The desire to excel. The passion to dedicate. The determination to see it through.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Bikes-of-the-Day

Bike Asia 2009!!! Less bikes this year though..

Aprilia..... Maybe I should get that big bike license.

Interesting..

Malaguti X3M Motard 125
Aprilia 125

Question: X3M Motard 125 or Aprilia 125?
(None of the above is NOT an option, unless you have a viable suggestion)

Friday, February 27, 2009

Car-of-the-Day


Modified Manual Honda Civic.

Finally took some photos.. Mugen? It means dream, fantasy or infinite. It's been fun.

Folks, I would like to introduce you to gothere.sg! It's a damn good website to navigate your way around Singapore!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Food-of-the-Day

Rainbow bears from the other day!
Credits to Sandra for taking the photo!!


Nostalgic food. Mos Burger! I like:
  • The chicken... damn juicy and the seasoning is.. oomph.
  • Corn soup.. pepper in corn soup
  • Fries.. fries in corn soup
  • Salad with Japanese dressing
  • Apple soda
I love meal times.
I love being able to sit down for a meal..
Not rushing for time in between work.
Just sitting down to focus on a meal and the company.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Event-of-the-Day

It's Ash Wednesday!

"Remember thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return."

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Shoot-of-the-Day

349/400 for NTUIS. Enough said.


Watched Slumdog Millionaire today. Nice! Mood really lightened up within a couple of hours.. Which is.. rare or maybe never even happened before! Thank U!

Monday, February 23, 2009

Talk-of-the-Day

Attended a talk by Eric Dickinson this evening., Guess you guys wouldn't know him unless you're into hydrocolloids. He's like.. the man in that field. Interesting. I actually attended an intellectual talk. Hmm. Met 2 people I know from Firmenich.. The job market's not looking too good. What will be, will be.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Run-of-the-Day

Running through the monsoon. Wah.. First time in my entire life that I practically ran in little rivers. Gosh. The drag is damn fun. The greater the resistance, the better. Start to end.. It was heavy rain. Wah.. 8km non-stop and I can't remember when was the last time I did that.. In about 40+min! Ok, this can be considered a run. Shiok. Good run!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Gathering-of-the-Day

Had Cedar 4/O class gathering at Siam Kitchen this evening! We're a noisy bunch but we never seem to care about the noise we create. I think that's important.. Not caring the heck what every other person on earth I don't care about think. Guess many of you would disagree.. But like I said.. What the heck. It's damn fun... Carefree for those moments. Anyway, we headed to Eslpanade to hang out and watch Stentorian. Their live gig was damn good. Check them out at www.stentorian.blogspot.com!

Friday, February 20, 2009

Training-of-the-Day

Eating well before training makes a great difference. And so does conditioning (just started conditioning again). Steady steady sights. Happy happy sights. Finally getting the hang of it.

Played 10-shot finals. My favourite! Yay, 93 and only one 8.


Thursday, February 19, 2009

Hmm-of-the-Day


Made tofu during lab today! It's more like tau kwa than tofu! I wanna try it after graduation! I would have eaten it if it was made in the food-grade lab but oh well!

What I need, when I need it.
I have nothing much to complain about. I can't believe the machine problem got rectified. It's too good to be true. Then again, a lot of things are too good to be true. It's how we choose to look at it. God will make a way...

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Question-of-the-Day

Is there life after death?

The question really should be, "Is there life before death?"



And just what am I going to do with this life?

