Entering the 4th Dimension It’s been a long while since I last been overseas. Last Sunday, I had a chance to go overseas. Well, quite literally over the waters. I went to Sentosa. In the last year that I hadn’t been there, many things have indeed changed – starting from the monorail station, to the stations on the sunny island that’s set in the… sea, to the landscape at Sentosa. I remembered going there frequently with a friend, and his friends for games of beach volleyball. However, he has since married and I guess that’s when the ball stops to. Oh well… Thankfully, I am going over to Sentosa for more fun things last Sunday! As everyone knows… the latest attraction at Sentosa is… The Resort World The Universal Studios… Well, actually, both the Resort World and the Universal Studios are probably the newest attractions at Sentosa. The only thing is – I don’t gamble and the rides are not ready. At least not till… when? July? Nonetheless, despite me not getting squashed in the queue just to get a view of the Studios for 10 bucks, and not knowing that I can now use my EZ-Link card for the monorail ride; and not knowing that I do not have to keep the card for re-entry into each of the stations on the sunny island, I did get to try out an attraction that was new to me! It’s the Sentosa 4D magix, thing of a magic (or thingymajiggy). Of course, this is not to be confused with Singnet’s Singtel Magix, which is all about having at least 512kbps direct ATM connection straight to your doorstep without you having to share your bandwidth with 138,034 other people in the estate that you stay in – or 1,231,928 other people near where you are staying! Sorry, I digressed. So, while we were all on the monorail to Imbiah Station, we caught a glimpse of Resort World Sentosa (RWS) and all the construction work around it. We met Mr. Merlion after we got off, and after crossing a river and climbing 2 hills, we reached what I thought was Sentosa’s 4D Magix after a short walk. I didn’t read what Sentosa 4D Magix was all about because I thought that it would spoil all the fun. After all, there’s always the famous circular statement of “expecting the unexpected”, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to put myself in such a situation. I somehow suspect that my attitude towards this has something to do with how mundane Singapore has been; but after looking at Chile and Haiti, Bangkok and Indonesia, I think mundane is good (speaking of which, I really hope that the victims can get the help that they need and it’s really be an unfortunate event ). Nonetheless, it turned out that there were going to be 3 shows instead of just the 4D Magix. There were the Desperados, which was a shooting game and the Extreme Log Ride (”Himalaya-Amazon”?). If you have joined a Wii Party before, Desperados is just like one helluva Wii Party + Ride, where 21 people, seated in a dark room on a 20-cent kiddy horse back, tries to shoot targets with a Wii gun. The horse back actually moved! And while I was expecting a Rodeo-style ride, thank goodness it didn’t do more than just shaking vigourously Not claiming marksmanship, I came in 2nd for the 2 games in Desperados. Heh. The second ride was a “log ride”. There were about 9 “cabins”, each seating 6 people in a cinema-like threatre, where each cabin is one of those machines which probably has the ability to propel you onto the screen if you didn’t have t0 fasten your seat belt. Heh. I took no chances and kept my precioussssssss Nikon close to me. The thing about this log ride is that it’s 3D and if you immerse yourself into the ride, it really feels like you are on a roller coaster – minus the fear. Of course, when the 2nd ride was over, I was almost screaming for more. While I am almost tempted to blurt out what to expect, I think this will really spoil the fun. I mean, we all know that there are 3D movies and they are not as novel as they used to be – despite still having absolutely fabulous effects; have you ever wondered what 4D is all about? For a good whole week before the trip, I was wondering what dimenions there are. We have visual and sounds already, then dimensionality for the 3D effects. Smell? Time travel? Space travel? While I will prefer not to blurt it out (although I kinda suspect that some 1,349 people have already talked about it in their blogs), I am going to give a teaser. If you have watched Avatar in 3D and if you remember the part where you were supposed to be flying in 3D… well, what is 3D without the elements of the surrounding? What if you could… feel the wind… smell the smell and taste the water? Or what if you could feel *pain* when the person in the movie is being hit? Sounds scary eh? *ouch* Spilling a little more… I was pretty afraid when insects and nocturnal creatures started appearing in front of me in a menacing manner. It felt as if I was going to be stung by it – and it’s not just about the sheer size of the insects on the screen, but the feeling of them being right next to you! So without spoiling the fun, perhaps it’s a good time to check out the place before the Universal Studio opens and the entire island gets packed with people. And while you are checking out, bring along a jacket, a cap and wear long pants or jeans if you are easily crept out. Special thanks go out to 24seven for organizing this outing, and to Kris who had to burn his weekend attending to us and making sure that we were well fed and giving ample warnings that the best place for our cameras during the show… is the bag Another pregnant man. Again. Suddenly spikes in blog hits usually tell you something that you may not know at your side of the world – and that was what happened here at Simply Jean today. While half the world is trying to make sense of iPad, Maxi Pads and the likes, another storm, albeit not technological, is brewing at another part of the world. A pregnant man. Or rather, another pregnant man. Again. Quite obviously, this isn’t the first time that an event like this had happened. In the not too distant past, Thomas Beatie, became the headlines when he declared to the whole world that he was expecting because his wife allegedly could not conceive. Biologically female, and not having undergone hysterectomy, it is of little surprise that he is able to conceive; since all he needed was just a donor sperm. Of course, there were public objections when Thomas and his wife broke the news on TV but many others seem to be more vocal about Scott Moore and his partner Thomas (not to be confused with the earlier Thomas Beatie) this time round, at least according to the number of comments objecting to their being. However, the stories are a little different. While Thomas Beatie of the first couple, was the husband and the pregnant man; here, Thomas of Scott Moore, who is also the husband, is not the pregnant one. Instead, his lawfully married wife, Scott Moore, is the one who is expecting – which seems to be logical and conforming to expectations of society. Only thing is, Scott Moore (male sounding name but female legally), born Jessica, spots short hair and a beard. Almost within a week, news of this spread like wild-fire and ugly comments could be read everywhere. If such an event, that happened in California – where it is supposedly one of the most gay-friendly places in the world, could spread all the way to Singapore – more than 18 hours by flight on the other side of the world, it’s really got to be a huge thing there. So, how would the reactions be like should such a thing happen in Singapore? Firstly, I’d think that it’s going to be a hush-hush event – seemingly upholding a long-held policy in many organizations – don’t ask, don’t tell. But, should any couple be even as adventurous to let the media get wind of it… well, we probably had a taste of it not too long ago. Remember the AWARE incident? It was just a lot of talk, without any forms of manifestation, but it got Singaporeans into a frenzy. Bring in the churches and it nearly became a riot in the making. Inevitably, a pastor got a little carried away and was accused of getting the church to rally behind the father-mother-family model, which was seemingly harmless, but hinted that he was beginning to mix religion and secular activities. In the midst of the gunfire, a Nominated Member of Parliament, Siew Kum Hong, was accused of taking sides (with the supposedly pro-lesbianism stand) and was subsequently not renewed for another term in Parliament; although this event purportedly did not contribute to his non-renewal. On the contrary, Singaporeans are generally mindful of their own businesses, especially in times when people are more concerned with getting hold of the next condominium or government HDB flats at low affordable prices and hoping to sell it for a 200% profit. No double, news of pregnant men may disturb the tranquility for a while – perhaps getting a shot from pro- and anti-same genetic sex marriage camps (a female in Singapore can be considered legally male if she has met certain criteria in her transition), most people should probably get back to getting about their own businesses in no time. After all, kaypoh* news do have very short shelf-lives compared to blunders made by prominent persons. Unless the pregnant man happens to involve a prominent figure, it will probably be whisked under the carpet before you can say “Majulah Singapura”. Photo of Scott Moore and Thomas are copyrights of its respective owners. Obtained from website on 30 January 2010. * kaypoh – colloquial for “nosey” iPad, do you… ? Before I could even complete my sentence, I was interrupted with a curt “no”. Well, it can’t be blamed that the latest iPhone-MacBook intermediate had a pretty unfortunate name of being called the iPad, resulting in many jokes coming out from it. In fact, there were so many jokes about it, I am just going to create some of my “variations” of iPad that I can probably envisage in the not-too-long term: 1. iPad Maxi – comes with additional firewall to ensure that your data remains safe in your iPad. You can leave your worries behind when you carry your iPad with you, without ever brooding over whether your data will be leaked. 