Kelvinccs.com Blog

Meet Lyo and Merly....

2010-08-07T10:36:00.001+08:00

Heres what in the bag, Lyo and Merly, plus a mousepad! After working so hard for 2 months plus, I ought to reward myself with some small gifts. I wanted to buy some IT gadgets like Canon EOS 550D, iPhone 4 or iPad at first, but I got hardly any chance to use them. Plus now I'm on budget to save up for the future (like wedding, HDB flat and car). Wanted to get Starcraft II, but no time to play so no point. Since YOG is here and our country is the host, so lets support them! Honestly, I find them cute, so might as well get one set. There is the large set, which costs SGD$39.90 each (either Lyo or Merly, $79.80 for both), medium for $22.90 and small (key chain size) for $12.90. I got myself the medium size. I also bought one mousepad for my girlfriend @$5.90. Total Damage: $50.70. Should spoil myself once in a while. LOL...

A Mousepad for my girlfriend.

Guess whats in the bag...

2010-08-04T23:47:00.000+08:00

After working so hard for the past few months, I decided to reward myself with this. Guess whats inside the bag? Reveal to you shortly. Haha...

My new gadgets: My HP laptop and new HDD!

2010-06-14T22:58:00.000+08:00

I have been longing for a laptop. I really need one. My IBM X60s laptop has broke down. My HP Mini 311 is slow, I really can't stand the speed of a netbook! Anyway, PC show 2010 is an opportunity for me to get one. Initially, I wanted to get Apple MacBook Pro 13" for my work. I love the MacBook, but its something that I don't really need, it is only something I want. I don't have many Mac Software to utilize its potential, plus the total cost is very expensive, around $2K if you include extended Apple care warranty. In addition, the specs are low (Still Core 2 duo at this point of time), it will not be fast for me in the future. I want something that can be fast for me for the next 3 years. I also want something that is cheap, around $1.5K though I can afford much better ones (need to save up for the future). Hence, I'm looking laptops with i3, i5 or i7 processors. After looking around on the PC show 2010 in the Saturday afternoon, I finally found my choice: the HP dv 3 4036TX. I need a laptop with powerful processor as I love to multi-tasks, running many programs at once. A discrete graphics card is a need for my HD videos, not games. Most laptops in the PC show will only offer you core i5 with $1.5K price. HP dv 3 4036TX is the exception. Originally, it costs $1699. PC show specially sold it @$1599 with some free gifts. After shopping there for 1 hour, they finally reduce the price to $1499, with many free gifts and laptop upgrades. I also got a 500GB Seagate free agent go external portable harddisk @$109. SRP costs around $129. Here is the final spec:

HP Pavilion dv3-4036tx Entertainment Notebook PC
Win 7 Home Premium 32-bit
Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Processor, 1.6GHz Turbo Boost to 2.8GHz, quad core & 8 threads
4 GB DDR3
320 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive 7200 rpm
LightScribe SuperMulti DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
(13.3") diagonal High-Definition LED HP BrightView Display 1366 x 768
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5450 Graphics (switchable) with 512 MB dedicated
1 VGA port
1 HDMI port
1 stereo headphone-out
1 microphone-in
3 USB 2.0 ports (3rd shared with eSATA port)
1 eSATA + USB port
1 RJ45 ethernet port
Slots
5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro or xD Picture cards
Webcam
Altec Lansing speakers
Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth® wireless networking
2.085 kg
Final Price: $1499
Free Gifts Include: 2 Years warranty extension, Laptop case, free 1000 songs download from HP, Norman security suite, laptop fan, mouse, keyboard protector, screen cleaning kit, headphone.
To me, it is the most worthy laptop as it is the cheapest quad core laptop around there. My friend even follow my recommendation and bought it. Do you think this deal is worth? Anyway, I'm using it now to do my blog. I'm loving it!

Latest Updates on my life....

2010-06-14T22:28:00.000+08:00

It has been along time since I blogged. I have started work about may. It may not seem easy at first, but lucky I have many good friends that help me to adapt this new working environment. Its interesting to see people from various discipline field. I'm personally a computer graduate. I have friends from Business, Real Estates, Sociology, Political Science etc. Each of them have different personality and different strengths. For me since I got a computer degree, naturally I'm the IT man there. However, I learnt a lot from them. Each of them have demonstrated their own strengths like leadership, initiative, organizing skills etc. It is fun for me to work together with them. I really enjoyed it. Time really flies each day. Though I still miss my holidays where I get to slack, sleep late and enjoy myself for the whole day; I find these days very meaningful for me. I really get to push myself to the limits. Together working as a team with my friends here, we are able to overcome many obstacles. Hence, I'm cherishing my time here now. What about you? Hows your job?

The worst pain... This blog is dedicated to my lost tooth...

2010-04-28T11:39:00.001+08:00

As I'm blogging now, my mouth is full of blood and saliva. Yup, its disgusting. I'm bearing the pain now. I almost faint. This is the worst pain ever. I think the best phrase to describe is excruciating pain. My most painful moment ever. I have been through 3 operations before;
one during a road accident when I was in sec 3, stitching my eye brown, another extraction of four teeth for braces, and last one to remove foreign particles under my skin. None of those beat this.

I had been suffering toothache for the past few nights. Yesterday was the worst one, I couldn't sleep. I'm suffering pulpitis, an inflammation of a pulp. Pulpitis can be extremely painful and in serious cases calls for root canal therapy. The root canal therapy cost around $1.2K++. Where to get that sum of money? Especially when I haven't start work? Hence, I have no choice but to opt for tooth extraction, which cost only $100.

Despite the dentist injecting anesthetic, the extraction is too painful. I have to get extra dose of anesthetic, which is still very painful during the extraction! I struggled and screamed in the process, just like those people you watch in movies and dramas, so dramatic! Imagine applying sheer amount of force on a damaged bone (tooth), how painful can it be. I can't imagine that I'm still conscious now, able to blog and tweet.

On my way back, my gums are bleeding profusely, I have to split out blood five times on my way back. I rather walk 22km road march or do 16 pull-ups at one go. Those pain are much better. I can't believe that I'm able to do 16 pull-ups despite all the pain.

As for my lost tooth, I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I feel guilty for not being able to afford the treatment. You have served for me for 26 years, helping me in chewing and digesting all my meals. Its my great honour to have you around with me. I salute you with all my respect. Hooyah!

Finally gotten my degree scroll, but...

2010-04-16T14:44:00.009+08:00

To be honest, I wasn't rush to get my degree. I don't mind getting it on my commencement. However, my future employer is very particular about this, and they hope that I can submit to them a photocopied version ASAP and show them the original copy for verification. Before getting the scroll, I only have the letter of conferment and transcript to show them. I even wasted $17 for 2 transcripts! For my first job interview (around Jan this year), I applied 5 days in advance for the first transcript, so it cost me around $6, but it does not reflect that I completed my programme. Still, having a transcript is better than having nothing to show them. When I was sort of "offered" the job (around March), they ask me for more documents to show that I completed my programme and have a degree. Luckily, the school mailed to me a letter of conferment just in time. This time, I applied another transcript which reflects that I completed my programme with 2nd Class Lower Honours. It costs me around $11 since I applied it urgently. Although they accepted the letter and transcript, they still want my degree. Hence, I'm now sort of put "on hold", cannot start work any soon. The earliest time I can get my scroll is on 14th April 2010. I guess I was the first guy to get it among those who are graduating this year. In total, now I have a degree and 3 transcripts (purchased 2, the last one is given free)!

When will I start my work? I'm not sure, not any sooner I guess. At this rate, those who are graduating on this year May/June may even start work earlier than me! What to do? I guess no choice but to wait. Some people suggested me to take up part time job, but I don't see the point. I wouldn't be earning much from those jobs anyway. Besides, I may be ask to report work last minute. Pray hard that I can start work soon. I'm now rotting at home. Lol...

At first, I thought that I will be excited to get hold on the degree. When it gotten into my hand, I wasn't excited at all. It is just like another certificate paper. I guess its not the end product that counts, but the experience that you have been through that makes one excited. I have to admit, getting this paper wasn't easy at all. Thankfully, I have many wonderful, talented and smart friends in NUS to help me pull through. I learnt a lot from them. Many thanks to all my friends (including my sweet heart) for your support!

Anyway, here is how the scroll looks like. Note that your specialization will not be reflected here. It only reflects on the last part of the transcript!

Transcript:

Specialization Reflects at the end part:

When you have not start working: blessing or unlucky?

2010-04-05T16:57:00.000+08:00

After all the hard work and effort and I spent on my job hunting, plus all the support from my family, girlfriend and friends, I manage to secure my dream job. I'm really to thankful to all of you for your support. I was offered the job position. However, I have to wait for further instructions. Therefore, I have a holiday break since I quit my last job (since 11th Feb 2010, near Chinese New Year ).

It is about 2 months since then. All my friends who graduated last December have gotten a job by now and start working already. They probably get a few months of pay by now, with great spending power. Though they have great spending power, most of them are very packed with their work. They hardly get the time to really enjoy the break. When I say enjoy the break, I really meant it. The so called weekend break they have are probably for them to catch some sleep, and perhaps a short few hours for them to enjoy. Most of them work so hard that they become deprived of sleep on weekdays. I personally experienced this while I was working for the a few weeks this year. Most of the days I have to work Over Time (OT), that I barely have a few hours of sleep when I reached home.

Now that I have my break, I can finally relaxed. Some of my friends who start working the moment their exams end doesn't get to enjoyed. Can see how tired they are. Heard a lot about their complains of their working life. They keep saying that I'm having good life and get to relax a lot. To be honest, the answer is Yes and No. Yes, I'm having a good life, relaxing and enjoying myself now. I don't have to worry a lot of work stuff. I get to play and enjoy. However, they are really limited. I have time, but no spending power. My friends have spending power, but no time. Thats the difference. In addition, having a month break its enough. Enjoying so much days without working - perhaps you get sick of it; at least for me. Everyday play game, go shopping, if not eat good food, and sleep. Life would be so boring. You eventually get sick of it after one month. Besides, the longer you wait, the further you are a way from your goals. I have many financial goals to achieve, wonder when I can fulfill them.

Some people suggest to me that perhaps I should take part time job. Well, 2 reasons why I don't:
1. Low Pay
2. Commitment
Most part time jobs are low paid jobs. Although I can teach tuition for high income, but it requires the commitment at least to the end of year which I can't. I don't want to let off my students half way and ask them to find another tutor, I find it irresponsible. My employer may also contact me on short notice, so I better stand by to start work any time.

The best I can do is to make use of time to read some books. I also use this opportunity to train for physical fitness, especially jogging. My future job requires physical fitness. My only challenge is the weather. I couldn't run many days because its raining season. Hopefully this small poem can help me:
"Rain rain go away, come again another day. Little Kelvin wants to train."

Pray hard: hopefully I can start my job soon. If not I would bored to death!

Thumbs up for McDonald's Cinnamon melts :)

2010-04-03T00:27:00.000+08:00

Well, after watching the McCafe's advertisement on Cinnamon melts and reading other bloggers' review on the Cinnamon melts, I feel so tempted to try one today. Manage to have a taste with my sweet heart. It is indeed delicious! Very sweet! Its so sweet until you would feel thirsty. Good for sugar fans. It is also affordable, a bowl for $2.60. It is worth the money!

