Happy 21st birthday mei mei !!!

Last Sunday brought my Mum and sister for dinner at Waraku @ Katong Village, as Monday was my sister's birthday. Both of us are lovers for Japanese cruisine.

We reached the place and found it to be very small seated less than 50 customers. We were told to wait 15-20mins.

They had a wide range of dishes offered in the menu, if only i could try all except the beef dishes LOL!!! Some of the menu were seasonal only. We were in luck as they were offering a Hokkaido menu.


First up Chu-Hi Peach, what is it? Peach + Sake. First time tasted Sake, taste like vodka in my opnion.


Sis's order Crab Kaminabe. Pardon for the crude name but its Japanese for paper steamboat. Inside were crab legs, mushrooms, vegetables and the soup tasted like Sukiyaki.




One of the dishes inside the Hokkaido menu, BBQ crab. How to eat it? Simple BBQ/ grill the crab. The meat of this King/Alsakan crab is sweet and very different from our local crabs. My last visit to Hokkaido fair at Tampines Mall, the similar crab was sold $160 each!!!


My order Japnese Curry + Pork Cutlet + Rice, regular size.
!!! Warning Regular size is large even for me, so if you are a smaller eater, choose the mini!!! The rice used I assumed are top grade as the rice are real short and fat. The pork slices are thick yet juicy, but the sauce is nothing to rave about. I like strong sauces or flavours.


Mum's order Seafood fried rice. Not your typical chinese fried rice, rice fried with egg , mixed vegtables and lucky enough prawns. This dish had squid, some type of scallop/shellfish, shrimps and topped with Salmon eggs. The eggs when you burst them tasted salty.




My mum and sis enjoying the crab. The first for us to eat these types of crabs.


Lastly dessert shaped like an oysters. Vanilla ice-cream, red beans, some type of mochi (muah chee) and wafer shaped like oyster's shell.

New record and places

Last Saturday met Kai to cycle to Vivocity and decide again.

After a short rest at Vivocity, Kai decided to try cycle into Sentosa since we were there.

When we cycle till the end of the bridge, there was a typical toll station.

Kai: How much to go into Sentosa
Operator: $3
Kai: Pedestrian only $2, why cyclists pay more!

At the back happen to be a ranger/security vehicle. I jokingly told Kai they were deployed to arrest us LOL ! Then we headed back disappointed.


Vivocity and HarbourFront Centre in the background

PSA Terminal

The Merlion Tower.

I told Kai if wanted to cycle to the new sky bridge located near Alexander.




The "Foot of Hell". Short cut, we had to carry our bikes up these steep steps about 6 storeys high. I had to rest x4 due to sheer exhausion. Imagine doing the same stuff but on a hot afternoon. Madness you could say!



The bridges and shelters at Henderson Waves. Apparently there were quite a crowd there chilling out, enjoying the moonlight. Prefect to bring your partner after a romantic dinner.

Look how high it is, average 10 storeys high !!!

Embarking the journey.





After a nerve-wrecking 10mins sky-high ride, we reach another place which is also the end of the trail.





There we cycled past "Hort Park" into an unknown path. Along the way were very old Colonial houses which looked spooky in the night! We continued the trail till we reached the rear of Kent Ridge Park. It was a short uphill attack Initial D style, but at the end AGAIN need to carry the bike up a flight of stairs.

End of the climb sheer-exhaustion trying to catch my breath.

Finally reached the carpark, whereby once during NS we were deployed there for excerise. Its one of the best deployment sites, with a scenic view !!!


Me, my machine and a tank exhibit

From there its a very challenging, dangerous steep downhill ride. Luckily we made it safely. Kai say it was still early and decided to explore further West.



Took a rest at a nearby 7-11.

Then its back home from there. The CRAZY,ARDUOUS route is listed below.

2210 set of from home to Vivocity
Vivocity to Sentosa
Sentosa to Alexander (Henderson Waves bridge)
Alexander to Hyderabad Road
Hyderabad Road to Kent Ridge Park
Kent Ridge Park to Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre
Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre to Some Clementi Road
Clementi Road to NUS
NUS to Commonwealth MRT
Commonwealth MRT to Buona Vista MRT
Buona Vista MRT to Dover MRT
Dover MRT to Queenstown MRT
Queenstown MRT to Redhill MRT
Redhill MRT to Tiong Baru MRT
Tiong Baru MRT to Outram MRT
Outram MRT to Chinatown MRT
Chinatown MRT to Clark Quay MRT
Clark Quay MRT to Suntec(Nicol Highway)
Suntec to Home


Next day still got soccer shagged !

