lizard. Hai....yah! Managed to twist the chopsticks across the midsection of the lizard. It fell to the floor.
I emptied the dustpan where it had fallen on and then I saw it on a stack of folded newspapers. It ain't that dead yet. So I flicked it off the paper and it landed on its feet. It looked ready to bolt!
Heck! Take a deep breath. Don't freak out now. Ok. Got it!
Take the chopsticks and do the mad piercing. On the third thrust, I landed squarely in its midsection once again. It was amazing. The lizard did not even have time to drop its tail.
Pick up carcass with chopsticks, packed it within folded newspapers and tie up in a pack.
Threw it away with the rest of the rubbish later. (Of course, the fermented beancurd in the bin the night before went on fermenting and my bin is now full of its "fragrance".)
Other than that, Day 2 came and went rather uneventfully. Visited some friends and caught up with the latest.
Day 3
Visited a friend and proceeded to spend the entire afternoon watching about 8 episodes of Desperate Housewives Season 2. Goodness, it must have been the most fruitful of the past 3 days!
There were a couple of spoilt episodes, due to poor downloading but I didn't miss that terribly much. Also, the flashbacks helped me piece the missing parts together somewhat.
It was a good break, being a couch potato.
Monday, January 30, 2006
CNY Day 1
CNY Day 1
I kept my mouth shut mostly during this year's visit. I tried to avoid filling my mouth with too much food because goodies are not good for health. Irony, isn't it?
I kept quiet because there was nothing much to say. While many relatives are hoping that I'll get married, I'm happy being single and swinging. Never mind my availability but why the heck do I want to get a cow to own a farmhouse? The house can wait, I suppose.
So, CNY day 1 came and went.
Breakfast was at 1 am at Jln Kayu. The prata was a gross disappointment. So was the Indian rojak. The teh-O ice was cloyingly sweet. Yucks.
Breakfast part 2 was at 10.30 am, a bowl of rice vermicilli (sp?) for longevity. These days, medical advances let you live long enough. Longer than you should, I think. But the quality of life is glaringly absent. Live a shitty life for a super extended period, FOR WHAT?
I think mankind is again let down by mad scientists, whose sole purpose in their lives is to prolong our agonies. No?
Came back after visiting 5 families and proceeded to cook some dinner.
Washed and cut some chinese cabbages and dumped in some ham into the dutch oven to cook. Turned on the hot plate and VIOLA! The plate is dead. Uh oh... Never mind. After fiddling and twiddling with the multiplug, playing musical chairs for the plug sockets etc, I decided to declare TOD for the hotplate. Hm...
And so, I depended on my trusty microwave to radiate my vegetables and ham to food heaven. After about 20 minutes of microwave radiation, my instincts told me that they are good for part 2.
Took out the casserole and tasted a little of the stock in the dish. Cabbage tends to give out a lot of water. Bland. So I decided to use a piece of fermented bean curd to spice things up a little.
Honestly, I have been in constant regret ever since I bought that bottle of fermented beancurd because I find it too salty and too bitter. But I did not think it good karma to throw away. So I have been mixing it with porridge or adding it to whatever dish I can use it in to finish it.
Took it out of the fridge. It slipped through my fingers and fell to the floor! I heard a sickening "platt!". Well done! Luo di kai hua. (The flower blossoms as it its the floor - a Chinese saying to deflect inauspicious stuff. When something drops on the floor, it tends to spray out upon contact. We use kai hua to liken the blasting to the blooming of a flower.)
Picked up the big pieces, took up the glass bottle and saw that the lid is cracked. Oh, perfect excuse to throw the entire bottle away. Sure beats having to swallow a sliver of glass by mistake.
So I cleaned up the place with water. Chinese customs dictate that we cannot sweep on day 1. So I used a wet cloth and mopped the place up.
Cooked up dinner, ate and watched some TV. Then I went to bed.
I kept my mouth shut mostly during this year's visit. I tried to avoid filling my mouth with too much food because goodies are not good for health. Irony, isn't it?
I kept quiet because there was nothing much to say. While many relatives are hoping that I'll get married, I'm happy being single and swinging. Never mind my availability but why the heck do I want to get a cow to own a farmhouse? The house can wait, I suppose.
So, CNY day 1 came and went.
Breakfast was at 1 am at Jln Kayu. The prata was a gross disappointment. So was the Indian rojak. The teh-O ice was cloyingly sweet. Yucks.
Breakfast part 2 was at 10.30 am, a bowl of rice vermicilli (sp?) for longevity. These days, medical advances let you live long enough. Longer than you should, I think. But the quality of life is glaringly absent. Live a shitty life for a super extended period, FOR WHAT?
I think mankind is again let down by mad scientists, whose sole purpose in their lives is to prolong our agonies. No?
Came back after visiting 5 families and proceeded to cook some dinner.
Washed and cut some chinese cabbages and dumped in some ham into the dutch oven to cook. Turned on the hot plate and VIOLA! The plate is dead. Uh oh... Never mind. After fiddling and twiddling with the multiplug, playing musical chairs for the plug sockets etc, I decided to declare TOD for the hotplate. Hm...
And so, I depended on my trusty microwave to radiate my vegetables and ham to food heaven. After about 20 minutes of microwave radiation, my instincts told me that they are good for part 2.
