Devil's Food with Vanilla Frosting

As mention, one of the goal for the week is to bake a cake. Never make one before so I resorted to using those "make ready" cake mixture powder from the local supermarket. All I need to add into the chocolaty powder is 1 1/3 cup of water, 1/2 cup oil and 3 eggs. Using a Kitchen Aid blender, I give the cake mixture a good stirring and pour the mixture into 2 baking loaf pans.

50mins at 325 degrees, out came the well baked "Devil's Food", the name given for this particular chocolate cake. Ha ha...come to think of it, using pre-mix cake powder to bake a cake is really "EASY AS A PIECE OF CAKE".

The only mistake I made was spreading the Vanilla frosting between 2 layer of sponge way too early while its still warm. Failure to follow proper cooling down exercise for the cake result in melted frosting that drip down the side of the sponge. Will take note the next baking session.

"Its Black..."

"Its White..."

"No Matter If Its Black Or White"

Which one look better

I am still WIP on the Advance War Dual Strike Wallpaper that feature all the COs from the Alliance within a 1280 x 800 resolution wallpaper. Thought SAMMI the "Infantry CO" looks cool all by herself on the wallpaper thus I decided to side track for awhile and dedicate 15 mins to make a simple desktop wallpaper of her. Which one is better?


Still haven't found my wallet yet which have mysteriously disappear from my apartment. So mysterious forces in play? I wonder... Anyway, got my driver license, Military ID and all the bank cards replaced. My sis even offer to buy me a new wallet since I lost the one she brought for me. How nice.

Lost wallet

Its funny how luck in life turn suddenly. When I thought I have place my wallet properly at the usual spot, I couldn't find it anymore the next day I woke up. And together with it goes my 4 credit and debit card, driver license both USA and Singapore, my Military ID, all the Chinese Talisman mum have brought for me, US$400 won from Winstar Casino and other stuff I have kept in the wallet.

The search went on forever on Sunday morning turning up nothing at all. I even went to the extend of getting a colleague of mind to search the house. I was very sure that the wallet was on the desk since I got home on Saturday evening and have not step out of the house since than. Not under the bed, not behind the desk, no in the wardrode, not everywhere. How can it just walk away from me?

This is so depressing. Not because of the money but all the IDs and cards I have lost and most importantly, my black leather wallet that sis brought for me a gift with her first pay check. I am depress and I hope that someone will come to me with the wallet. Not too concern about the money at all.

Today is Monday. Have to spend the morning getting a replacement ATM card from the bank, head down to the Police Department to see if anyone turn in my wallet. I try to get my mind of the lost at the moment and focus on recovery. Will be heading down to the driver license center in the afternoon to get a replacement driver license. On Wednesday, I will have to head down to Joint Reserve Base at Fort Worth to get a replacement Military ID.

I wish the wallet come back to me soon. I have return a few wallet in the past and I hope God treat me fair this time.

Won Money!!!

Wah! I won US$400 from the Blackjack table at WinStar Casino!!! Minus off US$80 I lost at Deadwood, South Dakota few months ago, I still make US$320 profit. Thanks to my good luck of the day, I have enough funding for my PC Project. Time to get a motherboard and processor.


Oh by the way, just got back from Oklahoma City National Memorial. Blog about the place some other day. Will work on a photo gallery cum photo blog on this very important place of Oklahoma City. Right now, I need to sleep. Been out since 7am this morning. Human are funny isn't it? Work long hours feel tired, enjoy long hours don't feel tired until you sit down at the end of the day and do nothing. Time to catch up some sleep and prepare later day activity.

Will be heading down to the Driving Range at Riverchase Golf Course with Ricky and Patrick, joining them for my first experience with golf, later on in the afternoon, FC SINUSA will be playing against Dallas FC. Hope to get more field time for today match.

When you thought my Singing was funny

Someone commented my 自导自演 MTV of Zhang Dong Liang song few weeks ago was funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBpP9icNotc#GU5U2spHI_4

Ok so the person who comment on me was nick name "Icebladeangel". So I click the nickname and found out that its a "SHE" and she also created a couple of 自导自演 MTV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDINmTKpGq8

Half way through her singing, I felt like the song is trying to hypnotize me. She just kept on repeating the same phrase over and over and over again like some religious chanting. So I have to press the stop button before I end up on MC the next day.

