Reliability of Samsung phones

Is it a reliability problem or just that the phone Angela bought is a lemon? The phone failed again and we had to send it back to the service centre. That means it is the 4th time we have been to the service centre in a week. They told us that the main board could be faulty therefore they need to get it replaced subject to the availability of parts. Since it was such a big problem why did they not change the phone right from the start?

Faulty handphone

Angela's handphone has been giving her heaps of problems for the past week or so. In short, we sent the phone to the service centre for three times already. The battery, LCD and key pad was changed. Now we suspect the charger is faulty. Sigh.......Nokia phones are better....

Timing for New Balance Real Run

My number tag or bib

Below is my timing for the event yesterday. Not bad considering the weather and also the 1km sector which saw participants running on the sand.


Ranking: 342 / 1156 (1156 are those who finished which included crossing the checkpts)
MO4121 (My bib number)
Tang Chee Weng
SINGAPOREAN 10KMMENSOPEN 00:23:05 00:40:22 01:02:23 1:03:19

The timing in bold shows my duration or also known as chip time. The other 2 timings depict when I crossed the checkpoints and the last one is the gun time. The difference between gun time and chip time is how long it took for me (approx 1 min ) to cross the start line when the race was flagged off. Needless to say, there were quite a lot of people in front of me at the start.

New Balance Real Run completed....Stanchart Coming up next

I completed the New Balance Real Run this morning held at the Sg Airshow Changi Exhibition Centre. Throughout the run, I was looking forward to the 1km sector which participants will run on the runway. It turned out that it is along the road that runs parallel to the runway. Seems like we were being misled by the publicity posters. And the trail was not really a trail. It was just a park connector kind of pathway unlike those at MacRitchie Reservoir which I was expecting. However, I completed the route in 62min taking into consideration the 1km portion along the beach. Running on sand was not easy but it was not as bad as I had expected. The scorching heat was the worst part. Even though I completed the run way before 9, the sun was already shining mercilessly. Overall, it was a good run. So the focus will now be on the highlight event of the year: Stanchart Sg Marathon on Dec 2.

Less than 24hrs to the New Balance Real Run 07

Tomorrow morning at about 0730 hrs, I will be running on the new runway of the Changi Aerospace Centre as part of the New Balance Real Run. However what excites me is that there is a 1km portion running on the sand of Changi Beach. That is the most difficult part of the race I reckon. There is also a 1 km trail besides running on normal tar road and the runway. In fact, it may seem to be relatively easy as the total distance is merely 10km. However being my first time running on sand i think it will be interesting. After tomorrow's run, I will be training up for the pinnacle of all runs which is the Standchart Marathon. Watch out for tomorrow's post.

Sg will host the 1st ever night race

It is official. The Sg GP will be held at night. This is a historical milestone. I think it will be called the Marina Bay Circuit? The statement below was taken from the F1 website.

Formula One racing’s governing body, the FIA, has confirmed the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix will take place at night as planned. The inaugural Singapore event, to be held on a new street circuit in the Asian city, is scheduled to take place on September 28. “We are well on our way to creating history," commented Colin Syn, Deputy Chairman of Singapore GP. "With two positive lighting tests under our belt, we are on track to delivering the first night-race in Formula One history.”

So annoying

There are just some people who are simply eccentric. Last year I lamented about having to work with someone whom I called X. This X person is one weirdo. I shall use it instead of he or she. It simply had a funny way of dealing with people and it always must have it's last say during meetings and it was a sure test of my patience dealing with such people.

This semester, it is up to it's nonsense again. The gp i/c took the initiative to allocate tasks and there was no objection. Instead of asking the gp i/c, it decided to email the WHOLE group and behaved in such a childish, immature and .......oh i cannot think of any other adjectives to describe this weirdo.

Basically, I only have one thing to say to this joker: If you behave like this out in the working world, this is a sure fast way of digging your grave. Having the intelligence only in terms of knowledge is insufficient to survive in this society. It takes a balanced amount of EQ, interpersonal skills and professionalism. Sadly, you lack these 3 attributes. Wise up, grow up and stop whimpering like a kid. For your own sake and the rest.

