Came back early from school yesterday as i was feeling unwell. Somehow felt my body getting tired over fighting some bugs, probably cold or flu virus. Reached home about 5.30 pm and started feeling feverish. Thank goodness i 'listened' to my body and headed back to rest. After having early dinner, went to sleep with 2 panadol pills in my stomach as my temperature reached 37.8.
Started to feel weak through the night as my immune system fought back, and woke up several times in the night, and i took another 2 pills around 3~4 o'clock in the morning. Strangely, for the moments that i was awake, i reflected back to the times when i was undergoing chemotherapy and was having fever. Back then, i felt a lot worse with constant perspiration (change of clothes every hour as it got soaked) and pain too. Amazing how the mind can 'forget' such terrible experiences and i get to recall them when i am in a similar situation, abeit a much better situation. In a sense, felt very much alive as my body ached and complained. Without darkness, there is no light, without the suffering of being sick, one forgets the joy of being healthy. Not that i want everyone to be sick though. =P I wish everyone to be healthy and happy, with some small short bouts of minor illness once in a while to boost their immune systems. heh.
Just had dinner, now perspiring (yeah!) as i take it as a sign that my fever is breaking for now. Cos my temperature still rises intermittently. =P I spent the day, mainly in bed, sometimes at the computer terminal and sadly, no PS2 for me as i left it at Wheng's place. Doh! Hope i get well by tomorrow, then can head down to NTU to work on the solar car.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Thursday dinner treat + gift giving. =)
Been rather busy these few days, so recapping on the happenings on Thursday. Picked Thursday as it was roy's off day but unfortunately, andy had to OT and Bev was sick so both of them could not make it.
Had dinner at Ajisen in Funan, nice decor but rather i found the lighting rather dim. Cosy and not much of a crowd, so not that bad. Apparently, it was Butler's first time eating there, and his chopsticks welding skills were up to mark (after 8 years? of course). The salmon sushi (side dish) was not that fantastic, however, the ramen and prawn mayonnaise were as fantastic as ever.
As it was a treat for the team for their efforts and also in 'celebration' of me receiving a best project certificate, i also presented the gifts to everyone. Extremely happy to know that they loved it. As u can see their reactions in the pictures. Kaixin placed it on immediately, while butler found the helmet to be a tad too small (pHd aka permanent head damage.. that's why. The bruise of knowledge stays there forever =P). yongxi placed it on his head like a veteran motorcycle uncle while roy was thinking of whether it will flatten his spiky hair. =P
After the dinner, went over to Swensen's for dessert. as kx and butler was having sore throat, the 4 of us enjoyed the fries, mushrooms and calamari rings + sinful ice cream flavours (2 x topless 5s) while the 2 of them shared healthy flavoured ice cream (1 x topless 5 - lime sherbet, and strawberry, i think)
To live up to my nickname of yayaseng (yaya = boastful), below are the 2 different certificates for the SAME award, except one is from Singapore branch, while the other flew in from UK. Although no prize money, but still, i had 2 wonderful dinner receptions and yongxi get to crash the 2nd reception. =D Without the help of Prof David Butler and my fellow teammates, this would not have been possible. Thus once again, thank you guys n gals. =D
Had dinner at Ajisen in Funan, nice decor but rather i found the lighting rather dim. Cosy and not much of a crowd, so not that bad. Apparently, it was Butler's first time eating there, and his chopsticks welding skills were up to mark (after 8 years? of course). The salmon sushi (side dish) was not that fantastic, however, the ramen and prawn mayonnaise were as fantastic as ever.
As it was a treat for the team for their efforts and also in 'celebration' of me receiving a best project certificate, i also presented the gifts to everyone. Extremely happy to know that they loved it. As u can see their reactions in the pictures. Kaixin placed it on immediately, while butler found the helmet to be a tad too small (pHd aka permanent head damage.. that's why. The bruise of knowledge stays there forever =P). yongxi placed it on his head like a veteran motorcycle uncle while roy was thinking of whether it will flatten his spiky hair. =P
After the dinner, went over to Swensen's for dessert. as kx and butler was having sore throat, the 4 of us enjoyed the fries, mushrooms and calamari rings + sinful ice cream flavours (2 x topless 5s) while the 2 of them shared healthy flavoured ice cream (1 x topless 5 - lime sherbet, and strawberry, i think)
To live up to my nickname of yayaseng (yaya = boastful), below are the 2 different certificates for the SAME award, except one is from Singapore branch, while the other flew in from UK. Although no prize money, but still, i had 2 wonderful dinner receptions and yongxi get to crash the 2nd reception. =D Without the help of Prof David Butler and my fellow teammates, this would not have been possible. Thus once again, thank you guys n gals. =D
Friday, August 24, 2007
Sneak preview of the customised presents....
Here's the helmets... some are obvious, but some needs a bbit of guessing who it belongs to. heh.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
A day of driving around + secret works
I left home later than usual yesterday as i wanted to borrow my dad's car. And as i was about to leave at 10am, my parents asked for a ride to Changi village as my dad's friend asked them out. So i drove to pick yongxi up at his brother's place and dropped my parents off at changi village (#1) before heading to school on the PIE. Traffic was smooth and i averaged about 90 km/h on the expressway, a speed i was comfortable with (#2).
Picked up Kaixin and went for lunch at the newly opened seng siong near school as there would be more parking spaces at MAE carpack near noon. Luckily found a space opposite the workshop and went to cad lab to settle stuff, also passed drawings and reports to the FYP members. As the carbon fibre would be arriving soon, we will be gaining experience on laying carbon fibres by making the wheel fairings first.
