For my peers out there, hope u ppl fulfil your full potential that’s listed below.. the ones in bold are things that i think i’m doing well..heh..

WATER DOG Horoscope

Jan 28, 1922 to Feb 15, 1923 Jan 25, 1982 to Feb 12, 1983 Dog people are loyal and honest and obedient, guardians of the house at night. They can be counted on to keep secrets and for always doing the right thing. They can be emotionally distant and do not mix well in social gatherings where they are often seen as wallflowers. They do better with one-on-one relationships and find happiness in the happiness they bring to others, such as finding the most perfect gifts for their friends. While it is true that they have sharp tongues and are a bit stubborn and eccentric, in a work situation they tend to work very well with other people. What is more, they always seem to have money (where is the money???) and make excellent leaders. Because of their high moral stance, they are inspiring beyond measure. Sizzling Rice Soup and Chinese Cabbage are among the keys to good health!! Water Dogs are real charmers, easily attracting friends and colleagues into their inner circle. Handling the ins and outs of human relations is so easy for them! They know how to smooth over any personal situation with their kind, honest, easy-going nature. Always empathetic, always rational, their ability to play Devil’s Advocate helps open up whole new ways of approaching problems and finding solutions. Their views on life are expansive because of an ingrained wanderlust which has taken and will continue to take them to exotic locales about the globe. They adapt like chameleons to new environments and new people and their lives are all-encompassing, full of rich adventure. Financial and career success comes to the Water Dogs later in life — just watch these late bloomers burst open! Regarding their love life, when it comes to dating and romance, their temperature ranges from hot to cold, from one extreme to another. Sometimes they want a commitment, other times they run Geronimo. But, when true love finally comes, and it will, they have it made. Their relationships are filled with good honest communication and genuine kindness and total caring for their partner. Marriage will be as firm as the Rock of Gibraltar. Famous Dog People: Chiang Chin-Kuo, Zhou En-Lai, Lee Teng-Hui, Benjamin Franklin, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley,Jacques Cousteau, King Carl XVI Gustaf, Yitzhak Rabin, Golda Meir, Mother Teresa, Jane Goodall, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien

Check out the other horoscopes here

Worked at Backstreet Boys concert on Tuesday, and in honour of the 5 not-so-young singers (can i even call them that?) on stage who had gajazillions of gals screaming for them, presenting today’s wiki

Extract:

Equally important to the group’s commercial success is the group’s image, carefully controlled by managing all aspects of the group’s dress, promotional materials (which are supplied to teen magazines), and music videos, the most famous boy band manager being Lou Pearlman. Typically, each member of the group will have some distinguishing feature and be portrayed as having a particular personality stereotype, such as “the baby,” “the bad boy,” “the nice boy.” Whilst managing the portrayal of popular musicians is as old as popular music, the particular pigeonholing of boy band members is a defining characteristic of boy and girl bands.

Has anyone seen this??

First-ever Blogging Competition in NUS

Written by Lin Na Do you blog? If you are one of those with a love for blogging, then watch out for “BlogFest 2006”, the first-ever blogging competition in NUS! A celebration to honour the invention and appearance of the variety of blogs out there in cyberspace, the Arts Club and CNM Society is proud to present “BlogFest 2006”! It is slated to be held from 1 Feb to 31 March 2006 where students and staff across the NUS campus are welcome to take part! Whether your blog is two-years-old, one-month-old or newly created, look forward to become one of the winners for “Best NUS Blog”, “Funniest Blog” and “Best Blog Design”. Prizes include MP3 players and vouchers! One of the voters will win a mystery prize too! Eager to fill in that registration form? Can’t wait to vote for that favourite blog? Or are you already devising the most juicy details for your blog to win the top prize from us? Good things WILL be worth the wait, details on registration, rules and regulations and judging criteria will be unveiled in the next issue of Hooked! Clues to “BlogFest 2006” will be creeping around NUS soon! hooked

