Here I am, sitting in the hotel lobby in Medan (Indonesia), accessing their free Internet service, in my shorts with at least 1 mosquito buzzing around hoping to suck me dry.
Today, in Jakarta, there was a massive demonstration in protest of their government reducing their fuel subsidy, resulting in an expected increase in fuel prices of at least 50% (those whom I spoke to predicted 70-90%).
Last I heard, many public transport were not available, and roads were closed.
Luckily, one colleague I left in Jakarta reached the airport in the morning before all these happened.
I am hoping that tomorrow, my transit flight from Medan-Jakarta-Singapore will not be affected.
Yesteday was one whole day of seminar, today was a busy day going around visiting 5 new potential customers. No chance to visit Lake Toba as it is a 3 hour drive from Medan.
Tomorrow, I will be back home and enjoying my weekend.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Weekend Updates
I am not sure if I should put this up, cos what I am have is definitely not really allowed by the books.
But what the heck - I got myself a pair of Motorola SX700R last week. Managed to find it somewhere near Sim Lim. And a pair of the set, plus a pair of earpeice, costs S$180. That is damn cheap (in my opinion) for something of that power.
Anyway, it is a consumer type, thus, I do not expect to be able to conduct any of my childhood spying dreams (not unless I expect people listening in to laugh at me with my childish acts). It is not able to scramble my voice, or use any digital encryption to prevent eavesdropping. But I guess it is good enough for my uses (now you use your creativity to think what use I could have for it.)
Over the last 2 nights, I have discovered some places in Singapore that I had seldom been to. All in conquests of high location so that I can tune into other people's conversation.
And you will not believe what I have caught in just 2 nights.
First night, 2 civilian convoys - one of about 8-10 Rav4, another of 15-20 Getz. Listening to their movement and their excursions. Too bad didn't catch any of the "action on the road" type of transmissions.
Last night, was listening to a couple of conversations, held by what I believe to be dock workers (due to background noises that I heard) talking about their adventures in red-light districts ; Adventures of the close encounters of the breasts-too-large-to-fit-into-my-palms types.
Conversations in hokkien, peppered with vulgarities usually crack me up. Man, I am now a high-tech voyeur. I hope I do NOT find any cheap night-vision with 12x optical zoom that is less than S$300, else I will have to change jobs.
Next hobby - Mod earpiece outlet of my set to go into an MP3 player for recording. Who knows, maybe I will be posting conversations I have heard over the air here. But then, that will be really evil of me...
But what the heck - I got myself a pair of Motorola SX700R last week. Managed to find it somewhere near Sim Lim. And a pair of the set, plus a pair of earpeice, costs S$180. That is damn cheap (in my opinion) for something of that power.
Anyway, it is a consumer type, thus, I do not expect to be able to conduct any of my childhood spying dreams (not unless I expect people listening in to laugh at me with my childish acts). It is not able to scramble my voice, or use any digital encryption to prevent eavesdropping. But I guess it is good enough for my uses (now you use your creativity to think what use I could have for it.)
Over the last 2 nights, I have discovered some places in Singapore that I had seldom been to. All in conquests of high location so that I can tune into other people's conversation.
And you will not believe what I have caught in just 2 nights.
First night, 2 civilian convoys - one of about 8-10 Rav4, another of 15-20 Getz. Listening to their movement and their excursions. Too bad didn't catch any of the "action on the road" type of transmissions.
Last night, was listening to a couple of conversations, held by what I believe to be dock workers (due to background noises that I heard) talking about their adventures in red-light districts ; Adventures of the close encounters of the breasts-too-large-to-fit-into-my-palms types.
Conversations in hokkien, peppered with vulgarities usually crack me up. Man, I am now a high-tech voyeur. I hope I do NOT find any cheap night-vision with 12x optical zoom that is less than S$300, else I will have to change jobs.
Next hobby - Mod earpiece outlet of my set to go into an MP3 player for recording. Who knows, maybe I will be posting conversations I have heard over the air here. But then, that will be really evil of me...
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Photos of Brisbane Trip
Ok. Was back from Brisbane yesterday. Finally settled everything, and today I am energetic enough to blog again.
I have uploaded some photos (of course, as usual, no photos with faces in them,) and I will give a quick summary of the whole trip :
Day 1 - Kingaroy Wine Tours
Managed to get an earlier than expected start after we picked-up our vehicle. Took a 2 hour trip from Brisbane to Kingaroy area to start our wine tour. Went to Stuart Range, and Cranes (Flower 1, Flower 2 and Vines) before dark. Checked into the hotel and had nice dinner and good rest.
Day 2 - Wine Tours in Morning ; Travel to Hervey Bay
Woke up and hit a few more wineries. Bought some wines to bring home, as well as extra for ourselves to enjoy during the trip. Had to stop at around 3 and start the drive up to Hervey Bay.
Reached the hotel (The Grange) almost 6, bought groceries and made speghetti for dinner. The house we stayed in was wonderful, with 3 levels and a jacuzzi.
Day 3 - Fraser Island Tour
Took a ferry to the Island and boarded a 4WD bus that took us around some parts of the island. Information on Fraser Island can be found here.
Basically it is the world largest island that is formed completely by sand. According to the guide, there are only 4 pieces of rocks on the island. Most of what we see are just compressed sand, or sand with rotting vegetation, etc. So technically, they are not rocks.
And when we were standing near a stream, we couldn't hear the sound of water flowing, because there were no rocks to break the flow of water.
Saw also the The Pinnacle, the Shipwreck and Basin Lake.
The ferry back was also scenic.
Day 4 - Whale Watching Tour ; Travel to Surfer's Paradise
Took a half day tour to watch whales. Saw more than we bargained for. Also saw dolphins and turtles in the ocean joining in the fun.
It was a hot but wonderful trip. Back to mainland about 2.30pm and had to start our 400+ km down from Hervey Bay to Surfer's Paradise.
Day 5 - Movie World
Ok. Enjoyed it but not as great as I expected. Not going to show any photos, as good ones can be found in brochures as well. Ha !
Day 6 - Weekend Markets
Didn't take photos. But just bought some stuff at the weekend market. Not a lot though, and nothing very interesting.
But saw quite a few handcrafts that looked like they are imported from Bali. Now we know why Australians like to go to Bali.
Day 7 - Markets and Shopping
Went to Habour Town for branded goods shopping, and also other shopping malls. Nothing much I have to say.
Day 8 - Dream World
Very enjoyable. Managed to ride all 5 biggest Thrillers and a few others.
Day 9 - Sea World ; Travel to Tangalooma
Spent the morning half at Sea World. Saw cute dolphin shows and other sea animals. Didn't bring camera, so no photos, but you can see the brochure here.
Had to leave after lunch, as we need to catch the 5pm ferry to Tangalooma resort.
Had dinner along the beach and was mesmerized by the wonderful view of the night sky.