Alas, while making the mold, we realised that coming up with a nice curve of the required dimensions using aluminium sheet was taking too long, not to mention difficult. Thus i had to drive to jurong industrial area, of which i was apprehensive as it is always very crowded there. But with their support, and of course, at the same time being made fun of by yongxi and kaixin, i managed to get a parking spot and found out that 204mm inner diameter pipes are very expensive, at $60~85 for 400mm length.
In the end, we decided to improvise with other materials and after looking at popular in NTU which have nothing we require, i drove to IMM to Daiso, which we found 2 dustbins of the required diameters and will use that for the curvature(#3). Will machine to required dimensions tomorrow and will post it up, hopefully will be good enough for the fairings.
After which was to drive to Roy's place where we settled the decals stuff for the secret presents to the 06/07 solar car team,of which clever yongxi had correctly guessed what the items are. Hopefully all will like it. Was customising it till 2 am in the morning, before waking up at 830 this morning to continue. It took longer than i expected, thus by the time i completed it, there was no point going to school as i have to head down to Shell house later to meet up with the rest who are going for the gourami challenge. And after that meeting, supposed to be a short one, will head to Funan mall to meet the team for dinner. =D
SO... now still at home, probably will catch up with my zZZZZzzzZ'S in a while, better to look fresh when meeting the people at Shell. heh.
Here's a sneak preview of the very full bag i will be carrying later, there are a total of 7 customised presents (also sincere thanks to the efforts of roy, who worked on it despite being rather tired from his shift work and also to yongxi, who sat in the car, lost in Sengkang/Punggol with me driving -> lousy vehicle commander =P)
Picked up Kaixin and went for lunch at the newly opened seng siong near school as there would be more parking spaces at MAE carpack near noon. Luckily found a space opposite the workshop and went to cad lab to settle stuff, also passed drawings and reports to the FYP members. As the carbon fibre would be arriving soon, we will be gaining experience on laying carbon fibres by making the wheel fairings first.
Alas, while making the mold, we realised that coming up with a nice curve of the required dimensions using aluminium sheet was taking too long, not to mention difficult. Thus i had to drive to jurong industrial area, of which i was apprehensive as it is always very crowded there. But with their support, and of course, at the same time being made fun of by yongxi and kaixin, i managed to get a parking spot and found out that 204mm inner diameter pipes are very expensive, at $60~85 for 400mm length.
In the end, we decided to improvise with other materials and after looking at popular in NTU which have nothing we require, i drove to IMM to Daiso, which we found 2 dustbins of the required diameters and will use that for the curvature(#3). Will machine to required dimensions tomorrow and will post it up, hopefully will be good enough for the fairings.
After which was to drive to Roy's place where we settled the decals stuff for the secret presents to the 06/07 solar car team,of which clever yongxi had correctly guessed what the items are. Hopefully all will like it. Was customising it till 2 am in the morning, before waking up at 830 this morning to continue. It took longer than i expected, thus by the time i completed it, there was no point going to school as i have to head down to Shell house later to meet up with the rest who are going for the gourami challenge. And after that meeting, supposed to be a short one, will head to Funan mall to meet the team for dinner. =D
SO... now still at home, probably will catch up with my zZZZZzzzZ'S in a while, better to look fresh when meeting the people at Shell. heh.
Here's a sneak preview of the very full bag i will be carrying later, there are a total of 7 customised presents (also sincere thanks to the efforts of roy, who worked on it despite being rather tired from his shift work and also to yongxi, who sat in the car, lost in Sengkang/Punggol with me driving -> lousy vehicle commander =P)
Monday, August 20, 2007
Of matches and parts...
It was a lazy Sunday yesterday, lazed at home (#1) and cleaned the toilet (#2) while brewing my med in the afternoon as i anticipated that i would not be at home later in the night. Had dinner with my parents at tampines before heading to watch EPL matches at Wheng's place.
Man U was disappointing while the 2 other matches were more exciting (#3). heh.
Some progress was made today, as the metal company in Australia finally received the cheque from NTU, still have no idea why NTU did not use direct debit or any faster means of payment. Hopefully can get the tubings in by next Wed. John, it is time to pack up and leave NY to help out here. =D
Yongxi's steering parts arrived, and the rims too, with the spindle and hubs being CnC-ed. Here's a quick look at the stuff.
Man U was disappointing while the 2 other matches were more exciting (#3). heh.
Some progress was made today, as the metal company in Australia finally received the cheque from NTU, still have no idea why NTU did not use direct debit or any faster means of payment. Hopefully can get the tubings in by next Wed. John, it is time to pack up and leave NY to help out here. =D
Yongxi's steering parts arrived, and the rims too, with the spindle and hubs being CnC-ed. Here's a quick look at the stuff.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Silkair Monopoly Challenge
It was a rainy sat when i headed out to Ngee Ann City to meet up with yx, kx and her sis kaili (kl), for the Silkair monopoly challenge. Was late as i had a chat with my younger bro to get him to study harder for his coming O levels.
Reached there and registered for the 2nd heats before heading down to brunch at the food court in Ngee ann city. A bit of a crappy lunch as the food was not at all fantastic for the 4 of us. Soon, it was our turn for the monopoly challenge, alas.. we did not know that only the top 16 players with the most amount of winnings can be promoted to the finals thus we had entered into different tables, else we would had arranged in such a way that we play on the same table and 'pass' our money to one of us.
