Things That Fill My Head

Who Is The Premster?

2008-06-09T13:03:00.003+08:00

Guess who's back?

Love Is In The Air

2008-01-16T09:18:00.000+08:00

I am in love again!

No words can describe it,

As they say, a picture says a thousand words.

So, here it is.... the Apple Macbook Air.

Do visit Apple... and learn to fall in love all over again.

*sigh*

Reflecting Back - 2007

2007-12-31T00:20:00.000+08:00

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

2007-11-28T20:58:00.000+08:00

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

2007-11-23T23:23:00.000+08:00

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?

2007-11-11T23:59:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-31T00:12:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-14T00:06:00.000+08:00

"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

2007-10-07T13:55:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-04T00:06:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-03T22:07:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-02T23:53:00.000+08:00

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

2007-09-23T23:45:00.000+08:00

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

2007-09-15T23:57:00.000+08:00

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

2007-09-14T00:21:00.000+08:00

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

2007-09-13T00:11:00.001+08:00

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

2007-09-12T23:30:00.000+08:00

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

2007-09-12T20:30:00.000+08:00

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

2007-09-07T20:37:00.000+08:00

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

2007-09-03T23:52:00.000+08:00

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

2007-08-24T01:00:00.000+08:00

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

2007-08-16T22:16:00.000+08:00

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

2007-08-08T21:14:00.000+08:00

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!

2007-07-30T22:43:00.000+08:00

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

2007-07-24T21:50:00.000+08:00

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

2007-07-13T23:49:00.000+08:00

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

2007-07-10T23:20:00.000+08:00

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

2007-07-02T23:05:00.000+08:00

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

2007-06-28T21:30:00.000+08:00

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

2007-06-25T21:37:00.000+08:00

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.

First Daddy's Day

2007-06-18T23:23:00.000+08:00

I celebrated my first Father's Day yesterday.

It was bitter-sweet for me. Firstly, I still find it hard to believe that the young and mostly irresponsible fella has not only aged but become a Father. Getting old is one thing but to be a Daddy to a 10 month old boy is overwhelming, to say the least. There are many days when I feel that I've failed him miserably as a Daddy when work and other projects take up so much of my time. But what makes me feel terrible is that my little boy is so eager to forgive my neglect. His toothless smile and his casual "hey" (not sure where he picked that up) whenever he sees me says it all. To see those two reactions mean the world to me.

Yesterday, I also remembered when I celebrated Father's Day as a son. Two Father's Days have gone by since I lost my own Dad. I remember the days leading up to Father's Day where he'd remind me not to spend money unnecessarily. Not that he was reminding me about Father's Day (he knew I wouldn't forget) but he really didn't like the idea of money not spent wisely. I remember the usual warning he'd deliver. He'd say sternly "Don't go out and spend money on another watch!" Considering the number of watches I've bought him over the years, I think it was justified.

Guess what I got as a Father's Day gift from my wife and little boy?? A watch! (see picture)

Wherever my Dad is now, I'll bet he was laughing!

Happy Father's Day to all Dads out there.

Day At The Spa

2007-06-15T21:34:00.000+08:00

Since my wife was at work and I had a few hours to kill today before heading to the office myself, I decided to bring my special girl to the spa for a little tender loving care.

Thought I'd take some shots of her getting pampered to share with everyone.

Here she is when we arrived at the spa at 2 pm. Since there were two other hotties getting the full spa treatment, she had to wait a little.

Finally, its her turn. Her "therapist" brings her into the shower area for a gentle bath in preparation for her "skin" treatment.

Here she is, getting hosed down. She's having a great time!

She's getting the spa special - a special soap and clay bar treatment. The clay bar is used with soap to get rid of "skin" blemishes.

She then goes behind the scene (no cameras allowed) to get her manicure, pedicure, a massage and the works. Ok, cameras are allowed but I went shopping at a nearby toy store instead. ;)

When I got back, she was all dolled up, like an elegant lady in black, waiting patiently for me to take her for a night on the town to be admired. Isn't she gorgeous?

Its a pity I could only take her to work. Oh well, guys there oogle at her too and I think she likes the attention.

Have a good weekend, all!

Customer Service Kudos

2007-06-12T21:25:00.001+08:00

Customer Service Officers are unsung heroes of many organisations, large and small.

Being a Supervisor for my company's Information Technology Helpdesk, I know how my staff are sometimes verbally abused for faults and problems that are just part and parcel of high-technology. If something malfunctions, callers would insist that it be fixed immediately, as though we were bored out of our minds and decided to take down the system just for fun.

People forget that it takes time to troubleshoot and fix problems. Has anyone who was ill gone to see a doctor and insisted on being cured immediately? I digress.

Last Saturday, as a result of losing her phone, my wife and I headed down to our mobile service provider to shop for a new phone. While she was browsing for a suitable replacement for her lost Treo 650, I was observing people, as I often do. No, not oogling - just observing.

While at the counter waiting for a representative to check on the availibility of a phone my wife had picked out (ok ok, I convinced her to buy!), a Customer Service Officer was busy greeting people, asking them how she could help and taking an appropriate queue number for them if she couldn't. Here's one conversation that irked me.

Customer Service Officer : Good afternoon sir, how may I help you today?

Male Customer (irritated) : Its a long story! Can you help me? If you can, I'll tell you the whole story. If you can't, I'm not going to waste my time. Just give me a queue number and let me speak to someone who can actually help.

Customer Service Officer (crestfallen) : Here's a queue number, sir.

I fumed at the attitude the CSO had to deal with. Then came this lady....

Customer Service Officer : Good afternoon ma'am, how may I help you today?

Lady Customer (in one breath) : I have a Blackberry but my Blackberry doesn't work now. I have taken my Blackberry to the Blackberry service centre but the people at Blackberry said that they could repair my Blackberry. So, I have come to buy a new Blackberry.

Customer Service Officer (with a straight face) : Here's a queue number, ma'am.

Premster : *giggling*

I know for a fact that I could never do the job of a Customer Service Officer based on my lousy temper and my practically non-existent tolerance for nonsense.

So, to all the people who have to go to their Customer Service jobs daily and have to deal with such people, I take my hat off to you.

Lost Treo

2007-06-11T21:48:00.000+08:00

My wife, who has been using my Treo 650 for about six months now, lost it last Friday. She had left it on her office desk and went to attend to some work and when she remembered it a few hours later, it was gone. Although it didn't really bother me that it was lost, what I found odd was that it was stolen while in a high-security Government building! How's that for irony?

Anyway, my wife was quite shaken by the thought of losing the device, one that she had grown to appreciate. She was close to tears when she called to tell me about it. I can't say I wasn't sad to hear that it was missing but these things happen. According to what I've heard, Singapore has one of the highest rate of handphones being lost or stolen. The best part is, the Inforcomm Development Authority Of Singapore (IDA) - our regulatory body for information communication and data technology - indirectly and unwittingly "supports" such theft by not assisting victims to disable stolen phones via the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number, citing high cost and network delays as a result of such traces. So, the perpetrator gets away scot-free.

In countries like Malaysia and in the UK, systems to disable phones via IMEI numbers are available to all mobile subscribers and this helps curb handphone theft as once an IMEI number has been red-flagged in the "lost" database, the phone is rendered useless to anyone who has it. Here's a story of how blocking IMEIs can help reduce handphone theft. I find it sad, not to mention disgraceful, that a technologically advanced country such as ours is unable to have such a system in place.

For now, I've lodged a police report and hope that they will check with the service providers against the IMEI number of my missing Treo 650. If they find the culprit, I will ensure that he / she will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

For all mobile phone users out there, please ensure you have your IMEI number recorded and kept. Your service provider might be able to help track down your phone in the event it is lost or stolen. And even if it is not recovered, you'll be able to sleep better knowing that whoever took your phone will never be able to use it at all.

Burning Bridges

2007-06-05T15:00:00.000+08:00

Lately, I've been burning bridges. No, I've not given up my day job to become an arsonist.

In the recent years, I've come to realise that family is over-rated. I've come to realise that the people who I've grown up with and trusted with my life have their own agendas and they'll happily sacrifice me for them. I've come to realise that while I have gone out of my way to help my family throughout the years, they've treated me as an inconvenience they have to live with. As a relative put it to me a few days before my mother passed away, some twelve years ago at the waiting area of a hospital's emergency unit where my mother was taken to, "I am not sure what our relationship will be if your mother is no longer around". I think that said it all.

To be an integral member of the family, the laws are as follows. Please note that the term "elders" has no reference to people of wisdom or integrity - just older people in a family.

(1) You must not and cannot have an opinion of your own. If you chose to have an opinion, especially one that goes against an "elder", you stand alone. Only nephews and neices who are willing to sacrifice their spines and agree to whatever is dished out by the "elders" are valued.

(2) Be humble and realise that someone else's problem is always bigger than yours. If you say you're facing difficulty, someone else in the family is facing an even more difficult situation than you are - for sure. If you're having a headache, someone else has a migrane. If you have a migrane, someone else will have a brain tumor. The same goes for flu, cough, joint pain or any other ailment.

(3) Learn to drop as many names as possible. "I know xxxxx" where xxxxx is the name of a celebrity / politician / journalist / famous doctor /etc. Whoever knows the most people in these categories or is higher up in the social heirarchy carries the most weight. A variant of Rule (2) applies. Eg. "I know Tom Cruise." Response? "Really? I know Nicole Kidman." or "I know Tom Cruise's father." Tip : You don't really have to know them. Just say you do.

(4) Be prepared to take sides when the "elders" quarrel. If A and B quarrel and you take a neutral stand when approached by A, then you're deemed to be on B's side. The reverse is most certainly true. So pick a side or one will automatically be assigned for you against your will.

(5) A backstabs B. B comes to C for sympathy. B later forgives A under the now infamous "I forgive everyone" / "I am holier than thou" policy. When A backstabs C and C goes to B for sympathy, B will get "A would never do that". Forgivness and amnesia - the perfect combination.

(6) If something bad happens to A, A will say he / she is cursed or given the evil eye. If something bad happens to B and you ask A if B is the victim of a curse, A will say that there is no such thing as being cursed.

(7) Law (6) does not apply if A and B are closely related, eg. parent (A) and child (B) or husband (A) and wife (B). In this case, if B is doing well, A will say it is because of hard work, intelligence, etc. If B fails in life, A will declare it the work of the evil eye.

(8) When confronted head on with unfavourable glaring facts, the normal and expected response is "I'm very sick", "I'm dying" or "I'll kill myself". You couldn't squeeze more drama out of a Steven Speilberg, George Lucas, Quentin Tarantino, John Woo and Jerry Bruckheimer joint-collaboration movie.

(9) "Don't tell anyone I told you" or "Just between you and me" are common phrases used to indicate that something is told to you in confidence. It'll make you feel special like you're the only one that can be trusted with this information. Little do you know that you're the last to hear about it.

(10) If you're ill and / or hospitalised, the heroic and selfless thing to do is not to tell anyone except immediate family. This will eventually result in a "Just between you and me" call a day later. See Law (9) for more information.

(11) You have to acknowledge that dreams are the way our dearly departed communicate and convey messages to the family. The family has a number of official conduits but oddly, the message received through different conduits from the same departed differ vastly on the same issue. I guess all that Heaven-Earth travelling can take a toll on a departed's opinion.

(12) If you are not officially ("officially" being the operative word) invited to a family event / celebration, that is if you've been informed about it personally but no invitation card has been given to you or the red carpet has not been rolled out for you, kick up the biggest fuss in the history of mankind to make your point and then threaten never to be part of any family celebration even if the red carpet was rolled out for you in future. No family event or celebration is complete without a huge blow up.

All these years, I tried my best to deal with these family laws. But alas, I've come to realise that I am unable to meet their extremely high standards. And while it pains me to have to distance myself from them, I am left with no choice - for the sake of my peace of mind and sanity. Life is hard enough without having to adhere to the 12 laws.

So, bridges have sadly been burnt. Better I burn them now while I am safely on the other side instead of the bridge being burnt while I'm on it.

No Turning Back

2007-06-04T20:49:00.000+08:00

Its been almost a month since I've come by to deposit my thoughts and considering I have a little time and sanity today, I thought I'd dust off the ol' keyboard and offload some of the things that have been bugging me.

I always thought I made good decisions in life. Be it something as trivial as buying the next amazing tech gadget or something as life altering as a career move. Lately, I've come to doubt myself in making these decisions.

For example, when I was 24 and just graduated with a Diploma in Electronics and Computer Engineering, I had a choice of one of two paths. The first was one that I dreamed of walking down and being on for the rest of my life - being a radio presenter / deejay. I had the voice (back then, of course), the knowledge and love for music and the lack of fear of the hundreds of buttons, slide controls and flashing lights in a studio. The other, a less glamorous life of being a Computer Engineer.

I grit my teeth and chose the latter for a couple of reasons, mainly because of my father's advice to his playful only son. He said "If you're as good a deejay as you say you are, you can always return to it at any time. But if you leave Engineering now after just graduating, you will find it difficult to get back into it." With all the technical advancements happening around us so quickly, his words were spot on.

