Sunday, March 28, 2004
Kitchen Confidential
The other day when I got home, there was a parcel from Dymocks sitting on the coffee table in the bedroom. I wondered when I had ordered any books online or what the occasion was for someone else to send me a book. Took me some time before I figured out whom it was from after tearing open the parcel. Turned out that my brother was the one who got it for me. I'm really touched. He figured that this book would be interesting for my next life-long learning project.
The name of the book is 'Kitchen Confidential - Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly' by Anthony Bourdain, a writer as well as a well-known chef in the Big Apple. It was his version of an autobiography,from when and how he became inspired to become a chef, the things he did and experienced to the different types of people he'd met in the kitchens and in the culinary line.
It always seems like every successful person has very interesting life experiences to share and tell. I've always wondered if I have any. And I believe that I have as well. It doesn't matter how big or small the events are, there will always be some thing that arereally significant to you, and those events or situations would have been the pivot points that could totally change your view, and sometimes your life. Reminds me of a sci-fi book by Orson Scott Card called 'Pastwatch'.
So sometimes even if it's a small decision you make, it could still snowball into something beyond your expectation and control, which is an interesting aspect of your life. So don't shy away from any opportunities. We should always be moving forward and don't look back and regret for something which can't be undone, or at least try to learn from past mistakes.
You should always seek the good in you, not the weaknesses.
I Quote, "Go forth to meet the shadowy Future with no fear and with a manly heart".
P/S: Daylight savings commence at 2 am today 28 March 2004. Roll back all your clocks and watches an hour earlier.
The other day when I got home, there was a parcel from Dymocks sitting on the coffee table in the bedroom. I wondered when I had ordered any books online or what the occasion was for someone else to send me a book. Took me some time before I figured out whom it was from after tearing open the parcel. Turned out that my brother was the one who got it for me. I'm really touched. He figured that this book would be interesting for my next life-long learning project.
The name of the book is 'Kitchen Confidential - Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly' by Anthony Bourdain, a writer as well as a well-known chef in the Big Apple. It was his version of an autobiography,from when and how he became inspired to become a chef, the things he did and experienced to the different types of people he'd met in the kitchens and in the culinary line.
It always seems like every successful person has very interesting life experiences to share and tell. I've always wondered if I have any. And I believe that I have as well. It doesn't matter how big or small the events are, there will always be some thing that arereally significant to you, and those events or situations would have been the pivot points that could totally change your view, and sometimes your life. Reminds me of a sci-fi book by Orson Scott Card called 'Pastwatch'.
So sometimes even if it's a small decision you make, it could still snowball into something beyond your expectation and control, which is an interesting aspect of your life. So don't shy away from any opportunities. We should always be moving forward and don't look back and regret for something which can't be undone, or at least try to learn from past mistakes.
You should always seek the good in you, not the weaknesses.
I Quote, "Go forth to meet the shadowy Future with no fear and with a manly heart".
P/S: Daylight savings commence at 2 am today 28 March 2004. Roll back all your clocks and watches an hour earlier.
Web Research??
Have you guys ever imagined what would show up on a search on your own name? I did that a coupla times but for my last search a few minutes ago, it came up with a few interesting links. The first few websites listed were expected - The Syseng Dept. website which has my photo and name on the team list and my blogger website. Next came some old websites such as Mensa Penang which I have not be in contact with some 6/7 years.
But look at the next one - Microchip Names (T).
Following that comes the funny links ... Malaysia Dog and Puppy Portal: Events Calendar: Event Calendar ... Nu Skin Malaysia... etc... parts of some other people's names forming 'Yee Harn Teh'. And it's not just one website but a few of them. How funny is that!!
Have you guys ever imagined what would show up on a search on your own name? I did that a coupla times but for my last search a few minutes ago, it came up with a few interesting links. The first few websites listed were expected - The Syseng Dept. website which has my photo and name on the team list and my blogger website. Next came some old websites such as Mensa Penang which I have not be in contact with some 6/7 years.
But look at the next one - Microchip Names (T).
Following that comes the funny links ... Malaysia Dog and Puppy Portal: Events Calendar: Event Calendar ... Nu Skin Malaysia... etc... parts of some other people's names forming 'Yee Harn Teh'. And it's not just one website but a few of them. How funny is that!!
Friday, March 26, 2004
A Couple of Jokes for Today!
Joke 1
Boy goes 4 Blood Test. Nurse takes the sample but can't find cotton so she Sucks his Finger! Boy is so happy he asks, Can I gat a Urine Test also?
