Decay On Net

I got this screen instead of the usual login screen yesterday after logging on to the wireless@sg network at Bishan J8.



Its appears to me that they didn't set up the wireless access point properly and we are being send to the admin page. And no, I can't access internet as I haven't got the chance to login yet.

We all know that the word 'Google' is a verb meaning to use the Google search engine to obtain information on the Internet. It was officially added to Oxford English Dictionary (OED) on June 15, 2006, and to the 11th edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary in July 2006.

Sometimes, I wonder.... if the word wireless@sg has a verb meaning, what would it be?

I guess wireless@sg as a verb can best used to describe "Without internet connection". After all, I've already lost count of the number of times I see a wireless@sg access point yet still can't log onto the internet.

Labels: wireless(a)sg

Posted by DK at 6:40 PM | Comments

I was quite shocked when T told me that Ishi from Soul has just passed away. I don't really know him personally, but I met him several times while helping out the guys at Soul some where around this time last year.

I tried searching for news article about his departure, but couldn't find any. and only found one here. Not much was said in the blogs and fan group/forums either. I guess the fans left when the group decided to disband.

Rest in Peace dude.

Posted by DK at 5:56 PM | Comments

Since we have a song from Armageddon soundtrack yesterday, why not post another one today?

Will go back to my usual blogging soon. In the meantime, enjoy the music.

Aerosmith - I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing



I could stay awake just to hear you breathing,
Watch you smile while you are sleeping,
While you're far away and dreaming,
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender,
I could stay lost in this moment forever,
Well, every moment spent with you,
Is a moment I treasure

I don't wanna close my eyes,
I don't wanna fall asleep,
'Cause I'd miss you, baby,
And I don't wanna miss a thing,
'Cause even when I dream of you,
The sweetest dream would never do,
I'd still miss you, baby,
And I don't wanna miss a thing

Lying close to you,
Feeling your heart beating,
And I'm wondering what you're dreaming,
Wondering if it's me you're seeing,
Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together,
And I just wanna stay with you,
In this moment forever, forever and ever,

I don't wanna close my eyes,
I don't wanna fall asleep,
'Cause I'd miss you, baby,
And I don't wanna miss a thing,
'Cause even when I dream of you,
The sweetest dream would never do,
I'd still miss you, baby,
And I don't wanna miss a thing

I don't wanna miss one smile,
I don't wanna miss one kiss,
Well, I just wanna be with you,
Right here with you, just like this,
I just wanna hold you close,
Feel your heart so close to mine,
And just stay here in this moment,
For all the rest of time

Don't wanna close my eyes,
Don't wanna fall asleep,
'Cause I'd miss you, baby,
And I don't wanna miss a thing,
'Cause even when I dream of you,
The sweetest dream would never do,
'Cause I'd still miss you, baby,
And I don't wanna miss a thing

I don't wanna close my eyes,
I don't wanna fall asleep,
'Cause I'd miss you, baby,
And I don't wanna miss a thing,
'Cause even when I dream of you,
The sweetest dream would never do,
I'd still miss you, baby,
And I don't wanna miss a thing

Don't wanna close my eyes
Don't wanna fall asleep, yeah

I don't wanna miss a thing
I don't wanna miss a thing

Posted by DK at 3:07 AM | Comments

Chantal Kreviazuk - Leaving on A Jet Plane



I... I...

All my bags are packed
I'm ready to go
I'm standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye

But the dawn is breakin'
This early mornin'
The taxi's waitin'
He's blowin' his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could cry

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe I hate to go

I...
There's so many times I've let you down
So many times I've played around
I tell you now
They don't mean a thing

Every place I go, I think of you
Every song I sing, I sing for you
When I come back
I'll wear your wedding ring

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe I hate to go

Now the time has come to leave you
One more time
Let me kiss you
Close your eyes
I'll be on my way
Dream about the days to come
When I won't have to leave alone
About the time when I don't have to say...

Oh, kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe I hate to go

I'm leaving on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe I hate to go

I'm leaving on a jet plane
leaving on a jet plane
leaving on a jet plane
leaving on a jet plane
I... leaving on a jet plane
I... leaving on a jet plane
I... leaving on a jet plane
I... leaving on a jet plane

Posted by DK at 2:15 AM | Comments

Sharks... I almost forgot completely about this.

I know how to repair printers
One of the printer in my office is having problem recently. The paper keep jamming during printing. A colleague reported the problem to me since I'm the duty LAN admin for the month. Thanks for seeing me so up. I really feel honored that you guys think I know how to repair printers too.

So I just went over see see look look. It appears that there is no problem doing normal printing. The paper will only jam when printing double side. I check the printer log and discovered that all the recent jam occur at the duplexer.

Conclusion, duplexer spoilt. Too bad we got no budget to get a new duplexer. Else I would had really 'repaired' the printer. Or maybe I should open up the duplexer and see if I can fix it myself. Hahaha....

Marking on MRT platform
Not sure if you notice, but there is some strange marking on the MRT platform lately.



Wondering what are they up to again this time. Hope the will not use it to increase the fare again.

Why guys carry PDA
There was a discussion on the Ping.sg forum about the date we choose for the ping.sg birthday party, 07-07-07. Nice and easy to remember. Then Missy commented that its good to choose these easy to remember date for wedding and stuff so that you won't forget to celebrate the anniversary. Uzyn asked what if choose easy date and the guy still forget.

Well, there is a reason why guys use PDA. But sometimes, it even reminds you of dates you don't want to remember.

Geek Terminal ahead
One of the most common problem is that people can't find Geek Terminal. Well, don't worry. They just put up a signage recently. Can see from far.



Chio right?

Labels: TLFT TSFB

Posted by DK at 7:19 PM | Comments

I could never fully understand the meaning of this song. Maybe because it is in hokkien and the chinese lyrics doesn't really help much.

Anyway, just want to share with you one of the songs that I keep listening to lately. Don't know why, I just simply love this song. Maybe suits my current mood ba.

Can't seems to find the live concert version. The concert version is a lot better than the MTV.

五月天 - I love you 无望



是你的形影 叫我逐天作眠梦梦中可爱的人
伊不是别人我的每一天 一分钟也不当轻松
你是我爱的人 将我来戏弄九月的风在吹
哪会寒到心肝底希望变无望 决定我的一世人
I LOVE YOU 无望 你甘是这款人没法度来作阵
也没法度将我放 I LOVE YOU 无望
我就是这款人我身边没半项 只有对你的思念
陪伴我的每一天

Posted by DK at 12:11 AM | Comments

I don't know why, but PITA always have something with password.

PITA changed his password yesterday when he return from 2 weeks leave. Our company system make password expire every 3 months, so you will have to change your password every 3 months.

What happen was, he forgotten what did he put for the new password today! What the heck? He go change password and can forget what new password did he assign. Clever right? So he came to find me and ask if I know what is his password.

How the heck would I know? Yes, I'm the LAN admin. But I'm only incharge of the IT stuff in our project team, not the entire company. Common sense will tell you that this kind of thing must go find the computer support department.

