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Friday, November 26, 2010

What are Email Scams

Email scams are messages (when you receive them) that attempt to impersonate legitimate senders.  These messages often ask you to click on a link and provide personal data.  In some cases, the sender may also attempt to install malware on your computer. (malware - software program that includes viruses, worms, Trojan horses and spyware).

How to avoid getting into trouble ...
(1) Have a up-to-date anti-virus program installed in your computer.
(2) Delete all emails from senders you do not know.
(3) Download any picture and/or clicking on any link with caution.

enjoy surfing ...

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Video Conferencing

In the olden days, when we talked about video conferencing, it is usually an important business meeting where parties around the world can discuss and see each other in a private room in a teleco company.

Now the above is things of the past. You can video conference with your love ones, anywhere in the world without leaving your home. All both parties need are two sets of suitable Wi-Fi enable mobile equipment installed with a suitable program. No computer is required. Just dial the other party like any mobile phone and both picture and voice will be connected.

enjoy ...

Monday, August 30, 2010

When Population Growth Outpaced Infrastructure


On the topic of mode of transportation, e.g. the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), situation can be like the one shown on this video clip.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Uniquely Singapore - Distance Fare System

Recently, our country transport system converted to charging by how far you travel. I believe this system uses the location indicators (installed island-wide) or GPS to locate where you board the transport (bus) and where you alight by transferring the information (1) from the "entry" device to your card and (2) from your card to the "exit" device and (3) your card stored valued will be deducted for the trip you have taken. All these are done by computer system.

As Murphy Law says, "If something can go wrong, it will." ...computer system included!

I discovered one instance of overcharging by the system when I did a check on one of the trips travelled.
What I believe is that during the (1) stage, the "entry" device went crazy and informed the (2) stage that I board the bus from "Jurong East" which is much further then the right place/location I boarded. This of course had a wrong deduction on my card stored valued.

Now come to the topic of a "graceful society" - we still have some more distance to go.
With the discovery of the above, I done the following:
a) Went to a ticket office to provide the feedback. The officer just recorded my feedback and issued me a chit.
b) A few days later at the transport headoffice, they did the review and confirm the particulars with me through the phone. The officer still have not decided whether my feedback is valid or not. No word of confirmation or say sorry that they have overcharged - really so difficult to check or they are afraid to commit at that moment.
c) Next, a few days later again, I receive an sms to say they have overcharged and I can get my refund for the overcharged amount from any ticket office. Still the word "sorry" is not in the sms text message.

I wonder whether TransLink Public Relation Office is aware of all these ground level happenings?

Friday, July 16, 2010

Before You Throw Those Old Photos Away ...

Hello Classmates of ACS 61-63, before you throw all those old photos away, ask yourself, is these photos of our ACS days when we study, challenge each other, fight, play, go outings together, etc.
If it is, then you may consider to pass them to me to put in this web. You would definitely want your children, your grand-children to know, to see and to remember the "other" part of you.
As an example for what I have done, click this link to view.
Email me, to work out the arrangement.

The Best Is Yet To Be!

Monday, July 5, 2010

Take This Test

You are driving on a wild stormy night, it’s raining heavily, when suddenly you pass by a bus stop and you see three people waiting for a bus.

1) An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.

2) An old friend who once saved your life.

3) The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing very well that there could only be one passenger in your car?

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die and thus you should save her first.

or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be perfect, hence to pay him back.

However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.

This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.

Online Scam

An animal lover was $1,788 poorer. What actually happened was that she typed the wrong URL address of SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). She logged in to www.spca.com.sg thinking that this is the official SPCA online address and wanted to adopt a kitten. The wrong address redirected her to a collective advertisement page www.sgadsonline.com where, one of the advertisers (a scammer) provided an email address for the same purpose. Using money transfer, she parted amounts of $300, $500, etc. until she realised something was wrong.

When contacted, SPCA (the correct URL is www.spca.org.sg) said they does not carried out any adoption transaction online.

A short note on URL address – www= world wide web, the second group of letters refers to the unique “Company/Organizaion” name, the third group refers to “Type of business”, e.g. com=commerial, org=organisation, gov= government, edu=educational institutions, soc=society, etc. the fourth group refers to the “Country” the web addressed is registered.
e.g. sg=Singapore, blank=U.S.A., hk=Hong Kong, my=Malaysia, etc.