Here's Sam, the Koala:

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Shoot-of-the-Day


Today, I was all ready to do FYP then I received a dreaded call. The machine (the only one of its kind in the whole of Asia) spoiled. Wasted all my solutions emulsions that I prepared. Today, I felt like an electrical engineer. I must say, I was quite proud of myself. Managed to figure out what was wrong and figured a way around it so we could still use the machine. The post-investigation report was the most positive report I've ever had for my supervisor and it wasn't even about my FYP. Here's the thing:

The pump keep sucking and wouldn't stop.
The facade looked corroded (not me! I didn't do it!)...
Due to corrosion probably caused by concentrated sulfuric acid and careless handling, the acid got to one of the buttons which slowly deteriorated in function over time until it decided to give way today. On opening the casing, discovered that the plastic casing of the button of interest had melted. Used a screwdriver to short-circuit the thing and at least it stopped the pump. But the only way for the machine to start-up again was to press the Restart button which would send the machine crazy again. Stared at the naked machine and thought to myself, "Who am I kidding? I don't know crap about circuit boards but hey.. you're screwed up if this machine can't be rectified. Cheers to a graduation without Honours or another year of FYP. If I ever needed a brain, it was now." After that thought (I sat and stared at it for at least 10min before having that thought), I started my brain. Next, decided to jam the signal by pressing all the buttons at once for several times rapidly. And it worked. We spent more than an hour to get to that but at least it worked and I was surprised. Still spoiled though so have to use the computer to control the machine. No more manual control. I bet you're lost by now. Oh well. Basically, it just adds to the hassle for my FYP.

I didn't and haven't check my Bi-Monthly Shoot Score. I was informed today (20 Feb) that my first series was 78. HAHA. WOW. I think I drew a smiley face with one of the cards. I don't recall ever shooting a 70+ series. It's a 34X where X is the unknown digit.

I think I'm suffering from malnutrition. Self-inflicted abuse. So much work.. Time to pay some attention to the stomach and THAT muscle. Boy boy boy... Cannot anyhow whack liao. Shooting is not running. Need to prevent recurrence. It's almost here. Almost. It won't get here.


The Rebellion Against the Stomach
by: Author Unknown, The Book of Virtues

Once a man had a dream in which his hands and feet and mouth and brain all began to rebel against his stomach.

"You good-for-nothing sluggard!" the hands said. "We work all day long, sawing and hammering and lifting and carrying. By evening we're covered with blisters and scratches, and our joints ache, and we're covered with dirt. And meanwhile you just sit there, hogging all the food."

"We agree!" cried the feet. "Think how sore we get, walking back and forth all day long. And you just stuff yourself full, you greedy pig, so that you're that much heavier to carry about."

"That's right!" whined the mouth. "Where do you think all that food you love comes form? I'm the one who has to chew it all up, and as soon as I'm finished you suck it all down for yourself. Do you call that fair?"

"And what about me?" called the brain. "Do you think it's easy being up here, having to think about where your next meal is going to come from? And yet I get nothing at all for my pains."

And one by one the parts of the body joined the complaint against the stomach, which didn't say anything at all.

"I have an idea," the brain finally announced. "Let's all rebel against the lazy belly, and stop working for it."

"Superb idea!" all the other members and organs agreed. "We'll teach you how important we are, you pig. Then maybe you'll do a little work of your own."

So they all stopped working. The hands refused to do lifting and carrying. The feet refused to walk. The mouth promised not to chew or swallow a single bite. And the brain swore it wouldn't come up with any more bright ideas. At first the stomach growled a bit, as it always did when it was hungry. But after a while it was quiet.

Then, to the dreaming man's surprise, he found he could not walk. He could not grasp anything in his hand. He could not even open his mouth. And he suddenly began to feel rather ill.

The dream seemed to go on for several days. As each day passed, the man felt worse and worse. "This rebellion had better not last much longer," he thought to himself, "or I'll starve."

Meanwhile, the hands and feet and mouth and brain just lay there, getting weaker and weaker. At first they roused themselves just enough to taunt the stomach every once in a while, but before long they didn't even have the energy for that.

Finally the man heart a faint voice coming from the direction of his feet.

"It could be that we were wrong," they were saying. "We suppose the stomach might have been working in his own way all along."

"I was just thinking the same thing," murmured the brain. "It's true that he's been getting all the food. But it seems he's been sending most of it right back to us."

