Day 1 @ Hendon Resort

Having missed the last in-camp, I didn't expect to be excused for this one. Today is the start of 2 weeks at Hendon Resort. So much have changed in the force. The Commando Training Centre is now renamed Special Operations Training Centre. This follows the evolution of the force to the new generation elite Special Forces warfare. More specialisations, wider range of operations and weapons, fewer men in each team, heavier loads...

Smoggy Mid-Autumn Fest

All thanks to Indonesia, this year's Mid-Autumn Fest was covered in a thick shroud of HAZE!!! This problem with forest fires have been around for many years without resolution in sight. Someone, somewhere, somehow, something is not moving in the right direction. This environmental problem has to be nipped in the butt and swiftly. The PSI now has hit above 100. I like the statement on CNA by an environmentalist, "There are no SAFE Levels for Haze". The only safe level is NO HAZE. Any amount of this is not good and definitely unfriendly. It not only affects the respiratory system, the moody feel is also felt along with the "sticky-sickly" feel on the skin. Meantime, all I can do is stay home, take more water and baths, turn on the air-con.

Liver Training Session @ Boonlay

The subject for tonight was to help finish the Bacardi Rum and start working on the Jim Beam Black.... YEAH!!! The real highlight of the evening was the Black. Black isn't just in the label, it sure taste as it should be... smooth. However, the turnout last evening was a bit lacking. Only 5+1 of the OceanX showed up. (why +1 ? go figure...)

The Fish and The Tea

Its been a long time since the 85 Club gathered. We made a trip to the Manhattan Fish Market @ Plaza Singapura. This is my first time there. The food quite good and does in fact give Fish & Co. a good competition.
We enjoyed our dinner and made our way to TCC @ Paradiz Centre. Another cozy place with nice tea and desserts. I got a Ginger Zing. Nice strong ginger taste but I felt it was a bit too sweet.

Drinks in the house

A group of Wine Lovers and friends gathered one fine Friday evening. This sure is an educational boost for me. I often tasted Vodka, Whiskey, Tequila; got to try some great wine and learn many info from the pros. Thanks for the great hospitality of the host and great company of fellow friends!!! Drink, Drank, but not drunk. Great stuff, not forgetting the Alize; a brilliant cocktail drink (fruit juice) =P
Still bugging me...... what is the diff between cognac and whiskey???

New Blood

Just when we are preparing ourselves for a super busy week ahead, "new blood" have appeared!!! 2 new interns are here today to join the force. What seems to be the busiest month ahead, since my joining, just eased 5%. Still, the forecast for the month ahead doesn't look easy... FOCUS, FOCUS!!! This month will be shag; very shag... 100% and then some!!!

Convo @ Esplanade

It was never an easy task to bring OceanX together for the shoot. All 10 gathered at Esplanade to mark the close of our convocation (3 did not turn up...) So here are some of the shots =)

Happy Birthday Singapore

41st Birthday.
This year's song is beautiful!!! It is one of the few songs that I like. The tune is simple yet soothing, and sung by Kaira Gong. Not that I heard many of her songs... but this one is not bad... really. And this is also the last event at the National Stadium as it is torn down and rebuilt!!!

Finally... after 25yrs of wait

After 25yr of waiting... and 15yr of school life, the Degree is now in my hands. This day marks the beginning of a new chapter as I officially complete my studies at NTU.

Convocation was held at 10am at the Campus Auditorium. The final ceremonial event ending the exciting 4yrs as an undergrad. Now that the carefree student life is over, I would need to transit into work-life and plan ahead....

After the draggy ceremony and lunch reception, we head down to Broadway to have the family pic taken.

Good bye and HELLO WORLD!!! (hahaaha... and there you have it... 1/3 of my life)

Training Begins!!!

Either I am lucky or the timing is just right... It has been like what??? 1.5mths at work and here I am at my first professional external trainning course. Today is the first day at Odeon to attend Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks (BSCI) @ Global Knowledge. Course and trainning are so enjoyable =) Less work (ok well not really...) relax environment, topics which you are personnal motivated to learn. This is even better than studying in school!!! I sure am enjoying myself at trainning and at work... will rest early tonight and looking forward to the whole week of trainning.

