There are some things in life, in which, no matter how hard I try, I'm just doomed to fail.

Sorry sorry sorry sorry.

That's what I've been seeing.

There are many things in life when, you miss the chance to initiate, the opportunity will just slip through your fingers. And you’ll tend to regret it some time later. If you had somehow, make the first move to talk to the hot and sexy girl whom you have been eyeing for quite some time, and you know that she’s single, you’ll probably be a much happier person now.

 

No, I’m not that person. I’m just giving an analogy.

 

Many a times, I’ve been in a situation similar to this. I’ve been presented with numerous opportunities to make the first move. Most of the time, I’ll always think that the time is just not ripe enough to initiate. And by the time I’m fully prepared to move, the chance will just slip through my fingers.

 

The workload has swamped me like a tsunami for the next couple of months. In order to lessen and hasten the project, I’ll be back to the lab on weekends. Hence, it’ll be a potentially 14-day marathon for me without a proper breather for the next couple of weeks. In fact, at the moment, I’m blogging from my office while waiting for my experimental process.

 

Right now, the thing that has been going through my head is, WTF? I should be enjoying myself on this beautiful weekend!

 

I’ve always tried to strike a balance between work and play. Socializing in the weekends is, of course, more preferable over weekdays. Anything on weekdays will only take place after work. By then, I’ll be so drained that I’ll be talking more crap than sensible stuff. Saying that, it’s probably also a good idea to relieve stress.

 

My weekends are precious now.

A promising holiday nose-dived to become a boring weekend.

I couldn't recall when was the last time I had a birthday as crappy as this.

Date: 1st Sept
TIme: 3pm to 9pm
Venue: Marina Square atrium



X-periment at Marina Square aims to promote science awareness among the general public. Several research institutes from A*Star as well as the universities and polytechnics took this opportunity to showcase their efforts in embracing science. Instead of introducing mind-boggling quantum mechanics, simple science which we come across almost everyday is demonstrated.

For example, adding water to cornstarch will produce the shear thickening effect. Never mind about the scientific term. To put it in simpler terms, by applying a huge punch to the cornstarch and water mixture, the entire contents behave like a solid, although it looks like liquid on the surface. Apply a light touch with your finger, the mixture will behave like a liquid.

I was supposed to man IMRE's booth from 3pm to 9pm. Hardly a nice slot especially when COMEX was in full swing at the nearby Suntec City.



Like a recorded CD in full flow, I demonstrated the cornstarch experiment over and over again. Since cornstarch was used, our booth was extremely dirty. One of the members of the public even commented to me that our booth was the messiest of all in the entire atrium! Nevertheless, it was a huge hit among the kids, not to mention, some adults as well!

Our setup might look much simpler compared to the rest of the exhibits but it was the simplicity that enthralled the public. Cornstarch is something that everybody will come across in a well-stocked kitchen. However, even an expert chef doesn't even notice about the fascinating properties of the shear thickening effect.

Armed with bottles of water and a pack of Ricola, I managed to pull through the entire 6 hour shift. I was extremely drained by the time we packed our booth. However, I felt a sense of great satisfaction, being able to give back to the society in some way. That's why I chose to join the Outreach program in the first place.

I seldom fall sick. But this year, I've visited the doctor a grand total of three times! Boy,
I couldn't remember when was the last time I visited the doctor so many times.

So what happened to me? Throat infection + coughing + blocked nose = feeling really shit.

It probably started last Thursday. But my stubborness only forced me to see a doctor on Monday.

Right now, I'm just feeling damn lousy and drowsy. I just need a good and nice rest.

It's the time of the year when people start to burn incense papers and joss sticks. Yes it's the seventh momth, the Hungry Ghosts Festival. It's not suprising to see that the streets are especially dirty at this time of the year.

Last week, one of my German friends visited me and was curious, "How come I see so many people burning rubbish on the streets?"

He ain't alone. Many Western tourists are very intrigued by the rubbish burning in open public spaces. They'll stop, watch, cock their heads in curiosity before moving on.

