now that i've had a bit more time to think about it, it's not so simple just deleting a partition on my hard drive and creating a linux partition. because my hard drive has a primary and an extended partition, and there are several logical drives on that extended partition. so, even if i delete a logical drive, that doesn't free space on the drive for a linux partition, because the extended partition still fills up the drive.
my options now seem to be either get some software to non-destructively re-partition, or use another hard drive, most likely attached to the desktop.
i just did a google for partitioning, and i might try
Partition Manager
[ http://www.ranish.com/part/ ]
and pray that my data doesn't get wiped. i should definitely back up my files before trying this...
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
boom businesses
observations about singapore: it seems that the two businesses that are doing best are the mobile phone and slimming/beauty industries. everywhere you go, there are mobile phone shops. literally for every 3 or 4 stores, 1 of them is a mobile phone shop. and if you look around, say, in the newspaper, there's 2 ads for slimming clinics on the first page, 1 on the last page, and maybe a couple more within the thin volume of Life!
the library's really nice, though, the one at ang mo kio! i just went there, they had a display, showing lava lamps and asked interested kids to go look up fluid dynamics, and a 3d holographic display that projected out of top of the case. cool. getting kids interested in science. props to them. borrowed 2 o'reilly books on linux, "running linux" and "linux in a nutshell". loan period is 3 weeks.
i've decided to go blading tomorrow, there's quite a few places nearby that would be nice to take my rollerblades to. went in to nanyang poly, near my house, where there's a hockey pitch, where we used to train. i'll probably blade there and go blading around the campus, since it's quite nice, and maybe head down to the park opposite the library, where we also used to train. that training was sprints and runs, that kind of stuff. quite shiong.
my liver ultrasound results are back, everything's normal. i'm planning to delete a windows partition on my hard drive and install linux. hopefully it won't be a problem that this is a laptop. there were several of feynman's books at the library.
i am glad to report that there have not been incidents with the multivitamin since the previous time. i have been sure to use a cup always, not a bottle. and according to some TV channel that was showing at the polyclinic, something like 1 out of 10 singaporeans has an IBS-type condition. that's really a lot of people! sounds fishy. but apparently it's that prevalent.
Digestive Disease Library
[ http://www.hopkins-gi.org/pages/latin/templates/index.cfm?pg=disease1&organ=6&disease=43&lang_id=1 ]
courts was selling this keyboard bundled with a wireless mouse for $28. was tempted to buy it though i had no use for it whatsoever. the nice thing about the keyboard was that it had something like 12 programmable hotkeys. and it was supposed to be new-generation ergonomic, with "A-shape"... kinda like this:
Welcome to www.A4Tech.com
[ http://www.a4tech.com/en/product2.asp?CID=2&SCID=14&MNO=KBS-627 ]
not exactly that one, but it's the same company. the wireless mouse runs on AAA batteries. on the miscellaneous side, i bought a refill for my pen and replacement "sponges" for the earpieces of my handphone's handsfree set. and 2 dozen AAA batteries for a dollar fifty. that's really cheap and i don't think the batteries are that lousy, though they're probably quite lousy lah. just keep replacing lor.
one thing about singapore's weather is that things like books go bad pretty fast. many of my books are browning... but still ok. my bike is still ok, so that can last a while. my backpack is also still ok, which is good. but me misses my lovey.
the library's really nice, though, the one at ang mo kio! i just went there, they had a display, showing lava lamps and asked interested kids to go look up fluid dynamics, and a 3d holographic display that projected out of top of the case. cool. getting kids interested in science. props to them. borrowed 2 o'reilly books on linux, "running linux" and "linux in a nutshell". loan period is 3 weeks.
i've decided to go blading tomorrow, there's quite a few places nearby that would be nice to take my rollerblades to. went in to nanyang poly, near my house, where there's a hockey pitch, where we used to train. i'll probably blade there and go blading around the campus, since it's quite nice, and maybe head down to the park opposite the library, where we also used to train. that training was sprints and runs, that kind of stuff. quite shiong.
my liver ultrasound results are back, everything's normal. i'm planning to delete a windows partition on my hard drive and install linux. hopefully it won't be a problem that this is a laptop. there were several of feynman's books at the library.
i am glad to report that there have not been incidents with the multivitamin since the previous time. i have been sure to use a cup always, not a bottle. and according to some TV channel that was showing at the polyclinic, something like 1 out of 10 singaporeans has an IBS-type condition. that's really a lot of people! sounds fishy. but apparently it's that prevalent.
