Monday, April 30, 2007

CFCC AGM

Community For Christ Church (CFCC) had their Annual General Meeting (AGM) just this sunday. It was straightforward and simple. For the 1st time as long as I can remember, there weren't any glaring typo errors and time wasted on reviewing past minutes. To put it simply, it was the shortest AGM I've ever attended for CFCC! All these I guess, must be due to the good work of Emay the secretary.

The other noteworthy affair would definitely be the election of Mr Ng and Mr MERVIN PHAY as our new deacons! hahaha..... finally, Mervin decided in himself that his time has come. For an interesting "pass the bomb" wildshot..... Mr Ng nominated Uncle Harvard.... who then nominated Yixiang... who then nominated Mervin.... who then nominated Andrew... hahaha..... they so funny. Ah well, all the best to Mervin in his new role as deacon as well as his new life married with Huifen..... Things are sure happening fast and furious for him man.... He's the man.

P.S. Uncle Simon nominated and said nice things about me. Thank you thank you for boosting my ego! but HEH...... you got the wrong man.... I cannot make it..... hahaha

Xuefeng Secured a Job at DAS

DAS is the Dyslexia Association of Singapore. It is Xuefeng's dream organisation and "dream job". Recruited in as a Teacher trainee, her ultimate aim is to be a psychologist there as a speech therapist. So for now, she is as close as she can get to her dream job.

Her head office is Springs Singapore which is really just directly downstairs of her house. She will be teaching at a learning centre though located in Queenstown which really ain't that far either. A little surprise too that she'll be offered $200 more than what she expected to start with, so everything just seems to be happy news.

Finally, her working hours is to be a 44-hr work week with 26 hrs being devoted to taking classes while the rest is for preparation and meetings. A drawback was that Sundays are potential working days but so far, the news is positive that Sundays are still only tentative. She might not have to work on Sundays afterall! Her start date is the 28th of May where she'll attend a 2 week training course. Probably some induction programme to get them started. Although 28th doesn't give her much rest time before starting in her career, she'll be glad to know that the 31st is a public holiday! Not too bad for a start. hehe...

Friday, April 27, 2007

Even More New Games

Conquering both UK and US! hehehe..... The add-ons will probably be Puerto Rico, Blue Moon Legends, Odin's Ravens, For Sale, Iliad and High Bohn Plus.

A little updates on all the games.
From UK:

Caylus - French political board game.
Guillotine - French revolution royalties head chopping card game.
From US:
Puerto Rico with Expansion - City building and economic board game.
Blue Moon Legends - 2 player card game with expansions available.
Odin's Ravens - 2 player card game.
For Sale - House finance card game.
Iliad - War card game.
High Bohn Plus - Bohnanza expansion, when Bean meets Bang!

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Anyone Interested in PS2 with Over 100 Games?

I know someone eager to dispose of his PS2 with 100+ games as he intends to get PS3. If you are interested, do reply quickly and I see if it's possible to get it from him. Cost is fixed at $200 nett. It is a modified set.

Monday, April 23, 2007

More Games At Last

After such a long wait, I'm finally gonna see some games come in! All hail Caylus and Guillotine! hehehe..... Games will arrive back with dear Xuefeng from London. :p

Thursday, April 19, 2007

The Much Debated Pay-Rise

After giving it much thought..... and reading off Andrew's blog, I was more or less convinced that the pay rise was justified. Was especially convinced with what our MM, LKY said about retaining top people in the public service to ensure a non-corrupted government served by top people to rule the nation. Against my better judgement, I agreed.

However, after reading further outbursts..... some truly crap ones, though I did find some good read. My personal favourite was by the wife of a civil servant whose husband was paid $200,000 p.a. at age 36. Her husband attempted to leave for private sector as he noticed promotions are tied-in with boot-licking and was not comfortable. The truth though, the private sector were willing to hire him but not at the same pay he was commanding at the service because his worth is not tested. The myth of higher pay for top civil servants going to the private sector is thus broken.

