Cycled down to Bedok Swimming Complex for a nice 40 laps. Following that was some post-exercise gluttony at Lee Kee at the Bedok Interchange hawker centre for 2 x goreng pisang's (sorry no pics). Ultimate with a capital U. On the way back, I noticed the sky orange with the setting sun so I took a detour to Siglap Hill to check it out...
There is no charge for awesomeness.
I was using my phone's camera to take the shot so yes, the effect is not there. But from my point of view, it was awesomeness with a capital A. Satisfied, I cycled back home through the many small roads in my neighbourhood taking a few detours here and there to savour the peaceful evening...
For some nostalgic reason, I've been reading up quite a bit on Kai Tak airport over the past few days. Kai Tak airport was Hong Kong's main airport until 1998 when the new Chep Lap Kok airport took over operations. Situated near mountains, Victoria harbour, and low-rise and residential buildings surrounding the airport, Kai Tak's geographical position for an airport was not exactly considered ideal. What made Kai Tak famous however, was the unique landing approach pilots had to take when landing on Runway 13.
Due to the surrounding mountains, planes landing into Kai Tak via Runway 13 could not make a straight direct approach (which is the common and ideal approach method) and thus instead had to come in at an angle (to avoid the mountains) and in the final stage, make a 47 degrees right turn to align itself with the runway to land. While doing all this, pilots had to control their descent because directly below were low-rise buildings as high as 6 storeys; Pilots could not come in too high either as this could cause them to overshoot the runway, have insufficient braking distance and risk landing in the harbour. This tricky landing approach, further made more difficult with Hong Kong's notoriety for strong crosswinds, monsoon weather and typhoons, made Kai Tak world-famous among pilots as well as aviation enthusiasts, who took up positions at building and car park rooftops and nearby hills to snap photos of approaching planes making 'the turn'.
Back when I was a kid, my dad used to take me to the open-air rooftop of Kai Tak's airport car park. This place offered an unobstructed view of incoming planes making the turn and landing into Kai Tak. As a kid, this was an absolute thrill and watching plane after plane land in full sight in front of my eyes totally made my day. It was only until now, after doing some homework, that I realized how special Kai Tak really was. I recently read an Air Traffic Controller's (ATC) account of his term at Kai Tak and despite the numerous technical acronyms and rough understanding of the modus operandi, I was filled with respect for the people who experienced Kai Tak first hand. If you thought landing at Kai Tak was hard, traffic control was just as hard due to the busy airport operations - which was well over its designed capacity. To the pilots and ATC's who braved Kai Tak, I salute you.
After its 77 years of faithful service and amazing landings, I read with some sorrow about Kai Tak's fate - something which I could not have understood then. I'm sure that Kai Tak will always remain in a special place in the hearts of those who knew and/or experienced it. To end it off, here are some scans of my old photos of Kai Tak taken in days gone by...
A Thai Airways B747-200 landing with a classic backdrop of buildings found near the airport
A South African Airways B747-200 with the infamous checkerboard, a visual checkpoint at which pilots had to make the 47 degrees right turn
A ramp shot of a Singapore Airlines B747-400 'Megatop' basking in the sun with the Control Tower in the back
A Japan Airlines B747-400 waiting for its turn in front of Runway 13 with Victoria Harbour in the background
While travelling along life's road, I recently came across a crossroad - one that would have long-term effects and change my current life plans. The decision on which path to take has made the past few days the most stressful in my life so far. I swear, no test, exam, final year project, army tekan session or anything similar has made me so stressed. Well, today I chose the path - the original path in my life plans - and believe it to be the best choice. Now, as I continue once again on life's road, I must keep the faith and have no doubts. For doubts belittle faith.
Today started off with some cycling to Parkway Parade to meet mum for lunch at Subway. 1 x foot-long Subway Melt was consumed to prepare me for the rest of the day. Following lunch, I headed off towards Changi via the park connector route from East Coast Park. I had wanted to cycle the previous week but Mother Nature was temperamental so it was no go. Today's weather was good - plenty of cloud cover, some sun and even a light drizzle later on to cool down on the way back.