And my colleague was trying hard not to laugh when she hear him asking me that question. Everyone knows you need to find the computer support department.

Well, everyone except him.

Labels: PITA

Posted by DK at 10:59 PM | Comments

I was laughing when I first saw this picture.


(You might need to zoom in to see the problem)

Which smart alex did this anyway?
(I hope you get the joke. I got a few friends didn't see it until I told them what is it that is wrong)

Posted by DK at 2:49 AM | Comments

Warning: This entry is a shameless plug.

I'm nominated for 5 out of 9 categories in the upcoming ping.sg anniversary blog award 2007. Thank you for nominating me for those categories. Xie Xie Ni. :D

Below are the category that I've been nominated.

Most Entertaining Blog

Decay On Net

Most Interactive Blog

Decay On Net

Most Entertaining Post

"Face on table" Meme

Most Insightful Post

Qualification vs Performances. Which is more important?

Best Citizen Journalism Post

Bring your own what? Bags?

Please vote for me. Call 1900-VOTE-4-DK now!
Each call costs $0.50.
Calls made before 1 July 2007 is subjected to 5% GST.
Calls made after 1 July 2007 is subjected to 7% GST.
Callers under the age of 18 should seek parental consent before calling.

Alternatively, you can vote online for free.

Updates: In sync with the government policy, I promise all my voters lift upgrades at their blogs. The new MRT square line station will stop at all my voters' blogs. And ERS for everyone (virtual money).

Those who don't vote for me will not get those benefits. I very democratic one. REALLY.

Labels: ping.sg

Posted by DK at 11:25 AM | Comments

OK, this sound like those questions you will find in those GP paper or thesis.

A friend of mine asked me this question last night and I was dumbfounded. Seriously, I've been blogging all these years for the fun of it and I've never thought of what contribution I can give to the new media scene in Singapore.

Did I contributed anything? I don't know. It never occur to me that I needed to contribute anything to the new media scene. But then, as a Singaporean and a blogger, perhaps I should contribute something to improve the new media scene in Singapore.

But how can I contribute? What contribution does the world need from bloggers?

She never fail to amaze me by the mind boggling questions she can ask. This is not the first time she asked me questions that set me into thinking for a few days yet still couldn't really find an answer to it.

And till now, I still don't have the answer. So I thought perhaps I can ask you guys this two question:

"What contribution did I make with my blog (Decayonnet)?"
"What contribution did you make with your blog?"

Do drop me a comment. Thanks. :D

PS: I'm nominated for ping.sg 1st anniversary blog award "Most Interactive Blog" category. So come, let's interact. :D

Posted by DK at 10:57 AM | Comments

Posted by DK at 2:31 PM | Comments

I was pretty surprised when I heard that one of the big boys in the industries is going to do something similar as what I plan to do.

The first reaction was.... I think I hit the right spot. Even the big boys notice this and wanted a pie share.

My second reaction was.... Shit, I'm not ready for competition yet. Especially when it's coming from the big boys in the industries.

I still have confidence in what I'm doing. I'm pretty sure that my solution is better. Just that with them around, it would be harder to create what I have in mind. It also means that some of my plans need to be changed since it will no longer work with the big boys in the same field.

My initial intention was to do everything by myself and have it ready by end of the year. Looks like I need a new tempo now. End of the year is too late.

Should I outsource it so that everything can roll out faster?
Or should I stick to my planned tempo?

Posted by DK at 10:38 AM | Comments

I'm so sorry that I forgotten about it last year.



It has been two years since I started blogging here. You are not my first blog. I got 3 other blogs before you. But none of them managed to survive this long. And none of them become as popular as you.

Happy 2nd Birthday Decayonnet. Wish you have more good years to come. :)

Posted by DK at 1:26 AM | Comments

Just got a message from Second Life Singapore saying that there will be meetup on 24 Jun 07, 8pm. Venue will be at Second life, Lion City.

Sounds interesting. Maybe I should try attending.

Second Life Singapore has 406 members already. COOL!

Labels: Second Life

Posted by DK at 12:46 AM | Comments

The pickup rate for the ping.sg party registration is rather slow. I know, all you pingster are shy right? Still waiting to see who else is going then will register right?

OK, after some discussion with the party planning committee, we decided to do a promo to encourage everyone to register early.

As discussed, Uzyn will do bartop dancing during the ping.sg party if the registration hit 60 by end of this Friday (22 June 2007, 2359). Yes. Uzyn will climb up geek terminal's blinking LED bartop and do a hot sexy bartop dance for us. BUT ONLY if the number of people who registered for the party hit 60 by end of this Friday.

If you haven't register, what are you waiting for? Hurry! Register now!!!

Footnote #1: Performance subjected to Geek Terminal Management's approval.
Footnote #2: Rated R21.

Labels: ping.sg

Posted by DK at 10:49 PM | Comments

Sometimes, I feel that I've over-multitasked. I'm doing too much things at the same time. Take now for instance, I'm currently

1) Blogging
2) MSN-ing
3) Duplicating CD
4) Shouting in ping.sg shoutbox

And also, my twitter message keeps coming in.

Multitasking seems good. You can do more things at one go. But sometimes, I feel that multitasking is killing me. There is no concentration on a single task. You just try to do everything at one go. In the end, there is no focus at all. You only get abit out of each thing you are doing.

Perhaps I should try to slow things down a little and try doing things one at a time. Concentrate on one item first, finish it then move on to the next.

Posted by DK at 12:34 AM | Comments

I'm at the iX Conference 2007 now. This place is great. Good WIFI. Powerpoint at every seat. I'm glad that I bought my laptop and power brick along.

The event just started. Check out the live webcast by Kevin. Or come chat at the campfire.

OK, will update later. Bye for now.

Posted by DK at 2:15 PM | Comments

I attended a talk titled "Youtube and Beyond" yesterday. It was an amazing talk. And best of all, it was conducted by Singapore's number one camwhore. Hahaha.

I guess I shouldn't summarise the whole entire 2 hour talk in my blog entry. If you are interested, head on down to his wiki page for more information.

One very interesting topic mentioned in during the talk is regarding the Missing Link in Videoblogs. Perhaps the reason why video blogging hasn't really taken off is because video is distributed as a whole itself. It does not have links in it. You can't comment in the video.

So are we really video blogging or just doing video distribution without much interaction?

I think viddler may be the solution to this problem. It allows user to place comment in the videos and link from the middle of the video clip. It's surprising that not many people heard of this amazing tool.

So what is stopping everyone from video blogging?
Lack of equipments?
Slow internet connection?
Lack of knowledge?
Camera Shy?

Well, the solutions are coming already. Video camera getting cheaper. Internet speed getting faster and cheaper. More and more people putting up article teaching others how to video blog. Camera shy? Errr... it will take time for the person to get used to it.

We can't expect it to change suddenly. Blogging just picked up speed few years ago. I suppose video blogging will take longer time to pick up.

It's a pity that the talk is only 2 hours long. There are too many issues uncovered. Especially the copyrights and privacy issue. Hope we are able to have another session to cover the topics that we missed out. Does not have to be face to face. Maybe online or something.

So I left the talk wondering.... when will we see something like this in Singapore.



