The real fruits today...

We were ready for home today. Since it was a great Sunday, Gary suggested we have some fun before heading home.

First, to the old fortress, then enjoyed a breezy ride...

Next to pamper our poor feet...

and then food, of course...

Yes, we were at Jonkers Street of Malacca...

And, of course, how can we miss out our favourite...

You cannot believe it, we finished all these!

The fruits after hardwork...

We managed to complete most of the hardware and software setup before 5pm today. The system is now live and will be monitored for stability for the next few days. The rest of the setup can be done via wireless, even though we are back home. This is the wonder of networking and wireless. It has made life so much easier and our work so much more flexible. Nevertheless, we shall be back for users training.
All the hard work were worth with a dinner under such atmosphere >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
coupled with a good scrub and massage, then a good sleep.

Happy Birthday Tony...

Whatever role, you're always the best!

right to left:
2008: RedCliff
2007: Lust, Cautious
2006: Confesstion of Pain
2005: Seoul Raiders
2004: 2046

right to left:
2003: Sound of Colors
2003: My Lucky Star
2003: Internal Affairs 3
2002: Internal Affairs 2
2002: Hero

A new vision...

We have arrived here about 12 hours ago and have not stopped working except for an hour dinner break. Gary was almost drained and he said he would take 5, but it has been an hour plus and he was still snoring away…

This is the first project of our new born company and thus we are "pouring" all our best into this project. Our aim is to complete and deliver in 3 days.

Our company services are geared towards helping owners and companies more effectively control a single project or multiple projects at the same time, while considering the impact of projects in the pipeline. Our services will enhance the quality of a project and save money through cost effective high technology approaches that reduce the effort to complete project tasks.

Our goal is to help companies wisely deploy limited resources across their projects while staying on top of market. This helps to protect limited budgets and tight deadlines. In short, our company provides the project management solutions to control the outcome of every project, contract, subcontractor and supplier.

Both Gary and I have been in the IT for more than 15 years. We have worked in the government as well as private sectors. With our vast knowledge of network design, installation, management, and maintenance services, we believe we can provides a broad base of experience and education to effectively provide solutions for customers with unique requirements. Thus, leave your network headaches to us.

Who's laughing?

Former US President, Theodore Roosevelt said:

In any moment of decision:

"The best thing you can do is the right thing,
The next best thing is the wrong thing,
And the worst thing you can do is NOTHING.”

前世, 今生

Watch your thoughts, for they become words
Watch your words, for they become actions
Watch your actions, for they become habits
Watch your habits, for they become character
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny

所以我相信，前世我一定是亏待了你，今世来还债，不对你好不行。。。

A lousy weekend...

Yesterday started as usual, woke up at 7am, changed to my running gears and headed for the stadium. However, after crossing the 10th round, I was feeling a bit lousy. Normally, after crossing the 1st 10, my legs would call for another 10... but things weren't the same yesterday. I was like... ran and stop... ran and stop... so I decided to call it a day.

I thought this could be due to my previous few sleepless nights rushing for a proposal. So, after bath, I went for a nap. While I was in a half-asleep, half awake state of mind, I felt chilly and started to shiver. I got up and took my temperature - 37.9 degree. I felt feverish and there were aches and joints pain all over my body.

No, I thought, I could not afford to get sick. I have so many things in my hands. If the proposal goes through, I would have to go to KL for the implementation, and the list goes on... Thus I decided to see a doctor. Normally I would go for "self-administrate", i.e. for fever just take panadol, that's it. The doc's thermometer read 38.2 degree and that wasn't good, he said, “You need to rest”.

Most of us tend to overlook the signals given by our bodies. A fever isn't an illness itself, but it's usually a sign that something out of the ordinary is going on in your body. Fevers aren't necessarily bad. In fact, fevers seem to play a key role in helping your body fight off viral or bacterial infections, sometimes exhaustion. So start listening to your body, it's wiser than you think.

The talk of the town...

...is about a molestation that took place in South Korea. The female character Ms F asked the male character Mr M to accompany her to South Korea to settle an accident claim. Because none of her female friends were free to accompany her and that was why she turned to Mr M, believing that Mr M is a trustworthy man. However, it was such coincidence that the hotel, which they were supposed to put up in South Korea, made a mistake and allocated a room with a double bed to them. Ms F trusted Mr M and did not hesitate but to share the bed with him. However, on the last night of the trip, Ms F felt Mr M’s fingers running from her back to her buttocks. Ms F claimed that she was shocked but was too scared to confront Mr M. Instead she spent the rest of the night relating her ordeal to a friend via online chat and her blog.

Never did she expect she would become the limelight and her experience sparked a flurry of nasty comments from bloggers who have read her posts.