Twelve Reasons Why I wun win best NUS Blog

1. The sheer fact that i name it this way
2. Trying to proof that NUS is copying SMU
3. Complaining about CORS for being too boring
4. 2-hit combo, NUSSU and CORS
5. Writing into papers to attempt to complain about CORS (again)
6. Laughing at lecturer’s booboo
7. Complaining about the same lecturer’s stupid test
8. Introducing u ppl to the most professional professor
9. Science Club is not spared
10. my latest pet issue - carparks!
11. Ranking drop nvm, but cannot lose face
12. and lastly, Dancing Professor!

u ppl gotta check this out… click the picture below to see how the prof grooves in class

Finally took possession of my bike from bufeng on wednesday (and landing myself in debt @ the same time). But loan aside, it’s proving to be a great ride so far. Took me a while to get used to depending solely on the 2 wheels for traction, after all, i’ve not ridden since 26th nov 2005, if you dun count the illegal rides that i took @ GP petronas on the bandit, the shadow and the rvf.

Come to think of it, taking public transport is never cheap, altogether i’ve spent 102 bucks @ least on topping up my ezlink, of which i’ve spent 52 on bus concession for dec. Didn’t buy for jan cos i tot i would be getting a bike after new yr, which proved untrue. Mind you, 100 bucks can buy me petrol and maintenance for close to 2 mths.. Time to resume my 2nd link runs to boast johor economy.. “Malaysia Boleh!” “Malaysia Truely Asia… ” “JB is a safe place”

It’s been an interesting time taking public transport, 1stly the time to talk to my frens on bus or train. I recalled taking bus with charissa back from esplanade, 1st time i took bus with someone else for a long long time…n sleeping on long train rides to the east for ucc chalet n physics canoeing, squeezing on 151 with my sister who goes to work somewhere along clementi road in the mornings, just like the good old days back in rvhs cheonging for 176.

151 is a fucked up bus.. raises 2 arms, 2 legs I mean, where do u find a bus which doesnt come for 20 mins, then 6 of them come @ the same time. It takes abit of guts initially to give the 1st 2 buses a miss, despite the fact that u’re running late for lectures (QM2!! cannot late, late oso die die must go!!) and choose to wait for the n-th (n being postive integer n not equal 1, 2) bus. So when u have 6 buses arriving within 10 mins @ SRC bus stop, and 1-2 ISBs arriving @ the same stop within the same time, u have to be thick skinned n squeeze like those 中国佬 onto the bus.. ppl diao3 u, u either ignore n listen to mp3 player, or if u in konfrontasi mood, can stare back lor

Those days are over, and i’m learnign to appreciate my bike more.. w/o it, i wun be sitting @ home now at 2.22pm when i’m reporting for 3.30pm duty at esplanade later… shan’t push it any further…

kuantan anyone for 15 min walk on beach?

I foresee myself blogging less often as the semester progresses, but then again i seem to have great blogging topics once i start to camp in my usual place.. That should be coming soon..

QM2 is in full swing, 3 lectures so far and i’ve not lost track. Come to think of it, englert’s giving us a revision course for QM1, but still i’m glad that i’m able to understand most of the stuff that he’s talking about. The only problem about the class so far is that every lect he starts by 10.10am and ends at 11.55am, no break, no powerpoint, no transparencies, no mic..just a whiteboard, his markers (incl a red screeching one) and his unamplified voice.. Basically the only time u get to rest is when he is erasing his board. Then after QM2 lect, we would trudge to canteen see wat food we can buy, and then go S1A for SSD lect n try not to sleep..

The other modules are ok so far i guess, nuclear n particle physics by a slacker-mama lecturer who CANNOT stand still, can u imagine a rotund guy rocking from foot to foot..with hiphop hand/arm motions.. body’s undergoing simple harmonic motion, arms n hands undergoing brownian motion…

Cosmetics is kind of interesting, n no, it’s not cos of the sheer number of babes in the class. Personally i hate large LT grps, after all in physics it’s small classes all the way. It’s next to impossible to concentrate on the lecture, cos everyone is whispering lah.. i’m guilty of thinking my whispering to a fren wun amt to much, but when u add up the volume of 600 ppl i tell u, goner liaoz

Financial Econs 1 lecturer reminds me of the donald duck lecturer back in hwachong, everyone in uni is too mature to laugh about his silly voice, or too bz concentrating on lecture, or too bz sleeping.. there is a major inconvenience for my friend regarding her tut slots, that should come in the next post..