2. iPad Overnight – need that extra boost to help you tide through the night? Get that iPad overnight that will ensure that you have enough power to last you through the night (12 hours for regular consumption, power may drain faster for larger consumption) 3. iPad Wings – ever wonder if your iPad will slip off? Worry no more with iPad Wings to give you that extra grip whenever you need it, wherever you go. Ultra grip means that you get your iPad in regular size with that extra hold that ensures that you’ll never have to worry giving it the slip! 4. iPad UltraSlim (thanks @Winterfirz) – the slimmer version of the same, fabulous iPad! Rumored to be launched soon after they have conducted enough Blue Test – a secret measurement of the reliability of the iPad. It’s so slim, you won’t even feel it when you bring it around in your bag (it’s been also rumored that it could be called the iPad-Air). Yes, I can see the iPad being avoided like the plague by male punters. After all, they still have their iPhones to give them their 4D/Toto updates in Hokkien The journey of a SYOGOC 2010 volunteer starts here! Well, actually it started some time last year… can’t really remember when though; although I vaguely remembered it was a whole morning wait to get into the Singapore Expo for some Volunteers’ Day However, such memories were jotted back into me when I had to go for a Service Excellence training at Singapore Polytechnic, School of Business, Level 2, MLT9. I was a little late because I couldn’t find the signs leading to the venue, and consequently, violated one of the attributes of service excellence – respect. Apparently, and quite rightfully so, being late is being disrepectful of the other person’s time – food for thought eh? I got to know quite a number of people during the 4-hour lecture, which was so full of activities! There was barely a moment where I was doing nothing – it was either copying notes, or discussing with my partner on some role acting, or being involved in 1 group activity or another; kinda not what I was expecting for a training session. Definitely not boring! The “trainer” was great and to some extend, fun-loving, but some of the committee members do look quite “no-nonsense” – so that sort of keep things in check. Surprisingly, I am looking forward to the next training, but definitely not liking how the varsity is making us go back for another weekend just so that they can confirm who is committed. Erm, how “un-committed” can we be if we had been doing our e-learnings, going for trainings and accepted a position? Hmm… Fancy having a computer display in your eye? I was going through my daily doses of tech information when I came across this. If you have dreamt of having bodily vital stats displayed like a Heads-Up Display (HUD) in front of you without a monitor (too much Transformers?) or still being able to work on a PC with your eyes closed, then this might be the future for you. Apparently, a “semi-transparent array, including an LED” has been embedded into a contact lens. What this means is that displays, or computer images, can be sent wirelessly to the contact lens, which will then appear in your vision (and making you feel like a cyborg, which could really be a cool thing). This miniature device, which requires about 330 microwatts, can apparently be powered wirelessly from a nearby RF transmitter. Of course, there is no mention of a power-surge protector. The only thing that is missing from all these, besides connection from a GPS and perhaps your mobile phone, is a motorized pair of shoes that allows you to travel at 90km per hour (any faster and you might get a ticket for speeding violations in Singapore). And oh, a rocket-pack would be good too. [via SlashGear] Giveaway: 5 pairs of tickets to “Your Canvas, Your Life” event at Supperclub Singapore! No, I don’t “chiong”. But I would really love to invite you to an exclusive World AIDS Day Singapore event that is happening on 5th December 2009 at the Supperclub Singapore. Actually I don’t really know where it is or how it is like, but I think it’s perhaps some cool place where people gather and chat and eat . As with all other 1,236,309 contests there are, there’s always a “deadline” and a “quiz”. So, here’s the deal. I’d need you to tell me if you would use this (and why, if possible): Go on and click on it Of course, watch your back first… It’s not NSFW, but still… You can either comment in this post, or click here if you do not wish to let others know what your answer is And how long more will this giveaway last? Well, it’s about this number of days more: Which is actually the number of days left to World AIDS Day! So, do send in your answers quick so that I can give away all 5 pairs of tickets to an awesome event to commemorate World AIDS Day, to be aware of what HIV/AIDS is and to to support people living with HIV. World AIDS Day Singapore – Know more about AIDS today! Is a cure for AIDS a good thing? Someone asked recently. It almost seems like a rhetoric question and that as long as no cure or vaccine has been found, it will always be a feared disease. Whenever the topic of HIV/AIDS is brought up, it’s often hushed away because most people think that it is a taboo and should not even be discussed in the open. Sadly, that’s how misconceptions are formed and this begets fear which in turn begets discrimination. So, what really is HIV? And what is AIDS? Most people have a tendency to think that HIV = AIDS. This can’t be further from the truth. In layman’s term, HIV, which stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is the particle that gets transmitted into your body typically through direct open (wound) contact with blood of an infected person. This means HIV can be transmitted through the sharing of needles, direct transfusion of blood from an infected person, or through sexual contact, which sometimes result in minute tissue tears which becomes the entrance for the viral particles. AIDS, on the other hand, is the consequence where the person’s immune system gets compromised and is unable to defend the body of other infections. HIV, which affects the immunity of the infected person, often results in AIDS, but it is possible that an HIV-infected person may never get full-blown AIDS if he keeps his body in check. Therefore, it can still be possible for an HIV-infected person to still lead a normal life like everyone else. While reported cases of AIDS or HIV infection arose from sexual contact, there are also various means of acquiring the disease, such as through open wound contact with blood of an infected person. Although there had been very little reports on incidences of HIV due to the latter, this can be a very real risk in countries where the level of hygiene isn’t very high. As a result, people end up getting HIV infection through reuse or sharing of needles, which is not just limited to drug abusers, but also to patients who had to receive blood transfusion. This is indeed very sad. While there is very little that we can do to change the perception of others, we can take a first step by understanding the causes and spread of HIV ourselves. So with this, I am going to burst the first myth of the day (which was in part made popular because of the recent Section 377A brouhaha): HIV and AIDS affects only gay men and drug users The truth is, it affects everyone, including you and me; which means that anyone can get HIV as long as any of their sexual partners have HIV. Sadly, many people still throw caution in the air when faced with temptations; thinking that “it can never happen to me since I have never struck 4D or Toto* in my life”. Thankfully, some people are working towards the spread of such awareness that we are ultimately responsible for our lives. At the same time, there’s also been more spread of love (and forgiveness) towards people who have unfortunately acquired the disease. This year’s theme is hence aptly named “Your life, your canvas”. If you would like to show your support for this cause, please join in the Twibbon Campaign and add a red ribbon to your Twitter Pic And oh, when you support the campaign, do click on “Allow” instead of pressing the [ENTER] key because the default is “Deny” Argh. The ribbon is choking me… *cough cough* Kidding. But seriously, please, do show your support for the campaign, because it’s not only about showing your commitment to awareness, but also showing your support for people who have unfortunately acquired the disease and for them to move on bravely. And meanwhile… have I told you what we have installed for commemorating World AIDS Day in Singapore? More coming up after the break… This is a pro bono article for the awareness of AIDS, which is supported by the Health Promotion Board. Go on and show your support by just adding that cute little twittibon on your profile pic! * 4D and Toto are lotteries that are conducted by the Singapore Pools on a twice/thrice weekly basis respectively Straitstimes Interactive Ads?! *gasp* I am not sure why the supposed “ad” didn’t load, but hey, don’t tell me this is going to be a new series of “click-the-next-10-ads-before-we-let-you-get-your-daily-dose-of-news”. It might just backfire and I will never have to click another ad. Ever. Again. Support for Mac Safari for purchase of e-coupon? I thought I’d just purchase a single OPC just to try out the system and be familiar with it. It turned out to be a little tougher than I expected. Actually, locating the link to purchase the OPC e-coupon was a little bit of a hassle. Googling for “opc e-coupon” resulted in some forum links that spoke of how drivers can now be additionally “owned” if they think that no one is spying on them from a distance. There was even a pseudo-advertisement for recruitment of people to “catch” off-peak cars not paying for the e-coupon: NEW JOB OFFERING catch as many off-peak cars not paying for the e-coupon and get $50 for every car caught requirements: good eyesight in fast changing environment, must be able to see the colour red and be able to “not appear like someone who is noting down number plate” Oops! Sorry, I digressed. So, yes, I tried searching for links to purchase the OPC e-coupon and after a long, long while, I finally found the link. Embedded in a collapsed side-bar. Well, I was thinking that, for such an important (how important? probably worth S$10,000) link, it should at least be made readily clickable on the main page, even if they don’t want to make a huge banner for it. To be fair, they did make a banner for mobilep@y, but it’s of little consolation if I didn’t have my mobile phone with me. Or maybe I am just blind. So, eventually I found the link, which was embedded under LTA e-Services; under the section of “Maintain A Vehicle”. Sure, it was classified correctly and most people would have lamented that I am just being lazy. Well, one thing I am sure, my dad will probably be calling me up when he realises that there’s “no link” for him to click on when all the only URL that was given to purchase the e-coupon is “http://www.onemotoring.com.sg”. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end of the entire debacle. LTA apparently asks for quite a fair bit of information (which I figure was probably for “security purposes”), and comparing this to the past when I could conveniently ask someone who happens to be going to the post office to help me get a paper coupon from SingPost, I now can’t ask someone to help me with the purchase of an e-coupon without giving him or her the full glory of my details should I, for some reasons, forget to get an e-coupon (e.g. rushing to the airport and realised that I forgot to purchase an e-coupon – only thing is probably that I am on my way on a 26-hour journey to New York and there’s no guarantee of Internet access at a stopover airport). What I do appreciate, however, was that the entire process of purchasing the e-coupon, up to the point of payment, allowed me to change my mind and cancel the transaction, without fumbling and worrying it it had somehow magically deducted from my account without me know. Yes, some people may think this is funny, but many of the older folks, who have their income tax “deducted magically” from their accounts, or have “government surpluses” depositing back into the same account, will probably think that somehow, LTA can get hold of their $20 even if they are just half-way into the transaction. Moreover, I also believe that when I grow too old to catch up with technology, I will live with the delusion that I am constantly monitored 24/7… but that’s another story for another day. Now, if you have not realised by now, payment for the OPC e-coupon can only be done if you have Internet banking services with either DBS, UOB or Citibank (TGFC!). Following the instructions, you can click on “Confirm Payment” and hope to pay for it smoothly; which was what I did. However, lo and behold, I was greeted with a new blank window, and a Citibank page that took some time to load, but stated “Please Proceed With Your Transactions”. The words weren’t clickable, so it would not bring me to another page to “proceed with my transactions”, nor where there other links and windows opened. So, this sort of ended my experience with purchasing OPC e-coupon for my OPC. In the end, I called a cab, which I thought would be safer, since I am not sure that even if the transaction did apparently went through, would there have been another “Confirm” or “Proceed” button that I would have missed. At the end of the day, I am suspecting that the use of Mac Safari must have had something to do with it. Apparently, one of the pages gave some information about added “Allowed Sites” into Internet Explorer; and while the one.motoring website mentioned that the pages are “best viewed with Internet Explorer”, it should really be “Can only be used with Internet Explorer”. Today marks a special day… Today marks a special day. Today is the day that the authorities have heard you. Today is the day that they understand how much trouble you have to go through to get hold of those coupons. Today is also the day that they relieve you of the problem of having to fumble with the coupons and not being able to drive out without them… Today is the first day of OPC e-coupon. So, do remember to get your e-coupons at http://www.onemotoring.com.sg after you have used your OPC. And oh, if you have been getting around places in town, “catching” you can be as easy as… SELECT car_registration_numbers from ERP_Gantries_Cars A LEFT JOIN Cars B ON A.car_registration_numbers = B.car_registration_numbers WHERE B.OPC_Status = ‘on’ and A.date_registered = ‘2009/11/23′; Heh heh. Don’t “pray pray”… Plastic surgery: A changing time? In the past, the topic of plastic surgery has always been spoken in secret because it had not been well received. One of the not too recent debacle of an instance of this topic was when people started speculating if Dawn Yang has had plastic surgery when some rather malicious guy posted pictures of her in her JC times, depicting her as an ugly duckling, or at least tried very hard to. Some people are of the view that a person should just admit that they have undergone plastic surgery, while others thing that it’s sometime that should not be done at all (and I will leave the moral ethics of it for another post). However, what is unchangeable is that plastic surgery has been getting popular locally, especially those with minimal downtime. Of course, the mere mention of plastic surgery and everyone will think of having bruises on their heads or worrying that their nose might drop off in a botched job. However, most people have it much easier nowadays. I had the opportunity to speak to representatives from The Sloane Clinic, Q-MED and Navi Plastic Surgery Clinic in Seoul. The Sloane Clinic had just had its 4th branch opened at Novena Medical Centre and is working hand-in-hand with Q-MED, which was promoting Restylane – a non-animal-based filler that is assimilated with the body’s natural cells and collagen; while Dr. Moon Hyoung-Jin is in town to give his experience of using Restylane on his patients. Restylane is this jelly-looking clear substance that acts as a filler – a collagen substitute, that could maintain its massaged form for up to 24 months after it has been administered. The good thing about it is that it is not animal-based and apparently helps to simulate growth of collagen, which declines after we get older. Also, there are different “grades” of Restylane that could be used, depending on the problem area. The Sloane Clinic sounded rather familiar to me, even though I couldn’t recall how or when I came across the name. What was impressive though, was the layout and the skills of the doctor when a live demo was given during the visit. The doctor used Restylane, the filler that could maintain its form up to 24 months after it is administered. Nonetheless, while the doctor was administering Restylane on the patient, most of the people in the room cringed while the doctor injected almost effortlessly and the patient looked as if she was never in pain. Me, being the doctor-to-be wannabe, just continued taking photos of the entire process. Following the demonstration, I had a chance to speak to Dr. Moon, who is based in Seoul, but travels to Shenzhen about twice a month to manage his clinic over there. Speaking of which, if you ever get to go to South Korea, you should take some time to observe the ladies (and perhaps gentlemen) around you. Most of them look terrific, and it’s of little wonder because there is probably a strong emphasis of looking good in a country that is so highly competitive. Anyway, Dr. Moon commented that most people like to go for aesthetic procedures that are less permanent nowadays because there is apparently a trend that is happening. So, while having a “high” nose may be the in-thing this year, it could be having a plumper lower lip the following year. Having said that, most people will not mind going for something that lasts for only 2 years and “renewing” it every other year following that. Most importantly, he mentioned, is the fact that the use of fillers, like Restylane, reduces downtime to as little as a few hours over lunch time, or up to 5 days should bruising occur. I guess that’s how “lunch-time procedure” gets its name from. While I didn’t get the opportunity to take “before” and “after” photos, I have in my hands some photos provided by the clinic. Various aspects of the person’s face was given, but the results were so obvious that by just looking at the person upfront, you can probably tell the difference:   The photo on the left is the “before” photo, which shows the person having sunken cheeks and “eye bags”. The photo on the right, which is the “after” photo, shows a more oval face with a sharper chin and fuller cheeks. In fact, the jawline probably looks rounder and better after the procedure. From the other perspectives, the person probably had fillers on her cheeks and “eye bags”, which gives her a rejuvenated look. Of course, the girl looks best when she’s smiling Don’t you think she looks like Cyndi Wang? Hmm… Certainly, I am not advocating that everyone should start looking into the mirror to see what they can “patch up”. Just as Dr. Low Chai Ling of The Sloane Clinic had mentioned, not everyone has the same needs, just like how everyone is different. Some may be suitable for such a short and simple procedure, while others may need a different approach to achieve what they desire. Of course, there will be the occasional few who are born with it. Such lucky people! Nonetheless, it’s important that everyone should be happy with how they look. Of course, if they are unhappy with their looks, then it is probably important that they should seek professional advice. Plastic surgeons and dermatologists, just like any other doctors, are guided by code of ethics and as long as they confide in their doctors their problems, these should and can be solved. The editors attended the event under the invitation of OMY.SG. No monetary compensation was received, though the editors were given a nice (but rather tough) sandwich dinner and door gifts of mirrors. And no, Simply Jean does not advocate going for plastic surgery and thinks that anyone thinking of doing so should seek at least a second opinion. If this doesn’t make sense to you, think of Michael Jackson, whose songs I really like, by the way. Happy birthday to me!!! :) Even though it’s just the last few hours… well, actually it depends on which time zone you follow Heh heh. Every year, the day just passes by like any other day. Oh well. I was hoping for a hundred wishes. Seems like I won’t get it this year Anyway, happy birthday to me The “boomz” that nearly cost me $300 Yes, it was related to the IELTS that I had taken recently. You know? It’s sometimes better to be really serious about what you do, especially if *it’s got to do with your exams*? Well, this was what happened… I registered for the IELTS exam to determine my proficiency of English; and the test entails 4 components – Listening, Reading, Writing and Reading. The first 3 can probably be done on your own whereas the last one is quite awkward to do it alone. Trust me. I spent a week talking to myself at Starbucks. Thankfully, I record my own speech to evaluate on my own after answering the oral questions, which in a way, does not look like I am talking to The Invisible Man. Nonetheless, self-criticism is really bad for me because I devalue my own ability – but that’s another story for another day. So eventually, I got a friend – let’s just call my friend FO, to help me. Now, FO teaches English and will definitely be the best critic of my spoken English. There’s this part in the oral component that required me to prepare a 2 minute speech on the spot, but it’s usually relating to personal experiences. This wasn’t that scary. What’s most frightening, however, is the change in topics in the section that followed it. It’s what they call, a “discussion”. Meaning, the examiner asks me a question, and we engaging in a free flowing conversation. It could be anything like: 1. Where do you usually like to eat? 2. What kind of food do you usually enjoy? 