Photo Genius

Back to school with Daddy !

2009-01-02T19:19:00.004+08:00

... and also with the whole village which included the 2 Grannies, Grandfather, Grand uncle, Mommy and of course, the fishball head (Justin).

Jaslynn was really excited and was badgering the Mar Mar (Grandmother) to let her wear the uniform since morning. She was also asking every 5 mins when the school bus would be arriving (I'm exaggerating of course!)

The time finally came to get ready for school and Jaslynn couldn't wait to put on her brand new socks and school shoes courtesy of Mommy.

And off we go !!

Where's my school bus ?!?!

Jaslynn sends out junior recce to check....(Junior recce reports : not here yet !)

Not really trusting the junior recce, Jaslynn sends out the senior recce after 5 mins (Senior recce: dunno where this junior recce was looking..... anyway, still not here yet !!)

Finally, the school bus arrives !!

Stay tuned for part 2.....

Probably the Best Caricaturist in Singapore

2008-12-27T20:41:00.008+08:00

Jit Leong was telling me last week he would be involved in an event at Marina Square on 20 and 27 dec. As we were not in town last week, so decided to bring the family down to give him some support - and get some caricatures done for free at the same time :p (by the way, his fees aren't cheap ! but it's worth it)

Since he would only be there from 3pm, we went for lunch first, before walking slowing around to look for him (he told me the event organiser placed him in a secluded corner). When we found him, he was probably just setting up stall and since everyone was just 'looking and seeing' we just plonked Jaslynn and Justin onto the seats to start the ball rolling.

The kids were shy at first, even though they've went to Uncle Jit Leong's house a few times to play with 嘉乐 and 嘉喜. They warmed up pretty quickly and soon 'smiled' for Uncle Jit Leong to draw them some nice caricatures.

Justin had to keep his 'smile' on for quite a while.

Then it was Jaslynn's turn, giving her usual 'smile'.

Finally done and they were quick to spot the nearby 'playground' at Kiddy Palace.

What a waste Jaslynn did not flash this smile earlier.

While waiting for their caricatures to dry, they chanced upon some animal kiddy rides, and Justin also took the opportunity to display some of his moves while on the move.

All done !

The Mr Men Show

2008-12-17T22:53:00.004+08:00

Brought the kids to North Point for dinner today and saw that a stage was set up in the atrium. While walking past, saw a lot of kids sitting on the floor in front of the stage. The stage helpers asked if the kids would like to watch the show, before I could answer, they were already seated on the floor.

I remembered reading lots of the little Mr Men and Miss series comic books when I was in Primary school. Thought they might have become obsolete due to the nature of gadgets and toys young kids have nowadays. Really great to be able to see them in the 'flesh'.

There was Mr Bump, Miss Naughty, Mr Rude, Miss Sunshine and Mr Happy.

The kids helping Mr Men to decorate the stage for a christmas party.

The kids having a photo session with the characters.

Justin and the beanstalk

2008-12-09T12:07:00.003+08:00

I remember when I was still in primary school, my science teacher gave us some green beans to grow for 1 of the lessons on plants. Dunno why, my plant always can't seem to last more than a few weeks.

Nowadays, they're starting this process even earlier. Justin was given some green beans when he was in K1. Not only has the plant lasted a few months (and still growing), it has even sprouted 2 pods ! Take a look !!

Maybe Justin is waiting for his bean stalk to grow into the skies !

Come, Dance with us ! We will rock you !!

2008-11-25T16:34:00.001+08:00

Come join Jaslynn and Justin as they ROCK WITH YOU !!

Happy Birthday Mommy !

2008-10-25T11:43:00.002+08:00

Jaslynn and Justin came up with a short birthday song for their Mommy's birthday celebration.

However, things weren't quite cordial during the 1st rehearsal as the members weren't quite in sync with each other.

After sorting out the nitty gritty, things went more smoothly thereafter.

Welcome to the JJ Country Club

2008-10-22T11:57:00.000+08:00

Jaslynn and Justin would like to invite all of you to join their newly opened JJ Country Club. They've got lots of toys and games for you to play with. And lots of photos for you to view too !

Not to mention lots of books for your reading enjoyment.

Not forgetting the golf range. Here's a photo of the No.8 hole, a par 2.

What are you waiting for ? Sign up now !

全家福 - Happy Family Portrait

2008-10-21T22:26:00.001+08:00

Jaslynn went over to her 姑姐's (Aunty) house for sleep over sometime last month. As usual, she would ask for some paper and start drawing.

This time, Jaslynn drew a 全家福 (family portrait).

click on the drawing to see the larger version

Where did I go today?

2008-10-20T20:02:00.000+08:00

Justin was working on his secret project when he noticed that his sister Jaslynn was not around. Justin turned on his secret spying machine and saw this on his screen.

Do you know where did Jaslynn go today?

Happy Birthday Mar Mar !

2008-10-19T16:45:00.008+08:00

Jaslynn drew a lovely card for her 奶奶's (Grandmother) birthday. It was just a simple drawing of a heart on the outside of the card.

Inside the card, she thanked her granny for all the wonderful things her granny has done for her.

We then went to the NUSS' guild house at Suntec City for a sumptuous dinner. The restaurant had a nice interior decor and ambiance.

Wendy ordered the German set dinner. The starter was smoked salmon on cream cheese?

I ordered the oyster shooters for a start. The shooters came in 3 flavours - wasabi, thai chili and 1 more which I couldn't remember.

爷爷 (Grandfather) had the fried hokkien noodles. I think the squid and prawns look very yummy!

The kids shared their favourite hor fun (rice flat noodles).

Wifey had the fried 面线 (rice vermicelli) which also look very appetising.

I had the New Zealand tenderloin (medium done), which came with a glass of Chilean Cabernet Savignon. The last time I had a Chilean red was more than 10 years ago and I had a phobia for Chilean wine ever since.

But this one was quite good. Didn't know it was Chilean until I saw the bottle near the entrance of the restuarant.

Then we were off to the karaoke with our 2 resident talents to start the ball rolling !

Of course, not forgetting the main event !

The cake were made with layers of crepe and chocolate in between.

The 4 Grands !

J1 Assault Rifle with LAM

2008-09-15T11:10:00.004+08:00

Our resident scientist / Engineer, Justin, sensing competition, came up with some improvement to his J1 Assault Rifle.

He incorporated a Laser Aiming Module (LAM) into the sniper scope, improving the hit rate to 99.5%.

Here's Justin explaining his latest improvement.

Hearts for Sale !

2008-09-07T23:03:00.005+08:00

Seeing that her brother Justin was doing brisk business with his J1 Assault Rifle and All-in-one ice cream maker, Jaslynn decided to come up with some business ideas of her own.

She borrowed from me a ruler and I asked her if she wanted to draw lines. She said no. I wondered what she needed it for. Then I saw her use the ruler to tear pieces of paper into strips. Hmm, still no idea. Then she asked her Mommy for some glue.

Then she showed me a tray full of little paper hearts !

$3 each, she said.

Then she saw her brother improvising his J1 Assault Rifle and she too went into overtime. After about 10 mins, she came back with another tray of paper flowers, made from the little paper hearts she made earlier.

These are $8 each ! I think it's a bargain.

