oops… just realised today that my sony network walkman is displaying chinese characters properly for one of the albums. got to clarify lest sony sees my blog and sue me for mis-representation. :P hehe…
i don’t know what i did or didn’t do properly. although the supplied software, sonicstage is not displaying the characters properly on the pc, yet somehow it works perfectly on the player itself for this particular album.
and it can’t be the os or pc problem since the windows media player is displaying all the album and song titles correctly.
hmm… think have to fiddle around with another mandarin or cantonese cd to see what happens.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Saturday, November 26, 2005
crystal jade lamian xiaolongbao
met up with an ns pal, ts, together with gordon and ky for dinner.
we queued for more than half an hour at takashimaya. this outlet is always so popular. i guess the food taste better when you’re hungry.
haha… just kidding! their standards are usually consistent even among the various outlets.
my favourites items?
1. suanlatang lamian
2. xiaolongbao
3. hongyou chaoshou
i especially like the texture of their freshly-made lamian and how it’s always cooked al dente.
slurp.
we queued for more than half an hour at takashimaya. this outlet is always so popular. i guess the food taste better when you’re hungry.
haha… just kidding! their standards are usually consistent even among the various outlets.
my favourites items?
1. suanlatang lamian
2. xiaolongbao
3. hongyou chaoshou
i especially like the texture of their freshly-made lamian and how it’s always cooked al dente.
slurp.
new mp3 player
bought the nifty sony nw-e507 at sitex last night. cost me $279 for the 1gb version. i got the blue one.since i needed a flash memory device for my running, was deciding between the new creative neeon and the sony network walkman. both are priced the same but the sony looks way cooler than the creative. :) hehe…
still figuring out the supplied software… i don’t think it can display chinese characters…
and i think the creative software is easier to use. :(
sound quality-wise, it’s good enough for me since i’m not an audiophile. then again, a real audiophile wouldn’t bother with mp3s, right?
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
3rd blogger sentenced
the 3rd blogger in recent months to be charged under the sedition act has been sentenced to 2 years probation and 180 hours of community work today.
unlike the previous 2 bloggers who were jailed, gan huai shi, 17, was given the unusual sentencing to reform his ‘misguided dislike for the malay community’ even though he was tried as an adult.
the judge even went on to suggest that a malay probation officer be assigned to him and that his community work should be at malay welfare organisations. a racial condition that has been unheard of.
‘This will allow him opportunities to have positive interaction with the Malay community... All these activities will act as an eye-opener for him when he participates in such activities of the Malay community,’ the judge explained.
the state has gone for a more “humane” touch in this case, possibly taking his age into consideration, and striving for a more effective measure against his offence. something a jail sentence might not have achieved.
the judge had also ordered that huai shi be counseled and evaluated by a psychiatrist to come to terms with the death of his baby brother which his animosity towards the malay community is believed to have stemmed from.
i guess his parents couldn’t have wished for anything better this.
unlike the previous 2 bloggers who were jailed, gan huai shi, 17, was given the unusual sentencing to reform his ‘misguided dislike for the malay community’ even though he was tried as an adult.
the judge even went on to suggest that a malay probation officer be assigned to him and that his community work should be at malay welfare organisations. a racial condition that has been unheard of.
‘This will allow him opportunities to have positive interaction with the Malay community... All these activities will act as an eye-opener for him when he participates in such activities of the Malay community,’ the judge explained.
the state has gone for a more “humane” touch in this case, possibly taking his age into consideration, and striving for a more effective measure against his offence. something a jail sentence might not have achieved.
the judge had also ordered that huai shi be counseled and evaluated by a psychiatrist to come to terms with the death of his baby brother which his animosity towards the malay community is believed to have stemmed from.
i guess his parents couldn’t have wished for anything better this.
Monday, November 21, 2005
run
i improved on my timing again! yeah!
went on a punishing pace from the start of the run. apparently the stars were aligned properly for a sub 26:00 for my usual 4.6 km route. :)
pant, pant.
went on a punishing pace from the start of the run. apparently the stars were aligned properly for a sub 26:00 for my usual 4.6 km route. :)
pant, pant.
Sunday, November 20, 2005
a twist of fate
marilyn asked me if i’m keen to watch this production by singapore repertory theatre since she couldn’t find anyone to go with her. i didn’t know it’s a musical, so i said ok.
Stars Laura Michelle Kelly (Mary Poppins - Laurence Olivier Award Best Actress 2005). Appearing on stage with Ms Kelly will be an all star Singaporean and international cast, including accomplished theatre actor and MediaCorp artiste, Adrian Pang.
Lyrics by Laurence Olivier Award winner Anthony Drewe (who has just written the lyrics for Disney/Cameron Mackintosh's production of Mary Poppins, currently on in the London West End), and music by Singapore's foremost composer Dick Lee. Book by Steven Dexter and Tony Petito.
In the tradition of Agatha Christie and the great "whodunits" of the 1930s, A Twist of Fate is a delicious musical comedy of twists and turns, false clues and dastardly deeds, set against the backdrop of a Peranakan family in Singapore. Dark and stormy nights, midnight rendezvous, an inconvenient murder or two and memorable times makes this an entertaining, suspense-filled evening at the theatre.
i usually don’t watch musicals because i’ve trouble catching the lyrics from the singing which moves the story-telling along. fortunately for a twist of fate, the actors and actresses had great diction and i was able to understand them most of the time.
laura michelle kelly no doubt can sing well since she was starring in mary poppins before hopping over to singapore for this musical. the surprise was adrian pang who sang pretty well too. my first time hearing him sing.
the set is a façade of an old-style bungalow which revolves to reveal the living room of the house and a stairway to the second floor. one side of it opens out to the garden while the other opens to the backyard.
overall a watchable, light-hearted comedy with the promised twists and turns only in the last half hour of the musical.