Been using the wrong shoes

Front part of the sole



Check out the support my heel is getting



My new shoes

For those avid runners out there, are you using the correct shoes? Yours truly has not been. Shocking but true. In fact, many people are not using the correct kind of shoes and this can cause short to long-term problems to the ankles, knee joints , ligaments and lower back. I went to the Adidas shop at Cathay with a friend who is a staff and he recommended me to do a foot scan and then see what suitable shoes are suitable. Turned out that I over pronate when I run. This means the outerside wears out faster than other areas. Thankfully they had this pair of shoes available and it is the last unit with my size. Failing which, I need to get a pair of customized shoes which will cost a little more. However, the customized ones have your name on it! Cool eh? Plus they will custom make it to suit to your foot. Hopefully I need not resort to this. So I will be using this pair you see above to take me through my second half marathon for this year.

Baby dedication

Having her breakfast


"Mmmm.......so comfortable to sleep on daddy's shoulder."


Angela holding up the dedication cert. Esther is still dozing.....


"I am awake! Why is the flash so bright?"

Just 2 days ago, we had the baby dedication service. Along with other parents who did the same, this is symbolic to embracing the little ones into the Lord's family. These are some of the photos taken before and during the dedication service. Thanks to Stanley who is Esther's god father for taking the photos.

A new world champion

Kimi Raikkonen drove a great race yesterday to bring his Ferrari to the chequered flag with team mate Felipe Massa coming in second. Not only did he win the the race but also walked away with the driver's title for 2007. There were some issues with the fuel of the 4th placed Williams and both 5th and 6th placed BMWs. However, the stewards did not disqualify them but Mclaren want to appeal the findings. Should the BMWs and Williams cars be disqualifed, 7th place Hamilton will move up to 4th and take the driver's title instead. My take is that Mclaren might not have a case as they themselves were dishonest earlier in the season. Seems to me that the big shots in the Mclaren camp are simply sore losers just because they underperformed. But if the un thinkable happens and Hamilton takes the title, to me it is still not too bad as it beats having that Spanish win it for a third consecutive time. I am glad that 2-time defending champion has been dethroned.

So the 2007 F1 season ends here. There will be new developments and the clock is already ticking: just a littke over 143 days to the start of the 2008 season. For most local F1 fans like myself, the weekend of 26-28 sept will be an event to really look out for.

Of number bibs and wedding dinners

As with many wedding banquets which I have attended, it is usually a time of catching up with old friends, ex-colleagues, fellow church goers, school alumni....etc. But what really intrigues me is that aspect of proving the phrase :such a small world.

At Thomas and Wendy's wedding banquet last night, I met two persons whom each know the bride and groom. One of them was from FGA Perth by the name of Pamela a.k.a Spam. Being petite by nature, Pam earned the nickname Small Pam or Spam in short. It turned out that she knew Wendy since their JC days. Imagine the surprise we each got when we were seated on the same table. This is just the first part. After the traditional toast, someone approached me and she was from ACJC __ years ago. We were from the same batch. Managed to catch up a bit and she has 2 children aged 7 and 3. I do not know the relationship between her husband and the groom but it was some distant relative. Such a small world? Microscopic perhaps.

Collected my number bib and timing chip for the New Balance Real Run next weekend. Turned out that the middle 3 digits of the 5 digit number is my car number. What makes it even more special is that my name is on it! Cool eh? I think such events should have this feature as it easily identifies the participant. Hopefully the Stanchart Marathon will have this feature as well.

2 weddings today

Such a tiring day. Still have the wedding dinner tonight and another one tomorrow night. 2 of my friends had their church wedding today and one of them will have the banquet later while the other will have it tomorrow. Helped out at the first one and for so many that I have been, this morning's 'knocking the door' was the easiest that I ever had. Guess the girls were not aggressive enough but even then, anyone who is up against the class of 4B6'91 will be in for a real tough time. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable one and many of my FGAP friends where we had a little gathering at the second wedding were mesmerised by Esther and the other little ones. So the season of marriages has progressed onto starting our own families.

