Reflecting Back - 2007

Lengthy post ahead. You've been warned!

It been so long since I've been on Blogger that I almost forgot how to login! How has everyone been? Believe it or not, I've missed all of my regular friends here in blog-world. You know who you are.

So much has happened since my last post. First off, I have a new job. No, I have not moved to a new company. My company is embarking on a new and exciting project and they've asked for me to join the new project team to provide technical expertise. Its does not pay more nor is the job any easier. But I took it on two grounds - it is something that I will probably enjoy doing and I will be working regular hours. Previously, my posting with Management required me to work a permanent 5 pm to 2:30 am shift. It was beginning to take a toll on my sanity and family life. So when this new project came along and they wanted me, I jumped at the opportunity. No more Management work. Its not that I dislike Management work but I think I love technical stuff more. I think it is an area where I can probably add value. Sadly, as the project is currently confidential, I am unable to share too much (you never know who is reading this!) but when I can, I guarantee I will.

With this new job, I have found more time to spend with the family. Mrs Premster and I now can have dinners together and spend time with the Devster, something which I have failed at since his birth. I think for the last year or so, he probably knows me as the guy who comes out of the room at about 2 pm, goes to his computer to do work and then is out of the house by 4:30 pm. On certain days, its out the door by 2 pm! He doesn't get to see me come home in the wee hours of the morning so me popping out of my room every afternoon probably reminds him of his jack-in-the-box. These days, we get to go for short evening walks. They're short walks because his legs are short! I noticed for every step that I take, he has to take three or four to keep up. So before long, he tires out and asks to be carried.

I've discovered that Dev has a new obsession (aside from TV and gadgets like his old man) - the lift / elevator in our block! You should see the glee on his face when he stands in front of it anticipating the opening of the doors. And when he's out after the ride is over, he looks back longingly till the lift goes off to serve other residents. Some days, its hard to get him to leave the lift lobby. If he had his way, he'd be riding the lift up and down all day.

2007 will be gone in about 24 hours. I feel kind of sad because it has been a good year generally. And with me, good years are sometimes hard to come by. I made some new year resolutions at the start of 2007 and sadly, they were not all fulfilled. There are three main ones. First off, I decided that in 2007, I was going to cut back on my spending on gadgets. This was an utter failure - considering I am writing this entry on a brand new Apple Macbook which was purchased about a month ago. Aside from this, my other major purchases over the year include a Apple TV (streams video, music and pictures from PC directly to a high-definition TV wirelessly), my trusty Nokia E90 Communicator, a top-notched sound system in my car and I built a home theatre in our study room complete with a LCD projector, Bose 5.1 speaker system and a movie screen. It took our contractor 1 1/2 days to put the entire thing together! The sad thing is, we've not had the time to use it since we got it set up.

Secondly, I planned to read more. I started off the year buying some books, mainly biographies of famous people like Bill Clinton and Steve Wozniak. I went through them and as the momentum caught on, I bought more like For One More Day (Mitch Albom), The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari (Robin Sharma), The God Delusion (Richard Dawkins) and Jeremy Clarkson's (from Top Gear) And Another Thing. So far, I've managed to crack Jeremy's book on his light-hearted take on life. I'm a long way from being done so I guess the rest of the unread books will be for 2008.

And lastly, I promised myself to get into shape. I started off the year with walking / jogging about 4 km every two to three days. I was hoping that by the end of 2007, I'd have biceps that Arnold Schwarzer-whats-his-face would be envious of and a six pack where my belly used to be. Regretfully by April, this had tapered down to 0 km per week and my belly is still intact, getting more and more 'prosperous' as the days go by.

Speaking of an ample belly, Eddie has been getting chunkier and chunkier by the day. The previously hyper-active, lean, mean ball-catching machine has now become pudgy and sluggish. The vet told us that is is probably because of his sterilization sometime in August. So, it looks like Eddie and his pal (The Premster) need to get out and exercise. With this new work arrangement, I think there is a good possibility. Of course, I have slated this to be my new year resolution again. Recycling! Isn't it great?

I will always remember 2007 as the year we celebrated my only son's first birthday! Looking back, the experience was surreal, to say the least. It still is, actually. Considering the many failed relationships I've had over the years, I never expected to find a lovely woman and settle down, let alone have a little boy of my own. Sometimes during conversations with friends, a strange yet warm feeling overcomes me when I say "my son". I hope that warm feeling never diminishes.

2007 also was sad for me because I found that I was betrayed by people I loved the most - my family. It is a terrible feeling to have someone you love and trust betray you and while I still think of them fondly, I have distanced myself from them for the sake of my wife, my son and my sanity. Being alone without parents to fall back on for support, the need to protect my own family from harm has become paramount. I am sure they will never understand my point of view, especially when they love steering away from the truth when confronted with it.

The most painful thing about 2007 was the fact that I discovered that my father, a man that I deeply respected, cared for and loved had also hung me out to dry. Recent events and findings have painfully proven this. This has saddened me in the most profound of ways especially when I believed my father, of all people, would not do anything to hurt me. I do not wish to desecrate his memory in any way so I won't go into any details. But I try to console myself with the fact that he didn't realise the consequence of his actions and was not given enough time on earth to rectify the wrong. Anyway, it is something I will now have to bear on his behalf and I hope to find the strength to move on with it.

Some time ago, I mentioned that I was heading back to running my father's business. So far, six months have passed and this has also been taking up a lot of my time. Sometime in October, my wife and I injected a great deal of funds to the company to give it a much needed makeover. I hope this will pay off in 2008. During my stint doing the night shift, I had time during the day to go down to the office to check on things. These days with my new regular working hours, I meet with the Manager once or twice a week in the evenings to check on the progress at the company, to sign cheques and letters, etc. All other matters are sorted out via phone and emails. So, my new Apple Macbook has been working overtime since it came to live with me. Anyway, I hope to give you a good 'financial' report by the end of 2008. Wish me luck, ya?

A couple of hours ago, I watched Evan Almighty on my iPod Touch just after taking a Sunday afternoon nap. In the movie, "God" (played by Morgan Freeman) tells Evan's wife (played by Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls fame) "If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?" These words brought tears to my eyes - something I rarely do when watching movies - because this is so true. The last few years, I had hoped for more time with my family and frequently prayed for it. And after relentless "requests", the new job opening came about three weeks ago and today, I have more time with my family. I guess when you pray hard enough, a door is presented to you. You either knock and go in or you walk away. In the end, God helps with an opportunity. It is still up to you to make the best of it.

So as 2007 draws to a close and as I embark into 2008, I pray for....

• The opportunity to guide my son intellectually and spiritually
• The opportunity to protect my family and home
• The opportunity to build and excel in my career
• The opportunity to ensure the good health of my wife and little boy
• The opportunity to be a better husband and a better father

And if it is not too much to ask, I'd also love the opportunity to own a Lexus IS250. *wink*

Here's wishing all of you - Ghasheema, Eshda3wa, Dandoon, Princess, Vanessa, Pigmite and Phoenix a very Happy and Peaceful 2008.

Sticking It To Security

When we moved to our new home sometime last year, I insisted on an electronic security system which would automatically call a 24-hour hotline in the event there was a break-in, fire or even a mere power failure - in anticipation of a possible break-in where burglars cut the power to our apartment.