3. Do you think attire plays a big part in determining where you are doing to eat? Or… 1. How do you celebrate your birthday? 2. Do you receive gifts on your birthday? 3. Have you received clothes for your birthday before? And what kind of clothes do you like? So, really, the direction of the “discussion” could really go anywhere. And here’s where I played the fool. Every time there was a practice question on clothes or shopping, I would never fail to talk about: 1. Being a fashionista 2. Liking safari “preens” 3. Liking leopard “preens” and zebra stripes 4. Liking the color “rad” and anything that shouts “boomz” And then I will go on a rendition of Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas – this was such a bad move! And to top it all off, I did this for no less than 6 times for variants of the discussions that FO and I engaged. Then the oral exam came. Everything came and went smoothly. I was asked about birthday parties, food and my favourite restaurants. Then the examiner went, “Alright. Now we are going to talk about something different. We are going to talk about clothes…” You could imagine how my jaw nearly dropped! More importantly, I didn’t burst out laughing because that will almost immediately get me sent out with a failing result. In the end, I just spoke about shopping for casual and working attires, and how I shop only 4 times a year during sales (at G2000); unless my pants got wet (from the rain) and that I needed to get a new pair. No “preens”. No “rad”. And definitely no “boomz”. That was a close shave. I certainly don’t look forward to spending another $300 on it. Heh. Too bad the results are only valid for 2 years; but till then, “boomz”! Did you miss out on the INQ promotion? It’s not too late yet! It rained and stormed over Saturday (and hence hindering my Halloween plans), but it didn’t stop the INQ event from going on… … well, because it was held indoors Seriously, I thought it would be held outside, under the huge tent where it’s really hot and humid in the day. As it turns out, there was an event there about breasts. Breast cancer to be exact. Anyway, I was down at Plaza Singapura and caught the event there. They invited people from the crowd to participate in games and most of them (if not all) walked away with great prizes! And it was just a simple memory game where they had to piece a picture together – very much like a jigsaw puzzle with a twist. However, I didn’t get to catch the stars who were supposed to be there in the evening. Sigh. So, did you manage to go down and catch the event? Yeah, the contest games were open for everyone and even though they were distributing pamphlets, it was nothing like the one that was given out here last week. And if you missed it, but still want to get one, have no worries! Because… Click on it to print out the full-size voucher Tada! The promotions have been extended. Now, you do not even have to go down to the event location because this can be redeemed at all Hello! Singtel shops! So yeah, don’t miss the fantastic opportunity to get your hands on one of the most connected (and in my opinion, value for money) phones; especially if you are a techie like me. But you have to hurry soon though, cos the promotion ends 30 November 2009 And oh, do send me a tweet/plurk when you get yours! Some new stuff going on here… Actually, there’s only one new stuff that has happened. If you had noticed, the blog is hosted on http://blog.simplyjean.com/. Well, actually the root (which is http://www.simplyjean.com/) has been in “alpha” state for quite a while. And there had been happenings on “other parts” of the website. So today, it will move out of “alpha” state and probably be in “beta” state for a while. Don’t know what I mean? Jump on to http://www.simplyjean.com/ to find out! Heh heh… it’s nothing much, but I thought it will be good to bring things together. Namely: 1. Added the other social media bits 2. Added in the link to the almost defunct photo gallery that had been running for a while 3. Allow subscription by email Well, yes, that’s about it for now; and I can only do this because I was “accidentally free”. Erm, long story, but you can check out my other social media bits and you’ll probably see why And the winner for the INQ Mini 3G contest is… Yes! Do you remember this contest? We have a winner here!!! Congratulations to … Mango Tan! We will be emailing you shortly for the collection of prize! If you are not the winner for the previous contests, don’t despair because we still have some vouchers for you. Click on it to print out the full-size voucher Actually, when I first saw the voucher, I took a double-take because I thought there was an error. I mean, $0 phones are common nowadays, but I wasn’t expecting the INQ Mini 3G to be free?! Okay, perhaps you’d need to sign up with Singtel to get it free, but hey, it’s pretty cheap for a convenient phone! Even if you’d want to have it as a 2nd data-based phone (just like how some people have 2 phones nowadays – one for voice and the other for data/email). However, you’d have to be at Plaza Singapura this Saturday or Sunday between 11am till about 1pm at Level 1 to enjoy the free battery covers worth $34.95 and waiver of registration fee and SIM card charge worth $42.80 during the INQ Mini 3G Roadshow! In addition, you can also get to catch Mediacorp artistes Dai Yang Tian on 31 Oct and Elvin Ng on 1 Nov at 8pm. Last but not least, there will be a lucky draw for anyone who purchase the INQ Mini 3G during the roadshow, and 1 winner each day will walk away with a year’s worth of subscription! So, even if you didn’t get the prize for the last contest, don’t despair because there are still lots of good things waiting for you at the road show. Till our next contest, see ya! This is a sponsored advertorial by 24seven for INQ Mini 3G. Top 10 signs that you had been studying for too long at Starbucks In preparation for my English tests this weekend and next Tuesday, I spent almost every evening in the last one month preparing for the test. Yes, I know – it’s an English test and how wrong can you go with it? Well, the truth (self-proclaimed truth, at least) is that English is not a subject that we can fail but neither is it a test that we can score distinctions in. Very much thanks to the multi-cultural, multi-lingual society that we are in, Singlish has became extremely prevalent and it’s easy to get lost when you are already struggling with an evolving language. Evolving? Yes, English is still evolving 10. You know the opening hours of the outlet that you frequent. For that matter, you probably know the opening hours of every outlet that you may frequent. 9. You are the first to get the latest time-limited edition of the bearista bear. 8. The barista knows your order of Tazo Chai Tea Latte, half water, half foam no milk. As a corollary, you probably end up ordering it as “For here, tall, 5 pumps Chai, half water, half foam, no milk Tazo Chai Tea Latte”. 7. You know the exact locations of the power points and zoom in to the tables next to them when you enter the store. 6. You know the sequence of songs that will be played. 5. The people next table waves to you when you arrive. 4. Instead of asking you to help them look after their bags while they are away, they smile at you while you nod. 3. The barista offers to let you sample some of the food in the fridge display. 2. Your drink comes as soon as you sit down, even before you order it. And the number one sign… 1. The barista asks you “Why so late today?” (Colloquial for “Why are you so late today?”) Alright. It’s time for me to go back to my mugging books. Verbatim ExpressCard/34 64GB SSD on a MacBook Pro: First Impressions I got hold of a Verbatim ExpressCard/34 64GB SSD from Sim Lim Square today to fill up the ExpressCard/34 slot that’s otherwise left empty for a while on the MacBook Pro. At 120/35 MB/s read/write speed, it is much faster than other USB-based ExpressCards, which typically runs at 35/23 MB/s. With it’s PCIe interface, it’s no surprise that it can outperform other ExpressCards at the same price point. I would have gotten a FileMate Ultra ExpressCard/34 48GB SSD, if not for the confusion that Amazon.com presented while I was trying to place it in my cart. Apparently, it always tells me that the item is no longer available whenever I tried to place the item in cart. I am not sure, but I suspect there is a little glitch at the backend with regards to Prime Members. Anyway, I have taken myself off the trial because I gathered that I’d have to do 30 non-free shipping purchases in order for the annual membership of almost US$80 to be worth it. Nonetheless, the purchase of the Verbatim ExpressCard/34 SSD was to take up the challenge (or rather, personal curiosity) if a MBP could indeed boot from an ExpressCard/34 SSD. Upon insertion of the SSD into the ExpressCard/34 slot, I knew the answer. It was an astounding “NO”. Apparently, the Verbatim ExpressCard/34 SSDs require a Mac driver update, which basically means that it is not recognised when it is first plugged into the MBP. Only a driver installation will get it