At least they didn't stop to pose for photos.

A video with a catchy tune, backed up with sexy girls. You can probably watch the video without the speakers on.

Singapore has come a long way in achieving her present status. We have risen through the ranks rapidly to attain developed status. Its people has toiled hard to bestow the little island state with spectacular economic growth disproportionate to her size. However, Singapore is slowly becoming a nation devoid of national pride and identity.

Just take a walk through town. Rewind 10 to 20 years back, you'll be thrown back into an immensely different Singapore. Old British colonial buildings still dot the streets, contrasting starkly with the towering skyscrapers that sprung up at various locations. Nowadays, the city is losing her sense of identity as more and more older houses are torn down to make way for developments.

A few years ago, the authorities decided to demolish the old Victorian-style National Library in order to make way for a traffic tunnel. They claimed that the tunnel would cut down travelling by 5min to 10min.

Seriously, is this really necessary?

Our century-old heritage is mindlessly removed from the landscape for motorists to save up to 10min of travelling time. I'll never forget the splendor of the old red-bricked National Library but sadly, the future generation would not be able to indulge in the nostalgic past of the Singaporean history.

Like the unforgiving ever-changing landscape of Singapore, a substantial number of Singaporeans, have also lost their sense of identity. Browsing through the forum pages of the Straits Times, parents would lament the use of the mother tongue, in this case, Mandarin, in the schools. They argue that since our syllabus is in English, they question the need for their precious children to study Mandarin.

Yes I do agree that Mandarin has somewhat been relegated to the lower rungs. However, as a Singaporean Chinese, there is no excuse for rejecting Mandarin as a form of communication. English is the lingua franca. But we shouldn't ever forget who we are, where we come from. I admit that my Mandarin is poor. However, I still have a constant desire to consistently improve on my Chinese capability whenever I can. It's such a shame when as a Chinese, the only words you can comprehend or write is just your Chinese name. It's almost like a well-endowed guy with a serious impotency problem.

Once, I have a friend who refused to learn Chinese. After taking higher Chinese in Secondary School, he dropped Chinese altogether. He didn't think that the rising economic power of China is an excuse to learn Chinese.

Another frog in a well.

At the moment, Singapore is only a good place to make money. Period. I don't think it's a good place to retire. A stressful life-style is a contributing factor. The quality of life is further degraded with its citizens having Third World behaviour and social etiquettes. It's not a secret that a lot of Singaporeans are considering migration. A citizen with a sense of great national pride will only think about starting a family and settling down to retire. On the contrary, Singapore seems to be breeding a growing proportion of the population whereby future migration is the answer.

At the end of the day, it seems that no matter how hard the government tries, the more discontented its people are. Blame it on the recent policies that the government just implemented: the 7% GST, the growing income gap, the meagre $290 public assistance, refusal to impose a minimum wage while raising its own pay package to become one of the, if not, highest paid ministers in the world.

In my opinion, I feel that Singapore is like a tall tree with high branches. The government is seated on the top while its people are on the ground. From its high vintage point, the government is able to paint a bright future for Singapore since it is able to see very far ahead. However, when you try to look down towards the ground, the people on the ground seem very small. Worse, your vision will be blocked by the branches and the leaves of the tall tree. Hence, no matter how much the people on the ground try to shout, you can hardly hear anything. You aren't really compelled to climb down since there aren't any low branches to support your descend.

Despite having said all this, I still love Singapore. I foresee staying here in the long run. As long as we don't have people like Wee Shu Min (the self-declared elite) or Nicholas Lazarus (a young politician with alarmingly childish views) leading Singapore, I still hold great hopes for the future. Saying that, I salute aspiring politicians like Siew Kum Hong with fantastically balanced political perspectives.

As Singapore progresses steadily towards her democratic future, I believe, national pride can be firmly embedded in Singaporeans. National Day will become an even more special day.

Happy 42nd Birthday Singapore!

