Bert & Ernie

The first part of the morning was spent listening to three other groups presenting their PBL(probem based learning) for our DED 100. I must say some of their animation done was really good. Also, their scope of coverage was quite sufficient as well. During ICT class, each gp showcased our SCLP and based on the feedback received, we only need to tweak it a little before we hand it in on friday. Next tue will be our group's turn to present our findings. As such we r mtg tmw to run through the slides.

Joanne gave Aaron n i a nickname. She called Aaron Ernie n me Bert. As in the sesame street characters, Bert & Ernie. Cos she says tt my expression for pple to hurry up looks lyk Bert n Aaron's hairstyle resembles Ernie.

1 more module down!!!!

After this week, i have completed yet another module. SO tt leaves me with only 3 to go. Tmw we will show case our ICT final proj 2 the class. This ICT module is interesting though we question the relevance of it. However, for the sake of course requirements, we just decided to swallow n bear with it.

Had english mock test today. Did ok la though i cld have done better. There was one secn tt i totally blacked out so i cld not recall how to do it. However, the last secn was the saving grace so it kind of helped a bit. Got another week to polish it up n by next monday i think it shld be alrite.

We still have to rehearse our PBL presn which is next tue. So by this thu we got to get it all straightened out before then.

Perfect weather! Will go running later!

When we were counting the offerings today, it was super fast! N there were no mistakes too! Either we were fast or there was not very much! Usually we wld take about 1.5hrs to finish sorting n counting but we maged to complete it a little over an hour! Just to give u readers a little background: Angela n i help 2 count the $$$ or we call them tithes n offerings every other month. Since this is the even mth, our team is on. We were approached by the church staff cos they knew tt we had prior experience counting money. Well, Angela had worked in Thomas Cook Foreign Exchange years ago n when i first started working, i was doing sales which involved quite a fair bit of handling cash.

It is interesting to see what kind of things end up in the offering bag. For instance, i see pple giving God what is left and not what is right. Items such as receipts, tissue paper n previouly when there were bus tickets, i saw those things as well. On the other hand, during the fund raising for our new bdg, i saw cheques with figures tt r huge enough so i dun think i shld post here. Likewise, pple even put in their gold bangle as well. Not to mention, stacks of various currency bills with some 'freshly' out of the ATM machine! (u can tell cos they r brand new!) BUt the frustrating part is tt some pple hand itche, lyk to fold the currncy note into various things like: heart, boat, aeroplane, paper bullet etc etc....

Got eng mock test tmw. I tried out the self study test n did quite ok. Now the next thing is to be able to do it fast n accurate.

Today was basically spent doing up my part in the gp proj n revising for my english. Prob tmw i will do some maths n also some reading for my indivl essay.

The next 2 - 3 nights will be spent at my cousin's funeral wake. From what i know so far my aunt n uncle r taking my cousin's sudden passing rather badly. The Straits Times reported today tt my cousin died of cardiac seizure which is stg tt can hit anyone without any symptoms nor any prior illnesses.

But i thing for sure is tt my cousin is home safely with the Lord.

Shocking n tragic news...

As I was driving to NIE this morning, I received a piece of shocking n tragic news. One of my cousins passed away suddenly early this morning. Not sure of the cause but by the time he was rushed to Changi Gen Hospital, the emergency team of doctors cld not revive him. Immediately, i called my brother n he too was rather shocked.

This cousin of mine is only 35 yrs old (young) n he is a father of 4 children. It is going to be quite an uphill task for his wife having to look after the 4 children. Can imagine the emotional n financial strain. At least my cousin n his wife r both doctors so i think the financial aspect is not tt bad. I m rather worried for my aunt as my cousin is her fav son. I dun think she is taking it well.

This proved to me tt life is short. I thank the Lord tt my cousin is a believer in Christ n he is now safely in the arms of our Lord n Saviour. We grew up together since young n this cousin of mine is also a car fanatic lyk myself. At every family gathering, we will always talk abt the one n only topic which is cars cars cars.....I sure wld miss him.

As such, i urge non-believers out there to put your life in the Lord's hands. John 3;16 says: "For God so loved the world tt He gave His only Son n whoever trusts in Him shall not perish but have eternal life".

Lyks like i will not join my CG friends tonight at Mind Cafe as i wld be going to the wake. I think one of the most appropriate psalms right now wld be Psm 23.

Clear skies, cool weather n fresher air.....

The past few days were great as far as the weather was concerned. Clear skies, cool weather, slight rain and best of all, favourable wind directions which resulted in the vast improvement in the air quality. But due to the rain, i still can't wash the car or rather, dun feel lyk washing it!

I was so stressed today cos i find the content for english still quite hard to understand. At least it is slightly better than last wk. It had better be cos my english exam is on the 6nov which is only 10days away. Nearly lost my appetite for lunch today but i still managed to consume my usual amt. I still have abt 4 wks to the maths final exam and the quiz tmw and in 2 wks shld help a bit bcos it serves as a check point.

