Dec 2006
Best feeling ever...
30/12/06 11:29 Filed in: Personal
Just came
back from my morning jog.
Feels really good after that. One thing for sure, I did what I said I would.
Run/Jog for an hour, regardless how slow I did.
And complete it I did. 7.2 km.
Think I'll run again later in the evening. If the rain doesn't fall like it usually does this few days.
Another hour? I hope so.
SMS'ed Greg and Chong Peng at 6.30am asking if 7.30's alright to meet up for a run.
Hhahahah as expected, Greg can't.
Chong Peng — no reply till now. Guess he's still sleeping!
Well I'm back home now. It's time to get down to business!
Feels really good after that. One thing for sure, I did what I said I would.
Run/Jog for an hour, regardless how slow I did.
And complete it I did. 7.2 km.
Think I'll run again later in the evening. If the rain doesn't fall like it usually does this few days.
Another hour? I hope so.
SMS'ed Greg and Chong Peng at 6.30am asking if 7.30's alright to meet up for a run.
Hhahahah as expected, Greg can't.
Chong Peng — no reply till now. Guess he's still sleeping!
Well I'm back home now. It's time to get down to business!
|
Stranger than Fiction
30/12/06 02:00 Filed in: Personal
Went out to
CineLeisure Orchard (Cathay) to watch Will Ferell's
Stranger than Fiction.
Comedy which leaves you with a 'feel good' feeling at the end. Was with Greg and Chong Peng.
Went for coffee at Starbucks Paragon.
It was good to relax and talk about everything we have in common. Basically work that is. hahahahha. Well not everything is about work.
And then I said, "I'm gonna run/jog for an hour non-stop, no matter how slow I end up. I'll finish it."
Hahaha... The guys are contemplating to join me in the morning jog tomorrow.
Well, I'll see how tomorrow morning. If I can wake up that is!
Comedy which leaves you with a 'feel good' feeling at the end. Was with Greg and Chong Peng.
Went for coffee at Starbucks Paragon.
It was good to relax and talk about everything we have in common. Basically work that is. hahahahha. Well not everything is about work.
And then I said, "I'm gonna run/jog for an hour non-stop, no matter how slow I end up. I'll finish it."
Hahaha... The guys are contemplating to join me in the morning jog tomorrow.
Well, I'll see how tomorrow morning. If I can wake up that is!
MDL Gathering
28/12/06 00:38 Filed in: Personal
Just got
back from Bugis Junction. Had a little gathering at
Sakae Sushi.
Met up with Azman, Elaine and Joanne outside Sakae Sushi. I was searching for them high and low inside the restaurant when it turns out they were queueing up outside the restaurant! Silly.
Found out Azman had the Sony Ericsson w800i phone. He just showed me that my phone could be a cool walkman phone too! I'm a tech idiot. He showed me what I need to get started listening music on my phone.
Pei Xin came a few minutes later. We got our table. It could at most seat 6 people. We thought the rest of the MDL people would not turn up. So ordered our food and enjoyed browsing through Azman's wedding and honeymoon photos. We all agreed his wife is pretty.
Xin Da and Choh Shin turned up! Unfortunately, our table cannot fit them. We requested for a longer table to shift to and we got it about 10 minutes later.
It's been a long while since I met up with them. The most recent one was when Azman held a barbeque at the MDL premises. I can't remember when that was, but it was a few months back. This is the first time I met up with Joanne since I last graduated from university back in 2002.
The whole lot of us were undergraduates back then from 1999 to 2002/2003. Azman was the permanent staff at the Multimedia Development Lab in NUS. We were from the Photographic Society and we got to work "part-time" in the Lab which was damn cool. And the best part is we got paid! And damn well too!
Ahh...those were the days. For me it was a great experience. We learnt a lot from Azman concerning the tech stuffs and computers and multimedia equipment in the lab, video editing etc etc. I was very inclined towards the Information Technology aspect of life, so having been able to be roped in to work in the lab was a good deal for me. I learnt a lot.
Well now, all of us having graduated and fully employed, its great to keep in contact.
One works for PSA, two of us is a teacher, though one of us is quiting to be a volunteer and researcher, another thinking of joining the teaching force, another is a furniture designer, specifically sofas, and another works with the National Arts council.
Best part is, now I know who to go to for if I need sofas! At cost price!! Excellent.
Elaine was asking Azman what laptop to get since she is scouting for one for herself. Heh...I being the Mac ardent fan, butted in and told her flat out to go out and try a Mac.
And then it started... Debate between me and Azman about which is better Mac or PC.
Hahahaha... well, I still stick by my good experience with the Mac. No worries with viruses, spyware, malware or whatever ware there is out there. And believe it or not, a Mac is much cheaper than a PC, considering the softwares that come with it preinstalled, you are good to go to store your photos, edit them, make an amazing movie, make music — literally, organize your music, organize your calendar, get Microsoft Office running on it etc etc etc. And the best part is? Never having to worry whether any viruses or whatever-ware that's gonna hit you.
I have never installed a single anti-virus/spyware/malware/whatever-ware on my Mac. Never had too.
I rest my case.
Oh, and did I tell you its plug and play? Literally plug in whatever device you have, camera, scanner, DV camcorder it all works without having to install any silly drivers that come in a CD.
If you're still on a PC, you seriously have to give the Mac a go. Try it out. You will love it.
Met up with Azman, Elaine and Joanne outside Sakae Sushi. I was searching for them high and low inside the restaurant when it turns out they were queueing up outside the restaurant! Silly.
Found out Azman had the Sony Ericsson w800i phone. He just showed me that my phone could be a cool walkman phone too! I'm a tech idiot. He showed me what I need to get started listening music on my phone.
Pei Xin came a few minutes later. We got our table. It could at most seat 6 people. We thought the rest of the MDL people would not turn up. So ordered our food and enjoyed browsing through Azman's wedding and honeymoon photos. We all agreed his wife is pretty.
Xin Da and Choh Shin turned up! Unfortunately, our table cannot fit them. We requested for a longer table to shift to and we got it about 10 minutes later.
It's been a long while since I met up with them. The most recent one was when Azman held a barbeque at the MDL premises. I can't remember when that was, but it was a few months back. This is the first time I met up with Joanne since I last graduated from university back in 2002.
The whole lot of us were undergraduates back then from 1999 to 2002/2003. Azman was the permanent staff at the Multimedia Development Lab in NUS. We were from the Photographic Society and we got to work "part-time" in the Lab which was damn cool. And the best part is we got paid! And damn well too!
