Add a niffy new plug-in to the blog today, namely an additonal field which requires people to enter a security code (from a randomly generated graphic) in order to successfully post a comment. Something any average net surfer can do, but not spam-bots. Though I personally hate filling out such unnecessary code-like-thingys even before I could get anything posted, this is one of the best anti-spam options available against the hundreds of comment spam I get a week. Come to think about it, spam comprises of 60% of the internet traffic, a great waste of bandwidth, not to mention money both adding to inefficiency & not to mention annoyances. What is the use of spam? what do people get to gain out of hundreds of viagra, poker or mortgage ads? dang it!
Singnet boardband 256kps unlimited is now 512kps?
Hey if you are a previous singnet boardband 256kps user, you may notice download speeds going up to 50-60KB/s from 20-30KB/s. Possibly a typical computer reporting error? I don’t think so, especially with my downloads getting relatively faster. Not to mention surfing speeds. Strangely though this is not reflected to the public or so, as singtel always try to do so, to protray its “wonderful & caring image to their customers”. Are they actually providing free speed upgrades like what AOL always do? Not to mention singnet immediate competitor, starhub upgrading maxonline speeds from 3000-6500 for free too. Mmmm, if so.. great, just don’t raise the current prices…
Gleeming license plate?
Found this interesting product on while surfing one day. This is definitely not legal, especially in the Singapore context where everything including the very cars we drive are all restricted in terms of upgrades, modifications & so. Not only a stock car city but a “fine” city as well.
Not to mention is heavy contributions from us citizens to the country’s wealthy GDP… Cut the fines! bang the traffic police! Camera-proof your license plate anyone?
Check out more from the website here.
Hot hot hot
On the weatherwatch, yes it had been a very hot period in Singapore this month, not to mention the number of bushfires around to keep our friendly firefighters & tax expenditure busy for the time being. I used to hate the effects of el nino, though I am not sure of its part & its eminent effects in this year’s heatwave. (Wonder how the people in India will do on the mid year drought period.) On a side note, one cannot help but notice the increasing number of people humming air conditionals around the block. hehheh, but don’t air conditionals add in more heat into the surroundings?… just to cool a room?
pleasure pressure?
Reading from today’s Straits Times main, an article in the kaleidoscope. A particular interesting quote made by Mr Md Islam (a foreign worker from bangladesh working here) saying. “In my country, people read or travel for pleasure. Here, it seems, we all work for pleasure.” Personally I think its bad. & I guess you don’t need Steven Hawking or so to notice this eminent trend in our society. Had our ever changing lifestyles & high standards of living eating into what we define pleasure? Pausing for a moment to think, are we a bunch of lowlifes here in Singapore? Or is work the norm we don’t notice it? Being second nature to us? I mean I ever came across friends in school who would rather mug homework instead of chilling out with the rest of the gang, with the exams months away! I guess its quite obvious too, being victims of society working parents, high demands, (& the list goes on).
Mmm, instead of sculling over such “spilled-milk” are this one the few traits that we could define “uniquely Singaporean?”
In memory of Uncle Loke
Its a dark & gloomy night & when we least expected it, a phone call came around 9pm informing dad that Uncle Loke was warded in coma at Chanji hospital due to a fall at the chinese swimming club- where he was spending the sunday night. Dad rushed to the hospital immediately thereafter. Another call came from dad around 10pm telling us sadly that Uncle had passed away…
😥 I expected him to recover easily from the event, I mean how can such a small fall stop a strong person like him? As sad the situation can be, it was one of the most shocking too. He was a happy, cheerful & rather healthy person. Our last meeting last month painted me a picture of him still going on energetically & strong as a horse, with decades ahead of him despite being 80+. *sigh* it goes to show that in life, things not only can happen very quickly & suddenly, we must prepare & brace ourselves for such occurrences too. Life- Full of challenges, wonders, pitfalls, unpredictable…
Uncle loke’s was a rich man, leaving behind his wife, children. Not to mention his house, few cars & fortune to those who rightfully succeed him. His death too brings about several questions on my side.
First, even with modern medicine, he is always very cautious about his health & such, going for regular checkups & operations if necessary, not to mention being one who can easily obtain it. Will we lose confidence in, or is it the negligence of the healthcare industry to blame in missing out possible telltale leading to his death?
Second, even if we lead a healthy lifestyle full of eating moderation & exercise, will our lifespan be all very much determined by genes despite our efforts? Or its just a passage to live to a ripe old age & not die early due to bodily complications?
Life goes on…
Mad-ercise
The list of selected partipants for ARR (Armour route relay) are out, & errr I am inside? Wondered how did they go about the selection & stuffs. I didn’t get IPPT gold, neither I am that fantastic at running, but the thing is that am I really up to it?
