Bottomless Pits

As the end of the year approaches, my term as Safety Officer is about to come to an end. I am RND (Research and Development) Department's representative to our company's HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) Committee for 2009. To show his appreciation, the Committee Chairman treated all of the representatives to a buffet lunch at Ellenborough Market Cafe in Swissotel Merchant Court.

The food was undoubtedly superb - Asian cuisines (mostly Chinese and Japanese) - but I'm not going to talk more about it and do a food review. I've been in Singapore for almost 20 months now but this is the first time I've eaten with a large group of locals at a buffet. All I can say is - these Singaporeans are voracious eaters! Not only the men but also the ladies! For me, two rounds to the buffet table is normal but three, four, or even five?! and that does not include the dessert! The third time we got up to get more food, I headed straight to the desserts. One of them said, "Are you sure? So fast lah." I had to eat my dessert very slowly for them to catch up. What amazes me more is that these people aren't fat. I wonder how they can consume this much food and still maintain fit. I don't believe all of them have time to go to the gym. Could it be stress?

The End of Meaningless Clicks

"So many apps, so little time." One of my Facebook friends once posted this status. If you are hooked to this social networking site and its applications, you might feel obligated to accept app requests. There's always the Ignore button but sometimes curiosity compels you to do otherwise and once you start with an application, you'll see yourself visiting it everyday. "It's just for fun. I only do it to kill time." But is it still fun when you wake up at three in the morning because you've replenished enough energy to get even with an enemy mafia? Are you enjoying yourself when your wife quarrels you for hiring someone else to harvest your pineapples? And why risk telling someone your username and password just because your King Crab Bisque needs to be served and you're nowhere near a computer? Yes, I've heard stories like that and to add my own, I once almost wasted our dinner because of Restaurant City. It's been more than a year since I played these games and all I gained was nothing. It's all just a waste of time - non-productive, non-profitable, and meaningless. They don't even exercise your brain.

The last time I logged in to Facebook was five days ago. I logged in today and ignored 309 app requests. From now on, I'm only using Facebook as an avenue to share and learn about people's interests, thoughts, ideas, and experiences... hopefully... and play poker.

Pacman Makes History

Once again, The People's Champ demonstrated his prowess in the boxing ring. At a quick glance, Miguel Cotto seemed to be the more dominant fighter but looking at the measurements, Manny Pacquiao is surprisingly taller by 2 centimeters and they have the same reach. His coach, Freddie Roach, was very confident before the fight and the reason was clear. They had a game plan and it worked. The first two rounds were all for Cotto, boxing aggressively while Pacquiao looked hesitant and just accepted his advances. When the third round came, Pacquiao already made a good assessment of Cotto's style and power and started his attack. Cotto fell in that round and again in the next with a straight hit to the chin. It was already clear in the succeeding rounds that this fight is Pacquiao's. The question now is how long will Cotto last? Cotto's aggressiveness is gone and he's now the one backing up and avoiding the ropes. There was a funny part in the tenth round when Manny suddenly stopped following Cotto, shrugged, and breathed deeply like he was saying, "I'm tired of walking around. Can we box now?" After the tenth round, Cotto's coach, Joe Santiago, said to give it one more round before they throw in the towel. Cotto was successful in avoiding Pacquiao's power punches and staying on his feet in the eleventh round so Santiago let him continue to the next round. This time, Cotto was not so lucky. At 55 seconds in the twelfth round, referee Kenny Bayless stopped the fight when Cotto can no longer answer to Pacquiao's barrage of punches. At this point, Pacquiao became the first boxer to hold seven world titles. An honor achieved by a Filipino. Bisaya pa gyud.

What's next? Will Money Mayweather answer to Pacquiao's fan's taunts and prove his claim that he's still the best Pound-for-Pound fighter? Let's wait and see.

Double Meanings and the Lure to Leak

Friday night. My good friend and room mate was already packed when I got back from work. With one big box and a rolling suitcase, he's bound for home in the next 4 hours. The box is not that heavy but its size makes it hard for one man to handle so I offered to lend a hand and tag along to the airport.

It was raining heavily earlier, heavier than normal for the tropical island of Singapore, and there was still a drizzle while we were in the taxi. The taxi ride was quite smooth for the most part. The driver didn't bother to engage us in conversation and my friend and I had a pleasant talk in our own dialect. It was when we turned for the exit from the expressway to the Budget Terminal when the taxi somehow lost control and slammed to the safety barrier. The driver got out to inspect the damage and when he came back in, my friend asked, "What happened?" To that he curtly answered, "Slipy." Did he mean that the road was slippery or that he was sleepy? Of course, I didn't bother to ask. What's important was that the taxi can still run and we continued our trip to the airport.