On a lighter note, my GESL gp tried out the games tt we will be organising for the group of primary children on 29th Nov. A gd way to relieve some stress cos many of us are trying to finish up some projects n also having to revise for quizzes n the final exams.

I have stg to look fwd 2 tmw evening. My CG will be mtg at Mind Cafe. That will be my timeout.

Crucial period....

It is ard the time of the mth when bills to be paid start streaming in. N this is the time of the semester tt assgns and projects are due. Not 2 mention the final exam and other tests. BUt lookg at the brighter side, this is part n parcel of life in stressful Sg. Nvm, can always look to going running n other ways for stress relieve!

Went with Aaron to c our tutor today for one of our major projects. We r quite on track to complete it by next Fri n tt means another module down! Tt leaves the gp presn and 1 more individual assgn b4 the eng n maths exam. My GESL project is also scheduled to be held on the 29th Nov. After tt, i have abt 6wks hol b4 the new semester begins. N it seemed as if i have just begun this sem! I dunno if this is psychological but when u seem to be totally engrossed in stg, time flies by. Similarly, it is when u r idling do u find it seems to take eternity for a day to pass!

I was supposed to get up early this morning to go for a dawn run with my brother but we called it off. Cos we slept rather late last night as we had quite a bit of stuff to do. He was to have brought me on a new route from Bt Batok to NIE. We were to run parallel to the MRT line and then turn right onto Jln Bahar. The total distance is 21km which is the dist we r running on dec 3rd for the stanchart half marathon. Nonetheless, i ran my own 21km route ard Bt Batok estate. It took me 2hrs 10min and 34secs. The 1st 15km was ok but the last 6km was the toughest part. By then I was feeling the strain but with the end pt in mind, i pressed on and finished it. Though my legs feel a bit lyk jelly now, i can still walk! It was a great sweating session. Oh, not 4getting tt I go running to relieve stress too.

Went to Tiong Bahru FC for lunch today. The queue at the '178 lor mee' stall was longgggg. Nvm, will try tt some other day.

My thoughts on the finale of the 2006 F1 season

Schumi goes out in style in Sau Paulo

He didn’t win the title or even the race. Indeed he didn’t even make the podium. However, Michael Schumacher’s farewell drive in Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix illustrated the grit, skill and determination that has made him the greatest driver Formula One racing has ever seen.
The odds were stacked against the Ferrari star from the outset after technical problems in qualifying at Interlagos left him only tenth on the grid. However, an excellent start saw him up to sixth place by the time the safety car intervened following Williams’ Nico Rosberg’s early accident.Soon after the race restarted, Schumacher dived down the inside of Giancarlo Fisichella’s Renault to seize P4, but as he exited the Senna S he appeared to lose the back end of the car, the Italian promptly regaining the position. The cause of the slide quickly became clear - a left-rear puncture thought to have been caused by debris on the track.Schumacher limped back to the pits to take on fuel and fresh rubber, but when he rejoined he was running 19th - and last. However, he was immediately back up to speed, slamming in fastest sector times and slicing his way past backmarkers. His progress slowed somewhat when he once more found himself behind Fisichella in the closing stages, but the Renault driver was eventually forced into a mistake by Schumacher’s relentless pressure, running wide at Turn 1 and surrendering fifth place in the process.McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen - the man who will replace Schumacher at Ferrari - was the next target, and the Finn defended aggressively to maintain fourth place. It took a special move from Schumacher, the pair going side-by-side into Turn 1 just inches apart, with the seven-time champion ultimately emerging ahead.That left him chasing Jenson Button for a podium, but with just two laps remaining there simply wasn’t time to catch the Honda, despite Schumacher's penultimate lap being the fastest of the race, over half a second quicker than team mate Felipe Massa’s best.Schumacher’s competitive Formula One career may be over, but true to form, the great man entertained us to the last. Thank you Michael.

The article above was taken from www.formula1.com
___________________________________________________________________

5 pts was the difference between the top 2 constructor teams. Renault won it (206) by just pipping Ferrari (201) to bring home the constructor's trohpy. Kudos to Renault and Alonso who brought home both titles. Not forgetting Massa who wowed his home fans with a superb drive. Massa seems to be on form to win more races and with a great car on hand, it can only get better for him. For those in LPS, Galileo hse won Edison hse by 5 pts as well in this year's annual school sports meet. I cld see the similarities between Edison hse and the Ferrari team: their determination. Despite Edison hse conceding the championship to Galileo hse who also displayed great perservarance, both fought a good fight. Schumi fought till the very last sec and so did Edison hse participants. This is truly what i call "never ever give up or admit defeat while the race is still on."

So what is the lesson here? Its does not matter if the odds are stacked against you. What matters is that you give your 110%, put in your best effort. Winning may be impt but it is the whole process that you go through that makes you a better person and steepens you learning curve. Schumi may not have won but as the article mentioned above, he retired with style and many will remember him as the best driver ever in the history of motor sports. I sure do.