Although I don't regret my decision even though I wish I were more excited about my work, lately I've been asking myself "What if I had chosen to join the radio station?" Fame? Riches? Get booted off the air for saying something inappropriate? I don't know and never will. Why? Even if I chose to leave Engineering for good and head back into the deejaying arena, no one in their right frame of mind will employ a pudgy and balding 37 year old jock who's voice is starting to sound a little raspy.

My point is, we often come to a crossroad in life and any of the paths we chose to take is most frequently not paved with U-turn signs. So, when we embark down that road and find that it is not really suited for us, there's no turning back.

Why the topic? I have been re-evaluating my choices in life and wonder if I've made mistakes along the way. Sadly, a lot of these have ended up with "yes" answers and there's no turning back now. I'll share more of these in upcoming posts.

As I always say when I reappear after vanishing for awhile, The Premster is back. But the outlook is gloomy.

Resurrecting A King

2007-05-10T21:50:00.000+08:00

This is for those of you who saw the clip I posted from American Idol's "Idols Give Back" show and have lost sleep since then trying to figure out how they did it.

What? Only me?

Oh well, here's the solution. Be prepared to sit through about 10 minutes of technical discussion. Like a magic trick, its always cool to know how it is done.

Wonder if I can pull off digitally resurrecting Lennon.

Few And Far Between

2007-05-09T23:50:00.000+08:00

Looks like things are spiraling out of control again.

Work has been absolutely crazy, my son has officially decided that it is more fun to keep everyone awake than to get a good night's sleep and I had to make two trips to rectify the same problem with my car in 48 hours.

To top this off, I am now involved in a "mission" which is taking up quite a bit of my spare time. I know I've yet to talk about this but will definitely update everyone when time permits.

With such a tight schedule, I've been spreading myself quite thin and have missed out on time with my little boy, trawling the Internet as well as tech malls for new gadgets, watching my favourite TV series like 30 Rock and Shark, losing my grip on the latest hits being played on the radio, catching up on reading and most importantly, keeping this blog alive and kicking.

I hope things taper off in the coming week so that I can spend a little time offloading my thoughts here. Meanwhile, I'll try to catch my breath as soon as I hit the publish button.

Hope everyone's well.

Doctors Versus Engineers

2007-05-03T23:45:00.000+08:00

Doctors. Love them or hate them, we can't live (no pun intended) without them. They heal the sick and on occassions, perform medical miracles. But to bring a dead man back to life? Not that I've heard of.

This is where Engineers, namely Computer Engineers, have excelled. They create technological miracles everyday. But for me, none is as spectacular to-date as resurrecting The King himself.

If you've never seen this clip, be prepared to get the wind knocked out of you.

Elvis lives - in the digital world, at least. Kudos to the Engineering geniuses at American Idol.

A Good Day

2007-04-26T20:45:00.000+08:00

I had a a good day!

With the stress I've been feeling over the last few weeks, today was a breath of fresh air.

My closest friend, W, and I hung out at one of our favourite haunts - Funan The IT Mall - just like the old days. We had a couple of "much needed" things to get, so we "justified" the trip and the expenditure.

W and I met when we were doing our National Service in a high security facility. I was placed in charge of him when he was just a recruit and truthfully, I didn't like him. He looked like a young punk out to stir trouble. I actually protested (in front of W) to my Officer-In-Charge and asked to assign him to someone else. But as the old adage proclaims - do not judge a book by its cover. W turned out to be quite a likeable character. On top of his cheerful personality, he was brilliant! When he graduated from vocational studies prior to enlisting, he finished in the top 10% of all vocational students in Singapore. That's impressive, by my standards!

While others generally complain about their compulsary two and a half year National Service stint, W and I had a fantastic time there! We went through a great deal together and were usually at the centre of many very interesting "events" and "controversies". Many of these are "classified" and so I can't share them openly. But we always have a good chuckle when we talk about them.

After our NS stint, I went on to pursue Electronics and Computer Engineering and a year later, W joined me at the same institution to pursue Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. After graduating, I joined the company I am still working for (its been 13 years) and W joined me in the same department 6 months later. He's still here as well but is now attached to a different area of work in a different centre.

One of our favourite past times over the weekend, back when we were both single and very available, was to meet up, catch a movie, grab some dinner and then chill out with a cup or two of Spinelli's ice blended coffee lamenting about girlfriends, broken relationships and whether we'd ever settle down. We both had rough relationships in the past so we feel very blessed to have found wonderful life partners. Our wives are now good friends too! And... our sons were born just three weeks apart with my little boy leading the duo.

Work and family commitments resulted in us placing huge voids, sometimes up to a year, between our "guys hang-out" session. But when we do meet up, like today, it was as though we last met a few days ago. We shared jokes from the good ol' days, argued about politics and work issues and dared each other to make huge IT purchases with "I'll buy if you buy". We'd usually chicken out after the whole hoo-ha. Today's dare? A S$3000 laptop!

So what did we actually dare buy? We got a 500GB hard disk for me, a box of mini DV tapes each, a DVD burner drive for W and a spool of 100 blank DVDs which we split equally.

Although I feel guilty about not spending time with my little boy today, I really think I needed this "break".

Thanks W, I had a great time!

"Excuse Me", Please?

2007-04-23T22:00:00.000+08:00

Singapore. That's where I live. A country that is aesthetically beautiful, clean, efficient and bustling. People from all over world come to Singapore to visit and envy our country, marvel at how multi-racial people live with each other harmoniously but most of all, to shop and to try out local delicacies.

Our Government has worked hard to put our country, described by some as "a little red dot", on the map of the world. We're today known as a Tourist Hub, Education Hub and more importantly, a Business Hub. We've excelled in these areas - making us the best at what we do. But for what we've achieved in terms of excellence and affluence, we severely lack in grace. While I've stomached the disgraceful behaviour of Singaporeans for many years, two events yesterday, within the span of 20 minutes, prompted this entry.

My wife and I were on my way to a shopping centre near our home to pick up some groceries yesterday evening. As I was approaching the entrance to the car park, I noticed that a MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) was on the perpendicular road at the stop line. As I had the right of way, I carried on my path. As I approached, the MPV decided that he should cut into my path - and he did. I had to slam on my brakes to avoid a collision. I looked in the rear view mirror to see if there were a long line of cars coming for him to justify cutting into my path to minimise waiting time. No cars were in sight. So, to get into the car park 5 seconds earlier, he decided to cut into my path instead of waiting for me to pass - endangering my wife and I. Ok, this was perhaps the most inconsiderate Singaporean I was going to meet for the day. I was severely mistaken.

While shopping at the supermarket, my wife left her shopping basket filled with frozen meat and some vegetables on the floor beside her as she was selecting some sweet potatoes. I was not too far away. A middle age lady came by with her trolley making a "ssshhhhhh" sound. I was wondering what that was for and I realised that I was in her way. So, instead of the polite "excuse me", she decided "sssshhhhh" was the way to go. I moved. This was not the end. She decided she needed some plastic bags that were near the sweet potato trays. Seeing my wife's basket filled with meats, she did not even attempt the "ssshhhh" and moved the basket aside with her foot! I should have kicked her with mine!

In a country that is known to be populated with educated people, most of whom are highly educated, you'd think you'd never have to experience such disgraceful behaviour. But sadly, this is a daily affair. No one really cares for each other and anything they can do for their own convenience, they will - at the expense of inconveniencing others. It is no wonder why our Government has been trying hard to institute courtesy amongst its population with a courtesy campaign since 1979! It begs to question what kind of people live in Singapore when the Government has to have a courtesy campaign or a kindness movement. You see the ugly Singaporean everywhere you go - at food outlets, on the trains, on the roads, in shopping centres... everywhere! As a Singaporean, I feel ashamed by the behavior of my fellow countrymen.

We're a hub for practically everything in Asia. But what we'll never be is a hub for courtesy. To me, we've failed as a society, no matter how much success we've achieved economically. Our tagline promoting tourism says "Uniquely Singapore". I guess this is true in more ways than the tagline originally intended.

My apologies for the rant. Had to get it off my chest.

Birthday Blog

2007-04-20T00:12:00.000+08:00

"Things That Fill My Head" is one year old today!

I never imagined that I would ever take blogging seriously as I figured it was more for the "new generation" out there and not for an old fogey like myself. To be honest, among the bloggers that I know, I'd have to be the oldest with an age deficit of at least 10 years! So, having a blog was never on my mind.

In January 2006, my father passed away. I struggled to come to terms with his demise. Till today, I am still struggling. Words spoken by my father and images of him haunted my mind every day. I knew I'd never get over my father's death no matter how long I live but I needed a way to manage my thoughts, feelings and memories before it got the better of me.

I remembered my father used to spend weekends penning his thoughts and feelings in a notebook (the paper kind). He even had one titled "My Worries". I figured that by offloading his worries into the notebook, it lightened the load on his mind. My father was a man who managed his thoughts and feelings very well and this was probably one of his "tricks".

Ok, I'll put my thoughts into words. But where? Then, the idea of a blog came up. So, I reviewed a few blog hosting services out there and within an hour, decided on Blogger. All I wanted to do was to find a simple way to put my thoughts into words. After all, I was certain no one would come across, let alone read, my blog - especially in a community as huge as Blogger. I picked a user name, after multiple tries (pratically all variations of "Prem" I could think off were taken!), and started on my first entry - one dedicated to my beloved father. It felt like the most appropriate thing to write about.

With my eyes glazing over, I sat at my desk and wrote about the man I loved and respected the most in my life. As the words flowed, so did the tears. Images and stories long forgotten came flooding back. A few lines quickly became a few paragraphs and before I knew it, my first entry was done. Honestly, I felt good talking about my father openly - even though no one was listening - or so I thought.

The next day, I checked my blog and found "1 Comment". Was someone reading? I quickly clicked on it and found a spammer (the comment is still there - just for laughs)! Oh well, better 1 meaningless "comment" than nothing at all. Next, I went on to write about my two doggies. I was not expecting anymore visitors, spammers or otherwise, but I checked back to find "royalty" had graced my blog with her visit. Princess, who used to go by the name Sparkling Princess, came by and posted a lovely comment about my dogs as well as to offer her condolences for my loss. I thought it was very sweet and thanks to her, I found my way to other honest and beautifully written blogs. Since then, unseen bloggers have become invaluable friends as we share our lives with each other. Even my wife talks about you guys as if we've been good friends for ages.

So, on this 1st birthday of "Things That Fill My Head", I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Princess, Zizo, Dandoon, Vanessa, Ghasheema and last but not least Eshda3wa for making me feel very welcome in the blogging world and allowing me to share my life with you as you have shared yours with me. I am also very appreciative of my lovely wife who is very supportive of her husband's blog and my little boy for giving me something to write about.

Its been a fantastic year blogging! I look forward to more of them.

Cheers!!

Spousal Approval

2007-04-18T21:11:00.000+08:00

When husbands in Singapore want to spend good money on stuff wives have no interest in (eg. gadgets, gizmos and stuff not found in kitchens), the cliché phrases heard are "I'll need to seek approval from my Commanding Officer" or "My Financial Controller will have to ok it first".

I am blessed cos my wife doesn't make things difficult for me when I decide to blow hard-earned money on yet another smartphone, audio device or a gadget for my car. That definitely explains the drawer filled with the latest tech stuff. But despite the fact that she doesn't object, I consult her before I buy anything. She's very level-headed and always has constructive suggestions.

But occassionally, I get the uncomfortable "ok" or "up to you". Its her loving way of saying "it'll eventually go to waste but I don't want you to be unhappy". The tone in her voice is unmistakable and I always tease her about it.

Because of this, I laughed my head off when I saw the following "For Sale" ad on the Internet!

Everybody Loves Eddie

2007-04-17T07:50:00.000+08:00

My son started to speak his first words over the last few days. When he was first born, I figured it would be something dramatic like suddenly calling out "Dada" or "Mama". Our "Super Nanny" has also been trying hard to get him to say "Auntie" and because of that, I hear it repeated so many times in a day that everytime the word "Auntie" comes up, I feel my stomach flip. But in spite of the repeated "Auntie.... Auntie... Auntie.... Auntie..." and my wife's attempts at getting our little fella to recognise his "Dada", the first words out of his mouth were.... *drum roll, please* ... "Eddie"!

We're beaming with "pride". *sigh*

I guess it was our incessant yelling at our dog that result in this blunder. So, everything is "Eddie" now. His caterpillar soft toy is "Eddie". Even the decorative statue of Buddha that graces our home is "Eddie". Of course, the little lad has his own way of saying it... "Edjeee".

Speaking of Edjeee, my dear pal has lived with us exactly 5 years today. I remember that day fondly. Since then, we've gone through a great deal together. I watched the puny little puppy grow up into a handsome dog with Einstien's brilliance, Ronaldo's ball skills and an attitude only suitable for a Rottweiler. He stuck by me through some really tough times - chronic illness and even my father's passing. He also shared in the happy times too - like when my son was born. He'd appear to stand guard while my wife fed our newborn and would come running to us in a panic when he started to cry in his crib. Eddie's like the perfect best friend you could ever imagine.

Eddie is loved by everyone - both family and friends. I get emails from colleagues at work asking "How's Eddie?" and calls to our home are of the same nature. My Uncle will ask me to send his regards to Eddie (and Casey, of course) whenever he calls. It is only after enquiring about our doggies that I get "How are you doing?"

