Today’s is Sheena’s birthday & we are taking a day out for lunch and dinner out! Cheers & happy 20th!
Unexpected greetings from Imperial College
Look what I got unexpectedly in the mail- A thick blue plastic wrapped package which reads Imperial College London, whoa presents! cool!
Ripping out the contents revealed a full 140 odd full colour printed 2009 prospectus on yes you guessed it, on Imperial College itself. And hey it’s even more posh than the one Trinity of Cambridge sent me. For the record under the 2009 TIMES good university guide, the Imperial College is currently ranked 3rd in UK and 5th in the world, well if ranking matters to you. But studying in Imperial is going to be expensive, considering it being smacked right into the affluent areas of London itself, man will that be a pain in the pocket.
But hey wait a minute, I didn’t request for a prospectus, as I already knew what I wanted online! Mmmm I think they could have sent this out of courtesy from the details I’ve provided my emails with the engineering department. Good on their part.
More Segway talk with a student’s final year project
Met up with my old workshop TSO on my last Tuesday’s visit to school and since the Segway debate is still under the wraps of being a legal car alternative in Singapore, I will just touch on abit of the issue here, elaborating and stating the facts on how I find much our current country-wide strict regulations still being a strong deterrent factor for our youth to flourish their ideas and creativity.
Let be an isolated case, I was together with few current students there working on their final year project in the project area. Was told that they are working on a Segway pram project which involves modifying one together a speed regulation control as well with, yes you guessed it, with a baby pram attached. Knowing about the Segway, I told them about my concerns of it having children on board and the safety measures they can take on top of how it actually works and ride, together with the locking key for beginners and the unlock for maximum speed.
As fun and promising that project can be, actually half the battle of that project was already lost with our current Laws and Regulations in place- It’s also a fact that for the project to be successful, they have to get the green lights from the LTA and NEA for the Segway to be used on our sideways and parks, as laughingly worldwide, it is still not legal to ride a Segway human transporter in Singapore, go figure.
Their product can only see life within the confines of private parks and properties for now, even if their project is completely marketable, it will be a marketing nightmare to sell it here now. There seem to be more than it meets the eye, but it looks like they have to get the authorities to be aware of the Segway problem before moving any further in such developments.
In the meantime, we can always bring the ideas out of Singapore, after all, “foreign talent” can always take our places.
All the help for Cambridge…
Was around school yesterday to settle some administrative stuffs, so I was very much busy the whole day, so I will blog on it today (technically at 12am+). My UCAS application to Imperial and Cambridge are almost ready, the thing left are some documents and academic transcripts verified true-copy and ready so I can send them over to the UK and some unis I am banging for in the States. The people at the SP Examinations board were very helpful in getting it all done in a jiff for me, despite requesting for it on walk-in. Was told the representatives from the British council that they can help me with it too, especially sending them over for me. Thereafter I was back in my usual school work area scanning all my certificates into softcopy so they can be submitted online.
I was told from some teaching staff that getting into Cambridge with a Polytechnic background is going to be a worthwide challenge for me and would be something they would strongly see and help me through, especially in the name of SP. I am really appreciative of all their efforts in helping me out in contacts as well as supporting me with testimonials which I feel will help me greatly in my application.
It came to me though that many commented on the Imperial College being one who still have to “sell themselves” to get students in, contrary to Cambridge, so as claimed, it alway seems that getting into Imperial is actually not a problem as many from SP has done so before. A “welcome to apply” reply email from the Imperial college admissions to me reassures that remark as well. In all, good or bad, you still can’t deny that Imperial is one of the world’s top ranking institutions so we have to give credit on that, after all it might be a college I will be studying in.
Since we are on the topic of studies, oh yes, my scholarship provider had sent in the official prize presentation ceremony invitation card few days ago. It is a closed award ceremony for both the Defense Science and Technology Agency scholars held next month in Orchard with Mr Teo Chee Hean as the guest of honor. Looking forward to that!
New Balance Real Run 2008, Changi Exhibition Centre 19 October 2008
Update! The Place, Time and venue are confirmed. The details provided as of here has been accurate, there will be no race at Sentosa as opposed to other rumored conflicting schedules. Register for the run today!
Race pack collection
All participants are required to collect their Race Packs which include Number Bib and Race Chip at the New Balance REAL Run prelude 2008.
Venue: Velocity @ Novena Square (aka Novena MRT)
Address: 238 Thomson Road 307683
Date: Weekend – Friday to Sunday, 10 to 12 October 2008
Time: 10am – 8pm
All participants are required to bring along their confirmation e-mail / official receipt to collect their New Balance REAL Run 2008 Race Pack.