My Sassy Jaslynn

2008-08-31T19:25:00.005+08:00

a
Jaslynn has a new sassy image !

Photos taken using Sony Ericsson K850i under 'Portrait' mode.
click on the photos to enlarge

RSAF Open House 2008 (or 2006?)

2008-08-30T09:37:00.002+08:00

Went down to the RSAF Open House at Paya Lebar Airbase. The RSAF celebrates her 40th birthday this year.

The open house has the usual static displays, booths, etc. RSAF also has a segment talking about the new structure and the 3G RSAF. There are also C-130 and F15 simulators. You can also be an airman for a day and have your photo taken.

However, the aerial displays featuring simluated attacks by the F16 and Apache attack helicopter seems very familiar. Have I watched it somewhere before?

Looking for us?

2008-08-30T09:23:00.004+08:00

Sometimes, when our resident scientist / engineer (Justin) and artist (Jaslynn) go outstation, it can get rather annoying answering phone calls, and enquiries from walk in clients.

So Jaslynn came up with a signage to put on their front door, letting people know if they're in or not.

Save our planet ! Learn from the animals

2008-08-29T21:49:00.004+08:00

Sometimes using humour can be a lot more effective in bringing the message across. This time, Animal Planet teamed up with Aardman Animations (creators of Wallace and Gromit) in a series of short animations, using eco-friendly animals, to bring across the message to save our planets.

"The 10x20-30-second clips feature ten short clay animated creatures in their own habitats, demonstrating how we can all make a difference by practicing a greener lifestyle."

I like the cow clip especially. Simply hilarious. Hee Hee.

And of course, Save Our Planet !!!

Have a break, have a hotdog ice cream

2008-08-21T13:06:00.003+08:00

Taking a break from tweaking his J1 Assault Rifle, Justin had a sudden craving for ice cream. Not your usual chocolate or strawberry (his favourite) flavours, but flavours like rainbow, hotdog, etc.

Justin couldn't find any of those flavours at the usual mama shops, so he decided to come up with yet another invention of his own. Moreover, his J1 Assault Rifle wasn't getting in as many orders as he was hoping, so he had to think of something else so as to earn some extra pocket money to buy his Ben 10 stuff.

Justin setting up his ice-cream machine.

The Justin All-In-One Ice-cream machine.

As Justin is also into a little dancing, he had a little inspiration to inject some slick dance moves while whipping up delicious lip-smacking ice-creams.

The J1 Assault Rifle

2008-08-19T22:39:00.005+08:00

Met up recently with our in-house scientist cum engineer Justin over Yakun coffee to see what invention he has come up with lately.

He proudly showed me a prototype J1 Assault Rifle with attached diamond bit drill. Much like those M16 you see that comes attached with a grenade launcher.

But the J1 Assault Rifle is different. This is more suitable for urban combat where you'd be fighting in a concrete jungle. Sometimes your enemy may be hiding behind a wall and you want to be discrete. So you can't use a grenade to blow them up, that'll will attract the rest likes hornets.

So you use the diamond drill bit to drill a hole through the wall. There's a silencer built-in so the noise generated will be kept to a minium. Once a hole is drilled, you can then aim and fire !

But like all Singaporeans, I like to bargain. But Justin is no pushover too. He's very adamant on his price: 2 egg yolk breakfasts for 2 weeks ! Steep !

But I don't have a choice. No one designs weapons like Justin. I agree to his price and he signs the contract. Deal !

Happy 43rd Birthday Singapore !

2008-08-09T15:16:00.004+08:00

Jaslynn drew a birthday card for Singapore and would also like to wish her a very Happy 43rd Birthday !!

The front of the card.

The inside.

And the back of the birthday card.

Come ! Drum with me !

2008-07-24T08:54:00.003+08:00

Justin is seen practising hard for his audition in the coming 'High School Musical on Ice'.

Justin also has another piece which he composed. He said this piece goes well with Thomas the Train.

Problem hailing a taxi?

2008-07-21T12:24:00.004+08:00

Having problems trying to hail a taxi during peak hours?

Perhaps you have been using the wrong technique.

Let Justin show you the best technique to hail a taxi for any time of the day!

As you can see, Justin's technique still needs much refinement.

Part II
Sensing that her brother is having a little difficulty, Jaslynn decides to lend Justin a pair helping hands.

But first, they would have to sort out where they're heading.

Attack of the Megamusa

2008-07-06T12:49:00.005+08:00

Have you seen the Megamusa before? Do you know what it looks like? What it can do? Let Justin show you what a Megamusa looks like.

Click on the drawing to see the terror in full size.

And it looks more terrifying in full technicolour.

Click on the drawing to see the terror in full size.

Hear from Justin his first hand account of his encounter with the fearsome Megamusa.

p

I'm walking on sunshine

2008-07-05T11:45:00.004+08:00

Let Justin brighten up your day with his mega sunshine.

Click on the drawing to experience the warmth of Justin's Mega Sunshine.

Attack of the Fishball Head

2008-07-01T15:18:00.007+08:00

Went down to Robinsons last Sunday to get myself a pair of pants. Luckily my wife told me they're having a 20% sale, and members can get up to another 20% for some items. Had some Robinsons vouchers too, just nice.

After getting my stuff, it was the wife's turn. So the kids and I walked around while waiting. We were near some store displays and the kids started treating it like a playground. Not wanting to have to pay for any damaged displays (maybe also got 20% + 20%?), had to think of something to distract them.

Then out of the blue, Jaslynn asked me to take some pictures while she posed.

As the lighting was sufficiently bright, I just set my Sony Ericsson K850i to auto. No flash was used and the photos turned out pretty well. So why the title? You'd know as you read further.

Managed to get Justin not to flash his usual 'smile'.

The attack of the fishball head - Eyeing the prey.

The attack of the fishball head - Stunning the prey with the 'G' look.

Happy Fathers' Day 2008 !!

2008-06-15T10:05:00.004+08:00

Jaslynn wishes all the fathers a Happy Fathers' Day !! Jaslynn also drew me a Fathers' Day card.

Inside the card, Jaslynn drew lots of my favourites.

What shall I wear ?

2008-06-14T22:41:00.010+08:00

Jaslynn was wondering which dress she should wear for her 太婆's (Great Grandmother) brirthday celebration dinner this Sunday. She thought about it for a long time, before drawing what she wanted to wear on a piece of paper.
Quite a lovely design right?
Looks even better with colours!

The finished product. Actually, this wasn't Jaslynn's design at all. Just that she wanted to wear the dress that she wore during Chinese New Year, and I couldn't remember which one it was. So she drew it out and showed me.

She even has a necklace to go with the dress !

Update:

In the end, Jaslynn chose to wear another dress. When I asked her why did she change her mind? She replied that she did not say she wanted to wear the flowery dress in the first place.

She said it was her Mar Mar (Grandmother) who wanted her to wear that dress and since I could not recall which dress it was, she drew it for me. Oh, I see.

Anyway, see also looked quite pretty in the pink dress that she chose.

You can see more of her portfolio here.

Btw, she also has some of her brother, Justin's 'The Look'.

Happy Birthday To Me Too !