As for my son's first word, I am going to pass "Edjeee" off as him trying to say "Dajeee" (aka "Daddy"). That'll work, right?? *wink*

Here's a picture of Eddie on the first day he arrived at our home 5 years ago.

Happy 5th Anniversary, my buddy!! We love you!

Sniffles

2007-04-16T23:57:00.000+08:00

My little boy is down with a mild case of the flu. What's worse is I think he caught it from either my wife or me.

I guess no amount of precaution helps when you live in a small apartment.

When I saw him this afternoon, he seemed restless, was sneezing and generally irritable. But true to his nature, he still tries to smile - even though its a weak one. I can't imagine him going through this especially when he is unable to articulate what he's feeling.

I wish I were in the mood to write more but seeing my boy down like that really breaks my heart.

I hope he gets well soon.

Hand-Me-Downs

2007-04-13T00:34:00.000+08:00

About two months ago, I got a fantastic new "toy" - The iPod Video. Since the time we got acquainted, the sexy svelt device, now immaculately dressed head to toe in high quality leather, has been my constant companion at work and at home - the only two places I can actually be found. That says a lot about my social life, doesn't it? I digress.

While I love my iPod to bits, it is beyond doubt that it will someday be replaced by another device (read : iPhone) and if that pans out, I'd hate to see a device that brought me days and nights of pleasure (minds out of the gutter please) to be laid to rest in my gadget tomb.

In comes the Tadpole - case that is. It is a case that turns any 5th generation iPod (iPod Video) into the perfect portable video player for kids. The handles are ideal for small little hands to grip the device and it comes in an array of cheery colours. Great for long road trips!

Guess who'll soon be inheriting my iPod in a year or two?

Tagged!

2007-04-12T00:03:00.000+08:00

Fun fact - did you know TAGGED when rearranged spells GADGET? How cool is that?

Been away for about two weeks and little did I know, I've been tagged by two of my favourite bloggers. You know who you are. First, the rules....

“Each player of this game starts off with ten weird things or habits or little known facts about yourself. People who get tagged must write in a blog of their own ten weird things or habits or little known facts as well as state this rule clearly. At the end you must choose six people to be tagged and list their names. No tagbacks!”

So, here goes folks!

I studied Electronics and Computer Engineering but my dream was to be a radio deejay.

I absolutely have to wash my car at least twice a week because I cannot imagine someone passing it saying "this guy really does not look after this beautiful machine". I probably feel that way because I'm guilty of making such comments myself. *sigh*

I must sleep with a bolster. I'll be wide awake if I don't have one - no matter how tired I am. This is the very reason why I don't go on holidays cos many hotels don't have one and it is a little ridiculous to pack a bolster!

I will not wear the same shirt twice within a week. A shirt, once used, is usually given a week and a half break before it sees the outside of my closet again. Yes, I have a lot of shirts.

Everyone knows that I buy a lot of gadgets. But no one (except Mrs Prem) knows that when they're first unpacked, I smell them. Just like a newborn baby, fresh electronics have a magical smell.

While people quote noteable historical people, I quote characters from TV series like The X-Files, Heroes and Grey's Anatomy. Seriously! *wink*

I tend to overthink every situation and that usually makes me depressed.

I will not wear a watch with a square or other odd-shaped face. Only round faced watches for me.

I hate drawers that are left open. It irks the hell out of me. I don't know why.

And finally... I check and edit my blog entries at least 20 times before I'm happy with what I've written. Perfectionist? Hmmm... more like obsessive compulsive.

There you go.

Now, as I don't know many bloggers on blogger, I guess I'll have to zero in on Zizo and Eshda3wa. Tag... you're it!!

Dreams And The Departed

2007-04-11T15:00:00.000+08:00

Where do our dearly departed go?

It is a profound question for a mind like mine that deals mostly in science and technology - aka fact. Is there really heaven and hell? Are the departed still within our midst or watching over us from beyond? I'd like to believe its true.

But the real question is - can they communicate with us through dreams? I have a relative who is convinced beyond any doubt that her dead mother and elder sister talk to her in her dreams. Whenever she is troubled by some issue, be it a family conflict or a decision that needs to be made, her mother or sister (sometimes together) will appear in her dreams to provide her "invaluable" advice.

My mind screams "Poppycock!" when I hear yet another of her nocturnal visitations. While I believe that our departed loved ones do watch over us, they do not communicate with us via dreams.

Cynical? Not really. But I find it preposterous that the answers handed to her by these departed souls seems to be in the direction she was leaning towards anyway. I have never heard that they have given her an answer that was against her original wishes or opinion.

Call it a personal hobby but I've been intrigued by dreams and have been analysing them (if I can remember) as soon as I wake up. Over the last few years, I've begun to see a pattern. For example, a couple of weeks ago, my wife was toasting some bread at night and it got a little burnt. There was a little smoke coming into the living room where we have a smoke detector. I was a little concerned that it would go off at that late hour but tossed it to the back of my mind, telling myself I'll deal with it if it triggers. Two nights later, I dreamt our old apartment had burnt down to the ground and we lost everything! I was standing a few feet away from the remains angry at our smoke sensor's failure to sound the alarm and call for emergency services. Thinking back, I recall it bothered me the alarm did not go off even though there was smoke.

In this relative's case, she already knows the answer to her conflict (consciously or subconsciously) but her brain uses a person of respect or authority, in this case a departed loved one, to "deliver" the answer. This way, she can find solace in the fact that even her departed mother and sister concur with her decision - even though it may not be the right one.

A good way to assign blame if things don't work out, if you ask me.

Missing But Not Gone

2007-04-10T13:37:00.000+08:00

First and foremost, my sincere apologies to everyone who have expressed their concern over my sudden disappearance from the blogging world. It is nice to know that I have been missed and at the same time, I do miss reading all the fantastic blogs I frequently visit. I promise to get to them as soon as I am done with this entry.

Over the last two weeks, my workload suddenly escalated and I spent a great deal of time at my organisation's Data Centre. I also put in extra hours before and after my regular working hours and this led to more sleeping hours.

Outside of work, there was another situation which was causing me a great deal of problems. Although I could walk away from it, my conscience didn't allow me to and it resulted in some sleepless nights and a great deal of stress.

To make matters worse, I was down with a severe gastric problem for two weeks. It started off two Mondays ago and it seemed to subside a few days later. But by last Saturday, it hit again so hard that by the wee hours of Monday morning (yesterday), my wife was rushing me to the hospital. I'm glad to report that I am feeling a little better today and hope this keeps up.

I've missed converting my thoughts and feelings into bits and bytes over the last few weeks and since I've accumulated quite a bit by now, do expect a slew of them in the coming days. Meanwhile, do look out for my comments in your blogs very soon.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Premster is back!!

Ditched The Tech, Survived The Day

2007-03-25T23:55:00.000+08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, please give a round of applause for The Premster. Together with the geeks of the world, I went a whole day without my PC and trusty gadgets yesterday, as promised, and survived. It was tough but I made it.

I started the day turning off my Treo smartphone, a device that follows me around like a life-support machine. It was extremely excruciating and as my smartphone's screen faded off, it beeped as though to ask "Why Prem, why?" My SIM card was transferred to a Motorola Razr V3, a phone (see picture) that was to be my companion for the day. For those of you screaming "That phone is pretty high-tech!", trust me when I tell you that I need features far more than what the V3 could ever provide. To add further difficulty to the experiment, I disabled the bluetooth function on the phone, meaning no hands free answering of calls. My second phone was also left at home and I did not come within 3 meters of a computer, let alone power one up.

The first "casualty" of the day? My wife! We were out shopping for a new car seat for our son and we got lost. She promptly said "You can use your phone to connect to the Internet and get the store's number online". "Nope", came my answer, "Not on this phone!". We had a good laugh.

So there, I made it through Shutdown Day a little bruised technically, stressed mentally but I survived. Take it from me, I am never going to do it again. Ever.

I hope you had a good weekend!

Wear And Tear

2007-03-21T23:40:00.000+08:00

Warning : Depressing entry alert! Read at your own risk.

I'm tired. Not just physically but mentally too. "Your son keeping you awake?", is the constant response to the look of wear on my face. Hardly, considering he is one of only two people who can make me smile these days. My dear wife is the other.

In December, my wife was stiffed of almost $300 in terms of ourstanding utility bills by a previous tenant who stayed at our apartment before we moved in there ourselves. My wife, who trusted this lady throughout the tenancy, was shocked that not only did she not want to pay what was owed, she threatened legal action against my wife claiming the cost of furniture she had abandoned at our apartment after the tenancy expired. Always believing in the kindness and decency of human beings, my wife was in tears as a result of the tenant's harsh reaction. This angered me and I embarked on giving this woman a taste of her own medicine. After nights of reading, analysing contracts, going through files and collating evidence, I embarked on my threat of legal action against her, with the amassed documents as evidence, in the event she does not pay what was owed to my wife immediately. A vicious tigress was reduced to a clawless pussycat and a cheque together with a letter of apology was couriered to our apartment a few days later. Although I cherished the success, the entire episode took quite a chunk out of my energy reserve.

A couple of months ago, I fought very hard for a relative of mine to get his employment permit renewed after it was rejected based on stipulated regulations. It took me a few days and nights to study policies, lock horns with Government authorities and cough up supporting facts to prop up a very weak application. Subsequently, it was approved on principle. In the end, while my relative walked away happily with his employment permit intact, I doubt he'll ever know, understand or appreciate how much of a toll it took on me. I promise to share why in a later post.

Just a couple of days ago, I received a response from another Government authority that Casey's change of address application was rejected on grounds that our apartment was allowed only one dog. This, after being upfront with them about our two dogs before we moved in. Again, I spent days and nights fighting with the housing as well as animal licensing authorities. The issue is still pending.

Work is no picnic either. I am constantly having to deal with my surbordinates' poor work attitude as well as their attitude towards their supervisor - me. Although it is part of my "job description", being disliked by others is not a nice feeling.

It seems like I am at constant loggerheads with someone about something all the time. And while I have been successful in getting "my way" some of the time, it worries me that when it is time to fight about the matters that mean the most to me, I will be out of steam.

Casey's situation is one that concerns me a great deal. But having been through so many "battles", I am drained. I wish I had the same energy and spunk to fight for my dog but reading back the numerous emails I've written to the authorities over the last two days, it just comes off sounding extremely lame. I even found one with the wrong date and broken sentences!

Even though I have yet to receive a response from the authorities, I fear a negative reply in the horizon. There is no way I will allow the authorities to force me to give up my dog but I am worried that I am not up for a good fight. Casey fate - remaining a member of our family - is in my very weak hands.

I'm tired. I'm tired of fighting these battles over and over again. I'm tired of my mind constantly replaying different situations and how I should respond to them. I'm tired of checking my emails every hour filled with anxiety over what I might find. I'm tired of dealing with problematic co-workers and their attitude. I'm tired of people, relatives or otherwise, taking advantage of my family and me. Most importantly, I'm tired of feeling this way.

I just wish the world would stop turning for ten minutes so that my mind can rest and I can catch my breath again.

Contentment And Fulfillment

2007-03-19T01:11:00.000+08:00

It recently came up in a discussion that I appear to be a person who is not content with what he has and constantly wants something better all the time. Ok, maybe not in so many words but this is the gist of it.

This revelation has been bothering me for a few days because it is not a quality I like to be remembered for. But no one is to be blamed for the opinion except myself, considering my barrage of mobile devices, computers, audio systems as well as my constant hankering for a better automobile.

In my pursuit of surrounding myself with the best possible technology that is within my means, has my character paid the ultimate price (no pun intended) by being deemed a person who is insatiable?

So, I sought the advice of a higher authority - the Internet - hoping to redeem what little reputation I had left. I came across this quote - "Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realisation of how much you have". Touché.

The fact of the matter is, I not only realise but also appreciate what I have been blessed with in life. Perhaps, 'appreciate' might be too mild a description. 'Grateful' is hitting the nail on the head. Why? Because while people notice what I acquire, not many know how much I've lost / sacrificed during my lifetime. So every acquisition is deeply treasured.

That aside, can one truly be content with what he has and live the rest of his life without improvement? Say you're a shoe person. Is it possible to be content with the five pairs that you own and never want another for the rest of your life, unless you're replacing a broken pair that is beyond economical repair? Well, there are those that can pull it off. Truthfully, I can't. And it is not because I am unappreciative of what I have.

It all boils down to two things for me. Firstly, passion. People are passionate about a lot of things. Some like shoes, some like good clothes, some enjoy collecting watches and some would go to the ends of the earth for good food. The problem with me? I am passionate about a lot of things - watches, cars, CDs, gadgets, sound systems and computers. Unfortunately, this is not an exhausive list. These are not obtained for flash or bragging rights. For me, its the joy of discovery - the learning and understanding of new technologies. It is excitement of building something from scratch or the thrill of integrating something new with something already owned. It is the exhilaration I feel when I've stumbled upon something possible when I thought it was impossible.

Secondly, it is the fulfillment of a goal - something that you want for yourself or someone else. Having a goal or a dream in life gives you a reason to wake up in the morning, haul yourself to work and grit your teeth through unreasonable bosses and ridiculous deadlines. If I fulfill my goal, what I want will not only serve as a new learning opportunity but a trophy. Just imagine if you woke up one day and realised that you're content with everything you have. Would you still have the motivation to drag yourself to the office?

