presenting: the all brand new balcony!!!

the before look... no plank on the planter box, absolutely nothing! that's what minimalist style is all about!

with some christmas deco and touching up, it's ready for christmas! when will it snow? :)

spot the differences part 1

after months of preparation... things are finally taking shape!

useless studies

some statistical studies are just simply useless...

"Chinese make up the largest number of Malaysians who have renounced their citizenship, followed by Malays and Indians, Parliament was told yesterday. The Home Ministry's parliamentary secretary Abdul Rahman Ibrahim said 16474 Malaysians gave up their citizenship betwen 2000 and 2006. Of these, 87 per cent or 14316 people where Chinese, 1098 were Malays (6.6 per cent) and 822 were Indians (5 per cent). The remainder comprised other races.....As to why they had opted to leave for other countries, he replied:"The main reason is the (quality of life) in those countries. They also consider the working environment, such as better opportunities and better pay. And some consider education for their children as a reason to apply for citizenship in a particular country." he was quoted as saying by the online news portal Malaysiakini." - Straits Time 22/11/2007

1) you don't need a parliamentary secretary to tell you that the largest number to migrate are the Chinese. it's so obvious that even a 3 year old child can tell you that.

2) the reasons quoted is just about everything there is under the sun which matters to every citizen.

when i came to singapore at the age of 7, i already knew that the quality of life i will have in singapore is better than in malaysia, i will have better working environment when i grow up, i will receive better education in singapore than in malaysia (what do you expect? malay as first language? DUH!!!), i will have better opportunities to enter universities etc. i knew that when i was 7 years old! the information given by the parliament secretary is nothing but just another useless piece of information. yet another case of overpaid, useless civil servant in malaysia. MALAYSIA BOLEH!

maybe daniel loh was like this...

daniel loh may wish to share his experiences... :)

hilarious moment...

telkomsel and indosat

it has proven once again why certain nations can never prosper even with the vast amount of resources they have. it all boils down to bad management of resources, unsound planning and deep into the organisation - wrong people in the wrong office. lots of corruptions make things worst. to quote someone - often their decisions "defies logic"!

the future is here? hmm... what future? with foreign investors losing confidence?

two events stirred my heart recently - Pedra Branca and the above issue.

the two countries involved are unique in this region - lots of corruptions, lies, unsound government, even the top managements are dishonest in many ways (better don't be too obvious else i may be arrested and put on ISA!!!)

it's christmas again...

another year has passed by... so fast... what did i do for last christmas? hmm... mother was pressurising me to put up the deco for christmas. so early for what??? might as well put up chinese new year deco right?! but then, old people are like that. nag nag nag... :) but then, being a good son (since i still need to depend on her to wash my clothes, prepare my breakfast and cook my dinner), i had to obey her.

last year's theme was green and red - the traditional christmas colour. but decided to give it a makeover this year. blue and white takes the center theme this year.

but where's the christmas tree? eh... house too small to even accomodate the dumb trunk, instead had a center piece on the dining table.

a bl*%$y japanese birthday party... i had to pay for him!!!

attended louis' birthday 'party' at california pizza... his birthday but had to treat him. one for one pizza offer but the waiter/waitress wanted to make life difficult for us. luckily, i had the cheek to make life even more difficult for them!

as each table only allows the use of one voucher, we had to split up and occupy 4 different tables. in the end, david a.k.a gep-er had to sit all by himself... such a poor thing... but he was the one who was still hungry after eating 2 pizzas! in the end, i had to sign the credit card 4 times, as the bill came separately. such a stupid restaurant but the food's good and relatively cheap too, so shouldn't complain too much.

Clues to a mystery...

Clues will be given for a mystery... something important to me and exciting. wonder if you know what it is:



126 square kilometers
valleys

safra

5 days away and counting down...

coming monday (5th & 6th Nov) is a huge day for me as well as another 94 students... i think it is more important than my wedding (IF THERE IS GOING TO BE ANY... must find a rich, dying woman first). also more important than shifting to my new house.




it's THE day when 94 of them will sit for the ibo sl mathematics examinations 2007. the very first batch of ib students passing through me. it's will always be special, be it heartache or joyful moments or pain in the &*#.

730 days in the ib program
24 months of hardwork
8 terms of struggle
4 semesters of chasing homework
2 years of joy and fun

but there is only 1 aim... Grade 7!!!

all the best to each and everyone... be it Grade 7, Grade 6, Grade 5... we tried our best and we worked hard together for it. for now, it's the last lap in the struggle, we'll enjoy the fruits of your labour on 7th January 2008.

a quick peek...