Took out the casserole and tasted a little of the stock in the dish. Cabbage tends to give out a lot of water. Bland. So I decided to use a piece of fermented bean curd to spice things up a little.
Honestly, I have been in constant regret ever since I bought that bottle of fermented beancurd because I find it too salty and too bitter. But I did not think it good karma to throw away. So I have been mixing it with porridge or adding it to whatever dish I can use it in to finish it.
Took it out of the fridge. It slipped through my fingers and fell to the floor! I heard a sickening "platt!". Well done! Luo di kai hua. (The flower blossoms as it its the floor - a Chinese saying to deflect inauspicious stuff. When something drops on the floor, it tends to spray out upon contact. We use kai hua to liken the blasting to the blooming of a flower.)
Picked up the big pieces, took up the glass bottle and saw that the lid is cracked. Oh, perfect excuse to throw the entire bottle away. Sure beats having to swallow a sliver of glass by mistake.
So I cleaned up the place with water. Chinese customs dictate that we cannot sweep on day 1. So I used a wet cloth and mopped the place up.
Cooked up dinner, ate and watched some TV. Then I went to bed.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Keep Them
Keep Them
It was already two days before Chinese New Year and the fruit seller is still so smug.
I had already bought three pairs of ornamental oranges and a bunch of bananas from him and he insisted on wanting to charge me $10 for a box of premium grade mandarin oranges.
Not that I'm stingy but he says there are only 13 oranges in that box and since I'll be giving those premium oranges away for the less than premium ones anyway, I thought it an unnecessary expenditure.
I looked for something less expensive and so he suggested something less premium, 15 oranges for $9. What an idiot.
So the oranges are no go.
I went to look at the pomelos. He wanted $8 for each. They are way too big, I said. So he replied, take this one lah. I charge you $7. Looking at that pomelo, I would only have agreed for at most $6.
Ah, keep them, I told him.
I got the $9 oranges for $5 at Chinatown and the pomelo at $5 at Chinatown last night.
I guess I know my market rates well.
It was already two days before Chinese New Year and the fruit seller is still so smug.
I had already bought three pairs of ornamental oranges and a bunch of bananas from him and he insisted on wanting to charge me $10 for a box of premium grade mandarin oranges.
Not that I'm stingy but he says there are only 13 oranges in that box and since I'll be giving those premium oranges away for the less than premium ones anyway, I thought it an unnecessary expenditure.
I looked for something less expensive and so he suggested something less premium, 15 oranges for $9. What an idiot.
So the oranges are no go.
I went to look at the pomelos. He wanted $8 for each. They are way too big, I said. So he replied, take this one lah. I charge you $7. Looking at that pomelo, I would only have agreed for at most $6.
Ah, keep them, I told him.
I got the $9 oranges for $5 at Chinatown and the pomelo at $5 at Chinatown last night.
I guess I know my market rates well.
Cheating
Cheating
The annual Chinese New Year rush for bak kwa (roasted pork slices) have seen at least one shop being caught for shortchanging customers.
This is really unnecessary. In any case, I hope to see a huge fine for the shops that are caught.
The shops have already raised the price for the festive season. There is no reason to say that giving the customers a little more will erode their bottom lines.
Also, there are always smaller, fractured pieces of the pork which could be added to the packs for the full weight. Why cheat?
As it is, to slap on 3 to 5 pieces of oil paper (their explanation is to absorb the excess oil) is already unethical. They should weigh the goods neat, and then pack. At this rate, the amount obtained through cheating is definitely substantial.
Maybe the authorities could consider a fine commensurating to that applied for cigarette smuggling.
The annual Chinese New Year rush for bak kwa (roasted pork slices) have seen at least one shop being caught for shortchanging customers.
This is really unnecessary. In any case, I hope to see a huge fine for the shops that are caught.
The shops have already raised the price for the festive season. There is no reason to say that giving the customers a little more will erode their bottom lines.
Also, there are always smaller, fractured pieces of the pork which could be added to the packs for the full weight. Why cheat?
As it is, to slap on 3 to 5 pieces of oil paper (their explanation is to absorb the excess oil) is already unethical. They should weigh the goods neat, and then pack. At this rate, the amount obtained through cheating is definitely substantial.
Maybe the authorities could consider a fine commensurating to that applied for cigarette smuggling.
Passing of the Torch
Passing of the Torch
In-camp training this year is special to me in many ways.
My boss is retiring. I have worked for her since 1999, when I re-enlisted to serve out my National Service after my studies. She had been and is still a wealth of knowledge from whom I learn. I'm going to miss working for her.
I seriously don't know who is coming over to take over her place or who I will be placed under after she leaves but I know it would be tough to find someone like her. I believe many of the NS guys who have worked with her would agree.
My unit will be reorganized into two or even three units and my future is uncertain. The people whom I've worked with since 1999 are all going to different places. I know for sure I'm going to miss working with them.
In a way, in-camp trainings are a sort of reunion for me. Every year, my army colleagues look forward to my going back to serve and I also look forward to go back to serve.
The renewal of ties and the updating of knowledge play a critical role in our growth. Our relationships have matured to the point where we can catch up from where we leave off very quickly. Even while I only serve about a fortnight each time I go back, we have never lost the camaraderie of working in a team or even helping each other.
We still make great saves for each other.
I don't think I'll ever be able to find a group that cohesive and that supportive.
