Brimspark

2012-02-12T21:48:00.000+08:00

Seems like it's incredibly difficult for pop stars to end their life or career well. Really wonder why it's like that - those who seem to have everything usually end up with nothing.

2012-01-30T11:26:00.000+08:00

Hi hi, haven't had much time to update cause exams are drawing near. Actually just prelims but somehow this year it's too quick. Syllabus is not done yet and there's much to do.

Went to USS with the cousins and no I didn't take the battlestar ride - I don't expect to enjoy it at all haha. So anyway in the evening there was a rainbow and the castle was a perfect foreground for that!

Still quite interested in the Transformers ride cause there's this thing about how we perceive motion using visual reference frames and how we can only feel acceleration but not constant motion - so the ride was a very skillful application of this - the apparent motion was very very real, though the vehicle didn't move much actually. No time now to fully find out what this is all about, it's just fragments of what I've learnt before. Perhaps after prelims.

Forty two degrees - brilliant physics authored by the brilliant God

2012-01-30T10:27:00.000+08:00

CNY this year was good - not too busy (only two visitations) but still fun with all the cousins.

2012-01-19T22:36:00.002+08:00

Found this article in a science magazine, found it funny:

"Bubble wrap provides several different sensory rewards. First the bubbles are soft and smooth, which encourages your hand to stroke or explore the surface. Each bubble is also slightly yielding and just squeezing one gently between your fingers is quite sensual. Add a little extra pressure and the bubble pops. The noise is disproportionately loud compared with bursting other things of similar size found in nature, such as seedpods, and there are no negative consequences. There is no goo or smell or mess, just a loud pop and a squashed bubble. This encourages us to try again and the fact that the bubble stays squashed provides a small sense of achievement."

By Ciaran O'Shea

2012-01-13T08:36:00.000+08:00

Deepening our relationship through seasons

The various seasons of our life help us to develop different aspects of our walk with God. There are just some things we cannot learn without a change of things (environment), like how it is difficult to learn about God's provision when we're in abundance (because firstly we don't have the need to ask, secondly we don't directly attribute the answered prayer to God).

So don't waste the seasons of your life by hoping for a 'better one', but learn through all seasons.

2012-01-04T12:18:00.001+08:00

And we can have a Doomsday party before our Christmas party this year!

2011-12-17T23:09:00.008+08:00

Hello world! It's been a month and well it's not that I've been too busy to update but just kinda lazy haha. I don't think I'll even change my blog template next year at this rate. It's just this feeling that I've got more important things to do like study but of course I don't like doing that so I end up getting distracted while trying to do that.

So anyway, pictures of the eclipse! Shame I had a lousy camera. But anyway just bought a new one at Courts today. Now I have to wait for the next eclipse...

I think I'll just put all of the photos here as a sequence on a permalink here - click on this sentence and not on the full stop at the end of it .

Ok and then JYM camp - I'm grateful that I can attend most part of it, skipped one lesson (with permission!) and I haven't revised to cover up yet haha. The sessions were meaningful and I think I mentioned before that I like Pila's down to earth type of altar call - no hype, all Spirit.

And games were cool, nicely themed to the camp's theme and it's fun to collaborate with other groups. Makes games more massive, like the one at Labrador - you get the feeling, like some gang fight without the tatoos and stuff haha, and also so no group feels that they're alone against 7 others.

And I think JYM worship is evolving (in a good way) as more emphasis is placed on it. The passion is there to drive it to new heights, and I hope that will continue. That being said, I also hope JYM can become more grounded in the Word, as that is equally important. Ok I don't know if it's actually equal but you get the picture.

So anyway, looking forward to C'mas 2011. Grr haven't started writing all those cards... And here is the artwork's first draft, the one supposed to be put on display during camp. In the end we sawed it up and used the back part of it to do our final artwork (right below). What do you think it looks like? A bird? Some planet? Anyway, while you're considering, have a Merry Christmas.

2011-11-15T14:19:00.001+08:00

"The most important race in the world"

2011-11-12T14:46:00.002+08:00

No tricks, this image will start to disappear if you stare at it for about 10 seconds. Focus on any spot and count to ten, and when it starts to fade, don't look away.

2011-11-04T23:11:00.003+08:00

On the 8-9 of November, an asteroid will streak past earth, closer than the moon is to us. Fortunately, there is no threat of impact on either earth or the moon, as it will fly above (north of) both. Unfortunately, at magnitude 11, it will not be bright enough to see with the naked eye (so far I've read).

(Animated image, click to view)

2011-10-31T14:30:00.002+08:00

"Even the fiercest storms eventually wear themselves out."

2011-10-06T10:55:00.009+08:00

"...you will surely die."

Another legendary man has passed on, and events like these (last being MJ) just remind me that at the end of the day, what's left is what you have created between you and God, not anything else you have achieved in your life.

I find it hard to say "rest in peace" if I am not assured of the deceased's salvation, for I know that those who die without Christ will surely not be able to live out that phrase.

I pray for Mr Lee, undoubtedly Singapore's greatest leader, who's time draws near, that he might be prepared for the most important meeting of his life.

2011-10-03T10:12:00.006+08:00

Check out these seasonal wonders - bio luminescent waves! Very much like sea auroras.

Video of waves

Kayaking in bio luminescent waters

2011-09-27T21:05:00.002+08:00

Time lapse of an aurora seen from low earth orbit on board the International Space Station. God, in all His creativity, sets up a light show far above the earth every once in a while.

2011-09-17T13:45:00.001+08:00

Nice! (Not done by me)

2011-08-09T23:49:00.004+08:00

Realize that a few are still wondering what the logo looks like, so here;

Not finalized though - the committee said that it will have to undergo quite a few changes.

2011-08-08T23:24:00.000+08:00

Hello world, it's been a while. Ok some highlights;

Joanne's party was cool. Got to stay in a nice place which had a perfect view of the fireworks from one of the NDP rehearsals. Photos here

A bat came into my parent's room one night. It was not afraid of the camera so my parents took a few shots of it before it flew off.

2011-07-12T19:16:00.002+08:00

Hello world, it's been a while. Not that I have been busy. Quite the opposite, I have been quite unoccupied. A little recap anyway;

I don't have to elaborate much on the mission trip - all God things are good.