Day 10 - Tangalooma Island
Did a Quad-bike tour in the morning and then lazed around the beach. Had fun competing with my friends to see who is the best paper-aeroplane engineer. Also had some archery practise, Robin Hood style (not the high-tech bow that you see during the Olympics. No aiming sights, no arrorw rest.)
Evening, we fed the dolphins. Then took the last ferry back to mainland, and made our way to our to Brisbane.
Day 11 - Picnic and Mount Cootha
Spent the morning and afternoon lazing around the Botanic Gardens and New Farm Park (Rose 1, Rose 2), having our Picnic lunch. Brought along the hotel blanket to be our groundsheet. Grass was soft and dry, the weather was cool under the shade. No sweating even with the sun bathing our skin.
After dinner, made our way up Mount Cootha to see the night view of Brisbane.
The next day, we came back to Singapore on a morning flight.
I will have to say I did really enjoy my trip. Initial estimate of the total expenses should be less than S$2,500. Definitely Worth It !
I have uploaded some photos (of course, as usual, no photos with faces in them,) and I will give a quick summary of the whole trip :
Day 1 - Kingaroy Wine Tours
Managed to get an earlier than expected start after we picked-up our vehicle. Took a 2 hour trip from Brisbane to Kingaroy area to start our wine tour. Went to Stuart Range, and Cranes (Flower 1, Flower 2 and Vines) before dark. Checked into the hotel and had nice dinner and good rest.
Day 2 - Wine Tours in Morning ; Travel to Hervey Bay
Woke up and hit a few more wineries. Bought some wines to bring home, as well as extra for ourselves to enjoy during the trip. Had to stop at around 3 and start the drive up to Hervey Bay.
Reached the hotel (The Grange) almost 6, bought groceries and made speghetti for dinner. The house we stayed in was wonderful, with 3 levels and a jacuzzi.
Day 3 - Fraser Island Tour
Took a ferry to the Island and boarded a 4WD bus that took us around some parts of the island. Information on Fraser Island can be found here.
Basically it is the world largest island that is formed completely by sand. According to the guide, there are only 4 pieces of rocks on the island. Most of what we see are just compressed sand, or sand with rotting vegetation, etc. So technically, they are not rocks.
And when we were standing near a stream, we couldn't hear the sound of water flowing, because there were no rocks to break the flow of water.
Saw also the The Pinnacle, the Shipwreck and Basin Lake.
The ferry back was also scenic.
Day 4 - Whale Watching Tour ; Travel to Surfer's Paradise
Took a half day tour to watch whales. Saw more than we bargained for. Also saw dolphins and turtles in the ocean joining in the fun.
It was a hot but wonderful trip. Back to mainland about 2.30pm and had to start our 400+ km down from Hervey Bay to Surfer's Paradise.
Day 5 - Movie World
Ok. Enjoyed it but not as great as I expected. Not going to show any photos, as good ones can be found in brochures as well. Ha !
Day 6 - Weekend Markets
Didn't take photos. But just bought some stuff at the weekend market. Not a lot though, and nothing very interesting.
But saw quite a few handcrafts that looked like they are imported from Bali. Now we know why Australians like to go to Bali.
Day 7 - Markets and Shopping
Went to Habour Town for branded goods shopping, and also other shopping malls. Nothing much I have to say.
Day 8 - Dream World
Very enjoyable. Managed to ride all 5 biggest Thrillers and a few others.
Day 9 - Sea World ; Travel to Tangalooma
Spent the morning half at Sea World. Saw cute dolphin shows and other sea animals. Didn't bring camera, so no photos, but you can see the brochure here.
Had to leave after lunch, as we need to catch the 5pm ferry to Tangalooma resort.
Had dinner along the beach and was mesmerized by the wonderful view of the night sky.
Day 10 - Tangalooma Island
Did a Quad-bike tour in the morning and then lazed around the beach. Had fun competing with my friends to see who is the best paper-aeroplane engineer. Also had some archery practise, Robin Hood style (not the high-tech bow that you see during the Olympics. No aiming sights, no arrorw rest.)
Evening, we fed the dolphins. Then took the last ferry back to mainland, and made our way to our to Brisbane.
Day 11 - Picnic and Mount Cootha
Spent the morning and afternoon lazing around the Botanic Gardens and New Farm Park (Rose 1, Rose 2), having our Picnic lunch. Brought along the hotel blanket to be our groundsheet. Grass was soft and dry, the weather was cool under the shade. No sweating even with the sun bathing our skin.
After dinner, made our way up Mount Cootha to see the night view of Brisbane.
The next day, we came back to Singapore on a morning flight.
I will have to say I did really enjoy my trip. Initial estimate of the total expenses should be less than S$2,500. Definitely Worth It !
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Midway Update on Brisbane
Been a few days of my Brisbane trip. Not much chance for Internet access. Let me just give a quick summary (no pictures, I am just sending an email to my client and then rushing out to to the beach.)
First 2 days were spent around Kingaroy area, going through the vineyards. Bought 2 crates of wines from various wineries and consuming them in the hotels and will be bringing back some.
Hotel in Kingaroy was so-so, but once we reached Hervey Bay, we checked into a townhouse. It was a 3-storey apartment, with 3 bedrooms, 3 toilets with 1 having a jacuzzi.
First day there was spent on a 4WD bus going around Frasier Island. The largest sand island in the world. The whole island is just sand and amazing rainforest growing on sand. The experience wasn't the best as we spent quite some time in the vehicle and ended the day with sore bums.
Second day was fun ! Took a cruise out for whale watching. So we saw several humpback whales up close and personal (nearest whale surfaced about only 3 meters away from the boat) and dolphins and turtles.
After the cruise we spent the better half of the afternoon driving 400km down to Gold Coast.
So we went to Movie world, the night and weekend markets, the shopping malls and today the beach. Oh what glorious sun and icy cold sea...
Coming up will be Dream world, Sea world and then will be going to Tangalooma for some "touch the dolphins" and will be looking for quad-bike rentals.
Ok. Going to the beach now... Updates later...
First 2 days were spent around Kingaroy area, going through the vineyards. Bought 2 crates of wines from various wineries and consuming them in the hotels and will be bringing back some.
Hotel in Kingaroy was so-so, but once we reached Hervey Bay, we checked into a townhouse. It was a 3-storey apartment, with 3 bedrooms, 3 toilets with 1 having a jacuzzi.
First day there was spent on a 4WD bus going around Frasier Island. The largest sand island in the world. The whole island is just sand and amazing rainforest growing on sand. The experience wasn't the best as we spent quite some time in the vehicle and ended the day with sore bums.
Second day was fun ! Took a cruise out for whale watching. So we saw several humpback whales up close and personal (nearest whale surfaced about only 3 meters away from the boat) and dolphins and turtles.
After the cruise we spent the better half of the afternoon driving 400km down to Gold Coast.
So we went to Movie world, the night and weekend markets, the shopping malls and today the beach. Oh what glorious sun and icy cold sea...
