C'est la vie... C'est la guerre...

Back operation

2011-11-08T21:19:00.003+08:00

Was scheduled for an operation on 3rd Nov 2011 due to a chronic right leg pain.

Cause of injury and initial treatment
I consulted 2 specialists in total and both recommended to go for a surgery in order to fix the issue. The problem was first encountered one year ago during ippt when I was attempting standing broad jump. After the jump, I felt some pain but thought nothing of it, so I continued with the rest of the stations. During the 2.4 km run, the pain started to get unbearable and I had to fall out.

At first, I thought it was a muscle pull, so I went for a massage. After a few weeks, the situation didn't Improve so I went to look for a chiropractor. After the second session, pain didn't improve at all so went ahead to consult a specialist. The specialist recommended for an X-ray first, can't find anything so recommended a MRI. MRI showed some signs of degenerative disc and a loss of disc height. No idea what that means at that time. Specialist recommended for either a surgery or epidural injection into the spine. I was bait afraid of going for the surgery at that time so I decided to go for te injection instead. The injection, a steroid, will relieve the pain for about 6 months - I was told.

Second Opinion
Almost 10 months later, I started to feel the pain again. Was initially subtle but started to get quite irritable so decided to go seek a second opinion. I was referred to Dr Fong at Mount Elizabeth from Island Orthopaedics. He was very attentive and patient, explaining the cause and options to me after going for yet another MRI. I was told that i have a slipped disc from the first MRI taken one year ago. It didn't sound so serious one year ago being the "loss of disc height". The second MRI showed that the disc has worsen and there are more than one disc being affected, the worst at l4/5.

After one week of deliberation, decided to go for the operation so as to fix the issue once and for all. It was an easy decision; I am young, still active and do not want to live with the pain for the rest of my life.

Before operation
Just one week before the operation, the nervousness started to come. The YouTube videos showing how the surgery will be done didnt help. Awake - the movie about how a guy was fully awake during general anesthesia feeling the pain and conversations - worsens the situation. The deadlines at work before I go for the operation added to the problem. I started doing research on anesthesia and anesthesia awareness. But I think there's a lack of information on these topics on the Internet especially on how general anesthesia is being administered. Nervous nervous.

Day of surgery
Mum took leave and we went to the hospital with Dad in a cab. On the way there, it was mostly quiet. But we saw a monkey on top of the lamp post in the expressway shaking. That helped to lighten up the mood. Then we saw a squirrel on a tree. My mum said"eh 什么来的？狐狸阿和？" lol.

At the hospital
After reaching the hospital, we needed to check ourselves in at the admission office. Filled up some forms for insurance purpose and a concierge ushered us to the ward. The concierge was über friendly. A nurse took my height and weight which is when I realized my weight has reduced to 64 from 67. Didn't notice the height, which will be useful to determine if I'm shorter now after the operation.

After weight and height taking, a nurse from china came with a stack of questions. I couldn't understand her very well so I offered to fill up myself but was rejected. After going through questions like do you smoke, do you drink, when did u passed motion, she took my blood pressure and temperature and left. I was told that I have to change to the surgery gown and will be pushed to the operating theatre at 9.20. So off I go to change into that surgery gown and waited. 20 mins seems like forever.

Finally someone came and transferred me to another bed where I was pushed to the area with lots of operating theatres. Inside the area, I was told to wait again as the anesthesian has not arrived. The nurses were very attentive, talking to me to calm me down, asking if I needed blankets, TV etc.

Finally the anesthesian came, talked to me told me to sign some papers and then the nurse pushed me to the operating theatre. The operating theatre was very high tech with a few large LCD or LED TVs hanging on the wall showing some graphs presumed to be my heart beat etc. the operating theatre had many lights, 2 to 3 groups of those surgery lights. The table had something that looked like a red cushion, an inverted v shape. the anesthesian then injected the IV drip into my left hand. I was then told to breathe from a gas mask with oxygen. Not sure if it is the mask or the anesthesian started injecting the anesthesia, but after the first breath, I started to feel sleepy. After another 3 to 4 breaths, I was unconscious, lying flat on my back, so no idea how they turned me over.

The next thing I remember, someone tapped me and called my name. I woke up immediately. The nurse toldme the operation is over and I realized I'm alreading being pushed out of the resting area. The first thing I felt was cold cold cold so I asked for an extra blanket. Someone helped me with that then she told me I will be going back to my ward. So I asked if I can change to a single room and she said she will check. Then I felt hungry so I asked if I can have my lunch. So the nurse said ok. The nurse was super kind, friendly and was smilely throughout.

I didn't feel any pain at all after the surgery. A wave of relief came over me :) shortly, Dr Fong came over and talked to me. He said the operation lasted longer than intended because there's some problem with the disc. He sent some of the disc for testings as he suspects that it could be due to tuberculosis. He also said that I am super alert lol. He taught me how to roll over so that I could visit the toilet. Once on my feet, it felt like I was drunk, couldn't stand properly but luckily there was no pain.

After one night
The next day, my back started to ache. The physiotherapist came over and walked me over to the step trainer where I am to walk up and down three flight of stairs. My muscle felt tight but everything else is ok. Finally I am able to discharge. We took a cab home after Dr Fong helped to change the dressing. Rested the whole day lying down.

6 days after operation
The past 2 days was terrible. The pain is still felt at my leg and has in fact worsen before the operation although not as bad as last year. It felt slightly better today. I am having second thoughts on whether the operation is successful. Or maybe it's something that I'm doing wrong post operative care. Have been waking up at 5am daily to join my parents for breakfast at the coffee shop - doc says I need to exercise and move around once in awhile. Sitting up is better now, I can sit up longer. Will be going to visit Dr Fong again tomorrow so will check with him on the test results as well as the pain that I'm having.

On the 19th day of 2011

2011-01-20T01:18:00.001+08:00

I had my first smoke in the year...
No idea why but I'm unable to sleep.. Too much expectations from work and personal life that it seems my limit is reaching. Tired but unable to sleep

It's actually not very complicated

2011-01-16T20:30:00.001+08:00

Freedom is what I cherish

Healthy for 2 days

2010-08-31T20:33:00.000+08:00

Went running at Nuss yesterday even though I left office at 8.30 pm.. Am so proud of myself haha but ... I think I'm still failing my ippt haha

Just finished my swim today .. Feeling super healthy all of a sudden haha hope I'm able to keep it up .. Most importantly ... Don't drink before my ippt heh :)

Quite sian with work recently but got to endure ... Am just waiting for the days to go by :)

When is google slate tablet coming out???

祝你们幸福

2010-08-17T00:20:00.000+08:00

“祝你们幸福” 这一句话。。。不知道要在我身上发生几次。。。

这一次可能是最遗憾的一次。。。不过还是要祝福她。。。快乐

Taiwan Trip Aug 2010 - Taipei - Hualien - Kenting - Taipei

2010-08-12T21:19:00.005+08:00

Just came back from taiwan - Although it's just 1 week, it was a very nice trip.

This is the second time I've been to taiwan, the first time round was only in taipei. This time, I went to Hualien, Kenting and Taipei.

Seriously, taiwan is a under explored, under marketed country - there are many breathtaking scenery and views.

Hualien itself is near to Taroko National Park and this is a very nice national park. In Hualien city itself, they have a very nice beach. I think I sat there for like 1 hour just relaxing and listening to the waves. Just beside the beach, there is a very nice cycling track that for cyclists to enjoy the view and fresh air from the ocean.

Kenting town itself is a very touristy area - just like Taipei. In Kenting, there's also a national park - Kenting National Park. This park is not a popular area for tourists to visit but its quite nice to take a walk. Walk up to the viewing tower and there's breathtaking views with strong winds to relax, listen to your heartbeat and just take it all in. Besides the viewing tower, there are many other interesting sights and species in the national park as well. One interesting feature is that this park has many dead corals - perhaps the whole park was part of the ocean many million years ago.

On the outskirts of Kenting, there are many nice scenery - but mostly inaccessible unless you travel rent your own transport. We rented a scooter and went around which was well worth it. The scenery on the outskirts is just ... woosh~ Especially this cafe at guanshan to view sunset. Peaceful and quiet.

:) It's a nice trip all in all that's comparable to New Zealand - It has sort of rekindled the travel bug in me. Nice.

Always you by Sophie Zelmani

2010-07-19T21:38:00.000+08:00

nice song

hoho work work

2010-07-11T22:11:00.002+08:00

No fulfillment from work recently heh.

But no work no money, snow leopard can't run haha sianz

Maybe should do something that can increase my passive income .. but am always too lazy to get down to it ... heh no motivation and laziness is the reason why I'm doomed to da gong for the rest of my life haha

Am thinking of going to Bali this coming national day .. hopefully that can materialize :)

Lombok!