Ok i shall blog abt what happened during svc this morning. It was quite funny. As the svc started, all seemed 2b going fine. Until when we realised tt the lyrics projected were different! OH dear, we were lyk frantically trying to search for the correct slide but then it dawned on us the the lyrics tt the worship leader was using then was not the same as the one in the database! Nvm, we decided tt b4 the 2nd svc we will resolve it. It as a bit paiseh (embarrassing) cos the congregation will be wondering what is going on and those sitting near to the FOH (front-of-house) which is the place where the PA and AV console is wld look twds us. Haha!

So we resolved the mistake. N the worship leader asked me to standby a particular song cos he mught be using it instead of the one planned b4 hand. So i did. Usually when i m on duty, i will put the cursor on the slide so tt when it is time to 'go live', all i need is to slowly fade off the camera and telecast the lyrics. BUt being lead by God's Holy Spirit, i think the worship leader chose back the original song! Thankfully i reacted fast enough! Haha, pressuring eh? Well, not really! And usually i will click onto the next slide just as the last word is being sung so the the next line is shown. Very much like karaoke! Cos feedback was rcved tt if we were to click on the next slide as the last word is sung wld be a split sec too slow. This is esp crucial when the song is fairly new and fast. In such cases, i will click the next slide 2 beats b4 the end of the previous slide 2 ensure a smooth transition. However, it is always the 1st svc where there mught be some glitches but by the time it is the 2nd and 3rd svc, it is much smoother. 1 of the church staff said tt it was fun though pressuring! It is not tt difficult to pick up the skill but having to react to last sec (not min) changes can be a little tough! Cos the projection is all 'live' so u got to be on high alert at all times. Thank God tt i react to changes fairly fast!

Sigh, Schumi did not qualify well at all in the Brazilian GP. Seems tt luck is not on his side. However, anything can happen b4 the chequered flag. Like in soccer, the ball is round and so is the tyre. My own philosophy!! To help Ferarri a bit, Massa got pole. Since i have no sch tmw, i can watch the race 'live' later in the night or rather early monday morning. The 5 red lights will go off at 1am later! Which also brings the curtain down for the 2006 F1 season.

Thanks !!!

After i posted abt the scan result ytd and tt we r going to have a daughter, we rcved numerous greetings and well wishes. Besides from the blogging community, our CG friends and peers sent their congrats via sms and email. We can imagine the flood of greetings when she arrives sometime ard mid- march 2007. ETA date is 15th Mar 07. We thank God 4 providing numerous friends who displayed their care and concern towards us. It is indeed a priviledge to have so many friends in our midst and some of them who are prayer intercessors. To those in our CG, Angela n I can sense ur excitement and anticipation for the arrival of the first authentic disciple! Pls pray alongside with us as we prepare the way for parenthood and for our daughter to be healthy and to grow up loving the Lord just as He first loved us all.

My bro and i went for a run earlier. Being a more seasoned runner than myself, i cld barely keep up with him but on a brighter note, he said my pace was not bad considering the fact tt i only started training early this year. So throughout the route, i did not let the distance between me and him be more than half a pool length. In fact, tt made me run a little faster n it paid off. Cos my timing for 10k went below 60min! Cool man.....i clocked in 55min. On tue morning, he is going to bring me on a new route. When i m back after the run i will blog abt it.....

2pid starhub cable tv cheat my $$$. Bcos of some dumb soccer match the Brazillian GP qualifying will only be a delayed telecast..... :-( This final round will be nostalgic as we see certain drivers driving for their currrent teams for the last time before they either retire or move to another team. My fav, Schumi will hang up his helmet. Alonso will move over to McClaren while Kimi Raikkonen will take Schumi's place in Ferarri.

I will be serving in AV tomorrow in church. Got to be early. Prayerfully it will be smooth...cos last wk the video clip bungled up half way....!!

The scan result shows that we are going to have a ............................

I am using the comp at Angela's kindy (kindergarten) cos she is sorting out some things for her concert. So I will try to keep this as short as possible. 　　

After maths lesson this morning, Aaron, Joanne and I went to patronise the Margaret Dr FC chicken rice. Solid sia.....the chilli was fantastic though the rice cld have been more fragrant. On the whole, it seems rather oily too. However it is not everyday tt i eat this so nvm. N my brother chio(ask in hokkien) me to run with him tmw. Just as well! I can burn off the oily stuff n excess calories. Yeah, right, as if i have excess fats to burn! So I will bring him on the 15k route ard bt batok area. BTw, he is also running the stanchart sg marathon on dec 3rd. Errr...both of us r running the half which is 21.1k.

Ok the highlight for today. Went 4 our regular check up at TMC. Our gynae did the detailed scan of our baby which shows the vital measurements and the vital organs. Thank God for technology, almost every detail of the baby can be detected. Then came the moment of truth. We are going to have a Daughter! She is now 19 wks old and growing very well. Based on our genes, I wonder if she will be slim and 'long' when she is born! Our gynae said a slim baby is easier to deliver! But what matters most is tt she is healthy and mother is also managing fine. Do continue to uphold us in your prayers even as we seek the Lord as to the naming of our daughter.