Lip Dubbing: Crazy from Jakob Lodwick on Vimeo

OK, I know it has already began in Singapore already. Check out the lipdubbing by Brennan & Kevin. But this is just the beginning. More will come....

Posted by DK at 11:51 AM | Comments

Just got my exams results today.

I still remember posting this on my twitter when I step out of the exam hall.



Well... the conclusion is that I'm indeed full of shit.

YES! I pass the paper! I was really surprised when I saw the results. Didn't believe that I would pass that paper when I totally don't know how to do a 25 marks question. And I thought that even if I pass, it would surely be just a C. But it turn out to be B-! Wow. Much better than what I expected.

Glad that I pass this round. One more semester to go. Must Jia You! Last hurdle to cross. I can almost smell that piece of paper already. Keep going DK, you are almost there. 1 more module, 1 more project, six more months and we'll be thru.

Posted by DK at 2:08 AM | Comments

There was a power trip at our office (again) today. The lucky thing was, my area wasn't affected. We have already moved to this office for more than a year already and the power trip issue is still there. Somehow, they still couldn't figure out what exactly was wrong.

The affected area was near the server room. I wasn't worried as the servers has UPS and thus should be safe. The building management people managed to restore the power shortly.

Few hours later, the admin clerk came over and told me that the server room was very warm and there are some loud noise from the servers. Shocked, I ran to the server room. It was like a mini sauna. The aircon in the server room is down. There is a backup aircon in the sever room that is suppose to kick in when the room is too warm. But somehow the backup aircon didn't kick in.

The noise was from one of the server’s fan. It is spinning at full power and the amber light is on. The temperature is too warm already. It’s actually an old server. The newer server are still quite alright and working fine. But the old server was quite scary. Somemore the fan is really huge. And it's still overheated?



For a moment, I was wondering if this server has a auto shutdown feature built-in when it is too warm. I know new servers/PC has that feature, but I'm not sure about the old ones. If not, it might just explode or something. Who knows, we might put the fire drill in good use.

I later found out that we are quite lucky because the old server wasn't really that old and still has an auto shutdown feature.

I told the admin to call the building management guys to come check the aircon. I left the server room open so that the aircon from outside could come in. I’m so glad that the building management people managed to get the aircon back on before the server explode/auto shut down.

Being a bit kiasu, I turn on the backup aircon at full blast and kept the door shut. 2 hours later, the mini sauna become a mini antarctic. Well.... Better too cold than too hot.

Posted by DK at 12:44 AM | Comments

We all know that money and sex attracts the most pongs in ping.sg. I won't deny cause I also contributed to the pongs for sex related post. But then, sometimes when you see a posting that has nothing to do with sex or money, yet getting more than 100 pongs, it makes you wonder.... did that person cheat by spoofing his IP or posting the url in forums or blogs to attract more pongs.



KNN lor.... this kind of topic will get 100plus pongs meh? Even the sex related post only 49 pongs only. Who believe is real one?

Labels: ping.sg

Posted by DK at 12:39 AM | Comments

I think it's about time I retire my desktop PC.



The problem is some of the parts are still quite new. It will be a bit wasted if I throw it away.

Casing bought in 2000.
CDRW bought in 2000
Master Harddisk bought in 2000.
Sound card bought in 2002.
Video card bought in 2003.
Motherboard bought in 2003
RAM bought in 2003.
Slave Harddisk bought in 2003.
DVDRW bought in 2006.
LCD monitor bought in 2006.
Powersupply bought in 2006.

Should I get some new parts to fix the desktop? Or should I just let it retire completely? I'm thinking of replacing those old parts. Is $500 enough?

I'll surely be getting a iMac when Leopard OS is out.

Posted by DK at 10:39 PM | Comments

I feel quite sad for this guy when I read the news.

Top hotelier caught lying in CV resigns
Regional head of InterContinental Hotels Group claimed he had degrees from Cornell and Australia
By Christopher Tan, Senior Correspondent

A HIGH-FLYING hotelier caught lying about his educational qualifications has been shown the door.
Mr Patrick Imbardelli, 46, resigned as chief executive of the Asia-Pacific operations of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) with immediate effect on Thursday.

'This is a very serious matter and we have treated it very seriously,' a spokesman for InterContinental Hotels was reported saying yesterday.

The Singapore-based Italian, who had held the position since 2003, has over 25 years' experience in the industry, including time logged with the Hyatt and Hilton hotel chains.

He was named Asia-Pacific Hotelier Of The Year just last month by Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, a consultancy that serves the industry.

On July 1, he was to have become a board member of London-headquartered IHG, which runs the world's largest hotel group with over half a million rooms. It runs the InterContinental, Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza chains.

Internal checks by IHG ahead of this appointment led to his undoing.

An IHG statement to the London Stock Exchange read: 'This decision follows an internal review of the academic qualifications of Patrick as previously presented to the company.'

Mr Imbardelli claimed to have earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Australia's Victoria University, as well as a Bachelor of Sciences and a master's from America's prestigious Cornell University.

He apparently attended classes at both places but did not graduate.

Mr Imbardelli - who is married with two children - was unreachable yesterday. A voice over the intercom at his Rochalie Drive residence said he did not wish to talk to anyone.

Meanwhile, IHG has launched a review of the curricula vitae of its 'directors and senior executives' across its global offices. The qualifications of its people in senior positions will be 'double-checked', said Ms Birte Sebastian, IHG's regional spokesman.

She said Mr Imbardelli joined the group when it acquired Southern Pacific Hotels in Australia in 2000, and that it was not IHG's policy back then to check the qualifications of people who came onboard through acquisitions.

Mr Tony South, a senior IHG vice-president, will be acting chief of Asia-Pacific operations 'pending a permanent appointment', she added.

Source: Straits Times

Sometimes I wonder, why do we still place so much emphasis on qualifications? Isn't talent more important than that piece of paper?

I know that he resign not because he does not have the qualifications, but because of integrity. He lied in his CV. But look at it this way, if he didn't lie in his CV, would he be able to get that position? I doubt so. And if he didn't lied in his CV, would the company given him the chance to hold such a high position with a good chance to perform?

It's amazing that someone without any paper qualifications can hold such a high position and even win the Asia-Pacific Hotelier Of The Year award. Should we sit down, pause for a few second and ask ourselves.... is a paper qualification really that important? There are a lot of successful people without degree qualification.

Paper qualifications is the only way for an employer to know how good the person is during the interview. But does having good grades means you are a good worker? Or does not having any paper qualifications means that you are not good? Can a piece of paper proof that the person has talent?

Have you seen people with fantastic results in school yet perform badly at work? And have you seen people without any qualification yet perform well at work?

It's just like the current situtation that I'm in. I've been working with the company for 4 years already. I'm a Junior Officer because I only have a diploma. But I've been doing things that Senior Officer does. My performance is good, but the only thing that is holding me back from the promotion is my qualification. My boss even told me that I will be promoted once I get my degree.

But why? You mean a piece of paper is more important than performance?