These top ministers are already over-paid. No, it is not true that they are highly sought-after in the private sector. The only companies wanting them are the GLCs linked to Temasek Holdings ran by Ho Ching. The scholars have an unfair advantage in the civil service and that needs some revision to see if they justify their potential instead of giving them increment based on past promise shown earlier in their academic days. The worst quote has to come from PM on his profit is GDP being $210 billion....... Hello!!! GDP does not equate to profit...... duh....... likening GDP to revenue is already unfair much less the term profit. By accounting standards too, if every company's turnover is recorded as his profit too.... that is double counting..... a very poor analogy given by him I must say. I do admire his willingness to give the rise of $600,000 p.a. for 5 yrs to charities though. Hmmm, he does get more tax rebates from this though.. hahaha.

Concluding, Andrew is right in saying, don't expect civil service to be purely noble and sacrificial. Give them what they deserve. I feel the rise for the floor is fair but that of the ceiling is unjustifiable. The ministers..... they should shut up. If anything, I see them as not much difference to TT Durai in the way they decide their pay packets.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

The Passing of a Great Man

Eventhough uncle Jeffrey has only been with CFCC since 2004, it has been a great delight knowing him. I admit that we've not had that many conversations or personal discussions, but I have a deep respect for this man. He has a quiet confidence in him that few can compare. He makes little children smile as he is both sincere and loving towards them. In times like these, difficult as it may be, but let's all rejoice and praise God for bringing Jeff to heaven. There is so much he has left behind, the love, care and warmth this man has brought, that we shall always remember him for.

Deepest condolences to Peggy and the 3 boys.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Easter Congress

Hey.... while you people are celebrating Good Friday and Easter Sunday, I've been busy playing bridge. The sad thing is, after such a long absentee from bridge, last competitive game being in Aug 06, my game is quite off. Oh well, the only consolation is, if you look upon it my way, that I'm still quite good after such a long break! hahaha.....

Just some small recap...... my team got 7th out of 9 teams in the round robin. We then went into the consolations round and was in 3rd place before the final round. I came in only in time for the final round and we got thrashed! Thrashed so badly we didn't bother staying on to find out the results. bleah!

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Nokia 6020 Sold

Sold away my Nokia spare phone. Realised that I wasn't doing anything with it besides just letting it depreciate. Got back a hefty $60 as the microphone was spoilt, losing $10. Coupled with the sale of phone from my 2 yr contract...... got a total return of $322. Still have my trusted Samsund D510 anyway! hehe..... Joy got a 2nd-hand Samsung E900 at $220 with the condition on par with my D510. Let's just see if my D510 last longer or her E900. heh....

Monday, April 09, 2007

Proudly Saved

After various considerations..... I've finally concluded that with a working handphone in my Samsung D510.... I shouldn't splurge on another phone, at least not yet. hehe... Anyway, I've renewed my 2 yr contract with M1 based on a few considerations.

1- Keep my number the same (key consideration)
2- For Xuefeng to call me for free under M1's 3 friends (M1 to M1 only)
3- SunTalk 150 is a cheap plan with 150 min outgoing and free incoming (phased out)
4- Got $262 cash for just renewing my plan with M1
5- When I want a new handphone, will purchase those no contract and without lines type
6- When I want to change to Starhub, will get the Hubber 3-in-1 promotion for signing Cable, Max-online and mobile phone line all new..... (when married) ~at least 2 yrs ++ away.....

Hence I will stay with M1 for the next 2 yrs of my life. For others who are considering changing phones and changing plans. 1 key thing that I realised after doing some research myself. Keep the 2 considerations apart. That is so because you earn $200 anyway for signing line without phone. With that $200, you can purchase a phone in the future without contract paying them back that $200 lor! hahaha..... Xuefeng and myself have spent $68 + $288 on our 2 phones. We have signed 2 plans. Got back $262 this time round. Nett difference is $94! ie....... we bought 2 handphones at a combined total of $94! Quite affordable I must say. hehehe

Sentosa

Am I getting too old for these? It's Sentosa again. The 3 most on people are ZhengLong, Ruth and CheowSheng! It's always the young ones who are keen for the beach. The other 3 were Sebbie, Ling and myself...... How uncanny that it was the older 3 who simply were NOT keen on getting into the water. Would have been willing to 10 yrs ago without a doubt. Ah well, let's not go there.