Beware of Online Identity Theft

Online identity theft normally enters your computer through some form of computer virus or viruses. It can steal your bank account number, your online password, credit card data or even your complete email address book details and more.

They can even use your computer to hack into others, thus shielding their identities from law enforcement agencies. Why they want your information? Simple, there are buyers out there willing to pay for it. Personal data can worth a fortune in the underground economy. It was reported in the Straits Times that hackers bought and sold S$422 millions July last year to June 2008 – as reported by a security company.

Some advice:
1) Never put confidential or sensitive information/data into your computer, unless you are very sure your computer is well protected with Firewalls, with updated and good set of anti-virus program.
2) Be careful when downloading or opening an image or picture or PowerPoint (or any) file, even from your best friend. If your computer anti-virus program gives you a warning, read the warning carefully before you click “Next”. You may be opening a back door for the virus embeded in the image/picture or files (from emails) to enter your computer and permanently reside in it. It will start to cause mischief once you trigger the program to run.
3) When you join any online interest group or social networking, like the FaceBook, do not enter any sensitive information into your personal profile.
4) Nothing is Free in the Internet world. Before answering “Yes” for any freebies or free program from the Internet, check “who” or “which” company you are talking to. The so call free program may contain virus that may cause you trouble later or completely upset your computer operating system.

SAR and your Mobile Phone

Radio wave exposure and Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) information.

Nowadays mobile telephone manufacturers have taken the SAR issue into their design consideration. The SAR requirements are based on scientific guidelines that include safety of all persons, regardless of age and health.

The radio wave exposure guidelines employ a unit of measurement know as the Specific Absorption Rate or SAR. Tests for SAR are conducted using standardized methods with the phone transmitting at its highest certified power level in all used frequency bands.

While there may be differences between the SAR levels of various phone models, they are all designed to meet the relevant guidelines for exposure to radio waves.

SAR data information for residents in countries that have adopted the SAR limit recommended by International Commission of Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), which is 2 W/kg averaged over ten (10) gram of tissue (for example European Union, Japan, Brazil and New Zealand).

Some mobile phone models available in Singapore do meet the above-mentioned standard at around 1.5 W/kg (10g).

Internet Surfing (Offer of Free Services)

Internet surfing is like travelling around the world – you go from country to country, town to town, shop to shop, places of interest, etc. The only difference is; you are not there in person.

Nothing is free – as the saying goes. So, while you are surfing the Internet, something just “pop-up” and offer you a “non-solicited” offer of a “free-scan” – will you accept it? After all, it is just another computer scan done by another service provider.

You may be in for a surprise! Once you allow the outsider (this service provider) to take control of your computer system, they can say what they want to say to you – like “your computer is infected with da-da-da-da number of viruses, to remove them, it will cost you $xx”. You don’t believe your computer is that bad, so you ignor the comment. Next day, you turn on your computer again, it behaves differently, worst off then before (you accepted the “free service”). You try to find the last thing you have done and to delete it – you couldn’t find or delete it.

Sometimes getting a proper anti-virus program may help to remove the problem. Sometimes you are not that lucky, you may have to get someone to re-install all the programs in your computer again. One of my friends actually got caught this way.

North to Alaska

Click here to see Rotary Snow Plow in action (in YouTube)
One of the best ways to go North to Alaska is to take an Alaskan Cruise. When we were there in summer of 2007, we didn’t quite know what the big machine (above) is about until we came home and view some YouTube video.

During the curise tour, we landed on four towns/cities, namely Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Whittier in Anchorage (Alaska).

We also had a train ride on the White Pass & Yukon Route in Skagway. Click here to see The White Pass – Yukon Railway amazing route.

Correct Way of Cooking Noddles

Seow Boon wrote …

HEALTHY EATING EVERYONE

The correct way to cook instant noodles without harming our bodies and health. `Normally, how we cook the instant noodles is to put the noodles into a pot with water, throw in the powder and let it cook for around 3 minutes and then it’s ready to eat.

This is the WRONG method of cooking the instant noodles.

By doing this, when we actually boil the ingredients in the powder, normally with MSG, it will change the molecular structures of the MSG causing it to be toxic.

The other thing that you may or may not realize is that, the noodles are coated with wax and it will take around 4 to 5 days for the body to excrete the wax after you have taken the noodles.

