Office email system continued to be unstable, and even crashed at one point early this week. Technical officer has been really helpful in trying to investigate, isolate and resolve the bug. Keeping my fingers crossed that this is the last of the very disruptive IT bugs.
Two colleagues uncannily said the same thing on two different days: that I need to check my astrological signs to see if there's some cosmic explanation for the IT breakdowns. Personally, I take it as a sign for me to take a break from working hard at the PC :P
Friday, 19 September 2008
Friday, 12 September 2008
Bad Work Week
My affinity with IT or electronic things has hit a new low this week. Firstly, my office PC hanged last Saturday and when I tried to restart it, it keeps saying there's a "disk read error". After rebooting the PC umpteenth times at the IT Helpdesk's advice, the technical officer finally came this Monday. Turns out the entire hard disk crashed. Good news is that the data files in D:\ are recovered; really bad news is that C:\ is corrupted and all files cannot be recovered... and most of my work files all these years are kept there!!
Resigned to the fate that what's lost is lost, I set out to re-do and finish my presentions and papers due this and next week. But...the IT drama continued...I'm unable to amend or delete files in the new hard disk (files become "read only"), the spell check system in my office email system cannot work ... and I can't even send out any emails! The poor technical officer came again and did some adjustments for an hour. However, the next day, my office email system took a long time to login and to send outgoing emails... hence yet, another call to the very friendly, very effervescent Technical Helpdesk officer. This time, another 2 technical officers came to do much checking & testing for over 2 hours. Well, email speed is much better than yesterday but was still slow compared to pre-crash days.
C'est la vie! This is the best so far after a whole week of IT problems .... now keeping my fingers crossed that things will get better next week. The IT guy will come again on Monday to do further checks and I hope things will be resolved. I also learnt from the technical staff that it's better to store files in data drive in D:\ than in C:\, as C:\ is more susceptible to disk failure due to the programme files stored there. Of course, the most foolproof way is to store a backup of important files elsewhere - in an external hard drive, thumb drive, email etc.
And oh, did I mention that the lens of my trusty digital camera failed to retract and is now jammed? Colleagues have advised me that it may cost a lot to repair it since the waranty has expired. Might even be cheaper to get a new model...so here's another item to buy soon...
To play it safe, I'm posting and uploading whatever photos I have in the recovered files...coz hey, the chances of the website host being down wihout a backup server is much more unlikely, right?
The only remotely good thing is that ever since colleagues heard about my hard disk crash (bad news tend to spread like wild fire) have realised the importance of getting an external hard drive, and are now voting to get one as a staff welfare gift.
PS: My Philips hair dryer in cool bronze colour had a short circuit & abruptly died on Friday night, so it seems to affirm my theory that I have a disharmony with electrical or electronic gadgets this week :(
Resigned to the fate that what's lost is lost, I set out to re-do and finish my presentions and papers due this and next week. But...the IT drama continued...I'm unable to amend or delete files in the new hard disk (files become "read only"), the spell check system in my office email system cannot work ... and I can't even send out any emails! The poor technical officer came again and did some adjustments for an hour. However, the next day, my office email system took a long time to login and to send outgoing emails... hence yet, another call to the very friendly, very effervescent Technical Helpdesk officer. This time, another 2 technical officers came to do much checking & testing for over 2 hours. Well, email speed is much better than yesterday but was still slow compared to pre-crash days.
C'est la vie! This is the best so far after a whole week of IT problems .... now keeping my fingers crossed that things will get better next week. The IT guy will come again on Monday to do further checks and I hope things will be resolved. I also learnt from the technical staff that it's better to store files in data drive in D:\ than in C:\, as C:\ is more susceptible to disk failure due to the programme files stored there. Of course, the most foolproof way is to store a backup of important files elsewhere - in an external hard drive, thumb drive, email etc.
And oh, did I mention that the lens of my trusty digital camera failed to retract and is now jammed? Colleagues have advised me that it may cost a lot to repair it since the waranty has expired. Might even be cheaper to get a new model...so here's another item to buy soon...
To play it safe, I'm posting and uploading whatever photos I have in the recovered files...coz hey, the chances of the website host being down wihout a backup server is much more unlikely, right?
The only remotely good thing is that ever since colleagues heard about my hard disk crash (bad news tend to spread like wild fire) have realised the importance of getting an external hard drive, and are now voting to get one as a staff welfare gift.
PS: My Philips hair dryer in cool bronze colour had a short circuit & abruptly died on Friday night, so it seems to affirm my theory that I have a disharmony with electrical or electronic gadgets this week :(
Mid Autumn Festival
The Mid Autumn Festival （中秋节）falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Chinese calendar, which happens to fall on this Sunday, 14 Sep 2008. Traditionally, children will play with brightly lit, colourful lanterns of fantastical designs while families and friends will gather to enjoy mooncakes and pomeloes and sip Chinese tea under the full moon.
