Acey Deucey

<金盆洗手>

2006-04-15T06:08:00.000+08:00

(Source of pic: Herttoniemi Manor)

I had started writing up this post way back in January. I've been editing and adding to it ever so frequently, I've lost count. It's because everytime I touch this post, the emotions will start to build, forcing me to stop soon after. Good thing I started it early. Here goes...

...but let's pop some champagne first (Thanks, Jade, for these pics)...
And so, we've come to the end. In a couple of hours' time, I will be on a plane jetting home. My blog address is already in Dan, Stef and Jim's mailbox. It's part of my farewell present to them.

Before I say my farewells to you guys as well, allow me to self-indulge a bit more...

Ladies and gentlemen, this is where it all happens. Note the two phone books propping up my laptop to a more comfortable level for me (because I am very tall) and the Peanuts mousepad. If you look carefully, you might spot my Papermate Silhouette mechanical pencil. Note also on the left, the wireless broadband modem and the corner of my bed.

The past three years have been quite a trip of self-discovery. Here is a non-exhaustive list:

i) 我不怕孤單，但蠻害怕寂寞的。

ii) 我好奇心雖然有，但不夠“雄厚”，倒置我對研究的熱忱忽冷忽熱。這行不適合我。

iii) 但肯定的是，精算是我要走的路。這個，我從十八嵗時就曉得了。

iv) 我的寫作天份實在有限。我不是假謙虛。

v) 我比想象中還疼愛我的外甥女。

vi) 難然想家，但我不後悔走了這趟三年的悉尼路程。

...and let's enjoy some fried chicken too (Thanks, CM)...

And of course, some words to the main protagonists of this blog:

To Dan and Stef:

Thank you for all the weekends (and some weekdays too!) we've spent together. What I've enjoyed most about your company is not the movies. Not the "Xbox-ing". Not the field trips. Not the food. But rather, it's the ongoing bantering with the two of you and sometimes, between the two of you.

You guys know that I hate travelling, but if the opportunity ever arises, I will pay you guys a visit in Shanghai. But better if you guys can come over to Singapore lah.

To Jim:

Thank you for all the little bits and pieces of kindness and care you've shown me in the 2 years 10 months that I've stayed with you. Thursday is my most looked forward to day of the week, simply because it is the day you drop by to clean the apartment. I will miss our weekly chats. At times, you've felt like half a father to me.

I wish you and your family all the very best, especially your grandson. And yes, if ever I do get married, you'll be one of the first to be informed! If you ever find time to read through this blog, you'll probably need to enlist the help of your wife to sieve through the posts that are written in chinese. You have my permission to letting her read it.

To my boss:

Who unfortunately will not get to read this because I am not sending you the address (but to whom I've said basically the same things when I had bade you farewell yesterday). You've been more of a friend than a boss at times. I value all the advice you've given me, which has brought about the fruits of a publication (already at the publishers) and another two working papers.

To Le Tissier, 秋 and Ah Gee:

Just welcome me home when I'm back. *Grin* All the catching up will happen then. See you guys this evening at the airport.

To 欣:

I'm glad we've come full circle. Most of all, I'm glad to hear you're doing fine.

To 綺:

You've had a most paradoxical and profound effect on my perspective of life. Despite that, I hope you will never ever find this blog. 衷心地祝福妳生活美滿。

To my family, especially 慧:

Gu gu快到家了！來臨的星期一就配妳玩shape shape，畫畫，gai gai，搭MRT，接妳下課，跟ma ma去海邊吃mum mum。。。或許有一天，等妳長大后，gu gu會把這個網址送給妳當生日禮物，讓妳回味回味一下童年時光。

Special thanks to UFM100.3. Without an almost constant link to home, I would probably have gone crazy already.

And finally, to my readers:

To my three pioneer readers, namely Ginger_ale, Chronicles of Chaos and Little Miss Drinkalot:

妳們帶給我的安慰是我無法形容的。But I'll still try...

Ginger_ale, you allowed me to move from an apparent soliloquy to a two-way exchange. That gave me immense satisfaction. For that, thank you.

Chronicles of Chaos, I never expected to become such close friends with a fellow blogger. But I did. 希望妳儘快走出黑暗吧，朋友。I'm saving up for your wedding ang pow liao. *Grin*

Little Miss Drinkalot, heh... this is a little embarrassing to say. But to have a blogger whom I really enjoy reading read my own blog feels rather flattering. I hoped you've enjoyed what you've read here as much as I've enjoyed reading yours. My little half-promised farewell gift to you is in your mailbox. Also, 希望妳早日找到屬於妳自己的幸福！

Special mentions too for two "late-comer" readers, CM and Jade. I didn't expect to know anyone from the actuarial profession via my blog, so your first e-mails and comments took me totally by surprise. Despite the end of my blogging days, we will keep in touch via e-mail. Heh, maybe we'll even get the chance to fly to UK together should we qualify at the same time!

...and we finish off with some cookie burgers and more champagne (Thanks, Ginger_ale)...

Lastly, some things I want to do immediately upon reaching home:

i) If you happen to be at Changi Airport this evening and notice a crazy scrawny-looking guy kissing the tarmac, that'll be me.

ii) Food. Food. Food.

iii) Catch up on my sleep.

Ok, that's all I have to say. Now pardon me whilst I do my own version of "Cantona".

Who Acey Deucey is

2006-04-15T05:58:00.000+08:00

In no particular order, and some of them may seem to contradict one another, I am

Trustworthy - that I inspire trust in people so much so that they trust their secrets with me.

Trusting - that I place my trust in others rather easily too.

Consistent - that after a while, it is pretty easy to predict how I react to certain circumstances.

Boring - that I do not dare or do not like to try new things.

Loyal - that they can count on me when the need arises and my tastes do not change easily.

Sagacious - that I have a knack for taking apart problems and getting right into the core of it.

Articulate - that I can explain and teach pretty well.

Forthright - that I say things as it is.

Politically correct - that I think carefully of the way to phrasing things before actually saying it.

Principled - that I stick to my principles staunchly.

Rigid - that I do not change my ways easily.

Perfectionistic - that I aim for perfection in everything I do.

Efficient - that I just seem to get things done quickly.

Meticulous - that I plan carefully. Very very carefully.

Patient - that I possess great patience and tedious tasks do not deter me.

Sensitive - that I am sensitive to the feelings of others.

Tolerant - that I do not get flustered easily.

Snobbish - that indirectly, I look down on certain groups of people.

Cynical - that I tend to suspect or weigh up the bad possibilities first before considering the positives.

Lucky - that I've been enjoying good luck in my life thus far.

Independent - that as far as possible, I try to manage things on my own and not trouble others for help.

Content - that I have few material wants and am contented with whatever I already have.

Some of these are gleaned from what friends and family tell me. Others are based on self-observation. Whether they are true or not is another matter. :P

Duck tales

2006-04-15T05:48:00.000+08:00

Ma ma has been naughty. Very very naughty. And almost inevitably, this following story also involves Mr. Beanie Duck. Enjoy this final published tale of my niece.

Despite repeated warnings, 慧 had left some of her toys, including Mr. Beanie Duck, on the living room floor again. Gong gong had wanted to wash the floor, so he picked up her "mah sah" and threw them all back into the huge "mah sah" container.

Shortly after, 慧 came back and couldn't find her best buddy on the floor. She searched her table and other areas (but somehow excluded her mah sah container) but he was nowhere to be found. That naturally got her anxious,

“鴨鴨在哪裏？鴨鴨在哪裏？Ma ma，鴨鴨不見了！” (Translation: Where is duck duck? Where is duck duck? Grandma, duck duck is gone!)

Hawk-eyed ma ma spotted Mr. Beanie Duck the moment she stepped back into the living room. She distracted 慧 into searching for him in the room whilst "pocketing" Mr. Beanie Duck secretly. Ma ma had thought of an idea to teach 慧 a lesson in keeping her toys.

“慧慧naughty。玩具亂亂丟。鴨鴨被bird bird抓走了！抓去temple了！” (Translation: You have been naughty, leaving your toys on the floor. Duck duck has been captured by bird bird! He is now locked up in the temple!)
(Some background info: There is a chinese temple near my flat and 慧 liked to visit it when she was smaller. There is a pond there full of koi and we would bring some fish food there to feed them. The above pic is taken at the koi pond, about one and a half years back.)

慧 looked despondent.

“走！跟ma ma去temple喂魚，去找鴨鴨。” (Translation: Let's go to the temple to feed the fish and look for duck duck.)

“好！” (Translation: OK!)

At the temple, whilst 慧 was busy looking at the koi, ma ma took Mr. Beanie Duck out from her pocket and exclaimed,

“慧慧！Ma ma找到鴨鴨了！” (Translation: Look! Grandma has found Mr. Beanie Duck!)

慧 was understandably overjoyed to find back her best buddy and grinned widely. For the rest of the day, she clutched tightly onto him and did not let him once out of her sight.

At this point in time, I chided ma ma for undoing our good work thus far of reducing her reliance on Mr. Beanie Duck. But wait, there is more to the tale, she tells me.

That night, 慧 went to bed with Mr. Beanie Duck in hand. In the course of tossing and turning whilst asleep, Mr. Beanie Duck ended up at the edge of the mattress.

Midnight. *Sounds of rustling*

Ma ma awakes to find 慧 feeling around the mattress. Spotting Mr. Beanie Duck at the other end of the mattress, she returns it to 慧's hands,

“在這裡，鴨鴨在這裡啦！睡覺！睡覺！” (Translation: It's here, duck duck is here! Now go back to sleep!)

“嘻嘻。。。” (Self-conscious laughter from 慧.)

I asked ma ma if 慧 was still hanging onto Mr. Beanie Duck the next day. Her reply was no.

I couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not.

Turning points

2006-04-15T05:38:00.000+08:00

It is inevitable, I suppose, with the current permeating climate of change, for me to be taking stock of my life and to start planning ahead. For the past few days, I find that I've been dwelling a lot on the turning points of my life...

...Months before the PSLE, I had made my choices of which secondary schools I would like to attend. That was probably the first major decision of my life. My parents and elder sis had given me some advice but left the final decision to me. In the end, my choices were pretty prudent (read not overly ambitious). I had also intentionally chosen NOT to put down any of those so-called top all-boys schools.

After the results were released, my form teacher asked me if I wanted to transfer from the secondary school I was posted to a "better" one, for I had done well enough to enroll in any of those. She added she would appeal on my behalf if I wanted to. I gave it a minute's thought and declined her offer. I was happy with my first choice of secondary school.

And you know what, that turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.

I most thoroughly enjoyed myself in the secondary school I had stuck to. I was also to go on to learn many valuable lessons about life in that school, many of which I doubt I would have learnt in a top school. I've written about some of my experiences in that school whilst guestblogging for my second regular reader, so I won't be repeating them here. Suffice it to say that I still hold fond memories of my time there.

Of all the schools and institutions I've attended so far, it still lists as my undisputed number one. If any parent were to ask me to recommend a secondary school for their child, the choice cannot be more obvious for me...

...When I was 18, after the 'A's, I was one of the first to be enlisted for NS. In fact, I went from student to civilian to soldier in the space of a fortnight. During BMT, right up till the release of the 'A' level results in March, I was still undecided about the university course to sign up for.

That was until a JC classmate brought to my notice the actuarial course. The funny bit of this was, she had intended to sign up for the engineering course. The actuarial course was not well-known then, because it was (and still is) hidden under the guise of Business. Not only that, Business was as far from Engineering as chalk from cheese. So how she found out about it, I don't know. Why she told me about it, I also do not know. Indeed, years later, I was to ask her these same questions. She told me she had clean forgotten!

In any case, after she had told me, I did some research on my own about the course during the months leading to the application deadline. The rest, as they say, is history

I sometimes wonder what course I would have ended up in had she not told me what she told me...

...At 25, I was standing at another crossroads in my life. I was largely happy with my work and work environment but the long hours were hurting my actuarial examinations preparations. I knew if I kept up the pace, I would either start failing those exams or get burnt out. Something had to give.

So I made that fateful decision. I quit my job.

What initially was a two year hiatus from work became two and a half, became five and finally (and hopefully) five and a half. Again, with the benefit of hindsight, it turned out to be the right decision. I might have lost out on financial rewards and career progression, but what I've gained in the past five and a half years is invaluable. For one, I've progressed in my actuarial examinations. And I've made a few vital self-discoveries that will serve me well in my life...

...Backtracking a little, at 27, just after my two and a half year hiatus, I was deciding between returning to the workforce or coming over to Sydney.

I had spotted then, a really interesting job in the papers. It was from the Singapore Pools. They were looking for a game analyst for the Italian Football League, Serie A. Now, you would know by now that I enjoy my football and I certainly enjoy my probability. I applied for the post with much expectation. Given my actuarial background, I thought I might have an edge over other candidates.

At the same time, I had already applied for a few universities in Australia. But nothing had been heard of them yet.

This time, the decision was (sort of) made for me. Singapore Pools never got back to me for my job application, whereas I got my approval for the Australian university soon after. And that was how I came over to Sydney.

If it had been the other way round or if a job offer had been made before the approval from the university arrived, I would have taken up the job and stayed put in Singapore. As things turned out, that didn't happen.

Which is why you're reading this post...

...Now I wonder what's next.

Sick chicken

2006-04-15T05:28:00.000+08:00

Mid-autumn. Now is the time when a great variety of clothing thickness can be observed on the streets.

I have always been one of the early birds to dig out my winter clothing and putting them to good use. 今年也不例外。Since the return from the Blue Mountains, I have been in three layers of clothing, two t-shirts (or equivalent) and one coat, whenever I am out and about.

Therein lies a little awkwardness for me.

You see, there is quite a number of Australians still hanging onto their summer inclinations. It is not uncommon to see Aussies in sleeveless t-shirts or singlets, shorts and slippers (they're called thongs here) on the streets. And they are NOT exercising, just going about their daily routine. This happens even in the evenings when the temperature takes a further dip.

And then, here I am, in full winter battle order, walking past them with my hands deeply buried in my coat pockets. The contrast is so big, I get self-conscious about it. Of course, there are other people like me, all togged in winter wear. Some even have their beenies and scarves out.

Still, I can't help but wonder what makes those "summerly" people so "healthy". We used to joke amongst ourselves that it makes us seem like some weakling or sick chicken.

<甚麽shape>

2006-04-14T13:48:00.000+08:00

Warning: This post is only suitable for high-tolerance readers. It contains potentially grotesque images.

“Ma ma！我要大便！” (Translation: Grandma, I need to do "big business".)

And they both scurry into the master bedroom loo. Before long, she is seated comfortably and erm... pushing.

*Big plop*

*Idle chatter with ma ma whilst waiting for the second bowel movement*

*Two small plops*

“Ma ma，好了。” (Translation: I am done, grandma.)

So she gets up and grandma erm... "takes care of the rest".

“Ma ma，甚麽shape啊？” (Translation: Grandma, what shape is it?)

“妳自己看囖！” (Translation: Why don't you just look at it yourself?)

And she does, upon which she makes the following observation,

“是Mickey Mouse的shape。” (Translation: It has the shape of Mickey Mouse.)

