Thoughthammer

Wooo.... was thinking of checking out the costs of ordering games via Thoughhammer myself. It wasn't as cheap as I though it would be. Shipping costs is a killer. It can be anything from 35% of games cost to 70% for some games. Also did some checking up on Paradigm Infinitum at Mid-point Orchard. The price range of games from the appears very reasonable after some comparison. There is a limit to troubling people versus paying extra through shipping. Came to the conclusion that the best way is to fly to US and buy back myself la... hahaha

Plan A) When I fly to London in May, order games on the 1st day there and bring back the games on the way back home! Figure that shipping charges from US to London is a lot cheaper than from US to Singapore. Also, look out for games shops in London and Europe and see if I can get some good deals.

Plan B) When my sister flies over to US for some work-related stuff and is there for a month in August... get her to order games over there and bring them back for me. Less ashamed to get my sister for help. hehe.

No choice... figure that I'm broke yet I'm a game addict. Going to channel all my comic book funds to my games collection from now onwards. As the Chinese saying goes: "Du Le Le Bu Ru Zong Le Le". How many reading will understand such simple Chinese? hehehe

Solar Films

Yes!! Finally all done with the car set-up. Everything that I intend to get for the car is all in. The solar films ah..... had a minor glitch. The small triangular patch near the side mirrors had some film stuck on stating the windows are tempered glass. The solar film pasted over those areas couldn't stick and fell off!!! Wah..... but.... I'm not interested at all the get it done up again as I feel lazy about going back there just to get this part done. Too small an area and insignificant to the car make-up.... Not worth the effort. Unless the rays that get in through that small pocket...... hmmmzzzzz, I'm in doubt now. Alamak, will just call them to complain and ask them for good solution... 1st time I will be claiming warranty wor.... maybe should just try. hehehe.

Enough of my silly thoughts. Had a great weekend people. Been playing Citadels and Bohnanza (Bean game) a lot, and Bohnanza is the hot favourite these days. Xuefeng, Xuemei, ZhengLong, Ruth, Julian, Gordon, Kenneth, Ashley, Crystal and Jiahui all love Bohnanza! What's more, helpful Andrew would be bringing in my new games Carcassonne, Lost Cities and Car Wars before CNY. Actually, they are here already, with his friend, but he's on CTC and too busy to meet up with his friend. I could collect it though, but heck, no rush as I have more than enough great games to entertain me already. Ariel has been just great in carrying all the games around! hehe.

Di Lam

Di Lam is the word. Anyway, as the springs of my old mattress appears to be poking me mildly coupled with the odd backaches I've been getting recently. I decided to invest in a cheapo mattress to put over my current spring mattress for additional comfort. Costing a meagre $38, as compared to a good sleep, I would say, BUY BUY BUY!

Ariel came into use here. Her 1st ever major transportation work. Pity there was no need to activate the folding of rear seats for this operation, else would feel more pride in Ariel. hahaha.

Problem cropped up at home though... Somehow there is this superstition by my mum that stacking of mattresses is bad.... Well, no compromises though! My back is more important then her superstitions. Looking on the bright side though, if she wants to insist, she'll just have to cough up cash to buy me a new spring mattress. Either way, I win! hehehe.

Parking in Science Park

Woohoo! Good stuff la... Paid $88 for parking at my workplace....

Actually, parking in Reuters is FREE!! But, as a contract staff, I am not given a parking lot as only Full Time Employees are given parking spaces. So much for my Boss William who always claim Reuters treat FTE and Temp staff equally.

Tried the park along the roadside tactic as suggested by a colleague. Got away the 1st time only. Last Friday though, I got slapped with a $70 fine for parking along a Single Continuous White Line centre divider. Ouch!

On Monday, I tried parking in another recommended parking area. The gantry was up in the morning when I parked so I thought, maybe free parking. On exiting though, gantry was clearly DOWN. That costs me $8.95 on leaving. Bummer....

The next try was parking at NUS Science area. Previously free parking when leaving after 7pm (worked on Wed and Thu) as gantry will be up after 7pm. Yesterday, it came up only at 8pm! grrrrrr..... wadeva man....

Finally, I settled on the $70 monthly for season parking. Figured the $3.18 daily rate is worth it compared to all other options. Calculations based on an average of 22 working days.