Coming up will be Dream world, Sea world and then will be going to Tangalooma for some "touch the dolphins" and will be looking for quad-bike rentals.
Ok. Going to the beach now... Updates later...
Saturday, August 27, 2005
48 Hours
48 Hours to my 2 weeks break in Brisbane and Gold Coast.
General itinerary will bring me to watch Whales, feed dolphins, get drunk in wineries, have fun on roller-coasters and of course the sun and the sea.
Taking this trip is going to be another test of my phobia. The history goes something like this :
I took on a new portfolio in late 2001. Being a novice/greenhorn in sales, I took my 2 weeks holiday in New Zealand. In my haste to get everything worked out before I go, I made mistakes. Huge mistakes.
On the day I was going to fly off, I got a call from my colleague that my boss was furious with me. On the 1st day of my trip, I was told that my boss had to retract my commitments to my customers. I decided then that I want to receive no more phone calls and do not want to waste my time & money being sulky and sad in the faraway land.
I managed to enjoy myself and put the troubles behind me for a while, until the day I was sitting in the airport waiting to come home. It was dreadful.
My first day back at work, I was removed from sales and put back into my old position. At least, I didn't lose my job.
So from that experience, I have a phobia for taking extended holidays. I took one in April earlier this year (see my previous entries on my Perth trip) and this will be my second.
The feeling that something might just go wrong during my trip that will cost my job. The feeling that I might have overlooked something in my haste to depart. The feeling that my career will end the moment I touch down in foreign land.
I know it is irrational, that is why it is called "phobia".
Anyway, the last trip was fine. This trip I hope will be the same.
General itinerary will bring me to watch Whales, feed dolphins, get drunk in wineries, have fun on roller-coasters and of course the sun and the sea.
Taking this trip is going to be another test of my phobia. The history goes something like this :
I took on a new portfolio in late 2001. Being a novice/greenhorn in sales, I took my 2 weeks holiday in New Zealand. In my haste to get everything worked out before I go, I made mistakes. Huge mistakes.
On the day I was going to fly off, I got a call from my colleague that my boss was furious with me. On the 1st day of my trip, I was told that my boss had to retract my commitments to my customers. I decided then that I want to receive no more phone calls and do not want to waste my time & money being sulky and sad in the faraway land.
I managed to enjoy myself and put the troubles behind me for a while, until the day I was sitting in the airport waiting to come home. It was dreadful.
My first day back at work, I was removed from sales and put back into my old position. At least, I didn't lose my job.
So from that experience, I have a phobia for taking extended holidays. I took one in April earlier this year (see my previous entries on my Perth trip) and this will be my second.
The feeling that something might just go wrong during my trip that will cost my job. The feeling that I might have overlooked something in my haste to depart. The feeling that my career will end the moment I touch down in foreign land.
I know it is irrational, that is why it is called "phobia".
Anyway, the last trip was fine. This trip I hope will be the same.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Courses I want to attend...
Finally ! These courses are now open to public without me having to actually buy a BMW car.
Advanced Driver Training
http://www.pml.com.sg/bmw/DT/adt.html
$800 for public.
Intensive Driver Training
http://www.pml.com.sg/bmw/DT/idt.html
$2000 for public.
Well, I get to burn BMW rubber in track and learn new tricks !
Any BMW owners want to join ? I get to save some money too if we go together.. haha..
Advanced Driver Training
http://www.pml.com.sg/bmw/DT/adt.html
$800 for public.
Intensive Driver Training
http://www.pml.com.sg/bmw/DT/idt.html
$2000 for public.
Well, I get to burn BMW rubber in track and learn new tricks !
Any BMW owners want to join ? I get to save some money too if we go together.. haha..
Saturday, August 13, 2005
A Cappella of Nintendo
Combining IT Games with musical and performance art...
http://gprime.net/video.php/nintendothemesacappella
http://gprime.net/video.php/nintendothemesacappella
Friday, August 12, 2005
Computer Woes
1 PC had screen distortions. Tried many things but couldn't solve the problem. Finally decided to try returning the motherboard for a new one. The person found nothing wrong. Couldn't see my problem.
Frustrated. But my friend offered to help me troubleshoot, as he had more equipment and more spare components at his place. So I lugged the entire system down.
We tried changing the LCD settings. Changing the VGA properties. Pull power from 2 different wall outlets. Tried updating latest drivers (which was quite updated).
Finally, about to give up, I gave it one last shot - Change the VGA cable. I wanted to try that at home, but I had no spare. All the other monitors had non-removable cables.
My friend had to painfully remove his own VGA cable from his nicely done-up desktop. Plugged into my monitor and viola ! Problem Solved !
*smack forehead*
Today, my other working PC just hung all of a sudden. Had to power off. And then it couldn't boot anymore.
Message about "System32\drivers\ntfs.sys cannot be loaded" or something. Damn. Harddisk corrupted ?
Ok. Try Windows Recovery Console. Booted from my CD ROM. Windows setup was installing the necessary components. Then "setupdd.sys cannot be loaded. Setup couldn't continue"
What the F*#( !!!!!
Tried to power off and waited for a couple of minutes, cursing my bad luck when I thought I had a nice P4 upgrade for a few days.
Tried many times. Boot to Safe Mode, Boot from CD Rom, Boot from Floppy Disk. Basically I just cannot get anything working !
Maybe power supply is too weak. I removed the power to one of the CD ROM, and removed the power to a chassis fan my good friend had given to me.
Still no luck.
I was cursing the motherboard's mother's pungent genitals.
Used another computer to start searching the web, pondering whether it was the CPU that was faulty.
Trying to decide which motherboard to get, whether I should get a new CPU and RAM as well.
Needed to open the CPU to see which P4 Chip I had.
More curses and threatening to send the computer to IT Hell, where all naughty equipment get stuck in endless power-boot cycle for eternity. Where they regret not serving mankind to their best abilties.
I finally plugged in the CPU and decided to try one more time.
Booting from CD Worked ! I rebooted, without reinstalling anything, just to see if Windows will start.
It got past the error and Windows Logo came up. Then it died again.
Tried to boot from CD again. Failed at the same place.
This time, I got an inspiration - RAM !
I took out the 2 strips of 256MB and plugged them in again, making sure everything is held tight.
I powered on - viola ! PC booted up without problems.
Now I am typing this entry.
You see, even equipment needs to be threatened with vulgarity, retrenchment and religion for them to know their rightful place in the food chain.
Frustrated. But my friend offered to help me troubleshoot, as he had more equipment and more spare components at his place. So I lugged the entire system down.
We tried changing the LCD settings. Changing the VGA properties. Pull power from 2 different wall outlets. Tried updating latest drivers (which was quite updated).
Finally, about to give up, I gave it one last shot - Change the VGA cable. I wanted to try that at home, but I had no spare. All the other monitors had non-removable cables.
My friend had to painfully remove his own VGA cable from his nicely done-up desktop. Plugged into my monitor and viola ! Problem Solved !