Realization

2010-06-18T21:50:00.001+08:00

Had a minor accident with my snow leopard recently and realized that it's perhaps a mistake to get it in the first place heh

The drinks are really quite impt to me ... Well .. Will have to make do for now ..

bored

2010-04-04T22:14:00.002+08:00

Been feeling bored and aimless recently .. or perhaps it was always like that just that it got worse recently

Got my car ! am getting used to it now ... Besides that, there's nothing interesting :)

Lots of stuffs happening at work, my personal life, at home etc. Can't comprehend things but am starting not to even try understanding heh its just too much for me to take I guess

I wan to nua at durty nelly every afternoon, I want to dive the blue clear waters everyday, I want to have my ice cold beers everyday ... that's all I want :)

probs across the ocean seems to be stretching out to my family

2010-03-02T23:01:00.003+08:00

why some people just wont listen? cannot rationalise? or there's shit up their head

Certain things can't be ignored like you are able to. . . i think i need to live with certain people haunting me for my whole life.. piece of shit.

Don't understand why my sis can be so fucked up. I pity my parents.

Hot stuffy nite

2010-03-01T00:10:00.002+08:00

Can't get to sleep so am making use of the time to update this little life journey of mine.

Was kind of engrossed in work recently doing performance testings for some of the batch components.. Anyway, the gist of it is that none of us has the correct skill set for this kind of testing. My team lead was talking about this problem on friday... I was thinking about the problem on my way back from brudder chua's cny gathering. So after that a bath, I wrote a lengthy email to all the team leads on some of the problems we face during such testing and some suggestions to get around it. Email was sent out about 2.30am... bad move heh. Got quite some feedback from both my team lead and my previous team lead asking me what am I doing in the middle of the night not sleeping.

What the heck. I used to get stressed up over colleagues working OT, working during weekends etc. This, I feel has imposed unnecessary stress on me especially when I was still new to the team. But this email, was only sent to the team leads and I reasoned that will be ok but I was wrong. My team lead asked "why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night? Working so late to prove that this is a big issue? or you can't get to sleep?" I wasn't happy with that reply but I reckoned it was meant to be a harmless remark. My previous team lead was talking to me about my email just now. She commented "Why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night?" I told her she had exactly the same remark as my current team lead. She added "It's true what, you gac meh?" (gac = my director who used to send emails out late at night)

I was quite disturbed by that comment. First of all, the email was only sent to the team leads and not everybody in the team. Also, what kind of inconvenience have I caused these team leads by sending out an email at 2.30am? Thirdly, my team lead sends out email during weekends as well - and I reckoned that this is worse due to her being a team lead.

Hai ...

Today, my sis's ex husband came over to our house. He was looking for my sis to sell the flat they once co-shared. But as my sis is in taiwan, she could not come back for the paper work. Many reasons why she can't come back - one of them I think is because she has exceeded her visa period in tw. Heck she hasn't been around for more than a year. Anyway, I am continually amazed at how this kind of trouble seems to keep coming. So I believe educating your kids is important ie teaching them how to be a responsible adult = responsible to themselves, to their family, to the society and environment. If not done properly, be prepared to clear their shit for the rest of your life.

Sleepless night

2010-02-03T02:04:00.001+08:00

It is one of those nights where no matter how long i close my eyes.. My mind refuses to shut down.
There's nothing bothering me, just many small things lingering around in my head.

I thought about the days when I was adamant to lead a happy life, to forgive and forget, to ignore and go forward. To the resolution of being myself, not afraid to make stands against what I don't agree with, critical thinking.

And today, more careful with people, able to laugh and disagree. I wonder if this is what some people call mercenary, discerning and doubtful. No matter how I look at this progression, or should I say regression, it seems wrong.

I happen to come across this phrase "有的关心是虚伪的、有的关心是真实的＂I'm hoping that I will never come to a stage where people will look too deep into what i tell them. I won't make statements to indirectly reflect good on myself. I won't say things so that others can hear about them indirectly through a third party.

I mght have lost abit of my character over the 2 years but I think I havn't lost all.

Life is just hard to take it all in. Where was the dumb Wilbert?

Excuses

2010-01-29T08:27:00.001+08:00

Hmm.. Wondering what kind of excuse should I give for not wanting to attend a friend's wedding...

It's kind of like Deja vu and it's going to be the third time. Not sure to be happy or not :|

Perhaps ... Nike's got it right .. Just do it

蟋蟀对着螳螂有什么东西好说。。。何必抱这种遗憾到未来的天堂

2010-01-19T23:10:00.000+08:00

Was listening to the lyrics of a song by eason chan while on my way home and find that it's really meaningful .. Never really paid attention to the lyrics before today ..

:)

作曲：陈辉阳作词：林夕编曲：金培达

小叮当不爱回家喫饭
宁愿在大安公园捉迷藏
看明月光低头不思故乡
宁愿看漫画不听妈妈的评弹

孩子们只会贪玩父母都只会期望
为什么天南地北不能互相体谅
蟋蟀对着螳螂有什么东西好说
shall we talk shall we talk
好像过去牵着手去上学堂

请你说我们为何变成陌路人的模样
请你说还有什么比沉默更难堪
难道互相隐藏
就能避免了失望
表白有什么可怕
请你不怕为难不要拐弯

屏幕闪亮两个人一起看
什么都不谈只敢打着官腔
情侣的晚餐白开水一样淡
宁愿面对着一部电脑无事忙

情侣都善于说谎大人都会向钱看
为什么天南地北不能互相体谅
蟋蟀对着螳螂有什么东西好说
shall we talk shall we talk
好让我们重新认识别隐瞒

请你说请你说出心里难以承受的伤
不能说除非我们早已忘记了爱的力量
聊天只能假装表情需要勉强
何必把这种遗撼带到未来的天堂

天黑黑孩子们不在身旁
都跑到外面干活爱吃便当
and shall we talk 只有树叶摇晃
沉默到听得见那如歌的行版

New year, New aims

2010-01-05T21:18:00.003+08:00

Hmm I think I went overseas quite abit last year. I don't think I'll be able to do so this year.. On budget..

Regardless, I think I am still aiming for 2 good trips this year .. Greece and Taiwan! :)

Hopefully to party hard in Taiwan and to chill in Greece.

Hopefully ...

Got news that I may be leaving my team sometime this year in April. Quite apprehensive about what's going to come .. Not sure to feel happy or what hmm. Besides, its not such a good year for dogs this year .. Haha quite ironic ..

Whatever... to a good year ahead

Can't sleep

2009-12-21T23:51:00.001+08:00

... I hope it's a joke or a prank ...

Why is it like that ...

Gan chu shen tong

2009-12-21T22:41:00.002+08:00

I seldom regret things that I have done ... But this time, it's kind of ... dunno what to say ... just feeling zonked out

My mind is blank ... sometimes its good not to think too much, just do it, never give up the chance ...

argh i'm an idiot ... real idioot this time round

Xmas didnt seem to be too good this yr

Craze

2009-12-20T00:33:00.002+08:00

Been thinking of getting many stuffs lately haha

Though am really broke .. but am really quite gian to get the subaru impreza haah or the kia koupe. Will be going for a test drive soon! vrroommz :)

Am intending to sell off my macbook pro 17" as well, so as to get the cool iMac haha. The to die for screen ... drrooolllls lol

Silence is golden

2009-12-17T00:31:00.002+08:00

Went for a feng shui talk today... seems like its better for me to keep quiet about things, work hard and stay low for the coming year. I think that's hard to achieve given that I have many complaints and will voice out given the chance.

I think I have changed abit over this 1 year. Becoming more shrewd when it comes to relationships, not as naive and gullible as before - thinking about more things. Not all friends are friends ... not all colleagues are friends ...

Its a bad thing to me ... But ... am having mixed feelings about this issue. Besides more shrewd, I think I have also become more opinionated. Which ... I have never been known to have before. Some things have gone wrong ... somehow ...

Hopefully year 2010 will be a good year, though the feng shui master says it will be a lonely year for dogs .. I am already lonely now! haha how worse can it get ... i wonder ...

Anyways, resolution for year 2010 is not to antagonize anyone .. and yet ... to be myself ... how ironic can this be haha

Cheers to the end of year 2009

Aristotle

2009-12-08T08:20:00.001+08:00

Read an article recently that explains a theory by aristotle related to relationship -interpersonal relationship.

According to Aristotle, there are three kinds of interpersonal relationship
1) utility
2) pleasure
3) virtue

Utility is the most superficial kind of the three. It means that the relationship only started because both sides have a purpose. Eg buyer, seller or working colleagues - basically the hi bye friends

Pleasure brings it up to another level. This kind of relationship us built upon common hobbies, activities such as maybe photography, movies, drinks etc. This kind of relationship will last only for as long as both parties continue to derive the same pleasure from a common activity.

Virtue is the one that goes down deep to simply enjoying the other's character and personality. Because one's character is rooted, this is by far the most long lasting kind of relationship - unless of cos it's the impression and not true character you are portraying.

Find above pretty interesting.

Oh no ...