I managed to bankrupt one of the players (#1)at table 19 although i didnt want to (cos it will end the game) as the banker says that i have to bankrupt her cos she has nothing left. =P So i ended with $47850 worth of cash and assets. Meanwhile, kx was bankrupted at table 13 and kl also lost on table 17. Yx was crowned the king of monopoly as he emerged from the table as the winner with $100,000!!! He was in the top 16 as we left after heats 2. However, i had overheard friends planning to join in at the same table and 'pass' money to one player so that he will end up with lots of money, and we were also tempted to do the same thing but .. nah... it wont be fun anymore.
Went to Yx's place as kx wanted to play with his husky ... called ... husky. =D Didnt really dare to play with the dog, although i got to massage his neck for a while (#2). Maybe one of these days will play with husky as he seems rather friendly.... if i manage to grow bigger balls. =P
It was back to tampines for soccer and friendly betting at $1 (#3) and too bad newcastle didnt score. Tsk tsk... nonetheless, it got a point. =)
In short, it was another wonderful day out with them and some good goals from tot spurs.
Reached there and registered for the 2nd heats before heading down to brunch at the food court in Ngee ann city. A bit of a crappy lunch as the food was not at all fantastic for the 4 of us. Soon, it was our turn for the monopoly challenge, alas.. we did not know that only the top 16 players with the most amount of winnings can be promoted to the finals thus we had entered into different tables, else we would had arranged in such a way that we play on the same table and 'pass' our money to one of us.
I managed to bankrupt one of the players (#1)at table 19 although i didnt want to (cos it will end the game) as the banker says that i have to bankrupt her cos she has nothing left. =P So i ended with $47850 worth of cash and assets. Meanwhile, kx was bankrupted at table 13 and kl also lost on table 17. Yx was crowned the king of monopoly as he emerged from the table as the winner with $100,000!!! He was in the top 16 as we left after heats 2. However, i had overheard friends planning to join in at the same table and 'pass' money to one player so that he will end up with lots of money, and we were also tempted to do the same thing but .. nah... it wont be fun anymore.
Went to Yx's place as kx wanted to play with his husky ... called ... husky. =D Didnt really dare to play with the dog, although i got to massage his neck for a while (#2). Maybe one of these days will play with husky as he seems rather friendly.... if i manage to grow bigger balls. =P
It was back to tampines for soccer and friendly betting at $1 (#3) and too bad newcastle didnt score. Tsk tsk... nonetheless, it got a point. =)
In short, it was another wonderful day out with them and some good goals from tot spurs.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Stuck in train, bank transfers and swim + makan
Today was a overcast morning, with light showers raining down by the time i got out of home. Waited till the stock market open before heading out just to get some of the vibes. Thank goodness i sold off almost ALL my stocks (left 2 counters) earlier this week. Took my final profit of $1589 (blessing #1) as i felt that the stocks will free fall due to market sentiments more than anything else.
The day got off to an exciting start as the MRT i was on had a defect as it screeched to a halt before reaching Kallang station. Attempts to move off was violently resisted as the train braked immediately after attempting to move off. As i was dozing off, i was woken up repeatedly by the attempts by the train to move off. It was finally moving, abeit very slowly, and we had to get off at Kallang and take the next train.... So in the end, i reached Boon Lay at 1130 so arranged for lunch at JP with yx and kx.
Good news for the day as we made the bank transfer to US for the rest of the steering components and also received the rims, which are now located at the PEN centre. The PO for the carbon fibre will be finally processed (#2) and out by Monday and would probably drive down to collect if possible to speed up the process. Will also chase up on the missing payment to Australia too.
Went for a swim at SRC, nice weather with overcast and occasional light showers. Yx drove us (kx and i) through the level 8 PIE, which involved a lot of half-clutch situations for YX and he was tired by the end of the ride, which was at tampines, where we picked up Wheng and head to Katong for steamboat.
After the yummy steamboat (#3), YX dropped us off at my place where i took my brewed medicine and also my dad's car. As it was rather late, drove Kx home, where i witnessed the traffic police (TP) in action. Spotted them way before Corporation exit, and as there was this big truck on the leftmost lane, i decided to slow down behind it as the Corporation exit was rather near. By the time i was clear of the truck and on the exit lane, i saw the 2 TPs (on bikes) exiting at much higher speed (i was at 50 due to the truck) and moving way ahead. As the exit was big and wide, i unconsciously increased to 80 before i realised that the TPs had just stopped the car 300m in front of me, and i immediately feathered the brakes till i was at 60 (10 km/h below limit)... phew... wheng and kx were laughing away then.
Anyway, successfully sent Kaixin home and it is back to the east at 90/100 km/h as i sent wheng home before heading back.
All in all, yet another wonderful day with more progress with the solar car and also good times with friends, not to mention some quality time with parents in the morning. Oh.... just obtained news this afternoon that i will be going Shangri-la at Penang, and unfortunately, i have to miss out the mahjong competition which is being held on the 8th Sep, which will clash with the gourami challenge (6-11 Sep). Oh well... have to set my priorities right. =D
The day got off to an exciting start as the MRT i was on had a defect as it screeched to a halt before reaching Kallang station. Attempts to move off was violently resisted as the train braked immediately after attempting to move off. As i was dozing off, i was woken up repeatedly by the attempts by the train to move off. It was finally moving, abeit very slowly, and we had to get off at Kallang and take the next train.... So in the end, i reached Boon Lay at 1130 so arranged for lunch at JP with yx and kx.
