A change of Environment.. Soon.

One more month to the release of results (i hope).. and, a change of environment.

And it will change no matter what.. i'll try not to turn to the "dark side" lor.. lol. Of coz, it might be 'essential' for survival in the workplace (due to E-99).. but maybe not so elsewhere. And actually, not everyone is a "colleague" (to me and to you).

The villagers (plus some of my friends) also complained to me about their workplace... lol.. except pakki (he got no workplace.. he only eat, sleep and play..) Their co-workers pattern more than badminton leh.. maybe coz they got lots of 'commitments', then have to 'kill' to get that extra bit of bonus/promotion. Maybe they need to buy some of that ailing bank stocks so as to 'save the whole economy' or what (they are doing something very noble mind you). And some companies do support this kind of working environment as they claim that it boost productivity. Of coz, they don't set up biz for you to la kopi inside.. so don't expect to find people there serving kopi.

101 kinds of them.. interesting.

Actually i'm worried about my results only.. very worried. Sigh leh.. Zzzz.. no good results means less choice.. and more likely to get underpaid or a sai environment.

Of coz, all these are never ending.. just that when i'm not at work, i don't expect to be facing the same old sai all over again.. (hey i'm not even paid for that leh..).

Meh~

Meh meh meh~ do i look like one?

So glad that my antenna is back.

Today's topic: The Thirty-Six Stratagems (三十六計)

1. 瞒天过海
2. 围魏救赵
3. 借刀杀人
4. 以逸待劳
5. 趁火打劫
6. 声东击西

7. 无中生有
8. 暗渡陈仓
9. 隔岸观火
10. 笑里藏刀
11. 李代桃僵
12. 顺手牵羊

13. 打草惊蛇
14. 借尸还魂
15. 调虎离山
16. 欲擒故纵
17. 抛砖引玉
18. 擒贼擒王

19. 釜底抽薪
20. 混水摸鱼
21. 金蝉脱壳
22. 关门捉贼
23. 远交近攻
24. 假道伐虢

25. 偷梁换柱
26. 指桑骂槐
27. 假痴不癫
28. 上屋抽梯
29. 树上开花
30. 反客为主

31. 美人计
32. 空城计
33. 反间计
34. 苦肉计
35. 连环计
36. 走为上

Oh well.. i just cut and paste them from somewhere.. my chinese isn't that good anyway.

Sometimes, the 36 Stratagems just appear in real life.. and perhaps, about to make some awe at the ingenuity of the modern day application. Sometimes only. And sometimes it appear in a combo, it can get quite scary. Anyway, 磚 and 玉 got too much difference le. Arr.. i just know that i'm too tired after almost a week of data entry for the chocolate factory. But i'm done with it.. checked until the eyes almost drop out lor.

OT(ed) today coz reached home rather late.. and already 2am le, and i'm still waiting for the village chief to wake up so as to make any last minute amendments... so till then.. maybe i can't sleep tonight le. Anyway, i tried waking the village chief up le.. but he went back to sleep.. of coz, it's been a busy day for all the chocolate makers, so i understand why he is so tired. In contrast, i've been "appearing" to be rotting at home, and anybody ask me, i'd say, "at home nua lor".. lol.. really think can nua until so nua meh? Come and nua one week for me to see la.. i think it might be more difficult than the imprezza challenge wor. I really, have no obligation to disclose anything or everything.

Earth Day

There is almost a day for anything on earth, even i got a day of my own - my birthday.

22nd April is Earth Day, a day when they 'lament' about what they did to spaceship Earth. They niam and niam about the growing amount of CO2, the damage to the enviroment done by mankind, and what we need to do to keep things in check..

But they forgot.. this spaceship is fueled by economic growth, not ecological. Just take a look of some of the economies out there that have large amounts of CO2 emission per capita. Would they sacrifice growth just so that we can have a better enviroment to live in? I guess highly likely not. At least not now.

Watched a rather cmi show on earth report. The show rates countries according to the damage/restoration done to Planet Earth for the year.. sg got rated in one of the category. It says that sg didn't do much to curb fishing.. and so it was rated one of the worst. Was wondering.. are we still that fishing village of the 17th century? Weird lor.. where got so many fish to fish? We don't even have that much sea to begin with...

It was the NIMBY approach.. just so we can do anything, so long as NIMBY. Just take a look at the erratic weather patterns causing crop failure and damgaes to other food sources. No wonder the food prices keep soaring. So in the end, does NIMBY matters anymore? Too bad lor.. unless those economies are self-subsistance.. then maybe, they don't even care.