Who will be crowned world champion this weekend? (F1 website)

It’s the question on everyone’s lips. Alonso, Raikkonen, Hamilton - who has to do what to become world champion at Interlagos this weekend. Unfortunately, the answer is far more complex than the question, but we’ve tried to make it as straightforward as possible.Listed below are the various Brazilian Grand Prix results that could see each of the three drivers involved crowned champion….

For Alonso to become champion:Alonso first; Hamilton third or loweror Alonso second; Hamilton sixth or loweror Alonso third; Hamilton eighth or lower; Raikkonen second or loweror Alonso fourth; Hamilton out of the points; Raikkonen third or lower

For Hamilton to become champion: Hamilton first or secondor Hamilton third or fourth; Alonso second or loweror Hamilton fifth; Alonso third or loweror Hamilton sixth or seventh; Alonso third or lower; Raikkonen second or loweror Hamilton eighth; Alonso fourth or lower; Raikkonen third or loweror Hamilton out of the points; Alonso fifth or lower; Raikkonen third or lower

For Raikkonen to become champion: Raikkonen first; Alonso third or lower; Hamilton sixth or loweror Raikkonen second; Alonso fourth or lower; Hamilton eighth or lower

Just crossed the 7th mth

Esther turned 7mths yesterday. So far, she has already started to stand on her own inside her cot. Besides, her lower front teeth are starting to emerge which explains why she keeps on putting things inside her mouth. As for speech, she seems to be trying to say some teochew word which means quickly or faster. Volume of her voice continues to grow in a cresando (is this how it is spelt?) and needless to say her screams of excitement or cries continue to fill the house.

No lessons tomorrow so what i will do is probably run to school, again, in the morning and then get some work done after that. It is a weekend of weddings, doing DSE and maybe DCE plus the F1 finale. Wanted to go have a durian feast with my coursemate Winnie and some others but decided to postpone it for now. Anyone wants to join in??

Morning run

We had a fantastic morning run. This time, we managed to improve our timing by about a min or so. Thankfully the weather was great and despite us finishing our run soaking, it sure was rewarding. Justin and I were talking about the upcoming Stanchart Marathon. That will be the pinnacle of all running events for the year.

This weekend will be pretty packed as I have 2 weddings back to back. That means I have to try to complete my work ahead of time. The F1 season finale will also be taking place this weekend. Since it will be held in Brazil, the live telecast will be at around midnight. Since I do not have classes on Monday, perhaps I could pop over to my in-law's place to catch the race?

Airbus A380

I watched the live telecast of the handover ceremony between Airbus and SIA when the latter took delivery of the first A380 in the world. There was also a tour of the interior of the aircraft and the camera crew was kind enough to show viewers around the world how spacious the cabin space is. I was impressed with the suite class (SIA's name for 1st class) and there were full sized beds for those long haul flights. Impressive. But what impressed me was that even the economy class was more spacious than the Boeings. Not that I will be travelling in the near future but it would be nice to be able to enjoy the romminess. So far only the Boeing 777 is comfortable enough for me. That was when i was flying from Perth to Sg during my varsity days. Back then, the Boeing 777 was just launched and it was far better than the 747. However, the most uncomfortable aircraft type I had ever been in was the 737 and those domestic flights which use the old DC10s. Even the A340 was bearable despite the tight space.

Aftershock

Readers of this post, please do not get alarmed by the title. No tremors nor earthquakes occurred. It is my way of expressing my current state after seeing for myself what happened earlier.

When we came home after fetching Esther from her day care, I put her in her cot and started to jot down some timings and was about to pack her clothes for tomorrow when Angela came in and told me to turn around. Guess what I saw upon doing so? Esther had stood up (no you are not dyslexic) inside her cot and was giving us a wide smile which seemed to say,"Look at my achievement!"

Thankfully the bar was just below her chine so it was still ok. Still reeeling from that shocking discovery, we decided to lower the base plank once more. We did not expect her to stand so quickly but we wasted no time in getting the tools out and now her sleep position is set at the lowest position. I just hope she will not outgrow this cot as she is just 2 days to 7mths!