Ratings: 7.5/10

(Updated) Kelvinccs.com Version 3.1 up!

2010-03-27T03:34:00.002+08:00

Thanks to WiRuS feedback, I realized not many people have big and wide screens to view my previous web site, which is designed for "HD" viewers. I spent another couple of hours in the middle of the night to re-edit all the sizes. Hope this is much better for you all! Thanks for your support. Now is 3am, time for me to dream...

[Updated] I have add the HD button for those who prefer to see it on widescreen format. Thanks.

Kelvinccs.com Version 3 is up!

2010-03-26T16:11:00.003+08:00

Finally, my new Kelvinccs.com is up! Took me 4 days to redesign and improve the whole site! I have to admit this task is tedious. The hardest part is not the technical features of this site, but to add information. Example, the portfolio is the worst part to add in because I have to dig out all my projects. It took me a lot of time and energy to do it! In addition, I also try to combine my blogger site with my website, so that the information becomes consistent. All these seems tiring, but its worth while as it gives me great satisfaction. This may be my last holiday for the near future, so might as well make full use of it. Anyway, here are the new stuff:

1. New Portfolio Section

2. New Articles Section

3. Include google search engine for my blogger

4. New Labels for categorization of my blogs, much easier to find information

5. Users are now able to easily subscribe and follow this blog with a click of the button

I hope it is much easier for you all to read. Feel free to provide suggestions for improvements. Thanks for your support! :)

Horrible Christmas Eve... Great Christmas Presents!

2010-01-14T21:05:00.007+08:00

Well, we didn't particular celebrate on last Christmas eve like many couples because I'm sick. I learnt from my lesson not to eat curry puff for breakfast, especially Old Chang Kee's one! Made me suffer from stomach wind! I hate it! In the end, both of us only manage to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 in Plaza Singapura. I would say it was average only. In the end we have to head home after the movie because I was not feeling well. While others had Christmas turkey, I had Christmas instant porridge! Yucks! No choice, its for sick people like me.

On the bright side, heres what I got for my sweet heart: Adidas Wind Breaker! Definitely can't find in Singapore!

In return, my sweetheart got what I requested for: Another Adidas Wind Breaker too! I like it!

I think it looks great on us!

Finally Graduated...

2009-12-22T10:51:00.004+08:00

This sem has been the busiest sem this year. I had been struggling between tuition and school work. I have to work hard for both so I can give my best and enjoy my grad trip also. Anyway, heres the result:

Module	Description	MCs/Units	Grade
CS1105	Computing and Society	3.00	A+
CS4254	IS Project Management	4.00	A-
CS4266	IT and Customer Relationship Management	4.00	A

Graduated with 2nd Class Lower Honours.
Finally graduated! Now is job hunting time! Thanks everyone for your support again!

Youtube Video Review of View Sonic VX2433wm LCD

2009-10-24T00:56:00.003+08:00

Remember this review? Well, I have done it long time ago but didn't have time to upload it so here it is:

Box:

Desktop Setup:

Image Quality:

Pros:

Very Clear

Got Speaker

Ultra Fast Response Time: 2ms

Got all 3 ports - VGA, DVI, HDMI - I need them all

Free VGA/DVI/HDMI Cable

Cheap - $369

Hot Selling: I bought the 2nd Last Set

Cons:

Speaker is not good -> Soft

The buttons are a little confusing

Design is not as nice as Samsung 2433BW/T240, but much better than Dell S2409W

Overall: 4.5/5, Worth buying!

Unboxing HP Mini 311 Video

2009-10-24T00:51:00.003+08:00

Heres the unboxing Video

Just Got it! A mini item

2009-10-22T22:46:00.009+08:00

Hihi, long time never blog, how are you? This few months have been very hectic and busy, plus the blogger website screwed, so hardly have any chance to blog. Now here I am finally blogging! :D

Anyway, here is some mini hoot to share:

This is.....

HP Mini 311!

A little look inside the box....

There we go, the netbook!

Layout of everything....:

1. Netbook

2. Battery and adapter

3.User Manual CD and Setup Guides

4. Cleaning Kit

Haha, switch on my netbook!

Thats all for now. Now busy installing Windows 7 and rushing my other project. I will do a review on this when I have the time. For now this is all I have. Cheers!

Technical Specifications of HP Mini 311:

Operating System	Windows XP Home Edition
Processor	Intel Atom Processor N280 (1.66GHz, 512KB L2 cache)
Memory/RAM	1GB of DDR3 System Memory
Display	11.6” Diagonal HD LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1366 x 768)
Graphics	NVIDIA ION (Up to 319MB total graphics memory)
Hard Drive	160GB 5400 rpm SATA HD
Optical Drive	None; External optical drives in standard and Blu-Ray variety may be purchased separately
Battery	6-Cell Lithium-Ion battery
Wireless	802.11b/g WLAN
Audio/Visual	High Definition Audio stereo speakers, combo stereo headphone/mic jack, HP Webcam with integrated digital microphone
Expansion Slots	5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for SD cards
Ports	3x USB 2,0, HDMI, power connector, RJ-45/Ethernet
Price	Starts at SGD$849
Weight	1.46KG
Warranty	Standard 1-Yr Parts and Labor, 1-Year Battery

Some things I don't like, really angry about it.......

2009-08-02T23:48:00.000+08:00

Seriously, I'm very pissed of today. It screws up my mood and I'm really angry about it. Firstly, I hate family politics. Its very screw up. What have to attend this event that event because you are the most senior grandson. What is that? Thats bullshit. Just because you are the eldest grandson, you have to shoulder heavy responsibilities. Second of all, some people can go and enjoy while you are the only one having to attend other functions. This is bullshit also! The most screwed up thing is that the event happens on different time than you expect and you are only informed last minute! My mum can't even help to ask the time properly, this really spoils my plan, WTF! Next, my phone can't even help to send my SMS properly, what lousy phone is it? F***** up..... The worst thing is that some people becomes mad at me because of that. This only worsens the situation. Now I'm really mad. Almost all my very close people are taking me for granted and I'm really mad about it. I'm going some where to isolate myself for the moment so please don't disturb me! I really in the bad mood now and I'm not sure when I can cool down....

Simple cooling technique for GTX 285 SLI

2009-07-25T20:39:00.010+08:00

Well, after using my PC for quite a while, I realized that computer is so hot. Especially my graphics cards in SLI mode. I got to admit, the GTX 285 stock coolings are not effective. How do we tell? Here is the answer:

Although nvidia specifies that the GTX 285 can operate up to 105C, it is highly not recommended at all for your card not to operate more than 90C. After all, your graphics card are very expensive and you certainly do not want to fry them.

Is your computer up to the temperature test? Heres how you can test yourself, but first lets look at the system setup:

Hardware:
Intel Core i7 920 (Overclocked @ 3.2 GHz)
Cooler Master V8 Cooler
Asus P6T Deluxe
Kingston HyperX DDR3 1600MHz
Nvidia Geforce GTX285 SLI, 1GB x2:
MSI Geforce GTX285 OC Edition 1GB (Factory Overclocked)
XFX Geforce GTX285 Black Edition 1GB (Factory Overclocked)
Cheetah® 15K.5 SAS 3Gb/s 146.8-GB Hard Drive (Primary)
Western Digital 640GB Caviar Black (Secondary)
Samsung DVD Writer Master 22x
Enermax Galaxy 1000W DX X
Silverstone FT01
Windows Vista Business 32 Bit

Software that you need to test your graphics temperature:
Furmark - One more the most graphics intensive software that stress your graphics card enough to fry your video card.
GPUZ - Although there are much better monitoring software for video cards like eVGA's precision tools and Rivatuner, I would still recommend GPUZ because it is simple and easy to use software for you to monitor your video card temperature. It provides you all the info you need to know about your video card.

How to stress test your card and monitor (Skip this part if you know)? Simple:
1. Open GPUz and click the sensor tab. Here you would see your temperatures. Note that ATI Radeons and Nvidia Geforce have different sensors.

1b. Optional - If you have 2 cards, open another GPUz. Select the sensor tab and make sure you select the right card at the bottom.

2. Start the Furmark program and do the following settings:

3. Yet you are almost done. Let the computer run for at least 15mins (900 secs). If your computer video card hits 100C, I suggest you immediately close the program and shut down the computer and let it cool down. This is not a good sign. You seriously have to do something about your video card.

How do I manage to cool down?
Well, they are many ways to do it. Here are the alternatives:

EVGA Backplate - Limited to some Geforce models only. They are expensive, cost as much as SGD$50. Use this if you have money to spare

Liquid Cooling - Well, this may cost a bomb (definitely more than SGD$100++) and void your warranty, but it is the most cooling method. You need to do a lot of read up on it also.

Artic Cooling Fan - Limited to some graphics card. This is another option, but it does not cost cheap (at least USD$50 and its not available in Singapore). It may also void your warranty. However, it brings down the temperature as low as 23C. It means that your card temperature becomes 57C instead of 81C when on load.

Add a fan in front of your graphics card - This is the cheapest and effectively way of cooling, but you need some space in your case and ensure that your case has in take fan.

And many more. Just google it and you get the answer. ;)

I choose the purchase of additional fan - The coolermaster silent fan, 120mm LED fan @2000rpm. I know many people would said this is not a good fan, but this is good enough because it is cheap, only $12. If you want excellent fan like S-Flex but it costs $25! To me, a cheap and decent fan is good enough.

Here is how I place it, right in front of my video card.
From this:

To this:

Here are the results:

A reduction of temperature as high as 8C. Of course, it is not as impressive as liquid cooling or Artic Cooling Accelero, but hey its a cheap solution right?

Conclusion:
Video cards these days are very powerful, at the same time, it becomes very hot. It is essential that you ensure your graphics card have effective cooling, so that your card can last longer. A simple testing can help you determine whether you need to improve your video card cooling so quickly download those programs and test your computer!

2009-07-23T23:23:00.005+08:00

Should have post this review some time ago. Anyway, here it is, the GSkill 64GB SSD MLC.

SSD+3.5" mounting bracket so I can insert into my casing

Unboxing both:

Fitting on the bracket

Comparing it with the Western Digital 3.5" Black, lets see the size...

Here is the performance compare to a 15500rpm SCSI and Western Digital Black:
GSkill 64GB SSD

Seagate Cheetah 146GB 15K5rpm SAS HDD

Western Digital Black
[IMG]http://kelvinccs.com/images/SSD/8.png[/IMG]

Why is it better than ordinary HDD (Pros):
-It is extremely fast, fast boot up! I take as fast as 30s to boot up. SAS cost me at least 1min 30s because of SAS controller loading time. Western Digital Black is around 1 min 10s of loading up time.
-Its reading and writing performance is unbeatable, no magnetic HDD can beat it so far. (Correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks.)
-It is much quiet than any spining HDD! I virtually couldn't hear anything! Compare to SAS HDD which is very
noisy. The SAS HDD is only slightly quieter than my GTX285 x2 SLI in 70% rpm!
-The temperature is very cool! SAS HDD is very hot when it is @ load.