Ahh...those were the days. For me it was a great experience. We learnt a lot from Azman concerning the tech stuffs and computers and multimedia equipment in the lab, video editing etc etc. I was very inclined towards the Information Technology aspect of life, so having been able to be roped in to work in the lab was a good deal for me. I learnt a lot.
Well now, all of us having graduated and fully employed, its great to keep in contact.
One works for PSA, two of us is a teacher, though one of us is quiting to be a volunteer and researcher, another thinking of joining the teaching force, another is a furniture designer, specifically sofas, and another works with the National Arts council.
Best part is, now I know who to go to for if I need sofas! At cost price!! Excellent.
Elaine was asking Azman what laptop to get since she is scouting for one for herself. Heh...I being the Mac ardent fan, butted in and told her flat out to go out and try a Mac.
And then it started... Debate between me and Azman about which is better Mac or PC.
Hahahaha... well, I still stick by my good experience with the Mac. No worries with viruses, spyware, malware or whatever ware there is out there. And believe it or not, a Mac is much cheaper than a PC, considering the softwares that come with it preinstalled, you are good to go to store your photos, edit them, make an amazing movie, make music — literally, organize your music, organize your calendar, get Microsoft Office running on it etc etc etc. And the best part is? Never having to worry whether any viruses or whatever-ware that's gonna hit you.
I have never installed a single anti-virus/spyware/malware/whatever-ware on my Mac. Never had too.
I rest my case.
Oh, and did I tell you its plug and play? Literally plug in whatever device you have, camera, scanner, DV camcorder it all works without having to install any silly drivers that come in a CD.
If you're still on a PC, you seriously have to give the Mac a go. Try it out. You will love it.
X'mas dinner 2006
25/12/06 00:45 Filed in: Personal
X'mas eve
dinner at Chong Peng's. This was planned like a month
before I think. Chong Peng invited us all to his
place. In the end, only me and Wei Shan can make it.
Well...
Anyway, We ordered the traditional turkey from NTUC FairPrice (Halal by the way) 2 weeks ago. The plan was that I am to collect it on the eve of x'mas at noon and then heat it up at my place using my mom's microwave oven.
Got home after getting my fabulous free phone from Starhub. Popped the turkey in the microwave oven, set it at Medium heat level, and for 20 minutes.
Picked up Wei Shan at her place and off we go to Chong Peng's place. She got Log cake from Prima Deli!
It was fun and interesting preparing the turkey. Chong Peng showed Wei Shan around his new apartment.
Turkey was good. There's the sauce as well the stuffings.
The turkey was too big actually for the 4 of us to finish. I suggested the couple to keep for the whole of next week's dinner. Stir fry.
After that we played Dai Di. I have never played card poker card games. Well what we are playing is not poker. And no we didn't gamble. The 3 of them were very patient in teaching me how to play, the rules and all. We played a few rounds before I got the hang of it. won 2 of the games! Hahahaha beginner's luck I guess!
After that we cut the log cake! Its delicious I tell you! Mocha flavoured cream. The cake is soft, the cream is not overwhelmingly creamy or thick, and its not too sweet. Perfect.
Chong Peng and his wife gave us both X'mas presents. Man, I felt bad cos I didn't think about giving anybody presents.
I don't celebrate x'mas you see, so it didn't occur to me that I would be getting presents from anybody.
Damn I felt bad. Well there will always be next year to make amends.
All in, I enjoyed the dinner and most of all the company.
More photos in the photo section!
Well...
Anyway, We ordered the traditional turkey from NTUC FairPrice (Halal by the way) 2 weeks ago. The plan was that I am to collect it on the eve of x'mas at noon and then heat it up at my place using my mom's microwave oven.
Got home after getting my fabulous free phone from Starhub. Popped the turkey in the microwave oven, set it at Medium heat level, and for 20 minutes.
Picked up Wei Shan at her place and off we go to Chong Peng's place. She got Log cake from Prima Deli!
It was fun and interesting preparing the turkey. Chong Peng showed Wei Shan around his new apartment.
Turkey was good. There's the sauce as well the stuffings.
The turkey was too big actually for the 4 of us to finish. I suggested the couple to keep for the whole of next week's dinner. Stir fry.
After that we played Dai Di. I have never played card poker card games. Well what we are playing is not poker. And no we didn't gamble. The 3 of them were very patient in teaching me how to play, the rules and all. We played a few rounds before I got the hang of it. won 2 of the games! Hahahaha beginner's luck I guess!
After that we cut the log cake! Its delicious I tell you! Mocha flavoured cream. The cake is soft, the cream is not overwhelmingly creamy or thick, and its not too sweet. Perfect.
Chong Peng and his wife gave us both X'mas presents. Man, I felt bad cos I didn't think about giving anybody presents.
I don't celebrate x'mas you see, so it didn't occur to me that I would be getting presents from anybody.
Damn I felt bad. Well there will always be next year to make amends.
All in, I enjoyed the dinner and most of all the company.
More photos in the photo section!
Of turkeys and free handphones...
24/12/06 18:30 Filed in: Personal
My sister
accompanied me the whole day today to do my rounds of
shopping. Collected the turkey, kept it in the
freezer, then off I go to get my new hand phone — for
free!!
Found a $100 voucher in the mail today given by Starhub. Excellent. The catch is, if I use it, it has to be for purchasing a new phone. And on top of that, I have to be binded to a 2 year mobile subscription contract with them.
I have always stayed away from being bound by a contract, especially with mobile service providers. I feel tied up because I can't change my mobile plan or discard them as and when I feel like it.
But then again I thought, heck why not. I have not changed my number for close to 5 years already. And I have just upgraded my mobile plan and I am comfortable with it. So why not stick to it for another 2 years eh?
So then I went looking for starhub roadshows to see if they have any phone on offer. There were plenty!!
Well, to keep my expenses low, I intend to get a good phone without forking out a single cent from my pocket. The new phone must be claimed by using only the $100 voucher.
Well that narrowed down to a few phones. Namely those less popular nokia's, samsung's and motorola's. I've been a fan of Sony Ericsson's ever since I gotten the k700i from a fella who sold it to me through a pocket PC forum. It has been serving me well for over 1 and a half year I think. Excellent phone.
Well after much considerations and researching made over lunch at MacD's in Toa Payoh with my sister, I made up my mind to get the Sony Ericsson's k610im.