And that's my boss' style: Build a team and trust the team.
In-camp training this year is special to me in many ways.
My boss is retiring. I have worked for her since 1999, when I re-enlisted to serve out my National Service after my studies. She had been and is still a wealth of knowledge from whom I learn. I'm going to miss working for her.
I seriously don't know who is coming over to take over her place or who I will be placed under after she leaves but I know it would be tough to find someone like her. I believe many of the NS guys who have worked with her would agree.
My unit will be reorganized into two or even three units and my future is uncertain. The people whom I've worked with since 1999 are all going to different places. I know for sure I'm going to miss working with them.
In a way, in-camp trainings are a sort of reunion for me. Every year, my army colleagues look forward to my going back to serve and I also look forward to go back to serve.
The renewal of ties and the updating of knowledge play a critical role in our growth. Our relationships have matured to the point where we can catch up from where we leave off very quickly. Even while I only serve about a fortnight each time I go back, we have never lost the camaraderie of working in a team or even helping each other.
We still make great saves for each other.
I don't think I'll ever be able to find a group that cohesive and that supportive.
And that's my boss' style: Build a team and trust the team.
Monday, January 23, 2006
Nose Part 2
Nose Part 2
The antibiotics are working. The swelling maxed out on Saturday and it is healing a little now.
However, the pimple has also split into two parts, one on the nose's external and the other is inside the nose. Darn.
Anyhow, there was apparently army mobilisation for my unit on Saturday and for some reason, I was not part of the call-up. Maybe I've been a good soldier.
But still, someone from my unit called me up and asked about my MC. I said I had informed the unit because it's courteous to do so. If I were not on recall, he could ignore the information about me being on MC. Anyway, if I was not required to turn up, I don't need to produce proof that I couldn't turn up.
Anyway, the antibiotics are killing me. 7 hours after each dose of antibiotics, my stomach will be growling and I will get a lot of pain and flatulence. And the pain gets worse and worse until I get something to eat. But then, the cycle repeats itself because after dinner, I need to eat the dose of medicine again.
The swelling has subsided a bit and it is not that painful on the touch now. I am super duper tempted to break the bloody pimple once and for all but somehow I don't think I want to risk meningitis (inflammation of the brain lining). This would be suicidal, since the diagnosis is usually by spinal tap (drilling the part of the spine near the lower back to draw out blood for tests).
I think I'll just grin and bear and before I know it, it's Chinese New Year. Anyway, these days, people concentrate more on my growing stomach than on my face. I wonder if this is a better consolation.
The antibiotics are working. The swelling maxed out on Saturday and it is healing a little now.
However, the pimple has also split into two parts, one on the nose's external and the other is inside the nose. Darn.
Anyhow, there was apparently army mobilisation for my unit on Saturday and for some reason, I was not part of the call-up. Maybe I've been a good soldier.
But still, someone from my unit called me up and asked about my MC. I said I had informed the unit because it's courteous to do so. If I were not on recall, he could ignore the information about me being on MC. Anyway, if I was not required to turn up, I don't need to produce proof that I couldn't turn up.
Anyway, the antibiotics are killing me. 7 hours after each dose of antibiotics, my stomach will be growling and I will get a lot of pain and flatulence. And the pain gets worse and worse until I get something to eat. But then, the cycle repeats itself because after dinner, I need to eat the dose of medicine again.
The swelling has subsided a bit and it is not that painful on the touch now. I am super duper tempted to break the bloody pimple once and for all but somehow I don't think I want to risk meningitis (inflammation of the brain lining). This would be suicidal, since the diagnosis is usually by spinal tap (drilling the part of the spine near the lower back to draw out blood for tests).
I think I'll just grin and bear and before I know it, it's Chinese New Year. Anyway, these days, people concentrate more on my growing stomach than on my face. I wonder if this is a better consolation.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Logic
Logic
The family disagreement before CNY.
I despise the fact that the people who ought to be clearing the air for "misdeeds" sneaked off for a holiday (although finances are tight) while the person who ought to go off felt there is nothing to avoid.
I wonder how anyone can deem taking 2 weeks' leave and bringing a parent on a (expensive) holiday can be deemed "not an act of filial piety". So, after this year's trip, no more holidays. Simple as that.
And how can anyone be so naive to think that buying nearby houses and staying close together is important? For goodness sake, why do I want to let my life be dictated in this manner? Do I have no right to decide where I want to stay?
Anyway, now I'll save money and I'll get to have time on my own. For starters, I don't even have a maid to clean my place. I do my own laundry, ironing, cleaning, toilet washing etc. I even cook, when I am in the mood. No need to find time to bring people on holidays.
I'm loving it!
The family disagreement before CNY.
I despise the fact that the people who ought to be clearing the air for "misdeeds" sneaked off for a holiday (although finances are tight) while the person who ought to go off felt there is nothing to avoid.
I wonder how anyone can deem taking 2 weeks' leave and bringing a parent on a (expensive) holiday can be deemed "not an act of filial piety". So, after this year's trip, no more holidays. Simple as that.
And how can anyone be so naive to think that buying nearby houses and staying close together is important? For goodness sake, why do I want to let my life be dictated in this manner? Do I have no right to decide where I want to stay?