*smack forehead*
Today, my other working PC just hung all of a sudden. Had to power off. And then it couldn't boot anymore.
Message about "System32\drivers\ntfs.sys cannot be loaded" or something. Damn. Harddisk corrupted ?
Ok. Try Windows Recovery Console. Booted from my CD ROM. Windows setup was installing the necessary components. Then "setupdd.sys cannot be loaded. Setup couldn't continue"
What the F*#( !!!!!
Tried to power off and waited for a couple of minutes, cursing my bad luck when I thought I had a nice P4 upgrade for a few days.
Tried many times. Boot to Safe Mode, Boot from CD Rom, Boot from Floppy Disk. Basically I just cannot get anything working !
Maybe power supply is too weak. I removed the power to one of the CD ROM, and removed the power to a chassis fan my good friend had given to me.
Still no luck.
I was cursing the motherboard's mother's pungent genitals.
Used another computer to start searching the web, pondering whether it was the CPU that was faulty.
Trying to decide which motherboard to get, whether I should get a new CPU and RAM as well.
Needed to open the CPU to see which P4 Chip I had.
More curses and threatening to send the computer to IT Hell, where all naughty equipment get stuck in endless power-boot cycle for eternity. Where they regret not serving mankind to their best abilties.
I finally plugged in the CPU and decided to try one more time.
Booting from CD Worked ! I rebooted, without reinstalling anything, just to see if Windows will start.
It got past the error and Windows Logo came up. Then it died again.
Tried to boot from CD again. Failed at the same place.
This time, I got an inspiration - RAM !
I took out the 2 strips of 256MB and plugged them in again, making sure everything is held tight.
I powered on - viola ! PC booted up without problems.
Now I am typing this entry.
You see, even equipment needs to be threatened with vulgarity, retrenchment and religion for them to know their rightful place in the food chain.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Finally !
Finally !
My faulty suspension got repaired, engine oil and coolant seepage was rectified.
But on 2 rare occassions, at about 80km/h, I felt the whole front of the vehicle humming and vibrating as if the wheels are not aligned properly. I am not sure if the engine is vibrating or it is really the wheel alignment.
But if it is the latter, it should occur everytime I reach 80-100km/h. That is not so, so I still have not figured out the cause. Most probably will do a high-speed balancing and 4-wheel alignment if I get it again.
Finally !
I have gotten a new upgrade for my computer. Well, not an upgrade but a brand new one... Wait, not brand new, but someone else's problematic PC.
Had 2 apparently faulty ones. Both Pentium 4. One of them had a sick motherboard, the other a sick power supply. Mix and match, got myself a new P4. Wow. Super fast ! (Haha. I know, it is not that great, but when I have been using a Pentium 2 350Mhz for the past 7 or 8 years, a Pentium 4 1.7Ghz is like a jet plane compared to my car.)
Will be buying a new motherboard and a new power supply (plus casing) and I will have another Pentium 4 1.5Ghz up and running. Should cost me less than $300.
Finally !
With the new PC, all must software glitches are gone ! No more problems logging into forums and sites. No more crashing Java refusing me connection to Internet Bank sites. No more intermittent network connection.
Finally !
I am able to blog from home as the last few weeks, my old PC doesn't allow me to do that and I am too busy these days to blog from office.
But, the built-in VGA port doesn't provide good and steady display at resolutions higher than 1024x768. So I have to make do with lesser screen real-estate, and bigger icons. Oh well, I can live with that when I have been compensated by being able to play newer games and not having to lose my adreneline while waiting for the next game mission to load.
Finally !
I would be taking my holiday soon. 2 weeks in Brisbane and Gold Coast. I need the break. Been having workload piled upon me, while my not-up-to-expectation pay raise has not been given yet.
Finally !
I have finished this post and I can go take my beauty sleep... Or maybe, I should be watching my DVDs for the whole night....
My faulty suspension got repaired, engine oil and coolant seepage was rectified.
But on 2 rare occassions, at about 80km/h, I felt the whole front of the vehicle humming and vibrating as if the wheels are not aligned properly. I am not sure if the engine is vibrating or it is really the wheel alignment.
But if it is the latter, it should occur everytime I reach 80-100km/h. That is not so, so I still have not figured out the cause. Most probably will do a high-speed balancing and 4-wheel alignment if I get it again.
Finally !
I have gotten a new upgrade for my computer. Well, not an upgrade but a brand new one... Wait, not brand new, but someone else's problematic PC.
Had 2 apparently faulty ones. Both Pentium 4. One of them had a sick motherboard, the other a sick power supply. Mix and match, got myself a new P4. Wow. Super fast ! (Haha. I know, it is not that great, but when I have been using a Pentium 2 350Mhz for the past 7 or 8 years, a Pentium 4 1.7Ghz is like a jet plane compared to my car.)
Will be buying a new motherboard and a new power supply (plus casing) and I will have another Pentium 4 1.5Ghz up and running. Should cost me less than $300.
Finally !
With the new PC, all must software glitches are gone ! No more problems logging into forums and sites. No more crashing Java refusing me connection to Internet Bank sites. No more intermittent network connection.
Finally !
I am able to blog from home as the last few weeks, my old PC doesn't allow me to do that and I am too busy these days to blog from office.
But, the built-in VGA port doesn't provide good and steady display at resolutions higher than 1024x768. So I have to make do with lesser screen real-estate, and bigger icons. Oh well, I can live with that when I have been compensated by being able to play newer games and not having to lose my adreneline while waiting for the next game mission to load.
Finally !
I would be taking my holiday soon. 2 weeks in Brisbane and Gold Coast. I need the break. Been having workload piled upon me, while my not-up-to-expectation pay raise has not been given yet.
Finally !
I have finished this post and I can go take my beauty sleep... Or maybe, I should be watching my DVDs for the whole night....
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Car Servicing
Sent my car for servicing today. Regular servicing, but I wanted them to check out my slightly-noisier-than-usual suspension. At least I suspected it was the suspension because of some creaky noise when I go over humps quickly.
Yeah, I am very sensitive to noise coming from my babe.
This time, instead of using "hello" to post photos, I have decided to use Flickr. Why ? Because of the ability to put comments on various parts of the photos. Looks better.
So here is the start. The rest of the photos are there.
The Beginning.
The Main Culprit.
Also discovered some oil seepage. Need a thorough check up next week, when the parts for the suspension arrives.
Yeah, I am very sensitive to noise coming from my babe.
This time, instead of using "hello" to post photos, I have decided to use Flickr. Why ? Because of the ability to put comments on various parts of the photos. Looks better.
So here is the start. The rest of the photos are there.
The Beginning.
The Main Culprit.
Also discovered some oil seepage. Need a thorough check up next week, when the parts for the suspension arrives.
Friday, July 22, 2005
Flash Disk - 0 : ET - 1
I am missing my 256MB Flash disk (yes, the one that took a bath in my washing machine)again.
[paragraphs removed to prevent author from being sued for defamation]
Added 25th July 2005 :
Well, it seems to have disappeared from the surface of the earth. So I guess ET must have taken it with him when he went home...