CG 2nite will be great as we will celebrate Tommy and Jophia's bday. Though it is a farewell 4 Carol who is leaving for NZ, we pray tt the Lord will be with her always. N the CG is also awaiting our news as to whether the new addition to the family is a boy or girl. The answer after the break!! haha!!

The 2006 F1 season ends this wkend. Lkg fwd to the 2007 season! I've got a longggg wkend!!

I am quite lost. After today's english lesson, i came out of the rm confused. When the material that was explained started to make sense, it did not make sense. What ever that i cld not understand, i was even more 'luan'. (hokkien for messed up) This topic is quite abstract and wat made it worse was tt our lecturer did not really explain it well.. Thankfully, our tutor was better in simplifying the concepts. Maths is so much better. The divisibility makes sense and for the quiz next wk i feel confident. However, i need to read thru and analyse the material for english. I still have my DED 100 individual paper to work on and the ICT gp project. All of us are getting bonkers but thankfully, we are spurring one another on. Smtg so suitable and motivating especially during this time of the semester.

I m so fed up with the network in NIE. We were at the student hub today and signal strength was virtually nil. It connected for a few seconds and the next moment it loses the strength. I tot my network settings were wrong but everyone else faced the same problem. So we went to the wireless lounge and it was so much better.

1 of my gp mate's daughter is down with HMFD (hand mouth foot ). Hopefully it is not serious. Due to that she cld not join us for the gp mtg today. HOwever, she emailed her portion so that we cld consolidate the slides for the presentation. It is a 6 person effort and the whole presn lasts 30min. We now have abt 65 slides with charts, data and other info. When we ended our discussion, Joanne, Dora n I were chatting and giving thanks 2 God for blessing our gp with fantastic mbrs and also finding favour with our tutor. Nice job pple. Great working with u all.

We will go n c our gynae tmw. It will be the moment of truth when we will know if we are going to have a son/daughter. Well, Angela and I have no pref. We do have some names (both male and female) in mind. Tmw night's CG mtg will be great. We are celebrating Tommy and Jophia's bday, giving Carol a farewell b4 she leaves for NZ n of course the rest of the CG is waiting for our news whether the new addition to the family will be a boy or girl.

It is the Deepavali wkend and Puasa is on Tue. I wish all our Hindu/Indian and Muslim friends a Happy Deepa Raya celebration.

1 module down....got a long wkend...coming

Finally! 1 module completed. Today wld be the last session for one of my modules. That means my weds wld be shorter. Which means i have more time to devote to my other modules. Especially for maths and eng. These are the only 2 modules with exams. The rest are assignment and project based.

Next mon i got no classes. Since the eng and special needs lectures have ended, i need not come to school! Then it is a public hol on tues. happening sia....This sunday night is the finale of the F1 GP n the race is at 1am early monday morning. So I can catch the race live!

Initially my coursemates were planning if we should go to Mind Cafe on mon. Tentatively, we will either go next mon or fri. Joanne was saying she needs to relieve some stress and Aaron agreed! Hopefully more can make it. I think mind cafe is a great place to hang out. Esp when u r there during their happy hour which lasts from 2-6pm. Just $5 per person with a free flow of drinks.

Air quality is so much better today. Hopefully it stays this way.

I remember watching a show abt two siblings who fell out with each other over some domestic issues. It was quite heart wrenching for both of them and those around them as they were really close. If one rejoices over stg, the other would be there to share the joy. Likewise, if one cries, the other shares the burden. The tension built up was so intense that strong words, sharp critisms and hurting phrases were used. However, both came to realise that who started it all, who reacted in whichever way is immaterial. What mattered was they patched up, sorted out their differences, buried the hatchet and moved on. I looked at that unfortunate incident as a blessing in disguise because it was due to this setback that made the siblings even stronger than before. Like gold that is tested in fire, it is only through trials and tribulations that will determine the strength of a relationship. In that show, one sibling said this, " Words once said out cannot be taken back. But what goes in one ear will go out the other." How sweet to forget and filter out the negative and retain the positive. Rather than focusing on the negative and majoring in on the minors, why not focus on the positive? So I advoate the importance of managing one's emotions. It is very easy to point the accusing finger at others but it is very hard to say the word sorry. It is even harder to say the word forgive. But it is when we swallow our pride and ask God for forgiveness and come unto Him in humility will the Holy Spirit fill us with the peace and joy again.

Ok, now for some joyous stuff. I went to The Mind Cafe with 4 P6s earlier. They deserved a gd break 4 working hard. Since the haze was so bad today, it was a wise choice staying indoors. It was fun playing the games available. They enjoyed themselves just as much as I did. Sometimes I just wish I was their age again so that I have no worries after my exams. But I passed that stage long ago. If time and opportunities permit, maybe we cld have another outing again and more cld join in provided their folks approve. So my students also saw the younger side of me when I joined in the laughter, jokes and gamesmanship with them. Like I mentioned, we all share a common title: they are students n i m a student teacher. I especially like the game "First Hand" as in a card showing some hand gestures is opened and the last one to do the hand gesture is the loser. Some of the gestures can be done but some cant. So if the gesture cant be done, u have to cross ur arms and put ur palm on your shoulders. Imagine the funny sights that occur when mistakes are made. Myself included!