to mount. Needless to say, the loading of a vendor driver at Startup is *unheard of*, so it is not possible for the ExpressCard/34 to be booted from. There are, however, 2 solutions to this: either the startup is hacked for the drivers to be loaded, or the interface of the ExpressCard/34 is changed. Since neither of this is probable, it is highly unlikely; if not impossible, that the Verbatim brand of ExpressCards/34 SSDs can be used to boot up a MBP. Despite this, you will still be able to install Mac OS Snow Leopard when you are already booted into the OS (i.e. no installation from DVD drive on bootup); only to be disappointed that the installation cannot continue after it boots for the first time after the first phase of the installation. This was certainly a great letdown. That was indeed an expensive experiment, but the silver lining in this is that I can now make the Verbatim ExpressCard a Mac OS Extended (Journaled) *and non case-sensitive* partition for Adobe Photoshop and Parallels Desktop for Mac. For some reasons, my MBP came with the OS installed on a Journaled and Case-sensitive partition, which made installation of Adobe Photoshop impossible (Ed: Adobe Photoshop can only be installed on non case-sensitive partitions). At the same time, running Parallels has became incredibly fast as long as the PVM (Parallels Virtual Machine) file is located on the SSD. However, at just 30MB/s write speed, it will be good to hold your expectations a little because this is probably just about as fast as transferring data to a FireWire drive when you carry out write-intensive tasks. While it was a little disappointing to find out that my MBP is not blazing across the highway anytime soon, I got to experience SSD read/write performance, which is really better than its USB thumbdrive cousins. As I continue to explore what else I can do with this possibly white elephant, I am also anticipating the Filemate 48GB SSD in my mailbox in the next 2-3 weeks. Till then, let’s hope I can find more useful things that I can do with my ExpressCard/34 SSD. This is a personal review of the Verbatim ExpressCard/34 64GB SSD. No fees or gifts had been received as a result of this review. Posting for the first time from a MacBook Pro It’s been a while since I got hold of a MacBook Pro, but for the longest time, I procrastinated on getting (read: trying, buying, …) hold of a really good offline post editor. In fact, the last I read, there weren’t really any offline post/blog editor as good as Microsoft’s Live Writer. Yes, this is quite sad but true. I am not sure where there aren’t any equivalent editors, but I am hoping that whatever I am about to try will prevent me from firing Parallels Desktop so that I can use Microsoft’s Windows Live Writer. Nonetheless, working on a Mac has revolutionized the way I work. Even though I didn’t get the latest Unibody model of the MacBook Pro, the ease of use of the prior model gives hint on why there are always die-hard fans of the MBP. In fact, I got so used to working on a MBP that I am having some problems adapting to the Windows platform all over again. Indeed, working on a Mac at home and a Windows PC in the lab is not a good idea. As I continue my hunt for The Offline Editor, I hope that I will be able to amuse/amaze/bore you with my many anecdotes with my Mac in time to come. Meanwhile, I won’t be missing “insufficient memory” pop-ups Are you moving around without Citi Mobile? I tend to travel with a fixed amount of cash whenever I am out of Singapore, and use, where possible, a debit or credit card for my payments. I used to think that the banks do not offer really good exchange rates, but with the uncertain economy and foreign exchange nowadays, this seems to be quite negligible. In fact, there were also a couple of times when the exchange rates given by the banks are a whole lot better than what I would have gotten from a money changer. Of course, there are times when I have to withdraw from my bank accounts in Singapore, and that’s when the great hunt for the Cirrus and Plus signs come. Even then, with some luck, the Auto Teller Machine (ATM) will display the remaining balance in my account after i make a withdraw. Most of the time, I don’t have such luck. This is probably one of the reason why I carry a small netbook with me whenever I am overseas; and of course, not forgetting to purchase the country’s prepaid card (having said that, if you are travelling to Taipei, please remember to get your prepaid card from the airport because you will not be able to get it anywhere out of the airport without a local ID). Having said that, I learnt about Citi Alerts over the radio because Citibank had been running their ad campaign prominently. I thought this was rather cool because an SMS is sent to me every time I make a transaction on my cards. For those of us who enjoy pubbing (“cheonging”) on Friday and Saturday nights, this is a great plus because there could be times when we don’t really know what our cards get swiped for. A friend of mine got his card swiped a few times a visit and he didn’t know about it even when the bill came. It was only when the staff was caught that he knew about it. Tsk. Tsk. However, when Citi Alerts came out, I was hoping for something better – such as having mobile banking facilities. After all, I had opened a new account with Citibank, which does not charge for sending you a replacement ATM card, nor levy a charge/fine for not maintaining a certain minimum balance in your account. Indeed, I think they have came a long way. CitiMobile by CitiBank It was almost like a prophecy fulfilled, but Citibank recently launched their Citi Mobile – a service which allows me to carry functions as if I was logged into my Citibank Online Banking! It allows me to: Check my account balance (a big must if you like to keep tabs on your spending) Search for discounts (particular when some shops like to hide their Citi Privileges) Funds transfer (to allow me to pay back dinner money; or for me to pay for bills) Locate the nearest ATM and branches (to withdraw money for shops that do not accept credit or debit cards) But best of all, Citi Mobile does not require me to sign up again if I have already signed up for Citibank’s Online Banking facilities; nor does it require me to download cumbersome applets or applications! This is a great plus for me because I keep losing track of my PINs whenever they are sent to me. With this auto-inclusion, I can just log into Citi Mobile (I’d like to personalise this and call this MyCiti… haha…) and have all the online functions as if I was logged into my netbook. In fact, I found out about Citi Mobile by accident because I was trying to locate the nearest ATM; but the website that was loaded on my mobile phone kept asking me to log in. It was only after logging in that I realised that I had full-fledge facilities via my mobile phone, right at the tip of my fingers, indeed! The CitiMobile Widget on the iPhone Now, I can really just leave my netbook in the hotel when I am overseas. The only thing I am hoping for is to get my hands on an iPhone because I think Citi Mobile looks really cool on the iPhone 3G[S]. Hmmph! INQ Mobile Phones – The New Kid on The Block! Editor: You know how we always talk about fine prints? Well, here, we rather talk about bold prints! Look out for the bold prints below to stand a chance to win for yourself $200 cash + vouchers! I have had a long history of changing phones every other year – not because I am a phone fashionista, but really some times the phone that i have seem to fail just a day after their warranty. Of course, I have to admit that it’s not always through – and that’s because I secretly want to have the coolest gadget in town (but a broken phone is nonetheless a better excuse) INQ Mobile Phone series It was brought to my attention that a new phone may soon be visiting the shores of Singapore. Apparently, a phone that’s been released by INQ Mobile is going to be the new kid on the block – if it does land here. Unlike other phones that comes with the standard applications (including those that we do not normally use), this series of phones are marketed as – if I may call it, a 2.0 phone. You see, it comes packed with applications that can connect you to the different social networking sites – Facebook, MSN (now Windows Live Messenger) and Skype and collates everything into a nice interface from which you can access your accounts from. At the same time, it also allows emails to be pushed to you while you are on the go. I have not used a Blackberry before, but that sounds pretty close to one. Now, some might wonder what’s so great about that, and probably think that these applications are readily available on the Internet for download. Well, the truth is, I am still running Fringo for Skype on my mobile and it just doesn’t quite feel like the real thing. I have not used the INQ Mobile phone series, but the interface does look yummy! Of course, that’s not all. The series of INQ Mobile phones do come with all the bells and whistles – GPS, a 3.2MP camera and of course expanded memory. The built-in 3G/HSDPA modem will also allow the user to surf the Net not only on the phone, but on his laptop as well. While not specifics have been give, I am thinking that it’s probably going to be a modem connection over Bluetooth; although I am not discounting the possibility of a modem connection over USB. However, what seriously shocked me was the standby time. A whooping 329 hours standby time, and 324 minutes talk time. This is almost equivalent to 16 days of standby and over 5 hours of talktime! Now, that’s something I know that my current phone can’t beat. I really can’t wait to get my hands on one to see what it’s really made of. Bold prints!!! So, here’s what I am going to do. I am going to get INQ Mobile to know that we know what they had been doing behind our backs and we want them to bring the phone in to Singapore (at a really low price, I hope). So, if you could also join me to tell them what you like about their phones, I’d also give you a chance to win *$100 CASH and $100 shopping vouchers*. It’s really simple. All you have to do is to leave comments after this post on what you like about the phones. From here, I will get them to take note that there’s really a demand for them to bring their phones in. Well, at least enough to go around