Anyway, now I'll save money and I'll get to have time on my own. For starters, I don't even have a maid to clean my place. I do my own laundry, ironing, cleaning, toilet washing etc. I even cook, when I am in the mood. No need to find time to bring people on holidays.
I'm loving it!
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Distorted Nose
Distorted Nose
Cannot believe it. My nose is distorted by a pimple.
A few days ago, a pimple grew in my nose. It is at the apex of the nose.
And it grew and grew.
Then it got too big. It pressed against the nasal bone and distorted the nose. And there was this pain that starts from the tip of the nose and spread upwards all the way to the scalp and inner ear.
So off I went to my trusty doctor and told him I've got a unique situation for him. I asked for instant relief. It's ok to lose some blood. So long as I can break the darn pimple and get some relief from the pressure, I'll be happy enough!
Then he checked me and agreed that it was indeed a unique situation. Then he went on to mention that the pimple was at the apex of my nose (as I have pointed out and he has confirmed). And as the nerves from the brain end there, touching it at all is contraindicated. That means, he could not do anything. In fact, there is nothing that any doctor would do for any pimple inside the nose.
This was the worst news I've heard. Then he went on, no touching, no piercing, no squeezing (even when the pimple is ripe), no rubbing. Absolutely nothing, because an infection would be terrible.
Of course, we also both observed that the pimple has grown to a point that it is observable from the outside of the nose as well.
Being under immense misery, I asked if he could pierce the offending cone from outside the nose and draw out the insides for relief. So he went, no. Outside in cannot, inside out also cannot.
Shucks!
So I'm back on antibiotics. I'm allergic to tetracycline so I'm taking something else. It cost $1 per tablet. Twice a day, 2 tablets each time. Wish I could exchange the tablets for a bowl of fishball noodles, really.
The pain is still there and there is the intermittent itch that really gets me scratching discreetly.
In short, I'm miserable.
All because of a PIMPLE.
Cannot believe it. My nose is distorted by a pimple.
A few days ago, a pimple grew in my nose. It is at the apex of the nose.
And it grew and grew.
Then it got too big. It pressed against the nasal bone and distorted the nose. And there was this pain that starts from the tip of the nose and spread upwards all the way to the scalp and inner ear.
So off I went to my trusty doctor and told him I've got a unique situation for him. I asked for instant relief. It's ok to lose some blood. So long as I can break the darn pimple and get some relief from the pressure, I'll be happy enough!
Then he checked me and agreed that it was indeed a unique situation. Then he went on to mention that the pimple was at the apex of my nose (as I have pointed out and he has confirmed). And as the nerves from the brain end there, touching it at all is contraindicated. That means, he could not do anything. In fact, there is nothing that any doctor would do for any pimple inside the nose.
This was the worst news I've heard. Then he went on, no touching, no piercing, no squeezing (even when the pimple is ripe), no rubbing. Absolutely nothing, because an infection would be terrible.
Of course, we also both observed that the pimple has grown to a point that it is observable from the outside of the nose as well.
Being under immense misery, I asked if he could pierce the offending cone from outside the nose and draw out the insides for relief. So he went, no. Outside in cannot, inside out also cannot.
Shucks!
So I'm back on antibiotics. I'm allergic to tetracycline so I'm taking something else. It cost $1 per tablet. Twice a day, 2 tablets each time. Wish I could exchange the tablets for a bowl of fishball noodles, really.
The pain is still there and there is the intermittent itch that really gets me scratching discreetly.
In short, I'm miserable.
All because of a PIMPLE.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Snippets
Snippets
The morning bus is getting progressively crowded. It did NOT help that in order to improve service, SBS Transit has cut down by one bus during the morning! I hope things get better.
The Buangkok MRT station on the NE line is drawing few passengers. Too few, in fact, for any station! Well, expected. Singaporeans want everything but when they are given it, they take it for granted and leave it to rot.
"Ask yourself what not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." Yeah right. I've decided that I can't do anything for my country and my country doesn't let me off. So exciting right? Jail for skipping NS is a joke. The price one pays for skipping NS is already immense - he must renounce his Singapore citizenship and never set foot in this cursed land or he'll be arrested and punished. Anyway, people can say what they like. My only take is, if you are going to skip NS, f**king never go anywhere south because you probably need to stop by Singapore for a connecting flight. Otherwise, be smart. Take TG.
Anthony Hopkins won the Cecil DeMille award at the Golden Globe. He acted in almost 100 movies in his 40-year career. I wonder if I will be able to work for 40 years. I hope not. I'm hoping to retire in the next 10.
A friend wrote to me and asked if the laws of inequalities held for complex numbers. Specifically, if z1 > z2, then is -z1 < -z2. I don't think so. Never thought of this question because to me, complex numbers are treated more like vectors, and I don't recall doing inequalities for vectors. However, one can do comparisons on the real and imaginary components. I might be wrong - budding mathematicians may wish to verify the facts and let me know.
Saw another question in a website where a student asked why for 0 < x < 1, ln x < lg x. But for x > 1, lg x < ln x. Maybe I should offer a prize for the most elegant rudimentary explanation.
It's been a long time since I've read a good book. I should go and find one. I've been reading too much terrorism related stuff and honestly, I'm getting rather bored. Almost everything that I read talks about terrorism, somehow. This is especially so for the reading stuff I get at work. Oh, I have a set of terrorism bulletin that I need to vet tonight. I want to read something nice. Anything.
