Kuan Cheen

One Million Lit

2006-11-06T19:10:00.000+08:00

Since my last post in late September, the target of one million candles have been lit, way before the 31 December 2006 dateline. Now let's pray that something will happen out of this. The people have shown their support now let the action begin.

kuancheen|kuala.lumpur|20061106.1850
... let words be affirmed with action

@ 1845, 6th November 2006

Sabah: The Land Beneath the Wind

2006-10-31T18:34:00.000+08:00

This was the trip that I took the most pics, clips and videos a 1GB and more worth of them. I made a last minute decision to bring my laptop and was able to download and edit them as we went.

Officially this is the first time I have ever been to Sabah, been there for transits but they don't count.

For this nine days trip, we first traveled from Kota Kinabalu to Ranau. In Ranau moved from Murut to Nalapak, Sagindai Lama, Matupang, Poring, Nabuas, Kg. Sinarut, Paus, Nunuk Ragang and Miruru.Then to Keningau, Tambunan, G. Emas, Tg. Ara and finally back to Kota Kinabalu.

Here are some of the pictures I took which I have organized them hopefully easier view. Click on each individual picture to view the albums.

from sunsets to vibrant coloured flowers, bugs and kitties ... you just have to love them all!

it's heart warming and great joy to meet these people during the trip

from wild boar to oil palm pulp (pith), yummy

random shots or random objects which makes you go "hmmmm...."

kuancheen|kuala.lumpur|20061031.1820
... how awesome is Your creations, that I even have a glimpse of it

Light A Milllion Candles

2006-09-25T14:14:00.000+08:00

It started with an email I got few days ago, then I caught the ad on astro.

It's great that we are starting this awareness on child pornography, which have been around way too long. But let us not forget and be distracted by affect pornography industry as a whole to our society. Child pornography was stemmed from never satisfying hunger for sexual entertainment. Is the industry going to stop here? Are we going to stop here?

As we come together with compassion for these children, it's an encouragement to read:-

[Jesus] said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these ... And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Mark 10:14,16 [NIV]

God Himself loves these children, every single one of them, and even more than us. And He Himself wants us to come to Him as His little child. He longs for every one of us to receive His forgiveness, grace and blessings. Every one of us who had in one way or another satisfied our own desires through pornography, everyone who is directly and indirectly involved in this industry. I had my journey and am living in His grace daily.

We should be decent and true in everything we do, so that everyone can approve of our behavior. Don't participate in wild parties and getting drunk, or in adultery and immoral living, or in fighting and jealousy. But let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don't think of ways to indulge your evil desires.

Romans 13:13-14 [NLT]

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

John 3:16-17 [NIV]

Light A Milllion Candles

Some brutal facts...
There are more than 100,000 child pornography sites on the Internet.

19% of online pornography images are of children three years-of-age or younger

Up to 20,000 children are being abused online everyday.

Online child pornography generated over US$20 billion last year – 7 times more than the entire online music industry

5 new children are abused online every week

Light a candle and help end the sexual abuse of children online.
The innocent victims of Internet child abuse cannot speak for themselves.

But you can. With one simple action, you have the power to get them to take action....Please light your candle at:

http://www.lightamillioncandles.com

With your support, we can eradicate this evil trade.

We do not need your money. We need you to light a candle of support.

We're aiming to light at least one million Candles by December 31, 2006.

Governments, politicians, financial institutions, payment organizations, Internet service providers, technology companies and law enforcement agencies have the power to work together to eradicate the commercial viability of this abuse.

Together, we can destroy the commercial viability of Internet child abuse sites that are destroying the lives of innocent children.

Kindly forward this email to your friends, relatives and work colleagues so that they too can light a candle.

Thank you for your support.

kuancheen|kuala.lumpur|20060925.1405
... "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"
Matthew 25:37-40 [NIV]

@ 1215, 25th September 2006

The Stars and I (errr... I who?)

2006-09-05T17:02:00.000+08:00

Got this dropped into my mailbox few weeks ago.
mouseover (IE only) or click for larger image

It really does help to put things into perspective doesn't it?

kuancheen|kuala.lumpur|20060905.1700
... quoting from Isaiah 40:26 (NIV)
Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

Sam-Pat-Ness

2006-09-05T16:23:00.000+08:00

This text message was sent out on the 8th March 2006.

Warning: The following message may contain contents that might deem as degrading and tasteless. The author shall not be liable for any consequences arose either as direct or indirect result of reading this message.

<START OF MESSAGE>
To her sam-pat-ness on this sam month and pat day, may her days be sam sam pat pat and pat pat sam sam.
<END OF MESSAGE>

Note: This is another demonstration of why lawyers make big bucks and why sending such a short message shall not warrant any engagement of such service.

kuancheen|-----------|20060308.----
... (beep beep)

Merdeka Day Food Trail

2006-09-04T16:56:00.000+08:00

Last year, I blogged in Malay, So this year have to continue the tradition a bit lah.

Pada Hari Kemerdekaan kita yang ke-49, kami empat rakan sekerja, memulakan perjalanan kami ke Ipoh negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan dengan satu misi yang jelas dalam hati kami. Menjamu selera.
On our 49th National Day, four of us, colleagues, started our journey to Ipoh in the state of Perak with one clear mission in mind. To satisfy our appetite.

First stop was the famous Ipoh Dim Sum at Foh San. This whole trip started when some one commented the Kuala Lumpur's Foh San not as good as the original back in Ipoh wor.

We spent about 2 hours indulging ourselves on the different varieties of Dim Sum which was offered.

Fried Tofu with fish paste and mushroom topped with onion and sweet sour chili sauce

Steamed fish paste with mushroom topped slice century egg

Lightly fried fish paste stuffed with fresh shrimps

Then we dropped by this famous To Fu Fa and Soya Milk just a block away for appetizer.

Karen ordered something new to all of us. To Fu Fa with Leong Fan (Cincau).

Then we rushed down to some great 'char liu' (fried Yong Tau Foo) by this stall under the big tree called "The Stall Under the Big Tree".

Stopped by for an unscheduled delivery.

Next stop was to the Old Town coffee shop, again some one remarked, this one should be better than the one in KL.

The famous Old Town White Coffee

And its toast with two chunks of margarine

We did made a short trip down the history trail by dropping by mysterious Kellie's Castle.

It has a mix of Moorish, Greco-Roman and Indian design.

Finally what is a patriotic trip with out a patriotic picture with our Jalur Gemilang.

Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

For the rest of the pictures jump here.
* all photos in this entry and the above linked album are courtesy of Karen Voon

kuancheen|kuala.lumpur|20060904.1600
... (burp)

<-- before food | after food -->

Dog & Cat Love

2006-08-14T16:51:00.000+08:00

dogs love to pamper
cats love to be pampered
dog lovers loves to be pampered
cat lovers loves to pamper
i love cats

pamper/entertain/service/accompany/help/assist

kuancheen|kuala.lumpur|20060814.1642
... Greatest Couple: Mr. Dog and Mrs. Cat?

Am I Weird?

2006-08-14T14:55:00.000+08:00

Am I weird?
Are you weird?
Is everyone weird?
If everyone is weird, then who is anyone to call another weird?
Weird.

kuancheen|kuala.lumpur|20060814.1442
... uniquely His

Chinese Adam & Eve?

2006-07-27T14:27:00.000+08:00

It came in my mailbox today, I decided to add to it a little spice and post this here.

Adam and Eve couldn't have been Chinese.

If they were, we would still be in Paradise.

They would have passed the apple and ate the Serpent instead.

And oh yea...

I don't think Adam was a Cannibal too.

kuancheen|kualalumpur|20060727.1420
... mangoes & oranges, yum yum

A New Online Radio Station!

2006-07-14T01:39:00.000+08:00

Today, as in mentioned in my other post, I have started listening to this new online radio aptly call Inspire. This is a additional broadcast of Sydney's FM 103.2. Follow this link to be inspired or click on the title of this entry.

kuancheen|singapore|20060713.0140
... Your Hiding Place: Inspire

I'm Going Blind

2006-07-14T00:08:00.000+08:00

People, I'm going blind.
Will I able to blog again?
Will I ever able to watch football again?
Those are the lame and trivia thoughts that come over my mind as I write this.

My eyes are failing me.
I just realized I eyes gets blurry looking at a bunch of ants.
My eyes get tired looking at them; loosing focus was not able to concentrate.
I am having headache even while I typing this.

Well, actually I been working hard lately, in office till as late as eleven lately.
And I am due for my eye examination and a new pair of lenses since last year.
And the fact that I have high astig (Astigmatism), doesn't help.
My eyes are sensitive to light, changes of light, and struggles in dimly lighted places, or having my eyes focusing on one bright light source in a dark room.
That's why I can't stand long I a meeting with long hours projections, and not to mention surviving any movie marathon, I will come out with massive headache and feeling nausea.

I always get the look from opticians when I have my eyes examined, "So high one ah your astig?". I have to specially order the lenses for you. Which loosely translate to, "It will burn a hole on your wallet."

Anyway, just wanted to catch your attention, it's time for me to "order" my lenses again. Just need to leave island.

kuancheen|singapore|20060713.2359
... [blink] [blink]. Still can blink.

Who in the Devil is the Devil?

2006-07-07T13:12:00.000+08:00

Over heard this over K-Life. (32kbps | 96kbps)

A man asked another, "You believe in the Devil? You mean, you actually believes he exist? Just like me and you exist?"

The other man replied, "Well, yes. Try opposing him and you will find out."

kuancheen|singapore|20060706.1311
... who? who? oh, who.

The Misery's Over!

2006-06-19T01:06:00.000+08:00

Did I mentioned in my last post that I moved in to a new hotel yesterday, and was to check out the live telecast at the restaurant?

Well, I called the reception to confirmed about the screening.

me: hi, i just want to confirm about the world cup telecast at the ...
receptionist: yea, sure it's on channel 6

Man, I should have called earlier! Hehe.

So excuse me as i go and catch my first match in Singapore!

kuancheen|singapore|20060619.0053
... i better not regret this

Stuck in Singapore with no Free live World Cup!!!!

2006-06-17T22:20:00.000+08:00

Misery! Misery! Misery!

Have been here for like 2 months.

So far Singapore stood well in cleanliness, efficiency, free shuttle buses to mall and main stations, but to my dismay, while back home we ahve the choice for free tv and paid tv for world cup, but here we are subjected to PPV (pay per view).

Taken from the FIFA official broadcast partner list.

CONTINENT	COUNTRY	BROADCAST PARTNER	PAY TV
Asia	Malaysia
		Astro	1
		NTV7
		RTM
	Singapore
		StarHub Cable Vision	1

* The free channels, RTM and NTV7 combined to show about 85% live matches. correct me if i am wrong here. Been away too long liao.