Still enjoyable though. Enjoy seeing someone as crazy as me. Suspect she is either Taiwanese or from China. Hmm, I think its time to make another MTV.

What I want to achieve for this 2 weeks.

Goals for this 2 weeks,

1) Practice and make perfect Gun and Roses "Sweet Child Of Mine" on Guitar Hero II.
2) Finish reading John Grisham "RainMaker".
3) Design Advance War Dual Strike wallpaper.
4) Buy and melon.
5) Make a simple cake or cookies.

The toughest one will be "Sweet Child Of Mine" on Guitar Hero II, I still have a hard time playing the fast notes in the middle of the song. I guess if I am able to play the starting notes, I should have not problem with the fast notes if only I just keep on playing it.

Making a cake is something I always wanted to try. Ok I should say bake. Since I got a oven and have recently brought 2 dozen of egg, I thought I should try making some simple cake or cookies.

I have downloaded couple of pictures of COs from my favorite Nintendo DS Lite game, Advance War Dual Strike. Just need to find a spark of creative inspiration to sort them out and makeall the pictures into a desktop wallpaper.

And finally, I have already started on John Grisham "Rainmaker", its a wonderful read about going against the big corporation in the court room. The Robin hood of law. Hope to get some inspiration from this book. Yup, I hope I have a full day of doing nothing and just sitting at the Balcony reading the book.

Lastly, Melon. Its summer and melon is really juicy!

Today....

Today I work a "Prolong hours" of work

Today work was "Professionally Long" hours

Today I missed my lunch time

Today I came home really late

Today a women gave me the middle finger

Today I don't give a damn about my career

Today I observe the frantic pace of someone whose usually bochup

Today I wish I was doing something else

Today I am tired after work and really hungry

Today I made an Cherry pie and a glass of milk for dinner

A Better Tomorrow ( I hope)

FC SINUSA first match

This is my first soccer Jersey, proudly sponsored by Peace Prairie Detachment favorite car workshop "HON-ACURA AUTO SERVICING". And thanks to the towkay of the workshop, Louis sponsorship, our guys were able to make it for this season with good financial backing for our equipments. Nice blue color isn't it? Does remind me of our Singapore National Team alternate Jersey. No.5 its me, although it looks like a number for the first 11 start up players, I am actually the reserve for the team. No hard feelings for that cause I know where I stand in the skill level of the team (still need more experience and exposure) and we are playing against one of the strongest team in the league but been in a team with sponsorship not only from HON-ACURA but also from our Detachment Commander Major Ian and DY Commander Major Yicks plus having a nice jersey and playing in a official league sums up all the satisfaction in me.

Today was our first match against "Tenacious C" a team of big sized Ang Mo. We played the 4-3-1-2 formation for maximum field coverage and the match started off with a few pretty good chances for us. From what I observe from the sidelines, both teams are equally match and we have a very strong defense contingent. It was a lot of back and forth playing between our team and theirs. Our first test came at don't know what minute when Melvin contributed a penalty kick for "Tenacious C". Their striker failed hit the right spot and "Fat Boy" our goal keeper saved us from a 1 goal down struggle. We were attacking down wind for the first half which gave us the advantage of nature while the opponent have to struggle against the headwind which slows down their forward passes and shots. Things got a bit ugly and bloody in the middle of the first half when Encik Mani crash 1 to 1 with "Tenacious C" mid fielder. I heard a loud "tiack" sound as they collided leg to leg. Encik Mani was out of action for the rest of today match with a 1inch open wound on his right leg. The first half ended with a goal-less draw despite numerous chances we got and the advantage of the downwind

Second half started shortly. We are playing against the wind, the table have turned. True enough "Tenacious C" took advantage and made the first goal from a long cross that was just too high to be cleared by our defender and it landed straight in in front of 'Tenacious C" striker who tapped in the goal much to our Keeper frustration. It was one moment of lapse that left that striker unmarked for the goal. Our team pressed on 1 goal down for an equalizer and we have a few close one but could not make it. We still maintain of strong defense of Munkit, Dave, Mike and Roger thus prevent a lot of their counter attack from succeeding when our attack for revival failed. Dwight our giant American black player got a yellow card just because some undersized player fell down after crashing into him (he was still standing), that was really a KELONG decision by the referee. I got my chance to be on the field during the last 10 min of the game, playing as the right forward. I never forget my role, the decoy and the chaff and flare to distract the opponent defense with my running around like rabbit so that our main strike force of Tommy and Kumar will be able to penetrate their defenses.