Just took over a friend’s bandit..yesh same bike as my old one, just red colour this time round..as usual, the bandit is a good ride..more to come in (yet) another post

i gotta stop writing this kind of boring posts that i hate to read…

hey u guys have to check this out… amazing shit..

Kena tagged by socialdust..

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY: 1) J—k– 2) K—- 3) KJK

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD: modify to nicknames yea 1) jkaiser 2) Pity 3) Evil Monk

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF: 1) hands 2) calves 3) tan

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON’T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF: 1) tummy! haha 2) ears 3) feet

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU: 1) moths 2) meeting accidents 3) stuck in a boring job

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS: 1) bike (i’ve survived more than 1 mth, i’m amazed too..yea) 2) human interaction 3) makanan

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW: 1) running vest 2) shorts 3) specs THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS OR MUSICAL ARTISTS: [currently] 1) electrico 2) oasis 3) corrinne may

THREE OF YOUR FAVOURITE SONGS: 1) 张学友 - 我真的受伤了 2) Dreamz FM - Should i Stay 3) Electrico - Runaway

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP: 1) personal space 2) care 3) love

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE (in no particular order): 1) i am prone to motion sickness 2) i can swim 3 different strokes 3) i only got into 1 accident on my bike b4

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE PREFERRED SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU: 1) hair 2) legs 3) shoulders THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES: 1) following cricket 2) watching tv… 3) surfing net

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW: 1) watch cricket on tv but no money!! 2) ride bike!!! 3) sleep

THREE CAREERS YOU’RE CONSIDERING/YOU’VE CONSIDERED: 1) teacher 2) youth development 3) cust service/ PR THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION: 1) Northern India 2) Nepal 3) Taiwan

THREE KID NAMES YOU LIKE: 1) Brandon 2) Elise 3) i can’t think of anymore

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE: 1) get married 2) visit all the countries that i want 3) spent as much time as possible with treasured ones.

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A BOY: 1) when talking to guys…the conversation is peppered with unspeakables 2) Tech- and sports-crazy 3) Decisive THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A GIRL: 1) mum used to say that i walk with a shaking butt 2) use too many smilies 3) sometimes i think too much

THREE PEOPLE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE TAKE THIS QUIZ NOW: 1) theoneandonlyxinyi 2) keesiao 3) haoxian

I can smell my ORD coming, yesh! Of cos the usual tradition of posting the modules that i’m taking here.. EC3333 FINANCIAL ECONOMICS I This course is designed to introduce students to certain areas of financial economics. It attempts to develop a theoretical foundation for choice under uncertainty, portfolio analysis and equilibrium asset pricing models. A considerable portion of the course will also be devoted to the fixed-income securities and derivative securities. Since this is an economics course in a liberal arts and sciences setting, we will emphasize economic concepts whenever possible, and spend time on the intellectual and economic development of investment analysis. PC3130 QUANTUM MECHANICS II This module continues from PC2130 and prepares the student for PC4130. It is targeted at physics majors, as well as science and engineering students who wish to acquire a rigorous foundation in quantum theory. While reviewing briefly the material of PC2130, the general algebraic formalism of quantum mechanics is presented (Dirac’s bra-ket notation). Then the ladder-operator treatment of harmonic oscillators is developed, with some emphasis on the properties of coherent states. After discussing the algebra of orbital angular momentum and the properties of spherical harmonics, the bound states of the hydrogen atom are studied. The Stark effect and the Zeeman effect illustrate the methods of time-independent perturbation theory. The course closes with an introduction to the WKB approximation method. PC3232 NUCLEAR & PARTICLE PHYSICS This is an intermediate course in nuclear physics, with an introduction to particle physics. Properties of nuclei, e.g., masses, spins, and moments, are introduced and an introductory discussion of nuclear models is presented, the semi-empirical mass formula, the Fermi gas model, the shell model and some aspects of the collective model are discussed. The energy balances and spin/parity selection rules of alpha, beta and gamma decay processes are discussed in considerable detail. The various types of interaction between radiation and matter are discussed, and an introduction to radiation detectors is given. A discussion of the operational principles and technological aspects of accelerators and an introductory survey of particle physics completes the material covered. PC3241 SOLID STATE DEVICES This module aims to introduce students to solid state devices. The topics covered include: introduction to semiconductors, charge carrier concentrations, drift of carriers in electric and magnetic fields, diffusion and recombination of excess carriers, p-n junction physics, junction diodes, tunnel diodes, photodiodes, light emitting diodes, bipolar junction transistors, junction field effect transistors (JFET), metal-semiconductor contacts metal-insulator-semiconductor interfaces, basic MOSFET. PR2202 COSMETICS & PERFUMES Learning objectives: To understand the development, usefulness, classification, composition and application of cosmetics and perfumes. To gain pertinent information for the selection and evaluation of these items. To acquire an overview of the marketing and regulatory aspects of the global industry for these products. Major topics: History of cosmetics and perfumes. Formulation, manufacture and use of perfumes. Biology of the skin, cosmetic preparations, consumer information and precautions. Regulatory and industrial aspects of these products. Target students: All students outside the Faculty of Science. Science and Pharmacy students may read it as an elective