The haze is bad today.....

When I got up this morning, I was greeted by a very hazy view. The haze was about 87 then. So I decided to make a room booking at the student hub so that I can be indoors and avoid the haze. By noon, the PSI shot past the 100 mark and current levels is 150. Heard from CNA that the NEA mentioned that it will be so for the next couple of days due to the wind directions. So being 'kiasu', I blocked booked one of the rooms from tomorrow till thursday durng the times that I am on campus. So there goes my running schedule as well.

Speaking of running, one of my course friends said she enjoyed running on a treadmill. All she needed to do was to set the clock to a desired time and adjust the gradient, then she will just "run on the spot" till the alarm rings. I for one CANNOT run on treadmills! The reason is that I just find it weird to be running for a period of time and still remaining at the same spot. In physics there is a difference between distance and displacement. If the meter on the treadmill shows say for eg: 15km after a certain time, this means that I have covered a distance of 15km but a displacement of 0km! This is because I did not move from where I started! Funny eh?

Similarly, if you weigh 35kg, that is your mass. But what abt if u talk in terms of weight? 350Newtons! Bcos 35 x 10 (gravitational pull or g as it is knwn) = 350N! To be exact the actual figure for 'g' is 9.81 metres per second squared.

Ok enough of physics....

SA2 is just days away

It is tt time of the yr when exams, projects and assgns due dates are approaching. Nthg cld b more stressful than having to revise the whole yrs work and trying out past yr qns. However, there is no shortcut to success.

FOr those of u who are lamenting abt the amt of hw u all have to do over the next 4 days (PSLE mkg days right?), make the best use of it. This is the best time to go through all that has been taught since the beginning of the yr. I know it is very tempting to have fun and enjoy the next 4 days but after ur SA2 u have the end of yr hols to enjoy. So 'bitter-sweet'. Rough it out now and enjoy later. Go thru ur CA1, SA1 and CA2 papers and take special note of the areas of weakness. Since both the CAs and SA1 were checkpts for ur level of competency in whichever topic and subject, it shld send a signal to u as 2 whether u fully understood the material taught. Even if u did well, do try out the qns u got correct again so tt u know whether u got the correct ans by chance or u really comprehended what was being asked.

I used to complain and grumble y did my teachers "sentence me to do tons of revision qns and extra supp papers" during my sch days. It is only after I left sch and became a teacher myself tt I realised and appreciated the motive behind all that. My parents used to nag at me to play less and study more which i did. Yeah, right. Grudgingly. Worse still, my father always compared me with my cousin who is the same age as myself. Both my cousin n I were born in the same yr but he is 10 mths older. I always lost out to him academically and with all the negative critisims bombarded upon me by my father and late grandmother, it only made my self-esteem plunge well below ground zero. Despite all that, I never threw in the towel.

It is no use regretting or saying things like, " I shld have worked harder....I shld not have played so much...." Once u have handed in ur answer script, ur fate is sealed. The amt of effort u invested will be shown in ur results. If u put in ur best effort and had been diligent and consistent throughout the year, u conceptually shld get thru fairly easily unless u bungled it during the paper. But if u had not been up 2 date with ur stuff, u will likewise reap what u sow. I encountered huge setbacks before. I have tasted failure before. Failure as in having to repeat a whole year. No prizes for guessing y I failed. I reaped what I sowed. However, I picked up from there and carried on. Not doing well or failing is a horrible feeling. But what is most impt is to know where u went wrong, what caused the poor performance and learn from it. It is ok to make mistakes but it is NOT ok to make repeated mistakes! Obviously, if u can avoid making a mistake all the better.

Everyone of u have what it takes to succeed. It is not a matter of whether u can do it but whether u want to do it and do it well. Focus on ur tasks. Put in ur best effort. Envision yourself succeeding. Remember this:

The race is never over unless u yourself say so.

1 power socket. 1 faulty power socket. That was the cause of my aircon not being able to power up. The technicians came this morning and after doing some diagnostic tests, they found that the wires INSIDE the socket are faulty. Unfortunately, as they are all concealed, it is rather troublesome and costly if I want to replace it. The decision? Switch the aircon plug to another one and seal the faulty one with masking tape! It is a similar decision I adopted regarding the scratch marks on my car bumper. Rather than incur money on repairing it, I rather leave it as it is.

We went for dinner at the Sg Swimg Club last night. As we were eating, we saw the swim training. They were having some time trial or stg of that sort. Guess they must be doing selections for representatives to compete in some competition. Seeing this trg session reminded me of the trg sessions I had abt 20 yrs ago when I was in the club's swim team. Back then, I would be at the club three times a wk for trg. Twice during wkdays and once during wkends. Each session wld be abt 3 hrs. So after sch, I will be home to complete my hw or have tuition then head to the club for trg. Wkends will see me being at the club at 7am sun mornings trg till 10am. Thankfully the club is very near where i used to live so travelling time was no big issue. However, i left competitive swimg after p6 as it was too time consuming. MOreover, I was just abt average academically then. But the trg sessions were quite fun and fulfilling though.