Well, if i really want, i can actually walk down to the pubs and watch, no mamaks like malaysia though.

Man, speaking of that really miss mamak ler.

Anyway , i just moved to another hotel today and i heard they are showing all the matched live till like 5am at the restaurant. But it is closed today for some private function. So let's see how tomorrow la.

kuancheen|singapore|20060617.2224
... (brokenly) Ich möchte FIFA Fussball-Weltmeisterschaft aufpassen

My Ruined Shtick

2006-05-16T03:10:00.000+08:00

On February 2, 2006, Bono (U2) made this speech at the American National Prayer Breakfast, in attendance of the American President, and First Lady, King Abdullah of Jordan and other distinguished guests and religious leaders.

He was speaking on the issue on world poverty and was giving a background on his spiritual upbringing; coming from a mix parentage of Protestant and Catholic faith in a religiously divided Ireland at that time, he was cynical God be politicized. He then continued to tell, that he later met a couple of British Christian who in his words "ruining his steak".

At this point I was not really sure I heard the right thing, I replayed the video several times and still could not figure it out. "Ruining my steak" just doesn't make much sense. So, left it at the assumption that it must have been some western slang to describe some one losing his or her values; as valuable as losing one's steak, regardless how corny it sounded.

I left it at that until I was thinking about the speech again while penning for this blog entry on poverty.

This is when I revisited the video again. This time I also happened to bump into the transcript of the speech and together with it, the opportunity to search for the "steak". And search I did.

I searched for the word "ruin" and it got me right to the exact phrase in question. But it was not "steak" as I thought it would be. It turned out to be "shtick".

"Ruining my shtick"

Hmmm, now that looks suspiciously a typo? Immediately I browsed to my trusted encarta and it turned out that it was the perfect word in the speech's context.

So here is the word.

shtick

shtick [ shtik ] (plural shticks) or schtick [ shtik ] (plural schticks) or shtik [ shtik ] (plural shtiks)

noun

Definition:

1. special attribute of somebody: something that especially characterizes somebody, e.g. an interest, talent, trait, job, or hobby ( slang )

2. entertainer's routine: a comedian's or entertainer's act or gimmick ( informal )

3. exaggeration: an exaggerated complaint or extreme position ( humorous )

[Mid-20th century. Via Yiddish, "piece, routine" < Old High German stucki]
encarta.com

kuancheen|singapore|20060512.0240
... there I've posted it, can I please have my steak back?

BlogMap FAQ #1 - ERROR: undeclared namespace prefix

2006-05-16T01:19:00.000+08:00

One of the more common errors encountered when registering or updating your BlogMap is the XML "undeclared namespace prefix" error.

Example 1Unable to store blog. Please try again later. [ERROR: 'st1' is an undeclared namespace. Line 67, position 69.]

Example 2Unable to store blog. Please try again later. [ERROR: 'o' is an undeclared namespace. Line 197, position 420.]

To troubleshoot the error, I always find checking on the XML RSS feed to be helpful.

To do this, open your blog's XML feed link on you browser "http://[yourblogname].blogspot.com/atom.xml", e.g. the feed for this site is at http://kuancheen.blogspot.com/atom.xml.

In the case of Example 1, it threw this error:-

The XML page cannot be displayed

Cannot view XML input using CSS style sheet. Please correct the error and then click the Refresh button, or try again later.

Reference to undeclared namespace prefix: 'st1'. Error processing resource 'http://[yourblogname].blogspot.com/atom.xml'. Line 67...

<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">[Written on Sunday 10/16/<st1:time hour="17" minute="0">05 3PM</st...

Basically, XML does not recognised the <st1:time> tag that is used to display the time entry.

To rectify this, just edit the entry manually and replace it with plain text, that is , instead of
[Written on Sunday 10/16/7<st1:time minute="0" hour="17">05 3PM</st1:time> (Bud time)]

change it to simply
[Written on Sunday 10/16/05 3PM (Bud time)]

For Example 2, one suggestion is to edit the entry with a text editor and replace the occurance of <o> and </o> tags.

Hope this helps!

kuancheen|singapore|20060516.0210
... XML: fickle fickle fickle

Eels for Soup

2006-04-10T22:59:00.000+08:00

(delayed post)

>>comment

These are the small eels (8-12cm) that are used to prepare the minced eel soup.

And here there are, all minced up ... and cooked.

eelo de soupo

kuancheen|kualalumpur|20050811.1830
... eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....el

Nostalgic Monday

2006-04-10T21:32:00.000+08:00

Don't you have one of those days that you suddenly feel nostalgic? Sigh... I'm currently away to Singapore for a business trip, and like any business trip I have I will have the chance to connect to the web almost 24/7, not like back home when certain company still refuse to pull telephone lines to my residence

I had the chance to recollect the memories I had with my group of friends when I was going through my list of friends in frenster, and boy am I feeling nostalgic. I mean seriously really. Have not been having this feelings for a while.

Man .. think for the pass few days there have been a lot on my mind, meeting with folks and friends that I have not met for a long time and seeing where they are now and what they are doing (and not doing), got me reflect on myself again.

And a series of events that got me tihnking and thinking about where I am now and where I will be. Actually I have been having some thought for a while and I was looking forward to the trip to Singapore or anywhere for that matter, seeking for some answers and a change of surrounding, but seems like I having more questions than answers.

Though I know He is there to look after me, and I just hope I make the right choice.

kuancheen|singapore|20060410.2120
... (lead me and i will follow)

WWW, A Mouthful?

2006-03-30T00:18:00.000+08:00

Ah, "W", the most mouthful letter of the English alphabets.

After the term World Wide Web came to public acceptance, the acronymn WWW was then introduced. I wouldn't really blame anyone hesitating in pronouncing the acronym itself. Isn't it mouthful? It have more syllabus that the original than the phrase it stands for, six syllabuses (or syllabi) more to be precise. That's thrice more!

With some odd twist of fate, the WWWs are now embedded in all our webpage URLs. If my memory serves me correctly, which I constantly doubt, we used to read aloud web addresses as "The World Wide Web dot [Bla Bla] dot com".

Then, we actually started to call it "Triple Double-Yoo", which cut down from nine to five syllabi. (Hooray!)

When I was in Sydney, I overheard over fm103.2 (a great radio station in Sydney by the way. I still stream them live!), which their announcers address it as "The Double-Yoos" which personally I think it's kinda cute. Well done lads. Now we are down to four.

The breakthrough for me finally came during my last trip to Germany. When I heard over the airwaves, that went something like, "Vee Vee Vee Punkt [Bla Bla] Punkt Dee Ee". Okay, I can't really remember how they pronounced "dot", which I think is "punkt", again don't trust a guy that needs his head examined. But that's immaterial. What matters to this discussion is that at least for the Germans, the "Ws" are pronounced as "Vee" as in VIVA. Finally we are down to THREE!

Now, I’m sure that there are other languages out there that have mono-syllabic letter "W", this is just an example that it can get better. Just in case you are wondering, in German, "V" is pronounced as "fee" as in FIFA.

So, it came with no surprises that we now completely ignore them in web addresses.

kuancheen|kuala.lumpur|20060308
... ~~www.~~kuancheen.blogspot.com

Does My Credit Card Goes To Heaven?

2006-03-29T23:41:00.000+08:00

I couldn't resist myself from posting this. This came into my mailbox today, from, could you believe it a friend that worked for the financial institution before. Though this was not information was not verified, but sure make a fun read imagining that this could really happen.

Note: Name of the financial institution have been altered to protect the parties involved

It's all about money for CitieBank Credit Cards when you die......

This is too funny! It takes all kinds to make the world go round. Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die. This is easy to see happening, customer service being what it is....

My Aunt died this past January. CitieBank billed her for February and March for their monthly service charge on her credit card, and then added late fees and interest on the monthly charge... the balance had been $0.00... Now it was somewhere around $60.00. I placed the following phone call to CitieBank:

Me: "I am calling to tell you that she died in January."

CitieBank: "The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply."

Me: "Maybe, you should ! turn it over to collections"

CitieBank: "Since it is 2 months past due, it already has been."

Me: "So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?"

CitieBank: "Either report her account to the frauds division, or report her to the credit bureau maybe both!"

Me: "Do you think God will be mad at her?"

CitieBank: "...excuse me...?"

Me: "Did you just get what I was telling you... the part about her being dead?"

CitieBank: "Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor!"

(Supervisor gets on the phone)

Me: "I'm calling to tell you, she died in January."

CitieBank: "The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply."

Me: "You mean you want to collect from her estate?"

CitieBank: ".....(stammer)" ".... Are you her lawyer?"

Me: "No, I'm her great nephew." (Lawyer info given... )

CitieBank: "Could you fax us a certificate of death?"

Me: "Sure."

(Fax number is given)
....................
(After they get the fax.)

CitieBank: "Our system just isn't setup for death"

Me: "Oh..."

CitieBank: "I don't know what more I can do to help.."

Me: "Well...if you figure it out,great! If not, you could just keep billing her...I suppose... Don't really think she will care...."

CitieBank: "Well...the late fees and charges do still apply."

Me: "Would you like her new billing address?"

CitieBank: "That might help."

Me: "Nilai Memorial Park Cemetery" (North South Highway and plot number given.)

CitieBank: "Sir, that's a cemetery!"

Me: "What do you do with dead people on your planet?"

kuancheen|kuala.lumpur|20060329.2340
... ALLO, Nilai Memorial Park ah? There's a delivery for ...

Live Octopus, Yummy, Eat, Eat

2006-03-18T17:15:00.000+08:00

Live octopus is a delicacy in Korea. Though not every Korean digs it, it's quite a popular dish (or maybe not). At least it's popular among the tourist who wants some thrill. Just like 'balut' from the Philippines.

The octopus, I was told are being chopped alive and still moving and will even 'climb' out of the plate they are placed in. You then attempt to pick them up with chopsticks, which is an easy feat since their live tentacles will stick on your chopsticks. Depending on your preferences, dip some sauce and swallow them. The thrill of it is when those tiny suckers stick tight to your tongue, mouth and throat! Wanna try to eat balut instead? Here's how.

These two are taken when I happened to pass by a road side van in Seoul, Korea. Always wanted to try out the live octopus but didn't get the chance. My friends that supposed to bring me didn't have the ~~stomach~~ time for it. Maybe next time la. These are the octopus that will be minced and eaten fresh!

Live Octopus Part 1

>>comment

Live Octopus Part 2

>>comment

And this is how you eat it!!!

kuancheen|kuala.lumpur|20060318.1515
... if stucked in the tummy how?

