ACS Class of 61/63 (Blog)

50th Reunion Dinner

2011-04-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

Calling all 61/63 ACSians, come and join in the celebration of our Golden Anniversary (50th) reunion.

Date: 18th Nov 2011

Place: Tanglin Club

Time: 6.00PM (Buffet Dinner)

Cost: A nominal fee of $20/pax - any balance amount will be covered by sponsors (Those who wish to contribute more than $20 are welcome).

Nearest MRT Station: Orchard

Contact: John Lee (acs6163reunion@gmail.com)

Kindly go to http://acs6163.com/ web site to register your confirmation.
The email address submitted will not be published in this blog.
Please visit the ACS6163 web site http://acs6163.com/ regularly for any updates or further notice.

Digital Photo Frame

2011-03-26T02:47:00.000-07:00

The old generation of digital photo frame requires the pictures to be uploaded, either with a thumb drive or through a computer. Now available in the market, there is one model, with touch screen, that works independently with Wi-Fi. No thumb drive or computer is required. Your friends or love ones just only need to send the pictures to you through email attachments, from anywhere around the world. This is how it works ...

After you have purchased the digital photo frame, just introduce the set purchased to the supplier's server. An email account (free) is created with the supplier's server. Send all pictures through this newly created email account and ensure your Wi-Fi in the house is enabled.

You can choose to delete or save any pictures received through the supplier's server.

enjoy ...

Victimized - Almost

2011-01-09T00:38:00.000-08:00

An elderly, retired senior went to a (overseas) shopping mall one day. After purchasing some goods and went for his lucky draw, he was told he has won the 1st prize of a car. Excited, he made arrangement to process his prize item. He was told that in order to claim for his prize, he has to pay "GST" first. He can arrange to transfer his "GST" amount to xxxx. A phone number was given to him for any clarification. Since the elderly senior did not have the means to pay for the GST at that point of time, he went home and told his children about it. His children told him it may be a scam as that country does not have GST! and besides there is no proper documentation or letter-head document to state the obvious and conditions to accept the prize.

The moral of this incident is ...if you have to part with your real money first before you can receive your prize item or money, then something is, most likely, wrong with the transaction.

What are Email Scams

2010-11-26T00:18:00.000-08:00

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 ...

Video Conferencing

2010-11-16T23:29:00.000-08:00

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 ...

When Population Growth Outpaced Infrastructure

2010-08-30T06:23:00.000-07:00

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.

Uniquely Singapore - Distance Fare System

2010-08-27T23:56:00.000-07:00

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?

Before You Throw Those Old Photos Away ...

2010-07-16T16:05:00.000-07:00

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!

Take This Test

2010-07-05T05:40:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-05T05:38:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-05T05:35:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-05T05:32:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-07-05T05:29:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-05T05:26:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-05T05:20:00.000-07:00

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.

Secrets of Happiness

2010-07-04T05:42:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-04T05:38:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-04T05:32:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-04T05:21:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-04T05:15:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-04T05:03:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-07-04T00:56:00.000-07:00

See movie in RealPlayer

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.

Thinking Out of the Box

2007-09-30T21:44:00.000-07:00

August 26th, 2007 Jimmy Tiong wrote ...

You are driving along with your car on a stormy night. It's raining heavily when suddenly you pass by a bus stop and you see three people waiting for a bus.

a) An old lady who looks as if she is about to die,
b) An old friend who once saved your life,
c) The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Question: Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing very well there could only be one passenger in your car?
This is a moral/dilemma question that was once actually used as part of a job application.

Possible answer:
a) You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die and thus you should save her first, or
b) You could take your old friend because he once save your life. This would be the perfect opportunity to pay him back ...
However, for either of the above, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his creative answer (click "comments" of this title) to find out.

Pushing a cleaner's brush instead of a grandchild's pram

2007-09-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

April 6th, 2007 Winston Loong provided us an article by Seah Chiang Nee (04-03-07)
Below is an excerpt ...

DESPITE economic prosperity, more and more elderly Singaporeans past retirement age are working as cleaners or toilet attendants, instead of playing with grandchildren.