With the adjustment, her forehead is slightly above the bar so it is much safer. Just over the weekend, she almost shocked us by trying to climb over the barricades of bolsters and pillows on our bed. As she is starting to crawl (and stand), even more care and supervision is needed.

Perhaps Esther is really developing fast.

78 days to the new year....

I was entering a reminder into my phone calendar when I realised that this is already the 41st week of the year 2007. A quick calculation revealed the title of today's post. Yes, it is less than 80 days to 2008. I seem to recall this time last year when I was marking out important dates for the approaching final exams and other events. Really find it incredible that time simply flew by without me realising it. Esther will turn 7mths in just 3 days and this time next year she will have moved on from infant care to the playgroup.

Many of our friends and relatives have told us to enjoy the time while she is below the age of 2. My brother especially told me that the 'magical' number 2 is where the 'horns and tails' start to surface and that is when the kid starts to get naughty and cheeky. I saw for myself his elder son, David, my nephew, displaying a sense of michief. Needless to say, my sister-in-law is strict with him so that he does not go astray. Just a couple weeks ago, my brother and David dropped by my place to bless Esther with a little gift. How the boy has grown. There was a balloon lying around and he wanted to have it. Angela and I told him, "Sure, take it." But the balloon came with that long plastic holder and my brother told David that he could have the balloon minus that holder for safety's sake. Being that cheeky boy, David turned to me and thought he could get his way. But me being the firm uncle, I told him no. Since it was his father's instructions, I decided to sing the same tune.

I guess this is one parenting method that should be adopted. Sining the same tune of firmness and fairness is essential. This ensures the child understands and sees that if something is not right or disallowed, he/she will know that is not right. Furthermore, the child will not turn to the other parent or grandparent (who may be a little more laxed) to 'escape or help'.

I am appalled

Over the past couple of days after the PSLE, I have read in the papers and forums where parents wrote into to as usual, complain about the maths paper. Every year, such things recur. However, what irks me is that they blame the school, the system, needless to say the teachers for not preparing their children adequately or setting a 'killer' paper. There was this one parent who claimed his son came home in tears after the maths paper and said "other equally bright" students did so too. He pointed the finger at the setters of the paper who set way too difficult a paper. In that article, i saw phrases such as "a top student, mentally strong and confident in maths". Well, with all due respect to that parent and child, i think it is not just how exam smart one is but how does one survive by being street smart and having good character. In another tabloid paper yesterday, splashed across the front page was another complaint who alleged a teacher did not prepare their students adqequately for the exam. However, there were reasons for the school's course of preparation. I shall not give a recount of that article because of the content and underlying message.

In short, the exams board have reasons to set questions that require that bit more of pondering and thought before solving them. Although one may argue that once they leave school, they will hardly ever use those methods to solve daily issues. However, it is not so much the method of solving the problems but more of the thought process. In Singapore where our people are our only resources, if we do not ensure that our people are adquately prepared to face up to the global challenges, our country will degenerate in no time. Sad, but true. On the other hand, there should be a balance between stretching our people beyond their potential and enjoying their schooling life.

Friday....

The weekend is here. Since it is the eve of Hari Raya, our final DSE session was brought forward to 0830hrs this morning. I felt that many office workers took leave today as traffic was exceptionally smooth this morning. Had breakfast with Joyce and then headed for class. It was quite a fun session as usual although I requested to stand behind the class as I was feeling a little sleepy. Sitting down would be the perfect receipe to doze off!

After class, the usual gang of four of us went out for lunch as the refurbished Old Airport Rd Food Centre. Dora was supposed to join us so it would have been five but she had other plans. Winnie joined us instead. I had my favourite 'kway chap' and it still pocesses that quality before the renovation. I find that when food centres undergo renovations, the quality of the food will decline as the costs will be passed onto consumers. However, that few popular stalls still had their usual crowds. During lunch, we were talking about other food hunts and it dawned on us that Winnie is also a durian fan. Maybe the next time when I head to that durian stall along Sim Ave, I can give her a buzz since she stays just nearby.