New Word: Angkated, Angkating

2006-03-16T19:25:00.000+08:00

Happen to bumped into this on ENCARTA!!!

ang·kat [ áng kàt ] (past and past participle ang·kat·ted, present participle ang·kat·ting, 3rd person present singular ang·kats)

intransitive verb

Definitions:

Malaysia curry favor: to try to gain favor with somebody by means of flattery or excessive deference ( informal )

[< Malay angkat bodek "lift testicles"]
encarta.com

kuancheen|kuala.lumpur|20060316
... ter'angkat-bola'ed

My First Video Blog!!

2006-03-14T19:29:00.000+08:00

I finally uploaded my first video(s) onto YouTube. You will definitely notice the 'rawness' as some of these are purely experimental shots.

These are the videos I took during my last trip to Seoul in December 2005.

The Three Trees
Captured this on the first snow in Seoul 2005 right outside my service apartment and the three potted CHRISTmas trees are happened to be right outside 'basking' the snow.

>>comment

My First Snow Fight!!!
This was the second time I experienced winter in Seoul (man, how I love winter!) and this is my FIRST REAL snow fight! ^^

>>comment

Took this after the snow fight. +_="

>>comment

The Day After
This scene is taken right outside SeJong Hotel (Myu-dong) while I was waiting for my airport bus to fly back home.

>>comment

This is another shot.

>>comment

kuancheen|kuala.lumpur|20060314
... me tubed

I REALLY need my head examined ...

2006-03-03T16:22:00.000+08:00

This was a conversation between my ex-uni mate ([ft]) and i ([me]) that took place last few days ago after i have met up with her and another friend ([dt]) in a local church with "their" baby ...

[me]: hey [ft]

[ft]: yes..
[ft]: how are you? okay liao

[me]: yea ...
[me]: no more crutches ..
[me]: eh .. was surprise to see you ler ...
[me]: very cute baby ^^

[ft]: when?
[ft]: why surprised? you know i attend (a local church) right?
[ft]: hey by the way, not my baby ar..

[me]: huh?
[me]: wait .. confused now ..

[ft]: waht confused?
[ft]: you thot i got married and with baby?

[me]: think i confuse liao with which [ft] ler ..
[me]: i tot you from (the local church) ...
[me]: heheh
[me]: which you are

[ft]: got so many [ft] meh?

[me]: but apparently not the mom

[ft]: (from a local uni) one

[me]: man .. i'm so pai sei la
[me]: very bad with names

[ft]: now i am confused

[me]: yes ...
[me]: from (the local uni)
[me]: in acts
[me]: you know [dt] from (the local uni) ah?

[ft]: aiyohhh..
[ft]: so am i the one you thought you were talking to?
[ft]: he is my brother lah..
[ft]: aiyoh,., you real blur

[me]: k ...
[me]: lagi blur now
[me]: [dt] married or not ah?
[me]: heheheh
[me]: this is getting worse and worse by the minute
[me]: hahahah

[ft]: aiyohhh..
[ft]: okay, so you thot the baby was mine?

[me]: wait .. you mean your are [dt]'s brother ... who got married with a daughter .. and i saw you holding the baby?
[me]: wait .. which [ft] are you ah .. you are the one .. in business .. one .. last time was in spb for a while one right
[me]: man ... i gonna have to kill my self
[me]: hehehe

[ft]: i mean.. my brother is = [dt], i am SISTER...
[ft]: yes..
[ft]: i am gonna kill you

[me]: you elder sister?

[ft]: you saw me the other day with [dt]'s baby..
[ft]: yes.. i am elder

[me]: how come din see his wife one
[me]: man ...
[me]: die die
[me]: hahahha
[me]: wa liao eh ...
[me]: this is soo sooo embrassing ...
[me]: haha .. k ..
[me]: at least i got the right [ft]
[me]: just got the relationship with [dt], the baby and you wrong only

[ft]: you very bad lah

[me]: sry sry .. told you mah .. my memory really bad one
[me]: so how come din see your sis in law?

[ft]: she is (name withheld) lah.. the one beside [dt]
[ft]: from (the local uni) also

[me]: errr ....
[me]: k
[me]: before i make more a fool of myself ...

[ft]: you din notice meh?

[me]: how many ppl travelling with you .. when i met you twice in acts

[ft]: the pregnant lady with us

[me]: think i might have notice . .but was playing with the baby more then noticing another lady ...
[me]: there were 4 of you guys right
[me]: eh . .your bro was in cf was he?

[ft]: yes.. including baby is 4
[ft]: yes he was

[me]: wait ... wait .. k .. i dun mean to be rude or something ... eventhough i think i have sounded quite bad lioa ...
[me]: i actually tot the fourth person was .. err .. your helper

[ft]: ohhh.. you mean [dt]'s mother in law?
[ft]: i cannot remember if she was with us the day you met us

[me]: actually dunno
[me]: looks quite tanned

DUH!

Okay, let's stop here. You got the point.
I've a problem with my short term memory.
Need any more prove? :P

So if I ever forgotten your name. Sorry Sorry Sorry. You are not the first one. :P

kuancheen|kuala.lumpur|20060303
... neuro surgeons apply here

Guilt of Neglecting and Feeling of Neglected

2006-03-03T12:22:00.000+08:00

Hi People,

Before I start my rant, I just want you all to know how sorry I felt about neglecting you all.

I do have my reason for it, primary for the past few months I have been side line in footballing term since the World Cup is right round the corner and recuperating from the operation to have my right anterior cruciate ligament reconstructed, the same injury suffered by Gabriel Heinze (not that I am comparing myself to him). More on that experience in my next post.

Some of you all may have known that I have moved in to my new place some time in September, in between my trips to Munich. And being a new residential area, there was a certain lack of service because the area was deemed under populated the time we moved. The internet service provider refused to have the service extended to my area, although their infrastructure was ready up to like the previous block.

No Internet = No Blog

So, my apologies for the long silence. Now still without connection at home, though loaded down with work at the office, I feel obliged to drop a few words.

There you have it, hope that you all been fine. Those of you that had drop a message or two during my AWOL, I'll try my best to get back to you ASAP.

kuancheen|kualalumpur|20060303.1330
... now back to work

i just wanna blog

2005-11-30T00:17:00.000+08:00

i wanna blog i wanna blog
but things been hectic been hectic lately
work work and work and work
by hey looks who's complaining?

i always wanted to blog more but me being the 'perfectionist' and 'want-my-blog-to-look-good' me always spend a lot of time to make sure my post is a perfect post which explain my lack of post cause i can't get 'em perfect, not that those i've posted are.

see, that's the dilemma i have, have to spellcheck la, make sure all the html tags are correct and complete la it does take time.

sometimes i feel i should let my blog be a blog, which is a raw unedited thoughts, hmmm.. maybe i should start another one just for that.

different people have different style but i just love mine the way it is. it's your blog, just like your bedroom, your locker (which i don't have one) it reflects your personality, i tells about what kind of a person you are. whether you are diligent to check your spelling, your grammar or just being reader sensitive (not like the obvious lack of caps in this post), or you are a self obsessed, attention seeking or just plain some one who wants to get things of your chest. hey ppl can tell a lot from reading your blog and the same way you can 'tell' others what kinda a person you are they way you want others to perceive you.

am now in the capital of south korea, got here last week. wanted to that the opportunity being online in the hotel to blog but being occupied with cartoon network showing x-men evolution. i know it's lame.

weather is cold, but enjoy the cold breeze that freshen me up every time i love the fact i can't feel sleepy in freezing cold, but too much of a good thing is bad too. temp drops to one or two degree below zero not the coldest time yet, but hoping to see snow again. missing snow. i seen them the first time two years back and i miss them. snow snow snow ... weeee ... i am imagining seeing soft flakes dropping from the sky.

great food miss the food here, anyone that say that is nothing to eat in korean should bring me with them for the trip and i will bring them around. snapped lots of pic of the food will share with ya all once i got the time to upload.

as for now need to catch some sleep, no internet access in the new office that we just moved in this monday, so gonna be a disconnected day again.

see ya all! take care

kuancheen|seoul|20051130.0130
... dreaming of white CHRISTmas

surrender

2005-11-14T20:28:00.000+08:00

sur·ren·der [ sə réndər ]

verb (past and past participle sur·ren·dered, present participle sur·ren·der·ing, 3rd person present singular sur·ren·ders)

Definitions:

1. intransitive verb declare yourself defeated: to declare to an opponent that he or she has won so that fighting or conflict can cease

2. transitive verb give up possession of something: to relinquish possession or control of something because of coercion or force

surrender territory

surrender your passport

3. transitive verb give something out of courtesy: to give a seat, position, or office to somebody as a courtesy or as a gesture of goodwill

4. sur·ren·der your·self vr give self up to something: to yield to a strong emotion, influence, or temptation

5. transitive verb law abandon rights to something: to give up or abandon rights to something, especially to give up a lease before it has expired

noun

Definitions:

1. giving up fight: an act of declaring defeat at the hands of an opponent

The French demanded an unconditional surrender.

2. giving up control: an act of relinquishing control or possession to somebody or something

3. delivery into legal custody: the delivery of a prisoner or fugitive into legal custody

4. law abandonment of legal rights: the abandonment of legal rights, especially the giving up of a lease or an insurance policy before it has expired

5. giving self up to authorities: an act of willing submission to authorities

[15th century. < Anglo-Norman, "give over" < render "give (back)," variant of Old French rendre (see render)]

encarta.com

kuancheen|kualalumpur|20051114.2100
... the words of the day was brought to you by encarta.com, now back to our regular programming...

suffocate

2005-11-14T20:12:00.000+08:00

suf·fo·cate [ súffə kàyt ] (past and past participle suf·fo·cat·ed, present participle suf·fo·cat·ing, 3rd person present singular suf·fo·cates)

transitive and intransitive verb

Definitions:

1. die from lack of air: to die from lack of air, or kill somebody by stopping him or her from breathing

2. stop breathing: to deprive somebody of air or prevent somebody from breathing, or be unable to breathe

3. feel, or make somebody, too warm: to feel uncomfortable through excessive heat and lack of fresh air, or make somebody feel uncomfortable in this way

4. prevent somebody or something from developing: to confine and restrict somebody or something with adverse effects, or be or feel confined and restricted in development or self-expression

[15th century. < Latin suffocat-, past participle of suffocare "narrow up" < fauc- "throat, narrow entrance"]

suf·fo·cat·ing adj

suf·fo·cat·ing·ly adv

suf·fo·ca·tion [ sùffə káysh'n ] n

encarta.com

Taipei: The Land of Typhoons and EarthQuakes

2005-10-25T19:51:00.000+08:00

I'm a bit bored now. Another one of those days that you have tonnes of stuffs to do that you just feel like .. sigh .. i need a break.
So for the benefit of my visitors, i am taking my break to sprinkle a little delight on your eyes.