0 days to go!!!

Guestblogging index

2006-04-14T10:18:00.000+08:00

This is just an index to my posts whilst guestblogging for my second regular reader, in chronological order:

Mic testing (17th February 2006)
Laughter (18th February 2006)
Mahjong (19th February 2006)
Terminating a friendship (20th February 2006)
Failing my English composition (22nd February 2006)
Aceing A-Maths (23rd February 2006)
Dropping Literature (24th February 2006)
Mr. Siew, my Chinese and Art teacher (25th February 2006)
Netball (28th February 2006)
Funfair (1st March 2006)
He won't tell (2nd March 2006)
JC life (3rd March 2006)
Budget (4th March 2006)
Visiting Sydney (5th March 2006)
Small encore (7th March 2006)
Out of order (20th March 2006)
My sporting life (29th March 2006)

Mainly for easy personal reference later.

0 days to go!!!

I need comforting

2006-04-14T09:28:00.000+08:00

I returned to my apartment very late last night, from part one of the farewell festivities. Or should I say very early this morning.

Whilst trying to coax myself to sleep, I realised I still missed my comforter. I've never really gotten used to sleeping without a comforter (it is known as body pillow here). This despite having gone without it for the entire three years I have been here.

And the strange thing is, it is not easy to find a comforter in Sydney (or maybe even Australia). One of my ex-housemates from Singapore, upon hearing this (from other friends, not me), shipped her comforter all the way here!

Then there is this story I heard from her, about one of her guy friends (also Singaporean), who was so desperate for a comforter after arriving here, he went to Paddy's Market and bought one of those girlish 小叮噹 or Hello Kitty mini-comforters.

0 days to go!!!

<不用打電話>

2006-04-14T06:48:00.000+08:00

“Gu gu囘來后就不用打電話了。” (Translation: When you are back, gu gu, you won't have to call home anymore.)

She had said it to me without anyone's prompting; nobody had taught her to say it either. What's more, she meant it as a statement of fact, not as a question.

Akan Datang: Final posts

0 days to go!!!

P.S. Here's wishing all readers a Happy Easter.

<響應LMD號召>

2006-04-13T12:08:00.000+08:00

This, in response to my third regular reader's tag.

Seven dreams before death (actually, some of these I've alluded to before):

i) Qualify as actuary
ii) Visit Malta
iii) Attend a Beaglefest in Santa Monica
iv) Become a decent cook
v) Learn Japanese
vi) Watch my niece grow up happy
vii) Have my hair cut by LMD (HA HA HA!)

Actually, I wanted to put down visiting Old Trafford and attending a Man Utd match. But this has put paid to that dream. At least until they sell the club back to the fans.

Seven things I can't do in this lifetime:

i) Become a professional basketball player
ii) Draw a decent comic strip
iii) Learn a musical instrument. Any instrument.
iv) Enjoy travelling
v) Sing. Properly.
vi) Dance. Properly.
vii) Write a song

Seven things that attract me:

i) Wise women
ii) Things that are apt
iii) Good writing
iv) Self-confidence
v) A woman's nape
vi) Determination
vii) 繁體字

Seven things I say:

i) Steady
ii) Duh (only in writing and internet, not in speech)
iii) So so so...
iv) 估計, thanks to Dan, Stef and Fred
v) Naughty girl (only to my niece)
vi) Wilco (also only in writing and internet, not in speech)
vii) What's the verdict?

Seven books that I love (this one's easy!):

i) Kamikaze by Yasuo Kuwahara
ii) Terror In The Starboard Seat by Dave McIntosh
iii) Reach For The Sky by Paul Brickhill
iv) The Wrong Stuff by Truman Smith
v) Not As Briefed by Ross Greening
vi) Lie In The Dark And Listen by Ken Rees
vii) Piece of Cake by Geoff Taylor

See their covers here.

Seven movies that I’ve loved (this one's easy too!):

i) 重慶深林 (Chungking Express)
ii) Memento
iii) Les Enfants Du Marais (The Children Of The Marshland)
iv) 紅の豚 (Porco Rosso)
v) Tmavomodrý Svet (Dark Blue World)
vi) 밀애 (Ardor)
vii) Sur mes lèvres (Read My Lips)

See more recommendations here.

Seven tags:

Nil. The buck stops here. Again. If I get bad luck from this, I know who to blame. Again. *Grin*

Still 1 day to go.

<完美的一天>

2006-04-13T06:48:00.000+08:00

On the Saturday just past, we finally went on that much postponed trip to the Sydney Fish Market. And for that lobster lunch. Yah yah... *Slurp*This is one of the entrances to the Sydney Fish Market. Notice how blue the skies was. Clear blue skies is perhaps THE feature of Australian weather and in my opinion, the main attraction of Australia for European, especially British, tourists.
We ended up having more than just the lobster. I saw abalone and eagerly pointed it out to them. Both the lobster and abalone was picked live and cooked immediately. We also got some side dishes to go along with them.

We had (see above pic, clockwise from left) lobster sashimi, calamari rings, small octopus, stir fried lobster (from the same lobster) and abalone with ginger and shallots.

Amongst the four of us, Dan is the biggest fan of seafood. By a country mile, actually. So when I commented that the lobster sashimi tasted a little like agar agar, he said I 不識貨. Actually, Fred also added that he didn't know how to appreciate it properly (his exact words were it tasted bland). For me, it was the 口感 that was nice. But that was about it.

What did it for me was the abalone. Indeed, all of us loved it! When I woke up the next morning and was making breakfast, visions of abalone floated across my eyes as I looked a little forlornly at my bread.

After the hefty lunch, we went to The Rocks (again! For me, that is) for a walkabout. I had wanted to get two more of those kangeroos for a close friend's children and Stef needed to buy a present for a birthday party.

Then, we went to the Centennial Park for some er... exercise. Actually, it was just some boomerang throwing and football. Have I mentioned before that I know (more or less) how to throw the boomerang? Dan and I had tried it before last year and we can get it to return to roughly where we stand. Though we still don't dare to catch it, like the aborigine who demonstrated it to us had done. It was Fred's first try at it and we all had a good belly laugh at his attempts. He ended up expending more energy retrieving the boomerang than throwing it.

Dinner time, and we decided to try a newly opened Korean restaurant in a neighbouring suburb. One look down the menu and my eyes froze on "Ginseng Chicken Soup". Now, I haven't had decent soup over here for ages and you guys would know that I do love my soup. I also ordered a rice dish which the other guys said looked like 八寶飯. Actually, it was more like the stuff they put into ice kachang, but instead, they've put it into plain rice and cooked it together.

When the soup arrived, I was quite taken aback by its size. It was huge! And there was a WHOLE chicken in it. Not only that, I discovered later that the chicken had fillings in it. I honestly wondered how I would be able to finish it AND the 八寶飯. Off came the coat as I got started on it. Then off came my outer shirt as I made some more progress with the soup.

Well, I managed to finish the whole lot. Thank you very much.

After the sumptious dinner, we adjourned to Dan and Stef's apartment for card games. They managed to track down another friend to make up a foursome whilst I watched a movie on DVD. All the way till near midnight.

As we were leaving, that friend they had invited said half in jest, more in taunting,

“啊！今天是完美的一天！”

Because they (Stef and herself) had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in their 3-hour marathon card game.

Actually, it was a pretty apt description to our day too.

Akan Datang: Phone calls no longer required

1 day to go.

P.S. I am not a Stefanie Sun fan. :P

Starting up

2006-04-12T06:58:00.000+08:00

人無遠慮，必有近憂。

Given that the coming weeks or months will be my final sustained period of "free" time before returning to the workforce, I'd better make full use of it. It's time to begin my preparations for the next set of exams. I've just fixed the 開工 date, the first Monday after I get home, i.e. 17th April.

Akan Datang: A perfect day

2 days to go.

I get my little kicks VII

2006-04-11T07:28:00.000+08:00

I've gone for my final haircut. And yes, she remembered.

I've done my final laundry run. And yes, the weather cooperated.

I've gone to the bank with a authorisation letter to close the account on a pre-determined future date. And yes, the guy who served me was surprised. I suspect I am the first customer he has ever served to make such a request.

Jim has found a new tenant for my room. And yes, I do realise that both of us are pretty efficient.

Still 3 days to go.

Shutting down

2006-04-11T06:58:00.000+08:00

This is going to sound almost cliche, for many a blogger has talked about it before.

Blogging has changed the way I observe things, and how I remember them. Previously, I would let many of the events I've witnessed/experienced slip by. If they were special enough, I might tell it to a few friends but soon, it will be forgotten. If they were really unique, I might put it down in an e-mail and mail it to my closer pals.

Now, my perspective of everyday events have really changed. Every little child that runs past me, every conversation I have, every pretty girl I meet, every place I visit, every thought in my mind, becomes a possible blogging idea. The mind automatically asks if this is "bloggable" and if the answer is yes, stores it under the "KIV" section. And when an exceptional idea hits me, I try my darnest to remember it, putting it down (just the title) before my memory fails me. It is not unusual for me to jot down an idea as I speak to my mum over the phone, for example. :P

Ideas seem to pop up everywhere around me. I have little difficulty in generating ideas, which is also why I can sometimes blog a full week in advance.

And that brings me to something I was wondering about a week ago. Should I shut down my "idea generation machine" then? I might end up with a clutchful of unpublished posts and ideas on the final day if I don't.

I made a compromise decision in the end. Ideas that have been fleshed out into posts will all get published on the final day. Ideas not written up will be deleted away. So my dear readers, if you're lucky, you might get more than that last post on the final day.

Then there are all those feelings about going home that I've put on deep freeze time and again. It's obvious that I haven't been hiding my eagerness on homecoming. What I've left unsaid though, are another set of worries (which will be left unelaborated) that I'll have to face head on when I get back.

I've recently pulled the plug on this deep freeze, letting myself stew in the odd mix of melted feelings and thinking through these issues.

Akan Datang: Starting up

3 days to go.

Updating the odds

2006-04-10T08:38:00.000+08:00

Football-wise, two very eventful weeks have passed. Chelsea's lead has been cut down further in size to 7 points. However, there are but 5 matches left for each club. So has Man Utd's odds of winning the EPL title increased or decreased (according to my model, of course)? Which factor has the bigger impact on the probability, the reduced lead or the decreased number of matches?

Just to recap, Man Utd's and Chelsea's remaining matches are:

For Man Utd,
Sunderland, Tottenham (a), Middlesbrough, Chelsea (a) and Charlton

For Chelsea,
Bolten (a), Everton, Blackburn (a), Man Utd and Newcastle (a)

I continue to use the same assumptions and model. This means that if Man Utd beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, they will then need two more victories. If not, they'll need four more (near impossible!).

My estimates of both clubs' chances of winning each of their remaining matches (excluding the match where they play each other) remains unchanged after a *ahem* review (given in square brackets after the team's name):

For Man Utd,
Sunderland [0.95], Tottenham (a) [0.65], Middlesbrough [0.9] and Charlton [0.85]

For Chelsea,
Bolten (a) [0.7], Everton [0.8], Blackburn (a) [0.7] and Newcastle (a) [0.75]

Following the same steps as before, for Man Utd, we will therefore be modelling it with the Binomial(4, 0.8375) distribution. For Chelsea, it will be the Binomial(4, 0.7375) distribution.

So we're after the following probability:

Probability(Man Utd wins the league) = Probability(Man Utd beats Chelsea) x Probability(Man Utd wins two more matches than Chelsea for their respective remaining matches) + Probability(Man Utd loses to Chelsea) x Probability(Man Utd wins four more matches than Chelsea for their respective remaining matches)

I leave the rest of the working as an exercise for my readers...

Just kidding!

Again, you'll have to trust my binomial calculations. We will then obtain

Probability(Man Utd wins the league) = 0.3 x 0.162 + 0.7 x 0.002 = 0.050

Rejoice, for that's an increase of 1.3%! And I hope I have managed to bring some smiles to the Man Utd fans reading this post.

Still 4 days to go.

Erase that

2006-04-10T07:28:00.000+08:00

慧 is going through another phase of naughtiness. She even gana "lud" by her pa pa again. First time in a couple of months, I believe. It also got her mee mee and pa pa into a little tiff. Mee mee couldn't bear to see her punished. Pa pa later retorted,

“妳以爲只有妳心痛啊？我打她我更心痛you know。” (Translation: You think you're the only one feeling the heartache? I feel it more because I am the one meting out the punishment you know.)

A few days later, all seems well again. Pa pa and mee mee were bringing her to nursery in the morning.

“跟pa pa說bye bye。” (Translation: Say bye bye to pa pa.)

慧 waves and says her bye bye. A few steps later, she suddenly remembers, turns back and says with a waving away action,

“Erase 掉！Erase 掉！” (Translation: Erase that! Erase that!)

Tsk tsk tsk...

4 days to go.

Thinker or worrier?

2006-04-09T07:38:00.000+08:00

Out of the blue, Jim asked me the other day if I was a thinker or worrier.

Caught by the moment, I blurted out an answer I've used quite frequently in recent times: I plan pessimistically but execute optimistically.

Which does not quite answer his question, that I know. After some thought, I realised I should have said the following:

If I can do something about the issue at hand, I put on my thinker hat. If I can't do something about it, I brace myself for the worst impact. I used to worry when faced with such circumstances, but now, I just prepare myself mentally for the worst that can happen.

5 days to go.

Paradox

2006-04-08T08:18:00.000+08:00

This past week, since the return from the Blue Mountains, has passed by at an excruciatingly, agonisingly, torturously, painfully slow manner.

No, even that doesn't quite hit the nail on the head.

Hmmm...

Ah!

It feels like one of Zeno's Paradoxes, the Achilles and the Tortoise one.

Still 6 days to go.

She is also counting down

2006-04-08T07:48:00.000+08:00

For the umpteenth time, she asks Grandma,

“Gu gu爲甚麽還沒有囘來？ ” (Translation: Why is gu gu still not back yet?)

But this time she sort of answers herself by adding

“還有nine day而已。” (Translation: There is still nine days to go.)

(This conversation took place three days ago.)

6 days to go.

Yellow polka dot bikini

2006-04-07T22:18:00.000+08:00

Despite the strange sounding title, this post is actually a small thank you note to my Hong Kong colleague.

This evening, I had met up with him for a last dinner. Last because he is going home for a short break starting next Monday and by the time he is back, I'll be gone. As is usual in recent times, he is worried about not completing his work on time and may need to apply for an extension, like I had done previously.

I have many reasons to thank him, the most significant of which was the help rendered during the arduous programming days and the most recent of which was a printer driver problem. He was our "local" computer whiz kid. Anything and everything that has to do with computers, we'll look for him for advice. Heck, we trust him more than our local IT department.

As I bade him goodbye at the bus stop, he actually seemed a little sad to see me leave Sydney. For a small tiny ♪itsy bitsy teenie weenie ~~yellow polka dot bikini~~♪ little moment in time, I felt a small tiny ♪itsy bitsy teenie weenie ~~yellow polka dot bikini~~♪ little reluctance in leaving.

Just a small tiny ♪itsy bitsy teenie weenie ~~yellow polka dot bikini~~♪ little bit.