Ang Lee won Best Director at the Golden Globes Award for his gay movie, Brokeback Mountain. I'm so glad for him. I think he's come a long way and even till now, to win in an foreign competition. And I am impressed with his English mastery.
There was too much chilli in the rojak! Terrible. The lady making it just dumped in a lump and gave me a rather swollen mouth from the heat.
The pineapple tarts I recommended earlier are GORGEOUS. I know. When I opened a tub on Sunday, everyone went "WOW! So fragrant. The tarts are so nice!" Ok, good buy.
I'm getting bored and sleepy.
I didn't play my Superstar Mahjong today. I feel deprived. But I have no interest to use my brains today against a biased computer programme.
I think I go and vet the terrorism bulletin.
The morning bus is getting progressively crowded. It did NOT help that in order to improve service, SBS Transit has cut down by one bus during the morning! I hope things get better.
The Buangkok MRT station on the NE line is drawing few passengers. Too few, in fact, for any station! Well, expected. Singaporeans want everything but when they are given it, they take it for granted and leave it to rot.
"Ask yourself what not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." Yeah right. I've decided that I can't do anything for my country and my country doesn't let me off. So exciting right? Jail for skipping NS is a joke. The price one pays for skipping NS is already immense - he must renounce his Singapore citizenship and never set foot in this cursed land or he'll be arrested and punished. Anyway, people can say what they like. My only take is, if you are going to skip NS, f**king never go anywhere south because you probably need to stop by Singapore for a connecting flight. Otherwise, be smart. Take TG.
Anthony Hopkins won the Cecil DeMille award at the Golden Globe. He acted in almost 100 movies in his 40-year career. I wonder if I will be able to work for 40 years. I hope not. I'm hoping to retire in the next 10.
A friend wrote to me and asked if the laws of inequalities held for complex numbers. Specifically, if z1 > z2, then is -z1 < -z2. I don't think so. Never thought of this question because to me, complex numbers are treated more like vectors, and I don't recall doing inequalities for vectors. However, one can do comparisons on the real and imaginary components. I might be wrong - budding mathematicians may wish to verify the facts and let me know.
Saw another question in a website where a student asked why for 0 < x < 1, ln x < lg x. But for x > 1, lg x < ln x. Maybe I should offer a prize for the most elegant rudimentary explanation.
It's been a long time since I've read a good book. I should go and find one. I've been reading too much terrorism related stuff and honestly, I'm getting rather bored. Almost everything that I read talks about terrorism, somehow. This is especially so for the reading stuff I get at work. Oh, I have a set of terrorism bulletin that I need to vet tonight. I want to read something nice. Anything.
Ang Lee won Best Director at the Golden Globes Award for his gay movie, Brokeback Mountain. I'm so glad for him. I think he's come a long way and even till now, to win in an foreign competition. And I am impressed with his English mastery.
There was too much chilli in the rojak! Terrible. The lady making it just dumped in a lump and gave me a rather swollen mouth from the heat.
The pineapple tarts I recommended earlier are GORGEOUS. I know. When I opened a tub on Sunday, everyone went "WOW! So fragrant. The tarts are so nice!" Ok, good buy.
I'm getting bored and sleepy.
I didn't play my Superstar Mahjong today. I feel deprived. But I have no interest to use my brains today against a biased computer programme.
I think I go and vet the terrorism bulletin.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Poetic
Poetic
Suddenly, the idea gripped my mind and I typed Poetic without thinking much.
I knew what I had wanted to do here but now I've completely changed my agenda.
Now I want to share some lyrics in a song which I find is extremely poetic. If you have others, feel free to share them with the others.
I've been humming Stefanie Sun's "Tears become Poems" (Yan Lei Cheng Shi) today. I especially like the first line. I'll share the first two lines:
I already have turned my wounds into roses
My tears have turned into rain, after they've been reincarnated
I think it is so visually appealing, to describe the indelible scar that is left behind after a particularly bad wound as a rose. I guess many of us have different roses all over our body, heart and soul then.
There are other songs that I like a lot too, but I chose this maybe because I'm feeling a little melancholic today.
Suddenly, the idea gripped my mind and I typed Poetic without thinking much.
I knew what I had wanted to do here but now I've completely changed my agenda.
Now I want to share some lyrics in a song which I find is extremely poetic. If you have others, feel free to share them with the others.
I've been humming Stefanie Sun's "Tears become Poems" (Yan Lei Cheng Shi) today. I especially like the first line. I'll share the first two lines:
I already have turned my wounds into roses
My tears have turned into rain, after they've been reincarnated
I think it is so visually appealing, to describe the indelible scar that is left behind after a particularly bad wound as a rose. I guess many of us have different roses all over our body, heart and soul then.
There are other songs that I like a lot too, but I chose this maybe because I'm feeling a little melancholic today.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
"I'm spineless, watch me lean"
"I'm spineless, watch me lean"
The MRT train pulled in at Jurong East and these 3 young things come in. Immediately one spinelessly leaned her back on one of the holding poles on the train. She immediately crushed four people's hands.
They withdrew their hands and glared at her.
Yet, she shamelessly leaned back. I had in good mind to give her a ticking off but seeing one of her seniors (one of the more senior passengers whose hand she crushed and of the same race as hers) did not say anything to teach her a thing or two, I realised it's not my place to do anything.