While hotel restaurants and pastry boutiques have come up with all kinds of innovative flavours (snowskin mooncakes with champagne, truffle, gold leaves , durian and even Singapore Sling chocolate fillings), my favourite type is still the traditional baked mooncakes with lotus seed paste and single salted egg yolk. However, my favourite activity is still looking at the bright full moon in the sky. Even though there is a full moon on the 15th of every lunar moon, there seems to be an added poignancy to the moon on this day.
祝你花好月圆, 月圆人圆!
Green tea & Pu'er tea flavoured mooncake (L) & lotus paste mooncake with single yolk (R)
While hotel restaurants and pastry boutiques have come up with all kinds of innovative flavours (snowskin mooncakes with champagne, truffle, gold leaves , durian and even Singapore Sling chocolate fillings), my favourite type is still the traditional baked mooncakes with lotus seed paste and single salted egg yolk. However, my favourite activity is still looking at the bright full moon in the sky. Even though there is a full moon on the 15th of every lunar moon, there seems to be an added poignancy to the moon on this day.
祝你花好月圆, 月圆人圆!
Green tea & Pu'er tea flavoured mooncake (L) & lotus paste mooncake with single yolk (R)Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Simple Pleasures
Indulged in a healthy pleasure last weekend. Bought some fat, juicy and very sweet Australian strawberries from the neighbourhood NTUC supermarket. Quite an affordable pleasure at S$2.90 per punnet of 250g, which contained 12 of the succulent fruit. Felt quite happy when eating it, as I love all things made of strawberry (strawberry shortcake, strawberry milk, strawberry ice cream, strawberry jam, etc.). It really does not take much to make me happy and life's simple pleasures are sometimes the best.
On another note, I'll have to thank globalisation and the myriad Free Trade Agreements to allow me to indulge in all kinds of fruits (including exotic ones), without the hassle of travel. Saw that the mass-market NTUC store is selling not just strawberries from Australia, but also blueberries and sweet prunes from the United States, kiwis from New Zealand, and dates from Egypt, Iran and Jordan - all at quite affordable prices for the ordinary household and consumer.
However, at 10, 500 Yen (S$138), this honeydew sold at a supermarket in Osaka, Japan is definitely an extravagant luxury. Believe honeydew is the most expensive fruit in Japan.
On another note, I'll have to thank globalisation and the myriad Free Trade Agreements to allow me to indulge in all kinds of fruits (including exotic ones), without the hassle of travel. Saw that the mass-market NTUC store is selling not just strawberries from Australia, but also blueberries and sweet prunes from the United States, kiwis from New Zealand, and dates from Egypt, Iran and Jordan - all at quite affordable prices for the ordinary household and consumer.
However, at 10, 500 Yen (S$138), this honeydew sold at a supermarket in Osaka, Japan is definitely an extravagant luxury. Believe honeydew is the most expensive fruit in Japan.
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
幾米
一直超喜欢幾米的作品. 他的小品文的特性是一篇篇大幅的彩绘与几行简练,感性,细腻的短言. 轻轻地诉说现代城市人的点点滴滴, 喜怒哀乐, 梦想与憧憬. 书名又取得那么诗情画意, 美丽.
阅读幾米的著作犹如品尝一壶难得的好茶,是心灵粮食.带给我无限的感触及感动.
幾米之《地下铁》:
“我们何其幸运，无法确知自己生活在什么样的世界。”
“我在危机四伏的城市里，随时准备挥手告别。”
“但世界的惊奇与美丽，仍让我依恋不舍。”
“昨日的悲伤，我已遗忘。可以遗忘的，都不再重要了。”
“这一站是终点，还是另一个起点？”
“我在纷扰的城市里，寻寻觅觅。”
“其实，我哪里都不想去。然而，会有人在地下铁的出口等我吗？他会为我撑伞，紧握着我的手，告诉我星星的方向，陪我走一段路。”
幾米之《月亮忘记了》:
“看不见的，是不是就等于不存在？”
“记住的，是不是永远不会消失？ ”
“生命中，不断地有人离开或进入。”
“生命中，不断地有人得到和失落。”
幾米Spa Website: http://www.jimmyspa.com/
后记: 期待幾米最新的书<<躲进世界的角落>> 的简体版会尽快地面世!
阅读幾米的著作犹如品尝一壶难得的好茶,是心灵粮食.带给我无限的感触及感动.
幾米之《地下铁》:
“我们何其幸运，无法确知自己生活在什么样的世界。”
“我在危机四伏的城市里，随时准备挥手告别。”
“但世界的惊奇与美丽，仍让我依恋不舍。”
“昨日的悲伤，我已遗忘。可以遗忘的，都不再重要了。”
“这一站是终点，还是另一个起点？”
“我在纷扰的城市里，寻寻觅觅。”
“其实，我哪里都不想去。然而，会有人在地下铁的出口等我吗？他会为我撑伞，紧握着我的手，告诉我星星的方向，陪我走一段路。”
幾米之《月亮忘记了》:
“看不见的，是不是就等于不存在？”
“记住的，是不是永远不会消失？ ”
“生命中，不断地有人离开或进入。”
“生命中，不断地有人得到和失落。”
幾米Spa Website: http://www.jimmyspa.com/
后记: 期待幾米最新的书<<躲进世界的角落>> 的简体版会尽快地面世!