And just like my birthday, Earth day is all but one day on the calander. After the presents and birthday wishes, all will resume to the mundane.

(something else.. IMO, just so on the CO2 issue - it comes about from the burning of fossil fuel to power the economy. So if that is taken off from the equation, perhaps then.)

p/s: i'm just trying to take a break from FR.. i'm not an ecologist of any sort. The only thing that is affecting me is, my shrinking packet rice and the super warm weather these days.

Goose Chase

Too tired that i fell ill. Was chasing goose for the whole eveing yesterday, as if like on a sg tour like that.

Went Sg Warehouse at paya lebar to collect something for pakki. 1st time there, but i didn't miss the bus stop. The collection was processed rather soon too, and the people there were very polite.. and i thought that i can get my errands done soon.


Pakki's food reserve.. lol.. people stock up on rice, he stock up on dog biscuits.

Went from paya lebar to hougang.. and it took me just 20 minutes. Couldn't find the Haha crab shop at hougang wor.. they moved house le! OMG... wasted trip leh.. very pek chek lor.. They also quite pro lor.. move liao webpage also never update. Anyway, they also got a blog.. and seriously, people like to niam about keeping hermit crab is wrong.. if that is so wrong, then don't keep any other animals lor.. then might as well close down the zoo hor.. then cannot keep livestocks also right? Siao de.. all kinds of bo liao people only know how to niam only. Yes.. this is really very subjective.. but keeping pets is not the same as torturing them. However, i am not a supporter of painted shell.. nor am i agreeable in keeping them in a small small plastic fish tank (that sells $70+ without the crabs?). It's just the way how the traders want to get their points across. Surely, given what you can get at the pet store within budget, it is inadequate. It is the same everywhere.. and i see kids buying them just like buying toy like that - Coloured sands and all (i don't think the kids or their parents even know if they need salt water and a humid habitat). Seriously, i'm not a naturist.. and i don't really care about what the traders are trying to do. I'm just, a hobbyist (just like
me playing in bands.. i never intend to go professional or semi pro.. that's why i didn't have my horn grading till now).

Anyway, got to go PM buy the crab feed le.. my venti crab is completing its molting soon.. and it's almost done with eating its own exo le. Sigh.. got to run around again.


Molting done, with some exo unfinished. LOL.. 1st time see surface molt. (crab, don't die please~~~)

I have a Dream

"Have you ever thought about your future?"

Well, up till this stage, who never? I thought i think bloody too much.. but i met my match today. Yet the setting was more than i can take.. yes, i can discuss about my thoughts, how i want my life to be in the future, and what i may be planning to do to achieve it, whether i really do it or not. But, in a MMORPG? LOL.. scare the hell out of me lor. Strictly speaking, i don't even really know that person.. so how well will that person know me?

Rather 不爽 coz, i play game to relax de.. in the end got more stressed. LOL.. and what makes one think that we are without dreams? Even if it conforms to the view of society, it doesn't matter, nor is it more inferior. My point is, do not think that one is more superior than other just because of a "greater" dream. I say, who and what you are, determines what you want to dream of. Some people just want simple dreams, to have a nice family, stable job and good health. (that is maybe what most people want.. who doesn't?) Others might want to be millionaires or even multi so that they can have more wants from that want.. it all depends on the individual.

I am not being affected by what people want, rather, why should they bother with what i want? That bothers me. And what makes them think that i am wrong in pursuing my dream? I think i now have a new dream - knowing what these people really want to achieve by downplaying other people.

LOL.. almost 气死我了. Specific dream, or just a vauge one? It depends too. If i say i want to be a millionaire through winning the toto draw, you think i can forsee when i tio meh? Need to set deadline and have a specific plan? Incorporate the probability of winning somemore and give a definate answer as to when i can be one when i say that? Ok, there are a total of 8 million combinations from the toto draw and the probability of winning with a 50 cents quickpick is 1/8,000,000. Given that there are 2 draws per week, just over 100 draws per year, there is a chance of being a millionaire in just 5 years with a probability of 0.0000325625, (the method of calculation is still being contended - 1/8,000,000 x [(summation of 1-520)/520] assuming the prize is 1 million and the cost are sunk cost. Unrealistic it seems, that's why it is a dream.

And with regards to equity investment, i didn't say any strategy employed would guarantee a success.. neither am i ignorant of the bigger institution out there that have the abilities to. These are all what other, or even most people are doing.. just becoz that something written from some book doesn't mean that it is so. In my opinion, these are just opinions. I think, what is more important is, is that opinion really your opinion. In fact, if your opinion is right, it doesn't really matters.. for it will sail with the wind. Even auntie can do it based on common sense lor.