We had frisbee throw-around for quite a long while. There was a group of mixed boys and girls playing frisbee right beside us. They were aged 20 thereabout with around 15 to 20 of them. As we were bored of plain throwing, we challenged them to a 5-on-5 which they nicely accepted. Hehe...... our "training" paid off.... We rightly trounced them 10-4 and we weren't really playing that seriously too! Sebbie was a monster as the opposition would call him. Remarks like he's TOO TALL came out no less than 5 times with the many interceptions that he made. They had 5 guys on the field of play at all times and they substituted twice.... don't think they were too happy losing to a group of 3 guys and 2 girls. On a fairer note though, these guys are nice enough to not go up against the girls strongly in their challenge. Overall, it was a good game for us and slightly demoralising for them. :p

Afterwhich, we moved on to a good old game of ass-hole..... revised version of Big Two aka DaiDi. Only myself, Ruth and ZhengLong had the luxury of being king in the 12-15 rounds that we played. It is quite an ass-hole game..... pretty punishing to be the loser.... as challenging to climb out of that pile of deep shite you find yourself in. hahaha. A perfect game for Queen Ashley I suppose.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Yanni is Back........ For Good

Wow..... my Pri Sch classmate lehz....... the 1 that's been living in Japan for 7 yrs of university life is finally back. Knowing her..... there shouldn't be any issues with her re-adapting to life back in Singapore. Fetched her from the airport...... after squeezing in the show 300 in the afternoon. The 1st thing worth saying is...... Yanni CRIED!! boohoohoo..... that's so funny, cause come to think of it, I don't remember ever seeing her cry before. For the ladies..... maybe you'll understand about the domino and rippling effect better. That's cause.... to my bewilderment, both Yanni's mum and best friends Huiyi started crying too! Neither really knew why they cried as well.... hahaha...... You've been warned..... women's emotions are unstable.

Next challenge was...... to fit Yanni, both her parents, Huiyi and all her luggage into Ariel.... lo and behold...... it took me a full 3 minutes just to pack her 30kg suitcase into my tiniest of boot. phwah! :p

She reached home safely, we started chatting about handphones and stuff...... On parting, Yanni says, she's been reading my blog..... only because I dropped a comment in hers and she thought she had better read mine too! All to show her reciprocation... hahaha..... So her, that reason. Anyway, to end off, she has already chosen her plan. It's some MIO 3-in-1 plan. She has a red Nokia E65 woah. Nice! And all for just $65 as well. Good stuff.

300

For those yet to have watched this show...... it is a waste if you missed it. Weixiong is sooooo right about his rave review that this is an epic. Very much a guy show though. The odds are there...... 300 against 100,000. Batte was lost not to fighting but to betrayal... hahaha. Though I think the Spartans never retreat rule is plain dumb. heh..... There is better use for the surviving 100 odd than to just all fall at the ending. But that's just practical me's opinion.

Anyone else think that the Immortals draw a similarity to Feng Yun? haha.... those who read the comic book will know what I mean.

This makes a very nice backdrop eh? What a cliff-hanger....

Heh....... fighting in the shade... get it? in the shade....... duh......

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

MX-5 Crash Story Hits the Straits Times Again

http://forums.hardwarezone.com/showthread.php?t=1574091&page=30&pp=15

Above is the link to a forum page discussing on this. It just feels so funny because just last week, I was chatting with Shiying whom I msn at work the most with on this. How weird that all this is brought up so soon. We only talked on this as we've both been talking about cars to each other pretty much. Ah well....... I don't wanna make statements on what's right or wrong here. My only take is that, for an accident that claimed a life of another and with the case not yet settled. I would wish that the license of the accused be suspended for as long as the verdict is still not out.

The case have dragged pretty long eh. Heard from others that Singapore's judicial system is not up to mark with too much backlog. tsk tsk tsk.... how true.

Pink Badminton Racket

For the people who don't know already, I have a NEW Ashaway badminton racket. It is a nice birthday gift from CheowSheng, Xuemei, Ching, Ling, Melissa, Mervin, Huifen and ZhengLong. Weighs just nicely when held. Need to be tested in a badminton session to get the right feel and vibes about it man. Anyway, think these dudes were all trying to be funny. They got me Neon Pink rubber wrap for grip. It's freaking bright and distinct sia....... Suspect it is silly ZhengLong's idea as it's probably what he always wanted for his clothes and couldn't get.