Seriously, I am eager to be on the field but got a bit cold feet the moment I was call into play, my first league appearance. Got my first Baptism of Fire when I was knock down by their players while competing for a high pass. Was a bit angry and furious really and my team mate at the side bench mention I almost look like I gonna kill someone if I got a gun. Did a one-two pass with Cpt Commando Seah when I was cornered , got the ball and ended up getting sandwich by two defender. Man....I was seriously confuse. Heard voices around me telling me to pass but my eyes could not get off the ball the two giant around me. I think I fumbled and the ball lobang one of their defender. Surprise to see Kumar right behind him who eagerly pick up the ball and dribble towards the goal with another 2 defender grabbing him left and right. Kumar scored and we equalize!!!! Phew...I think I got lucky, I was "sotong" and their defend went on and "sotong" with me giving Kumar the chance to sneak in and assassinate the opponent goalkeeper with a score.

My 5 min of fame was over just like an American Idol audition, was substituted out shortly for Melvin to be on the field to lend more fire power for the attack for the last 5 min. For two evenly match team who only win each other with a 1 goal league last season, the match ended in a draw. We survived and got a point for the league table. We lost Encik Mani due to injury and I wish for his speedy recovery. We have a post game discussion and learn that the mid-field is lacking in power in the 4-3-1-2 formation. The next game will be on the following Sunday at 5pm against Club America and the the experiment will continue with 4-3-1-2.

My opinion. We got a strong defense that backup each other, good defense line up of Munkit, Mike, Rodger and Dave. Our left wing Tommy was playing a really good game int he first half but attracted lots of attention from the opponent in the second half. Charles make a really good player for the 1 in our 4-3-1-2 formation. Kumar needs support from the left and the right, he is the cannon and a good left and right striker or attacking mid-field will be his ammunition. Matthew is excellent as the goal keeper, he hold the fort well. We need Dwight to fight for the Air ball cause he is a giant and so far no player could match his built thus he made a good mid-field defend by using body contact.

Thats all for my field report for the day. Here are links to our match schedule and league table. This is Riccardo reporting for FC SINUSA "Not-LIVE" from comfort of my bed room.

Match Schedule

League Standing for Division 7 (select division 7 from the drop down list at the top).

Tax Free Day Shopping, Shop till I dropped

Came home with no energy to unpack my shopping bag

Retail therapy is heading down to San Marcos Factory Outlet, 3 hours drive to shop till you drop on a TAX FREE day! The retail tax in Texas is at 8.25%, Singapore is at 7% and retailer are quick to take advantage of the increase in sale during this 3 days by slashing prices on most of the items. Mind you, price of clothings, shoes, bags, sunglasses, perfume etc etc is already pretty cheap at Factory Outlet and by saving up on the 8.25% tax, expect patrons to increase substantially during this period.

My goal of the day is to get a sunglass and a COACH bag for my sis, a bag for my mum and something for her. Also, I got to buy some gift for my brothers back home during Christmas gift exchange party which I still have no updates which brothers' (or sisters') newly wed HDB apartment it will be held in.

Well, I came back an hour ago after a 3 hrs drive back to Dallas, tired but glad I achieve my objective for the day. Still got a couple of gift to buy to fill in the gaps but I am pretty glad I am not gonna go back empty handed or half empty handed during Christmas period. Kind of find it rewarding and motivating to buy for others than for myself, especially getting something for love ones and good friends. Sometime buying gift can be a headache because I am someone who need hint else am pretty clueless what the other party wants. So it was more easier to buy stuff for my sis who is pretty straight forward on what she want but a heck of a walk in the maze with my mum who kept things vague by saying "no need lah" or "anything also can lor" or "anything I can use everyday lor". In the end, got my friend to help me choose a COACH bag for her.