Yeah... riiiigggghhht! HA HA HA!

In any case, many thanks, Kelvin, for everything.

Just over 7 days to go.

Fire!

2006-04-07T09:18:00.000+08:00

From: Mee mee
To: Gu gu
Date: Fri 07/04/2006 8:51 AM
Subject: Fire (my own bold and colour)

慧's school caught fire because of one of the faulty aircon units last evening. School closed for cleaning up soot and will reopen next Wed.

From: Gu gu
To: Mee mee
Date: Fri 07/04/2006 8:57 AM
Subject: Better title

You could have picked a BETTER title for your e-mail, sis. You frightened me!

From: Mee mee
To: Gu gu
Date: Fri 07/04/2006 9:03 AM
Subject: Re: Better title

I learnt those one word impactful titles from you ha ha ha ha.

Very funny, sis, very funny.

Still 7 days to go.

Money matters

2006-04-07T06:08:00.000+08:00

Matter 1

Last August, the Acey Deucey family, bar gong gong, decided to invest in Capitaland. After monitoring the prices for a while, we went in at the $2.80-2.90 range.

Three months later, i.e. November, it had risen to around $3.30.

Ma ma 說：“Ai yoh! Xim tia! Boh buay kah jueh tam boh!” (Translation: Heartache ah! Why didn't we buy more?!)

Mee mee 和 gu gu 說：“Mai an nee tam xim lah.” (Translation: Don't be greedy.)

A further two months on, i.e. January 2006, it hit the heights of $3.70.

Ma ma 和 mee mee 說：“嗨！早知道買多一點！” (Translation: If I had known, I would have bought more.)

Gu gu 說：“事事難預料。” (Translation: Such things are unpredictable.)

It is now April 2006. Capitaland's last traded price was $4.84.

Gu gu 說：“嗨！可惜可惜。。。Wa ma xim tia liao.” (Translation: *Sigh* What a pity, what a pity... I also feel the heartache now.)

Ma ma 和 mee mee sniggers at gu gu.

(Please do not ask me for stock tips. :P)

Matter 2

I've been looking around for various avenues to transfer my AU$ savings home. And for every possible solution I find over here, e.g. via my bank, via money transfer services etc., I'm quoted extremely uncompetitive exchange rates, on top of slapping me with obscene administrative fees.

I've since decided to bring the whole lot home in cash. Which is going to be a little tricky, because the largest denomination of the Australian currency system is the AU$100.

Speaking of which, did you know that the Singapore currency system includes the S$10,000 note? Dan and Stef was very surprised when I told them that. Apparently, the largest denomination in China is the 100 元, which they said causes a lot of problems in the cities such as Shanghai where the cost of living is much higher.

I've actually seen a S$10,000 note before. Indeed, I've seen one from the earlier bird series as well. That particular note is strangely much broader than the other notes we are used to seeing.

Matter 3

More of a grumble than a matter actually. The S$/AU$ exchange rates has been dropping like a stone since December. Until late last year, it had been holding steady at S$1.25/AU$1. It is now S$1.16/AU$1. Ouch.

And the more it falls, the greater my urge to splurge before I leave the country for good.

Matter 4

Then there is the matter of whether to close or not to close my bank account here. My Hong Kong colleague had suggested that I leave it open, as it will save the hassle of opening another Australian bank account should I require one later. Valid (but not very material) point.

My current bank account, you might recall, pays close to zero interest rate in return for close to zero transaction costs. I enquired what fees I would attract when I lose my student status, but still keep the account open and make no transactions. I was told it will attract a monthly account fee of AU$5.

So I'll have to pay the monthly account fee whilst earning near zero interest. That made the decision a no-brainer. Bye bye, Aussie bank account.

But that causes a different kind of problem. My last pay is coming in only AFTER I've left Sydney.

Matter 5

Finally, the small matter of my superannuation (the name of pensions in Australia, the rough equivalent of our CPF in Singapore, except they are privately run).

I was clearing my drawer the other day and going through some old letters. I was reminded of my superannuation account and discovered I actually have a couple hundred of dollars in it. Heh. They must have been from my teaching pay; I had taught a couple of semesters back. So I explored the booklet and website a little and made a further discovery. I can actually withdraw what's in my account, but only after my visa expires.

That's fine by me. A couple more hundred bucks to treat my friends to lunches/dinners.

Akan Datang: Shutting down

7 days to go.

I get my little kicks VI

2006-04-06T07:18:00.000+08:00

I've sent out my first two job applications. One of them is what you might term a "cold call" whilst the other is with respect to an advertisement a friend had brought to my attention.

I have heard good things about the working environment in this "cold call" company and even though my sources say they have no openings currently, I decided to give it a try. The other company's identity is unknown as its advertisement was posted via a recruitment company. However, the consensus amongst friends is it is "this" company. I've also heard of some good things about "this" company, so I jumped on the opportunity once I found out about it.

Yet another case of 謀事在人，成事在天。Fingers crossed again!

Amongst all the "little kicks" I've been getting recently (I, II, III, IV and V), the current one has given me the biggest "ommph". Even if it was self-induced. Well, the reason is simple: This is the most direct affirmation that I am returning to Singapore.

8 days to go.

Chills

2006-04-05T09:58:00.000+08:00

I had written up the previous post almost immediately after returning from the Blue Mountains trip. Since then, it has gotten considerably and consistently colder. It's almost as if we had brought the Blue Mountains weather back with us.

Now, if you had read my posts from last winter, you'd know how much I hate the cold weather.

It irritates me even more knowing that winter is not supposed to be here (officially) until June.

I was hoping I could hang onto the coat tails of summer until the day I fly home. Too bad for me.

忍。

Still 9 days to go.

Blue Mountains

2006-04-05T06:58:00.000+08:00

We went to Blue Mountains last Friday. By train, it is two hours from the city, so we chose to set off in the early morning. I suppose now is not a bad time to go to the Blue Mountains, for it has not gotten too chilly yet. It was quite cold when we first arrived but once we started trekking and as the morning wore on, we felt warm enough to shed our coats.

Here are some views of the mountain range:
This and the following pic were taken from roughly the highest point of the mountain range, known as Echo Point.
Another view from Echo Point. These two pics don't show off the "blueness" too well.
But this one does. The blue colour is a result the sunlight passing through the tiny oil droplets released from the abundant eucalyptus trees there.
As does this pic. The eucalyptus trees are also why the summer forest fires are so notoriously difficult to put out once they get going.
A closer look at the eucalyptus trees.
Here's one that shows off the rock structure of the cliffs rather well. Occasionally, I come across news of people falling off these cliffs. These are almost certainly fatal. The most recent case took place just a few weeks ago.
Here's the most famous rock structure of the Blue Mountains, known as the Three Sisters. A long long time ago, there used to be seven.
An alternative view of the Three Sisters after descending for about two-three hours.
Before the lengthy descent, we had actually gone the other way to take a closer look at the Three Sisters. This pic was taken from atop one of the sisters.
This is the Katoomba Cascades. By the time we reached here, we had walked for around three hours (including the thirty minutes walk from the train station to Echo Point). It had been a continuous descent and boy, it was tough going!
That's the Katoomba Falls on the left. By the time we reached here, we had trekked for about four hours and nearing the end of our descent. In all, we took four and a half hours to descend from near the top to near the bottom.
You would think by the positioning of this pic in this post, and by its content that this was taken on the trip back to the city, dogtired from the day's trekking.

Nope. This was actually taken on the train ride there. The hooded guy is of course Dan, with Stef leaning on his shoulder. Needless to say, they slept on the way back too. How I envy friends who can sleep on transport. I simply can't!

9 days to go.

<大紅燈籠悄悄挂>

2006-04-04T06:48:00.000+08:00

This is not sarcasm.

I've only just noticed that since the return of the female half of my housemates, "things" have gotten quieter. Much quieter. I wonder what took me so long to notice it. Afterall, it has easily been a month since her return.

Maybe something made them realise the walls aren't as soundproof as they think they are. *Shrug* In any case, I am certainly most appreciative of this latest development.

Like I said, this is not sarcasm. It is just my way of saying "thank you for your consideration" without embarrassing them.

10 days to go.

Toys

2006-04-03T07:38:00.000+08:00

I visited The Rocks (for the umpteenth time) a few weekends ago and went on a minor splurge.

Amongst the things I bought was this wooden kangeroo toy for my niece:
If you look closely, you'll see that the legs are movable. In fact, if you place it on an inclined surface, pull the tail and release it, the kangeroo will "hop" down the slope. So now, my niece will not get one gift. She'll get two.

And my set of polyhedra dice has arrived. Aren't they beauties?
Whilst I'm at it, here is a set of Peanuts UNO card I had bought last June/July in a rather roundabout manner:
My Hong Kong colleague's sister is studying in the US. She bought the set of cards there, brought it back to Hong Kong during her school break and my colleague brought it Down Under for me. It will soon complete the last leg of its travel odyssey by flying back to Singapore with me.

All this trouble, in the name of saving on shipping costs. I know, I very cheapo one. :P

11 days to go.

The thaw

2006-04-02T06:58:00.000+08:00

I slosh through the undisturbed sheet of virgin snow, breathing ever more heavily with each step. The snow feels denser, even wetter, today, making it hard work to walk through. Finally, I reach my goal, a forlorn-looking bench facing the lake. Nobody is as crazy as me, taking a walk by the lake when winter isn't over yet. Although it should be ending soon.

I brush the snow off the bench before sitting down. Despite doing so, I can still feel that cold piercing dampness seeping through onto my back and butt in doublequick time. To keep out the cold, I lift my feet, pull my thighs as close to my body as possible, wrap my arms around them and place my thermoflask in that little space in between.

Once I get comfortable and stop moving, it becomes dead quiet again. Winter has simply refused to yield its vice-like grip this year; Looks like Spring will be late in coming. The lake is still very much frozen over. The other side is too far to be seen. I wonder if anyone had ever attempted to skate across it.

I suppose I had come a little too early this year. Nothing is moving or stirring yet. Not even the wind is blowing, which has made the walk today slightly more tolerable. Maybe I should return a week later...

But wait, what's that I hear? I hold my breath and listen more intently. Yes, it is a dripping sound. I look around at the bare trees and see nothing. But of course I can see nothing. Silly me.

And wait, what's that I see? Something brown scampering along one of the branches, leaving behind a trail of falling snow. Why, it's a squirrel. The first to venture out after its slumber perhaps?

What's more, a piece of the lake is "missing". It had escaped me when I first sat down. Closer inspection (without getting up) reveals a piece of the ice had indeed broken off and melted.

I haven't sat down for more than ten minutes and I can feel myself shivering already. This, despite the multiple layers of clothing. Boy, it's really cold today. Much colder than usual. I gingerly poured myself a cup of hot tea, wrapping my hands around the cup for warmth. Then I remembered what a friend had told me. The coldest part of winter would be now.

It looks like I haven't turned up too early afterall. Without doubt, it has began.

And that scares me.

Akan Datang: Money matters

12 days to go.

<保濟丸>

2006-04-01T05:38:00.000+08:00

慧 had her first "brush" with 保濟丸 recently. She was at her other home, my sis's place, when it happened. An upset stomach and multiple bowel movements within a day. After weighing up the options, my sis decided upon 保濟丸, though we had never tried it on 慧 before.

Then came the problem. How to get her to take those little black pills? Since she was a little baby, my niece have never shied away from taking medication . Whatever we gave her, she'll just gulp it down. This time though, the awkward shape and size of the 保濟丸 might pose a problem. Or so my sister thought.

First try: Mix the 保濟丸 with a cup of water and let 慧 "drink" the 保濟丸 via a straw. It worked initially, until the 保濟丸 starting clumping together and getting stuck halfway up the straw.

Second try: Instead of the straw, use a 湯匙 to feed her. Well, that sort of worked. The idea was to get the 保濟丸 to go down together with the spoonfuls of water. Unfortunately, not all of them went down with every gulp. There were some free radicals left behind. Being curious that she is, 慧 started CHEWING them.

Now, anyone who have tried that in their childhood (I have!) will know how bitter the insides of the 保濟丸 are.

So 慧 starting wincing, cringing and making all sorts of funny faces as the totality of the bitterness gripped her. BUT, but she didn't voice her disapproval. In fact, she bravely finished the whole bottle of 保濟丸.

13 days to go.

"Long" weekend

2006-03-31T03:18:00.000+08:00

It's payback time. This coming weekend will lengthened by an hour, so I'm getting my "lost" hour back before leaving Sydney.

This usually takes place on the final weekend of March, but it has been delayed by a week this year. To cater specially for the Commonwealth Games (which ended last Sunday and which next to nobody cared about, even in sports mad Australia).

We'll probably squander it on cards, Xbox, movies... and a trip to the Blue Mountains.

14 days to go.

I get my little kicks V

2006-03-30T09:28:00.000+08:00

I've paid my last set of phone and internet bills. Two weeks ago, actually.

I've just paid my last rent to Jim. A couple of days ago, actually.

I've also informed him he can go ahead and advertise for the room. On the same day I paid my last rent, actually.

In fact, someone has already come to see the room. Yesterday, actually.

Still 15 days to go.

Two types of fish whilst waiting for one type of ice-cream

2006-03-30T06:38:00.000+08:00

I have mentioned before that my niece loves fish. One other fish dish that frequently makes it to our dining table is fried bah-tu fish. "Bah-tu" is in hokkien and I have no idea how to translate it. The fish itself is rather small, maybe 15cm long. Its texture is described to be smooth and a little similar to chicken when cooked. Therein lies the attraction (so claims the reviewer, i.e. my mum). My niece is another fan of it. To me, fish is fish. Yucks.

Anyway, according to my mum, bah-tu fish is seasonal and not available all the time. Recently, she had gone marketing and to her disppointment, it is not available at the usual stall she patronises. But the bah-tu fish of a neighbouring stall caught her eye and she decided to abandon her loyal customer tag for once.

Lunch for my niece that day therefore included fried bah-tu fish. After trying one piece of it, she pushed it aside, saying,

“不好吃，不要！”

Taken by surprise, my mum tried a piece and detected a slight difference in taste. The very next day, she went back to the usual fish stall she patronises and asked the stallholder if there are two types of bah-tu fish. The answer was yes, and that his stall only brings in the supposedly better tasting ones.

So she bought the better tasting ones which were in stock now. Another lunch and more fried bah-tu fish. 慧 tried a piece, proclaimed,

“好吃！”

and finished everything on the plate.

Well, I'll be! My niece's taste buds are really sharp! I think she takes after me in that aspect. :P

Speaking of my niece and food, her diet has been severely restricted in the past month since the Disneyland trip. She had fallen ill shortly after her return and have been suffering from a persistent cough since. So bad was her cough this time, it affected her sleep from time to time. This is the first time she had been down with a cough for such a long time. It usually clears up within a week.

And so lengthy was the recovery period, 慧 herself got impatient and kept asking us,

“爲甚麽慧慧病還沒好？” (Translation: Why haven't I recovered yet?)

As encouragement for her, I told her that once she recovers, we can have Haagen Daaz ice-cream together (ice-cream was of course one of the banned foods during the recovery period). Upon which she gave her enthusiastic voice of approval.