A couple of hours later, my friend was already inside the passengers-only area and I decided to grab a quick bite at the McDonald's inside the Budget Terminal. I was wondering earlier who I'll bump into tonight. Every time I come to this terminal to send someone off, I see old acquaintances. This time, it was a former colleague who happened to be sitting in the next table. She was also bound for home and her friend was there with her. I said, "So you're going home for the Day of the Dead." She smiled and nodded and her friend said, "She misses her mother." It was absurd but the timing of her friend's statement made me think that her mother is dead.

It was already midnight and I was still on the bus from the airport. I still need to transfer to another bus and there was a possibility that I'll miss the last trip. I had two choices, alight at the bus stop for the transfer and take the risk of missing the other bus or ride further and walk the rest of the way. If I choose the former and indeed miss the other bus, I will be forced to hail a taxi. So, I decided to ride further. When I saw a familiar area, I alighted. I've jogged to this place before, I can therefore walk from here. I was now about one and a quarter kilometer away from our place - still far but walkable. I have only taken a few steps when my bladder started calling my attention - the coke from McDonald's. Singapore is known for its green environment and big trees line the sidewalk. It was dark and quiet. Every tree that casts a huge shadow was an invitation to relieve myself. I was about to burst but I can still think straight - I better hold it in or risk paying a hefty fine.

Counting Cars

I got bored so I went to out to count the number of cars that will pass by in the next 10 mins.



Seriously, I got to watch the 2009 Singapore F1 Grand Prix practice race for free thanks to my room mate. For the finals, I watched it on live TV.

Mayweather vs Marquez

Watch it live from this SopCast channel: sop://211.152.36.37:3912/60341

Cleanup at Pulau Ubin

Today, our company took part in the ICCS (International Coastal Cleanup, Singapore; News here) and as a member of the HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) Committee, I had the privilege to participate. Our cleanup site is Chek Jawa, Pulau Ubin in northeastern Singapore. Literally, Pulau Ubin means "Granite Island" in Malay because it is a rich source of granite and many quarries operated there in the past. Pulau Ubin is also known as the last kampong (village) in Singapore that is preserved from urban development. It is very close to Malaysia that at one point, my mobile phone caught a Malaysian signal and switched to Roaming.

The day started with a quick taxi ride to Changi Port Ferry Terminal where we ate our Nasi Lemak breakfast. Apparently, the hawker centre (food court) near the terminal is home to the best Nasi Lemak in Singapore. Nasi Lemak is Malay for rice cooked in coconut cream and it is served with fried egg, sambal (spicy sauce), cucumber slices, ikan bilis (small dried anchovies/buwad bulinaw in Bisaya) and your choice of main dish. I chose Otah which is fish paste mixed with various spices and wrapped in a banana leaf. After grilling, the mixture hardens and resembles a slice of luncheon meat. The whole meal was then concluded with a serving of local coffee.

To get to Pulau Ubin, we rode on bumboats - small, wooden, motorized boats that can accommodate up to 12 passengers. For 2.5 SGD per person, the boats took us to the island in about 15 mins. Then from the Pulau Ubin Ferry Terminal, we rode on vans to get to our cleanup site in Chek Jawa. Along the way, I observed the surroundings. It was like I was being transported close to home. Everything around me reminded me of the rural areas of Cebu - palm trees, dirt roads, stray dogs, warm ocean breeze. I even saw a house with a sign that said "Cold Drinks For Sale". We were in a non-aircon van and being in the front seat, I arrogantly let my elbow stick out from the window - one of the little pleasures that I've stopped doing since I moved to Singapore.

We divided ourselves into groups of 4 and after being given our assignments, we headed out to start the cleanup. The 2 ladies in our group took turns in being the recorder. As part of the activity, we had to make a record of how many and what type of rubbish we picked up. Everyone worked fast. It's not so obvious from the road but there were a lot of garbage to pick up. Plastic bottles, glass bottles, pieces of clothing, fishing nets, ropes, plastic bags - scattered and partially buried in the sand and the forested area nearby. It made me wonder. That side of the island is uninhabited so where did all of these come from? My colleague explained that when the tide rises and reaches the trees, foreign objects from the sea get entangled and are left there. These objects come all the way from the neighboring islands or sea-faring vessels that pass by. Since it's uninhabited, no one is there to clean and the garbage piles up. In the long run, it's going to destroy the coastal environment.