2008-06-03T10:02:00.004+08:00

Jaslynn drew me a lovely Birthday Card,

and her declaration of her love.

So sweet. So touched.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-06-01T23:09:00.015+08:00

Went to Causeway Point's PastaMania for a simple dinner as an early birthday celebration. We had pasta, baked rice, pizza, and some garlic bread. Almost all the food (except the pizzas) were served within 5 mins after placing my order and taking our seats. Fast ! Somemore it was quite crowded.

Dunno why, Jaslynn liked the Ham and Sausage baked rice but Justin doesn't. He only yikes (likes) the Ham and Mushroom (minus the mushroom) Pizza.

After dinner, we walked around and did some window shopping. I went to enter the lucky draw so asked Yeah Yeah (Grandfather) to bring the kids up to Kiddy Palace first.

Later, couldn't find them at Kiddy Palace, and I knew where they were. The two rascals waylaid the Yeah Yeah to the art and craft shop which was just outside Kiddy Palace. They had always pester us to bring them there whenever we were at Causeway Point. They finally succeeded this time.

Our 2 resident junior artist, together with the Art Director, finally have a chance to show off their artistic (and directing) talents.

Justin almost wanted his piece all to be in blue. Luckily there was our Art Director guiding him.

Justin handing in his piece for some (some is an understatement) touching up.

Finally ready !!

Another of our little resident artist, Jaslynn, enjoying some peaceful moments, without the brother ka cheowing (disturbing).

As you can see, Jaslynn's artwork requires more time and concentration as there are lots of small spaces. She used rainbow colours (instead of just 1 colour) for the princess' skirt.

Our Art Director couldn't tahan and joined in the fun too!

Our Artists and Art Director showing off their finished art pieces (still couldn't get Justin to look at the camera after a few shots. Give up!)

Photos and movie clips taken using my Sony Ericsson K850i.

Collage of Kangaroo

2008-05-24T12:25:00.004+08:00

Jaslynn chose to do a collage for her school's art and craft session.

Her teacher, Miss Nah, said it was very nicely done and was thinking of puting it up for a mini exhibition in her school.

Astons Express

2008-05-22T20:53:00.002+08:00

Had lunch with Jit Leong and Adam yesterday at this coffee shop along Farleigh Ave (near Serangoon Garden Circus). Luckily managed to find parking as there aren't that many lots available.

We were there previously for the chicken rice, which was also good (maybe will write about that the next time). During that time, we saw people having western food, but I couldn't see the stall. Thought they ordered from the another coffeeshop which was just opposite.

Then after scanning the stalls again, managed to see the signboard. There was so much clutter infront of their stall that I had missed it initially. Astons Express is not your usual coffeeshop or market western grill stall. Their quality is much better, and so is their price, which is still reasonable.

The guy (forgot to ask for his name) was also friendly. Giving recommendations and answering our queries (as they had many different cuts of steak). Finally, Jit Leong decided on the New York strip ($13.90), which was a bigger portion than the sirloin ($11.90) he originally wanted.

I wanted the New York strip but the guy recommended the Ribeye X-Cut ($14.90), which he said was more marbled. Marbled? Ok lor. Give it a try.

You get 2 side dish to go with your steak too. You can choose from baked potatoes, baked beans, coleslaw, onion rings, veggies, corn cob.

Waiting time was shorter (abt 10-15mins) than what he had informed us (20 mins). The steaks turned out really well.

Jit Leong had his medium done. Requested for coleslaw and baked potatoes. Later, he said that luckily got the baked potatoes, if not probably won't be full. Think the guy mentioned that the New York strip was 250g, compared to the sirloin which was only 180g.

Mine was done medium rare. Requested for onion rings and veggies. Both steak turned out really nicely done. With a hint of satay and black pepper seasoning. There was also some mushroom sauce to go with the steak. Would have been perfect if we had some wine to go with the steak. But since it's lunch and we had to go back to work, probably next time.

Astons Express also serves pasta (seafood, bolognaise, marina) which comes with soup of the day. And also the usual chicken, pork chops, sausages, etc. May try their other grills some other time.

Photos taken using my Sony Ericsson K850i mobile phone.

Come ! Sing with us ! 王子

2008-05-12T11:14:00.001+08:00

Learn how to sing the song 王子 from our 2 little song birds.

For those who want to sing with feelings, you can pick up some tips from our male vocalist, Justin.

Happy Mothers' Day 2008 !!

2008-05-11T10:28:00.002+08:00

Jaslynn drew her mommy a portrait of herself as a princess (as usual), and also gave mommy a big lovely heart !

She put everything into a nice pink envelope which she made, but indicated the wrong address.

Luckily the postman managed to send it to the right addressee.

Justin also drew, or coloured, his mommy a card, complete with many flowers and hearts.

Happy Mother's Day !!

Happy Birthday Jaslynn !

2008-05-03T21:03:00.004+08:00

Jaslynn is 6 today ! How time flies ! 6 years ago she was just a tiny baby in my arms. And she's going Primary 1 next year ! The next thing I know, you'd probably be introducing her boyfriends to me. Ha ha ha !

Got Jaslynn a cake to celebrate with her friends at Agape, her day care centre.

As usual, Justin showing us 'the look'. Probably just woke up.

Her friends singing the birthday song to her.

Make a wish !

All her friends couldn't wait for her to cut the cake.

Yummy !!

Jaslynn distributing the goodie bags to her friends.

Some of Jaslynn's funnier friends.

Jaslynn introducing her dream house

2008-04-05T23:17:00.003+08:00

Come and hear Jaslynn as she gives you a brief introduction to her dream house.

Wonder why Jaslynn looks to her bottom right every now and then?

Let Justin teach you how to order KFC

2008-04-05T23:07:00.002+08:00

Let Justin teach you step-by-step how to order the KFC original finger lickin' good drumstick meal.

Know why the grimace at the end of the clip ?

B. Eng (Honours) Aerospace Systems

2008-03-30T14:29:00.003+08:00

UniSIM (SIM University) yesterday had a mini Open House / Road Show for their new Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Aerospace Systems (BEHAS). Was quite interested so went down yesterday to take a look.

For this programme, UniSIM works closely with Cranfield University (CU), which is an international academic institution that is established in Aerospace and Aviation programmes.

There is also a 1 week study visit to the institution where students take to the air in sorties to understand aircraft performance and flight evaluation. Other highlights will be lectures and simulated drills in accident and emergency handling, accident investigation, wind tunnel and bird strike tests.

The Air Transport Training College (ATTC) also has a similar programme. But theirs probably focus more on the operation and management areas. The degree is offered by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). You can also check it out and make comparisons.

Anyway, I've applied for the programme, which will commence in July. Would be notified in next month if I'm accepted. Heard that they are only accepting 50 students in the pioneer batch.

You can go to UniSIM's website for more details on the programme.

As I was there early, I went to their cafeteria for lunch. Wifey was saying the western food is not bad so ordered the salmon with spaghetti, which cost $6.50.

The salmon and spaghetti was quite nicely done, full of flavour. But the portion of spaghetti probably couldn't even fill a small bowl. I think even Jaslynn may find the portion insufficient. For $6.50, I would expect a bigger serving of spaghetti at least.