Digestive Disease Library
[ http://www.hopkins-gi.org/pages/latin/templates/index.cfm?pg=disease1&organ=6&disease=43&lang_id=1 ]
courts was selling this keyboard bundled with a wireless mouse for $28. was tempted to buy it though i had no use for it whatsoever. the nice thing about the keyboard was that it had something like 12 programmable hotkeys. and it was supposed to be new-generation ergonomic, with "A-shape"... kinda like this:
Welcome to www.A4Tech.com
[ http://www.a4tech.com/en/product2.asp?CID=2&SCID=14&MNO=KBS-627 ]
not exactly that one, but it's the same company. the wireless mouse runs on AAA batteries. on the miscellaneous side, i bought a refill for my pen and replacement "sponges" for the earpieces of my handphone's handsfree set. and 2 dozen AAA batteries for a dollar fifty. that's really cheap and i don't think the batteries are that lousy, though they're probably quite lousy lah. just keep replacing lor.
one thing about singapore's weather is that things like books go bad pretty fast. many of my books are browning... but still ok. my bike is still ok, so that can last a while. my backpack is also still ok, which is good. but me misses my lovey.
addendum: a footnote
since i made a reference to women's gymnastics, i wish to note that "perfection" is over-valued and never worth the sacrifice.
Salon: The Awful Truth
[ http://www.salon.com/weekly/cintra960805.html ]
Salon: The Awful Truth
[ http://www.salon.com/weekly/cintra960805.html ]
Monday, August 16, 2004
cartoons
this guy's comics are funny!
BAD Reporter by Don Asmussen!
[ http://cagle.slate.msn.com/news/BADreporter/main.asp ]
parents, or to generalize slightly, people who love/care/dote on you are generally more amenable to selfish motivations than selfless, altruistic ones. such as, getting them to buy something for yourself versus donating their money to charity; going vegetarian for health reasons rather than "sympathy" for the suffering of animals.
selfish reasons are easier on the people who love you; they are more willing to sacrifice for you than for the others you wish to help.
i'm treading into "deal with the devil" territory if i suggest to them that i can eat fish/seafood if they agree not to eat other kinds of meat too, right? haha...
more furniture rearrangements in the house, this time in the living room, where my laptop is. it's right next to the desktop. anyway, it used to be on this small little table that had just enough room for the laptop and a mousepad. now, this other table, suitable for use as a study table but all this while simply used as elevated real-estate (previously, tuition used to be received at this table), is now being used as a computer table for me. and it's sweet, because it's so big, and even has a cabinet on the right.
now tux is on the table too, and i found a pair of speakers, and am listening to radiohead. my external cd-burner is also on the table. and so is the phone. so this is a veritable office space. where i have no work to do. and i have my rollerblades and skateboard leaning against the table. plus a lamp.
by the way, the gmail invites have been used up, somehow people who visit my blog never seem to want gmail. and my sister still isn't back, though it's almost midnight. she usually gets back around 2 i think. so it can't be said that my parents are too strict, can it?
but that day, at seletar club with aaron, before say yang and jasper arrived, and we were playing table tennis, the two of us, there were an unprecedented number of people there too in the table tennis + pool room, and there was this family; the mom was really a case study in "strict parenting style".
she was teaching her kid how to play table tennis, and hardly allowing him to have fun or explore the game for himself. give him a feel for how the ball bounces off the bat and the table and the delicate, pleasant trajectory of the hollow plastic shell, for goodness' sake! she put pressure on him all the time and even spoke of how if in a match cannot like that one...
which reminds me, last week aaron and his girlfriend and jasper and me went to east coast park, and we tried to teach jasper how to ride a bike. he almost got it.
this is getting to be quite a long blog post, huh. i guess when you get started, it's easy to go on. i initially planned only to give you that link.
seiyu at junction 8 is selling big Donatello for about $40. if i do end up getting it, i would probably get the smaller one, because $40 is quite expensive. just think of how much more kids in poverty would appreciate the money. that kind of thinking can be quite crippling, of course, so i usually try to cut out things that i can cut out, and cut myself some slack.
the olympics are underway, and i must say the event that has impressed me most was the gymnastics thing with the horse i think it's called, which is long and thin and these people are doing sommersaults and cartwheels and landing on their hands and on their feet and not losing their balance. jumping and flipping round and landing on their hands or feet. on the horse.
but also there's weightlifting, though i didn't actually see it, but i saw that the winner of the women's 48kg lifted something like 220kg. that means someone weighing 48kg or less lifted something like 220kg of weight. i know that "that means" doesn't explain much, but, well, you know what i mean.
BAD Reporter by Don Asmussen!