The other interesting thing is the railway that is about to be gone. Over the past two weeks, it has received so much attention and it has generated a steady flow of people just wanting to walk it before it's gone. I didn't think it'd be such a big deal. Maybe one day my grand grand kids will be walking the remnants of the MRT line (without the intent of suicide, of course).

2011-07-09T17:46:00.000+08:00

Haha!

2011-06-22T18:14:00.006+08:00

I wondered if it was more worthwhile for a group of 4 people to share a cab or to take a bus, and so this. (The taxi rate here is a $3 flagdown fare and without any special charges)

Conclusions:

1) For any trip below 8 km, the difference is less than 50 cents per person. If you don't mind paying 50 cents for convenience, just share a cab.

2) Buses and trains will always be more worthwhile for long distances.

3) Any trip below 1 km, just share a cab. Or walk.

2011-06-02T23:09:00.008+08:00

Okay so I've been spending my holidays building a Sims 3 house. Always wanted to have a program that helps me to turn my dream houses into (albeit virtual) reality.

First picture is the start of the project. The rest shows the finished house; overview, entrance, rooms, open air washrooms.

2011-05-19T16:52:00.004+08:00

Okay hi so exams are over but I'm not extremely bored yet cause this week still has quite a bit of activity. Maybe next week.

Strange thing about this format of grading (100% on one exam) is that the topics which I have spent the entire school year studying but never came out proved to be totally worthless studying for. I won't be using any of that information next year as I will be taking different subjects, so in a sense, it was really quite a waste of time studying for it because it had no use. But of course I can only say that on hindsight.

Anyway I won't be retaining most of the concepts I've studied as they have no further use now.

Anyway, here's a very nicely executed JFL gag.

2011-04-20T20:55:00.001+08:00

Hi.
It's been a while.
I'm busy studying for exams.
Catch you later.

2011-03-16T23:13:00.005+08:00

Somehow I feel more impacted by the disaster in Japan than any other disasters that have occurred in the past decade. Perhaps it's because we are somewhat similar to Japan; developed country, Asian, and so it gets me thinking how countries, advanced and developed as they are, aren't that much safer than its less developed counterparts when they are faced with such disasters. In fact, it is because of its development (nuclear power) that they face another threat (radiation).

I can't imagine living under such circumstances; to face a triple threat - the land they stand on isn't stable, the waters engulf them and sweep everything away, and the air they breathe may shorten their lifespan.

It's also hard to imagine that we are in the midst of such historical events, unprecedented in scale. The last nuclear disaster (Chernobyl) was just a grim story to me, but now it seems like we are living in the making of another.

Firefighters are really risking their lives in trying to sort out the nuclear accident, and it seems like a new reactor building is blowing up each day. They really do have a lot on their hands right now, so do keep them in prayer.

2011-03-04T12:38:00.006+08:00

"I want to share that I believe in Jesus Christ, who has given his own life for us. I know what is the meaning of [the] cross and I’m following … the cross.

I’m ready to die for a cause. I’m living for my community and suffering people and I will die to defend their rights. So these threats and these warnings cannot change my opinion and principles. I will prefer to die for my principles and for the justice of my community rather to compromise."

Farewell statement by Mr Bhatti, Pakistan's only Christian minister who was gunned down in broad daylight in the capital city two days ago. He was threatened by the Taliban and Al Qaeda, so he kinda knew his end was near.

Let's not forget the price some people pay for standing up for Christ.

Full story here

2011-02-28T21:51:00.001+08:00

"I know some make the mistake of thinking the earth revolves around the sun in an elliptical orbit...

There is no new year because there is no time in space where Earth re-enters the same mark to start over what humanity has mistaken for a cycle."

2011-02-21T21:17:00.001+08:00

2011-02-14T19:55:00.011+08:00

What a sight. These two could be plots for movies. The first one is something normal people do, except that they do it in Grand Theft Auto.

And this guy below is awesome, too bad he's crazy. He was really well prepared (check out the rifles and video cams inside the vehicle).

2011-01-30T22:08:00.004+08:00

Here are a few nice pictures I've seen of late;

Night sky in Libya. Wish it was just a nice here in Singapore.

It's almost like God spilled black paint on this area of the night sky. The ominous black tentacles are just dark nebula, which are essentially columns of dust.

The Whirlpool Galaxy. Even at such large scales, God maintains order, and crafts immense gravity fields to support symmetry of this galaxy's massive spiral pattern.

This is the structure at the core of the abovementioned galaxy. Many insist that it is the shape of a cross and claim that it is Matthew 24:30's "Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven".

I won't be too quick to jump into that though. I think at the end of the day, while it serves as a good visual reminder, the cross is just a shape that reminds us of God so let's not deify it. The reality of His sacrifice goes beyond the physical form.

2011-01-11T16:00:00.004+08:00

Well the Os are out and along with it come varied reactions and also a better idea of future paths.

As important as exams may be in our society (we being ordained by God to be born into Singapore at this time, such that qualifications become such an important part of our lives), we must ensure that we don't idolize exams or their results.

I don't think idolization covers just the good results, as idolization can also be when we take our eyes off God and place our focus elsewhere.

For the good-graders, the trap is easier to see. Pride and idolization of qualifications are the main things I suppose. So what is true humility, and what is genuine gratefulness?

For the not-up-to-expectation-graders, focusing too much on bad results isn't what God calls for. God gives the necessary resources (intelligence, time, wisdom, discipline etc) to enable each one to achieve the grade that He has set out for each individual.

In a way, our effort is just a coefficient (of less than 1), a percentage which modifies the maximum grade God has set. If we have given our best, then the grade obtained is the grade God has purposed, i.e. you are where God wants you to be. Now, that can't be a bad thing.

So why worry? Good grades, which are based on a mad-made measurement of intelligence which is just one of the components of life, are not as big as what some of us might make it to be.

Good grades don't necessitate a good job, and a good job doesn't necessitate a good life, and a good life doesn't necessitate a life well-lived in God's eyes.

So makes for a life well-lived in God's eyes?