There was a funny incident related though. Merf upon seeing the racket bag.... asked, "Playing badminton later?" I replied, 'nope, just got it as a gift.' Then he asked, "Why got gift?"...... hahaha........ I had to say, 'You shared in it leh..... and you dunno why?' He's the man.....


P.S. shots of the racket coming right up..... as soon as I remember to get it taken. :p

Monday, April 02, 2007

Help Recommend Me Handphones

Hey all you nice people who come on and see my blog..... Please please help me check on good phones...... and tell me about it. I have basically 2 dilemmas. I want to get a new phone. I'm also considering changing my plan.

1 at a time, for the phone. A few considerations. Firstly, no integrated camera. For hassle-free use when I go for my IPPT, RT and ICT! Anyway, I don't ever use my phone camera function.... especially now that I have my own digital camera. Secondly, Bluetooth with wireless earpiece. For the convenience in usage while driving. Thirdly, guess the rest ain't that important..... COST! Yes..... cost....... help help. Give me value for money bah.....

Now for the 2nd issue. My current plan is the SunTalk 150. Consists of free incoming All Day, 500 free SMS, and 150 minutes of free outgoing talk time at per minute rate of 15.75cents. Basic plan is $24 with Caller ID $5. ie. $29++..... depends on how much I exceed the outgoing calls by. Starhub plans attract me that they bill by per second.... Meaning I can make 10 6 seconds calls charged 1 minute worth rather than the same but charged for 10 minutes worth of talk time. M1 has the benefit that Xuefeng can call me for free as I'm currently within her 3 friends and family... and I have to stay under M1 for this to continue I believe. Also, I've received a further discount of $80 off all phones from M1. SingTel currently is not really within my consideration. There is a catch though. I won't wanna change plan if I can't retain my number. So it is a must have for number retention for me to change service provider.

So all you bright people out there, especially the frequent handphone changers.... give me your kind advice please. Thank you.

Reservist ICT

Just went in for my Reservist In-Camp-Training from the 19th to 23rd of March. It was nostalgia to the max. Suddenly, when you are in the famous green, Dirt, Mud and Smell has no hold over you! This was a low-key ICT being only 5 days with the flow of things geared towards the Combat Shoot. As a Battalion HQ personnel though, I had no run-down and only needed to participate in 100m Fox-hole with support. Sadly, due to some cock-ups with the range system, a lot of men were unhappy with the shots on target not being registered properly and coming away with 70+% for the shoot. We needed 80% for marksmenship as a section of 5 and I was in 1 of the unlucky groups to score 78%! Bye bye $200!!!

Being at reservist always brings me 3 consistent good feels. The 1st being seeing my best friend Andy who just got married in the ICT. He happens to be in the same unit as me~ 451 SAR. We managed to catch up over breaks at the range as well as shopping at the E-Mart.

The 2nd as mentioned is the once a year shopping at E-Mart. I was pretty upset that I had $130+ of credits expired from my SAF E-Mart account in the year of 2006. To my delight, I still had $226 worth of credits this time round. Deciding to splurge as much as I could before anymore sad expiries...... I managed to spend 1/2 of that amount only. Embarrassing though..... I learnt that I could have spent the credits in my account via online-purchasing. duh.....

The 3rd of the good things is always being there to mix it around with the fellow officers. Although we don't meet up any other time during the year, this once a year affair always serves as good bonding time. Every officer there is friendly, helpful and dependable. I guess that came naturally as we all share the same problems with getting things to move forward in the ICTs. Therefore, no officers will Chao Keng or Siam arrows. We will just all come together to help in the workload. This initiative and comradeship is a good feeling.

Oh well..... anyway, my next ICT looks to be in Oct/Nov 2007. It will be high-key this time around. 3 things again. 1- see Andy. 2- fellow officers. 3- E-Mart shopping with my remaining $113 worth of credits. More socks.... more towels..... more shoes. hahaha