The roadshow at Toa Payoh interchange couldn't help me out because my plan is under the corporate subscriber. They advised me to go down to cuppage centre — Starhub's headquarters.
And go there I did.
And I got my spanking new phone! (Not before I had to fill up some forms, my I/C and staff pass being examined and xeroxed and then being brought to a special room where I was to sign a form and all).
Very happy with the phone.
It's a 3G phone, which means I can use it when I am in Japan.
I can make video call. Picture quality is not bad! Well at least its decent, compared to the 0.3 Mega pixel camera on my previous k700i.
And the best thing is? IT'S FREE!!
Woohoo!
Now let's hope I don't have a need to change my mobile plan for the next 2 years.
Found a $100 voucher in the mail today given by Starhub. Excellent. The catch is, if I use it, it has to be for purchasing a new phone. And on top of that, I have to be binded to a 2 year mobile subscription contract with them.
I have always stayed away from being bound by a contract, especially with mobile service providers. I feel tied up because I can't change my mobile plan or discard them as and when I feel like it.
But then again I thought, heck why not. I have not changed my number for close to 5 years already. And I have just upgraded my mobile plan and I am comfortable with it. So why not stick to it for another 2 years eh?
So then I went looking for starhub roadshows to see if they have any phone on offer. There were plenty!!
Well, to keep my expenses low, I intend to get a good phone without forking out a single cent from my pocket. The new phone must be claimed by using only the $100 voucher.
Well that narrowed down to a few phones. Namely those less popular nokia's, samsung's and motorola's. I've been a fan of Sony Ericsson's ever since I gotten the k700i from a fella who sold it to me through a pocket PC forum. It has been serving me well for over 1 and a half year I think. Excellent phone.
Well after much considerations and researching made over lunch at MacD's in Toa Payoh with my sister, I made up my mind to get the Sony Ericsson's k610im.
The roadshow at Toa Payoh interchange couldn't help me out because my plan is under the corporate subscriber. They advised me to go down to cuppage centre — Starhub's headquarters.
And go there I did.
And I got my spanking new phone! (Not before I had to fill up some forms, my I/C and staff pass being examined and xeroxed and then being brought to a special room where I was to sign a form and all).
Very happy with the phone.
It's a 3G phone, which means I can use it when I am in Japan.
I can make video call. Picture quality is not bad! Well at least its decent, compared to the 0.3 Mega pixel camera on my previous k700i.
And the best thing is? IT'S FREE!!
Woohoo!
Now let's hope I don't have a need to change my mobile plan for the next 2 years.
Cycling to Jurong Point and Back
18/12/06 15:29 Filed in: Cycling
Wanted to
find out if I still have it in me.
Woke up at 8am today. I thought, I'd go and cycle to Jurong/Tuas and back.
I've ever cycled to Tuas from home before. The fastest timing was 1 hour and 30 minutes flat. If I had a road bike, it would have been much faster. But hey, I prefer my Kona Mountain bike. But I seriously have to get a new bike if I want to survive Italy. More about that later.
Well anyway, cycling to Tuas and back was a regular thing back then. Way back in 1998 to 1999. Army days. But it was like cycling to Tuas, 33 kilometers from home, in 1 hour 30 minutes. The following day then I will cycle back home.
Never have I done 33 kilometers to and fro. Which means a total of 66 kilometers in one shot.
Well today is the day I prove myself.
Heh.
I set off at 830am. Went to Caltex near my place to get 2 bottles of H20 isotonic drink and pump my tires to 40 kPa.
I continued till I reached Bishan fire station. The sky looked ominously dark.
The route I took brought back good memories.
Anyway the road in front of Mount Alvernia Hospital leading to Lornie road is totally not bicycle friendly. But anyway I passed it.
You know taking photos along the way really slowed down my journey there. Thus I thought I'd just go easy. No speeding. Take my time.
Reached the junction at Bukit Timah. I'll be turning right, towards the road that leads to the McD that has a history of violence amongst customers fighting over Hello Kitty dolls.
And then I passed by SIM university. SIM is now a university? Wow that's impressive.
I can't remember where this is. I think I am approaching Sunset Way. I like the greeneries here. Nice.
Cycling through Clementi is a good experience. The road along the MRT tracks and next to Clementi Central Bus station is a nice place.
And I pedalled on forward.
And then I reached Chinese/Japanese garden. I have reached Boon Lay.
My thighs start to twitch. I think the perpetual paddling without stopping starting to take its toll on my thighs.
I reached Jurong Point. I am now at the Boon Lay MRT station. I moved on towards Tuas road. The time was 1030am. I took 2 hours to reach here. How much distance have I covered? Don't know. I don't have the cyclo-computer fixed to my bike. I definitely have to get it soon.
My intention is to reach Pasir Laba army camp. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately I cannot remember the route I took!
Passed by a field on my left. I think about 20 foreign workers from India were there playing cricket! Interesting.
I ended up somewhere along Tuas road. My thighs twitched again. The whole quadriceps contracted like it has a mind of its own. I had to stop. That was the worst experience ever. Stood up, still straddling the bike and tried frantically to reach the isotonic drink at the side pouch of my bag. Damn. I got cramps on both my thighs. Both my thighs contracted uncontrollably till it made me tiptoe! Hahahah. Funny now that I think about it again. But at that point of time, it was totally not funny at all.
The foreboding dark clouds could no longer contain those water up in the sky. It started to pour.
Damn! Good thing my bag comes with a rain cover and I had put it on from the start of the journey so I'm not too worried about my bag getting wet and all.
I cycled and stopped under the shelter of a bus stop. The cricket players came running to the bus stop where I was.
Waited for a bit, think it was for a good 15 minutes.
The rain came to a drizzle. I stretched my legs, did a few squats and short jumps to ease the thigh contractions. Guess I better head back home.
Picked the bike up and paddled slowly.
Reached Adam road. Had to stop for a while. The dark sky poured again.
The way back was alright. The tough part was the Lornie/Adam road. The stretch of road that has 2 filter lanes to PIE. The cars that drive by on this road really drive fast. And this part of the road is an UPHILL!!!
The road was wet. It was still drizzling. And my thighs feels like giving way.
This is really the challenge of the day. I passed by the first filter lane to the expressway by picking up speed and cycled fast to avoid fast approaching cars from behind that wants to filter out to PIE.
My thighs LOCKED UP! Fortunately I reached the peak of the uphill. I still have another filter lane to pass before this is over!