Stars Laura Michelle Kelly (Mary Poppins - Laurence Olivier Award Best Actress 2005). Appearing on stage with Ms Kelly will be an all star Singaporean and international cast, including accomplished theatre actor and MediaCorp artiste, Adrian Pang.
Lyrics by Laurence Olivier Award winner Anthony Drewe (who has just written the lyrics for Disney/Cameron Mackintosh's production of Mary Poppins, currently on in the London West End), and music by Singapore's foremost composer Dick Lee. Book by Steven Dexter and Tony Petito.
In the tradition of Agatha Christie and the great "whodunits" of the 1930s, A Twist of Fate is a delicious musical comedy of twists and turns, false clues and dastardly deeds, set against the backdrop of a Peranakan family in Singapore. Dark and stormy nights, midnight rendezvous, an inconvenient murder or two and memorable times makes this an entertaining, suspense-filled evening at the theatre.
i usually don’t watch musicals because i’ve trouble catching the lyrics from the singing which moves the story-telling along. fortunately for a twist of fate, the actors and actresses had great diction and i was able to understand them most of the time.
laura michelle kelly no doubt can sing well since she was starring in mary poppins before hopping over to singapore for this musical. the surprise was adrian pang who sang pretty well too. my first time hearing him sing.
the set is a façade of an old-style bungalow which revolves to reveal the living room of the house and a stairway to the second floor. one side of it opens out to the garden while the other opens to the backyard.
overall a watchable, light-hearted comedy with the promised twists and turns only in the last half hour of the musical.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
ibm @ play
janet asked me and doris to join her for ibm family day at sentosa since she has extra tickets.it was an afternoon of sun, sand and sea with a difference because cayden came along. and of course nora too since she had to be around to take care of him.
my first experience with baby and pram on public transport. no mean feat i must say especially when it’s a crowded bus.
3 things that i learnt about cayden today:
1. he drools… a lot
2. he weighs 7.3 kg… which feels like 15, 20 kg if you had been carrying him for a while
3. he can laugh… endlessly if you know what to do to him
his laughter at coffee club at harbourfront was truly infectious and attention-grabbing. even the babes at the next table thought he’s cute. i guess he was in a good mood today.you folks should ask to see the video from janet the next time we meet. it will definitely bring a smile to your face.
Friday, November 18, 2005
petals around the rose
eric introduced this brain-teaser/puzzle to the jc gang. it involves rolling 5 dice and guessing the score. you have to figure out how the score is calculated.
you can crack your brains here.
i took about half an hour and after 10 throws before i started to get the answers correct. my solution involves addition and subtraction. while ky’s solution even includes multiplication!
then i realised we only got the “algorithm” and not THE solution.
have fun!
you can crack your brains here.
i took about half an hour and after 10 throws before i started to get the answers correct. my solution involves addition and subtraction. while ky’s solution even includes multiplication!
then i realised we only got the “algorithm” and not THE solution.
have fun!
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
harry potter and the goblet of fire
one of the much-awaited movies of the year, and as usual, johann organised the outing and booked the tickets for jc gang.why must it always rain when i go to gv grand to watch movie?
i remember it rained when we were there to catch the premiere of star wars episode 3 earlier this year and i had to dash across the traffic crossing.
was slightly late as i grabbed dinner at mcdonald’s together with doris and thomas. luckily, we were still on time for the movie. ky couldn’t turn up at the last minute so janet’s ticket went to waste.
although i’ve read all the 6 books so far [my sis is a fan], i only have vague recollections of book 4 [which remains the longest of the entire series] so the movie gave me a chance to “re-discover” the story all over again.
i find the movie well-paced covering the main highlights of the book but there were some criticisms from those who haven’t read the book saying that the movie was moving a tad too slowly.
highlights of the movie include the yule ball, 3 tasks of the tri-wizard tournament and of course the neurotic mad-eyed moody who was a hoot, especially the scene where he transfigured draco as a punishment.
the girls from beauxbatons academy looked like a bunch of singing and dancing flight attendants when they first made their appearance at the great hall. while the boys from durmstrang institute seemed to be from some militant, monastic order.
the uproar surrounding cho chang was a non-event, just another new character played by an asian actress that’s all. perhaps i’m not a hormonally-charged teenage girl crazy over daniel radcliffe.
the yule ball saw everybody dressed to the nines. the transformation of hermione wasn’t as dramatic as in the book since she’s already looking pretty enough in the movie. ron was uncomfortable in his dress robes while harry looked dashing in his tuxedo.
the tri-wizard tournament with 3 tasks for the champions from the 3 schools culminated in the showdown with lord voldermort.
it’s always a joy to see the book transformed into the enchanting world of magic in the movie, albeit a very distilled version. nevertheless, muggles wouldn’t understand the allure of the magical world coming alive before your own eyes.
Sunday, November 13, 2005
hong kong café
my phone rang when i was walking home from the mrt station.
it was eric on the line… he said tracy is hungry and asked if i wanted to go hong kong café for supper. his curiosity of the café was obviously aroused when we were talking about it earlier in the evening. probably piqued by the café unconventional operating hours at a not-so convenient location.
my first reaction was “huh?!”
i had just came back from the east side of the island. now still walking home with my stuff and skates and feeling hot and sweaty from the day’s activities, and he’s asking me if i wanted to traverse halfway across the island again when i haven’t even stepped home yet?
on the other hand, it seems like a good opportunity to check out the place since eric and tracy are so keen and doris and thomas are at the nearby chalet.
i said yes on the condition that he comes and pick me up after i had the time to shower and change. he agreed readily. trust eric to trudge all over the island for good/interesting food.
very soon, i was in eric’s car with my hair still wet from my shower on the way to pick up doris and thomas at the chalet. after failing to locate the café “using the force”, eric referred to his trusty street directory to get us there.