2011-01-03T18:10:00.001+08:00

Good thing I don't use Twitter

2010-12-25T22:22:00.003+08:00

2010-12-24T15:35:00.002+08:00

Merry Christmas to everyone out there!

Ah yes it's been busy that's why I haven't had time to blog. Ok so before camp I had this series of tests, so of course I had to study for it. Test overlapped the first two days of camp, and so I went for the first night session and boy was it good.

I had this misconception that ang moh speakers will be a bit less impacting because they do not know our local culture well, and also because their accent kinda alienates them in some intangible way. At least I feel so. But well God is God of all peoples and He can choose to work in any way though any means, even if it isn't 'culturally apt'. I do like hearing these challenging sermons, one that makes you do things or see things differently.

I missed out on most of the games but it's fine. And then again I had this misconception that DYC would be nothing new, but wow it was different for me this time, somehow. Though now I cannot pinpoint what they did different from other conferences. So then it must be God.

I am also glad that tents turned out well. Initially everyone was apprehensive, but then again if Henry was called by God to do this, then surely it can't be wrong. God sends sunshine and rain so that He can accomplish His various plans. It's like how you need more than one ingredient to make a nice dish, or like how you need more than one eye to make a nice fish.

Ok gonna be Christmas soon, seasons greetings to everyone!

2010-12-13T20:54:00.002+08:00

The best way to learn English

-and-

2010-12-04T22:05:00.001+08:00

2010-11-30T23:17:00.001+08:00

LOL this is real funny, making Google Translate beatbox for you. Go to Google Translate, change the input output language to both German, and paste this;

pv zk pv pv zk pv zk kz zk pv pv pv zk pv zk zk pzk pzk pvzkpkzvpvzk kkkkkk bsch

and then on the right, click listen.

2010-11-27T21:32:00.003+08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MahTKZDHXaA

"Huge shiny P" lol

2010-11-19T22:53:00.001+08:00

I wonder what benefits the signs "Thank you for riding with SMRT" provide to its customers. I don't think we even care haha.

Might as well save the money and give us cheaper bus and train fares.

2010-11-13T13:42:00.005+08:00

I think the Straits Times does a good job of showcasing the absurdity of some lawsuits.

Recently they highlighted the case of a teacher who sued MOE because she hurt herself while climbing out of a ventilation vent, and then dropping off about 4m onto the ground. She's suing the MOE for not having a safe environment.

ST link

And then there's the lady who fell down a flight of stairs in a restaurant, now seeking $500,000 in claims. She was wearing high heeled shoes and using her handphone while walking down.

ST Link

You can just imagine the comments against the person involved that these stories generated.

2010-10-27T20:45:00.003+08:00

Skiwi haha nice! It's a vandalized sign, by the way.

2010-10-19T18:21:00.002+08:00

Herro world!

Ok so it's been 8 weeks in SIM and one round of tests which I have yet to get back but it doesn't really matter because it's not counted in the final grade.

In fact, 100% of the final grade is derived from the exam paper I will take in May 2011 - it's all or nothing. As for the tests I just took, it's all nothing.

I'm glad there's not much group work, and whatever little group work I have is not graded. I prefer to be responsible for my own grades.

My subjects this year are; 1) Economics, 2) Statistics, 3) Mathematics, 4) Accounting, and 5) Introduction to Business and Management (IBM).

The subject of Economics presents many new concepts which can be quite difficult to apply in answering the questions.

The subject of IBM is very dry; the notes alone total 1080 pages, and it's all summarized points, no pictures. How I miss textbooks. But I wouldn't wanna see the textbook for this subject, considering how the summarized version is a thousand pages long.

The concepts, theories, and their contributing authors have to be memorized. The class occasionally has had good laughs at people who, during presentation, remembered and thus pronounced the names wrongly.

Next series of tests will overlap the first two days of JYM camp, then it'll be holidays finally, albeit a short one, a span of two weeks.

2010-10-15T18:06:00.001+08:00

I bought a Marimo, which is essentially a furry cotton-like moss ball that grows in water and can reproduce and can outlive me (lives about 100 years if I take care of it). Maybe it can be my family heirloom.

2010-10-02T09:49:00.002+08:00

The walls of Jericho - brought down by resonance?

While looking at a writeup on mechanic resonance, I thought of the possibility that God had the Israelites use this law of physics to bring down the walls;

Mechanical resonance is the tendency of a mechanical system to absorb more energy when the frequency of its oscillations matches the system's natural frequency of vibration. It may cause violent swaying motions and even catastrophic failure in improperly constructed structures including bridges, buildings, and airplanes - a phenomenon known as resonance disaster. Periodic excitation optimally transfers to the system the energy of the vibration and stores it there. Because of this repeated storage and additional energy input the system swings ever more strongly, until its load limit is exceeded.

Joshua 6:

3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in."

They blew trumpets for six days while marching round the walls. On the seventh day they marched round it seven times, and the people gave a shout.

Perhaps God had carefully constructed the situation such that the wall was built in the natural frequency which matches the ram's horns, and so the 13 times of trumpet blowing was enough to create the required energy build up to cause structural collapse.

Or maybe the marching helped too. Or that the wall was already weakened from an earthquake. Perhaps the wall was structurally unsound to begin with, thus required less than expected (from its tall and strong looks) energy to destroy it.

Maybe it's all of the above. But anyway, it shows that "miracles are not contrary to nature, but only to what we know about nature".

2010-09-25T14:03:00.003+08:00

A Vermeer cat - What a concept! Cute and cool.

2010-09-08T19:22:00.003+08:00

Have you ever wondered what the minimum speed at which you need to run towards a sliding door so that you can smash into it before it fully opens?

The average speed of a sliding door is 0.6 m/s
The average sensor detection radius is 2 metres
And so... You do the math.

See, you don't have to run that fast after all.

2010-08-30T23:14:00.006+08:00

Trip to Japan, August 2010
Permanent link below (click on image)

2010-08-11T13:25:00.001+08:00

To the land of the rising sun

13 Aug - 23 Aug

Till then, see ya!

2010-08-02T21:58:00.003+08:00

Herro world! It's been a while. One week of Starcraft 2 has taken my time away from less important things.