I stopped at the side of the road. Tip toeing again! I felt terrible. Wanted to throw up actually. Breathed in and out a couple of times, and then I reached for my drink. Terrible cramp.
After letting my legs relax for about 5 minutes, I felt I could carry on the journey. This time its a downhill. Thank god for that. Picked up speed and passed the second filter lane with no problems or accidents.
Phew. That was dangerous.
The rest of the journey was not too bad. Easy. But had to go slow. My thighs really can't take paddling fast anymore.
I reached home at 130pm. Which means I took 3 hours from Jurong/Tuas.
I felt satisfied. I can still do it.
Italy, here I come.
Woke up at 8am today. I thought, I'd go and cycle to Jurong/Tuas and back.
I've ever cycled to Tuas from home before. The fastest timing was 1 hour and 30 minutes flat. If I had a road bike, it would have been much faster. But hey, I prefer my Kona Mountain bike. But I seriously have to get a new bike if I want to survive Italy. More about that later.
Well anyway, cycling to Tuas and back was a regular thing back then. Way back in 1998 to 1999. Army days. But it was like cycling to Tuas, 33 kilometers from home, in 1 hour 30 minutes. The following day then I will cycle back home.
Never have I done 33 kilometers to and fro. Which means a total of 66 kilometers in one shot.
Well today is the day I prove myself.
Heh.
I set off at 830am. Went to Caltex near my place to get 2 bottles of H20 isotonic drink and pump my tires to 40 kPa.
I continued till I reached Bishan fire station. The sky looked ominously dark.
The route I took brought back good memories.
Anyway the road in front of Mount Alvernia Hospital leading to Lornie road is totally not bicycle friendly. But anyway I passed it.
You know taking photos along the way really slowed down my journey there. Thus I thought I'd just go easy. No speeding. Take my time.
Reached the junction at Bukit Timah. I'll be turning right, towards the road that leads to the McD that has a history of violence amongst customers fighting over Hello Kitty dolls.
And then I passed by SIM university. SIM is now a university? Wow that's impressive.
I can't remember where this is. I think I am approaching Sunset Way. I like the greeneries here. Nice.
Cycling through Clementi is a good experience. The road along the MRT tracks and next to Clementi Central Bus station is a nice place.
And I pedalled on forward.
And then I reached Chinese/Japanese garden. I have reached Boon Lay.
My thighs start to twitch. I think the perpetual paddling without stopping starting to take its toll on my thighs.
I reached Jurong Point. I am now at the Boon Lay MRT station. I moved on towards Tuas road. The time was 1030am. I took 2 hours to reach here. How much distance have I covered? Don't know. I don't have the cyclo-computer fixed to my bike. I definitely have to get it soon.
My intention is to reach Pasir Laba army camp. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately I cannot remember the route I took!
Passed by a field on my left. I think about 20 foreign workers from India were there playing cricket! Interesting.
I ended up somewhere along Tuas road. My thighs twitched again. The whole quadriceps contracted like it has a mind of its own. I had to stop. That was the worst experience ever. Stood up, still straddling the bike and tried frantically to reach the isotonic drink at the side pouch of my bag. Damn. I got cramps on both my thighs. Both my thighs contracted uncontrollably till it made me tiptoe! Hahahah. Funny now that I think about it again. But at that point of time, it was totally not funny at all.
The foreboding dark clouds could no longer contain those water up in the sky. It started to pour.
Damn! Good thing my bag comes with a rain cover and I had put it on from the start of the journey so I'm not too worried about my bag getting wet and all.
I cycled and stopped under the shelter of a bus stop. The cricket players came running to the bus stop where I was.
Waited for a bit, think it was for a good 15 minutes.
The rain came to a drizzle. I stretched my legs, did a few squats and short jumps to ease the thigh contractions. Guess I better head back home.
Picked the bike up and paddled slowly.
Reached Adam road. Had to stop for a while. The dark sky poured again.
The way back was alright. The tough part was the Lornie/Adam road. The stretch of road that has 2 filter lanes to PIE. The cars that drive by on this road really drive fast. And this part of the road is an UPHILL!!!
The road was wet. It was still drizzling. And my thighs feels like giving way.
This is really the challenge of the day. I passed by the first filter lane to the expressway by picking up speed and cycled fast to avoid fast approaching cars from behind that wants to filter out to PIE.
My thighs LOCKED UP! Fortunately I reached the peak of the uphill. I still have another filter lane to pass before this is over!
I stopped at the side of the road. Tip toeing again! I felt terrible. Wanted to throw up actually. Breathed in and out a couple of times, and then I reached for my drink. Terrible cramp.
After letting my legs relax for about 5 minutes, I felt I could carry on the journey. This time its a downhill. Thank god for that. Picked up speed and passed the second filter lane with no problems or accidents.
Phew. That was dangerous.
The rest of the journey was not too bad. Easy. But had to go slow. My thighs really can't take paddling fast anymore.
I reached home at 130pm. Which means I took 3 hours from Jurong/Tuas.
I felt satisfied. I can still do it.
Italy, here I come.
Doing the 20K car servicing
14/12/06 23:00 Filed in: Personal
I am typing
this at Comfort Delgro servicing centre. Sitting and
waiting in a comfortable lounge, there's internet
service here. There's WiFi but can't seem to log
in.Jeremy from confort delgro is efficient, friendly,
gives advice, looks into your needs and everything
else that makes his service a top notch excellent
one. He updates me whenever there's issues crop up
during the servicing.
Hmm, so far the squeaking sound he said is due to the seat belt. Well I'l be... I was sure its something to do with the chassis. He said once the seat belt at the right passenger side was buckled, the noise totally disappeared. Well that's a relief.
Kind of, until I get back into the car and drive off somewhat later on.So far so good.Jeremy told me some issues regarding the engine oil grade I intend to use. I brought my own oil you see. And he said that 5W30 is thinner than 5W40. In city driving the engine will make a lot of sound due to friction. But highway driving and long distance without stopping, this grade of oil beats the rest.Will there be any long term damage?
Hmm...not really. Well there will be some wear, but there's other factors that come in to prevent this.Well, I'll have to see if I am comfortable with the claimed higher engine noise. If I don't like it, I'll just switch to a higher grade.
Hmm, so far the squeaking sound he said is due to the seat belt. Well I'l be... I was sure its something to do with the chassis. He said once the seat belt at the right passenger side was buckled, the noise totally disappeared. Well that's a relief.