That they are opting to work past 62 years of age is not surprising and, in fact, could be a plus point. After all, Singapore's life expectancy is 81.7 years, the world's third highest, even ahead of Japan (81.25 years). But what is not savvy about it is they are doing the sort of menial work once done by unskilled foreigners workers. Some 35.7 per cent are cleaners or doing related work, where incomes are low. It's not that the elderly don't want to retire; many simply cannot afford to, said Rick Lim in a letter. Recently a student from China who was interviewed said that he found it strange to see so many cleaners were elderly, compared to poorer China where they would be enjoying their retirement. Blame it on globalization, insufficient safety net or poor education when they were young (probably all together) but it has made old age synonymous, rightly or wrongly, with poverty and hardship. Even today growing old is not a good thing. Many employers consider 45-year-olds as over the hill, preferring to replace them with younger, cheaper workers. (Making things worse is the large influx of foreign workers who are ready to accept lower salaries.)

The majority of aged workers are lowly skilled and make up the bulk of Singapore's struggling class. In recent years, their income has wither stagnated or declined, while the rich got richer. This affects their ability to save for retirement, despite their mandatory Central Provident Funds. Only 27 per cent of Singaporeans between 25 and 75 said that they have sufficient funds to retire, compared with 61 per cent of Thais and 47 per cent of Malaysians, according to an insurance company survey. Today one in 12 Singaporeans are 65 or older; by 2030, this will become one in five.

Like elsewhere, this age group has more than a higher rate of homeless and poor, the depressed, and the desperately sick. These Singaporeans have spent a lifetime working hard to build Singapore up, whether as coolies or managers, and should be looked after during their sunset years, many believe.

The Great Cook In

2007-09-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

June 3rd, 2007

See Movie in RealPlayer

On 30th May 2007, a group of 18 (with wives) went to Hwa Luck's residence to have a cook in. Hwa Luck has a commercial-size kitchen, well equipped for the function. Hwa Luck and Bok prepared chilli crab & steamed crab. Choon Peng & Ivy made curry chicken with home-made baguette. Dereck & Bee Geok prepared the fruity stewed oxtail. Our lady, Ethel made chap chye & fruit jelly. Gary & Nellie prepared kuay pie tee.

Our two avid cooks, Lohman and Hee Kuan each prepared sweet corn frikadel with prawn and koo chye with tung hoon & crispy sotong respectively. Janet made some fried chicken and Kimmy Tiong made the red wine chicken. John brought a platter of fruits consisting lychees, grapes, rambutans & strawberries. May Lin brought longans and Seow Boon brought sorbet from New Zealand. Tze Kwang & Diana brought eggplants. Also present in the Cook In were Glenn and SP Toh.

Related topic: Why Does Eating Feel So Good?

A Cure for Marital Problems

2007-09-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sept 1st, 2007 Seng Hong wrote ...

A husband and wife go to a counselor after 35 years of marriage. The counselor asks them what the problem is and the wife goes into a tirade, listing every problem they have ever had in the 35 years they've been married. She goes on and on and on.

Finally, the counselor gets up, goes around the desk, embraces the woman and kisses her passionately. The woman shuts up and sits quietly in a daze.

The counselor turns to the husband and says "That is what your wife needs at least three times a week. Can you do that?" The husband says, "I can bring her here on Mondays and Wednesdays, but on Fridays, I'm golfing."

Pike Place Market in Seattle

2007-09-30T05:33:00.000-07:00

July 21st, 2007

Pike Place Market (Seattle)

In summer of 2007, Pike Place Market is celebrating 100 years since it was opened in August 1907. One of the things the orgnaiser has done is to "place" pig icons, 100 of them (I think), all over the downtown Seattle including in shopping centers. Click, view, to see some of the pig icons.

Pike Place Market is a place for small business with stalls selling fishes around the region (including salmon), home made crafts and other items like dungeness crabs, flowers, fruits of the season, honey, etc.

If you are in Seattle, Pike Place Market is within walking distance inthe tourist area of downtown Seattle, a place worth paying a visit and have a seafood buffet lunch in the variety of resturants and coffee outlets. Short boat rides are also available along the Eillott Bay waterfront.

