first in line…

Its the F1 weekend again. 4 years now and i’m still extremely thrilled nonetheless. -beams.

I feel that the onus is now on me to address certain facts because sometimes ignorance really kills.

1) SMRT is not monopolising the transport network system in Singapore. There’s our “friendly” competitor, SBS Transit, whom recently have been aggressively expanding their bus and train operations to become more competitive. SBS Transit was recently awarded the rights to maintain and operate the Downtown Line; so SUPPLIES, LTA didnt give it to SMRT.

2) SMRT is not the sole operator for the train system. Yes we do maintenance and operation works for the NS line, EW line and Cirle line. But the NEL and the future Downtown line is on SBS Transit’s side. No monopoly; plenty of competition in terms of KPI.

3) A 5 mins train fault delay is not a long wait. Contrary to popular belief, we do not have technical officers at every stations. When a train fault occurs, they have a specific respond time(to go down to the fault area) to rectify everything and ensure that the system is running smoothly again. The crucial thing is not to rush them, because they do take all safety precautions into considerations; so that the train that you’ll be taking is perfectly safe to ride.

4) The more frequent train faults or delay doesnt mean SMRT is lazy or has become arrogant. The MRT system has been in operation for almost 25 years now. The aging infrastructure and technology adopted then means we are facing the challenge of obsolescence. If we run more trains(which we have been dutifully doing), there’ll be more stress on the rail network, for something that was only designed and built to cater to the crowd 25 years ago. There are many efforts being drawn to upgrade the system, but because maintainence works only happens during non-revenue hours from 1-4.30am everyday, there’s only so much we can change and upgrade.

5) The increase in fares doesnt mean SMRT wants to earn more profits and pocket it. Being in charge of operations and maintenance of the MRT system, which is aging significantly recently, there are many equipment and infrastructure to upgrade. Each specific project would be in monetary value of millions of dollars. And no, LTA does not sponsor us.

The limitations and challenges are endless. And so are people’s expectations. There’s so much more about the MRT system than meets the eye; and i’m appreciating the system so much more upon deeper understanding of the various mechanisms(as complicated as they can get).

It’s exceptionally heart breaking to see facebook comments by friends about how cross they are with SMRT’s service(only to probe further and realise they are only upset about a 5 min delay or the doors closing earlier or very minute things that really, makes them a petty person).

On a self declared mission to be the ambassador for the company and to correct people’s misconceptions.

The whole 15 years of education all boils down to this:

So i was beaming with excitement(albeit the heart-dropping moment when trying to recall my candidate number prior to logging in); and did a ballerina twirl. I didn’t let my parents down, i didn’t let myself down; and most importantly, i really honestly worked hard for this. Such a surreal moment of confirmation. Such a blessing. -beams.

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd.

I honestly don’t think we deserve such a beautiful place to live in. It’s all bright and sparkly, as opposed to our ugly behaviour towards environmental sustainability.

The bouquet was designed by Shane Connolly and draws on the traditions of flowers of significance for the Royal Family, the Middleton family and from the Language of Flowers.

The flowers’ meanings in the bouquet are:
Lily-of-the-valley: Return of happiness
Sweet William: Gallantry
Hyacinth: Constancy of love
Ivy: Fidelity; marriage; wedded love; friendship; affection
Myrtle: the emblem of marriage; love.

I’d definitely prefer the gown to have more ruched detailing but this works fine for me. Very classic, simplistic and elegant. -thumbsup. I thought the flower’s meanings basically sums up the whole notion of the royal wedding. A really gorgeous affair that probably made all our hearts melt and go “aww”. Heh.

Meredith: We are all looking for answers. In medicine, in life, in everything. Sometimes the answers we were looking for were hiding just below the surface. Other times, we find answers when we didn’t realize we were asking a question. Sometimes, the answers can catch us completely by surprise. And sometimes, even when we find the answer we’ve been looking for, we’re still left with a whole helluva lot of questions.

So the release date for Panasonic Lumix LX5(the super pretty camera hahahha) is in one day’s time(September 14th) but because Deming had contacts, we managed to grab hold of it last Friday, and in the white version too. Thank you so much bardie!!!  My colour choice was way impulsive because i have sweaty palms(hereditary in nature), so i’ll stain the white camera naturally. But it’s really too pretty to resist and a black camera just looks too plain and normal. I’ll have to constantly remind myself to clean it all the time haha!

Really have to say that the release of LX5 came timely. Had intended to buy a new camera to replace the old one(which is also a Lumix model) which has become cranky due to it’s slow shutter speed and it was such an old model that it couldnt read SD cards with a memory space higher than 2GB. Of course clumsy me dropped it so many times that the lens will not operate normally. It got so bad that Jun Wei had to graciously lend me his camera(ALSO a Lumix model HAHA) as a stand in. The old camera did serve me well for over 8 years so it’s really really time for a change to a newer model. We were contemplating between an LX3, an Olympus EPL-1, or bump straight up to a Canon DSLR model. The EPL-1 takes awesome photos with really good quality but it’s so pricey that you can buy a DSLR with that amount. Jumping straight to a DSLR wouldn’t be that great because I dont really think i’m ready for it; and i really do like a more compact camera to carry everyday. Plus, i’ll spend all my remaining $ on lenses or flash and other accessories to “upgrade” it so that would be a hefty price to pay haha! So we ended up with the most rational decision to get the LX3 but thank god we waited and TADAHHHH the LX5 came and appeared. It’s such a sign of approval, don’t you think?