Don't say i think so much, becoz i didn't say anyone didn't think.. and there are people out there thinking way more lor.. so don't limit my thoughts. Yupz, all thoughts and nothing done equals nothing, i know that too. Knew that becoz i am slow.. so think more lor.

LOL.. a rather bad day becoz tio ka cheow me.. haha. Despite, maybe i'm not being concrete on my "plans".. therefore can tio ka cheow.. haha.. and it all happened in the MMORPG.. unbelievable.

Hello?

(in mandarin) "hello, i'm calling to do a survey... what kind of mobile phone are you using?"

Sounds familiar? If you read the ST (a week ago i think), this is a prelude to a scam. So before i read it on the ST (still a few more weeks before), i received such a call. No caller ID, and strange was, the caller didn't know my name, yet, they spoke to me in mandarin.. (in which clearly there is a strong accent from some country far away)as if i comfirm will understand, the speaker proceeded. So i wondered what the heck she (it was a lady caller) wanted, and i "entertained" her with the "survey".. the questions asked was very funny at certain point, because IMO, i don't think she really bothered with the answer i gave. I think she wasn't even taking note.. coz i anyhow answer 1.. haha.. and if she asked which telecom my hp was with, even if i answered "sunpage", i don't think she care too.

So after a few minutes, she concluded the survey and asked for my name.. then i said, "sorry, not convenient to give.." Suddenly, her tone changed.. and then she explained why she needed my name.. lol.. i think if i have given her any name, i would soon received a call telling me that i've won some lottery in some far away country. Then i would wonder why the caller knows me.

Just find that some people are very unscrupulous.. maybe i've wronged the caller.. maybe not. LOL.. and i'm quite certain that i've not. So in ST a week ago, one lady was conned SGD 61,000 by such calls.. imagine.. and reading through, found it quite unbelievable.. i mean, how can they be so evil? And the stories they've made up.. wow.. i think they can be script writters le.. and they all started with a survey...

Then the another story was being shown on channel 8 "frontline".. similar case, and a guy was conned off quite a bit.. i forgot the amount, but after the victim realised the scam, he stopped sending money over.. then after a few months, another caller posing as a police inspector offered the help him "recover" the amount scammed.. yes.. it involves more cash to be remitted to facilitate the "recovery process". You really think so? LOL.. unless it means recover their pockets.

They are just so evil.. took advantage of human nature to profit from it. Next time i sure kap their phone 1.. mei li mao jiu mei li mao.

Coffee or Tea? - Another Matter of Choice

Meant to tire myself a bit more before going to rest.. hopefully still well enough for CF tomorrow.

LBO alone meant that i went for break alone too.. lol.. very sad hor? Haha. Options are plenty.. but i guess, i just want to be alone for quite a while. So today they delivered another cake.. taste like chocolate cake with blueberry cream or something like that.. or was that the blackforest cake? Taste quite nice.. aww~

Was drinking the usual milk tea and then i began to wondered.. why sometimes i chose coffee over tea? Okok.. i know i was too bo liao le.. but then again, i was alone leh.. nobody to talk to.. so let my mind wander a bit lor. And it has got nothing to do with the amount of caffeine needed.. i liked coffee as much as tea.. well, the cold water there wasn't in consideration.. i got my own water supply.. lol.. so it was just up to this 2 choices every break time? Nope~ In fact, there are 4 choices. Either coffee, tea, both (in one cup) or none. But even though with such "abundance" of choice, the moment i reached the front of the queue, i knew what i wanted.. and it was only the last second that i've decided..

Such simple things couldn't require more brain. But empirical results shows that the probability of drinking coffee or tea is completely random.. but means that, i didn't have any particular preference between those 2. I've yet to realise the reason why, and i don't intend to find out.. haha.. coz this is really too bo liao le... and sorry to let you all read my nonsense.. haha.. but i just can't help it.

Well, the same couldn't be said for 52 and 74. For one, i can't board both.. and the other, i can't be not boarding any.. but now, things seems to be different. If 74 comes 1st, i would give it a miss.. but the moment 52 appears, i'll board it.. i'm just so inconsistent.

But choices as they are, no matter how small, affects what is going to happen next. Forgot where i read it.. but, "the summation of our choices made us what we are today".

74 or 52? ( A Matter Choice)

Long long time ago, there was only 1 single direct bus to SIM. That was the long established bus no. 74. All the way from hougang interchange via amk, marymount, bukit timah road and clementi road.. to its depot at bouna vista.