Joke 2
Do u know why guys fart louder? Because in between his legs, there is 1 microphone & 2 speakers.
Joke 3
A wife asks hubby how many women he had slept with? Husband proudly replies only u darling with others I was awake!
Joke 4
A man ask doc. how to live longer? Doc ask him :U Smoke? Ans : No. U drink? Ans No. U play mahjong? Ans No. U like sex? Ans No. Then U want to live so long 4 what?
Joke 5
A group of Ah-beng 1 2 go disco. Outside the disco there is a notice, only 18 & above is allowed. Ah-beng: walau wey, there only 17 of us.
Joke 6
Never Argue with a Child! very cute and funny !! The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray: "Take only ONE. God is watching." Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note,"Take all you want. God is watching the apples."
Joke 7
A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal, its throat was very small. The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale. Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible. The little girl said, "When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah". The teacher asked, "What if Jonah went to hell?" The little girl replied, "Then you ask him".
Joke 8
The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture. "Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say,'There's Jennifer; she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael. He's a doctor.'" A mall voice at the back of the room rang out, "And there's the teacher. She's dead."
Joke 1
Boy goes 4 Blood Test. Nurse takes the sample but can't find cotton so she Sucks his Finger! Boy is so happy he asks, Can I gat a Urine Test also?
Joke 2
Do u know why guys fart louder? Because in between his legs, there is 1 microphone & 2 speakers.
Joke 3
A wife asks hubby how many women he had slept with? Husband proudly replies only u darling with others I was awake!
Joke 4
A man ask doc. how to live longer? Doc ask him :U Smoke? Ans : No. U drink? Ans No. U play mahjong? Ans No. U like sex? Ans No. Then U want to live so long 4 what?
Joke 5
A group of Ah-beng 1 2 go disco. Outside the disco there is a notice, only 18 & above is allowed. Ah-beng: walau wey, there only 17 of us.
Joke 6
Never Argue with a Child! very cute and funny !! The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray: "Take only ONE. God is watching." Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note,"Take all you want. God is watching the apples."
Joke 7
A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal, its throat was very small. The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale. Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible. The little girl said, "When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah". The teacher asked, "What if Jonah went to hell?" The little girl replied, "Then you ask him".
Joke 8
The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture. "Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say,'There's Jennifer; she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael. He's a doctor.'" A mall voice at the back of the room rang out, "And there's the teacher. She's dead."
Thursday, March 25, 2004
Finally, we've got Internet access from home! And it's Broadband Internet. We've got this good deal for a bundle service of electricity, gas, phone and internet with ACTEW and TransACT which will eventually help us save up to 200 bucks in terms of electricity credits and some months of free ISP service.
Other than that, we have a total 400 MB during peak hours (6 am - 12 midnight) per month but if we exceed that limit, there won't be any charges, only our internet speed would be compromised. And of course, since we're all nocturnal, the unlimited off-peak download will be extremely useful.
Other than that, we have a total 400 MB during peak hours (6 am - 12 midnight) per month but if we exceed that limit, there won't be any charges, only our internet speed would be compromised. And of course, since we're all nocturnal, the unlimited off-peak download will be extremely useful.
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
For all who are interested in coming to Australia for research, check out the following website:
NEW FELLOWSHIPS FOR TOP RATE RESEARCHERS TO COME TO AUSTRALIA
Hoping to go to this conference in November - SMART 2004 - in Singapore. Also a good chance to visit my family and friends back home in Malaysia.
NEW FELLOWSHIPS FOR TOP RATE RESEARCHERS TO COME TO AUSTRALIA
Hoping to go to this conference in November - SMART 2004 - in Singapore. Also a good chance to visit my family and friends back home in Malaysia.
Monday, March 22, 2004
PR Application Lodged!
Hurray! After months of living in agony and despair, we've finally lodged our Form 47SK via Express Mail today. Accompanying it were our precious documents and a bank cheque of AUD 1795 for each applicant. This act of putting the envelopes into the mail box and shovelling it down brings a whole new chapter in our lives. After many of you, this may not mean anything but for us, it means we can finally 'live in peace' and not worry about getting and waiting for all sorts of documents.
Aya has also started her DeTox Program today. It means no chocolates, sweets, meat, KFC, Kingsley, whatever you can name that's sinful and oily, they're on the 'No-No' list. Which normally means that what she can't take will probably not end up in my dinner plate.
Two weeks to go for Aya! Vrroom!