I still swim nowadays but it is more of a relaxing swim. Since I run a lot, i use the swimg pool as being therapeutic 'treatment' after a run. Therefore, it is good to take up at least one sport. Being healthy is essential to having a good work-life balance.

TGIF!!!

Thank God It's Friday! Hopefully this weekend the air quality will be favourable. Been rather busy this week so I could only run once! Although I have some readings to go through, I think it should not take up too much time. Moreover, I need to re-look at some of my materials for English and Maths.

This morning after class while waiting for my other course mates to finish up their gp assgn, I was going through my maths so that there would be less to do over the wkend. We were at Tiong Bahru Plaza McD for almost 2hrs. The reason for mtg there is becos we wanted to patronise the stalls at the newly rebuilt Tiong Bahru Mkt and FC. But the skies opened up and we had to change our venue. I parked at the multi-storey car park opposite as it was cheaper. Since the coupon was expiring, I had to use Jon's small little umbrella to get to the car. It was quite windy and though I had an umbrella, I still got wet! That is why I never liked using umbreallas. If the rain is heavy, I would try to wait in the shelter for as long as possible. If it was drizzling, I would just walk a little faster. Occasionally, I have made dashes in the rain as there was no choice.

There's no CG mtg tonight. So Angela and I thought of going to the club for dinner but we got to be home before 9 cos she wants to catch the 9pm show on ch 8. I have stopped watching since the beginning of this year as I find these serials very addictive. All it takes is for you to watch less than an episode and you will be hooked! Last year, I was practically hooked to the 7pm show on ch 8 (Tong2 Xin1 Yuan2). I followed ALL 100 episodes! But thankfully it concluded just b4 school started so I could concentrate on my daily stuff.

Fruitful day

I have just completed my portion for a major assignment. So I decided to reward myself by just blogging for a while. This module is rather hectic but on the whole it is very interesting. The final session will be next wednesday and after that, 1 module down!

Time flies and in just about 4 weeks, my first semester is over. It seemed as if I have began my term. I still have no plans for the dec hols. Other than preparing for the Stanchart Marathon on Dec 3rd, I do not have any other major events.

I think I will go for a run later. Had wanted to go ytd but I had to complete my portion for the assgn so I decided to stay indoors.

It is Friday tmw! The weekend is here! My course mates and I are planning to have lunch at Tiong Bahru Food Centre. I have not been there since it was rebuilt. Really miss the food there!

I will be spending this weekend on my other assgns and tutorials and exercising of course. Think the car needs a good wash as well. Anyone care to help???

That's my car and number tag

Ok, while I try to think of what I should blog about, I shall blog about my car. It is a 2006 model Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6. The most common car which you see plying Sg roads. If you were to go to Thailand, you will see the the streets of Bangkok are filled with the same car except that they have something on the roof top and a meter inside. Yup, the majority of taxis in Bangkok are all Altises. The only thing is that they are much more basic in terms of features and since cars in Sg are rather costly, it comes full spec. Been driving it for 7 months and it has some little scratches. Well, that is part and parcel of parking at multi-storey car parks. It is stock standard as in I have NOT done any modifications to it. Only changed the horn, installed the strut bar and a fuel charger to improve the fuel economy.

I think u recall me posting the photo above. In fact i do have a photo in my hp depicting my car parked at a parking lot at the NIE car park 3 bearing the same number. But I have problems trying to download it to my computer. Haha, I just got this thing about numbers!!

haze is back....

Blast!!! The haze is back after 2 days of clean air and clear skies. Guess the wind direction changed. So that means I will have to forgo my running for today. Nvm, I just have to wait for another day. In the meantime, I guess I will hit the NIE pool.

The PSLE is finally over. The P6s have worked really hard. Do have a good break while the post-exam activities are in progress. So I think I will be seeing numerous students all over the malls in the coming days. I suppose you all have one way of another planned which Sec Sch you are aiming to go. For those of you who have not, it is wise to start checking some of them out through their website and other sources. Also, do not just check out on 1 school. Keep your options open.

The latest mega mall to open in town is the Vivo city. Located at HabourFront, it is really huge! However the papers reported that there are still some shops which will open later this month. Will want to check that place out esp the 15 screen GV cinema!!! Has anyone been there?

Computer restored

The past 24 hrs were really horrible. My computer got hit by some virus. It caused the whole operating system to be disabled and I could not even boot it up. To make matters worse, using the CD-ROM reinstallation disc did not work. Called my ex-colleague Francis and he offered to help me try to restore it. It practically ruined my mood to do anything last night as most of my stuff were inside my HDD. I do have backup but my older computer does not seem to recognise the backup HDD.

I got a SMS from Francis this morning and he had no choice but to format the HDD and reinstall the files again. Thankfully I have done my regular backing up of the essential files except for a few of them which I only obtained over the past few days. It is no big issue really but the hassle of having to reload everything just makes it so 'sian'.