Truth be told, I've always loved the idea of a security system - something that will beep and, in a relatively robotic-sounding voice, announce the status of doors and windows in my home. "Sensor One, Front Door Open!" declares the security system in an authoritative tone when I come home. It makes me smile because in my gadget twisted mind, I feel like I'm living in a smart home.

This is aside from having our doors equipped with those modern, "enhanced" locks which do not have keys with edges / ridges but multiple indentations on either side. The fact of the matter is that these types of locks should be more than sufficient... or so I thought.

I came across this video which made me pat myself on the back for getting the added security.

Worrying, isn't it?

Moral of the story? Don't leave your keys unattended. You never know if that cute guy or gal sitting across from you at the candle-lit dinner table on your first date is tracing your keys when you excuse yourself.

And that concludes yet another edition of the Premster's public service announcement.

A Breath Of Fresh Air

First off, don't ask me why I scour the Internet to find such weird stuff. Truth is, these "interesting" nuggets find me.

And why am I sharing this interesting piece of news with you? To give you hope - hope that there will soon be reprieve from people who silently, with a squeek or just indiscriminate reverberating bass, invade your odourless breathing space with their gaseous exhaust that travel from their rear to your nostril by diffusion at what would seem like the speed of light.

Hence, this thoughtful concept will benefit those who blatently indulge in public "production" as well as poor unwitting "consumers". Who do you have to thank for this? Well, they're Brian and Myra Conant. They even have a patent pending. So, how does it work, you ask?

Essentially, a non-intrusive cloth pad - made from Active Charcoal - is worn inside the undergarment and positioned in the appropriate area (that's Blow-Off Valve, in automotive terms). Active Charcoal (versus Passive Charcoal?) is ideal for absorbing and containing such emissions so that a breath of fresh air can be had by all - even after a heavy helping of chilli, onions and baked beans.

Of course, one could get creative and turn this into a mask - as a 'gift' to some foul-mouthed friend, relative or co-worker to make a point - although it regretfully will not have the same desired effect.

In the end, consideration for your fellow earth inhabitants is of utmost importance. With that, I leave you with words of wisdom about belching by Tina Miller of the TV sitcom Still Standing - Better out the front door than out the back.

Have a good weekend, all!

PS. This concept is not exactly new. The Premster (its fun referring to yourself in the third person) posted about a similar product last year!

Farewell?

Life has suddenly shifted into high-gear for me in the last month or so, leaving me little time to pen (or in this case, type) my thoughts into this blog aptly titled "Things That Fill My Head".

I started this blog one quiet evening while at work some 1 1/2 years ago. Sitting at my desk and thinking about my father, the thoughts and memories of a man who passed away less than 3 months earlier started to overwhelm me. Suddenly, I felt an urgent need to unload my thoughts before it started to consume me. It was probably the most intense feeling I had in my life up to that point. Then, it hit me - a blog. I quickly did a search for blog sites on the Internet and came across Blogspot. I scrambled to register and before long, I started banging out my thoughts and feelings into a text window much like the one I am typing in now.

As the words flowed, so did the tears. There I was, at my desk in the office, tears flowing down my face as I typed furiously to free myself from the pain of the memories of my father - a man I respected, cared for and most importantly, loved. And so my personal blog came to be, the very first entry dedicated to my father - a man who loved writing and to the point he became ill was writing his life story.

After I hit the "post" button, it appeared on the site. I figured this was it and I'll never write again. For one thing, I knew no one was going to read it beause it'll probably get lost in the millions of blogs here - many of which are visited by at least 20 - 50 people a day. I didn't know anyone who had blogs so it'll just sit in there - the memory of my father and his son who made a small, insignificant mark on the blogging world. Or so I thought.

The next day, a "Sparkling Princess" posted a comment. I didn't know who she was or even how she came to reading my blog. Till today, I've never asked. But I will always be grateful for her very comforting comments. That one comment became two and before long, I had "faceless" friends (Dandoon, Ghasheema, Esada3wa, Phoenix, Zizo and Vanessafrida - ok, I know Vanessa personally so she's not faceless!) who have come to mean a great deal to me. And as the friends grew, so did my blog entries - some insightful, some utterly silly and I know those pertaining to my obsession with gadgets irk the heck out of everyone! My biggest fan? My wife! She says all my blog entries are great. We all know she's just being her usual sweet self.

I love writing. I love sharing my thoughts. More than that, I love the funny / honest comments. Believe it or not, I am saddened by posts that garner "0" comments. I was so serious about this blog that I bought a URL with my name to link to it last year. But lately, I've realised that time is no longer on my side. So many things have changed in the last month or so and even the little time spent with my little boy is dwindling. This guilt is weighing on me the most. I will share more in a later post - which I hope will be soon.

I want so much to carry on but I don't know how. It may be hard to say goodbye to a blog I put time, effort and emotion into but what is harder is to say goodbye to friends I've grown to love and respect.

This is not farewell as yet. I hope that in the coming weeks, there will be some reprieve and I'll get back into the momentum. "Hope"... a word I've been uttering on a regular basis over the last few weeks.

Perhaps you could share how you find time to write in spite of your busy schedule?

Hope everyone had a good weekend.

A "Sharp" Eye

Long time no see, everyone!

Ok, that intro was in bad taste considering what I'm about to talk about.

Check out the latest in electric pencil sharpeners. Introducing the Living Dead Doll Sadie Pencil Sharpener. Want to sharpen your blunt pencil? Just stick it into Sadie's eye socket and you're done!

Of course, no eye socket pencil sharpener would be complete without the gory visual effect of blood streaming down her face from where her eyeball was supposed to be. And in case you're thinking that no one in their right frame of mind will buy one of these, they're currently sold out!

Don't forget to check out the rest of their morbid selection.

And in that spirit (pun totally intended), Happy Halloween everyone!

Eid's That Time

"Celebrate good times, come on!" Sing along if you know the words to this Kool And The Gang classic.

Eid Mubarak greetings go out to my dearest blogger friends - Princess, Ghasheema, Esda3wa, Dandoon, Phoenix and last but not least, my old friend Zizo.

May God shower you and all your loved ones with much happiness, peace and love.

Have a wonderful celebration!

38 And Counting

Whoa... the big 3-8 is upon me.

The flurry of activity during birthdays has somehow faded. Back in the day, birthdays were a big deal. I had a day jam-packed with appointments with friends and family and I was determined to keep every single one of them. So, it was a mad rush. After school (my Pre-University days), I'd start off with lunch with all my classmates at a fast-food restaurant. Our usual choice was Pizza Hut at Plaza Singapura cos we could do a little shopping after lunch.

My friends were really sweet. Knowing I was a huge collector of vinyl records (12" remixes), they'd spring for one - and it would usually be a rare remix. I'd make them sign on the record label and believe it or not, I still have them today. Playing those records bring back wonderful memories.

After that 3 - 4 hour session, I'd rush off to either meeting some relatives or have a date. Of course, those dates were far from romantic because firstly, I was not really looking for a girlfriend back then (school, friends and deejaying too up all of my time) and secondly, I hardly think tea and cake at 4:30 pm was romantic. Still I was flattered that anyone would actually ask.

Evenings were reserved strictly for family. My parents worked long hours and so as not to leave them out, I'd have final celebration of the evening at my Dad's company - the very same one I am running today. My Mum would buy a huge birthday cake along with curry puffs, cream puffs, sausage rolls and drinks and we'd invite my Dad's students to come join the celebration. No birthday celebration back then would be complete without my absolute favourite - Dunkin' Donuts. Its a pity they no longer exist in Singapore.