During the peak hour, the frequency for 74 was quite high..but as it passes through amk, it's always crowded.. and due to the route taken, the number of bus stops and the frequency of bus stopping to pick up passangers, number of traffic lights are uncountable. On the brighter side, the route taken is not always congested.

But sadly, 74 is always so packed with students.. and the number of getting on and off the bus took the journey to SIM a full hour* or so. The worst part is, not being able to get onto the bus. Sometimes, it's just too packed to get on.. and due to the amount of time spent to allow people to squeeze onto the bus, the schedule is delayed. As such, 74s behind soon caught up, and the whole lot of them just got stuck together. On the whole, the journey is quite a bad experience during the peak hour.

Just about a year ago, number 52 was introduced. It followed the loop service of 410 around bishan before reaching thomson road. 52 comes by once every 15 minutes. From its Bishan interchange to Jurong East, the bulk of the route lies on PIE. Regardless peak or non-peak, there is always some seats left. The whole journey is just a mere 20-30 minutes* on average depending on the traffic and weather condition of PIE.

On really bad days, an accident on the PIE can cause the duration of the journey to balloon to a whooping 1 hour*.. that is, an increment by 100%! And as all drivers know.. Expressways are prone to jams.. especially during the morning peak.

A choice between 52 or 74 meant one important thing - time. On the one hand, 74 has a more predicitable outcome, that is, the solution to reaching school in the fastest possible time is: 1)Be early.. very early 2)Be late. As such.. being ON time is just wasting time and making people pek chek.. coz the bus is packed like sardines. Slow but steady.. (provided that you can get onto the bus in the 1st place...)

On the other hand, 52 makes things seems so peaceful that there's no buffer zones for errors. When the bus is "late", the whole journey is delayed. It's even worse to be caught in a jam on the PIE. It's fast, but unreliable.

Setting off early is out of the question.. coz the whole point is to maximise nuaing time and minimise travelling time. Going to school early is just "wasting" time, staring blankly at the tv screen show CNA.

That is, one of the many choices to be made.

When it comes to going home, both buses stopped at the same busstop. As usual, 74 is crowded, but with high frequency. 52 is less crowded, but comes only once in a while.

The return trip is slightly different. Since it's out of the peak period, a usual ride on 74 return trip takes 35 mins* on average. 52 still clocked at 20 mins* Which makes both services comparable after considering the waiting time of 15 mins for 52.

So now.. the question is.. whether do i board the 1st bus that came? Or should i wait for the prefered bus? (note: this is not similiar to 184 v 154 (clementi) - journey are too short to really make an impact)

And now.. i realised that even if 74 comes along, i'll just hesitate to get on. I wanted to wait for 52. But if another 74 comes along.. i'll just board it. (when 52 doesn't come.. i assumed that there'll be a lot of people waiting to board it.. making the bus pack.) Which makes me wonder.. what the hell am i doing? I'm just wasting more time! True.. i can act on a 1st come 1st serve basis.. but given a "better" choice, who wouldn't want? But come to think of it.. before 52, there isn't such problem at all.

More choices are better? I don't think so!

*time are based on travel times only

Based on the above entry, answer the following question in your own words as far as possible:
(mark(s) awarded are shown in blackets)

Paragraphs 2-3
Q1. List the advantages and disadvantages of bus service number 74. (1)

Paragraph 4
Q2. What is the route taken by bus service number 52? (1)

Paragraph 5
Q3. What are the drawbacks of bus 52? (1)

Paragraphs 6 & 7
Q4. Compare between the 2 bus services. (1)

Paragraph 8
Q5. What is the objective of the author? (1)

Q6. Give meanings for the words as they are used in the above entry:-
i) pek chek (1)
ii) PIE (1)
iii) nuaing (1)

Q.7 Summarize the process of the return trip for both services in not more than 1 word. (1)

Q.8 So.. should i take 74 or 52? (16)


Answer below.. (note: the following contains spoilers..)

Hahahaa... a bo liao entry that i wanted to post long long time ago. Just didn't find the time to be bo liao. Anyway, taking 74 or 52 is a trival matter, but the underlying basic principle is the same. Not about whether choices means more alternative.. but rather, when choices are presented, which will you choose?

It's only clear when one knows which alternative are available.. and also, the arrival of these alternatives.. Are they there when you needed one?

It also reflects the way how some opportunities work. Some came knocking twice.. and when it came by the 2nd time, will you grab it? or will you stand by your choice?

