An excellent piece of work by NCH, a local (Singaporean) Flash animatior. Featuring a song written by Edmund Tan, sang by Hossan Leong during one of Mr Brown's shows "Talking Cock at Parliament".
Check it out! If you are not a Singaporean, some of the jokes might seem obscure (Huh??? factor is high), so grab a Singaporean friend and get him/her to translate! :p
Home sweet home!
Finally, after 4 years away from home, it looks like I'm gonna return for a 2 week visit! I'll also be stopping by Hong Kong to visit my dad's pad for a week. Woo hoo! Time to eat'n'shop till I drop! Gadget heaven, here I come!!!
Note to self: Mark calendar for February 2007 - THE DAY!
Of course, this visit home is gonna be a real busy one... outside of the obligatory shopping and eating, I have to visit relatives (Chinese New Year mah!), meet up & catch up with all my friends/buddies, get registered for marriage, go thru tea ceremony, apply for my H1B visa, check PR application for spouses of SG citizens...
Marriage? Tea Ceremony? Wa...?
Yep... you heard that right.
'ol E here is gonna get hitched, baby! w00t!
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Vacation back home
Can't help it lah! She has used her cuteness to devastating effect! 
My hon prepared this dish, named "Hong2 Shao1 Shi1 Zhi3 Tou2" - which i thought sounds cooler as "Lion's Mane Meatballs"... hee... Anyway it looks like it and tastes better, as seen above.
Oh yyeeeeaaaahhhh!
My dearest Dad and Mom will be paying us a visit in less than 2 weeks time! Woo hoo! Sounds like my Dad has some neato stuff for me again... mwahahahah... I'm like a little schoolboy when it comes to prezzies from Daddy... can't wait! *rubs hands gleefully*
Eleanor just had her first Halloween trick'or'treatin' experience! She dressed up as a adorable BatGirl... check out this EXCLUSIVE OMG-SHE's-SOoooOO-CUTE photo! Heheheh!
Also, this will be the first time my parents will be meeting my lady love, C. She's pretty nervous, anxious and excited. I'm kinda keeping my cool. :P
Mmmmm... looks like it's gonna be a real fun and memorable visit!! C and I are working on a nice menu to let my parents have a taste of her cooking... me? I'm just a helper lah - of the 3 important C's of meal prep - Cut, Cook, Clean - I can Cut and Clean, still haven't mastered the art of Cooking yet. So I'm gonna need a little more time (maybe another 6 months?) to get that part straightened out. Hopefully I'll be ready by the time I fly home next year for CNY (Chinese New Year)!!!
~~ Hungry Hungry Hiippooos! ~~
Saw this article at Tomorrow.SG: "Are Singaporeans pigs?" 
For most of us, this is not new... I've seen discussions on this as far back as elementary school, during my home country's Courtesy campaigns (started on the year I was born, no less). Singaporean tourists has had a long history of harsh words from folks in host countries about their bad behavior. Of course, being a tourist and international student myself, I often find that sweeping statement a bit over-reaching. I do agree that there is a percentage (of which I don't know how much, it might be 25~50%) of people who go abroad and act as if the rest of the world owes them something. And I feel that this kind of behavior extends across mostly in folks who originate from a lifestyle that expunges one of these traits: the "getting the most bang for the buck", or "doing the most in the least amount of time" and of course, having the "it's free, right? Just take!" mentality. 
Living in the US for 4 years running (I hope to fly home during CNY '07 for a visit!) showed me how the old saying, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is so important in society. 
From every country there will be black sheep, so I believe that it's not fair to use such broad statements to mock folks based on their nationalities. I've heard/read horror stories about the flippant & egocentric behavior of tourists from mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, and naturally, USA... but in turn, I have good pals from China, Taiwan, Malaysia, India who don't not behave like some of the incorrigible 'touristy' folks as described (funny thing is - they too have similar experience observing others behaving badly). But I digress. 
So I compared my experiences of staying here in Ohio with my visits to Toronto and California. Big City People 'living in the rat-race' want things to move fast (they drive more agressively, don't hold elevator doors, etc), and they are more -often unwittingly- self-centered (putting themselves and *often but not always* their immediate loved ones as top priority) and materialistic (preferring a fancy house, a fancy car and other luxuries over things that "just good enough"). Such behavior IMHO is most obvious in life-long, metropolis-dwellers with tall agendas (e.g. Singaporeans).