My son is growing very quickly. As he grows, I wish to give him the best of everything within my means and when he is of school-going age, I wish provide him with the best possible education. And even though my earlier post joked about him going to med school, I would do everything within my ability to ensure that he gets there should he actually wish to pursue this. This, too, is a goal. And if he said he wanted to pursue higher education after obtaining a medical degree, would I be a good father if I told him "A Medical Degree is enough, son."?

So, I've a quote of my own - "Realising what you have is being grateful, fulfillment of what you want is contentment".

Perhaps my opinion of contentment and fulfillment may appear base or even materialistic to some, but this is how I view life.

Even so, maybe it is time for a self re-evaluation.

The Holey "Grail"

2007-03-14T23:03:00.000+08:00

I have a friend who manages a team of people at work. Even though I know him as a friendly, responsible and very likeable person, his constant gripe is "The guys don't like me". I guess it is impossible to be popular when you're stuck toeing the company line. I can relate because I have a team of Engineers under my charge too.

During one of our chit-chat (its closer to whining) sessions, he jokingly said "I can just imagine everyone passing my coffee mug around, taking turns to pee in it when I'm not around". Although I laughed heartily at the joke, I started to worry about my own coffee mug parked in plain view on my desk. Since then, it has been a prisoner in my desk drawer only to see the light of day when I need a caffeine fix.

Enter the anti-theft mug from Israel. As you can see from the picture, all you need to disable this mug from unauthorised (or pee) use is to remove the key-lock plug and any liquid poured into it without the key will come flowing out instantly.

Absolute genius!

Welcome The Unwelcomed

2007-03-13T23:55:00.000+08:00

My wife and I have a "visitor" to our home at least two Sundays in a month. He shows up unannounced and it doesn't matter if we already have guests or were planning to catch up on a TV series we've recorded during the busy work-week. He'll just sit there till we're done, which can be very uncomfortable. So, we shelve what we wanted to do just to keep him entertained.

About two months ago, my wife had an old classmate over for lunch. She brought her two young boys (who were excited about meeting Eddie and Casey) as well as her husband, who was an absolute pleasure to chat with. Then, about an hour into what was a delightful afternoon, the knock on the door came. Our usual "visitor" came in and plonked himself down on the sofa. I think he made our friends uncomfortable and they "decided" it was time for them to go.

No matter how hard we've tried to tell him without hurting his feelings, he hasn't got the message.

As such, I found it impossible to contain my excitement when I found this welcome (or otherwise) mat. Turn it one way and it bids a warm "Come In". For the unwelcomed, flip it around and it bluntly says "Go Away". Vist this aptly named website for more details.

Since subtlety has not worked, I think purchasing one would be classified as an investment. I am sure my wife would agree. Still, I worry he'll be none the wiser. *sigh*

Ode To My Rides

2007-03-12T21:47:00.000+08:00

To all the cars I've owned before

That travelled in and out my garage doors

I'm glad I drove them all

I dedicate this song

To all the cars I've owned before

1987 Honda Integra : Owned 1987 - 1997

1990 Mazda Astina : Owned 1997 - 1999

1990 Honda CRX : Owned 1997 - 1997

1982 Honda Accord : Owned 1999 - 2001

1991 Nissan Sunny : Owned 2001 - 2003

and...

2003 Subaru Impreza : Owned 2003 - Present

I've been thinking a lot about car ownership lately. The thing is, I turn 38 in about 6 months time and it dawned upon me that I don't have much time left to own all the cars I'd love to own. Add to the fact that the cost of car ownership in Singapore is ridiculous, it seems like by the time I can actually afford to own my next car (read: Mitsubishi Evolution), I might just be too old to drive it.

All things considered, I will have to think very carefully before I purchase my next car. It has to be something I really want (not a compromise) but most importantly, I must be able to afford it. I do have my little boy to think about. He's going to med school, you know. That's the only way I'm ever going to get my final car - a Porsche 911 - as a father's day present. *wink*

No pressure at all, son. No pressure at all....

So, it looks like my Subaru Impreza and I will remain united for a long time to come. Fortunately for me, I love "her" very much!

PS. The pictures above are not pictures of my actual cars. They depict the models that I've owned.

Numbers And The Nanny

2007-03-09T00:34:00.000+08:00

About two months ago, I blogged about our domestic helper from the Philippines. She was the Super Nanny we had hoped for when we were "maid hunting" just before our son was born. She was not perfect but we felt she was alright in comparison to the horror stories we've heard.

It turns out that she is even more "super" than I had given her credit for. Through my wife, I found out that she frequently gets dreams about numbers (not the TV show) back when she was in the Philippines and when she betted on them through their local lottery, she'd win. I guess her winnings weren't sufficient - for her to be here working as a domestic helper.

Anyway, it appears that she is getting these nocturnal numeric visions again. This morning, as a result of my insomnia for over a month, I was at my computer and my wife came in to enquire about playing the lottery in Singapore. I shared what little I knew about it but thought it was odd for my wife to be enquiring about gambling. It was only after probing that I found out my son's care-giver wanted my wife to place a bet on some numbers she dreamt of.

I was annoyed and I shared my displeasure with (more like unloaded on) my wife when she called me this evening to ask if she could still make it for today's lottery draw. The lack of sleep didn't help, of course. What really angered me was just a couple of weeks ago, our domestic helper had asked for the coming month's salary in advance because her family was in "dire need". Now, she is gambling with it? It is a small bet no doubt but wouldn't every dollar go a long way when you're in "dire need", especially considering the currency conversion?

If lady-luck is shining upon her, she'd take her winnings and go back to the Philippines and live like a queen, leaving my wife, my son and I in the lurch. From this, I know that in spite of our care and concern for her well-being, she's the least bothered about us or my son, who appears to be relatively attached to her. Her apparent heartfelt promises of wanting to fulfill her 2-year contract faithfully when we interviewed her will be tossed aside without a care, like the diapers she helps change daily. After all, she will then be much richer than her employer!

I told my wife "Its like she asked you to go buy a gun for her. You buy it, bring it home to her and she shoots you with it."

How would she feel if we struck the jackpot and told her we no longer needed her services now that we can afford to send our son to a top-notch exclusive day-care centre - especially at a time when her family was severe financial need?

In the end, no matter how much she claims she adores our little boy or how much she says she loves playing and laughing with him, it is just a means to an end - a job. There really isn't any genuine affection for the little fella.

Maybe I'm just too naive but I expected more from someone who was caring for our son.

Black Beauty

2007-03-07T00:11:00.000+08:00

Back in 1997, I bought my first car. We've always had a family car and as the description implies, I got to drive it only when no one else was using it. So, this was the FIRST car I've owned. It was a 1990 Honda CRX. I saw the car when it first reached our shores and I fell head over heels in love with it immediately. Back then, I had just been enlisted in the armed forces to perform my "tour of duty". So, I promised myself that when I started working and could afford to own one, I'd buy it. And I did.

Of course, it was already 7 years old when I signed on the dotted line and brought my dream car back home. It was jet black, had a sun-roof (I love sun-roofs) and could go 0 to 100 km/h in well under 7 seconds. It was fast and definitely furious. However, the condition of the car was not great and I made it my personal mission to restore the car to its original glory. Even though I was drawing a small salary since I only had worked for a couple of years just after graduation, I spent every cent I had on it. New exhaust system, new interior trims, new tyres and rims, new all-leather sports steering and a mind (and ear-drums) blowing sound system. It was my pride and joy. Even when it was not driven, seeing it parked at my apartment's carpark from my room window would put a smile on my face.

For me, it was not about owning a flashy car. It was the joy it brought me during a relatively difficult time in my life. After spending so much money on it, there wasn't enough left to take it out to paint the town red on a Saturday night - or any other night for that matter. So, I took it for long drives on all the major expressways in Singapore almost every Saturday - like a date. With cool tunes loaded into the CD changer, my car and I would cruise down the highways - occasionally crossing the speed limits, which was a piece of cake for a CRX. Whatever problems I had on my mind would vanish as I enjoyed the breeze through the open windows and sun-roof and music by The Eagles, Candy Dulfer and Chicago - just to name a few. By the time I got home, my problems did not seem so significant anymore.

I swore that I'd keep and treasure my car forever. However, my dream car and I parted sooner than I had expected - after only 7 months. My father had some financial problems which he kept quiet about, not wanting to burden me, but eventually became to difficult for him. So, to help him out, I sold my black beauty, my dream car, my friend. My father knew how much the car meant to me and it saddened him deeply that I let it go. I still remember the pain I felt as I watched the new owner drive my pride and joy away. Standing on the side of the road watching the car disappear into the distance, a grown man of 26 years fought a futile battle to hold back the tears.

Why rehash old memories now, you ask? Well, I found the exact same model (same colour, same modifications) on sale on one of the local online car marts. I am not sure if it was the same car I had sold about 10 years ago. The thing is, there aren't many of this model on the roads anymore. As such, I have been eyeing it since February when it was listed. Sadly, I logged in on Monday to find that it had been sold. Even though there was no real intention to acquire it as a second car, the same pain I felt when I watched my CRX drive off almost a decade ago came rushing back. Again, I had to fight the tears.

The car represented a lot of things. It was the first major purchase I had ever made, it brought me immense joy, it relieved me from my problems and worries and helped me nurse a broken heart. But most importantly, it saved my family during a crisis.

And though I have been blessed to own a beautiful car that I love today, I will never forget that two door sports car that meant the world to me.

Picture above is a Honda (known as Accura in the States) CRX. I will post a picture of my car sometime soon.

Farewell To Blogging

2007-03-06T22:06:00.000+08:00

Scared you, didn't I?

No, I am not leaving the wonderful world of blogging but if the guys down at NEC had anything to do with it, my days sitting in front of a computer and writing my personal thoughts and feelings, not to mention the numerous gadget posts, are severely numbered.

The boys and girls at NEC Japan have built a blogging robot. You read correctly, my friends. A blogging robot. It is called PaPeRo. I guess it means "Too lazy to write and manage your own damn blog so you need a robot to do it for you" in Japanese. Just kidding.

To start off, all you have to do is talk to the little fella about your day, who's been annoying you or about the cute boy / girl you've just met, and it'll record every detail and analyse the data. Then, it'll search the Internet for suitable media, eg. images, videos, music, etc., and compose your blog using speech to text technology.

Amazing technology. But do be careful what you say when you're around it. You'll never know what will get published on your blog without your knowledge. *wink*

Pooches And Pennies

2007-03-06T01:17:00.000+08:00

I've always said dogs are as smart, if not smarter, than humans. I've come to realise this especially from my two doggies, Eddie and Casey.

Eddie loves his orange squeak ball with which he eats, sleeps and even doo-doos. And when he knows my wife and I are free (he never bothers us when we're busy), he'll leave the ball by our side and wait patiently at a distance for us to throw it. The thing is, he catches it with extreme accuracy no matter how fast or slow the ball is thrown. He picked up this feat all by himself and it makes us so proud when visitors come by.

Eddie won't leave the ball unattended even for a minute. Obsessive? I'd have to say yes. The strange thing is, Casey figured this out too! And whenever she gets an opportunity, she'll take the ball away from him and that will put Eddie into a huge frenzy. He chases her around the house trying to get it back and she taunts and avoids him so perfectly like she has a strategy in her head. We watch in awe - and laughter.

Here's more proof that dogs are as smart as human beings. A charity organisation called Canine Partners is training Labradors (or Golden Retrievers?) to help their disabled owners to withdraw cash from ATM machines! Amazing but true!

I wonder if I could teach Eddie to do the same thing. Sadly, I know for a fact that Eddie is too short to reach any ATM machine but most importantly, my "dog-genius" might just take my money and go buy a new squeaky ball or two.

Trust Betrayed

2007-03-02T21:43:00.000+08:00

Look up the word "betrayal" in the dictionary and you'd get definitions like "exhibition of disloyalty"and "the act of violating trust". If you've ever been on the receiving end of betrayal, you'll know that it leaves a bad taste in your mouth and a sick feeling in your stomach.

About two month ago, I was betrayed... by someone I loved and trusted all my life. As a very young boy, I watched this young and elegant lady step into the corporate world for the first time. At that time, I was filled with a strange feeling which I now recognise as pride. Soon after, I watched her get married and eventually had children of her own - whom I became very attached to. She fussed over me all the time, buying me comics, books and toys whenever she felt like it - which was often - till her children came along. She prayed hard by my Mother's side when doctors gave up all hope on me due to a medical condition at the age of 12. When my mother died, she promised she'd look after me at all cost. And when my son was born, she declared that she was his Grandma in my mother's 'absence'. For all that she had done, I would have laid down my life for her at a moment's notice - if it ever came to that.

How does one come to terms with being betrayed by someone like that?

During her difficult times, she came to me and cried on my shoulders. When her brother and his wife were (frequently) cruel and verbally hurtful towards her, she came to me to pour her woes and depended on me to take her side. Through it all, I defended her - like a son would defend his mother. Now, when I needed her to understand my perspective regarding a situation with truth and facts to corroborate, she turns a deaf ear and says she "wants to remain neutral". What is most hurtful is that this "situation" is what caused her and the rest of my family years of unhappiness, discourse and grief.