I'm done with the storyline and it's been an interesting campaign. I'm just surprised that the ending went well and there were no twists. Yeah the norm nowadays is to feature a twist, so the real twist was that there was no twist. Okay there was one but it's too expected and it doesn't matter anyway.

The graphics are nice, but it's a very cartoon-styled 3D modeling and rendering, very much like Red Alert 3. These games bank more on the lighting to make it look nice, so the gameplay looks much nicer in dark (night) maps. C&C3 still features the most realistic rendering, in terms of RTS games that I possess.

On another note, the new Honey Chipotle fries in McDonalds feature very fine pepper particles that tend to escape the shaker bag they provide, and these particles find their way into the noses of unsuspecting passer-bys (radius of about slightly less than a metre), causing discomfort, and sometimes, sneezing. Or maybe it's just me. But complaints aside, it tastes nice.

2010-07-18T00:15:00.004+08:00

Herro world, it's been a while. The major update - God answered prayer point number 3 of the last post. My grandma died peacefully that very afternoon, and I've been busy at the wake. It's my first time witnessing a burial.

The rain descended on us as we clutched our umbrella tightly under the grey skies. No last sight of my grandma as they lowered her into her final resting place, along with the many others who have finished their race.

I must say my grandma bore a very good testimony. Her story was silent, only to be told by the many who streamed in to honour her. I now admire her more than ever.

2010-07-13T10:45:00.006+08:00

1) Why did I even watch that World Cup Finals. It was like any other ordinary match, just more boring, and an unspectacular victory. I vow not to watch any World Cup finals ever again for the next three years lol.

2) Planning for the movement routes for our Japan trip is an eye-strainer, almost like a Japanese version of Where's Waldo when you can't type in the correct characters for google to search (sometimes the hotels don't have english names). And why do they have to give a new name to every square hectare of land?!

3) I realize there ain't much sand left in my grandparent's hourglass. I just hope for a peaceful transition.

4) C&C3 on my new computer;

2010-07-02T14:01:00.003+08:00

I've been reading through the bible and you know, the Old Testament is full of gems (and germs too. Well at least on my bible).

This chapter impacted me - 1 Kings 13

http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/1113.htm

1) From the example of Jeroboam, I wonder how stubborn and/or evil a person can possibly become despite having a very precious promise from God (God promised to make a lasting dynasty for him if only he obeyed God), and also despite having encountered the very real and terrible judgement of God, (withering of his hand), and even more so the very real and insane, almost ridiculous grace of God (healing of his hand upon request). Even after all these, Jeroboam refused to give up his idols.

Lesson for us: Always check our hearts, keep it sensitive. Stubbornness comes slowly and builds bit by bit. Eventually, we can be in full ignorance and we won't even know it.

2) Believers under the New Covenant, which is centered on grace, tend to forget that God judges His people even more severely than non-believers. The man of God seen here, had his life taken away from him because he disobeyed by eating and drinking. Seemingly harmless and even a human necessity, we can see how strict God is.

Lesson for us: When God says something, it's important we follow 100%. Also, don't take God's love and grace for granted. We are serving the same God who disciplined this man in this way. While it's important that we live by grace, we also need to learn to fear God.

And on a side note, 3) I really wonder what was on the mind of the old prophet, to deceive the man of God and cause him to sin which led to his death. What was the old prophet thinking/doing/trying to achieve?!

>>>

I've been staying at home mostly, and food is a rare commodity. Ok fine it's not but good cooked food is for me cause I can't cook. I'm considering downloading an iPhone app that cooks food for me but I can't find one and I probably have to pay for it.

2010-06-23T01:17:00.002+08:00

There's gonna be a partial lunar eclipse this Saturday, from moonrise till about 2200. Look to the east after 1900.

2010-06-18T14:03:00.003+08:00

JAXA Space Probe returns to Earth after 7 year long journey. When this was launched, I was still studying for my O levels.

The spectacular display of light is the space craft burning up in the earth's atmosphere as it re-enters. Yeah that's the life of space probes - get launched amidst great fanfare and glides into deep space and collecting samples or whatever the humans control them to do and then return to Earth only to get burnt up by its atmosphere and so it dies lol. Ok at least the collected samples survive. It'd be real stupid if it gets burnt up too.

On another note, I have no church camp pictures, so I'll delay my post till then, see ya.

2010-06-02T23:12:00.003+08:00

What IN earth is this?!

It's like God dropped a huge marble onto earth. It happened yesterday and it's not the first time it has happened. Amazing huh. With all that subterranean work going about for the Circle Line, who knows what could happen here in Singapore?

Nah that's just a thought for the paranoid. I have faith in our engineers.

Link to full story here:
Sinkhole in Guatemala City

2010-05-27T10:13:00.005+08:00

This is the reason why I don't like deep waters.

These miniature black holes are the worst form of water currents anyone can ever experience, pulling nearby objects and plunging them into the murky depths beneath.

Nah just kidding haha.

It's a man-made thing which caught my attention cause it looks scary to any swimmer / canoeist / water-poloist / diver / guy-who-got-pushed-in-the-water.

It's at Lake Berryessa.

2010-05-16T23:07:00.004+08:00

Herschel Infrared Telescope Finds Hole In NGC 1999

"NGC 1999 is a dust filled bright nebula with a vast hole of empty space represented by a black patch of sky. It was previously believed that the black patch was a dense cloud of dust and gas which blocked light that would normally pass through, called a dark nebula. Analysis of this patch by the infrared telescope Herschel, which has the capability of penetrating such dense cloud material, resulted in continued black space. This led to believe that either the cloud material was immensely dense or that an unexplained phenomenon had been detected. Aided by ground based telescopes, it was determined that the patch looks black not because it is an extremely dense pocket of gas, but because it is truly empty."

I always thought it looked like a hole from the beginning, wouldn't you come to the same conclusion on first glance? Man we can be scientists.

2010-05-06T12:00:00.002+08:00

Once in a while, I receive spam from my friends. These are people whose accounts have (probably) been brute forced into, so I recommend them changing their passwords. But anyway this spam email contained a punchline that made me LOL.