Posted by DK at 11:45 PM | Comments

A friend of mine emailed me recently about a business plan that he has. He send me a very draft plan and suggested meeting up for some discussion. Well, the draft is really very very brief that I have no idea what he wanted to do.

So we met today at geek terminal (again) to discuss about his idea. He wanted my opinions about the business idea he had. I must say that the idea sounds good, but isn't perfect yet. Still quite a bit of things need to be worked out. I tried to help by pinpointing some of the areas where he might need be more careful about. Hope I would be of a great help to him.

I won't say what he is planning to do yet since he is not ready. You don't want copycats to know your idea before you roll out your products.

I also discussed with him the plans that I have. He is very supportive of the idea and suggested another way of executing the plans. He suggested that I hire web programmers to do the job instead of picking up the language myself. Worth considering... but I still prefer to get myself dirty. We will see how.

It was a pleasant meeting. I must say that I really felt very honored that he came to me for opinions. And thanks for the coffee treat. :)

Posted by DK at 5:23 PM | Comments

Arzhou tagged me to do this food tag. What is my fave food in Singapore? hmmm....

OEI.... very hard leh this tag. Singapore got so many good foods but I can only choose one to say. HOW CAN?? Like that not fair to the other good foods leh.

OK ok, if really die die can only choose one, I'll choose Roti Prata. In Malaysia, they call it Roti Canai. But then, I can never pronounce that correctly.

I used to eat roti prata with eggs or plain. And in the past, I don't use curry. Nowadays, I do take some curry and seldom go for plain Roti Prata or Roti Prata with eggs. I prefer those with cheese or mashroom in it. Or even better, the Special Cheese from the Roti Prata Store at Fong Seng. They have cheese, egg and mash potato. Love it. If you see me at fong seng, you can be sure that I'm having a special cheese prata. :D



I also got those instant roti prata from supermarket. Just heat it up and you have roti prata at the comfort of your home. The problem is, no curry, no fillings... just plain roti prata. Oh well... better than nothing right? (PS: I just had that for breakfast.)

My fave Roti Prata place has got to be the one at Fong Seng. I also like the store at Casuarina Road. And I love to drink Milo Dinosaur when eating my Prata. :D

Roti prata for supper anyone? :D

**Copy this**
* Meme Topic : What is your favorite food in your state or country?
Find some info about the food & show delicious pictures of it.
Tag FIVE people.
Tag 5 people ah? OK, I tell you all what.... If you like to do this tag, then auto tag yourself. Put a comment say "I auto tag myself". Once 5 people commented that they have auto tagged themselves, you cannot auto tag yourself anymore. OK? Must follow instructions. Can only tag 5.

OK, pls auto tag yourself. thx. :D

Mybabybay loves Asam Laksa from Penang, Malaysia
JustMyThoughts loves Penang Char Koay Teow
My Lil Venture loves Laksa Sarawak
Monterssorimum loves Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun
Chinnee loves Melaka Wan Tan Mee
PeimunLeah loves Hakka Lei Cha
Hui Sia loves Crispy duck skin from China
Karen loves Pan Mee
Simple American loves Cheese Enchiladas
Nicole Tan loves Char Tau Kueh
velverse loves Otak-Otak
Giddy Tiger loves Dim Sum
may loves Roti Bakar
Selba loves Gado-gado
Chen loves Satay*
eastcoastlife loves Shanghai Buns
arzhou loves hokkien mee / philly cheesesteak
DK loves Roti Prata

Labels: Meme and Tags

Posted by DK at 1:16 PM | Comments

Sometimes I wonder what is the point of having a firedrill.

We were informed about the firedrill a few days before it took place. In fact, some of us even know the exact timing of the firedrill.



It seems like we can actually predict the fire and do the logistic before the fire breakout.

I am the IC for my team. 5 hours before the firedrill started, someone gave a namelist for marking attendance at the assembly area.

4 hours before the firedrill, I overheard someone from the building management reminding another guy to go the office to collect his safety vest and hat required for the firedrill later.

We are suppose to gather at a car park. They reserved the parking lot in the morning so that no cars can park there. They even set up barriers and labels at the assembly area for everyone to fall in according to their office level.

Note, they did all these before the fire alarm goes off.

What is the point of such firedrills? Everyone is preparing for the 'fire' even before the fire alarm goes off. Can the firedrill carry out smoothly if we aren't informed about it before hand? I doubt so. Look at the amount of stuff they prepare before the fire started.

It's as if we can predict when the fire will break out and prepare for it in the morning. If that is the case, then why not just call 995 before the fire start?

Posted by DK at 2:08 AM | Comments

You know PITA has reach the max power of PITA-ness when he can be a pain even when on leave.

I was rather surprised that our teamlead approved PITA's two weeks leave. He has a very important project that is suppose to roll out at the end of the month. Although he has completed the coding, but the testers are still doing their testing. Who is going to support the testers when there is a problem?

I knew something will surely go wrong during this 2 weeks. Its a very big and important project. It is near impossible for everything to go smoothly without any glitches.

So what happen was, the testers requested for a portion to be improved. Since PITA is not around, my teamlead approached me and ask me to do the change. My first reply to him was "NOW you regretted approving his leave right?".

Actually, I don't mind covering any of my colleagues when they are on leave. Anyone EXCEPT PITA. Why should I be covering his job when he is on leave? He doesn't deserve it. But what to do?

PS: My teamlead forward to me an email conversation between him and another teamlead and wanted me to follow up on the issue. In one of the email to the other teamlead, he wrote something that made me laugh out loudly at my desk.

"My right hand man is out of town currently....."

Hahahahaha...... If PITA is your right hand man, then I think you are crippled.

Labels: PITA

Posted by DK at 12:29 AM | Comments

Only the Japanese can think of such interesting game.

Posted by DK at 1:12 AM | Comments

Once every few weeks a month just isn't enough.

Labels: Running

Posted by DK at 10:57 PM | Comments

I still remember that moment 7 years ago. I sat at the window seat and stare out at the open sea. My mind wasn’t thinking about my destination or what I’ll be doing there. I was thinking about the gal I left behind. I know I will miss her. I hate to leave, but I have my duties to fulfill.

It was a very short journey, but I know I’ll be away for quite some time. Within less than 10 minutes, I could see my destination. The buildings are beautiful, but I know I should never judge a book by its cover. We alighted the boat and were greeted by a large signboard that says “Welcome to Pulua Tekong”.

That’s when I know my 2 1/2 years of National Service has just begun. Yes, today is the 7 anniversary of my enlistment to army. 7 years! Time really flies. It’s amazing that I can still remember that day so clearly. In fact, it seems like yesterday.

I was glad that I was given the chance to give back to the nation. I’m grateful for the peace and security it has given to me. I’m grateful for all the educations I’ve received. It’s time I do something for this nation in return.

I got quite a number of friends who are permanent residents but decide to give up their PR status once they reached the age to serve NS. They only think about themselves and has forgotten what the nation have given to them. Yes, nobody wants to waste their 2 1/2 years of youth. But if everyone thinks this way, would Singapore still be able enjoy the peace and stability it has now? I know some of them would say that NS is not the only way to contribute back to the nation. Yes, but if everyone decide to contribute back to the country using other ways instead of NS, then who is left to defend the country?

