crashes

For some reason, Firefox crashed last night and I had to reboot. I think it's Windows's fault. I have a lot of news, but have been too busy and tired the past days and nights to write about it here. I should be sleeping now, but though I felt tired while coming home, I'm not that tired now, after packing away my army stuff (uniforms, fullpack, SBO and helmet crammed into duffel bag) and taking a shower.

The toilet paper packed into a ziplock for putting into the fullpack has turned brown in several areas. Promptly threw that away. Found two lighters, one of which doesn't seem to work (though I was never very good at using a lighter, probably because I'm too scared the flame licks my thumb), found two bars of soap (both Fa soap, and I think originally both were green, but one of them is now blue), and other stuff that I think I'll skip out mentioning here.

Or maybe not. There was an SOP box (tuperware thingey) with panadol and sundry chinese medicines, and the absence of one of the originally four panadol tablets made me think back to the time when I took it. I think I probably took it, but the details elude me. All I can recall is vaguely having felt sick while on field camp or something, but any dodobird can manufacture this memory.

Watched the final leg of The Amazing Race with my dad just now. Chip and Kim, the "married parents", won, which was so great. Chip is really the coolest guy on the show, his comments are hilarious and he's such a nice guy. It was inspirational seeing him pull himself up that impossibly high rock face. I could probably do it, but he's like over 40 years old and not exactly in perfect shape. It was amazing. Also amazing how one of the "bowling moms" managed to do it too. But I must say I was quite impressed by Colin's maze strategy, which was highly effective. The way he thought of it immediately leads me to think that he's done mazes before. Basically he said just keep turning left and use the tall structures visible above the maze walls as reference.

Also found many batteries in my army stuff. About 8 C-size batteries. The army flashlight doesn't seem to be working anymore. Found sticks of camo and tubes of insect repellent. Made me think of how one time Jon applied liquid camo instead of insect repellent (it was dark), and was wondering why the insects still kept biting him, then realized it after a while and was looking garang.

Oh, and the reason why I'm packing up all my army stuff is because I won't need it (unless maybe when a war breaks out), since I've been offered a job at MINDEF HQ. The interview went well, it was very informal, and one of their first questions was why I didn't shave (and they made a point of mentioning shaving several times in the course of my pre-orientation). And also whether I ran there, because my shirt was drenched (it was hot and it's a terribly long walk in...). But they were nice, and at first I wasn't too excited about what they wanted to hire me for, but then when they explained it a bit more I got quite interested. Basically it's computer stuff, so the next year and 10 months might make a hacker of me yet!

I'm pretty excited about starting work. The dress code is smart casual, I think it's called, basically office wear, so shirt and pants and "proper" shoes. My dad gave me two pairs of pants (we're the same size, which is great) and I'm gonna use his shoes too, because the shoes I have are somewhat too colorful. I have a pair of dress shoes but those are too tight on my toes. By the way, the Zoe Tay advertisement where she decides not to take the lift and take the stairs instead has a good message on exercise, but she really shouldn't be wearing high heels...

One can e-file to get married and then need to get documents verified (can be on same day, but need to go to ROM to get it verified), and then need to wait 21 days to solemnize, but no more than 3 months. And on this page, there is a gentle warning not to go for a customary marriage before a civil marriage, because if you do that then you will be sent to jail AND fined. You have been warned.

James is probably flying soon if he hasn't flown already. Due to the recent deaths by MRT hitting people who jumped/fell onto the track, they considered building barriers to prevent people from going onto tracks. I thought sure cannot build such thing one, but I wasn't thinking lor. The underground MRT stations have such a barrier. But now come to think of it, I don't know why the underground MRT stations have such a barrier. Why weren't they built like the overground ones? In New York they don't have such thing, that's why in movies they can jump onto the tracks and do exciting made-for-movie actions.

I'm glad they decided not to build the barriers, since the estimate cost is something like 200 million dollars. Getting hit by MRT train doesn't seem to me a particularly good way to die. In fact I'm surprised how effective it has been, considering that near the station the train is already slowing down. I guess you have to jump at the point when the train just enters the station, where the train is fastest. If the barriers are built the people who want to kill themselves will probably just find another way. I don't think the ubiquity of MRT stations is that big a factor in prompting suicidal ideation.

Bought duct tape today, since there's no more in the house. There are at least two adult cockroaches in the kitchen. Saw them both a few nights ago, and didn't manage to kill either of them for want of practice. Plus, they went to hide. Cowards. Saw one of them just now, but it scurried under the plastic shelf of pots and pans.

Going to the skin center today. The medication for my hives has worked wonderfully; just wonder if the hives will reappear once I go off the medicine. Some days ago, Jasper proved for me that the circle inscribed in a right angled triangle with integral sides has an integral radius. Quite amazing.

There's this bendable bar at the Ang Mo Kio Sportslink, which is fucking stiff! I can't bend it!! I have one at home but that's much easier. This one is almost impossible to bend. It'll be quite impressive if you can bend it.

Jasper notes that when he stops looking for elements, they start appearing. It's magic, the art of misdirection, the gift of serendipity.

I'm glad Say Yang asked me whether I listen to the radio and what station I listened to (since I said yes). I told him Perfect 10 and he was surprised and suggested 95.0 FM. Thank you, Say Yang, because Class 95 FM is infinitely (almost) better than the Perfect 10. As their tagline goes, they've got the best mix in music, for one. Perfect 10 always plays the same old, new tunes that are suddenly popular and in fashion. Some songs I like and don't mind hearing again, but some songs just keep playing and playing and I don't know what's so nice about them. Class 95 throws in classics now and then, so it's always good.

And the Perfect 10 is also very childish, because the things the DJs say are just stupid banter like how you imagine a stereotypical supermodel would speak. Gushing over this and that where this and that are idiotic. Listening to Class 95 that day, they were discussing the yellow ribbon project, which is a campaign to encourage employers to employ ex-convicts. One of the DJs made a comment that in the first place people get thrown in jail somewhat too easily.

I should talk more about my NS posting, which is Jasper's idea of a dream posting. I happen to agree. Monday to Thursday 7:30 to 5pm, Friday let off 1/2 an hour earlier, Saturday and Sundays free. No need to wear army uniform, civilian clothes so don't even need to salute and all that nonsense. I'm even looking forward to it, because I'm supposed to implement some computerized system, and to me it's not so much the problem I'm supposed to solve but how to solve this problem.

Windows XP being used, which sucks, but couldn't really expect otherwise. This project was actually supposed to have been completed earlier, but it got delayed because of the upgrade to XP. There's another PSC overseas scholar working in the group, my year one, and the group got about 7 of us. I was sorta tickled when I went to MINDEF HQ for my interview because Charles Leong, another PSC scholar, is Military Police (MP) and he was in the booth dealing with visitor passes and the like. Sounds like a rather uninteresting job, to say the least.

I think there are a few teaching scholars in the OPC (Officer Personnel Center) unit where I'll be working. I don't know how to call it lah, but the big office got quite a lot of people, but the subdivision where I'll be joining is just about 7 people. So dunno call unit or office or what lah. And I'll probably start work next Wednesday, the 29th of September 2004. I won't miss the NIE intake in late July because I can either clear leave or whatever, even if cannot also can defer again and then complete the remaining days/weeks afterwards, though probably don't need to like this.

Still haven't made my backups to CD-R. No time to play with linux...

I love the green tapioca cakes they sell 3 for $1. And there's a library in the shopping center next to Bukit Batok MRT, which is the MRT near MINDEF HQ. Aaron ordered Indian Rojak and dropped and egg and is very sad.