Then Mr M gave his side of the story. He claimed that he hugged her with her consent. Actually he has courted her for more than 2 years and helped her pay a study loan of <$48k. He even confessed his love for her before. He said they have gone out regularly for meals and movies. He thought the signals were cleared to her… Ms F confirmed these but claimed that the money was a gift from him. The latest… Ms F claimed that all she wanted was an apology. However, Mr M wasn't that lucky. He was sacked by his company and got his lawyer to ask Ms F for the money.

Ladies, learn your lessons:
1. If you need to travel with a guy whom you think is just a casual friend, ask for separate hotel room.
2. If your budget only allows you to share a room, ask for a twin-bed room.
3. If the hotel left with 1 last double-bed room, make sure you bring a long touch-light and sleep with thick tracksuit. Place the touch light beside you when you sleep. Tell the guy this is for emergency hotel blackout.
4. If you know you can't control what's gonna happen, at least, get a macho, good-looking and "loaded" guy to go with you!

The pinch of the week...

Come 7 July, 5 new gantries along the banks of the Singapore River will go live. Gantries in the CBD will extend an extra hour, to 8pm on weekdays. On Saturdays, gantries at Orchard Road will start 1 hour earlier, at 11am. Motorists who travel frequently into the CBD will have to pay at least double of what they are paying now in ERP charges - from S$2 a day to an expected S$4 or S$5. The purpose of this review is to speed up city traffic...

We talked about this over lunch yesterday. Well, looks like there is no option for drivers except to pay more. Last time, they still can go the long way to avoid the gantries but now this way will incur more petrol costs. So either way, drivers are losing out, it either you top up that CashCard or don't drive into the city.

Good thing I don't need to fret about this. Armed with a EZlink card and I can go anywhere and at anytime...

Anlene Orchard Mile - more pics

left: Suzy from Australia, broke her own records, clocking 4m 19s for championship again in the Elite Mile Category.

Mark Twain said...

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great ones make you feel that you, too, can become great."

It's Anlene Orchard Mile 2day!

This is the first ever women’s only running event to be held on Orchard Road. The Anlene Orchard Mile supports the Osteoporosis Society of Singapore (OSS) to promote bone health and raise awareness about osteoporosis amongst women and how they can delay the onset through a regular intake of calcium combined with an active lifestyle. For the second consecutive year, the Anlene Orchard Mile saw over 3,500 women of all ages ran down at Orchard Road.

The pledge for strong bone health

DJs Jamie Yeo & Yong Mei prepared runners for the race

Left: The starting point
Right: 10U volunteers, without you, the event wouldn't be possible.

left: After race, q'ing for breakfast
right: bone scan check & consultation

Bronze award for my blood!

It's World Blood Donor Day. Singapore Red Cross and HSA held a Champion Blood Donor Recognition Ceremony at the Singapore Zoo. This event is celebrated all over the world, in recognition of the voluntary and selfless contribution of the many people who donate blood regularly. I was invited to receive this bronze award for my contribution.

I can still remember my first donation, a response to a call for blood shortage. I walked into the blood bank at Outram Park on my own! But honestly, I was having cold hands and feet and this thought, "maybe next time...", flashed across my mind many times. Good thing, I didn't chicken out.

The procedure, until today, remains unchanged: First is registration, next is something I dislike most, until now, i.e. answer a 3-pages of health assessment questionnaire. Then a doctor will go through the questionnaire, confirm your answers with you and make sure you sign the form. After which he/she will take your weight, blood pressure, pulse and body temperature. Next, a nurse will draw some blood, by just a prick on a finger, to examine your blood haemoglobin level so as to ensure that you can make a donation. When this is over, you enter the blood donation room. A nurse will lead you to a bed. She will be cleaned your arm, after which a local painkiller will be applied to ensure that you feel no pain during the donation. Just 10 minutes and everything is over! After the donation, you will have continue to rest there for another 10 minutes. Last but not least, it's refreshment time! In all, the whole procedure takes about 45 minutes.

Actually, after realizing that it 'wasn't that frightening', the fear in me was replaced by a positive feeling, the worries were replaced by a feel of "warm glow" at the thought that my blood saves lives. From then, I tried to make 3 donations yearly but not for the 4-5 years where I was away on oversea attachment. Time flies, only to realise that I have already made 27 donations! But this is nothing compared to those gold receivers who have made more than 100 donations. Kudos to them.

For more info, please visit http://www.hsa.gov.sg/publish/hsaportal/en/home.html
or donorweb at http://www.donorweb.org/

Back to normal but...

Children of Sichuan earthquake are back to school but not with the usual feel anymore...




Why are our children still complaining so much?

We can make a difference...