Hurray! After months of living in agony and despair, we've finally lodged our Form 47SK via Express Mail today. Accompanying it were our precious documents and a bank cheque of AUD 1795 for each applicant. This act of putting the envelopes into the mail box and shovelling it down brings a whole new chapter in our lives. After many of you, this may not mean anything but for us, it means we can finally 'live in peace' and not worry about getting and waiting for all sorts of documents.
Aya has also started her DeTox Program today. It means no chocolates, sweets, meat, KFC, Kingsley, whatever you can name that's sinful and oily, they're on the 'No-No' list. Which normally means that what she can't take will probably not end up in my dinner plate.
Two weeks to go for Aya! Vrroom!
Thursday, March 18, 2004
Prequel to The Wheel of Time is out!!
Hey hey, after ten best-selling books in The Wheel of Time Series, Robert Jordan has finally attempted to do a few smaller books set at a time before the events in WoT, starting with 'New Spring'. For all fantasy book readers, this series is a must-read. It's like a match for TolKien's TLOTR in terms of plots and suspenses. The biggest challenge, I find in reading the series is its complexity and the names of all the characters, big or small. When I hold the first book in my hand, I was still in Form 4 or 5 in Secondary School. It was so mesmerising that I bought the next book once I've finished it. At that time, the latest book was the seventh. I guess the bad thing about a long series is that you need to wait for the next book to be released and sometimes it may take up to a year or two. By the time it's released, you'll probably have forgotten what happened before. Nowadays, with the complexity and different story plots, RJ's having a hard time trying to tie all the threads of each plot and finish off the story. He said in an interview that before he started writing the series, he already knew the beginning and the end of the story. The problem right now is how to get to there, and many readers are getting frustrated with the waiting.
One new abbreviation I've learnt out of this is the term 'RAFO' - meaning 'Read And Find Out'. RJ always give this answer to questions regarding some of the mysteries or plots shrouded in the books.
Hey hey, after ten best-selling books in The Wheel of Time Series, Robert Jordan has finally attempted to do a few smaller books set at a time before the events in WoT, starting with 'New Spring'. For all fantasy book readers, this series is a must-read. It's like a match for TolKien's TLOTR in terms of plots and suspenses. The biggest challenge, I find in reading the series is its complexity and the names of all the characters, big or small. When I hold the first book in my hand, I was still in Form 4 or 5 in Secondary School. It was so mesmerising that I bought the next book once I've finished it. At that time, the latest book was the seventh. I guess the bad thing about a long series is that you need to wait for the next book to be released and sometimes it may take up to a year or two. By the time it's released, you'll probably have forgotten what happened before. Nowadays, with the complexity and different story plots, RJ's having a hard time trying to tie all the threads of each plot and finish off the story. He said in an interview that before he started writing the series, he already knew the beginning and the end of the story. The problem right now is how to get to there, and many readers are getting frustrated with the waiting.
One new abbreviation I've learnt out of this is the term 'RAFO' - meaning 'Read And Find Out'. RJ always give this answer to questions regarding some of the mysteries or plots shrouded in the books.
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Things are starting to roll!
ProjectYuka.... Phil will be lodging the provisional patent application very soon. Although there are still some technical details which we are not sure ourselves, but if this gets through, we can start talking to more people and begin networking and getting some external capital. That would be great but this application also requires us to lodge a complete patent application within one year's time. The coffee chat with Phil and Ching Hong was, I think, quite insightful. I'm sure we've gotten a few facts and lessons about project management and developing new products from an entrepreneur's point of view.
I should also start playing with the LED dot matrices we bought a coupla weeks ago. Been procrastinating too much and stressed about everything, especially since we started moving house. All those PR application, paperwork and tiny issues are overwhelming. I have to admit that I'm not a person who can do multitasking most of the time with heaps of problems on my mind. For example, when I do some research/study, I need to have a minimum of 3/4 hours of "quiet" time. I can't really concentrate if something's bugging my mind.
So now, although I'm making good progress in my personal problems, I'm pretty bad in my professional work, especially in my PhD and ProjectYuka. Next time, you might find me sleeping in the office 'cause i've brought my sleeping bag over from home.
ProjectYuka.... Phil will be lodging the provisional patent application very soon. Although there are still some technical details which we are not sure ourselves, but if this gets through, we can start talking to more people and begin networking and getting some external capital. That would be great but this application also requires us to lodge a complete patent application within one year's time. The coffee chat with Phil and Ching Hong was, I think, quite insightful. I'm sure we've gotten a few facts and lessons about project management and developing new products from an entrepreneur's point of view.