Fuel Updates

Ariel ran from slightly more than 3/4 tank to red covering 250km. Red is supposed to be 4.5L of petrol leftover. Assuming that to be 25L of petrol consumed, Ariel's 1st tank of petrol would be at a FC of 10km/l. That makes it average in fuel savings only. Ariel is supposed to hit 15km/l, although it is known to be worse before the 1st servicing.

Anyway, I've topped up SPC 92 for 31.2L of petrol at $49.90 before discounts. Note that full tank for Ariel is at 35L. So far, I've already hit the same slightly over 3/4 mark having travelled 120km. If all things equal, I should get 370km over 31L of SPC 92. That would give me a FC of 11.9km/l.

Now for the fuel saving tips I've been applying;
1) Drive at moderate speed - best FC at (80-90)km/h
2) Drive in high gear (overdrive) - best between (1500-2500)rpm / stay in overdrive mode
3) Avoid strong acceleration - drive with a light foot
4) Minimise aerodynamic drag - windows closed
5) Use the air-con sparingly - air compressor off

At speeds of over 80km/h, use of air conditioning is better for fuel economy than an open window.

Other tips to be applied;
1) Pump up your tyres - check at least once a month
2) Clean the air filter regularly - do not let it clog
3) Use thinner tyres - thicker tyres improves handling but means more rolling resistance
4) Travel light - thinking of taking out the spare tyre and tools for changing spare tyre

Youth Camp 07 Video

Just had the camp video screened on sunday. It was excellent. Could tell by the smiles and laughter of the adults that they enjoyed the video. It probably painted them the idea of what the camp was like, but better! The video simply showcased all the fun and laughter we had at the camp. Nice work Nic and Crystal. Think the youths who went for the camp enjoyed the video as well. What a nice way to remember the good times.

Point of note: we will hopefully have an overseas holiday camp for the youths in June this year. I believe the working adults cell are welcomed to join us. it will be along the line of 3D2N in some malaysia beach resort? ooops, leaked news....

Citadels *****

The 2nd game to be reviewed would be Citadels. The game mechanisms is simply excellent. I personally rate it higher than Bang!. Citadels offers an alternative gameplay of differing roles and hence differing powers. That makes the game much more interesting than having a character with a fixed ability. Already owned by Fanwen, Shiying, Jarrod, Weixiong then myself, now Ling is getting herself a set too! So much for avoiding duplications! hahaha. Cost is reasonable too at S$35 or US$14 before shipping charges.

For this game, the tactic is to build nice big buildings. Purple buildings with nice special abilities are great too. My personal favourite building would be the Laboratory that gives you 1 Gold piece for 1 card discarded from hand each turn. Have seen some people feeling threatened by the one that builds all districts of the same colour. That is undue worries as I've yet to experience someone winning through that style of building. It is those that have a nice spread of districts that usually comes out tops as they appear to be a smaller threat somehow. When nearing the end, ie. many players with 6 or more districts, it is time to take the King so as to be next to choose character first and then the Assassin so you can build your last building without worry of being assassinated or robbed. Also, being the first to finish gives you an advantage in victory points.

Although we've played Citadels quite a number of times already, we must move to a time whereby we play the expansion characters and purple districts. This will give us new variations and not stagnate our style of play. Best played with 5 or more players with each game taking approximately an hour. When playing with all advanced players, game can be shortened to 40 minutes.

P.S. The Warlord is usually under-used but he makes the game more interesting, though most players would prefer to build than to use their Gold to destroy.

Tooth Repairs

Yay! My Molar has been repaired. The filling used is in white and not the old silver types. Very professionally done boy. No regrets getting my tooth fixed..... The experience though was torrid! So much drilling that I really wanna SCREAM! Felt as if the nerve was killing me... You guys should understand about sensitive teeth. Mine was like sensitive kenna whack throughout the full 45min.

Guess what's the best. Everything's free!!! So cool. ;)

Pic of Ariel

Ariel..... the original Under The Sea mermaid.... I like the colours here man. Teal and Ariel goes together.

Ariel's on the road already. Every aspect appears great.... Haven't floated yet as not going fast enough and don't intend to test. There is just this 1 problemo.... The wipers screech.... That sounds' a killer!

Been watching out for the Fuel Consumption (FC) people. Will update you all how well Ariel scores for FC. Will drop tips on saving FC too! Next time.

Collapsed Tooth

Wah seh!!! Super sianzzzz la.