Why is it worst than ordinary HDD (Cons):
-It is very expensive! For normal usage and Gaming, you might as well get Western Digital Black 1TB given the price!
-The lifespan of it is much lower than a magnetic HDD, thats why you get 2 years of warranty instead of 5.
-There is micro stuttering effect. It means that you computer will freeze for a moment when you do intense multi-tasking. Better quality SSDs does not experience this problem like OCZ Vertex/Summit SSD

Overall: 90/100 - This is a kick ass product! I quote this from 3Dgameman. LOL...

GTX 285 x2 SLI Review

2009-07-03T19:46:00.010+08:00

Factory Overclocked GTX 285 x2 SLI Review Here is a quick review of GTX 285 x2 SLI: First, lets take a look at the graphics cards. MSI GTX285 1GB Overclocked Edition (GPU/Memory/Shader Clock): 680MHz/1250MHz/1476MHz XFX GTX285 1GB Black Edition (GPU/Memory/Shader Clock): 690MHz/1300MHz/1476MHz Test Setup: Intel Core i7 920 (Overclocked @ 3.36 GHz) Cooler Master V8 Cooler Asus P6T Deluxe Kingston HyperX 3 x 1GB DDR3 1600MHz Nvidia Geforce GTX285 SLI, 1GB x2: MSI Geforce GTX285 OC Edition 1GB (Factory Overclocked) XFX Geforce GTX285 Black Edition 1GB (Factory Overclocked) Cheetah® 15K.5 SAS 3Gb/s 146.8-GB Hard Drive (Primary) Western Digital 600GB Caviar Black (Secondary) Samsung DVD Writer Master 22x Enermax Galaxy 1000W DXX Silverstone FT01 Windows Vista Business 32 Bit ViewSonic VX2433wm 23.6 LCD Monitor (1920x1080) 3Dmark Vantage: Single MSI GTX 285 Overclocked: Running both @ same speed, both Clocked @(GPU/Memory/Shader Clock): 680MHz/1250MHz/1476MHz What if they run @ different clock speed? What happens to the performance? MSI GTX285 1GB Overclocked Edition (GPU/Memory/Shader Clock): 680MHz/1250MHz/1476MHz XFX GTX285 1GB Black Edition (GPU/Memory/Shader Clock): 690MHz/1300MHz/1476MHz Overclock both @(GPU/Memory/Shader Clock): 725MHz/1420MHz/1560MHz Enough of Graphics Benchmarking, time to Look @ real game benchmarking. I will be comparing a Single GTX 285 vs GTX 285 x2 SLI. Street Fighter IV GTX 285 GTX 285 x2 SLI Good Performance Increase Devil May Cry 4 Settings GTX 285 GTX 285 x2 SLI Good Performance Increase The Last Remnant GTX 285 GTX 285 x2 SLI
Little Performance Increase Crysis Warhead GTX 285
GTX 285 x2 SLI Excellent Performance Increase Company of Heroes Settings
GTX 285
GTX 285 x2 SLI
Poor Performance, worse than single card running Enough of Benchmarking, Lets take a look of the next important thing: PowerConsumption Average Laptop, X60s
GTX 285
GTX 285 x2 SLI
Normal Usage: Its about 260W, 13x of your Laptop @ max! Idle Temperature @ Low fan speed:
Running @100% Load hits as high as 90C when running @80% fan speed for 15mins Conclusion: Adding on another GTX 285 is indeed powerful enough even for the most demanding games, allowing you to play at max settings. Having GTX 285 in 2 way SLI really beats all the most powerful single consumer graphics card in the current market, whether is GTX295, Radeon 4870x2. However, is such power needed? Do take note that not all games will improve performance, some even decreases its performance. Take example, although company of heroes claims that it supports SLI, the results prove otherwise. The fps drops drastically to give you average performance. We also have to take note of the power consumption and noise. SLI doubles up your noise, much noiser than GTX295, since there are 2 fans running. SLI is also power hungry. Lastly, the price/performance ratio is also very low, compare to HD4850 x2, HD4770 x2 Crossfire or GTX260 x2 SLI. The bottomline: Unless you are PC enthusiast, or you want to Tri SLI to get the most powerful configuration, having a GTX 285 x2 SLI is not worth. Get another GTX 285 to SLI in the future when GTX285 becomes cheap or when you come across a 2nd hand GTX 285 at low price.
Pros:
Able to handle any PC games in the current market, allowing you to play @ max settings in Full HD Good for breaking benchmark records
Able to handle any PC games for the next 2 years
Cons:
Very Expensive, Not worth the money to buy another first hand GTX285 in the current market High Power Consumption, you need a good PSU

Factory Overclocked GTX 285 x2 SLI Review

2009-07-01T00:26:00.001+08:00

Here is a quick review of GTX 285 x2 SLI.

New Phone: Nokia E75

2009-06-18T16:50:00.003+08:00

Since my plan had just past its 21 months, I'm eligible to upgrade my phone. Currently, my phone Nokia 6110 Navigator is failing me, so its time for me to get a new phone. The best thing about my old phone Nokia 6110 is that it has free navigation software. Now a days handphone don't come with this free service. This is the best time for me to sign since I can get it @$348 instead of $488 (SRP). Plus I got a bonus $50 voucher from my sweet heart, so I only pay $298. Thanks sweet heart! Love ya! Will do a review on this soon. Cheers:

A new Addition to our gadgets: Sony T90

2009-06-18T16:40:00.001+08:00

This hoot is the latest addition to our gadget. It is an early birthday present for my sis, joinly purchased by me, Alan (her boyfriend), my mum, Julia and Reeve. We knew she love her dogs alot, which is Bobo and Cha-Cha, so we bought for her a camera which will best suit her hobby: taking pictures of her dogs. I will do a quick review shortly. Cheers.

Our 1 year anniversary

2009-06-14T15:01:00.002+08:00

Our 1 year anniversary
Well, this is our most happiest anniversary celebration. It marks the significance of our one year relationship. First, I drop by Julia's house, tricking her that we will be going down to Jurong Point to celebrate our anniversary there. Actually, I knew she wanted to eat buffet very much, and she is very keen to try the buffet in Yuki no Yaki (a high class and better quality version of Seoul Garden restaurant located in Marina Square), so I decided that is the best place for our anniversary celebration. I was afraid that the restaurant becomes fully packed. Luckily it is not.:)

We have our cooking session there. We spent 3 hours there eating (to maximize our value)! The food taste good and my sweet heart loves it.The most unique thing about the restaurant is that you can make your own ice cream. The process is not easy, but its fun. Feeling very happy, my sweet heart bought for me a pair of crocs slipper. It is light and comfortable. In fact, I prefer this set of slippers to my nike on! We feel so full that we managed to skip our dinner. We have our dessert in gelaire as their waffles are simply delicious. Well, the time spent may be short, but its definitely the most memorable moments we spent together.

My New Desktop

2009-06-14T14:42:00.005+08:00

Hi, after having a few upgrades, I have finalized my PC specs already. Here is the picture:

My Rig:
Intel 920 (Overclock at 3.3GHz 24/7)
Coolermaster V8
Asus P6T Deluxe X58 Motherboard
Kingston HyperX 1600 MHz 3x1 GB
MSI Geforce GTX285 Overclocked Edition
Seagate Cheetah 15K5 146GB Harddisk (Primary)
Western Digital Cavier Black 640 GB (Secondary)
Samsung Writer Master 22x (DVD-RW)
Coolermaster Real Power Pro 550W
Silverstone FT01 BW
ViewSonic VX2433WM 23.6" Full HD LCD Monitor
Razer CopperHead Tempest Blue
Razer Lycosa Mirror Edition

Guess I missed Desktop so much, so now I'm becoming a PC enthusiast. This is one of my heaviest investment in PC hardware. It is also my interest. Though it is not the fastest, but it is good enough for me already. I never imagine that I will become an enthusiast one day. I thought I'm a PC gamer, but now I guess I'm not. Usually people would buy high end specs for gaming, work or other multimedia purposes, but I buy them because I more interested in overclocking, benchmarking and the specifications itself. Perhaps this is my most favourite hobby. Feel free to provide comments. Thanks! :)

Silverstone FT01 Review

2009-06-08T18:17:00.005+08:00

Heres a quick review of this mid size advance tower casing. I need to change since my previous case Coolermaster Centurion 5 can't handle my quadcore 920. Here is the specifications:

Specifications

Model No.	SST-FT01B (black)
	SST-FT01S (silver)
	SST-FT01B-W (black + window)
	SST-FT01S-W (silver + window)
Material	3.0mm ~ 6.0mm uni-body aluminum outer frame and aluminum body
Motherboard	ATX, Micro ATX
Multimedia	--
Drive Bay	External	5.25" x 5
		--
	Internal	3.5" x 7
Cooling System	Front	1 x 180mm intake fan, 700rpm, 18dBA
	Rear	1 x 120mm exhaust fan, 900rpm, 18dBA
	Side	--
	Top	1 x 180mm intake fan, 700rpm, 18dBA
	Bottom	--
	Internal	--
Expansion Slot	7
Front I/O Port	USB2.0 x 2 IEEE1394 x 1 Audio x 1 MIC x 1
Power Supply	1 x Optional standard PS2 (ATX)
Expansion Card	Compatible with expansion card up to 12”
Net Weight	8.66kg
Dimension	211 mm (W) x 486 mm (H) x 494.5 mm (D)
Extra	One CP05 included for single hot-swappable SATA hard drive, additional CP05 can be purchased separately

Pictures:
Since my previous case is not suitable for my core i7, I decide to get another one. Heres the hoot:

Gotten it from PC Themes. Last set. Lucky its black.
Unboxing it:

After Assembly:

Temperature:

Conclusion:
Pros:
-Beautiful
- Light weight, strong construction
-Very Quiet (Fan noise are significantly reduced)
-Tool less design, very good for HDD and DVD drives etc
- Quiet design with high quality fans
- Dust-Free pressurized case design

Cons:
-Cable Management is not as easy as it claims. Quite Tricky. Need improvement on the Cable Management Design.
-Two of three filters not easily removed and/or cleaned
-No additional Expansion Fan slots.

Overall: 9/10

Building in Progress

2009-05-26T13:30:00.002+08:00

Still in the Prototype Phase in building my website. Feel free to give comments! :)

A spending spree!

2009-05-14T15:16:00.003+08:00

Haiz, I remember that day on the 6th May 09. I'm screwed with the Stats exam. It is a killer paper, and it is nothing like tutorial! Sadz, so all of us (Me, Hong Jun, Lester, Suqin and Weiquan) decided to go on a spending spree to relief our sorrows.

First, we drop by IMM for lunch at MOS burger since there is free parking there. We walk around doing windows shopping and left around 1.45pm. Hong Jun, Weiquan and I go straight to orchard first while Lester go and pick his girlfriend, Li Xiang and Suqin. We drop by a game store first so that Hong Jun can buy his Wii Fit @$119 - Very cheap right? I see there is a second hand game Army of Two, which the owner highly recommend, so I bought one to try @ $30.

Next, we walk to some where quite far to see board games. Weiquan bought a few board games at $100++. We have to walk back to Far East plaza to Qishan finally to buy our Wiis. I actually planned to get from my girlfriend along time ago. We drop by there to buy 3 Korean Set of Wii. Lester, Suqin and me, all 3 bought a Wii set and extra remote with a Nun chuck, total damage $388. Lester bought addition Component cable @$12. I should have bought it that time also, because my girlfriend Julia just got a Samsung Full HD TV, 26" T260HD! LOL... Our total damage is $1176. The Wii I bought for her is shared by me, my sis and my mum.