After filling up 45 trash bags and weighing them, the group hiked to the nearest Visitor Centre to wash up and consolidate the recorded data. Our Safety Coordinator, who is a frequent visitor to the island, toured us to the Seaside and Mangrove Boardwalks. We also went up the Viewing Tower which is 5-stories high by stairs. Tired from the cleaning and hiking, the group returned to the Ferry Terminal and had Pepper Crab lunch at the nearest Seafood Restaurant where the summary of our hard work was also presented. An estimated total of 322.5 kg of rubbish was collected. The most common type is the plastic bottle with a total of 453 pieces. Imagine that.

World Cyber Games 2009

Last week was the Asian Championships of World Cyber Games 2009. We went to Suntec City with fellow DotA addicts to see how the professionals play.


We were just in time for the game between the Philippines and Taiwan. The Philippines won in that game but I heard that they lost against China.


A group of cosplayers were also there to grace the event.

200-Year-Old Encryption Method

I read this article about a 200-year-old encryption method that was finally cracked by a mathematics professor. It's amazing how he found the method to decrypt it. What's more amazing is it took 200 years for someone to decrypt it.

Now that the method is out, I made my own encrypted message. Read the article, understand the method, and decipher the code below. As a clue, this message is the lyrics to the most well-recognized song in the English language (according to the 1998 Guinness Book of World Records).

pyaturahurybhtpayar
yopaahurpdbtodpusbr
hadpipdhtoiahyyyhpa
barsopyuyhtoioyyrpd
ordtbabtpaahyyrypdy
oprybtpaiahuarhbpdt
ihyabioyypdbhtoyard
tparyohdyyypdhtpaio

Cipher Key: 26, 42, 35, 19

Have fun! :)

Fire in the Hole!

I was cooking my self-proclaimed legendary Humba with added hard-boiled eggs. While the concoction was simmering, I went to my room and played Restaurant City. Big mistake. Time passed and while I was feeding my restaurant workers, my flat mate who was hanging his clothes frantically knocked on my door. He said he heard a popping sound from the kitchen. I rushed out to see and when I reached out to turn off the stove, the eggs... exploded, BOOM!!! Bits and pieces of eggs and burnt sugar were splattered on the kitchen walls, the overhead cupboards, the kitchen sink, the covered plate rack, and the refrigerator. Not to mention my white Singtel t-shirt. Thankfully, the meat remained intact and were still edible. We ate Humba that night without its sweet thick sauce because it turned into an added layer to our teflon-covered frying pan. My beloved told me that I'll be spending the rest of the night cleaning the kitchen. Of course, cleaning was easy because she was there to help me. That's why she's my beloved. We're always there to help each other straighten things out after one of us screws up.

Moral of the story: When managing a restaurant, don't try to be a cook at the same time.

Violators Will Be Shot

No matter how strictly the law is enforced and how high the fines are, some people just need a lot more attention.

From Riding the Bar Bus to Dining in Seoul Garden

First of all, Happy Independence Day to all the Filipinos around the world!

My beloved and I spent the day off from work today - not to celebrate Independence Day but to complete the formalities of our Permanent Resident (PR) application. It's also her birthday and we want to spend most of the day for ourselves.

On our way to the Immigrations and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) building, we rode on a one-of-a-kind bus. From the outside, it looks like your ordinary SBS bus but inside, it's customized to resemble the interior of a bar - a product of creative advertising.


The back seats were fancier but were occupied the whole time so I didn't get the chance to take photos.

The process of completing our PR formalities took less than an hour and we were required to surrender our Employment Pass (EP). Goodbye, green card. In a week's time, I'll be saying hello to your replacement.


Aside from the Entry Permit and Re-entry Permit, we were given booklets about the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA). To quote:

HOTA allows for the kidneys, liver, heart and corneas to be recovered in the event of death from any cause for the purpose of transplantation.

All Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents between the ages of 21 and 60 years and who are of sound mind are included under HOTA unless they have opted out. Those who are under HOTA will not only have the chance to help others, but will also have higher priority on the waiting lists should they need an organ transplant.

We then attended mass to celebrate my beloved's birthday and had a sumptuous Korean buffet at Seoul Garden in Tampines Mall. The restaurant is unique. On the buffet table are raw meat, vegetables, seafoods, noodles, etc. and on your table is a hot plate and a pot of boiling soup base. It reminds me of Kublai Khan but you get to cook the food yourself like in Pepper Lunch. There is also free-flowing ice cream, softdrinks, and Nyonya Kuehs - native sweets that are the Peranakan versions of our kuchinta, puto, biko, bukayo, and cassava cake. They remind me a lot of home.