I find myself behaving a little 'nicer' as I acclimate myself to the slower pace of life in Ohio. I use turn signals to change lanes, I stop for pedestrians (not there are that many), I hold lift doors for others, I open doors for people behind me, etc. It just rubs off you when you witness so many others doing it and it brings smiles across the faces of those who observe it. 
I certainly hope that in the next century, the pace of life in Singapore will slow down by a few hours, or perhaps a few days… when people will learn that sometimes, once they are outside of their workplace, they don’t HAVE to rush to catch that TV show, they don’t HAVE to beat that red light, they don’t HAVE to catch that train, that don’t HAVE to answer that damn phone call or SMS right away… instead, they can step out to a place like Marina South, just take a deep breath, look up at the clear blue sky, and... fly a kite. 
Life is short, so have a little fun, folks! Don’t stress out and know that the most important thing is to stay healthy! Healthy = Wealthy = Wise. I learned that the hard way in college... it landed me in hospital! 
Oh and don't forget to take a little time to tell your loved ones (i.e. your spouse/GF/BF, parents, grandparents, kids, cousins, etc.) how you appreciate them! It can be anything, from a warm hug, to a softly-spoken "Thanks and i love ya, y'know?" or simply a phone call to ask "How are you doing?"... I had a good friend of mine remind me of that, so I hope you can try it too! 
To my lady-love: Missing you much, hon... I'll look forward to seeing you back in Columbus tonight!
DISCLAIMER: Look, this is a rant, so kindly do not take this too seriously... (read: Don't sue me)
/begin rant
As anyone of you who takes to the air when travelling from place to place, I'm sure y'all can empathize when a traveller gets stuck during a stopover. Well, this just happened. My lady love, C, was supposed to be attending a conference @ Kansas, MO for the next 3 days. Well, midway on her journey - during a stopover in Detroit (of all places! Ugh!) - between Columbus and Kansas... guess what? Yep, her flight plan was messed up - it got 'downgraded' and because of that they couldn't fit all the passengers into the (physically) SMALLER plane - KNOWING DAMN WELL that the flight was FULLY BOOKED... Now, let your brain digest this a bit: nwAss REDUCED the number of seats during a FRICKIN' STOPOVER, in a FRICKIN' FULLY-FILLED flight. WHAT THE FRICKIN' HELL is WRONG with them?! *taps head with finger angrily*
So, my dear C has her check-in luggage bag (containing all her clothes, personal effects and essentials) on its merry way to Kansas and she is stuck in Detroit... oh and, btw, the next flight they've got is taking off the NEXT FRICKIN' AFTERNOON (they did put C on a wait list for an evening flight - which was, guess again... FULL... Grrrreat)! Oh swell... thanks nwAss! There goes the hotel arrangements, colleague/official meetings and conference preparation as a whole damn day is lost.
Well, to show how SORRY they are, they compensated C with some airport meal/food coupons and lodging in a nearby airport hotel.. and naturally, some frequent flyer credit for future flights. Pfffffft...
Dear nwAss, when you cock up like that, you had damn hell better give an official apology letter and CASH/CHECK compensation to ALL your passengers that you can't squeeze in because your damn flights won't fit the booked load! You actually give pissed off passengers CREDIT TO YOUR AIRLINE's FLIGHTS so that "DIDDLE-DO-DEE-DUM" you'll get another chance to shaft them from behind again?! Oh right, umm suuuure, thanks.
Sigh. This really bothered me coz this is the second time nwAss cocked up - first time was with my mom's flight back to Singapore - as usual - during a stopover.
nwAss, I hope in the good graces of Gawd that you brush up your resource planning and keep in mind that once you have your planes filled (which is a good thing, no? More passengers means more $$$ / gal of fuel used), they'd prefer to stay on their intended flights. A delay is one thing, but kicking people off their intended flights mid-way is N O T a BRIGHT idea.
/end rant
Heheheh... this post of a online science news clipping came up on Slashdot. Check out the title:
"Hubble Discovers Dark Spot on Uranus"
(it's just SOOOOO RIPE for humor) Read the comments that come after...
*snicker*
*chuckle* 
*muffled laughter* 
*LOL* 
*ROTFLOL* 
I TRIED to be mature about this!