From Left to Right (Hong Jun, Me, Weiquan, Suqin and Lester)

My next step is to trick Julia to meet me some where in Woodlands so I could get for her some Wii games. At first she is quite mad at me because I keep on changing on our meeting location. Didn't want to tell her where to meet because I wanted to give her a surprise. When she first saw me, she is quite mad, but after she saw the Wii, she become very shock and touched.

We even met her friends in Causeway Point and she told them about it. LOL... Feeling so happy, she decided to treat me Pizza Hut! We ordered 2 special set of Pizza student meal. Following that, we leave each other as both of us go off to teach tuition. To be honest, the whole day is damn tiring. Couldn't sleep well the night before and have to shop around the whole day plus night tuition. It is definitely a spending spree for us all! Everyone (Me, Hong Jun, Lester, Suqin and Weiquan) who shopped all spent at least more than $100! LOL....

Samsung T260HD Review

2009-05-14T09:03:00.007+08:00

The day before, I just gotten this monitor from the potterhouse. Their service really rocks. I ordered on last Saturday and I could get it on Tuesday, 3 days only! Its 10x better than Dell, which I had horrible experience waiting more than 30 days to get the monitor. Best of all, I only pay when they delivered the product to my doorstep, cash on delivery. Thanks potterhouse! I highly recommend you all to others! =D

Anyway, I actually help my girlfriend to order this so she can use it to play the Wii I bought for her and watch the mio TV. It can even be a computer monitor! I took some time to set up and try it in the living room, computer desktop, PS3 etc. It really rocks! I'm only worried that it may spoilt my eyes, imagine everyday facing a 26" LCD monitor, your eyes might spoilt! LOL...

Ok, enough said, here are the reviews and photos:
Collected yesterday:
Here it is: Samsung T260HD from Potterhouse

Price: $599 (Solid Savings!)
Service: Excellent (10x better than Dell, get it less than 5 days, it takes usually 3 days, but I order on weekend-Saturday, plus I'm not free on Monday, so in the end got it on Tuesday + its Cash on Delivery!

Unboxing the monitor:

Behind my Sony 32" Bravia

Watching it on TV:

On my desktop:

TV Remote:

Youtube Video:
Introduction:

In the Living Room:

Desktop:

PS3 Game:

PC Gaming:

Conclusion:

Summary:
Pros:
Beautiful Design
Has Many inputs DVI,VGA,HDMI,Component Cable
Optical Sound output, good for your Home Threatre System
2 in 1, Full HDTV + LCD Monitor
Nice and Clear Picture Quality, Good for your standard TV, HD Videos, Gaming, Work, Web browsing etc
Comes with TV Remote

Cons:
No Composite Video Connector == Cannot Connect your old TV consoles like PS2 or VCD Player!!
Fingerprint Magnet
Speaker sound not that good

Overall: 90/100 Highly Recommended.
Thanks Porter House for the Good Deal!

My Hoot for today

2009-04-30T22:44:00.004+08:00

Heres my hoot for today:

1.) Razer Copperhead mouse

2.) Razer ExactMat

Very Cool! Will do a youtube review after the exams! Look out for it!

Nice Score

2009-04-21T21:46:00.001+08:00

Just Overclocked it @3.8GHz! New Record for me! LOL...

Benchmarking of MSI GTX285

2009-04-16T01:46:00.000+08:00

Closer Look @ MSI GTX285 OC

2009-04-15T23:10:00.001+08:00

Just Doing it for fun...A quick Review of MSI GTX285OC

2009-04-14T22:26:00.009+08:00

Recently, I have find it exciting to read the computer part reviews in the youtube, so I like to try uploading one. It is kind of fun to me. Feel free to comment on the video. Cheers! =D

Quick Look

Closer Look

360 View

Benchmarks

COH Benchmark

Related Articles:
First Look of MSI GTX285OC
Performance Test
Latest Benchmark Score

Very Satisfied with my Score

2009-04-14T02:38:00.003+08:00

Nice and sweet, no need to spend additional money to achieve 15K of score from 3Dmark Vantage (Performance). Love it =D.

Latest Benchmark Score

2009-04-10T15:52:00.002+08:00

My Next Target Upgrade: V8 Cooler

2009-04-08T21:40:00.004+08:00

Perhaps its time I change my stock fan cooler to Coolermaster V8 Cooler. Seems so cool:

From this:

To:

Seems more cool! Ya should do it. Save $$ first.

OMG! A 550W RealPower Can power a GTX295???

2009-04-08T16:29:00.005+08:00

I can't believe it! A GTX295 which requires around 680W can be actually powered by 550W powersupply! How the hell this can happen? I'm really impressed with the owner. Early know I show have buy a GTX295. Anyway, I'm very satisfied with my GTX285 OCed, and I don't think I need that power. Cheers!

Performance put to the test!

2009-04-03T17:21:00.004+08:00

Time to compare the cards: Radeon 4870 vs GTX285

The size is really huge! Much heavier than 4870.

Really takes up alot of space in my case, so huge! I thought I need to change a case like my friend Jiajing! Lol...

Now the most important thing, performance. Is it up to the test? Lets find out:

Haha, it is nearly twice of my previous score! And I don't need to overclock my CPU to reach that score! Heres my overclocked score. Of course numbers doesn't mean everything. Still, I don't see any more lagging in my games Call of Duty 4, Crysis warhead. In fact, COD4 is even much faster and finally I can play Warhead in full screen! PhysX from GTX285 really makes the game graphics sharper. It does matters!

Some people said it is very expensive, but to me, the performance really counts, so it is really worth it! 2 thumbs up for MSI. I'm a very satisfied customer... =D

First Glimp of the new Beast

2009-04-03T16:52:00.007+08:00

Initiailly, I was pondering which card to buy: Geforce GTX260 core 216, GTX280 or GTX285? A GTX260 core 216 is slightly higher performance than Radeon 4870 so it might not be a wise choice for that, though it is the cheapest among all (around $429). I was thinking of getting GTX280, either from the 2nd hand market or Sim Lim Square (SLS) - last few sets. They cost around $380 ~ $440, but I don't like the brand and options available. It is either Gigabyte (don't have any good impression on Gigabyte products as they are not reliable) for 2nd hand or Asus (not again!). Left with the GTX285, which cost at least $559! Thats the cheapest in the market, and it is Palit brand which is really a budget card. The next cheapest one would be eVGA which is quite a good one. Still, the GTX285 is way above my budget which means I have to fork out more than $200 for the upgrade! Should I wait for price to drop (very hard) or wait for 2nd hand market (very time consuming)?

I recall my friend Lester told me, its better to buy the very best computer product and leave it until it becomes obsolete, don't waste time keep on upgrading from the 2nd best! True, I had been wasting time looking at the market, and if you sell yours, you also incur cost, which is as expensive as buying a new best card in the long run. Then I decided, buy one of the very best regardless of the price, as long as I like it and don't upgrade anymore, at least for 3 years. If I were to buy GTX285, I would buy the very best they had at the very best price. Hence, I'm looking for all the factory overclock ones. They cost more by at least $20-$50, but their performance really counts, so thats my target.

SLS didnot sell much overclocked factory cards. My ideal card is eVGA's overclocked edition, but I only saw xfx, Asus (yucks!) or MSI. xfx are sold out in most stores, if not very expensive. Also their warranty is only 2 years, and the service centre is quite far from my house. The best choice there is the MSI GTX285 overclocked! With my favourite game type Tom Clancy's Rainbox Six Las Vegas 2. Some more they have 3 years warranty and the service centre is near my house. I managed to get a bargain of $9, buying it at $640 from Fuwell. The staff there is really friendly.=)

Damage: $640 - enough to buy a netbook! It is the most expensive gfx card I ever bought in history. Before that I only spent as high as $410 only. Enough said, here are the pictures:

MSI N285GTX - The box really looks nice! Much nicer than Asus.

Nicely Packed!

The card is really one heavy one! 25% heavier than 4870.

My Previous GFX Card...

2009-04-03T16:06:00.006+08:00

Well, I have the sudden urge to change a graphics card. Initially I wanted to change my core 2 E8400 to Q9550 since its just $330! Market price is at least $449, but sadly sold out by the time I knew it.

At first, I was very happy and satisfied with my Asus radeon EAH4870 DK 1gb . However, I found that I had problems installing the latest catalyst drivers. Think it is because of Asus extra programs! I didn't really like them, it is fancyful, not practical (Like Asus Smart Doc, GamerOSD etc)! Ever since I changed to my 24" LCD, I had alot of problems playing games with it. The radeon will lag in 1920x1080 resolution. I encounter many driver problems, even for Call of Duty 4! Plus the benchmark really sucks. Makes me feel like my computer is very inferior, especially my CPU (E8400 Core 2 3Ghz processor). Radeon doesn't support PhysX, which is nvidia's technology, not ATI, and I encounter many visual artefacts after exiting the games. Conclusion: Radeon 4870 Out! I definitely love the design, but not the performance. Time to sell my card!

Recap of the Highest Benchmark
PS: I sold it for $330. Spent about $410 purchasing it. Nevertheless, it selling price is worth it since new cards are coming! Bye bye, my EAH4870 1gb DK! Love your design, but not going to miss you. Sorry. :)

Love my ViewSonic 24" Monitor

2009-03-13T00:52:00.009+08:00

I love my new monitor! It rocks! Hate Dell LCD monitor, order already one month still have not arrive, it sucks!

Anyway, here is a short review:

Review:

Some Pics of my ViewSonic VX2433wm LCD Monitor:

Box:

Desktop Setup:

Image Quality:

Pros:

Very Clear

Got Speaker

Ultra Fast Response Time: 2ms

Got all 3 ports - VGA, DVI, HDMI - I need them all

Free VGA/DVI/HDMI Cable

Cheap - $369

Hot Selling: I bought the 2nd Last Set

Cons:

Speaker is not good -> Soft

The buttons are a little confusing

Design is not as nice as Samsung 2433BW/T240, but much better than Dell S2409W

Overall: 4.5/5, Worth buying!

A subprime mortgage crisis insight - Humour

2009-02-11T02:08:00.002+08:00

Yup. I learnt the humour of it.

Here are some to share:

Following the problems in the sub-prime lending market in America and the run on Northern Rock in the UK, uncertainty has now hit Japan. In the last 7 days Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches. Yesterday, it was announced that Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song while today shares in Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived. While Samurai Bank are soldiering on following sharp cutbacks, Ninja Bank are reported to have taken a hit, but they remain in the black. Furthermore, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.
Emma Ives, Dorking, Surrey, UK

Quote of the day (from a trader): "This is worse than a divorce. I've lost half my net worth and I still have a wife."
Sottovoce , Cambridge, UK

What have Icelandic banks and an Icelandic streaker got in common? They both have frozen assets
Stuart Harley, West Malvern, UK

There are 30 billion prime numbers below 700 billion.

The rest are all subprime.