These are my pics form my last trip to the capital of Taiwan, Taipei, from 25 Sept till 11 Oct.

It was a trip that was filled with mixed experience, from my first Typhoon (Hurricane) encounter to my second earthquake and having to privilege to stay in one of the most luxurious hotel in Taipei. Enjoy.

Taiwan (Taipei) 20051011
( 66 images )

Taiwan (Taipei) 20051001
( 18 images )

kuancheen|kualalumpur|20051025.2010
... Lord, I need Thee, I long to hear from Thee, lead me to Thy righteous path, reveal to us Thy plans.

More Pics from Germany ... Finally

2005-10-18T20:09:00.000+08:00

As a continuation from my previous post on my trip to Germany, here are the rest of the pics.

I have managed to updated my pic links and now it is grabbing the images from my flickr account rather than from my imagestation account as it seems they have some BW hogging prevention system on.

This kinda a slight delayed post as i was having a torrid time uploading my pics. (maybe there are too many of them). Okay, enuff said, it's picture time.

Europe (Munich) 20050831
( 8 images )

Europe (Munich) 20050828
( 196 images )

Europe (Munich) 20050827
( 18 images )

Europe (Munich) 20050821
( 12 images )

Europe (Munich) 20050815
( 10 images )

Europe (Munich) 20050813
( 13 images )

kuancheen|kualalumpur|20051018.2000
... ah ... finally an entry from back home

5.2 on the Richter Scale

2005-10-06T01:00:00.000+08:00

At about 0015 today my Taiwanese friend pinged me on MSN.

Just as I saw her message popping up, i felt a tremor.

Immediately i pinged her back, "earthquake ah?"

It was the second time i felt an earthquake tremor. The first was also in Taipei about 3 months ago. That time it was stronger, i in the hotel room that time and suddenly i thought i saw the lamp stand was shaking and then i felt dizzy for a while and then i switched on the TV and saw the news.

This time however, it last less then 2 seconds and was just a slight movement.

The Taiwan Central Weather Bureau reported that this earthquake was 5.2 on the Richter Scale. The epicenter of the quake is to the south-east of Taipei City as depicted in the diagram below.

Taiwan Earthquake 20051006 @ 0016.35
click or mouseover for larger pic

kuancheen|taipei|20051006.0145
... wind, earth and ...?

Hurricane LongWang Hit Taiwan

2005-10-05T00:25:00.000+08:00

[k ... this is not really a breaking news, but could be a late, way late, breaking news, hence the past tense]

LongWang hit the Central East Coast of Taiwan as what the Americans will classified as a Category 4 Hurricane (Katrina land fell at Category 4). The typhoon made its land fall with a maximum sustained wind of 225 kmh (140mph) which was also classified as a Super Typhoon.

The classification of the storm in numeric categories is of the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.

Category One:
Winds 74-95 mph (64-82 kt or 119-153 km/hr).
Category Two:
Winds 96-110 mph (83-95 kt or 154-177 km/hr).
Category Three:
Winds 111-130 mph (96-113 kt or 178-209 km/hr).
Category Four:
Winds 131-155 mph (114-135 kt or 210-249 km/hr).
Category Five:
Winds greater than 155 mph (135 kt or 249 km/hr).

Hurricanes and typhoons? What's the difference? Well the difference is purely geographical. A short answer will be that hurricanes are from the oceans around US, typhoons are typically from Western Pacific (East Asia). And all both are called Tropical Cyclones in meteorology.

This was my first account of a tropical cyclone and apparently for some others that was captured by a of Taiwan news channel. A reporter was approaching a group of people watching the waves, braving the pouring rain and strong gust. When approached and questioned, a person from the group said in Mandarin,

我们从马来西亚来的
wo me si chong ma lai si ya la de
We are from Malaysia

When asked why there are here (in the middle of the typhoon storm), they answered,

马来西亚没有台风吗
ma lai si ya mei you tai fong ma
There are no typhoons in Malaysia

Who said Malaysians are not adventurous!

Longwang (龙王/龍王), or "Dragon King" in Chinese, though the name sounds scary, the typhoon was not named right after it was spotted but rather from a list of names contributed by a group of Asian countries.

And our own Malaysia contributed to one of this year's super typhoon: Super Typhoon Mawar.

Did you know that from around 1953-1977, hurricanes are having only female names? They were initially names of girl friends and wives of the people that found them. Hmmm...

Here is an article that explain why hurricanes are named in the first place.

kuancheen|taipei|20051002.0145
... braving for more storms

BLOG is a four-letter word

2005-10-05T00:04:00.000+08:00

BLOG is a four-letter word

so are LOVE, HOME, FOOT, BALL, ...

hehehe ... sorry, i just have to get that off my chest!

kuancheen|taipei|20051002.0015
... man, i wonder how much lower can i stoop ...

No Live EPL in Taiwan!!!

2005-10-02T00:31:00.000+08:00

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!

Man .. Taiwanese are crazy about basketball, baseball, but not soccer!!!!

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fulham 2 - 3 Manchester United
They scored three and I missed the 5 goals thriller!

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!

kuancheen|taipei|20051002.0030
... man .. i soooooooo missed blogging ... heheheh

I'm Back!! Finally ....

2005-10-01T23:40:00.000+08:00

I'm Back!!

Wow, I can't believe it's more than one month since I last blogged.

Too much things been happening.

When I came back from Europe, I had a lot of things to settle, since we were moving. Had to make calls, faxes and emails to change my address last minute, since I was away for 1 month in Munich (it was supposed to be two).

Then took three days off to move. First day help out in packing all the stuffs then second day unpack them. This time round, my dad used his moving allowance to hire movers. Man, can't imagine moving all the things we had by ourselves!

Years and years of stuffs accumulated [i got a feeling i got the plurals wrong here ^^]. From Kedah, to Sarawak, to KL, back to Kedah, then to Kluang (Johor) and finally in KL. And not to mention we moved 3 times in span of 3 years in Kluang.

My dad is officially retired now and we (my parents and my brother) are no longer allowed to stay in the government house that we have been in since 1993.

So we moved from Sungai Besi to ... Bandar Cheras Mahkota, in Cheras of course. That adds up to extra 10km, RM3.60 of tolls and 15 mins (one way) of driving!!

I still have plenty of things to unpack. I left my room coming to Taiwan with most of my stuffs still in boxes. I need some book shelves and cupboards. Saw this nice shelve in Carrefour the Thursday before I left but it was out of stock!

I kinda have too much things liao. Need to find place to keep my stamps collection, my coins collection la, my currency collections, my coke collection, my Cleo collections, k ... you go the picture.

So much to do in so little time.

Then, back to work on Thursday after moving, have to make settle the rest of the contacts that I need to change my address. Then have to rush down to one of my company's customer to troubleshoot.

Then the week after it was training and training. After training every day except on Tuesday was dinner and dinner together with our colleagues from US, Japan, Singapore and HK.

And at the same time, we the Young Adults are given charge of this year's church Christmas event! What's more, I had to speak for hte first time in my church on the pulpit on Youth Sunday!!! By the way, the youths were awesome, a BIG BIG hand to them!!!

Then I have to rush the projects for Europe and Taiwan and now end up in Taipei.

What's more typhoon LongWang approaching!!!

First typhoon after my first earthquake also in Taiwan few months ago.

kuancheen|taipei|20051002.0015
... nope, i do not have internet connection at home ... yet

Master of Disaster

2005-09-01T01:37:00.000+08:00

Hmmm.... I was just being referred to Master of Disaster.
Today is my last working day in Munich, am leaving on tomorrow's 12 hours flight at 0845.
Been here for one month and there are been a lot of challenges we have been facing and finally i am ready to wrap things up after managed to calm things down.
Then this colleague from the German company which is the client of my company came up to me at the end of the day to bid me farewell and said some thing along line.
"Hi, how to see you again, and have a safe trip back Master of Disaster"
I was like ... errr ... not really sure how to react, was not sure whether it was a compliment or being sarcastically condemned.

What will you think?
Master of Disaster?
I create disaster every where I go is it?
Wah liao ...

Then i politely and a bit 'shy'ly asked,
"Errr... Sorry but i am not really sure what you mean by Master of Disaster"
Then she revealed, "You managed all those problems that are not caused by you and handled it and solved other's problem"

I smiled, and thanked her for her remarks and then i think to myself, "Ah, Master over Disaster"

kuancheen|munich|20050831.1930
... master of puppets is hungwy, please feed

The Colourful Malaysia(n)

2005-08-31T04:18:00.000+08:00

In celebration of the country's 48th Independence and in keeping with my earlier promise to blog in Malay, I will now humbly attempt to blog with the assistance of my 'other' blog personalities.
I am sure you will able to make up who they are not requiring me to review them explicitly.
Malaysian #1

For this merdeka ah, 48 years one, let me try to blog in Malay la since i promised you all, what to do promise lioa have to do lor.
But then hor, i say i will blog in malay only, din say i will blog evebryting me self in malay right, so this time i ma call me fwens to come.
They oso mouth itchy wan to blog. Me will not tell you who my fwens are, you guess guess urself, ok?
Their style very telling one, when they open mouth only ah you know who my good fwens ah la so no need me to tell you straight straight la you all smart right.
Malaysian #2

Sempena sambutan ulang tahun kemerdekaan yang ke-48 dan dengan tekhad menunaikan janji saya untuk ber'blog' dalam bahasa kebangsaan.
Izinkan juga saya untuk mengundang 'rakan-rakan' seperjuangan saya untuk menyampaikan sepatah dua kata.
Daripada cara pertuturan mereka, nescaya tuan puan dapat mengenalpasti siapa kah mereka, tidak perlu saya namakan mereka secara terbuka.
Malaysian #3

Semasa kita bersama-sama menyambut festiviti kemerdekaan negara kita yang ke-48 ini, sila memperizinkan saya untuk mengambil kesempatan ini, dengan hati yang amat tulus, untuk mengotakan janji saya untuk memperbahasamelayukan 'blog' saya.
Saya akan memperlaksanakan percubaan ini tanpa kompromi dengan menfituritasikan barisan panel jemputan saya.
Adalah dengan penuh keyakinan, saya berpendapat bahawa kekalian tidak akan bermasalah untuk mengidentifikasikan identiti-identiti para panel ini, daripadi penganalisisan sifat kepertuturanan mereka.
Malaysian #4

