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Smoky Senior Citizens' Centre
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Audio : Listen
Edit:
IMPORTANT!!
This post is NOT against the elderly, not because I don't understand them and not because I don't respect them!!
I am posting this out of concern for the 'non-smoking' elder folks who might not be benefitting from the facilities because they are avoiding the place due to the smoky smells.
AND, I have personally heard from other elder folks at the playground that they are avoiding the place just because of this reason!
Do you have a Senior Citizens' Centre just below your block of flats or around your neighbourhood?
In some estates, these are called Senior Citizen Corners. These centres/corners are created for elderly folks to get together for a game of chess, chit-chat, a cup of tea or just sitting around to while away the time. There is a Senior Citizen Centre just below the block of flats I live in and everyday, there are a number of elderly people hanging around there. They will usually have a few rounds of mahjong or card games there. As the estate is a new one, the centre doubles up as a temporary Residents' Committee (RC) centre as well.
As many flat-dwellers in Singapore should know, the RC organizes outings to farms, educational programmes for kids, community development events, etc., within a neighbourhood zone. For these activities, you will have to purchase tickets. Now, this is the thing I hate most... having to go to the Senior Citizens' Centre to buy the tickets.
Why do I hate this? The horrible cigarette smoke smell that the centre is full of!! There is this stale, sourish smell of cigarette smoke that seems to be dead-stucked to the centre. Not only that, if you were to take a walk pass the centre, you will definitely catch a whiff of the same smokey smell! Aargghh!! Yuck!!!
Now, before anyone goes flaming me for disrepect or snobbish behaviour, I would like to make it clear that I am absolutely in support of the idea of having a Senior Citizens' corner! And I do respect the elderly! The thing is that the stench is just too strong to just shrug it off - especially if you have to smell it every morning! Duh!
While on leave recently, I noticed that many of the elderly folks smoked in the centre. Ok, fine. They are smokers, I am not, and I will never understand the need for a fag when it comes... but the centre is not opened the whole day! And in the morning or night when the doors are closed, the smoke gets trapped in the centre and when left overnight... phew!!! The smell is horrible! I wonder how those elderly folks who do not smoke managed to stay in the centre at all!?!? Or do they even go there at all?!?
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5050 is sick
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Audio : Listen
 5050's sick. He needs new specs and more...
5050's had it tough. Went through shitty weather with me, sweaty times with me and a little bit of careless, rough handling by me too. Now it has taken ill... not fun liao! :(
Noticed this freaky whitish patch on the lens the other day... immediately I knew it was fungus. Fuck! So, while on leave last week, I sent it to the service centre for an evaluation... results came back with a recommendation for a replacement lens. This is going to set me back SGD190.00!!! And 5050's going to have to 'hospitalized' for at least 2 weeks! Aarrggghhhh! Curse the humidity!!!
I have decided to send it in only after the Chinese New Year. At least I have something to take pictures with during the new year.
When that time comes, anyone with a free Fujifilm F11 to borrow or give perhaps? Or maybe a spare Finepix 5600 somewhere??? Heehee!
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The past 5 days
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Audio : Listen
Back from the loooong weekend! I managed to get a lot of things done during the past 5 days!
We did these:- 22nd Dec
Lucas' birthday today! Brought the family out. Decided to talk a walk (shop) around Orchard Road so that Mummy can get her new year clothing while the kids can see their favourite toys! We bought a cake to ??'s house for Lucas' birthday - it tasted much better than the Log Cake from Four Leavesanother place.
- 23rd Dec
It's PAINT-THE-ROOMS day! We painted the kids' rooms today. Nice childish colours to add more life!
- 24th Dec
Christmas Eve... nothing planned. Janet's aching all over because of the painting work yesterday. Had dinner with my parents at Swensen's. Long queue, but no choice.
Went for Christmas Eve/Day midnight mass at St. Vincent de Paul's church...it's been a long time since I stepped there. Reason? It's a long story... let's just say I had an unpleasant experience with some blokes there.
- 25th Dec
Christmas DayRe-arrange the storeroom day.