Francis is an expert! At about 1pm this afternoon barely 24hrs after the virus hit, my comp is, I would say, almost 100% back to normal. Small little things like changing the wallpaper and my MSN display picture can be done easily.

I do have anti-virus software but I think when my wife was using it yesterday, she must have clicked on something which may have activited the file and "ka-boom", it caused the trouble. So now I am back in business.

Air quality has improved

Finally, the air quality has improved tremendously. Last night it climbed to an all-year high of 150. I am not sure what is the PSI at this point in time but as the pictures show, it is much much better. We wanted to switch on the air-con but it just cannot power up. Tried switching it on manually without the remote ctrl but to no avail. However, we can live without it. What's next is to find someone to come and check it. Really hope it is just a minor problem.

This means I can go and have a good run later! There is not much time left to the StanChart Half Marathon. On paper there are 8 weeks to Dec 3rd but I need to ease off my training 2 weeks prior to the event because I do not want to peak perform too soon.

Hopefully the air quality will be good this week so that I can clock-in my running mileage! Oh and also my thursday swim as well!

PSLE ends on tuesday but majority of them will be free at about 1030hrs tomorrow except for the HMTL candidates who will be liberated 24hrs after that. Have a good break pple. U all truly deserve it for working so hard. As for those whose SA2 is fast approaching, work hard, stay healthy and have adequate rest in between.

Second post for today

I decided that I will not go for a run today. Looking at the air quality, I reckon that it would be more advisable to remain indoors. When I got up this morning, I saw on CNA (Channel News Asia) that the PSI hit 130 which is in the unhealthy range. Subsequently, the NEA issued an adivsory not to have vigourious outdoor activities for today. However, we are considered fortunate compared to our neighbours in M'sia and Indo. The air quality up north and across the Straits is much worse.

We went to Harvey Norman earlier to purhcase a hot water airpot (something to store and boil hot water) as our previous one leaked. That one only lasted 1.5yrs! Hopefully this one will serve us longer. It has got some pretty cool functions such as reduced chlorine and power saving etc etc....but it cost $1xx/- after discount. Well, we needed one and since it would be helpful when our little one comes along, there is a 60 deg C function which would serve pretty handy.

I managed to catch the Japanese GP qualifying earlier. As usual, the scarlet cars were the benchmark for today's pace. In fact, it seems to me that the cars running on Bridgestones appear to be more superior compared to the Michelin shod ones. P1 to 4 (grid position) are all Bridgestone shod while the Renaults only managed fifth and sixth respectively. McClaren? Not even in the top 10. It appears that the McClaren team powered by Merc are way off the mark compared to the Ferarris and Renaults. I will not be able to catch the start of the race tomorrow as I can only be home at 2.30pm. But at least I can still get to see the chequered flag. So who will be on the top step of the podium tomorrow? It all comes down to the 90 minutes and how the weather will be.

More F1 pics

These are some of the top teams in F1. The yellow and blue car is that of Renault. It is quite obvious which one is Honda and Panasonic Toyota and West McClaren Mercedes. Enjoy!

Had a hectic week....

Above: The punch of victory

Finally, I can relax a little this weekend though I got to rush up some reports, reflections and other stuff. Today's maths was quite alright. Had expected it to be much tougher but it was on the whole managable. However, I am not quite sure abt some of the answers but what is on my mind right now is to get over my educational psychology reports and reflections.

Decided to take a break from overwhelming all of you with scenery and nature shots. I was comtemplating what photos should I post. After some deliberation, I decided to post something which is of my interest. The scarlet car shows none other than my favourite F1 driver, Schumi punching the air in victory after claiming the checkered flag! The Japanese GP this weekend would be exciting but you never know what might happen until the first car crosses the finish line. Qualifying well on sat is one thing, performing well on sunday is another matter.

Similarly, doing consistently well throughout the year is essential but when it comes to the final test/exam, how one performs on the actual day is the ultimate test.

Above: Albany.
Top: Sunset along Freeway North, Perth


I started off the morning with a short 5km run around the NIE campus. Even though the distance was rather short, the terrain was rather challenging as the gradient varies. Uphill for abt 50m then it is downhill for another 50m before it repeats itself all over again. After that, I went for a dip in the pool. The water was so nice and cooling! In fact, I found it rather therapeutic as I could relax my muscles after a run. In fact, I think by soaking in the pool after a run is rather relaxing. Obviously, it is wise to allow the body to cool down and be free of persperation before diving into the pool. Perhaps I should have this 'soaking' session weekly in between running.

Got back my English today. Well, there was no mark on it. Just the grade. Based on my calculation, it should be in the 70s. However, our tutor told us that the final examination would be more challenging. However, what is on my mind now is the maths quiz tomorrow.

Heard from some of the P6s that the maths paper today was managable only for the first two sections. The third section was more problematic according to some of them. That is why section C is the 'problem questions'! The English paper was ok. I advised them to focus on what is ahead rather than dwell on this since it is already over. Go for it!!