As usual the COACH retail shop is swarming with women and I still could not figure out whats the craze all about, even my sis like it. Maybe because its the only shop selling bag of different shape size and color over here in USA. I soon learn why after spending 2 hours in there picking bag for my sis and describing it to her over the phone. Good thing about COACH is that you can buy now, and if you decide not to have it later on you can always bring back to the store for refund or exchange anytime. All bag comes with life-time warranty for repair for just a nominal shipping fee of US$20. Damn....I kanna their Voodoo already, starting to sound like the staff working there. But seriously, I got to appreciate the quality and style of the bag thanks to my desire to get one for my sis and mum (initially just because its something very expensive in Singapore and very popular here) and also to my colleague's wife Emily and Shirlene for advising me which one is suitable and which one is not.

Also brought a Oakley sunglass for my sis. Gonna e-mail her the pictures. Don't know if she will like the design or not but I could always bring it to a local Oakley retail store in my area for exchange if she don't like it. Thats the beauty of the retail system in USA, either you can return within stipulated period or do an exchange. Pretty cool huh? So there is no harm in impulse buying.

The rest of my shopping list must be kept a secret for its Christmas gift.

Oh by the way, I came out with something in the to represent the handbag brand name COACH,

Come Over And Cherish Her

No wonder my colleague like to bring their wife to the COACH retail shop each time they head to San Marcos Factory Outlet ( or was it the other way round??? kekekeke).

What is a Moped?

What is a Moped? A Moped is a cross between a bicycle and a motorbike. It is powered by a small engine and also have a pedal. On Season 1, Episode 17 of "My Name Is Earl", Crabman spotted Randy sitting on a Moped and commented,

"Thats a cool Moped, Randy. It looks like a motorbike had sex with a bicycle"

Hard Disk Drive and Cooler Master Casing

Last Sunday, I brought a 500GB Seagate SATA harddisk. For what? Just because its very very very cheap at US$89 that I decided to buy it and also to help my friend use his 40 dollars circuit city coupon. One thing leads to another, I brought a Cooler Master Desktop tower chasis at US$29.90 after rebates. Long time ago, I have a plan of assembly my own desktop and now after buying this 2 item at a bargain price, I have already made up my mind to closely monitor the price of other computer hardware like graphic card, ram, sound card, DVD writer drive and LCD monitor. This are the missing parts that is required to assembled my very first desktop.



So far my experience had been limited to installation and removal of all computer hardwares except for Motherboard and processor. Its gonna be interesting doing all this price monitoring and online shopping for this PC assembly project. My budget is US$800 for a full system.

Here is a list of good website to start my hardware hunting,

http://www.newegg.com/
http://www.buy.com/
http://www.spoofee.com/

I personally like Newegg because its a website dedicated to computer parts and component shopping. Its like a virtual Sim Lim Square.

Yellowstone Road Trip Day 2

Day 2 of my stay in Yellowstone National Park. We headed to the world famous and the most visited active geysers area in the world, the Old Faithful. Realize its not just one lonely Geyser to see around there but numerous of them each with their own name and each have their own frequency of eruption. Needless to say, we spend the whole day there under the blazing sun just waiting for each of the dozens Geysers to erupt.

There is a prediction of eruption frequency printed on the visitor guide and its fairly accurate, Especially Old Faithful Geyser which faithfully erupted at the time of prediction. Only trouble was the Grand Geyser, waited almost 2 hours pass the predicted time and we gave up. The moment we walked like 400m away from it, the Biggest Geyser in Old Faithful erupted. By the time we rush back to the Grand Geyser, we only have less than 20 seconds before it rested. Luckily still manage to take some snap shots and video, at less the 2 hours wait was not wasted.