[ http://cagle.slate.msn.com/news/BADreporter/main.asp ]
parents, or to generalize slightly, people who love/care/dote on you are generally more amenable to selfish motivations than selfless, altruistic ones. such as, getting them to buy something for yourself versus donating their money to charity; going vegetarian for health reasons rather than "sympathy" for the suffering of animals.
selfish reasons are easier on the people who love you; they are more willing to sacrifice for you than for the others you wish to help.
i'm treading into "deal with the devil" territory if i suggest to them that i can eat fish/seafood if they agree not to eat other kinds of meat too, right? haha...
more furniture rearrangements in the house, this time in the living room, where my laptop is. it's right next to the desktop. anyway, it used to be on this small little table that had just enough room for the laptop and a mousepad. now, this other table, suitable for use as a study table but all this while simply used as elevated real-estate (previously, tuition used to be received at this table), is now being used as a computer table for me. and it's sweet, because it's so big, and even has a cabinet on the right.
now tux is on the table too, and i found a pair of speakers, and am listening to radiohead. my external cd-burner is also on the table. and so is the phone. so this is a veritable office space. where i have no work to do. and i have my rollerblades and skateboard leaning against the table. plus a lamp.
by the way, the gmail invites have been used up, somehow people who visit my blog never seem to want gmail. and my sister still isn't back, though it's almost midnight. she usually gets back around 2 i think. so it can't be said that my parents are too strict, can it?
but that day, at seletar club with aaron, before say yang and jasper arrived, and we were playing table tennis, the two of us, there were an unprecedented number of people there too in the table tennis + pool room, and there was this family; the mom was really a case study in "strict parenting style".
she was teaching her kid how to play table tennis, and hardly allowing him to have fun or explore the game for himself. give him a feel for how the ball bounces off the bat and the table and the delicate, pleasant trajectory of the hollow plastic shell, for goodness' sake! she put pressure on him all the time and even spoke of how if in a match cannot like that one...
which reminds me, last week aaron and his girlfriend and jasper and me went to east coast park, and we tried to teach jasper how to ride a bike. he almost got it.
this is getting to be quite a long blog post, huh. i guess when you get started, it's easy to go on. i initially planned only to give you that link.
seiyu at junction 8 is selling big Donatello for about $40. if i do end up getting it, i would probably get the smaller one, because $40 is quite expensive. just think of how much more kids in poverty would appreciate the money. that kind of thinking can be quite crippling, of course, so i usually try to cut out things that i can cut out, and cut myself some slack.
the olympics are underway, and i must say the event that has impressed me most was the gymnastics thing with the horse i think it's called, which is long and thin and these people are doing sommersaults and cartwheels and landing on their hands and on their feet and not losing their balance. jumping and flipping round and landing on their hands or feet. on the horse.
but also there's weightlifting, though i didn't actually see it, but i saw that the winner of the women's 48kg lifted something like 220kg. that means someone weighing 48kg or less lifted something like 220kg of weight. i know that "that means" doesn't explain much, but, well, you know what i mean.
Saturday, August 14, 2004
another Gmail invite
anyone? you can just ask me for it, or if you really really want it then i'll give it to you if you make a donation to a charity (e.g. UNICEF).
Thursday, August 12, 2004
kill and swallow
i'm afraid i've at least temporarily a phobia of taking my multivitamin. last night i killed a cockroach and a mosquito. this time, the cockroach was a smaller one, which heartens me, because hopefully i've killed the parents and so now the orphan doesn't have to be an orphan anymore. i just hope they don't re-populate so they won't have to be killed.
lee hsien long is now giving his speech as the new prime minister of singapore. and in case this is the main source of news on singapore for you, goh chok tong is now senior minister and lee kuan yew is minister mentor.
interestingly enough, this vegan thing has got my parents trying to tell me that morals aren't that important. that we are too small and insignificant to make a difference.
lee hsien long is now giving his speech as the new prime minister of singapore. and in case this is the main source of news on singapore for you, goh chok tong is now senior minister and lee kuan yew is minister mentor.
interestingly enough, this vegan thing has got my parents trying to tell me that morals aren't that important. that we are too small and insignificant to make a difference.
small
felt so small and helpless just now. usually i get lucky when i swallow my multivitamin, but tonight my luck didn't work. it was like when i was a kid again, and the pill seemed destined to dissolve in my mouth. i tasted the bitterness of health, or at least the placebo effect of health.
mention vegan and somehow people will think of green vegetables and think that vegans don't eat enough and don't get enough calories. but think about it. staples are all non-animal: rice, bread, potatoes... carbohydrates are the bulk of our energy source and they come mainly from non-animal stuff.
i'm still organizing my stuff, and each day there's improvement. definately by the time i go back for my medical checkup and re-enlist, i should have a neat room.
right now, there's so much stuff i want to do and need to do before that time...
mention vegan and somehow people will think of green vegetables and think that vegans don't eat enough and don't get enough calories. but think about it. staples are all non-animal: rice, bread, potatoes... carbohydrates are the bulk of our energy source and they come mainly from non-animal stuff.
i'm still organizing my stuff, and each day there's improvement. definately by the time i go back for my medical checkup and re-enlist, i should have a neat room.
right now, there's so much stuff i want to do and need to do before that time...
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
links
i haven't been doing many links lately, so here are some:
Advocacy Resources (Vegan Outreach)
[ http://www.veganoutreach.org/advocacy/resources.html ]
Amazing Ping Pong Video
[ http://www.princeton.edu/~puttc/godlypingpng.asf ]
The Dark Side of Recycling - Rendering Plants
[ http://www.judyshealthcafe.com/articles/rendering.html ]
i guess that isn't much, but the first link has lots of stuff to explore. knock yourselves out!