🙄 So I since I am in the team now, I guess I did better make the best out of it, not to mention a goal in mind during training. The last week saw my regular training regime of 9kms runs 3 times a week plus ARR training one mondays, wednesdays & fridays. All ending the week with a 1hour continuous lap swimming on the weekend (this morning). Wow quite.. come to think bout it, quite insane right?
Last year, team ATW my company came in last for the relay, since then my ingchik can’t stop remembering the day of defeat by hanging up the singlet he woar for the event in his home, reminding him of the relay everyday. “I don’t mind last place this year again, provided that eveyone puts in their best effort in running & training, I am satisfied, however lets aim for better positions this year” he says…
With this much training, feeling so much fitter already, last check on BMI, 21.6 aiming for 20 by next month.
Before ending this post, & hey, its past the aniversary day of www.shaunchng.com. Whee the site is one year old already. Guess what I gotta do is get traffic down to the site as it had been quite dead these days. So whats makes a good blog? here are some pointers you can read here, here & here. Not to mention the blog awards!
Completed Half-Life 2
Ahha, the skill of juggling 3 games & trying to complete them has shown its power! (or so). Finally managed to find the time to eventually finish HL2 & experience its so sucky ending for myself! yea! Not to complete tribes vengence & HFS underground 2!
Gong Xi fa Cai!
Well, this may not be the earliest of of chinese new year greetings, erm just say I was a tad busy the last few days. Namely on meeting up with relatives & catching up on times & such, otherwise theres always the ang bao collection. I remembered playing on a local CS:Source servers on players grumbling not recieving the desired amount of ang bao money this year compared to that when they were kids, as they say “as you get older, you get less cute, therefore less money” haha is that so? If that is the norm, I don’t reallly see that happening to me, otherwise in the near future… *crosses fingers* With a relative increase in spending power this week, I am looking towards a netgear ADSL gateway & maybe a 2GB/4GB Kingston elite pro compact flash card or so.
Radical Plantfixion
About most finished Half-life2 now on more on less the last level where I can pick up dead bodies & smash them around or so.
Mum decided Dropped by to crowded orchard today & man did I mention its god damnned crowded, not to mention annex where I had a tough time scouting for good items to spend my $3×50 vouchers I’ve won in the Straits Time graffiti competition. Ended up getting john thursday Crumpler PDA pouch for my axim x50v & a cool black Billabong cap for $54 in total, with me paying $5 on the outstanding after using athe voucher. Dinner was at taka food court & they’ve got some neat egg cocoon like japanese rice set special. Sis couldn’t get enough of the seemingly popular octopus balls she’ve got from a nearby kiosk in the basement. Went around shopping where mum got some cushions for new year.
Visited grannies thereafter. Got some drawing suppiles from the nearby stationary shop there. Stayed there for about 1hr+ leaving around 10.30pm to ji mei flower along thompson to check out some new year plants. They even have a cold room to hold flowers & such, the biggest around they say. All in hand I got a nice little Hedera helix mix house plant for $5, a new pet for my room I say. Whee!
Ants in pants (literally!)
Its time again where area cleaning is done around the bunk at camp. Well partly because our OC gonna conduct a stand-by area on monday afternoon, so the COY very much went amock in soaking (literally) the whole building & flushing it cleanly of it inpurities. Come to think about it I think its easier if we can just pluck the whole building up & give it a few shakes upside down, like a baby to a toy brick.
This is the second time my bunk had done such “wash out” cleaning, yea since we’ve enlisted, like firehoses & squishes everywhere. It had been some time too since I’ve packed my personal cupboard, esp the deep reaches, only to find out that some lovely six-legged friends of ours decided to move into the nice warm cozy confines of my clothing, my SMARTEST 4!- crawling with ants not to mention their eggs all laid nicely in the folds of my pants. urgh! Too bad I ‘ve to rid them, they were very much uninvited guests either. After some cleaning & disinfecting, I finally got rid of the mushy smell in the corner of my cupboard, for the pants.. uhh, guest I have to not to dust it clean but set it alight to disinfect it, otherwise, theres always soaking it in dettol.
Mmm ants, very versatile, yet amazing- a colony in my brown army pants?
ARR training= free breakfast for EVERYONE?
Theres the usual morning ARR training today conducted by inkchik for all the specialists, but the only thing is that late comers reporting after 7.30am have a price to pay- treat everybody for breakfast after training. & yea, I was late, so was 4 others who joined together into chipping money (it turned out to be $7 bucks each after discounts from our canteen auntie). It was good & was voluntarily. & hey they just can’t stop thanking us. It turned out that some specialists even wanted to pay us back for their breakfast. But nah.. its a treat.. For myself, just try not to be late next time…
Wish me luck for my ippt test tomorrow!