This weekend will be focused on finishing up my DCM and possibly getting on with DSE. I need to complete DCM so that I can divert my attention to DSE and then DCE. Looking forward to the end of the semester and I project that I might have a full 8 week holiday since I do not have final exams this semester. I think my DSE coursemates will be getting fidety with the looming project galore day approaching. I am no exception.

Facebook

I just started to upload more photos into facebook which was something my friends started and once someone gets into it, the influence spreads like wildfire. As it is faster to upload photos, what I intend to do is to create multiple albums and all are welcome to view them. Needless to say, each individual album will be labelled so it is quite easy to choose those that you are interested in. For a start, I got a few of my wedding day shots and of course, one for Esther as well. Do check it out.

Guys get-together

Had dinner at Swensen's Suntec with LW and Thomas earlier. Thomas is getting married (finally!) in about a fortnight and we decided to have a guys only outing. Apparently, Thomas' fiance Wendy was also having her girls outing somewhere else as well. It was a fantastic 2 hours or so when we chatted about anything under the sun. Obviously not forgetting the tasks to be done on his big day. We were also talking about the things that were done on LW and my wedding day which was quite funny but nonetheless meaningful. These 2 ex-classmates of mine are really great. We went to school together and needless to say had heaps of fun. Thomas and I go back to as long as Mediacorp started their drama serials so no prizes for guessing how long our friendship is. If you watch Ch 8 you know what I mean. As for LW it is just 1 year short of 2 decades. We marvelled at how much we have matured (and aged) over the years and those teenage years were our best years ever. To all students out there, treasure your friendships and make new ones. Who knows when you are my age you can still have gatherings like these and see how your friendship grows over the years.

Some photos

Esther sitting up on her own



Esther holding a huge loaf of bread

P6s are liberated

With the completion of the PSLE science paper today, majority of the cohort will be liberated except for a few priviledged ones who still have their HCL to clear tomorrow. By and large, I think and hope that they put in their best for the past few days and now is the time for them to relax and think about where they intend to go for their next chapter in education. Many may say depending on the outcome of their results or some already have a place reserved as they got in via DSA. Whatever the outcome is, if you had invested the amount of quality time and put in your best effort, I strongly believe that all of you can proceed to the next level. It only depends on how good your grades will be. As I had mentioned to the previous batch, the PSLE is just something to get you into a secondary school where you will eventually pursue your O levels. Now that is essential. Whether you do your O levels in 4 or 5 years is immaterial. Moreover, MOE has just announced that those in the N level or 5 year track have new routes which they can undertake provided they do well in their early years. So do not fret if you end up in NA or NT. As long as you can move onto secondary school, that is an achievement. NT and NA students can still switch back to Express in the course of their secondary school life. I have known personally of people who achieved just that and got a single digit for their O levels. The bottom line is to work hard and play hard. Have a balanced lifestyle. In the meantime, go and chill out!!!

Ferrari 1-3 on the podium. The battle goes on.....into the season finale @ Sao Paulo

F1 is just as exciting as football and any other sport. In the latter, it is said that the ball is round so anything can happen. In F1, the tyre is also round! Who would have thought F1 rookie Hamilton will retire midway into the Chinese GP possibly due to a miscalculation or a risk-taking gamble which proved too fatal? As like the Japanese GP, the track was wet though not as severe as a week ago. There were some close encounters but the turning point of the race was when Hamilton veered off the track and thus Raikkonen took the chequered flag: His 5th one this season. Defending champion Alonso came home second while Massa took the final step on the podium. This means that the gap between the feuding Mclaren drivers is now a 4 point difference. The championship will now be decided in Brazil and I am sure the mood in the silver arrow cars camp will be extremely sizzling.

This is somewhat like last year when the championship was to be decided in Brazil. However, as the gap is so close, it is simply exciting. Pity that I do not have cable tv else I can catch the excitement. But I found this website that can show the live telecast but obviously you cannot see the action. There is a lap by lap commentary and the grid is constantly updated. If there is no fish, prawns can substitute!!!