Although she no longer comes to me to lament since the confrontation, she still does to my wife. So even though she wants us to respect her wishes to "remain neutral", she still wants a listening ear for her problems. My wife, who was her biggest 'fan' when I first introdued them, is now deeply disillusioned.

My trust and faith in family, relationships and humanity has been dwindling over the years. But this turn of events has accelerated things drastically. How do you have faith in another human being after you come face to face with such a betrayal?

The damage done to my belief system is beyond repair. The same goes for my relationship with her. But what I find most sad is that my wife and I now have to instill in our little boy that life is paved with disappointments and betrayals - even from friends and relatives he may believe will be there for him. And as I watch the innocent fella laugh, play and sleep, I worry about how much it will scar him when he has to face the reality of betrayal for the first time. How I wish we could shield him forever.

Nevertheless, although I am still trying hard to get the proverbial bad taste out of my mouth, I am at peace with my conscience. I only hope she can find peace with her's.

The Power Of Pee

2007-03-01T19:23:00.000+08:00

Some years ago, as a result of a dispute about the price of water being sold to us by Malaysia, Singapore embarked on a bold and "innovative" project to become self-sufficient when it came to our water supply. The project, named "Newater", took waste water from homes (toilets??) and sent it through a stringent and complicated process to produce clean and healthy drinking water again.

I have no doubt that the process is infallible but I sometimes cringe at the thought that I might be drinking water that originally came out of someone else. *yucks*

Looks like we've found another use for pee. A pee-filled battery has been tested and can churn out 1.5volts, that's equivalent to one dry-cell battery (think its called a dry-cell because there's no pee or other bodily fluids in it!!), for a full 90 minutes. Who knew that pee could generate that much... er... juice? (no pun intended)

Now, all we need to do is to make a pee-powered car. That'll give the world a good excuse to drink and drive.

Shutdown Day - The (Horror) Movie

2007-02-28T19:09:00.000+08:00

As we cruise into the month of March and the big day gets closer, I am beginning to feel a slight tinge of panic. How do I go a day without my computer and gadgets? They are so much a part of my daily life that the thought of going one whole day (that's 24 whole hours!) without them is daunting.

If you're like me and suffer from separation anxiety, here's some fun things you can do with your laptop without even powering it up.

This video is rated PG - Pitiful Gadgets.

Tears are rolling down my face as I watch this video. *sniff*

The Truth Is Out There

2007-02-26T19:18:00.000+08:00

Some months ago, I wrote that I am jinxed. I mentioned that during a certain time of the year, things around me, even brand new ones, will konk-out for no apparent reason. Strange but true.

But there's more. There is another strange phenomenon that has been plaguing me for years which only my wife has witnessed - and constantly laughs about. But it is serious - to me anyway. The thing is, everytime I wash my car, it'll rain after. Again, strange but true!

For a few weeks, the weather has been warm with no rain in sight so I decided to take my car in to my regular place to get it washed and vacuumed last Friday. With the sun high in the sky and temperatures at about 34 degrees celsius, I was dead sure I had beaten the "Rain Gods". I cruised into the car wash with a little smirk on my face. As soon as the hoses were turned on, the skies turned a menacing shade of grey and by the time my car was spotless and making its way out of the car wash, it started to drizzle. So much for spending ten bucks to get the car looking good.

Today was no exception. I decided to wash my car myself and seeing that it was a hot day, it would be ideal. But at the back of my mind, I knew that the guy up there had his finger on the "rain" button just itching to push it. Nevertheless, I persevered and trooped down to my car with two pails full of water. I poured one pail over my car to get rid of the dust and as soon as I did, the sun decided it was his break time. I didn't let that stop me. I washed and wiped my car till it was spotless. Then.... oh well, you can see from the picture.

My wife thinks I should take my car and my rain inducing act to drought stricken countries to help.

*sigh*

Ditch Your Computer Day!

2007-02-22T19:23:00.000+08:00

Just yesterday, I read and blogged about the passing of Mr Robert Adler, the man who invented the remote control - a device I absolutely cannot live without. We take so many of these devices, gadgets and inventions for granted without even an inkling of who invented them or considered if we'd be able to survive without them.

As a gadget addict / freak / aficionado / fanatic / buff / devotee / enthusiast, I am fully aware that I cannot function like a normal human being without my gadgets for a day. This is why when I leave my home, my laptop, 2 smartphones, my iPod Video, my internet-banking security token, a 2GB thumb-drive and two remote controls (one for my car's security system and the other for my home's security system!) goes with me. This does not include my gadget-laden car which I drive everywhere.

So as a personal challenge, I have decided to give this a go. On 24 March this year (a Saturday), I will not turn on any of my PCs or laptops. To make things more difficult, I'm going to ditch my smartphones and settle for one cellular phone without any of the fancy bells and whistles. Anyone also keen to take up this challenge?

Now, all I have to do is to key this date into my smartphone's organiser to remind me of the event. *wink*

Picture above : My outdoor geek-kit. My other smartphone (not in picture) was used to take this shot.

Farewell To The Father Of Remotes

2007-02-21T20:52:00.000+08:00

When my son was born, I wished for him to have interest in medicine, law, business or anything other than the field of Information Technology and hankering after gadgets everyday like a love-sick puppy (read: like his Daddy). With my luck, I knew my wish would not be granted and this was confirmed when my little boy took his first glimpse at my array of remote controls. His eyes brightened, he started to drool and then desperately (and recklessly) reached out to grab one. Since then, he'd kick up a ruckus if he failed to get his saliva-coated hands on it.

A week later, I promptly got him a t-shirt which said "Hand over the remote and no one gets hurt". He wears it proudly. *sigh*

We use remote controls everyday. We reach for it subconsciously when we want to change the channel on reruns of Seinfeld, to pump up the volume when we hear our favourite song on MTV or to pause Flightplan when we need to go take a tinkle. Do we know who first invented the remote control - a device used by almost everyone in the world? His name was Mr Robert Adler. Sadly, he died last week at the age of 93 and it is a shame that the world was none the wiser.

With this entry, my little boy and I bid a fond farewell to an inventor that brought a great deal of convenience to the world.

Thank you, Mr Adler. I couldn't have become the remote toting couch potato I am today without you. I am eternally grateful.

Burden Of Reality

2007-02-20T02:48:00.000+08:00

Last night, I watched a late night movie on the tele called "Barbershop". I think it was released in 2002 and it starred some pretty well-known rappers and actors like Ice Cube, Cedric The Entertainer and Eve.

It tells the story about a guy named Calvin (Cube) who runs a barbershop that was passed down to him after his father passed away. He works hard to keep it going but is not very successful. After two years, he decides that he has had enough and sells it to an unscrupulous man who initially promises him to keep the barbershop going but later does not keep his end of the bargain and plans to turn the barbershop into a gentlemen's club. Calvin does not realise how important the barbershop is to him until his wife reminds him of how much it meant to his father and how so many people in their community depend on the barbershop not just for their hair-cut but to keep the cohesiveness of the community intact.

On any other occassion, this would have been just another movie but recently, certain developments made the storyline tug at my heart heavily. Although I am not sure of what the outcome of my situation is going to be but I can say upfront that either decision will be painful - one physically, one mentally.

I promise to share more when I can.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

2007-02-18T02:36:00.000+08:00

Gong Xi Fa Cai - that is the traditional greeting exchanged between Chinese people during the Lunar New Year celebrations. That's today and the celebrations span across 15 days.

Although I don't celebrate Chinese New Year, I love this season because of the festive goodies and the holidays, of course. It is usually a 2-day holiday in Singapore but because today is a Sunday, we get an additional day. So, I'm only back to work on Wednesday!

Wishing all my Chinese friends and fellow bloggers a very Happy and Prosperous Lunar New Year.

The image is the Chinese character for prosperity. It is traditionally displayed upside down because "upside down" in Chinese sounds like "arrival". So, the upside down character for prosperity symbolises arrival of prosperity.

Happy V-Day!

2007-02-14T23:52:00.000+08:00

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!!

V-Day doesn't just mean Valentine's Day this year. It also means V-ideo Day too - iPod Video, that is. That's what my lovely wife got me for Valentine's Day. That's a whole 80GB of love right there. By geek standards, that's more than a lifetime's worth. Mrs Prem loves Prem and she knows Prem loves gadget. How sweet is she??

In the less than 24 hours since I received this beauty, I've got it loaded with a whole bunch of videos, more than 2 days worth of music and even hooked it up to my widescreen TV.

My apologies for the blury picture. This was taken with my Treo. It usually takes great shots but today, it appears to be too jealous of the new "addition" to the family.

Note to Mrs Prem : Thank you for the absolutely amazing gift. Happy Valentine's Day, dear!

Perspective

2007-02-08T21:32:00.000+08:00

This is a brilliant video. Enjoy.

An Apple A Day?

2007-02-08T00:25:00.000+08:00

To start off, I apologise to all visitors (that's all 5 of you!) regarding the recent spate of Apple related posts (see this, this and this) turning this blog into what some might just call a fruit basket. I'll try to keep these to a minimum but before I sign off on this almost impossible task, here's a heads-up....

Apple will be having a one day only sale on its products on 9 February. That's tomorrow!! I am not sure how attractive the discounts will be but I am definitely looking forward to checking them out. And as much as I wish I could share "the love" with everyone, the sale appears to be for Singapore-based customers only.

You can count on me being online from midnight.

Update (9/2/07 1:55 am) : Sale has not started yet. Geez...

Vinyl Irony

2007-02-07T19:05:00.000+08:00

I love vinyl records. Having been a freelance deejay from the mid-80s till the late 90s, I was frequently working with records. For those of you born after 1990, records are how we old fogeys listened to music before CDs were born. Vinyl records not only delivered great sound (yes, much better than CDs), they last a whole lot longer than CDs if well-maintained.

Many friends describe my music collection as "insane". I might have about 700 odd CDs (and growing - I've lost count) and a good 500 pieces of 12" vinyl records. I only switched to CDs because a lot of music is no longer pressed onto vinyl - which is a really sad thing. So, I constantly tell my wife that I need to shower lots of tender loving care upon my beloved record collection. And in case they get damaged, I am working out a schedule to "digitize" them. "Protecting the music by migrating them from the analogue to the digital world", I always say.

But THIS is not what I had in mind when I said "protecting the music"!!

A company in the US is taking old 45s (that's old-school slang for a 7" vinyl record) and turning them into iPod cases!! How cruel is that? Among the vinyls they are crucifying to protect iPods include gems like Band Aid's Do They Know Its Christmas?, Starship's Nothing Gonna Stop Us Know, Bananarama's Venus, Olivia Newton-John's Physical (this was once banned from airplay in Singapore for being "too suggestive"), Pet Shop Boys' Always On My Mind and the kicker - Revolution by The Beatles.

But what really upset me was the use of Sly Fox's Let's Go All The Way. I used to do a real killer live mix of this track together with Shout by Tears For Fears and Rock Me Amadeus by Falco. It was my signature mix so I take this very personally.

But personal issues aside, I applaud the guys for their ingenuity. I'd rather these gems of the past live on this way than to be cast aside or tossed into the incinerator like garbage. It is also a reminder to current and future iPod toting youngsters how music was enjoyed generations before.

Keen to get one? Pop on down to their website.

Wonder if they'll just send me the records intact if I request. *wink*

Anti-Climax

2007-01-30T22:11:00.000+08:00

I visit Apple's website cum online store everyday - without fail. Healthy interest or serious obsession? You decide.

Over the last few months, I've had my eye on a MacBook. I've never been a huge fan of Macs but since they started rolling out Intel-based hardware, it became attractive because it would not only run Apple's own operating system (OS X) but Windows XP as well. However, it was a little pricey and out of my reach. So, I check the website everyday hoping for a special discount or promotion. If I were lucky, they might have a "Buy An iPod and get a Macbook free" promotion. I'd like that.

Today was no exception. I typed in the URL and found that their store was down! It only meant one thing... either a promotion or a new launch!! I almost pee'd my pants.

Could they be slashing their prices on Macbooks and finally, I'd be able to afford one? Perhaps, they may be adding cool new features to the Macbook but maintaining the same price? Wait a minute... could it be... a surprise launch of the iPhone... 6 months early?

I held my breath each time I hit the "refresh" button on my browser. And then, there it was...

Coloured iPod Shuffles?? That's what they took down the entire online store all around the world for?!?! What a let-down.

Anyway, if you're in the market for these microscopic music players, they now come in these attractive colours. No longer are you stuck with just bland matt silver.

Available at all Apple dealers and online stores. A great gift for your special someone on Valentine's Day.

Disclaimer : Links here are to Apple's online store in Singapore. Visit Apple's International site to take you to an online store near you.

Loss Of A Father

2007-01-27T23:11:00.000+08:00

My father died a year ago today.

I still remember the day. It was two days to a major public holiday in Singapore and I was looking forward to it. I thought I could chill out from all the stress I was experiencing. I received a call from a relative overseas who was visiting my father in hospital there while I was at work. He said "I am sorry to tell you that your father is no more. He passed away about 15 minutes ago". At that instant, something inside of me died as well. Reality, as I knew it, was altered beyond recognition. I became an "orphan" without a father to turn to for advice or a mother for comfort. She died 10 years before. The feeling of lonliness was overwhelming. I rushed home to be with my wife because the emptiness was consuming me very quickly.