Kind of, until I get back into the car and drive off somewhat later on.So far so good.Jeremy told me some issues regarding the engine oil grade I intend to use. I brought my own oil you see. And he said that 5W30 is thinner than 5W40. In city driving the engine will make a lot of sound due to friction. But highway driving and long distance without stopping, this grade of oil beats the rest.Will there be any long term damage?
Hmm...not really. Well there will be some wear, but there's other factors that come in to prevent this.Well, I'll have to see if I am comfortable with the claimed higher engine noise. If I don't like it, I'll just switch to a higher grade.
Met up with our New Zealand Counterparts
10/12/06 22:43 Filed in: Work
Got a call
from an unknown number toda at about 12 noon. Good
thing I picked it up. Usually I would just ignore it.
On the other line was Johnathan. The teacher in
charge of the New Zealand team for the KWN
compettion.
Before this I wondered what time the Kiwis reached Singapore yesterday. Because they told us they would be heading to Singapore by bus.
Well, Johnathan is kind of free right now. The rest of the team and family went on their own itinerary. A hotel city tour.
Met up with him at 2pm outside the Meritus Mandarin hotel.
He got a good deal there from the online travel agency called wotif.com.
200++SGD for a room per night. I thought that's pretty OK for a 5 star hotel right in the heart of Orchard road!
Met up with him, had lunch at Plaza Singapura.
Got a message from Wen Jun and Ben asking me to get Kayla's or her mum's phone number because Afiq from the malaysian KWN team wants to contact her.
His son just turned 1 year old yesterday. So he better get something back for him.
After lunch we headed to paragon's toys 'r' us. He spent a total of about 50SGD in soft toy and thomas the train toys for his 2 sons.
We discussed a lot of things from education to politics, to the military and discussed a lot about the cultures in Singapore and New Zealand. I find it very refreshing.
He told me there would be a FIFA club world CUP going on today at 6pm —Auckland VS Egypt's Al-Ahly. Good game. We wanted to watch it on the big screen but decided not too 'cause usually we can't hear the commentaries clearly. So we bought chips, drinks, he got beer for himself and we headed back to the hotel room.
The game was good! Strangely, the Auckland team comprises of amateurs. They played well against the Egyptians who were pros.
I had to meet a friend at 8pm. Damn. I could have stayed a bit longer. I could only catch up till the first few minutes into the second half of the game. It was getting interesting when the Egyptians scored a goal in the first few minutes of the second half.
Well we bid adieu and he said he'd give me a call again the next day regarding Kayla's contact no.
Before this I wondered what time the Kiwis reached Singapore yesterday. Because they told us they would be heading to Singapore by bus.
Well, Johnathan is kind of free right now. The rest of the team and family went on their own itinerary. A hotel city tour.
Met up with him at 2pm outside the Meritus Mandarin hotel.
He got a good deal there from the online travel agency called wotif.com.
200++SGD for a room per night. I thought that's pretty OK for a 5 star hotel right in the heart of Orchard road!
Met up with him, had lunch at Plaza Singapura.
Got a message from Wen Jun and Ben asking me to get Kayla's or her mum's phone number because Afiq from the malaysian KWN team wants to contact her.
His son just turned 1 year old yesterday. So he better get something back for him.
After lunch we headed to paragon's toys 'r' us. He spent a total of about 50SGD in soft toy and thomas the train toys for his 2 sons.
We discussed a lot of things from education to politics, to the military and discussed a lot about the cultures in Singapore and New Zealand. I find it very refreshing.
He told me there would be a FIFA club world CUP going on today at 6pm —Auckland VS Egypt's Al-Ahly. Good game. We wanted to watch it on the big screen but decided not too 'cause usually we can't hear the commentaries clearly. So we bought chips, drinks, he got beer for himself and we headed back to the hotel room.
The game was good! Strangely, the Auckland team comprises of amateurs. They played well against the Egyptians who were pros.
I had to meet a friend at 8pm. Damn. I could have stayed a bit longer. I could only catch up till the first few minutes into the second half of the game. It was getting interesting when the Egyptians scored a goal in the first few minutes of the second half.
Well we bid adieu and he said he'd give me a call again the next day regarding Kayla's contact no.
Went for a run in the park
10/12/06 11:06 Filed in: Personal
Just came
back from running in the park.
3.2 km run in 22 minutes. terrible. Well I went the other route which has a lot of uphills.
But that's just a load of excuses. I should go faster. Tomorrow.
Was with Chong Peng for the run. After the run we spotted this little tree. Reminded us of a bonsai plant.
Interesting.
After that went for a light breakfast at Serangoon Gardens. I've always liked that area. Lots of trees, quiet peaceful environment.
3.2 km run in 22 minutes. terrible. Well I went the other route which has a lot of uphills.
But that's just a load of excuses. I should go faster. Tomorrow.
Was with Chong Peng for the run. After the run we spotted this little tree. Reminded us of a bonsai plant.
Interesting.
After that went for a light breakfast at Serangoon Gardens. I've always liked that area. Lots of trees, quiet peaceful environment.
Educational Tour after KWN Awards
08/12/06 23:37 Filed in: Work
Woke up
real early today. Think it was about 630 am.
Wore the new Yellow Adidas T-shirt. Nice. Well actually I bought because I didn't bring much clothing. Heh. Lazy packer.
Anyway we went for breakfast at Wild Rice again. Nice selection of food. Well, some dishes are repeats from yesterday's lunch. I think.
Today we're going to the Petronas Twin Towers. We set off right after breakfast.
Our team felt really bad yesterday night because all the kids from all the countries gave us little gifts as a token from their country..well maybe except for Vietnam. But that's alright because it's their first time participating in this competition.
Hahahah we didn't think about this at all!
So after dinner yesterday Clarice rushed to buy some chocolate covered marshmallows and some chocolates. The boys thought of staying up all night creating a podcast and burn them into CDs and give to the other kids from the other countries as a token. By the time we finished shopping for the chocolates, (and adidas t-shirt...heh) CD-roms, it was already close to 11pm.
Chong Peng and I went down to their room and suggested they just give out the chocolates and then make an announcement to film the kids from the other countries the following day. The will carry out an interview. The the compiled video will then be posted on to YouTube and the link to it will be sent to them via email.
Wah. The younger generations have it good really. Fast easy communications, so easy to share videos and stuffs to the world. Impressive. I remembered back in my teenage years the best communication technology for us then was the pager. Even then I do not have the luxury to own one.