Pay 1st...... ask questions later

WoW... how time flies. Before you know it... my 1st month at work is over and received my 1st Pay Check. Yes, this payslip feels completely different from that payslip a few years back (from MINDEF). HAAHAA, when there is work, and enough to prevent you from idle, time really passes by Uber Fast!!!

1st Trip - New Delhi, India

First time travelling overseas without having to pay for the air tickets!!! I was sent to India yesterday on business trip; to visit my Indian colleague in New Delhi... OMG!!! the weather is skorching HOT!!! (and yes, the k is deliberate) Frankly, I have not seen that many cars on the roads. The traffic is crazy but cute =) Cars are build slightly smaller there and yup, finally I got to experience the crazy honking of the cars. The climate was burning... you can practically feel the Sun which seems to be as near as the Moon. The ground was about 40 degCelsius. I had my Original Receipe Indian Lunch and dessert, quite refreshing and great experience!!

Generally, the trip was very short and an eye-opener, I hope to visit again when the weather is "less hazardous"... hahaha. Shortly, I bid farewell to the great hospitality of my Indian friend and colleague and prepare to journey home. I must say, Air Sahara is okay: 1) no special Indian perfume, 2) not bad looking air stewardess, 3) cozy: why? the arrival was myself alone in the row... thats 3 seats to myself :D
The departure was quite lucky, I got to meet a guy who was the retired executive of the local major telco. He and wife were on their way to Singapore for CommunicAsia2006. Hah!!! talk about coincidence!

btw, as I walked in the open mall area with my friend, I had the best and weirdest experience! I practically had 100s pair of eyes staring at me! I finally understand the feeling of being a "zoo exhibit". I am pretty sure I am the only Chinese there......

There you have it... one more trip overseas by Air, ie. one more bottle of wine, cognac and booze :P

Taka-lachia @ ECP.. 2nd Round

Don't ask why/how...
I got this dreadful ache in my left shoulder, which I didn't even know how...

There you have it again.... dear Fate has spoken, 2nd attempt at Taka-lachia @ ECP shall be postponed again.

Hopefully the 3rd attempt will come true [Lets all pray to the Evil Demon in Hell, since the Good Angel in Heaven didn't work]

D-Day +1

This is a short week... only 2 working days.

In summary, I felt that it was a comfortable starting pace. Today I got my first tasks and also the first lunch with business partners. Things sure are picking up very fast indeed. I think I need to keep my socks high up always.

I need to try to get into 4th gear quick... [5th gear shall always be reserved for contingency only... and not forgetting my Nitro for that extra burst xD ]

-- Holidays are long over --

D-Day !!!

Day ZERO @ Vanco:-
Arrived on time today at SGX Centre 2, Shenton Way. Many familiar faces around the office =)

This day had been rather easy, soon it was lunch-time and before you know it, the day has ended. First day at work is mostly administrative and getting your workstation and area familiarised. Although I was here last year from Jan-Jul, I felt quite out of touch with the operations. Other than a few new faces in the office, the colleagues were still as warm and helpful as before.
Also, without a doubt, my responsibilities and expectations of me have gone up many folds. This is not unexpected but will take some time for me to get used to. [hopefully not too much time......]

D-Day -1

Wow !!! how time flies... tomorrow is the start of my contribution to the Economy of Singapore...
Only a handful of us were lucky enough to ride the 1st Wave of employment upon graduation. I shall begin my career as a Network Engineer at Vanco tomorrow. Somehow, the dilema arises... my 3 week break since exams ended seems too short, then again, how much break is enough??????

To the handful joining the workforce soon: "Hurry sign up for the Work-life Conversion Course (WCC)"

To the rest out there: "Hope you find your calling soon... and most important criteria should be health and happiness. JIA-YOU!!!"