Nasi Kuning Komplit

It's my Indonesian colleague's 23rd birthday and he treated us to dinner in Java Village at Jurong Point mall. It's only my second time in that mall, my first time being last year when I had my medical examination for the Employment Pass application. We were composed of six persons, each one coming from different countries - the Indonesian celebrant, a Chinese, an Indian, a Frenchman and his Colombian wife, and me, a Filipino. It was fun hearing each other's stories. The Indian is going to leave for a business trip to France this Sunday so the Frenchman and his wife shared about the places he should visit there. The Chinese went to Bali, Indonesia a few months back so she also shared about her experiences there which made the Frenchman want to go there in the near future. I was glad to hear that he's also interested in going to the Philippines, particularly Boracay.

Now for the food, I had Nasi Kuning Komplit which is yellow rice served with chicken, beef, tofu, yam, some spicy chips, and a large piece of fish cracker - a complete meal indeed. The Indian ordered the same, minus the beef because of his beliefs. His, I presume, should be called Nasi Kuning Inkomplit. To top it all off, I had Es Cendol (Iced Cendol) for dessert. Yummy! :)

Road Accident

The bus I was on tried to change to the left lane but the bus captain failed to see the lorry occupying the lane. The sound of the impact made some of the passengers gasp and many peered through the windows to see what just happened. On the next bus stop, the driver disembarked after asking us passengers to wait. It was impressive that the driver from both parties acted so calmly. It was just a minor accident and nobody got hurt. Both drivers made some calls and after maybe 10 minutes, another bus of the same service number arrived. We were asked to transfer to the other bus, tapping out on the first bus but not tapping in on the second bus. In other words, it was a free ride from that point on. So this is how SBS deals with such incidents. The lorry wasn't already there when we transferred so I didn't see how big the damage was to it. The bus' front bumper was ripped on the left side and the housing for the left headlight was gone.

This all happened along Lornie Road and it was the first time I saw an SBS bus in an accident.

10.4 Km Passion Run

My second attempt at being an endurance runner. This time, it's the Passion Run held at East Coast Park and sponsored by Saucony and 100 Plus. There seems to be more participants now than last time. Maybe it's because of the venue since the cool sea breeze and shady pathways makes East Coast Park an ideal place for joggers. Our running tops are blazing red and I can imagine how we probably looked like from above - an army of marching RIFAs!

It's an individual run so I did it in my own slow and steady pace. Result: 10.4 Km in 1 hour 31 minutes and 42 seconds.

Viva La Vida

I can't get enough of this song. It was used as the opening music for my best friend's wedding video and the catchy and rhythmic instrumentals just keeps going in my head.

Loved it the moment it reached my ears.




Viva La Vida by Coldplay

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain
Once you go there was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become

Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

Wham, Bam, Pacman!

Last Monday, my beloved and I were walking along Nathan Road in Kowloon on our way to having breakfast when a woman handed us a local newspaper. "Why'd you accept that? You don't read Chinese," I said. "At least there's one thing I understand," she said as she flipped to the page with Sudoku. Another woman handed me a newspaper when we reached the next block. This time it was in English and in the Sports page were in very large letters - "Wham, Bam, Pacman!" - and the photos of Manny Pacquiao's face beaming while he wore the championship belt on one shoulder and Ricky Hatton lying flat on his back. "What the - , two rounds?!..." I expected Hatton to give Pacquiao a hard time. A world-class fighter who had only lost once in his career was knocked out in just two rounds. Way to go, Manny.

Our Hong Kong vacation is now over and we're back in Singapore. It's about time I watch the replay.

The Little Nyonya

Since January this year, I've been taking the bus instead of the MRT to and from work. Although the travel time is longer, I've seen many advantages to it. One of these is the on-board entertainment. Most buses, if not all, in my route have these mini television sets from TV Mobile. TV Mobile is a subsidiary of MediaCorp TV which is the leading media company in Singapore. Sometimes the shows are quite amusing that I'd stop watching cartoons on ParSniP. This week, TV Mobile started showing The Little Nyonya, a drama series which was very popular among Singaporeans when it first aired in November last year and it holds the record of having the most number of nominations for the Star Awards. The latter alone made me curious of the show. It is in Mandarin and English-subtitled which works for me since I'm used to watching Japanese anime.

The story is centered on the Peranakans, the descendants of Chinese immigrants who have adopted Malay customs, and it gives an insight of their unique culture, traditions, and cuisine. You can view the full synopsis here.

I've only watched two episodes so far and I find it interesting. Let's see how the story progresses.

Happiness at Work

I stumbled upon this article coincidentally after enjoying the long Easter weekend. It's not that I'm not happy with my work but some of the tips here can help you get a little perked up on those lazy Mondays.

12 Quick Tips for Boosting Your Happiness at Work
GRETCHEN RUBIN
March 9th, 2009

Of course, being happy at work depends mostly on how much you like your job. But there are also smaller steps that can boost your happiness, as well -- partly by boosting your physical comfort and your productivity.
Some of these steps are VERY small, but the fact that you’re taking steps to improve your situation itself boosts happiness.