Calling all durian lovers (Victimized)

2007-09-30T05:19:00.000-07:00

May 10th, 2007

Is there such thing as free sampling? The answer is "Yes" and "No". When visiting any durian store in Singapore, be careful of the vendors offering you "free" sample of their stock of durians. They may jump a surprise on you after you have tasted them. They said that the durians they have "opened" have to be bought by you at ridiculous price of $20/kg. They continue to say aggressively that they have opened the fruit and have already keyed in the purchase. You may be put into a very difficult situation and, like all Singaporean, trying to avoid trouble will reluctantly purchase one piece of durian from them at $62!

This hard-sell tactics deployed by some stall-holders are disgusting.

Uniquely Singapore - Littering at Letter Boxes Area

2007-09-30T05:06:00.000-07:00

May 9th, 2007

In emails, we have spam mails (electronic junk mails). In printed form, we have flyers, unsolicited commercial messages, etc put inside our letter boxes.

Most of us in Singapore stay in flats purchased from HDB (our housing authority). Consider one living in a 5-room HDB flat with 25 storeys. This block will have 96 families under one roof. If each family receives an average of 5 flyers per day, then the letter boxes will have 480 flyers. Assuming half of the tenants open their letter boxes each day, they will have taken out 240 flyers.

What happen to the flyers? Most will just throw them indiscrimately on the floor. Some civic-minded persons will walk a short distance and throw them in the rubbish bin nearby.

To solve the problem of littering at letter boxes area, the estate management of HDB come up with an unique idea of constructing a containment directly below the letter boxes. Functionally it is effective in controlling this problem of littering, but the authority is sending out a wrong message to those that litters ... it is OK to throw litter and let others (the cleaners) to pick up the pieces.

Uniquely Singapore - Helping the Environment

2007-09-30T04:53:00.000-07:00

April 18th, 2007

Starting from 18th April 2007 and every 1st Wednesday of the Month, you have to bring your own shopping bags to do your supermarket shopping. If not, you have to "donate" ten cents, to the environment fund, per plastic bag used to contain your groceries. Alternatively, you can purchase a recycled shopping bag costing about $1 each.

In most Singapore households, especially in HDB flats, our kitchen sinks are not equipped with Food Waste Disposers. We normally "recycled" all our plastic bags obtained from the supermarket to contain all the kitchen waste that cannot go down the sewer system. Plastic bags are most suitable to contain all unwanted kitchen waste, before throwing down the verticle chute or place in the dustbins outside our house.

Hope this small step will encourage us to do more for our environment and change the mindset of those who are still not happy with this scheme by our NEA.

Uniquely Singapore - Social Grace

2007-09-30T04:30:00.000-07:00

April 18th, 2007

With a notice posted inside the lift cubicle, it's a message to tell the would-be culprit that we mean business, but this also tell our visitors that this housing neighbourhood has a social problem, i.e. someone (children and/or adults) is using the lift as a toilet! The message projects a wrong attitude to the would be offender. He is not doing the anti-social habit not because it is wrong to do it, but because he is afraid of being caught by the authority.

How to reduce the occurrence of such unacceptable social behaviour? I believe good social habits start at home - during the early stage of child development we called it toilet training. The next stage is in the play centers and finally it must be reinforced in schools. Down the process of living & learning, something must have gone wrong with a small number of people staying in housing estates (HDB) that have this kind of "urine in lift" problem. These people causing the problem does not know peeing in the lift is wrong. For those of us who have experienced intense need of a public toilet, occasionally, we definitely know the true meaning of "relieve" after the job is done in a proper environment - and definitely not in a public lift!

Free Wireless Broadband

2007-09-30T04:18:00.000-07:00

April 11th, 2007

Wireless@SG is a wireless broadband developed by IDA as part of its Next Generation National Infocomm Infrastructure initiative. During this period until Dec. 2009 you can logon to the Internet within designated "hotspots" with a Wi-Fi enable device such as a laptop computer or a PDA.

You have to register first for a free account before you can connect to the Internet. Go to any of the "hotspot" like the library, Delifrance, Starbucks outlets etc. More details of "hotspots" locations can be found through link ... http://www.ida.gov.sg/

You can also go to SingTel web site http://home.singtel.com/wirelessSG/wsg_index.htm
for more details.

Happy surfing ...