For participants who do not require the Race Chip, please exchange it for a Chip Tag at the New Balance REAL Run Prelude 2008. The Race Chip is used for recording individual timing. Individual timing will not be available upon the return of Race Chip. Goodie bags will only be issued upon the return of the Race Chip OR Chip Tag on Race Day.
Event
Date: 19 October 2008, 7.30AM (Sunday)
Venue: Changi Exhibition Centre
Closing date: 26th September 2008
Flag-off: 7.30am (10km) & 7.45am (15km)
Event limited to 10,000 runners only.
Event Categories
15km (Flag-off: 7.45am)
15km – 4km Trail + 0.6km Sand + 10.4km Taxiway / Road
Men’s Open (No Age Limit)
Women’s Open (No Age Limit)
15km – 4km Trail + 0.6km Sand + 10.4km Taxiway / Road
Men’s Open (No Age Limit)
Women’s Open (No Age Limit)
10km (Flag-off: 7.30am, all 10km events below)
10km – 4km Trail + 0.6km Sand + 5.4km Taxiway / Road
Men’s Open
Women’s Open
Men’s Veteran (40 years old on or before the race day)
Women’s Veteran (40 years old on or before the race day)
Men’s Junior (19 years old on or before the race day)
Women’s Junior (19 years old on or before the race day)
Home Team NSmen (No Age Limit)
(Only Valid for Singapore Civil Defence and Police NSmen or NSFs)
President’s Challenge Corporate Race (No Age Limit)
(Corporate organisations can form a team, which the results will be tabulated based on the total timing of the top (8) eight runners)
Registration Details
Registration open now! Register here online
S$30.00 per person regardless of 10km or 15km event for public registered runners.
A downloadable version of the Registration Form is available here. Please note that registrations are only accepted and valid when full payment has been received, and Official Receipt has been issued.
Only at HomeTeamNS @ Bukit Batok and HomeTeamNS @ Balestier.
» S$18.00 – REAL Run Club Member
» S$20.00 – HomeTeamNS Member
» S$28.00 – Group (50pax or more)
» S$30.00 – Others
The Fisaco Stores – Soya Bean Drinks next!
Was ready the Sunday times lifestyle section about the new soya bean drinks. We had seen bubble tea bubble burst and the donut store fisaco ending soon, so what’s next? Coloured/favored Soya Bean Drinks? I love soya bean drinks and they are a good filling snack drink not to mention a good source of supplementary natural calcium and protein to your diet.
But personally I find it’s only good from only those offered homemade in hawker centers and not some franchised line store out there hoping to quickly catch the craze and ride the market before selling it at product maturity. This muddles the whole experience and authenticity, not to mention price.
And just we thought Mr Bean stands are just great for the market, now we have favored Soya bean stores riding not only on the trend but market it a health conscious drink? Uhoh trouble.
Mizuno Mt Faber Run 2008 Post Race
The Mizuno Mt Faber race was this morning, I did not run the event but based on feedback and word of mouth together with my own observations, the race went on very well and as satisfying as last year’s race, with few improvements here and there. There were very much fewer runners this year too, presumably form the boycott from last year’s Wave run- the roads are all relatively clear for all runners which brings about a rather nice “closed” run feel very much to that of smaller X-country runs like the Wings Athletics ones in Macritchie reservoir.
You also definitely can’t miss the call from the MC for all SGrunners to fall in for a photo taking at the end of the runs and look at the group! Will update more later.
In short:
- Great route, no-frills run.
- Hills are great as always.
- The weather is good, cooler weather unlike hot and humid 2007.
- Seem to have fewer participants this time round, but an optimal number.
- Staggered starts.
- Traffic is OK, so not much a problem for the Ciscos
- Water points at the right spots/distances, though many don’t use it.
Area’s for improvement for next year:
- Better goodie bag items for price
- Lower participant fees ($25-$30 max)
- New route through the Henderson Waves
Recommended run next year- Yes of course, don’t think of this race like the Wave run, it’s very different.
Official Death Race Movie Trailer out!
This is one of the few hot movies to be out this year, besides other favorites such as Ironman and Wall-E. There had been other similar movies of this concept to date, but none of them are as specular as this new movie coming out summer this year, predictably early-to-mid this August. The Death Race another rip at the idea of using criminals for entertainment fiasco, just like what we see in other movies such as the Running Man or games such as Road Wars or Unreal.
The concept is simple, convicted convicts on the deathroll, one race, 3 days and the winner across the line gets freedom. It’s cool how they mess up with all their cars, ranging from Chrysler 300C, Jaguars, to Porsche 911s and a Mustang, which the main character, Jason Statham drives.