Sometimes, I question the government’s pro-foreign talent policies. Why are we giving them so much benefit? How much have they contributed to the nation? Why not give those benefits to our own citizen instead? I don’t mind if the foreign talent decide to stay and take up Singapore citizenship. In fact, I respect those who decide to stay in Singapore and contribute. But I hate those who just use Singapore as a stepping stone and leave after everything is over.

2 1/2 years is a very long time. I could have done a lot of things in 2 1/2 years. I’m sure everyone could find better use for this 2 1/2 years. Everyone of us put down our studies and come together to serve the nation. Some left their love ones behind. Some put their dreams on hold. Everyone sacrificed something for the nation.

But the time spend in NS aren’t wasted. It's a little price we paid so that we and our children can continue enjoy freedom on this land. 7 years later, I still report for my reservist annually. My next reservist is coming this September.

I always said “We take some, we give some”. How many people will understand the sacrifices that every male Singaporean made?

I still remember one of the songs we sing in the army. It fully expressed the feeling of every guy when they take the boat to Tekong.

Far Far Away in the South China Sea
I left a girl with tears in her eyes
I must go where the brave man die
A soldier has to fight the front because he loves his land
A soldier has to fight even if he has to die
Coz we're the ones who fight the front!
And we're the ones who hold the guns!
We are mighty warriors of our land.

Posted by DK at 10:39 PM | Comments

I always wonder why am I using a windows device. It seems like I should be using a Mac instead. I love Mac and I always try to watch all the keynotes to keep up with the development at Apple.

So why am I on a PC? Well, for a start, my first computer is a PC. I didn't heard of Mac until several years later at my friend's house. He is a Mac user, and I was amazed by the graphical user interface operating system. It is so much better than the windows 3.1 that I was using. That was in the early 90s. I became a Mac fan.

But whenever I buy a new computer, I always go for a PC instead of a Mac. I have no choice because my school is using PC and if I use Mac, I won't be able to use most of the software.

I'm a Mac fan stuck in a Window world.

I stayed up last night reading the keynote on macrumor. It started at 1am Singapore time and ended at 2.30am. I slept at 3am. I didn't bother to try watching the webcast since it will most likely be overloaded. Even reading the text makes me excited. Leopard will be shipping this coming October. The new features look great. I love bootcamp and spaces. Oh... and dashboard too. I've always loved dashboard. And now they are coming with something call web clip that lets you add portion of webpage to the dashboard easily. COOL!

One more thing.... Safari 3 beta is now available on Windows. I've downloaded it and tried for awhile. Looks great, but it's abit buggy. Hanged several times. There even reports of security risk. Not a very good start.

Was kinda disappointed that Steve didn't announce a new iMac. There was a rumor about a brushed aluminum iMac. Or will it be announced later?

You can read more about the keynote here.

I am so tempted to get a iMac now. My desktop has been down for quite some time. I'll attempt to do CPR on it. But still, I want a new desktop. This desktop is too old already. Its time to upgrade. And I can buy a Mac this time because I have a windows laptop. And there is also bootcamp. So I don't need to worry about times when I die die need a windows.

But according to macrumors buying guide, this is not the best time to buy a iMac. Apple might release a new model soon.

Actually, it's not a good time to buy any Mac device now. Leopard is coming in October. Perhaps I should wait till October before buying a iMac.

Posted by DK at 11:51 PM | Comments

I’ve been wanting to write this entry for weeks but I couldn’t find the right words. It’s kinda hard for me to say this.

I wrote about having an idea for something using the blog back in April. I wanted to go ahead with the plans after my exams in late May and put some teaser post. But after my exams, I begin having second thoughts. No, I’m not afraid of risk or failure.

There are a couple of reasons why I decided not to go ahead with the plans. One of the reasons is because I bump into a website that is doing something similar. Not exactly the same way, but somehow a little bit similar. The website wasn’t very successful to begin with. I need to improve on their shortcoming and come out with something better. I need to change the current plans so that I will not end up the same fate as them. And currently, I don’t have any solution to that problem. So I decided to shelf the idea first.

The other reason why I decided not to go ahead with this is because I got another idea I have in mind. Nothing fanciful. But it a nice little project to do because I get to use this chance to learn about the things I wanted to learn myself. Talk about killing 2 birds with 1 stone.

So I’ll be putting AssignmentSG on the shelf for the time being. Not sure if I’ll bring it back later or not. Let see how. Sorry if my teaser post managed to tease anyone of you.

Labels: AssignmentSG

Posted by DK at 2:51 PM | Comments

OK, don't drool lah.



Rumored specs.

System requirements
- Mac or PC
- iTunes 7
- Internet access is required, and a broadband connection is recommended
- Mac: Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later
- PC: Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2)
External Controls
- Volume Up / Down
- Ringer / Silent
- Power / Lock
- Sleep / Wake
- Menu Button
Dimensions - 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 inches / 115 x 61 x 11.6mm
Weight - 4.8 ounces / 135 grams
Input Method - Multi-touch
Operating System - OS X
Screen size - 3.5 inches
Screen resolution - 320 x 480 at 160 ppi
Storage - 4GB or 8GB
GSM - Quad-band (MHz: 850, 900, 1800, 1900)
Wireless data - Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) + EDGE + Bluetooth 2.0
Camera - 2.0 megapixels
Battery
- Lithium
- Up to 5 hours - Talk / Video / Browsing
- Up to 16 hours - Audio playback (Battery life varies by use)
Connectors and other input & output
- 30 pin iPod connector
- 3.5mm jack includes audio and mic support
- SIM tray
- Built-in speaker
- Built-in microphone

Posted by DK at 11:39 PM | Comments

I was at kinokuniya yesterday and saw this book by Donald Trump call "Trump 101 - The way to success".



I'm always a fan of Donald Trump. I love his books. He style of writing is very straight to the point and direct. So I pick up the book and read the back cover.

Don't waste your life on work you don't love; Passion will help you do better.

"I've known people who had fantastic ideas, but couldn’t get them off the ground because they approached everything weakly. They thought that their ideas would somehow take off by themselves, or that just coming up with an idea was enough. Let me tell you something – it’s not enough. It will never be enough. You have to put the idea into action. If you don’t have the motivation, and enthusiasm, your great idea will simply sit on top of your desk or inside your head and go nowhere. Lack of passion is often the difference between failure and success”

This is so true. In fact, it's sort of like referring to myself now. I really need to find something that I have passion in doing. And I need to do something to get the idea off the ground. Coming up with an idea just isn't enough.

I need to act.... now.

Posted by DK at 12:56 AM | Comments

I finally found a seat at Coffee Bean after going round in circles. It’s hard to find a seat at café along Orchard road on a Saturday evening. I placed my bag on the chair and went over to the counter to order my favorite Ultimate Mocha Ice Blended (with whip cream of course). Waited patiently for the barista to prepare my drug while constantly looking back to ensure nobody snatch my bag while I’m away. I collected my drink, settle down comfortably at my seat and boot up my laptop, telling myself that I should be using a Mac when the Window logo appears. My laptop detected a wireless@sg network nearby and connects to it instantly. I open my internet browser and....