Well anyway on the bus on the way to the Petronas Twin Towers, Ben and Sherman made the announcement and gave out the chocolates.
We reached the Kuala Lumpur City Cnetre (KLCC) and proceeded inside.
We had to queue up to get tickets to visit the sky bridge. Its the bridge that links the two twin towers. The tallest twin tower in the world.
By the time it was 10 the tickets were sold out. Well, we didn't have to queue for the tickets actually. It's all been settled by the Panasonic organisers. We had to wait for our turn to go up the lift.
While waiting, Ben, Sherman and Wen Jun went round to interview the kids from the other countries.
In the mean time we viewed video clips on the background information and history that leads up to the materialization of the building.
The skybridge allowed us to see KL from a helicopter view. It was the 41st floor of the tower. Nice view.
After we're there for about 10 minutes we were ushered back to the lift where we had to wait for the rest of the KWN delegates to finish the tour. They went with another batch of tourists.
We killed time by trying out the exhibits they had there.
We then headed for California Pizza.
Ben was raving about how good California Pizza was and all. I thought "Wow this must be really good!"
So we had two rounds of vegetarian pizza. I thought there was nothing to shout about. That explains our facial expressions here.
I joked with him saying I was disappointed in his taste of pizzas. Hahahah.
Oh and Chong made a comment about the pizza. "This is the first time I see broccoli on pizzas!" Jonathan, a teacher from New Zealand came to our table said exactly the same thing! That was really funny.
While we had some time waiting, Ben, Sherman and Wen Jun went to interview the rest of the kids from Australia, Indonesia and Thailand at the balcony outside the restaurant.
After lunch, we headed for the Petro Science centre. We were given 2 hours to spend time inside. Chong Peng asked Clarice if we could just go in for 5 minutes and then come out to shop around. She said better not. Turns out, we had a lot of fun inside that we thought 2 hours wasn't enough!
While waiting in line to take the "Dark Ride", we were entertained by the staff there with smart science tricks and illusions.
The Dark Ride was a slow one. And its the only way to proceed on to exhibits found inside the Petro Science Centre. Oh well.
The vehicle that we went on looked a huge motorcycle helmet. Once we're inside, I felt as though we're in the flintstones' leg powered car.
And here's Ben looking silly in the car, in the dark.
Once we're inside, we tried out all sorts of science fun stuffs.
Don't ride rickshaws with Chong Peng. Its a bone rattling experience!
Everybody sing! —"Ben the Builder!"
Touching hot magma!
Oh My! What big fangs you've got!
Engineers at work.
Earthquake simulator
Feel how a figure 8 skater would feel as they spin on their toes at super speed!
This one's really funny. This Thai girl from the Thailand KWN participants tricked me into looking inside the barrel. When I looked into it, I felt a gush of wind blown straight into my face! I was fooled into looking at the end of a bellow!
Testing our football skills.
Trying out for baseball pitcher. See how fast you can throw. Best timing for me is 47km/h
How fast can you run?
Waiting for our helicopter ride at helipad H1.
Its been a swell day. We didn't want to move on to the next station. We've been told to be outside of the Petro Science center at 3 and the time was already 250pm when we realised we had to get moving!
And to think we only wanted to spend 5 minutes in here and then shop around KLCC. hahaha
When we finally got out, everybody was waiting for us. Clarice was calling me on the phone asking where we were.
Well, for all things that are good and all, it has to come to an end. So we were then ushered to the lobby where we then made our way to the bus.
And then head out back to our hotel.
We were given time from 4pm till 615 to wash up, go shopping and all. Basically free and easy time.
At 615 everybody gathered at the lobby where we headed for Mdm Kwan's restaurant. Famous for its Nasi Lemak. Pretty expensive for Nasi Lemak, about 14RM. But everybody should try it. It is good! I guess its worth the price. But hey, Panasonic's sponsoring this so I've got nothing to complain even if it turns out otherwise.
After dinner at Mdm Kwan's, the boys wanted to go for bowling. Thy rallied all the other kids to go with them, parents teachers and all. Chong Peng and I reminded them curfew is at 1130pm. We'll be checking on them to make sure they are back in their hotel room by then.
In the mean time, we went shopping for gifts for our loved ones and of course for myself. Bought a f ew more t-shirts, this time a dry fit Nike. Got it at a very good deal again.!
By the time we reached our hotel room, we were both dead tired. The film "Alexander" was showing on tv. We were both too tired too watch it even if we wanted to.
Wore the new Yellow Adidas T-shirt. Nice. Well actually I bought because I didn't bring much clothing. Heh. Lazy packer.
Anyway we went for breakfast at Wild Rice again. Nice selection of food. Well, some dishes are repeats from yesterday's lunch. I think.
Today we're going to the Petronas Twin Towers. We set off right after breakfast.
Our team felt really bad yesterday night because all the kids from all the countries gave us little gifts as a token from their country..well maybe except for Vietnam. But that's alright because it's their first time participating in this competition.
Hahahah we didn't think about this at all!
So after dinner yesterday Clarice rushed to buy some chocolate covered marshmallows and some chocolates. The boys thought of staying up all night creating a podcast and burn them into CDs and give to the other kids from the other countries as a token. By the time we finished shopping for the chocolates, (and adidas t-shirt...heh) CD-roms, it was already close to 11pm.
Chong Peng and I went down to their room and suggested they just give out the chocolates and then make an announcement to film the kids from the other countries the following day. The will carry out an interview. The the compiled video will then be posted on to YouTube and the link to it will be sent to them via email.
Wah. The younger generations have it good really. Fast easy communications, so easy to share videos and stuffs to the world. Impressive. I remembered back in my teenage years the best communication technology for us then was the pager. Even then I do not have the luxury to own one.
Well anyway on the bus on the way to the Petronas Twin Towers, Ben and Sherman made the announcement and gave out the chocolates.
We reached the Kuala Lumpur City Cnetre (KLCC) and proceeded inside.
We had to queue up to get tickets to visit the sky bridge. Its the bridge that links the two twin towers. The tallest twin tower in the world.
By the time it was 10 the tickets were sold out. Well, we didn't have to queue for the tickets actually. It's all been settled by the Panasonic organisers. We had to wait for our turn to go up the lift.
While waiting, Ben, Sherman and Wen Jun went round to interview the kids from the other countries.
In the mean time we viewed video clips on the background information and history that leads up to the materialization of the building.
The skybridge allowed us to see KL from a helicopter view. It was the 41st floor of the tower. Nice view.