the café was bright and easily spotted from the road. the tables outside were all taken. a very good crowd considering it’s around midnight. thankfully, we didn’t have to look too hard for a table.
everything on the chef’s recommendation menu look good. i almost wished i was more hungry! you have to write down the item number on the order chit and place your orders at the counter. the funny thing is, they don’t require you to pay up first.
i ordered the instant noodles in soup with pork chop, bo luo bao and tea with milk. the noodles came with a slice of ham and a fried egg on top. the pork chop, tender and well-marinated was given a unanimous 2-thumbs-up by all present except for thomas who didn’t get to sample it.
tracy looked like she could finish the dry noodles with pork chop and luncheon meat all by herself until she exercised some restrain and push the bowl over to eric.
doris’ french toast was sinfully buttery. while the mini bo luo bao were good too. tracy proclaimed her dumplings with almond paste, “nice!”
my tea with milk was done, traditional hong kong-styled, with lots of evaporated milk. satisfying. thomas likes his yuan yang too.
too bad the hot drinks were not served in those big, white ceramic tea cups typically used at such cafes in hong kong. that would have made the experience truly authentic with the canto-pop playing over the air.
doris noticed that the crowd seems rather young, mainly in their twenties. very similar to one which you’ll see at fong seng. guess the older crowd is not into instant noodles and canned food! hehe…
overall, the food was good and up to our expectations. doris and thomas think it’s way better than central at takashimaya. and i think so too.
a pity that i couldn’t be back often due to its location.
sigh.
it was eric on the line… he said tracy is hungry and asked if i wanted to go hong kong café for supper. his curiosity of the café was obviously aroused when we were talking about it earlier in the evening. probably piqued by the café unconventional operating hours at a not-so convenient location.
my first reaction was “huh?!”
i had just came back from the east side of the island. now still walking home with my stuff and skates and feeling hot and sweaty from the day’s activities, and he’s asking me if i wanted to traverse halfway across the island again when i haven’t even stepped home yet?
on the other hand, it seems like a good opportunity to check out the place since eric and tracy are so keen and doris and thomas are at the nearby chalet.
i said yes on the condition that he comes and pick me up after i had the time to shower and change. he agreed readily. trust eric to trudge all over the island for good/interesting food.
very soon, i was in eric’s car with my hair still wet from my shower on the way to pick up doris and thomas at the chalet. after failing to locate the café “using the force”, eric referred to his trusty street directory to get us there.
the café was bright and easily spotted from the road. the tables outside were all taken. a very good crowd considering it’s around midnight. thankfully, we didn’t have to look too hard for a table.
everything on the chef’s recommendation menu look good. i almost wished i was more hungry! you have to write down the item number on the order chit and place your orders at the counter. the funny thing is, they don’t require you to pay up first.i ordered the instant noodles in soup with pork chop, bo luo bao and tea with milk. the noodles came with a slice of ham and a fried egg on top. the pork chop, tender and well-marinated was given a unanimous 2-thumbs-up by all present except for thomas who didn’t get to sample it.
tracy looked like she could finish the dry noodles with pork chop and luncheon meat all by herself until she exercised some restrain and push the bowl over to eric.doris’ french toast was sinfully buttery. while the mini bo luo bao were good too. tracy proclaimed her dumplings with almond paste, “nice!”
my tea with milk was done, traditional hong kong-styled, with lots of evaporated milk. satisfying. thomas likes his yuan yang too.
too bad the hot drinks were not served in those big, white ceramic tea cups typically used at such cafes in hong kong. that would have made the experience truly authentic with the canto-pop playing over the air.doris noticed that the crowd seems rather young, mainly in their twenties. very similar to one which you’ll see at fong seng. guess the older crowd is not into instant noodles and canned food! hehe…
overall, the food was good and up to our expectations. doris and thomas think it’s way better than central at takashimaya. and i think so too.
a pity that i couldn’t be back often due to its location.
sigh.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
fun @ east coast
doris booked a chalet at east coast costa sands resort and invited the jcgang to join her for some sea, sun and sand.
sl [wong], ky and i shared a cab there from clementi. eric arrived shortly after us. we just lazed around watching tv in air-conditioned comfort while waiting for janet and cayden. johann and diane surprised us by arriving before janet did.
doris, ky and i were just kitting up for our skate so johann and diane joined us on a rented “family” bike. that’s a tandem bike with a child seat right at the back.
janelle had been clamouring “bicycle, bicycle!” earlier. she seems pretty excited by it all since it’s her first time at east coast. i think she enjoyed herself very much today.
we skated/cycled over to bedok jetty. took a short break there to enjoy the sea breeze. we didn’t skate too badly considering that we haven’t been practicing for a few months. :) nobody fell. :P
after that we split up as we wanted to skate a bit more in the other direction while johann and family returned to the chalet. i was told later that janelle kept asking for “uncle mun yue” on the way back.
this is proof that nice cookies can buy your way into children’s hearts. :) haha…
dinner was at pasta fresca since we needed a big table and a child seat. unfortunately, it wasn’t one on the beach under the stars. after that, we bought desserts from the food centre back to the chalet.
i recommended my favourite cheng tng to eric and he likes it.
janet mentioned about cayden’s head being slightly big. the paediatrician will measure jason’s head at the next appointment to determine if it’s in the genes. then the talk went to cayden’s smelly poop.
doris wondered if that’s in the genes too. :) we couldn’t stop laughing... it was hilarious… haha…
we left at around 10-something. ky and i got a ride out to bugis mrt from eric since he’s going to pick tracy up.
and i thought i’ll be going home for a good night’s sleep…
sl [wong], ky and i shared a cab there from clementi. eric arrived shortly after us. we just lazed around watching tv in air-conditioned comfort while waiting for janet and cayden. johann and diane surprised us by arriving before janet did.