New GFX Card: ASUS EAH4870DK 1GB

2009-01-25T14:54:00.011+08:00

Well, after the Ban Leong Saga, I finally gotten my graphics card back. A new one, Asus EAH4870 DK 1GB @ additional $60. Honestly, I would rather top up more for Geforce GTX260+, but they don't have. :S

Anyway, here is the card:

Before: Asus EAH4870 512MB

This was my original graphics card before repair. They said there is no more replacement for this card, so they ask me to prepare $60 to top up for the new card.

Here is the new card:

Asus EAH4870 Dark Knight 1GB

Two Cards Side By Side for comparison:

Generally speaking, the packaging for the box is very similar, it is just the main box picture abit different. The accessories are similar, the additional power cables and display connectors and a free mouse pad. Generally, the card looks nicer, but performance wise I have to test it out. Lets take a look the card in detail:

The fan cooler may looks "cool", but on it is not that really cool. At idle, original card is about 49 ~52 degrees, while dark knight is about 52~54 degrees. At full load, the original is 68 ~ 72 degrees, while dark knight is about 66~68 degrees. Now, the most important part, the results:

3D mark Vantage/Win Vista 64bits

Original Card:

Dark Knight:

Honestly, I wasn't impress with the performance given the amount I pay. If I have the option, I rather not change. It looks nice only, not really that fast and not really that cool. Given additional 512MB of DDR5 Ram, it is not really that fast. I try out on the game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Crysis Warhead with Dark Knight. It is not really fast. In fact, I have some problems with Call of Duty 4. Perhaps this does not tell much or do justice for the card, but still, it is not worth upgrading. Overall, thumbs down for the card. Now I can only hope the card does not burnt or the fan spoil again. Cheers.

Ban Leong & Asus "taichi-ing"

2009-01-21T19:24:00.002+08:00

As usual, I'll get back the standard answer from Ban Leong regarding about my graphics card problem. I complaint to them, they said is not their problem, its Asus. I think later Asus will push back to Ban Leong, then we get back the Tai Chi session again. Haiz...

What a Surprise! PS3! Yippee!

2009-01-20T14:22:00.005+08:00

I really enjoyed myself last Sunday, my steamboat dinner and my early birthday surprise. Honestly, I wasn't prepared for any present or cake. I was thinking it as a simple meal, perhaps a simple reunion dinner. Lol...Well, we have twenty over types of ingredients for the steamboat. Honestly, I think it was too much for 7 of us to finish!

Anyway, I have to thank everyone for the lovely present. I like to thank my mum, sis (with her fav bobo), my brothers Reeve and Edmund, and sis's boyfriend Alan. I also like to thank the TMDers for the game (Initial D)! Yeah, I love the game and the anime! Of course not to forget to thank my most important person, my dear Julia <3! Thank you so much dear for everything, including getting the cake, the present and organizing the event.

Honestly, the game console looks so nice that I feel like hugging it and sleep rather than using it to play games. Lol...

Who says a hatch back car can't use for driving lessons...

2009-01-20T13:50:00.003+08:00

I believe 95% of us or more learnt driving with a mid size sedan cars. Whether we are school or private students, we drive around Honda Civic, City, Toyota Vios, Corolla Altis, Corolla, Nissian Sunny, Mitsubshi Lancer and others. All of them are mid size sedan. I thought students will only learn with sedan until What The Heck! I saw a red Mazda 2 (hatch back) car with an L plate! Oh My God! I thought the examiners only test mid size sedan car. If they allow hatch back cars, then isn't worst? I bet the students may have a hard time parking in future even if they pass. Is hatch back car even allow? I hope not, because if the students pass with a hatch back and drive mid size sedan, I guess some of our precious car gets damaged. Unless they are only allow to drive hatch back car.

PS: Sorry I'm unable to take a good picture because my HP's main camera is spoilt. Hope I'm able to buy a new phone soon...

Yes! A Silver!

2009-01-17T19:41:00.003+08:00

I have to got admit, the older you are, the harder you maintain your fitness level. I remember ever since I was secondary school, I never fail my fitness test before, not my nafpa test or even IPPT. This is the first time I fail it! I remember that day I'm not really prepared and I'm not on form also (because of soya bean milk drink making me keep on burping). Fail is fail, no excuse,so I train harder and yeah! I finally pass! Now I will try my best to aim for IPPT Gold, and strike the iron while it is hot since my new IPPT window is opening soon. Hope I can achieve my goal. 加油！

What is the Greatest Thing I've learnt in University

2009-01-14T20:05:00.002+08:00

The greatest thing I learnt in University is not technical skills, research or even knowledge. Rather, is how to be humble. There is this chinese saying: "一山比一山高", indeed this saying is true. I really experienced it myself. Through out my university life, I have encounter experts so many times. To be honest, I think I was rather arrogant before I enter university and even in the beginning of University. I thought a diploma with merit means alot, a CAP of 4.0 is really good. However, none of these is true. If you are 2nd class Upper honours, there are some one in the 1st Class. If you are 1st Class honours, there is dean's list. If you are the dean's list, there is someone better from other better universities. The point is, there is always someone better. Even if you won the title of world champion in something, there maybe someone which better potient out there that can over take you. It is only the matter of time. In the beginning of Uni life, I thought my worst case is only B-. Not bad for me but I was wrong. In the end I get D+, the worst that anyone would expect. Some more it is a very important module. I feel very upset about it. From there on, I really learnt a lesson, any grade is possible. I may even fail. The point is never take things for granted. Sometimes your friends may seem slack or relaxed, but when there are last minute studying, they can easily score A+ even if they study last minute or never attend class. There need minimum effort to do better. The truth is there are alot of things to learn from others, so I have to listen and learn from them. They are indeed many experts out there. I'm glad I able to meet them and learn from them alot. I know that I may fail any module anytime, so I have to work extra harder than others because I'm not as gifted as them. This is the valuable lesson I've learnt and it means alot to me.

Tuition Review for my students

2009-01-13T14:27:00.006+08:00

It has been a great and wonderful year, though it is stressful and challenging. I'm proud to tuition 6 students for the year. Well some did well, some still ok. Generally, I'm glad to see that they improve their grades.

Heres a quick Summary of their performance for 2008
Sec 1 Express Student:
Maths: C5
Comments: Ok lah, glad that he passed.His school's Maths standard is high (Anderson Secondary, what to expect?)!
Sec 3 Normal Acad:
Maths: A1
Science(Phy/Chem): A2
Comments: Not bad, but I think he got the potential to get A1 for science too!
Sec 4 Normal Acad:
A.Maths: 2
E.Maths: 1
Comments: Proud of him. He really studied hard!
Sec 4 O Level:
E.Maths: D7
Science(Chem/Bio): A1
Comments: Well, sad to say he still fail but at least he improve from his prelim, from F9 to D7. I'm really proud of his science, and I know he will do well in this area. Hope he can get his choice in poly.
Sec 5 O Level:
E.Maths: B3
Comments: From C5 (Prelim) jump to B3 is not bad but I was hoping he can get A2.
Polytechnic:
Analog Electronics: A+
Comments: It is a huge stunt for me! Anyway, I expect her to do quite well, but didn't expect her to do that well (o_0)! LOL...Though she always crap around with me, at least she studies hard!

Overall, I'm glad that they improve their grades, if not that means I'm not doing my job! Now, I myself also have to study hard to be just like them, improve my CAP!

A Funny Story From HWZ

2008-09-16T20:07:00.001+08:00

Here is something to keep us amused:

A story to prove that Chinese are more clever / cunning than europeans.

A Chinese man walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer. He tells the loan officer that he is going to China on business for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000.

The bank officer tells him that the bank will need some form of security for the loan, so the Chinese man hands over the keys to a new Ferrari parked on the street in front of the bank. He produces the title and everything checks out.

The Loan officer agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. The bank's president and its officers all enjoyed a good laugh at the Chinese for using a $250,000 Ferrari as collateral against a $5,000 loan.

An employee of the bank then drives the Ferrari into the bank's underground garage and parks it there. Two weeks later, the Chinese returns, repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41.

The loan officer says, 'Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multi-millionaire. What puzzles us is why you would bother to borrow $5, 000.
The Chinese replies:

'Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there safely when I return.'

Source: Hardwarezoneforum

Busy Busy Busy...

2008-09-03T19:15:00.002+08:00

I have to admit, working and studying is not easy. Especially with dating. School work is not easy, I can't skip work because times are bad and money is important. I sure miss the holiday times. However, we can't stop time or turn it back around. Each day, workload is getting heavier. I wish to go back to the old times to slack as a young teenager...

Double Power!

2008-08-05T02:50:00.004+08:00

Do you often seen super sports cars? At least not for me. Not the common ones like Mazda RX8 or Subaru Impreza WRX or even posche. I'm saying the real super cars! The cars that has power more than 400 bhp. The best of all, I saw two of them within 2 hours in the same area and they are my favourite brand & model! Audi R8 and Lamborghini Reventón.

My most flavourite car Audi R8, "the Iron Man car". Thats why I strongly insist in taking photos with it.

A beautiful R8!

As for lamborghini Reventón, it is the first time I see that model. I find the design cool and nice! I also love lamborghini! I'm really so lucky to see them within a day (3rd Aug 08)! Can see everyone is excited abt it! I wonder how it feels to drive that car...

My blog is back to life!

2008-08-05T02:42:00.003+08:00

Hi everyone, sorry to stop posting for a long long time. I wanted to shutdown this blog and move on to wordpress. In the end, I still like this blog site the most. I decided to revive this blog and use it again! Currently, my new website is up! Its called Kelvinccs.com. Hope you all like it! You all can give comments about the design! Thanks!

The flip side of Uncertainty

2008-03-09T00:29:00.003+08:00

I guess to me the greatest difference in Polytechnic and University is the word "Uncertainty". Yes I mean Uncertainty. To me, from primary school to polytechnic, perhaps junior college also, most things you learn are stable and certain. The facts are that, you can easily find them, answers are spoon fed to you. However, in University, things are different. You challenge the assumptions and facts you learn or know, to see if you really understand and believe in the facts. Perhaps they are not even facts! There are not definite answers in many questions. They are mostly abstract. I find it hard to study some of the modules. They are no clear guide on how you will be tested, and what are the best solutions. They have past year papers, but they don't ususally give answers to them. That made your revision even worst. Of course I understand their intention of not giving the solution: Don't want us to memorize the answers, want us to explore ourselves. However, there are always flipside. I strongly feel that University should guide us when in comes to exam, especially they want us to do well, not just throw questions there and wait for us to learn. A good education system not only needs to encourage students to self study, but should also guide the students. Without answers, how can students know and learn from their mistakes? And besides, it is not like we have so much time. Our schedule is packed with projects and assignments, we don't have the luxury to always find the all the answers. I hope the campus see this from the other side also. Every action has its pros and cons, for this case, I see the cons more and I don't feel its helping us much. I hope the school does something about that.

Sorry for not posting for a long time! :p

2008-03-09T00:24:00.002+08:00

Sorry for not posting a long time. I'm just adjusting my life to a busy schedule. I have to cope with 4 different tuition classes and school work. I'm so busy! Even midterm break doesn't help much because I like virtually go to school everyday! Anyway, I can't complain much because I'm a year 3 now, so no choice but to adapt to it. Now, I'm getting use to this busy schedule, so might as well do some blogging to relax. I'm suppose to study for exam, but really need to relieve some stress, so I guess do some blogging will help.