Janet and I took apart the shelf in the storeroom and 're-configured' the levels. Cut and bruised our fingers in the process, but we were very satisfied with the completed layout. Fantastic! (Only homemakers will understand) Haha!
- 26th Dec
Boxing Day
What the fuck is 'Boxing Day' anyway? Don't give a damn about that! Hah!
Went down to Hong Lim Complex to get my digital photos printed. Did not have KT Digital Imaging's numbers on hand so just went and tried my luck. When I approached the shop, my heart sank as I noticed the shutters were down. Shit! What shit luck I had! So, I made my way back to Chinatown Point to meet Janet and we decided for food at Telok Ayer Food Centre. Walking towards the shop again, I noticed that this time, the shutters were up!!! Hahah! Saw Lily in the shop and was told that they were closed on Sundays and Public Holidays, BUT she will print them for me anyway... hahah! :)
 Singing their hearts out.
The Chinese New Year mood is already in the air! We decided before long that we've had enough of the place and headed for Dhoby Ghaut. It was not much quieter as well! Seems like everybody's out shopping! Kekeke!
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Painting the royal rooms
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Audio : Listen
 Queen Valerie de Poko'shouse kids' rooms yesterday. Janet and I decided that it was time to give their rooms a fresh coat, and at the same time, add more colours to them.
 Prince Lucas Pipipom Pipi's
Luckily, Janet's mum came by and helped ease the work a little. We started at around 0900hrs and ended about 1800hrs. Not too bad... went out for dinner at 'Taste of Thailand' at Sembawang Shopping Centre before coming home to clean up the ends. Finished EVERYTHING at around 0100hrs this morning. Phew!! :-)
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Breaking from the routines
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Surfing By : Link
Audio : Listen
Yes, a break is what I need. A break from all the work I face in the office. A break from the daily routines. A change even for a few days. And a break I shall have!!! Hehehe!
I will finally go on my 'long' leave starting tomorrow and will be back to work only on the 27th of December. Hahahah! That's a freaking 5 days off work!!!
Although I have a number of things to do during this break, it is still a break from my routine. The things I have planned to be done during this break include, painting the kids' rooms, bringing the family out for a good meal, and maybe to start installing and playing a game or two on my PC.
Surfing by:
Clubsnap Forums
Main site Clubsnap.org.
As a photography enthusiast, I am frequently scouring the Internet for related resources. Many resource sites are there on the Internet and a lot are pretty good. However, whenever it comes to price comparisons and first-hand reviews and comments about products, Clubsnap.org's Photography Forums is usually the place I go to.
Created and maintained by locals, the forum topics are more closely suited for the Singaporean (or Singapore-based) reader. Besides posts on photography techniques and photo critques, there are also sub-forums for Buying/Selling used photographic items and comparing current street prices for products, etc.
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Playing with light...
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Audio : Listen
 Play with light.
A: You buy light sticks at SGD1.00 for 4 sticks and start playing and taking pictures with them in the tent!
Haha! This is exactly what we did on Saturday night... my SGD2.00 was well-spent indeed. Everyone got their light sticks to play with! If only organizations were run with the same high level of good 'corporate governance'... haiz...
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Camping at East Coast Park
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Surfing By : Link
Audio : Listen
 The camp site
After pitching the tents, the kids enjoyed themselves playing on the beach. Janet and I spent the time catching crabs on the breakwater and attempting to catch (with no luck at all) mud skippers!
The afternoon thunderstorm came as a surprise after the hot weather all morning. We were caught by the downpour but luckily our bags were already safe in the shelter of the tents.
Dinner was taken at the nearby food centre. There was a street-performer singing his heart out and really taking away our appetite at the same time. The loomy sky continued to 'threaten' our stay but luckily the sky cleared at around 2 a.m., and the moon can finally be seen...
Surfing by:
Digital Photography Review
A site by Phil Askey.
For all you digital camera buffs, this is a great site for useful information, reviews, user comments, etc. Phil and his excellent team puts up great articles for the interested.
This is definitely a must-read for all would-be digital camera buyers!
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GAME BOY whatever
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Surfing By : Link
Audio : Listen
 GAME BOY micro
Nano is in. Micro is in too.