Disassembling the 3G iPhone

Read here First-Look iPhone3G

Five Rewarding Careers that Let You Have a Life

Whether you want to travel to exotic destinations, visit relatives, or simply have more time to care for loved ones, a career with flexible time off can make a big difference in your quality of life. While many Americans enjoy a mere one or two weeks of vacation time each year, some professionals spend two to three months of each year away from the job.

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected that the following five careers will experience some of the fastest job growth of all careers over the next decade. Each one of these career paths offers its own set of perks in addition to seasonal scheduling:
1. Resort Chef

While most food reviewers fawn over eateries in New York and London, many of the world's most innovative chefs whip up dishes at resort hotels and spas all over the world. Tourism hot spots like Aspen, Florida, and the Napa Valley rely on seasonal workers with culinary degrees to impress guests and highlight local cuisine.

In many cases, you can attend culinary degree programs during the off-season and earn a salary to offset tuition and living expenses. Some employers even offer culinary school courses as part of ongoing professional development programs. A seasonal job as a hotel cook often pays over $28,000 per year, not including the travel benefits often offered by larger employers.
2. Teacher K-12

Many teachers use the summer to catch up with family, enjoy long vacations, and complete additional online education courses. Even with three months off, many K-12 teachers earn over $41,000 per year. Changes in recruitment policies now mean that you can start a teaching job in many places before completing a degree in education.

New state and federal mandates require job applicants to complete at least a few online education courses before beginning their teaching careers. Many school districts have even invested in dedicated recruitment programs designed to help professionals from other fields earn education degrees. For retirees, a teaching career offers the chance to stay active while earning an income and enjoying summers off.
3. Fashion Designer

If you love to work hard and play hard, a fashion design career could be a perfect fit. Established designers often enjoy a few weeks of downtime following the launch of a major collection. Fashion design degree programs can help you land internships with design houses or with the organizations that stage Fashion Week events.

For fashion design professionals with low-key personalities, specializing in a particular season's clothing or a niche accessory line can help you have more time free without as much stress. Upon completion of fashion school, you can often earn more than $28,000 per year. Starting your own business, as 25 percent of designers do, can boost your income above $55,000 per year.
4. Freelance/Fill-In Paralegal

A growing number of law firms and large companies hire freelance and temporary paralegals to cover for sick or vacationing staff members. Meanwhile, some freelance paralegals with criminal justice degrees focus on just the kinds of cases that excite them. Either way, a personal paralegal practice is one of the few careers in law that offers extended vacation time without the rigors of passing the bar exam.

A career as a freelance paralegal holds the same level of risk as running any kind of small business. However, a combination of paralegal training and business savvy can result in a strong income. Most full-time paralegals report earnings of over $38,000 per year. By charging a premium for short-term service, freelance paralegals frequently make more by working less.
5. Software Developer

During the first web boom of the early 1990s, software companies relied on freelance programmers with technology degrees to ramp up quickly and meet deadlines. Today, companies from all kinds of industries rely on contract professionals with engineering degrees to handle one-time tasks or to take on outsourced specialty projects.

Online technology courses allow freelance software developers to stay up to date on the latest coding standards. Combining an online computer science degree with courses in business and marketing can help round out the skill set necessary to land big projects, especially when separated by vacation-sized gaps.
Preparing for Extra Time Off

Like the five careers examined here, most jobs that offer more than the average amount of vacation time also require:

* a higher tolerance for risk,
* an entrepreneurial spirit,
* ongoing professional development,
* time management skills, and
* money management skills.

Fortunately, training for a new career also opens the opportunity to build overall job skills. In most cases, adding a few key electives to a degree program can mean the difference between clocking in from nine to five and setting your own schedule.

Source:
http://education.yahoo.net/degrees/articles/featured_top_5_extra_time_off_careers.html

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf

Yesterday Kai showed me the bio of this famous US General

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf

all info taken from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Schwarzkopf%2C_Jr.

Some interesting extracts

One of the most remarkable incidents in a very distinguished career happened on his second tour in Vietnam in March 1970. When Schwarzkopf received word that men under his command had encountered a minefield on the notorious Batangan Peninsula, he rushed to the scene in his helicopter, as was his custom while a battalion commander, in order to make his helicopter available. He found several soldiers still trapped in the minefield. Schwarzkopf urged them to retrace their steps slowly. Still, one man tripped a mine and was severely injured but remained conscious. As the wounded man flailed in agony, the soldiers around him feared that he would set off another mine. Schwarzkopf, also injured by the explosion, crawled across the minefield to the wounded man and held him down (he was a wrestler at West Point, so he used a "pinning" technique in the process), so another could splint his shattered leg. One soldier stepped away to break a branch from a nearby tree to make the splint. In doing so, he too hit a mine, killing himself and the two men closest to him, and blowing an arm and a leg off Schwarzkopf's artillery liaison officer.