A quick peek at the living room...

delaying is inevitable...

finally the developer called me and informed me that i can collect the keys on monday, 15th october. short delay, but i don't mind. there is absolutely no rush since i am still sourcing for furniture, curtains, lightings etc.

have made up my mind on a light i want for the living room (see above). it's going to hang pretty low, so don't get knocked on the head when you are walking across the living room, not that there is any space for you to 'run' around the living room anyway.

but what should i get for my bedside lamp? the one above or the one below?

a bit to drama with the hanging one right? fengshui says cannot have a light directly above your head when you are in bed! so i guess the choice is clear. moreover, the room is too tiny to accomodate the huge montrous lamp.

the day when my student threatened to kill another student...

playing with knife can be dangerous... it hurts and it kills...


don't take my words for it, zephy should try and see!

9th October

my big day... my big big day on 9th october!!! not wedding la, that one you can wait till the cow come home, it will not happen! :)

was served notice to pay the next 10% for Carlyx Green. and will be given the keys to the unit on 9th october! so excited, it's time to really source for electrical appliances and furnitures now!!

gathering of the "sanes" from 6.11 Iconium

had a fun filled tuesday when half the class turned up at keith's (a.k.a super dry and curly haired guy) house for a class gathering. keith is another multi-millionaire in the making (that's why he is going to be in my VIP list of potential rich ex-student) as his house is going for en-bloc soon.

saw many photos of keith when he was younger. there are some people who age well and there are some that don't. guess which category he falls under? haha... but keith's sister is totally different... no wonder daniel (a.k.a the vertically challenged guy) is going crazy over her.

i was expecting really good spread of food (sharks' fin, abalone, buddha jump over the wall, caviar, foie gras, truffle.... you get the idea?) when i arrived... but to my 'disappointment', there were only some finger food! salad tossed on a pizza pan prepared by joshua, brownie and apple crumble prepared by justin, ice cream (very very nice!) brought by tin ning, pizza prepared by keith's maid, soft drinks purchased by the guy staying at swiss club road. eh.... swiss club road leh... soft drink?? erm... i was expecting him to bring some exotic drinks that cost like $500 per glass! and what about the promised jeremy ee served on a platter?? ( guess i am now really worse than Condemn for Politeness in my Term Report for next year right?)

on the other hand, what touched me was the organisers' sincerity and kindness. deep down (i must really search deeply) they are a really nice bunch of people. i must admit that of all the class gatherings that i have attended, this is the one that i have stayed the longest (eh... past my bedtime of 9.30pm).

had a "quick" round of cranium and learnt some new things about some people:

1) ACS(I) students ang moh very good. i know good... but then damn good sia. what the h@#$ is an aglet? impressive...
2) darren can really act "well"
3) keith cannot hum/whistle for nuts
4) justin can hum/whistle for nuts
5) harbridge can "strip" and "belly dance"

it was time well spent especially when the following is an ACS(I) holiday. now that we have enjoyed ourselves, it's time to settle down for a month or two of serious work and aim for 45 points. anything short of that is a failure!! :-)

a month of waiting...

after a year of waiting and watching and waiting and watching, the new house is finally up! sneaked into the house few days ago to have a quick glance at the interior. not sure if it is legal or not, but i am sure that i am not the only one who has done that!

very cosy, simple and area is small... something which i like. when there are too many people around the neighbourhood, things tend to get more complicated.

view from the balcony and master bedroom. now it's time to start shopping for fridge, washing machine, tv, tv console, bean bag, floor lamp... no budget but it's ok. who says only expensive things look nice?

Carrie Chau's Black Sheep and Oriental Pearl

was at Times Square in Hong Kong and happened to come across this exhibition. very unique pieces of art on displaced. had a good time looking at FREE exhibitions and was trigger happy.

Hong Kong is very vibrant but messy and dirty. guess that's part of development. but i think the area can be much cleaner than it is right now. however, i must say that they do have very unique advertisements and billboards.

are these advertisement for property agents? modelling agency? no... advertisement for tuition center! everything is very competitive in hong kong. students are mugging away 18 hours or more a day and it is normal for them. singapore students are spoilt and lazy compared to their counterparts. students leave the home for school before the sun is out and they will study in school and night classes all the way until the sun set, without complaining. when will singapore's students realise that they are losing their competitive edge?

in hong kong, the shop keepers are very particular about their shop front. as such the window display is really top class. even bossini shop is given so much detail!

Best buskers I have ever seen... and the only one I gave money to...

these two buskers are really talented... they really sang well and very good voice too. i spent 30 minutes watching them perform. they sang a number of song from my era. 外面的世界，我真的受伤了，朋友别哭 and many other... brought back a lot of memories and reminds me how old i am getting!

in the end, i parted with RMB 20, and purchase a CD which they recorded by themselves even though they are selling it for only RMB 10. Hey... RMB 10 is only S$2!! where else in singapore can you get something that is good and dirt cheap? anyone visiting Shenzhen must go and see them perform at 华强北路, talents should not go to waste...