In my last phone call home, my mum told me the good news that her cough has finally cleared up. She added this,

“你知道她好了后問我甚麽嗎？” (Translation: You know what she asked me after she recovered?)

“甚麽？” (Translation: What?)

“她問我慧慧可不可以吃ice-cream。” (Translation: She asked me if she can have some ice-cream.)

Ah well... so much for wanting to wait for gu gu to share the ice-cream with.

15 days to go.

Diary, blog, ogre, ergo

2006-03-29T03:38:00.000+08:00

I used to keep a diary. I had started on it when I was 17-18. It didn't get updated everyday though. Depending on events and my mood, accounts may be as far apart as a few months, or they may be on consecutive days.

Towards my mid-20s, the lapses between accounts began to lengthen appreciably. And it wasn't because I was lazy. There just wasn't "anything" to write about.

One day in 2003, about half a year after the birth of my niece and just before flying over to Sydney, I went back to read a few of my older accounts. I realised "anything" meant something that frustrated me, that saddened me, that worried me, that disappointed me. If anything "happy" happened to me, more often than not, they did not make it into the diary. If they did, they tended to be one-liners.

I also realised why the frequency of my updating had decreased so significantly: the "happier" days were now far outnumbering the "sadder" days.

The day after this realisation, I deleted my entire diary.

This was amongst my biggest considerations when setting up this blog. The catalyst behind its birth wasn't "healthy", so to speak, and I didn't want it to morph into another diary, recording only the "sadder" events. I wanted it to reflect my everyday life as accurately as possible. What better way to make sure of that than to write and post something everyday.

And that was what I did.

Now when I look back at my older posts, I feel I have succeeded. Resoundingly so.

This blog is truly my 心情寫照 for the past eight or so months.

Akan Datang: The thaw

16 days to go.

Red, flip, outside, without

2006-03-28T09:48:00.000+08:00

Maybe this time, I should really wear red underwear.

And I should flip it first.

Or even consider wearing it outside.

Or maybe I should just go without any.

OK, all set. Let's go!

Still 17 days to go.

Free advertising

2006-03-28T08:18:00.000+08:00

For helping me locate a supposedly 絕版 George Lam CD.

For remembering my request, even though it was made more than half a year ago. I had thought you hadn't been able to find it. Either that, or you had clean forgotten. I was wrong on both counts.

For holding onto my CD orders for eight months.

For locating 黃韻玲's 絕版 CD, titled 黃韻玲的黃韻玲, in doublequick time. I'm so looking forward to listening to one of my favourite songs of hers, 出發. It has been buzzing in my mind since you informed me of the good news yesterday.

For informing me ahead of time that Tanya's newest CD will be out in about a month, and that you will retain a Taiwan import copy for me.

For all that and more, over the ten years as a member of your shop, 老闆.

And so, I strongly recommend to my small band of readers:

飛鷹音樂廣場
100 Beach Road
#02-32/33
Shaw Leisure Gallery (Shaw Tower)
Singapore 189702

17 days to go.

What are the odds?

2006-03-27T06:38:00.000+08:00

(Pic from Geo Australia. I own a set of polyhedra dice, and had just bought another set whilst writing this post up. They were used in a game known as Dungeons and Dragons during my schooling years. I was more interested in the dice than the game.)

We've reached the business end of the football season. Only the bravest will think Man Utd still has a chance of catching runaway leaders Chelsea. Here's an attempt to quantify just how small the chances of Man Utd overhauling Chelsea and putting one over Mr. Boh Ho Seh are.

Background information

Man Utd has eight matches left, of which three are away. One of those three away matches is against Chelsea. Chelsea has seven matches left, of which four are away. The most vital statistic is of course Man Utd is 12 points in arrears. Here are the remaining matches for the two clubs:

For Man Utd,
West Ham, Bolten (a), Arsenal, Sunderland, Tottenham (a), Middlesbrough, Chelsea (a) and Charlton

For Chelsea,
Birmingham (a), West Ham, Bolten (a), Everton, Blackburn (a), Man Utd and Newcastle (a)

Assumptions

Ignoring the match against Chelsea, I assume the chances of winning each of the remaining seven matches for Man Utd to be uniform, i.e. the same. This is to simplify calculations. I also have to make the simplifying assumption of ignoring draws. These same assumptions apply to Chelsea as well.

And I'm ignoring the currently healthier goal difference of Chelsea.

Model

Now here's the model.

The match against Chelsea, I consider special enough to warrant separate consideration. I am therefore going to calculate the overall probability hinging on its outcome. The remaining seven matches for Man Utd, I model with a Binomial Distribution, with one set of parameters. The remaining six matches for Chelsea, I model with another Binomial Distribution, with another set of parameters.

Now, Man Utd is playing at away for this match. That gives Chelsea a distinct advantage. As such, I assign a probability of 0.3 that Man Utd wins it.

If that fortuitous event takes place, it means Man Utd will be 9 points in arrears, i.e. they have to win 3 more matches in their remaining matches than Chelsea. Keep in mind Man Utd do have a game in hand over Chelsea. If however, Man Utd loses it, it means they will be 15 points behind, i.e. they have to win 5 more matches in their remaining matches than Chelsea (we shall see later that this probability is virtually zero).

Now to estimate the parameters for the Binomial Distributions of both clubs. The matches that are away from home will get lower predictions for the team's winning probabilities, as is expected.

For Man Utd, here are my estimates of their chances of winning each of their remaining matches (given in square brackets after the team's name):

West Ham [0.8], Bolten (a) [0.7], Arsenal [0.5], Sunderland [0.95], Tottenham (a) [0.65], Middlesbrough [0.9] and Charlton [0.85]

Here are my corresponding estimates for Chelsea:

Birmingham (a) [0.9], West Ham [0.8], Bolten (a) [0.7], Everton [0.8], Blackburn (a) [0.7] and Newcastle (a) [0.75]

Now to make them uniform (see Assumptions above), I take the average of these for both teams. That gives 0.764 for Man Utd and 0.775 for Chelsea. In other words, for the seven remaining matches of Man Utd, we are modelling it with the Binomial(7, 0.764) distribution. For Chelsea, it will be the Binomial(6, 0.775) distribution.

Results

So what we're after boils down to this:

Probability(Man Utd wins the league) = Probability(Man Utd beats Chelsea) x Probability(Man Utd wins three more matches than Chelsea for their respective remaining matches) + Probability(Man Utd loses to Chelsea) x Probability(Man Utd wins five more matches than Chelsea for their respective remaining matches)

For Probability(Man Utd beats Chelsea), we already know this from above. It's 0.3. Probability(Man Utd loses to Chelsea) is therefore just 1 - 0.3 = 0.7.

For the other probabilities, they're a bit more tedious:

Probability(Man Utd wins three more matches than Chelsea for their respective remaining matches) = Probability(Man Utd wins 7) x Probability(Chelsea wins 4 or fewer) + Probability(Man Utd wins 6) x Probability(Chelsea wins 3 or fewer) + ...you get the idea... + Probability(Man Utd wins 3) x Probability(Chelsea loses all 6)

Probability(Man Utd wins five more matches than Chelsea for their respective remaining matches) follows the same logic.

Here's where the two Binomial Distributions come into play. I won't go through all the calculations because they are similar. So just one example should suffice. Let's consider say, Probability(Man Utd wins 4):

Probability(Man Utd wins 4 and loses 3) = 7C4 x 0.764^4 x (1-0.764)^3 = 0.157

Keep in mind also that the probabilities for Chelsea are actually sums of individual probabilities. Let's consider Probability(Chelsea wins 4 or fewer) as an example:

Probability(Chelsea wins 4 or fewer) = Probability(Chelsea wins 4) + Probability(Chelsea wins 3) + Probability(Chelsea wins 2) + Probability(Chelsea wins 1) + Probability(Chelsea wins none)

OK, *Phew*, now putting all that together (you'll have to trust my binomial calculations), we obtain

Probability(Man Utd wins the league) = 0.3 x 0.113 + 0.7 x 0.003 = 0.037

In other words, 3.7% chance or an odds of about 1 in 27.

Conclusion

So like everyone has suspected or assumed, we can basically kiss our chances goodbye. Till next season then.

Akan Datang: Diary, blog

18 days to go.

The plan and slightly beyond

2006-03-26T07:18:00.000+08:00

Don't laugh.

I've already made plans for the entire weekend that is 15th-16th April, thereby extending The Plan a little.

Venue and time of dinner for the evening on 15th April is virtually confirmed, though one invitation is still outstanding. In fact, pre-orders for the dishes will be made on the day before.

Kiasu, right?

On the 16th, I will need to go look for 慧's promised gifts. Yes, they will be from Singapore. :P At the same time, I'll be meeting up with the first of my pals. We're going to watch the Singapore GaGa docu-movie. It'll be the last day of its planned run, so I had asked my pal to help get the tickets early. That has since been accomplished.

Kiasu, right?

19 days to go.

I get my little kicks IV

2006-03-25T06:58:00.000+08:00

Two of my favourite eateries/restaurants' owners have asked me when I am going home. On consecutive days too. Heh.

The first is a smallish eatery run by a young Hong Kong couple. They have two daughters, around 7 and 8. The eatery is located near a hospital and till today, I find it quite a comical sight to see so many patients, some in wheelchairs, some in drip, making their way into the eatery and ordering food. The food in the hospital must really suck.

I'm such a regular customer, they give me an unmentioned discount everytime I am there. A couple of days ago, I was there again. Out of the blue, the wife asked me,

"So when are you going home?"

Upon which I gave my favourite "less than one month" answer.

The second is a restaurant owned by a Singaporean in his 50s. I only found out he was Singaporean a year after I've been here. When time allows, he would ask me an odd question or two and I the same to him. I had in fact bumped into him at the Sydney airport once, when we were both returning home for the summer break of 2004/2005. We had flashed knowing grins at each other then.

After paying for my order that day, he looked up and asked me,

"So are you going home for the Easter break?"

Upon which I gave my favourite "yes, but I am going home for good this time" answer.

20 days to go.

Why I dislike the Commonwealth Games

2006-03-24T22:38:00.000+08:00

It causes the Late Show to be later.

Just over 21 days to go.

Convoluted junior

2006-03-24T07:08:00.000+08:00

Coincidences have a strange way of timing themselves. I've recently "met" three juniors from my profession. All within the space of a fortnight.

Two of them had found me via my blog. One of these two is a Singaporean too. *Grin*

The third was introduced to me in person in a rather roundabout manner. You see, she is my ex-housemate's wife's ex-colleague's new housemate. No, I am not making this up. Allow me to explain.

The ex-housemate I am talking about here is Dan, so the wife is of course Stef. She had a colleague, also from China, who has just left her department. Despite that, they (actually, more like we, since I am included) still meet up regularly on weekends for fun and games. At around the same time, she also moved to a new apartment and would you have it, her new housemate is an actuarial undergraduate studying in the same university.

Somehow, they've mentioned me to her and she was keen to meet me (I suspect they exaggerated some facts), the "granddad" student. And once we met, she started bombarding me with questions on all things actuarial. I was able to reply to them all and even offer more, because I have a close friend in the line now working in Beijing. He fills me in on the actuarial line in China occasionally and I was able to pass on this information to her. She also seemed to be in awe of me, most probably because I "only" (key punctuation!) have two papers to go. It was a strange feeling having someone confess to being envious of you on the first meeting.

Oh, and I wasn't exaggerating about being a "granddad" student. She is a full decade my junior, both in age and in the exams. Like most new entrants to the line, she seemed to be in a big hurry to complete the exams. After I told her about my exams history (read failures) and some of the horror stories I've heard of, she became much more subdued. But I believe I painted a realistic enough picture of the profession for her. Hopefully, she will be able to make a more informed decision when she graduates.

The common denominator of all three chance "meetings" was, I was able to offer a little bit of help in my own puny way. That left behind a residual feel-good feeling. Enough to make me want to write about it.

21 days to go.

Actuaries use dice

2006-03-23T13:38:00.000+08:00

So says my second regular reader.

I had sent out a similarly worded e-mail to two of my readers. One lao jiao and one newbie. Just to poke see poke see what their reaction will be:

"Whilst "researching" for a blog post yesterday, I came across this:

http://www.warpuppy.com/chessex-speckled-polyhedral-stealth-p-103.html

and made an impulse purchase. *Grin*"

The old bird reader came back with this reply:

"Simplified mind of mine associates your profession with numbers. Ordinary dice for ordinary users. Actuarial professionals use the dice you just bought."

22 dicey days to go.

More reasons for excitement

2006-03-23T10:18:00.000+08:00

Besides home, besides exams, besides new readers, there has been a couple more reasons to get excited about.

Firstly, the cover of volume six of The Complete Peanuts has just been released. (Reference here)

And I've of course pre-ordered volume five eons ago, from my favourite local online bookshop. That'll arrive at my doorstep in May. (Reference again here)

Then there is the release of version 11 of 三國志. It's the Japanese version but that should mean the Chinese version will be out in about half year's time. (Reference here)

Still 22 days to go.

P.S. Since I am on the topic of excitement. My landlord, Jim, has recently been getting real excited after discovering eBay. He has just bought two new handphones for himself and his wife through it. And in the process of doing so, saved about AU$160 per phone off the listed price. He's happy as a lark.

<宴席>

2006-03-23T07:28:00.000+08:00

Recently, it has been a case of 三天一小宴，五天一大宴.

Maybe my pals over here know my style liao, i.e. everything settle early early better. Or perhaps they're being considerate, knowing my exam is next Tuesday and my report is due on the 13th April. Or they feel I need the time near my departure date to get presents and to pack my luggage. If that is so, then they've underestimated me. :P

In any case, they've been asking me out almost simultaneously, at this early date, to bid me their respective early goodbyes. So it has been a string of lunches, yumchas and dinners for the past week or two. This coming weekend, Dan, Stef, Fred and I are planning to splurge AU$50 each on some lobster lunch at the Sydney Fish Market.

Hopefully, all these will make a difference to my weight. I need to gain some! I believe I am still 3kg down from my pre-Sydney weight. And even back then, I was already underweight (BMI was like 18-19).

Don't be too (key word) envious now, my lady readers.

And don't be too envious too, my one male reader (this added on request by my sole male reader).

22 days to go.