Anyway, had to order a bowl of ban mian (hand-made noodles) to fill my stomach. For only $2.50, there were mince pork, chye sim vegetables, fried ikan bilis, egg, and the portion of noodles is comparable to what you would get in food courts.

All in, my lunch cost me $9.00 and I haven't even had my cup of kopi-c yet !

The Look Part II

2008-03-29T23:34:00.005+08:00

Justin also wanted to join in the fun (actually it was me who wanted him to join in the fun) when he saw his sister's hair was tied up nicely by Mar Mar.

So I obliged by shooting some pics for him using my SE K850i.

Anyone interested in signing Justin ?

Lights Action Camera !

2008-03-29T23:09:00.005+08:00

The Mar Mar (granny) tied up Jaslynn's hair and she was looking so sweet. Just had to take some pictures of her !

This one is my favourite ! Which one is your favourite?

Pictures were taken with the Sony Ericsson K850i. Just some points on the phone. Althought it's 5MP, you can see from the 1st 2 shots that certain areas of the photos seemed to be smudged. These 2 shots were taken with a bit of zooming in.

The next 2 shots were taken without any zooming in. Noticed the difference? The 3rd and 4th shots have cleaner and sharper edges.

Although the camera phone is rated 5MP, the vertical and horizontal resolution is still 72 dpi (dots per inch). Compared to the resolution of a typical digital camera which is 300 dpi. Which gives rise to the 'smudging effect' of the 1st 2 shots when taken with zooming in.

Would try to take some shots in the day time to see if there is any difference.

Mirror Mirror

2008-03-28T14:16:00.004+08:00

Mommy bought Jaslynn a DIY clay mirror. Used my new Sony Ericsson K850i to take some pics.

Now she can use it to see herself while combing her hair.

Mar Mar say like this.....

2008-03-28T13:57:00.005+08:00

Went to the nearby NTUC foodfair for dinner with my parents, my brother and the kids. Was waiting for the food and decided to take some test shots using my new Sony Ericsson K850i.

As usual, kids are fun to take, of course need to catch them when they're in the mood.

And Mar Mar (granny) says cannot dig your nose, must press then.....

Say It With Jaslynn - Hanyu Pinyin

2008-02-24T14:18:00.002+08:00

Let Jaslynn introduce you to the basics of Hanyu Pinyin

For all you ang mo kang tangs (english speaking potatoes), follow Jaslynn as she teaches you the basics.

Teacher Jaslynn trying to get her inattentive student, Justin, to concentrate.

Singapore Air Show 2008

2008-02-22T09:36:00.004+08:00

As I had a free ticket for the Singapore Air Show, decided to go take a look and see if there was any difference compared to the Asia Aerospace.

Did not bring along my Nikon D100 and Nikon 17-55mm as it would not have been of much help using it to take those aerobatic displays. So my plan was just to use my Sony Ericsson K810i to shoot anything of interest.

Upon entering the Changi Exhibition Centre, you'd greeted by the integrated armed forces display, where you'd see the Pegasus, Leopard, Apache and the Navy's first interceptor craft.
(click on the photos to enlarge)

The made in Singapore Pegasus is the world's first heli-portable 155m howitzer with self-propelled capability.

The Leopard 2A4 replaces the SM-1 light tank that had served the SAF for 48 years.

Then we have, of course, the AH-64D Apache attack helicopter.

In the exhibition hall, you have your usual suspects like ST Electronics, Boeing, Airbus, Honeywell, etc. Not my cup of tea, so I'll skip this and go straight to the static displays.

The 2 F15Cs flew all the way from Kadena Airbase, in Okinawa, Japan. They're from the 44th Fighter Squafron.

The F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet. The B1 stealth bomber is in the background.

Tried the panaroma mode found in my K810i. Didn't turn out quite well.
(click on the photos to enlarge)

This one is better. You can see the F/A18, B1 Bomber and the Tanker.
(click on the photos to enlarge)

And of course, the humongous Airbus A380.
(click on the photos to enlarge)

Didn't get a chance to see the cabin though.
(click on the photos to enlarge)

Black Knights Preview

2008-02-17T17:33:00.008+08:00

Brought the kids to watch the Black Knights preview show last Friday at the Singapore Air Show.

They were thrilled by all the aerobatics and the thunderous roar of the jet engines as the F16s zoomed past the show center.

Only managed to take pics with a few static displays as not everything was ready.

Anyway, Jaslynn had the best shot of the aerobatics display.

For more information on the Singapore Air Show, click here.

Staircase Climbing 101

2008-02-16T20:58:00.002+08:00

Let our professionally trained staircase climbing instrutors guide you on the finer techniques of staircase climbing.

Do not attempt this if you're NOT trained.

Staircase du Soleil

2008-02-16T20:56:00.000+08:00

Watch as Jaslynn and Justin perform their latest choreographed stunts.

Don't try this at home.

Maintaing The Look

2008-02-16T14:51:00.001+08:00

Time for Small Idea (a.k.a Justin) to go for some regular maintenance on The Look.

Our friend managed to maintain the look throughout the session.

Don't have quite the same look as it was that time of the day already.

Oh my tooth !

2008-02-15T21:36:00.001+08:00

One of Jaslynn's lower deciduous tooth decided to find the tooth fairy today.

But no problem ! Makan as usual !

Bon Appetit !

Jigsaw Puzzled

2008-02-09T10:42:00.000+08:00

Can you beat Jaslynn timing of 2m 14s?

Help Justin beat his sister's timing of 2m 14s !

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Happy Chinese New Year !!

2008-02-07T22:15:00.001+08:00

Jaslynn and Justin would like to wish everyone a very Happy Chinese New Year !!

恭喜发财 !!

Adventure @ Christ Church

2008-02-01T15:50:00.000+08:00

We had a fun filled and adventurous day at Christ Church Sec School, which was also the Centre of Excellence for Outdoor Education.

Reminded me of the days when I was in secondary school and poly, when we organised such activities like Orientation Camps, Camping Trips, etc.

This event was organised by Cheers Connect International, which specialises in "organising fun and creative programmes to foster leadership, discipline and the importance of accountability among individuals".

We were broken into 3 teams and there were quite a number of 'stations' we had to go through. And each station required lots of teamwork, and some stations required more than that.

Read on....

Firstly, we all had to learn how to belay.

So, they're teaching us how to wayang (put up a show)?

I see you, you see them....

This is when trusting your team becomes important.

Ok, now for the real thing. Let's do some warm-up first.

...you tip toe across, then you jump over that log, afterwhich you do a triple reverse somersault...

"What took you so long? I just finished my coffee."

He scored a 8.57 for his triple reverse somersault.

She scored a 9.95 for doing everything with her eyes closed.

No time for coffee.

Leap of faith.

I can do it..... I can do it.....

I think I can do it..... I think I can do it.....

I want to go home..... I want to go hhhoooommmmeeeeeeeeeee......

JUMP !!!!

PHEW !!!!

Gulp ! I'm next.....

This...guy....is....heavy.....man....!

Weeeeeeeeeee!!!

Praying for 4D?

Er....no comments.

Another one praying for 4D.

Where???

Everyone showing their thumbs of approval !!