This celebration, of course, a far cry from what it's like now. I woke up bright and early (which is rare for me on a Sunday) and Mrs Premster, Devster and I headed to the temple to pray. We got home and my dear wife catered a lunch fit for a King. My in-laws came by and we all had lunch together. My mother-in-law made her famous traditional dessert - something which is to die for. We then got together to cut my birthday cake - a special blend of dark chocolate and banana cream. I'd have to say that was the best store-bought birthday cake I have ever had in my 38 years of existence.

After that, I was already pooped out. So, I took a nap. I got up and found it was already 7 pm. I decided that I didn't want the day to end just like that so on impulse, I took my lovely bride for a candle-lit dinner at a quiet restaurant. We had lamb chops and ice-cream with brownies for dessert. What I enjoyed the most was that quiet time with her - something which we haven't had for a long time.

Between the two, I'd have to say that I prefer the latter. It felt more meaningful to spend time with my family - "my family".... something I never thought I'd say when I was celebrating my birthday with my classmates at Pizza Hut.

I have to thank my uncle "K" for his call in the morning wishing me good health and good fortune, "JK" for her birthday e-card, "ER", "JC" and my best pal cum bro "W" for the text message greetings. Never thought you guys would remember! "W" promised a "wonderful gift". He shouldn't have troubled himself but I'm excited to see what it is anyway. *wink*

Most of all, I thank God for Mrs Premster, The Devster, Eddie and Casey for being a part of my birthday celebration and my life. I think that is the best gift I could ever have.

And what did my dear wife get me for my birthday? She got me an iPod Touch!

Hope you guys and gals had a fun-filled weekend too!

Parking And Attendants

Coupon-based parking - a long standing system in Singapore. Parking coupons are sold in booklets at either $10 for 10 $1 coupons or 20 50 cent coupons. Lots in the Central Business District are $1 for 1/2 an hour while lots outside of the CBD are $1 for an hour. So, if you decide to park for two hours in a non-CBD area, you'd tear out two coupons from your $1 coupon stash or 4 coupons from your $0.50 stash, punch out the tabs for the date and time and display it prominently on your dashboard.

It is a fact in Singapore and, from what I see on TV, around the world that people love playing cat-and-mouse games with parking attendants to get away with "free" parking.

At my office, only Management and people of Senior Executive status are accorded free parking within the building while poor saps like myself park in public lots. Fortunately for me, I work nights so I only have to park for an hour at the public lots and when office hours are over, I get to park in our multi-storey structure mainly reserved for the creme-de-la-creme. So, a coupon is used every day.

However, there are other staff who decide to gamble. They display one $0.50 coupon and park for a good 8 hours. Sometimes, no coupon is displayed at all! Most times, they get away with it because parking attendants are on foot and have to comb a large area. So, they may only check the lots adjacent to my office twice a day. However, there are days when I see a row of cars with tickets under their wiper-blades. If a ticket is issued and the attendant is still seen in the vicinity, you'd see car owners, with ticket firmly in grip running after and yelling at parking attendants. Most of these attendants appear to be immune to such verbal abuse but I feel sorry for them because firstly, they are mostly ladies working under harsh weather and secondly, they are just doing their job enforcing the rules.

Some months ago, I saw a colleague standing by his car scrutinizing a ticket he received. I asked if it was worth the risk. His enthusiastic reply was "Of course!" You see, a monthly parking permit would cost a car owner $75. The fine for non-display of a parking coupon is $30. So, even if he gets caught twice in a month for not displaying a coupon, it is still cheaper than the monthly $75 fee.

Me? I prefer peace of mind to cat-and-mouse games. I also love my car too much to embarrass her with a ticket shoved under her wiper. So, a coupon a day, sufficient for the one hour she stays outside before I bring her into the building legitimately.

What prompted this post? A few days ago as I was walking in after parking my black beauty, I came across a couple of parking attendants issuing tickets to some cars whose owners had blatently not displayed a single parking coupon. I knew they were employees at my organisation from the car labels. One guy, who had seen the ladies in white walking through the public carpark, came running out of the building like it was about to collapse on him. "Don't book me!", he yelled from about 150 metres away, "I'm here!".

As he approached the parking attendant (or more glamourously known as "Parking Enforcement Officer") who was hovering around his car, the lady yelled back "You can afford to buy a car but you can't even afford to display a 50 cent coupon".

Red-faced, the well-dressed company executive unlocked his car and punched out a fresh coupon.

While the parking attendant made a very good point, I hardly think it was in her place to make such a comment. I thought it was not only rude but very unbecoming of a public servant. What he can or cannot afford is really none of her concern.

Nevertheless, it was still very gracious of her to allow him to come place his coupon even though he had clearly violated the law. Being a parking attendant is a very tough and thankless job because it is almost always greeted with vociferous verbal abuse. Still, I'd ask that they carry out their duties and keep the opinions to themselves or fellow parking attendants over coffee.

My Bad

Lately, I realised that I have been apologising a lot. Sometimes, I am not even sure if I am in the wrong but the fact that it was something I said or did that triggered a reaction, no matter how insignificant, makes me feel lousy about myself.

My record for the most number of apologies? I'd have to say three in three days. That'll be this Monday, Tuesday and today!

Monday

My boss sent me an email last Thursday informing me to brief one of the Engineers regarding work to be done at 1 am on Monday morning. I had tried to seek out this Engineer till early Saturday morning but to no avail. This was because he was off. I had planned to call him on Sunday night to brief him but it slipped my mind. When I got to work on Monday evening, I was greeted with a "Did you brief **** on the system issue?" from my boss. I explained and he was understanding about it. Nevertheless, I apologised personally and via email.

Tuesday

My boss made a statement about members of my team playing our corporate online game. As all the top scorers were from my team, my boss felt that it might not bold well for our reputation as it may be viewed that we are "too free". I don't blame him. My team has been "blacklisted" by other departments way before I was re-assigned to lead them. This prompted an email from one of my surbordinates to my boss saying, in summary, "Why make a big deal about a small matter? Let others say what they want to." Personally, I thought it was uncalled for and since it was cc'ed to everyone, it showed a level of disrespect to him. As the team's supervisor, I emailed an apology to my boss - who was again very understanding about the matter.

Wednesday

I received an email from my fellow-supervisor who works days (I work nights) to a surbordinate asking him to install some hardware. It seemed like a lot of work so I emailed my fellow-supervisor to offer my team's assistance. At a meeting yesterday, I highlighted this issue and she said that our surbordinate could handle it on his own without issue. Case closed, or so I thought. Today, I received a relatively blunt mail from my co-supervisor saying, and again I summarise, "The email was sent out to everyone and if **** can't handle it, he will ask for help." I was definitely taken aback. There was nothing left to do but hit the "New Memo" button and populate it with apologies.

I don't think I am doing a very good job this week. I don't know. Maybe its age. Maybe I'm just losing steam. Or maybe I am really not cut out for Management work. After all, I am an Engineer by training.

I hope this unfortunate streak ends.

Average Joe

If you're ever in Australia and are suddenly craving a juicy Whopper, you're going to thank your lucky stars you've been following The Premster's blog.