And to make sure that you really get a really good chance of getting heard (and winning that $200 cash and vouchers), you may want to twitter/plurk/facebook/MSN the following phrase: I have discovered a new phone on @simplyjean! Go check it out and you may win $200 cash + voucher! Details at http://pea.to/inqsj #inqmobile Well, having a phrase like this makes it easier for me to track that it’s from you (else any other phrase may not be easily searched); and don’t forget to include your Twitter ID, Plurk ID and Facebook URL so that I will also be able to keep an update of where you helped to spread the message. Also, please leave a valid email address so that I can contact you when you win the $200 cash + vouchers. And no worries, no one else will know about it. This reminds me of a contest that I ran some years back. The winner didn’t leave his email address in the comment box and I had a hard time trying to look for him. It’s a pity that I couldn’t contact him in the end. And because time is really tight and I don’t want to leave you hanging for too long, I will close this contest at 11:59pm on the 14th September; which means you will know if you are a winner by the 15th! That’s cool, isn’t it? Speaking of which, I might just have another surprise for you… Heh heh… So hurry, there’s only 1 week left! Go forth and spread the phrase! And oh, here’s the fine, fine print… this contest is only open to Singapore Citizens and PR. No discrimination here, but it makes it all easier for the prizes to be awarded It’s a boy! “It’s a boy!” That was the simple answer that the lady in the room was looking for. The group of us were shown a picture of a boy who was wrapped up in a towel and presumably had a wet towel on his forehead. He was lying on a bed and was holding on to a small, white bucket. The group was asked to make some observations on the picture. It was a sample of the Problem-Based Learning question that is asked at the Sydney Medical School. The group was rather quiet, so I started by making some remarks on the blanket and the towel, and how “he” was probably feeling cold and possibly having a fever. Another guy from the group said that he could have been “regurgitating” – a rather bombastic word for “vomiting”. However, the lady seemed to be looking for more answers; so I gave the obvious. “It’s a child” “Yes!” She exclaimed. “It’s a boy!”, and she continued to narrate what the scenario could have been. This simple answer that she was looking for reminds me of how people, in general – including myself, perhaps, tend to look at things beyond too deeply. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but I was just thinking that sometimes we (or just I) get to caught up in “critical thinking” that we might just overlook the most obvious. And if you have watched enough “House”, “E.R.” or “Gray’s Anatomy”, you’d probably know that that the paramedics begin by describing the patient to the tune of “6-year-old boy/male, found [somewhere] in [what state]” – and it’s important for the doctors to know how to treat the patient and what course of actions to make. Back to the situation above, I probably think that no one wants to say something that they think may sound stupid. However, like I always tell my students, there’s no such things as a “stupid question”. So really, if you think that your question/statement/answer may sound stupid but if it helps you, you should just say it. Another person may just benefit from it Plans derailed You know how people used to say that man proposes while God disposes? The saying happened to me. Again. For the umpteen time. I don’t hide the fact that I am a quitter (well, at least in SM Goh’s words – of which, a search on google will reveal what that term means) and intend to pursue medicine in Australia. I may come back one day to form part of the “growing pool of overseas trained doctors” but I do hope to be involved in the treatment and curing of patients instead of just being an administrator or another doctor’s runner. Essentially, I’d rather be where I can be most effective. Nonetheless, the plan was for me to apply for a PR in Australia, take the IELTS and the MCAT/GAMSAT, relocate to Melbourne (because I am state-sponsored) and apply for entry into the MD Program and University of Melbourne while working in the first year. Of course, here’s where the disposal starts. By some cheer (bad) luck, University of Melbourne changed their entry requirements and now require international students to complete their Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry modules. There was no mentioned with regards to similar modules in overseas universities, but this is probably because the MD Program is still in the planning phase and will not be admitting students until 2011. Nonetheless, I asked them about it and I was told to dig out NUS/NTU’s modules which I think is equivalent and to email them the curriculum. Clearly, it’s going to be a long walk on a fire bed. Either that, or I have to take their pre-requisite subjects – while on a visitor’s visa. The alternative, was an MBBS programme at University of Sydney, which is a complete derailment of my initial plans, at least location-wise. There were some other considerations, like how I am going to finance my entire medical course. At first, I thought of applying as a PR, but I am quite sure that being a new PR, I may probably end up with some restrictions in one form or another. The “safer” choice would be to apply as an international student, which will result in more than twice the amount of school fees required. For the uninitiated, that’s almost S$250,000. I can’t help but suddenly think of Yu-Mei Balasingamchow’s S$264,000 bond. That is really… A. LOT. OF. MONEY. And if I study really hard, I can get scholarships that will cover about one-sixth of the school fees. There’s still 5 more sixths to go, and living expenses too. Seems like I will have to go back to my drawing board. Meanwhile, I will be taking the GAMSAT exams next year and perhaps the MCAT after that for Duke-NUS’ MD Program; and work my bum off for the next 1 year. Sometimes, I wish I have 72 hours a day. — Having said that, many people ask me why I’d want to be a doctor. As simple as the question sounds, the answer is always tough because I will receive a whole lot of alternatives that I can do if I just want to “help people”. Trust me. A lot of thought had gone into why I do not want to be a nurse, a paramedic, a social worker or a fund-raiser. All these occupations do help people in one way or another but one big difference is that while people in these noble occupations can treat people, they definitely can’t diagnose and can’t cure. Having said that, I do wish to be a volunteer paramedic in the mean time More usual than not, discussions of what I intend to do will only go one way – the other way. It’s not because people can’t see (imagine) me being a doctor, it’s the high (pardon me, absurd) cost of the process that often led people into thinking of alternatives where I can “help people”. I had, for a moment, thought of giving up everything and do social work. Then, I might need a degree for that or risk just being an administrator. Sometimes, I just wish that I studied harder in the past. Thankfully, my direction in life is (hopefully) still clear. I want to be able to treat and cure people one day and take on overseas medical missions at least on a yearly basis. Prior to that, it’s going to be a long and arduous road, but I still hope to reach there eventually. As for school fees… I can only try to plan while preparing for my entrance exams. Jean’s Weight Loss Program and putting weight loss in analogy Or lack thereof. I had been trying to lose some weight as far back as 3 months ago. Results had only been satisfactory – to my standards, of course; but perhaps normal to anyone who is serious about losing real weight, and not just water. For the longest time, I had been procrastinating about watching my diet. The thing about being a life scientist (or a wannabe like myself), I am usually stuck in the lab for long hours with very little or no moving around. We all know that, simplistically, glucose from food gets converted to pyruvate (some intermediate chemical product), which will then take part in the TCA (tricarboxylic acid) cycle (or otherwise known as Krebs Cycle) to produce CO2 (carbon dioxide) and ATP (adenosine triphosphate) at the end. Where there’s too much ATP, which is essentially currency (or simply, money) for energy, then the money gets stored in a fixed deposit. You know how we complain that banks are not giving enough or any interests at all, and how we try to invest our money in other places that can give us better interests. More usual than not, the money gets locked in, but the interest never seem to come. Well, that’s what happens when there are too much ATP. Glucose is stored in a fixed deposit (which is glycogen; through a process known as glycogenesis) and once it goes there, it’s very hard to withdraw from it. Just as we spent money that we earn and hardly touch our investments/fixed deposits, the same happens to glucose. Of course, there’s more than just fixed deposits. Sometimes, it goes into investment linked products (ILP), also known as triglycerides. Not only is it hard to withdraw from ILP, money put there is virtually stuck for a long, long time. Sad to say, it’s the same for triglycerides. It is only in times of recession that we may sometimes have no choice but to withdraw from our fixed deposits and/or investments and the same happens for the body. Ideally, the body starts to make use of triglycerides and glycogen when we do not have enough glucose in our body. However, just like how we become more thrifty in times of need, the same happens to our body – metabolism decrease and we get more lethargic. Essentially, people try to go on diet but most do not know about the body becoming more “thrifty”. Oh, did I mention that some of us may resort to selling things on ebay just to get more money? Well, a somewhat similar situation happens in our body; unfortunately. So, it’s not really easy to lose weight, and what we usually lose are usually water, which is really a bad thing. I don’t usually advocate crash diets because the body may go into “thrifty mode” faster than you can think of it. When I got hold of PGX Daily, it seemed like