"We might as well admit our error," the mouth said. "The stomach has just as much work to do as the hands and feet and brain and teeth."

"Then let's get back to work," they cried together. And at that the man woke up.

To his relief, he discovered his feet could walk again. His hands could grasp, his mouth could chew, and his brain could now think clearly. He began to feel much better.

"Well, there's a lesson for me," he thought as he filled his stomach at breakfast. "Either we all work together, or nothing works at all."

Monday, February 16, 2009

Food-of-the-Day

Home for dinner.. I like to eat in! LOVE! Mushroom soup (Chinese style), beef >> WAH DAMN NICE and vegetables!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Story-of-the-Day

Eating the Cookie
by: Rachel Naomi Remen, Kitchen Table Wisdom

Another of my patients, a successful businessmen, tells me that before his cancer he would become depressed unless things went a certain way. Happiness was "having the cookie." If you had the cookie, things were good. If you didn't have the cookie, life wasn't worth a damn. Unfortunately, the cookie kept changing. Some of the time it was money, sometimes power, sometimes sex. At other times, it was the new car, the biggest contract, the most prestigious address. A year and a half after his diagnosis of prostate cancer he sits shaking his head ruefully. "It's like I stopped learning how to live after I was a kid. When I give my son a cookie, he is happy. If I take the cookie away or it breaks, he is unhappy. But he is two and a half and I am forty-three. It's taken me this long to understand that the cookie will never make me happy for long. The minute you have the cookie it starts to crumble or you start to worry about it crumbling or about someone trying to take it away from you. You know, you have to give up a lot of things to take care of the cookie, to keep it from crumbling and be sure that no one takes it away from you. You may not even get a chance to eat it because you are so busy just trying not to lose it. Having the cookie is not what life is about."

My patient laughs and says cancer has changed him. For the first time he is happy. No matter if his business is doing well or not, no matter if he wins or loses at golf. "Two years ago, cancer asked ne, 'Okay, what's important? What is really important?' Well, life is important. Life. Life any way you can have it. Life with the cookie. Life without the cookie. Happiness does not have anything to do with the cookie, it has to do with being alive. Before, who made the time?" He pauses thoughtfully. "Damn, I guess life is the cookie."

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Living-of-the-Day



One of my most enjoyable times at work! Classification! Lunched at Oasis coffeeshop with 大姐 then did a bit of work at SAFRA. The walk to SAFRA on the gravel brings back memories. MacRitchie. Racing. Crowds. Rhythm. -crunch crunch-

The most appropriate song for this day (that's played every year):

My Valentine by Martina McBride


And then evening came...
Ate at Ju Shin Jung (East Coast). Some tongue, some collar, some wagyu, many yummy side dishes and for the Most Interesting Food Award, we have seasoned RAW flower crab. Ommph. The spread was damn happy.. So was the food and need I mention, the company.

Saving the best for last, the sneak peak was a shocker. I think I may never recover! OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG. Overdelivered.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Hmm-of-the-Day


Life? Life.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Food-of-the-Day


A bit lagging in uploading photos! This is from the other day. Mushroom dumpling. Seemed interesting. Tried it. Can do without. More meaty than anything.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Photos-of-the-Day




Here lies,
48 Regent Street (Age 12-22).



For the record:

6 Knights Bridge (Age 4-12)
(I LOVE THIS ADDRESS)

Hougang somewhere opposite the huge canal (Age 0-4)

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Eek-of-the-Day

Look at THAT! I reckon it's fungi. This occurs just by incubating orange juice (without adding anything) at an elevated temperature. Accelerated Shelf-life Testing (AST). Practical for a Year 3 module!

rZ's B'dae!
Sorrie I couldn't celebrate with you!!! LAB LAB LAB!

Monday, February 09, 2009

Lab-of-the-Day

Eureka!

3 layers.. How cool is that! White portion in the middle!
For the record, that wasn't supposed to happen
but it turned completely clear after that!