The first leg of the journey was to Changi Coast Road. I had planned this some time back and today was a great day to do it. The motive: plane-watching. (WTF?! Yeah, it's a childhood pastime.) And what better way to do it right beside the runway! However, things didn't turn out as enjoyable. Double-fencing made visibility a meshed mess. And little did I know that that red "Protected Place" sign was more dangerous than it meant. A few minutes later, a police car eventually homed-in on my position and siren-ed me over. A familiar face (from army) in the police car told me that I wasn't allowed to linger there as it was a protected place. No photos, no lingering, no hard feelings, no problem. Dang, I could've sworn seeing people park their cars along the fence to watch the planes in days gone by...
That red sign with a lot of words in 4 languages and a silhouette of a man being held up by another silhouette carrying a gun means business
The second leg of the journey was to Changi Beach to find another spot for plane-watching. I found a particular stretch which gave me a nice view of the approaching planes so I settled down and let the lazy afternoon pass by. Doing something like this once I started working would probably be hard so I savoured the moment.
Savouring the moment
Following that was the journey back home. A drizzle came up when I was on Changi Coast Road but that soon stopped and the sun ripped through the clouds again. Back home, a cleansing shower rid the filth from thy body and dinner was up next at Astons' Katong Branch.
Dad got a Black Pepper and mum, a Prime Ribeye. I got a Prime Tenderloin (medium well-done) with Potato and Pasta Salad sides. Turned out to be damn bloody good. Literally. The steak was absolutely tender but it seemed more medium rare than medium well-done so I asked if they could grill it again. I soon got it back and to my surprise, my half-finished sides were replenished! Awesome. And not forgetting the IBC Root Beer I had with the meal. Best root beer on earth.
Prime Tenderloin w/ Potato Salad & Pasta Salad: S$26.50 - a bit pricey but worth it once in a while
A very moving song from a game called Okami where you play as Amaterasu (the Japanese sun god) in the form of a white wolf. I get goosebumps listening to it. This song plays during the final battle where you, the embodiment of pure goodness, fight the forces of darkness. An apt title indeed. At 1:28 onwards the song is like crying out, "We must not give up! We will overcome!"
Yesterday, I received news from my employer regarding my job application. It was not news that I wanted to hear and in fact, it was news which I did not prepare for. Prior to this, I had been preparing for two outcomes: I get the job, or I don't. I never expected to get the 'in-between' response which has now delayed things. Despite all this, the news was not something bad, just that my application would have to be delayed due to an age restriction stated by a certain policy which I am extremely sore about. I will not start a flaming session ranting about this certain policy for it will do no good; I will only say that it is a very selfish and disruptive thing. Anyway, my application will be followed-up next year so there is still hope.
The news has also taught me a thing or two about being naive. I am praying hard that my - somewhat foolish (if you ask me now) - actions have not hampered my pathway to my potential career. I shall keep that lesson in mind in future. Right now, I need to replan for this waiting period and the unknown beyond. I am still unsettled by the news, but life must go on. Oh well, as the saying goes, "Good things come to those who wait."
Today I graduate from NUS, Bachelor in Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) in hand. The Commencement ceremony was all trim and proper with the usual flashback videos, student interviews, scroll presentation, valedictorian speech and even a piano performance by one of the members from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory. Following that was a frenzy of photo-taking with family and friends which I shall now end this short post with...
Close friends during the course
Executing the highly difficult and dangerous jumping-mortar-board-sky-throw move. (Undergraduates, don't try this at home)
Da ULC Family
Fellow graduates Edwin (left) and Caleb (right)
~Thank you NUS for an enriching experience;
Thank you friends for further enriching that experience~
Awesome song and music video by Loveholic, a Korean rock group. This song was a collaboration between Loveholic and other singers/groups also under the Fluxus Music group hence the plural name, Loveholics. Those of you who know Clazziquai might also recognize them in the video.
I just recently returned from a 3-day stay at the hospital isolation ward after having a flu and fever. OMFG! H1N1! YOU BETTER STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME, PIG! CAN IT BE TRANSMITTED THROUGH BLOGS? YOU REALLY GOT IT RIGHT? Read the title.
Yes, the results were negative, thank God. However, let me recount 3 encounters at Ground Zero which reflects some of the public reaction.