Advocacy Resources (Vegan Outreach)
[ http://www.veganoutreach.org/advocacy/resources.html ]
Amazing Ping Pong Video
[ http://www.princeton.edu/~puttc/godlypingpng.asf ]
The Dark Side of Recycling - Rendering Plants
[ http://www.judyshealthcafe.com/articles/rendering.html ]
i guess that isn't much, but the first link has lots of stuff to explore. knock yourselves out!
PES D
i'm a temporary 1-month PES D, while they wait for me to see the liver specialist and the doctors decide what they want to do for me. so one more month of slacking. anyone know of anyone who wants short-term (1-month) physics/maths tuition? very cheap one, maybe $20 an hour.
got a new bookshelf at ikea. it was an "as-is" item, meaning it's defective or whatever and they display it and you inspect it and buy it if you want. rather cheap at $55. usual price is also quite cheap already, $89. interestingly enough, they sell the same thing but with a wood-like finish for much more... $75 "as-is" and usual price $129. apart from how it looks, everything seems the same. the one i got is white with a black back-board. managed to set it up already, together with my dad, and my room's looking much neater already. got most of my books into the shelf. and it isn't too big, so it could actually fit in the corner without me moving anything out of my room.
oh, and it's been some time since i wanted to say that there was a lunch my maid cooked one day and it was really yummy! spiral pasta with mushrooms and fake char siew and probably some other stuff but there wasn't any spaghetti sauce or anything, and it was yummy! sorta peppery-spicy too.
plus, i've killed 2 big cockroaches since i came back. now, you might be thinking... cockroaches... don't they have feelings and feel pain, too? don't they deserve to live? well, last night when i whacked the cockroach it still seemed to be alive so i whacked it several times more to put it out of its misery. i guess when something's a pest i have no qualms killing it. that's terrible, isn't it? what about rat poison then? what about the dog that crosses your path? what about the person who pisses you off? where does the rationalization end? i'm thankful i don't have to deal with rats, but what if i did? cockroaches are insects so i'm still quite ok with that, but rats are mammals... that's quite tough...
my D-link router is working, did i mention that already? anyway, the first time i set it up, the reason why it took me some time to figure out how to make it work was because after it prompted me to restart the router, i restarted it, but had to wait several minutes before the router actually negotiated a connection to the internet. and if perchance the modem or router is switched off, what needs to be done is go to "status" in the web-configuration menu and choose the "connect" button. not that anyone's going to have problems with their router and find this post helpful.
went rollerblading the other day at east coast park, which was fun. it's been a long time since i've rollerbladed. maybe next time can bring my skateboard and try it out. though i've never had much luck with the skateboard. now, i wonder where it is...
alright, found it in the store room. i'm really happy about the bookshelf, actually. it's sweet. oh yes, today at the army medical checkup, they did an ECG and a chest x-ray, as well as a mouth x-ray. i'll need to see my dentist soon. i hope my teeth are ok, because the "dentist" doing the checkup mentioned something about caries...
and i bought a pen today. a pierre cardin pen, but it's not as expensive as it sounds. about $14. i like it, except for the fact that it's a roller ball (the inky kind) -- i'd rather get a ballpoint. but i've got the pen now, as well as a pink notepad (so i can write stuff in NS). and i went to the sunglasses shop and got the guy to do something about the lens that didn't fit properly, and it's actually quite simple, because the frame is plastic, so just a little bending did the trick. i thought need to get new lenses or something. now the glasses fit better too.
i think i'll be a lot more productive once my room is in order. and it's close, i can almost see it now. the floor.
got a new bookshelf at ikea. it was an "as-is" item, meaning it's defective or whatever and they display it and you inspect it and buy it if you want. rather cheap at $55. usual price is also quite cheap already, $89. interestingly enough, they sell the same thing but with a wood-like finish for much more... $75 "as-is" and usual price $129. apart from how it looks, everything seems the same. the one i got is white with a black back-board. managed to set it up already, together with my dad, and my room's looking much neater already. got most of my books into the shelf. and it isn't too big, so it could actually fit in the corner without me moving anything out of my room.
oh, and it's been some time since i wanted to say that there was a lunch my maid cooked one day and it was really yummy! spiral pasta with mushrooms and fake char siew and probably some other stuff but there wasn't any spaghetti sauce or anything, and it was yummy! sorta peppery-spicy too.
plus, i've killed 2 big cockroaches since i came back. now, you might be thinking... cockroaches... don't they have feelings and feel pain, too? don't they deserve to live? well, last night when i whacked the cockroach it still seemed to be alive so i whacked it several times more to put it out of its misery. i guess when something's a pest i have no qualms killing it. that's terrible, isn't it? what about rat poison then? what about the dog that crosses your path? what about the person who pisses you off? where does the rationalization end? i'm thankful i don't have to deal with rats, but what if i did? cockroaches are insects so i'm still quite ok with that, but rats are mammals... that's quite tough...