Did you know that there isn't a "Burger King" in all of Australia? I jest not. Apparently, when Burger King wanted to expand its operations into Australia, they found that they were unable to register the name "Burger King" because there was already a small food outlet by that name and was trademarked. So, only in Australia, you'll have to seek out "Hungry Jack's" if you want to sink your teeth into a flame-broiled Whopper.

And if you're in Malaysia and you need a cup of joe? Check out their version of Starbucks.


Received this via email. Not sure who to credit this picture to but I thought I'd share it with you guys anyway.

Have a good one!

The Story Of Edwina

Sometime last week as I was making my way home after parking my car at about 3 am, I was stunned to see the usually dimly lighted playground that is exactly opposite our apartment all lit up in colours. Half alseep from being tired after work, I wracked my brain trying to figure out a reason for the "light up". No festivals or holidays came to mind. Then, my eyes started to focus... and the words "EDWINA" with a red heart at the end became clear.

Here's a shot taken from our apartment's kitchen window by Mrs Premster, who was tickled at the gesture of the young man who was hard at work putting the finishing touches to his masterpiece, made out of cyalume sticks, for a special girl named Edwina who apparently lives in our apartment block too.

"A proposal!", my dear romantic wife declared. "Lets hope so", I replied. "It'll be interesting if Edwina shows up from her late night out with another guy in tow", the pessimist in me continued.

So, from 3 am onwards, we stayed up in our apartment with this young man on the playground hoping to catch fireworks from the romantic gesture. By 6 am, no fireworks, no Edwina. Our domestic helper emerged from her room to ask if we had seen the set-up. She too had been following the saga from her window, which faced the same direction!

My wife and I had to leave home at about 7 am and as we stepped out of the house, we caught a clearer glimpse of the young man clad in a white t-shirt, white shorts and a white hat fumbling with his mobile phone desperately trying to call someone repeatedly. "Looks like Edwina was a no show. Not a proposal but what appears to be an apology and a desperate attempt to win his dear Edwina back", I told the Mrs, the pessimist in me gloating from being right.

As the young man's hopes diminished, so did the glow of his cyalume sticks, unable to keep up with the bright rays of the rising sun. Edwina was not to be. I made my own declaration of love to my wife. "If the cyalume sticks were still there and illuminated tonight, I'd re-arrange them to spell your name".

What can I say, I can be quite the romantic myself.

Size Doesn't Matter

Exactly a year ago today, my wife, our then 1 month old boy and I moved from our 1463 sq feet private apartment to our current public housing of approximately 1000 sq feet. It was purely circumstances that led us to move to smaller and simpler accomodation.

Although it was my idea to sacrifice another bigger apartment to be paid for over the next 20 odd years versus a smaller one that we can own immediately, I was extremely worried about my decision, one that would impact all of us, on moving day. All my life, I've lived in private housing. So did my wife. This is the first time either of us was to experience life in a Government-subsidised apartment. I remember begging under my breath "Please God, let this be a good decision" as I locked our former home for the very last time.

A year down the road, I'd have to say that the decision was not a bad one after all. Thank God. Although smaller, my wife has made it very cosy and comfortable for all of us. It is easier to clean and manage and for the first time in my life, I have everything (my home theatre and sound systems) set up the way I like. My wife has a kitchen she loves and The Devster has his very own playzone.

Aside from the comforts within our home, everything appears to be a stone's throw away. My wife takes the MRT to work everyday and it takes her a total of 25 minutes from the time she steps out the door to the time she sits at her desk. Although I drive to work (due to my late and long hours), it would actually take me less than 20 minutes to walk to my office!

The neighbourhood is fantastic too! There's a 24 hour food place about 10 minutes away by foot, a 24 hour clinic 5 minutes away, a regular wet-market about 5 minutes away and our block is surrounded by lots of playgrounds which I'd expect The Devster to be hanging out at when he's older. If we don't get our groceries from the wet-market, there is a major shopping mall which is about a 10 minute walk down the road and has a huge supermarket. This is the same mall where I bought my "Moses phone" recently. I love this mall because it has practically everything!

Aside from the tangible comforts, what makes this place immensely significant is the fact that this is really my very own family's home - where I am fully responsible for everyone's well-being. It is a huge responsibility where my every decision will fully affect everyone living under the same roof. Fortunately for me, I am blessed with a life-partner who is herself blessed with level-headedness and the ability to remaining calm under pressure - two traits I am sorely lacking in. Oh, and she's an excellent cook to boot!

All in all, we're very happy here. Recently, my wife and I were talking about the future and one thing was apparent - even if we could afford to move to more luxurious accomodations, it would be remarkably hard for us to leave our present home. Many lovely memories have been made here and I am sure there's more to come.

Home, sweet home.

Extreme Makeover - Home Edition

I mentioned sometime in July that Mrs Premster and I were putting together a dedicated playzone for The Devster. The playzone, imported from America, is up and running and our "ster" junior spends a good part of the day in it, playing with his toys, having lunch, a little TV entertainment and catching up on some leisure reading. Actually, he's into tearing the pages for now.

Anyway, I thought I'd post a picture of Dev's playzone. Here it is....

And here's our resident structural engineer checking to see if it is safe for occupation. (oops... no pants!)

As you can probably see, a large chunk of our living room is "gone". Thankfully, our ever-efficient domestic helper takes the playzone apart at the end of the day so that I get to stretch my legs out in front of the tele when I get home after a hard day's work.

This is how our place looked like just before we moved in.

Speaking of our home, look out for my upcoming post.

Jinxed - The Sequel

For the long time followers of the aptly titled "Things That Fill My Head" blog, you would have read my entry last year titled Jinxed.

Here's my latest annual report.

• Our relatively new washing machine has conked out. On its first cycle, water flows into the machine normally. But on the second and subsequent cycles, the machine decides to take it easy and water just trickles in. So, it officially takes almost two hours to complete a load of laundry.
• My car refused to start this afternoon. Got the boys in yellow (AA) to come by and replace the battery. Car started but now, one of my electronic gauges says that the engine's oil pressure is too low. "A leaking oil line or a faulty oil pump", declared the technician. *sigh*
• The water pipe from the water heater in the bathroom near the kitchen is leaking badly. This is, of course, a new water heater with a new pipe.
• My bluetooth headset has decided, for some reason or other, not to work with my mobile phone anymore. Resetting and re-pairing it doesn't help. Talk about miscommunication!

It is still early in the month. I'm sure the list will get longer. *sigh*

Rotten Apple

Did anyone hear of the new iPods launched last week? No? Then you've missed out on some earth-shattering news.

I've become quite the Apple fanboy in recent years. Last week when I heard that Apple was due to announce a slew of new iPods, I almost pee'd my pants. I found a website (Gizmodo, you guys rock!!) that was doing a live blog from the event and stayed with them as they blogged about buying coffee and bagels on the way to the Moscone Centre (where the event was held) till they announced new new iPod line up. Boy was it an exciting morning. Here in Singapore, the event started at about 1 am and I tracked it till about 3 am. Then, I waited some more till the Apple online stores updated their webpages with the new devices. I eventually retired to bed close to 6 am, tired but smiling.

I am in love with the new iPod Touch. It looks exactly like the Jesus phone (which I got to play with a few weeks ago) but without the phone features. It has a full touch screen interface except the home button at the bottom of the device. To watch videos in landscape mode, just turn the device from portrait position to landscape and the screen switches automatically. It comes with wifi so that you can connect to the Internet at any public wifi hotspot. It also has iTunes built-in and from any wifi hotspot, you can buy your tunes then and there. And for the Java (coffee, not the programming languange) junkies, there is even a tie up with Starbucks such that a Starbucks icon pops up if you're in the vicinity of one. You can then check out what tracks Starbucks is playing, listen and buy them on the spot. But I believe this feature is available only in the States for the moment.

