Voltage Regulator found in Poor Jakarta

If you have visited an office or a home in Jakarta Indonesia and found this device, don;t be alarm. It is a voltage regulator used to protect your home appliance. Yes - you need one in a third world country (or city) because you cannot entrust your power to your local government. However, you probably don't need them in more organized tourist resorts like Bali and Bintan etc. Bless you Jakarta folks!

严长寿

958诚心诚意讲座《做自己和別人生命中的天使》

那个被称之为"台湾饭店业教父"的人, 他的第一份工作是从送信员开始的, 他只有中学学历, 没有任何家族背景。

他的个人传记《总裁狮子心》畅销50万册, 鼓励了许多和他一样没有背景、没有高学历、并非最聪明、运气也不是最好的人们。

他的名字叫做严长寿, 出生在上海, 现在是丽致管理集团总裁!

"人无完人, 首先每个人要认清自己的优缺点, 然后要了解环境, 最后能寻找和发挥自我优势。"
这是严长寿总结的职场成功要素。

台湾丽致集团总裁严长寿和你分享生活智慧, 告诉你, 平凡的人, 要如何活得不平庸且幸福?
让你发现自我的潜能, 学习从思考延伸你的触角、懂得寻找优势, 放大格局, 与整个世界沟通!

日期 : 8月29号
时间 : 傍晚7点30分
地点 : 友诺士8路（巴耶利巴地铁站对面）的新邮政5楼礼堂

票价 : 每人30元, 双人报名, 折扣价每人25元。

Goodbye Beijing 2008!

24th August 2008 Sunday

It's been a sometime since I have updated my blog. It is a blessing in disguise that I have left my notebook in the office. No emails over the weekends. Just Olympics and lots of rain with cooling weather. And lots of sleep - I thought so but soon learnt that I was wrong ;-).

This morning, I got up at 7.30am just to catch my most favorite show - Marathon Men. Glued my face to the TV screen and watched the Kenyan, Moroccan and the Ethiopian run and how they ended the race. More than two solid hours and I cannot imagine how they can have such great achievement. But it is always inspiring to see people run their marathon. After the world best are here together to perform a stunning show. I cannot help but to recall the first time when I reached the finish line, I was sitting there and cry like a big baby non-stop for half-an-hour or so. It was a very moving experience where they cannot be expressed in words.

This afternoon, I told myself to stick to the TV screen to catch the rest of the games events. After all, this is the last day of the 29th Olympic in Beijing 2008. My only regret is that I am unable to be there to smell the feelings. Every time I see the sports person won a race or a game, and when the world listens to the winner’s national anthem, it is a complete sensational feeling that gushes into my brain and body.

Tonight, after the closing ceremony, I suddenly feel a sense of loss. It happens every time, especially after a major event like world cup fever. The ending was not as spectacular as I would have expected. The London excerpt was so with Beckham did a brief and silly appearance and probably not many people know the guitarist and the singer. Could not understand Song Zhu Ying and Domingo what they were singing although the duet sounds perfect in harmony.

Ah yes! Peace, harmony, friendship, One World, One Dream. This is mixed yet inspiring feeling that has showered me the whole of Saturday and Sunday. I have not felt so peaceful and happy since I returned from my expedition.

Thank you Beijing 2008! For all the great work and kudos to all the volunteers and not forgetting the wonderful fireworks show. You look so wonderful at night and in many different angles. I miss you and like the songs suggest, I love Beijing. And I will be back soon.

桑兰 - Another Living Legacy who Lives On Her Own Term

桑兰 - You celebrate our life!

Athletic career and injury

Sang achieved excellence in gymnastics at a young age, winning the all-around and every single event final at the 1991 Zhejiang Province Championships. By 1995 she was competing nationally. Sang was one of China's strongest vaulters, placing second on the event at the 1995 Chinese Nationals. While she never represented China at the Olympics or World Gymnastics Championships, she did compete at the 1996 and 1997 American Cup meets and was selected for the 1998 Goodwill Games team.

In New York at the Goodwill Games, during warmups for the vault event final, Sang fell while she was performing a timer (a simple vault, used by the athlete to familiarize herself with the apparatus and warm up). She could not raise herself from the mat and was taken to the hospital.