The official trailer on the link:
Suntec PC Show 2008 Full Exhibitors Pricelists
For those looking to spend your weekend at the PC show at Sutnec, it pays to be informed and doing your homework before committing to anything, thats means know what you need to buy without having to put up with the crowds there. You can view a full list of pricelists from almost all the exhibitors here ranging from cameras, monitors, network solutions, desktop and laptops at the link.
Thanks to coldfreeze from Hardware zone for putting them up!
Toyota- Hybrid versions of every model between 2020 & 2029, we get plug-ins now!
I believe nobody is any stranger to Toyota, rightly or wrongly, can be is widely considered the greenest automaker. For automotive news, the company hopes to solidify its hold on the title and move beyond oil through a series of plans to produce cleaner, more efficient cars beginning with a plug-in hybrid which we can see rolling on our streets by 2010. Well so now goes my plans for a plug-on Smart Fortwo.
“Without focusing on measures to address global warming and energy issues, there can be no future for our auto business,” Toyota president Katsuaki Watanabe told reporters in Tokyo, adding, “Our view is that oil production will peak in the near future. We need to develop power trains for alternative energy sources.”
Sometimes old habits are quite hard to kick- That’s not to say the oil wells will run dry anytime soon or the bulk of Toyota’s cars won’t rely upon internal combustion for many years to come. “People often ask us whether the vehicles of the future will be hybrid vehicles or clean diesel cars or electric vehicles,” Watanabe said. “Our answer is that it will not be one technology because energy situations vary from one market to another.” So don’t expect to drive pass laughing at people at the pumps for now…
On the forefront into developing better and more efficient hybrid technology, Toyota is joining longtime battery partner Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. in launching a program to develop batteries it says will outperform lithium-ion batteries. With these plans ahead, Toyota will introduce hybrid versions of every car in its line-up, in other words, having hybrid as a standard component in all Toyota vehicles, private commercial etc. We will only see that sometime between 2020 and 2029 as it is being progressively introduced.
We go to school to repair washing machines at home! yay!
My mum was home today doing the laundry with the washing machine when it’s spin dry cycle suddenly went awry, and started lots of rattling noises seemingly going to spin itself to oblivion, before turning it off. Then the whole wash area suddenly having this musty but otherwise strong mold smell, something similar you get if you burn a fungi-loaded moist log or visit an algae infested lake. What’s more some of the clothes inside the machine where like patched with stains of mold, oh crap!
Ok great so something had to be done, and I had to do something, besides getting the occasional hint from my mother on me being an overqualified handyman for the job or rather being the only engineer handyman in the house at that time, and so yes, I had to do something. So there I was face to face with that 10 year old Hitachi top load washing machine which always loyally worked everyday without fail and maintenance in the confines of our laundry area. Theres obviously alot of mold deposits overtime, so it’s about time some maintenance is done too. Then just like any crazy scientist- Lets find out out this bugger ticks by prying it apart! Later do I know, there is more than it meets the eye.
Just like any household tale comes with it’s own set of journeys and quests, and man do we have baddies like the tons of brown mold stuck by all the inner walls of the spinner drum which took quite a hitch getting rid, not to mention many encounters with our arachnid friends who packed and left home. And yes there was buried treasure as well, $4.90 in coins to be exactly all nicely collected in the machine’s internal sediment compartment which you have to pry open for access. That’s together with some sand and dirt my dad joking said possibly originating from Lim Chu Kang training area which I always come back soiled from training.
It goes to say how much treasure you can find in these things, not to mention those you can find thrown off your void decks! The washing machine motor is old, but still up for the job, so is the safety clutch and drainage. I was really wary of 240v appliances running with cold water after cleaning and fixing things up, so I was like test-pen happy when I got it all fired up on test runs.
Things are working quite fine now, with an exception of a quirk with the safety latch mechanism which came loose on disassembly and a missing screw somewhere, hey at least it’s working now! In all, I can simply just take it like another adventure and episode on Discovery Channel with Mike Rowe on Dirty Jobs, maybe they should have some episode on washing machine cleaning!
The Animals Save the Planet – Gassy Cows
Apparently these short little clips were aired on the Animal planet channel, but managed to catch all of them online, so why not share some of the funnies while I am at it. The ‘The Animals Save the Planet” comprises of many short clips (11 in total) which aims to teach the green way of life and saving the environment, in a rather comical way. My favorite will definitely have to be the Glassy umm, Gassy cows one.
“the more meat we eat, the more cows there are, producing greenhouse gases!”
Maybe that can be a reliable alternative for our methane sources, not to mention replacing jet fuel for rocket satellite launches!
There are more videos from where that came from.
Source: animalssavetheplanet.com