Good news for the day as we made the bank transfer to US for the rest of the steering components and also received the rims, which are now located at the PEN centre. The PO for the carbon fibre will be finally processed (#2) and out by Monday and would probably drive down to collect if possible to speed up the process. Will also chase up on the missing payment to Australia too.
Went for a swim at SRC, nice weather with overcast and occasional light showers. Yx drove us (kx and i) through the level 8 PIE, which involved a lot of half-clutch situations for YX and he was tired by the end of the ride, which was at tampines, where we picked up Wheng and head to Katong for steamboat.
After the yummy steamboat (#3), YX dropped us off at my place where i took my brewed medicine and also my dad's car. As it was rather late, drove Kx home, where i witnessed the traffic police (TP) in action. Spotted them way before Corporation exit, and as there was this big truck on the leftmost lane, i decided to slow down behind it as the Corporation exit was rather near. By the time i was clear of the truck and on the exit lane, i saw the 2 TPs (on bikes) exiting at much higher speed (i was at 50 due to the truck) and moving way ahead. As the exit was big and wide, i unconsciously increased to 80 before i realised that the TPs had just stopped the car 300m in front of me, and i immediately feathered the brakes till i was at 60 (10 km/h below limit)... phew... wheng and kx were laughing away then.
Anyway, successfully sent Kaixin home and it is back to the east at 90/100 km/h as i sent wheng home before heading back.
All in all, yet another wonderful day with more progress with the solar car and also good times with friends, not to mention some quality time with parents in the morning. Oh.... just obtained news this afternoon that i will be going Shangri-la at Penang, and unfortunately, i have to miss out the mahjong competition which is being held on the 8th Sep, which will clash with the gourami challenge (6-11 Sep). Oh well... have to set my priorities right. =D
Friday, August 17, 2007
Receiving cert a second time..
Today was a slow day, having woke late and had my dad to drop me off at yongxi's place as he was driving my mom to my aunt's house, which was close by at Lorong Lew Lian. Hitched a ride from yx's place to school (blessing #1), and it was drizzling almost all the way.
Reached school, but the rims still have not cleared customs so had nothing to do as we have to wait for rims to arrive. The cock-up with payment for steel resulted in us having nothing to do. =(
Dawn came down to pass us goodies from Bangkok and return my backpack, which i feel was fully utilised after having been to Europe, Taiwan, Thailand and one other country as i lent it out. Thus it costs about $15 per trip and is still in good shape. =) Maybe it will go with me to Penang soon! =D
Went off to Kaixin's place for some Monopoly training, played one round (which i won/ #2) before heading back to school to receive the certificate for best project again (In a sense, not that bad, had 2 free dinners cos of this cert). But this time, the certificate was from UK (thus looks different) and the ceremony was in NTU. Good news was, the catered food was very good (#3) and yx got to tuck in too!
After free makan, head off for 2 more rounds of monopoly (kx and yx won one round each) before heading back. Unfortunately, as yx only have 1 hour of parking coupons on display, we kana summons for $20, his first parking ticket. Going to share 50-50, for both the fine and the 4D over the weekend. Gonna strike it BIG! =P
Reached school, but the rims still have not cleared customs so had nothing to do as we have to wait for rims to arrive. The cock-up with payment for steel resulted in us having nothing to do. =(
Dawn came down to pass us goodies from Bangkok and return my backpack, which i feel was fully utilised after having been to Europe, Taiwan, Thailand and one other country as i lent it out. Thus it costs about $15 per trip and is still in good shape. =) Maybe it will go with me to Penang soon! =D
Went off to Kaixin's place for some Monopoly training, played one round (which i won/ #2) before heading back to school to receive the certificate for best project again (In a sense, not that bad, had 2 free dinners cos of this cert). But this time, the certificate was from UK (thus looks different) and the ceremony was in NTU. Good news was, the catered food was very good (#3) and yx got to tuck in too!
After free makan, head off for 2 more rounds of monopoly (kx and yx won one round each) before heading back. Unfortunately, as yx only have 1 hour of parking coupons on display, we kana summons for $20, his first parking ticket. Going to share 50-50, for both the fine and the 4D over the weekend. Gonna strike it BIG! =P
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Health stats down today
Spent today at home, resting and sleeping in a bid to maintain healthy. Received good news today as i was selected for the second interview with Shell (#1). Better news is that for second interview, it will be joining the Gourami Business Challenge which is a 5 day thingy to be held in Penang!!! Quickly asked Grace (the HR personnel who called me) if it will be fully paid for and.. heh heh.. the answer is 'yes' (#2)!!
Sold of some more of my stocks today as the market retreated. Made some losses, but thankfully, gains far out-strip losses so far(#3). Better be cautious so as to maintain my profit margins. Also tinkering with design for my secret surprise for the solar car team. Hmmmm.... some already know about a surprise, but its still a secret. And yes, yongxi, if you are reading this, it is a secret that must not be told. 'Duh!'
Hiaz.... although am selected for gourami challenge, which is a happy event, unfortunately, it would mean that i may miss a few days of working on the solar car in Sept. Feel bad, but hmmm... both are once in a lifetime thingy, i guess a few days away wont be that bad. As butler mentioned, the team will carry on as i have to let go in a few months time, plus... most of the time, i am redundant anyway. =P
Heard news from saraker that her husband's colleague's wife was diagnosed with lymphoma, stage 4, and undergoing treatment, gave her my number and email to contact me if they want to, and i wish she will fight and win over the stupid cancer cells and get well soon.