OK, at this point, I’m supposed say that I login using my Singnet userid and got connected to the internet, hassle free. Or rather, that what the IDA and the media want you to think you can do with wireless@sg. But back to reality, I encountered something that most wireless@sg user would have experienced before. Able to connect to wireless@sg but no connection to internet. Couldn’t load the login page. Just the standard default internet explorer screen telling you that the server could not be found.

If you got a WIFI finder, my advice to you is to throw it away. It’s useless with wireless@sg. Having the WIFI network doesn’t always guarantee you connection to the internet.

I tried disconnecting/reconnecting to the network several times and refresh my internet browser repeatedly. After 5 minutes or so, I finally get to the login page. I proceed to login and got connected to the internet. So I checked my email and replied to some comments on my blog. I wanted to access google word and spreadsheet to update some documents that my friends had created, only to discover that I was disconnected from wireless@sg for no reason. And I couldn’t reconnect again. I give up.

This is the life of a mobile warrior using wireless@sg. Pathetic... Sigh.

IDA and the media want you to believe that you can do many wonderful stuff using wireless@sg. Have they ever tried using it? Or are they too blind to see that the infrastructure is full of problems? How to be a mobile warrior using wireless@sg? If you are reading this entry hoping to find an answer, then I’m sorry to say that I have no solution at all. It is impossible to be a mobile warrior using wireless@sg.

I miss the pre-wireless@sg days. I used to subscribe to Singnet’s hotspot at around $10 per month. It’s rather cheap and it guarantees you connection to the internet. In fact, I don’t remember a single occasion where I couldn’t get connected to Singnet’s hotspot. I was a happy customer.

But everything changes after wireless@sg rollout on 1 Dec 2006. In case you don’t know, Singnet changed all its existing hotspot to wireless@sg. It became a free service. Existing paying customer like me are converted to premium service where we are promised a higher connection speed. It was the beginning of my nightmare as a mobile warrior.

I was at Starbuck on 1 Dec 2006, the day when they switched to wireless@sg. The usual singnet hotspot is replaced by a wireless@sg network. I could connect to wireless@sg, but I can’t get to the login page. I tried calling the technical support but they didn’t find anything wrong with the access point I’m using. I gave up after 15 minutes on the line with the technical support. I forgive them since that was the first day Singnet switched over to wireless@sg.

But things didn’t improve after the initial launch. The wireless@sg network is too unreliable until today. They are supposed to setup wireless@sg access point at several place like AMK and Jurong East, but it is still not there yet. They claim that Orchard Road will be completely covered with wireless@sg too. But only selected places has access. And at some places where there is wireless@sg, the connection is just horrible. Sometimes you totally don’t have any internet connection. Sometimes you keep getting disconnected every few minutes for no reason. It’s just frustrating. And to add to the anger, I’m actually a paying customer. I don’t see why I should be paying for the service. There is simply no benefit.

In the end, I decided to cancel my subscription and join the surf for free crowd. The standard of service is still as bad as before. But at least I’m not paying anything for it.

I don’t know what exactly is the problem with wireless@sg. Is it because too many people are connected to one access point? Or they didn’t maintain their access point well? All I know is, if you want to be a mobile warrior, you cannot rely on wireless@sg. Forget about what IDA and the media said about wireless@sg. It’s all an illusion. Wireless@sg is not unreliable at all. If you work on the move, get a proper connection. You can never count on wireless@sg. Sometimes it’s there, sometimes it’s not. M1’s mobile broadband is a better solution. But the cheapest plan cost $22 per month.

If I’m not wrong, IDA wanted to roll out some premium services on wireless@sg like video streaming, VOIP and web conferencing. Wake up guys. You can’t even surf net properly on wireless@sg, how do you roll out those premium services on this unreliable infrastructure?

This entry is written entirely on Microsoft Word 2003 at a Coffee Bean along Orchard Road with wireless@sg connection nearby but no internet connection.

Wireless@sg ROCKS. Or rather, that’s what the IDA and the media wants you to think.

Labels: wireless(a)sg

Posted by DK at 1:31 AM | Comments

I was tagged by The Imp because I keep putting lyrics on my blog. And here is my punishment. Hahaha.... Kidding.

The Rules
1. Go to www.popculturemadness.com
2. Select the year you turned 18
3. Get all nostalgic over the songs of the year
4. Write about it
5. Pass this tag onto 5 others

And thanks to pop culture madness, I got a list to recall what song was popular in the year I turned 18. It's almost 10 years already!

Iris - Goo Goo Dolls
You got to watch City of Angels to fully appreciate this song. City of Angels is a great movie. The song seems like its tailor made for the movie. I love this song alot. Good to listen when everything in life isn't going the way that you wanted it to be.

As Long As You Love Me - Backstreet Boys
OK, I don't really like this song. But I used to daydream about myself dancing with chairs and singing this song just like what they did in the MTV.

Gettin' Jiggy Wit It - Will Smith
There is something special about this song. I just can't get that "nana na na na na nana" out of my head. OH SHIT... its coming back again.

na na na na na na nana na na na na nana

I Don't Want To Miss a Thing - Aerosmith
Feel in love with this song after watching Armageddon. I like it so much that my friends bought me the soundtrack on my 18th birthday. :)
Another song that I love from the Armageddon soundtrack is "Leaving on a jet plane". But then, its not from 1998.

Truly Madly Deeply - Savage Garden
My fave song from 1998. Love the lyrics and the MTV. Still remember singing together when I watch the MTV on TV.

I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy.
I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, Be everything that you need.
I love you more with every breath
Truly madly deeply do..

And this tag goes out to:
Zee Zee
Cool Insider
Suyuen
HHDU
Cobalt Paladin

na na na na na na nana na na na na nana.........

Labels: Meme and Tags

Posted by DK at 3:15 PM | Comments

After getting so much from PITA, I'm glad to announce that I finally had my revenge today. OK lah... just a bit only.

PITA came over to ask me to explain to him how to run a job. He need to do it on Sunday. I'm the only person in the team who had run that job before as it is quite new. In fact, I've taught everyone how to run the job during the previous team meeting.

So I told him that I've already taught everyone how to run the job. If he got any problem, can refer to the powerpoint slide.

This phrase sound very very familar. Didn't he used that on me before?

Labels: PITA

Posted by DK at 1:44 AM | Comments

"Prima donna" is Italian for "first lady". The term was used to designate the leading female singer in the opera company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. Nowadays the term often signifies a vain, obnoxious and temperamental person who, although irritating, cannot be done without.



I love Dilbert comic. I'm glad that I got the calender so that it can company me everyday at work. Sometimes the comic really reflect my workplace. For example, this few days, the comic is talking about a newly hired Prima Donna who declared that he is above the rules and can walk around the office without pants.

Do you have a Prima Donna in your office?

No, he doesn't have to go around the office without pants. That is too extreme. But do you have someone who is so full of himself and break the rules in office. And nobody, not even his boss can do anything about it because he is indispensable.

I have one at my office. If you can still remember, I wrote about him here about four months ago.