CORRECT METHOD :

1. boil the noodles in a pot with water.
2. once the noodles is cooked, take out the noodles, and throw away the water which contains wax.
3. boil another pot of water till boiling and put the noodles into the hot boiling water and then shut the fire.
4. only at this stage when the fire is off, and while the water is very hot, put the ingredient with the powder into the water, to make noodle soup.
5. however, if you need dry noodles, take out the noodles and add the ingredient with the powder and toss it to get dry noddles.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Secrets of Happiness

from an old ST article …

THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE …
- Spend the least time alone.
- Pursue personal growth and intimacy.
- Judge themselves by their own yardsticks, never against what others do or have.

THE FLOW OF LIFE
Life satisfaction occurs most often when people are engaged in absorbing activities that cause them to forget themselves, lose track of time and stop worrying.

“Flow” is the term that psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined to describe this phenomenon.
A life of many activities in flow is likely to be a life of great satisfaction.

“One of the happiest men I ever met was a 64-year-old Chicago welder with a fourth-grade education,” he says. The man took immense pride in his work, refusing a promotion to foreman that would have kept him from what he loved to do.

How the Stock Market Works

Once upon a time in a village, a man appeared and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys at $10 each. The villagers, seeing that there were many monkeys around, went into the forest and started catching them. The man very gentlemanly bought thousands of monkeys at $10 each, but as supply started to diminish, the villagers slowed down and eventually stopped their efforts.

The man then announced that he would now buy at $20. This renewed the energy and efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again. Soon the supply diminished even further, and people started going back to their farms. The offer was then increased to $25 each, but the supply of monkeys became so little that it was a almost a miracle to even spot a monkey, let alone catch one.

The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would transact on his behalf. In the absence of the man, the assistant assembled the villagers and told them: ” Look at all these monkeys in the big cages that the man has collected. I will sell them to you at $35 each, and when the man returns from the city, you can in turn sell them to him at $50 each. Deal or no deal?”

The excited villagers, smelling a quick-profit killer opportunity, immediately rounded up all their savings and bought all the monkeys. Then they never saw the man nor his assistant again, and there were just monkeys everywhere!

Ladies and gentlemen: Now you have a better understanding of how the stock market works.

10 Symptoms not to ignor - on health

1) Unexplained weight loss

2) Persistent fever

3) Shortness of breath

4) Unexplained changes in bowel habits

5) Mental status changes

6) New or more headaches especially if you’re over age 50

7) Short-term loss of vision, speaking or movement control

8) Flashes of light

9) Feeling full after eating very little

10) Hot, red or swollen joint.

Do talk to your doctor if you think you have any of the above.
More details, click here.

Sweet Corn Frikadel with Prawn

ACSians can Cook. This dish, submitted by Lohman, was first tried out in the “Cook In” @ Hwa Luck’s residence on 30th May, 2007. As it was so good, everyone present requested the chef for the recipe. Try out yourself. Click the photo or here for the recipe.

Voyage of the Glaciers

Glacier Bay in Alaska

In summer of 2007, my wife and I went for an Alaskan Cruise. The cruise ship started from Vancouver (Canada Place) and northbound to Whittier in Anchorage. The cruise is wonderful. You can eat as much as you can, 24-hours a day. The ship is very steady – big ship and not crossing any ocean. You don’t even know you are on board the ship if you don’t look out of the balcony. You jog three rounds around the ship, you have covered a mile. The ship has 18 levels, four night clubs, one theatre, five swimming pools (one heated and enclosed), number of jacuzzi whirlpools, five restaurants and one buffet restaurant, shopping areas, photo studio, etc. Activity rooms available for the very young to seniors, even for those on wheelchairs. This ship has a capacity for 2000 passengers.

This cruise to Alaska has given me an opportunity to Reflect on Life. It reminds me of the Five Elements. I found some notes in the Internet on the Five Elements…

The Five Elements, according to eastern philosophy, are the fundamental components of the Universe. The Five Elements are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water.

Going to remote areas, where population is zero in the Glacier Bay and Fjords, you have to respect the Five Elements around you – though the obvious around us in the Alaska bays & Fjords are the Wood (the forest), Earth (the mountain) and Water (the Fjords, Bays Rivers, Streams, Ocean, etc). Beneath – Metal (especially Gold) and Fire (Plate Tectonics), the causes of earthquakes.

Within the Bay and Fjord proper, you have the tranquility, calmness, peacefulness and serenity – mother nature in its total equilibrium – the Five Elemental energies in balance. You can also called it, God’s creation.

Read more ... Wikipedia - The Five Elements

More pictures of the Alaskan Cruise, click here.