My Lower row Left jaw 1st Molar has the inside wall 1/2 collapsed!!! Kenna chipped off while eating tapioca chips..... The chips too powerful liao la! zzzzzzzz

Now no mood for anything! Is this the beginning of bad things to come? Super sad.

Anyway, made my 1st ever appointment with the Dentist! Xuefeng's Dua Yee.... Tonight 8:30pm. Hope this problem faster resolve.... very scared will spread the decay.... :'(

Ariel's Borned

As Noble Steed Ashkey is such a weak ride, Taxis were the obvious alternative. But, say bye bye to Taxis and useless Ashkey and here's to Ariel!!!

Yes, my Spark has her very own name. Ariel, under the sea we go... the colour of my Spark. Nice nice ah. hahaha. Equipping it is so fun! Placing the road tax, season parking at the top left corner. Purchasing the cashcard, parking coupons and street directory. Even buying tissue pack and getting umbrella can be that exciting! It's tantamount to furnishing your own space. Now Ariel is all ready to roll everywhere!

Ariel's going to get her solar films to keep heat outside this coming Saturday. Anyone interested to go down with her? hehehe.

P.S. Is there anyone keen to throw in some soft huggable cushions for Ariel? ;)

Ashkey or Donkley?

Ain't that a great smile there by Donkey in Shrek 2? Ashley, as promised, this is a post on what YOU ARE! hahaha. As I convert Xuefeng to accept the Ogressness in her Fiona heart, you our 'Noble Steed' is just a DONKEY!!! Burpppppppzzzzzzzzzz

Best Shot

Posting a picture of me and Xuefeng at Alvan's and Eliz's suite. Love the background scenery. Together so long already, can't imagine being apart anymore. If there is 1 person that I would gladly place above myself(VIP), it is her!

P.S. Spark is ready for collection. Want so much to share my joy with her! :)

Give Way to SGQ 3611U

Hey people, if you notice this car plate number, give way to the driver! hahaha.

1 more week! Everything is moving according to schedule. Just can't wait to see the actual finished product.

There are already 2 tasks for this Spark of mine so far.

Task number 1: bring Xuefeng's Dua Yee to dim sum. Treat her also no problem, cause after establishing good ties, will get free dental treatment! Last time I went to a dentist was in Pri 6..... it's about time.....

Task number 2: fetch Xueyan back from airport. Think Weixiong will probably give Yibao a ride. Xueyan is kindly sponsoring Xuefeng's flight to London, so what's a short taxi-ride compared to an international flight?

The way I see it, no matter what I can do to bless others, it seems that they will almost certainly so kindly bless you with more! You win some, you win some more. Giving is a win-win situation. You feel good blessing others, you feel good being blessed by others too.

P.S. So the next time you think about giving/blessing others, don't hesitate anymore, Just Do It. You'll be surprised how much more you get in giving than in not giving.

Break Camp

Look at the before and after photo!!! Mel simply floats in the air while waiting for the rest to join in. Amazing!!!

P.S. Can anyone spot the 1 and only person not interested to jump?

Spark Spark

This is my Spark! Approximately 10 more days! Simply can't wait... Teal Blue..... wooosh.....

This was the other colour that I favoured... but Xuefeng prefers Teal Blue... :p

Durai Concedes

Great day! Mr Nice Guy TT Durai has thrown in the towel. It is a victory for the public and the millions of donors who saw their charitable spirit dented by this man and his 'special frenz'. Let's just hope for a swift victory too against the other 3 'special frenz'.

Although I am glad that things have came to light, it is still a case of "why only now?". Couldn't the gahment have done more? Isn't there any form of checks against all these irregularities that left much traces behind? In the entire organisation, were there no one else who could have intervened against these wrongdoings by Durai and gang?

Kudos to SPH and that journalist who stood up against Durai. However, SPH did suggest an initial settlement that Durai rejected. It all only came forward when SPH investigated more and put forth all these things to light in the courtroom that started this string of events leading to investigations. How is it that our gahment never come in earlier? The audit team that helped Durai and gang get away till now should also be held responsible. The thing that makes me ponder is.... only the giants can slay the giants! Only SPH could have taken down Durai. All others who dared questioned Durai were sued for libel or slander and made to pay damages. There is a flaw in the system. Clearly our judicial law favours the rich and mighty. The poor will find it impossible to even bear the cost of lawsuits.