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Movie-of-the-Day


97. My best single shot card ever. The last time I shot something like when I semi-recovered and that was my silver lining. I threw away the card and never had a photo of it on my blog (I thought I'd put it up but now I recall why I didn't. And that was grouping with a score of 96 I think but it was quite cool as it was 1 gaping hole and 1 pellet hole all within 9-ring). Having said all this, it's not reliably reproducible (yet).

Watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button this afternoon! It's a real long but good movie! And it rained... ... ...

The movie has a few themes, generally themes that we acknowledge but most of us don't live by. The movie looks at death and unfortunate events and demonstrates that the appropriate reaction to these events is acceptance rather than denial. It also displays the importance of cherishing each day, whatever the outcome of the day is. New beginnings are aplenty as Benjamin embarks on his life in the other direction.


Some quotes I really liked from the movie:

"How can I be a father when I'm headed in the other direction?"

"You can be as mad as a dog at the ways things went, you can swear and curse the fates, but when it comes to the end, you have to let go."

"It's never too late, or in my case, too early, to be whatever you want to be," Benjamin says. "I hope you live a life you're proud of. If not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Gathering-of-the-Day

Headed to the Southern Ridges in the evening today! Nice walk-a-jog in good company!

After dinner, headed for semi-CedarX gathering entitled "gather gather". Haha. Reminds me of the funny hand signal on the head in the army when they say that. LOL. Apart from that, the captains keep saying that whenever they call for a meeting before or after training. How fitting for pQ to use the phrase! Anyway, hung out with Mel P, Julin, rZ and pQ! Headed to Brewerkz and hitched a ride in Julin's RX8. Niiice. Fun gathering of folks!

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Yusheng-of-the-Day


Had FST CNY Gathering this evening! And it was our batch's turn to prepare the Yusheng (it's the Honours year project [",]). There's 5 plates and a chinese character on each plate (牛年行大运). We spent $20+ on Moscato (try the sweet sparkling dessert wine, DAMN NICE) cos I'm trying desperately to spend the class funds and guess what, we won 3rd prize and $30 for the Ang Bao Game whereby our class made an Ox out of red packets in 15min! Once again (as with the Yusheng competition last year), we got back MORE than what we spent. Hmm. Not bad ar.

Lab-of-the-Day

Took me more than 5 hours to make my microemulsion today! It usually takes a couple of minutes for smaller volumes. It's kinda weird. It's this damn cloudy thing that everyone's so surprised that it could become this solution which is as clear and transparent as water. The only one who seemed to believe it, was me. Stubbornness? Perseverance.

I guess many a time, this happens. Everything is blurry and cloudy and no one believes how it can evolve into anything good. And only you have great faith that it will all be bright and clear one day. Even that faith you have in that hope wavers as others doubt it. The only way about it is to be stubborn and to stick it through. And at the unexpected point when it turns from cloudy to clear... Sticking it through paid off. The point of relief, satisfaction, that.. hey, it pulled through. It made it. I didn't give up on it. That moment is almost a miracle.

Conditions which are not optimum, may still be good conditions. Never say die.

Mugger Morph.

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Training-of-the-Day

Played Finals after training today. Fun fun. Much better composed than last time! But can be improved!!!

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Hmm-of-the-Day

Work work work..! There's a mountain of work! I need greater efficiency. This is your final and traditionally the strongest lap. C'mon. 忍。

HJ's Birthday!!! (",)

Monday, February 02, 2009

Song-of-the-Day

This song just came to me.. California dreaming.. Dreaming.

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Shoot-of-the-Day

Shot SSA Monthly today! Equalize PB - 367/400! And I thought I crashed. Shoulder a bit pain. JuzABit. This week shoot too xiong liao. Hasn't hit this pain in a while. Wow.

Crunch Time. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
Perfect timing.

Speak when you are angry - and you will make the best speech you'll ever regret.
Well done, people. *Jaime claps*