Moving on in Relationships

2008-01-12T00:52:00.000+08:00

Here is something to share: Having people whom we care and they care for us intensifies our meaning of life. They share with us the thoughts, events and feelings of our lives. They also console us in our pain, deepens our sense of delight in the world. Intimate friendships doubles our joy, and cuts our pain by half. Without friendship, no happiness is possible. I strongly urge those who have these close relationships, whether is romantic or close friendship, please cherish them. I feel that I lost them both. Its kind of sad but my life has to move on, so I'll work a way for new meaning. Those who experience painful memories in their relationships, I strongly urge them to move on. Forgive them and move on for a better life. Its not worth holding it in the heart. By forgiving them is not about forgetting them in your heart. Rather, face the past with courage, forgive them and let out the pain. This will make you feel happier. I will work my way through. I just knew I have to do it.

Thankful to have close friends...

2008-01-05T21:00:00.000+08:00

Today, I have learn a new and important lesson from Anthony Robbins. It is about Communication Bridge. I’m very grateful to have close friends who stand by and support me, who always care, love and support me. They are: Claudia, Reeve, Kristina and Zihua. I’m really thankful to have them and I love them. I want them to know that no matter what happens, I’ll always be there to support them. Thank you very much, my close friends. :-*)

Time to start learning to cook

2008-01-04T22:44:00.000+08:00

Though its kind of late to start to learn cooking seriously for around this age (23+), but it is at least better than never. I'm sick of eating outside food for more than 10 years. It is time a cook myself. Though these 2 dish steam dofu and fried vegetables in oyster sauce, is mainly cook my mum, at least I start by learning how to prepare. I got to try them soon before I forget. Hee hee. =)

Stamp + Esplande Tour...

2008-01-03T22:29:00.000+08:00

Today is certainly an enjoyable trip for me in Pennisular Plaza and Esplande. I accompany my friend Claudia to look for a wonderful collection of stamps. It is certainly an enjoyable experience there just to look at the numerous collection of stamps there. You can see Singapore Largest Stamp Collection, Courtesy stamp collection, Night Creature stamps and many more! The price there is reasonable and the boss is nice and friendly. Maybe Claudia wants to open a stamp shop there when she retires. Hee hee. After visiting the stamp shop, we visited the library. It was kind of cold down that so we decided to walk around Esplanade.

Here is Claudia's favourite stamp collection: The Night Creatures Stamp Collection! It can even glow in the dark!

Thanks for inviting me out Claudia, it is certainly fun! =)

A farewell to my little brother

2008-01-02T22:07:00.000+08:00

Today is the last day we can see our little brother, Reeve(The one in the white shirt). The next time we'll see him is probably 6 months later. It is kind of sad with 1 brother less with us for the next 6 months. Anyway, I'm looking forward for him to get back souvenirs from China and Hong Kong. Little Reeve, enjoy yourself there! Don't forget to come back! :-)

Happy New Year to You all!

2008-01-02T00:20:00.000+08:00

A very Happy New Year to You all! Happy 2008! Hope you all enjoy your New Year Celebration. To start a new year, I change the blog design for the fresh new year. I hope you all like this design. Its much simplier and lighter in colour. c",)

Live with Passion...

2007-12-29T07:07:00.000+08:00

2 days ago, I certainly reached the lowest point of my life this year, after failing my 2 important aspect, my love relationship and my academic work. My results just release that day, and I get a D+. That module has a weightage of 2 modules, so I can say I have D+. It is the biggest blow for me so far in NUS, because the lowest I have so far is only B-. It is really disheartening for a person to fail 2 important aspect in his life.

However, I gain something even more important. The important insights of life. The miracle of this event to me is the opportunity to apply what I have been learning, optimism. It is the best time for me to ask myself what positive things I can see in this pain, what I can do about it and how I can recover from it. In the past, as long as my results deprove, I'll usually take it very hard. Today, it is not difficult for me now. I realized that I do not enjoy the process of that module towards the end. Instead, I dread that module.

I realized that I lost myself alot during this period of time, forgetting who I am. I tend to invalidate my existence. What I need to do now is to live with Passion. I learn to understand that results is not only the thing that matters. In fact, the process to attain your goals are more important. I have to enjoy what I do, do it with passion, enjoying the moments of it. There is alot of things waiting for us out there. We must never let failure pull us down. Failure is a form of feedback which we have to work on, re-asking and reflecting of ourselves. After doing so, we reset our goals and work towards it. This is the beauty of life.

I now realized what is more important to me. Becoming a Billionaire, have a successful career is all just extrinstic goals. They are just secondary goals for happiness. I'm seeking for happiness, so my vision is "Live with Passion", regardless of Career, Studies, Relationship and Health. I'm looking towards enjoying them, the journey and the outcome. This will be my new goal. I hope you all have found yours too!

Coping with breakup...

2007-12-19T09:59:00.000+08:00

Coping with breakup isn't an easy task. It is especially painful if you love the person alot. You walk around with friends, can easily think about your lover, whether is good or bad memories. Of course, there are lots of suggestions on how to deal with it, but lets just face it: It is painful! I always believe loving someone with my whole heart, doing whatever you can for them is what matters the most. However, love needs more than that. They always say the most happiest thing is loving someone, 2nd happiest is being love. The price: It is the most painful thing for you also, especially if things don't turn out well. There could be many reason why breakup happens: Like your lover can't forgive you for certain events and actions, can't communicate with each other, no more feelings etc. To me, losing one girlfriend is definitely painful. Though I can't love her as a girlfriend anymore, I definitely wouldn't love her as a best friend. I would rather love her as a sister. I don't believe in loving her as a best friend. Hope we do not have hard feelings for each other. Anyway, after this blog, I'll let it off and move on. :-)

Jurong Point Popular

2007-12-19T09:49:00.001+08:00

Today, I was about to stay at home for the whole day feeling very miserable, but in the end, I accompany my buddy to his school to collect his Scholarship Cheque. My friend is selected for the GIP from NTU, which is an overseas exchange programme plus attachment. He will be flying off to China for the attachment for half year, so I have 1 buddy less to talk to for a while.
:-(

Anyway, we happen to shop at Jurong Point. At first, we plan to shop at 3rd floor Popular bookstore. Suddenly, to our surprise, there wasn't any Popular bookstore anymore! Instead, it turns out to be John Little! We thought Popular had closed down. Instead, it shifted down to basement level.

Here is a new look of popular:

If you are looking for the Popular bookstore @ Jurong Point, remember it has shifted down to basement level! =)

Enchanted Lessons...

2007-12-17T19:23:00.000+08:00

Today, I have really enjoy this movie Enchanted. It is really a great movie for everyone to enjoy. One of the most important lesson which I learn from the movie is from this sentence "Everyone has their problems, but is it worth sacrificing the good times because of this problems?" The answer for me is definitely "No". We can't control most external events that happen, but we certainly can control our reaction and response to the situation. Its true that our reality contains lots of pain which we don't see in fairy tales, but don't forget, there are lots of great opportunities for us out there to enjoy. We just have to see it with our eyes, and not let all the pain and sorrows prevent us from seeing them. I certainly have not found my "happily ever after" second half, but I believe that person exists and I'll find her. This is another reason for me to live. I hope you all can find your right partner. Good luck to you all! :-)

Feeling Happy Today...

2007-12-16T22:53:00.000+08:00

I really feel very happy today, able to get for my dear dia Singapore Night Creatures Stamp Collection. I'm really glad she like them. I feel so lucky able to get them for her. The dealer is also fast and prompt, able to reply and deal with me less than a day. Anyway, here are some photos to share:

Dear, hope you like them! Love You! <3

Come for a "breek"?

2007-12-16T12:27:00.000+08:00

Ever been to Breeks? Then come and experience their customer service, where there will be lots of friendly staff to greet you.

Step into the restaurant and you'll hear "Hi, Welcome to Breeks". Step out and you'll hear "Bye, Thanks and See you again!". I guess this is a great customer service. It seem to me like heading in to EC House, where you get friendly greetings also.

The food there is pretty tasty and the price is reasonable. Its a good place to invite your friends for a gathering. Try it out! =)

A trip to Singapore Philatelic Museum...

2007-12-15T23:45:00.000+08:00

Today is certainly a great and enjoyable moment for me at the Singapore Philatelic Museum. It is a great date for me and my girlfriend. It is my first time visiting a Singapore musem (other than school's compulsory trips which I can't remember any).

The place is fine and nice. The usual admission fee is $5 per person but you can get it @ $4 if you are a student. =) It is certainly a great deal, a place worth visiting. For the $1 of Savings, you can get a cute little booklet of "Traveller to the World of Philately". Inside this book,

you get clues about hidden rubber stamps in hidden boxes.

Once you found it, you can stamp it with the rubber stamp. With this, you get to discover and learn the wonders of stamps, cachets and postmarks. You will also get your own collection of unique 12 rubber stamp designs on your booklet.

Here are some great cool stamps which I like:

A set of Chuseok harvest dance, ganggangsullae stamp collection

Singapore Night Creature Stamps

With the ability to glow in the dark, sounds cool to me. :-)

You can also grab a great shot at the "Be A Stamp" booth.

My dear likes stamp collection alot. Here is a mini collection of stamps she has:

Cover Page

Page 1

Page 2

There is alot more which is not added yet to the album. I'll show you all more pictures later. Until then, hope you all enjoy your holidays! =D

A very pleasant date today...

2007-12-10T21:55:00.000+08:00

I find today's date as a pleasant and enjoyable one. The only small regret I have is that I lost a gift for my friend given by month. I lost it on the mrt during noon, shucks! I hope SMRT can really help me, though I have already report to the control station. I hope some kind soul can return to the control station. It really means alot. Heres the picture:

Anyway, I just have a relaxing moment in the Kinokuniya Bookstore, according my friend to shop for books. You can call it a date. (^_^). Heres a picture of the christmas tree in Takashimaya. It is really hard to capture the whole tree, so I catch portion of the tree. Thanks Claudia for accompanying me today, I really appreciate it. It is certainly enjoyable. c",)

Forgiving is a good way to make you feel better...

2007-12-10T10:14:00.000+08:00

Many of us have bad memories that haunts and upsets us. It exists as a form of fear. The 2 most common fear is fear of "not doing enough" and "not being good enough". This adds pressure to us. Worst of all, it could lead to self blaming and make us feel worst. It could lead to serious problems like depression. The best way to overcome this problem is through fear's greatest enemy: LOVE.

It is not necessary for us to forget the problem that haunts us. The more we try to forget it, the more we remember. Instead, we have to learn to live with it and deal with this fear. The best way to deal with it is through love. We could love others or ourself more by forgiving them or ourself regardless of what the mistake is. Forgiving is not easy sometimes, this I have to admit. However, forgiving is courage. Forgive gives us and others more love, and this love can help us to deal with the fear within. By doing so, it gives us a sense of relieve and make us feel better. This way, we can move on.

"But he did this to me, he....How can I forgive him?" For some mistake, I admit it is difficult to forgive. Think from the opposite side, why can't I forgive him? Think it with your heart and you see from another perspective. We usually don't describe the World we see; we tend to see the World the way we describe. If you keep on telling yourself you can't forgive, you mostly likely wouldn't. It is up to you to decide.