People tell me that time heals all wounds. People don't really know what they're talking about, do they? To me, it still feels like I lost him yesterday and although only one year has passed, it feels like 20 years has gone by. I sometimes wonder how I am to carry on life with this severe dent in my heart.

Fate can be so cruel. My father died in January and his Grandson was born in July. They missed each other by 6 months and 2 days. I never realised it till now but my Grandfather (my Mum's father) and I suffered a similar miss. He died in May and I was born in October the same year. My father would have loved to have met his Grandson and I'm willing to wager everything I have that nothing in his life would have topped his happiness. I still remember how he tried to contain his excitement when I first told him over the phone that we were expecting a baby. As always, he would not betray his cool and calm exterior but he failed miserably in trying to mask the excitement in his voice. And three days later, I received word that he suffered a severe stroke, never to regain consciousness again. As I said, fate can be cruel.

Everyone talks about lonliness. But you never truly experience lonliness until you realise that you no longer have anyone to speak for you or defend you in life. It is a frightening path when you know you have to go it alone without any parental advice - no matter how old you are. It becomes worse when this is thrust upon you unexpectedly. And as I embarked into fatherhood still aching from the loss of my own father, I constantly ask my dad in prayer to guide me along the right path in life, to give me the strength to be a good husband and father and to be able to teach my son right from wrong so that he will grow up to be a respectable and honourable man - a man exactly like my son's Grandfather.

One year on, I've learnt the pain of his passing will never cease or diminish. But I hope that my father has found peace after struggling a great deal in life. Although I have not been the best of sons, I loved my father more than he ever knew and him not knowing will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Mike And The Mechanics' "The Living Years" has new meaning for me. A part of this song that makes my heart ache goes :

I wasn't there that morning
When my father passed away
I didn't get to tell him
All the things I had to say.
I think I caught his spirit
Later that same year
I'm sure I heard his echo
In my baby's new born tears
I just wish I could have told him
In the living years

Till the time comes for me to see my father again, he will be sorrowfully missed.

Walk The Dog

2007-01-25T22:24:00.000+08:00

Another day, another innovation.

Our friends who live in the land of the rising sun have come up with what I think Eddie and Casey would really love to have. Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing the doggie treadmill.

I have no idea how much it costs or where I can get it from because their website is in Japanese.

Its a pity. I could use some time on it as well.

Sayonara!!

The "Ladoo" Shop

2007-01-19T22:41:00.000+08:00

For all ya home boys (and home gals?) out there who like kickin' it with 50 cent (that's read "fitty cent" - yeah, get it right if ya wanna hang with The Premsta!), here's a video made by a couple of bruthas out there.

Check it out, dudes and dudettes....

Word...

Yanking Your E-Mails Back!

2007-01-18T00:28:00.000+08:00

Heard of Bigstring.com? No? Then count your lucky stars that you have been acquainted with The Premster's blog.

Ever write an email, be it a joke or a nasty note or and regretted it the minute you hit the 'send' button? What's worse is if you wrote a lovey-dovey email to a special friend and then gasp in horror when you discovered you sent it to your Dad instead?

Being an absent-minded fella, such things have happened to me a million times. In fact just about an hour ago, I got a reply from a major retail store in Singapore about my little boy's 3 month old stroller that had a hinge that gave way. The Customer Service Officer responded via email and directed me to the local agent. Thinking that I had hit the 'forward' button, I wrote a note to my wife beginning with "hi dear" and ended with "love you". After it went out, I was shocked to see "Prem to Customer Service" on the top of the email.

There was no way on God's green earth I could get that email back - unless I make like Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise) in Mission Impossible and enter through the ceiling of the retail outlet, access the system and delete my email. So, I sheepishly typed an apology and asked the Customer Service Officer (a lady!) to disregard it. I can just imagine a print out of it going around the store for everyone to read. *sigh*

Fortunately, no *ahem* personal stuff was included. *wink*

Wouldn't it be great if I could just get it back with a press of the button? So, I went searching and came across Bigstring! Apparently, they're fairly new and they have all the Mission Impossible type functions in their email. You can even set your email to self-destruct based on a time-frame you set. Amazing? You should check them out. Best of all, its free!

Grab the account name of your choice quickly before they run out. My dear wife's name has already been taken! I haven't shared this with her yet!

And in case you're wondering - no, I don't get paid a dime for sharing this. Too bad, isn't it?

A Strange Day

2007-01-16T21:04:00.000+08:00

Today was a strange day - in a good way, that is.

I didn't get much sleep to begin with and by the time I was out of bed, I had only clocked about 4 hours of shut-eye. I had to go out early because I had some arrangements to make in preparation for my father's first death anniversary prayers. According to our custom, the first death anniversary is the most important and special rituals should be performed.

I went down to the temple and met with a staff who helped with the arrangements. He gave me a list of things to buy and since the prayers will be held day after tomorrow and some of the items are perishables, I decided I'd go get them tomorrow instead.

Since I had already lost sleep and was out and about, I decided to get my car stereo fixed. It was getting a little screwy and appeared to have a mind of its own. The 'on' button became the 'volume down' button, the 'input source' button became the 'off' button and so forth. Operating it was a game of chance and since its display wasn't working either, you wouldn't know what station you were on or what CD or track it was playing from the changer.

Getting back to the point. Since I had sent this unit in for repairs for the exact symptoms previously (paid a bomb for repairs and waited 3 months for the job to be done), I figured getting a new one would be worthwhile. So, I picked one out (with my wife's over-the-phone blessings) and they proceeded to install it. You would think that something like this would actually excite me. But it didn't. At that moment, an over-powering urge to be with my son came over me. I don't know why but that's exactly how I felt.

So, after hurrying the technicians repeatedly, I hopped in my car and rushed home. And when I came through the door, there he was - flashing his toothless grin at me as I entered. We spent a good 20 minutes together 'chatting' until our domestic helper came with his milk bottle again! Anyway, he did appear hungry so I handed him over.

I've always felt a bond with my son. But I never felt that bond as strong as it was today. Maybe, preparing for my father's death anniversary reiterated my need to always be there for my son - like my father was for me.

It was a strange day. But it was nice.

Cake Engineering

2007-01-14T23:55:00.000+08:00

There is a very good reason why Engineers should remain Engineers and not venture into other trades.

A couple of weeks ago, I got it in my head that I should give baking a try. So, while out shopping for groceries, I picked up a couple of ingredients and a can of peach topping. It clearly said "topping" on the can but being the clever bloke (Engineer) I am, I decided that it should sit in between the cake - like a center filling. Simple enough - or so I thought.

So, here's how it went this evening.

Step One : Mixed the batter and then whisk for about 2 minutes.

Step Two : Pour into baking tins. I used two (splitting the batter equally) because of my ingenious plan to have the peach "topping" in between - much like a peach burger.

Step Three : In the oven they go. 165 degrees celsius for about 35 minutes.

Step Four : After 45 minutes (I was watching "The Day After Tomorrow" on TV and missed the beeping oven), the two sponge like vanilla cakes came out. Looks good?

Step Five : Here's where it all goes horribly wrong - just like the massive weather disaster unfolding on the tele. The cakes were "freed" from their tin prison and left to cool. I then flipped one around so that I'd have the flat side to spread the peach topping (or should I say peach "centering") on. Here's the "peached" side.

Step Six : When the peach center was done, the next logical step is to put on the top. UFO or flying saucer jokes at this point will not be appreciated! *wink*

Step Seven : Here's where the word "horrible" comes into play. I thought, like cement, I could get the two cakes to become one with frosting. So, I piled it on. The top turned out messy but the sides... the frosting just slid off! When I stood back to 'admire' my work, it looked like someone with a bad case of the flu sneezed his lungs out over it!

Step Eight : Behind every unsuccessful baker, there's a supportive wife. My wife tried her very best to even out the mess I created and then popped it in the fridge.

Step Nine : The final product. After about an hour in the fridge, my wife decided that she would risk it and try. I tried to dissuade her but she cut two pieces, one for me. She promptly took a bite. I didn't have her guts (and literally too) but tried it anyway. It turned out ok. My wife said so too!

Oh, credit also has to go out to two lovely ladies. My wife, of course, who helped line the baking tins with grease paper and with the 'rescue mission' and a new friend my wife introduced me to at the Supermarket. Her name is Betty - Betty Crocker, that is.

So there it is - my foray into baking. After we finished our slice of cake, I told my wife "if I ever suggest that I bake a cake again, please feel free to give me a slap".

Water Works

2007-01-12T22:55:00.000+08:00

Sometime last week, I found a notice stuck on our home door. It was from a Government appointed contractor that said the water suply to our apartment block would be turned off on 12 January 2007 between 10 am and 5 pm for water pipes re-routing - or something like that.

Being the responsible dude that I am, I remembered (more like my trusty Treo reminded me)when I got home last night. I made a list of all the things that needs to be done for our domestic help, like filling up containers and pails with water, ensuring that Dev has his morning "swim in his plastic jacuzzi" and doggies' water bowl is filled, all before 10 am. I felt proud of myself as I climbed into bed at about 5 am.

I decided to sleep in since there was no water but by almost 1 pm, I needed to use the little boys room. So, I did. And I flushed. "One tank disabled", I thought and automatically moved to the wash basin to wash my hands. I washed, dried them on my towel and stepped out to get back into bed. Then my head screamed "Wait! The tap had water!"

This was about 4 hours before they were scheduled to turn the water back on. Did they reschedule and forget to tell us? I called the number on the notice left on my door last week. A lady answered and asked if she could help. I asked how come there was water flowing at my home when they were supposed to have turned off the water. She calmly replied "We have turned off the main supply of water to your block. But the common water tank serving the residents of the block has been filled before we disconnected the supply." All I could say was "Oooohh.... thanks!"

I stepped out of my room and in the kitchen, I found pails, containers, jugs and cups filled with water everywhere. Anything that could hold water was holding water. I felt a little stupid. Anyway, thinking that there might be others like me hogging water from the tank, I rushed back to the bathroom and enjoyed my bath - just in case the tank ran dry.

A whole new appreciation for the convenience of water on tap surfaced.

Have a good weekend, all!

Super Nanny

2007-01-11T20:22:00.000+08:00

"Good help is hard to find these days" is a common phrase heard regularly. I hear horror stories about foreign domestic help through friends who have them and when it was time for my wife and I to seek one, we were worried sick.

"Will she look after the baby well?", "Will she be able to cook?", "Will she practice good hygiene?", "Will she cause us problems?", "Will she spit in our soup if she's pissed with us?" were a few of at least a thousand questions we tossed around before we visited a couple of agencies. We picked one based on her resume and she arrived at our doorstep exactly a week before our son made his dramatic entrance into the world.

And how did our domestic helper turn out? She was good! She cooked well, swept and mopped our home everyday and other than the occassional monetary problems back home which resulting in her asking for advance salary, we grew to trust her to be independent.

But when it came to my son, I think she is way too "good". You see, due to my work schedule, I have the unique opportunity to spend time with him during the day while my wife was working. When I wake up, I find our domestic helper playing with Dev or singing odd sounding kiddy songs. Maybe it's the accent. But when I asked to take over and spend time with him, she hands him over, rushes off to the kitchen and soon returns with a bottle and calls out "Dev!! Feeding time" or "Dev! Diaper changing time" armed with a diaper or "Dev! Bath time!". So, even though I spend a good part of the day home, I have a total of about 15 minutes with my little boy.

So much for good help.

iPhone - iMustHave

2007-01-10T21:11:00.000+08:00

Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Its finally here!

After almost two years of speculation, rumours and hoax images, Apple's iPhone has been announced! Isn't she a beaut?

When I heard that it was launched about half an hour ago, I rushed to my desk and typed in Apple's URL and when it loaded completely, my colleagues found me transfixed with my mouth open. One had the nerve to ask "Porn site?"

This is a phone + iPod hybrid. There's hardly any buttons because it is touch-screen - just like the phones / communication devices found on the Starship Enterprise. It boasts of bluetooth, wi-fi (great for our recent islandwide free wireless internet access) and other goodies. This thing even plays videos. Short of waking up before you to cook breakfast and iron your clothes, it pretty much does everything!

So, I guess Zune's not being marketed in our parts was a blessing in disguise. And to think I was thinking of importing a Zune or even springing for an iPod a couple of days ago. Thank God!

So, here's my declaration :

"I, The Premster, owner of this blog hereby declare that I will hold off as many gadget purchases as possible till June 2007 when the iPhone becomes available. I will love, honour and cherish the iPhone for as long as it shall live - or till a better gadget is launched. I declare to have and to hold, till obseletion do us part."

I'll kiss the iPhone when it arrives.

Closure

2007-01-06T00:53:00.000+08:00

Would you believe that this is my 100th post? I had originally planned for my "centennial" post to be up on 1 January 2007 but alas, things that are planned rarely work out. Or is it just me? Hmmm....

Anyway, at the end of the year, I kept thinking about what a fellow blogger (you know who you are) said about "closure". For me, I've heard the term used on TV shows frequently but never put much thought into what it really meant or how it would affect one's perception of the future. So, "closure" was just another word I knew but did not fully understand.