The forum is not right.
So Miss Spineless Leaner carried on all the way to the end, at Boon Lay.
The MRT train pulled in at Jurong East and these 3 young things come in. Immediately one spinelessly leaned her back on one of the holding poles on the train. She immediately crushed four people's hands.
They withdrew their hands and glared at her.
Yet, she shamelessly leaned back. I had in good mind to give her a ticking off but seeing one of her seniors (one of the more senior passengers whose hand she crushed and of the same race as hers) did not say anything to teach her a thing or two, I realised it's not my place to do anything.
The forum is not right.
So Miss Spineless Leaner carried on all the way to the end, at Boon Lay.
Just burn one pack lah!
Just burn one pack lah!
Went to the temple to pray to my grandparents ahead of Chinese New Year's Eve. It's one of those routine prayers that one makes in the course of a year.
So as I completed buying my stuff, I had to buy the joss papers before going to the temple.
I had wanted to buy two sets of the papers for burning, because my friend is doing his prayers today as well.
The vendor in the market found that he only had 2 sets of the yellow papers that I wanted 4 sets of.
So he started rummaging his stash and when he couldn't find any, he proposed something as a replacement. The shortfall is obvious and I'm not about to burn less than what I normally do.
So he said, "Why don't you just pray one pack and burn one pack lah!"
This is so audacious and sacrilegious.
How can one ever suggest something like this? I really wonder.
Went to the temple to pray to my grandparents ahead of Chinese New Year's Eve. It's one of those routine prayers that one makes in the course of a year.
So as I completed buying my stuff, I had to buy the joss papers before going to the temple.
I had wanted to buy two sets of the papers for burning, because my friend is doing his prayers today as well.
The vendor in the market found that he only had 2 sets of the yellow papers that I wanted 4 sets of.
So he started rummaging his stash and when he couldn't find any, he proposed something as a replacement. The shortfall is obvious and I'm not about to burn less than what I normally do.
So he said, "Why don't you just pray one pack and burn one pack lah!"
This is so audacious and sacrilegious.
How can one ever suggest something like this? I really wonder.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Tarts
Pineapple Tarts
The pineapple tarts I've ordered for my friends arrived today. I'm sure many people will be enjoying their tarts later.
My own stash arrived just now and for those who are really really interested, I got the tarts from Joyus Pastries (HP 9618 1238 - Leo Tan).
Hm... I must charge Leo for advertising fees.
By the way, any other recommendations for excellent tarts? Joyus is the one of the very best I've tried so far. Nothing comes near, unless you consider eating pineapple tart jam on its own. :)
The pineapple tarts I've ordered for my friends arrived today. I'm sure many people will be enjoying their tarts later.
My own stash arrived just now and for those who are really really interested, I got the tarts from Joyus Pastries (HP 9618 1238 - Leo Tan).
Hm... I must charge Leo for advertising fees.
By the way, any other recommendations for excellent tarts? Joyus is the one of the very best I've tried so far. Nothing comes near, unless you consider eating pineapple tart jam on its own. :)
Strategies of Supermarket Selling
Strategies of Supermarket Selling
Went to the supermarket yesterday, in the rain, because I managed to loan a car for my shopping for essentials.
I started off with buying spaghetti sauce. There are large bottles and small bottles. I ended up with two medium sized bottles. Why? So I don't have to store any excesses. I'll just use the whole darn bottle and if I have a little leftover, I'll feed the dustbin with it. No point keeping, because knowing my cooking frequency, the leftover will go mouldy before I get to use it. Unless I deep freeze the leftover. But I really don't want to go there - I've got too many deep frozen stuff already.
Then I bought washing powder and Dynamo washing liquid. First I saw the medium sized 3l bottles that went for $7.27. And then I saw the 2l bottles going for $5.30. A quick calculation says the 3l bottle is a better buy. As I exited the aisle to the next one, I saw 5l bottles of Dynamo going at $9.95! Incredible. And it claims to kill bacteria as well. So, it's a better buy. I put the 3l bottle where I took the 5l one. Ok, I'm an idiot, but hey! That's how those supermarket fellows get to keep a job!
Wanted to buy 2 kg of rice, but as I eyed the sticky rice from Australia which you could use for sushi, I decided to buy it instead. It exceeded my initial buy and weighed in at 2.5 kg.
Goodness! End of the trip, I was absolutely positively dying of overload. The washing powders came in at 11.5 kg, the Dynamo is a good 6 kg (hey! Dynamo is denser than water, ok!), 2.5 kg rice, 900 g Vanish powder, canned food, spaghetti sauce... All because the larger the pack, the less I pay per unit.
I must qualify that I have stopped buying large packs because of economy of scale, but because these are items that I use to the last molecule, I'm not averse to buying large. I know that I've started paying more for smaller packs of food but in the long run, I save because I don't have to throw away the spoilt portions. I buy stuff enough for a meal and stuff everything down for that meal. Ok, I'm joking here! But I try to stop the buying urge.
The other reason for such sprees is simple. When you have the cash, stock up. You never know when cash is going to run low in tandem with supplies. Reminds me of this joke: A Japanese salesman was asked to give the supplies to a customer when he arrived. He hid himself in a wardrobe and when the customer arrived, he sprang out and shouted "Supplies!" Ok, seriously, I am a squirrel in nature. I stock up when my economy is good. When it's bad, I can still survive.