2010-04-26T12:03:00.000+08:00

Army passed by really quickly. Just the other day I saw my friend from BMT, and that's when I realized whoa we're going to get out of army already - that's really quick. We both got posted to Jurong Camp and we were tasked to do NDP 09 stuff. It really does feel like it wasn't too long ago. I think it's because I've spent most of my time doing nothing, so the more significant parts of army when I did do something stands out among the uneventful days which I can't even recall how I whiled away.

Another thing that adds to the 'how fast it flew by' effect is the nature of the job. What am I doing now? Right now? Typing blog entry at 1156 hrs on a Monday afternoon on my almost personal internet terminal. Hardly feels like the true army life which I only got a whiff of during my short 8-day BMT.

The army life then was characterized by uncertainty and learning. The horizon was always near, with different things to absorb every time. We could only faintly imagine what could happen next. Oh and by the way, they weren't good surprises - army life is generally accepted as relatively unpleasant.

When I just got posted to Jurong camp back in 2008, there was still this near horizon thing, since I didn't know how unit life is like. Once I got posted to the design company, the horizon stretched far out to NDP 09. It was just cruising along with nothing new.

And as I would have it, NDP 09 came and went, and I got posted to Gedong camp. Ok so that's something new but I was already experienced, both in NDP work and unit life. So it was just cruising with surgery in the horizon. And after that it was pretty clear - just hang around until I exit army. So here I am, typing my ORD post two weeks before ORD because the end is already in clear view.

2010-04-21T11:33:00.005+08:00

Ok, so what does "OK" stand for and who came up with it?

An excerpt from The Straight Dope:

>>>

The etymology of OK was masterfully explained by the distinguished Columbia University professor Allen Walker Read in a series of articles in the journal American Speech in 1963 and 1964.

The letters, not to keep you guessing, stand for "oll korrect." They're the result of a fad for comical abbreviations that flourished in the late 1830s and 1840s.

Read buttressed his arguments with hundreds of citations from newspapers and other documents of the period. As far as I know his work has never been successfully challenged.

The abbreviation fad began in Boston in the summer of 1838 and spread to New York and New Orleans in 1839. The Boston newspapers began referring satirically to the local swells as OFM, "our first men," and used expressions like NG, "no go," GT, "gone to Texas," and SP, "small potatoes."

Many of the abbreviated expressions were exaggerated misspellings, a stock in trade of the humorists of the day. One predecessor of OK was OW, "oll wright," and there was also KY, "know yuse," KG, "know go," and NS, "nuff said."

Most of these acronyms enjoyed only a brief popularity. But OK was an exception, no doubt because it came in so handy. It first found its way into print in Boston in March of 1839 and soon became widespread among the hipper element.

It didn't really enter the language at large, however, until 1840. That's when Democratic supporters of Martin Van Buren adopted it as the name of their political club, giving OK a double meaning. ("Old Kinderhook" was a native of Kinderhook, New York.)

OK became the warcry of Tammany hooligans in New York while beating up their opponents. It was mentioned in newspaper stories around the country.

Van Buren's opponents tried to turn the phrase against him, saying that it had originated with Van Buren's allegedly illiterate predecessor, Andrew Jackson, a story that has survived to this day. They also devoted considerable energy to coming up with unflattering interpretations, e.g., "Out of Kash, Out of Kredit, and Out of Klothes."

Newspaper editors and publicists around the country delighted in coming up with even sillier interpretations-- Oll Killed, Orfully Konfused, Often Kontradicts, etc.--so that by the time the campaign was over the expression had taken firm root nationwide.

>>>

So now we're Oll Klear about what OK really stands for!

2010-04-18T21:12:00.002+08:00

I just ate Korean food for dinner. I am thankful I wasn't born in Korea, if not I'd be much thinner than I am now, or starving. How do Koreans eat that every single day?! Thankful that I am Chinese and that my mom cooks Chinese food and that there are many hawker centres in Singapore that serve Chinese food.

Or maybe I'm just picky.

2010-04-08T14:07:00.003+08:00

It's crazy how there's so much unrest in the world now.

Closest to home is the situation in Thailand, now in a state of emergency. The government, police and army could not stop the Red Shirts protesters from barging into the Parliament, forcing the ministers to climb over the walls in order to flee.

The same thing is happening in Kyrgystan, which has declared a state of emergency as anti-government protesters closed in on the president's office.

In India, 75 police officers were killed in a coordinated attack by Maoists who rained gunfire on a convoy, and finished up the survivors with machetes.

Not to mention the severe drought in parts of China and India. And also the economic situation in Europe which has been quite an endless tug-of-war.

We see that God's hand is upon Singapore, shielding us in many ways - we should be grateful for that, and also sensitive to what's happening around us so that we can pray for the people afflicted.

2010-04-05T12:01:00.007+08:00

Lyrids (LYR) Meteor Shower
Active: April 16–25

A decent meteor shower will occur, with its maximum around 22 April with a variable hourly rate of about 18 meteors. The radiant (point in the sky where the meteors will appear to come from) will be near bright star Vega.

The star Vega will rise at about 2300 Singapore time, reaching the zenith at about 0500. The sun rises at 0700, but 0630's lighting may be too bright already.

Given weather conditions, it won't be easy to spot this. A cloudless night is required. The moon will be nearby in its first quarter but will set at about 0100 - 0200, depending on the date.

2010-04-01T15:37:00.000+08:00

Sea Horse Lol!

2010-03-23T13:56:00.004+08:00

Ever heard of how "eggs can stand upright during the Spring Equinox"?

Well it's true.

But it can stand upright just as well on any other day. It takes patience, skill, and if you want to cheat, a bit of salt to make the surface uneven.

So don't believe the folk lore about gravitational forces blah blah etc.

2010-03-19T21:22:00.005+08:00

Grrrrrreetings people! No sunburn from adventure camp wow this is a testament to God's goodness towards us in giving us absolutely amazing weather!

I remember how I got sunburnt the last camp, not while playing beach games, but while waiting to do the high elements course.

Anyway I thoroughly enjoyed the camp (apart from the "no using the swimming pool" part) from the first day to the last and in every activity in between.

The Luge was really fun - reckless driving without a care for damages caused by accidents!

The high elements course was more challenging than the previous camp's. Oh and I love the parajump. Finally I get the fun of jumping off a building without having to suffer the nasty results!