In 2004, as a result of a mistake by a friend, my father's company was sued for over S$10,000 due to copyright infringement. At that time, intellectual property was something that was just surfacing and being taken seriously in Singapore but no one really knew what it entailed or where the boundaries were. It was an honest mistake and when we found out, we rectified the situation - 8 months before the legal notice was served. But that did not deter the plaintiff from arm-twisting and threats despite my meetings with them to explain the mistake, with irrefutable proof, as well as my father's financial position. As it turned out, there was no room for negotiations. The Director I met with, a burly man, seemed to take pleasure in seeing helpless people writhe in fear of legal consequences. When I say "people", it was not just my father's company that was affected. Newspaper reports indicated more than 500 companies have had letters of demand ranging between S$10,000 and S$100,000 shoved down their throats.

We didn't have much to go on and my father had no choice but to give in to their demands - in 12 installments. This bought me time to do some digging into this company's background. My hunch about the company paid off and I confronted them head on with my findings. After three paid installments, they backed off. But the fact that one human being can stand by and watch another human being suffer without any room for compassion, sympathy or understanding scarred me permanently. That "bad taste in my mouth" seemed like it would never go away - until 24 November 2006, that is.

I read in the papers that a company was being sued for infringement of copyright by selling materials originally produced by a Government authority well after their original agreement had expired. The name of this company stuck out like a sore thumb to me. I couldn't believe that this same company, which previously sued 500 companies for copyright infringement, is now on the receiving end of the charge. The phrase "what goes around, comes around" had new meaning.

Upon reading this article, I suddenly felt a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders and my mind - a weight which I carried for so long that it became a part of me. I whispered "Wish you were here to see this day" to my Dad in the hope he would be looking down on me and sharing my joy. He knew how much this took its toll on me mentally and it was the last fight we fought together before he became ill and passed on.

I do not know what the outcome of the Government authority's case against this unscrupulous company would be but it is nice to know that although the wheels of justice may grind slowly, it is important to realise that they do grind.

And with that, I find closure.

A Little Late But....

2007-01-05T22:44:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year to my dear blogger friends... that's all 5 of you! I wish you much love, joy, good health and good fortune for 2007.

I missed blogging about Christmas and then blogging about the New Year. It has been quite a rollercoaster ride over the last two weeks. Firstly, my wife came down with a cold and since she distanced herself from our little boy, I stepped in to help out - when our overly enthusiastic domestic helper went on with her other chores around the house. But in spite of my wife distancing herself, the young lad caught the cold as well. He also developed a little bit of a cough - more from screeching his lungs out then from an onset of the flu, something he has learnt to do and enjoy. Its like living on a farm these days. Bright and early, he starts his screeching - like a rooster crowing at the break of dawn - waking me up after only having about 3 hours of sleep. Anyway, when both my wife and Dev were all better, I came down with the cold and a few days later, developed a severe migrane that forced me to seek medical attention at 5 am on the second day of 2007.

In between all this, we had a legal issue to sort out. A tenant who leased our apartment before we moved in stiffed my wife of almost S$300 when the utilities bill was left unpaid. It took 9 months and threat of legal action against the tenant before the tenant caved.

In spite of the cold, the severe migrane as well as the headache our former tenant inflicted upon us, things seemed to work out well and I pray that it'll carry on along this not-so-rocky path. And with Dev growing quickly and screeching more and more loudly everyday, it sounds like 2007 will turn out to be quite a hoot.

And my resolutions for the year? I'd prefer not to put it in writing for now lest I do not fulfill them. I'll let you know at the end of the year if I pulled them off. All I can say is.... so far, so good.

Have a fantastic 2007, y'all!

You Know The Name, Now Hear The Mix

2006-12-21T22:57:00.000+08:00

"Ladies and Gents, DJ Mixfreak is in da house!"

*fans scream and cheer wildly*

Back to reality...

One of the many things I was busy with when I went AWOL from my blog was to get back into remixing. Remixing evolved from my passion for deejaying - and is a whole lot less tiring and stressful. It does help if you own your own studio like I do (ok, ok... I admit that it is strictly home-brewed and nothing like the studios that professional Producers and Remixers work in) and you get to spend as much time in there as you want but only until our 0.5 meter tall apartment warden yells out indicating you've had enough for the day.

Remixing took a back-seat for over a year when I tore down my bedroom studio at our previous apartment to accomodate domestic help when my father became very ill. And I told myself that when everything blows over, I'll get back into doing what I love doing.

So I did. And to spice things up, I entered a remixing competition too! Judging is still in progress but there's no way on God's green earth I'll win considering I've heard my competition. There are some really good 'home' remixers out there.

So, making it's debut on Blogger for the first time, "Highest Mountain" by Robert G, remixed by DJ Mixfreak.

The Christmas Spirit

2006-12-18T20:52:00.000+08:00

I love Christmas.

I love the weeks that lead up to the 25th. I love shopping for gifts with my wife as well as for her. I love the Christmas songs that are played on the radio as well as going through the numerous Christmas CDs I own. I love the brightly decorated buildings along Orchard Road. I love shaking hands with the shopping mall Santas. I love sitting down to dinner on Christmas eve with my wife as we enjoy a nice store-bought-home-reheated turkey, honey-baked ham and a nice bottle of red wine. I love everything about Christmas! Especially the "Christmas Spirit" that overcomes me during this season.

Somehow this year, I can't seem to find that special "Christmas Spirit". What is the Christmas Spirit? I'm not sure if I can accurately describe it but I'll give it a go - Its that mixed feeling of joy and excitement and the "smell" of magic in the air that keeps me smiling all the time. Yes, you can actually smell it! Sadly, it seems to have vanished and I am fearful that if I don't find it before Christmas, it'll be lost for another 365 days. I can't let that happen.

So, I'm going on a hunt for this elusive feeling that sets the right tone for the coming new year. And how am I going to do this? By doing all the things I love doing during Christmas. And with a special little boy in my life now, I think that hunt will turn out to be much shorter than I expect.

The search begins...

Who's The Boss

2006-12-15T19:51:00.000+08:00

"Alright kiddo, here's the deal.

I've been here a lot longer so let's get a few things straight and we'll get along just fine.

(1) All toys that are round and / or squeak are mine. You can keep the battery operated stuff. Batteries taste terrible. *bleah*

(2) Don't bother fighting me for scraps that fall from the dinner table. I can catch them on the way down in mid-air. Let's see you pull that off.

(3) Casey will lick you shamelessly. I have pride. We'll shake hands only.

(4) I get first dibs on the food and water dish always. No exceptions. When I am done, feel free to beat Casey to it.

(5) I like sitting close to your Daddy with or without you sitting on his lap. Hence, my being there is not an invitation for you to use me as a soft comfy leg rest.

Now that we've got that out of the way, hand me that ball pal!"

- Eddie

A Sad Farewell

2006-12-13T01:41:00.000+08:00

Last week, I sold my father's car. It was one of the last few things my father bought and treasured deeply before he passed on and marked a milestone in his life. As such, the keys were handed over to the car dealer with a very heavy weight on my heart.

A milestone? Well, my father was a car enthusiast as a young man - much like his only son. At a point in his life where he was financially well-off, he owned up to seven cars at a go. Most of them were regular cars but the one that he truly treasured was his MG Triumph convertible. And when bad times hit him, he lost all of them - including his beloved MG. Since then, he never really showed much excitement for cars and because of his financial position, he never got to buy a new car. Whenever the topic of new cars came up, he'd say "Any used car is fine. It is just for transportation." But his eyes would light up when we talked about convertibles. I knew he loved them and now that I can probably afford to buy him one - a used one, that is - my father is no longer around to grant me the honour to bring that special smile to his face... the same smile that I saw as a little boy when he started the sporty sounding engine of his British-made silver sports car. This will haunt me forever.

My father worked very hard. At his age where many elderly men were retired and enjoying the fruits of their labour, my father was still labouring. And as a result of his years of hard work and facing many adversities, he rebuilt his business and was finally able to afford a new car. I recall in May of 2003 (a Saturday), my father asked me to drive him to the local Kia showroom "just to see" the new models. I thought it would be fun. When we got there, he opened the door to a Kia Spectra on display and said "This one is spacious" and without enquiring much else, he called for the sales agent to draw up the sales agreement! I felt my chest tighten. I asked him nervously "Can we afford another car? We have to pay a sizeable downpayment!". His casual response was "I'm not afraid of a few thousand dollars."

This was not the voice of pride or arrogance. He had lost more than half a million dollars as a result of unscrupulous partners and legal issues in the 70s - eventually losing his MG - so this did not worry him too much. However, I panicked... without fully understanding that he had carefully set aside a budget for his brand new Korean-made sedan.

He bought the car because firstly, it was something he always wanted to do for a long time. Secondly, he wanted to be independent and get around without waiting for me to come pick him up but most importantly, he wanted my wife and I to spend more time together on our own instead of scheduling our time so that we could ferry him to and from work. However, his "independence" was short-lived when I insisted that he stop driving about a year later after a couple of accidents. And not long before this, I too had bought a new car after selling my 13 year old Nissan. So, my father's pride and joy sat in our apartment's car park waiting anxiously to hit the roads.

The car wasn't always just a spare vehicle. It came in handy when my father became ill last year when my wife drove it between work and the hospital to visit my dad everyday while I worked at his office during the day and headed to my regular job at night. It tranported my dear wife and our baby boy in her "tummy" to work and back till the day he was born - faithfully - without her having to worry about jostling with peak hour human traffic trying to cram into trains or brave long queues for taxis. The car that seemed like my father's extravagant purchase became a boon to the both of us. All it needed in return was a tank of petrol and a good wash once every two weeks.

When we decided to sell the car, it felt like we were abandoning a faithful soul. It pained us both deeply. But emotions aside, it was a financial burden with petrol prices, road-tax and insurance premiums being what they are today. So, for the sake of our financial future, we let it go. Although I feel like I let my father down somewhat, I think the loss is most felt by my wife. But as sad as we were, we were happy to learn that the car will not end up in the scrap yard but will be de-registered and exported to another country to begin a new lease of life. I am sure it will make another owner somewhere very happy too.

It may seem silly but I'd like to say "thank you" to a car that meant a great deal to all of us. I wish it be blessed with a caring owner and many more good years. Goodbye, my friend. We will miss you.

Missing Again?

2006-12-11T23:52:00.000+08:00

No, I did not get abducted by aliens (they do exist, you know!) nor did I go on a secret undercover mission to find out the truths that lurk inside Area 51. I sometimes wish life were that dramatic but considering how tired I get these days just running a simple errand, I'm quite content with the life I have... to be able to crash on the couch at the end of a regular work day, flip on the tele and watch everything that gets beamed into my living room - crap or otherwise.

To all who thought something had happened or I had abandoned my blog, my sincere apologies. Its just that life decided to shift to a higher gear over the last three weeks and I got caught up with work, family and all the other stuff. On top of that, I've been having some trouble getting Blogger to work at home and my emails to their Helpdesk have been... er... of no help at all.

Well, I'm back and I guess my next few posts will be about all the stuff I've been up to as well as my reflections on 2006. It has been an eventful year and on many levels, I am actually quite sad that it is ending.

So fasten your seatbelts, folks. The Premster is back.

How's that for dramatics??

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T14:45:00.000+08:00

It is a pity that Thanksgiving is only celebrated in the States. I think it is a wonderful tradition where families get together, share what they're thankful for in their lives and have a meal together.

I have many things to be thankful for in life. I hope you have the same.

Here's wishing you and all your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Couch Camping

2006-11-22T12:31:00.000+08:00

Last night, I slept on the sofa.

No, the Mrs didn't get tired of my constant grumbling and toss me out. I was feeling a little under the weather. Kinda felt like a bad flu coming on so I decided to vacate our room where our son also sleeps so that they might not come get what I have.

The last time I slept on the sofa was a few months ago - at our old home - and for the same reason. The sofa was a nightmare to sleep on. It was half my height so my legs would be hanging off the arm rest. I'd wake up feeling even more ill than I was the night before. Understandably, I was a little worried about sleeping on the new one.

The new sofa gets 5 stars out of a possible 3. No, that's not a typo. It provided excellent support and even gave me enough room to sleep comfortably on my tummy. It was long enough for me to lie on without any of my limbs hanging out.

But the highlight of camping in our living room were Eddie and Casey. For some odd reason, they gave up the comforts of their doggie beds and decided that they wanted to hang out with me. They shared the ottoman that was right beside my sofa.

Here's a picture of the two fellas curled up taken from where I was lying. Pardon the picture quality as it was taken in the dark with my phone's camera.

Cute, aren't they?

Calculatingly Funny

2006-11-20T23:25:00.000+08:00

NEW YORK -- A public school teacher was arrested today at John F.Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide ruleand a calculator.

At a morning press conference, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement. He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction.

"Al-gebra is a problem for us," Gonzales said. "They desire solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values. They use secret code names like 'x' and 'y' and refer to themselves as 'unknowns', but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country.

As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say,'There are 3 sides to every triangle'. When asked to comment on the arrest, President Bush said, "If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, He would have given us more fingers and toes."

Baby Proof

2006-11-17T22:46:00.000+08:00

Last night, while trying to steer (pardon the pun) a conversation with my wife towards cool new cars on the road, my wife, looking down at our little boy sleeping in her arms, suddenly smiled and said "I can't believe we have a son!". "Nice way of dodging the topic", I teased.