The Three Kick Rule

Seow Boon wrote … Beware of rule makers! … read on …

A lawyer went duck hunting in rural Texas. He shot and dropped a bird, but it fell into a farmer’s field on the other side of fence.

As the lawyer climbed over the fence, an elderly farmer drove up on his tractor and asked him what he was doing.

The litigator responded, “I shot a duck and it fell in this field and now I’m going to retrieve it.”

The old farmer replied, “This is my property, and you are not coming over here.”

The indignant lawyer said, “I am one of the best trial attorneys in the United States and, if you don’t let me get that duck, I’ll sue you and take everything you own.”

The old farmer smiled and said, “Apparently, you don’t know how we settle disputes in Texas. We settle small disagreements like this with the “Three Kick Rule.”

The lawyer asked, “What is the Three Kick Rule?”

The Farmer replied, “Well, because the dispute occurs on my land, first I kick you three times and then you kick me three times and so on back and forth until someone gives up.”

The attorney quickly thought about the proposed contest and decided that he could easily take the old codger. He agreed to abide by the local custom.

The old farmer, slowly climbed down from the tractor and walked up to the attorney.

His first kick planted the toe of his heavy steel toes work boot onto the lawyer’s legs and dropped him to his knees. His second kick to the midriff then made the lawyer lose his early morning breakfast.

The lawyer was on all fours when the farmer’s third kick to his rear end sent him face-first into a fresh cow pie.

The lawyer summoned every bit of his will and managed to get to his feet.

Wiping his face with the arm of his jacket, he said, “Okay, now it’s my turn.”

The old farmer smiled and said, “Naaaaaaah, I give up now. You can have the duck."

A Taste of Cantonese Cuisine (with a bottle of wine)

Lohman wrote …

Sy Pinn and his wife Emily met some ACS61-63 for the second time at dinner on Wed 2 Jan 08 at the Village Wok Restaurant. They were pleasantly surprised at the large turnout of nine ACSians since the last gathering on Fri 19 Jan 07 at dinner at Zi Yean Restaurant with Hee Kuan, Yew Kwok and Lohman.

Sy Pinn and Emily had been away from Singapore and working in Fiji for more than 10 years. They first met up with ACS61-63 at the Weekly Tuesday Lunch on 16 Jan 07.

The seven of the nine ACSians meeting Sy Pinn for the first time after many years of absence are Ethel, Janet, May Lin, John Lee, SP Toh, Hwa Luck and Victor Chia TN. The quiet environment in the restaurant was shattered when Sy Pinn and Emily stepped inside the restaurant with greetings and the OHs and WOWs.

When everybody settled down at the dining table and fed with red wine to lubricate the tongue, the noise level continued unabated with the outpour of questions and enquiries for the reasons to work in Fiji, travel and business opportunities, Sy Pinn’s businesses in golf shop, remittance and IT services, as well as sports and recreational activities. The conversations were fuelled by red wine – 2nd bottle of red wine was purchased by Hwa Luck after the first bottle of Merlot was empty.

Sy Pinn informed the vast seas and oceans and the many islands and islets, many of which were purchased and inhabited including one by Mel Gibson. This prompted Hwa Luck to remark his interest to visit Fiji and to go fishing with Sy Pinn.

When the first dish arrived, it was a plate of 3 Cold Crabs. Hee Kuan said they were “yesterday cooked crabs.” The man diners, like well behaved gentlemen, allowed the woman diners to proceed first to pick their selection. I watched the ladies acted without hesitation – to pick the hard shell with the soft shell meat sticking and dangling from the hard shell. To allow more to enjoy this delicacy, Lohman gently said the whole soft shell meat be split so that more can enjoy the soft shell meat. This was complied. The restaurant’s black vinegar sauce that comes with the cold crabs provides the excellent accouplement for a diner to lace some sauce on the crab meat.

Another restaurant signature dish of Smoke Kampong Chicken was flavourful and succulent. It drew favourable comments from many diners. Other dishes followed including Pating Fish in Mango Sauce. Many like it. However, Janet complained it was too sweet. Aah ya, how to please everybody!

Having met the ACSians, Sy Pinn, who counted his return to Singapore as not more than five times during the more than 10 years in Fiji, has now found another excuse and is now reconsidering to return to Singapore more often.

Yes, Sy Pinn, go ahead to do that. I am sure many of us will be keen to meet up with you each time you return home.