looking for baudrillard, boorstin, or eco?

dare to hope for what is good
instead of what is merely good enough.
Dead in sin | Saved by grace | Living in hope | Walking by faith | Surviving on a prayer


+ sola scriptura + sola gratia + solus Christus + sola fide + sola Deo gloria +

dimanche, janvier 30, 2011

 Why chat will never supercede f2f meetups

Superhuman typing will never overcome squeeing over coffee.

Libellés :

[Why chat will never supercede f2f meetups]
Sngs Alumni @ 30.1.11 { 0 comments }


vendredi, janvier 28, 2011

 rocky road

Why is it so hard to walk in God's path, keep His precepts and basically remember how to be what we are - Christ-followers? Seems as if the path's getting a little narrower to follow as life plods on, and the pathlight that Jesus offers isn't offering much in the way of illumination...

Libellés :

[rocky road]
Sngs Alumni @ 28.1.11 { 0 comments }


samedi, janvier 22, 2011

 Earning my keep (or, why I don't have boyfriend)

Look at what I did today ma!


Today was an everything-about-the-kitchen-sink day. There were a number of problems which I wanted to fix:

1. The left kitchen sink had not been draining - this was a near six-month old problem, which I told my mom to call Uncle Ricky to fix, but he's not been returning her phone calls.

2. The next problem was that the base of that same pipe was leaking, and making our sink cupboard rather musty-smelling.

3. Final problem was that the tap itself was leaky-drippy.

So here's my plumber's schedule from 6-10pm:

1. Unscrew the top of the sinkhole and try to fit the plumber's snake (see right pic) into it. Fail. The snake went in and couldn't make the turn. New plan needed.

2. Unscrew the bottom pipes, wash them, replace them, check if the blockage was there. Nope. Still not clear.

3. Unscrew all the white parts, and try to shove in the plumber's snake. Success! After two tries and much jiggling about (and wondering what my liberal arts degree was for), the snake went through to the end of the drain, where we could see the end peeking out happily. PASS!

4. Fixing everything back was impossible - in fact, this took about 5 tries, till I decided that there was an O ring missing or corroded, and that I needed it to be totally replaced.

5. It is 9pm. I decided to head out to AMK to get a replacement. My mother protests, insisting that the shops are closed. I tell her (not for the first time) that people in Singapore don't sleep so early like her.

6. True enough, AMK is bustling with pre-CNY activity. I have four shops to choose my new sink-hole from. $12.90 is a fair price to pay for something which previously lasted us 20+ years! I also buy 8 rolls of plumber's tape - feeling slightly guilty since I think it's a bit of a cheat to get that perfect fit by resorting to plumber's tape. But life is short, and having clean dishes is urgent, so I grab 8 rolls and leave for home. (It's also known as thread seal.)

7. 9.45pm and I'm back at home, fixing the sinkhole drainage - the O ring and the cover fit like a glove. But oops, the new joint is drippy, and the bottom's still leaking. Plumber's tape FTW all the way! And this is the end of our little project for the day.

But there's always a new problem for a new day: the tap's still drippy. I leave you with a photo of the underside I may need to face tomorrow.

Oh, I forgot to add: I did all this immediately after getting home from a manicure/pedicure. I'm proud to say that both escaped unscathed from this little DIY escapade.

Update on Sunday:
My mother bought the new tap, but after about 10 mins of fiddling about under the kitchen tap, I have decided that replacing the tap is beyond my limited capabilities as a DIYer, and this will need more professional help. Uncle Ricky is coming around noon on Wed :D

Technical explanation - there's not enough room to maneuver the spanner around under the sink, so while I am fairly certain I can undo the faucet, I am also fairly certain that I will fail to replace the tap tightly (look at all the thread seal used!) So rather than risk decommissioning the entire sink for 2 days, I'll have the pro come look at it.

I went to have a nap, dinner and ice-cream after this non-repair job. Ice-cream = perfect end to a Sunday <3

Libellés :

[Earning my keep (or, why I don't have boyfriend)]
Sngs Alumni @ 22.1.11 { 2 comments }


jeudi, janvier 20, 2011

 Keri Hilson: Pretty Girl Rock (history lesson)

It's like watching most of my music history blow past: Diana Ross, Donna Summers, JANET JACKSON (this Rhythm Nation mimic was simply awesome), TLC, and Whitney Houston.

Libellés :

[Keri Hilson: Pretty Girl Rock (history lesson)]
Sngs Alumni @ 20.1.11 { 0 comments }


 Katy Perry: Firework (aka Care Bear Stare)



Katy Perry does a pretty good impression of the care bear stare, in a surprisingly not-tacky/cheesy anthem.

Libellés :

[Katy Perry: Firework (aka Care Bear Stare)]
Sngs Alumni @ 20.1.11 { 0 comments }


mercredi, janvier 19, 2011

 How to add hanyu pinyin to Word documents on Microsoft Office 2010/Win7

Hello everyone!