2009-11-27T18:39:00.002+08:00

Not entirely truthful ... wth

ok ok, have finished shifting my wardrobe etc heh for the installation of a ceiling fan. My room is much airy now haha

just in time for xmas!

Recently lost quite abit of $$ in stocks :( sians ... hopefully things will get better ...

xmas is coming!! :) cant wait for it but not sure what to do as well. Will be on leave from 23rd onwards this year haha :D maybe a short trip or perhaps just nua at home .. hmm whatever it is, just come already haha

tired

2009-11-22T22:59:00.002+08:00

am quite tired from everthing and everyone

maybe don't care, don't give a damn will be a good option haha ie just be a bastard and live happy

Xmas!

2009-11-22T09:44:00.001+08:00

Xmas is coming !! :D

I will like to ignore / forget / get away from the unpleasant things / people / tasks during this period :)

Scouting for a Xmas present for myself haha perhaps an iMac? Heh but will need to change room layout for that .. Kaching kaching

Screwed up again at work ..

2009-11-17T18:59:00.000+08:00

Maybe am really not gd enuff .. Shld have considered more things beforehand.

一个人若没有包容性，对看不惯的人事就会放不下，进而痛苦。因此，生活中能有‘容人的雅量’，才不会有‘怨憎会苦’。

2009-11-16T22:47:00.000+08:00

True .. but a convenient truth ...

Achievements are relative, character is not

2009-11-09T22:17:00.001+08:00

Unhappiness stems from care; it is better than non-chalence

2009-11-08T02:47:00.001+08:00

友谊之道

2009-11-04T16:03:00.001+08:00

诚恳、诚实、率直、心

Rainy days

2009-11-02T19:34:00.001+08:00

Been raining quite abit these few days. Am doing ICT currently so it gives me abit more time to reflect on things.

Not really a good thing because it sets me thinking again.. Am very tempted to take the easy way out but that needs some courage. Hopefully I will be able to decide on how I want to handle these things and stick to that. Can't waiver anymore as it gets tiring at times.

I think I'm pathetic .. Resrvist lo!

2009-10-23T21:50:00.001+08:00

Convenience

2009-10-16T08:21:00.001+08:00

We all make convenience calls in life. Convenience to one may breed problems and inferiority in others.

One a lighter note, some pictures taken during a photoshoot on my bday.

Tired liao ...

2009-10-08T20:25:00.001+08:00

Shi shi bu shun li

2009-10-05T20:41:00.001+08:00

Dunno why .. I think it's time to find something meaningful ..

Penangs

2009-10-05T08:09:00.001+08:00

Went to Penang with Boo over the weekend. It was a short but nice trip. As usual, it was a binging trip haha. Went to try many of their recommended local food including laksa, hokkien Mee (soup) tastes very nice heh, char kway teow, chendol, briyani, bak kut teh, yun tun mian etc etc haha. We tried this roadside lok lok or 乐乐 where u choose the food u want (all on satay sticks) then you dip it inside a pot of boiling water to cook it. You then pay for what you have eaten :)

Lok lok

We also went to visit a few places like the botanical garden, Penang hill and the nyonya house used for the filming of xiao niang re. :) their heritage sites are really well preserved.

Well of course drinks!! Haha we went clubbing in Berms!! Woaahhh hahaha woosh!

Kuching!

2009-09-21T18:57:00.002+08:00

:) Came back from a short trip to Kuching over the weekend. Had a great time, looking at some of their aboriginal houses and understanding their culture.

I think Kuching is a great place - nice city with a huge culture. The people there are nice as well, nicely preserved caves and forests. Too bad we did not have the time to visit the Bako National Park. Else I think it would have been very nice. I remembered I went Sarawak when I was still in secondary school. It was a school field trip and I remembered staying in this forest filled with mosquitoes and no air-con. Not sure if that was Bako National Park. At that time, I hated that place haha. I was thinking ... why stay in such a place.. the school must have cheated our money hahaha. But I was young then ... couldn't appreciate it. I believe it will be much nicer if I went now. Just like the long house stay ... perhaps when people gets older, they want something simpler.

Have some pictures to share ... Whoosh!

http://gallery.me.com/ahbertz#100166&view=mosaic&bgcolor=dkgrey&sel=22

mentally drained, physically weak

2009-09-14T21:13:00.002+08:00

Maybe am getting old, feels very unfit recently. Should go for some workout soon
Mentally drained ... dunno why ...
How come some people handle situations really well? They are good
I'm not performing well at work recently, and being friends with your supervisor don't help...

I need a drink

On leave today .. urgent leave

2009-09-07T22:01:00.002+08:00

Woke up at 6.45 by my alarm .. then went back to sleep ... really didn't feel like waking up

Smsed my boss to tell her im gonna take urgent leave

Very suay ... took leave and something happened at work

Anyway ... only realised when its near noon .. nothing I can do as well

Stayed in bed watching tv and surfing net till 2pm before I finally got out of bed for lunch heh

Was a lazy day ...

Just a random thought: Why gals like to ask who is the prettiest among all?

Another thought: Often times, I do not know how to react to things ... even after thinking on it for days ... weeks .. mths ... yrs ... Is that normal?

Random thoughts

2009-08-31T23:22:00.002+08:00

A close friend ever said to me "dont be so hard to get along with". It made me do some thinking ... is that really the case? Not sure ... No answer to this

I think I'm easily misunderstood sometimes and I don't try to clear things up even when I know things aren't like that. Too stuborn for my own good? Hmm ..

Got to pay $800 plus for income tax ... enough to buy G10 manz ... haiz ... got to wait longer for the camera ... Been wanting to take photos again. Probably over the weekend or what ... Lakeside seems like a nice place heh

Holiday ... need another one soon ... heh gian to go diving but ... ya need to see how ... perhaps dayang or somewhere near may be good. Maldives sounds like a nice place with cuttlefish mating and whale sharks .. but will burn a hole in my wallet ... and I can't afford it as well heh ok ok see how ... need to save ... and to find people as well

Mum bought some special grapes from NTUC recently that tastes like wine. Very nice heh its called High Mountain Taiwan Ruby Grapes :)

... The line drawn is getting deeper ...

2009-08-19T20:34:00.003+08:00

Bad day ...

Can't stand how im being treated ... Its crazy ... Don't like don't like .. don't make fucking remarks ...

Sometimes I think my radar is too good... picks up things which should not be picked up... I think I should blast my ipod everday at work .. ignorance is bliss

Anyway ... wanna go for another holiday ... a relaxed one I hope ... hopefully it materializes ... Manadao? Bali? Dayang? Somewhere simple and nice will be good heh, back to the basics :D

Bali 2009

2009-08-16T10:12:00.002+08:00

Back from Bali!

The dive was superb. Went down for the first dive still groggy from the early morning but came up smiling haha. Saw alot of things during the 2 days of diving.

The most interesting part was the shrimp goby combination. Ever heard of them before where the goby will be outside burrows watching out for danger for the shrimp. The shrimp on the other end digs the burrow. At night, both will go into burrow and sleep. Next morning, they will come out of the burrow and the whole cycle starts again. :) Interesting behavior heh and i saw them this time! In fact I saw one of the shrimp eating a small fish! haha not sure if i saw wrongly again .. but if i didn't I think it would be quite good :)

Also saw a huge manta ray. Easily more than 2 person's arm length (outstretched). And it was quite close as well heh. Incredible feel.

The last dive was equally interesting as well. The current was so strong that we had to hold on to the corals to prevent us from being swept away. The current rushes against our faces, like strong wind blowing. :) very interesting experience.

All in all, good trip! :) Hope to plan for a last trip for this year .. 8 more days of leave left! haha

Photos:
http://gallery.me.com/ahbertz#100163&view=carouseljs&sel=0

Halong Bay

2009-08-04T23:32:00.002+08:00

Went for a short trip recently.. I realised it's been some time since I've blog on my travel trips. Last one should be during my aus exchange programme? haha

This trip to Hanoi was not bad, the highlight of the trip? swimming in Halong Bay, with the mountains around you, you just feel relaxed an at ease.. enjoying the beauty of nature.

I really enjoyed that swim. Although it was a short one, about 30 mins. I felt at ease and peaceful, don't know how to describe but ... yea it was good.

Although the weather is quite hot, I still enjoyed the short 4 days. Will want to go back someday and swim in the bay again ...

Photos at http://www.me.com/gallery/#100151

Something to think about

2009-07-29T23:21:00.001+08:00

Meaningful, true but hard to appreciate ...

Vietnam trip

2009-07-19T22:26:00.002+08:00

Planning to go for a viet trip soon. Been wanting to go since quite some time, but due to some work concerns, have been postponing. But the date should have been more or less fixed. 30 july :D

Hanoi ~~
Sapa?

bro's bday

2009-06-14T00:33:00.002+08:00

another reflection entry ..

I have lost 2 very important thing in my life during this half year.

I am very reluctant to let go ... but I have too much pride not to let go ...