After we're there for about 10 minutes we were ushered back to the lift where we had to wait for the rest of the KWN delegates to finish the tour. They went with another batch of tourists.
We killed time by trying out the exhibits they had there.
We then headed for California Pizza.
Ben was raving about how good California Pizza was and all. I thought "Wow this must be really good!"
So we had two rounds of vegetarian pizza. I thought there was nothing to shout about. That explains our facial expressions here.
I joked with him saying I was disappointed in his taste of pizzas. Hahahah.
Oh and Chong made a comment about the pizza. "This is the first time I see broccoli on pizzas!" Jonathan, a teacher from New Zealand came to our table said exactly the same thing! That was really funny.
While we had some time waiting, Ben, Sherman and Wen Jun went to interview the rest of the kids from Australia, Indonesia and Thailand at the balcony outside the restaurant.
After lunch, we headed for the Petro Science centre. We were given 2 hours to spend time inside. Chong Peng asked Clarice if we could just go in for 5 minutes and then come out to shop around. She said better not. Turns out, we had a lot of fun inside that we thought 2 hours wasn't enough!
While waiting in line to take the "Dark Ride", we were entertained by the staff there with smart science tricks and illusions.
The Dark Ride was a slow one. And its the only way to proceed on to exhibits found inside the Petro Science Centre. Oh well.
The vehicle that we went on looked a huge motorcycle helmet. Once we're inside, I felt as though we're in the flintstones' leg powered car.
And here's Ben looking silly in the car, in the dark.
Once we're inside, we tried out all sorts of science fun stuffs.
Don't ride rickshaws with Chong Peng. Its a bone rattling experience!
Everybody sing! —"Ben the Builder!"
Touching hot magma!
Oh My! What big fangs you've got!
Engineers at work.
Earthquake simulator
Feel how a figure 8 skater would feel as they spin on their toes at super speed!
This one's really funny. This Thai girl from the Thailand KWN participants tricked me into looking inside the barrel. When I looked into it, I felt a gush of wind blown straight into my face! I was fooled into looking at the end of a bellow!
Testing our football skills.
Trying out for baseball pitcher. See how fast you can throw. Best timing for me is 47km/h
How fast can you run?
Waiting for our helicopter ride at helipad H1.
Its been a swell day. We didn't want to move on to the next station. We've been told to be outside of the Petro Science center at 3 and the time was already 250pm when we realised we had to get moving!
And to think we only wanted to spend 5 minutes in here and then shop around KLCC. hahaha
When we finally got out, everybody was waiting for us. Clarice was calling me on the phone asking where we were.
Well, for all things that are good and all, it has to come to an end. So we were then ushered to the lobby where we then made our way to the bus.
And then head out back to our hotel.
We were given time from 4pm till 615 to wash up, go shopping and all. Basically free and easy time.
At 615 everybody gathered at the lobby where we headed for Mdm Kwan's restaurant. Famous for its Nasi Lemak. Pretty expensive for Nasi Lemak, about 14RM. But everybody should try it. It is good! I guess its worth the price. But hey, Panasonic's sponsoring this so I've got nothing to complain even if it turns out otherwise.
After dinner at Mdm Kwan's, the boys wanted to go for bowling. Thy rallied all the other kids to go with them, parents teachers and all. Chong Peng and I reminded them curfew is at 1130pm. We'll be checking on them to make sure they are back in their hotel room by then.
In the mean time, we went shopping for gifts for our loved ones and of course for myself. Bought a f ew more t-shirts, this time a dry fit Nike. Got it at a very good deal again.!
By the time we reached our hotel room, we were both dead tired. The film "Alexander" was showing on tv. We were both too tired too watch it even if we wanted to.
Panasonic KWN 2006
07/12/06 20:04 Filed in: Work
Super
slack.
Woke up at 5am today, stuffed my bag with the barest minimum for the flight to KL.
Took a cab and reached Chong Peng's place at 615am. We then headed for terminal 2, reached there about 635am.
Got a message from Yvonne saying she can't go with us. In her stead will be Clarice, her boss.
Met up with Wen Jun's parents, and later Benjamin's parents. They looked very happy, and a bit sleepy. Well I was.
Clarice arrived about 10 minutes before seven. She gave us our flight tickets.
We then headed for check in counter for flight SQ106.
After checking in and gone through the immigration checks, we headed to get coffee. I haven't had anything for breakfast and I am damn hungry.
So Chong Peng and I settled for tea/coffee and polar puffs.
Got the window seat. Well actually it's Clarice's but she's ok with me seating there.
We touched down at Sepang Airport at about 930 am. We took the shuttle train to ferry us from the airport to the immigration. That's the only way to reach the immigration side really.
We then took the van to reach Boulevard Hotel in Mid Valley Kuala Lumpur.
Nice place. 5 star hotel I think. We checked in to our hotel room. The boys' on the 11th floor, mine and Chong Peng's on the 19th floor room 5. Clarice's on the 10th.
While Clarice settled our hotel checking-in, we got to know our Indonesian counterparts in this competition. The girls were from an elementary school in Jakarta.
By this time its about 12 noon. We headed for the 9th floor where Wild Rice is. This is where we had a really sumptuous lunch!
I've never had so much for lunch. Good buffet spread, ice cream, pastries and all the works. Never felt so satisfied during lunch before.
The boys reported to me they "broke" the ironing board. Great. "What next?" I thought.
After lunch we headed to the lobby where we were lead to the cinema area which is on the 3rd floor of the Mid Valley Mega Mall. This is where we were all seated and waited for the awards ceremony to start.
There were 6 other countries participating; Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Vietnam. This is the first time Vietnam is participating in this competition.
All the delegates from the different countries were present except Thailand, which came in the middle of the speech made by the Panasonic Asia Pacific region's boss.
Every team from each participating country were requested to make a introductory speech regarding their work and also a bit on the process of the project. Benjamin, Sherman, Wen jun went down to the front and presented. They did a wonderful job.
Very steady and confident.
All the videos from the different countries were projected on to the huge silver screen. Benjamin seated next to me commented that the feeling is "different" viewing their work on the big cinema screen. I agree. It felt good.
After we watched all the videos, I strongly felt Indonesia deserved to win. Their anchorwoman is really good. She really captured the attention of the viewer. The editing and soundtrack is also superb. A close second is New Zealand. I really like the video from the Vietnamese team which I felt deserve to win 3rd after New Zealand.