An example is my major project module from last semester. I admit I didnot do a good job as a leader. I know I didnot put in enough effort for the project. I used to blame myself, taking too hard, asking myself what I can do to save the situation. However, it didnot turn out well. In the end, I lose out more, whether is friendship or relationship. Now I ask myself, why shouldn't I forgive myself? Thats how I find a way to forgive myself.

I have more responsibilities than other members. I have more team projects than them, hence, more pressure. I also give in my best for the project. The worst thing is I have some project mates who are doing self sabotage to the team, which is me. Instead of supporting and forgive me, they outcast me. They would rather work themselves, working as a team like 1 member less. This is really pathetic! No matter how superior they think they are, they are definitely not! Regardless of how technicially capable they are, they failed miserably in teamwork. Even if that project did well, they win only a short term battle. They lose a long term war. They lost the trust and cooperation of a team member, which is me. This is the worst case scenario if you are working with the team mate for a long term. After all, Human are our greatest assets. If you destroy them, you are making a big loss.

Anyway, I still remain in the team; with my girlfriend and best friend's support and encouragement. The hardest part to stay is not with the work itself, but to deal with the way the team members treat me. At the same time, I have to cope with my other modules and my relationship. I wouldn't say I did a good job, but I definitely put in my best effort. Therefore, I have no regrets. I forgive myself, and forgive the team mates. It definitely gives me a great sense of relief, at the same, it is a major progress for me within myself. I'll continue to improve myself, carry this lesson with me and move on. I have definitely learn to love myself more. Remember, forgive is a good way to make you feel better. You don't have to make your life so miserable by taking it so hard. Forgive them and youself, with love and courage. It is a step to show your self improvement and a step towards your happiness. =D

Mediacorp Drama Memories...

2007-12-09T21:40:00.000+08:00

Now I'm feeling really touched watching the Mediacorp's Star Awards, "戏剧情牵25". It really brings me the old memories, after all I watch tv drama for nearly 20 years. I can remember many of the old celebrities. The most impressive of all is that even 80+ years old couple also turn up for the event. I can still remember many of their looks very well. I really miss the good old times of great drama. Thank you much mediacorp. I really love the dramas alot. Yeah! My favourite drama () is even one of the best drama of all times. Really fond of the drama alot. Though now I have lesser time to watch mediacorp's drama, I will continue to support SG drama!

Inner Wisdom of Love...

2007-12-09T00:52:00.000+08:00

Title: What Happy People Know
Author: Dr Dan Baker and Cameron Stauth

I'm feeling so great now. I manage to complete reading and learning lots of new lessons from this book. This book basically shares the definition of happiness, the qualities of happiness and tools to happiness. It also share things like happiness trap such as "Money buys happiness" and so on. The main idea circulates on how we deal with the situation we are in, especially when we are trouble. It circles around the idea of Love and Fear. They are both opposite force, just like chinese's "yin" and "yang". For more details, please read this book.

To be honest, I was initially quite depressed and couldn't take it after a break up. It is like the end of the world and lots of negative thoughts circulate in my mind. However, through this book, I've learnt to see things very differently, from perspectives I never thought of. Through this book, I learn alot of important lessons to me. All of, I like to share the most is on my love relationship.

I got to admit love relationship is not easy. It is common for a breakup. I could have feel so bad about myself, self blaming why I caused this break up, feeling useless and so on. However, I chose not to.

Although I'm not together with my ex-girlfriend Claudia anymore, we still keep in touch as best friends. Through this breakup, I've learnt that love doesnot end here. When a relationship ends, it doesn't always mean it is the worst thing that could happen. Instead, it could be an opportunity for you to love someone differently. From this breakup, I learnt to appreciate and think about her more. I start realizing how much she really mean to me. I realized that love is not like TV dramas when you hold hands, kissing and hugging one another feeling happy. Instead, it is about appreciating each another, accepting each other differences, supporting each other and forgiving each other for the mistakes made(including forgiving yourself). This is the inner wisdom of love which alot of people fail to see.

What is most important is not about asking and testing how much your partner loves you. Feeling being loved is only the second best. The best feeling is loving someone. It is the first and most important step towards happiness. Though I'm not in a relationship anymore, I still love my ex-girlfriend. This love is what I cherish and enjoy most. Remember, the greatest strength and most important step towards happiness is loving someone(including your family, your love partner, yourself etc). For the other important steps, please read the book.

To my ex-girlfriend: I love you, Claudia.

My New Bike, yeah! I can travel and shoot...

2007-12-07T18:21:00.000+08:00

Hee hee, feeling happy that I manage to get a new bicycle. Though its quite cheap (slighty above $160), at least I can travel further with my camera and capture more pictures to share. Too bad is raining these few days, if not I'll travel more places today with my camera and capture few more shots...

End of the Year...& Thanks to Many people

2007-12-07T18:01:00.000+08:00

Alot have happen this semster. The semester has finally added. Hurray! There are ups and downs also. I'm glad they are all over. Now is the time to re-centre myself. I realize life is not about success only. Another important element is happiness. Now I'm currently learning the true meaning of happy, from this book "What Happy People Know". I'll quickly read finish this book and share with you all! Anyway, the first thing I learnt about true happiness is appreciation of what you have. I like to thank my mum, my sis, my best buddies Reeve and Zi Hua and my best friend Claudia. I also like to thank the rest of my friends for their support. I wouldn't be here posting without all your support. Thank you everyone!

When I need help is there someone there...

2007-12-05T11:41:00.000+08:00

A lot of times, I sought of expect alot from others, which I hate myself for that. I think that is why I hurt others alot. When I found someone to depend on, I guess I mistakenly assume that I can depend alot on he/she. The worst thing is I become demanding. I think I should be independent. I think I should depend on myself only, not others. I feel I work best alone, no need support, just like the past and it should continue in the future. Its cold, sad and painful, but that is the reality of life. Don't expect much from others, you only make yourself more miserable...

Grandmother's Birthday Party...

2007-11-22T23:37:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone,
heres our family party for my grandmother. Its her's 78th Birthday. Happy Birthday grandma! No time to comment much, I've to prepare for the exams now. Here are some of our pics:

My Family and My Grandma:

My whole family:

Me and My Dear:

=D

Dilemma...

2007-11-18T03:15:00.000+08:00

It is kind of sad sometimes. It is easy to promise your love ones that you want to give them the best life they deserve and make them happy. It is easy to vision the goals, but it is really hard to make them happen. It is really sad that you promise something but never make it happen. One example will be my school work. I know study is important but I cherish my love relationship more. I feel sad not being able to be there for my dear when she needed me the most. It is really sad not able to support her when she needed you. She is there to support for you but you can't be there when it is the most important time. I really hate myself for being so useless. I start to lose hope in myself in making my promise happen. I'm so useless, really can't sleep now...

Bought New Stuff (Part II)

2007-11-18T03:08:00.000+08:00

Now its my turn:

Canon Ixus 860IS

I love the Canon Ixus 860IS! It is the first brand new digital camera I got! Its a first camera me and my dear owns. I really want to get one, because I really want to use it shoot pictures of her. The camera has one of the best image quality and features. I love it! My rating for it is 5/5. If there is one brand of digital camera I would recommend, it would definitely be Canon! I love it! Thank you dear!

Bought New Stuff (Part I)

2007-11-18T02:48:00.000+08:00

After finishing the terrible module in School, (CS3214), I almost lost my sanity! For the first time, I lost my logic thinking and control. I can't stop coding for more than 2-3 days continously camping! I even have to spend $100+ on cab! Thanks to my dear, I didn't spend too much. Anyway, I'm always look forward to get the 'stuff' so much.

Here is what we (I and my dear) get:

Acer Aspire 4720
I have been looking forward to help my dear to get a laptop. I know she need it alot, so I spend time looking one for her, but most of the time we didn't get it. It is kind of hard to find one, because technology and price is always changing. I'm glad that she is able to grab a great deal for this model and not others. Its really a bargain to me. $1378 for the following specs:

Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T5450 (1.66GHz, 667MHz FSB, 2MB L2 cache), supporting Intel® Extended Memory 64 Technology (Intel® EM64T)
Intel® Centrino® Duo processor technology Intel® GM965 Express chipset Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG network connection
2GB DDR II RAM
14.1" WXGA Acer CrystalBrite™ TFT LCD, 1280 x 800, 16.7M colours
Intel® GM965 Express chipset with integrated 3D graphics, featuring Intel® Graphic Media Accelerator (GMA) X3100 with up to 358MB of Intel® Dynamic Video Memory Technology 4.0
160GB HDD
DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer drive (DVD+/-RW)
Windows Vista Premium

We got it at Funan IT mall. I would say its a great deal, since we got it for less than $1.5k. Becareful of cheaper laptops with relatively same price but different processors. They may look fast with high speed but they are not really good!
Example:
AMD Turion: Hot and Power Consumpting, may easily burn your laptop and don't expect long battery life.
Intel Pentium M: Forget it! They are outdated!
Intel Core Duo: Think for the long term, add couple of dollars to get a core 2/centrino duo. They worth more for longer period.

Bottomline: I hope my dear likes what she get. I really think its good and important for her. Hope you like it dear!

Back to My Life!

2007-11-18T02:45:00.001+08:00

Hi everyone,
sorry for the late posting, but I'm finally free at last to do so. I'm struggling so hard to survive and I'm glad I'm able to do so. I feel so happy to be able to post again! I must not forget to thank my dear for her support. Thanks again dear! Changed my main picture, hope you like it!

Winning isn't anything, but there is something worth winning and you shouldn't lose it...

2007-10-10T20:50:00.000+08:00

I have experienced many forms of winning before. Whether it is winning it some small telematch competitions, sports event, IT competition, being top in class etc. Those are just temporary moments of happiness to me. It surely feels good to win, but I also lose alot. It is also very painful. It is not easy to win sometimes, especially those events when you have to put in alot of effort to practice. However, now to me those winning aren't that important to me anymore. Not saying I wouldn't bother to win, but I have win something that means alot to me and I can't lose it. That is love. I really found someone I truly love, and she really loves me. Her name is Claudia.

She is someone special to me, not just an object or trophy or medal but everything to me. Having her love gives me courage, purpose and strength to live on. We definitely have our sorrows sometimes, but that is really worth it. This love is how I define winning to me, and I'll never want to use the word "won" because winning her love is everything to me and I never want to lose it. Let this blog share my joy with her. I want her to know I love. This is my secret to winning, love. Remember everyone, Love really can change you. It is a biggest loss for you if you don't experience that. Don't just sit there and wait for it to happen to you. Take your initiative, express how you feel to your love ones and do for him/her with love. Being lonewolf is not worth it. The joys and sorrows of love are really worth it and it truly makes you a winner if you cherish it.

I'm crazy now! Do I ever need rest or will I ever have the luxury?

2007-10-03T12:30:00.000+08:00

Ha ha...What I know now is I'm crazy. Today, I'm really overloaded. I don't remember I can hardly catch any sleep ever since last week. My midterm test is on Monday, and I can't rest immediately. Next, I have to proceed on for my programming project. The next day (Tuesday) I still have to camp in school to rush over the programming project. Best of all, on Tuesday, I have to rush to NUS -> Marsiling -> NUS and camp overnight. This is the first time I stay in school overnight for a project. I don't remember sleeping more than 2 hours. After my project presentation, I still have to rush back and give my student another tuition. Oh dear, will I ever get to rest? I'm going crazy, haha!