What happen was that I needed him to help get do something. Without asking, he raised his voice, shouted at me and slam the phone. I'm fine if he doesn't want to help, but is there a need to shout and slam phone?

I understand from my colleague that he is holding on to some very important task in the company. His knowledge is very good and he is indispensable in his team. Which explains why no action was taken against him after I wrote an email to his boss. Not even a reply from his boss. Nothing! I think the boss just ignore my email. He didn't do anything because this guy is important to his team. He is indispensable.

I thought of escalating this issue to higher level. But I wonder, what's the point? This guy is a Prima Donna. He can pee on the director's desk and the director still have to smile at him. So what if I bring the issue to higher level? It will only force them to cover up the issue. They might even turn the table against me just to protect him.

Its sad to see a company with such people around. Nobody should be indispensable. Nobody should be king. Nobody should be treated like a Prima Donna.

I'm sure there are more Prima Donna in my company. I won't be surprised. I just hope I don't get to work with anyone of them.

Posted by DK at 10:55 PM | Comments

As you all know, Ping.sg will be celebrating it's 1st birthday this coming 4 Jul. We are planning on having a party. We had a discussion today at Geek Terminal regarding some of the details. The date, time and place has been confirm.

It will be at...... *drum rolls*

Geek Terminal! Haha.... expected right?

Date: 7 Jul 2007 (Saturday)
Time: 4 PM till late (To be Confirmed again)

Uzyn will be creating a registration page soon. Look out for it!

The nomination for the blog award is still on! Have you voted for your fave pingster? If no, what are you waiting for?

Labels: ping.sg

Posted by DK at 1:32 AM | Comments

Singnet upgrade 1500kbps to 3mbps
Got a letter from Singnet informing me that they will be upgrading my 1500kbps broadband to 3mbps.

This shows that the broadband speed I'm using is too slow and has become obsoleted.

Hitchoo oops
One thing I don't like about the Hitchoo cards is that you have to write the username and passkey on the card yourself. My handwriting sucks. It's going to ruin the look of the card. The gal might not even recognise the words that I wrote.

And when you got 8 cards to write at one go, chances are, you will make an error.



Oops.... I wrote the passkey on the userid field. One less Hitchoo card.

decayonnet IPO
I discovered that my blog is listed on the stock exchange. Well, Blog Stock Market to be exact. The share price is at B$2,830.31 per share currently. Wow.

Wondering what the exchange rate to real currency. If the money is good, I might consider selling my blog. Haha....

PS:The currency they use is B$.... which reminds me of Bull Shit.

Yahoo! to Apprentice
I don't know if I'm the last person on earth to know this. But you can watch Apprentice Season 6 on Yahoo! TV. In case you don't know, I love to watch The Apprentice. There is always a lesson to take away from every episode.

Its great that I can watch The Apprentice legally online. In the past, I have to use illegal means to get my hands on the video files. Can die from waiting for local television station to air season 6.

PS: If you don't want to know who is the winner for season 6, then find something to cover the top right corner.

Blog to America
Got an email from one of the owner of a very cool blog call Blog to America. He invited me to submit an entry to their blog. Blog to America is a place where foreign perspectives on the United States could be voiced and heard by normal, everyday people across the globe.

Interesting concept. Love the idea. If you have anything you want to let Americans know, feel free to submit an entry. I will write an entry on Iraq war when I got the time.

Perhaps Singapore should also do this too. So that we can see how others view Singapore.

Some gal cannot make her drunk
Went for a birthday party at the clinic recently. Our mission was simple, make the birthday gal drunk. After I made 3 person drunk in one night at my friend's wedding, I thought this is going to be simple. But I soon found out that some gal cannot make drunk one. Cause when they are drunk, they do this.



OUCH!!!

Labels: TLFT TSFB

Posted by DK at 2:10 PM | Comments

Someday, I'll sing this to the gal I love.

I would fly up to the moon and back if you'll be...
If you'll be my baby
I've got a ticket for a world where we belong
So would you be my baby?

That is provided that I managed to find her first......



Savage Garden - To the Moon and Back Lyrics

She's taking her time making up the reasons
To justify all the hurt inside
Guess she knows from the smiles and the look in their eyes
Everyone's got a theory about the bitter one
They're saying, "Mama never loved her much"
And, "Daddy never keeps in touch
That's why she shies away from human affection"
But somewhere in a private place
She packs her bags for outer space
And now she's waiting for the right kind of pilot to come
And she'll say to him
She's sayin

I would fly up to the moon and back if you'll be...
If you'll be my baby
I've got a ticket for a world where we belong
So would you be my baby?

She can't remember a time when she felt needed
If love was red then she was color blind
All her friends, well they've been trialed for treason
And crimes that were never defined
She's saying, "Love is like a barren place,
And reaching out for human faith
It's like a journey I just don't have a map for"
So baby's gonna take a dive and
Push the shift to overdrive
Send a signal that she's hanging
All her hopes on the stars
What a pleasant dream
She's sayin

I would fly up to the moon and back if you'll be...
If you'll be my baby
I've got a ticket for a world where we belong
So would you be my baby?

Hold on, hold on ...

Mama never loved her much
And, Daddy never keeps in touch
That's why she shies away from human affection
But somewhere in a private place
She packs her bags for outer space
And now she's waiting for the right kind of pilot to come
And she'll say to him
She's sayin

I would fly up to the moon and back if you'll be...
If you'll be my baby
I've got a ticket for a world where we belong
So would you be my baby?

I would fly up to the moon and back if you'll be...
If you'll be my baby
I've got a ticket for a world where we belong
So would you be my baby?
yeaaaah ...

Posted by DK at 11:20 PM | Comments

I was being tagged by the love specialist few weeks ago. This is a tough tag. Got me thinking for quite some time. OK, maybe not as tough as the one that the Chio Chio De Aunty gave me in Apr.

I hope I'm doing it correctly. :)

I think the best symbol to represent me is the "Question Mark".



Why the question mark? It is not because I ask a lot of questions.

I feel that the question mark symbol best represent me because I'm still an unknown factor. I still don't know what exactly am I capable of doing. I'm still a question mark. But we are going to find out soon.

Perhaps if I were to do this meme few years later, it would be a better symbol.

Tag 5 people:
(I'm going to tag the least expected people. :D )
Planter
Tigerfish
xDiorAngelx
Missyling
Falchion

Labels: Meme and Tags

Posted by DK at 12:55 AM | Comments

Tiananmen Square protests


The Unknown Rebel

Posted by DK at 11:24 PM | Comments

The nominations for Ping.sg Blog Award 2007 is now open. This is the first time ping.sg is having a blog award. The award will be given out on ping.sg first anniversary party. I think its going to be really cool. T

There are total of 11 categories up for grabs this year.
The categories are:-

Most Entertaining Blog
Most Interactive Blog
Most Insightful Blog
Best Photoblog
Best Blog Design

Most Controversial Post
Most Entertaining Post
Most Insightful Post
Best Citizen Journalist Post

Post of The Year (Not open for Nomination)
Blog Of The Year (Not open for Nomination)

Nomination ends on 10 June 2007. After that, it will be open for all pingster to vote.