I know she didn't mean to detour from the subject (which inevitably would lead to talk about getting a new ride) but a sudden revelation had overcome her. I knew what she meant because I could definitely relate. When I am at work, everything seems like pre-fatherhood days but when I suddenly remember that I am now a father to baby boy, everything feels different. I feel I have to work harder, prove I am a very important cog in my company's wheel and present myself with utmost dignity. Not that I was ever sloppy but the need to do everything better was overwhelming.

If it sounds like I am complaining, I'm not. In fact, it makes me feel good.

Today, my wife and I were out plant shopping. A fengshui expert earlier said we should have a Money Plant to welcome good fortune into our home. And since we needed all the good fortune we could get, we set out looking for one at a nursery. While there, we scouted for a nice glass vase to put it into and have it perched on one of my ridiculously expensive speakers. My rationale was if it truly brought fortune, I could upgrade my speaker system if the plant ruined it. *pat on back*

Anyway, our conversation from that point on went like this :

Wife : Is it ok to place it on the speakers?

Me : Its ok. We'll just need to put some tabs below the vase to protect the speaker's surface. But what about Captain Crib?

Wife : Hmmm... He's starting to turn on his side and he'll soon be crawling.

Me : He might pull on the speaker wire and the whole vase might come tumbling down.

Wife : (wincing) You're right. No glass vases. Lets get a light plastic one instead.

And so we did.

The discussion came very naturally - like we were seasoned parents. Long story short, I think parenthood has just permanently hit home. And I guess we've just embarked on Step One of baby-proofing our abode.

Our joyride with our son is just about to shift to a higher gear. Time for everyone to "buckle up". *smile*

Tales From The Crib

2006-11-17T19:50:00.000+08:00

Our little fella, code-named Captain Crib, has his very own blog right here in our community. Clicking on the image above will take you straight into his crib (aka online blog).

Do pop by when you can. Mrs Prem might just be blogging there from time to time too! So will I.

Hope that's incentive enough. *wink*

Zune-less This Christmas

2006-11-15T23:23:00.000+08:00

Alright... The Premster is MIFFED!!

Over the last 13 years as an IT professional, I have developed a certain level of disdain for Microsoft and their products. Their operating systems / software require to be patched every other day and troubleshooting problems are almost impossible because of the ridiculous / cryptic error messages. My life has been filled with "This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shutdown" or the infamous Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD). Here's the craziest - "Unable to detect keyboard. Press any key to continue".

On the bright side, it keeps me gainfully employed.

It was only recently that Bill Gates and his boys were getting into my good books with the introduction of better designed software (Windows 2003 and Windows Vista) as well as their entry into the multimedia portable player market with Zune. Then, I read this!

Back in the dog-house you go, Mr Gates. My dollars will be ending up in Mr Jobs' pockets this Christmas after all.

Eddie and Me

2006-11-14T02:30:00.000+08:00

In my quest to be "intellectual", or at least appear to be, I have gone back to something I loved doing when I was a young lad - reading.

I was mostly hooked on local writers as they wrote about people and things close to home. I think I must have read at least 80% of the works of local writers back in my teens and early twenties. Some of my favourite writers back then were Sumiko Tan, Philip Jeyaretnam, Adrian Tan, Sylvia Toh and Mr Spooky himself - Russell Lee. After reading almost every ghost story book ever written by Russell, I got a chance to see him in person a few months back at a book signing in a local mall - with his trademark black hat, black suit and black face-mask to hide his true identity. No one knows who he is or what he looks like. And "Russell" is not his real name either. He is, after all, a ghostwriter. *wink*

Anyway, I didn't want to be overwhelmed by the likes of Stephen King or Tom Clancy so I started off with a charming little book called Marley & Me - Life And Love With The World's Worst Dog by John Grogan. It is a story about the life of Mr Grogan and his new bride Jenny. In their journey to becoming parents, they started off by 'training' themselves with what seemed to be a sweet loving little Labrador puppy named after their favourite performer, Bob Marley. Marley grows up to be a riot (not in a good way) but still retaining his unconditional love and affection for his master and mistress. In one chapter, Jenny, suffering from post-natal blues, is seen pounding on Marley when the latter ruined their house. Instead of reacting, the dog just lay there and took the painful beating. It brought tears to my eyes.

Such are dogs. They have a way of understanding their owners and taking the abuse because of love, respect and loyalty.

The story, for the most part, is a reflection of our life with our Jack Russell, Eddie. As a result of a very low period in my life, my wife and my Dad decided to cheer me up with a puppy. Eddie became the baby in the house and my Dad would sometimes tease "Let Eddie be practice for the both of you". And practice he was. On his first day at our home, he kept us up all night because he had kennel cough. I remember I was worried sick about him when we left him at home to go to work the next day. He looked so tiny and frail. I prayed in between work that he would be ok when we returned in the evening to bring him to the vet.

Although a real rascal (he sunk his teeth through our cupboards, pee'd on our bed and clawed his way through our doors), he was forever loving and faithful to us. He saw me through the best and the worst days of my life and even if I scolded him purely out of personal frustration, he'd still come back and ask for "forgiveness", as if he was in the wrong. I love the times when he'd snuggle up by my side with his head on my lap while I watch TV. These days, Casey (our other Jack Russell), fights him for this position. Being the gentleman that Eddie is, he always gives in.

I've yet to finish the book and I should be done sometime this week. But I fear the ending would be a sad one. I won't spoil the ending, for those of you who might think of picking this one up, by posting it here. But if you are a dog lover and enjoy a bitter-sweet story, this is a must-read.

My next conquest will be iWoz : From Computer Geek To Cult Icon.

I know. Stop smirking. I can't help it. *smile*

Firewall

2006-11-13T19:24:00.000+08:00

More gadget posts? No, this is not. I get the hint. *wink*

This one's on a movie my wife and I caught on DVD on Saturday night. It's a movie from early this year called "Firewall" starring Harrison Ford as a Vice President of systems security in a large bank.

Jack Stansfield's (Ford) family is held hostage and in exchange for their release, Jack is required to hack into his bank's computers and transfer millions of dollars into the captors offshore bank accounts. For a movie buff like me, I found the story highly predictable because it reeks elements from Air Force One (also starring Ford), Ransom (starrring Mel Gibson) and Hostage (starring Bruce Willis).

There was a little McGuyver moment when Jack took the image scanner part of his fax machine and attached it to his daughter's iPod to 'scan' account numbers off a computer screen. Being a tech-head, I know full well that this was impossibe without the proper circuitry in-between the scanning device and the iPod. I tried hard to explain this to my dear wife but I think she was more impressed that Jack came up with the concept than with my technical knowledge. Oh well....

Overall, a watchable movie but I'll bet one would be even more in tune with the story if they didn't bother with technical intracacies - like me. Definitely not for hardcore techie / geeks.

And if anyone wants to know what a firewall is, read here. Or feel free to ask a question via comments!

Hope you guys had a good weekend!

Something To Crowe About

2006-11-10T20:50:00.000+08:00

I am so proud of myself and my Treo today. It just goes to show that The Premster does make sound judgement when he invests (read : flushes hard-earned money down the toilet) in top-notched gadgets.

Palm's Treo has starred in many TV series such as Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds, House and even CSI:NY. Everytime the resident heros of these shows whip out their Treos, I beam with delight like a proud parent. The only thing that could make me more proud was if one of my son's first words were "Smartphone". "Dada" can wait.

While trawling the Internet hunting for new gadgets to obsess over, I came across an article titled "Treo plays prominent role in Ridley Scott's new movie, "A Good Year", starring Russell Crowe". Although not a fan of Russell Crowe, I am now anxious to see the movie.

More on what should be the story of the year here.

His Heart Will Go On (Hopefully)

2006-11-08T21:55:00.000+08:00

Here's the deal. This young man, after going on a first date, had fallen head over heels for the young lady. And as a sign of his affection, he made this video for her.

Watch (and be severely irked) at your own risk.

Love does make a man do silly things but this fella definitely takes the cake.

Wonder how the damsel of his desire reacted. My guess would be to relocate, beg to be on the witness protection programme and... upload the video on YouTube for the world to see.

Crash! Boom! Bang!

2006-11-07T22:30:00.000+08:00

Nope... this is not a Roxette album review.

One year ago today, I met with a car accident. Not my first in almost 20 years of driving but this one shook me quite a bit. Not that an accident would actually scare me from ever getting behind the wheel of a car but the circumstances behind it.

I drive a car that looks fast but really moves like any ordinary sedan on the road. And because of the mentality of young drivers on the road these days, they have to try to out-do you - in terms of flash or speed. If they can't out-do you at one, they'll try the other. The former is relatively safe because it simply conjures the green-eyed monster. The latter, however, can lead to the loss of life or limb. Allow me to elaborate.

While heading to town this day last year, I stopped at a junction waiting for oncoming traffic to clear before making a turn into a major road. I noticed a beat-up white multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) coming to a stop behind me. Not thinking anything about it, I continued to watch for oncoming traffic. A few seconds later, the vehicle that had stopped behind me overtook and stopped on my left. Again, I didn't think much about it and assumed that he was in a hurry.

When traffic cleared, I made my turn and so did the other driver. As I sped up on the clear path, this driver cut into my path from the left to the extreme right side of the road. I slowed down to give him way only to realise that he decided to slow down to a crawl. I was in no hurry so I followed him at the snail's pace he was driving at. Shortly after, he sped off and I continued on my journey. About a minute later, cutting across three lanes of traffic into my path again was the same beat-up white MPV. This time, I had to jam my brakes hard to avoid a collision. The driver proceeded to travel at snail's pace again in an attempt to slow me down. Again, I repeat that I drive a car that looks fast but does not get anywhere fast.

As we approached a bend, he sped off again. I shook my head and continued. I approached a traffic light and noticed that I had stopped beside him. When the lights turned green, I sped up and moved off. Mr Beat-up White MPV chased after me and overtook. That beat-up MPV could really gallop. And anticipating his predictable act, I prepared my foot on the brakes. True enough, he swerved in, narrowly missing the front right corner of my car. I sounded my horn loudly at the driver for his dangerous and inconsiderate act. For this, he responded by slamming on his brakes and my car landed straight into his rear bumper. Fortunately for me, I already had my foot on the brakes or the collision would have been far worse.

I got down and approached the driver, who turned out to be a military man in full uniform! I thought to myself "How can a man entrusted by our Government to protect the country and its citizens endanger the life of a civilian motorist?". Having served in the army myself, I knew what wearing a military uniform bearing our country's insignia meant. When I told him about his dangerous manoeuvers, his casual reply was "It doesn't matter what you say. You collided into me so you're at fault."

This was not far from the truth. According to insurance companies' representatives I spoke to, this appears to be the standard practice. A lawyer acting for my insurance company said that our Courts operate on the same premise. Knowing full well of his position of power in that situation, Mr Beat-up White MPV endangered my life, inflicted damage to my two year old car and was expected to get away with it. As a result of these unwritten 'rules', people have started advantage of this. Cars that require extensive 'rear cosmetic surgery' recklessly overtake unsuspecting innocent drivers and slam on their brakes to cause a collision. With the insurance payout, the "victim" gets to update his car.

We often talk about how crime rate is very low here and how our country is safe. But everyday, I am sure that at least one motorist faces an "attempted murder" and because everyone turns a blind eye, the perpetrator gets away scott-free. One word describes the situation - Disgraceful.

One year on, my insurance company is still fighting the case as, unknown to Mr Beat-up white MPV, the way the cars collided does indicate that he had cut into my path. He thought he was going to get away with this easily. Little did he know that I am not one to back down especially when the accident was caused intentionally.

If I have learnt anything from this incident, it is that people are generally self-serving and if they can take advantage of a situation or another human being, most will not pass up the opportunity.

Drive safe everyone, wherever you are. Although there are still decent people out there, you'll never know who you'll encounter or what their intentions are.

The iPod Killer

2006-11-06T23:10:00.000+08:00

In about a week (14 November 2006, to be precise), Microsoft will unleash upon the world (well, to the US for now) what could possibly be the iPod killer. The Zune is Microsoft's first foray into the portable media player business and despite their very late entry into this saturated milieu, it looks like they're headed straight for worldwide success.

For all of you iPod fans out there (me included), here's a list of things that the Zune has / does that the iPod hasn't / doesn't.

Wi-Fi Compatibility (great for updating your firmware - anywhere a hotspot is available!)

WMA and WMV support

3 Inch Screen

Video viewable in portrait or landscape mode

13 hour battery life

Music sharing (via Wi-Fi) with other Zune users (you get to listen to shared songs for 3 days)

FM Radio

Custom background images

Wi-Fi transferring of photos or images.

XBox Streaming

I haven't had the opportunity to try one out myself but the reviews have all been glowing. And anticipating the success, many accessory manufacturers have already produced cases and add-ons for the Zune. So, you'll be able to accessorize your own Zune as soon as you unwrap it.

Considering my 15GB iPod is old and dying (excuses, excuses), I'll definitely be checking it out when it hits our shores. Hmmm.... Zune, it will be mine.... *evil cackle*

If my wife reads this, she'll probably slap her forehead and say "Good God, here we go again!"