My conclusion on this matter is, the gahment should take responsibility for its failure here. The uncanny similarity that Durai is overpaid just goes in line with how our meansters' pay are questionable too. Corruption is not just the taking of under-table money. A corrupted Indonesian meanster would not even come close to making what our so called 'clean' meansters make. Are we in a certain way legalising corruption? Corruption is not in the act but in the principle and heart of the matter. It is not the means, as the ends allow our meansters to get more yet claim less corruption. Are they not acting like Durai here then, when their pay is extravagant and unjustifiable? I believe Durai's corrupt ways is a copycat of our gahment.... sadly.

BAILEYS Irish Cream

Seems like from the report I just checked out below, my Baileys with a best before of 2003 is in deep trouble. Time to refrigerate it and check if it's turned all lumpy!!! Waste.....


http://www.baileys.com/en-gb/Footer/FAQ.htm


What is the shelflife of Baileys Original Irish Cream?

Baileys is the only cream liqueur that guarantees a totally natural product which delivers that unique, smooth Baileys taste for 2 years from the day it was made.

One of the keys to achieving this is the artful blending of fresh Irish cream and aged Irish whiskey - two products that are not normally compatible. This is achieved through a combination of art and science and without the use of additives or preservatives, which results in the alcohol acting as a natural preservative for the product. How we do this must remain one of the closely guarded secrets, which contribute to producing the world's favourite liqueur.

Baileys should be stored away from direct sunlight at temperature range of 5-35 degrees centigrade. You don't have to refrigerate your bottle, but we would recommend it - and it tastes even better when chilled! Fluctuating its temperature too much will cause it to go lumpy - so try and always keep it roughly at the same temperature. The storage conditions are the same for sealed or unopened bottles. If you are concerned about a bottle of Baileys - all bottles now carry a best before date - have you checked the best consumed before date on the bottle? If so, have you exceeded the date? If you cannot find a date on the bottle, have you had the bottle for longer than 24 months? You don't have to worry if you have - it is still fine to drink - it just won't taste as good as usual. We wouldn't recommend drinking it if it has gone lumpy or the mixture has separated though.

Baileys contains no preservatives or additives and so should be consumed within 6 months of opening the bottle.

Bang! ****

Time for the very 1st game review. Bang!

This is a game we 1st found in settlers cafe. 1st bought by Yuyun, then Weijie, then Andrew, then Xuemei and then finally myself! Selling at S$20 or US$7, it is a very affordable game that packs a lot of punch in its gameplay and variations.

To put it simply, there are only 4 types of roles in the game: the Sheriff, Deputy Sheriffs, Outlaws and Renegades.

1) Sheriff- plainly just survive. There are many out there wanting his demise. As long as Sheriff survives, he is at an advantage in a 1 on 1 as he has 1 life point more and is immune to Prison.

2) Deputy Sheriff - kill anyone who attempts to take out the Sheriff. No point trying to confuse yourself as an outlaw as in the event that the Sheriff gets confused and takes you out..... tsk tsk tsk..... the blame's all on you Deputy. Imagine Tony Leung getting killed wrongly by other policeman while being an undercover... so sad.

3) Outlaws - take on the Sheriff if wanting a straightforward direct game. Advantage is with the Outlaws when they all attack the Sheriff right from the onset as they would outnumber the Sheriff. Turning up late will usually just mean more of your kind has been sacrificed. However, having an Andy Lau in the police department just makes the game a lot more funny.

4) Renegades - either swing from side to side to keep the gameplay balanced and ensuring all the Deputies are taken out early so that you don't end up with just the Sheriff, his Deputy and You! Cause in the above scenario, Sheriff just have to let you 2 fight it out then take out the survivor if You triumph over the Deputy. However, an interesting gameplay recommended by Andrew is that the Renegade plays totally as if he is a Deputy. Play so violently that the Sheriff is convinced you are his Deputy. Then when he kills his Deputy and loses all his cards in play and in hand, Sayonara Sheriff! muahahahaha!!!

Best played in numbers of 6-8. Fun for beginners and pros alike. Can go 5 games in a row and still be entertaining. Let the Internal Affairs roll!

P.S. For variations, try 4 characters each in a 2-player game or 2 characters each in a 4 player game. A real shoot-out ensues.

Prophet

I'm a PROPHET people. The kind that is a lot more sneaky than you know! muahahaha. Wonder what characters you other dotA dudes would be? I must say I'm really not obsessed with trees.

P.S. mervin is a Centaur Warchief! hahaha. So BIG!