[Ok. At least I don't think ET will sue me... I hope...]
[paragraphs removed to prevent author from being sued for defamation]
Added 25th July 2005 :
Well, it seems to have disappeared from the surface of the earth. So I guess ET must have taken it with him when he went home...
[Ok. At least I don't think ET will sue me... I hope...]
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
My England very Powderful arh !
| English Genius You scored 92% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 100% Advanced, and 86% Expert! |
| You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!
|
My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
|
| Link: The Commonly Confused Words Test |
Hua ! First try. Of course, I expected 100%. Correct answers can be found here
Monday, July 18, 2005
Bet with a Friend - Conclusion
THE BET is finally concluded.
I have won a free McDonald's meal.. Muahahahaha.. *evil*
Ok lah.. won by technicalities of "timing" of the market. Another few weeks more, and I would have lost. But then, it is he who called the timing (though it was me who insisted on a timeline. Afterall, if we were to dabble in speculating stocks, timing and price limits are the keys.)
So moral of the story ? Do not try to time the market.
For those who can, all the best and wish you many many earnings.
Oh well, just my school of thoughts. May not be the best.
I have won a free McDonald's meal.. Muahahahaha.. *evil*
Ok lah.. won by technicalities of "timing" of the market. Another few weeks more, and I would have lost. But then, it is he who called the timing (though it was me who insisted on a timeline. Afterall, if we were to dabble in speculating stocks, timing and price limits are the keys.)
So moral of the story ? Do not try to time the market.
For those who can, all the best and wish you many many earnings.
Oh well, just my school of thoughts. May not be the best.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Justifying the Pay of NKF CEO
Many people are all rage and upset upon learning that Mr TT Durai earns about S$600,000 a year.
I felt equally upset and told myself that luckily I didn't make much donations, just a few bucks here and there.
Then, of course, there are those that defend his pay, by saying that comparing to private companies who manages $200 million fund, Mr Durai's pay is reasonable.
Well, Mr Durai himself said that he is running NKF just like any other business. I guess he is expecting business-type pay package.
Well, I agree to a certain extent. Of course, people who work for these organizations are treating it just like any other full-time job. We can't expect them to be paid "peanuts" just because they are charitable organization.
It is then up to the staff, to donate whatever they feel like. So in terms of work, yeah, I would agree that those workers should be paid market rate. Just like the CEO.
But just like any other business, Financial statements are available for view to the owners, shareholders, investors. Just like any business that takes money from the public (aka Publicly Listed Companies) , audited statements should be made public.
In any other Private Limited companies, audited statement should also be made available to any of the shareholders.
So, NKF takes money from the public, and like any other public business, should make their Financial Statements available to the public !
Ok. Now that is set straight, let's talk about pay.
NKF yearly income is (I estimate) to be in the range of $50-80 million. How do I get that ? Based on 4 shows per year, each show get about $6-8 million, and other public fundings.
Also, based on recent newspaper report on the court case, that NKF spends $60-65 million per year, but the patients pay about $22-24 million in their co-payment scheme. NKF revenue should be $36-$43 million per year to break even.
But in 3 years, they managed to grow their reserves from $187 million to $262 million. Thus their net profit per year should be about $25 million. Add that to their $43 million revenue and you get about $68 million in gross revenue.
So my estimate should be fairly conservative. They might be getting more in terms of annual donations.
So, to put it in business format :
NKF
Revenue = S$ 70 million
Liquid Assets = S$ 262 million
Net Profit = S$ 25 million
CEO Pay = S$ 600,000
CEO Pay as % of Revenue = 0.85%
CEO Pay as % of Liquid Assets = 0.23%
CEO Pay as % of Profit = 2.4%
That doesn't look too high, does it ? Maybe it is average of businesses ? Or below average ?
Hmm....
Microsoft
Revenue = US$ 32,187 million
Liquid Assets = US$ 49,000 million
Net Profit = US$ 9,993 million
CEO Pay = US$ 542,000
CEO Pay as % of Revenue = 0.0017%
CEO Pay as % of Liquid Assets = 0.0011%
CEO Pay as % of Profit = 0.0054%
Check out Bill Gate's Pay Here
Berkshire Hathaway
Revenue = US$ 74,300 million
Liquid Assets = US$ 102,929 million
Net Profit = US$ 7,000 million
CEO Pay = US$ 100,000
CEO Pay as % of Revenue = 0.00013%
CEO Pay as % of Liquid Assets = 0.000097%
CEO Pay as % of Profit = 0.014%
Who is the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway ?
Warren Buffett
Ok.. So these people may have share-ownership in their own companies and may not take that high a pay. And they are the top 2 riches man in the world, so they don't need the money.
Something local...
DBS
Revenue = S$ 4,928 million
Total Assets = S$ 175,553 million
Net Profit = S$ 2,435 million
CEO Pay = S$ 5,249,999 (Max. Not Exact)
CEO Pay as % of Revenue = 0.11%
CEO Pay as % of Total Assets = 0.003%
CEO Pay as % of Profit = 0.2%
Check DBS out HERE
(in case scrolling up and down is hard for you to see these huuuuge figures, I will copy NKF data below)
NKF
Revenue = S$ 70 million
Liquid Assets = S$ 262 million
Net Profit = S$ 25 million
CEO Pay = S$ 600,000
CEO Pay as % of Revenue = 0.85%
CEO Pay as % of Liquid Assets = 0.23%
CEO Pay as % of Profit = 2.4%
And we all think CEO of DBS is earning big bucks ; but compare it in terms of percentages, is still way below NKF CEO's pay.
Apple to Apple comparison : CEO of DBS is managing funds that is 67,000 times more than NKF, and profits that are 9,740 times higher, but pay is only 8 or 9 times more.
DBS is also in the business of managing funds and money, and trying to make more money.
Also, if you look at our Mutual funds, management fees range from 0.5 to 1.2%. But then, that percentage is not only for the fund manager's pay but for all other expenses as well. And their target profitability performance is quite stressful.
We haven't included NKF's other expenditure and pay of the several hundreds of employees... and Directors' fees...
Hey, how about comparing it to our Prime Minister ! Since his pay is higher than that of the President of USA. Surely, if compared to our PM's pay, Mr Durai's pay should be "peanuts" , right ?
SINGAPORE INC (2004)
Revenue (Taxes Only) = S$ 26,346 million
Liquid Assets (Official National Reserves) = US$ 112,807 million = S$ 186,131 million
Net Profit (Based on Taxes Less Expenditure of S$19,936 million) = S$ 6,410 million
Current Account Balance (I don't know what that is, but I am thinking left over cash) = S$ 47,122 million
PM's Pay = S$ 3,000,000 (We all know is slightly above US$1 million. Too bad I can't find official numbers, so lets take the higher guesstimation of his pay)
PM Pay as % of Revenue = 0.011%
PM Pay as % of Liquid Assets = 0.0016%
PM Pay as % of Profit = 0.047%
PM Pay as % of Current Account Balance (whatever the hell is that) = 0.013%
So you see, even if we jack up our PM's pay, it is still much lower compared to Mr. Durai's.