ok using this to test my feed…

fuck! my rss feeds are down…

I finally did something that i\’ve always wanted to do for the past few yrs.. Visit a mosque on hari raya haji to witness how korban is done..

For those who have no idea what i\’m talking about, korban is sorta of a ceremony where a muslim sacrifices an animal, usually a sheep or goat in the sg context. Basically it goes back a long way when Allah wanted to test the faith of Ibrahim and ordered him to sacrifice his youngest son as a show of faith.. Ibrahim (or Abraham in Jewish context) was prepared to do so, but Allah stopped him at the last minute, allowing him to use an animal, not sure what..as a replacement.. [will update this part once i do my research, but the gist should be correct]

So today i made my way during lunch time to the mosque @ bt batok.. ar raudhah..talk about being on for this..it was raining heavily when i went, dressed appropriately in polo tee and long pants.. the front of the mosque was pretty quiet but i could definitely smell mutton..so i went to the back of the mosque. There was this long Q of ppl towards this shed. It was noisy to say the least, with the explosion of people and the chopping sound of the choppers welded by the volunteer butchers. There was this huge table where the butchers worked non-stop, chopping up the sheep into small portions to be distributed, u can see hooves all over the place, discarded.

What really hit me was this row of sheep and goats, barely moving..and i realised that their necks have already been slit.. the whole affair was pretty organised, come to think of it.

1. Volunteers would carry out the sheep or goat from the temporary holding pen, 1 guy for hind legs, 1 for front legs, 1 for body, 1 for head..
2. A man would shout out the number of the goat, so that the owner who paid about 270 dollars can come forward to witness the sacrifice. By right he\’s supposed to DIY but usually they let another man do it
3. The animal is held down on the ground, with its head over the opened-manhole, and resting on this specially constructed wooden rack
4. Once the owner comes up, the man would confirm his name, and say this to the er..executor \”Korban, silakan\” [pls proceed with the sacrifice]
5. The volunteers would start reciting a prayer to let the animal die in peace, and the executor would take a long wavy knife and slit under its neck..
6. Blood flows out, like a tap..
7. The blood flow slows to a trickle, and they stop reciting.. the animal is carried to the side, joining the row of already-sacrificed animals..
8. The blade is sharpened, and the area is hosed down with water before the next animal is brought in<

This is the disturbing part to me, I tot that by then the sheep is dead but NO. It is still alive when it\’s placed along the row..they would be kicking and struggling.. there was this goat which was particularly aggressive, even at its deathbed..kicking so hard that it nearly fell headfirst into the manhole which is a good metre away…According to the executor, they take about 5-10 mins to die