His Quotes

* "True courage is being afraid, and going ahead and doing your job."[citation needed]
* "When placed in command -- take charge."[citation needed]
* "The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it."[citation needed]
* "Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy."[citation needed]
* "Any soldier worth his salt should be anti-war. And yet there are things still worth fighting for."[citation needed]
* "Do what is right, not what you think the high headquarters wants or what you think will make you look good."[citation needed]
* "To show you what a difference retirement makes. Last year when I gave an order, 541,000 men and women jumped," he explained. "Now I can't even get the plumber to come over."[citation needed]
* "As far as Saddam Hussein being a great military strategist, he is neither a strategist, nor is he schooled in the operational arts, nor is he a tactician, nor is he a general, nor is he a soldier. Other than that he's a great military man I want you to know that."[citation needed]
* "It doesn't take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle"
* "If there is grass on the field, play it."

* MY FAVOURITE !!!
"I believe that forgiving them is God's function. Our job is to arrange the meeting."

First week of work

Monday

Took train to Tiong Baru MRT station then transfer service 123. I sensed that the bus was traveling a longer journey, thus alighted and took taxi to work. Nabe short journey less than 5km, costs $8.

Reached office 9++ and only 2 staffs were there. 1 China programmer and the Finance Manager. The Finance Manager gave me a briefing on the company, products, solutions directions ... She then allocated a place for me. She mentioned that the company promoted work-life, wherelse staff can report to work any time, importantly is do whats necessary and spend more time with family. I am starting to like this place.

Soon other staffs reported to work. Sitting beside me is a pretty Malaysian girl who was previously an engineer, mai siao siao. She is now assigned to projects. Got to meet most of the management mainly around 40s.

As the night before, my team-lead and an engineer was at Data Centre doing something, so did not come to work. So i was pretty left alone.

Tuesday

Reported to work, got to meet my new team-leader, which is from Myanmar. Another 2 engineers in charge of network, 1 from India and Malaysia. The team-lead then gave me the resources and accesses to facilitate my work. I was also issued my dream-laptop IBM Thinkpad X60. Its so freaking thin and light as there's no cd-rom installed. But an external cd-rom was provided. The battery life is also amazing. That evening my team-lead to me need to go Data Centre to settle some stuffs, not settled last Monday morning.

The Data Centre Equinix is located at Ayer Rajah. The security there is indeed tight and really an eye opener for me. All visitors need escort and need to enter 4 doors before reaching the server room. Inside the server room its freaking cold and noisy. We spent close to 2hs there before heading back home.

Wednesday
Before lunch, 1 of the managers suggested visiting the CEO's wife which is also a manager. Apparently she was down with dengue fever and awarded at CGH. After lunch, we separated in 2 taxis to CGH. First time to CGH and upon reach, the PA mentioned visiting hours are over. We tried entering the ward, but the door was locked. Managed to go in, after following another visitor.

Met the CEO's wife, she looks good and recovering well. Soon the other manager came and visited her before taking a flight to Philippines. The management team are all ex-colleagues from previous companies, thus the closely knitted relations.

Thursday
Nothing much, but my team-lead had left to KL for a meeting, so most of the time spent self-learning.

Friday
By now, I had met most of the staff excluding the CEO's wife, also the Sales Manager. At around 545pm was about to pack my stuff to go home, the CEO called me and another china programmer into his office to talk, as both of us are new-comers. On his desk was a framed newspaper article like "46yos get down to business", maybe next time i would read in detail. It was a lengthy get-together session.

In brief
-Welcome onboard and told us upcoming plans, pace and expectations
-Work-life flexible work, to spend more time with family.
-Though they cannot afford to pay very well, but they try to match with various benefits and flexibilities.
-Try to make workplace comfortable and happy, so people would stay.
-lots of stress, self-learning,initiation
-prepared to travel regionally and in short notice.

Just 1 wk here, and I could feel the immense pressure.
P.S. I just gotten my school time-table, wonder how can I juggle. In 2 weeks time half of the management and engineers are going to Philipines. Only left my team-lead and me to support local customers !!! I always give my self alot of pressure to achieve perfection and success.

Info
Office the size of 3 room flat, comprising a toilet, CEO's office and meeting room.
14 staff
-1 CEO
-5 Managers
-8 engineers
-System Development
- x2 Chinese National
- x1 Indian National
- Network and Systems
- x1 Myanmar National
- x1 Indian National
- x2 Malaysian
- x1 Local (Me).

So small office seats 14 people, very cramped but warm feeling.
Ex coy huge office and warehouse 1/4 football field, 9 staff.