Butchart Gardens

2007-09-30T03:56:00.000-07:00

April 7th, 2007

See Movie in RealPlayer

Butchart Gardens in Victoria - the British Columbia's provincial capital. It lies at the southeast end of Vancouver Island, 90km southwest of Vancouver. One of the ways to reach Butchart Gardens is from Seattle, purchasing a Victoria City and Butchart Gardens Tour on the Victoria Clipper. Butchart Gardens has an area of approx. 20ha/50 acres. The Garden was started in 1904 by Jennie Butchart to beautify the quarry pit resulting from her husband's cement business. Still operated by the family, the grounds are maintained year-round by a team of gardeners. The floral attraction is the beautiful sunken garden with its green lawns, trees and exquiste flower arrangements that create a whirl of colour. The other Gardens include, the Rose Fountain, Rose Garden, Japanese Garden and the Italian Garden. An average visit is about 1 and half hours, in time to catch the 7.00pm boat trip (about 3 hours) back to Seattle - on a day trip ticket.

Reflection on Life - Point of View

2007-09-30T02:51:00.000-07:00

April 6th, 2007

See Movie in RealPlayer

SP Toh wrote (from above movie submitted by Seng Hong):
It is a fantastic way of extending a helping hand through the symbolism of bridges. What really caught my eye is the final frame with these words: "Everything that happens, happens for a reason." That equation sounded familar doesn't it to: "God does not play at dice." More than that, we are all here for a reason no matter how significant or insignificant.

Our Singlish

2007-09-30T02:40:00.000-07:00

April 5th, 2007 Jimmy Tiong wrote ...
It was reported that 80% of Singaporean studying Law in the United Kingdom. Here is the finding:

UK Immigration Officer: "Purpose of Visit"
One Singaporean: "I'm here to study law, Sir,"

Officer: "You know, you must have a lot of lawyers in Singapore."
Singaporean: "Oh?!!, Why do you say that?"

Officer: "Well, I've been here for a good twenty years, and I'd say 80% of Singaporeans I see here say they're here to read law,"
Singaporean: "Oh, really?!! That's really something I never knew. Hard to believe in fact."

Officer: "Just you watch, then. You just stand here until the next Singaporean comes along, and I'll bet he's here to read law,"
Singaporean waits for 5 minutes ... Ah Beng from Singapore comes to immigration counter.

Officer: "So ... Mr. Beng, what's the purpose of your visit?"
Ah Beng; "Study lor ...?!!"

Chung Sy Piin is in town (16-01-2007)

2007-09-30T02:13:00.000-07:00

April 5th, 2007 Lohman wrote ...
Chung Sy Piin and wife Emily, residents of Suva, Fiji came and joined us for a weekly lunch at Marina Loft Food Court on 16-01-07. I remembered him well as he was my supplier of the weekly Beano and Dandy comics, which I enjoyed immensely as a kid, in Primary School at Barker Road. We believe our table of 10 made the most and loudest noise in the spirit of fellowship, fun, talk/debate to slow brain death - the phrase crafted by Seow Boon.

Contact was made with Sy Piin through Lim Kee Soon in Kampong Kapor Church, Lohman contacted Sy Piin soon after and invited him & his wife to join us for a lunch in Marina Loft Food Court. Eight of us ACSians were present including Quek Seow Boon, Leong Hee Kuan, Ho Hew Lee, Ng Yew Kwok, Lim Kian Hoe, Dereck Liew, Chung Seng Hong and Lohman.

From the conversation, we learnt that Sy Piin had been away for more than 10 years in Fiji to seek his fortune. We also learnt of an idyllic lifestyle in Suva, capital city of Fiji where shops closed after 6pm. Tourism is one of the biggest revenuw collected from sea activities including diving and fishing. There are also many golf courses for avid golfers. Sy Piin spend his time managing his multi-tasks businesses including the only Golf Shop on the island, IT (Internet Services) and foreign money exchange.

Sy Piin and wife also attended one dinner in Zi Yean Resturant at Lengkok Bahru with a small group of those attended the Tuesday lunch.

Eric Ng is in town (23-10-06)

2007-09-30T01:55:00.000-07:00

April 5th, 2007 Lohman wrote ...
Eric Ng Eik Cheng, a resident in Sydney and working there as a business consultant was home on leave. He agreed to join us for a buffet lunch in the Melting Pot in Holiday Inn Atrium at Outram Road/Havelock Road junction. This coffee house do have senior citizen discount on Mondays and we took advantage of that.