doris, ky and i were just kitting up for our skate so johann and diane joined us on a rented “family” bike. that’s a tandem bike with a child seat right at the back.
janelle had been clamouring “bicycle, bicycle!” earlier. she seems pretty excited by it all since it’s her first time at east coast. i think she enjoyed herself very much today.
we skated/cycled over to bedok jetty. took a short break there to enjoy the sea breeze. we didn’t skate too badly considering that we haven’t been practicing for a few months. :) nobody fell. :P
after that we split up as we wanted to skate a bit more in the other direction while johann and family returned to the chalet. i was told later that janelle kept asking for “uncle mun yue” on the way back.
this is proof that nice cookies can buy your way into children’s hearts. :) haha…
dinner was at pasta fresca since we needed a big table and a child seat. unfortunately, it wasn’t one on the beach under the stars. after that, we bought desserts from the food centre back to the chalet.
i recommended my favourite cheng tng to eric and he likes it.
janet mentioned about cayden’s head being slightly big. the paediatrician will measure jason’s head at the next appointment to determine if it’s in the genes. then the talk went to cayden’s smelly poop.
doris wondered if that’s in the genes too. :) we couldn’t stop laughing... it was hilarious… haha…
we left at around 10-something. ky and i got a ride out to bugis mrt from eric since he’s going to pick tracy up.
and i thought i’ll be going home for a good night’s sleep…
Friday, November 11, 2005
another reply
johann’s invite continues to inspire our creative juices to flow…
here’s the reply from doris:
My humble greeting to the Holder of the Milkbottle and Guardian of the Wet Nappies ? Royal Wizard of the Court of Princess Janelle.
I have read with much interest on your invite to the prestigious Triwizard Tournament on 16 Nov. I do not have the aptitude for such flowery language like my fellow wizards so I will not babble on too much. I wish I have a wand to raise but alas, it was destroyed when I had to loan it to this fellow named Harry Potter. This will be a good occasion to remind him of my contribution to his triumph over he-who-must-not-be-named. Thence, do expect the presence of me and my lord Sir Thomas at the Tournament.
Yours enchantingly,
Doris
Beholder of the wand that-triumphed-over-he-who-must-not-be-named
here’s the reply from doris:
My humble greeting to the Holder of the Milkbottle and Guardian of the Wet Nappies ? Royal Wizard of the Court of Princess Janelle.
I have read with much interest on your invite to the prestigious Triwizard Tournament on 16 Nov. I do not have the aptitude for such flowery language like my fellow wizards so I will not babble on too much. I wish I have a wand to raise but alas, it was destroyed when I had to loan it to this fellow named Harry Potter. This will be a good occasion to remind him of my contribution to his triumph over he-who-must-not-be-named. Thence, do expect the presence of me and my lord Sir Thomas at the Tournament.
Yours enchantingly,
Doris
Beholder of the wand that-triumphed-over-he-who-must-not-be-named
Thursday, November 10, 2005
child of our time
this interesting documentary tracks 20 different children for 20 years starting from the time they’re born around year 2000 to attempt to answer the question “are we born or made?”
tonight’s programme asked the little ones whether they would like their dads to be handsome or kind. all the girls wanted theirs to be kind while the boys wanted theirs to be handsome.
this question was supposed to determine the emotional maturity of the child. the girls’ answer showed that they’re more mature while the boys just wanted a trophy dad.
so it’s already evident from the young age of 5 that girls are indeed more mature than boys of the same age!
i know you gals will be like...
duh! this type of thing still need to test one meh?! hehe...
catch the season finale [for the time being] next thursday @ 10:00pm on arts central if you're interested.
tonight’s programme asked the little ones whether they would like their dads to be handsome or kind. all the girls wanted theirs to be kind while the boys wanted theirs to be handsome.
this question was supposed to determine the emotional maturity of the child. the girls’ answer showed that they’re more mature while the boys just wanted a trophy dad.
so it’s already evident from the young age of 5 that girls are indeed more mature than boys of the same age!
i know you gals will be like...
duh! this type of thing still need to test one meh?! hehe...
catch the season finale [for the time being] next thursday @ 10:00pm on arts central if you're interested.
replies to invite: janet & i
johann’s invitation prompted us to crank our creative juices to come up with suitable replies. janet was pretty amused.
here’s her reply:
Salutations Holder of the Milkbottle and Guardian of the Wet Nappies.... I hereby raise my wand & declare my interest to attend the Triwizard Tournament on 16 Nov. Kindly purchase one precious ticket for myself alone as Sir Wizard Jason has gone to the Magical Oak Forest on the island of Rockhampton to search for a very special wand for our Prince Cayden.
As Prince Cayden was born in the period Jun 10 - Jul 7, his wand is to be made from the King of the Forest - the mighty Oak tree. I know Sir Wizard Jason will be very disappointed that he missed the tournament but no worries... I will record the event and Silverhead will deliver the disc to him. Sir Wizard Jason can then view the tornament on his holly PSP.
Your Royal Highness.