Here's where things go very wrong and I truly hate Apple for it. The iPod Touch has a built-in calender that allows you to enter your appointments and alarms via its virtual keyboard. But a recent report said that Apple has intentionally disabled this feature on the iPod Touch, even though it shares the same software architecture as the iPhone. I think this is what they call "artificial product segmentation". So, its there, it works, but Apple won't let you use it. Its like I go to work and my boss ties one of my arms to intentionally make my job harder.

My usually high opinion of the Cupertino-based company has dropped more than a couple of notches.

Nevertheless, the new line up of portable music / video players from Apple is still impressive. I've got the Apple store open in another window and I'm just itching to click "Buy Now".

What else is new, right?

I Felt The Earth Move

At about 7:10 pm today, I was sitting at my office reading about the latest gadgets being announced and launched - to decide the best way to blow my hard-earned paycheck - when one of my Engineers turned to me and said "the building is shaking". "Nonsense! Its all in your head", came my immediate response. Another Engineer, also not feeling anything, nodded his head violently in approval.

A few minutes later, I felt it in my head - a dizzy feeling. Then I felt it physically - our office building was actually swaying!

Being employed in a major news and media company, I called the newsroom to enquire if there were reports of earth tremors around Singapore. A friend in the newsroom said "We're swampped with calls from all over Singapore!" and hung up in a rush. As I hung up, my wife called me to say that she could feel major tremors at her office!

Looking through the major news websites, I found out that there was a major undersea earthquake of magnitude 8 in Jakarta. Jakarta authorities has since issued a Tsunami warning.

If we could feel the tremors here in Singapore, I can't imagine how it would be like in Jakarta. I hope everyone is alright.

More on the news and a video can be found here.

Little Boy Blues

Our little boy was ill over the last couple of days.

It was a very worrying time for us. The Devster (I'm calling him that from now on) has fallen ill before but he never had a fever spike at close to 39 degrees celsius. I was asleep when our domestic help called my wife at work (instead of waking me!) to say that our boy had a fever. My wife tried calling me on my mobile phone but having had only two hours of sleep, I was in too deep to hear. By the time I noticed the missed call and text message, our help was just about to step out the door with our boy to meet my wife at the clinic. Still in a daze from lack of sleep, it took me awhile to put the pieces together.

Later in the day as I was getting ready to leave for work, I checked on The Devster and found that his fever had not improved even after two doses of medication. Popped a ear thermometer in his ear and found that the stupid batteries were dead. As if on cue, Murphy decides to rear his ugly head when I found that our usually well-stocked battery drawer had no batteries! As I started tearing through my 10 remote controls to find a usable set of batteries to get at least one temperature reading, I called my boss to say that I needed half a day's leave. As I got off the phone, I found a set of batteries from my TV remote and popped it into the thermometer. Reading - 38.5 degrees. "To the doctors, we go", I told The Devster. He seemed excited about the prospect of a mid-week outing. Oh, and so was our domestic help. She quickly slipped in "Shall I come?", trying hard to sound helpful. I told her to get ready and called my wife, who was already on the way back from work.

We brought him to the hospital. After the routine checks, the doctor requested that he be given a suppository. About an hour after, his fever came down. We've heard horror stories about how high fevers can cause seizures and brain damage so we were definitely heaving a sigh of relief when his fever dropped below the 38 degrees mark.

It was a harrowing experience for the both of us, but more for our little fella as he has no way of communicating how he is feeling. I am glad to report that he is much better today and he's back to putting my remote controls in his mouth and fondling my sound systems.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Beach Boy

Last Saturday, I decided to bring the whole family out. Usually, its my wife, our litle boy and I or my wife, Eddie, Casey and I or my wife, our little boy and our domestic help. I was feeling a little down last week and thought getting everyone out of the house for some fresh air would be fun and would do me some good. So, we did. I can't believe that we managed to squeeze my wife, Dev, our domestic help, Eddie, Casey and I into our sports sedan.

At least I now understand why sports cars are not for family men. *wink*

Where did we go? To the beach at East Coast Park. We've regularly brought Dev to the beach when he was comfortably resting in his Mummy's tummy but not after. So, we thought it would be the best place to go.

We got there at about 4:30 pm and the place was packed. We took a walk and after about 20 minutes, found ourselves at the jetty. We walked on to the jetty and stopped at a nice cool location. Dev was overwhelmed at the sight of the sea. As the waves hit the shores, he smiled and suddenly found the need to "wave" back!

Casey was extremely well-behaved but not Eddie. A little girl, about 3 - 4 years old, saw him and decided to pull her Daddy along to meet the cute small white and brown "puppy". As she approached, Eddie suddely barked loudly at her, sending her running back to Daddy. My wife had to apologise as I voiced my disapproval with Eddie. "Bad dog!", something that works wonders at home, fell on deaf (and pointy) ears. Eddie was more interested in luring people to him with his charming good looks and then scaring them away.

We ended the evening by walking to a nearby food centre where I went to all my usual favourites and ordered their specials to go. We would have liked to stay on for dinner there but alas, dogs are not allowed in food establishments - even the open air ones like the food centre at East Coast Park.

Here are some pictures.

Eddie - Waiting for his next victim

The Beach - At East Coast Park

Hmmm... wonder where we'll find ourselves this weekend. Have a great week ahead!

Tagged! - I'm It

I got tagged discretely by the effervescent Ghasheema. So here goes. First, the rules....

The system:

In the 8 facts about [name], you share 8 things that your readers don’t know about you. At the end, you tag 8 other bloggers to keep the fun going. Each blogger must post these rules first. Each blogger starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves. At the end of the post, a blogger needs to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog...

1. I had a lot of lofty ambitions growing up. I wanted to be Six Million Dollar Man, Starsky, Man From Atlantis, BJ, Rick Hunter and just before common sense hit me, Michael Knight. Trust me when I say my parents were very worried when I talked excitedly about driving big red rigs and black talking cars.

2. When I am contemplating getting a new gadget / device, I tend to lose a lot of sleep. I only get restful sleep once it has been purchased. Obsessive? Nope. Just passionate.

3. I love the idea of living on a beach or near the ocean. I love the view of the sea and to be able to just come out of my home to see and smell the sea is like heaven on earth. Fortunately me, I do live near water. There is a huge drain not too far away.

4. I must absolutely sleep with a bolster. No bolster, no sleep. Take away my bolster and then put the idea of buying a new gadget in my head and I will be a total wreck.

5. If there is something on my plate I don't really enjoy, I usually force that down my throat first. Then, I enjoy the rest peacefully. My wife thinks I am a true vegetable lover.

6. I absolutely love watches and have quite a number. When I was a little boy, I could never convince my Dad to get me those fancy watches I saw in magazines. So, I'd cut out the watch face from the advertisement, stick it to a long strip of paper and wear it around my wrist, securing the "watch strap" with paper-clip. I would wear it on every outing and family events. After a few days, my Dad would buy it for me. I guess he wanted to reward me for my ingenuity.

7. I believe that we are all living in the Matrix. I am waiting to be offered the red pill only. The blue pill is synonymous with erectile dysfunction.