We have a total of 11 persons came to the lunch - Leong Hee Kuan, Quek Seow Boon, Jimmy Tiong, Chung Seng Hong, Ng Yew Kwok, Chan Weng Yew, Ho Hew Lee, Ng Eik Cheng, Lohman, SP Toh and Irene.

The range of food items was extensive - hainanese chicken rice, pork chop, pepper and chilli crabs, japanese sushi as well as the Indian Food items together with deserts. Our group did enjoyed the epicurean cuisine.

Colours

2007-09-30T01:40:00.000-07:00

April 2nd, 2007
from the book titled - Chinese Personal Names - by Ning Yegao, Ning Yun

Life is like a blank sheet of paper

Having no special significance.
Only when touched by green,
Did I begin to grow,
Red gives me warmth and feelings,
From yellow I learned loyalty and uprightness,
And from blue, purity and dignity,
Pink brings me hopes
Grey increases my sadness.
To complete this picture of many colours
I need black to promise death.
I've fallen even deeper in love with life
Because I love its colours.

The poem above illustrates the feelings that colours convey to a person. Different colours symbolise different feelings and evoke different emotions on the part of the beholder.

Related topic: colour symbolism

How to Re-activate an Expired Driver's License

2007-09-30T01:33:00.000-07:00

March 31st, 2007 Perk Harn wrote ...
Coincidentally I have a question about expired Driver's License and did not know where to find the answers overseas. This might be the best forum to air my question and invite some helpful responses.

Does anyone know the procedure for re-activating an expired Driver's license in Singapore. Is a driving test required (although I hold a valid driver's license overseas) or does procedure just involve submitting renewal papers and paying the necessary fees. Will anybody be able to shed some light on this? Also, what is the jurisdiction in charge of Drivers' License in Singapore - the Traffic Office? Somehow, I had expected the name to be something more high-sounding.

Grateful for any advice or information I can garner, and thanks.

The Book titled - the Secret

2007-09-30T01:29:00.000-07:00

March 29th, 2007 Hew Lee wrote ...
my daughter, the blogger commenting on the book, the Secret

enlighten reading ... http://dorothyho.com/?p=391

Chai Tow Kueh (Carrot Cakes)

2007-09-30T01:22:00.000-07:00

March 29th, 2007 Seow Boon wrote ...
I'm inexplicably fond of this crispy, aromatic and crunchy stuff. How does a simple rice cake turn into such a wondrous combination of smell, taste and mouth-feel?

Lately, though, it's been disappointing. Mostly mashed into little bits glued together with egg which just doesn't feel right. The chilli is lightly smeared on but not fried to release it's aromatic secrets. Then, it tastes too oily, though whether this is really so or my preferences have changed, I don't know.

Here comes the question: where's the good stuff?

The Surgical Gloves are off

2007-09-30T00:39:00.000-07:00

March 29th, 2007 Lohman wrote ...
A friend sent me an interesting article below which reveals certain surgical procedures to a very private part of a female anatomy ... TODAY Online: Hot News //Friday, December 15, 2006 The Surgical gloves are off. It's doctor versus doctors as gynaecologists take on plastic surgeon Tan Hui Leng.

In a rare public confrontation, a group of surgeons here have crossed scalpets. At one end of the operating table, one of Singapore's most renowned plastic surgeons; at the other end, a group of top gynaecologists in public and private practice. Between them a war of words challenging the competency of a fellow medical professional, and accusations of "protecting turf" erupted - all over two procedures. The dispute arose from a newspaper feature on plastic surgeon Dr. Martin Huang, the executive director of listed Pacific Healthcare Holdings, which runs a clinic at Orchard Road. In the feature, Dr. Huang claimed he was the only plastic surgeon in Singapore certified to offer Designer Laser Vaginaplasty (DLV) and Laser Vagina Rejuvenation (LVR). DLV modifies the appearance of the vagina and LVR tightens loose muscles. The latter is said to be a modified version of a gynaecological procedure to treat loose muscles and its associated symptoms, especially Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI).