1. Check for eyestrain by putting your hand to your forehead in a salute. If your eyes feel relieved, your work space is too bright.
2. Sit up straight with your shoulders down — every time I adjust my sitting position, I instantly feel more energetic and cheerier.
3. Get a phone headset. I resisted for a long time, because it looks so preposterous, but it’s really much more comfortable. Also, it lets me pace while I talk on the phone, which also looks preposterous, but is energizing.
4. Don’t keep candy on your desk. Studies show that people are much more likely to snack when a treat is within easy reach, and a handful of M&Ms each day could mean a weight gain of five pounds by year’s end.
5. Never say “yes” on the phone; instead, say, “I’ll get back to you.” When you’re actually speaking to someone, the desire to be accommodating is very strong, and can lead you to say “yes” without enough consideration. Along the same lines…
6. When deciding whether to say “yes,” imagine that you’re accepting a job that you’ll have to do next week. Don’t agree to something just because it seems so far off that it doesn’t seem onerous.
7. Don’t let yourself get too hungry. My husband goes without eating for hours and hours at a time, so once, trying to be helpful, I bought him a big bag of granola to keep in his desk. He ate the whole bag in one day and ended up sick as a dog. Lesson: eat regularly.
8. Take care of difficult calls, tasks, or emails as quickly as possible. Procrastinating makes them harder; getting them done gives a big boost of relieved energy.
9. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, think hard about how you spend your time. Be honest. How much time do you spend surfing the internet, looking for things you’ve misplaced, or doing a task that’s really someone else’s job? Also…
10. Let yourself stay ignorant of things you don’t need to know.
11. Go outside at least once a day, and if possible, take a walk. The sunlight and activity is good for your focus, mood, and retention of information.
12. Say “Good morning” to everyone. Social contact is cheering, and if you feel that you’re on good terms with all the people in your office, you’ll be happier each day. Also, it’s polite.

Source: shine.yahoo.com

History of Easter

Easter, which celebrates Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, is Christianity's most important holiday. It has been called a moveable feast because it doesn't fall on a set date every year, as most holidays do. Instead, Christian churches in the West celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21. Therefore, Easter is observed anywhere between March 22 and April 25 every year. Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar to calculate when Easter will occur and typically celebrate the holiday a week or two after the Western churches, which follow the Gregorian calendar.

The exact origins of this religious feast day's name are unknown. Some sources claim the word Easter is derived from Eostre, a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility. Other accounts trace Easter to the Latin term hebdomada alba, or white week, an ancient reference to Easter week and the white clothing donned by people who were baptized during that time. Through a translation error, the term later appeared as esostarum in Old High German, which eventually became Easter in English. In Spanish, Easter is known as Pascua; in French, Paques. These words are derived from the Greek and Latin Pascha or Pasch, for Passover. Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection occurred after he went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover (or Pesach in Hebrew), the Jewish festival commemorating the ancient Israelites' exodus from slavery in Egypt. Pascha eventually came to mean Easter.

Easter is really an entire season of the Christian church year, as opposed to a single-day observance. Lent, the 40-day period leading up to Easter Sunday, is a time of reflection and penance and represents the 40 days that Jesus spent alone in the wilderness before starting his ministry, a time in which Christians believe he survived various temptations by the devil. The day before Lent, known as Fat Tuesday, is a last hurrah of food and fun before the fasting begins. The week preceding Easter is called Holy Week and includes Maundy Thursday, which commemorates Jesus' last supper with his disciples; Good Friday, which honors the day of his crucifixion; and Holy Saturday, which focuses on the transition between the crucifixion and resurrection. The 50-day period following Easter Sunday is called Eastertide and includes a celebration of Jesus' ascension into heaven.

In addition to Easter's religious significance, it also has a commercial side, as evidenced by the mounds of jelly beans and marshmallow chicks that appear in stores each spring. As with Christmas, over the centuries various folk customs and pagan traditions, including Easter eggs, bunnies, baskets and candy, have become a standard part of this holy holiday.

Happy Easter everyone!

Source: History.com

Logan, the Sky Angel Cowboy

Today, we celebrate Good Friday, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ's crucifixion and death. As we remember how God gave His only Son to save us from sin, let me share how a 13-year old boy touched the world by making a simple connection between his experience and Jesus Christ's sacrifice.

Close Encounter with a Superstar

Well, it's not really close. It was like 10 to 15 meters away but it was the closest I have ever been from an international superstar.

On my way home from work, I stopped by Plaza Singapura to buy some stuff for our new apartment and guess who was also there - JACKIE CHAN! He was there to promote his new movie, Shinjuku Incident.