Republic Day Golf & Dinner

2008-01-25T23:03:00.000+08:00

The Republic Day of India (Hindi: गणतंत्र दिवस Gantantra Divas) is a national holiday of India to mark the transition of India from a British Dominion to a republic on January 26, 1950 and the adoption of the Constitution of India. It is one of the three national holidays in India.

Golf Parivaar held a Golf & Dinner to celebrate the event. A total of 6 flights teed off at Warren Golf and Country Club this morning.

The organisers - Golf Parivaar

The 1st flight.

Second flight.

Third flight.

Fourth flight.

Fifth flight.

And last but not least, the sixth flight.

Some of the golfers in action.

Really liked this gentleman's pose. Very cool.

As Parivaar also meant Family in Hindi, Golf Parivaar believes that there are no golf widows or orphans and everyone's part of the celebration. The highlight of the event was the Dinner & Dance held at the Singapore Cricket Club's the Gilmour Room where everyone partied under the clear blue skies, with the mgnificent and grand Supreme Court as the background.

The children waiting eagerly and patiently for their custom made balloons.

The guest getting into the mood of the evening - 70s Retro.

There was Gerald Rodriguez who hails from Canada, providing great live music,

which got everybody in the mood for dancing under the stars.

Even the kids couldn't resist getting into the groove.

Not forgetting the good food and great wine and beer !

For more information about Golf Parivaar and their activities, click here.

Lightened up !

2008-01-21T12:53:00.000+08:00

新加坡佛牙寺龙华院

Took this photo of the Buddha Tooth Relic temple (新加坡佛牙寺龙华院) with my Sony Ericsson K810i using the Twlight Lanscape mode.

If you're using SLR cameras, you would probably have your camera on a tripod since your shutter speed would probable be around 1-2 seconds.

There would usually be a lot of people around such tourist attractions. If you want to depict movement of these people (through blurry human movements), leave the aperture as big as possible, so that the shutter speed would be just long enough to capture these movements.

However, if you want to minimise such movement appearing in your photo, choose the smallest aperture (f22 or f32). Your shutter speed would then probably be more than 10 seconds. Unless the person is walking very slowly, or was standing absolutely still for 10 seconds, they won't show up in your photo.

If you're not using a tripod, then you would need to find something where you could support your camera with. Luckily, there was a streetlamp riser (the ones you see along the road). I rested my handphone/camera on top and took the photo.

Alternatively, you can try leaning on the lamp post. Press your shutter release while breathing out and holding your breath. You might need to practise this. At least it will reduce movement of your hands.

High on Hot Chocolate

2008-01-20T22:43:00.000+08:00

Brought the kids to Vivocity last saturday for some window shopping. Wanted to see what the hype regarding the Sky park was all about. Turned out that most of the water features were under maintenance and only 1 was opened to the public.I saw almost 20-30 kids playing water in the wading pool.

Anyway, was walking around and saw that there was a playground 1 level down, so brought the kids there. Not really your typical playground as there were no slides or structures for kids to climb.

The kids ended up playing a what-you-might-call-it. Where you can sit/lie/hang onto a tilted ring and someone comes along and spins everybody around.

Justin trying his best to make the ring move. Not very successful. Think you can see why.

The kids taking a break after a hard day's work.

Justin didn't know that you could also get high on hot chocolate.

HDB Long Jump

2008-01-15T10:32:00.000+08:00

Witness the record breaking feat for the Girls' HDB Long Jump event.

Witness the record breaking feat for the Boys' HDB Long Jump event.

The Look

2008-01-12T14:31:00.000+08:00

Is anybody looking for a child model with 'The Look' ?

Wedding March in F Major

2008-01-12T13:44:00.000+08:00

Let's welcome our guest soloist - Leon Shu Shu (uncle). He plays the percussion. He joins our resident composer, Justin, who has just recently composed a new piece specially to showcase his percussion flair - Wedding March in F Major.

Leon fine-tuning the composition with Justin

Jaslynn, our resident conductor, getting to know our guest better.

1st rehearsal (as you can see, not quite in tune yet).

2nd rehearsal (much better now).

Finally, the Wedding March in F Major.

Lovely Ranchus !

2008-01-07T14:45:00.000+08:00

Brought the kids down to Plaza Singapura last Saturday, as I wanted to terminate and return my Starhub digital set-top box (getting too expensive).

Anyway, was wondering in basement 2 and came across these lovely Ranchus. I remembered my mom likes to keep goldfish and there was always a ranchu that did somersaults. And I'm always fascinated when they did their little trick.

Common problem when people take photographs of fish (or anything else) in a tank, or behind/near glass. The flash always blankets out everything.

If the tank is bright enough, turn off the flash. Of course, your hands would have to be very steady. If not, use a tripod.

If using flash is unavoidable, take the photo at an angle to the right or left, and not directly in front of the subject. In this way, at least most of the flash is reflected away from the camera.

My 1st Day 开学了 !

2008-01-02T10:09:00.000+08:00

开学了 !

I'm going to school today ! And Daddy is bringing me ! So excited ! I can now carry my Thomas the Train schoolbag and wear my new school uniform (after Daddy has bought them).

Early in the morning 6 o'clock. (didn't know gotta wake up so early one)

Water bottle (check), Biscuits (check), Power Ranger (check)

So many friends !

Finally got my new uniforms.

Let's have some loti prata.

Am I handsome or what (hee hee)?!

Singapore Face Changing ! 变脸

2008-01-01T15:34:00.000+08:00

Bringing you Singapore's version of the infamous Face Changing (变脸).

How many faces can you make in 5 seconds?

And Wishing All the Body a Happy New Year !!!

Symphony No. 1

2007-12-29T16:55:00.000+08:00

Justin composing his 1st symphony at 7 months.

As you will see later, didn't turn out quite well in the end.

Say It With Jaslynn - 大头,大头

2007-12-28T10:23:00.000+08:00

Let Jaslynn teach you how to say the popular chinese nusery rhyme.

Come, Dance with me ! I like to move it move it !

2007-12-26T10:07:00.000+08:00

Think you can groove like me !

Join me !

Guarantee + Chop

2007-12-24T22:51:00.000+08:00

Went Ikea after dinner this evening, as there was nothing much to do. Didn't know Ikea comes with so many years of guarantee nowadays.

This one Guaranteed naughty for 10 years. Think Yeah Yeah (Grandfather) sure like this one.

Or maybe this one, guaranteed spoilt for 25 years ! Ideal Christmas give for Yeah Yeah.

Come, Dance with us ! Mary's Boy Child

2007-12-24T12:16:00.000+08:00

Let's get into the Christmas mood !

Come, Dance with us ! 精舞门

2007-12-23T17:50:00.000+08:00

Think you can dance?

Well, come and join us then !!

Spiderman in his childhood days

2007-12-23T10:43:00.000+08:00

Not all superheroes have it easy when they're young.

Especially during training.

Young Spidey contemplating his next move.

Spot the Fishball Head !

2007-12-22T17:50:00.000+08:00

Can you Spot the Fishball Head ?

This usually happens when you let the camera decide all the settings under the Auto mode. The background gets correct exposed and the foreground (your subject) is in the shadows.

What you'd need to do, is to 'tell' the camera to overexpose the shot. Usually, you can find the buttons label +/- 'EV'. For this shot, I overexposed the shot by +1 EV. The background becomes very bright, and your subject comes out of the shadows.