(Photo credit to Lee Deming)

So now i have a new pretty toy to play with. SO much to explore and learn, can’t wait. -beams.
Thank you Jun Wei and Deming, from the bottom of my heart.

Anyway, the countdown timer for the release of LX-5 gets me even more hyped up about the new toy, really. Sho fun.
http://lumix.panasonic.com.sg/lx5/ Do visit this official Panasonic page to explore the camera and learn more about it’s features and specs.

So everyone who knows me know that i’m a serious serials junkie; my favourite ones include Grey’s Anatomy and Burn Notice, and The Big Bang Theory(which is really pretty darn good considering my initial rejection towards it), and even the new addition Modern Family(who won the 2010 Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy; truly deserve it). Compiled a whole list of upcoming episodes(for my convenience because it’s too many to track now; too much to handle hahaha). When you know there are 4 tv shows lined up for the day(For September 23 to be exact), you realise you are watching too many then. -guilty face.

1) Entourage S7E10 Sunday September 12
2)  90210 S3E1 Monday September 13
3) Gossip Girl S5E1 Monday September 13
4) Nikita S1E1 Thursday September 16
5) Hung S2E10 Sunday September 5
6) How I Met Your Mother S6E1 Monday September 20
7) Two and A Half Men S8E1 Monday September 20
8) Modern Family S2E1 Wednesday September 22
9) Grey’s Anatomy S7E1 Thursday September 23
10) Private Practice S4E1 Thursday September 23
11) The Big Bang Theory S4E1 Thursday September 23
12) CSI S11E1 Thursday September 23
13) Human Target S2E1 Friday September 24
14) CSI Miami S9E25 Sunday October 3
15) Pretty Little Liars S1E11 Returns 2011(On hiatus)

Hahaha omg okay i didnt know i follow THAT many shows. Xia Si Ren.

The examination results came out on the portal and i got to see it in advance(before the site crashed) because William was so nice to inform me straightaway. I’m a person who really can’t take surprises well so that came as a shock; while fumbling through the site and figuring out what numbers to key in. So many thoughts engulfed within because it had been a long wait since the written exams and finally, closure, so we can all move on to the new semester. I wasn’t the most happy person to see my results probably because i had high expectations and i had always set my sights on a first class honours upon graduation so it’s a little step back. Jun Wei had to convince me it wasn’t that bad, because i did pass all my modules. I’m almost so sure all these Economics modules will hinder me but it’s really something i thought i’d excel in, particularly with my JC’s economics knowledge as an advantage(which i found out not really relevant after all haha!). Nonetheless, still going in head on for the last year to manage Managerial Economics. Like what Nat said on tweeter, certain but afraid. It’s really apt. At the end of it all, Economics and Management would always be the only course route that suits me ultimately, surely.

So 3 weeks just flew by so quickly after the release of results and i’ve booked my classes for the next semester. It’s going to be a rollercoaster ride from now on because i decided to take up Management Science Methods, which used to be on my block list(of subjects not to ever ever take up). Do read THIS. But if anything goes wrong, i can rely on OTIA and PMKT. -fingerscrossed.

The eCR timeslot for my course was on 3rd Sept and i almost missed it because i only checked the school portal on 2nd Sept. What a close shave. Everything went on smoothly, really, thank goodness for no system failure/jammed connection, which happened for the other courses the following week. Went to school on Monday(4th) to make payment early in the morning and to the post office to send the reg mail to London(for the study guides, which will take forever to reach here). I’m so excited for school again, really, so a little butterflies in the stomach and a little beam every now and then thinking about attending lectures. The constant whinings and the constant anal need to complete all tutorials/practise questions will resume. I’m ready for school.

Sci Fi city’s main attraction is the Battlestar Galactica, where you’ll be spun as high as up to 4 storeys, at the speed of 90km/h. Crazy. So since it’s not available, there’s nothing Sci Fi city has to offer. Harhar. I was sekretly happy that we dont have to take this anyway. Hope USS can get things all fixed up and reopen this soon, because it’s such a waste to spend so much $ on admission and not being to experience this!

Oh my gawd look at the twists and turns. Scary shit. Will never take this haha! Never ever.




The closest Jun Wei will ever get to Battlestar Galactica.

Sulking because ride is under testing/maintenance/making sure no seats or screws are loosened during trial runs so that it is absolutely safe to ride when it opens. Hahahaha!

Still sulking hohoho

So we didnt know who this man was suppose to resemble, but being all touristy, we just took a photo anyway. Bu pai bai bu pai attitude; hen hao.



With Mr Cyborg!

We took the Accelerator ride, which is also more for the kids IMO. Quite fun, though i stopped Jun Wei from spinning us too much.



And the whole view of Sci Fi city in the sheltered area.

We also came to know that USS will be adding in another feature to this particular zone(since it sucks so much), and it’s going to be Transformers! Opening in 2011 i believe, if i recall correctly. That would at least add in a little more excitement.