I have yet to buy the canned abalones for Chinese New Year. Any donors?
Went to the supermarket yesterday, in the rain, because I managed to loan a car for my shopping for essentials.
I started off with buying spaghetti sauce. There are large bottles and small bottles. I ended up with two medium sized bottles. Why? So I don't have to store any excesses. I'll just use the whole darn bottle and if I have a little leftover, I'll feed the dustbin with it. No point keeping, because knowing my cooking frequency, the leftover will go mouldy before I get to use it. Unless I deep freeze the leftover. But I really don't want to go there - I've got too many deep frozen stuff already.
Then I bought washing powder and Dynamo washing liquid. First I saw the medium sized 3l bottles that went for $7.27. And then I saw the 2l bottles going for $5.30. A quick calculation says the 3l bottle is a better buy. As I exited the aisle to the next one, I saw 5l bottles of Dynamo going at $9.95! Incredible. And it claims to kill bacteria as well. So, it's a better buy. I put the 3l bottle where I took the 5l one. Ok, I'm an idiot, but hey! That's how those supermarket fellows get to keep a job!
Wanted to buy 2 kg of rice, but as I eyed the sticky rice from Australia which you could use for sushi, I decided to buy it instead. It exceeded my initial buy and weighed in at 2.5 kg.
Goodness! End of the trip, I was absolutely positively dying of overload. The washing powders came in at 11.5 kg, the Dynamo is a good 6 kg (hey! Dynamo is denser than water, ok!), 2.5 kg rice, 900 g Vanish powder, canned food, spaghetti sauce... All because the larger the pack, the less I pay per unit.
I must qualify that I have stopped buying large packs because of economy of scale, but because these are items that I use to the last molecule, I'm not averse to buying large. I know that I've started paying more for smaller packs of food but in the long run, I save because I don't have to throw away the spoilt portions. I buy stuff enough for a meal and stuff everything down for that meal. Ok, I'm joking here! But I try to stop the buying urge.
The other reason for such sprees is simple. When you have the cash, stock up. You never know when cash is going to run low in tandem with supplies. Reminds me of this joke: A Japanese salesman was asked to give the supplies to a customer when he arrived. He hid himself in a wardrobe and when the customer arrived, he sprang out and shouted "Supplies!" Ok, seriously, I am a squirrel in nature. I stock up when my economy is good. When it's bad, I can still survive.
I have yet to buy the canned abalones for Chinese New Year. Any donors?
My Love-Hate Relationship with Cough Mixture
My Love-Hate Relationship with Cough Mixture
Been in this stupor since Monday. If I take my cough mixture, I'll be condemned to sleep for hours (with the exception of bed time, where I simply fail miserably to get to sleep fast enough). If I don't take my cough mixture, then I'll be coughing and I could feel the phlegm swirling at the top of my throat.
Even when I stay off, I am drowsy as ever. Feels as though the cough mixture has given me a hangover (though I don't know what a hangover really feels like, never been drunk).
So now what? I hope this bad bout of whatever you might call it blows over quickly. I don't particularly like the feeling of not being able to stay sober or eat what I like.
Been in this stupor since Monday. If I take my cough mixture, I'll be condemned to sleep for hours (with the exception of bed time, where I simply fail miserably to get to sleep fast enough). If I don't take my cough mixture, then I'll be coughing and I could feel the phlegm swirling at the top of my throat.
Even when I stay off, I am drowsy as ever. Feels as though the cough mixture has given me a hangover (though I don't know what a hangover really feels like, never been drunk).
So now what? I hope this bad bout of whatever you might call it blows over quickly. I don't particularly like the feeling of not being able to stay sober or eat what I like.
Whitelisted
Whitelisted
Just about the best email I received for a long time. My travel blog has been whitelisted after a long time.
Blogger thought that was a spam blog and required me to do character recognition for every single entry I posted.
Can you imagine how much work went into the latest China pictures? I nearly went nuts, except that I perservered and kept at it because I believe in sharing the pics. (Ok, I glorify myself, but once you realise the hassle of reorganising the pictures because Hello by Picasa and Blogger were not synched because of the character recognition step, you will hopefully appreciate my efforts.)
Finally, I'm free!
Just about the best email I received for a long time. My travel blog has been whitelisted after a long time.
Blogger thought that was a spam blog and required me to do character recognition for every single entry I posted.
Can you imagine how much work went into the latest China pictures? I nearly went nuts, except that I perservered and kept at it because I believe in sharing the pics. (Ok, I glorify myself, but once you realise the hassle of reorganising the pictures because Hello by Picasa and Blogger were not synched because of the character recognition step, you will hopefully appreciate my efforts.)
Finally, I'm free!
The Flight that Fought Back
The Flight that Fought Back
I caught the docu-movie on Sunday, when it debuted on Discovery Channel.
Honestly, I had imagined it to be more saucy that what I had seen. I thought it more complicated that I imagined. I believed it more violent that I thought. In short, it was a sort of dampener for me.
I was expecting to see the full-blown actions but I never got that.
What I got was a minute-by-minute development of the story, interspersed with character introductions or interviews with the deceaseds' families.