Processing of meat

1. The carcass is hung up by its hind legs
2. Via a long incision on its underbelly, the skin is removed
3. The carcass is chopped up into manageable portions and the head is disposed
4. The portions are transferred to the butcher\’s table where they are further chopped up
5. Part of it is distributed to the owner
6. Most of it would be given to welfare homes and less fortunate families; a portion are shipped back to Australia, where the sheep are originally from, to be canned n sent to third world countries as aid

Somehow by then, i realised that i\’ve overstayed my welcome. I think i wasnt very welcome for these 2 reasons:

1. It was very crowded and i was obstructing their way
2. It was unislamic for me to be there, n perhaps rude. Even though i asked permission before entering the area, and taking fotos only when i saw others doing the same, they could have allowed me to do so in the name of religious harmony Read papers that a few non-muslims MPs were @ the mosques too..heck..even the israeli envoy and his wife were @ a mosque..so yea..cross out this reasoning

Nonetheless it was a very good and sobering experience for me to finally witness this ceremony.. I do have some pics n movie clips from it, but i wun be posting here in case of any sensitivities..do msg me if u wanna take a look though… n hopefully i never offended anyone at the mosque today

Selemat Hari Raya Haji

wtf!! Check THIS out

Matsushita shows 103-inch plasma

Top seller of flat-screen TVs beats Samsung record; gives no indication when item will hit shelves.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Matsushita Electric Industrial, the maker of Panasonic products, said Thursday it has developed a prototype of a 103-inch plasma display panel, the world’s largest such screen.

The prototype, which will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, appears to put Matsushita slightly ahead of South Korea’s Samsung Electronics for bragging rights over who can develop the biggest flat-panel TV.

Samsung grabbed headlines at last year’s CES by unveiling a 102-inch plasma display prototype. Neither company has made clear when or if these monster screens will actually reach store shelves or at what price.

Samsung boasts the largest plasma TV now on the market, having started sales of an 80-inch model in South Korea in October for about $130,000.

It’s almost here! just paid USD9.99 for the live audio feed..heh..

Please note this schedule is subject to change.

VENUE GMT Local Time Pakistan v India - Test Matches Jan 13 - 17 1st Test Lahore 4:45 am 9:45 am Jan 21 - 25 2nd Test Faisalabad 4:45 am 9:45 am Jan 29 - Feb 2 3rd Test Karachi 4:45 am 9:45 am Pakistan v India - ODI Matches Feb 6 1st ODI Peshawar Feb 11 2nd ODI Rawalpindi Feb 13 3rd ODI Lahore Feb 16 4th ODI Multan Feb 19 5th ODI Karachi

The Budget version that is… check it out, click on the pic

One of the best characters in South Park, imho..

Leopold “Butters” Stotch (voiced by Matt Stone) is a fictional character in the animated series South Park. His nickname is a play on the word butterscotch. Butters has a tuft of yellow hair, and wears a light blue jacket with green pants. His birthday is on September 11, and his character is loosely based on South Park director of animation Eric Stough.

Read more here

I told u ppl..wrong major…

You scored as Sociology. You should be a Sociology major! Anthropology 83% Sociology 83% Philosophy 75% Mathematics 75% English 67% Journalism 67% Psychology 67% Engineering 58% Linguistics 58% Theater 50% Dance 42% Chemistry 42% Biology 33% Art 33%

What is your Perfect Major? (PLEASE RATE ME!!<3)
created with QuizFarm.com

A few weeks back, i heard this from one of my venues’ manager: A msg that has come all the way down from the top, saying that ushers have to greet patrons with either “Sir” or “Mdm“, regardless of their age and bearing. This seems a very simple rule to follow, except when u examine it closely, u realise that to a certain extent it runs against what we have learnt from our parents in this Asian society.

I’m sure that most of us from young, we have been told by our parents to greet elders, either properly, say 姨丈 or 表叔; or as Uncle/Auntie. Definitely Uncle/Auntie in this case is a mark of respect, and to me, friendlier than Sir/Mdm. That is to say, if i am sure that the senior patron approaching me is more comfortable with mandarin or dialect, i would find it more natural to greet him as “Uncle” and proceed to converse with him in either Mandarin or Hokkien. To me, that is going beyond providing professional service. By doing this, i’m attempting to provide professional AND personalised service by attempting to engage the patron in the manner that is most comfortable for him.