Sold of some more of my stocks today as the market retreated. Made some losses, but thankfully, gains far out-strip losses so far(#3). Better be cautious so as to maintain my profit margins. Also tinkering with design for my secret surprise for the solar car team. Hmmmm.... some already know about a surprise, but its still a secret. And yes, yongxi, if you are reading this, it is a secret that must not be told. 'Duh!'
Hiaz.... although am selected for gourami challenge, which is a happy event, unfortunately, it would mean that i may miss a few days of working on the solar car in Sept. Feel bad, but hmmm... both are once in a lifetime thingy, i guess a few days away wont be that bad. As butler mentioned, the team will carry on as i have to let go in a few months time, plus... most of the time, i am redundant anyway. =P
Heard news from saraker that her husband's colleague's wife was diagnosed with lymphoma, stage 4, and undergoing treatment, gave her my number and email to contact me if they want to, and i wish she will fight and win over the stupid cancer cells and get well soon.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
GH rims are here!!!
Finally, parts are arriving as UPS called today to ask for GST payment of $610 before they send the rims to us. Although the rims are here, i have to remember to check on what happened to the tyres!!!
Things are finally moving as the school realises that we are being screwed big time by the delay over at the finance side. Hopefully it is not too late as critical materials are still not in yet. And hopefully the waiting game will end pretty soon.
Went for dinner at Jurong East there, before we (yx, kx & me) decided on catching a movie after dinner. So we watched Rush Hour 3, some good slapstick humour, almost zero plot but as usual, plenty of action and stunts (thats what Jacky Chan is famed for anyway). All in all, pretty good, except that i was half frozen + had to tahan 30 mins of urine despite having visited the gents before the show......it was way too cold. =P
Bought myself a bathroom scale as i realised that my weight had dropped over the past few weeks. From 78 to present 75 kg. I only did some exercise and did eat less, but should not have contributed to the big drop. The other possible 'source' of weight loss was the gastric flu i had, i think 2 weeks back. 2 days of almost no food and slow recovery could (and i hope is) be the reason for the weight loss.
Why am i a teeny weeny bit paranoid is cos unexplained weight loss is an indication of cancer.. =P. Good news is, no other accompanying symptoms like night sweats, swollen lymph nodes are present. *phew* ... it has been a long time since i was actually concerned, and my next appointment is in Oct, so i guess it is time to practice relaxation and smile + laugh more. heh. =D
Things are finally moving as the school realises that we are being screwed big time by the delay over at the finance side. Hopefully it is not too late as critical materials are still not in yet. And hopefully the waiting game will end pretty soon.
Went for dinner at Jurong East there, before we (yx, kx & me) decided on catching a movie after dinner. So we watched Rush Hour 3, some good slapstick humour, almost zero plot but as usual, plenty of action and stunts (thats what Jacky Chan is famed for anyway). All in all, pretty good, except that i was half frozen + had to tahan 30 mins of urine despite having visited the gents before the show......it was way too cold. =P
Bought myself a bathroom scale as i realised that my weight had dropped over the past few weeks. From 78 to present 75 kg. I only did some exercise and did eat less, but should not have contributed to the big drop. The other possible 'source' of weight loss was the gastric flu i had, i think 2 weeks back. 2 days of almost no food and slow recovery could (and i hope is) be the reason for the weight loss.
Why am i a teeny weeny bit paranoid is cos unexplained weight loss is an indication of cancer.. =P. Good news is, no other accompanying symptoms like night sweats, swollen lymph nodes are present. *phew* ... it has been a long time since i was actually concerned, and my next appointment is in Oct, so i guess it is time to practice relaxation and smile + laugh more. heh. =D
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Need to catch back on lost sleep
Just had my bath after coming back from dropping my dad off at punggol fish farm. Woke up this morning for delivery as my mom was feeling unwell, maybe tomorrow will go with my younger bro and let them rest for Sunday.
Though pretty tired out, but still awake as the bath refreshed my spirit. Had to take the bathe cos i was sweaty and lined with carbon from the newspapers. Now waiting for my hair to dry before i take a nap. Have to pick my elder bro & sis-in-law later at the airport. Will be my 3rd time there this week, on mon to send my parents off, yesterday to receive them and later for my brother.
Getting used to driving, still about level 3~4 now. Still a bit apprehensive when i need to change lanes with lots of traffic on the expressway though, and need lots of practice on the half-clutch. =P
Went to yongxi's bro place last night and played Nintendo Wii with him and his bro. Tiring to the arms and yx is crowned the boxing champion. =/ After a few games, went to pick up wheng, shean and her cousin jing2 for a ride, and we went down to changi village to look at some she-males. It was jing2's first time there and she was amazed that those were actually male, or used to be male.
Though pretty tired out, but still awake as the bath refreshed my spirit. Had to take the bathe cos i was sweaty and lined with carbon from the newspapers. Now waiting for my hair to dry before i take a nap. Have to pick my elder bro & sis-in-law later at the airport. Will be my 3rd time there this week, on mon to send my parents off, yesterday to receive them and later for my brother.