Tests indicated that she had fractured and dislocated her C6 and C7 vertebrae and injured her spinal cord. The result of the injury was paralysis from the mid-chest down.

Sang remained in New York City for almost a year, receiving rehabilitation at Mount Sinai Hospital. Many celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Celine Dion and Christopher Reeve visited and offered their support; she was also invited to participate in the New Year's Eve festivities in Times Square as an honored guest.


Advocacy

Since returning to China, Sang has become a celebrity and an advocate for the disabled. A television miniseries about her life was produced in the late 1990s; she was portrayed by her former gymnastics teammate Mo Huilan. Sang also hosts her own show, Sang Lan Olympics 2008. on STAR TV, a Mandarin-language television channel. She was an ambassador for Beijing's successful 2008 Olympics bid and has been selected as an Olympic relay torchbearer.

Sang is currently a student at Peking University. She has continued a rigorous physical therapy regimen and has regained some use of her arms and hands. She has also expressed an interest in returning to competitive sports and wishes to represent China as a table tennis player at the 2008 Paralympic Games.

The Last Lecture

A great man and a Lecturer has died at a young age.
His living story wull continue to have an impact on us.
Lest we forget - how to live....

My new Speedo Water Shoe

I have always wanted a pair of watershoes that allow me to run and walk on the beach when I realise that there could be broken glasses and even needles from disposed syringes everywhere. Another bad experience was I actually stepped onto some dead jellyfish along Kuantan beach some years ago.

And I did not expect that I could find a cheap pair of water shoes from Speedo at Stupid Price and costs me only USD8 with tax included. They only had a pair of size 9and it fit me very well.

It was a small dream come thru - cheaply - for me.

My catch at Stupid Price!

Here are some of the catches I made in Stupid Price store in Summer 2008.
Sometime I did not want to buy because I need to wear them. I bought just because how the originals can be priced so low. The brands range from Dockers to Calvin Kline pains. And they are priced at around USD10 or less.

Just look out for the green tag items and you cannot go wrong with them.

Stupid Price!!!

If you are going to US for a shopping trip, this is a name that you must remember (and it is not difficult to remember at all): STUPID PRICE!

They are not everywhere but they have a great business model. Go to their website to find out how they are different from the rest of the stores. Everything are priced deeply low. And you can find just about anything you want there. And because they run cheap, the stores are usually small and all merchandizes are not organised too properly but I can tell they are doing their best to.

Now you do not expect a fantastic attentive customer service there like many other stores but still their service are still far better than those in Singapore premium stores. We should feel shameful here.

Yet they have great return policy - not moneyback but you are welcome to exchange other items an din different stores too.

So next time you are in US, do yourself a favour: go visit them and look for the top brands but pay at donkey price.

My new Columbia Beartooth in Mud/Gypsy Colour

Believe it or not, this is my first pair of Columbia product and it better be a pair of footwear. Known as Columbia Beartooth in Mud/Gypsy Colour, not only it loks good on the design but it is also very comfortable too. I put them on immediately and paid on the spot.

Got it at the Seattle Premium Outlet in the Quil Ceda Village
http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=71
where a shop would sell all shoes and display them not according to the brands but according to the sizes. Simple reason: shoes that were unsold in the other stores were shipped here in a central location and arranged accoridng to sizes and then to be sold at a reduced price.

I got my eyes on another pair of Columbia footwear initially just because it was priced at USD49.99 but I could not let go of this pair that I finally got but cost USD62.99.

Well it is still cheap compaired to what my local stores can offer so I put on and walked out immediately. It came with the standard version and the wide version and thanks to my damn gout problem, I now have a wider left foot and therefore have to choose the non-standard version. Both are priced the same.

A day later, I spotted another pair of the exact model at The Supermall in Auburn but only costs USD40 but they only have the standard size not the wide type. Without hesitation, I bought it with the intention to return this pair to the first store for a refund. Thanks to the wonderful superb customer service in the US that allowed me to exchange the item without question asked.