The rule gets even harder to swallow when u talk about greeting kids. How many of us are actually comfortable with greeting a 5 yr old boy as SIR? Up the stakes abit, how many of us would actually get comfortable eventually with greeting a 5yr old boy as SIR? With many parents telling their kids to call me korkor or uncle, if i still call them Sir, it would be damn weird. Moving abit more towards the extremities, it could be said that u’re not listening to your patron when he calls u korkor and u call him Sir.

My take on dealing with kids, a simple Hi or Good Evening would be sufficient in most cases. If you have to deal with a child later, say for example helping him get his butt onto the booster seat, get his or her name and address her by that. The parents and the child would appreciate the fact that 1. you helped the child and 2. you made an attempt to personalise your service to the child. Of cos check with the parents that they dun mind you carrying the child up, and yea make sure you dun tekan the kid.

Saying all these, I realise that it’s important to know that being in an Asian society where traditional values still have some hold, it is impractical and to an extent, snobbish when we insist on greeting every patron in the same way. Although the whole purpose of this rule is to ensure a uniform and professional manner of greeting patrons, I’m worried that this may also end up alienating some patrons. The most impt thing of customer service is not how we greet them, but it should be how we provide our eventual service. I can remember my 1st event at SIS, ushering for the PCK Musical. I noticed this old lady on her own, sitting in the last row of the terrace block. I decided to talk to her, and found out that she only speaks Teochew, and her family didn’t have time to come with her to the show. So i just knelt next to her seat n listened to her talk to me about her family, and i tried to explain wat’s happening on stage in hokkien n broken teochew. End of show, she came to say bye..

“ah di..kam1 siah3 hor” “amah, buay2 hiao2 kin4..man2 gia1 hor..” [Trans: “thanks boy” and “no problem, granny..have a good evening”]

Latest update: FOUND!!

Doing my fren a favour, her dog just got dognapped..read more here

Extract from her notice

To everyone in the Sembawang Hills Drive Area, please keep a look out for Snowy. Labrador Retriever Gold, Male. Dog Tag: 168661. Went missing around 6pm on 3rd January 2005, Tuesday. Wearing a metal chain with his dog tag on it (as shown in photo). An obedient, friendly, mild tempered dog who loves people- he gravitates to a place with a bigger group of people. (Tried and tested :/) Has a weird gait as he walks (he sashays!) and veers to the left while running- he would refuse to move faster than a trot. Has a weird habit of kicking up grass a slight distance away after he poops, which is a lot because of his bad stomach. Eats about anything and everything, except slippery stuff like cherry tomatoes and ice cubes. Has a bad sense of smell. In case you know who has the dog, please tell them Snowy has fleas And BLOODY RETURN MY DOG TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Was reading pearlyn’s blog, the post about her feeling unhappy on NYE cos of all the pressures of organising something for us and end up getting the feeling that ppl take it for granted that pearlyn would always plan something… Everyone is certainly guilty of that from time to time.. like for me, i would just keep quiet if someone offers to plan, but as much as i can, i would offer my assistance..

I can totally understand how she feels, considering that i’ve always tried to plan gatherings for the various grps of ppl that i’m with, starting from after jc when i tried to plan stuff for 99s23. You would always wanna get as many ppl as u can to come, so u will sms everyone, and then try ur darnest best to fit everyone’s schedule n pref. activity.. More than often this falls thru and u end up bursting a few veins

These days i realised that it’s much easier to get a grp of 3-4 ppl, sit down n agree on date, time and activity..then inform the other ppl… if they wanna come, come.. dun wanna come, ok lor..fine with me..so long as i have 5-6 ppl i’m ok liaoz.. save my veins pls..

I dunno, i’m actually fine with ppl not telling me “hey jk, good job in planning this gathering” So long ppl have fun, and i get to have fun too..that’s cool enuff.. n o yah, thanks pearlyn for bothering to plan all these for us ppl