If you do not want the background to be too bright, then what you can do, is to 'force' your camera to fire the flash.

Usually, when you set to Auto mode, in such lighting conditions, the camera knows that it is bright enough, and so will not fire the flash.

Look for the 'Lightning' symbol (they usually use this symbol to denote the flash settings button) and press it until you see the lightning symbol appear (it willl sometimes cycle through a red eye, a lightning symbol with a no entry sign, etc).Once you see the lightning symbol, it means that the flash will fire regardless of the lighting conditions.

However, your subject will appear to be 'pasted' onto the photo. This is especially so if your subject is moving.

Jus-Tin-Do (4th Movement)

2007-12-22T17:43:00.000+08:00

One more movement and you'll be on your way to becoming a Jus-Tin-Do master yourself!

Don't Give Up !

Come, Dance with us ! We're All In This Together

2007-12-19T11:10:00.000+08:00

Come join Jaslynn and Justin in their own remake of High School Musical's We're All In This Together.

Sing With Jaslynn - Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars

2007-12-16T17:45:00.001+08:00

Let Jaslynn teach you how to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars.

That's a fake Terracotta !

2007-12-15T09:33:00.000+08:00

According to a report in Weekend Today, the Chinese cultural authorities are considering legal action against "Terracotta Warriors" that appeared at a German Museum.

The Shaanxi provincial cultural relics spokesman said that this was "a serious act of fraud ... and has seriously damaged our rights and reputation."

What irony, seriously.

Who pull out the plug !

2007-12-13T11:12:00.001+08:00

Finally decided to bring my IBM Thinkpad z60t down to the service centre. The laptop has been making numerous disappearing acts while I was working half-way.

Used to be either the screen going blank or white, and it only occurred like once every few weeks.

Lately, it has been happening quite regularly. There was a day where it blanked out 3 times. Not only that. It has also decided to add colour to my frustrations. It went green with envy at me being free from having to work. And sometimes turning blue, probably from lack of ram.

Anyway, took it down yesterday for them to troubleshoot.

And also told them there were some problems with my headphone jack. The counter staff (probably from China) put it down as 'Speaker also got problem'. Wah piang. Had to call them to get it amended. Don't want to waste my trip down to collect, only to find out they 'fixed' the wrong problem.

Sigh.... Hope it doesn't take long for them to solve my problem.

Hong Kong Day 4

2007-12-12T10:08:00.000+08:00

Today is free and lazy day. Decided to bring the kids for a little bit of nature. But before we do that, we need to refuel ourselves. No more 茶餐廳 please !

Let's go for some 點心 (dim sum ) !

Jaslynn and Justin reliving their Disneyland outing.

Here comes the food ! Yummy braised chicken's feet !

Plus a nice pot of jasmine tea to go down with some fried carrot cake and century egg porridge.

And we're off to 南丫島 (Lamma Island).

Think probably it's their 1st time taking a ferry? Maybe not 1st time for Jaslynn.

Welcome to 南丫島.

This is the famous Ah Por (Grandma) bean curd. Very nice and smooth. Shiok !!

The syrup is just nice, not too sweet. Add in the ginger crystals (in the plastic container behind) and it gives you that tangy aftertaste. Don't think you can find this in Singapore, can you?

Justin knocked out from too much nature.

Jus-Tin-Do (3rd Movement)

2007-12-11T10:49:00.000+08:00

Mastered the 1st and 2nd movement already? You're good !

Let's go !

Say It With Jaslynn - Two Little Dicky Birds

2007-12-10T09:02:00.000+08:00

Let Jaslynn teach you how to sing the popular nusery rhyme.

Jus-Tin-Do (2nd Movement)

2007-12-09T09:50:00.000+08:00

Have you mastered the Jus-Tin-Do 1st movement ?

Good !

Now let's move on to the 2nd movement !

Say It With Jaslynn - Ah Ma Tau Chiak Ang Ku Kueh

2007-12-08T22:01:00.000+08:00

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Let Jaslynn teach you how to say the popular Hokkien saying.
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Sing With Jaslynn - Grandfather's Clock

2007-12-08T21:50:00.000+08:00

Let Jaslynn teach you how to sing Grandfather's Clock.

Jus-Tin-Do (1st Movement)

2007-12-07T23:14:00.000+08:00

Come learn the art of self-defense from Master Justin himself. Learn how to fight with music !

The video below is hosted at photobucket. Had problems trying to upload to youtube. The upload was taking forever.

Practise and master the 1st movement - Fighting with Microphone.

Update : Finally managed to upload to youtube. See if there's any difference in quality?

Hong Kong Day 3

2007-12-06T14:50:00.000+08:00

Rise and Shine ! We're going to Disneyland today !!

Jaslynn bouncing up when she heard we were going to Disneyland today.

Brush faster Di Di ! Daddy's bringing us to Disneyland ! Hurry !

Taking the specially designed Disney MTR carriage to Disneyland.

Welcome to Disneyland !

Behind is the mini musical fountain.

Seldom see Justin 'smile' like this. You'd know why later.

Justin not wasting his time in checking out the Disney merchandise.

See the castle behind? It's really small, really. You can only walk through the castle. The castles at Disneyland (Anaheim) and Disneyworld are at least 3 to 4 times bigger. And they also have shops on both sides of the tunnel (where you walk through).

The castle at Disneyworld was big enough for the Disney characters to perform in front of the castle. Anyway....

See the way Justin 'smiles' now?

Think can trade mark his smile.

This was the closest we could get to taking a photo with any of the Disney characters. Whenever we tried to join the queue, the characters would be on their way back. On this occasion, a male Chinarian was shouting at Mickey. Yes, shouting at Mickey to take a photo with his kids.

Luckily didn't encounter too many of these Chinarians. Also didn't encounter those Chinarians that spitted or took off their shoes and rested on the benches. Hopefully this guy was the exception.

Can you beat this ?!

Let the parade begin !

Jaslynn managed to see her favourite Mermaid swim past in this float. It's really very funny and wierd to see them lip synching to cantonese lines.

The kids with their bounty.

And thank you for relieving me of almost $155.

Princess Ariel

2007-12-05T10:06:00.000+08:00

Brought Jaslynn to Centrepoint last Friday for a free Disney Princess makeover. Not really 'free' as one has to spend $150. It was a gift from Jaslynn's Ah Ma (Grandmother).

Jaslynn chose to be Ariel since it's her favourite Disney princess. Seems like the makeover was really popular as most of the slots (100 or 150 each day) were taken up really fast, especially weekends.

Jaslynn was a little apprehensive when she first walked out after making up and changing into the costume.

But after a little while, she was more relaxed, especially with Justin around.

Photos are grainy cuz I set the camera (Olympus C70) to ISO 400.

Come to my cafe !

2007-12-04T08:48:00.000+08:00

Jaslynn and Justin has just set up their little cafe.

Come and take a look at what they have to offer !!

All friends and relatives enjoy a 20% discount.

Our new playground !

2007-12-03T09:15:00.000+08:00

Was on the way back from lunch last Saturday when the kids pleaded to try out the new playground downstairs.