The city of Brisbane is Australia's third largest city. In my opinion, it has better weather than Melbourne and safer than Sydney. Winter is a cool 9 - 20 degrees Celsius, way better than the insane ass-freezing weather of Sweden.

Based on current population growth, Brisbane is projected to be Australia's biggest city in the near future. Despite its location by the coastline, it is however, faced with a serious water shortage problem. Apparently, desalination technology is too expensive to adopt. On a lighter note, unlike Melbourne and Sydney, the people of Queensland have embraced the Newater technology founded by Singapore. The idea of drinking their own recycled waste water seems to put off the Sydneysiders and the Melbournians.

Currently, in order to restrict people from wasting too much water, each person is charged AU$1 a week for water usage. That works out to be an extra AU$4 per month regardless of water usage. On top of that, an aggressive campaign is launched to remind people to take a mere 4min shower a day. Hosing the gardens and vehicles are banned and anyone found flouting the rules are slapped with a hefty fine. Despite the grim outlook, during my 1 week plus stay in Australia, news about a household splashing on a daily 30,000 litres of water usage hit the front pages of the newsapers.

Shocking!

Brisbane is just like any other Western cities. Convenience at your door-step, an extensive transport system and a reasonable nightlife.


Outside the hostel

My sister's student apartment is located on an excellent site in Taringa, just a 15min walk each way from the shopping malls in the suburbs of Indooroopilly and Toowong.


University of Queensland

The univeristy is located around the bend of the Brisbane River. Given its serene location in St Lucia, the institution has an extremely conducive environment.

Ever since the events of 9-11, as well as the recent bombing of the Glasgow airport (culminating in the arrest of a suspect in Gold Coast), heightened security awareness are implemented all across the Australian continent. Even taking photos of the train stations are not allowed. As soon as my sister snapped a picture of Taringa train station, a station master came over and said, "I hoped that you aren't taking any pictures. It's illegal!"


It seems to warn people that by standing behind the yellow line, an offender will be subjected to a fine.

I didn't take much photos of the city itself as I was busily helping my sister setting up her new second home for the next couple of years. In fact, everything went so smoothly that most stuff were settled within the first 2 days of arrival. We arrived on a Thursday evening. By Saturday evening, we were happily settled down.

A visit to Australia must include a trip down to any of its wildlife parks. Being an isloated continent, it has probably more exotic creatures than anywhere else on Earth.


At the entrance of Lone Pine

Lone Pine is the world's biggest Koala Sanctuary. Kangaroos, wombats, wallabies are protected within the wildlife premises. Located just 11km away from the CBD, Lone Pine is a perfect weekend getaway.


G'day mate! Any food for me?

Kangaroos and wallabies are free to roam around in a large enclosure. This gives the opportunity for people to hand feed the marsupials. The kangaroos are more sociable and tend to cuddle to people for food. On the other hand, the wallabies will hop away as soon as you get within a few feet from them.


Don't worry, it ain't poisoned. Just eat.

When I first visited Australia in 1992, I could still remember how a kangaroo would scoop up the food from my outreached hand from its mouth, totally saliva-free. However, my experience at Lone Pine was different. The kangaroos would leave a wet patch on my palms, obviously showing disregard to my disgust. Probably evolution at work within a span of a decade. However, I usually wiped my hands on their fur as a parting gift.


The elusive wallaby.

Wallabies are more elusive. They tend to stay away from human beings. I tried a few times to approach them slowly in order to assure them. In the end, I only managed to drive them even further away. They are probably more comfortable from eating straight from the grasses rather than out-stretched human hands.


A rare sight of a koala not sleeping.

Koalas, on the other hand, are doing their usual favourite routine: sleeping. On average, they sleep 20 hours a day. The remaining 4 hours will be spent feeding on eucalyptus leaves.

Pretty boring huh?

Not suprsingly, most koalas in Lone Pine are asleep. I did manage to catch a sight of a few koalas doing something else besides sleeping. Despite being lazy as they are, they are extremely cute and cuddly.