As for the nightlife, I was totally shagged and burn out from the day trip to Old Faithful but Hotel is beyond our budget so tonight we choose to camp at the public camp ground in Yellowstone National Park. For just USD$18 a night, you get a parking lot, a camp fire pit and a ground to pitch tent. First time in my life that I camp outdoor, if you don't consider BMT and NPCC field camp. Its a big public camp ground and that night its fully occupied with other campers and RV(recreation vehicles). Best part of camping? Making the camp fire and keeping ourselves warm in the cold night. Temperature at night can easily drop to 15 degrees Celsius.

Click the collage above for my Yellowstone Road Trip Day 2 photo album

Part of everyone story

Its a long long Journey

What if our life was actually a blank but unique story book given by God?. Each chapter is a year of your life. Now the very interesting part of all this stories is how one person story intertwine to another person story, a few to many, one to a lot or many to one. Complex or complicated? Everyone of us is part of a story of someone else in our life just like someone was part of your story.

Imagine walking through the pages of your life you found that your love ones' (family, girlfriend, boyfriend, wife or children) are walking through the similar pages of their "story book" as you are, maybe a different page number, or different view point in the same place, day and time. Today story is about joy of a new born, passing your O-Level, getting promoted at work, marriage, striking lottery, your new car, your new bike, your first date. Tomorrow story is about sorrow, a love one pass away, an accident, quarreling with your wife/husband, divorce, losing all your money in gambling, break up, getting a pay cut, the water went out while you are showering. It might be the book that take an longest time to write and thousand of pages thick depending on life span but it will be the best book ever written in the world for its not a fictional story book or another "Base on the life of" book written by another author, not another autobiography that goes through the scrutiny of the publisher.....

This book is call "Life" and everyone have to write their "Life" the moment they are born. Its uncensored, truth (sometime the hurting truth) and there is never an intended last chapter cause you never know when you will be writing it! Good memories, bad memories, good people, evil people...all this comes and goes in your "Life" at different pages. Somehow we are writing it so fast because times actually really flies (I am 26 this year, I thought my secondary school life was few years ago), that we already forgot about what happen in the past, its like invisible ink in "Life" written and disappear after a while. Sometimes "Life" was written with a white board marker and we choose to whether erase it or not and sometimes its permanent marker which forever linger in our zone of joy like heaven or sorrow like hell.

Heard the saying, "You Are The Architect Of Your Life"? Maybe should say "You Are The Writer Of Your Life". You are given a blank book to walk you "Life" on, is it going to be rubbish and nonsense that abruptly ends with no one remembering or re-telling your story or a "Life" of Wisdom, Compassion, which leave a lasting good impression in someone else story book, a story worth telling, a legacy? Remind me of a song from Dick Lee, "Life Story"..... singing...

"Its my life story, make it a better story, that goes on forever, like the wind"

Happy 42nd Birthday SINGAPORE!!!!

Dear Singapore,

Its been many many months since I last came back to Singapore during my home trip. Much has change during my 1 year absence and I'm sure even more changes be there to surprise me when I am back for another home trip this Christmas. Of course the shocking revelation of the 7% GST (or is it 8%) was quite hard to swallow but compare to Texas, you are still 1.6% behind, so I thank you for the discount.

I think by the time I am back in Singapore for good, next year May, my good friends around me will be married, or having their first child, or even second child, maybe third. Woah... Suddenly everyone is papa and mama already. Some kind of love campaign you are promoting and is that love spell you cast across the nation that people are discovering love and sex more and more? Ok I admit you have make us more liberal by opening your front door and back door to fully embrace western values. Thank god for 7-Eleven in the middle of the night else our island will sink from over population. Anyway, really happy for my friends out there tying the knots or cutting the umbilical cord of their new born or changing the diaper or chasing their 3 years old around the house trying to feed them breakfast lunch and dinner. Children are so active huh? Ok I'll be their GOD FATHER!

Well you are 42 years old, this year is pretty unique hor? No Stadium, No Padang cause the grass are still regrowing so this year decided to held your birthday at Marina Bay, for the first time. I think less LIVE crowd this time but whats the diff? Everyone will be watching LIVE on TV. Not so bad lah. This year, bo bian, I out station at USA else I will celebrate your birthday for you but definitely not gonna be performing for you with drills and marches. Just coke, potato chips, a comfortable couch and my 52 inch Plasma TV. I have enough of Military hoo haa... put me in the cockpit of an F-16 if you insist on my participation, I write HAPPY NATIONAL DAY in the sky with smoke.