I should also start playing with the LED dot matrices we bought a coupla weeks ago. Been procrastinating too much and stressed about everything, especially since we started moving house. All those PR application, paperwork and tiny issues are overwhelming. I have to admit that I'm not a person who can do multitasking most of the time with heaps of problems on my mind. For example, when I do some research/study, I need to have a minimum of 3/4 hours of "quiet" time. I can't really concentrate if something's bugging my mind.
So now, although I'm making good progress in my personal problems, I'm pretty bad in my professional work, especially in my PhD and ProjectYuka. Next time, you might find me sleeping in the office 'cause i've brought my sleeping bag over from home.
Monday, March 08, 2004
Moving House Adventures!
Saturday started out as a fine, sunny day. A day for moving to a new place in Narrabundah for us. Because we need to wait for Ben Son to arrive with a ute from Sydney, we took some of the smaller furnitures and stuff with our own cars over. The morning started with Fang Yaeu and I driving around looking for garage sales. The first one was a total disaster. None of his furniture looked presentable in the slightest way, which was probably why they were so cheap on the ad. Feeling rather disappointed, we left the place and along the way back from Belconnen, we saw a large sign saying 'Garage Sale' by the side of the road. So we thought, 'What the heck! Let's have a look'.
Turned out that this couple who were selling their furnitures will be moving overseas so a lot of their things are quite new and cheap. For 80 bucks, we bought a set of dining table and 6 chairs, a standing full-size mirror, a salt and pepper decorative set, a small telephone cupboard and a steel-bar rig for clothes hanging. What a bargain, hey!
So Ben Son arrived, one hour later than the time we set to meet, which was partly expected to happen. We moved most of the big, heavy things over while they packed their things at home and had some rest. On one of the trips with the ute, we went to Tuggeranong to pick up Fang Yaeu's waterbed. Wonder if it's worth his time and money but according to him, it's a good deal! We'll see how long his vertebrate will last! :P
Then rain started at around 7 pm, which stopped our activity for a while. Because of the time constraint as Ben Son needed to use the ute soon, we took the risk of going one last trip. It was a good one because Sky Fire was on coincidentally when we were driving right in front of The War Memorial. The whole view was brilliant, even thought we didn't manage to watch the whole event. The cute coffee table at the back of the ute was bouncing on the bed! And JJ's following way way WAY WAY behind us with his Mercedez!
Anyway, it wasn't too bad overall. I made 7 trips in total that day. It didn't come close to Ben Son's adventurous trip up to Sydney. Going 50 or 60 all the way from 1 am at night, with rain drizzling, and a large canvas covering all of his things in the ute like a big big ballon, hell, that was awesome!
Saturday started out as a fine, sunny day. A day for moving to a new place in Narrabundah for us. Because we need to wait for Ben Son to arrive with a ute from Sydney, we took some of the smaller furnitures and stuff with our own cars over. The morning started with Fang Yaeu and I driving around looking for garage sales. The first one was a total disaster. None of his furniture looked presentable in the slightest way, which was probably why they were so cheap on the ad. Feeling rather disappointed, we left the place and along the way back from Belconnen, we saw a large sign saying 'Garage Sale' by the side of the road. So we thought, 'What the heck! Let's have a look'.
Turned out that this couple who were selling their furnitures will be moving overseas so a lot of their things are quite new and cheap. For 80 bucks, we bought a set of dining table and 6 chairs, a standing full-size mirror, a salt and pepper decorative set, a small telephone cupboard and a steel-bar rig for clothes hanging. What a bargain, hey!
So Ben Son arrived, one hour later than the time we set to meet, which was partly expected to happen. We moved most of the big, heavy things over while they packed their things at home and had some rest. On one of the trips with the ute, we went to Tuggeranong to pick up Fang Yaeu's waterbed. Wonder if it's worth his time and money but according to him, it's a good deal! We'll see how long his vertebrate will last! :P
Then rain started at around 7 pm, which stopped our activity for a while. Because of the time constraint as Ben Son needed to use the ute soon, we took the risk of going one last trip. It was a good one because Sky Fire was on coincidentally when we were driving right in front of The War Memorial. The whole view was brilliant, even thought we didn't manage to watch the whole event. The cute coffee table at the back of the ute was bouncing on the bed! And JJ's following way way WAY WAY behind us with his Mercedez!
Anyway, it wasn't too bad overall. I made 7 trips in total that day. It didn't come close to Ben Son's adventurous trip up to Sydney. Going 50 or 60 all the way from 1 am at night, with rain drizzling, and a large canvas covering all of his things in the ute like a big big ballon, hell, that was awesome!