So brought them there for a test run.

JUMP !!
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Happy Birthday Winston !

2007-11-30T13:31:00.000+08:00

Went Swensons last Friday (23 Nov) to celebrate my brother's birthday. As usual, the kids were full of their antics.

Jaslynn drawing everyone's attention and announcing her Tai Pak's (uncle) birthday dinner is commencing.

Justin deciding on what to order.

Justin practising how to puff out the candles.

I huff and I puff !

The 2 Js attacking Tai Pak's cake.

Justin's more concerned about the handphone than the cake.

Hong Kong Day 2

2007-11-26T11:32:00.000+08:00

Started off the day with breakfast at the 茶餐廳 downstairs. Our intinerary for today was shopping @ Shen Zhen.

Justin having his bacon and toast.

And it was off by train to Shen Zhen.

Didn't take photos as we spent most of the time in the shopping malls @ Luohu.

By the time we returned to Hong Kong, everyone was tired and hungry. Went to Mongkok for dinner as we wanted to take a walk along 女人街 (Ladies Street) afterwards.

Again, had to settle our dinner at another 1 of the 茶餐廳 (really getting sick of the food oredi). This time, I ordered the beef kway teow. Looks good but a bit salty.

Ordered the kids' favourite Hor Fan.

The Mommy had 咕噜肉 which comes with soup and rice. Not too bad also.

Justin picking up another chinese 'custom'.

Saw this restaurant serving claypot rice. Maybe next time?

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Justin eyeing Mommy's Bubble Tea (after drinking almost half of it).

Hong Kong Day 1

2007-11-21T10:59:00.000+08:00

Finally got round to putting up some photos from our Hong Kong trip last month, after much nagging from Jit Leong (ha ha).

Took Jetstar Asia as we could choose the seats. Booked the tickets in August when they had the $99 promotion fare. After factoring in the taxes and insurance, still came up to about $1,200 for the whole family. Only thing was that the flight departs at 6.40am! So had to be at the airport at around 4 plus in the morning!

Had to bundle the kids to bed early so that they could get enough sleep. If not, their crankiness would be up several levels.

Luckily, the airport canteen was opened and we had some light breakfast of chee cheong fun (rice rolls) and yam cake.

Justin eyeing his sister's last few pieces of chee cheong fun.

Not much things to see after we checked into the departure gates as most of the shops in the departure lounge were closed. Luckily still got free internet terminals to keep the kids occupied while we waited to board the plane.

After a short wait, it was time to board the plane. The kids were really excited, especially Justin, as this was the first time he was taking a plane. Got them window seats but it was still dark anyway.

Luckily their sleep caught up with them and they slept awhile on the way there.

Finally landed in Hong Kong !

Had to take a shuttle bus from the plane to the terminal.

Justin looking for his luggage, or for his Daddy?

Kids found out there was an easier way to travel than walking.

Finally reached the apartment, which was near Miramar Hotel. Think it was somewhere near Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station. Location was quite central and convenient.

After putting down our things, we went for lunch at the nearby 茶餐廳. It just like our foodcourt except they sell all the varieties of food in one place. And they practically have a few of these 茶餐廳 on one street. Dunno how they managed to survive.

Anyway, after lunch, everyone was tired, so we all returned to the apartment for a nap.

When we woke up, it was dinner time. Ha ha, makan time again. We went to a restaurant somewhere in Mong kok where they serve very delicious roast duck. Forgot the name of the restaurant.

Jaslynn looking forward to the sumptous dinner.

We ordered their famous roast duck, sweet and sour seafood, and fried spinach. Their sweet and sour seafood was really delicious. Much better than the meat variety (咕噜肉)that we have in Singapore.

Their squid also looked delicious, but didn't have the chance to savour it.

After dinner, we had a walk around Mong Kok before returning to our apartment.

Day 2 coming up.....

Broadband on Confusion - Episode 1

2007-10-14T18:24:00.000+08:00

Since I had terminated my M1 Broadband, I had to look for an alternative. Starhub and SingTel also had island-wide wireless broadband.

Starhub has the fastest network, and it's unlimited. But it's also the most expensive. MaxOnline subscribers enjoy 50% off though. But still expensive.

That leaves me with SingTel's Broadband on Mobile. Their network speeds are the same as M1's. Their coverage is not quite evenly spread but it's much better than M1's. I'm getting 5 bars for SingTel's 3.5G network.

When I was using M1, I only had 2 bars. Asked M1 why is this so, since I'm staying at quite a high floor. M1 told me for 3/3.5G network, the higher you are, the weaker the signal. Issit ???

Anyway, I'm now getting 5 bars from SingTel. Probably could be because I'm now using the USB modem instead of the PC Card.

So why the confusion ?

When your company is offering a promotion, wouldn't it be critical that your front line staff be aware ?

Was looking through their price plan and noticed that Singnet Broadband subscribers enjoy a 30% discount. When I called their customer service to enquire, the customer service officer was not even aware there is such a promotion. I had to direct her to her own company's promotion.

She then said that the promotion was under Singnet. (Tai Chi 1st movement - 'slowly push the incoming force away from yourself. better if can push it to another target')

Ok lor. Called SingNet. This time lagi better. When I enquired about the promotion, put me on hold for 10mins. (Tai Chi 2nd movement - 'try to run around opponent without doing anything, hoping that opponent will give up)

I perservered and overcame the 2nd movement. She replied that the promotion was under SingTel. Ha ! Trying to use the 1st movement on me. I quickly countered the movement. Told her SingTel asked me to call SingNet. Told her to better get someone who knows the promotion to answer me. She was cornered !

She quickly strike out with the 3rd movement - deflect incoming arrows to unsuspecting colleague. This movement is slightly more difficult to execute than the 1st movement. Was put on hold again but only for 5 mins this time.

Another officer came on and she was finally able to answer my simple query. But she said that to enjoy the discount, I would need to be a new SingNet Broadband subscriber. Wah ! Tai Chi 4th movement - overwhelm opponent with terms and conditions.

Luckily, I countered with my 'it's not stated anywhere on your website' move. I won this round again.

Not to be outdone, she kept her most lethal move for the last. She let fly her 'You have to upgrade your mobile phone's SIM card to a 3G SIM card, and that will be $18' move (my SIM card was still the old 2G one). I was floored. My energy was zapped 50%.

Told her I was getting the Huawei USB modem, so why need to upgrade my mobile phone's SIM card, since the numbers would be different. Again, she executed the 4th movement. Sensing that I would be fighting a losing battle, I executed the 36th movement - Run. But not before I threw back a 'what kind of policy is that ?' She was knocked back abit and executed the 'I'll waive off the upgrade fee of $18' movement.

Anyway, all that was before I went down to Westmall to subscribe for the plan. When I was there, the officer told me it was not necessary to upgrade my mobile's SIM card. Upgraded anyway since it was going to be free.

Thought that my fight with 3 consecutive Tai Chi masters was finally over.

Or so I thought.......

(to be continued...)

Oktoberfest

2007-10-14T09:09:00.000+08:00

No lah, not the real Oktoberfest. But October sees us celebrating 3 birthdays : Justin, his mommy, and his mahz mahz (granny).