So what are you waiting for? Nominate your favorite pingster now!

Labels: ping.sg

Posted by DK at 1:19 PM | Comments

My cousin gave my family a Jack's Place voucher to redeem a butter cake for his son's full month. This is the first time I've seen a cake voucher from Jack's Place. Whenever there is a baby full month, the parents will usually get cake voucher from bengawan solo. And I soon found out the reason why.



The Jack's Place voucher expect you to call 3 days in advance before the collection. I'm still fine with that, since they need to specially prepare the cake. So I called the Bukit Panjang branch telephone number as stated on the voucher only to discover that there is a printing error on the voucher. That number is actually the compass point branch. So unprofessional. Anyway, I managed to get Bukit Panjang branch telephone number from staff at compass point branch. When I called Bukit Panjang branch, I was told that I need to call their bakery instead of contacting the Restaurant directly.

The voucher said "Please contact any Jack's Place group of Restaurants 3 days before collection date".

If you want customer to call your bakery directly then why the need to print all your restaurants telephone number? There are so many telephone number on the voucher. How do you expect customer to know which number to call?

And the WORST part was, the voucher is only valid for 1 month! 30 days!! Even TOTO and 4D also give you 3 months to collect your prize.

Now I understand why Bengawan Solo is still the most preferred choice when people choose cake for baby's full month. You don't need to call them in advance. There is no printing error on their voucher. And they allow you to collect your cake anytime within one year. 365 days!

Which reminds me..... I got a Bengawan Solo voucher from a colleague on Aug last year. Going to expire soon. Better go collect.

Posted by DK at 10:26 PM | Comments

It has been a week since I've made up my mind on the next step to take. I'm grateful for all the comments, suggestions and word of encouragements by everyone. I value all the comments in my blog, msn, sms and face to face meetup. But I'm sorry if I didn't take your advice.

Several things happen last week. I almost wanted to submit my resignation letter on Monday. But I thought maybe I should submit on the first day of the month. Then HR send out an email to inform us that the company will be giving out a special bonus at the end of June as the company is doing well. Its not a large sum of money. But that amount can last me for at least a few weeks. So I told myself I'll resign only after the bonus.

A lot of people gave me their opinions when they knew my decision. A lot of them advice me to take option 1 or 3 instead of 2. But my mind was rather fixed on option 2. I tried to explain why I'm taking option 2 to everyone who spoke to me.

And I thought I made up my mind until I had dinner with someone recently and we discuss my plans.

She said that my plans of taking up freelance and expanding towards that area is good, but do I really need to quit my current job? Do I really need to go unemployed for several months just to pick up the skill? I could still hold a full time job and study for the things if I manage my time well. And she said that I should use this time to learn about time management. Cause if I don't then I'll fail in everything I do in the future.

I tried to explain to her the reason for quitting. As I was explaining, I suddenly notice something. I just wanted to get out of the job that I hated. I want to go into web programming. But I don't need to be unemployed to pick up the skill. All those explanations are just excuses. Excuses for me to get out of my current job fast. If I hate the job, just find a new job.

I didn't go home straight after the dinner and coffee. Instead, I went for a stroll by the Singapore river bay. I kept thinking of the conversation that we had. It will be a big challenge. To continue to work while picking up a skill and doing freelance. And I'm still doing my part time degree course too. But its a good chance for me to learn the life lesson of time management.

And I come up with new plans on what I plan do to:

Pick up web programming skills
Take up some freelance project.
Built a network and portfolio.

Do all these while keeping myself employed. But I should really change a job.

Its going to be tough. Especially when I'm still doing my part time degree. But if I can't handle this, I won't be able to handle the greater things that I'm aiming for in the future.

Posted by DK at 3:55 PM | Comments

I always believe that plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery. If someone copied from you, it means that he/she felt that your idea is good and worth copying. Its a benchmark that says you've reach a certain status.

I wasn't surprised when I learnt that someone from Vietnam copied ping.sg. Its just a matter of time before someone tried to copy it. In fact, I almost wanted to say "What took you guys so long?".



I know Uzyn wasn't quite happy that someone copied his work. But then, lets face it, in the internet world, copying is everywhere. When a website is successful, someone will try to copy it. Friendster, youtube, myspace, twitter..... they all got their own clones. And I'm happy that ping.sg reach this status.

The only thing sick is that, the copycat has no creativity at all. The entire layout is very similar to ping.sg. Login on the left, most popular on the top and shoutbox on the right. Hello..... at least change the layout abit lah.

But there is one thing about ping.sg that nobody can copy. That is the community. The community in ping.sg is very unique. Everyone is friendly and united. No matter how good you are at copying, there is no way you can create another community as united as ping.sg.

Anyway, thanks to the folks at Vietnam for their compliments. We are greatly honoured.

Labels: ping.sg

Posted by DK at 12:10 PM | Comments

For the past few years, Jeff Hawkins was mentioning that he is working on a "secret weapon". And yesterday, Palm finally released the long awaited secret weapon, Foleo.



In case you didn't already know, I'm a fan of Palm. I started using Palm III in year 2000. It was a second hand set that I bought from my sister's friend. Ever since then, I feel in love with Palm. I bought a Palm T3 when I started working and I upgraded to TX as soon as it hit the market. I'm still using TX now, although abit under-utilized.

Anyway, back to Foleo. Its a whole new product direction by Palm. They feel that the future of mobile computing will be small devices in the pocket which stores all the datas and a large screen device to managed it.



I guess the best thing about Foleo is its instant on/off. When you are on the go, there is no time for you to wait for the laptop to bootup. You want to type an email fast and move off quickly once you are done.

The battery life is great. 5 hours! It runs on Linux. Light weight with a 10 inch screen. I hope there will be lots of applications for it.



Still not exactly sure about the full specs. This is what I manage to get from the web.

Primary Capabilities and Attributes of the Foleo Mobile Companion
-- One-button access to full-screen email
-- Instant on, instant off
-- Rapid access to various applications
-- 10-inch screen and full-size keyboard
-- Web search and browsing via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi
-- Editors for Word, Excel and PowerPoint, plus a PDF viewer
-- Compact, stylish design that fits on an airline tray table
-- Lightweight at 2.5 pounds
-- Fast, simple and intuitive navigation
-- 5-hour battery life
-- Linux OS for easy application development

What is the processor speed? How much disk space does it has? Is it using Non-Volatile File System (NVFS) like other palm devices? There are so many questions unanswered.

It should be out in the market soon. Going to cost USD$499.



I'm not sure if this is going to pull Palm out of the danger zone. I like the idea behind it. In fact, I've been thinking of something similar to this. But I don't think I'll buy it. It has to go together with a Treo to make full use of its capabilities . I love my K800i's camera so much that I won't give it up for any phone with less than 3.2megapix camera. But I believe that this is the way mobile computing should go. Its sad that the folks at SPUG aren't supportive towards it.

Will Foleo be the next PalmPilot or Treo? I hope it will.

Labels: PalmOS

Posted by DK at 2:10 AM | Comments