Getting used to driving, still about level 3~4 now. Still a bit apprehensive when i need to change lanes with lots of traffic on the expressway though, and need lots of practice on the half-clutch. =P
Went to yongxi's bro place last night and played Nintendo Wii with him and his bro. Tiring to the arms and yx is crowned the boxing champion. =/ After a few games, went to pick up wheng, shean and her cousin jing2 for a ride, and we went down to changi village to look at some she-males. It was jing2's first time there and she was amazed that those were actually male, or used to be male.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Newspaper delivery boy
As my parents and elder bro went to Taiwan to settle some wedding stuff, i had to take over the responsibility of delivering newspapers when my parents are not around. So for the past few days, since Sunday i think, have been waking up at 0415 every morning to deliver the papers.
Thankfully, i have the help of my younger bro(blessing #1) and am also grateful of yongxi, who had agreed to help out in delivering the papers since Tues (#2). Thus i am finally driving and getting better at that as i have to drive every morning to deliver papers in Chai Chee and also driving to NTU. The first part is easy, but driving to NTU or back at peak hours was VERY challenging. Came back via BKE/SLE/TPE at 1800, thinking that it would be better than taking the PIE. How wrong i was, the expressway was rather packed and most importantly, without knowledge of when to keep left so that i can proceed to SLE from BKE, i had a challenging time trying to cut into the lane so that i can go SLE... else would have ended up at PIE cos i no skill. Thank goodness yongxi was helping me look out for the car behind (#3).
Both my younger bro and yongxi is now asleep. will be turning in soon too, but i think it has been a long time since i blogged so ... writing out thoughts.
Driving to school is so much faster (30 mins via PIE) than taking the MRT, furthermore, get to drive them (yx & kx) to places for dinner and stuff, pick them up and send them home. Would be nice to have a car to drive around, but will only have the car till Friday as my parents will be back by then so no more car liao. Oh well... still have today's toto to look forward to. =D
Thankfully, i have the help of my younger bro(blessing #1) and am also grateful of yongxi, who had agreed to help out in delivering the papers since Tues (#2). Thus i am finally driving and getting better at that as i have to drive every morning to deliver papers in Chai Chee and also driving to NTU. The first part is easy, but driving to NTU or back at peak hours was VERY challenging. Came back via BKE/SLE/TPE at 1800, thinking that it would be better than taking the PIE. How wrong i was, the expressway was rather packed and most importantly, without knowledge of when to keep left so that i can proceed to SLE from BKE, i had a challenging time trying to cut into the lane so that i can go SLE... else would have ended up at PIE cos i no skill. Thank goodness yongxi was helping me look out for the car behind (#3).
Both my younger bro and yongxi is now asleep. will be turning in soon too, but i think it has been a long time since i blogged so ... writing out thoughts.
Driving to school is so much faster (30 mins via PIE) than taking the MRT, furthermore, get to drive them (yx & kx) to places for dinner and stuff, pick them up and send them home. Would be nice to have a car to drive around, but will only have the car till Friday as my parents will be back by then so no more car liao. Oh well... still have today's toto to look forward to. =D
How i gained weight during chemo - for paced =)
Was thinking back on how i managed to gain weight during chemotherapy after paced asked about it. Well... i remembered the nurses telling me that one of the challenges was that food will taste weird, vomiting and lost of appetite during chemo, however, food is what the body needs for it to recover from the chemo shots. Furthermore, unfortunately for me, the anti-vomiting pills was not really effective for me. Thus i vomit rather freely when i had the shots.
To ensure that my body get enough energy to fight the cancer cells, i typically have 6 FULL meals a day (though for the chemo period 4~7 days i would vomit out a lot) plus supplement liquid diet (the brand is 'Ensure' - which i puke out too, but it tastes better when puking cos it is chocolate =P). Even after the 'vomiting' period, i would be taking in lots of food + freshly blended fruits(DIY at home by me, or my mom when i am too weak)consisting of apples, pears (cooling for body), GUAVA (very good source of vitamins). Blended cos drinking it is faster and enable me to take in larger quantities of fruits (else how to consume 3 apples, 2 guavas and 2 pears in 5 mins) + easier to puke out too.
Partially ate so much as the chemo drugs also destroy the stomach lining, reducing its ability to absorb nutrients, vitamins etc. Thinking along that line, i decided to eat all day so that even with reduced ability, my stomach can absorb as much if i eat almost all the time.
But i would guess the main cause of the weight gain may be the fact that after chemo, i have no appetite for chinese food, but am ok with fried stuff, so it was either western food, KFC, Mac or sometimes BK for every meal for a few days in a row during the 'vomiting' period. Can still remember my birthday in 2004 when i just had chemo and everyone came over to accompany me. I was still puking out my fillet-o-fish i had for early lunch when friends arrived with KFC for my late lunch. Thank goodness i was able to be discrete about it. heh. Was very touched cos shuihui n gang had baked a cake for me but i had only a bite as it was not 'freshly baked' thus i could not eat it on doctors orders.
So i guess.... i gained 10 kgs cos i ate a LOT of food... haha. btw, i mastered the 最高境界 of bulimic people during that time, as i could just vomit when i want to, even after i recovered. =P
To ensure that my body get enough energy to fight the cancer cells, i typically have 6 FULL meals a day (though for the chemo period 4~7 days i would vomit out a lot) plus supplement liquid diet (the brand is 'Ensure' - which i puke out too, but it tastes better when puking cos it is chocolate =P). Even after the 'vomiting' period, i would be taking in lots of food + freshly blended fruits(DIY at home by me, or my mom when i am too weak)consisting of apples, pears (cooling for body), GUAVA (very good source of vitamins). Blended cos drinking it is faster and enable me to take in larger quantities of fruits (else how to consume 3 apples, 2 guavas and 2 pears in 5 mins) + easier to puke out too.