After bleeding through many, many webpages trying to find how to add hanyu pinyin to Chinese characters on Windows 7/Office 2010, here is the solution, which I am happily forcing everyone to receive via email because it was VERY difficult to figure out what was wrong with Office 2010/2007 (Office 2003 had this feature automatically enabled)

Step 1: You need to add "Phonetic guide" to your Word 2010
http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/13504-ms-word-2007-cannot-get-pinyin-with-phonetic-guide/
--> see post from Sebastien somewhere down the middle
At the very top left, click the Office Button, click Word Options then select Customize. Drop-down Choose commands from: and select All Commands. Select Phonetic Guide... from the list and click Add > >. Click OK.
The new button is now available from the Quick Access Toolbar next to the Office Button.

Step 2: Try adding Pinyin.
You should see this sort of screenshot with the hanyu pinyin missing. If it's not missing, then hooray, you can stop here! But chances are is that it is missing.
http://www.pinyinjoe.com/faq/word-phonetic-guide-missing-pinyin.htm

Step 3: Close MS Word, download and install Microsoft's free upgrade
  • Detailed instructions are here: http://www.pinyinjoe.com/faq/mspy2010-pinyin-ime-update.htm
  • Else you can go straight to the source: http://www.microsoft.com/china/pinyin/ (the blue button on the right)
  • Install the EXE file, open Word, and try to add Pinyin again.
  • It should work this time around.
Leave me a message to let me know if this helped you :) I spent 3 days trying to figure out what was wrong!

Libellés :

[How to add hanyu pinyin to Word documents on Microsoft Office 2010/Win7]
Sngs Alumni @ 19.1.11 { 2 comments }


lundi, janvier 17, 2011

 Refurbishing the Clothes Cupboard

Step one was of course, to survey the damage that 40 years have done to this cupboard (inherited from my parents, hence this cupboard is older than me.

Looks bad. The damage is twofold:
1) two coats of lacquer paint from my father many moons ago, and
2) double-sided tape galore from yours truly, as I stuck white paper on it, hoping to give it a new lease of life (it did, for 10 years.)

Best thing to do is try to remove all the gunk on it to try and prepare the surface for any insanity I wish to revisit on it. Here we go!

Halfway through, an hour later: not bad, this is progress. Most of the double-sided tape residue has been removed from the left door and the left side (not shown), and its surface looks less harassed.

The next stage was to remove the tougher, larger double-sided tape residue from the right side. This was much, much harder to do because the quality of the double-sided tape used on the right door was much higher than the left.

After much persuasion from my paint scrapers, nail-polish remover from the Philippines (I kid you not on both counts), and pure utter brute force, three hours from the start of the enterprise, and here's what we have:

The lacquer can be removed, by either sandpapering (dirty) or chipping away at it (tends to take of some wood along with the paint), so neither are really good ideas. I am tempted to douse it in nail-polish remover and scraping my life away, but we'll see what happens next. For the time being, I'm fairly satisfied that the surface has been cleaned.

I wonder if I can get it to look like the cupboard below, but I think this is one ugly-duckling story that's not going to be told...

Libellés :

[Refurbishing the Clothes Cupboard]
Sngs Alumni @ 17.1.11 { 1 comments }


 Busy Weekend: 8 Jan 2011

The best and busiest way to start a year: having two friends get married!

Here's the view from the resting room (Meritus Mandarin Hotel, 11th Floor)

Libellés :

[Busy Weekend: 8 Jan 2011]
Sngs Alumni @ 17.1.11 { 0 comments }


lundi, janvier 10, 2011

 Knife's Edge: Life's Balance


How do you balance "You don’t need to know where you’re going if you know God is leading" (ODB 10 Jan 2011) with the responsibility of planning your life somewhat, so you don't come off as totally irresponsible and hedonistic?

Libellés :

[Knife's Edge: Life's Balance]
Sngs Alumni @ 10.1.11 { 1 comments }


samedi, janvier 08, 2011

 For Isaac and Michelle

Wedding booklet given to Isaac and Michelle as a wedding gift. Congrats guys!

[For Isaac and Michelle]
Sngs Alumni @ 8.1.11 { 0 comments }


jeudi, janvier 06, 2011

 To Read: Booklist 2011 (Business)

  1. Good to Great by Jim Collins
  2. The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber
  3. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
  4. Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
  5. Jesus CEO by Laurie Beth Jones
  6. Getting Things Done by David Allen
  7. Stress for Success by James E. Loehr and Mark McCormack
  8. Secrets of Power Negotiating by Roger Dawson
  9. The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive by Patrick M. Lencioni
  10. You Are the Message by Roger Aisles
Should be approx. a book a month. :D

Libellés :

[To Read: Booklist 2011 (Business)]
Sngs Alumni @ 6.1.11 { 0 comments }


dimanche, janvier 02, 2011

 2010: Another Year of God's Grace

1. School: 2010's writing exercise was a time of great calmness and having the feeling of being totally covered by God's protection and guidance as friends rallied to pray and encourage.