Sinopec Chinese GP Qualifying

History is about to be made provided the podium finishes are the same as today's qualifying. Hamilton took pole position and defending champion Alonso could only manage P4 with both the Ferrari's in P2 and P3. Of the many circuits around the world, my two favourite are the Monte Carlo and Shanghai. The Monaco for obvious reasons is the street circuit and the tunnel is one of the main attractions as that is about the only place where the cars can go flat out and having to brake heavily at the chicane just as they exit. The Shanghai circuit on the other hand has a beautiful paddock and also the shape of the circuit is in the shape of the chinese word "Shang4". There is another circuit which sadly will be dropped in next year's season and that is the Indianapolis Speedway in the US. The highlight of this circuit is that cars can take turn 13 at full throttle - 19000rpm. Hearing the engine sounds at that speed is simply fantastic. Let's look forward to the Singapore GP next year. I wonder what will the circuit be called? Marina GP? Merlion GP? Integrated Resort GP? Raffles GP? There might be chances of the commentators saying things like "Fullerton Curve" "Anderson Bridge" "Flyer or St Andrew's straight".......

Weekend of DSM and DCM

It is going to be an all maths affair this weekend as I revise for the DSM quiz and get down to doing the DCM assignment. Well at least it is more interesting than the dumb DSE and DCE stuff which is due later. Thankfully the bulk of assignments are already out of the way so for the rest of ths semester it is quite managable.

The Chinese GP held in Shanghai this weekend will be an exciting one. Will we see history being created again by having a rookie win the world champion title? Or will the defending champion make a comeback? Perhaps the championship will go down to the wire at Brazil where it all wraps up the 2007 season filled with surprises, scandals and other eventful episodes?

DSE project

This is the most annoying module of the semester. The reason is due to the major project that is coming up and I havent the faintest idea how to go about doing it. Finally decided to do one my my greatest psssions:-F1 GP.

It sounds quite crazy in that I intend to do something that seems quite beyond the imagination of what most people will choose. However, I managed to at least squeeze out something to at least begin with. Now comes to tricky part of getting into the nitty-gritty details.

It's going to be a long night................

DED is finally out of the way

After yesterday's final DED session, one module is out of the way. As for DLK, there is just the final test which is about 4 weeks away so that leaves me more time to focus on the rest. DSM is quite relaxed as the topics will be tested after the lessons and there is no final exam. DCE still has the final assignment that is due in about 4 weeks. However, DSE is the one that is really annoying. I am still thinking of which idea to use. Hopefully I have the inspiration to get it done quick.

Esther fell ill

I received a call from the infant day care centre at about 2pm earlier and Esther was running a temperature. Thankfully, I was about to end my lessons so I immediately went to pick Angela and thereafter we brought Esther back from day care and straight to the doctor. Her fever has subsided a little and surprise surprise.....she is still very active as usual. Hopefully she will have a good rest later.

Morning run

I resumed my morning run today. As Angela had a day off due to Children's Day, I was in school a little earlier. Had a fantastic run around the campus and it never felt so good. Met up with a fellow course mate(CM) whom I have worked together before and this was the conversation:!

Me: Hey! How's everything?

CM: Well, the past week was simply insane. Had so much to do.

Me: Yup, u r not alone.

CM: Read your blog and it seems u r done with the things that need to be handed in this wk! So efficient.

Me: I had a lot of other stuff to do besides assignments so got no choice!

CM: Oh and how come you look exceptionally refreshed today? Not that you look tired but you always look so refreshed! Know that you got family commitments besides work and you can still maintain looking so energetic.

Me: I went for a morning run earlier so that helped quite a bit. I need to go for my jogs as that is my way of destressing. If I do not run for more than 2 days I will get very uneasy, grumpy and irritable!

CM: Wow what a balanced lifestyle...I wish I could exercise too but I just do not have that inspiration and discipline. But if it is in a group, I do not mind. Do you run alone or in a gp?

Me: Both. But run alone more often. Want to join us?

CM: Sounds gd to me!

Hehe, I have found another person to join in the running group.