Partially ate so much as the chemo drugs also destroy the stomach lining, reducing its ability to absorb nutrients, vitamins etc. Thinking along that line, i decided to eat all day so that even with reduced ability, my stomach can absorb as much if i eat almost all the time.
But i would guess the main cause of the weight gain may be the fact that after chemo, i have no appetite for chinese food, but am ok with fried stuff, so it was either western food, KFC, Mac or sometimes BK for every meal for a few days in a row during the 'vomiting' period. Can still remember my birthday in 2004 when i just had chemo and everyone came over to accompany me. I was still puking out my fillet-o-fish i had for early lunch when friends arrived with KFC for my late lunch. Thank goodness i was able to be discrete about it. heh. Was very touched cos shuihui n gang had baked a cake for me but i had only a bite as it was not 'freshly baked' thus i could not eat it on doctors orders.
So i guess.... i gained 10 kgs cos i ate a LOT of food... haha. btw, i mastered the 最高境界 of bulimic people during that time, as i could just vomit when i want to, even after i recovered. =P
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Convo pictures are finally done...
Finally did up the photos for the convocation 2007. A photo log of the day's events is completed. The day started with me travelling down to Yongxi's place to hitch a ride to NTU as i wanted to take photos with the people in the afternoon session and fruit juice stall uncle in can A.
We stationed ourselves in the cad/cam lab, useful place to be as u can see, before heading up to nanyang audit. Met roy n family, took some photos and chatted as they prep themselves for the ceremony. Also took photos with jamie and zhao chen who were getting ready for the session.
Also managed to take photos with the team and butler before the start of the afternoon session. As no one else could squeeze out time for photo with uncle, kaixin and i went to take photo with can a fruit stall uncle, who has been very caring and supportive. As well as a trip to LWN library for some photographs. If we looked like Harry Potter, check out John. heh heh.
Left cad lab for the second time, this time is for photo taking and my convo, which was the evening session. Received a surprise from huei hsien, a gold ingot, heh heh.. although yongxi received a 發 tile, think gold would be better for mahjong, so watch out! =P hahahaha! Thanks huei hsien!
Dawn parents are wonderful people. We had quite a few wonderful dinner at her place and auntie's cooking skill is Superb! My parents, elder bro and wheng reached soon after. 2 surprises were installed for me, a graduation bear and a flower petal with my name sewn on. hee hee. thanks wheng! It is also thanks to butler's kind arrangement which i had the chance to say my thanks to my mom and dad (as written in chinese) out loud when i am on stage (they were close enough for me to shout moderately =P).
More photo-taking with friends followed before the start of the event, and John had to be the ticket man for beverly's parents and brother as her brother just touched down in the airport from Hong Kong. And thanks to Butler, i could pass my 2 tickets to bev's family.
After the event session, found prof yeo and took a picture with him. For he had visited me in hospital after i started chemo back in 2004. Without his help, i would not have had been able to complete my degree in 4 years time despite having a 200 day MC. As for butler, without him, i would not have been able to embark on an amazing journey with the solar car team as well as the certificate for best project in MAE, and maybe even my 2nd upper. =D And finally, to thank john for his help in a one day volunteer job as a photographer. =P
We stationed ourselves in the cad/cam lab, useful place to be as u can see, before heading up to nanyang audit. Met roy n family, took some photos and chatted as they prep themselves for the ceremony. Also took photos with jamie and zhao chen who were getting ready for the session.
Also managed to take photos with the team and butler before the start of the afternoon session. As no one else could squeeze out time for photo with uncle, kaixin and i went to take photo with can a fruit stall uncle, who has been very caring and supportive. As well as a trip to LWN library for some photographs. If we looked like Harry Potter, check out John. heh heh.
Left cad lab for the second time, this time is for photo taking and my convo, which was the evening session. Received a surprise from huei hsien, a gold ingot, heh heh.. although yongxi received a 發 tile, think gold would be better for mahjong, so watch out! =P hahahaha! Thanks huei hsien!
Dawn parents are wonderful people. We had quite a few wonderful dinner at her place and auntie's cooking skill is Superb! My parents, elder bro and wheng reached soon after. 2 surprises were installed for me, a graduation bear and a flower petal with my name sewn on. hee hee. thanks wheng! It is also thanks to butler's kind arrangement which i had the chance to say my thanks to my mom and dad (as written in chinese) out loud when i am on stage (they were close enough for me to shout moderately =P).
More photo-taking with friends followed before the start of the event, and John had to be the ticket man for beverly's parents and brother as her brother just touched down in the airport from Hong Kong. And thanks to Butler, i could pass my 2 tickets to bev's family.
After the event session, found prof yeo and took a picture with him. For he had visited me in hospital after i started chemo back in 2004. Without his help, i would not have had been able to complete my degree in 4 years time despite having a 200 day MC. As for butler, without him, i would not have been able to embark on an amazing journey with the solar car team as well as the certificate for best project in MAE, and maybe even my 2nd upper. =D And finally, to thank john for his help in a one day volunteer job as a photographer. =P
Thursday, August 02, 2007
The lathe machine and a delicious buffet dinner
With Yongxi being summoned by his dad (Level 20 spell, yx failed his save throw) for his engineering expertise, went to buy 4130 rod at Joo Keng Circle with Kaixin instead. Bought the metal, and it was back to workshop for more machining for the spacers.