And our PM's pay is already pegged to top-end Private Sectors, so as to prevent corruption, etc etc.
So people of Singapore, when our Ministers say that their pay is "peanuts", they really mean it. Our Ministers' pay ARE peanuts, compared to Mr. Durai's.
Damn, I have joined the wrong industry. Charitable Organizations earn much more compared to private and public sector !!!!
Wait.. I can see it coming. Our Ministers' pay are peanuts. We should increase their pay !
I felt equally upset and told myself that luckily I didn't make much donations, just a few bucks here and there.
Then, of course, there are those that defend his pay, by saying that comparing to private companies who manages $200 million fund, Mr Durai's pay is reasonable.
Well, Mr Durai himself said that he is running NKF just like any other business. I guess he is expecting business-type pay package.
Well, I agree to a certain extent. Of course, people who work for these organizations are treating it just like any other full-time job. We can't expect them to be paid "peanuts" just because they are charitable organization.
It is then up to the staff, to donate whatever they feel like. So in terms of work, yeah, I would agree that those workers should be paid market rate. Just like the CEO.
But just like any other business, Financial statements are available for view to the owners, shareholders, investors. Just like any business that takes money from the public (aka Publicly Listed Companies) , audited statements should be made public.
In any other Private Limited companies, audited statement should also be made available to any of the shareholders.
So, NKF takes money from the public, and like any other public business, should make their Financial Statements available to the public !
Ok. Now that is set straight, let's talk about pay.
NKF yearly income is (I estimate) to be in the range of $50-80 million. How do I get that ? Based on 4 shows per year, each show get about $6-8 million, and other public fundings.
Also, based on recent newspaper report on the court case, that NKF spends $60-65 million per year, but the patients pay about $22-24 million in their co-payment scheme. NKF revenue should be $36-$43 million per year to break even.
But in 3 years, they managed to grow their reserves from $187 million to $262 million. Thus their net profit per year should be about $25 million. Add that to their $43 million revenue and you get about $68 million in gross revenue.
So my estimate should be fairly conservative. They might be getting more in terms of annual donations.
So, to put it in business format :
NKF
Revenue = S$ 70 million
Liquid Assets = S$ 262 million
Net Profit = S$ 25 million
CEO Pay = S$ 600,000
CEO Pay as % of Revenue = 0.85%
CEO Pay as % of Liquid Assets = 0.23%
CEO Pay as % of Profit = 2.4%
That doesn't look too high, does it ? Maybe it is average of businesses ? Or below average ?
Hmm....
Microsoft
Revenue = US$ 32,187 million
Liquid Assets = US$ 49,000 million
Net Profit = US$ 9,993 million
CEO Pay = US$ 542,000
CEO Pay as % of Revenue = 0.0017%
CEO Pay as % of Liquid Assets = 0.0011%
CEO Pay as % of Profit = 0.0054%
Check out Bill Gate's Pay Here
Berkshire Hathaway
Revenue = US$ 74,300 million
Liquid Assets = US$ 102,929 million
Net Profit = US$ 7,000 million
CEO Pay = US$ 100,000
CEO Pay as % of Revenue = 0.00013%
CEO Pay as % of Liquid Assets = 0.000097%
CEO Pay as % of Profit = 0.014%
Who is the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway ?
Warren Buffett
Ok.. So these people may have share-ownership in their own companies and may not take that high a pay. And they are the top 2 riches man in the world, so they don't need the money.
Something local...
DBS
Revenue = S$ 4,928 million
Total Assets = S$ 175,553 million
Net Profit = S$ 2,435 million
CEO Pay = S$ 5,249,999 (Max. Not Exact)
CEO Pay as % of Revenue = 0.11%
CEO Pay as % of Total Assets = 0.003%
CEO Pay as % of Profit = 0.2%
Check DBS out HERE
(in case scrolling up and down is hard for you to see these huuuuge figures, I will copy NKF data below)
NKF
Revenue = S$ 70 million
Liquid Assets = S$ 262 million
Net Profit = S$ 25 million
CEO Pay = S$ 600,000
CEO Pay as % of Revenue = 0.85%
CEO Pay as % of Liquid Assets = 0.23%
CEO Pay as % of Profit = 2.4%
And we all think CEO of DBS is earning big bucks ; but compare it in terms of percentages, is still way below NKF CEO's pay.
Apple to Apple comparison : CEO of DBS is managing funds that is 67,000 times more than NKF, and profits that are 9,740 times higher, but pay is only 8 or 9 times more.
DBS is also in the business of managing funds and money, and trying to make more money.
Also, if you look at our Mutual funds, management fees range from 0.5 to 1.2%. But then, that percentage is not only for the fund manager's pay but for all other expenses as well. And their target profitability performance is quite stressful.
We haven't included NKF's other expenditure and pay of the several hundreds of employees... and Directors' fees...
Hey, how about comparing it to our Prime Minister ! Since his pay is higher than that of the President of USA. Surely, if compared to our PM's pay, Mr Durai's pay should be "peanuts" , right ?
SINGAPORE INC (2004)
Revenue (Taxes Only) = S$ 26,346 million
Liquid Assets (Official National Reserves) = US$ 112,807 million = S$ 186,131 million
Net Profit (Based on Taxes Less Expenditure of S$19,936 million) = S$ 6,410 million
Current Account Balance (I don't know what that is, but I am thinking left over cash) = S$ 47,122 million
PM's Pay = S$ 3,000,000 (We all know is slightly above US$1 million. Too bad I can't find official numbers, so lets take the higher guesstimation of his pay)
PM Pay as % of Revenue = 0.011%
PM Pay as % of Liquid Assets = 0.0016%
PM Pay as % of Profit = 0.047%
PM Pay as % of Current Account Balance (whatever the hell is that) = 0.013%
So you see, even if we jack up our PM's pay, it is still much lower compared to Mr. Durai's.
And our PM's pay is already pegged to top-end Private Sectors, so as to prevent corruption, etc etc.
So people of Singapore, when our Ministers say that their pay is "peanuts", they really mean it. Our Ministers' pay ARE peanuts, compared to Mr. Durai's.
Damn, I have joined the wrong industry. Charitable Organizations earn much more compared to private and public sector !!!!
Wait.. I can see it coming. Our Ministers' pay are peanuts. We should increase their pay !
Friday, July 08, 2005
Revenge, Sweet Revenge.
I remember reading articles of people being chased and neighbour's dog being bitten by this rottweiler in Bt Timah.
That dog had 2 incidents of hurting people and other animals, and the owners were warned to muzzle the dog, but did the owners car ? NOOOooooooo.
Sweet revenge. To quote someone I heard long time ago , translated from Mandarin : "If the flesh is not yours, of course you will not feel the pain."