Thursday, 14 August 2008
Digital Shadow
Do you know that you're leaving a trail of clues when you're online? Everything we do online - shopping at E-bay & online stores, searching on Amazon, blogging, posting photos on Flikr, Picasa and Kodak Photo Gallery, logging on social networking sites such as Facebook, Ning, Second Life, Friendster and Myspace - leave behind our digital shadow. A composite of your digital DNA or online persona can be constructed from these online activities, revealing your photos, likes, dislikes, pet peeves. work, social activities & friends.
Does this mean we stop using the Internet? Absolutely NOT. It's a catch-22 situation. In a world where people travel for work and studies, the WWW allows us to connect without temporal, space and country constraints. Just be careful with whatever you post - what you post (photos, words) can be downloaded or saved by others (even strangers who happen to chance upon your webpage)for any purpose without your knowledge.
That's why I hardly post personal photographs on public domains. I respect and want to protect the privacy of my friends and acquaintances. And do set the appropriate privacy settings for things you post.
What we can do is to explore and exploit the interconnectedness of Web 2.0 to stay effective and efficient in our lives.
Does this mean we stop using the Internet? Absolutely NOT. It's a catch-22 situation. In a world where people travel for work and studies, the WWW allows us to connect without temporal, space and country constraints. Just be careful with whatever you post - what you post (photos, words) can be downloaded or saved by others (even strangers who happen to chance upon your webpage)for any purpose without your knowledge.
That's why I hardly post personal photographs on public domains. I respect and want to protect the privacy of my friends and acquaintances. And do set the appropriate privacy settings for things you post.
What we can do is to explore and exploit the interconnectedness of Web 2.0 to stay effective and efficient in our lives.
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Water Fools & Sukhothai
Happy revellers along Boat Quay, a popular watering hole area for expatriates in S'poreWent to watch the free opening act of the Singapore Art Festival 2008 on 23 May 2008. "Water Fools" is a theatrical performance by acclaimed French street theatre company IIotopie (http://www.singaporeartsfest.com/fest_spec.asp). As it was staged at the historic Boat Quay, we decided to try to get some dinner while watching the performance. When we arrived at 7pm with an hour to go before the performance starts, we realised our 1st mistake: we should have made dinner reservations as most restaurants were full or booked!
When the performance started past 8pm, we belatedly realised our 2nd mistake: we're on the wrong side of the river! The front stage is actually the water near skyscrapers; we're facing the back. (A friend later told me she arrived at 6pm to eat McDonalds takeaway & grab a good spot as it became very crowded later).
Since we've already ordered our food, we just said "c'est la vie" and settled down to enjoy the show from a different albeit more distant perspective.
My 3.2 megapixels, trusty 4 year old camera could not capture night scenes well so the best shot was the one below of fireworks going off during the show (yeah, most S'poreans like fireworks & the show promised many displays of dazzling pyrotechnics to delight the crowds).
Water Fools
While watching the show, I noticed the pretty lighting inside the outdoors tents which function as al fresco dining areas for the restaurants along Boat Quay (see above & below).
Sukhothai restaurant offers indoors & al fresco dining areas.As my friend is vegetarian, we settled on Sukhothai as it offers some vegetable dishes (most restaurants, pubs & cafes along Boat Quay were either full or serve seafood dishes). Named after the historic kingdom & city in Thailand, Sukhothai offers Thai cuisine.
Sukhothai: 47 Boat Quay, S(049836), Tel: 6538 2422 http://www.sukhothai.com.sg/home.html
We managed to get a table for 2 for al fresco dining so we could still watch the show. We had good white wine, at a decent price of S$8 per glass.
Single person serving of tofu soup with mushrooms & wolfberries (S$8)
Olive rice 
Olive rice at S$16 per pot (for 2 pax)
We had keropok as appetisers and deep fried vegetarian spring rolls for S$10 (anti-clockwise from bottom left) and stir fried vegetables with mushrooms (S$18). While I've heard of Sukhothai restaurant, I didn't realise it's branded as a "high-end Thai restaurant" (read interview with the owner, Mrs Urvashi Sood, in article "Meet the 'Eat' Girl" on 12 Aug 2008, http://www.asiaone.com/Just+Woman/News/Women+In+The+News/Story/A1Story20080812-81882.html). Frankly, the presentation or dishes on the menu did not strike me as fine dining, so I was kinda shocked when the total bill for 2 pax for a few vegetarian dishes came up to S$88.28 (after a 15% discount)!!
While the food & service were reasonably good, IMHO, I had better food at much cheaper prices at Yhingthai Palace at Purvis Street & Parkway Thai restaurant (outlets at Parkway Parade & Centrepoint) ...and I had some meat & seafood dishes then.
Anyway, that evening turned out better when we went to my friend's home to chit chat with a glass of rose wine and met up with other friends at St. James Power Station for more drinks & clubbing :)
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