Sorry, I only had my camera phone at the time.



They all talked in Chinese. I didn't understand a thing! Haha!

Earth Hour at the Esplanade Park

The Esplanade Park was already crowded when we arrived at around 7PM. Student performers in their colorful costumes, Boy Scouts, families, couples, and supporters clad in their black Earth Hour t-shirts gathered to witness the Central Business District turn its lights off to vote for Earth against global warming. The place was alive with music, ice cream vendors on the sidelines, groups on their picnic mats, children playing in the park, and wonderful performances on stage. At around 7:30, the WWF mascot arrived on a bike and the crowd became more excited with the arrival of Singapore's Earth Hour Celebrity Ambassador, Nadya Hutagalung. DJs from Gold 90.5 FM took on the stage and led the countdown. Finally, when the lights went off at 8:30, acoustic performers wowed us with their music as we enjoyed the night in candlelight under the stars.


Here's a video of the CBD as it turned off its lights. It's not synchronized like I originally imagined it to be though.



Power used in the event was generated from biofuel using recycled cooking oil.

"We did not inherit the Earth from our parents. We borrowed it from our children."

Countdown to Earth Hour

In less than two days, the world will have its first global election between Earth and global warming. Whose side will you be on?

To vote for Earth, switch off your lights for one hour on Saturday, March 28, 8:30-9:30 PM local time. For more info, visit http://www.earthhour.org and find out what's happening in your local area.

To my friends in Singapore, there will be a candlelight picnic and concert with Singapore's Earth Hour Celebrity Ambassador, Nadya Hutagalung (one of the first VJs on MTV Asia), at the Esplanade Park.

Make your stand against climate change. See you there!

Chrome Video

I'd like to share this short video from Google Japan. It expresses the very reason I choose Chrome as my browser - its large real estate and clutter-free User Interface.



Aside from that, I also like that each browser tab is launched as a separate process so when one tab crashes, the others stay alive.

10Km SubUrban Run

Discipline, determination, and endurance - the three qualities of a runner. Do I have these in me? Well, I don't know and I really don't care. All I want is to earn the finisher's medal and to have fun.

Last week, the SubUrban Run was held. It was the first running event in Singapore with the "Two-in-a-team" category. For days, my friend sent invitations for someone to be his running partner. I wanted to join but I also had my hesitations. It was going to be on the day after we will transfer to a new apartment and I'm sure I'd be tired. Aside from that, I'm also not sure if I can finish 10 kilometers. I might give up in the middle of the race and cause disappointment to my friend. That was until I saw a picture of the finisher's medal. Where do I register? :D

Two weeks before the race, we registered as "The Running Smart Cards". Two weeks of training, two weeks of waiting. Finally, the big day came and we finished the 10-km route in 1 hour 17 minutes and 51 seconds. Not bad for a first-timer. :)

Festival of Colours

Exactly two weeks after Ash Wednesday, the Indian community in the office celebrated the Festival of Colours or Holi. They brought some native Indian snacks and invited everyone to gather but before you can partake, you have to allow them to put some colored powder on your face. To the non-Indians, they were nice enough to just put a thumb-sized mark on the forehead but to themselves, they dabbed quite a handful on their foreheads, cheeks, and noses. Some even reached the neck. One fellow Cebuano put three stripes on both his cheeks and he looked like he was celebrating the Sinulog. In India, Holi is a non-working holiday and people go to the streets and color just anybody they meet. To them, it's a day of craziness and uninhibited fun.


IndiaExpress tells about the origin and significance of Holi:

Holi - the festival of colours

As the brief spring warms the landscape, northern India cuts loose for a day of hijinx and general hilarity.

The festival of Holi is celebrated on the day after the full moon in early March every year.

Originally a festival to celebrate good harvests and fertility of the land, Holi is now a symbolic commemmoration of a legend from Hindu Mythology. The story centres around an arrogant king who resents his son Prahlada worshipping Lord Vishnu. He attempts to kill his son but fails each time. Finally, the king's sister Holika who is said to be immune to burning, sits with the boy in a huge fire. However, the prince Prahlada emerges unscathed, while his aunt burns to death. Holi commemorates this event from mythology, and huge bonfires are burnt on the eve of Holi as its symbolic representation.

This exuberant festival is also associated with the immortal love of Krishna and Radha, and hence, Holi is spread over 16 days in Vrindavan as well as Mathura - the two cities with which Lord Krishna shared a deep affiliation. Apart from the usual fun with coloured powder and water, Holi is marked by vibrant processions which are accompanied by folk songs, dances and a general sense of abandoned vitality.