2. Church: CEC's learning curve was steep, and while my body broke down in the end, God again reminded me that it's HIS camp, not mine. An excellent reminder.

3. Community: Some incidents this year showed God working hard behind the scenes: Aunty Jenny reaching out to me mysteriously just as I was at the end of my tether, me reaching out to Regina just as she was about to go under over her head while doing her own school writing exercise, friends reaching out to each other in the nick of time sometimes, and propping each other up in times of need as we lead our quiet, desperate lives.

4. Work: it was a good year of good, solid work. Incomplete, and ever upward, but I felt that I did hold up my end of the ship (as did my boss, phew.)

5. Learning: (a) one more module till I get my BTS LLD cert! (b) sewing is fun, but hard! (c) diving 40m can make you a little loopy (d) cooking Christmas dinner for 30 pax will take 3 days of preparations and approx 5 hours of cooking.

... and here comes 2011.

Libellés : ,

[2010: Another Year of God's Grace]
Sngs Alumni @ 2.1.11 { 0 comments }


+ moi +

+ PDL +

Musings on Rick Warren's Purpose-Driven Life (PII)

||01||02||03||04||05||
||06||07||08||09||10||
||11||12||13||14||15||
||16||17||18||19||20||
||21||22||23||24||25||
||26||27||28||29||30||
||31||32||33||34||35||
||36||37||38||39||40||


+ twitter +

+ booksneeze+

I review for BookSneeze

+ best of the web +

[lilies of e field]
[missiepixie]

+ les liens +

[blogtrbc] [adetan] [airong] [aang] [aileen] [ben+yimei] [bunny] [C.Kam] [camellia] [celesta] [chloe] [cornball] [derek+serene] [di] [dims] [elaine] [evangeline] [eunice leow] [eunice soh] [ft] [I-V] [jae] [jason w] [jazzymoo] [jemTiong] [jerming] [jing] [juian] [julian] [kimmeeee] [leon] [lolitapop] [marcus wang] [mai HS] [mark lim] [meiyen] [minghui] [onesimus] [p.k.] [praisie] [puden] [puchuan] [qy] [sam.wong] [serena] [sharon] [sherryn] [shuhui] [simone] [skinnydrummer] [soaps] [soul survivor] [stan] [stee] [titus] [weilong] [yimei] [yining] [yunyu] [zhizhen]

[me@deviantArt]
[me@livejournal]
[me@YouTube]
[me@Multiply]
[me@Twitter]


+ before i die +

Stuff I'd Like
Lake Tahoe
Borobudor
Pyramids, Egypt
Laos
Boro Boro
Cambodia (Ankor Wat)
Taj Mahal
Bali
Great Ocean Road
Maldives to DIVE!
Great Barrier Reef to DIVE!
Christmas Island
See a penguin in the wild
Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil


make ur own map!


+ archives +

juillet 1990
décembre 1990
décembre 1998
mars 1999
novembre 1999
décembre 1999
janvier 2000
février 2000
mars 2000
novembre 2000
décembre 2001
janvier 2002
août 2002
septembre 2002
octobre 2002
décembre 2002
janvier 2003
février 2003
mars 2003
avril 2003
mai 2003
juin 2003
juillet 2003
août 2003
septembre 2003
octobre 2003
novembre 2003
décembre 2003
janvier 2004
février 2004
mars 2004
avril 2004
mai 2004
juin 2004
juillet 2004
août 2004
septembre 2004
octobre 2004
novembre 2004
décembre 2004
janvier 2005
février 2005
mars 2005
avril 2005
mai 2005
juin 2005
juillet 2005
août 2005
septembre 2005
octobre 2005
novembre 2005
décembre 2005
janvier 2006
février 2006
mars 2006
avril 2006
mai 2006
juin 2006
juillet 2006
août 2006
septembre 2006
octobre 2006
novembre 2006
décembre 2006
janvier 2007
février 2007
mars 2007
avril 2007
mai 2007
juin 2007
juillet 2007
août 2007
septembre 2007
octobre 2007
novembre 2007
décembre 2007
janvier 2008
février 2008
mars 2008
avril 2008
mai 2008
juin 2008
juillet 2008
août 2008
septembre 2008
octobre 2008
novembre 2008
décembre 2008
janvier 2009
février 2009
mars 2009
avril 2009
mai 2009
juin 2009
juillet 2009
août 2009
septembre 2009
octobre 2009
novembre 2009
décembre 2009
janvier 2010
février 2010
mars 2010
avril 2010
mai 2010
juin 2010
juillet 2010
août 2010
septembre 2010
octobre 2010
novembre 2010
décembre 2010
janvier 2011
février 2011
mars 2011
avril 2011
mai 2011
juin 2011
août 2011
septembre 2011
octobre 2011
novembre 2011
décembre 2011
janvier 2012
mars 2012
avril 2012
mai 2012
juin 2012
août 2012
novembre 2012



[lpsd 2003-2009.]