We had a luncheon celebration at Suanthai, which is at Kiliney Road. They have ala-carte buffet which is about $16.90 ++ for lunch. They have quite a lot of varieties. Not the best Thai food but I find the price reasonable.

The kids getting all ready.

I'm hungry. Where's my food ?

The Granny with the 3 boys and Winston. Aunty Rosa is sitting opposite the Granny.

Who's talking behind my back !

Jaslynn enjoying a joke from Coo Chair (aunty)

Terence shoo shoo (uncle) 'transformed' his gameboy into a robot. And Justin couldn't transform it back. Thus.....

Oi ! Who did that !

Now you know who....

Granny spreading the joy.

Erratic, Unstable M1 Broadband

2007-10-11T13:35:00.000+08:00

Finally terminated my M1 broadband last Friday. Just nice, 6 months contract up. It was anything but a good experience.

Chose the PC card device and after about 2 months, the card kept taking ages to find a network. Even after I had managed to log on, the connection will break often. Problem solved after I got it changed.

Then it was the wireless router's turn to give me problems. Had to rent the Linksys wireless router as I had to share the internet at home. The router kept losing the network. Had to reset the router so often that I lost count.

And the biggest problem was with the network itself. The network went kaput once, for almost 12 hours, in August, and twice in a week in September. M1 was 'kind' enough to suggest a waiver of 1 day's subscription. Told them that was unacceptable. And they 'gave' me half a month off.

Enough is enough. Dunno when the network will kaput again. Don't want to go through all the frustrations again.

Bye bye M1 !

Decided to try SingTel's Broadband on Mobile, would probably be a better experience. Or so I thought......

Caltex National Karting Challenge 2007

2007-10-10T14:40:00.003+08:00

Leon, Terence, Wendy and I took part in the Caltex National karting challenge last Friday, 5 Oct. We were all very excited as it was the 1st time that we are taking part in an official competition. The most I had done was karting at Genting Highlands many years ago.

The track was at East Coast carpark E1, near the Ski 360 and East Coase Seafood Centre. When we were about to reach the place, got a call from the organiser asking if we're there. Wah, so good. Or so I thought.

When we reached the registration counter, the organisers told us that "due to some delays, could we come back tomor (Sat) for our slot." We were like "Huh?" Cannot lah. You think we so free meh? Somemore I took leave leh ! Then they said, in that case, we would have to wait for them to call us. Boh bian (no choice) lor, can only sit around and wait.

Waited until about 5.15pm (our slot was 4.30pm, we were there abt 4pm) and my cousin (Leon) checked with them regarding our slot. He came back and told us that it was not possible to kart today. Just when we were about to leave, the organisers called us and said they managed to squeeze us into the last slot for the day. Great !!

And we were off !!!!

It was really fun. Much better than Gentings definitely. And the kart we had were also better than the one we had during the practice session at Taman Jurong.

When we were on our last driver (Terence), an accident happened. A lady driver crashed into the tyres. The back of her kart was lifted off the ground momentarily. Think she was quite shaken. There were some confusion as some of the marshals were asking people to slow down, and some were asking people to stop.

In the end, the safety marshal blew the horn and everyone had to stop and the race was ended prematurely. Anyway, we didn't really do badly. Our timing was 13m 46.7s. The fastest team clocked 11min flat. Most of the teams were doing on average 14 - 15 min.

As we were about to leave, there were 2 cars (a nissan dunno what and a toyota altis) doing some drifting demos. So much rubber burnt !

Happy Birthday Justin !

2007-10-06T15:28:00.000+08:00

Today is Justin's birthday, and Yeah Yeah boiled some tang yuan (rice balls filled with peanuts inside) for everyone.

More updates later.....

Brought the kids for a cable car ride (which was a birthday gift from Mommy).

Next destination : Ice Cream ! No Swensons at Habour Front. So had to settle for McDonald's Sundae.

And Thank You everybody for your presents !!!

My loony bun is fine Benny Lava (Youtube)

2007-09-30T00:31:00.000+08:00

Came across this video on Youtube. This guy called buffalax creates his own subtitles for foreign films. Result is simply hilarious. Reminds me of the subtitles I see on pirated English language DVDs from China.

More of buffalax's videos can be found here and here.

Enjoy !!

Going home

2007-09-29T09:29:00.001+08:00

Update : Doctor says Justin's lungs are clear. Can go home oredi ! Phew !

Cough Cough !

2007-09-28T22:57:00.000+08:00

What a busy week ! Brought the car for servicing on Monday. And Justin went down with fever and cough. He first developed fever on Saturday.

Then the coughing kicked in on Tuesday. Brought him to the GP but he developed some breathlessness on Thursay, so had to make a trip down to KK Hospital.

At the triage, Justin's oxygen level was 94%, so he had to go for an oxgen spa.

Blood test showed that his white cell count was low, indicating a viral infection. And his lungs were wet. So boh bian (no choice), had to be warded.

Justin in his hospital clothings (garb?)

Asked him to point to his ward, and this is what he did. Buey tahan him (cannot stand him).

Sigh. Hopefully he can be discharged on Saturday.

Safari Expansion

2007-09-23T13:27:00.000+08:00

Justin's safari has expanded ! Thanks to kind sponsors. We now have a blank panther, an elephant, and a giraffe.

Justin even has a private car park for his racing car. And even a jumbo jet ! Think I need to audit his accounts and make sure he doesn't spend on biscuits and sweets.

High School Musical

2007-09-21T11:15:00.000+08:00

Come join Jaslynn's version of High School Musical.

We just need a drummer, a bassist and a lead vocal.

Anyone wants to sign up?

Boo !

2007-09-20T10:13:00.000+08:00

Think this scarecrow will attract more birds instead of scaring them away.

Our little gardeners have grown up

2007-09-17T10:06:00.000+08:00

This photo was taken in March 2006.

The one below was taken last week.

Community Service - Visit to NEWater

2007-09-15T22:13:00.001+08:00

Last Friday, we brought the residents to the NEWater Visitor Centre. It was a first time for me.

When we were at the Home, the residents were already waiting eagerly for us.

As the weather wasn't looking too good, we had to get everyone on the bus quickly.

Once we reached the NEWater Visitor Centre, it started to rain cats and dogs.

Our friendly volunteers all too turns sheltering the residents from the rain, which was pouring in from all directions due to the strong winds.

Afterwhich, everyone waited patiently for their turn in the lobby, to take the lift up to the second level where the mini-auditorium was.

One of the residents taking a look around while waiting for the lift.

This was our friendly and bubbly guide for the day. We are now outside the mini-auditorium.

Everyone getting a nice seat for the show, which was about the importance of water in Singapore.

Second stop of the tour - Our guide explaining to us the 4 'taps' from which Singapore gets her water - Local catchment, Imported, NEWater and Desalinated.

Then it was off to the displays where our volunteers brought the residents around to look at the various displays.

Hmmmm, I wonder what are they so engrossed in ?

Disco anyone ?

The last part of the tour was where we were given an insight into how the water is treated through the 4 different stages.

The residents with all the volunteers.

Welcome to my Safari

2007-09-14T08:08:00.000+08:00

Justin just opened his Safari. But, er, currently only got funds to buy 1 Leopard and 1 cub.

Any sponsors?