Janet Chew Royal Guardian of Prince Cayden
and here’s my contribution:
greetings to my fellow wizard and dear friend, johann pang, royal wizard of the court of princess janelle
i see that you must have perfected the spell for checking your usual sloven spelling habit. no names have been mis-spelled in your invitation! per chance you've acquired a more powerful wand from ollivander's at diagon alley?
how time flies... the triwizard tournament is upon us again. and to have harry potter represent hogwarts must have been our dear old professor dumbledore's idea since harry is underage. then again, who else but harry who had stood before he-who-must-not-be-named and triumphed. i'm sure he'll do our alma mater proud.
speaking of which, the rumours that he-who-must-not-be-named has returned is utter rubbish!
any wizard or witch worth his hogwarts education would feel it in their bones the putrid sense of dread that now pervades us. the dark lord is back! no question about it. we must not let our guard down nor succumb to his death-eaters underlings!
that said, do count me in for the tournament for i can't wait to re-visit hogwarts after all these years.
yours magically,
mun yue
guardian of the yummy-licious cookies, friend of the royal court of princess janelle
here’s her reply:
Salutations Holder of the Milkbottle and Guardian of the Wet Nappies.... I hereby raise my wand & declare my interest to attend the Triwizard Tournament on 16 Nov. Kindly purchase one precious ticket for myself alone as Sir Wizard Jason has gone to the Magical Oak Forest on the island of Rockhampton to search for a very special wand for our Prince Cayden.
As Prince Cayden was born in the period Jun 10 - Jul 7, his wand is to be made from the King of the Forest - the mighty Oak tree. I know Sir Wizard Jason will be very disappointed that he missed the tournament but no worries... I will record the event and Silverhead will deliver the disc to him. Sir Wizard Jason can then view the tornament on his holly PSP.
Your Royal Highness.
Janet Chew Royal Guardian of Prince Cayden
and here’s my contribution:
greetings to my fellow wizard and dear friend, johann pang, royal wizard of the court of princess janelle
i see that you must have perfected the spell for checking your usual sloven spelling habit. no names have been mis-spelled in your invitation! per chance you've acquired a more powerful wand from ollivander's at diagon alley?
how time flies... the triwizard tournament is upon us again. and to have harry potter represent hogwarts must have been our dear old professor dumbledore's idea since harry is underage. then again, who else but harry who had stood before he-who-must-not-be-named and triumphed. i'm sure he'll do our alma mater proud.
speaking of which, the rumours that he-who-must-not-be-named has returned is utter rubbish!
any wizard or witch worth his hogwarts education would feel it in their bones the putrid sense of dread that now pervades us. the dark lord is back! no question about it. we must not let our guard down nor succumb to his death-eaters underlings!
that said, do count me in for the tournament for i can't wait to re-visit hogwarts after all these years.
yours magically,
mun yue
guardian of the yummy-licious cookies, friend of the royal court of princess janelle
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
invite to harry potter movie
johann wrote this interesting invitation to watch the latest instalment of the harry potter movie together:
Salutations my fellow Wizards and Witches …..
Just received my Daily Prophet from my pet owl Fluffy and read that our most esteemed colleague Professor Dumbledore and his students will be fighting for the honor of our Alma Mater Hogwarts in the prestigious Triwizard Tournament. Amazingly, Harry Potter at such a young age has been chosen to represent Hogwarts (well he did defeat “he who must not be named” after all and by the way, speaking of “he who must not be named”, there are rumors that he and his Death-eaters are returning …. Oh by Merlin’s beard I hope not). In any case, I will be able to obtain precious tickets to the Triwizard Tournament on the 16 Nov (Wed) at 9.50pm (we all know it is a portal to Hogwarts but the Muggles call it GV Grand). So a raise of wands on who wants to go see the tournament. Tickets are running out fast so let me know quick if you are keen … by owl mail.
Yours Humbly,
Johann Pang
Holder of the Milkbottle and Guardian of the Wet Nappies – Royal Wizard of the Court of Princess Janelle.
Salutations my fellow Wizards and Witches …..
Just received my Daily Prophet from my pet owl Fluffy and read that our most esteemed colleague Professor Dumbledore and his students will be fighting for the honor of our Alma Mater Hogwarts in the prestigious Triwizard Tournament. Amazingly, Harry Potter at such a young age has been chosen to represent Hogwarts (well he did defeat “he who must not be named” after all and by the way, speaking of “he who must not be named”, there are rumors that he and his Death-eaters are returning …. Oh by Merlin’s beard I hope not). In any case, I will be able to obtain precious tickets to the Triwizard Tournament on the 16 Nov (Wed) at 9.50pm (we all know it is a portal to Hogwarts but the Muggles call it GV Grand). So a raise of wands on who wants to go see the tournament. Tickets are running out fast so let me know quick if you are keen … by owl mail.
Yours Humbly,
Johann Pang
Holder of the Milkbottle and Guardian of the Wet Nappies – Royal Wizard of the Court of Princess Janelle.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
dilbert
some of you might already know that i’m a fan of dilbert, the comic strip by scott adams. being a cubicle-dweller, i sometimes see the exact same situation illustrated in real life.
guess what? he has started a blog too!
i like his brand of humour and the way he makes fun of managers and management trends.
here’s what he has to say about getting onto the bandwagon in his latest newsletter…
MY OWN DILBERT BLOG
===================
When I see news stories about people all over the world who are experiencing hardships, I worry about them, and I rack my brain wondering how I can make a difference. So I decided to start my own blog. That way I won’t have time to think about other people.
People who are trying to decide whether to create a blog or not go through a thought process much like this:
guess what? he has started a blog too!
i like his brand of humour and the way he makes fun of managers and management trends.
here’s what he has to say about getting onto the bandwagon in his latest newsletter…
MY OWN DILBERT BLOG
===================
When I see news stories about people all over the world who are experiencing hardships, I worry about them, and I rack my brain wondering how I can make a difference. So I decided to start my own blog. That way I won’t have time to think about other people.
People who are trying to decide whether to create a blog or not go through a thought process much like this:
- The world sure needs more of ME.
- Maybe I’ll shout more often so that people nearby can experience the joy of knowing my thoughts.
- No, wait, shouting looks too crazy.
- I know – I’ll write down my daily thoughts and badger people to read them.
- If only there was a description for this process that doesn’t involve the words egomaniac or unnecessary.
- What? It’s called a blog? I’m there!