And the Megazip was a really new and fantastic (albeit short) experience. I don't mind going for another.

Our group never got to properly execute the dance item we prepared for. Shame. Maybe I'll use it next year. Till then, see ya Angorians!

2010-03-09T11:16:00.002+08:00

Oh boy do I feel old. Last Sunday had the P6ers come up, and I got the two in my cell to write their particulars down. When it came to their date of birth, I realized, "Hey, I used to write that date on my school worksheets!"

It's quite cool cause these people never had the chance to end off their dates with the 90s (like 97 98 99). They are all used to writing 04 05 etc, unlike me - when it came to the year 2000 I had to get adjusted to writing 00, much like how we tend to pause a while before writing the year of dates for a few weeks after the new year passes.

2010-03-03T11:10:00.002+08:00

How to create twins!
(Steps shown using Windows XP SP2)

	1. Download the attachment
	2. Unzip the file. You will need a compression utility (www.winace.com).
	3. Right click -> Rename
	4. Type in desired name
	5. Right click first baby -> Copy
	6. Right click blank space -> Paste
	7. Right click second baby -> Rename
	8. Type in desired name

2010-02-21T00:35:00.003+08:00

2010-02-15T16:03:00.001+08:00

LoL

2010-02-09T20:57:00.000+08:00

Ship graveyard, as seen on Google Earth

2010-02-04T10:10:00.000+08:00

I think by now many of us have heard warnings (usually from our parents) that using too much handphone can cause brain damage or cell mutation due to radiation. I personally don't take these kinda things at face value and here's the take on it, after some research.

First, on the topic of radiation, what causes radiation to be harmful is that some forms of radiation (either subatomic or electromagnetic waves) carry enough energy to either; 1) knock out other subatomic particles from atoms, or 2) directly ionize the atom. Both causes the atom to become charged, or ionized.

Nuclear weapons are feared not only for their explosive power, but also because they release a portion of their energy in ionizing radiation, causing most survivors to suffer radiation poisoning and die later.

These forms of radiation are termed ionizing radiation, and they causes harm to living cells by;

1) Causing irreparable damage to DNA, resulting in cell death. If too many cells die, that organ of yours cannot function. You may have to buy a new organ, or use a keyboard. To make an online purchase for a new one, of course.

2) Causing DNA mutation, which is then replicated when the cell divides (i.e. it screws up the cell and it makes screwed up babies). This is very bad cause it can lead to cancer. And mutation is (almost) always bad, unlike what you see on TV.

As you can see, radiation kills from within by messing up a living thing from the most basic and foundational portion - their atoms. Faulty atoms lead to faulty molecules to faulty DNA to faulty cells to faulty organs to faulty body.

What kind of radiation is ionizing, and thereby dangerous? Most of us are familiar with the electromagnetic spectrum GXUIMR. The higher frequency waves (gamma ad X-rays and UV) are like crazy kids on a sugar rush - they have high energy levels, and are dangerous, so you wouldn't wanna be near them. On the other end of the spectrum lie radio waves and microwaves. These are low frequency waves and thus are not ionizing, no matter how much of them you are exposed to.

So guess where handphone radiation falls under?

Well it falls under micro waves - it doesn't have enough energy to ionize you. However, micro waves, like the oven that is named after it, does heat up living tissue quite well. Does that mean that if you're an egg-head, you're on your way to becoming hard-boiled? Fortunately, no. The radiation emitted from the handphone only heats up the surface of your head by less than a degree. That's like, very little - you will get more heated up if you take a walk in the sun, or argue with your parents over how "handphone radiation is not harmful".

So what other portions of the EM spectrum are safe? Well, listening to the radio won't make you an airhead (subjective - depends on which channel you listen to). Standing near your microwave oven won't mutate you into a vegetable (neither the one you eat nor the one that sleeps). The sun gives out infrared, and it will only turn you into-red. And visible light coming from the screen as you read this is, of course, safe, discounting exogenous hazards like myopia etc.

So handphones are safe no matter how long you use them for! This is because for non-ionizing radiation, the amount of exposure doesn't matter - each wave cannot do anything by its own energy, and no, they won't work together to achieve their common goal of ionizing your ear.

Then why do people complain of headaches? I think it's partially psychological - if you think you have a headache, you'll have a headache. Don't try it now. And I think the other part of the explanation has to do with the position of your handphone. I mean, if you use the head-and-shoulders method (clamping it to your head using your shoulders), you'll get cramps and other pains duh don't blame the handphone, do that with a shower head you'll get the same effect. Also, if you press the phone against your head for like half an hour, you're bound to experience some discomfort.

Why the head gets heated up at that region is not due to the handphone radiation either. as stated earlier, the heating effect of the radiation is negligible. I really think that the heat comes from YOU. When you clamp the poor phone to your head for an extended period of time, I should think that the poor air circulation will result in that area not being able to diffuse your body heat effectively. Try that with a shower head and you'll probably get the same effect.

So there, the handphone radiation myth is done for. You can tell that to your parents the next time they chide you for "excessive radiation from extended calls over the handphone leading to brain cell death and then poor exam results". Sadly however, I don't think this explanation will help you much.

After your long explanation, they'll pause for awhile, and then go, "Ok I don't care, I STILL don't allow your to use your handphone so much". OH BUMMER. All that for nothing. Good luck!

2010-02-01T11:13:00.002+08:00

Quote of the week:

"relationships do funny things to people brains"

I'd like to add; and to their grammar too! Hahaha!

2010-01-26T21:16:00.002+08:00

Adidas' "Impossible is Nothing" tagline thingy sounds cool and I'm sure everyone by now should have heard of it. But I got bored today and gave it some thought and then I realized that it's not all that good haha.

I mean, if "impossible is nothing", then for someone to have "achieved the impossible", he would have achieved nothing (in Adidas' viewpoint).

2010-01-22T12:32:00.004+08:00

The quote of the day goes to Mahatir. He was saying that the 9/11 attacked were staged so that the US can mount an attack on the Muslim world, and he added;

"If they can make Avatar, they can make anything"

I LOLed at that comment haha.