a pretty good deal – cutting appetite gradually and increasing metabolism. True enough, I began to lose my appetite – at least a little, but it’s more because I stopped having cravings for food. Of course, the change in bowel movement came 3 weeks after I started on it, but I don’t think I want to dwell too much on that part. Metabolism seems not to be affected and I did end up staying more awake than usual. I am not sure how PGX reacted with my body, but I’d think it’s rather safe. I can’t remember, but I think it’s vegetarian too? (anyone else can confirm this?) Consequently, through a somewhat “natural control” of my diet, I lost about 2kg of weight, which does not seem like water loss because it’s 4kg +/- 2kg. I got more greedy. I joined Fitness First (plug: contact Joe at 6732 4111). I guess it was all good and I eventually got a Personal Trainer. However, disaster struck. On one of my self-training sessions, I ran… and apparently caused too much stress to my ankle. Well, that sort of put my exercise regime to a halt; at least for a while. Today, I am still quite glad that I have some PGX left, hoping that it can help reduce cravings while I go out of action for a while. Overall, I lost about 5 kg from 3 months ago, while I think is pretty good, considering that I stopped going to gym for almost 3 weeks. A combination of watching my diet, PGX Daily(s) and exercise probably helped keep the weight down but now that I have to stop exercising for another month, I am hoping that PGX Daily will help to maintain it there. The last time I checked, it was retailing for about S$166.00 for 3 bottles of 120 capsules. If I take 4 capsules a day, that works out to be enough for 3 months. That’s about S$1.84 per day. Hmmm… For now, I can only hope for the best… and hope the weight remains status quo. Civil Suit against Nokia Today, I am feeling a little… “generous” (I’d have used the word “magnanimous”, but the word is a little too over-bearing for me). I have decided not to commence on a civil suit against Nokia (but still reserve my rights to do so). You see, I sent a phone in to their service centre and told them specifically not to update the firmware because I know for sure that they will erase every single thing there is on the phone. This was even made black-and-white on the collection slip that was given to me – that the firmware will not be upgraded. For a start, Nokia does not have fantastic services. I mean, sometimes they are good; but most of the time, they are quite bad, to say the least. Anyway, I collected the phone a few days later and lo and behold, the phone’s firmware was updated. In fact, the service representative at the counter even though me so. Apparently, no one reads whatever is on their job sheet. In fact, the manager and the head of department even waved it off as being routine work and that it’s not really the fault of the engineer. Of course, they finally admitted that it’s negligence but it’s probably because the evidence against them was too glaring. Nonetheless, Nokia doesn’t seem to have a good sense of PR. Apparently it’s not the first time they have put their customers off. I had been a Nokia fan for many years and if this goes on, I might just jolly well take on another phone (any suggestions?). It’s also little wonder that they suffered a fiscal loss this year (or quarter?); but unless they do an overall revamp of their service level, the whole situation may just get worse. Of course, with this post, their PR agencies may see me as being anti-Nokia and never invite me to any launch events again. Of course, Nokia can take this as being constructive and look into how their service centres (ironically “care centres” who do not really care at all about their customers). Now, did anyone remember the time that a lady had to get a court subpoena to get her refund back? I rest my case Protected: Nokia Care Centre @ Suntec … Almost fail … This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: If you have been given a One-Time-Password (OTP) you may enter the password below: One-Time-password: A tribute to Michael Jackson This week seems to be a week of tributes as following the tribute to Starbucks RC2, Michael Jackson has now left us. For good. This has shocked me quite a fair bit because he had been preparing for his London shows and I was so looking forward to him kicking off a possible world tour later on. I think he has, in his own ways, redefined pop – just like how Elvis Presley is the King of Rock; Michael Jackson is indeed a King of Pop – a talented musician beneath all that plastic surgery – a true music artist in the heart, at least in my perspective. News reports stated that he has died of cardiac arrest, and paramedics were unable to revive him when they arrived at his home in Holmby Hills. He had been preparing for his London tours since 2 months ago and there had been worries about his health particularly since he had been rushed to an LA hospital earlier. I remember him for his Black or White MTV (and yes, the MTV which shows him morphing into a Panther), his moon-walk, crotch-scratching and all his other Sing-a-longable songs. How did you remember him by? Lastly, may God be with him as he leaves us in this sudden manner and may he rest in peace. Secretly, I am still hoping that this is not true LOS ANGELES – MICHAEL Jackson, the child star turned King of Pop who set the world dancing to exuberant rhythms for decades, died on Thursday, a Los Angeles County Coroner’s office spokesman confirmed Thursday. He was 50. ‘Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told The Los Angeles Times,’ the newspaper reported on its website late on Thursday. Jackson had been taken ill at his home and found not breathing by paramedics who rushed him to a hospital, the paper said. The paper’s report followed news of Jackson’s death first reported by the TMZ entertainment website, which said that the singer suffered a cardiac arrest. There was no immediate comment from spokespersons for Jackson. Known as the ‘King of Pop,’ for hit albums that included ‘Thriller’ and ‘Billie Jean,’ Jackson’s dramatic stage presence and innovative dance moves were imitated by legions of fans around the world. His one-gloved eccentric style also earned him plenty of critics and another nickname, ‘Wacko Jacko.’ Jackson, who had lived as a virtual recluse since his acquittal in 2005 on charges of child molestation, had been scheduled to launch a comeback tour from London next month. TMZ said on its website that Jackson suffered a cardiac arrest on Thursday afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. ‘We’re told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back,’ the site said. Earlier, the Los Angeles Times said the singer had been rushed to a Los Angeles-area hospital by fire department paramedics. The newspaper said paramedics performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the singer’s home before taking him to the UCLA Medical Centre hospital. Jackson had been due to start a series of concerts in London on July 13 running until March 2010. The singer had been rehearsing in the Los Angeles area for the past two months. The shows for the 50 London concerts sold out within minutes of going on sale in March. His lifetime record sales tally is believed to be around 750 million, which, added to the 13 Grammy Awards he received, makes him one of the most successful entertainers of all time. There were concerns about Jackson’s health in recent years but the promoters of the London shows, AEG Live, said in March that Jackson had passed a 4-1/2 hour physical examination with independent doctors. – REUTERS Source: Straits Times Interactive, http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Lifestyle/Story/STIStory_395605.html Article extracted on 26 June 2009 A tribute to Starbucks “RC2” (R2) Editor: If you have no time to read through the whole post, you should join the Facebook here first: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=101036602014 I discovered this gem while I was walking along CHIJMES sometime before Christmas about 2 years ago. I saw the manager putting up Christmas decorations on the glass doors of a newly opened Starbucks! Yes, that became what I affectionately call RC2 – RC for Raffles City, and 2… just to differentiate from the first outlet that’s located at the entrance of the City Hall MRT station. The term “RC2” has since been popularly known amongst all my friends, some of whom have totally no idea why it’s called as such, but to some of us, it’s more than just an acronym. You know what it is about RC2 that I like? It’s the feeling of home. Haha… Starbucks will probably not like this idea, but the place is really nice and cosy and makes people feel right at home. I remember the mugging days and my favourite Tazo Chai Tea Latte, 4 pumps Chai, less milk more foam. Well, it’s since changed to no milk and all foam, but yeah, they always get my order right. Well, almost always. My hang-out days Yeah. Those were the days! Tian Hong will hang out at RC2 whenever he is off school (or when he doesn’t have classes – officially or otherwise; just kidding) and Ridz will be there to do his work. In fact, both of them were there so often, they probably know every staff that had been there. There was this unique table with 2 lamps (pictures coming up soon) that had an entire power bar, where geeks like us will quickly snap up. Now, I will not mention how anti-social we were when *ahem* some of us *choppe* seats while the rest of us made our way down to RC2. Subsequently, there was a time it became a rather popular blogger hangout area (ok, just the few of us bloggers) that if we were to go down any time, we will spot someone familiar. Card games days Yeah, there was also a time when I was hooked onto card games and a few of us (not just bloggers), would gather at RC2 to play card games like Galaxy, the “castle-building game” and probably another one that I can’t remember. These are days that I don’t need a power point – basically meant that I didn’t have to blog, nor do any work. The games owner will get his cuppa coffee (and refills) and we’d play games until the store close – and no, we did not start playing from the time RC2 opened, it’s usually from 7 or 8pm onwards. Celebrated my birthday Yeah, I celebrated my birthday at RC2 last year. It was supposed to be