Encounter #1 happened when I left the X-ray room to cross the corridor and return to the isolation ward just about 3m away. A man walking in my general direction saw me, made a abrupt 180 degrees rotation and then walked away as if it was as normal as picking flowers.
Encounter #2 happened after I failed the initial blood test indicating that I was suspected case. To make things sound nice and less serious, they called it 'Suspected URTI (Upper Respiratory Tract Infection)' instead of 'Suspected H1N1'. Anyway, Encounter #2 took place as I was being wheelchaired from the isolation room to the isolation ward by two male nurses. One male nurse was always in front of me motioning people to stay away from me as I was being wheeled through the corridors and to the lifts. I understand they were just doing their job enforcing preventive measures but I must admit the whole charade was slightly embarrasing.
Encounter #3 is by far the best. As I reached the isolation wards, a young lady was leaving some room (office?) and upon seeing me in the wheelchair, spun around double-quick time, ran back to the room and slammed the door. Hmm, must be the Welcoming Committee.
Fast-forwarding, secondary swab tests (the main deciding factor of H1N1) came back 2 days later with negative results so that was a huge relief but I had to stay an extra day because of a recurring fever. Other than that, the hospital staff and nurses were very friendly and caring throughout my 3 days there. I respect them as they continue to brave the everyday dangers of the H1N1 virus. Thank You doctors, nurses of Ward 17 and not forgetting, the nurse who was stuck with me in the isolation room while waiting for the initial test results - it was nice talking to you.
P.S. Ever since my childhood, I don't think I've watched this much television over 3 days.
A man was driving down a road. A woman was driving up the same road. As they both passed each other, the woman shouted at the man, "Pig!" The man shouted back, "Bitch!" As the man rounded a bend, he crashed into a giant pig and died.
A man met God in his prayers and asked, "God, can I ask you a question?" "No problem, go ahead," God replied. "Is it true that a million years mean a second to you?" "Yes, that is true." "Then what does a million dollars mean to you?" the man asked. "A penny," God replied. "Then, can I please have a penny?" "Sure, just give me a second."
Three engineering students were discussing about what type of engineer God was. The first student said, "God must be a Mechanical engineer because of all these joints in our bodies." The second countered, "Nah, I think He's an Electrical engineer because our nervous system has thousands of circuits." The last one finally replied, "You both got it wrong, He's a Civil engineer - who else would build a toxic waste pipeline through a recreational area?"
A snail was robbed by two turtles. When the police asked how it all happened, the snail replied, "It all happened too fast."
A man worked very hard all his life to become a millionaire. He wanted to bring his hard-earned riches with him when he died so he prayed asking God to grant his request. God granted it but said that he was only allowed to bring one bag with him. After hearing this, the man took his largest bag and filled it with gold bars. When the man finally died and went to heaven, he met St. Peter who told him that he wasn't allowed to bring any luggage with him. The man told St. Peter about his deal with God so St. Peter went to seek God to verify his statement. St. Peter soon returned and said to the man, "Alright, you can bring in the bag but I need to check the contents first." The man agreed. Upon opening the bag and seeing the contents St. Peter asked confusedly, "You brought pavement?"
About 6 hours ago, I finished my last paper for the last semester of my last year. (Damn that 8 marks ribblets question... who would've thought that would come out...) Yep, I'm finally done with Uni. And boy has 3 years passed just like that. I still remember my first year - getting slapped in the face with a torrent of high-speed learning. And then subsequently crashing and burning during the first few exams.
On the brighter side, it has really been an experience. The new friends that I've made here, the amount of knowledge gained (OK, I admit, a majority of that has been lost already), the eye candy from Arts (particularly Geography and Psychology), the countless deadlines, submissions, tutorials, mid-terms, exams... yes, it has really been an eventful 3 years. Even now as I type this entry, I am still reeling from the fact that it is finally over.
I guess it is normal for us human beings to become attached to a place or routine thing which we continue to do for a long period of time. But once this routine ends, these things which have become so much a part of our lives suddenly come to an end. At that point of time, you only then start to realize the effect and then you start reminiscencing of the good ol' days bringing this feeling of "So it's over, huh?". Well, for me at least.