The blogger’s philosophy goes something like this: Everything that I think about is more fascinating than the crap in your head.
The beauty of blogging, as compared to writing a book, is that no editor will be interfering with my random spelling and grammar, my complete disregard for the facts, and my wandering sentences that seem to go on and on and never end so that you feel like you need to take a breath and clear your head before you can even consider making it to the end of the sentence that probably didn’t need to be written anyhoo.
If that doesn’t inspire you to read my blog, I don’t know what will.
Friday, November 04, 2005
national library
first time at the multi-million dollar spanking new national library…and i wasn’t there to borrow a book or do research with their extensive reference collection…
was just passing by and needed to use the toilet! :P hehe…
wah! noogee house
was on leave today so had lunch with my mum at this new place by the same people behind wah lok at carlton hotel.
that explains the “wah!” in the name. in case you’re wondering, noogee is coined by combining the 2 words: noodle and congee. both of which are available in many different versions on the menu.
the dianxin menu is served until 11:00am only. i would think the reason is so that the business at wah lok will not be compromised by the new kid on the block.
unfortunately, we were not in time to sample the dianxin menu. i had wanted to find out if it’s just as good as the restaurant's.
the xia jiao [dumpling] soup and the char siew & soy sauce chicken were average only. nothing to shout about. in fact, i find the meat combination expensive [$10] for the small-sized portion.
the seafood noodle is more generous with its ingredients and greens. can be shared by 2 persons if you’re ordering dianxin and other side dishes, or even 3 persons if you just want a nibble.
i also tried the steamed rice with chicken and chinese sausage. quite like it as it’s comfort food for me.
service is good. the staff actually changed the plates for us without asking unlike crystal jade. the food, however, is not outstanding nor very much better than crystal jade.
that explains the “wah!” in the name. in case you’re wondering, noogee is coined by combining the 2 words: noodle and congee. both of which are available in many different versions on the menu.
the dianxin menu is served until 11:00am only. i would think the reason is so that the business at wah lok will not be compromised by the new kid on the block.
unfortunately, we were not in time to sample the dianxin menu. i had wanted to find out if it’s just as good as the restaurant's.
the xia jiao [dumpling] soup and the char siew & soy sauce chicken were average only. nothing to shout about. in fact, i find the meat combination expensive [$10] for the small-sized portion.
the seafood noodle is more generous with its ingredients and greens. can be shared by 2 persons if you’re ordering dianxin and other side dishes, or even 3 persons if you just want a nibble.
i also tried the steamed rice with chicken and chinese sausage. quite like it as it’s comfort food for me.
service is good. the staff actually changed the plates for us without asking unlike crystal jade. the food, however, is not outstanding nor very much better than crystal jade.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
hello doris, diane & johann
gave johann a ring after we had our pratas since he lives just round the corner. doris suggested going for the board walk near his house.
thomas couldn’t believe his ears. i couldn’t help but laughed at his tortured reaction.
we had to reassure him that it’s a very short route lasting not more than 30 minutes.
johann joined us sporting his new toy. a gadget from polar that will monitor his heart rate and measures the distance he covers.
it was a more peaceful walk compared to the treetop walk. there is a rather cool section where the boards actually extend over shallow waters.
and then johann revealed that he had been reading my blog!
he’s the first jcgang member to tell me so. now is doris’ turn to not believe her ears and she demanded to know why i didn’t tell her that i had been blogging.
my reply? it’s for the observant folks only. haha… :)
johann commented that i didn’t really blog about him except for mentioning him as the father of janelle. haha… trust him to be jealous of his own daughter.
talking about janelle… diane told me about the sweetest thing she did.
she had brought a recent copy of 8days to diane and excitedly exclaimed, “uncle mun yue, uncle mun yue!” while pointing to the picture of hong junyang, one of the project superstar finalists.
didn’t know there’s any resemblance between the 2 of us. anyway, i shall remember to buy her some nice cookies the next time i see her. :)
doris also asked if i’ve got any sponsorship deals like xiaxue.
i was like, huh? how to?
i don’t get traffic of 10,000 visitors like her… perhaps i should change my blog’s name to xiayu [raining]… write something bad about a kuala lumpur trip… blog controversial remarks on the use of handicapped toilets and use *&%$#@ or some colourful dialect expletives. :P haha…
thomas couldn’t believe his ears. i couldn’t help but laughed at his tortured reaction.
we had to reassure him that it’s a very short route lasting not more than 30 minutes.
johann joined us sporting his new toy. a gadget from polar that will monitor his heart rate and measures the distance he covers.
it was a more peaceful walk compared to the treetop walk. there is a rather cool section where the boards actually extend over shallow waters.
and then johann revealed that he had been reading my blog!
he’s the first jcgang member to tell me so. now is doris’ turn to not believe her ears and she demanded to know why i didn’t tell her that i had been blogging.
my reply? it’s for the observant folks only. haha… :)
johann commented that i didn’t really blog about him except for mentioning him as the father of janelle. haha… trust him to be jealous of his own daughter.
talking about janelle… diane told me about the sweetest thing she did.
she had brought a recent copy of 8days to diane and excitedly exclaimed, “uncle mun yue, uncle mun yue!” while pointing to the picture of hong junyang, one of the project superstar finalists.
didn’t know there’s any resemblance between the 2 of us. anyway, i shall remember to buy her some nice cookies the next time i see her. :)
doris also asked if i’ve got any sponsorship deals like xiaxue.
i was like, huh? how to?
i don’t get traffic of 10,000 visitors like her… perhaps i should change my blog’s name to xiayu [raining]… write something bad about a kuala lumpur trip… blog controversial remarks on the use of handicapped toilets and use *&%$#@ or some colourful dialect expletives. :P haha…
treetop walk
*** brace yourself for my longest post ever ***
doris only managed to confirm that the trek is on yesterday when ky and doris’ friend, wendy said that they can make it.