This morning I thought about the smell of rain. You can smell rain even before it starts to pour. There's this scent in the air that precursors rain, but I don't know what it is and the explanations found on Google (after they left China) don't really explain (kidding about the China part). Most of the explanations account for the smell after the rain falls. So any bright ideas?

2010-01-16T14:02:00.002+08:00

Thanks to the clouds, the sun wasn't too bright, so I managed to see the shape of the sun during the partial eclipse. My main takeaway were green shapes burned into my eyes that appeared everywhere I looked haha. Perhaps a lunar eclipse would be easier on the eyes to watch. Speaking of which, there will be a partial lunar eclipse in June.

2010-01-11T16:55:00.004+08:00

Partial Solar Eclipse for this Friday

First Contact: 1510 hrs (3.10 pm)
Maximum Eclipse: 1625 hrs (4.25 pm)
Last Contact: 1732 hrs (5.32 pm)

No looking at the sun directly. No, sunglasses won't work. Use a pinhole camera, or look at the screen of your digital/handphone camera.

If it's a rainy day with grey clouds then no point trying to see the eclipse - it'll be dark anyway. Haha.

2010-01-04T20:53:00.002+08:00

Courtesy of http://autocompleteme.com
The last one is SUPER FUNNY - made me LOL in camp haha

2010-01-01T20:18:00.002+08:00

Herro there twenty ten!

Having a double digit number really makes it seem like we're so much closer to living in some futuristic sci-fi movie scenario. It takes some getting-used-to, seeing 2010 on my digital clock, writing it in dates etc.

Anyway, looking into the year ahead, these are my plans:

In spiritual life: To learn to delight in God more and more, and to get good books to learn more about Him so that I can relate better to Him.

In JYM: To build a nest for my cell, a safe place and to become a close group where people can share and learn.

In studies: To brush up some foundational knowledge in my army term so that when I enroll I won't be so lost.

In FOREX: I'm trading my Euros, I'm trading my Yen, I'm laying them down, for the U-S-Dollar. I'm trading my Aussies, I'm trading my Francs, I'm laying them down, for the U-S-Dollar!

In entertainment: To assemble and buy a gaming computer and to get an iPhone. I think it's about time I got once, since it's becoming more useful and it seems like great fun haha.

Things I won't do this year: Learn an instrument, learn more Japanese, learn to cook, stop disturbing David.

2009-12-21T12:41:00.002+08:00

Christmas @ BV on Christmas day itself is a really great idea! Makes Christmas so much more meaningful, to be able to spread the joy rather than to contain it within our own Christmas lunches and dinners.

2009-12-09T13:13:00.006+08:00

Herro world!

I'm sorry I forgot about the scores haha I guess it doesn't matter now but for those curious cats, here they are.

Factions:

Orion - 20

Pegasus - 19

Canis, Hercules - 14

Groups:

Baham (Pegasus) - 8

Sirius (Canis) - 7

Enif (Pegasus), Kajam (Hercules), Sarin (Hercules) - 5

Anyway I must say the sessions were good. What I like about Mike is that he is very realistic about God. His altar calls are not fancy or hyped up and I really appreciate that because he is letting God do the work, which is what altar calls are really about. I have to say that I have a slight aversion to altar callers who hype it all up with loud music and prayer-shouting.

Food below average, room below average - I could hear pigeons in the roof, game planning tiring, ok that about sums it all up see ya.

2009-12-03T22:44:00.006+08:00

The Mayans got it one year too early

Well if there's anything that's gonna happen to the earth that would affect it on such a scale, it would be the upcoming Solar Maximum. However, that will not be in Dec 2012, but in Dec 2013.

Even then, it won't affect us that much. We are currently in Solar Cycle No. 24, started Dec 2008.

At each Solar Maximum, there will be an increased amount of radiation from the sun. Its magnetic fields by then would be twisted and coiled up, and when it snaps, it causes volatile solar activity which then sends lots of radiation throughout its vicinity.

That will happen around 2013.

However, as you can see, it will not be as intense as the one we had last solar cycle.

What does this mean for earth? Well firstly don't go sun tanning at that time. Secondly, go catch aurorae.

Aurorae are formed when radiation from the sun interacts with the earth's magnetic field, so it's best to catch them when the sun is spewing out lots of radiation!

2009-11-30T01:56:00.004+08:00

Hello guys! This is something cool you can see in Singapore - a moonbow!

They are produced by the ice crystals in cirrus clouds high (5–10 km, or 3–6 miles) in the upper troposphere. The particular shape and orientation of the crystals is responsible for the type of halo observed. The 22° halo around the Sun or Moon occurs because of refraction in tiny hexagonal ice crystals in the air.

Ok there can be a halo around the sun too, but it's a bit glaring to stare at, so I recommend looking at the moon after a cold evening rain and after the clouds have been blown away. Clear sky + cold weather + bright moon = moon bow!

This is a nice picture of a parhelic circle (horizontal line), a 22° halo (circle) with two sundogs (bright spots), and an upper tangent arc.

2009-11-23T22:50:00.005+08:00

Today I had my first food-related disaster in my entire history of being in Springdale - I spilled coffee on all the camp forms. WORST. DISASTER. EVER. And my keyboard. I should never have violated my rule of not bringing food/drinks into rooms. Well at least now the camp forms smell nice.

On a lighter note, this email title from pastor came across quite as quite funny.

Reply, "O rly? particular about what?" hahaha.

2009-11-19T19:35:00.003+08:00

Like Schrodinger's cat, we Christians are both dead and alive - that is dead to sin and alive in Christ.

2009-11-10T11:44:00.000+08:00

2009-11-07T13:44:00.007+08:00

Encircle the cat, if you can!

Some random flash game for bored people.
When you know the trick it gets easy.

Click here

2009-11-05T16:58:00.003+08:00

A there-is-no-God challenge: Make something this huge, and make sure it's a nice perfect spiral like this.

Chances are that we can't. This is spiral galaxy M74/NGC628. To create such symmetrical spiral arms, and in this magnitude, argues for an orderly and skillful creator-designer.

2009-10-27T21:30:00.004+08:00

Miss Singapore Universe!