Jom, jom , jom! Jom kito semue sambut merdeka nie ramai-ramai.
Iskh, iskh, iskh, dah tua jugak malaysia nie, dah 48 tahun dah usianya.
Tapi pak cik tua lagi, tu sebab nye hangpa, cucu-cucu pak cik kalian kena dengar cakap pak cik ya.
Masa kite dok sambut merdeka nie, baik jugak pak cik ambik sempat peluang ini, kata omputeh, untuk blog dalam bahasa melayu.
Sebab pak cik dah janji pada cucu-cucu dulu, bak kata pepatah "... manusia dipengang dengan janjinya", baik jugak sebelum pak cik nyanyuk sat lagi.
Pak cik nie sebenarnye memang dah tua dah, dah tak larat lagi nak tulis banyak-banyak, nak cakap banyak-banyak tu lain cerita la.
Maklumlah mata dan jari-jemari pak cik nie dah tak seperti dulu, nasib baik ader kenalan pakcik yang sudi menulis blog nie sesama pak cik.
Tok sah la pak cik bagi tahu nama depa tu ya, pak cik percaya cucu-cucu bijak untuk mengenali siapakah depa tu semua.
Selamat membaca ya cucu-cucu pak cik.
Malaysian #5

Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka! Mai kiter rayakan merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka! Caya la dapat makan preeee lagi!!!
Ahem... Dah tua gila malaysia nie, fuhlamak, kelip-kelip je bijik mata dah 48 tahun dah.
Eh, teringat jugak i kena blog dalam BM nie. Nah, sebab i dah janji, i kena jugak kena tunaikannya, betoi tak?
Tapi kalau nak blog solo nie boring gak, baik jugak i cari member-member i skali. Lagi ramai lagi best kan? Baru ader oommpph!
Member-member i nie ader problem personaliti sket, tapi tak yah i introkan kat korang kot, korang teka-teka je la, mana la tau tikam-tikam kena gak.
Malaysian #6

Wah liao eh, wa tatau ini malaysia ah, sudah empat puloh lapan tahun sudah wor, wa sei.
Sebab wa punya janji sama lu olang, wa sikalang mau cuba cakap melayu.
Wa tau wa punya melayu lu olang semua mesti ketawa punya.
Tapi lu olang wa mintak tolong jangan ketawa la, wa punya muka nanti tatau mau letak mana.
Kita olang semua olang malaysia jugak betoi tak? Lu tolong wa, wa tolong lu.
Pengyu, pengyu wa ada banyak kamcheng sama wa, dia olang ada tau wa mau blog dia olang mau tolong.
Ini macam balu ngam. Lu olang teka sendili la sapa wa punya pengyu.
Malaysian #7

Emmmmpat pooloooh lapan tahun sudah kah malaysia ini?
Maaaanyak jugak tua, tambi pun tarak tua itu macam jugak.
Itu hari ada jugak tambi kasi tambi punya janji sama macha-macha semua.
Tambi manyak baik punya, tambi cakap mesti ada buat punya, tarak tipu sama macha.
Pasal tambi punya janji jugak, tambi jugak akan blog dalam melayu.
Tapi tambi mau blog sorang-sorang tarak larat jugak, itu pasal tambi jugak ada panggil tambi punya macha.
Macha semua kasi teka sapa mereka.
Malaysian #8

This all started when few weeks ago I bumped into some blogs that suggested Malaysian bloggers to come together and attempt to blog in Malay, at least for a day, to celebrate the country's 48 years of independence.
I took up the challenge personally and was determined to blog in Malay and ended up doing it with a twist.

It's really been a long while since I actually sat down and really wrote or composed anything in Malay.
I mean this have been the language I grew up with (apart from English and Mandarin), the language I studied and went to exam with and made some of my earliest friends with.
But since university, where English was the medium, it became had less and less opportunity to use the language in writing that often anymore. I still speak it though but not composing a formal writing.

So when I actually had to write in Malay, I found myself struggled through! I had difficulties describing the accident in my police report!
Just to think that I used to write in Malay like nobody's business in high school!

Anyway, wanted to take this opportunity to write something back in Malay and hopefully at the same time demonstrate how colourful our beloved country is.

Happy Birthday Malaysia!

kuancheen|munich|20050830.2222|@|20050831.0422|kl
... man that is taxing ... half way through it, i kinda got tired already
... was about to repeat all in different version
... obviously i gave up :P
... guess i'll stick to being me

Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

2005-08-28T00:18:00.000+08:00

That's the declaration of independence in Malay for you guys who are Malay illiterate :).

Let's celebrate it by declaring it across the blogsphere. And ... let's all try to blog in Malay on the 31st ya.

These nice logo are designed by galvin!

500×500 pixel
200×190 pixel	100×100 pixel

You can check out some other banners/logos at irene's.

See you all and take care.

kuancheen|munich|20050827.1800
... happy birthday malaysia!

standard: sempena sambutan hari kemerdekaan tanahair yang tercinta, marilah kita berusaha untuk ber'blog' dalam bahasa malaysia
non-standard: tuk hari merdeka nie, mai kita ramai2 blog dalam BM ya!

(”,)(’-')(,”)

Pictures Galore!!!

2005-08-19T05:10:00.000+08:00

Fuh ... finally extracted all the links.
Been trying to find the most effective way to share my trips abroad.
Well, hope this humble attempt helps to give you all a feel :)

The pics are from my ImageStation account.

Mouseover for more comments!!

hmmm... some of the images below might not load completely, may be some bandwidth issue or something ... but go ahead and click ... the links are alive!

Europe (Munich) 20050807
( 57 images )

Europe (Salzburg) 20050806
( 70 images )

Europe (Vienna) 20050801
( 51 images )

Europe (Munich) 20050723
( 102 images )

Europe (Munich) 20050722
( 19 images )

Europe (Munich) 20050720
( 63 images )

Europe (Munich) 20050717
( 139 images )

Europe (Munich) 20050716
( 73 images )

Europe (Munich) 20050710
( 90 images )

Europe (Munich) 20050624
( 18 images )

Europe (Munich) 20050620
( 99 images )

Europe (Munich) 20050619
( 119 images )

Hillsong City Church
( 51 images )

kuancheen|munich|20050818.2300
... waiting for the data to load and the server to restart ... i wanna go home

I MISS HOME!!!!

2005-08-19T04:05:00.000+08:00

I MISS HOME!!!!

Man ... finally it's time to say ...

I MISS HOME!!!!

missing ...
My family
My house (which i am moving out this Sept!)
My Church 0.o
My Youth
My Cell Mates :P

Okay, I said it liao!

kuancheen|munich|20050818.2030
... hmmmm ... thought that supposed to make you feel better

Blogged Too Much?!

2005-08-17T02:22:00.000+08:00

I may have just said too much ...
Blogged more than I should have blogged about ...
Revealed too much ... feels kinda naked ...

kuancheen|munich|20050816.2030
... =_=" (cold sweat)

BlogMap 4 BlogDrivers!

2005-08-15T23:27:00.000+08:00

Great news! I have just discovered a way to add blogdrive's blogs to BlogMap, with a little bit help from the blogdrive forum post on "How to add a rss feed".

Alright let's hit it.

You will need to modify your blogdrive's blog Main Template.

To do this, log on your blogdrive account at http://www.blogdrive.com.

Next, select the blog you want to edit.
Navigate to the "Layout & Designs" section by clicking on the link on navigation bar on the left of your screen.
Then scroll to the bottom of the "Layout & Designs" page to till you find this label.

Template Quick Links for [yourblogname]:

e.g.
Template Quick Links for mywalkwithchrist:

Then, click on "MAIN TEMPLATE EDIT" and you will be brought to the Main Template edit page.

Once you are at the edit page, look for the <HEAD>
Paste the following lines right after it.

<link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="[Title]" href="http://[Your Blog Drive Blog].blogdrive.com/atom.xml" />
<meta name='ICBM' content="[latitude], [longitude]" />
<meta name="geo.position" content="[latitude];[longitude]" />

e.g.
<link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="My Walk With Christ" href="http://mywalkwithchrist.blogdrive.com/atom.xml" />
<meta name='ICBM' content="3.07755, 101.59000" />
<meta name="geo.position" content="3.07755;101.59000" />

[Title] - is the title to appear on the map
[Your Blog Drive Blog] - is the first part of your blogdrive address
[latitude], [longitude] - these tags holds the value of your current location in decimal degree coordinate values

To get your coordinates you can either:
1. Use the BlogMap's BlogExplorer! tool at http://www.feedmap.net/blogexplorer/ (Recommended). Right-Click on your location and click on "Add a Blog" menu item.
- OR -
2. Drop by my previous post here.

Remember to save your changes to your template by clicking on the "Save Changes" button.

Once you had that out of the way, you can continue to Step 3 of this guide.

kuancheen|munich|20050815.1720
... 24 and counting?

BlogMap Made Easy ... with BlogExplorer!

2005-08-14T17:34:00.000+08:00

Chandu Thota, the BlogMap creator, had done another great job in coming up with FeedMap BlogExplorer!
Now, you can submit your blog's location accurately (decently accurate) using the FeedMap BlogExplorer!.
Go to FeedMap BlogExplorer!: http://www.feedmap.net/blogexplorer/
Right-Click on your location and click on "Add a Blog" menu item.

You still need to have a valid RSS and ATOM feed though.

kuancheen|munich|20050814.1130
... ain't it scary what technology can do for you?

Of a train ticket and a bar tab

2005-08-14T16:40:00.000+08:00

Here we go ... again
It is the kick off of the English Premier League season.

Had to find an irish pub to catch the opening match, Everton vs. Manchester United

Spoke to katherine from the hotel this morning and she mention that there was a pub near this particular station right in the middle of munich
Thus began my journey to catch my fav team in action

I drove to puchiem to catch a train to munich ... and managed to snapped a few shots

livin' on the edge

Compromised

Achtung! Halt!

I hopped on that train ... got off the station ... and walked around to find the pub
Asked a shop attendant at the station where is the nearest irish pub
And his reply was that he was not aware of any pub around this station, but mentioned that there is one near the station before

Walked a while and then stopped by starbuck and asked for further direction
She asked, "which one?"
I said (thinking to myself, there are more than one?), "which ever is the nearest"
"They both are about the same, one to the left and one to the right" (so katherine was not wrong after all)

She then gave me direction this particular pub called Shamrock
"Aha ... that rang a bell, as one of the German colleague mentioned it few days earlier"
So i got excited and hurried to the place ...
When i finally there ... it was closed, you call yourself and irish bar?!

Anyway, i hurried back to starbucks and asked for the direction for the other one
And finally made it to murphy's, over 20 mins into the game and still 0-0!