Half a year has past since the start of 2009 and I feel I am not half way to my new yr resolution

I really wish things will become better, but I am unable to move things forward ... not with my prode ...
I have tried before but I felt very disadvantaged ... so I told myself I shall not even try unless the other party tries ...

Focus Point

2009-05-01T09:46:00.000+08:00

1) Be Sincere
2) Don't lie
3) Don't make use
4) Don't judge

trying ....

Conclusion reached

2009-04-26T15:12:00.002+08:00

Conclusion reached: I need to get out of my current state, I will not let others dictate my level of happiness.

Unless something drastic happens, I will never be happy with status quo. Some options:

1) Change job scope
2) Change job
3) Save enough to go for overseas study

Pros and Cons ... Pros and Cons ... I need to be focused... another 2 months max :) - Jun 26 2009, decision point.

Still as heavy on a rainy day

2009-04-04T15:03:00.002+08:00

Was just reading on my previous posts, felt that I haven't been feeling good. Or maybe I only log in to post when I'm really down.

Heavy rain, heavy heart. With nowhere to go, trapped in a place I have no choice but to be at. Come to realise that perhaps I'm the only fool who takes things so seriously. Only one who cares. I feel sad, weep at times, no one to talk to. No idea why I'm feeling this - or why do i deserve this.

Still at a deciding point, with no answers. Why is it that life has to be a guessing game. Why can't we just say what we want to say - why do we care. I don't understand because I can't do it either. Time to let go? Time to heck care? But easier said than done yet this seems to be the only way.

I really don't know what to do. Why can't I feel better... May tomorrow be a better day - as I really do care.

Unhappy

2009-02-10T23:28:00.002+08:00

Been having some problems recently both at work and family. Relationships with colleagues and family members seem to deteriorate. No idea why, but I have a feeling its only me ... feeling sick ... don't wish to fake ... but am unable to not fake.

Something is seriously wrong with me ... I feel ... But what should I do? Sibei sianz ... Feels like drinking but no one to drink with ... is this depression? :|

Back from everything ...

2008-12-12T21:49:00.002+08:00

Back from nz, back from aus, back from ict

Its been about 2 months and more since the break from work. Will need to go back on monday to face those mundane emails, requests, bugs etc.

Been thinking about things which started about 10 to 12 yrs ago. Not sure why, but it just happened... and I'm beginning to get sick of it. Jaded perhaps... Maybe I should really move on ...

Anyway, christmas is coming soon. Nothing special coming up this year, except for the dinner with NS buddies. Hope to shop as well, but am starting to feel the budget constraint that I have. Well whatever's the case, hopefully this year christmas is going to be great. :) Merry xmas to myself :D

Ippt and day out with NS buddies

2008-09-14T09:38:00.003+08:00

Went for ippt at tampines safra :) was quite nervous as this is the last chance to take it before I fly off for my long road trip next week. But luckily, I passed!! haha despite nearly died on the treadmill. . . lol

Went to settle alot of stuffs for the NZ trip like making my free glasses (all thanks to my bro for his flexi benefits). Also to buy a waterproof jacket at timberland :)

Then went to shop for a duffel luggage bag . . saw one from Desley but still considering if gonna buy

went to meet NS buddies in the evening for the match bet man u and liverpool. Dont really watch soccer but will go if my frens jio. Went to hog's breathe cafe. . . had an unpleasant time there. Ordered just after the match started... but food came only after halftime. That's understandable as we expected it due to the number of customers . . . But just as we requested for more ice water after the 2nd or 3rd glass . . . the staff told us we can't have it anymore!! Cos they dont want customers to sit down and watch the match without ordering anything. have to pay for it!!! wth! We asked to talk to the manager and after some confrontation, they allowed us to have our ice water . . .

Dunno wats wrong with the service level.. sucky! Its just a cup of ice water what. Gives inconsistent service to customers... sucks big time and the manager wasn't even apologetic. Never gonna step in there again.

Backpost to Bintan trip

2008-09-14T09:02:00.002+08:00

Had a great time at bintan !

Reached bintan on the first day at about 12plus. Got to check in early to the villa cos it happens that there are rooms available for us. Lucky us else we had to wait till 3pm ! :D

Rested awhile, went to have lunch at the seaside restaurant. Serves ok food at reasonable price :)

then went to play beach volley! Been years since I played beach volley haha. Played for a while before dipping at the pool. :) That's where I lost my sunglasses as well.. argh ... its quite a new pair ... Left it on the umbrella stokes of the tanning chair. When we got up from the pool, I suddenly remembered I forgot my toothbrush. So hurried to the provision shop before it closes... and alas! there goes my sunglasses..... :(

Anyway, went back to the villa to prepare dinner :) we brought some groceries so that we can cook dinner ourselves :) First dinner was beehon! Fried bee hoon. was very successful even though it is the first time I cooked that ahaha. Bee hoon with dfs beer... heavenly :D

Watched some movies... but had an early night on the first night. :D

Next morning woke up for the hotel's intercontinental breakfast. Very nice stuff they have :D Went for a dip at the swimming pool near the villa - complete with ice cold hoegarden. :D Also went to the beach for a dip :) we love the water don't we haha.

Went back for lunch ... Had mooncakes and bee hoon :D Went to kayak in the afternoon. Strange thing is the water level's not that deep even tough we were quite far out to the sea. There were many corals around with fishes :D Even saw a sea turtle! The head poped up of the water and plop! it went down. :)

Had a full day of fun under the sun before heading back to the villa :) Time to prep for dinner! spaghetti! :D After dinner we rested for awhile, watching TV before heading over to the posh Jap restaurant outside our villa :) Had sake plus chutoro. The chutoro wasn't that good but the sake's nice. Was ex too haha but well I think we are paying for the ambience. Just right on the beach with cosy settings. Nice :)

Went back to villa.. and our dear sw still wanna drink. So we finished uncle's remy martin. (didn't like it cos it tastes sucky on the rocks) haha. And those jiu gui are still not satisfied so they opened up the vodka. In actual fact, each of us need to finish about half of the bottle cos uncle dun really drink ... was quite against sw from opening up the vodka cos I needed to take ippt soon haha but well... in order not to bring back that bottle we had to. So off we go, each of us drank half of it ... and weird things started to happen to our sw haha. going to the mahjong room to pee when we stopped him just in time... doing funny acts hahah think that was the highlight of the trip lol

Anyway, the next day went for breakfast with a heavy head... din do much on the last day except waiting for the ferry to come haha. All in all was a great holiday with some good pals :) Enjoyed myself thoroughly before going back to work. :)

Visit the link for pics! :D
http://gallery.me.com/ahbertz#100019

Havent been feeling good lately

2008-08-26T20:30:00.003+08:00

been sort of feeling unwell lately... just before the much awaited holidays.

Anyway bought the iphone 3g! :) Was supposed to go down and see see check out the situation at comcentre on sat... but reached there with sw after our keyboard lessons ... asked abit then finally decided to get it.

:) Honestly, I feel there is a big missing feature... led indicator for received messages and calls. I used to rely quite alot on that with the blackberry previously.

Anyway, will be gg to bintan this week! :)

fri meetup

2008-08-17T15:29:00.002+08:00

met with boo n apple on friday. The first time both of them met and all 3 of us will be gg to NZ this coming sep! :D yeah. Glad that they were all ok with each other. :) Went to harry's at suntec for drinks and meal. Drank abit again ... gonna get so broke!!

Think Im spending too much on food and drinks... shucks

Anyway I'm gg for a short getaway to bintan! yea this time with sw and uncle. Am so looking forward to that trip haha. Able to relax and nua for abit... :D And yes ! iphone coming this fri! :D yea!

Nice lazy night

2008-08-12T22:30:00.004+08:00

Nice lazy night today... went home with ly cos her dad came to pick her up. So took a free ride. Reached home, had dinner, work awhile then watch tv, enjoying the cool breeze...

No idea why but it feels very much like xmas season recently. Everything's cooling down, weather's not too bad at times heh. Perhaps am just starting to feel indifferent towards many things. My friend told me that is mid life crisis.. !! I'm not even halfway there~~~ haha

But honestly, need something to perk me up ... or I will be rotting away my life heh. Even the announcement of iphone release or the bintan trip that is in planning stage (hopefully able to materialize) doesn't seem to perk me up ..

:| while typing this post, my friend msged me "sad sad. received letter today le. 11.5%" pengs. . . Anyway, after talking to him, realised maybe I'm just waiting for the trip to HR. hahaah. But yah la for him is really abit low compared to market rate cos the base pay is low. . . well we all have choices ... not happy then go lo. If cannot go then lan lan try to not complain so much and stay lo ... stay until can go then go lo. lol. Aiya ... life is quite meaningless anyway, unless you feel you are not comfortable financially, think its meaningless to look too much into the salary. And ya ... I AM financially uncomfortable at the moment hahaha.

Anyway, that was side-track. Was looking through the older posts. Looking for the two songs below. I think they fit nicely together with the cool lazy weather today.