8. I absolutely hate drawers or cupboards that are left open or ajar. Even chairs at the dining table that are not pushed back after use irks the living daylights out of me. Drawers and cupboards must remain closed fully - period.

I really don't have 8 bloggers to tag. So.... eenie... meenie.... minee.... Phoenix, Eshda3wa and The Princess.

Manhood

Warning : Not for the squeamish. Read at your own risk.

Eddie, our dog and everyone's best friend, lost his "manhood" last Friday. To put it technically, we had him neutered. It was a difficult decision for my wife and I to make for someone we love very much but I guess it had to be done.

You see, lately, Eddie has been feeling a little more needy than usual. It is no wonder especially with our little boy in our lives. Its hard to spread the little time my wife and I have between the three. Emphasis will always be for our little boy but we are constantly feeling guilty when we shower attention on him and Eddie and Casey are somewhat neglected.

To compensate for this, Eddie has been trying to "get it on", for a lack of a more elegant term, with Casey. And Casey, being the strong feminist that she is, hasn't allowed Eddie to get his way - ever! This is apparently causing Eddie a lot of frustration and the two end up fighting regularly these days. So, we had to nip it... er... in the bud.

Eddie has his needs. And it is painfully obvious that Casey doesn't. Perhaps that is our fault too - cos we got her spayed when she was just 6 months old. We needed to help Eddie. So, we did some research on the Internet as well as gathering some background from our vet. As it turned out, the process of neutering has some benefits for dogs. For one, he will no longer be prone to testicular cancer or prostate diseases. Dogs tend to occupy a large part of our hearts but live unduly short lives. By doing this, we minimise the risk of him having diseases that are difficult to treat and ensuring that he lives a long and healthy life. Also, his "needs" will be significantly reduced thus helping him get off Casey's back - literally. One of the other minor benefits is that he will no longer feel the need to leave his calling card at every possible lamp-post.

So, after a few weeks of discussion and decision-making, we agreed to have it done. I felt bad for Eddie the night before for taking something so precious away from him. Being a guy, I would understand. On the way to the vet's, I kept patting him as I was driving telling him that it would be ok. He was dropped off at 10 am and we were told to pick him up at 6:30 pm.

Being the anxious people we are, we got to the vet's at 6 pm. I was concerned for Eddie. Although the doctor assured us that the procedure was routine and there was nothing to be worried about, it still caused me a lot of nervousness. When we got to see him at around 6:45 pm, we were met with a severely groggy Jack Russell who was just waiting to get out of the metal cage that kept him prisoner for the last few hours. His surgery went well. All that is left of where Eddie's family jewels used to be "displayed" appears to be an empty sack resembling a shrivelled prune.

As he tried to leap out into my arms in that sleepy state, I tried to grab him but flinched when I remembered that he had stitches. At that instant, I felt a pain myself - in the same "geographical" location. I think it is called "sympathy pain". I tried very hard to steady him. I think the vet saw the worry (and pain) in my face and comforted me with "dogs are more resilient to pain than we give them credit for".

This was so true. Although Eddie had strict instructions (through us) not to run around, indulge in rough play or jump around, he started hopping onto our relatively high sofa and taking leaps onto the raised up area that is our dining room a couple of hours after he got home. Although a slight limp was noticible, it was obvious the pain didn't bother Eddie too much. But not me. Everytime he hopped onto the sofa, I'd wince just thinking of the pain.

Eddie is still within his recovery period but I am glad to say that he's doing well and running around happily as though a weight has been lifted. Ok, bad joke. But I am glad to see that he appears to be calmer and well-behaved.

More about neutering and spaying can be found here.

Eating Insects

I have come to the definitive conclusion that children's nursery rhymes and songs are highly disturbing.

It sounds all nice and cheery but when you analyse the lyrics, they can be quite worrying. Although I've talked about it before, nothing I've described is as disturbing as this song that I heard while one of my son's CDs was playing in our living room.

Check this out....

There Was An Old Woman

There was an old woman who swallowed a fly,
I don't know why she swallowed a fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old woman who swallowed a spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old woman who swallowed a bird,
How absurd! to swallow a bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old woman who swallowed a cat,
Imagine that! to swallow a cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old woman who swallowed a dog,
What a hog! to swallow a dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old woman who swallowed a goat,
Just opened her throat! to swallow a goat,
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old woman who swallowed a cow,
I don't know how she swallowed a cow!
She swallowed the cow to catch the goat,
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old woman who swallowed a horse,
She's dead! — of course!

I asked Mrs Prem about buying such a disturbing CD for our son. As it turns out, it is a children's classic! Here's a video!

Suddenly, Rihanna's "Umbrella" doesn't sound so bad for a 1 year old.

Umbrella (Chorus) - Rihanna

When the sun shines
We’ll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be your friend
Took an oath
I'm ma stick it out 'till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we still have each other
You can stand under my Umbrella
You can stand under my Umbrella

That's more like it. A song about friendship, sharing and protecting oneself from the rain.

*sigh*

I'm One!

Hellooo everyone! I'm Dev! I hope you don't mind me borrowing Daddy's bloggie to share my birthday celebration with you!

Did you know I turned one year old last Sunday? I didn't too! I woke up nice and early as usual and when Mummy brought me into the living room, there were colourful buntings on the ceiling that said "Happy Birthday" and a whole bunch of balloons on the table ready to be inflated! I giggled with delight because I knew I was going to have a good day. What surprised me more was that Daddy was up and about too - which is rare on a Sunday because he sleeps in till way past noon. Don't tell him I told you but Daddy LOVES sleeping.

Mummy had bought me some new clothes last Friday and I got to wear those. I looked totally cool. Daddy, Mummy and I headed out and went to the temple. We all prayed and then we left to go to the mall that was near our home. I was excited to hear that we were there to collect my first birthday cake! It was huge! Daddy said it was 2 K G. What does K G mean? Anyway, it had a lot of cream and my favourite character, Spot. Spot is like Eddie, always running everywhere with his ball. I've never tasted cake before so I was really excited!

By the time I got home, I was tired from all the excitement. Mummy and Daddy had a few more errands to run so I decided to stay home to get some rest. By the time I woke up, Daddy and Mummy were back with food and the balloons were all inflated and had streamers hanging from under them! Our home looked so colourful!

Not long after, Grandpa and Grandma came. Grandma showered me with kisses and Grandpa bought me a nice birthday suit. It was a real suit, not the usual definition of "birthday suit". *wink* Mummy helped put it on and I looked really smart - like James Bond Jr!

Here's when I got upset. When it was time to cut the cake, Daddy insisted that he help me cut it and held my hand. But I am already one year old! So, we struggled a little and since Daddy was stronger, I had to bring out the big guns - I started to kick up a fuss! It worked! And when I was about to blow out the candles, Mummy thought I might not be able to do it and she did it on my behalf! No fun! *humph*

Anyway, we all had cake and the adults sat together to have dinner. And after dinner, we all sat around to chat a little. I tried to share my thoughts but despite my intellectual input, all the adults could do was mimic whatever I say and then laugh. *sigh* I'll never understand them.

And the best part of a birthday besides the cake? Presents!! Daddy and Mummy got me a Lego set for little ones like me. So, you can imagine the size of those blocks. I can't wait to grow up so that I can get a regular Lego set like the ones Daddy plays with. Oops... that was supposed to be a secret too. Ssshhh! Uncle W, Daddy's best friend, bought me a push-car which I can drive with a steering that looks like a motorcycle's. Very cool! Way cooler than Daddy's car! Too bad its a single seater, if not I could give Mummy a ride to the market to buy my favourite Sweet Potatoes.