Taka-lachia @ ECP

With all that huge reservoir of water pouring from above, how was it possible to take my bike out to East Coast Park for Operation Taka-lachia with members of Ocean13?!?!

This long lasting pour had terminated the operation. Most of us were left at home to attempt to beat CM's record of 6times per hour =P

Until next time folks... The greatness of nature is against us!!!

Money Planning

Like it or not, we live in a capitalist society. Money and financial standings are closely related to how comfortable you get by each day. The Classic model of "infinite wants, finite resources" comes to mind.

I met up with my friend earlier to discuss about financial planning. I've known this guy from Hendon and now he is working as a Financial Advisor at Prudential. He got me thinking of the effects of the "legal tender" and gave a scary but realistic figure of how much was required to see me to my grave. =(

However, I am one stubborn person... To commit to risk taking was just not my cuppa... besides, I have yet to start work and my income and expenditures are unclear. True... nobody can see what would happen next year (or for this matter, tomorrow!!!) but that is the excitement of life, isn't it. Guess I just have to get by with good old term savings and hope for a pleasant tomorrow [with many fingers crossed]

Quest for transport mobility - Class 3

I began thinking about obtaining my driving licence during my NS days when many took time off for driving tests. However, being lazy and poor (no car to drive), the project was postponed many times. Finally today, I took the great stride.... haha.

I took Bus to the MRT station, alighted at Eunos and took a bus to Comfort Driving Center. Pressed the device and got a queue number...... waited.... waited.... and yes paid and made an appointment for Basic Driving Theory Test. Phew, thats like almost 5 years to book basic test...... -_- Long way to go yet...

Back to Vanco???

After almost 1 year, this afternoon I made a trip down to SGX Centre 2. This time to meet the manager!!! Yup, seems my timing was just right, they are willing to hire a fresh grad =)

Having attended a few interviews, this was most special. Since I already spent 7 months of by IA here, this meeting was really a chat cum sharing session with my potential boss.

The atmosphere was light and very effective. We exchanged views and shared expectations. (Sorry, the details of the interview is confidential and thus will not be elaborated =P)
In the end, I am thankful that a company is willing to hire a freshie from Uni as a Network Engineer.... most company prefer not to. Uni does not cover or focus on network area.... the emphasis is programming, realtime, distributed, database, etc

I was especially glad to hear that my work during my internship was very much appreciated and had excellent feedback from colleagues. Lets hope to enjoy working together soon.

Typical Day in the Life of Idle

This is what will happen to me before the official work-life begins (hopefully soon...)

1000 - Wake up (breakfast, newspaper)
1130 - Play computer game (at this moment, I have Galactic Civilisation 2)
1500 - Snack/Lunch (usually lunch is optional...)
1600 - Swim/cycle (if weather permits, else back to computer games)
1900 - Dinner
2000 - TV/Web-surfing

hmm... seems boring, will try to "create" some events...

To-do list:
- Clear my room (yes... a lot to do here... somehow, feels lazy enough to start)
- Search for Job (all in the hands of Fate)

Day 1 of Idle days

Today is the start of my "IDLE" days. School life has just ended and now need to look for job.
Already a few potential interviews have come by. Many ask me why no holiday was planned after my exams. Hmm... I don't know, maybe overseas vacation can take anytime, but career seems to be very elusive... and it sure is a big uncertainty for me now.

But work and play has to be balanced, thus the chalet starts today. The agenda: play mahjong, cards and BBQ. Time to celebrate the great companionship over these years. Marking the end of school life, we will all embark on the next chapter: Working.... slogging and slave for some company.

This is also start for writing letters and resume and play, eat, sleep... Will try to fit in some, long overdue, exercise too =P

Close of FYP... Finally

For the record: Officially at 1800hr, 08 May 2006, Final Year Project is CLOSED.

There you have it. The finale of my course in NTU.
So much has been done in this 4yrs.
So many sleepless nights.
So many cups of 30cents Tea and Coffee.
So many Labs; never as many in my days in school.