Why volunteer?
Last evening, a few of my ‘long-time’ volunteer friends were upset by another few volunteers who only do things that benefit themselves. I told them it’s ok. People volunteer for many reasons, especially wanting to help others, but it's also ok to want some benefits for ourselves from volunteering. The best volunteering does involve the desire to serve others, but this does not exclude other motivations, as well.

Instead of considering volunteering as something we do for people who are not as fortunate as ourselves, begin to think of it as an exchange.

Consider that most people find themselves in need at some point in their lives. Today I may be the person with the ability to help, but tomorrow I may be the recipient of someone else's volunteer effort. Volunteering also includes "self-help." A very good example: if you are active in your neighborhood crime watch, your home is protected while you protect your neighbors' homes too. Adding your effort to the work of others makes everyone's lives better.

What are our Motivations?
Thus we decided to sit down and think about how much we receive when we give and consider why we want to volunteer. All of us have several different reasons, and this lead us to also identify many of the possible motivations:
· to feel needed
· to share a skill
· to get to know a community
· to demonstrate commitment to a cause/belief
· to do your civic duty
· satisfaction from accomplishment
· to keep busy
· for recognition
· to donate your professional skills
· to have an impact
· to learn something new
· for freedom of schedule
· to help a friend or relative
· for escape
· out of guilt
· to be challenged
· to feel proud
· to make new friends
· to explore a career
· to help someone
· as therapy
· to do something different from your job
· for fun!
· for religious reasons
· to earn academic credit (for students only)

Some of us may have some other special reasons, however, the motivations that made us select the place to offer our services may not be the reasons why we stay.

As long as we’re on the volunteer job, we will continue to serve as long as we feel that our efforts are accomplishing something, that our talents are appreciated, and that we make a difference. And if we also like the people with whom we work with, so much the better!

As long as we are truly serving through our volunteer work, isn't it wonderful that such an exchange occurs? In fact, it tends to strengthen our commitment to volunteering when we can see the benefits to both the recipient of our efforts and to ourselves. And it is much more comfortable than "charity" because it upholds the self-esteem of those with whom we volunteer.

"If you don't believe you can make a difference, you have never been in bed with a mosquito."

Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop

He is marrying his sweetheart...

He is my idol, Tony Leung Chiu Wai.

I’m seldom crazy about guys not to mention superstars, but this guy cum superstar is exception. Despite being an international celebrity, he does not have any airs and is most earnest and down-to-earth in his attitude towards his work, his fans and the media. Despite the lines of maturity around his eyes, just a smile is enough to electrify me. He speaks wittily but sincerely that even the media was amazed by his maturity.

Latest about him, he is going to wed his longtime sweetheart, Carina Lau, this year! Being their superfan, I'm super delighted. They are the most compatible couple in the entertainment line. I sincerely wish them a everlasting marriage and a happy life.

Biography of Tony Leung
Date of Birth: 27 June 1962

Height: 1.71m

Tony Leung was born in Hong Kong on 27 June 1962. He was brought up by his mother after his dad left them when he was 7. In 1982, Tony passed TVB artiste training courses and became an actor. He shot to fame after acting comedy style TV series like "Lu Ding Ji" (The Duke of Mount Deer) (1984). Since then, he further into big screens acting like "Sha Shou Hu Die Meng"(My Heart Is That Eternal Rose ) (1989) and "Bei Qing Cheng Shi" (A City of Sadness) (1989). After starring in movies directed by Wong Kar Wai such as “Chung Hing Sam Lam” (Chung King Express) (1994) and “Chun Gwong Cha Sit” (Happy Together ) (1997), he gained more recognition and respect and finally won the Best Actor Award at Cannes International Film Festival for his outstanding performance in "Fa Yeung Nin Wa” (In the Mood for Love) (2000).

You may be more familiar with his latest compositions:
2008: Red Cliff; Ashes of Time Redux
2007: Lust, Caution (se, jie)
2006: Confession of Pain (shang cheng)
2005: Seoul Raiders (han cheng gong lue)
2004: 2046
2003: Colour of Sound (di xia tie); Internal Affairs 3 (wu jian dao 3); My Lucky Star (xing yun chao ren)
2002: Internal Affairs (wu jian dao); Hero (ying xiong); Chinese Odyssey 2002 (tian xia wu shuang)

8Jun evening walk

This evening's walk covered Henderson Waves through Marang Trail to HarbourFront. It was 5.30pm and there were crowds of families, probably due to school holidays. The sky was clear but air was quite still.


Henderson Waves - day & night

Do we realise our country is so beautiful!

Why are we always so busy to just stop and look around?


Scroll down and click on 'older posts' for more posts on Southern Ridges & Treetop.

Euro 2008 - starting midnite

The football fever is here again...
Let's guess who will be in the final. I hope Greece can make it.
I love Greece...