This experience not only saved me money but also let me personally experienced the super service in the America which I salute am thankful. Of course the only trouble is the travelling bit but thanks to my little bro who took me all the way back to the outlet to change them.

Wonderful wonderful wonderful shopping experience!!!

Now here's some note that I like to document down on my new footwear.

1. Active temperature rating:
Temperature ratings are approximations based on high activity levels and can be affected by many conditions, including weather, wearer's activity level, fitness, metabolism, perspiration, circulation, exposure time, clothing andcold sensitivity.
(well sounds like common sense but made into some hard theory.)

2. Care Instructions:
Remove loose soil with nylon brush. Wipe surface with damp cloth and mild soap. Air dry away from direct heat. Do not machine wash. Avoid solvent-based waterproofing aplications on all waterproof footwear.
(ok sounds rather practical but I would nottake the trouble of going all out to maintain my shoes anyway.)

I am ready for my next tracking experience with my new pair of shoes while my other pair of Rockport is not abou tto die anytime yet.

My new Adidas FZ 3S Hoody 6 (Medgrehea/Darnavy)

Why does it has to show up so late?
I have been wanting to buy something like that for a long time and have been searching for years and could hardly find any.
I hate to advertise for any brands so I usually like it plain on the chest.
But since it is an Adidas and has it's logo on the left chest, well, I thought that it fine.
Got it at the Adidas outlet in my last trip to Seattle in Summer 2008.
Regular price set at USD50 but they are offering USD39.99.
Yet I could buy the second piece for a 50% discount.
Without hesitation, I bought one for Jia who took the trouble to send me there.
I have to choose Medium size for myself and Small for Jia.

Size M in the US term is 38"-40" Chest, 32"-34" Waist, and 31" Inseam.

mmm...too bad, don;t have the picture here.
The famous three dark strips makes me look like a Sergeant in military rank.
Everything else is in MEDGREHEA colour.
The ideal hoody would be just plain MEDGREHEA with full zip.

My new Nephew

Aiden - this little guy that made my summer in Seattle a wonderful stay. Born in 2007 November, he is a scorpio just like me. Forget about what the almanac says but I think we have something in common. Curious, get bored with the same old toy quickly, always wanting to explore new stuff. Loves freedom and not locked in a little baby cot. Cheerful cos he would smile all day and considerate because he would not wake up his mum when he can. And even when he is complaining, he only cry lightly instead of yelling out loud that usually irritate people a lot. So when a nice baby like that cries, he is actually winning a lot more attention than other babies. And he makes like easy for his mum and da cos he hardly wakes up in the middle of the night. Once he is fed sufficiently, he would just go off and sleep all night like adult. It has to be the most wonderful baby that I have yet to find among those that I have come across.

Bak Kut Teh Deals

Just visited the Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh at the Rangoon Road yesterday.
It is meant to be a famous stall but now that I have tried Ah Hua Bak Kut Teh along Keppel Road, I have to admit that the latter is truly a better value for money - not only that it tastes better.

Once taken Ah Hua's Bak Kut Teh, my head will soon perspire thanks to the rich amount of pepper used in the soup. What's more - they keep topping up your soup free of charge while Ng Ah Sio seems rather stingy about adding more soup.

Price-wise, Ng Ah Sio's costs S$5.50 for a miserable amount of ribs or Bak Kut.

I would still go back to Ah Hua's from now on.

Gates vs Buffet

While Uncle Bill has dropped to the 3rd position after 13 years staying on top of the Forbes Billionaire ranking, I still maintain my respect for this man. He together with the other team members have created Microsoft that has changed the world by making it so affordable to many individuals, family and organization. Sure -many other competitors hate him and his bran because they have been seen as shrew businessmen. But let's look at the values he has created to the world and the people.

Compared with Warren, he has made a lot of money for himself only. What values does he give to the public except advices which perhaps only help a few individuals. He has not helped to create jobs for the many people like Microsoft does. Warren is a player - a big time investor and all for himself. And very successful as an individual of course but then to himself only.

Bill has created an economy and has also helped many to become rich by creating jobs and those influences spurred on. So even if he has been knocked out of the list one day, he has remained a legend in our century.