It was a nice game at the end

Great game for the younger neville
It was surreal seeing him in blue playing against us
And his signature a long throws ... and those hard tackle ... gotta miss him
It was a great gesture to the players greet one another after the match

Great outing by both EPL debuttants, park and van de sar!!!
Great runs and threat down from each flak and through the middle by park
And great goal keeping by VDS who kept us in the game, have we finally the one?

Hope this will be a great start to the new season.
And giggs and ronaldo still yet to come on and not forgetting solskjaer!!

The trip however did cost me 10 euros (inclusive 0.40 euro tips), so had to be worth it :)

the cost of the match

By the way, in case that you are wondering, the germans loves their football, so there are bundesliga matches live on free tv, but EPL's only available on ppv

kuancheen|munich|20050813.1630
... one down, and hope plenty more to come. come on reds!

BlogMap Me Please, A Guide

2005-08-13T18:00:00.000+08:00

IMPORTANT UPDATE!:
Chandu Thota, the BlogMap creator, had done another great job in coming up with FeedMap BlogExplorer!
Now, you can submit your blog's location accurately (decently accurate) using the FeedMap BlogExplorer!.
Go to FeedMap BlogExplorer!: http://www.feedmap.net/blogexplorer/
Right-Click on your location and click on "Add a Blog" menu item.

You still need to have a valid RSS and ATOM feed though.

kuancheen|munich|20050814.1130

BLOGDRIVE UPDATE!:
For BlogDrive bloggers, please start here.

kuancheen|munich|20050815.1720

BEFORE attempting anything, please first read through the steps below..

** The following tips are for GENERALLY intended for blogs hosted on blogspot.com ( | blogger.com) and in the area of Subang Jaya, Selangor :) **

Step 1: Get a blog
(obvious, but not technically neccessary)
To get yourself blogmap'd first of all you need a blog!

Step 2: Get a geo-tag
The next step is to insert geo-tags of the following format with into your web page's header tag, i.e. between <HEAD></HEAD> in your blog HTML code block.

<meta name="ICBM" content="[latitude], [longitude]" />
<meta name="geo.position" content="[latitude];[longitude]" />

Like i mentioned on my previous post, the [latitude] and [longitude] tags holds the value of your current location in decimal degree coordinate values.
Typically, i will insert it after the <$BlogMetaData$> which you will find in your Blogger's Edit Template section.

For Subang Jaya bloggers you can use this

<meta name="ICBM" content="3.07755, 101.59000" />
<meta name="geo.position" content="3.07755;101.59000" />

Check out my previous post for some suggestion to find other coordinates. Or check out the links below: -

Worldwide:
FeedMap's BlogExplorer

MultiMap

Maporama
US only:
Microsoft's TerraServer

Before you proceed, make sure you save the changes and republish your blog. (you can choose republish index only)

Step 3: Get registered
The third step is to get your blog registered.
Go to the BlogMap blog submit page.
At the "Enter your blog (or feed) url" textbox, enter your blog address e.g. "http://kuancheen.blogspot.com".
Then click "Submit Blog!"

Step 4: Get a badge!
If you have been successful up till now ...

CONGRATULATIONS! You have been BlogMap'd

Now, that you have been blogmap'd i am sure you want to display it on your blog.
After a successful registration in the previous step, you will be directed to a page that gives you the code to be inserted into your blog to display your blogmap.
At the "Adding BlogMap to Your Blog" section, Copy paste the following html source to display your blogmap badge.

It should look like something like this

<div>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.feedmap.net/blogmap/blogapi.ashx
?method=blogmapbadge
&feed=http://kuancheen.blogspot.com/atom.xml">
</script>
</div>

Copy this an paste it where you want it to appear on your blog (which, in my case, i placed it on my sidebar)

Finally, republish your side voilà!

Hope that this have been helpful, all the best!

This post was inspired by the feedback requesting for less technical instruction, hope this helps :P

BlogMap FAQ #1 - ERROR: undeclared namespace prefix

kuancheen|munich|20050813.1200
... 3 new neighbloggers and counting up! welcome to the neighbloghood

I'm BlogMap'd ... and how you can too

2005-08-12T17:49:00.000+08:00

hey ... i just got myself blogmap'd day before yesterday.
check out my blog map below (and my side bar)

my blogmap @ 20050812.1200

ain't it cool? now i can see who are blogging around my "neighbloggers"!
so, let's all get one ... so that we can start our own community :)

this nice little idea was the brain child of Chandu Thota, who created this site riding on the Microsoft® MapPoint® Technology coupled with geo-tags.

To get your own BlogMap click here

Here are some pre-requisites though that i gathered from the website

You can either submit your feed (RSS, ATOM) or blog url.

If you have ICBM or geo.position tags in your feed/site, you need not enter your location.

If no ICBM or geo.position tags are found, you need to manually enter your location.

To update your location, simply re-submit your blog with new location information.
|source|

You can either submit your feed (RSS, ATOM) or blog url.

Apparently, you blog MUST have RSS or ATOM feed on your blog. When i tried to entered my blogdrive site, i get this error

Sorry! Unable to detect RSS or ATOM feed from the url: 'http://mywalkwithchrist.blogdrive.com'.

So far, i am not aware whether the rest of the blog hosts have these feeds except i know Blogger have it.

If you have ICBM or geo.position tags in your feed/site, you need not enter your location.

First of all you need to insert the geo-tags into your web page's header tag, i.e. between <HEAD></HEAD> in your blog HTML code block.
There are the older ICBM tags and the newer, more generic geo-structure tags.

<meta name='ICBM' content="[latitude], [longitude]" />
<meta name="geo.position" content="[latitude];[longitude]" />

I inserted both.

The ICBM (original acronym is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) tags derive from a more historical application, as described in the AntiOnline jargon dictionary:

ICBM address n.
(Also 'missile address') The form used to register a site with the Usenet mapping project, back before the day of pervasive Internet, included a blank for longitude and latitude, preferably to seconds-of-arc accuracy. This was actually used for generating geographically-correct maps of Usenet links on a plotter; however, it became traditional to refer to this as one's 'ICBM address' or 'missile address', and some people include it in their sig block with that name. (A real missile address would include target elevation.)
|source|

Now will be a good time to thank your geography teacher ...

The [latitude] and [longitude] tags holds the value of your current location to be mapped in decimal degree coordinate values.
And if you must ...

Latitude = Garis Lintang
Longitude = Garis Bujur

My coordinates for Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur are ...

Latitude: 3° 4' 12'' N
Longitude: 101° 43' 12'' E
(DMS: Degrees, minutes and seconds)

which converts to

Latitude: 3.07000
Longitude: 101.72000
(Decimal degrees)

How To Convert Decimal Degrees Into Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (How To Convert a Decimal to Sexagesimal)

Therefore my geotags are ...

<meta name='ICBM' content="3.07000, 101.72000" />
<meta name="geo.position" content="3.07000;101.72000" />

for south (S) and west (W), these values are in negative, and if you haven't already know ... the range is from -180 to 180 for both the latitudes and longtitudes.

so now you can go and calculate yourself your own geo-tags ... this is what geography class for ... hint .. the decimals are converted into minutes and seconds
well ... if you are that lazy you can always use this tool

but since i love the people in Subang Jaya so much, your geo-tags are ...

<meta name='ICBM' content="3.07755, 101.59000" />
<meta name="geo.position" content="3.07755;101.59000" />

If no ICBM or geo.position tags are found, you need to manually enter your location.

but .. the location are not accurate for places outside the States (so typical)
this returns you the Latitudes and Longtitudes value, or you can try for Malaysia, here.

quoting the BlogMap people, ...

Come on, don't you want to know who's blogging near you?

kuancheen|munich|20050812.1200
... now, if you will excuse me, i need to evacuate, now that my coordinates are public

My First Image Post

2005-08-12T00:23:00.000+08:00

i have finally posted my first photos on my blog.
been delaying cause i was trying to script some nice mouseover tooltip
tried a few times and failed to come out with one that i am satisfied with and a one that works nicely

another reason was that i was looking for a place that i can host my photos. came across a few, some blog have their own services.
was looking at walagata for a while, then came across flickr (apparently bought over by Yahoo! in March 2005) which i was quite impressed till i saw the 25MB of upload per month ... that was like ... err ...
so needless to say i was put off by the restriction. that was when i landed myself at textamerica (if you are wondering ... i get these list of photo storage sites by looking at the image source of other blogs)
and this is when i am introduced to the term photoblog or moblog. the opportunity to not just store my pics to be linked to my blogs but also to create my first photoblog is just too good to be missed.

this is also where i bumped into this cool mouseover tooltip
this site uses a script from Dynamic Drive
one thing cool about using these readily available scripts as opposed to trying to write one myself is that these scripts (at least for this example) are written and tested across different platform and browser. unless i have installed multiple browsers or have easy access to them, it will be hard for me to really right a cross-browser script.
unless of course you have a brilliant suggestion in this field that i have shallow knowledge of.

for more on photoblogs @ wiki
FAQ
List of Photoblog Hosting
List of Photoblog Software

okay, enough babbling ... here are my first two pics on this blog

mosaic

the two nails

kuancheen|munich|20050811.1830
... so how many thousand words are spoken already?

Of Two Tones

2005-08-09T11:10:00.000+08:00

i am always fascinated with black and white (b&w) photography
since young i loves things in black and white
love to do pencil sketches more than colour pastel
(this helps to hide my lack of creativity with colour ;))

on monday my fren abner was 'advertising' about his trip to taman negara and posted my his friend's link as well.
his fren sengkit had this photoblog, which i think he just started it, called "sengkit's Sayomellete".

i was particularly attracted to the pics here, which inspired me to go out and snap few b&w myself around munich. and it turn out quite well. i would like to share some here, but still have not sorted out where to upload them yet.

found this pages while surfing for more b&w info ... here are some topic and links i found from there

Converting colour images to black and white [go]
Resources and Info [go]
Northlight Images

din get to read them though ... hehehe ...

... sometimes skill not really play important role here. It's depends on how u see something thru the viewfinder, and how u judge whether a shot is nice or not. you can take good pictures too...
*sengkit*

... agree[d] ... it's all about "framing" and ... "photo-directing" ...
kuancheen

kuancheen|munich|20050808.0530
... yes you read that right!!! 0530!!! not that i am early, but been up for the whole night (or watever left of it) ... trying to get something sorted out in the office ... called for a cab but they are all out to the airport!

Why am I still alive? Do I need to live through this?

2005-08-06T02:20:00.000+08:00

first posted at http://mywalkwithchrist.blogdrive.com/

These are some of the question that we ask ourselves, or some will even argue with God, when things don't seem to go our way. Or sometimes, things seems not to be moving to any direction, or sometimes we seems to be stuck at some low point of our lives which make us think when things going to get better.