Chinese phrases

2006-03-22T06:08:00.000+08:00

Conversing frequently in chinese with Dan, Stef and Fred inevitably improves my own. I've picked up quite a number of phrases from them, some of which I've never heard of nor used in my life:

i) 拖拉機 - This literally means some machine or vehicle that pulls a trailor. But they use it to mean a hand of cards where the numbers run in a series, e.g. Ace with King and Queen. They enjoy playing a card game called 八十分 which is a little like Bridge (so they tell me). I usually just watch them play because I really suck at it, especially the memorising bit.

ii) 估計 - Literally means estimate but they use it more to mean "I suppose".

iii) 55555... - Read the numbers in chinese, i.e. 伍伍伍伍伍。。。 They are actually the sounds of a person weeping. It appears in their e-mails to me a lot.

iv) 趨勢 - Trend. Dan uses this to erm... explain Stef's weight a lot. :P

v) 擒 - To press, as in pressing buttons. We normally use 按 in Singapore, but I suppose 擒 sounds more classy and polished.

vi) 牛 - Bullish or strong. Used interchangeably with 強. It seems like everytime I tell a new China friend I am in the actuarial line, they will use this word on me.

vii) 鉄感 - This one's a little difficult to explain. Literally means metallic feeling. It is used to describe that feeling of brotherhood. I once told Fred the French beans dish he made was very tasty and 鉄感 was his reply.

viii) 一刻 - Quarter of an hour. I had thought this meant 5 minutes until I double-checked with them.

ix) 做人要低調 - A reminder to be humble. Actually, we use it more as a dig at the other person/team. For example, when we've (as in Dan and I) just won a tennis match against them (as in Stef and Fred), we'll do some impromptu celebration, then we'll follow that up with a very audible reminder to each other to 做人要低調.

x) 爽 - Shiok!

xi) 奔四 - thirty something pushing forty. It actually came from the chinese name of the Pentium 4. Fred, the only one still in his twenties, used that term on the three of us, despite the fact that we're still very much in our EARLY thirties. You can also have 奔三 to mean a person in his/her twenties pushing thirty.

xii) 拍連續劇 - doing "big business". Yes, "that" big business. There was once when we were waiting for everyone to be ready before starting a DVD movie. Dan was still missing, so I asked Stef where he was. She pointed to the loo and said 在拍連續劇 with a snigger.

Actually, there are a whole lot more. But I tend to remember the easier ones only. The cheem cheem ones, I've returned to them liao.

Akan Datang: What are the odds?

23 days to go.

My birthday "gift"

2006-03-21T07:28:00.000+08:00

In a phone call last Christmas, 慧 and I were "discussing" what gift she wanted when I returned to Singapore for good. That seemed simple enough for her. “鴨鴨！” and that was the end of that discussion.

But it wasn't the end of the conversation, for she suddenly turned around and asked me what my favourite animal was. For want of something to say, I blurted out my chinese zodiac sign, i.e. the Rabbit. Then she turned to my mum and asked the same question. Who also played along and replied Pig.

Small sidetrack. My plan to get her another duck has since been vetoed (behind her back of course). But I have back-up plans and she has already bitten the bait. :P

OK, back to the main story.

I have since forgotten about that phone call. That was until my birthday.

“慧慧，gu gu打電話囘來。快點來跟gu gu happy birthday。” (Translation: Gu gu is on the phone. Come quickly to wish him a happy birthday.)

Sounds of a chair pushed back (she must be drawing or snipping again) and pattering feet,

“Ggguuu ggguuuuuuu! Happy birthday!!!”

“Ok! Thank you arh, 慧慧！慧慧有沒有買present給gu gu？” (Did you get me a present?)

“有！” (Yes!)

“買甚麽present？” (What did you buy?)

“買Rabbit的present。” (I bought you a Rabbit. But of course, I knew she didn't actually buy me one. She was just saying it off the cuff.)

I was really really surprised she remembered that little nugget of information. This has to be my best ever birthday present.

24 days to go.

Old songs I miss

2006-03-20T07:18:00.000+08:00

Nostalgia hit me after my earlier Karaoke trip, where I had heard 黃韻玲's 出發 for the first time after a lapse of maybe 5 years. Titles of old (read early to mid 90s) songs that I had enjoyed but have not heard for ages started re-surfacing from my subconscious. Maybe I can hear some of them in the next Karaoke outing, if there is to be any more.

I've since made a list of these songs:

i) Don't Break My Heart by 黑豹

ii) 最浪漫的事 by 趙詠華

iii) 十二少 by 伊能靜

iv) 靠進 by 庾澄慶

v) 味道 and 遺忘 by 辛曉琪

vi) 盡在不言中 by 周慧敏

vii) 風箏 by 陳昇

viii) 鍾愛我一生 by 杜德偉

ix) 寂寞公路 by 伍思凱

x) 愛情的盡頭 by 伍佰

xi) 亂了 by 關淑怡

Some of these singers, e.g. 趙詠華 and 陳昇, are on my so-called "nearly" list. Singers whom I like, but not enough to want to get their albums. And no, I very the support original music one, so no downloading from the internet for me.

25 days to go.

I get my little kicks III

2006-03-19T16:38:00.000+08:00

From the RTA:

"Our records show that a Driver's Licence Renewal Notice was sent to you some time ago and that you have not renewed your licence which expired on 26 February 2006.

If you have renewed your licence since 13 March 2006 or you do not want to continue driving (my own bold), please disregard this reminder. Alternatively, if you wish to continue driving, you should attend a motor registry and renew your licence."

Still 26 days to go.

Scissors

2006-03-19T06:18:00.000+08:00

慧 has recently mastered the scissors. Not just random snipping, but actually cutting out shapes drawn on paper. (This, I so gotta see when I get back!)

And like any other new toy, she has recently been cutting through a lot of paper with her pair of scissors. Of course, we don't leave her alone when she is at it; Someone is always besides her whilst she is snipping away.

On the first couple of days of her new found skill, she was at it for almost the entire day. Everyday. Until one fine afternoon, she finally put down her scissors and told my mum,

“Ma ma, 我手酸。” (Translation: Grandma, my hands ache.)

Her obsession with snipping has since died down a little.

Last Wednesday evening, my sis had brought printouts of uncoloured pictures of ducks (what else!) for 慧 to colour, cut out and paste onto another piece of paper. 慧 seems to enjoy doing that a lot.

The following day, she wanted to get started on it and told Grandma so. But she had wanted to do it in reverse order, i.e. cutting them out first before colouring. Grandma insisted on otherwise and a mini "cold war" resulted. In the end, 慧 simply refused to touch those duck pictures.

Tsk tsk tsk...

That lasted all the way till Friday night, when my sis came around to pick her up. My sis was naturally quizzed at why those duck pictures were all left untouched. Every single piece of them.

“慧慧，爲甚麽鴨鴨沒有colour，沒有剪出來？”

My niece turned around, gave it some thought and replied firmly,

“我沒空！”

Tsk tsk tsk...

26 days to go.

New recruit

2006-03-18T06:58:00.000+08:00

We've found a new recruit for Xbox tennis. And I've found a 徒弟 and 接班人.

He's a new student from Stef's former university. Another of those from the exchange program between the two universities. He has only been here for about a month and the guys are already working hard to "convert" him to our ways. :P

Indeed, he himself had professed to being fearful of his life in Sydney, i.e. dry and boring, until we had rescued him. Heh.

We, actually primarily I, am now in the midst of teaching him the intricacies of Top Spin. I was joking that I can retire my created player in style in a month's time after the new recruit has mastered the game and created his own player.

That's right, you can create your own player in Top Spin (to match your own characteristics). Right down to facial features, body shape, body size and glasses! Then you can train up your player according to your own preferences, picking from the different sets of skills available, within a pre-set quota. Dan, Fred and I have long created and fully-trained our own.

You know, it'll be kindda sad to leave behind my full-trained, fully-customised Top Spin player.

Yeeeeaaaah, right! HA HA HA...

27 days to go.

Commencement on Conclusion

2006-03-17T05:48:00.000+08:00

I've finally got my butt moving this week on writing up the Conclusion to my lengthy report. It should at the most be only a couple of pages long.

Despite that, I had been real reluctant on getting started on it and had been procrastinating for like a fortnight. I have instead been spending that time making corrections to the main body as my immediate boss reviews it and gives me his suggestions, perfecting my graphs, checking my own grammar, punctuation and spelling, re-checking my references and adjusting font sizes. In other words, everything, except writing up that Conclusion.

I think it is just me.

I don't want to conclude until I am very sure everything is nice and dandy.

I don't want to be caught concluding (and celebrating) prematurely because it feels like putting the cart before the horse.

I don't want to conclude because I might get lazy after that and not bother with the body anymore, even if I were to find something wrong with it later.

But I DO want to conclude. I'm glad I've finally gotten around to it.

28 days to go.

I get my little kicks II

2006-03-16T13:18:00.000+08:00

I sat down, surprised to find that there wasn't any other customer. My regular hairdresser reached for the nearest plastic cover (what's the proper name for this?) and threw it over me.

"So this will be your last time here? Second last time?"

"Second last time."

She gave me a big knowing grin. So big, I could see her white pearlies on the mirror without my glasses.

Still 29 days to go.

No. 3

2006-03-16T07:38:00.000+08:00

This time round, I am No. 3.

Receiving the exam entry permit always gets the adrenaline pumping a bit. I could feel my mental state click into the fifth gear once the letter fell into my hands.

Oh boy oh boy...

29 days to go.

Keychains

2006-03-15T08:08:00.000+08:00

“Gu gu,慧慧買Bear Bear的keychain送給你。” (Translation: I've bought a Pooh Bear keychain for you. From Disneyland of course.)

"Orh. Thank you ah, 慧慧."

I collect keychains. Have I mentioned that before? It's yet another of my weird hobbies. This one probably started during my early teens when I received a few keychains as gifts from various sources simultaneously. After that, I started going out specially to look for them. I believe I have over 150 now.

I take this hobby rather seriously too. They're kept in those sealed plastic containers to prevent exposure to air and rust. On top of that, I will oil the metallic parts from time to time, with some hairdressing cream (I am not kidding). Those that are 24K gold coated, I keep them in tiny ziplock bags to further protect them (I really am not kidding).

I'm not into those keychains where you have a small piece of picture declaring you have been a Hawaii or such. Instead, I like those with everyday objects. Shoes, food, cigarettes, dice, billiard set (numbers 1 to 15 plus the cue ball!)... etc.

My favourite keychain, or rather set of keychains, involved Ah-Gee. Heh, he seems to get involved in all the stranger tales I've related here, doesn't he? Anyway, this set of keychains is a FULL SET of mahjong tiles. Yes, every single tile with a keychain attached.

So how did Ah-Gee come into the picture, you ask? Well, this set is homemade and he made them for me. I think it was shortly after graduation. He was still looking for work and had some time on his hands. I had received four such keychains (東，南，西，北) from my new colleague who had just been to 女人街 in Hong Kong. I showed them to Ah-Gee and mentioned it was a pity I cannot find the full set anywhere in Singapore.

Upon which he hatched the idea of making them for me. Getting those small sized tiles (each about the size of your thumb) wasn't too difficult. Getting those keychains to attach to the tiles seemed a bit trickier but he had his lobangs. Drilling the holes into them at the correct angle and without cracking them was probably the biggest challenge of them all.

A few weeks later, he showed me the completed articles. Well, I was most impressed. He did pretty nifty work on them. And I have to believe nowhere in Singapore or perhaps in the world would you be able to get a full set of mahjong tiles on keychains.

Yet another of my treasured gifts from a friend.

My latest acquisitions to the collection would be the Pooh Bear I've mentioned above and a 棺材. The latter comes with a sliding lid. My mum had seen it at Great World City about a month ago and bought it for me. That should be quite a hoot to look at!

Since I've left Singapore for Sydney, some of my keychain collection have become toys for my niece. But my mum has been careful enough to keep the more fragile ones. Hopefully, everything will still be intact when I return.

Akan Datang: Chinese phrases

30 days to go.

Edit: The pictures below were added on 25th May 2006. They were taken after my return home, thanks to the digital camera borrowed from my sis:The first half of my keychain collection. The jackpot machine on the extreme left actually works (with a battery of course).The second and more interesting half of my collection. Note the full set of pool balls, mahjong set, and pair of brass fish keychains I had mentioned in a guest blog post.

Hair band

2006-03-14T07:18:00.000+08:00

More from the Disneyland holiday...

慧 had seen a Pooh Bear hair band at one of the multitude of merchandise stores there and declared that she wanted to be "Bear Bear" for one day. So she did. Probably at the store where she first saw the hair band.
"Light" activities (read break for mum and dad) time. Note the infamous and omnipresent Mr. Beanie Duck who "took part" in the activities as well.
On the MTR train.
In the Mickey Mouse maze.

I've been told that there are already plans to visit ALL the Disneylands over the next couple of years, starting with the one in Tokyo. At this rate, Mr. Beanie Duck will be more well-travelled than gu gu.

31 days to go.

I get my little kicks

2006-03-13T09:58:00.000+08:00

*Ring... ring*

"Hello."

Brief silence.

"Hello?"

Still nothing. At the back of my mind, I know it most probably is one of those automated dialors and there'll be someone advertising something to me once they take the call.

"Hello?"

"Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon to you too."

"May I speak to Mr. Johnson please?" (That'll be my landlord)

"He's the landlord here but he doesn't stay here."

"So you are his tenant?"

"Yes."

"I have a house loan package here that I'm sure you'll be interested in. It offers the best rates in town and I'm sure you would want to become your own homeowner, don't you?"

"No."

A pregnant pause.

"But why not?"

"Because I am leaving Australia soon."

"Oh, ok. Then have a good day then. Bye."

"You too. Bye."

Still 32 days to go.

School assignments

2006-03-13T07:18:00.000+08:00

Time seems elastic at times, its pace changing according to one's perspective.

Ma ma told me late last week that 慧 will not need to go to the nursery this week.

Huh, but why?

It is the one week school break.

Oh. Already?

Yes, it has been ten weeks since that first day in nursery which got all of us sweating over.

You mean it has been ten weeks already?

Yes. Time "flies", hey?

To mark the end of the semester, 慧's worksheets were returned to us. They were mostly pictures for colouring, with a few of those join-the-appropriate-category-with-a-line type, e.g. honey is to bees as milk is to cows.

These worksheets were actually dated and "marked" by the teacher. Closer examination of them revealed interesting developments in 慧's emotional state and learning. She had always been reasonably good at her colouring, even before attending nursery. When she put her heart into it, she can colour a mean picture.

So we were initially surprised to see her first few colourings in nursery. They were very messy. She didn't bother colouring within the lines. In fact, it was all over the place. A lot of strength was exerted on the colour pencils and this transferred onto the paper. And she tended to doodle other pictures on them, e.g. Pingu.

They seemed to convey a sense of frustration. At having to attend school. Of being alone, without her loved ones whom she had gotten so used to. Not knowing exactly what to make of the sudden change. Discomfort.

These symptoms slowly but surely subsided. Her recent work were quite impeccable. She (as in 慧) even proudly pointed out to us the three stars her teacher stamped on almost all of her recent worksheets when they were brought home.

When my mum related this story to me, the first "person" I thought of was Mr. Beanie Duck. I guess I understand even more so now the sudden elevation of his status in early January.

32 days to go.

La Perouse

2006-03-12T06:38:00.000+08:00

Yet another good part about having Dan and Stef back are the impromptu field trips we occasionally go on. About a fortnight ago, after a particularly sumptious sushi dinner (newly opened restaurant, so got big discount), we decided upon a trip to La Perouse to see the sunset.

Now, I've been to La Perouse quite a number of times. It is a little mound of land jutting out into a bay, so you can see water almost all around it. It's quite a picturesque tourist spot. La Perouse is actually the name of a French explorer who was one of the earliest explorers to discover Australia.