Bite other people's dog , never mind lor.
Bite other people, never mind lor.
Even the post-man had to be on "high-alert" everytime he delivers mail to that particular house.
So imagine my "surprise" when today's Straits Times told me that the said dog mauled the owner's 7 (or was it 9) year old son in their own backyard.
Neighbours armed with sticks tried to save the boy. ( Really nice neighbours. I would have locked myself home in case the dog turned crazy.)
When the mother came back and heard the screams, she cried and shouted to the dogs to get away, and she fumbled with her keys to get the gates open.
(I will attach a scan of the newspaper tomorrow)
AVA said that since the incident happened on the owner's property, they have no "authority" to comment. Haha. I wonder whether I will read the news next week that a dead rottweiler is found in a drain nearby. Or that the dog died of "natural causes".
That dog had 2 incidents of hurting people and other animals, and the owners were warned to muzzle the dog, but did the owners car ? NOOOooooooo.
Sweet revenge. To quote someone I heard long time ago , translated from Mandarin : "If the flesh is not yours, of course you will not feel the pain."
Bite other people's dog , never mind lor.
Bite other people, never mind lor.
Even the post-man had to be on "high-alert" everytime he delivers mail to that particular house.
So imagine my "surprise" when today's Straits Times told me that the said dog mauled the owner's 7 (or was it 9) year old son in their own backyard.
Neighbours armed with sticks tried to save the boy. ( Really nice neighbours. I would have locked myself home in case the dog turned crazy.)
When the mother came back and heard the screams, she cried and shouted to the dogs to get away, and she fumbled with her keys to get the gates open.
(I will attach a scan of the newspaper tomorrow)
AVA said that since the incident happened on the owner's property, they have no "authority" to comment. Haha. I wonder whether I will read the news next week that a dead rottweiler is found in a drain nearby. Or that the dog died of "natural causes".
Pissed Off.. Major...
I don't like to bitch about traffic, as I try very hard to be nice and non-chalent and drive defensively and make my day a good one.
2 very recent incidents just pissed me off :
(1) Monday morning. I got in my car, started the engine, and waited a while (take my sunglasses, turned on the air-con, put on seat belt) for the engine to warm up a little.
I looked left, then right. The carpark exit is on my left. On my right, not many vehicles left, and it is one straight road for about another 30 meters before it bends to another block. No vehicles moving, no one in the next few cars beside me. (There were less than 10, I think, parked to my right.)
I looked left, made sure no one coming at me from the exit/entrance. I eased off the brakes, turned to the left. Car inched forward a little. Then it came from my right : Boooooorrrrrrrrp. And stopped right in front of me.
Of course I stopped and immediately waved "sorry" and smiled a bit.
White Nissan Sunny, driven by a bitchy lady, with her daughter (I assume), both looking at me. Daughter was less than 6 years old, no seat belt, no child-seat and face at the window.
I expected the bitch to move off, but NOOOooooooo... She stared/glared at me for 10 seconds. 10 whole seconds !
Yeah, my fault I didn't double check my right again. (Still very used to the look Left-Right-Left then move off. Furthermore, I was moving towards my left.)
Yeah, my fault that she must have driven like 60km/h in a car-park and came right into me.
My foot didn't even touch the accelerator yet.
I have came across situations like this, with me on the opposite side of course. I just honk a warning and once the other vehicle stopped, I moved off. Lets just get on with our lives.
So what did the bitch want ? Me to go and kow-tow to her ?
(2) This evening heading for dinner. Was driving slowly into a carpark. Tight corners and small lanes.
Open-air carpark , with multiple blocks of lots behind different blocks of flats.
Turned in, trying to look for a lot in front of me, slowed down a bit as I didn't want to reverse out if there is no lots in front. No lots, I should turn to my right. I signalled right.
Just as I hit my signal, the car behind honked. I never stopped my car at any time. I turned. He followed closely behind.
I passed one lot, shit. Ok, just passed another lot, so I wanted to reverse into the lot. Moved ahead of the lot and stopped. Looked at my mirror and this guy was right at my tail. Damn.
And he honked. Longer. And passed me on my right. Glared at me. I glared back.
What the heck ? I can't park ? You can't wait 5 seconds for me to park ? Was my turning right just now too slow for you ? Rushing to attend your own funeral at the void deck is it ?
All these drivers driving so fast in carparks. Bloody dangerous. When I got down, I was very very tempted to bash his head in, and smash his face into a pulp.
My 2 minutes walk to the food centre, I acutally visualized myself having a verbal-then-turned-violent-till-he-ended-up-dead-with-my-steering-wheel-lock-lodged-in-his-skull scenario. My heart rate went up, I was breathing quick. short, sharp breaths. Signs of adrenaline.
Now I know where road rage came from.
2 very recent incidents just pissed me off :
(1) Monday morning. I got in my car, started the engine, and waited a while (take my sunglasses, turned on the air-con, put on seat belt) for the engine to warm up a little.
I looked left, then right. The carpark exit is on my left. On my right, not many vehicles left, and it is one straight road for about another 30 meters before it bends to another block. No vehicles moving, no one in the next few cars beside me. (There were less than 10, I think, parked to my right.)
I looked left, made sure no one coming at me from the exit/entrance. I eased off the brakes, turned to the left. Car inched forward a little. Then it came from my right : Boooooorrrrrrrrp. And stopped right in front of me.
Of course I stopped and immediately waved "sorry" and smiled a bit.
White Nissan Sunny, driven by a bitchy lady, with her daughter (I assume), both looking at me. Daughter was less than 6 years old, no seat belt, no child-seat and face at the window.
I expected the bitch to move off, but NOOOooooooo... She stared/glared at me for 10 seconds. 10 whole seconds !
Yeah, my fault I didn't double check my right again. (Still very used to the look Left-Right-Left then move off. Furthermore, I was moving towards my left.)
Yeah, my fault that she must have driven like 60km/h in a car-park and came right into me.
My foot didn't even touch the accelerator yet.
I have came across situations like this, with me on the opposite side of course. I just honk a warning and once the other vehicle stopped, I moved off. Lets just get on with our lives.
So what did the bitch want ? Me to go and kow-tow to her ?
(2) This evening heading for dinner. Was driving slowly into a carpark. Tight corners and small lanes.
Open-air carpark , with multiple blocks of lots behind different blocks of flats.
Turned in, trying to look for a lot in front of me, slowed down a bit as I didn't want to reverse out if there is no lots in front. No lots, I should turn to my right. I signalled right.
Just as I hit my signal, the car behind honked. I never stopped my car at any time. I turned. He followed closely behind.
I passed one lot, shit. Ok, just passed another lot, so I wanted to reverse into the lot. Moved ahead of the lot and stopped. Looked at my mirror and this guy was right at my tail. Damn.
And he honked. Longer. And passed me on my right. Glared at me. I glared back.
What the heck ? I can't park ? You can't wait 5 seconds for me to park ? Was my turning right just now too slow for you ? Rushing to attend your own funeral at the void deck is it ?