Currently nursing a plethora of ulcers now... a trio of mini-ulcers spot the insides of my lower lip, near the gum and my jawline, while a pair of larger, angrier ulcers attack some prime locations - namely, the tip of my tongue and sneaking behind my upper left molar, at the point where my jaws open and close. 
Fun fun fun. And I'm drooling all day like a teething toddler (i know this from first-hand experience )
Tried my good 'ol cure, Zitacin, which helps numb the pain and create a temporary protective layer that's, mmm, good for one meal... before it wears out. Tried Watermelon Frost, an old skool Asian medical powdery-like application which works to cool off the "heatiness" of the open wounds... but as with Zitacin, it's only good for one meal. Washes right off with my saliva like rubber duckies floatin' along a hillside river. 
Then my colleague recommended that I rub some salt on them. Literally. I thought that might be too extreme, so I stuck to my mom's recommendation instead, dilute the salt in some water and gargle. I estimate it to be a 90% concentration of salt, 10% water...
Oh the paaaaaiiinnnn... 
My eyes were so watery during the 30 second process, I couldn't read off a signboard if it was placed right in front of me 
But, hell... I've had worse. And the pain kinda gets to ya... it hurt soooo good. The clenching of fists, gnashing of teeth, and maniac laughter...
Gotta be a sucker for punishment, else I'd just crumple in a corner and weep. 
Everytime I look into your eyes,
I discover yet another new piece of myself,
building and building,
to complete a masterpiece of life.
Each time our fingers entwine,
Each time you wrap your arms around my neck,
You afix a new piece of the puzzle in my heart.
Every new morning I look forward to life with aplomb!
Every sunny day I feel refreshed and energized!
Every rainy day I look toward you to share my warmth!
Take this piece of my mind.
Take this piece of my soul.
Piece them together,
and with your gentle touch,
form the final piece
of my heart.
Guess what? Little Eleanor just passed her first life milestone last weekend! Heheheh... Click on the cheeky one's picture link below to access her photo album of the BBQ celebration we had the previous weekend @ Jinji's place (coz last weekend Uncle Jinji and Aunt Cynthia were out in Seattle)... Coochie coochie coo! Ahhhh! Too adorable!
Love does work in mysterious ways.
Searching and searching...
Hoping and praying...
Or perhaps, like me, you simply cling on to the belief that Fate would come around,
and beat you on the head with a stick.
"When the One appears, i will know... Somehow, I will know."
Toiling along Life's busy journey, not much thought is given to people who pass you by.
"Hmmm, she's a nice gal, perhaps I'll ask her out for a movie.. see how it goes."
What started out as e-mail conversations, a night out for dinner and a movie...
...evolved into a spiritual connection, a level of concern that goes into the heart and soul.
Then one day,
An awakening.. an epiphany.. or as Archimedes would say, "Eureka!"
A gentle kiss underneath the shade of a garden gazebo,
unleashes a powerful torrent of emotions and passion,
sealed away by life's responsibilities for far too long.
A spiritual and mental link forms,
allowing one to sense the other party's distress and battered resolve,
hammered by the pressures of perfection and Father time, ticking down.
You rush forward
to pick her up from the crumbling platform around her,
to console her,
tell her silly stories...
provide her a sip of water...
give her arm a gentle squeeze,
reassuring her that for every step back,
she is taking two steps forward...
offer a shoulder to rest her head,
and hopefully, ease away some of the weariness that clouds her mind...
For each kiss since then..
For each hug since then..
For each wink since then..
For every hour, every minute, of every day since then..
I feel blessed.
I feel ready to conquer the world,
with You by my side.
My shooting star,
My flowing comet,
My guiding light.
I am finally able to say out loud,
"The darkness of my future is now banished!"
"My path is now lit!"
"I am ready to take leaps of faith with confidence!"
I am thankful to Fate,
thankful for the chance,
to have You by my side.
The cream of my coffee.
The apple of my eye.
The bubble of my tea.
I shall look forward to crossing oceans
and traversing mountains
only if You would join me
by my side.