The big dream

2008-08-05T20:45:00.000+08:00

Let me win the 8 million toto and I promise I will behave myself....

2008-08-04T23:28:00.003+08:00

Photoshopped. Should look better than this according to tutorial but I still suck at it ... :p

sw's bday

2008-08-04T21:22:00.005+08:00

Some pics for the dempsey pig-out session :D

American Slider with bleu cheese

Candle nights

The stars of the day

Yummy desserts Sedap!

Leafy leafy leaves

P.S. Cafe

Jaded

2008-08-03T00:47:00.002+08:00

Been feeling quite down lately.. no idea why perhaps due to fatigue. Work's been quite boring and taxing at the same time. Been struggling with many of the tasks and it seems like its going nowhere. Talked to some of my friends and most of them said they feel the same way too. But if everyone's feeling the same way, why can't I take it ?? Mentally weak? Perhaps.

Anyway, while walking around during lunch break last week, my colleague suddenly asked if I'm very sick of working at Singtel. I was quite surprised by that question ... so I told him yea. The advice I got was not to be too obvious about it especially when I have no plans. This started me thinking about things. Many friends have told me I'm like a piece of white paper... very easy to tell if I'm pissed, sians, happy angry etc. I guess I show my emotions on my face. . . and I know that's not too good for certain situations . . . I have tried to change but somehow it doesn't seem to be effective. Hai . . .

With regards to work, though am not really happy with the current situation, I have no idea what needs to be done. Work, no doubt is mundane and boring but what other jobs can be interesting? Even if there are other jobs that is interesting to me, will I be qualified and suitable for them? Most probably not . . . Furthermore, colleagues are quite nice in my current team. . . so what is the problem then? No idea . . . perhaps I just don't like the job scope. I quitted Gevo because I am doing what others are telling me to do . . . To put it bluntly, the job scope is to serve the japanese game designer in Japan. What they want, I have to deliver, and according to their schedule. Somehow I feel that my job scope is the same in Singtel. What business users want, I have to deliver and please these people. I guess that is one reason why I'm feeling jaded. Suddenly its all coming back to square 1. . . But then again on closer look, which job doesn't require you to deliver according to the needs of other users / business? Unless I'm my own boss, the predicament will be the same no matter which company I am in.

I think I'm just generally jaded with how things are currently... not only with respect to job but also to other aspects of my life... work, friends, colleagues, everything ... perhaps a break would freshen up things a bit... but am out of leave!!! Gonna wait till sep for my long break . . . I hope I can survive till then . . . Need to be more positive, more driven . . . and kinder to others . . .

Anyway . . . enough of the lousy stuffs and negativity. Went for the last few sessions of my facial package today. Jess helped me to do lasik on my face for the first time! :) Felt quite amazed by how the laser can burn away the uneven skin tones . . . I can even smell the burnt skin ! Heh quite interesting. But am hoping that the facial sessions end really soon . . . Quite a hassle to go down for these sessions actually. After the facial session went for keyboard lessons. Started on a new piece titled "Theme from Dying Young". This is another nice piece but well, depends on who is playing :p Haha.

Went out for dinner with siwei, uncle and zhenfeng. Celebrated bro's bday in advance today b'cos he is going for ICT on monday... and monday's his birthday heh. Poor guy ... Went over to dempsey as uncle drove today. Had dinner at barracks before heading towards P.S. Cafe for desserts. Well, dinner was so so and desserts were still as nice as before :) Played around with uncle's dslr and managed to get some nice pictures! (In my opinion) Heh. Will try to get it from uncle and upload it here if possible. I think I made bro quite pissed off today 'cos I was teasing him about how Federer lost to Nadal. Haha Being the fanatic supporter of Federer, he almost died from anger heh. Had a great time with these uni friends. Hope to catch up more often. :)

updates

2008-07-21T22:32:00.002+08:00

Last Friday

Last friday was the end of the course at Suntec City. Had a good time attending the course despite the overly cold classroom. Anyway went to paulaner with Tk and company .. Drank quite abit, thinking back its been really quite long since I've went back to paulaner to really drink. Most of the time was there only sipping some drinks enjoying the music heh. Anyway had a great time and best of all its free! haha Tk and Sq treated me and pam ...

Sat

Went out with army buddies. Had a simple dinner at wisma before heading to dempsey road for durians... But so happened that the durian stall was closed by the time we reach. In the end went to PS Cafe instead. The cake was uber delicious! haha Nice ambience as well. Another great day :D

Mon

Went back to work ... Felt like it was xmas in the morning... No idea why .. but felt like it was a slow and lazy morning especially with the cool weather heh. The feeling of going back to work is kinda like going for an interview or to somewhere new... Felt abit lost haha. But once back at office, everything comes back to me at 1 shot lol. All the unsolved cases ... piling up ... shitload of work heh but what to do .. for the sake of nz trip .. i shall hang on ...... tues tml! Going for a jog with brudder chua ... hopefully can tone up abit for the upcoming ippt heh.

Daylight!

2008-07-16T20:30:00.001+08:00

Been so long since I've seen sunlight when on my way home :p Feels great heh

Been gg for a course at suntec for the past few days ... not too bad, a break away from work heh. Must treasure the next 2 days

Boring Updates

2008-07-03T22:44:00.003+08:00

Went out with my ns bros last weekend :) Glad that my buddy finally found himself a gf! haha xin fu ah ym! :) haha anyway enjoyed myself last fri with them

Sat went for lessons ... then couldn't play the last piece she taught us ... so paiseh ... anyhow press here press there .. disturb the class haha. need to practise more... learning this new piece colors of the wind. very nice song :D

chua's bday this coming fri! yeah :D happy bday bro :D

gg out with zann and king tml.. been a while since last meet up :) looking forward to it .

made up my mind on certain things lately. :) So finally something off my mind for a little while heh.

Colors of the wind - Beautiful song ... when can i have the10k digital piano?

dayang!
when can i drive a boat out on such a beautiful sea ... ...

Bazaar at SCC

2008-06-22T17:56:00.003+08:00

:) Wasnt really feeling well yesterday. Had a bad day at singapore cricket club. Was there to sell cufflinks but ended up selling only 3 pairs haha.. probably because most ppl are busy playing games and stuff

Anyway went home and slept till 12 today! woots! :) but missed out on the company's dinner :( dunno what ho liao they ate ..

Just realised weeds started last monday!!!! Yea! :) Season 4 haha. Go catch it! its a great show.
:D

oh tk's bday today... happy bday!

updates

2008-06-15T12:36:00.002+08:00

:) was playing on the keyboard yesterday after lesson .. then used garage band to make a recording of a piece called "touch the rainbow"

Garage band is very lihai ... they actually can record the notes and show you the music score! haha If its not what u wanted you can edit it also (I think :p)

Anyway was watching the iphone keynote yesterday ... didnt think much of the iphone initially though I know some of my colleagues wanted to get one ... But after watching the keynote... I decided I should get one! haha Its really super duper cool... I think it will rock big time .. especially the accelerometer ... and there are games that made use of that.. :) good that apple decided to make their iphone sdk free heh.

So next time we will be seeing ppl playing games on ipones .. tilting the phone sideway, back front .. haha cool! just like the rumoured NDS.... (NDS ... when will the next gen with accelerometer come?? )

Nadal!

2008-06-08T23:40:00.003+08:00

:) Lots of things to blog .. but first Nadal won roland garros again! Heh his 4th win so far ... 2005 all the way to 2008! heh. :D Only at 22 yrs, I think its a feat!

:)

Went for the Singtel Staff relay challenge today. Was supposed to run 2.5km .. but ended up running 5km lo!!! (or slightly less than 5km).. Haiz... I saw the u-turn sign and was about to turn when the marshaller told me turn right turn right ... so i turned right to join the 5km route... den halfway down .. i suspected something was wrong so asked another marshall if its the 2.5km route... he said yes.... so i ran .... further down ... i confirmed 2.5km wouldnt be that far... I asked again ... and she told me its the 5km route.... argh .... so screwed up ................

last thing to note down ...

was chatting with sh today ... she was hospitalised for 3 weeks due to some complication from a fever.... wah scary from how she described.... makes me wonder how professional our hospital services are... do we actually have a department like those of Dr House Gregory in the US drama serial? Heh .. even if not ... should have been more careful with patients ma ... haiz.. anyway she will be working from home from now on!!!! wah so good leh :) shows how much trust has been built between her and her boss heh. So right now I have 2 frens who doesnt really have to go work everyday... boo and sh ... songness!!! when will it be my turn ??? :D

alright,.. need to rest early :D nites nites

King of Clay

2008-06-06T22:17:00.003+08:00

:) There's going to be a high chance that Nadal will be meeting Federer in the finals for Roland Garros! Haha still remember last yr sw came to my house to watch the match.. supporting Federer .. but he lost haha.

Anyway hope to see an exciting match :D Federer playing against Monfils now to enter finals against Nadal.

Let the king of clay reign! hiaks

Rosalind Pho is back!