Heads

Heads up dudes! For those who recognise, this was taken during the Amazing Race, Youth Camp 2007. More to follow. Cheerios.

Games Up and Running

Managed to get the blog more or less ready and presentable. At the very least, the games portion is nicely updated. Next time, will be giving games reviews and tips over this website. hehehe. For a start, you people can see what games I currently own, and it's so nice that Andrew already placed an order for my birthday present! No prizes for guessing which one though as the smart ones would be able to figure out.

Do look forward to the incoming of Carcassonne, Lost Cities and Car Wars my frenz.

A New Beginning

Been reading so much blog these days that I feel it's time to catch this wave! Anyway, been bored at work that I figured I can afford time to just blog regularly... muahahaha.

Just to start off, there have really been plenty of blessings for the year of 2006 that I decided I must capture it all somewhere so I can read my own old grandmother stories that I so like to tell. :p Here goes nothing;

1) I thank God for my family, who have been so supportive in all I do. My mum's the best la! muahahaha... I pray to God to help me be more responsible in time to clean up my room for a start so that my mum will be happy with that at least. Been amassing junk and litter for say 2 and 1/2 years thereabout.

2) I thank God for my dearest Xuefeng. We've been together for 1717 days to be exact. Now that's not easy.... tsk tsk tsk. We've been through some rough times and are still going strong. hehehe. Let's have another great many years ahead dear and London, here we come!

3) I thank God for my job. That with my pathetic skill sets, God has provided more than enough for me to get by comfortably. That I have nice people as colleagues and a certain guy by the name of Mervin Phay who brought me into this post. Pray that God can move Simon Yee, another colleague of mine to be part of His family. Praise God Simon came to joined CFCC to find out more in 2006 and may he receive Christ in the year of 2007!

4) I thank God for the Youth Fellowship! The YF have simply been wonderful. Though we are a small bunch, the bonds have grown and may God move ever so greatly amongst us that we grow to be more like Him each day. Special thanks to Andrew and Ling who've worked wonders to make up for my inaptness. It has also been a blessing to see Melissa and Ashley who have shown such commitment to the cause and watching them grow over the past year.

5) I thank God too for my Cell Group. Though we appeared to have dwindled down to 2 ( Ruth and me only) at one time, the commitment of Crystal to be there always was such a boost. Now, we have Julian and Jiahui who wants to join us regularly too! I pray to God that this flame within them will never die and we will truly enjoying being a close-knitted CG. May God bless this CG and may these other 4 bless me! hehehe.

6) I thank God for games! hahaha. That a board game freak like me can find so many people who seemed to have caught on to this games craze. That I have at least 4 groups of frenz who wanna get-together to juz play games. Now I'm plundering into this board games market...... that by the time I have my own home, I will have at least 50 different games in my collection! muahahaha. Between, special thanks to Jiayan who got me started with 8 games brought back from US.

7) I thank God for my studies. That although it all appeared doom and gloom when I quit NUS, God has truly not forsaken me all these while. I pray that I will complete my ACCA and move along to a good career path that honours Him.

8) I thank God for my CAR!!! My very own car. So cool. hehehe. It's a Spark! muack! :p Feeling guilty taking taxis days will be over soon. Petty squabbles over usage of car with my brother will be gone too. Hahaha, that's the real reason why my mum supported me getting a car. Ah well... good things come out from bad days. Between, my Spark's a real monster. At 796cc...... I can't speed anymore! I guess that can only be good. hehe. Oh ya, Spark was at $42k at mid Dec, bought it at $36k after price drop at Christmas, then now Spark is back at $41k now! Cool eh?

9) I thank God for 2007. It looks like a good year with 2006 closing so nicely and everything falling into place. For 2006 to 2007 alone, I paid for the car in 06 and am getting the car in 07. I got my contract revised at 06, and am getting my pay raise of $300 in 07! Finally, after 2 years of working with past it youths from 05 and 06, we will be seeing a youthful committee of Ruth, Melissa, ZhengLong, Nicholas and Crystal in 07!

10) Last but not least, I thank God for being God himself. That our God is sovereign and almighty, yet so loving and merciful. That He has not seen it too lowly to take care of our everyday needs and wimps... hehehe. I pray that God will truly have His way in my life this year, that I will allow Him to use me.

oooh P.S. I've got my very own 1st digicam in 06 too! Will be using the photos taken and uploading them only to this blog! hahaha. It shall be exclusive. :p