Here are a few of the pics we took whilst there:
At the centre of this little hilltop is a watchtower. I thought it looked a lot like the Rook piece in international chess.
Connecting to the outermost part of La Perouse is a tiny island known as Bare Island. It used to be a defence post with cannons and such.
A crow and a seagull on the little hilltop.
And of course, what we had set out to see that evening. The sunset at La Perouse.

33 days to go.

卡拉永遠OK

2006-03-11T09:18:00.000+08:00

Last night, or rather, this morning, at close to 1a.m., I received a phone call from Dan. He tried to sound surprised at the fact that I was still awake but failed spectacularly. They had decided inpromptu to go Karaoke and wanted to invite me along.

At 1a.m.? Will anything be open in Sydney at 1a.m.?

Oh yes, we know of one that is open till 4a.m. We're trying to round up the people (meaning their friends from Stef's former university in Shanghai) and hope to get as many as possible.

I told him I can't sing to save my own dear life, but I will tag along. Five minutes later, I had changed and was outside waiting for their car. Not surprisingly, there were just the four of us (Dan, Stef, Fred and me) in the end. I asked about the "others". He laughed and said all of the "others" had gone to bed at 10p.m. He gave up trying after disturbing a few of them from their slumber. So there.

I cannot remember the last time I had gone to a Karaoke. Maybe it was during my undergraduate days. Seemed to recall going with a group of friends that included 秋. Technology never ceases to amaze me. And it did so again last night. Not only that, I was surprised by the wide repertoire of chinese songs available at the Karaoke. In Sydney no less!

The three of them seemed to enjoy themselves a lot singing. And I enjoyed their antics a lot. Fred tended to shuffle slowly backwards and kick as he tried to scale the notes. Stef would declare from time to time she was going to sing properly NOW, then promptly stood on the sofa and sang whilst lightly bouncing on it (Dan explained to me later that's her definition of singing properly).

After hearing them ~~destroy~~ belt out a few oldies, it suddenly occurred to me the Karaoke may carry singers or songs that I had come to love but for some reason never got around to purchasing. Top on that list was 黃韻玲's 出發. I believe it's a song from 1993.

Surprise surprise, they had it. I remember first hearing this song in JC2 on radio. Before I could make up my mind about getting the CD then, enlistment, BMT and an ex-girlfriend combined to push that idea to the back of my mind.

But it had re-entered my conscious mind recently, without any known trigger, and I have been toying with the idea of getting the CD since (if I can still find it). Hearing it for the first time in years, on a decent sound system, had left quite an impression on me.

I've now decided to look for it when I get home. 飛鷹 at Shaw Tower may just have it.

Still 34 days to go.

P.S. The title of this post is actually the title of an Alan Tam song from his 1990 album, 夢幻舞台.

Prime number

2006-03-11T00:38:00.000+08:00

Prime numbers are positive integers with only two integer divisors, i.e. unity (the sexier name of 1) and itself. Another way to say it is, prime numbers are numbers that cannot be factored.

Prime numbers have many interesting properties. For example, according to the fundamental theorem of arithmetic, any positive integer can be represented in exactly one way as a product of prime numbers.

A fine example of a prime number is 31.

Oh well... it's just a number.

34 days to go.

Gone regional

2006-03-10T12:08:00.000+08:00

I've recently gone regional. West Malaysia, to be exact. Because of this post.

Heh.

It gave me a strange sense of satisfaction. Totally unlike that when I discover I have new readers.

Anyway, I hope what I've wrote there and my replies to your e-mails have been of help, CM. Pass exams must tell me, ok?

Still 35 days to go.

Nifty hands

2006-03-10T05:28:00.000+08:00

I probably don't sound it or look it, but I have pretty nifty hands. I used to enjoy (actually I still do) doing craftwork. I discovered this skill during my secondary school years, during the Art lessons.

I used to handmake pop-up cards and send them to some of my friends. Those 180-degrees type where you need to string parts of the cut-out patterns to the base piece of construction paper. It wasn't often though, for they can be quite time-consuming.

But that's not my favourite type of craftwork. Indeed, I've stopped making them eons ago.

My favourite craftwork is 剪紙. The correct or traditional way to do it is with rice paper and a pair of sharp scissors. I was introduced to it by my Art teacher and the way we did it was with a photostated pattern or design, construction paper and a pen knife. It was very time-consuming too. I remember spending one whole weekend on the one assigned for homework. But finishing it without any mishaps gave me immense satisfaction. That was how I got started on it.

I used to look out for designs or patterns from the newspapers. Sometimes, they'll appear in advertisements, especially during Chinese New Year. I got a set of zodiac signs' designs from one such advertisement. Unfortunately, good designs are few and far between.

My favourite set of designs is, not surprisingly, of 三國演義 characters. I had gone to some chinese culture exhibition at the Chinese Chamber of Commerce during my NS years (NS years very eng, you see) and saw the set there. It was a set of ten of the more famous characters from 三國演義. Very exquisitely cut, and on rice paper too! The original type!

I remember debating with myself on whether to buy it. You see, they were going for $40, that's $4 per paper cutting (!), and NS pay then (and now too) isn't exactly something to crow about. I hesitated, then left the exhibition. After a short walk, I decided to the hell with it and doubled back to get the set. Afterwhich I got each design photostated (with great care!) for my own use. Each character design can sit comfortably on an A4 sized piece of paper.

Then I started cutting. And cutting. And cutting. These were the largest designs I've ever gotten my hands on and they required real patience. In the end, each character took me about one to two months to complete. I would spend about half an hour every day on it. Anything beyond that, my hands would start tiring and I would start getting impatient. That's when mistakes occur.

I have since completed cutting seven of the ten characters. They are namely 劉備，諸葛亮，關羽，張飛，趙云，黃忠 and 馬超. The latter five characters are of course the infamous 五虎將 and are collectively my personal favourite. I'm really proud of these particular five cuttings. Some of these seven designs, I've done multiple pieces and gave them away as gifts for friends (I am not kidding).

Unfortunately, I can't post pictures of the seven here as they are obviously at home in Singapore. You'll have to take my word for it.

I had also on occasion shown my work to some friends and they inevitably will gasp and comment on the patience and care I must have then to complete them without mishaps. I suppose I did.

And maybe still do, for more recently, another person was to make this same comment to me, but on an entirely different matter. It was from my immediate boss.

I had shown him a certain handwritten mathematical proof that ran into pages (for that recent publication I had mentioned some time back). It wasn't a cheem proof and I was able to summarise the basic steps to him in a few sentences. But it was a tedious long-drawn proof. After seeing my pages of neat and small (keywords) scribblings, he made that comment.

I suspect he never did double-check my workings for possible errors. Actually, I suspect the reviewers didn't as well. Maybe that's how we got it published! :P

35 days to go.

Edit: The pictures below were added on 25th May 2006. They were taken after my return home, thanks to the digital camera borrowed from my sis. Click through to see larger pics of the paper cuttings:劉備 in emperor robes. And yes, that's an eunuch standing behind him and fanning him.諸葛亮 in his traditional fanning pose.關羽 reading a book. Standing behind him is his loyal servant, 周倉. He is carrying 關羽's weapon of choice.張飛, with his weapon of choice.趙云 with spear and sword (plundered from one of 曹操's generals). If you look carefully, you will find again a baby wrapped in his 戰袍.黃忠, who is known for his archery skills, hence the bow.馬超 with traditional headgear. He is from the north-western part of China.

Impatience, a subset of 浮躁

2006-03-09T04:38:00.000+08:00

My niece is getting increasingly impatient about my prolonged absence from home. Initially, we had told her I would be back after Christmas. Then that became after Chinese New Year. Most recently, we have been telling her after her Disneyland trip. Of course, all these dates and events have passed us by. We're rapidly running out of "after"s.

Her impatience is causing mine to grow as well.

On a different note, but leading to the same conclusion, there has been a stabbing of an old man in his own home late in the night recently in my suburb. Despite his shouts for help, his neighbours did not venture out to help. In a way, I can understand why. The old man is now in hospital, fighting for his life.

Some time ago, there was this other piece of news about Sydney bus drivers' protests. They did not want to drive through certain areas (one of them being a neighbouring suburb) at night because many of them had suffered beatings. Then there was the other one about two fourteen year olds robbing and killing a cab driver, also at night. The list goes on...

I've heard so many such stories over here, I'm getting genuinely sick of it. But this most recent one about the old man's stabbing struck really close to heart. Because it is in the very suburb I am staying in. It might have even taken place a few streets away from my own apartment.

And my suburb is supposedly one of the safer suburbs.

Yeah, right.

I've never ever felt safe in Sydney. Back home, I can be walking around in the death of the night without ever having to check over my shoulders, without having to squint to make out if that was a shadow moving ahead of me or just my imagination and without giving up altogether and just staying put in the apartment once it gets dark.

Such events just forces my own impatience, at time and at getting home, to resurface. Actually, impatience does not quite describe how I really feel. Perhaps I can borrow a term from Faye Wong:

浮躁.

36 days to go.

Ole!

2006-03-08T04:38:00.000+08:00

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is my second all-time favourite Man Utd player, behind Giggs. Whilst Giggs is known as the Welsh Wizard, Solskjaer's nickname is Baby Faced Assassin.Seriously baby-faced, right? He has just turned 33, but this pic should be taken a couple of years back. Sorry ladies, he is already married with two children.

Unlike Giggs, I cannot pinpoint exactly why I admire Solskjaer this much as a football player. Perhaps because he is such a natural and gifted finisher (read striker). Perhaps because he too, like Giggs, is very loyal to the club (he had turned down several moves to other Premiership clubs despite not holding down a permanent first XI place in the team). Perhaps because he has always been and still is such a humble player and servant of the club.

Oh yes, he is a very natural and clinical finisher. No better example than the match against Nottingham Forest on 6th February 1999. Deep into the second half, Man Utd was already leading 4-1. Home and safe, 3 points in the bag. So the manager, affectionately known to us as Fergie, threw on Solskjaer with 15 minutes to go, to save the legs of his captain, Roy Keane, for more important battles ahead. What did our Baby Faced Assassin do? He proceeded to score four in the last 13 minutes of the game. 8-1 was the final score.

Still, that was not the highlight of his career. Ask any Red Devils fan and they will tell you that it would HAVE TO BE his injury time winner in the Champions' League final of 1999. That won Man Utd's second European crown, the first being way way back in 1968. That goal made him a 20legend amongst us fans.
Pic from Man Utd Zone. The moment that will remain immortalised forever in the hearts and minds of all Red Devils' fans, when Solskjaer stuck out a foot to score that injury time winner in the Champion's League final on 26th May 1999 against Bayern Munich.

Solskjaer is Norwegian, by the way. Like Giggs, Solskjaer did not get to display his skills much on the international level. He did however get to play in a World Cup (1998 edition) and in a European Championships (2000 edition). More importantly, he played in that famous victory over Brazil in the '98 World Cup group stages match that ensured Norway qualified for the second round. How often do you hear of Brazil getting beaten in a World Cup?

Sadly, Solskjaer has been injured for about two consecutive years now (since May 2004). Despite his lengthy recuperation, fans have not forgotten about him. Well, I know I haven't. I dearly wish he would score at least once more before retiring for good. To be forced into retirement due to injury just leaves a bitter aftertaste, even if he had enjoyed a highly successful career.

Indeed, his recent comeback progress has been good. Fergie has expressed his optimism about it. And he himself seemed to have gotten through recent reserves matches ok. Fingers crossed!

(Edit: The following is added at 8:38a.m.)

This piece of news just in. Shucks!

(Edit: Another update, this at 8:48p.m.)

I wonder if he'll ever play for Man Utd again. *Big Sigh*

Akan Datang: Keychains

37 days to go.

In limbo

2006-03-07T06:58:00.000+08:00

So I've gotten my farewell gifts done a long time ago.

So I've more or less packed (I can leave in a day's notice, if I can do so).

So I'm almost home and dry with respect to my work. Just waiting for my boss to finishing reviewing it.

So I've almost completed my preparations for the exam that will fall on 28th March.

It seems like I've built in too big a buffer this time round, resulting in a recent pervasive feeling of being neither here nor there.

It's like driving a car off a cliff at speed, then everything goes slow-mo whilst the opposite cliff slowly comes into view.

It's like seeing a singular pimple on your face and having to stop yourself from squeezing it everytime you see it on a mirror (incidentally, I hardly ever get pimples and I use normal soap only :P).

It's like being a worried husband and father-to-be, pacing a hospital's corridors whilst waiting for news of your Significant Other's well-being and the arrival of the baby.

I hate it when I'm in limbo. And I know you hate it too, Le Tis. Hopefully this month will go quickly enough for both of us.

38 days to go.

More language marvels

2006-03-06T08:18:00.000+08:00

More language marvels from my niece.

She had described a little of her Disneyland escapade to me on the phone. Amongst other things, the flight experience, the kiddy rides, the photo taking and of course how much she wants to go back again. Then grandma interrupted by asking her from the background,

“慧慧在Disneyland住幾樓？” (Translation: Which floor did you stay on in the Disneyland hotel?)

"Bhat lao."

39 days to go.

End of moonlighting

2006-03-05T07:38:00.000+08:00

Time flies. My second regular reader returns this evening, hopefully still in one serviceable piece.

This also brings to an end my stint as guest blogger. I rather enjoyed it, I must say. The ideas I get whilst writing on her blog are very different from those I get on mine. Hope you guys had enjoyed it too.

Still 40 days to go.

Income taxes done

2006-03-05T07:08:00.000+08:00

I've just gotten my income taxes done. The Singaporean one. For the past few years, I've been playing the early bird. Simply because everything is so easy for me to fill in. Zero, zero, zero, zero, ok submit.

Then in a few months' time, I will receive some rebates for my stocks' dividends, since I fall below the taxable threshold (currently S$20,000). HA HA HA...

But from next year onwards, I will be a 好公民 and pay my share of income taxes. Assuming I find a job.

Hey wait!

If I start work in the middle of this year, or even later, my income might just fall below the taxable threshold again for the year of 2006. OK, then I be 好公民 only in 2007. HA HA HA...

40 days to go.

Envy

2006-03-04T08:18:00.000+08:00

所謂風水輪流轉。

Two, three months back, I was green with envy with Dan, Stef and especially Fred, about their flying home to Shanghai for the summer break. But I had kept mostly quiet about it when I was with them. At the most, I might have alluded to it in a self-depreciating manner.

Now it is their turn to be envious of my impending homegoing. Their reactions, however, are opposite of mine then. They've been pretty vocal about their envy for my present situation. Perhaps a large part of that has to do with work. I'm almost done and dusted now but they are only at best halfway there.

They also professed to their reluctance to see me go when the time comes. It is quite difficult to find other students/colleagues with similar frame of mind with respect to work, i.e. to just do enough to meet the minimum required rate of return :P (recall that for me, the primary aim is the actuarial exams, not this piece of work for the school). Most other students/colleagues are too uptight about their work to have as much fun as we do.

Those were their own words, not mine (though I agree).

41 days to go.

Arrow deflected

2006-03-03T13:28:00.000+08:00

This afternoon, I deflected an arrow originating from the head of department back at him. All from the comfort of my room. With the help of my immediate boss and another colleague. I don't usually enjoy doing such things, but I sure am enjoying it this time round.