my D-link router is working, did i mention that already? anyway, the first time i set it up, the reason why it took me some time to figure out how to make it work was because after it prompted me to restart the router, i restarted it, but had to wait several minutes before the router actually negotiated a connection to the internet. and if perchance the modem or router is switched off, what needs to be done is go to "status" in the web-configuration menu and choose the "connect" button. not that anyone's going to have problems with their router and find this post helpful.
went rollerblading the other day at east coast park, which was fun. it's been a long time since i've rollerbladed. maybe next time can bring my skateboard and try it out. though i've never had much luck with the skateboard. now, i wonder where it is...
alright, found it in the store room. i'm really happy about the bookshelf, actually. it's sweet. oh yes, today at the army medical checkup, they did an ECG and a chest x-ray, as well as a mouth x-ray. i'll need to see my dentist soon. i hope my teeth are ok, because the "dentist" doing the checkup mentioned something about caries...
and i bought a pen today. a pierre cardin pen, but it's not as expensive as it sounds. about $14. i like it, except for the fact that it's a roller ball (the inky kind) -- i'd rather get a ballpoint. but i've got the pen now, as well as a pink notepad (so i can write stuff in NS). and i went to the sunglasses shop and got the guy to do something about the lens that didn't fit properly, and it's actually quite simple, because the frame is plastic, so just a little bending did the trick. i thought need to get new lenses or something. now the glasses fit better too.
i think i'll be a lot more productive once my room is in order. and it's close, i can almost see it now. the floor.
Friday, August 06, 2004
honest warranty
i bought a router, see, and bought a LAN cable too, and on the packaging for the cable, it says:
"LifeTime Warranty
For life of the product,
ATake warrants that this product
shall be freeof (sic.) design, assembly,
material and workmanship."
how remarkable. when people issue warranties they should be honest. did they just wake up one day and pull out cables from their hair?
"LifeTime Warranty
For life of the product,
ATake warrants that this product
shall be freeof (sic.) design, assembly,
material and workmanship."
how remarkable. when people issue warranties they should be honest. did they just wake up one day and pull out cables from their hair?
digital analogies
the guys are soon to resume downloading service pack one for OCS (operating crud system). it's too soon, it's too soon...
one thing that i can't figure out about the gas stoves i've seen in singapore. you have a round knob, and from the off position, you turn a bit and you get max gas, and you turn some more you get min gas. rather counter-intuitive. plus, it also means you can't get an arbitrarily small flame, because there's a limit to how much you can turn the knob, and also when you switch it off you must go through a large burst of flame. and producing sparks is an add-on utility (spark gun), not integrated into the stove.
i've got a new cell phone number, so if you didn't get an SMS from me about that, leave a comment or get in touch with me via email to get my number. it's one of those phones that cook and clean and maybe even write your papers for you if you figure out how to use it.
did i already write that i affixed a rear-view mirror for my bike? using tape, because the blasted thing somehow doesn't seem to have an attachment... i should have looked at it closely first to make sure....
my room is in a mess. but no longer an utter mess.
one thing that i can't figure out about the gas stoves i've seen in singapore. you have a round knob, and from the off position, you turn a bit and you get max gas, and you turn some more you get min gas. rather counter-intuitive. plus, it also means you can't get an arbitrarily small flame, because there's a limit to how much you can turn the knob, and also when you switch it off you must go through a large burst of flame. and producing sparks is an add-on utility (spark gun), not integrated into the stove.
i've got a new cell phone number, so if you didn't get an SMS from me about that, leave a comment or get in touch with me via email to get my number. it's one of those phones that cook and clean and maybe even write your papers for you if you figure out how to use it.
did i already write that i affixed a rear-view mirror for my bike? using tape, because the blasted thing somehow doesn't seem to have an attachment... i should have looked at it closely first to make sure....
my room is in a mess. but no longer an utter mess.
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
D-Day
i guess this friday is the day the guys go back into OCS. downgrade or not, i won't be joining them now because my medical checkup is next tuesday.
i'm eating haw flakes now.
i'm eating haw flakes now.
haircut
i'm told i've a strange haircut. well, that's not so strange, considering that i cut my hair myself, and i only cut the hair at the back of my head.
i think i'll make a suggestion to NTUC for them to carry soy ice cream. i think there's definately a market for that, and it should be really profitable. lactose intolerance aside, there are many concerned about cholesterol or have other issues with cow's milk. ethical issues, say. and it probably won't be that much more expensive than regular ice cream.
by the way, guozhi, if you're reading this, i've got your gyro. speaking of gyros, they're selling this wicked remote control motorcycle. with a plastic figurine riding, and they say it can even do stunts, like you know, 360s and all that. that's really amazing, if the gyros are actually able to stablize the bike. costs about $80 (singapore dollars).