The moment came and the awards were announced. The Singapore team was called out first. The boys won the award for best script. Ben said the award goes to Timothy. He was the one who wrote the entire script. Well done.
And the winner was no surprise to me. Indonesia! And runner up is New Zealand.
After the award ceremony, we went back to the hotel and decided to go to the gym and have a swim in the pool. But turns out me and Chong Peng didn't go for a swim.
The boys couldn't go to the gym because they are underaged. So they had to settle for a swim. That's just too bad.
After the gym we had dinner at Wild Rice again. It was an appreciation dinner with performances to entertain us.
After dinner we went shopping at the Mid Valley Mega Mall. Got a good deal at the Royal Sporting House. A yellow Dry-Fit Addidas T-shirt was on sale for like 12SGD only!
Good thing I got it. The stores here close at 10pm. I got it just when the store's about to close. I am a happy man.
By the time I reached back to the hotel room, I was dead tired.
Woke up at 5am today, stuffed my bag with the barest minimum for the flight to KL.
Took a cab and reached Chong Peng's place at 615am. We then headed for terminal 2, reached there about 635am.
Got a message from Yvonne saying she can't go with us. In her stead will be Clarice, her boss.
Met up with Wen Jun's parents, and later Benjamin's parents. They looked very happy, and a bit sleepy. Well I was.
Clarice arrived about 10 minutes before seven. She gave us our flight tickets.
We then headed for check in counter for flight SQ106.
After checking in and gone through the immigration checks, we headed to get coffee. I haven't had anything for breakfast and I am damn hungry.
So Chong Peng and I settled for tea/coffee and polar puffs.
Got the window seat. Well actually it's Clarice's but she's ok with me seating there.
We touched down at Sepang Airport at about 930 am. We took the shuttle train to ferry us from the airport to the immigration. That's the only way to reach the immigration side really.
We then took the van to reach Boulevard Hotel in Mid Valley Kuala Lumpur.
Nice place. 5 star hotel I think. We checked in to our hotel room. The boys' on the 11th floor, mine and Chong Peng's on the 19th floor room 5. Clarice's on the 10th.
While Clarice settled our hotel checking-in, we got to know our Indonesian counterparts in this competition. The girls were from an elementary school in Jakarta.
By this time its about 12 noon. We headed for the 9th floor where Wild Rice is. This is where we had a really sumptuous lunch!
I've never had so much for lunch. Good buffet spread, ice cream, pastries and all the works. Never felt so satisfied during lunch before.
The boys reported to me they "broke" the ironing board. Great. "What next?" I thought.
After lunch we headed to the lobby where we were lead to the cinema area which is on the 3rd floor of the Mid Valley Mega Mall. This is where we were all seated and waited for the awards ceremony to start.
There were 6 other countries participating; Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Vietnam. This is the first time Vietnam is participating in this competition.
All the delegates from the different countries were present except Thailand, which came in the middle of the speech made by the Panasonic Asia Pacific region's boss.
Every team from each participating country were requested to make a introductory speech regarding their work and also a bit on the process of the project. Benjamin, Sherman, Wen jun went down to the front and presented. They did a wonderful job.
Very steady and confident.
All the videos from the different countries were projected on to the huge silver screen. Benjamin seated next to me commented that the feeling is "different" viewing their work on the big cinema screen. I agree. It felt good.
After we watched all the videos, I strongly felt Indonesia deserved to win. Their anchorwoman is really good. She really captured the attention of the viewer. The editing and soundtrack is also superb. A close second is New Zealand. I really like the video from the Vietnamese team which I felt deserve to win 3rd after New Zealand.
The moment came and the awards were announced. The Singapore team was called out first. The boys won the award for best script. Ben said the award goes to Timothy. He was the one who wrote the entire script. Well done.
And the winner was no surprise to me. Indonesia! And runner up is New Zealand.
After the award ceremony, we went back to the hotel and decided to go to the gym and have a swim in the pool. But turns out me and Chong Peng didn't go for a swim.
The boys couldn't go to the gym because they are underaged. So they had to settle for a swim. That's just too bad.
After the gym we had dinner at Wild Rice again. It was an appreciation dinner with performances to entertain us.
After dinner we went shopping at the Mid Valley Mega Mall. Got a good deal at the Royal Sporting House. A yellow Dry-Fit Addidas T-shirt was on sale for like 12SGD only!
Good thing I got it. The stores here close at 10pm. I got it just when the store's about to close. I am a happy man.
By the time I reached back to the hotel room, I was dead tired.
Bangkok... hmmm
03/12/06 22:32 Filed in: Personal
Came back
from Bangkok on the 29th of november. All I can say
about that trip is: It's damn tiring.
Its really a city City. Lots of traffic. Almost didn't manage to get a cab to reach the airport on time. Well I did reach the airport with a bit of time to spare.
Lots of air pollution too. Riding the tuk-tuk really does helps to constantly remind you of that. Oh and the tuk-tuk drivers are fine skillful drivers. How they skillfully squirm their way to get past the traffic is incredible. Unfortunately though, these vehicles do not go on the highways... so as much as I would like to get to the airport riding these, its not possible.
Lots of things you can buy there. Though I don't find it cheap. I'd dare say malaysia is cheaper. DVDs, JB is definitely way cheaper. T-shirt, got one for 150 baht (about 6 SGD), pretty good deal. Lesson learnt for me: Never buy souvenirs in shopping centers. They mark up the prices like crazy. You can always get it cheaper elsewhere on the roadsides or near tourist attraction places like the golden buddha temple.
Well enjoy the photos!
Its really a city City. Lots of traffic. Almost didn't manage to get a cab to reach the airport on time. Well I did reach the airport with a bit of time to spare.
Lots of air pollution too. Riding the tuk-tuk really does helps to constantly remind you of that. Oh and the tuk-tuk drivers are fine skillful drivers. How they skillfully squirm their way to get past the traffic is incredible. Unfortunately though, these vehicles do not go on the highways... so as much as I would like to get to the airport riding these, its not possible.
Lots of things you can buy there. Though I don't find it cheap. I'd dare say malaysia is cheaper. DVDs, JB is definitely way cheaper. T-shirt, got one for 150 baht (about 6 SGD), pretty good deal. Lesson learnt for me: Never buy souvenirs in shopping centers. They mark up the prices like crazy. You can always get it cheaper elsewhere on the roadsides or near tourist attraction places like the golden buddha temple.
Well enjoy the photos!