Just bought a GAME BOY from Sim Lim Square yesterday. Alas, it was not the new GAME BOY micro (GBM) but the older GAME BOY Advance SP (GBASP).
This is supposed to be a birthday gift for Lucas from his grandmother and boy was he happy when he saw the set! I was given the task of buying the set for him as the only 'game' that my mum knew and understood is 'mahjong'. Nintendos and PSPs are foreign to her.
I was very much tempted to buy the GBM but the MINUTE screen size really put off that idea. Yes, the screen is WAY brighter than the GBASP but its size killed it.
RPG games with conversations and text-heavy games will make you squint your eyes so much just to read the text that you might just as well buy magnifiers to play them! This definitely is not meant for kids! Playing with handhelds is already not an eye-friendly hobby, and with such a small screen, it just makes things worse! GAME BOY Advance SP
While the screen size is the major problem with the GBM (for me at least!), its overall design is a winner. Shaped almost like mobile phones, it has a solid, metallic feel and the lighted START and SELECT buttons definitely adds the icing to the cake!
Another good design feature is SKINs. You can buy skins/covers/housing/whatever-you-call-them for your GBM just like you would for your mobile phone... on release day, there were about less than 10 designs to choose from, but with time, there should be a lot more coming.
If I had the extra SGD200.00 to spare right now... hmm.... Christmas present for me, anyone?!?!? The black one is cool. :)
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Exams, books and more
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Surfing By : Link
Audio : Listen
Finally, the term exams are over for me. A big load of shit it was! Ha!! When I finished the paper last night, I could not wait to leave the exam hall. It was a nice, almost euphoric, feeling to step out of the campus after the paper. Now, it's wait, wait, wait for the results.
Still on the topic of education...
We bought Valerie's school books for next year via the Internet again this time round. I feel this is way better than years ago when parents had to go to school to lug the books home. (Of course, those who choose to may still buy the books from the school on specific days!)
No more queueing up at the school canteen and fighting other parents to get the books before they 'run out of stock' for the day. The bookstore that processes the online orders will have the book order sent right to your doorstep. At an additional 'shipping' fee of about SGD5.00, this is definitely worth the money - considering the amount of squeezing, queueing and sweating you do not have to go through.
The process of ordering is simple too!
- Visit the site and create a login account FREE.
- Select your child's level (Primary 3, Primary 4, etc.) and select the school he/she is studying in. A COMPLETE list of all available items (EXACTLY the same as the list issued by the school) will be displayed.
- Select the books that you want/don't want and the quantity required.
- Submit and double check order list before confirming.
That's all! You can expect delivery to be usually about a week or so from the date of order. A thing to note would be that most of these sites only accept credit/debit cards for payment. Cashcards are generally not widely accepted (yet!?!?) for online payments.
So, in about 3 days time, Valerie will have to start going through the new books... I will also have to start writing her name as well as putting on the covers for the books.
The year's coming to an end and so are the holidays... a new year is a welcoming change indeed.
Surfing by:
Elibraryhub.com
By National Library Board.
About elibraryhub.com, taken off its website.eLibraryHub is a one-stop integrated digital library that offers users - individuals, businesses and community groups - a "personalized" experience of having a library of their own.
I find the site particularly useful, especially for booking those books that are always out on loan... paying a small booking fee ensures that I can at least stand a chance to get the book I want! Hahaha!
Visit the site, read more and improve yourselves at the same time!
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Numa numa iei...
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Surfing By : Link
Audio : Listen
...
Mai-ya-hi,
Mai-ya-hu,
Mai-ya-hoo,
Mai-ya-ha-ha!!
Thought I have heard the last of O-Zone's catchy, yet sometimes irritating (at times) tune, Dragostea Din Tei... how wrong I was!
Not only has it been reborn, it has started spreading like nobody's business!!! Haha! You can hear it all over the place! Starting from pasar malams to shopping centres (courtesy of the movie Chicken Little)! Many versions of the song are available... the original version by O-zone, there's one by Crazy Frog, another by local singer Guo Mei Mei, and many many more in different languages!!!