right now it's just past midnight here, and my lovey's probably doing orientation for her internship. she'll be back in singapore in about a year. speaking of orientation, my sis is also on orientation at NUS. and me, i guess i'm orienting myself to singapore, and i try my bestest to stick to english as far as possible though many transactions are carried out in chinese. it's pretty cool at the polyclinic that most of the workers are somewhat polyglots.
the toilet paper here (at least in my house), in comparison to the stuff we buy in the US, is somewhat tougher. the stuff in US might be fluffy and soft, but is nowhere near as tough. meaning that i usually use 2 sheets (folded once) to a wipe now, compared to 3 or 4 sheets (folded twice) in the US.
they were also selling non-OEM printer ink, meaning another company makes ink that can fit in say, a canon or an epson printer. and they sell the kits to refill ink cartridges also (buy a refillable cartridge and some contraption and some ink). the ready-to-use ink sells at about half the price of the OEM ink. i guess in the US they also sell such things, but i never saw them sell it.
i've converted my US driving license to a singapore one too, bypassing the expensive and time-consuming singaporean process of getting a driving license. though i don't intend to drive. i intend to either get a new bike or just buy new tires. the rest of the bike is rusted, but it's still fine, but the tires are in bad shape.
i don't know if anyone's interested, but i also bought multivitamins (CENTRUM). so next tuesday, the day after national day, is my re-enlistment medical checkup. so maybe national day will rouse in me a desire to serve and die for my country. or not. i wonder if my mom has bought more floss, since i use it up at what some might consider a somewhat alarming rate. i guess the same goes for bars of soap.
the shop 'n save in ang mo kio has quite a bit of frozen vegetarian meat. no soy ice cream still. someone should definitaly invest in a soy ice-cream distributor in singapore, if there isn't already one.
somehow i had no socks when i got back to singapore, so i bought several pairs too. now i've got an exciting life, with socks to line my way. we bought a new printer too, since the old epson came with complimentary compulsory highlighting for all my documents. the printouts were pretty, if not functional, with lines of all colors printed across the page. and guess what, we were told that it would be cheaper buying a new printer than fixing it. we got the cheapest canon printer, because epson has this stupid and evil way of making you buy more color ink. it refuses to print in black and white if the color ink runs out. with the canon, it's possible to remove the color ink catridge altogether and print with just the black.
did an ultrasound today of my liver. it went well. 60 bucks though. also, went to dinner at this "aiwo" (love thyself?) place in tanjong pagar, which touts healthy eating (not hearty, just healthy). it's conveyor belt health food buffet, in essence. about $17 per person for dinner, inclusive of tips and taxes. they have about 2 fish and 2 chicken dishes, and about 10 vegetarian ones. they go round and round in small portions on a conveyor belt. quite ok, though perhaps somewhat expensive, considering it's mostly vegetables. and dinner two nights ago was at JC kitchen in the basement of park mall, which was cheap and good. they have pasta and western food and local fare like mee goreng and hokkien mee, at prices like $4 and $5, so it's like hawker/food court prices in a clean, minimalist installation. the tables are square and black and wooden, and the stools are the same. the waitresses are nice and friendly.
the polyclinic doctor i saw, on the other hand, wasn't very friendly at all. spent most of the time scribbling stuff, avoiding eye contact, speaking softly when he did speak. just wanted to write referrals for me and be done with it. i've got a bruise on my arm from having my blood drawn, so i guess that nurse wasn't so good. though she seemed to have done the needle sticking right.
hello boon tat! i heard you mentioned me in some context, because i bumped into theng khuan (the RI+OCS one) in jalan kayu when i was having coffee with aaron. are you back in army yet? to all my loyal readers, i say to you, donate to charity and stop cruelty to people and animals!
i think i'll make a suggestion to NTUC for them to carry soy ice cream. i think there's definately a market for that, and it should be really profitable. lactose intolerance aside, there are many concerned about cholesterol or have other issues with cow's milk. ethical issues, say. and it probably won't be that much more expensive than regular ice cream.
by the way, guozhi, if you're reading this, i've got your gyro. speaking of gyros, they're selling this wicked remote control motorcycle. with a plastic figurine riding, and they say it can even do stunts, like you know, 360s and all that. that's really amazing, if the gyros are actually able to stablize the bike. costs about $80 (singapore dollars).
right now it's just past midnight here, and my lovey's probably doing orientation for her internship. she'll be back in singapore in about a year. speaking of orientation, my sis is also on orientation at NUS. and me, i guess i'm orienting myself to singapore, and i try my bestest to stick to english as far as possible though many transactions are carried out in chinese. it's pretty cool at the polyclinic that most of the workers are somewhat polyglots.
the toilet paper here (at least in my house), in comparison to the stuff we buy in the US, is somewhat tougher. the stuff in US might be fluffy and soft, but is nowhere near as tough. meaning that i usually use 2 sheets (folded once) to a wipe now, compared to 3 or 4 sheets (folded twice) in the US.