Date with your Lantern...

2007-09-25T23:25:00.000+08:00

Well, I can say this is my most romantic mooncake festival in my 23 years of living. This is our (with my dear)first mooncake festival date together. Though I expect alot of people will going down with laterns around the park, I didn't expect the park to be so happening. Anyway, just a simple walk with paper lanterns and an ice-cream date makes a great moment for us to remember. I know this is definitely my most memorable mooncake festival, but I don't know if its your most memorable day, dear. I hope my other 2 buddies can find their 2nd half and enjoy their future mooncake festivals with their love ones. Wish you all a happy mooncake festival!

Here are some pictures though not clear:

My Dear

Me

Our Lantern

Pepper Dinner anyone?

2007-09-24T13:08:00.000+08:00

Here we are, in the AMK hub getting our dinner. After all, its a 2nd birthday treat from my buddy. Its abit off our plan since we initially thought of eating at pizza hut. We were thinking of visiting Ang Mo Kio's Pizza Hut at Jubilee, but I didn't expect it to close down; so we have no choice but to looki around in AMK Hub. Fish and Cole is a good choice but there is too many people. In the end, we just hop in to Pepper Lunch Restaurant for Dinner. Its quite unique experience since its the first time I've been to that restaurant. The food is fine, slightly above average. Generally, we had a great experience having dinner there. Here is some photos:

Me and My dear

My Buddies

My Sis

My happiest 1st month anniversity with my dear...

2007-09-22T02:20:00.000+08:00

I'm just so happy that I can't sleep now even though its quite late. Sorry dear, but I have the urge to post this blog before sleeping. Yesterday its my important because its my one month anniversity with my dear. Regardless of what others think, I find my 1st month anniversity together with my dear is very significant and its worth the celebration.

Anyway, we are lucky to find ourselves an opportunity to visit chinatown to get moon cakes. It was initially not our plan. However, its a great programme for both of us and we really enjoyed it. I couldn't stop smiling even though I'm tired because I'm really happy and I cherish that moment. Anyway, here are some photos to share, though not clear. :-p

First Shot in Chinatown

Shouldn't miss out the big lantern

Now waiting for someone in Chinatown mrt.

My girlfriend specially bought a famous mooncake for my mum.

Now my mum and sis join in the party.

Lets not miss this great opportunity to be together

It feels aching to just to know your sweet heart so busy and cannot rest...

2007-09-19T22:59:00.000+08:00

It is hard to describe but I believe some of you can feel it. It is really aching to see that your dear is busy and yet cannot rest. I understand her passion and dedication for her work. However, understand is one thing but that doesn't mean you still wouldn't feel heart ache. Sometimes you wish you can help her in anyway but you understand that she wants to complete her work herself and you also do the same if you were her. However, alot of times, emotions do rule over rationality. I just can't help it but to say I feel heart aching. I just want her to know I love her and will always support her. Perhaps this is the feeling of love...Anyway, I don't have much EQ when it comes to love but I'm definitely very clear of my feelings for her. Just want her to know how much I love her and I mean it. Love you dear!

My New Family Member...

2007-09-19T01:02:00.000+08:00

Here is my new family member: Xiao Shan(小善）. I'm actually quite surprised to receive a bear as a gift! Wow, feel as if I'm more of a girlfriend. Hee hee. Anyway, I name him Xiao Shan because he is from my dear, and since my dear do a kind deed, so I decided to name after her. The only problem with this bear is that he is very lazy, always like to sleep and lie on my bear. I think one day its going to be overweight. Anyway, I also like this card:

Thanks dear for everything....I'm really feeling very "xin fu"(幸福).

Gotten a New Phone....Yeah!

2007-09-16T22:20:00.001+08:00

Finally, I have change my phone now, after using nokia old phones for about 1 year. Using my old nokia phones make me sick and want to condemn them. After all, I have been using Nokia phones for a long long time.I remember I have the following models: Nokia 8250,3310,8850, 6510, 6100, 3230, 6670. Oh gosh, I'm a Nokia freak!

I was about to change to samsung ultra 13.8 because I wanted a slide phone with a good camera. Samsung 13.8 is a good looking, light weight phone and it is cheap. The only problem is that it does not has a flash light feature. =(.

Next in my consideration list is Nokia 6110. Well, the attractive thing is that it has a GPS feature (so I have less worries for future driving), and its camera is fairly decent with a flash light. However, it is alot more expensive than Samsung 13.8. Well, since both have its pros and cons, I finally picked the Nokia phone because its fairly similar to my dear's phone (Nokia 6288). I picked the white version so it can match my dear's phone. So far, I'm very satisfied with the phone, only abit heart ache because it is above my budget.

From another point of view, since I'll be using this phone for 2 years, might as well change to a better one, so Nokia wil be a better choice. Now I just have to make good use of my phone. Anyway, here is the photo of me and my dear at Singtel Hello shop. Until then, see you all around!

Wanted blog this earlier....

2007-09-13T18:29:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone, I wanted to blog this earlier last monday but didn't have the chance. I'm too busy with project assignments and proposals. Finally, now I have the chance to catch my breath so I better take this opportunity to post this blog. Anyway, these are the photos taken at my buddy, Reeve's birthday party. My best 2 friends and my girlfriend.

8 year buddies, the main birthday boy at the centre.

Me and my girlfriend.

Looking forward to the second treat, Reeve. =)

Sadz....

2007-09-12T00:24:00.000+08:00

I really feel very sad now. My job is screwed, I upset my girlfriend, I have projects to rush....Everything really makes me so sad. I really feel I'm at lowest now. I really wish someone can help me....Really upset and lost now...

My Dear's Goal

2007-09-06T00:56:00.000+08:00

Time to post my dear's goals. This is to help her achieve them. In order to help her achieve it, I have to share with others so she can make it happen. Dear, I support you. This is my first way to support you. Help you to post your goals:
1. Face her fears bravely and handle in a constructive and positive manner
2. Trust in her boyfriend(me) and not overreact to minor issues
3. Be thankful to everything and share her joy and love
4. Allow herself to be empowered and learn from mistakes
5. Empower others, especially her students
6. Be an asset to those who love her
I can see my goals progressing too, because one of my goal is to empower my dear. Now I see her start progressing, I really feel very happy. It gives me more confidence to empower others too. Love you dear!

Now this is the real challenge....

2007-09-04T00:02:00.000+08:00

Ha ha, I'm laughing at myself now as I and my project Team mates are stucked in NUS COM 1 fighting hard to finish our task for the assignment due today 12:15pm. It is a test of your mental strength and will to succeed. I can see some members mind are shut off. Even my own mind is partially shut off. This is a real challenge to see our real potential and how we can deal with this challenge. Perserve, team mates. Let us perserve through this ordeal. I wish I know more and can help my team mates on the work load. Let us Excel and Endure!

Yes, my dear did it! 3 cheers and 3 cheers for her!

2007-09-02T20:45:00.000+08:00

I feel very proud of my dear... (claudia: thanks for the support and encouragement dear!! Although I didn't win,still feel like a champ!) She achieved what she want, hooray! I feel so happy for her! I'm happy that I'm able to empower her. Hope I can carry on!=)

加油（jia you) dear...

2007-09-02T00:20:00.001+08:00

Today is my dear's big day. I sincerely hope she enjoys herself today. Its your big day dear, so let me cheer for you. 加油 (Jia you) <3 !

Love books from my dear...

2007-08-30T19:22:00.000+08:00

I'm happy today, after clearing all the misunderstandings. I also got an anniversary gift from my sweet heart! Its my favourite book! From Adam Khoo! Thanks sweet heart! =) These are my books. They are so special so I wouldn't lend to anyone.

This book is the first book that changed me, and my dear get one for me:

This is the book I wanted to read next, its a special edition because:

It has a special page just for me!

In order to achieve my important goal, I decided to stick the photo on the wall to remind me I have to achieve it.

Love you dear!

My thoughts...to my sweet heart

2007-08-30T17:31:00.000+08:00

Dear,
just want you to know, I want to be there for you to overcome your fears. I don't want you to be alone. I don't need you to change for me, but I need you to share with me your fears. I'm there with you. Just want you to know this, so please don't keep your fears to yourself, let me overcome this with you. Every time you feel pain, I just want to be there and hug you, to hug away all your pain. I need your help to do that, I need you to open your heart to me. Love you very much....Love you Claudia. <3

1 Week of Love....

2007-08-28T19:52:00.000+08:00

First, I like to apologize to everyone for not posting for a long time. Alot of things had been happening for the past few weeks that I hardly have any time to relax. I never thought I will have any chance to fall in love again. I was finally given a chance that I didn't expect. The funny thing is that it happens on my best friend's most cursed day, 21st Aug 08. Everything seems like dream....

I never thought I stand any chance, but I finally found my "Juliet". Her name is Claudia. Isn't her sweet? Just feel very bless to be with her. Anyway, today is our 1st week anniversity together, so just want to let my dear know that I love her. c",). Love you dear Claudia. <3

Reducing Blogging to once a week

2007-08-15T18:11:00.000+08:00

Guess its my turn now to reduce my blogs to once a week. Sadly to say, university workload is really getting heavy, so I guess my time is significantly reduced. This semester I'm taking the most heavy project on my shoulders. Even my Lecturer also say that module will probably eat away my weekend times. I'm now still coping fine with school work, tutoring and I.T. training. I will perserve to get my short term goal, GPA of 4 and above for this semester. I'm determine to write an email to thank Adam Khoo for his motivational book, so I must study hard. Hope you all support me. Till then, see you!

It hurts...

2007-08-11T01:23:00.000+08:00

It hurts to see a big fine on your pocket, especially fines on downloading anime. I've just heard my best friend gotten the letter from Odex, demanding settlement sum.

This reminds me of the irony of him, I wouldn't get caught. Sometimes, when we do something illegal and nothing happens doesn't mean that it wouldn't happen. This case is already one example. We should expect the consequences the moment we commit something, not hoping nothing happens. I guess many more people will receive the letters soon. The fine is quite heavy, consider most of us on average income.

I strongly urge those who are still downloading to stop doing it. Even though you just stopped recently doesn't mean nothing will happen to you. Be mentally prepared for the consequences.

Hotel Joke for a Widow...

2007-08-07T11:24:00.000+08:00

Heres a joke to share with you:

A man checked into a hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decidedto send an e-mail to his wife.However, he accidentally typed a wrong e-mail address, and without realizing his error, he sent the e-mail.Meanwhile....

Somewhere in Houston , a widow had just returned from herhusband's funeral.The widow decided to check her e-mail, expecting condolence messages fromrelatives and friends.After reading the 1st message, she fainted. The widow's son rushed into theroom found his mother on the floor and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife Subject: I've reached Date: January 31, 2004
I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here; we areallowed to send e-mails to loved ones. I've just reached and have beenchecked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrivaltomorrow.Looking forward to seeing you TOMORROW!Yours,Loving Hubby.....

Hope you all enjoy this joke, until then, see you!
Source: Hardwarezone Forum