I think there has been a resurgence of that ROD feeling recently.

Still 42 days to go.

Disneyland, Hong Kong

2006-03-03T08:18:00.000+08:00

獨家！獨家！The much awaited and anticipated pics of my niece in Disneyland, Hong Kong: On the plane with earphones on. Note Mr. Beanie Duck at the bottom left hand corner of the pic. He made it to Hong Kong afterall. *Grin* Note also the spare tyre in the background. It belongs to my bro-in-law. :P
Hamming it up at the hotel lobby with a Mickey Mouse statue. Mr. Beanie Duck makes another appearance.
At the Mickey Mouse theme restaurant.
And of course, that promised pic (to gu gu) with "Bear Bear" and "Ti Ti".

I was told that on the morning of their return to Singapore, when informed about it, she laid on the hotel bed and sighed,

“我不要囘家！”

42 days to go.

Explaining death

2006-03-02T08:08:00.000+08:00

Shortly after Chinese New Year, 慧 suddenly asked mee mee some death-related questions,

“Ma ma的pa pa和mee mee在哪裏？” (Translation: Where is grandma's dad and mum?)

“Ma ma的pa pa就是lao gong。Ma ma的mee mee死了。” (Translation: Grandma's dad is "lao gong". Grandma's mum has passed away. Note: We had introduced my maternal grandfather, her great-grandfather, to her as "lao gong" during the Chinese New Year visiting.)

“Ma ma爲甚麽還沒有死？” (Translation: Why hasn't grandma passed away?)

A pause.

“Ma ma還很健康，所以就還沒有死囖。” (Translation: Grandma is still very healthy, that's why she hasn't passed away yet.)

A few days later, at my place, 慧 comes upon ma ma's diamond ring and plays with it for a while.

“Ma ma，妳死了后diamond給我。” (Translation: Grandma, after you've passed away, can I have this diamond?)

Grandma actually said yes in between loud guffaws.

43 days to go.

Putting part (ii) into action

2006-03-01T07:48:00.000+08:00

Aye, today is the first of March. The first day of Autumn. And the day part (ii) of the plan kicks into action.

Please join your hands in welcoming Le Tissier, 秋 and Ah Gee to the blog.

Still 44 days to go.

P.S. Guys, same question as what I had asked in my e-mail. Mini-celebration on the same evening that I reach Singapore? On or not?

Three measures

2006-03-01T07:28:00.000+08:00

I've always had this hypothesis in my head about the three measures or types of cleverness, namely smartness, intelligence and wisdom.

For quite some time, I placed one on top of the other in a vertical manner, i.e. smartness is a proper subset of intelligence which in turn is also a proper subset of wisdom. In other words, an intelligent person would also be smart and a wise person would possess intelligence and be smart as well.

That of course didn't model reality very well. I often meet people who were for example, intelligent but certainly not smart. Similarly, I've met rather wise people who were neither smart nor intelligent.
So I tweaked my hypothesis a bit. First, I allowed the three attributes to be mutually exclusive. Then I allowed them to be independent of one another.

Mutually exclusive meaning the possession of one attribute does not exclude the possibility of inclusion of others. Independence meaning the chances of possessing one attribute does not affect the chances of possessing another.

This seemed to match reality more closely because I've met a wide spread of people with all sorts of permutations of these three attributes. For example, people who are intelligent but not smart, people who are wise and smart but are not intelligent. And if there was any supposed dependence between the three, I didn't detect any, e.g. people whom I find wise did not necessarily have a greater chance of being intelligent or smart.

Why am I telling you about this silly hypothesis of mine?

Well, for my Significant Other, I hope to find someone wiser than me.

Note that I am not saying I am wise. I am just saying I am attracted to wise women. :P I am also indirectly saying that I value wisdom more than the other two.

For the record, I think (key word) I am half-smart, three-quarters intelligent but only one-quarter wise.

On a different note, here's another belief of mine. It's a slogan that I live by which also revolves around the number three. This is with respect to money:

有借無還，下等人也。
有借有還，中等人也。
無借無還，上等人也。

At the current moment, I am very stuck in 下等人 mode. But soon I will be promoted again. Soon.

Akan Datang: Ole!

44 days to go.

P.S. This is about as mathematical as I can get. Occupational hazard.

<漢語拼音>

2006-02-28T06:48:00.000+08:00

My niece's most recent acquisition from the world of knowledge, 漢語拼音.

I didn't believe my mum when she proudly told me that recently. So she called 慧 over to give me a "live" demo over the phone, asking her the difference between the "u" and "ü" sounds. Here's my niece's reply:

“U有兩個dot的是“wu”，U沒有兩個dot的是“yiu”。”

45 days to go.

Bright side

2006-02-27T08:08:00.000+08:00

Looking at the bright side of things,

i) You guys will get two more weeks of blogging from me. OK, at least I hope this is really a piece of good news for you guys.

ii) Dan, Stef and Fred will be around during those extra two weeks.

iii) Foreign movies (hopefully good ones) on free-to-air TV for another fortnight.

iv) I get paid for another two weeks. Alright, so I'm really scrapping the bottom of the barrel for plus points.

Still 46 days to go.

P.S. This is the last time you will hear of this issue on the blog. I just want to close this issue on a positive note. Thanks for your patience. :P

They're off to Disneyland too!!!

2006-02-27T00:58:00.000+08:00

Man Utd has just won the Mickey Mouse Cup!!! Giggs has added yet another trophy to his long list of major honours!

46 days to go.

Off to Disneyland

2006-02-26T10:48:00.000+08:00

The day has finally arrived for my niece. They're jetting off in a few minutes' time to Hong Kong and will only be back on Wednesday evening. Grandma gets to take some well-earned leave in the meantime.

I can only imagine how excited 慧 is now, on her maiden flight (children these days are so lucky!) and meeting her 偶像s, Pooh and friends, in person. She has promised gu gu to take pictures with them so that mee mee can mail them to gu gu when they are back. *Grin*

47 starstruck days to go.

Season starts again

2006-02-26T09:28:00.000+08:00

The tennis season, doubles especially, has restarted. Fred had just landed yesterday morning and we got back to business in earnest by the same evening.

Looks like Dan and I 寶刀未老. :P

Still 47 days to go.

Disloyal customer

2006-02-26T08:38:00.000+08:00

I have two internet bank accounts over here. The first one is with ING Direct. When I first signed up, they paid out 5.25% interest. Shortly after, that was raised to 5.4%.

Then along came another bank, Bank West, which started a similar account giving account holders 6% for the first year and 5.5% thereafter. So I signed up and shifted all my savings over. That first year has just recently expired and it is now down to 5.5%. Still marginally higher than the 5.4% of the ING Direct, so I stayed put.

Today, ING Direct sent me a letter saying all deposits from now till the end of May will be earning 6.4% (6.4%!!! Compare that with the 0.5% kah moh you are getting in Singapore :P) up till the end of the same period. The 1% extra is like some sort of bonus, I suppose. Anyway, that means I am shifting all my money back to ING Direct this coming Monday.

I am a disloyal customer. HA HA HA.

47 days to go.

P.S. kah moh = leg hair in hokkien

The secret is out

2006-02-25T06:08:00.000+08:00

The cat is out of the bag. Now my sis, and we heavily suspect my bro-in-law too, know about our secret visits to 育國. It came about because of the cold my niece caught late last week. My mum had then brought her to 育國 on both Monday and Tuesday to 推拿.

It was actually a combination of both 慧 and my sister's suspicion that brought about it. On Sunday evening, just after returning to our home, 慧 suddenly ran to the gate and asked,

“爲甚麽沒有去看華人醫生？”

It was so sudden, both her parents didn't catch her exact words. We had also never heard the words "華人醫生" from her before.

Then on Tuesday morning, my sis had called up to discover them missing in the morning for the second consecutive day. That raised her suspicion. My mum finally admitted to it in an afternoon phone call.

Suffice to say the much-feared backlash turned out to be pretty mild. I suppose they had seen how healthy 慧 had been over the years and connected it to the 推拿. *Phew*

48 days to go.

Famous duck

2006-02-24T06:58:00.000+08:00

From: Mee mee
To: Gu gu
Date: Mon 20/02/2006 1:08 PM
Subject: Famous

慧 is down with flu and cough so she did not go to school today. I called the school to inform and the admin staff picked up the phone. When I said,"慧", she said "oh, the one with the duck right?"

I think she is famous liow, even the admin staff knows her. :)))

From: Gu gu
To: Mee mee
Date: Mon 20/02/2006 1:12 PM
Subject: Reliance

HA HA HA... Now that's really funny. *Grin*

Mum told me that the teacher advised against letting her becoming too reliant on the duck for emotional support. I suppose there is some truth in that.

From: Mee mee
To: Gu gu
Date: Mon 20/02/2006 1:19 PM
Subject: Re: Reliance

Yup and I met the teacher one morning and the teacher said she is trying to stretch the time that 慧 holds onto the duck.

Eg. at first, teacher will tell her toilet cannot hold duck in case the duck gets dirty and advised her to put it at the bag. After that, the teacher said art and craft, leave the duck in the bag. The teacher said she managed to stretch it such that only when she is going home then she is allowed to hold the duck, otherwise, it will sit at the school bag or water bottle area.

I think this teacher of hers is really good, takes care of little details.

You may like to know that recently, mum went to buy an identical duck so I told mum, maybe when she exhausted both ducks as in they got lost or become dirty, just tell her no more and thats it. 慧 is sometimes going overboard with the duck as in she insist on feeding it while she is eating, she wants it to drink water, wipe mouth, bathe... ie. everything she does, her duck must do the same treating it just like a fellow human being.

And of course, you can be sure that she *insist* on bringing the duck to Disneyland despite us telling her we only have 1 air ticket ha ha ha.

From: Gu gu
To: Mee mee
Date: Mon 20/02/2006 1:39 PM
Subject: Convince

So do you think you guys will be able to convince her to not bring the duck along for the trip?

From: Mee mee
To: Gu gu
Date: Mon 20/02/2006 1:54 PM
Subject: Re: Convince

I don't think we will succeed in persuading 慧 NOT to bring the duck. She said if there was only 1 ticket, she wants the duck to go instead. Wow!

49 days to go.

Snoopy red packet

2006-02-23T03:38:00.000+08:00

Whilst I was doing some preliminary packing the other day, I came upon something that brought on a big smile.

During last year's Chinese New Year (the one in 2005), 慧 had received a specially designed red packet from a relative on the paternal side, i.e. siblings of my brother-in-law. It was a Snoopy red packet. Her first reaction upon seeing it was to pass the red packet to my sis with the specific instructions,

“Mee mee, Snoopy紅包給gu gu。”

How can one not dote on such an adorable niece?

50 days to go.

One-liners (rated G for general public)

2006-02-22T09:18:00.000+08:00

Continuing slightly more with the food theme today.

She has returned. Her very first words to me (he had classes, so she had to come back from the airport on her own) were,

"So what did he eat last week?"

Still 51 days to go.

Food

2006-02-22T04:38:00.000+08:00

With home getting ever closer, I find myself thinking of food, both Singaporean and home-cooked, with increasing frequency. I've therefore decided to write a post about the food I like and dislike.

First, my favourites:

i) Eggs

I love eggs. In any form. Omelettes, hard boiled, half boiled, cakes, 糕點 etc. But my favourite has to be omelettes. Especially 肉挫炒蛋 and 菜圃蛋. 慧 loves eggs too. In fact, she often hankers grandma for egg dishes,

“Ma ma煮egg egg！”

So it is very often on our menu. Good for me.

I thought I was a bad enough egg lover until Stef told to us a few months back that as a child, she would take FIVE eggs EVERY DAY. Our collective jaws dropped on hearing that.

ii) Soup

This is my mum's speciality. And also one of the things I want to learn after I finish with my actuarial exams (ah... let me add this to the list). My favourites are her 花生蓮藕湯 and 苦瓜湯.

For the former, she has to set things up in the morning, like 7a.m., and let the ingredients simmer the whole day until around 6p.m. before serving. If I were home, I would be smelling it for the whole day, especially when I venture into the kitchen. That's enough for me to work up a huge appetite by the time dinner rolls in. For the record, the main ingredients include lotus roots, peanuts, 枸杞子 (sorry, I don't know how to translate this) and a few chicken breasts.

For the latter, it is a simpler affair. The main ingredients are bitter gourd, tomatoes and toufu. My mum always manages to get the mix of ingredients just right so that none of the three overpowers the other two. So no, it doesn't taste bitter.

There was once when she had forgotten to buy tomatoes and had put in only half the usual portion (what was left in the house). One sip (without looking) and I told her the 苦瓜湯 tasted weird that day. She commented that my tastebuds are quite powderful. Heh.

iii) Roast duck

Oh, I love the smell of roast duck. The skin.... the SKIN. The lucky thing for me is roast duck is quite readily available in Sydney. Not only that, the quality of it is about the same as that I can find back home. So I do get to have my regular fix of it here.

iv) French beans

I think I am quite a vegetable person as well. Top on my vegetables list is French beans. I really like its chewy texture.

I've since realised that the French beans imported from Australia taste the best (they are a darker hue of green). Which is a good thing since I get to have it quite often here when I feel like it.

v) 海南雞飯

Strangely enough, I came to really like chicken rice only after a stall opened in the huge hawker centre (120 stalls strong) near my home. Needless to say, this stall is quite good. Prior to its opening, chicken rice was a 可有可無 kind of thing for me.

Many years ago, Le Tis introduced me to a restaurant in Fort Road that served very nice chicken rice. Not been there for ages; I wonder if it is still open for business.

Later on, I discovered the old style restaurant in Purlis Street. It has been there since the second World War, judging from some of the plaques I see there. I go there quite often now since it is so conveniently located.

vi) 炒粿條

The more sinful the food, the more tasty it is.

I started really liking it after my former colleague introduced me to a stall in the food centre at Hong Lim Complex. I still remember that we would leave office at 11:30a.m., walk like 10 minutes there so that we may put in our orders early, then enjoy our 炒粿條 at a leisurely pace and finish way before the lunchtime crowds move in.

vii) Sliced pork stir-fried in dark soy sauce

Another of my mum's specialities. She calls it dao eu ba (hokkien for dark soya sauce meat). Another one of those dishes where the saying of "the more sinful the food, the more tasty it is" applies. But given my BMI, I need all the fat I can get. :P

viii) Ice cream, Haagen Daz only

So now you know the culprit behind my niece's unconventional alphabet renditions.

When I first came over to Sydney, the local suburb's Coles stocked Haagen Daz. My Hong Kong coursemate and I would often be found seated on the benches just outside that particular Coles and digging into our Haagen Daz. After some time, we noticed that we seemed to be the only ones buying the ice cream.

We were right. Soon after, that same Coles stopped selling it. And I have gone Haagen Daz-less since (too lazy to try supermarkets of neighbouring suburbs).

ix) Japanese food

This, I learnt to love only after coming over to Sydney. There is a distinctly Singaporean flavour to Japanese food sold in Singapore that I dislike. The Japanese food I get to taste here has a distinctly Japanese flavour. So much so that I've taken to eating and enjoying sushi (which is unusual for me, see my dislikes below). I've never ever taken raw food in my life, until Sydney's Japanese food.