I came across an interesting article (albeit a little late since its inception), and it details some of the more thought-provoking aspects on how the digital/electronic revolution has altered the way society communication. A 'reverse evolution' perhaps? Reading through the article there are some points that the author describe which really struck a chord with me:
Besides, how many times have we spewed off some verbal insult in the heat of the moment, before we had time to consider? E-mail always gives you that time, right?Hell yeah, this I can totally relate to. Sometimes one like me, who really enjoys the fact the others enjoy my company, come across people who simply reject all attempts at a friendly exchange - so I come really close to exploding... BUT, thanks to e-mail/IM/SMS, I've been given "freeze" time to think about how I wanna structure my response, instead of just coming right out and ACTUALLY telling them how I feel. Now, something about that just feels not quite right.
That's true, but what you lose in text vastly outweighs the gain.
The difference is of course that insults are just someone who hates me making a noise to indicate they hate me. It's them telling me how they feel. Criticism, on the other hand, is someone telling me something about myself that I myself didn't know.This is probably the strongest point in the whole article, IMHO. Criticism, constructive or not, usually forces you to address and reflect on things that you are probably missing - a kind of blind spot in perception, in a way - and there are no better people to tell you that except your closest friends and family. In person. In your face.
You are hard-wired by evolution to need to do things for people. Everybody for the last five thousand years seemed to realize this and then we suddenly forgot it in the last few decades.I remembered as I was growing up, I used to meet up with friends, or go downstairs with my brother to play games, cycle with friends, meet up with my buddies during lunch breaks in school to hang out, go to the gym, play sports etc. Now it's all like distant memories. And it's been like, what, four years that I've left Singapore for studies in the US? Man... I'm glad that I still have some contact with my family here (we share the same roof afterall) and more recently, introduced a very special gal in my life.
This is simply too cool... too cool for words. Let me just do a quick voice casting list for my fellow viewers, so they don't get lost in the midst of the video!
| LOTR Character | Azumanga Character |
| Sauron/Saruman | Yukari |
| Gandalf | Nyamo |
| Frodo | Osaka |
| Sam | Chiyo |
| Aragon | Sakaki |
| Legolas | Kagura |
| Gimli | Maya |
| Elrond | Yomi |
| Arwen | Kaorin |
| Balrog/Gollum/Smeagol | Kimura |
| Galadriel | Kimura's wife |
| Theoden | Tomo |
| Eomer and the Riders of Rohan | Tadakichi-san |
Hehehe... this ones is kinda kewl too... I remember this "We like to party" song, it was like so wayyy back ago. Man! I'm getting old... Oook, so i didn't watch the previous video to realize it was kinda abrupt... anyway, here's a better one... this song always makes me nice and warm inside, esp with the right video! Enjoy!
Another one of my Azumanga searches turned up this really cool Anime MTV! Kaakkkooiii! 
Ahhh.. July 28th, 2006. It's the unofficial Systems Administrators Day! Hee... sent to us SITE guys in the ECE department of OSU, one friendly and informed user felt that it's fitting to celebrate the hard-working folks who keep your computers running, networks connecting and printers printing.
Awwww... great. I feel sooo good right now... 
Anyway there's a Wiki for it, oh and do check out the song link at the bottom of the page for the official song! It's a blast. Lovin' it!
After a long long hiatus, after a dozen attempts at procrastinating 
, I finally blew the dust off my Friendster profile and refreshed my info, post-graduation. Well, there's not a lot to write about... but hey! It's something! I also wrote a couple of reviews. Probably will hang around a bit more until I get bored again. Ha ha haaaaa... 
Also threw in some photos from my FL "Shuttle Discovery Launch" trip! If you look at the right column of ma blog's front page, you can click to my Friendster profile in my plethora of fun links! Wow! Isn't that just so cooooooooooooooooooool? 
*mooooooo* 
Well, a couple of weeks back while we were talking about road trips... I was planning one to Lake Erie to see the Marblehead Lighthouse... a friend of mine suggested that on the Independence Day weekend, we should journey down to Florida, to catch the launch of the shuttle Discovery STS-121. I was like, "Cool! Why not?" Then he also mentioned that his colleague has a place not too far from the Kennedy Space Center. Road trip with free lodging? That sealed the deal! Florida... HERE WE COME!!!
After checking out the launch time and date (Saturday 3:34pm), we estimated the 1060 mile trip there would probably take us 16 hours of non-stop driving to make it on time. We have two drivers to rotate, I volunteered for the night shift/overnight drive.