LOL.. and i'm not even thinking a lot. Don't say i think bloody too much.. this entry is meant to de-stress de.. haha.. anyway, 3am now.. and still going for FI tomorrow morning.. LOL... and i'll still take bus 52~ lol.. maybe just set off earlier lor.

The Traffic Jam

Almost a month more to xmas.. and it seems the same to me always. What can i look forward to? Presents? Cards? Chocolates? But all i want for xmas is..

Not my two front teeth of coz.. i still had them. Not for the removal of my braces of coz.. they were gone a few months ago. Not for my studies.. yet. Still a few more months till exams.. Not for money.. yet.. My manager just asked me to get ready to work again..plus i got extra 'income'.. Not for band or whatever.. i don't really care now.. and actually i just want to not know.

Feels like getting stuck in a traffic jam on a rainy day.. knew the outcome would be late and yet panic and woes are common... It's been that.. and anger soon sets in. At the one driver, other road users and every other passangers.. not once did the fingers point on oneself. And if one could set off early, even if there was, one could easily ride over. And the best part is.. for all that jam, one can't even see what was happening.. how long was the jam and so on.. the great unknown was what strikes fear. Handicapped.. not being able to turn back.. and for some, the chose to stay on even there was an exit.. not quite the correct one.. but it was at least definate. More fuel wasted, but at least it'll get somewhere for the moment.. Not like those that are stuck and still PRETEND they are driving..arrr.. So much for traffic jams.. hahaa..

If i continued more, i guess people will complain. Comprehension they said.. hahaa.. and i agree. The Jade Eagle that 'pretend' not to be in LBO on monday once told me that.. and i think she's the only one. But i always envy her.. maybe all i want for xmas is a shorter antenna.

I really really am drained these days.. trying to be someone. Just that someone that i used to be.

Went TTSH (Mr Tan Hospital) for my check-ups on Arthritis.. as usual.. but my doctor shorten the gap of next visit from one year to six months coz i've been 'attacked' again.. haiz. History likes to repeat it seems. And bad enough, i had to do blood test today - on a syringe! Shadows .. haha.. coz my first bloodtest was done by a doctor in A&E on a syringe.. and as you all know, they are quite 'in a hurry' to save lifes.. haha.. so it was very painful. Other factors include a 'grumpy' nurse.. haa.. Well, i can understand why.. having to deal with blood and urine samples ain't a fun job.. But due to my overwhelming bloodtest experience, i'm very 'hao lian'.. muahahaa. 6 years under my belt.. who can compare? Actually not a thing to be proud of though.. haha.. By the way, i saw a lot of young people there who also got arthritis at a young age.. and what is so shocking was, they are all very pretty!.. hahaa.. at least some life in a place that was usually full of old people and erm.. .. .erm . . nurses. Well, i grateful to them.. haha.. Actually what shocked me was that they seems proud to get that arthritis.. hmm.. one even said 'so and so will be so shocked to hear that i got arthritis.. ' erm.. ya.. shocked at how a patient could be sooo happy.. = =

2.30am now.. couldn't finish studying marketing.. so decided to skip classes tomorrow. Yeah! But will be in school still.. maybe for FI.. maybe not.. but will be there for Talentime.. coz i've promised.. seems bias .. but no. Its an alternative for me. And i need to have some other things to occupy me.. Hold on to it while it can. And i can continue to be very happy.. especially for this xmas.. a season to be folly.. haha..

All the best to all my friends taking test tomorrow.

From paragraphs 1 and 2
Q1. What did GQoo want for xmas? (2 marks)

Q2.Why did the blogger not worried about other things? (3 marks)

From paragraph 3
Q3. What was the outcome of the traffic jam? (1 mark)

Q4. What are the alternative(s) suggested to evade the jam? (2 marks)

Q5. How did some people cope with the jam? (3 marks)

From paragraph 4
Q.6 Who is Jade Eagle? (4 marks)

Q.7 What is the most prominent feature of Jade Eagle? (2 marks)

From paragraph 6
Q.8 What was the new feature that the blogger saw in this hospital? (1 mark)

From paragraph 7 and 8
Q.9 What was the actual real reason for skipping lectures? (4 marks)

Q.10 What was the paper that was supposed to be tested? (1 mark)

From all:
Write down the meaning(s) of the word/pharse as they are used in this entry. (5 marks)

LBO
antenna
someone
'attacked'
Shadows

Summary:
Write a summary of not more than 120 words on what the traffic jam actually means.
(20 marks)
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