Today Holi is an excuse for Indians to shed inhibitions and caste differences for a day of spring fever and Big Fun. Teenagers spend the day flirting and misbehaving in the streets, adults extend the hand of peace, and everyone chases everyone else around, throwing brightly colored powder (gulal) and water over each other.

The festival's preamble begins on the night of the full moon. Bonfires are lit on street corners to cleanse the air of evil spirits and bad vibes, and to symbolize the destruction of the wicked Holika, for whom the festival was named. The following morning, the streets fill with people running, shouting, giggling and splashing. Marijuana-based bhang and thandai add to the uninhibited atmosphere.

Promptly at noon, the craziness comes to an end and everyone heads to either the river or the bathtub, then inside to relax the day away and partake of candies. In the afternoon an exhausted and contented silence falls over India. Although Holi is observed all over the north, it's celebrated with special joy and zest at Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandgaon, and Barsnar. These towns once housed the divine Krishna.

Each area celebrates Holi differently; the Bhil tribesmen of western Madhya Pradesh, who've retained many of their pre-Hindu customs, celebrate holi in a unique way. In rural Maharashtra State, where the festival is known as Rangapanchami it is celebrated with dancing and singing. In the towns of Rajasthan — especially Jaisalmer — the music's great, and clouds of pink, green, and turquoise powder fill the air. The grounds of Jaisalmer's Mandir Palace are turned into chaos, with dances, folk songs, and colored-powder confusion.

Hotlink Schmutzlink

For reasons which I don't care to find out, Hotlink Files deleted all my files without prior warning. I had to go through the whole process of searching for and registering to a suitable file hosting service AGAIN, not to mention editing the css and blog template to reflect the new location. This time, I'm using FileDEN and I hope this won't happen again.

All for the love of Lightbox.

1, 2, 3, Smile!

I recently attended the Fundamental Cyber-shot Handling course at the Sony Digital Workshop and being a fundamental course, it covered the very basic of basics in digital photography. Some of the topics can even be found in the camera manual. There were also some that I already learned during my days with Dolon. Two points, however, were completely new to me.


Tele and Wide

Ever wondered what the 'T' and 'W' on the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons stand for? 'T' is for Tele and 'W' is for Wide. Tele meaning your camera is closing in on a particular subject and Wide meaning it's covering a wide area. This also means that the more you zoom in, the narrower your camera's field of vision becomes. Look at the samples below:


For the first picture, I was about 3 meters away from Sephiroth and zoomed in (Tele) while in the second picture, I moved closer and zoomed out (Wide) so Sephiroth would roughly be the same size as in the first one. You'll notice that in the second picture, since a wider area was captured, more of the background can be seen.

So the next time you want to take those close-ups, move closer to your subject. Don't be lazy and just zoom in unless there's really nothing worth taking in the background.


Slow Sync

This is a flash mode that Dolon didn't have. Normally, your camera's shutter opens when the flash goes off and closes immediately afterwards. In slow sync mode, the shutter waits for a few more seconds before closing. This is to allow the image sensor to take in more light. This is good for taking portraits in low light conditions because it helps in also capturing the background. By design, a camera's flash is never meant to illuminate the background. In normal flash mode, you would only capture the subject and darkness behind it.


Since the shutter is slow in this mode, it is advisable to use a tripod and to tell your subject to move only when you say so.

Another Reason to Hate Microsoft

I have been using Chrome since I started this blog and I didn't really feel the need to check with other browsers. I thought everything's dandy until I suddenly had the urge to use IE7. There it was - Operation aborted - while the page was loading. What the ****? Firefox seems to be okay. Safari too. I don't know about Opera though. So I did some tracing and found out that the problem is with the javascript for Lightbox. Apparently, IE7 has an issue with 'domready'. IE bug? I'm pretty sure it is.

This did the trick. At the last line of the Lightbox script, I replaced

• window.addEvent('domready', Lightbox.init.bind(Lightbox));

with

• window.addEvent('load', Lightbox.init.bind(Lightbox));

If only my favorite games could run on Linux (Blizzard, can you hear me?!), I would have been using Ubuntu by now. I miss Tux. T_T

Quick and Easy Humba

We have this unspoken rule that whoever gets home first gets to cook for everyone. Sometimes, I leave work late at night and expect that someone has already prepared dinner but sometimes, everybody else is also working late. When this happens, I cook humba because it's easy and I don't have to do a lot of cutting or slicing.

I have to make do with ingredients that are readily available so it's not quite like my aunt's cooking in Cebu or what you get in Payag ni Badong but I gotta say that it tastes great and my house mates approve.