Oh boy how I hate the stupid sash-like thingy they put on me. It's some kind of plaster that keeps my shoulder from moving. It's itchy. Don't like it. Well I still can play DotA, eat, bathe (using one hand), talk on MSN, blog, etc. Can't swim. Can't go to army. Can't sleep properly haha.

2009-10-18T21:52:00.008+08:00

Air Accidents

I always hated air rides cause an airplane crash is very difficult to survive. Anyway here are just some findings so maybe you can better react in an air emergency.

Emergency exit doors cannot be opened in-flight because the cabin will be pressurized. This is so we can breathe, because the air at higher altitudes is too light for breathing. There is more pressure inside the cabin than outside, so there is outward force acting on the door. The door opens inwards, so you can't open it unless you're Rambo like you know, shoot open the doors.

If there is a puncture in the pressurized plane, air will rush out, but it will not rip the plane apart, as what movies would portray. The oxygen masks are to provide you with pressurized oxygen should the plane be punctured and lose cabin pressure.

Ever wondered where's the best place to seat such that you ensure the highest survivability rate in a plane crash?

Well, seats in the front are usually the first place to sustain damage in a crash, so that's out. Seats in the middle over the wings are the strongest and most stable. However, they are the closest to fuel tanks. Seats at the back are prone to receiving damage in the event of a tail-impact crash landing, which will most likely lead to fires in that area. In a crash landing, the fuselage is most likely to break in the middle, close to the wings. It will almost always be accompanied by fire.

Best place to seat? Somewhere in between the end and middle. Sit close to an emergency exit so that you can escape the plane if it lands on water.

And if you land on water, don't inflate your life vests until you get out of the plane because you will crowd the area with your larger body size and thereby hinder evacuation. Actually, if you can swim, just swim out away from the plane then inflate it.

Ok happy flying!

2009-10-12T18:29:00.003+08:00

I noticed that people start SMS replies with "Haha..." almost half the time. I guess it's just a way to add a light-hearted or happy tone to the message, and not because one is really laughing out loud.

I bet you're guilty of it too. Haha.

2009-10-07T20:54:00.004+08:00

中华人民共和国万岁!世界人民大团结万岁! After watching China's 60th, our NDP looks really puny in comparison.

2009-09-23T09:58:00.004+08:00

The Ghost Fleet of the Recession

The biggest and most secretive gathering of ships in maritime history lies at anchor east of Singapore. Never before photographed, it is bigger than the U.S. and British navies combined but has no crew, no cargo and no destination.

>> Click here for full article

2009-09-19T17:14:00.000+08:00

2009-09-17T21:34:00.003+08:00

Hello world! It's been almost a week in the faraway camp in Sungei Gedong and I'm bored to tears! Now where's this place I'm talking about? It's somewhere far far away from civilization, in the midst of the Lim Chu Kang cemeteries and among lots of other army bases. The surroundings there look a lot like those plantation places in Malaysia - it's really a different world out there. Only one bus serves the area and it's always packed with army guys.

I've been doing nothing there cause it's still a far way off to NDP 2010. I reckon work will only start around late October... By then I'll be on MC so I won't get to help out much anyways.

Boring Gedong.

2009-09-11T00:15:00.003+08:00

Hello world! How's life?

Well life for me has been rather unproductive in terms of army work. I've been doing nothing in camp ever since NDP '09 ended. And now I've been sent over to the camp that's doing NDP '10, which is HQ Armour, which is located at like no man's land somewhere near Lim Chu Kang near all those cemeteries. Now why would I wanna go there.. I had no choice! So I gotta get used to waking up really early and stuff.

As for church well I must say that I have learnt a great deal ever since like after mission trip. I actually managed to take something essentially practical out of IDMC for once. Ya la I admit the past IDMCs I kinda got lost in all those terms and strategies that in the end all I remembered was Geoff Gorsuch aka Geoff 'where gorsuch thing' haha. And the teachings nowadays are somehow more impactful.

Church camp is coming up and it's my desire for it to make a certain breakthrough (haha) in our lives, that we may bring back something very essential and practical - something we can change in the way we relate to God or how we see God.

My brother has landed safely in Florida and he's having a good time. Haha not yet la. He's still adjusting to his flat mates, one of which is from Japan and can't speak English lol.

So that's all, till next time!

2009-08-21T23:38:00.003+08:00

V838 Monocerotis Light Echo

This is real cool, a light echo. This star kinda blew up in 2002, and light from that explosion has reached us.

But over a period of a few years, the light from that explosion got reflected off dust particles and stuff, and reached us at a later time (because light travelled from the source, to the dust, then to us), creating this series of expanding rings of light.

Phenomena like this can only happen in space cause that's the only place where there's enough space for light to take its time to travel.

2009-08-12T23:14:00.002+08:00

The peak of the Perseids meteor shower lies around now, 11-14 August. Best watched before dawn, it can reach to about 60 meteors an hour. Don't forget to catch it if you're free.

2009-08-10T12:18:00.002+08:00

My dislocated shoulder

2009-07-31T20:39:00.003+08:00

Whoa this week has been mad. I'm really gonna be pressed like grapes in a winepress or words in Wordpress so yeah I'm grateful for this little psychoactive stimulant drug that we readily have, OTC, twenty-four-seven, called caffeine!! It works wonders. Ok maybe it's just a placebo. But hey it tastes nice.

And with regards to NDP, I'm kinda tired of seeing the show over and over again. I wonder how tired the performers are. And the design office is quite nice but I hate the radio. How I hate radios in offices. Just like when I was working in Evohub like some 2 years ago. Radios really play trash half the time. And I can't shut it off cause my other colleagues are 'listening' to it. Or are they? Nah, hardly. I see them with earphones on. Ok so why can't I just use my own earphones? Well it doesn't help if I'm sitting nearest to the radio and it's playing loud noisy songs while I'm trying to listen to nice soothing tunes. Aggravates my stress levels. Ok la I'm not stressed, just busy.

Ok that's all. CATS out.

2009-07-21T12:51:00.003+08:00

Haha I can't help it I felt that I just HAD to add in the speech bubble hahaha the expression on her face, the chionging forward position, and her weapon held high in the air - priceless!

"ARRRR I'M GONNA GET YOU!"

Haha ok now back to work, sorting photos.