It is strange that a "less Asian" city than Singapore would have much more authentic and better tasting Japanese food to offer.

x) Watermelon

My favourite fruit. Since I was a kid.

I find the texture, sweetness and juiciness of watermelons in Singapore to be far superior to that I can find in Sydney. So I've been going watermelon-less over here too. *Sigh*

xi) Nata de coco

This I discovered during my NS. There was a canteen in my camp that sold this. This was really difficult to find back then. Some places call it Nata, some 椰果. I believe its full chinese name is 椰縴果. I like it as a dessert because it is not too sweet and because of its chewy texture. It is said to be high in fibre, hence its name, and good for your bowel movements. :P

My favourite combination is to have it go with 仙草 (glass jelly) and shaved ice. The slightly bitter 仙草 acts as a perfect foil to the slightly sweet Nata.

The fortunate thing for me is it has become increasing easy to find in Singapore. The dessert stall downstairs from my flat has it now. I've been told it is also available in cans in supermarkets. I managed to find them in oriental supermarkets in Sydney, but they just don't taste the same without the 仙草 and shaved ice.

And to balance things up, a list of my dislikes:

i) Fish

Before Sydney, I would say ALL fish. After Sydney, I have to 改口供 and say only cooked fish. Unfortunately for me, my mum and later on, my niece too, are fish lovers. So fish often finds its way onto the dining table. I would grudgingly take a piece or two before waving the white flag.

There is one particular fish dish that I like though. Deep fried pomfret.

But with a twist.

I don't take its meat. I attack its gills, fins and tail only. Yes, the crunchy bits. So if I happen to have my dinner before everyone, the deep fried pomfret will only have its meat remaining by the time I am done. Which is fine by the rest of the family, since they all enjoy its meat. Because of this, pomfret is a good compromise for my family. If we have to have fish, more often than not, it will be pomfret.

ii) Hot food (read spicy)

I don't like chilli. I feel it covers up the dish's natural taste.

iii) Beef

I don't like its smell, especially when it is raw. So no, I don't like steak as well. I only take beef when it is fully cooked. Even then, I take very little of it.

iv) Mutton

Same as beef.

v) Dairy products

Again, I am scared of the smell. So the milk I take has to be flavoured. Ice cream, is of course ok.

In the same announcement about taking five eggs a day when she was a kid, Stef also told us she took TWO full bottles of milk on a DAILY basis.

vi) Durian

Same thing, the smell. I had it once when I was a kid. Almost threw up. Have sworn off it since.

vii) Seafood

I find that for the trouble to get to most seafood's meat, only to find how little there is and how bland they taste, it is just not worth it. OK, so I am lazy. But even if it is already de-shelled and all prepared for me, I still feel no special affinity for it.

Most of my friends feel I am uniquely un-Singaporean after hearing my food preferences and dislikes. Heh.

Akan Datang: Three measures

51 days to go.

One-liners (rated M for mature audiences only)

2006-02-21T14:08:00.000+08:00

I've also finally gotten around to telling my mum the full story behind the two weeks' delay (apologies to all about the constant harping on this issue). I had gotten my sis to pass word to her on Sunday because I couldn't bear to hear the audible drop in her voice should I be the one to bring her the bad news.

Anyway, I was explaining to her how he (who will still have to remain unidentified) had gotten into some trouble because of a misjudgement in character. And how part of it cascaded to hit me. Was just reaching my punchline when she interjected,

(Warning, explicit vulgar language coming up...)

"Ai yeah...一句話。Giah lan kah tao. Yee giah lan kah tao lah!"

(End of warning)

I will not even attempt to explain what that means. Too bad if you are not good in your hokkien. Oh, and she was referring to him, not me. :P

She always had the knack of giving catchy one-liners. This one was so apt, so 正中下懷, it made me forget mine.

52 "vulgar" days to go.

That's for consultation only?

2006-02-21T12:58:00.000+08:00

I just made that much postponed trip to the doctor. My first, and hopefully last, visit to a doctor in my three years' stay in Sydney.

There weren't any clinics open on Sunday, so I could only bear and grin with it for that entire day. Woke up feeling better on Monday and thought maybe I do not need that visit afterall. What had really put me off was the thought of walking 10 minutes to and fro from the school's clinic in my weakened state.

But I had another tough night last night, so the first thing I did this morning was to make an appointment with the clinic (to minimise waiting and hence discomfort time). And of course, the next thing I did was to make that trip down to the airport.

I've just returned from that visit to the doctor. The only surprising thing about it was the fee! All AU$31.45 (roughly S$38) of it. And it just covered the consultation! I would have to get the medication from a pharmacy at extra cost to myself.

What's more, the prescription was, yes, you guessed it, Panadol (it also had Buscopan for my stomach discomfort).

My word, I knew all along about Sydney's high cost of living. But AU$31.45 for a doctor's consultation? A GP's consultation at that?

Fortunately, I have health insurance (mandatory for foreign students here) to cover for this. Stef had informed me on the cab trip back that the consultation cost was covered by our insurance. *Phew*

Still 52 days to go.

Their return, topped off with porridge

2006-02-21T11:28:00.000+08:00

Despite still feeling queasy in the tummy and weak in the knees this morning, I went ahead with my plan to go to the airport to welcome back Dan and Stef. It's a good thing that I have been feeling worse at night than during the day for the past two days that I've been ill. The bus trip there went without incident.

Their flight was slightly delayed and Stef was put through a rather thorough luggage check before being let through. So I ended up waiting for an hour or so. Not that I minded. Gosh, they had tonnes of luggage! So much so that we ended up in a cab that looked more like a mini-van (I had never seen such a hybrid of a cab before). Dan told me they weren't planning on going home for two years, i.e. until their work is done here, so they had to bring enough "supplies" back to last that long!

Both of them seemed to have lost weight. They told me they had simultaneously fallen ill just after returning to Shanghai in early January, given the nearly 40 degrees difference in temperature with Sydney in summer. Perhaps that explains the weight loss.

I told them the full story behind my two weeks' (possibly longer) extension and we all had a good laugh (it was 苦笑) over it. I suppose only people in the research line will fully understand the frustration I felt over it, so having been able to share the story with them felt uplifting for me.

I also told them about my little bout of illness and how I craved for a little porridge (funny how I always connect porridge with being ill). Just as the cab reached their apartment, they insisted on inviting me in and making me some porridge. So I did.

My appetite isn't fully back yet and I only managed a small bowl. But that was the sweetest tasting porridge I've had for a long long time. Thanks guys! I'm still touched by your little gesture as I type this.

It's really good to have both of you back.

52 days to go.

<病假>

2006-02-20T07:08:00.000+08:00

今天需要請病假。在此向讀者們致歉。希望明天能夠返回工作崗位。

還有五十三天。

P.S. 明天如有blog的話，估計會是在中午時分。請大家不要驚訝。小病一場，無需擔憂。

Violent reaction

2006-02-19T09:08:00.000+08:00

My body reacted very violently to the bad news. The reaction certainly took me by surprise. I thought it was just being childish and throwing an unnecessary tantrum that served little purpose. Or it could have been hanging on all along from the sustained loss of sleep and chose to let it all go yesterday with the news being the trigger.

I had taken a bath upon returning home at 7:30p.m. Then I hit the proverbial wall. What had been a lower backache since the afternoon meeting quickly developed into a shoulder ache and spread to the rest of the body. At its worst, I felt like a used punching bag. I just laid on the bed, unable to move, from 8p.m. till 1a.m., when a little David Letterman provided much needed relief. I think I was also feverish because of the constant perspiring.

I'm not even sure if I was and am ill. Or this is just merely my body protesting. It has been more than a year since I last fell ill. The last thing I need now is to fall sick over here. I hope the body snaps out of it soon.

Still 54 days to go.

Physical education

2006-02-19T07:48:00.000+08:00

I was very surprised to hear that they have PE lessons in nursery. They didn't have it during the first month of class. Presumably to let the children get used to the schooling environment first. But these started in earnest in February.

I was told they have PE lessons twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays. Tuesday PE lessons are held indoors whilst those on Fridays are outdoors. And my mum being my curious mum, she just had to spy on the children, especially 慧. So on Fridays, she will make it a point to leave home early and reach the nursery with plenty of time in hand. As the PE lesson takes place in the final hour of the 3 hour class, she will get to see 慧 in action.

The trick or challenge is of course how to keep out of sight from 慧 and the teachers. So far she has succeeded. Amongst the activities described to me was a game where the children were paired up and had to balance a balloon between their tummies whilst walking sideways from one end to the other. THAT, I gotta see.

I think I will take part in the spying too when I am home.

54 days to go.

<關雲長義釋曹操>

2006-02-18T16:38:00.000+08:00

點子行不通。

I pressed for a clear and proper answer.

I got one.

I would only accept an explanation that showed it was an extraordinary situation and needed my sacrifice.

I got it.

I wasn't really looking for apologies.

But I got many.

After thinking about it with him for a while, there really wasn't any other way out. I certainly can't go home in the intervening months. And there has to be an extension to my date of return. Probably two weeks.

I felt exactly like 關羽 after he had set 曹操 free at 華容道, as I walked out from his office. Go read Chapter 50 of 三國演義 : 諸葛亮智算華容，關雲長義釋曹操 if you don't know what I am talking about. I'm too pissed off to say anymore.

Now where's that bloody key for the engine when I most need it?! Have to restart it. Again.

Countdown reset: 41+14=55 days to go. And even this is still pretty tentative. 如何洩我心中憤怒！

Missing half again

2006-02-18T06:48:00.000+08:00

I must have been working really hard again. Either that or I bak jiu tak stamp.

It was only a few days after the late-night-red-lantern day that I realised I have not seen the one of my housemates, this time the female half, for a couple of days. And also noticed that it had been much quieter in the apartment lately.

I seldom bump into them, even though they are my housemates. Silly it may sound. It's primarily because of the vastly different waking, working and eating hours that we each operate on.

I finally did manage to ask the male half about her late last week. He told me she had gone home for a fortnight or so (it is STILL the school break now, even though I have been working non-stop since the break began in December).

The few times since that I had seen him around the house, I cannot help but feel how forlorn and lonely he looked. Not only that, I've also noticed how often he had been taking instant noodles for his main meals; the huge carton of instant noodles is already halfway in.

Heh... perhaps that was why there was a late-night-red-lantern day. :P

8/41/71? days to go.

<起伏不定>

2006-02-17T13:08:00.000+08:00

今天心情起伏不定。我發覺自己一直在望著時鐘，日曆。恨不得時間腳步放快一點。我無法控制自己小心翼翼冷凍起來的心情開始融化。這些心情一解放出來，我知道自己就會百感着急。

原因何在？

因爲我已經想到了點子。想到了解決問題的點子。而且這點子如果行得通的話，我很有可能下個周末就囘到家了。雖然只是囘一個月左右，而且還得囘來悉尼把些瑣事解決掉才能真正的囘家，渴望與期盼已經開始輪流襲擊我了。

明天。。。明天就會知道結果了。

還有八/四十二/七十二？天。

Moonlighting

2006-02-17T07:48:00.000+08:00

By the way, I've just started moonlighting for ChroniclesofChaos as a guest blogger. No, I am not paid for it. But if you feel I write well enough to be paid for it, then go bug her on my behalf when she is back from her tour. :P

請大家多多給與支持和鼓勵！

Still 42/72? days to go.

Packing

2006-02-17T07:08:00.000+08:00

I know this sounds a little over the top but...

I've started packing!

Given that I've more or less decided and bought what I wanted to bring home.

Given that the final week will be frantic, what with an exam, submission of the final report and saying my goodbyes.

And given that I am just eager to get going.

42/72? days to go.

P.S. I wrote this a couple of days back, before THIS happened. I've spoken too soon again!

Concern

2006-02-16T12:08:00.000+08:00

The nursery teacher has recently voiced her concerns about 慧's duck buddy. She told us it would be unhealthy if 慧 was to be overly reliant on it. We get her point. Something like Linus's security blanket (from Peanuts).

We've since started a weaning 慧 from her duck buddy campaign.

Between 43/73? days to go.

Bombshell

2006-02-16T08:28:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, someone dropped a bombshell on me. After pondering over it and trying my darnest to rationalise it for one day, I'm STILL pissed about it.

So much so I've tried my best to avoid talking to anyone for a day, especially my friends and family.

So much so I was watching an excellent movie last night, knew at the back of my mind that it was an excellent one, but I just couldn't take it in.

So much so I feel like pounding a hole into the nearest wall.

By the end of this post, you'll know roughly what this is about.

The part about it that pisses me off is this is not because of me. I've done my bit and have worked my butt off to complete it. Then this.

And what REALLY pisses me off is I was informed about it only now. If I had been told about it in say December, I would have been able to make a more informed decision. But it is now mid-February and way too late for that.

I'm now trying to think of an alternative plan to get things back on track, if that is possible at all.

Still 43 (potentially 57 and I heavily suspect 73) days to go.

P.S. You can leave your condolences but DON'T BLOODY ASK WHY.

<多兩個月>

2006-02-16T07:48:00.000+08:00

I was taken by surprise when instead of asking me when I will be back, 慧 said this to me in a knowing tone a few days back,

“Gu gu多兩個月就囘來了。”

I suspect someone had taught 慧 this. And I suspect she can't comprehend the concept of time and that of two months yet. But it was still pretty amusing to hear such an "adultish" statement from a 3 year-old.

43 days to go.

Coincidence

2006-02-15T15:48:00.000+08:00

Heh, just after voicing my worries about my impending job search earlier today, especially that concerning my examinations passes heavily outweighing my relevant work experience, I came upon this article discussing this same issue.

So it looks like I'm not such an isolated example after all.

Still 44 days to go.

<放聲>

2006-02-15T08:28:00.000+08:00

I've gotten quite comfortable with my work progress here. Comfortable enough to have sent word out to my ex-classmates, ex-colleagues and friends from my line of work about my imminent return.

Mmm hmm, I have taken that first step to looking for a job. A return to the actuarial industry, to the working world...

My plus points:

i) I have relevant work experience.

ii) I have programming skills (something often not taught in school for our course but yet quite valued in my line of work).

iii) I have a lot of exam passes under my belt. A very important thing in the actuarial line.

iv) I know quite a few people in the line. This is probably my biggest plus point since the actuarial field is rather small in Singapore. Almost everyone knows everyone else. Which makes it tough for fresh graduates just coming in and looking for that first job. But not for a journeyman like me. *Phew*

My minus points:

i) My actuarial exam passes is not commensurate with my work experience; It is heavily skewed towards my exam passes. To get around this, friends have advised me to leave the expected pay out of my resume. Wilco.

ii) I hope they don't find me too old. Reading all those reports on companies preferring younger people does worry me. This is probably a small worry as I am not THAT old yet, but it is still a worry.

I do not deny experiencing mixed feelings about returning to work. I'm hoping that viewing it as part of going home will make it easier for me to re-adjust my emotional and mental states to it.

44 days to go.