originally, we had planned to meet at 9:00am at macritchie reservoir. very early for me considering it’s hari raya puasa but we had to be realistic since the trek to the treetop walk and back is expected to take 3 to 5 hours as written here.
however, wendy suggested 8:00am instead since she has a lunch appointment. in the end, a decision was made to meet at 7:45am at bishan mrt.
that means i have to wake up at an ungodly hour of 6:00am so that i will be punctual and still have time to grab some breakfast. i’ve not woken up so early for a very long time. i only keep such hours when i go for my icts.
it was raining when my handphone alarm sounded off at 6:00am.
received an sms from ky… he’s not going because it was raining heavily at his place .
sms-ed doris, she replied to say that it’s not raining at yishun…
what the heck… just do it!
decided to take the new sbs service 52 to bishan on a whim. played with my camera "action" mode while waiting for the bus…
after a while, i was the one and only passenger on the bus until it reached sin ming.
the bus arrived at bishan in a rather quick 35 minutes and i rushed off in search of breakfast. gobbled up my macdonald’s big breakfast in double-quick time, got to eat else i’ll definitely faint from hunger during the trek.
met doris and thomas at the pick-up point at 8:00am. wendy and his brother, victor soon joined us too.
waited a while for terence and diana. since the 5 of us couldn’t fit into the car, me, doris and thomas followed terence’s car in a cab to kim’s place at jalan lembah thomson.
that’s where the "secret" entrance of the trail is situated. don’t bother trying to locate it on the map because it is not an "official" start point. we set off at 8:30am in an adventurous mood.
when our side trail opened into the main route to the treetop walk, we encountered many runners along the way. doris is surprised to find so many health nuts running so early in the morning on a public holiday.
most of these runners [of all ages and gender] were in their running gear and nothing else, not even water bottles. some teenagers were even running in sandals and slippers!
compared to them, we seemed overdressed in our bermudas and trackpants; over-equipped with our backpacks containing our water-bottles, insect repellants, umbrellas, etc…
victor’s nike fell victim to the trail. he had not been wearing those shoes regularly. both soles came off eventually and had to be secured with elastic band and shoelaces.
although it was cloudy and the ground was still wet from the earlier showers, it was still humid.
walking and chatting merrily, we sometimes occupied the entire width of the trail impeding the runners’ way. probably pissed off quite a few of them as they had to slow down to pass through us. :P
only after a rather long while did we encounter other trekkers. the trail merged with the venus drive entrance route to the treetop walk. that’s where we encountered the holiday crowds of families out in full force.
doris couldn’t believe that the treetop walk can be this popular. ever so gungho, she kept talking about wanting to proceed on to bukit timah hill but nobody took her seriously.
finally reached the ranger station which is a short distance away from the treetop walk.
we had to scale a rather steep slope to the starting point.
here we are on the suspension bridge…
views from the bridge…
doris only managed to confirm that the trek is on yesterday when ky and doris’ friend, wendy said that they can make it.
originally, we had planned to meet at 9:00am at macritchie reservoir. very early for me considering it’s hari raya puasa but we had to be realistic since the trek to the treetop walk and back is expected to take 3 to 5 hours as written here.
however, wendy suggested 8:00am instead since she has a lunch appointment. in the end, a decision was made to meet at 7:45am at bishan mrt.
that means i have to wake up at an ungodly hour of 6:00am so that i will be punctual and still have time to grab some breakfast. i’ve not woken up so early for a very long time. i only keep such hours when i go for my icts.it was raining when my handphone alarm sounded off at 6:00am.
received an sms from ky… he’s not going because it was raining heavily at his place .
sms-ed doris, she replied to say that it’s not raining at yishun…
what the heck… just do it!
decided to take the new sbs service 52 to bishan on a whim. played with my camera "action" mode while waiting for the bus…
after a while, i was the one and only passenger on the bus until it reached sin ming.the bus arrived at bishan in a rather quick 35 minutes and i rushed off in search of breakfast. gobbled up my macdonald’s big breakfast in double-quick time, got to eat else i’ll definitely faint from hunger during the trek.
met doris and thomas at the pick-up point at 8:00am. wendy and his brother, victor soon joined us too.
waited a while for terence and diana. since the 5 of us couldn’t fit into the car, me, doris and thomas followed terence’s car in a cab to kim’s place at jalan lembah thomson.
that’s where the "secret" entrance of the trail is situated. don’t bother trying to locate it on the map because it is not an "official" start point. we set off at 8:30am in an adventurous mood.
when our side trail opened into the main route to the treetop walk, we encountered many runners along the way. doris is surprised to find so many health nuts running so early in the morning on a public holiday.
most of these runners [of all ages and gender] were in their running gear and nothing else, not even water bottles. some teenagers were even running in sandals and slippers!
compared to them, we seemed overdressed in our bermudas and trackpants; over-equipped with our backpacks containing our water-bottles, insect repellants, umbrellas, etc…
victor’s nike fell victim to the trail. he had not been wearing those shoes regularly. both soles came off eventually and had to be secured with elastic band and shoelaces.
although it was cloudy and the ground was still wet from the earlier showers, it was still humid.
walking and chatting merrily, we sometimes occupied the entire width of the trail impeding the runners’ way. probably pissed off quite a few of them as they had to slow down to pass through us. :P
only after a rather long while did we encounter other trekkers. the trail merged with the venus drive entrance route to the treetop walk. that’s where we encountered the holiday crowds of families out in full force.doris couldn’t believe that the treetop walk can be this popular. ever so gungho, she kept talking about wanting to proceed on to bukit timah hill but nobody took her seriously.
finally reached the ranger station which is a short distance away from the treetop walk.