This is not just a middle-age issue, it wide range of age group, from the golden age, the youth asks about it, even some children. The fact is, there will be time we struggle with it. Sometimes it comes and goes. Sometimes we just ignore it.

For the last few weeks, the Lord has lead me to these questions, and sharing these to a few. Then, today I came across this song by Superchic[k] on K-Live (32kbps|96kbps). I have heard this song across the wave over and over again, but today one part of the lyrics caught my ear.

There is a man who waits for the tests
To see if the cancer has spread yet
And now he asks, "So why did I wait to live till it was time to die?"
If I could have the time back how I'd live
an excerpt from We Live - Superchic[k] - Beauty From Pain

We are not alone.

No one want to stay in the period of a trial. I mean, when we are in a trial, will we ask God, "Hey God, can I have this longer ah? I am enjoying it. I am learning so much from all these hardship and adversities. You are building my character. Can I please stay in these suffering, please, please.". No, we don't. When faced with adversity we always ask "Lord, when is this gonna end?". We will pray that He take us out immediately. We may grow impatient, start to doubt, we may even start to hate and curse Him.

No one wants to stay in a fire to be burn ... but precious metal like gold are purified this way.
No one wants to stay being irritated ... but pearl only formed when there is constant irritation.
No one wants to stay under pressure ... but the most brilliant diamond is pressed out from tonnes and tonnes of pressure.

Maybe He wants us to pick up something while we are here in this very situation. Maybe He is using us to reach out to someone. Instead of asking Him to take us away, maybe we should ask him to reveal it to us, why is He putting us here in the first place.

This lead me back to the story of Joseph. Remember that Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and was sold as slave to Egypt, hundreds of kilometers away from his loving parents and family. To be away from them for years. Going through false accusations, jailed and even to the brink of being sentenced to death. Sometime we wonder, "How long more? Can this get any worst?"

In Joseph's case, he was sent to 'suffer' first so that he can in turn save not just the very people that sold him to slavery (his bothers) but also his whole family, his people and his nation! And when facing his brothers for the first time, which by this time, his brothers that was full of remorse and in fear of what their own very brother that they sold to slavery will do to them, this is what Joseph said ...

⁵And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. ⁶For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. ⁷But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
⁸"So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.
Genesis 45:5-8 [NIV]

for a more detail account of Joseph's life you can read Genesis 37-50

Man, how many of us can actually say that? But, if we did not persevere, and quit before the Lord have finished with us according to His plan, we would not have witness the fruits.

We are His unfinished article. The perfect article that He wants to mold us for eternity.

Just picture ourselves as a beautiful and graceful butterfly to be. We are now trying to break out of our cocoon. Struggling step by step, gaining from strength to strength. Without this "training" we may not be strong enough. When we finally broke through we find ourselves strengthen and ready for that flight. Equipped. Equipped to bring glory to Him as others will get to witness the wonderful works He had worked on you.

It is always easier said than done, but when faced adversity, we need to learn to put our complete trust in Him. Knowing He loves us more than anyone could love us. He knows us better than anyone and even better than ourselves. He is our source of hope and strength.

They say, when there is hope and a will, there is a way. I am sure that He will review better things to us. We need to hang on in there, stay on course. Sometimes when things get too heavy, we may want to give up or compromise our values, but He will reward us for our perseverance.

Run! Forest, run!

When we stay on course, and finish our race, He will smile at you and say, "Well, done My child.".

As Paul said, ...

²⁴... I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
Acts 20:24 [NIV]

⁷I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:7-8 [NIV]

Hey, when we take a step back to look at the beauty of the Lord's Creation for a while, looking at the blessing God have blessed us, take the focus off ourselves once a while and look at the rest around you. Sometimes when we take the focus off ourselves and begin to look at the rest, hey, we will start to feel compelled to help the rest who are in worst situation than us.

And taking from part of the song again ...

We live we love
We forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
Today we remember to live and to love
an excerpt from We Live - Superchic[k] - Beauty From Pain

It is a gift from above that we are alive to live for another day. Why not make the best use of the day to love as He have commanded in His Words.

³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' ³¹...'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
Mark 12:30-31 [NIV]

³⁵But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Luke 6:35-36 [NIV]

⁴⁴... Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ...
Matthew 5:44 [NIV]

May we all draw near and find strength in Him.

in Christ,
kuancheen|munich|20050804.2030

Artist: Superchic[k]
Album: Beauty From Pain
Song: We Live

There's a cross on the side of the road
Where a mother lost a son
How could she know that the morning he left
Would be their last time she'd trade with him for a little more time
So she could say she loved him one more time
And hold him tight
But with life we never know

When we're coming up to the end of the road
So what do we do then
With tragedy around the bend?

Chorus:
We live we love
We forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
Today we remember to live and to love
We live we love
We forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
Today we remember to live and to love

There is a man who waits for the tests
To see if the cancer has spread yet
And now he asks, "So why did I wait to live till it was time to die?"
If I could have the time back how I'd live
Life is such a gift
So how does the story end?
Well this is your story and it all depends
So don't let it become true
Get out and do what we are meant to do

Chorus

Waking up to another dark morning
People are mourning
The weather in life outside is storming
But what would it take for the clouds to break
For us to realize each day is a gift somehow, someway
So get our heads up out of the darkness
And spark this new mindset and start to live life cuz it ain't gone yet
And tragedy is a reminder to take off the blinders
And wake up and live the life we're supposed to take up
Moving forward with all our heads up cuz life is worth living

Chorus (to fade)
|source|

The One About Distilled Water and Drinking Too Much Water

2005-08-04T22:43:00.000+08:00

Today I had an interesting conversation with a person who work for a company that analyzes water. Yes, you heard that right, water (H₂O).

He went on to say that there are two different types of analysis his company does. The first one is from the "technical" point, which covers water (liquid) chemical composition. The next one which he is specialized in is the "Life Sciences" of water analysis. He deals with the biological compound of the water, from bacteria to viruses.

We then came to a discussion on drinking too much water, he mentioned that dirking too much water especially distilled water will kill you. Okay, don't get panic. We all know that water is good for our body.

But how much is too much you might ask.

In 1998, the Army released fluid replacement guidelines, which recommend a certain intake of water but limit it to 1 to 1-1/2 quarts per hour and 12 quarts per day.
|source|

1 US quarts = 0.94635295 liter

Which make that roughly 12 liters of water, which is 8 bottles of the standard 1.5 liter water. Now that is alot of water!

It is important to understand why though drinking excessive water typically distilled water can kill you. The short answer is that distilled water, because it is pure water with no mineral, it will extract the essential mineral from your own. Therefore it is encouraged to drink sport drinks to cure thirst/dehydration (now I finally understand why there are market for those isotonic drinks and those salt packs given to you when you are purging). Suddenly, those crazy European drinking sparkling mineralized water does not seems that crazy after all.

Here are several other quotes I bumped into when I googled for "too much distilled water can kill you".

"Is it possible to drink too much water? Several comedians found it necessary to comment: Sure, you could drown! But the fact is, in extreme circumstances too much water can kill you, even if all you do is drink it. Kelly Barrett, a 43-year-old pediatric dentist from Littleton, Colorado, died of a condition known as hyponatremia after drinking too much water during the 1998 Chicago marathon. Hyponatremia, AKA water intoxication, occurs when the body's salt and water levels get dangerously out of balance, leading to swelling of the brain and leakage of fluid into the lungs. It can occur when athletes, hikers, etc., sweat heavily, losing both salt and water, but replace only water. Diagnostic signs: dizziness, disorientation, headaches, extreme fatigue, death. Prevention: salty snacks and sports drinks. So pass the taco chips and Gatorade, bubba, and let's get healthy."
--Cecil Adams
|source|

Drinking too much water is dangerous because the body cannot excrete that much fluid. Excess water then goes to the bowel, which pulls salt into it from the body, diluting the concentration of salt in the tissues.

Changing the concentration of salt, in turn, causes a shifting of fluids within the body, which can then induce a swelling in the brain. The swollen organ will then press against the bones of the skull, and become damaged.
|source|

"Distillation is the process in which water is boiled, evaporated and the vapour condensed. Distilled water is free of dissolved minerals and, because of this, has the special property of being able to actively absorb toxic substances from the body and eliminate them. Studies validate the benefits of drinking distilled water when one is seeking to cleanse or detoxify the system for short periods of time (a few weeks at a time). Fasting using distilled water can be dangerous because of the rapid loss of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride) and trace minerals like magnesium, deficiencies of which can cause heart beat irregularities and high blood pressure. Cooking foods in distilled water pulls the minerals out of them and lowers their nutrient value."
--Dr. Zoltan Rona
|source|

"Another point involves alkalinity and acidity. Natural health writers generally agree that the body maintains best health when it maintains a ph leaning to the alkaline side rather than the acidic side, and yet distilled water quickly turns highly acidic, about 5.8 in an open air container.

Does it still make sense to you to drink eight glasses a day of distilled water that can potentially help to over-acidify the body?"
--Chet Day
|source|

kuancheen|munich|20050804.1700
... all this babbling makes me thirsty. Pass me that fresh glass of water please.

Of 6s & 3s Hexes

2005-08-04T20:48:00.000+08:00

I just found out today the difference between the two ... was trying to figured out myself (using interdev)
pinged beatrice .. then she directed me to a link she googled ...
din helped ...
then i decided to google myself (should have done that than bothering her ... ain't i a bother :P)

googled for "color 6-digit 3-digit hex"
and was led here for these answers

3-digit hex format, … is widely used in CSS-based web design.

and

The difference between 3 digit hex and 6 digit hex is that in 3 digit every doubling code is removed.

Example: #669933 becomes #693

kuancheen|munich

Phil soon a Toffee

2005-08-04T20:38:00.000+08:00

Just got this news off the wire.
Phil will be leaving for Everton.
man ... gonna miss such a player that gave a great service to the club.
versatile and commited, a servant to the club
but ... someone have to leave for before we can get someone else
he will be surely missed, eventhough i prefer quiton's hard tacking and runs
gonna miss the famous neville brother playing on the same team, but if all goes we might see them playing together for england

so if the move were to go through with him passing the medicals, we shall wish him all the best!

Everton have agreed to sign Manchester United's England defender Phil Neville, the Merseyside club said on Thursday.
|source|

kuancheen|munich

Templates, Templates, Templates!

2005-08-04T03:45:00.000+08:00

Templates, Templates, Templates!

I gave it a go today at playing and modifying my template. Made a few personal discovery, notably, found out that you can basically play around with anything, just that the Blogger header bar for example, I did some one modification just to prove my point.

It's amazing how blogging have evolved and how dynamic Blogger's templates are, no wonder some will spend so much time at one.