Ingredients:

• 500 g pork, cut to serving sizes
• 6 tbsp vinegar
• 5 tbsp light soy sauce
• 5 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tsp cooking oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed

How to prepare:

1. Mix all ingredients in a pot.
2. Add enough water to cover the pork.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Simmer until pork is tender.
5. Serve hot.

Ash Wednesday

Thanks to a Malaysian friend who's a fellow Catholic, I came to know about the Ash Wednesday service which was to be held just a short bus ride away from the office.

It was at noon and when I went back to work, every person I met stared. Some even commented that I had dirt on my forehead (technically, it really was dirt). My Indian boss asked what it was for and surprisingly, it was his first time to see the mark although he had worked with Catholic Filipinos for many years. Well, not every Catholic Filipino in Singapore has a Malaysian friend who's a fellow Catholic. :p

So what is Ash Wednesday, anyway, and why do we celebrate it? BBC provides an explanation:

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent for Western Christian churches. It's a day of penitence to clean the soul before the Lent fast.

Roman Catholic, Anglican, and some other churches hold special services at which worshippers are marked with ashes as a symbol of death, and sorrow for sin.

Ash Wednesday services

The service draws on the ancient Biblical traditions of covering one's head with ashes, wearing sackcloth, and fasting.

The mark of ashes

In Ash Wednesday services churchgoers are marked on the forehead with a cross of ashes as a sign of penitence and mortality.

The use of ashes, made by burning palm crosses from the previous Palm Sunday, is very symbolic.

God our Father, you create us from the dust of the earth.
Grant that these ashes may be for us a sign of our penitence, and a symbol of our mortality.

Traditional Ash Wednesday prayer

The minister or priest marks each worshipper on the forehead, and says remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return, or a similar phrase based on God's sentence on Adam in Genesis 3:19.

The modern practice in Roman Catholic churches nowadays, as the ashes are being administered, is for the priest to say something like Turn away from sin and believe the gospel.

Keeping the mark

At some churches the worshippers leave with the mark still on their forehead so that they carry the sign of the cross out into the world.

At other churches the service ends with the ashes being washed off as a sign that the participants have been cleansed of their sins.

Symbolism of the ashes

The marking of their forehead with a cross made of ashes reminds each churchgoer that:

• Death comes to everyone
• They should be sad for their sins
• They must change themselves for the better
• God made the first human being by breathing life into dust, and without God, human beings are nothing more than dust and ashes

The shape of the mark and the words used are symbolic in other ways:

• The cross is a reminder of the mark of the cross made at baptism
• The phrase often used when the ashes are administered reminds Christians of the doctrine of original sin
• The cross of ashes may symbolise the way Christ's sacrifice on the cross as atonement for sin replaces the Old Testament tradition of making burnt offerings to atone for sin

Where the ashes come from

The ashes used on Ash Wednesday are made by burning the palm crosses that were blessed on the previous Palm Sunday.

Ashes can also be bought from Church suppliers. A bag of ashes big enough for 1000 people costs around £8.

Ashes and oil

The ash is sometimes mixed with anointing oil, which makes sure that the ashes make a good mark.

The use of anointing oil also reminds the churchgoer of God's blessings and of the anointing that took place at their baptism.

From Palm Sunday to Ash Wednesday

Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, so when the crosses used in the Palm Sunday service are converted to ashes, the worshippers are reminded that defeat and crucifixion swiftly followed triumph.

But using the ashes to mark the cross on the believer's forehead symbolises that through Christ's death and resurrection, all Christians can be free from sin.

No Reservations Goes to the Philippines

Finally, Anthony Bourdain did an episode of No Reservations in the Philippines. This was uploaded last week by ArcApex and his YouTube channel was immediately swamped by Filipino viewers around the world. I guess this shows how hungry, if not proud, our people are for our own cuisine.







Watching this is making me drool.

YouTube in High Resolution

By default, YouTube videos are shown in the lowest resolution to minimize download time. If you're blessed with a fast internet connection, you may want to view them in a better quality. To do this, append &fmt=18 to the URL. This, however, depends on the original video. If it was uploaded in a low resolution, then there's nothing you can do about it. There are some that definitely look better. Take for example the screen captures of Sam the koala. The difference is very noticeable in the Associated Press logo and its accompanying text.

Lightbox and Valentine's Day

Two unrelated subjects. The only connection between them is that I successfully added Lightbox to this blog on Valentine's Day. I read tutorials about how to use Lightbox and found the ones by Logan and Alaska Massey most suitable. Logan utilizes Slimbox customized for use in Blogger and Alaska Massey provides instructions for the Preloading page. To host the scripts, I registered to Hotlink Files.

These photos were taken in Beaulieu House where we had our Valentine's Day dinner. Click and see Lightbox in action.