Cacti Garden in Singapore?

Not many people know this... there is a Cacti Garden in Singapore. Only the fortunate few can visit this place. It is smack right in the middle of the departure waiting area. Unless you are taking a flight out of Singapore, you will not be able to visit the wonderfully landscaped Cacti Garden.

The Impossible Teleportation!!!!!!

18th August 2007 - for the first time in South East Asia, a Mega Magic Show was performed at Raffles Place MRT station, in conjunction with the 162 years of Straits Time. The event was sponsored by VW. And the prize to be won... VW Jetta. Sad to say, I am not the winner of the car... Some 18 years old ID*&T walked away with the VW Jetta without a driving license.

The main event of the whole thing was The Impossible Teleportation, performed by JC Sum. He will "teleport" from the ground floor of Raffles Place to the 50th storey of the OUB Plaza. Amazing... Trick? Maybe but I have no idea how i was tricked... He disappeared in front of my eyes. I have never watched a magic trick of that scale, right in front of me. This was the first and i was truly amazed.

JC Sum stepped into the box. His assitants will close the box. 5 seconds later, he will disappear and appear on the 50th storey! Wow... how did he do that? He has a twin? erm... He can fly? He can time travel like Hiro in Heroes?

such a creative prank... why can't singapore produce something like these??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o2-M4HNbn0

watch at your own risk (a.k.a RA)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omu4G8igoVc

Information Booklet for SL Mathematics

If you are a SL student, click this link:

http://centralhigh.net/~bovet/math_info_booklet.pdf

What are the boys looking up at???

more photos of the boys in "action" during treasure hunt. why were they looking up at where they should not be looking at?? caught red-handed...

Take it with a pinch of salt.... No offence, but it's fun!!

http://www.pcplanets.com/videoyoutube-Negarakuku-www-namewee-com-.NczMNH0dbEQ.shtml

super funny... best if you understand malaysian accent and a bit of hokkien...

Fun on Foot... Team Sea Slug and Team ACS(I)

21st July 2007 - after much persuasion, 7 of my student "reluctantly" participated in fun on foot with me. Together, we formed Team Sea Slug (Open Category) and Team ACS(I) (Education Institution Category).

We were on our way to search for many of the Singapore's First.

First jail - MICA building (it has 911 windows, some goondoos were counting on the middle of the road. DUH!!!!!!)

First botanica garden & government house - Fort Canning Terrace

First landing site by Founder of Singapore - Opposite Empress Place

First National Day Parade - Padang

First bridge named after president - Benjamin Sheares Bridge

First research library - National Museum (I was shocked....)

First tallest building - Cathay Cinema

First catholic boys' school - SJI

All together, we had to visit 18 sites in 6 hours. This is no mean feat for an old man like me. And i must admit that this is the most torturous treasure hunt i have ever participated. As we sat under the marquee waiting for the results, our heart sank when we realised that VJC had 9 teams participating in the hunt.

The MC announced the 3rd placed winner - VJC... 2nd placed winner - VJC... Goodbye $1000, was the first thing that came to my mind. Then all of a sudden, the MC announced "And the winner of 2007 Fun on Foot is PEK ZHI KAI - ACS(I)"! Jaws dropped... All the feelings of tiredness disappeared. All the torture I had to endure was worth it. All the running and research work, experiences in past treasure hunts paid off. Who says the rich don't get richer? :-) The $1000 may be a day's expenditure for Pek, but the team did really well with all the running.

Even though Team Sea Slug went home empty handed, i truly enjoyed myself. Looking at how fast the youngsters ran (except for Louis Leong, who lost to a girl in 2.4km), I must admit that physically, I am truly double/triple my students' age. But this is not important. What is important is that my heart is still young! (eh... I watch Lost. I watch Heroes. I watch Prison Break. I watch Ugly Betty. I read Harry Potter!!)

A day trip in Shen Zhen

First time venturing to the "wild" in Shen Zhen after more than a month... Quite an exciting trip out to the nature. Appreciate if the weather can be better...

Autobots, transform and rollout!!

During my era, there is no such thing like Pokemon or Thomas, the tank engine or Bob, the builder... Only thing i get to watch were Transformers, Thundercat etc...





Very excited that Transformers is making a come back...

It was a fantastic movie and really enjoyed it very much. The theme of "giving human race a chance" is a little bit cliche but it is good. Highly recommended and it's definitely better than the Fantastic Four (slept in the theatre...)