I'm all with "sharing", but just remember to leave other's their rightful credit. ;)

Thanks again Blogger!

kuancheen|munich|20050803.2145

Duh .. wat to write ah?

2005-08-03T02:23:00.000+08:00

Hmmm... i still wonder what shall i blog about.

Just got back from Fiona's blog, was paying her a visit since she dropped by My Walk With Christ
Seen her writing crap makes me want to write crap too.

Sometimes i wonder, do i crap too much, do i want people to know me as a person that crap too much, how much crap is too much crap? crap.

I have been reluctant to blog my personal life, thinking sometimes people can 'reveal' too much. I started my first blog with the pure intention to secure my name (yea .. i know me vain .. this is wat i meant by 'revealing' too much ... which i might regret later), which as a matter a fact i secured another one on blogdrive, which again not with real intention to blog but just to "store" some memorabilia.

Then one day, i felt compelled to start a blog to share my personal walk with Christ with others, to encourage others, to share thoughts, struggles, up and downs. So far i only managed to do a few post, but i do hope to post more and share more (man ... really B.U.S.Y.)

kuancheen|munich|20050802.2115
... did i just said too much (or too little)?

I Quit!

2005-07-15T18:21:00.000+08:00

Following is a supposed letter of resignation from an employee at a computer company, to her boss, who apparently resigned very soon afterwards! It's Funny, but a bit harsh.......

Dear Mr. Smith,

As a graduate of an institution of higher education, I have a few very basic expectations. Chief among these is that my direct superiors have an intellect that ranges above the common ground squirrel. After your consistent and annoying harassment of my co-workers and me during the commission of our duties, I can only surmise that you are one of the few true genetic wastes of our time.

Asking me, a network administrator, to explain every little nuance of everything I do each time you happen to stroll into my office is not only a waste of time, but also a waste of precious oxygen. I was hired because I know how to network computer systems, and you were apparently hired to provide amusement to myself and other employees, who watch you vainly attempt to understand the concept of "cut and paste" for the hundredth time.

You will never understand computers. Something as incredibly simple as binary still gives you too many options. You will also never understand why people hate you, but I am going to try and explain it to you, even though I am sure this will be just as effective as telling you what an IP is. Your shiny new iMac has more personality than you ever will.

You walk around the building all day, shiftlessly looking for fault in others. You have a sharp dressed useless look about you that may have worked for your interview, but now that you actually have responsibility, you pawn it off on overworked staff, hoping their talent will cover for your glaring ineptitude. In a world of managerial evolution, you are the blue-green algae that everyone else eats and laughs at. Managers like you are a sad proof of the Dilbert principle. Since this situation is unlikely to change without you getting a full frontal lobotomy reversal, I am forced to tender my resignation, however I have a few parting thoughts.

1. When someone calls you in reference to employment, it is illegal for you to give me a bad recommendation. The most you can say to hurt me is "I prefer not to comment." I will have friends randomly call you over the next couple of years to keep you honest, because I know you would be unable to do it on your own.

2. I have all the passwords to every account on the system, and I know every password you have used for the last five years. If you decide to get cute, I am going to publish your "favorites list", which I conveniently saved when you made me "back up" your useless files. I do believe that terms like "Lolita" are not usually viewed favorably by the administration.

3. When you borrowed the digital camera to "take pictures of your Mother's birthday," you neglected to mention that you were going to take pictures of yourself in the mirror nude. Then you forgot to erase them like the techno-moron you really are. Suffice it to say I have never seen such odd acts with a sauce bottle, but I assure you that those have been copied and kept in safe places pending the authoring of a glowing letter of recommendation. (Try to use a spell check please; I hate having to correct your mistakes.)

Thank you for your time, and I expect the letter of recommendation on my desk by 8:00 am tomorrow. One word of this to anybody, and all of your little twisted repugnant obsessions will be open to the public. Never f*** with your systems administrator. Why? Because they know what you do with all that free time!

Wishing you a grand and glorious day,
Cecelia

Airline Meal Codes

2005-07-06T14:44:00.000+08:00

Last month, when I was flying back from Taipei to KL, the passenger next to me ordered a Hindu Meal. For a Indian food loving Malaysian, after a month or so in Taipei you will figure how much I wanted to have that. So when I was back, I talked to Celina and then when to google for this list. This is the list i managed to compiled from various sources.

MEAL CODES IN SSR (Special Service Request)

AVML - Asian Vegetarian Meal
BBML - Baby/Infant Food
BLML - Bland Meal
CHML - Child Meal
CVML - Chinese Vegetarian Meal (SQ Specific)
DBML - Diabetic Meal
FPML - Fruit Meal (Platter)
GFML - Gluten-Free Meal
HFML - High Fiber Meal
HNML - Hindu Meal (Non-Vegetarian)
IVML - Indian Vegetarian Meal (UA Specific)
JPML - Japanese Meal (LH Specific)
KSML - Kosher Meal
KVML - Kosher Vegetarian Meal (UA Specific)
LCML - Low Calorie Meal
LFML - Low Cholesterol/Low Fat Meal
LPML - Low Protein Meal
LSML - Low Sodium/No Salt Added
LVML - Low Fat Vegetarian Meal (SQ Specific)
MOML - Moslem Meal
NFML - No Fish Meal (LH Specific)
NLML - Non-Lactose Meal
OBML - Japanese Obento Meal (UA Specific)
ORML - Oriental Meal
PRML - Low Purin Meal
RVML - Raw Vegetarian Meal
SFML - Seafood Meal
SPML - Special Meal, Specify Food (can be birthday cakes, champagne)
VGML - Vegetarian (Vegan/Non-Dairy) Meal
VLML - Vegetarian (Lacto-Ovo/Milk/Eggs) Meal
VMML - Macrobiotic Vegetarian Meal (SQ Specific)

Other Non-Standard Meals
PFML - Peanut Free Meal (rarely offered cause hard to guarantee)
TDML - Toddle Meal (Years 1-2)
NVML - Non-Vegetarian Meal
JNML - Jain Meal (EK Specific) [strict vegetarian excluding root vegetables]
STVG - Strict Vegetarian Meal

... now who took my PRML?

Legal and Formal Adverbs

2005-07-06T14:32:00.000+08:00

Legal and Formal Adverbs
taken from encarta.com

i got all messed up when i tried to read my S&P for my condo so i decided to hit the books (encarta for this matter)

and found a link to "A Guide for Legal Writing in Plain English" too :P

hereafter
in any following part: in a subsequent part of an article or document
hereby

hereby
by this means: by means of this declaration, document, or ruling
I hereby renounce all claim to the estate.

herein
in this document: in this document, article, or proceeding
Disclaimer: The views represented herein do not necessarily represent the views of the moderators.

hereinafter
later in this document: later in this document, article, or proceeding
the Federal Reserve Board (hereinafter referred to as FRB)

hereinbefore
earlier in this document: earlier in this document, article, or proceeding

hereinto
into this matter: into this matter, situation, or place

hereof
concerning this: of or concerning this

hereon
after this: following immediately after this

hereto
to this document or matter: to this document, proceeding, or matter

heretofore
up until now: up until this time
He had more liberty now than he had known heretofore.

hereunder
after this: after this introduction, heading, or sentence
by the terms of this: by the terms of this instruction, agreement, or ruling

hereunto
to this document: to this document, proceeding, or matter

hereupon
on this matter: on this point, subject, or matter
retired to deliberate before pronouncing hereupon

herewith
by this statement: by this statement, ruling, or document
I herewith pronounce sentence of banishment.

notwithstanding
nevertheless: nevertheless or in spite of this
They, notwithstanding, persisted in their inquiries.

thereabout
near that place or number: near that place, amount, number, or time
We're expecting twenty guests or thereabouts.

thereafter
after that time: after that time or from that time on
She graduated from college and shortly thereafter found a good job.

thereat
at that time: at that time or place
for that reason: because of that

thereby
by means of that: by means of or because of that
Interest rates may fall, thereby discouraging investment.
in connection with that: in connection with or with reference to that
Thereby hangs a tale.

therefor
for that: for this, that, or it ( archaic )

therefore
and so: and so, or because of that
This statement is true; therefore that statement must be false.
accordingly: accordingly, or to that purpose
We were forbidden to attend and therefore stayed at home.

therefrom
from there: from that place or thing ( archaic or formal )

therein
in that matter: in that matter, respect, or detail
Therein lies the problem.

thereinafter
from then on: from then on in something, especially a legal document

thereinto
into that place: into that place or thing ( archaic )

thereof
of that: of or about that
a levy of $50 per annum or part thereof
from that cause: from that as a reason or cause

thereon
on that: on the place or surface just mentioned
a metal plate with an inscription thereon
on that point: regarding the point just mentioned ( archaic )
income and capital expense, including tax thereon

thereto
to that: to that thing just mentioned

theretofore
before then: before or up to that time

thereunder
below that: below that, or after that, especially in a legal document

thereupon
upon that point: upon or concerning that point

therewith
with that: with that, or as well as that

whereabouts
in what place: in, at, or near what location
Do you know whereabouts the hotel is?
I've forgotten whereabouts I parked the car.

whereafter
after which: after which time or event
She left, whereafter he also departed.

whereas
because: for the reason that ( formal )
Whereas you've proven your worth, you're welcome to join the team.
connects series of clauses: used to introduce each clause in a series ( formal )

whereat
to or at which place: toward or at which place

whereby
by means of which: by means of or through which
the invention whereby he made his millions

wherefore
because of which: for which reason

wherefrom
from what place: from what place or origin ( archaic )
Do we know wherefrom this stranger comes?

wherein
how: in what way or respect
Wherein did I misspeak myself?
where: in which place ( archaic )
the country wherein they dwelled

whereinto
into which: into which place or thing ( archaic )

whereof
of what person or thing: of or about what person or thing
Do you know whereof you speak?

whereon
where: on which thing or place
the couch whereon she lay

wheresoever
wherever: used as an emphatic form of "wherever"

whereto
to which: where or to which
the place whereto you've brought me

whereunto
( archaic ) See whereto

whereupon
on which: on or upon which
the pillow whereupon she laid her head

wherewith
with which: with or by means of which ( archaic )
the tool wherewith the deed was done

howsoever
( formal or archaic ) Same as however

whatsoever
at all: used to emphasize a negative statement, after words such as "none," "no one," and "anyone"
"Did you have any doubts?" - "None whatsoever."

whensoever
whenever: used as an intensive form of "whenever"

whomsoever
emphatic form of "whomever": an emphatic form of "whomever" ( formal )

whosoever
emphatic form of "whoever": an emphatic form of "whoever" ( formal )

whichsoever
( archaic ) Same as whichever

there's no whysoever :)