a surprise celebration with Alice bringing in a surprise birthday cake… that was not lighted. Anyway, it was pretty memorable because the whole Jean gang came down! Woohoo! Yeah, even the not-so-regulars who hung out every now and then at RC2 came over as well. Following the mini party, we played games again! Haha… what a way to spend a birthday Mugging days Yes, I mug too. In fact, I am a professional mugger There’s this girl who is really nice working at RC2; and I never really got her name, and I don’t see her there nowadays I heard from her colleagues that she’s either Sharon or Kaiting, but I regretted not asking for her name when I saw her. Sigh. (Editor: Okie… seems like her name is Kaiting) I remembered there was once when I was having quite a bad cough and she handed me a pack of Strepsils! I think she’s really sweet and hope that I will be able to get in touch with her again. Business and working days Well, not really, but since the few of us are in the “business” of social media (blogging), we sometimes get together to talk about all things tech, scandals in the blogosphere, upcoming promotions and programmes, get-togethers and all. It’s a really nice environment because we have the choice of comfy chairs or the long meeting table that we plug our laptops in – 8 in all, to be precise, without using 3-way plugs. I think the environment, the people and the location could have also played a part of getting Miccheng and perhaps Bernand down as well. Oh well… no more common place for hanging out and working at the same time… Watching Jeremy draw Haha… yes, that’s this artist who used to be at Starbucks to do his drawings. I no longer see him there now and I wonder where he’s been to. I peeked at his artwork once in a while and I quite like it. I really never got to talk to him (although he seemed to talk to everyone else – am I that scary?!) and wonder where he’s been to. Those were the days where he will sit at the comfy sofa just next to the glass door and draw away. Through some sheer luck from my nemesis, I found out that his works are sold on here. Last days at RC2 It’s kinda sad that RC2 had to go. In fact, I only knew about it just barely 1 week before it was due to close. Well, I spent the next week’s evenings at RC2 – going down every evening after school and the remaining weekends there – not to mention the mini goodbye party that we had on the last Friday of the week. For the first time, I tried Cappuccino Cheesecake and I realise that I should just stick to the Lava cake or the puffs if I don’t want my lactose intolerance to act up on me. I also spent the last few days taking photographs of the place, and with the staff who used to work there. I guess it’s going to be hard to find another place to match this place. Personally, I’d rather they close SB-RC (the one in front of the MRT station).. haha… but seriously, from a business point of view, it probably makes sense to keep SB-RC and close SB-R2 because RC faces the rush crowd and opening 24 hours next to McDonald’s mean that customers now have a choice between Starbucks Coffee and McCafe (personally, I have not tried McCafe but I don’t think I’d want to…). So, what makes RC2 special? Well, so what makes RC2 special… at least to me? I guess it’s the people. No, it’s definitely the people! And of course, the location and environment. A whole group of the RC2 staff will be moving over to Bugis, while about 7 will be at RC. RC is… well, different. It’s usually very packed (but that’s what gives it sustainable business); but because it’s so busy, there’s hardly any time for the barista and the customers to interact – short of just taking their orders and preparing the drinks. So – it becomes business – cold hard business. However, while it is important for businesses to establish relationships with a client/customer, I am not sure how it can apply to a coffee-chain like Starbucks, since the model seems to be one that targets take-away customers rather than dine-in customers. So really, it’s probably the people at RC2 that makes it special – not to mention that they always remember my order of a tall Tazo Chai Tea Latte – 4 pump Chai, no milk all foam, Tazo Chai Tea Latte. Yeah, it used to be less milk, but since everyone’s definition of less is different, it’s probably good enough to have 1/2 cup water and all foam So, after today, Kenneth and a couple of others will be heading to Bugis, while the rest will move on to RC, with a small number ending up at One Fullerton, Shaw Tower and this outlet at the end of Selegie (what is it called again?) As for regulars like myself, it’s either back to Cathay (but even most of the staff at Cathay are no longer there), Vivo (1 or 2) or maybe try out One Fullerton (but the parking is… $5! Ouch!). Either way, I think I will miss everyone there. Goodbye Party – Were you there? Yeah, this is probably one of the saddest party that I have attended this year. Most of the barista were there and we took lots and lots of photographs and exchanged lots and lots of hugs. It happened on 19th June 2009. Were you there? Petitioning against the closure of RC2? Ok, in the age of technology, when all things are free, I’d think that getting “signatures” for a petition against the closure of RC2 is futile. It’s probably a business decision to close RC2 because of overheads and dipping businesses – and petitioning against the closure will only hurt everyone because there’s probably just not enough support for the business. A decent amount of money has probably been spent on the infrastructure and it is probably well considered before the decision to close RC2 is made. Keeping in touch So, while there is really nothing much we can do about the closure, I am hoping that all staff, regulars and fans of Starbucks RC2 can join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=101036602014. I have taken some photographs on the last few days at Starbucks and hope that everyone can chip in a little to keep the memories of RC2 alive (yeah, cynics will ask what the point of it is; but then again, they are not cynics for nothing). So, while RC2 is no longer there, I hope everyone can still keep in touch! And I thank all the wonderful barista that has made RC2 feel so much like home — Last day at RC2 08:20am Argh! I am late! I am supposed to go over to RC2 for my morning breakfast at their last opening! 09:30am Okie.. better late than never… Got myself a Tazo Chai and cold water 10:00am *snap snap snap* *snap snap snap* *snap snap snap* *snap snap snap* *snap snap snap* *snap snap snap* *snap snap snap*  Met some other regulars who only knew of RC2’s closure today. *snap snap snap* *snap snap snap* *snap snap snap* And she took the “last day” sign away Met Angela as she came in – not to work, but to go through her studies. 10:20am Okie, a little hungry. Got the peppery chicken puff. It actually tastes pretty good! But the potato curry puff I got the last time can’t really make the mark. I still don’t know why Starbucks changed vendors for their food. 10:30am *munch munch munch* 10:45am Argh. Chicken shreds stuck between my teeth! (ok, that’s too much info) 13:30pm Okie… space getting a little tight… 13:45pm Large group of people came in. The place is starting to get noisier. But this is probably the last time that such a crowd can be seen at RC2. 15:20pm Ok, I am hungry again and bought another Peppery Chicken Puff. Yum yum… And finished it in 40 minutes. Heh. 17:45pm The guy sitting next to me is actually from Duke-NUS!!! Okie, it’s a small world! And he is taking Dr Tan’s subjects!!! Hahaha… yeah, I know the tensions that he’s facing now… Symphonies and Video Games Live! For some reasons, my lab mate got hold of a CD of classical music pieces (and it’s not pirated) where many of the all time favourites like Symphony No. 4, William Tell Overture and Piano Concerto No. 5 were compiled onto a single CD. Yes, this means not having to search through all my CDs and burning a separate piece just for my personal enjoyment. Then again, I am probably too lazy to do so… I will probably not mind a trip to NUS just to listen to their Symphony Orchestra play/practice a piece or too, but then again, these are not places that you can just walk in as and when you feel like. By some sheer luck (and knowing lots of people), I came to know of a concert that NUS Symphony Orchestra will be playing in… if you are thinking classical pieces, you are in for a BIG SURPRISE!!! Tomorrow (19th June 2009, Friday), NUS Symphony Orchestra is actually going to play for Video Games Live! Yes! The series of sold-out concerts that had been happening around the world! Now, I am not sure if NUS *did* play for the other concerts, but I thought it’d be rather interesting to have NUS Symphony Orchestra playing video game pieces! Think – Super Mario, Final Fantasy and Warcraft (?!) Now, I am really not sure which pieces they will be playing, but I was definitely awed by the following video I found on Youtube: Now, of course we are not looking at a One-Man-Orchestra!!! But I thought it’d be amazing to listen to these video game pieces being played by an entire Orchestra! And I heard that the Choir will be there too (although I am not sure what they will be singing)! So, if you would like to re-live the days of Super Mario Bros (again, I am not sure which pieces they are playing) or to indulge in your kids’ games (now now, I don’t have parents visiting this site, do I?) do go down to the concert tomorrow! Yes, it’s happening tomorrow, 19th June 2009 @ The Singapore Indoor Stadium. There’s still time to go get your tickets from the Stadium Box Office or at all SISTIC outlets! This is a one day performance and there’s no knowing when they will return again… (and the pieces may not be the same any more). Yes, go book your tickets now and don’t even bother checking them out at www.videogameslive.com/singapore because the tickets may not be there any more! See ya! PS: And oh yes, you enjoy discounts if you are a gamer student! Comment on Sunshine Empire probe: Illegal investment company? by Supremo Hi Singapore Merchant, Wow, good for you as you had networked with other countries, meaning you got higher returns. Sad thing was, those who joined under you might not got anything. For us, so far, nobody is telling us to gamble or transfer our e-points, as the SE member website I think is also freeze.