Hokkaido Food Fest !!!

Last Thursday met up with XX and Benson for dinner. Initailly wanted to bring them to a affordable Japanese restaurant located in CBD. We reached there, but found the stall being replaced by a new tenant, so decided to give it a try.

The restaurant is owned and run by a Japanese owner. I ordered Teriyaki Chicken while XX and Benson ordered Japanese Curry Chicken.


Teriyaki Chicken rice very tasty. The sauce is very different from what sold outside.

Japanese Curry Chicken rice

XX enjoying his food.

Food Quantity 3/5
Food Quality 4/5
Price 3.5/5
Ambience 4/5

Sapporo Trip
134 Amoy Street #01-01 Far East Square

As Friday no need to work, when to have breakfast with Mum and sister. Cheap and good Yong Tau Foo at Beach Road.

After breakfast, headed to Tampines mall for the Hokkaido food fair. There are many food stalls there though the area is very cramped. Some of the stalls are owned by Japanese owners, so you can guarantee authentic Hokkaido Japanese food.



Japanese ice-cream with around 10 flavours. I bought a cone for 3 flavours for $6. The flavours chose, Green Tea, Blueberry and Cherry blossom. The ice-cream not creamy like the usual.

Then there was a long queue for a Japanese Butter Manja Cake. I waited for 1h!!!





The picture of the butter manja cake listed on the stall.

My hoot, $1.20 ea or $11 for 10. I ordered 5x red bean and 5x custard.

The red bean butter manja cake can taste the beans inside.

We had lunch at Din Tai Fung.

Ordered
Vegetarian appetizer
Recommended marinated pork chops
Wanton Dumplings
Hot and Sour soup, large
Plain noodles
x10 Xiao Long Baos.


Vegetarian cold dish

Special marinated pork chops

Wanton Dumpling noodles.

Hot and Sour soup + noodles.

x10 Xiao Long Bao

Study Havard and Ivy League schools to work in Wall Street?

...is it just for that cushy Wall St job?
Wed, Jun 25, 2008
The Straits Times

NEW YORK - A PROMINENT education professor at Harvard has started leading 'reflection' seminars at three highly selective colleges, which he hopes will push undergraduates to think more deeply about the connection between their education and aspirations.

Dr Howard Gardner hopes the seminars will encourage more students to consider public service and other careers beyond the consulting and financial jobs that he says are almost the automatic next step for so many graduates of top colleges.

'Is this what a Harvard education is for?' asked Dr Gardner, who is teaching the seminars at Harvard, Amherst and Colby with colleagues. 'Are Ivy League schools simply becoming selecting mechanisms for Wall Street?'

Although other people have expressed similar concerns in recent years, his views have gained support on the Harvard campus with students, faculty and even the new president, Dr Drew Gilpin Faust, who made the topic the cornerstone of her address to seniors during commencement week.

She noted that in the past year, whenever she met students, their first question had always been the same: 'Why are so many of us going to Wall Street?'

On other campuses as well, officials are questioning with new vigour whether too many top students who might otherwise turn their talents to a broader array of fields are being lured by high-paying corporate jobs, and whether colleges should do more to encourage students to consider other careers, especially public service.

As Mr Adam Guren, a new Harvard graduate who will be pursuing his doctorate in economics, put it: 'A lot of students have been asking the question, 'We came to Harvard as freshmen to change the world, and we are leaving to become investment bankers - why is this?''

In her speech, Dr Faust acknowledged the appeal of the jobs - the money, the promise of stimulating work, the security for students of knowing they will be working alongside their friends, a commitment of only two or three years.

She urged the students to search for measures of personal success beyond financial security despite 'the all-but-irresistible recruiting juggernaut'.

In his commencement speech last month at Wesleyan University, Mr Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, voiced a similar theme when he sounded an impassioned call to public service, and warned that the pursuit of narrow self-interest - 'the big house and the nice suits and the other things that our money culture says you should buy...betrays a poverty of ambition'.

Universities are so concerned about this issue that some - Amherst, Tufts, the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard, for example - have expanded public service fellowships and internships.

'We are in the business of graduating people who will make the world better in some way,' said Dr Anthony Marx, Amherst's president. 'That is what justifies the expense of the education.'

This year, Tufts announced that it would pay off college loans for graduates who chose public service jobs.

And officials at Harvard, Penn, Amherst and a number of other colleges say one reason they have begun emphasising grants instead of loans in financial aid is so students do not feel pressured by their debts to pursue lucrative careers.

Source:

My Pimped ride

New wheelset.
Black Mavic 717 rims
Black DT Comp spokes
White Megan Hubs

White Hubs.

White cables and housings

White Mortop grips.