2008-06-05T22:12:00.003+08:00

:) Yea just saw her on la femme channel 8 today haha. Grown abit chubby but still very cute! :D

Old photo of her

Don McLean - Vincent

2008-06-01T20:54:00.000+08:00

Another nice song

Regina Spektor - The call

2008-06-01T20:08:00.000+08:00

Beautiful song

finally dio block liao

2008-05-31T00:19:00.000+08:00

:) Was just commenting on how soc still allows my access to the files (mp3 etc) ... but i think from today onwards cannot access le... so no more music on the blog heh

Updates

2008-05-28T22:58:00.002+08:00

Been quite bz lately..

Just finished a two day weekend course for powered boat last weekend. Was quite excited about it initially but things started to get boring pretty soon .. heh. Anyway the theory test will be on 26 June 2008. After which if I manage to pass will go on to take the practical test before finally able to get the license. Hoping that I can clear both theory and practical soon... cos am quite excited about charting a boat / jetski for one of the weekends :)

Things at work are quite hectic recently. Been about 6 mths into this job... Honestly till now I have no idea what is the kind of job I really want .. or perhaps I should say career... a colleague commented recently that young people usually have no idea what they will like to do. I agree. Still not sure where my passion lies or what is it that I will be able to do for the rest of my life.. haha perhaps I just get bored too quickly .. so there won't be anything which I will be able to say I truly like over a period of time.

Anyway, 6 months into this job (quite unexpected job actually) ... been quite good ... colleagues are good... environment's not too bad as well. But been getting busy lately cos am expected to know more things and be more proficient in my focus area... well I guess thats just work heh.

Going to NZ ! ! ! Just booked the tickets yesterday. Heh Will be there for a whole 3 weeks. Been wanting to go away for a long holiday since quite long ago.. though 3 weeks is still quite short of my expectation .. but well I think I can never expect to be away for half a year or more unless I'm in between jobs. Either that or to go overseas for studies. Both are quite unlikely in the near future...... So got to make do haha. Boss asked me if I'm sure I want to spend 20 days in NZ today after submitting my leave application... (cos i will have no annual leave left after this application) .. I felt like telling her if I have more than 20 days I will spend all the annual leave in NZ as well :)

Lets hope its gonna be a good trip. :D

Tired! Koons!

bz week

2008-05-22T22:53:00.001+08:00

Been quite bz lately with work as well as the webby..

But should be more or less settled soon :) GSS starts tml! our sale for the webby will be starting soon also... :) Hope can bring in more sales heh.

Anyway, cao ge is coming to sg for concert in july... feel like gg.. but dunno got $$ anot... hmmm shall wait and see

booking tix for nz this weekend!!! :D yeah

Been in a daze

2008-05-14T22:02:00.001+08:00

Been in a daze for the past 2 days... aint feeling well.. having flu and fever..

Anyway dreamt that I went for skydiving again hahaa... dunno why .. maybe fever too hot liao... haha

skydive ... maybe i should do it again in NZ? heh

Ritzcufflinks

2008-05-11T22:33:00.008+08:00

:) Been busy with doing the design for the new batch of cufflinks :)

One of the new banner for a pre gss sale

Email Promo

visit www.ritzcufflinks.com :D

Mother's day

2008-05-11T21:50:00.002+08:00

Today's mother's day :) like any other mother's day.. went out for dinner.

Went to sis in law's old house area for dinner... its this restaurant called westlake.. Food's not too bad :) Oh and we saw Ken - one of the sg idol's judge. Heh he went there to take away some food in his porsche heh.

Anyway, haven't seen my nephew for a week cos went diving last weekend :) still as naughty as ever heh. His dad and mum brought him to a photo studio to take passport photo but he didn't want. So in the end had to use his old photo and crop out haha. Hopefully the people over at ICA don't reject the photo I cropped for him.

Oh sw passed me some very good materials on image theory. heh was looking at it yesterday night till I fell asleep hahaha. How how? I can never manage to finish those readings heh but I think the ebook's really not too bad...

Went out with my NS buddies yesterday.. Just a casual dinner and coffee after my keyboard lessons. Hmm weekend just passed like that ... very fast heh. SIAN tml work liao ....

Suddenly, I feel like listing the things I will like to do if I have the time and money heh .. just for fun

1) Spend a few days playing with uncle's DSLR...
2) Spend a few hours each day practising the keyboard
3) Take up powerboating (will be gg for the lesson very soon)
4) Sign up for a pencil drawing / shading course
5) Go away for a long trip.. or a course overseas for perhaps a yr or so
6) Go diving soon~~
7) Buy a car - Mini!!!
8) Get the time capsule

:D Will be interesting to revisit this post a few years later heh.

My nephew - Asher

Yea! Bloopp Bloppp

2008-05-07T23:09:00.004+08:00

YEa! I just completed my dive last weekend! :D Am a certified diver liao haha

The last dive was especially relaxing and fun! Wah! Very interesting leh.... :) Am so looking forward to more dive trips but gonna really save alot liao ... hai ...

Been bz planning for the NZ trip in sept also... Hope its gonna be a FUN one! :D

Hee. Just got the photos from the dive trip from my colleague tk and sq. Will be posting more photos up later heh. Anyway today my colleague gave me an exam qn... hahah no la actually to help him edit some of the dive trip photos using photoshop... Hopefully reddy's lessons wont go in vain heh

Below are the attached photos. :) Copyright!!! Dont copy and use heh

Before editing

After editing

Strange remarks

2008-04-24T23:22:00.002+08:00

Been getting some strange remarks recently ...

Some people commented that I have a cheeky look. Some says I have a notti look. My team lead says I have a well balanced personality - being quiet and noisy at the right time....

BUT I think its all wrong. HAHA. I am not cheeky neither am I notti. I'm such a decent guy! LOL Don't know why they have this impression.. I look very cheeky meh?? hmmm

AND I am usually quiet hahaha especially at work.. No idea since when I am noisy at the right time lol.

Anyway ... I signed up for my company's staff relay challenge today .. hai no idea why I agreed to torture myself lol. The relay consists of a 5km run followed by a 40km cycle and the last one is the 2.5km run. WAH! haha but well Im only doing the 2.5km part.... ONLY???? lol its not so only to me. Went to gym today and tried running... clocked 13 min for 2.4km!!! Goodness... I really need more exercise haha

time to rest. Hope everything goes well at work tomorrow. Been trying to reconcile some reports to no avail.... USAGE! Hai Tata

Dive on 1st may weekend

2008-04-21T22:57:00.002+08:00

Will be going away for a dive trip coming labour day weekend! :D

Kinda excited heh. At the same time planning for a long road trip to NZ. Hee

Very exciting! At least to me la :)

My team lead and a few colleagues are pissed off with another department today ... so she was trying to let me know bits and pieces of what went wrong on our way home. Then the conversation went to how I should explore and work in other countries while im still young. :) Dont deny I like to travel and experience life overseas ... heh but isnt that like telling me to leave? hahah but Im cool with it la... cos i dont have the intention to stay long anyway. But of course cant let her know that :)

Sleeping!

General Updates on My life at 26 years old :D

2008-04-13T21:38:00.004+08:00

Haven been blogging for some time and I got myself a macbook pro 17" recently! Haha. Been wanting it since donkey years ago :)

So I was playing with the iChat today and realised it has so many cool stuffs! Haha especially the webcam. But its kinda like a white elephant since I cant use it for msn. Can only make it work for Jabber AIM or Gtalk. My colleagues use Gtalk in office .. but have no intentions of using it for Gtalk haha.

Anyway, my course ended last wednesday. Went back to office on thursday. Not really a great week.. in terms of work but still alright la :) Will be going diving coming May. This time I will be making sure I am getting the license. Heh. Will be going with boo and perhaps other colleagues.

Am quite excited about the upcoming NZ trip heh. Am planning for a long holiday this sep to NZ with boo and two more friends (still looking for people to join) :) Gonna be about 2 to 3 weeks long (I hope) Need to save!!!

:) Starting another work week tml. Gotta rest early heh. Photos from iChat's webcam below! :D

Very cool right! haha i like too

On course :)

2008-04-06T22:39:00.002+08:00

I am on course the next few days! :) woo hoo

haha nothing to be joyful actually :) but at least I can sleep abit later? :D

course starts at 9 ends at 5 :D

Rainy day

2008-03-30T21:46:00.002+08:00

Basically slacked the whole sunday away today, Nothing much to do .. haha. Practised playing Canon in D on the keyboard for quite awhile.. still cant get some of the phrases correct... SO HARD hahaha. Will practise more till I can get it right :)

Nephew came today like any other sundays :) I think that is the only thing Im looking forward to on sundays haha. Else I will be thinking of how sian it is to start work on monday.hahaha

Went out with uncle, sw and zf yesterday. Uncle's bday.. so went to this jap restaurant called Himawari. Its on Neil road. Serves ala carte buffet but not exactly fantastic actually. But their sashimi is really not bad. Can try ... :) especially the Mekajiki :D my fave hee

Some photos i took cos too bo liao.. :) wonder how will i look like ten yrs down the road haha

Night out

2008-03-27T23:17:00.002+08:00

Met up with lx and roy for dinner. Haven't met up with roy since 2 years ago. :) Been such a long time and well, on the surface we haven't really changed much but I guess everyone has changed in one way or another.. Getting more confident, more focused etc. :) No longer like how we used to slack around in school .. waiting for lectures... doing projects half heartedly haha.