we had to scale a rather steep slope to the starting point.
here we are on the suspension bridge…
views from the bridge…
me and doris took our time on the bridge making the rest wait for us. hehe… :P
towards the end of the treetop walk, there’re signs that advised us not to turn back. i jested that it’s the "nai he qiao" which one has to cross on the way to reincarnation in chinese folklore so you’re not supposed to turn back. haha… :) 
after the bridge, it’s many flights of steps up… and then down… to the board walk that will bring us back to the ranger station.
we decided to exit by venus drive and bade our farewells to kim and terence.
trekked past a stream… sighted an adult and baby monkey.
strange but true, we came across workers cutting the grass by the stream. didn’t know this trail requires "maintenance" too. no kidding.
by the time we reached the public carpark at venus drive, we had trekked for about 2.5 hours.
victor was craving for prata, so we took a bus to casuarina road for my favourite crispy plain prata.
a delicious and satisfying end to the morning physical exertion.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
nostalgia
it was drizzling today after my aquafit class at capital tower.
the rainy and cool weather always make me think it’s december, putting me in a pensive mood, as the year-end is the time of the year which you take stock of the year that has gone by in yet another blink of the eye and the sweet anticipation of the coming festivities with family and friends.
feeling nostalgic, i decided to take a bus instead of the faster but boring train ride home. the train station being further away also helped to make the bus ride more attractive lah. haha…
i didn’t have to wait very long for sbs service 147 at chinatown complex.
the double-deckered bus went past the bus stop where i had waited at to go home in the hot and humid afternoons of my secondary school days.
it didn’t feel too long ago that i was wearing my [easily dirtied] uniform of white shirt and pants, but actually, that is more than 17 cringe-inducing years ago. that long ago, huh?
past the place where poh han used to live… passed by bukit merah central where hdb used to be… past where jeffrey used to live.
how things have changed after all these years…
myself, the people around me, the places that i’m familiar with…
now there's mobile tv to distract [or irritate, depending on your opinion] you on long journeys while i used to have just my trusty walkman.
change is the only constant, cliched but nevertheless true and apt.
my only wish is that these changes, painful or otherwise, are for the better, helping us grow, taking little steps towards being the perfect friend, son/daughter, brother/sister, daddy/mummy, etc...
the rainy and cool weather always make me think it’s december, putting me in a pensive mood, as the year-end is the time of the year which you take stock of the year that has gone by in yet another blink of the eye and the sweet anticipation of the coming festivities with family and friends.
feeling nostalgic, i decided to take a bus instead of the faster but boring train ride home. the train station being further away also helped to make the bus ride more attractive lah. haha…
i didn’t have to wait very long for sbs service 147 at chinatown complex.
the double-deckered bus went past the bus stop where i had waited at to go home in the hot and humid afternoons of my secondary school days.
it didn’t feel too long ago that i was wearing my [easily dirtied] uniform of white shirt and pants, but actually, that is more than 17 cringe-inducing years ago. that long ago, huh?
past the place where poh han used to live… passed by bukit merah central where hdb used to be… past where jeffrey used to live.
how things have changed after all these years…
myself, the people around me, the places that i’m familiar with…
now there's mobile tv to distract [or irritate, depending on your opinion] you on long journeys while i used to have just my trusty walkman.
change is the only constant, cliched but nevertheless true and apt.
my only wish is that these changes, painful or otherwise, are for the better, helping us grow, taking little steps towards being the perfect friend, son/daughter, brother/sister, daddy/mummy, etc...
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
sky garden yoga
actually was supposed to do my regular tuesday workout before the yoga class but was too lazy since it’s deepavali today.
the class at george street was conducted by chris out at the sky garden. The weather was perfect with a strong breeze threatening to blow off our mats.
my body was in a lethargic holiday mood… feeling a bit weak since i only had brunch. the seemingly harmless stretches almost made me break out in cold sweat. my hamstrings were rather tight from last thursday interval training.
i kept wishing for the class to end… since there weren’t any clocks around and i wasn’t wearing my watch, i have no way of knowing the time.
arrgghh… got to endure…
oommm…
the class at george street was conducted by chris out at the sky garden. The weather was perfect with a strong breeze threatening to blow off our mats.
my body was in a lethargic holiday mood… feeling a bit weak since i only had brunch. the seemingly harmless stretches almost made me break out in cold sweat. my hamstrings were rather tight from last thursday interval training.
i kept wishing for the class to end… since there weren’t any clocks around and i wasn’t wearing my watch, i have no way of knowing the time.
arrgghh… got to endure…
oommm…
remembrance
there’s a programme on television today in memory of the late singer, teresa teng [deng li jun] commemorating the 10th anniversary of her death.
she’s one of the most immensely successful singer of my growing up years with a huge fan base in asia, including china and even japan.
in fact, my uncle wai was a fan of hers, collecting all her albums, sometimes even buying multiple copies of the same album!
the programme made me ponder if there’s anyone who will still remember me 10 years after my death…
how would i want to be remembered?
what kind of legacy [if any] will i leave behind in this world?
a filial son… a caring brother… a great friend…
someone who has, in his own small ways, touched the hearts of the people that he comes across in his daily life and had made the world of his loved ones a better place.
cheers to life!
she’s one of the most immensely successful singer of my growing up years with a huge fan base in asia, including china and even japan.
in fact, my uncle wai was a fan of hers, collecting all her albums, sometimes even buying multiple copies of the same album!
the programme made me ponder if there’s anyone who will still remember me 10 years after my death…
how would i want to be remembered?
what kind of legacy [if any] will i leave behind in this world?
a filial son… a caring brother… a great friend…
someone who has, in his own small ways, touched the hearts of the people that he comes across in his daily life and had made the world of his loved ones a better place.
cheers to life!
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