The plot evolved around the planning and execution of the attack. Technological advances made the movie possible - although there were 40 onboard the flight, people made phone calls to their loved ones on and off. This allowed the picture to be pieced together coherently.
I must also admit that once the families were aware of the hijack, they were extremely alert to what they hear over the phone conversations. This helped to piece the situation in the plane believably.
The fact that the plane passengers spoke in measured, calm tones tells us how much these people loved their family members. To panic would mean to scar those at home. By keeping their hopes that everything might be all right, the passengers allowed themselves room to do what they want, rather than having to spend time and effort calming down hysterical family members. The families' belief that their loved ones know what they are doing and are doing the right things supported the passengers greatly.
Though they know that all might be lost, everyone took it in their stride to have meaningful conversation, to express love for one another, to provide comfort that all is all right, and to give support right to the end.
The toughness of the societal fabric is not something that we can build overnight or achieve easily. The ability to bounce back and face reality starkly are virtues that we can only hope to have.
Even though the attempted was thwarted, the cost of human lives was immense. But in the books of history, these people will be forgotten but their act of bravery will be feted.
May their souls rest in peace.
I caught the docu-movie on Sunday, when it debuted on Discovery Channel.
Honestly, I had imagined it to be more saucy that what I had seen. I thought it more complicated that I imagined. I believed it more violent that I thought. In short, it was a sort of dampener for me.
I was expecting to see the full-blown actions but I never got that.
What I got was a minute-by-minute development of the story, interspersed with character introductions or interviews with the deceaseds' families.
The plot evolved around the planning and execution of the attack. Technological advances made the movie possible - although there were 40 onboard the flight, people made phone calls to their loved ones on and off. This allowed the picture to be pieced together coherently.
I must also admit that once the families were aware of the hijack, they were extremely alert to what they hear over the phone conversations. This helped to piece the situation in the plane believably.
The fact that the plane passengers spoke in measured, calm tones tells us how much these people loved their family members. To panic would mean to scar those at home. By keeping their hopes that everything might be all right, the passengers allowed themselves room to do what they want, rather than having to spend time and effort calming down hysterical family members. The families' belief that their loved ones know what they are doing and are doing the right things supported the passengers greatly.
Though they know that all might be lost, everyone took it in their stride to have meaningful conversation, to express love for one another, to provide comfort that all is all right, and to give support right to the end.
The toughness of the societal fabric is not something that we can build overnight or achieve easily. The ability to bounce back and face reality starkly are virtues that we can only hope to have.
Even though the attempted was thwarted, the cost of human lives was immense. But in the books of history, these people will be forgotten but their act of bravery will be feted.
May their souls rest in peace.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Going Bananas
Going Bananas
One drawback of staying alone is that you can't buy "mass fruits" or "whole fruits" like bananas, watermelons, papayas. Unless you manage to find the really mini-sized ones.
But the very small fruits are normally not nice - how else do you think they fail to grow big? So, once a while, I buy one of those big, mass fruits and immediately regret.
The first time, I got myself a pineapple. That was not that bad, since I love pineapples. I polished it off in two sittings.
Simultaneously, I got myself 2 starfruits, which my housemate (who happened to be around) and I ate during the first round of pineapple eating. He doesn't like pineapples, so I ate it by myself.
The second time, which is a long time after, I got myself a dollar's worth of papaya. There are 4 pieces, which works out to about 2/3 of an entire papaya. And I ate it over two evenings.
And on Sunday, I was craving for some bananas and I bought an entire bunch. I ate 5 for the first night, 4 for the next two nights, and I still have about 15, I think. I'm turning into an ape soon.
I wonder when is my next folly.
One drawback of staying alone is that you can't buy "mass fruits" or "whole fruits" like bananas, watermelons, papayas. Unless you manage to find the really mini-sized ones.
But the very small fruits are normally not nice - how else do you think they fail to grow big? So, once a while, I buy one of those big, mass fruits and immediately regret.
The first time, I got myself a pineapple. That was not that bad, since I love pineapples. I polished it off in two sittings.
Simultaneously, I got myself 2 starfruits, which my housemate (who happened to be around) and I ate during the first round of pineapple eating. He doesn't like pineapples, so I ate it by myself.
The second time, which is a long time after, I got myself a dollar's worth of papaya. There are 4 pieces, which works out to about 2/3 of an entire papaya. And I ate it over two evenings.
And on Sunday, I was craving for some bananas and I bought an entire bunch. I ate 5 for the first night, 4 for the next two nights, and I still have about 15, I think. I'm turning into an ape soon.
I wonder when is my next folly.
The Rain
The Rain
It has been raining quite a lot recently. I love the rain. Even if it means getting caught in it. (Maybe that's why I'm sick.)
Temperatures have generally fallen to the comfortable mid-20s. Few people are out and it is possible to get around without having to squeeze among crowds. Wonder if it's me or if Singapore is getting really crowded.
I need to do some essential item shopping soon and the rain just got heavier. But heck, I'll go ahead nonetheless.
It has been raining quite a lot recently. I love the rain. Even if it means getting caught in it. (Maybe that's why I'm sick.)
Temperatures have generally fallen to the comfortable mid-20s. Few people are out and it is possible to get around without having to squeeze among crowds. Wonder if it's me or if Singapore is getting really crowded.
I need to do some essential item shopping soon and the rain just got heavier. But heck, I'll go ahead nonetheless.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)