Before long, everyone left and I was really tired. I had a bath, a nice tall warm bottle of milk before turning in. I had loads of fun and am really excited about my next birthday celebration. I'm guessing it's this weekend?

Anyway, here's to my 1st birthday! As the adults always say - Bottoms up! I'm doing it in my picture. See?


I now return you to your regular programming. Over to you, Daddy! *hehehe*

TJ Beary Hurt

As it turns out, my son is a huge Jackie Chan fan. Although I've not witnessed it personally, my wife has told me that he is usually transfixed when good ol' Jackie does his stuff on TV.

As a Daddy, it is quite the relief to know that he is into the "macho" stuff. It is a bigger relief to know that I wouldn't have to deal with a massive coronary worrying about him showing interest in Barbie dolls over GI Joe action figures.

Anyway, for his first Christmas (in 2006), I came across a loveable toy called TJ Bearytales and having seen it in action, I decided that this was something I must get for our little boy. This is a bear which tells stories and sings in a cute, slightly raspy child-like voice. To make the little fella appear real, TJ (short for Theodore James) Bearytales has some really impressive animatronics - just like the cute, yet life-like characters that are created in Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Here's a video of TJ performing "The Story Box Song".

Since Christmas, TJ became so much a part of our little boy's playtime that he became quite real to us too. We'd watch with facination how TJ would tell stories with so much expression and excitement with our little boy sitting and listening intently. I have even found myself unconsciously asking "How are you today, TJ?" as I pass the toy with his switch in the "off" position.

Last week, my wife brought TJ to me and said that TJ wasn't responding correctly. His mouth no longer moved, his ears no longer wiggled and he started taking his time telling stories with long pauses in between. Suspecting weak batteries, we got new ones and popped them in. It didn't work. I later learnt that our son had put some Jackie Chan moves on the poor little bear and, in my "medical" opinion, has most likely "broken his neck or spine". I felt sad for TJ because he was no longer the same fella we knew and loved.

In my son's defense, TJ was meant to be for kids 3 years or older. So, I guess it is my fault for getting TJ "hurt".

I think our boy sensed that there is something not quite right with his "friend" and these days, appears to be more gentle with him. Over the last few days, I have seen him gently leaning forward and giving TJ a kiss on his nose as TJ goes on about going on a safari or his adventures with a ladybug.

To the guys at Hasbro and Playskool, my hats off to you for making such an adorable toy that always puts a smile on everyone's faces - both young and old.

And I guess I should be grateful that my son hasn't become a fan of the high-pitched, quick talking Chris Tucker - as seen playing Jackie Chan's sidekick in the Rush Hour movie and sequels.

Time Out

I'm confused.

Isn't it a sign of love when you give a cute, soft and cuddly teddy bear to a loved one or a child?

My wife and I have been doing some online shopping over the last few days for our little boy, who will be turning one in a few weeks. So far, we've blown quite a tidy sum on a dedicated play area (two of them, to be exact) for him. This will officially turn our so-called "designer" home into what would resemble the kiddy area in your local McDonald's outlet. While the play area will keep him protected from our doggies (they love licking him!) and other possible hazards, it'll also protect my expensive (by my meagre financial standards) hi-fi / home theatre setup from a very curious little boy who simply adores buttons and lights. Oops... side-tracked.

One of my searches turned up this little teddy bear with what looks like a kitchen timer stuffed into his tummy. With that, the Time Out Bear is born. When your little one misbehaves, you can "set" a time-out for him or her on the bear's timer. To futher enhance punishment / humiliation, the smile on the bear's face looks like he's mocking your little one.

Aside from this, I can think of other practical purposes. You can have one in the kitchen as a decorative item that can double up as a timer for cooking / baking.

And if you're severely attention deprived, turn the dial and carry it through any airport security station. I guarantee you'll be the talk of the town.

For all it can do, it's a steal at US$19.98.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Hero In China

Growing up, among the many ambitions I had, I wanted to be a super hero. I constantly wished that I had some hidden power that would suddenly be unleashed by a knock on the head or something less dramatic as over-exposure to GSM radiation from excessive mobile phone usage. So, Superman, Spiderman, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Flash, The Man From Atlantis and Wonder Woman were among those I revered.

Ok, I admired Wonder Woman for very different reasons. *wink*

So, you can probably imagine my facination when the TV show Heroes came along. For the uninitiated, it is about regular people who suddenly find that they have super-human abilities and are forced to live and cope with their "gift". And since then, when no one is looking, I've been trying to see if there's another "me" in the mirror, watch paper cuts heal (they just clot!), walk through walls (that explains the headaches) and concentrate on clocks to see if I can get the second hand to go backwards.

It almost worked on the clock we have in our bathroom a few days back. As I was staring at it, the second hand suddenly stopped! I almost shouted "Yatta!" - thats "I did it", in Japanese! But alas, it turned out that clock's battery coincidently ran out. *sigh*

While I'll never be a Hero like my favourite character, Hiro Nakamura (see picture), there is man in China who apparently pumps 220 volts of electricity into himself - purely for exercise. He's known to be able light lightbulbs and cook fish in under two minutes while "plugged in".

Known as the Electric Man, Mr Zhang Deke, 71, uses his power (pun intended) only for good. After he's charged up, he can apparently heal people suffering from rheumatism and arthritis.

Don't rush off to China, Dr Mohinder Suresh, the guys at Spluch already found him.

The Hunt For Mocca E90

While people in New York and San Francisco were queueing to get their hands on the "Jesus phone", I was on a hunt for a gadget that was due to be launched at 9 am on the very last day of June in Singapore. I've waited eagerly for this device to arrive since it was announced and by hook or crook, I was going to get my hands on one on launch day!

Not having had much sleep since I worked the night before, I woke up bright and early (out of excitement and anticipation) to grab my "Moses" phone. Why "Moses" phone? You'll find out soon enough.

After visiting the temple, something my wife and I do every Saturday, we made our way down to one of the major mobile phone outlets in Orchard Road to pick up the Nokia E90 (Mocca - colour). By the time we got there in the early part of the afternoon, there was already a crowd. "They're probably getting the regular phones. Not many will go for such a high-end business phone, dear", my wife comforted me after noticing the nervous look on my face. We got to the customer service counter and the minute I opened my mouth and said "E90", "Sold out this morning already! New stocks in 2 weeks only!", came the reply. My heart sank dragging my smile and spirit down with it.

"Lets try the other outlets around here. There's a Nokia retailer across the road", my wife tried to cheer me up. We made our way across to the other shopping centre via the underpass. Of course, it was "sold out" when we got there! I couldn't believe my luck, or the lack of.

"We're going to United Square later to get some toys for Dev, right? Lets try the shops there", my wife said, trying to remain positive. But no matter how hard she tried, even she was losing hope. Anyway, I called a shop there that I knew. "Yes, sir. We have stock.". That missing smile returned to my face.

Not wanting to waste anymore time in Orchard Road, we got to our car and I did what is equivalent to a Formula One type lap to United Square - some 20 odd minutes away. I could just imagine that tech-filled gadget being in the palm of my hand in just a few short minutes away. I stepped into the shop and proudly ask "I would like to buy the E90". "Just sold out, sir!", came the shop assistant's response. My mind screamed "Why God, why?"