Anyway was a good meet up with both lx and roy. Hope to meet up more often. Tomorrow's friday! Gotta go for a company function.. known as IS function. Basically a D&D for the IS groups. Will be going.. though reluctantly haha and will be meeting boo for a late night show after that. :) I hope the dinner is good and the games are not too .. duh... haha

Back to watching Miami Ink now. :) Tata for now.

Am back :D

2008-03-25T14:56:00.002+08:00

WOAH!

Hiatus from blogspot from almost a year... I'm actually surprised the links for the songs still work! Heh. I think its hosted using my school's server.. and its been almost a year since i graduated :) heh whatever...

Just thought of coming in to take a look after so long and see if the account is still working. :) I guess no one reads my blog anymore so I think its a good time to resume blogging :)

Been some time since I have blogged. Lots of things happened.. happy and unhappy (thats life) Well also got to understand myself and my needs a little better than last time. heh.

Well... I shall continue this little project of mine and continue blogging .. just for my own sake to remember the stuffs I have done in life. Lest I become senile in future :D

A very nice song which I happen to come across through this show called Tang Xin Feng Bao. Very nice show .. very nice song :)

Quarrels

2007-07-15T21:14:00.000+08:00

Cant stand my sis and her bf. Just keeps shouting at each other since donkey month ago. Quarrels, fights... Irritating.

Really why do people still cling on to a sour relationship. If two people fight for a full two days... not forgetting all the intermediate quarrels since half a year ago... why still stay together? If one really wants to keep a relationship, then some effort is needed. If such effort is non existent or one party is not willing to put in such effort, then dont stay together. haiz... am sick of my sis.

anyway its been a long time since ive posted anything. Just graduated recently. am working for a game company at the moment. still very cloudy about what I will want to do in the future. Will see how things turn out .

Work environment can be so bloody bitchy at times

2006-06-01T23:40:00.000+08:00

Work
Work's been rather slow recently. Nothing much to do.. thus time passes really slowly. One of my clique's colleague is gonna be transfered to another department. Why? Main reason being her manager and another another colleague from her department couldnt get along well with her. Shes been on the job for like 6 yrs or more and recently cos her manager's in my MD's good books thats why she raised this issue. This manager claims that my colleague's slow and can't do her work. But thats not really true. I have seen how she works... She's alright and I must say rather meticulous in her work. I have also seen how this manager works... she's on the other hand someone whos really messed up. Why? Cos she asks for things which she doesnt really need. Ask liao.. do for her liao then she say "Oh I dont need that anymore" (personal experience) Alright maybe I'm not from their department so I cant comment much but no matter what I dont think it's right to just kick your colleague away to another department when shes been doing her thing for 6 good years. It's just not justified. Why transfer after 6 years? Its rather obvious its due to personal grudges way back.. which I dont know what happened also lah.. Didnt want to ask cos they dont seem to want to talk about it. Well what the heck... Not really my problem.

My colleague from my department told me how she felt unfair for her... and said "you see lah your good jie jie" (cos it seems to them that I'm on good terms with that manager) She feels that people will ask about her transfer and might think that shes not a good worker which is unfair for her. Well ... I also feel sorry for her but I think it might be better to be transfered rather than to work with a department that is against you. How to work when you arent communicating with the people in your department? Funny right... haiz

Well... not my problem lah. My colleague is trying to poison me (i think)... but I dont think I will take sides. Sometimes being apathetic can be good. Heh

Others
The pepper lunch at taka is not bad wor... got money and time must try ... why i say money leh.. cos it costs abt 15 dollars for a some sort like fast food meal. heh its not bad got to try. :) Nowadays got gss hor... I wanna buy some t-shirt or shirt leh.. but no money... haha
oh i saw a very nice fossil watch! might be buying after my taiwan trip cos my only watch given by my rc frens spoil liao... :( I quite like that watch cos its something meaningful lah... something to remember these people. But spoil liao leh! sianz

Hey did you guys watch singapore idol? This season's standard not too bad leh. Infact its good loh :) Got to watch :)

Ok lah nothing else to update.. as usual meeting up with frens.. chat movies dinner bowl drinks... what else to do right heh. Am going off! Nites :) Tml long fri!!!! Weekend's here heh

Updates

2006-05-21T19:32:00.000+08:00

Realised that Ive been having lots of bloopers in my life. Small bloopers heh. For instance, I just realised that I have been using a shampoo as shower foam for like close to a month... And god knows how many times i've been on a wrong bus or forgot to alight...

Hmm I have a strong junch that Im gonna be senile when i grow old... heh so my main purpose of this blog is to remind me of the little things that happened in my life. Should one day I forgot who came into my life.. and what happened when i was young.. this blog will prove to be very useful lol. how pessimistic hor.... lOl

Anyway congrats to eric on his second baby!!!! :D wah so good life... can be grandpa about 50 yrs old or even 40 yrs old !! heh Come to think of it we have almost spent 1/3 of our life... or maybe even more. Old liao old liao haha

So whats up recently with me? Eh nothing much going on but am moving house this week. Been hanging out with friends... chilling.. watching movies.. yeah too much movies this month gonna go broke soon. :) hyp not very exciting leh.. actually quite sianz... then work loh.. work more sianz cos not really contributing to the company.. feels like im dispensable... dont like this feeling leh dunno why.. or maybe i should just allow myself to enjoy right? slack slack slack then wait for them to sack me lol

anyway thats all lah. :) seeya! Oh one last thing... going taiwan in august!!! :D

Im still here!

2006-04-13T00:02:00.000+08:00

Hey guys! haha Im still alive! :) LOL

yeah this blog is still working though its spammed so badly. heh

Got no time to clear those spam so i just let it be heh. Anyway exams are round the corner! everyone jiayou!

Bert

Assignment one

2006-02-19T11:45:00.000+08:00

assignment one for 4247 is a big big failure. The assignment took up a lot of my time for the past one week. Been having late nights but still... didnt do well.

Didnt manage to finish it in time. Haiz

Anyway went to library yesterday morning. Didnt know the libraries open at 10am ... so waited for 15 mins b4 being able to go in. A few mins b4 10am, a lot of people started crowding around the entrance. And when the library staffs opened the door, everyone just rushed in like some kind of sale scenario. LOL

Interesting eh... din know people are so keen to be go to libraries. or perhaps its just another unique characteristic of being singaporeans.

FInally I have some time to myself today. Though there are still lots of assignments and projects that will be due after the mid term break - which starts next week. :) Alrighty, thats all for the update. Heh tata

Sianz

2006-02-03T18:21:00.000+08:00

In Sch now... wsa going to meet the jc gang but then was cancelled so meeting up with ns gang instead heh. Feels like going for a drink later.. dunno if they wanna go anot... haiz

nowadays quite tied down with work and sch ... lots of quiz and pjs so just feel like chilling out somewhere later... but looks like nowadays nobody like to go drinking anymore eh?

Work's been bz, school's been bz

2006-01-21T10:08:00.000+08:00

Have been really rushing for things recently. Work is bz due to power trips on the 6th floor. Electricians have been checking for two days but cant find the problem. Work at 6th floor has been stalled for two days. I think my boss is going to get it during next week's meeting.

Besides the power trip, pay day is around the corner. So am also rushing for that. Not exactly doing pay anymore but am helping hwee ching with it since first quarter is always the busy period with bonus, increments and tax filing stuffs. Then... theres always people who have problem with their pc, wanna connect to printer... comp have virus... Don't know why, but they always come look for me. I'm in computing but doesn't mean I know how to solve your problem mah. And somemore no administrator password how to do?? So I always got to call our IT guy and fix their problems. Paiseh always got to bug him.

School's been quite hectic also though its just the second week. Assignments and projects are in progress already. Tutorials are starting next week. Got to work hard this semester. Promised to spend more time on school work.

Went out with Roy and Alex to Ps to fix my phone. Went around shopping, talking cock lol. Also went out with a huge gang of soc people for dinner on thurs. Actually dont know many of these people well. But was a fun night. Wanted to go china black yesterday but plan didnt turn out well. So went out with zann and king to holland v for kopi instead. :) King just started his attachment so we were discussing about work stuffs. lOl stuffs like work politics, how to handle our bosses ... complaining about the people at work lol. Heh good way to destress and slightly reduce our pent up displeasure with these er xin ppl.

ok got to go. :) CNY is coming!!! hee not that Im really excited about it but at least theres two days of holiday mah LOL yeah!!!!!!!! sleep late... no need to rush to work... ;) tata

School Starts

2006-01-16T22:41:00.000+08:00

School started for a week plus. Find that some people have changed .. or am I too used to the way school is in aus? Dont know why but just get this feeling that its a harsh environment ... people vying for places in courses they think they can do well... people looking for others who are academically inclined to do projects with... people looking around for past year assignments and projects ... stuffs like that...