Many many more stuff that will go into the history books.
As we start a fresh chapter in our life.
Be it career, further studies or just pure idle...
The new world and new reality is upon us, whether you like it or not.
Gone are the comforts of the shelter as a student.

[Shall stop here... before this turns out as a lousy poem]
[Time to catch up on this blog. Havn't been writing a lot]
[Maybe clear up my room... *sigh* maybe tomorrow...]

FYP Demo to Sponsors

Finally, the day is here. The product demo to the sponsors of my FYP project. Very challenging setup, only to prove one fundamental believe; Mobile Adhoc Networks is extremely unstable.

We expected the setup to be smooth sailing. But being good friends with Murphy... something has to go wrong =(

One of the laptops failed to initialise the wireless card and introduced a major minus to the presentation. However, we managed to still pull it off with the remaining devices. I am glad everyone is happy with the outcome. [And yes, the incentive $$$ is within sight =) ]

Monday... the official final presentation to the school and close of FYP -- YESH!!!

Last paper, Last semester

Finally, the final paper "Simulation and Modeling".
Alls well that ends well =)

Review: Alright.... okay lah, confirm CLEAR =)

Next on the list will be the FYP presentation on Monday.
Then....... thanks NTU, so much for 4yrs of "Undergraduate Experience"

[Thats all folks]

Re-living the good old days

Its been almost forgotten.... those days of how we spent the time after exams...
It was almost back to the days in Secondary, going to game arcades, bowling, pool... etc

The 'whole lot' gathered after the paper and made our way to Suntec Carl's Jr for a feast =)
As usual, the portion is huge!!! And there I go again, frowning and complaining as I squeeze the last bite into system -_-

After the very very stuffed meal, we made our way to the bowling center then the LAN gaming center.... heehee, simply love the good old days

2nd Paper for Last Semester

After the demoralising 1st paper, today is what all paper should be like =)
"Digital Video Compression and Coding" - a new subject is great!!!
There should be no problems scoring, needless to say pass. Quote my friend TPlee, "This is the paper since long long ago in the O-levels when I walked out of the Hall with a smile"

Next, the last and final paper.... hope we can all leave the Hall with a smile too =)

Year 25 of Life

Oh my... its my day again?!?! Right... its only year #25 and I am feeling old already. To add to the bad feeling, it is smacked right in my exams. This year, due to timetable changes, the exams are brought slightly forward. It used to be in May.

Assuming one lives till 75-80, I am 1/3 journey towards "transcendence". This year will see a great significant change from Student to Worker (aka, Corporate Slave). My hopes are that the switch or entry into this new environment and chapter would be swift, painless and hopefully enjoyable.

Last but not the least, hope that my family, loved ones and everyone would stay healthy and happy always.

First paper for Last semester

Alright, not really the first paper... but the first Prescribed Elective paper. Yesterday was a General paper "Intro to News Media" which was relatively easier.
Today, Distributed Systems was... in 1 word.... HELL
Using the previous exam papers as benchmark, this paper does not even satisfy the basic criteria for convolution... The paper was extremely differently structured and was significantly tough. Some say it is a paper out to KILL

Somehow the aftermath gave some consolation.... the argument that if everyone finds it tough, the higher chances of a lower passing mark should hold (and it better hold).

This subject was supposed to be easy to cope... but apparently the intel was flawed. I have to believe that I tried my best and trust my motto: "It is not easy to fail". Of course we have a very extensive coursework assignment to aid in jacking up the grades.

Still, I think all PEs should never be used as barrier to graduation... PEs in the honours year, simply is stressful enough. The stakes are high, very high!!!

Enough said... time to move on!!! NEXT PAPER PLEASE!!!