So, I officially gave up. No E90 today, I guess. We went to get Dev's toys at a Toys 'R' Us sale and decided to head to do some grocery shopping at a shopping mall just a 5 minute walk from our home.

When we got there, we headed straight to the supermarket but just before entering, my wife remembered a shop selling mobile phones upstairs. "I'll bet you $100 they don't have stock of the E90", I told my wife. She smiled weakly without saying a word. I think she was drained from the Amazing Race like island-wide hunt for this elusive device.

We walked into the crowded shop close to 7 pm and approached a nervous looking sales promoter standing at the doorway. I asked limply "Do you happen to have stock of the new E90?". "Yes, sir. Stocks just in!" My head turned quickly to my wife in disbelief. She was smiling widely. So, I didn't hear him wrongly! I went over to the counter and asked again nervously, afraid that this young man might have mistaken the model I was asking for. "Yes, let me get it for you." Like a new alkaline battery just popped in, I sprung back to life.

The salesman opened an insignificant looking cupboard in the corner and he turned to ask "Red or Mocca?". "Mocca!", I shouted back, giving him a concurrent thumbs-up as I caught a whiff of what coincidently appeared to be brewed coffee coming from the coffee outlet one floor down. Out from that cupboard came a cling-wrapped box with white bold letters that said "Nokia E90 Communicator".




Twenty minutes and slightly over a thousand Singapore dollars later, I was the proud owner of the E90. As I write this, it is sitting beside me like an anxious little puppy waiting to show off what it can do. Needless to say, I was already impressed with its specifications when Nokia announced it was making the device.

Despite the possibility and eventual reality of the huge expenditure on the part of her gadget-obsessed husband, my wife was very supportive of what was important to me. That meant more to me than actually getting the device. Thank you, dear!

And the "Moses" reference? Notice how the device parts in the middle? *wink*

Hope you had as much fun over the weekend as I did.

Waiting For Tomorrow

When I wake up tomorrow, the world I know when I go to bed tonight will no longer exist. Worried? Don't be. It'll be a much better place.

Why the dramatic talk? Well, mark your calender folks as tomorrow, the 29th of June, will be commemorated in the books of history. This is the day that will make Alexander Graham Bell dance in his grave. This is the day telecommunication, as we know it, will change forever. This is the day that the Apple iPhone will be launched.

The new all touch-screen device is so technically advanced that it has been touted in the industry as the "Jesus phone". Why "Jesus phone", you ask? Maybe its because when you first try it, the only thing that comes out of your mouth would be "Oh my God!".

People have been waiting for this device to be launched since it was announced sometime last year.

Think it is all just hype? Then here are the bare facts.

• People have been reporting iPhone sightings regularly on the Internet. Check out some of these articles here, here and here. It is so big a deal that apparently, alien and UFO sightings are no longer popular. Sorry, Mulder and Scully.
  
  
• If you've been touched by the hand of God and have been blessed with an iPhone before the rest of the world, please do not flaunt it in public just yet. A man was purportedly mugged in Japan for carrying what appeared to be an iPhone. What makes this mugging really sad is that the iPhone is not even launched yet and Japan does not have a GSM network, so it might never be sold (or work) there.
  
  
• As you read this, there is a man who has been queueing at Apple's New York store since Monday, 25th June. He is aiming to be the first person to get his greasy, grubby hands on a sweet, svelte iPhone and considering he is 5 days early, he'll definitely be. I'm so jealous.
  
  
• If you're unlike McSweaty (Mac pun and Grey's Anatomy reference intended) and don't wish to queue for your very own out-of-this-world device, then let your money do the queueing for you. You can now pay someone who will stand in line, day and night, rain or shine, to get an iPhone for you. How's that for enterprising College students?

Still not convinced? Alright, time for me to bring out the big guns.

Sadly, no iPhone in sight for the poor gadget-hankering addicts in other parts of the world like yours truly. For now, it's back to drooling all over my keyboard while watching tech videos of the device and grinding my teeth while I sleep in anticipation of its arrival on our shores in 2008.

*sigh*

Update (29 June 07 12:40 am) : McSweaty is more of a celebrity than I thought. Click here!

Getting Back To Business

Sometime in February, I mentioned about a situation I was facing and promised to share more when I could. The time has come.

As you probably know, my father was a businessman and a teacher. He ran a private school here which he started from scratch in 1957, about 12 years before I was born. He started by renting a classroom from a Government school and with what little he had, bought one table, one chair and one typewriter. He taught typwriting to students, one at a time in two hour blocks. This went on daily from Monday to Saturday. Slowly, one typewriter became two and two became four. A few years later, he successfully ran a few schools where the student population reached thousands. His speciality? Commercial subjects.

He enjoyed his work as a teacher. Many students that came his way could not qualify or afford to further their education at the University. He taught them, class by class, and encouraged them to sit for examinations through prestigious examination bodies based in London. Many students did very well and this allowed them to apply for good jobs commanding high salaries. A few of these students who called me after hearing of my father's passing expressed their gratitude to him and the school he ran. I always knew that my father was a teacher but it is only after he died that I learnt how much of an impact he had made in his students' lives.

When my father passed away, I was a mess. The school was in no better shape than I was. This was because over the last 10 years, he didn't do much to upkeep or improve the school. Increased competition did not help, of course. The root cause was the loss of my mother, whom he originally taught at the school, fell in love with after, married and became his "business partner". Her death took quite a toll on him and this reflected in the poor performance of the business. A part of him died when my mother died. So did the school.

Before he died, my father expressed his desire for the school to continue to operate past his time. This was a tough call for me when he died. Having lost my father, saddled with a mountain of hospital bills and loans, my regular work as an Engineer and a baby on the way, the last thing I needed on my plate was a business that was hanging on a thread. So, I went in and fixed what I could to the best of my limited abilities and experience and handed it off to a distant relative of my father's, a young and enthusiastic fellow. While it pained me to give up something that was so dear and invaluable to my father, I was left with very little choice. Some nights in the darkness of my room, I'd just lay in bed thinking how I've severely disappointed my father.

In February this year, I was called in to help with this very relative's employment renewal and upon probing into the status of the school, I found that it was in trouble. This was contrary to what he was constantly portraying to me. Finances were a mess, the workflow I put in place was not adhered to and the school was slowly sinking into the red. When I handed the school to him, I hoped he would look after it like his own (considering he initially tearfully begged me for a job there) and get things off the ground. Sadly, nothing was done and he ran it like an employee without a boss. My father's years of sweat and blood was sinking deeper and deeper. To make matters worse, my wife, who was helping me tidy up the accounts recently, found that he had been borrowing business funds for his personal use when he found money was tight for him! I had enough!

As of 1 June, I have reprised my role as Managing Director of the school, just the way my father wanted it to be. I am slowly putting things back to order and am in the midst of revamping the business. It is a very long and tiring process where I am constantly banging my head against the proverbial brick wall. But I hope that my father, wherever he may be, will guide my hand in bringing his business back from the brink to what it was reminiscent of in the old days.

This year, the school celebrates its 50th anniversary. I wish my father were here to celebrate it with me. I know I can never have this wish granted so I now ask to be blessed with the strength and determination to keep it going successfully for 50 years more.

My apologies for the lengthy post. Wish me luck.