Wah liew!!! Now my kids are also on to this craze... Valerie's getting her head swinging and body shaking whenever she hears this song, Lucas has been pretty funny too whenever he hears this... dancing like the chick in Chicken Little's entrance clip asking patrons to switch off their mobile phones.
Even when I close my eyes to sleep, I can hear the song ringing in my head!!! Aarrgghh!!! Duh!
Now, I'm hooked too... :-)
From now on, I will try to include a link to a recommended site of MY choice below my post. The sites will be chosen based SOLELY on my personal preference and obviously BIASed opinion...if I don't like the site, I will not 'feature' it here! :p Oh! Of course if I hate a site very much, I just might link it here too! Hahah!
Some questions people might ask...
AS IF your site is so popular and influential... why should I bother if you link my site?
AS IF I care?!?!? I will post what I like! I'm biased so what?!?! Duh! Heheh!
Why is it that a particular post does not have a recommended site included at the bottom?
Because I did not find any to recommend!
So, if I don't like you to 'recommend' my site here, what should I do?
Just send me an email at petaflopz[at]gmail[dot]com, I will remove it.
I have a site to recommend...
Send your recommendations, together with a short write up of why this is interesting to my email address (above).
I think you are a snob, arsehole, self-centred freak, and lousy blogger!
Thank you, very very very very much for reading my lousy blog!
So, to kick things off...
Browservulsel
By Jasper de Vries
A blog maintained by Jasper de Vries, which provides a lot of information for the person who is interested in zhnging his/her blog site. There are quite a number of Greasemonkey scripts as well, which enhances your Firefox experience! :-)
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Weblog Awards 2005
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Audio : Listen
The past few weeks have been hectic for me. Juggling work, school projects, tests and examinations. All these are coming to an end now and just maybe, so will my insomnia. *sigh!*
Well, on to some interesting matters! The voting of the annual Weblog Awards is currently going on, and of interest to most of us in this part of the world should be "The Best Asian Blog" category. Hmm... why was my blog not nominated?!?! Grrrrr..!!! Hahah! Pukey and thick-skinned right??!?
In any case, do go and vote for your favourite Asian blog now! You may vote once in every 24hrs, and you should have your mind at ease as voting is (guess what?!?) FREE!!! Yes, you do not have to worry about huge phone bills (like you do when you call in for charity shows or competitions)... just go to the site and CLICK! :-)
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This is my monologue. Mine.
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Audio : Listen
 Friendlies only! :-)
Ok.. sorry lah... at best, this is a DIALOGUE in simplex fashion (between my good readers and myself) AND NO PESKY/BAD REPORTERS welcomed... happy?! :-)
PS:Hahahah! KNN! As if my blog gets a lot of readership...
PPS:But then hor, it's my blog leh, so I can post what the fucking hell I like!
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I will not blog about my work!
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Audio : Listen
Recently, a couple of my friends have received 'friendly' verbal warnings from their bosses with regards to blogging about work. Seems like a lot of people are getting such notices from their companies. Companies are not too receptive to the fact that (some) employees blog about their work places and companies, usually as a form of de-stress for a lot of them.
Hmm... anyway, I have also decided (for my own good and the good of my paycheck) to stop posting about work in the company itself... rather, if I really have to, I will only talk blog about working life in general.
In case you were wondering... I have not received any form of warning, advice, notices, etc. from my company. Hehehe!
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Lunch at Lor Ah Soo
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Audio : Listen
Had lunch today at the newly opened (re-opened?!?) Market and Food Centre in Lorong Ah Soo. Food was ok only, with not much variety to choose from as quite a number of stalls were either closed for the day (at 1400hrs) or were not ready to open for business yet.
Had a bowl of not-so-tasty Yong Tou Foo and topped it off with some deep fried fritters dipped in coffee. That about filled my stomach to the brim! Haha! How to work like that!?!? Feeling half sleepy already! Besides, I am still feeling the effects of the Valium that was prescribed for my insomnia. Duh!
Now, I have come to the stage where I require medication to fall asleep. This is bad, but... what the heow!?! ZZZZzzzzz.......
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moe at 12/29/2005 11:43:00 AM