Byte Sizes

1 byte = 8 bit

1 kilobyte = 1,024 byte

1 megabyte = 1,048,576 byte

1 gigabyte = 1,073,741,824 byte

1 terabyte = 1,099,511,627,776 byte

1 petabyte = 1,125,899,906,842,624 byte

1 exabyte = 1,152,921,504,606,846,976 byte

1 zettabyte =1,180,591,620,717,411,303,424 byte

1 yottabyte = 1,208,925,819,614,629,174,706,176 byte

Simpler:

1 kilo = 1024 byte

1 mega = 1024 kilo

1 giga = 1024 mega

1 tera = 1024 giga

1 peta = 1024 tera

1 exa = 1024 peta

1 zetta = 1024 exa

1 yotta = 1024 zetta

[Inspired after watching Thats IT! on CNA]

FYP Hiccups

When all seems lost...... you have a great supervisor...
After pulling on the hair for almost 2 weeks, I finally raised the alarm; the issue of "Unable to compile" to my FYP supervisor. The application just won't cooperate with me... it just simply won't compile. This could very well jeopardise my grades!!!
After meeting with Dr Foh and sharing the problems faced, I still left his office with a heavy heart.....
"Darn, I will fail... "
To my surprise and gratitude, my problem was solved!!! It was clear that I left out a necessary patch for the embedded Visual C++ application to work with the PPC2003 compiler.....
I think the stress of working on my own has finally taken its toll. How stupid of me to over looked such a trivial matter. I am extremely grateful to Dr Foh for spending the afternoon to help spot my mistake. Kudos and Thanks so much!!!

Power Outage for 2 hours

12 noon to 2pm Electrical Supply interruption
Town Council maintenance and routine check of electrical installation

Hmm.... the experience of having the electricity cut-off for 2hr in Modern Society, PRICELESS!!!

Electricity never became this important in our daily lives before. To be specific, it was not the power but it was living with Internet connectivity that is pure agony, ARGH

Farewell to a great giant

On 23 Feb 2006, S Rajaratnam one of the founding fathers of this nation, and the author of The Pledge passed away. Coincidentally, today also happens to be his birthday, he would have turn 91 today.

This afternoon I watch CNA's coverage of the funeral ceremony at the Esplanade. I vaguely remember this great person. From the documentary coverage over the last few days, I am touched by this person's vision and actions in uniting a nation in times of racial turmoil and his contribution to the nation in foreign relations.

I believe his actions and character will inspire many to fight for and believe in Singapore and Singaporeans.

Recess.... officially the last one

It felt like yesterday when I started studying at NTU. Tomorrow will be the start of my FINAL Recess week!!! This is my final recess as I embark on my new chapter in life in the work force. So much to look forward to....

However, for this week, I will have to get busy with course assignments and my FYP. Busy busy busy.....

LSB Drinking

Its been so long since I had this much "spirit" in my veins.
Last night was spent at GLLB-LSB, we had many drinks all night long.
- Whiskey Chivas
- Vodka Absolut
- Beer, just boring beer

The highlight was when we discovered 2 guys "missing". Afraid that they may end up drowning in the drain, we went outside to search for them. After the short walk we all returned to find one of us drunk!!! Hohoho, finally someone has lost the fight with alcohol..... and boy was he "screwed up"...... and kept asking others if he was horny =P

I really hate the feeling of getting drunk. Although I was never drunk, but seeing others drunk made me think thrice to control my sanity.

Today will need to water-parade..... CHEERS!!!

Gone is the Rooster, here comes the Dog

WHAT?!?! the Chinese New Year is here again......
There goes the year of the Rooster. And my 24 yrs on Earth.
Here comes the Dog.

Looking forward to a great year. Many wonderful things will be happening this year.
I will graduate from NTU, start my career. Anything else??? Isn't this happening enough? HAHA

Cold Start

For the past 2 weeks, it has been raining non-stop... ok, a little too extreme... it has been rainy season... the temperature is dropping, the area is flooded, etc etc... Room temp has been hovering at 25 degC for quite some time. Many are falling sick, catching cold and stuff, would I be next??? hope I can wait it out =) Looking forward to seeing the beautiful sun soon... FYP is the main priority now... heehee especially with Silkroad Online Closed, there really is not much of a distraction left.
I really need to make a breakthrough in FYP soon!!! (before CNY, I hope...)