they were also selling non-OEM printer ink, meaning another company makes ink that can fit in say, a canon or an epson printer. and they sell the kits to refill ink cartridges also (buy a refillable cartridge and some contraption and some ink). the ready-to-use ink sells at about half the price of the OEM ink. i guess in the US they also sell such things, but i never saw them sell it.
i've converted my US driving license to a singapore one too, bypassing the expensive and time-consuming singaporean process of getting a driving license. though i don't intend to drive. i intend to either get a new bike or just buy new tires. the rest of the bike is rusted, but it's still fine, but the tires are in bad shape.
i don't know if anyone's interested, but i also bought multivitamins (CENTRUM). so next tuesday, the day after national day, is my re-enlistment medical checkup. so maybe national day will rouse in me a desire to serve and die for my country. or not. i wonder if my mom has bought more floss, since i use it up at what some might consider a somewhat alarming rate. i guess the same goes for bars of soap.
the shop 'n save in ang mo kio has quite a bit of frozen vegetarian meat. no soy ice cream still. someone should definitaly invest in a soy ice-cream distributor in singapore, if there isn't already one.
somehow i had no socks when i got back to singapore, so i bought several pairs too. now i've got an exciting life, with socks to line my way. we bought a new printer too, since the old epson came with complimentary compulsory highlighting for all my documents. the printouts were pretty, if not functional, with lines of all colors printed across the page. and guess what, we were told that it would be cheaper buying a new printer than fixing it. we got the cheapest canon printer, because epson has this stupid and evil way of making you buy more color ink. it refuses to print in black and white if the color ink runs out. with the canon, it's possible to remove the color ink catridge altogether and print with just the black.
did an ultrasound today of my liver. it went well. 60 bucks though. also, went to dinner at this "aiwo" (love thyself?) place in tanjong pagar, which touts healthy eating (not hearty, just healthy). it's conveyor belt health food buffet, in essence. about $17 per person for dinner, inclusive of tips and taxes. they have about 2 fish and 2 chicken dishes, and about 10 vegetarian ones. they go round and round in small portions on a conveyor belt. quite ok, though perhaps somewhat expensive, considering it's mostly vegetables. and dinner two nights ago was at JC kitchen in the basement of park mall, which was cheap and good. they have pasta and western food and local fare like mee goreng and hokkien mee, at prices like $4 and $5, so it's like hawker/food court prices in a clean, minimalist installation. the tables are square and black and wooden, and the stools are the same. the waitresses are nice and friendly.
the polyclinic doctor i saw, on the other hand, wasn't very friendly at all. spent most of the time scribbling stuff, avoiding eye contact, speaking softly when he did speak. just wanted to write referrals for me and be done with it. i've got a bruise on my arm from having my blood drawn, so i guess that nurse wasn't so good. though she seemed to have done the needle sticking right.
hello boon tat! i heard you mentioned me in some context, because i bumped into theng khuan (the RI+OCS one) in jalan kayu when i was having coffee with aaron. are you back in army yet? to all my loyal readers, i say to you, donate to charity and stop cruelty to people and animals!
Sunday, August 01, 2004
honolulu to tokyo to singapore
so i'm back. still no progress on the promised poem, so you'll have to excuse me. i've got a broadband connection here, so things are good internet-wise. watched brother bear on the plane, which was simple and nice. the sad parts were predictable but you could also have predicted that they made me cry. the poor bear...
then watched against the ropes, which was ok, but at the climax the cruellest thing happened: there was turbulence and the seat belt sign came on and i was like ok i know the seat belt sign is on but as you know there was an announcement over the intercom and the most critical portion of the movie went by without words. please return to your seats and fasten your seat belts... in japanese, then english. it was the part where the feature on the female boxing manager was being shown on HBO and the announcement came on and you could see on the screen the next second their faces just changed completely and i didn't know exactly why. i guess i could guess.
anyway, that was japan airlines, which continues its videos and audio even though there's announcement over intercom.
then stopover and then a united flight, and these guys know to halt the video and audio when an announcement is being made. watched along came polly, which was hilarious for claude, the scuba dude who speaks with such a wonderful accent. don't even know if you call it an accent. happy hippopotamus!
then watched road to perdition, which i watched with my lovey before. of course, it's not so scary once you know what's gonna happen....
and so i'm back, they don't accept exit permits at changi so i've got to go to CMPB (or maybe SAFRA) to return my exit permit. and the boxes i shipped back have also arrived. tried calling about my medical checkup for re-enlistment, but it's saturday, and no one answered. at one number i called, the recording told me that i was being transferred to voicemail and then immediately told me that person didn't have voicemail and so that was that. there's a website to apply for re-enlistment, but they asked what date i want to re-enlist. so i'm thinking maybe i can say 29/02/2222.