Japanese GP this weekend held at the Suzuka Circuit.

Nature

From the top: The Natural Bridge, Seafront at Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a small town 420km Southeast of Perth

I got my maths quiz coming Friday. The topic that will be tested seems quite abstract. I am a little uneasy about it so I got to make the best of the remaining day or so to look through the material again.

Aaron and Dora will be having their Basic Theory Test coming Friday. This marks the start of their journey towards attaining their driver's license. Joanne and I were telling them what they need to take note and the stuff that they need to commit to memory. Perhaps I could be a part-time driving instructor! BTW, when I was in Australia, I actually brought some of my church friends around in my car. The laws there allow anyone with a valid driver's license to sit beside a learner driver. So my friends had extra practise on my car! Too bad that Sg has very strict laws pertaining to those learning to drive.

More sunset pics

Sunset pics taken at Cottesloe Beach and along the Freeway North, Perth Western Australia.

I hope all of you who came to visit my blog liked the sunset pictures. I will probably post some nature shots tomorrow. I have lots of such photos but quite a number of them are in the form of 4R photos. They were taken during my varsity days and back then, it was still the good'ol film type. Wonder if there is a way to convert them into 'soft' copies so that I can store them into my HDD. Therefore, anyone who browses through my photo albums of my time in Perth, all of them will ask me the same question, "Did u go there to study or to enjoy yourself?" My answer, both!!

The air quality was much better today. Although the haze was still visible, it was a way better compared to yesterday. However, despite the better air quality today, I started the day on the wrong note.

First, we got up late. Though it was only ten minutes, that proved costly as I reached school just after 8.15am which I define as the critical hour. All the free car park lots were taken leaving only the charged ones. As I had a 8.30am class, I had no choice but to incur the parking charges. And if that was bad enough, it rained just as I had parked the car. Thankfully it was not a thunerstorm but just a heavy drizzle. But, the drizzle was enough to dirty the car. Nonetheless, I am thankful that I managed to get through today and ended it off with a 12km run.

I managed to get more MP3s from my course mate Joanne. My collection has swelled and majority of the songs are the 80s, 90s and beyond. So I now have a lot more songs to keep me company when I am using the computer.

Tomorrow is the start of the PSLE. May ALL the P6s do well and qualify for the sec sch of their choice. Read carefully, think and tackle the questions within the stipulated time. Go 4 the A*s!

Nice sunset pics

Above: Sunset at Bt Batok















These 2 photos above show the sunset in Perth, Western Australia. The one with the traffic lights was taken from inside the car which explains why you can see the road tax sticker on the bottom LHS of the windscreen.

I decided to post some nice pictures which are pretty relaxing to look at. I enjoy nature pictures as it shows God's wonderful creation. So even if the sunset in Sg is nowhere as nice as Australia, it still looks good nenetheless. Over the next couple of days I may post other nature pictures taken in Australia. Sometimes when you get so overwhelmed with the daily routine, chores, tasks and other mundane things, it is good to have a 'time-out'. Looking at nature can be quite therapeutic. This is especially helpful during this crucial period when the exams, assignments and projects are all approaching.

Enjoy the pictures!!

A very inspiring & exciting Sunday

I had a very good Sunday. First, the sermon that was preached today spoke to me. Basically, pastor talked about forgiveness and grace. More often than not, we are always complaining, criticising, being picky, fussy and even unresaonable. We are always so fast at making noise about bad service, making a mountain of of a molehill. Sometimes we should pause and ponder about the positive aspect of things. Rather than complaining about almost anything under the sun, we should show our appreciation instead. Pastor quoted from one of our full-time staff who had worked in SIA for 20years and he said that majority of the praises and compliments towards SIA came from foreigners rather than we Singaporeans! Another of our pastor who used to be a medical doctor at SGH mentioned that for every 10 feedback letters, only 1 was that of giving thanks/showing appreciation/compliments whilst the rest were all complaints, negative criticisms! So the lesson is: Let us all be gracious, understanding and extend grace towards others!

For those of you who caught the 'Live' telecast of the Shanghai F1 GP, it is in my opinion the best GP of this season! Who would have thought that sixth place on the starting grid, Schumi could turn things around to win the race. His Ferarri on Bridgestones was simply out-classed in the qualifying yesterday when the weather conditions were wet. And Schumi even went on to overtake pole position Alonso and second-placed Fisichella. The best part of the race would be the moment when Schumi overtook Fisichella just as the latter came out of the pit lane. I was jumping and yelling for joy at that moment! (I do have a wild side of me!) That sealed the result and Schumi went on the win the race. It was truly a well-deserved victory for him. The race for the world championship title is now down to the wire as Schumi and Alonso are tied at 116 pts each. Renault is only 1 pt ahead in the constructors title. Bring on the battle! The Japanese GP is in 7 days and the final Brazillian GP is a fortnight following that. My wish is for Schumi to win his 8th title before he hangs up his helmet at the end of this season.

So here comes my usual phrase abt F1: Schumi rawks! Ferarri rawks! Bridgestone rawks!