The article evoked a strong response. On Wednesday, five obstetric and gynaecology (O&G) specialists sent a jointly signed letter to The Business Times taking issue with Dr. huang's claims. The doctors were "alarmed" at the fact that an aesthetic specialist - after only three days of training - could claim to be certified to perform the procedures, whereas it takes six years of post-graduaate training and examinations before the Ministry of Health accredits them as specialists. "It's not a procedure you can learn over three days," Dr. Tay Eng Hseon, chairman of KK Women's & Children's Hospital's medical board and president of the Obstetrical & Gynaecological Society of Singapore, told TODAY. "We think that the training Dr. Huang has gone through cannot be good enough to treat SUI." The others are Dr. Roy Ng, chairman of the College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists' urogynaecology department, and three heads of departments at different hospitals.

The man at the centre of the controversy obviously disagreed. He said it did not make a difference whether one is a gynaecologist or a plastic surgeon. "Plastic surgeons are trained to perform technically difficult operations in tight spaces with skill, meticulousness, a high degree of accuracy, and great attention to detail. LVR is exactly that type of operation," he told TODAY. Hitting back at the obstetric and gynaecology specialists, Dr. Huang accused them of being overly protective of their turf, the authors have strangely chosen to remain silent about their O&G colleagues in Singapore, who are openly offering and performing cosmetic surgery procedures such as liposuction." He also said that the authors of the letter had misunderstood the intent of the procedure - he had described in the newspaper feature saying it was not primarily intended as a treatment for SUI.

This is not the first time a spat over turf has erupted between plastic surgeons and mainstream practitioners. Last year, it was the aesthetic specialists that criticised general practitioners for offering simple cosmetic procedures such as botox injections, mesotherapy and fillers for wrinkles. But why wash all this dirty linen in public instead of resolving it behind closed doors? Once again, Dr. Tay pointed an accusing finger at Dr. Huang. Because the plastic surgeon had talked about the procedure in a newspaper feature, the O&G specialists felt the public deserved a different point of view. "I am not aware of any O&G doctors offering aesthetic services who have been featured in a publicity article like this," he said.

Weighing in, the Ministry of Health made a similar point, albeit in a different way. Referring to the Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines of the Singapore Medical Council, which all doctors have to abide by, the ministry cautioned doctors about what they can say in public. The ministry also highlighted the guideline that a doctor should practise within the limits of his own competence, and said doctors should not persist in unsupervised practice of a branch of medicine without the appropriate knowledge, skill or experience.

Why Does Eating Feel So Good?

2007-09-30T00:23:00.000-07:00

March 29th, 2007 Seow Boon wrote ...
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Why does eating feel so good? The secret may lie in the head, not in the stomach. U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.

Tests on rats show that the appetite hormone ghrelin acts on pleasure receptors in the brain.
The findings may help researchers develop better diet drugs.

"In mice and rats ghrelin triggers the same neurons as delicious food, sexual experience and many recreational drugs; that is, neurons that provide the sensation of pleasure and the expectation of reward," the researchers write in Friday's issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

"These neurons produce dopamine and are located in a region of the brain known as the ventral tegmental area (VTA)," wrote the researchers, headed by Dr. Tamas Horvath of the Yale University School of Medicine in Connecticut.

Makankaki

2007-09-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

Swanky Franky dish

March 29th, 2007
Seow Boon is managing a Google Group of makankaki. If you want to be included in the loop, please post to the group at makankaki@googlegroup.com . It is normally a monthly event. For the past months, the group (changes in every event) has been to:

Le Troquet at Balestier Road (French Fare) on 13-10-2006.
Zi-Yean Resturant at Lengkok Bahru on 10-11-2006.
Yanqing Shanghai Kitchen at Bukit Timah Road on 07-12-2006.
Ah Orh Seafood Resturant at Bukit Merah on 05-01-2007.
Dinner @ Ka Soh Fishhead Noodle at Amoy Street on 01-02-2007.
Buffet Lunch at Melting Pot in Holiday Inn Atrium on 12-02-2007.
Lunch at Botak Jones in Clementi on 20-03-2007.

ACS61-63 Blog

2007-09-29T23:36:00.000-07:00

March 29th, 2007

Hello, classmates of ACS61-63. I have created this blog where everyone, no matter where you are, you can join in the discussion. The problem with email discussion is that only the group selected by the first writer will be in the loop. The rest are left out.

I try to improve on this by reproducing, in this blog, any interesting discussion I find in the emails. With this, I hope all of us (worldwide) will have an opportunity to comment and/or contribute on topics posted.