Unfortunately, my skill level with the lathe machine is still rather low, so had quite a few mistakes while machining my first spacer resulting in a failed piece. However, through my mistakes, i learn quite a few stuff, such as on how to spot that my cutting tool is not aligned properly, when the work piece is rotating too fast (these 2 count as blessing #1 for today) and when the work piece is too slow + shattering of cutting tool (learn this from vince as his cutting blade shattered, luckily no injuries so is blessing #2). After the first piece, the rest of the pieces were not exactly in the correct dimensions as they were off by 0.1~0.2mm and thus i have to think of a better procedure to machine them tomorrow and as i was writing, i just thought of it.. heh heh .. can try for tomorrow and chances are they will come out good. =P
As for the dinner, went to Tanglin Club, of which i nearly lost my way as it is in Orchard and the map at the MRT station didnt cover that area so i based on memory of the map i read last night. Reached the place in time and when into the function room, also known as Raffles Room for the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (Singapore Branch) annual awards night. Thank goodness i saw Li Kuang there (blessing #3), which meant that at least i have someone i know to talk to. He had to do a presentation though, as he was awarded the Best Project Prize from NTU. heh heh. I received the Best Project Certificate from NTU.
After his presentation, there were 2 more on postgraduate research which also won prizes before the buffet dinner commenced. Glad to have the chance to chat with li kuang and not to mention the wonderful food. yum yum... thank goodness my gastric flu is over (#4). Met a few profs there, Alastair, John Heng, Graham, Ang Hock Eng etc. and made new friends. 'Networked' in a sense as we (LK and i) chatted with Desmond, an MAE alumni in Rolls Royce, and it seems rather exciting there, especially if they would be expanding here in sg. Too bad didnt ask about the pay, but 18 months training in UK sounds good though. =P Since i have until Jan to decide, might as well explore all options.
Well... gtg sleep liao. So fast a week has passed... must be that 2 days in bed recovering made the week so short. =P
P.S. Pictures on the way.
Unfortunately, my skill level with the lathe machine is still rather low, so had quite a few mistakes while machining my first spacer resulting in a failed piece. However, through my mistakes, i learn quite a few stuff, such as on how to spot that my cutting tool is not aligned properly, when the work piece is rotating too fast (these 2 count as blessing #1 for today) and when the work piece is too slow + shattering of cutting tool (learn this from vince as his cutting blade shattered, luckily no injuries so is blessing #2). After the first piece, the rest of the pieces were not exactly in the correct dimensions as they were off by 0.1~0.2mm and thus i have to think of a better procedure to machine them tomorrow and as i was writing, i just thought of it.. heh heh .. can try for tomorrow and chances are they will come out good. =P
As for the dinner, went to Tanglin Club, of which i nearly lost my way as it is in Orchard and the map at the MRT station didnt cover that area so i based on memory of the map i read last night. Reached the place in time and when into the function room, also known as Raffles Room for the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (Singapore Branch) annual awards night. Thank goodness i saw Li Kuang there (blessing #3), which meant that at least i have someone i know to talk to. He had to do a presentation though, as he was awarded the Best Project Prize from NTU. heh heh. I received the Best Project Certificate from NTU.
After his presentation, there were 2 more on postgraduate research which also won prizes before the buffet dinner commenced. Glad to have the chance to chat with li kuang and not to mention the wonderful food. yum yum... thank goodness my gastric flu is over (#4). Met a few profs there, Alastair, John Heng, Graham, Ang Hock Eng etc. and made new friends. 'Networked' in a sense as we (LK and i) chatted with Desmond, an MAE alumni in Rolls Royce, and it seems rather exciting there, especially if they would be expanding here in sg. Too bad didnt ask about the pay, but 18 months training in UK sounds good though. =P Since i have until Jan to decide, might as well explore all options.
Well... gtg sleep liao. So fast a week has passed... must be that 2 days in bed recovering made the week so short. =P
P.S. Pictures on the way.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Move towards happier days. =D
Read on the papers today on happiness, and going to try out counting 3 blessings per day and actually writing them down. Have been feeling blessed with care and support from family and friends for many years liao, but since writing down may be effective, heck, why not?
Photographs still not ready yet, maybe by the weekend ba. So i guess John would have been back in New York, and possibly in Rome right now.. so if you are reading this.... UPDATE us !!!! =P Write in that cbox thingy found there --->
As for the 3 blessings today:- No diarrhoea for today, was not angry despite waiting for someone who was late and help from Yongxi in transporting the fridge and... many more... but lets list 3 per day ba.
Today did a bit of machining, looks like more to come tomorrow and prep for the carbon fibre materials to arrive. Finally, work to do. heh. =) Oh ... and an award ceremony to attend tomorrow. A little bonus and hopefully with some cash to treat the people who helped a lot! =D
Photographs still not ready yet, maybe by the weekend ba. So i guess John would have been back in New York, and possibly in Rome right now.. so if you are reading this.... UPDATE us !!!! =P Write in that cbox thingy found there --->
As for the 3 blessings today:- No diarrhoea for today, was not angry despite waiting for someone who was late and help from Yongxi in transporting the fridge and... many more... but lets list 3 per day ba.
Today did a bit of machining, looks like more to come tomorrow and prep for the carbon fibre materials to arrive. Finally, work to do. heh. =) Oh ... and an award ceremony to attend tomorrow. A little bonus and hopefully with some cash to treat the people who helped a lot! =D
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