All these drivers driving so fast in carparks. Bloody dangerous. When I got down, I was very very tempted to bash his head in, and smash his face into a pulp.
My 2 minutes walk to the food centre, I acutally visualized myself having a verbal-then-turned-violent-till-he-ended-up-dead-with-my-steering-wheel-lock-lodged-in-his-skull scenario. My heart rate went up, I was breathing quick. short, sharp breaths. Signs of adrenaline.
Now I know where road rage came from.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Wedding in My Family Part 2
Meet-the-parents session dinner 2 weeks ago was cancelled.
Today, my parents told me that my brother said he cancelled the wedding because my parents made this difficult for him.
I have nothing to add on to what I had said in my previous post of Wedding in My Family Part 1
I will just pretend nothing has happened. Afterall it is not my life. I can just don't care... or can I ?
Today, my parents told me that my brother said he cancelled the wedding because my parents made this difficult for him.
I have nothing to add on to what I had said in my previous post of Wedding in My Family Part 1
I will just pretend nothing has happened. Afterall it is not my life. I can just don't care... or can I ?
Thursday, June 30, 2005
My ...... Died
Hamster.
Got home today and found out that my hamster was dead. Poor thing. I didn't play with him the last few nights.
Knew this would be coming...
Got home today and found out that my hamster was dead. Poor thing. I didn't play with him the last few nights.
Knew this would be coming...
Monday, June 27, 2005
Bad News over the Weekend
One of my colleague suffered a mild stroke 2 days ago, paralyzing his left side. He was on business trip, and dropped by our USA branch office on the way back.
Now, he is in hospital, undergoing physio-therapy to regain the use of his left hand.
The dinner to meet up with my future in-laws didn't take place. My brother didn't say much. Just that they said something like "if no money then don't get married" kind of things.
We are still in the dark. My parents still waiting for him to come home to give details.
Now, he is in hospital, undergoing physio-therapy to regain the use of his left hand.
*~*~*~*~*
The dinner to meet up with my future in-laws didn't take place. My brother didn't say much. Just that they said something like "if no money then don't get married" kind of things.
We are still in the dark. My parents still waiting for him to come home to give details.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Wedding in My Family Part 1
My younger brother is getting married.
Discussions on his wedding plans with our family has been stressful. I don't think I can provide all the details here, but I shall summarize some facts :
(1) My brother wanted a simple one :
- Morning traditional Chinese "pick the bride" ceremony
- Afternoon ROM at Fort Canning
- After ROM, buffet meal
- No Chinese Wedding Dinner
(2) My father told him (though I was not around) about the different types of "wedding" plans, and what are the costs, etc. Asking him how big the place is and how many tables it can accommodate, if they want Wedding Dinner.
(3) My Brother said if there will be a Wedding Dinner, the bride's family wants 10 tables.
(4) My parents were still in the "lets discuss whether to have Dinner or not" mentality, but my brother is in "I don't want dinner, but you say will lose face" mentality
(5) Initial thoughts of having Church wedding is scrapped.
(6) Parents upset that there was no "discussion" or anything, and they were not involved in the decision making process. They maintained they do not insist on having Wedding Dinner if my brother cannot afford it.
Now, they will just let my brother decide everything, otherwise any points raised will just be another opportunity to argue.
(7) Booking deposit for the location has been placed.
(8) Both families have not met each other. My brother asked "So who will pay for the dinner for both families to meet ?"
(9) Last discussion when I was around, ended up with my brother shouting at my father, and me shouting and stomping off because I just cannot stand it.
(10) My brother has been living in his girlfriend's house (sleeping in the living room) for the past 1+ years. Currently, there is no plans to get a house of his own.
(11) My parents feel that he is just accommodating to whatever the girl and their family wants. Not caring about what our parent wants. They felt excluded. That they have "lost a son"
What is my feel on this whole scenario :
(1) My brother has always been not a very detailed planner. Doesn't he take into consideration that if he doesn't want a dinner, he will need some time to talk/convince parents on either/both sides ?
(2) If he just wants to do things, execute without consulting our parents and expect just a "ok, whatever you want to do" from our parents, then his 28 years of knowing our parents basically is nought.
(3) If he wants to do what he wants, he is not "firm" enough, in that he can't say "I have decided. These are my reasons, and please just accept. I will not change". Why ? Because after first round of talking to my parents about it, he starts to "accommodate" and "try to please" my parents.
This goes to show he has not thought through the whole process and cannot handle the "relationship" side of something as important as his wedding.
Tonight our families are meeting for dinner. I promise not to get too involved.
Will update more after the dinner.
Discussions on his wedding plans with our family has been stressful. I don't think I can provide all the details here, but I shall summarize some facts :
(1) My brother wanted a simple one :
- Morning traditional Chinese "pick the bride" ceremony
- Afternoon ROM at Fort Canning
- After ROM, buffet meal
- No Chinese Wedding Dinner
(2) My father told him (though I was not around) about the different types of "wedding" plans, and what are the costs, etc. Asking him how big the place is and how many tables it can accommodate, if they want Wedding Dinner.
(3) My Brother said if there will be a Wedding Dinner, the bride's family wants 10 tables.
(4) My parents were still in the "lets discuss whether to have Dinner or not" mentality, but my brother is in "I don't want dinner, but you say will lose face" mentality
(5) Initial thoughts of having Church wedding is scrapped.
(6) Parents upset that there was no "discussion" or anything, and they were not involved in the decision making process. They maintained they do not insist on having Wedding Dinner if my brother cannot afford it.
Now, they will just let my brother decide everything, otherwise any points raised will just be another opportunity to argue.
(7) Booking deposit for the location has been placed.
(8) Both families have not met each other. My brother asked "So who will pay for the dinner for both families to meet ?"
(9) Last discussion when I was around, ended up with my brother shouting at my father, and me shouting and stomping off because I just cannot stand it.
(10) My brother has been living in his girlfriend's house (sleeping in the living room) for the past 1+ years. Currently, there is no plans to get a house of his own.
(11) My parents feel that he is just accommodating to whatever the girl and their family wants. Not caring about what our parent wants. They felt excluded. That they have "lost a son"
What is my feel on this whole scenario :
(1) My brother has always been not a very detailed planner. Doesn't he take into consideration that if he doesn't want a dinner, he will need some time to talk/convince parents on either/both sides ?
(2) If he just wants to do things, execute without consulting our parents and expect just a "ok, whatever you want to do" from our parents, then his 28 years of knowing our parents basically is nought.
(3) If he wants to do what he wants, he is not "firm" enough, in that he can't say "I have decided. These are my reasons, and please just accept. I will not change". Why ? Because after first round of talking to my parents about it, he starts to "accommodate" and "try to please" my parents.
This goes to show he has not thought through the whole process and cannot handle the "relationship" side of something as important as his wedding.
Tonight our families are meeting for dinner. I promise not to get too involved.
Will update more after the dinner.
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