After finishing my last paper, me and some Uni friends headed to Clarke Quay for some post-Uni celebration dinner cum chilllout session at Jazz@Southbridge at Boat Quay. (On a sidenote, that place never fails to surprise me - that night's set had a guest flautist who played Girl from Ipanema and another song I forgot. Awesome stuff.) It so happened that just before we left, the set was playing What a Difference a Day Made which resembled thoughts of my last day.
As they say, 'Life goes on', so this is just The End of one chapter and the beginning of another... and that I am looking forward to.
The Law of Bus Waiting states that when at a bus stop, the service number you are waiting for will not come until all other service numbers have come at least once (if not multiple times) thereby resulting in personal frustration and an increased lack of faith in the public transportation system.
This Law is not restricted to a particular service number, but instead, applies to whatever service number you are currently waiting for.
The frustration level, F can be denoted by the following relationship:
F = f (n, t)
where
n is the number of buses arriving at the bus stop before the FIRST service number (which you are currently waiting for) arrives
t is the waiting time
Mathematically, F can be calculated as follows:
F = (k + 1) t exp (n)
where
k is an amplification factor equal to the ADDITIONAL number of service numbers (which you are currently waiting for) that arrive together in quick succession (i.e. one or more buses immediately behind the other(s))
For those of you who use Facebook, you might have noticed the large amount of quizzes friends are taking like, "What colour are you?", "How many kids will you have?", etc... (there are heaps of these quizzes and they are totally full of crap but great to laugh at). Well, being a Star Wars fan, one particular one stood out which I took rather eagerly: "Find your perfect job in the Empire!"
After finishing the short quiz, my outcome was,
TIE Pilot
We buy Em'/You Fly 'Em! Soar to new heights as a pilot in the Imperial Air Force. Sure Imperial TIE fighters are not exactly aerodynamic, but they look cool and that's all that really matters, isn't it?
My friend Eugene similarly took the quiz some minutes later and got the following,
Snowtrooper
Congratulations! You are definitely going to be working in the coolest place possible! The Empire will be sending you to the scenic winter resort on Hoth. The slopes are always open! The Empire recommends you pack plenty of thermal underwear. Word of caution: Beware of the native creatures - it is rumored that not only do they smell awful, but they can and will rip your arm off.
What followed after this was a comical T.C.S. (Talk Cock Session) between me and Eugene:
Me: Regardless of where we are posted, we will always be disposable free-frag fodder (esp for Vader's tantrums)
Eugene: yah lor.... some more i bobo shooter.... my laser rifle will not hit anything one.....lol
Me: Don't worry, our sheer numbers are there for quantity, not quality
Eugene: only stormtroopers are so "precise"
(You need to have at least watched Episode IV to get the joke)
This is Hell Month. I just tackled a particular job interview at the beginning of the month so now comes the wait (it's killing me!). That over, I got an Aerodynamics quiz tomorrow. FYP Final Oral Presentation the week after. Study Week the week week after, and then 3 x Final Papers the week week week after. Following that will be the end of my university course. But for now, it's going to be madness:
(turn up the volume for maximum effect; the insanity grows around 3:10!)
Those of you who didn't go to the I.T. Fair today or did but didn't notice the OMFG-traffic-jam, allow me to enlighten you.
I was heading for the City Hall area today and as I was leaving my house I saw my bus (Service 14) pass by and missed it so I decided to take another bus (Service 10) which would drop me at One Raffles Link instead. Little did I know that I would come head on with one massive jam at Nicoll Highway.
Let me elaborate a bit more on that. The jam in fact started - coincidentally - at the ERP gantry along Nicoll Highway (near Kallang Stadium). Now using Google Earth, I measured the distance from the start of the jam to my final destination at One Raffles Link (red line in Fig. 1). 2.70km. WTF. (Those training for IPPT, just start 300m away from the ERP gantry and run all the way to the Suntec City junction). The last I remember of a really bad jam was during the IMF when roads were cordoned off and buses had to plow in nice circles around the War Memorial Park. Today's jam was phenomenal.