You know what I will miss you most of all? All that glutton, sinful food back home. My Roti prata, Mee Pok, Chay Kway Teow, Ice Kacang, Mee Goreng, Chilli Crab, Yong Tau Fu.... United States can never never never face off with our country food without a shameful defeat. We got all the 4 races food power combine that will satisfied any kind of taste buds. Ha ha...when people ask me about you, I talk about food and of course how Chinese, Malay, Indian, Ang Mo and other minority races stayed peacefully under one roof. For me, I like Malay food, I am Chinese, I play soccer with Indian friend and I love to watch Ang Mo show. See, lim peh also multi-racial too!

Oh did I mention the air is much much cleaner now? Thanks to smoking ban here and ban there. Might as well ban everywhere lah... or learn from our SAF "How to effective control smokers - ONE YELLOW BOX". Smoke in the yellow box, share the air in the yellow box...best of all enclosed yellow box...hahahahah. Please, just joking. Don't be a control freak on this guys. There are such thing as considerate smokers and inconsiderate smokers. Those who smoke in front of children or non-smoker (without courtesy of asking) should go smoke their own ass but most people nowadays are educated people like many of my friends and colleague, they know the right time to puff. Lets not associate smoking with negative image of sick people, gangster, cancer or whatever.... I puff 1 stick a month and it actually feel shiok but of course ultimately its still a unhealthy and expensive habit to smoke in the packs.

Ok signing off here. Happy Birthday To You and many many good years ahead. I still like the old Kit Chan's National Day theme song, "HOME"... this song sum up my feelings.

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When Lonely You Will Think Of Water

Transformer!!! How the Ang Mo will sing the Japanese theme song.

Take note, Ang Mo people just could not differentiate between Chinese and Japanese language... This song is obviously Japanese. Lyrics is pretty hilarious.

My new drive...

10 more months to go, I wonder if I ever come back to USA again although I know chances are high. My Mitsubishi Eclipse is starting to give me more problem. First the dashboard is crack, than water start leaking into my driver side floor board when I turn on the AC, than the strut for the rear hatch broke off and finally the engine mount is worn making the car vibrate a lot at idle. So I sold the car at a lost, S$3000++ after just 11 months of driving. I think paying that amount to drive a sports car that I never get to drive in Singapore is pretty fine to me.

Ok here goes, so I decided to get something more fun, more enjoyable and make me wanna drive it all the time. So I brought a convertible, a 2000 Mazda Miata MX-5 with a 5 gear manual transmission rather than an auto transmission for I got so bored with driving auto. Its 1800cc compare to the 2400cc of my former Mitsubishi Eclipse but its much much more lighter for its a 2 seater car and have a leather convertible roof than a metal one. So light that at the top gear (5th) it still spot impressive acceleration. The engine produce good torque from low to middle rpm but the glory of the drive is release at 5000rpm and above and of course before the red line else risk blowing the engine but I doubt so cause Japanese Engine are make to run well at higher rpm.

Overall the Miata is really one fun little car, small and nimble. I wonder why I did not even consider it in the beginning? I was hopping to get a yellow one but its only for limited edition model which cost more than what I pay for now, in the end settle for a dark green. Its only 12K Singapore dollars. Where to find such deal in Singapore??? I gonna enjoy the drive for this last 10 months before getting back to public transport and motorbike in Singapore.

Isometric view

Side view

Front View

Back Side view

Just gave her a good nice wash, wax and leather treatment this morning. I'm sure she gonna behave well till the end of my tour in USA.

Tortise in our base

Last week, I reported on the discovery of a bat which CFITed (Controlled Flight Into Terrain) inside our Base hanger. http://rseaf.blogspot.com/2007/07/bat-in-base.html . As we all know, the bat have so far been pronounced dead for a week already. I have no idea if its buried, thrown into trash or fed to the wild dogs in the area.

This week, another unexpected visitor stumble into our hanger again. Its slow, cumbersome and carried it house with it. And its nearly run over by our Chinook helicopter when the FEs were towing it into the hanger.