Not that I disapprove of those actions, but I feel that one shouldnt be so pragmatic.. so critical...

Well maybe its just how things works here...

Anyways, am going to move soon. Didn't want to cos our current place is so much better than the new place. We're shifting bcos of that person... sucks... parents gone crazy....

Anyway will be happy :) Am trying to be happy :)

First week of 2006

2006-01-07T09:05:00.000+08:00

:) Everything's going well. First day of the week, my boss asked me to join him for lunch with the construction guys and some clients. So had a hearty lunch and its free! lol Then we went around looking at apartments. Nothing much was done but yeah it was great! heh

btw my boss told me he will increase my salary! hee ok lah just by a little but still was a good gesture out of his own accord. haha so this time I didn't even open my mouth! keke

School will be starting soon next week ... there's still one more module which I havent settled the registration process. Hmm... what should I take leh? Or should I just take 4 modules next semester?? Will think about it during the weekend.

Anyway, this week has been really quiet for me. Only went out on wed to meet up with boo for dinner. The rest of the days were spent at home, thinking about what modules to take and recovering from last few week's madness. Heh Will be meeting up with the army guys for dinner later... hope i wont spend too much ... heh

OH yes! I've sold away my o2! ... at the moment when i pushed that set to the guy, I felt a tinge of sadness in me... bu she de... but haiz since dont use much might as well just sell it away to get some money... broke liao.

must remind myself ... I need to be happy ! :) so stay happy peeps!

Singapore bus services

2006-01-01T23:36:00.000+08:00

Bus services in Singapore should wake up their freaking idea... 6 NR1 within an hour... 0 NR5, NR6... Only people in yishun need to go home loh??

half an hour wait during peak hours for bus 198.... Only school students take 198 loh... people who are working all drive one loh...

seats in buses are so cramped... all asians are short loh...

Haiz... first post in new yr and I am already ranting n complaining... heh But I really think they should wake up their idea.

Thankful

2005-12-31T01:56:00.000+08:00

Thankful for the meaningful year that has gone past.
Thankful for the exciting, insightful and inspiring half year trip to australia.
Thankful for the wonderful people around me.
Thankful for the brudders that I have including my real bro.
Thankful for the good health this year.

Am going to celebrate life next year.
Am going to be happier than last year.
Am going to appreciate people, things and other cultures more.
Am going to widen my social circle.

Only regret... Am not able to put away one single thing in my life... Am still sore at this person till today... Someone who's close but not at all close.

Hopes that things will be better for my frens and brudders out there :) And I really hope boo has less worries.. less troubles less irritating stuffs going on around. Also hope chua will be happier next yr :)

Ok! thats all for this entry this yr! haha doubt i will be posting anything else till next yr keke cos its only one day away! seeya dudes!

NEXT YR WILL BE A HAPPIER YR!

Past few weeks

2005-12-31T01:17:00.000+08:00

Am really too lazy to blog about my aus trip liao heh. Too much things have happened... but to summarize... I've realised I've been too ignorant in the past. Theres so many things out there... outside of our small dot on the map. People come from such rich heritage and culture. People behave so differently ... and Singapore is no big deal despite the government's effort to glamourise singapore. Disclaimer: I'm not putting down Singapore and I dont despise us... Instead I am proud of our government and what we have. But I've also realised that there's something out there beyond this dot.

Anyway, the aus trip has been really good. Excellent! great fun! :) Just that some people there are a real racist bunch.

So what have I been doing after I came back? Nothing much actually... first two weeks was kinda hell cos of some problems... irritating... but its much better now. Started working, been going out with frens lots, drinking, pubbing, clubbing, makaning, shopping etc. Alot of stuffs happened within this few weeks... am trying to digest what happened.

Been thinking alot also recently... trying to make some new yr resolutions and write it down for the first time in my life.... Need to reflect on myself... dunno why theres so many thoughts recently... maybe too much things have happened... not only to me but also to my dear frens... my brudders...

Anyway.. will think abt things... change things and make next yr a better yr! yea! :) Next yr will be a better yr for sure...

All's good :) Thanks!

2005-12-23T00:15:00.000+08:00

Hi guys!

Everythings been going quite well recently! Thanks for the concern... I just got a job... the same job I had b4 i left heh. saw many ex-colleagues but also alot alot of new colleagues... heh see until blur... cos they just expanded to another floor now... so instead of one level, our company is occupying two levels of acer building heh.

Oh and the bonus this yr is alot! haiz but dun have my share lah haha even though I was there for the first half yr... they should prorate for me right! haha but who ask me to be a part time only ... heh

anyway the job's been keeping me bz from thinking of too much stuffs that has happened ... so yah pretty good recently.. thanks everyone for the concern! :) Smiles :D

Run away...

2005-12-15T21:05:00.000+08:00

I wanna change my xmas wish list...

1) I pray and hope she gets out of my life soon
2) I wanna get some cheap accommodation
3) I need work...

I wished that farking bitch just gets out of my life... Sorry if i offended anyone with the vulgarities... piss off if you arent happy

Just my third day in sg ... what a welcome home gift. Screw these people

Last few hours... Hiatus!

2005-11-28T07:19:00.000+08:00

last few hours before I'm going for my tour. Heh... had a great night yesterday clubbing again .. :) thanks to nelson and frens. Hee wont be updating this for some time but will be back for more pics and updates on the trip! Seeya!

Last day in brisbane :)

2005-11-27T19:17:00.000+08:00

Went clubbing yesterday... not too bad was quite happening... heh but walked a long way back to the city and then further up the city towards toowong (read darn far) before I got a cab... Cos I didnt want to wait for the cab in the valley.. its such a long queue.. and the smart ass in me thought there would be a cab somewhere on the road... heh.. yah there are lotsa cabs.. empty ones... but they didnt stop for me.. wonders why. Maybe I look too much like a robber heh.

Anyway today's the last night in brisbane.. actually second last.. last night would be on 12 dec... :) Had great fun during my stay here. Lotsa fun in fact. Having mixed feelings about going back ...

Funny dream

2005-11-26T10:40:00.000+08:00

:) Despite flipping around in bed for some time, had a funny dream lol. Dreamt that I saw snow in aus haha. And its exactly like what lx told me haha... something about cant see the snow when its snowing lol. But only had a vague impression cos I only remembered the dream when I saw this fren's blog in UK. haha funny. I must have gone crazy thinking about xmas lol

Oh yes... eric's little girl looks really cute! haha So many people getting married, having babies nowadays... we are all getting old man

C'est la vie... C'est la guerre...

Back operation

On the 19th day of 2011

It's actually not very complicated

Healthy for 2 days

祝你们幸福

Taiwan Trip Aug 2010 - Taipei - Hualien - Kenting - Taipei

Always you by Sophie Zelmani

hoho work work

Realization

bored

probs across the ocean seems to be stretching out to my family

Hot stuffy nite

Sleepless night

Excuses

蟋蟀对着螳螂有什么东西好说。。。 何必抱这种遗憾到未来的天堂

New year, New aims

Can't sleep

Gan chu shen tong

Craze

Silence is golden

Aristotle

Oh no ...

tired

Xmas!

Screwed up again at work ..

一个人若没有包容性，对看不惯的人事就会放不下，进而痛苦。因此，生活中能有‘容人的雅量’，才不会有‘怨憎会苦’。

Achievements are relative, character is not

Unhappiness stems from care; it is better than non-chalence

友谊之道

Rainy days

I think I'm pathetic .. Resrvist lo!

Convenience

Tired liao ...

Shi shi bu shun li

Penangs

Kuching!

mentally drained, physically weak

On leave today .. urgent leave

Random thoughts

... The line drawn is getting deeper ...

Bali 2009

Halong Bay

Something to think about

Vietnam trip

bro's bday

Focus Point

Conclusion reached

Still as heavy on a rainy day

Unhappy

Back from everything ...

Ippt and day out with NS buddies

Backpost to Bintan trip

Havent been feeling good lately

fri meetup

Nice lazy night

The big dream

sw's bday

Jaded

updates

Daylight!

Boring Updates

Bazaar at SCC

updates

Nadal!

King of Clay

Rosalind Pho is back!

Don McLean - Vincent

Regina Spektor - The call

finally dio block liao

Updates

bz week

Been in a daze

Ritzcufflinks

Mother's day

Yea! Bloopp Bloppp

Strange remarks

Dive on 1st may weekend

General Updates on My life at 26 years old :D

On course :)

蟋蟀对着螳螂有什么东西好说。。。何必抱这种遗憾到未来的天堂