Fig. 1. A bird's eye Google Earth's view of da jam
I travel on Nicoll Highway 3 times a week to go to school and back and today, I have never had a more scenic moment. I actually spent enough time at a particular section of the highway (yellow X in Fig. 1) to admire dragon-boaters training, the resultant ripples in the water from their boats, and the nice backdrop of condominiums in Tanjong Rhu. The bus inched its way closer to my destination but at the rate it was going, I reckon I'd be spending another good 30 minutes admiring more scenery. The bus eventually approached its next bus stop (opposite the Concourse and two stops before One Raffles Link) and I saw some people getting ready to disembark, obvious that they felt they would make better ground on foot. I decided to follow them and got off.
My walk from that bus stop to One Raffles Link (blue line in Fig. 1) was one of relief, awe and pity. Relief, because I was definitely getting to my destination much faster. Awe, because the amount of buses stranded along that stretch was incredulous. I saw the bus I missed earlier on. I saw at least two more Service 10's further down. I saw three Service 16's, two of which were practically sardines on wheels and that's where the pity part came in. I was basically counting the number of buses as I made my way down. When I reached the Suntec City bus stop, I saw the amount of people waiting for buses there and thought to myself, "Whatever bus you're waiting for, there's at least 2 or 3 of them down the road."
I finally made my way to my destination and then realised that the jam actually further extended all the way down Raffles Boulevard and cars from Bras Basah Road were constantly trying to squeeze in. Because of that, they clogged up the junction there and thus caused the entire Nicoll Highway to literally jam. The roads leading to Esplanade Drive were totally empty.
The initials 'I.T.' probably meant two things that day depending on who was involved. To shoppers, it probably meant 'Irresistable Take-away's' since it was the last day of the fair and prices were slashed to facilitate clearance. To drivers, it was probably 'Impossible Traffic'. So the next time the I.T. Fair is in town, well, get ready to jam.
This has got to be one of the most grooviest, groovadelic, groovalicious and groovamongous music videos around. Jeez, just look at the super old-school outfits and hairdo's... and MAN, check out the psychedelic colours... this is uber retro-ness to the max. Get your disco balls out NOW and LET'S GROOVE!!!
I went to church this morning after a somewhat long hiatus. Yes, I know, I should be more... regular. Anyway, today the choir sang a beautiful hymnal called 'Lord of the Dance'. Following are the lyrics:
I danced in the morning When the world was begun, And I danced in the moon And the stars and the sun, And I came down from heaven And I danced on the earth, At Bethlehem I had my birth.
Dance, then, wherever you may be, I am the Lord of the Dance, said he, And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be, And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he.
I danced for the scribe And the pharisee, But they would not dance And they wouldn't follow me. I danced for the fishermen, For James and John - They came with me And the Dance went on.
I danced on the Sabbath And I cured the lame; The holy people Said it was a shame. They whipped and they stripped And they hung me on high, And they left me there On a Cross to die.
I danced on a Friday When the sky turned black - It's hard to dance With the devil on your back. They buried my body And they thought I'd gone, But I am the Dance, And I still go on.
They cut me down And I leapt up high; I am the life That'll never, never die; I'll live in you If you'll live in me - I am the Lord Of the Dance, said he.
It seems that the 'dance' is life itself. Life is one long dance of ups and downs. Yes, we all fall from time to time, but He picks us up and guides us through those difficult parts of the dance so that we may carry on. And eventually in the end, He hopes to see us complete the dance well. For which teacher does not delight in seeing his/her student finally accomplishing the task at hand?
Wow, it has been a long time. Too long. Well, I admit that I had neither the inspiration nor the drive to post for the past two months.
Anyway, here's a pretty cool video featuring a group called Sorea (Sounds of Korea). Sorea is something of a fusion group which uses traditional Korean musical instruments like the daegeum (bamboo transverse flute), haegeum (string instrument similar to the erhu), gayageum (12-stringed zither) and janggu (hourglass-shaped drum) fused with modern elements to create something culturally chic. It seems that fusion groups are growing in popularity as people realize that while traditional music may not appeal to all, fusing them with today's music probably would. It's also good in a way that by doing so, we remember our cultural roots lest they fade away with time. Ok, enough blabber - Enjoy Seoul in Panic by Sorea!