I wonder how many days it took for this tortise to crawl all the way from the river behind our base all the way to the front of the hanger and the reason behind it. In any case its too dangerous for it to wonder around the hanger, either it got crush eventually and make a big mess for us to clean up or it could damage our aircraft wheel assembly if the shell was hard enough. Picked it up and the tortise immediately took a defensive stance, retracting into the shell. I brought it back to the bay for some photo shoot opportunity.

Cheese!!! Smile for the camera!!!

Gosh....its petriefied....its peeing...

Its as big as our rotor head vertical tank! Maybe it might consider moving house.

I don't wanna see another creature past away inside the base. After Sugar my pet and the bat from last week, I have become a bit of an animal right activist or enviromentalist ( I pot plants to reduce ozone gases by 0.0000001%). The tortise is released into the lake behind our base.

Secret Admirer?

Please leave down you name, phone number and address the next time miss. I found this note stuck to my car windscreen wiper this afternoon on my way to night shift work. Of course my first reaction was thorough surprise. Only took me a few minutes to realize I just got a new car, a year 2000 Mazda Miata Convertible and I have lots of wacky and prankster colleagues staying around my apartment now so it does not take longer to realize this could be someone pulling a fast one at me.

So the first person that came to my mind was my house mate Ricky. Ask him to write some short notes for me so I could compare the hand writing like CSI. His handwriting did not match. Next guy on my mind who could be so "Bo Liao" was Ah Chan but did not met up with him today. Gonna get his hand writing sample ASAP.

Real or not, I'm not sure. I rather treat it as a prank by my beloved colleague so as not to feel utterly disappointed but also I could be really surprised if it turn out to be a genuine admirer out there!!! Ha ha. To be honest, if it turn out to be real....I think it will be so cool to date a local right here in United States.

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This week have been a long and hectic work week for me. Each day, my work start at Sunset and I only got back home at Sunrise. My whole body circadian rhythm is hay wire. Sleeping at Sunrise (in the morning) post a serious challenge for my otherwise Active Day Mode body. Working past normal sleeping hours makes me tired and not really 100% mentally tune to handle the paper work while sleeping after sunrise cause me to wake up at noon time and not able to fall a sleep again. Man....just 5 hours of sleep only. Thank god its Friday and the working hours will be earlier but shorter because we will be having a company dinner at night, a treat from the new comers and newly promoted serviceman.

This week my section workload is pretty heavy, some say good business for us. What the fish... The hanger is so humid that I am literally sweating my brown t-shirt wet each night. I think its very unhealthy to be switch shift each week. Just when the body is so tuned to night or day shift work, pass the weekend and into a new work week....the shift is changed and the body have to re tune again.

I hope everyone can just work a normal 8 to 5 or may I suggest 1 month of morning shift and 1 month of night shift? I reckon the body will experience less effect of a unstable circadian rhythm and worker will be more efficient this way. And with so much man power available, more work done can actually be achieved! Collective effort of a full force is better than half a force. Think of it like a battle between a small platoon against a company size adversary, by massing troops at strategic point and with careful planning, 10 man could defeat 100 man (ok...sound very Art Of War) or 300 Spartans could easily defeat the entire Persian empire invasion forces.

YellowStone National Park Day 1

Its time again to photo-blog on my Yellowstone National Park tour experience.

First day at Yellowstone National Park, located in the State of Wyoming. We entered the National Park throught the East Entrance and drove through Fishing Bridge Junction towards lake village. A one time entrance fee of US$25 is required to enter the park. By the time we settled our accomodation at Grant Village for the evening, its almost 7.30pm. Its still day light though so we visited the West Thumb Geyser Basin, a collection of hot springs in myriad of colors thanks to the active geothermal energy beneath the ground.

We were really lucky to encounter a bear on our first day at the park. The creature ventured onto the walk way of the West Thumb Geyser Basin and block our route of exit. We are of course excited to see the bear and was not in a hurry to escape. Just stood there and took lots of picture. Click on the picture below to view my "Day 1" web gallery.

Click or claw me!!!