will need to get productive soon. sort out my stuff, organize my room, work on poems... it seems if you tell the army you're gay you get downgraded. http://www.yawningbread.org/guest_2002/guw-080.htm
the printer has some problems. it draws very nice colorful lines across the page, like a playful meticulous brat determined to ruin fine print. didn't find soy ice cream at NTUC. no cartoon network at home. got to get in shape. at least i'm sweating more now.
then watched against the ropes, which was ok, but at the climax the cruellest thing happened: there was turbulence and the seat belt sign came on and i was like ok i know the seat belt sign is on but as you know there was an announcement over the intercom and the most critical portion of the movie went by without words. please return to your seats and fasten your seat belts... in japanese, then english. it was the part where the feature on the female boxing manager was being shown on HBO and the announcement came on and you could see on the screen the next second their faces just changed completely and i didn't know exactly why. i guess i could guess.
anyway, that was japan airlines, which continues its videos and audio even though there's announcement over intercom.
then stopover and then a united flight, and these guys know to halt the video and audio when an announcement is being made. watched along came polly, which was hilarious for claude, the scuba dude who speaks with such a wonderful accent. don't even know if you call it an accent. happy hippopotamus!
then watched road to perdition, which i watched with my lovey before. of course, it's not so scary once you know what's gonna happen....
and so i'm back, they don't accept exit permits at changi so i've got to go to CMPB (or maybe SAFRA) to return my exit permit. and the boxes i shipped back have also arrived. tried calling about my medical checkup for re-enlistment, but it's saturday, and no one answered. at one number i called, the recording told me that i was being transferred to voicemail and then immediately told me that person didn't have voicemail and so that was that. there's a website to apply for re-enlistment, but they asked what date i want to re-enlist. so i'm thinking maybe i can say 29/02/2222.
will need to get productive soon. sort out my stuff, organize my room, work on poems... it seems if you tell the army you're gay you get downgraded. http://www.yawningbread.org/guest_2002/guw-080.htm
the printer has some problems. it draws very nice colorful lines across the page, like a playful meticulous brat determined to ruin fine print. didn't find soy ice cream at NTUC. no cartoon network at home. got to get in shape. at least i'm sweating more now.
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
firefox reloaded again
i've upgraded my browser, from firefox 0.8 to firefox 0.9.1
these are the extensions i installed:
bible toolbar
bookmark backup
bugmenot
chromedit
cookieculler
copyurl+
cutemenus
dictionary search
duplicate tab
firesomething
gmail compose
googlebar
nuke anything
plaintext links
scribe
slogger
super dragandgo
undo close tab
as you can see i went a little wild with my new toy, but it's cool to have such functionality! plus it's open source! yay!
go get it today!
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
in case you're wondering, i've at least begun working on my poem. as a sneak peak, the title is currently "this might not be vegas".
these are the extensions i installed:
bible toolbar
bookmark backup
bugmenot
chromedit
cookieculler
copyurl+
cutemenus
dictionary search
duplicate tab
firesomething
gmail compose
googlebar
nuke anything
plaintext links
scribe
slogger
super dragandgo
undo close tab
as you can see i went a little wild with my new toy, but it's cool to have such functionality! plus it's open source! yay!
go get it today!
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
in case you're wondering, i've at least begun working on my poem. as a sneak peak, the title is currently "this might not be vegas".
Monday, July 05, 2004
mango tastes like durian
so what next? and what before? soy that tastes like pork, mud that tastes like chocolate. seen on futurama: "kyoto: amagram lovers' tokyo".
Monday, June 21, 2004
Gmail
I have 5 Gmail accounts to give out. I'd be surprised if there are even that many people reading this blog, after discounting my self. But I guess you never know.
I'll organize a contest, so I can be a wise and thoughtful judge. 5 to give away. Tell you what, since this is the physicalpoet blog, the game is to write a 5 line "poem" and the top 5 people who take part and leave their name and email will win!
Submissions can be done through the commenting feature of this post, and if you like you can email your name and email to my email account if you fear SPAM. I won't spam you, and will probably send you a Gmail account. Isn't that cool?
So make yourselves heard, everyone! I'm still working on working on my next poem, but I think it'll be nice. Things are going well in Los Angeles.
I'll organize a contest, so I can be a wise and thoughtful judge. 5 to give away. Tell you what, since this is the physicalpoet blog, the game is to write a 5 line "poem" and the top 5 people who take part and leave their name and email will win!
Submissions can be done through the commenting feature of this post, and if you like you can email your name and email to my email account if you fear SPAM. I won't spam you, and will probably send you a Gmail account. Isn't that cool?
So make yourselves heard, everyone! I'm still working on working on my next poem, but I think it'll be nice. Things are going well in Los Angeles.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
give me some time
and you won't be disappointed! i will have posts up when i get down to writing them. and with my no-nonsense money-backed guarantee, if you ever get disappointed by anything i write, listen to a happy song!
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