Frankfurt International Motorshow 2007

Couldn't miss this bi-annual event especially with so many nice cars launched. It was at the Frankfurt Fair/Exhibition grounds. There were about 10 halls full of cars. Spent 7 hours there (11am to 6pm). Walked until cannot walk. Spent almost an hour on each of the main halls (BMW, Ford group, VW group, Italian group (with Hyundai inside for some reason), Merc as well).

Spot the BMW CS Concept, BMW X6 Concept, BMW M3, Aston Martin DBS, Audi R8, Audi S5, Ferrari F430 Scuderia and many many more:) Ran out of battery when I reached the last hall, which was incidentally the Mercedes hall. Don't really matter for me:P But one thing has to be mentioned. The Mercedes hall was pretty impressive in terms of style and hospitality. They served sparkling water and biscuits for free. Also gave hot towels for you to freshen up and a place for people to sit down and rest.

Still prefer the BMW one though, it's more of a car buff's place. Loads of BMW's to sit around and day-dream. Sat in all the different models, played with i-Drive, adjusting the seating position. Found out that for a 6-speed manual, the reverse gear is extreme right, next to first gear. Have to shove it hard-right and up to get into reverse. Preparing myself when I get one, I guess:)

C'etait un Rendezvous

C'etait un Rendezvous was a short-film made by a certain Claude Lelouch that achieved cult-status amongst car buffs. The nine-minute clip shows view from a car's bumper, hurtling through the streets of Paris at 5.30am accompanied by just the sound of the engine, tires, brakes and gear changes. Through the engine sound, many thought that the car used was a Ferrari 275. Later the director revealed that it was actually shot from his old Merc S class and laced with clever sound dubbing. Cool!

Interview with the Supercomputer

Europe's No 1 Supercomputer, Albert2 (build by BMW-Sauber F1 team), speaks to F1-live:P Very witty interview. Hahaha

Changes, changes, changes...

Massive change within these few weeks:
Edinburgh, UK to Bonn, Germany
Richmond Place to Posener Weg
University of Edinburgh to RWTH Aachen/University of Bonn/Bonn International Centre of Information Technology (complicated story)
Familiarity to adaptation
No blogging to blogging again (for obvious reasons:P)
Singlehood to ...

One thing stays the same though:) God's love and faithfulness!

Dedicated to a special someone...

忘了是怎么开始
或许就是对你
有一种感觉
忽然间发现自己
已深深爱上你
真的很简单
爱的地暗天黑都已无所谓
是是非非无法抉择
没有后悔
为爱日夜去跟随
那个疯狂的人是我
喔~
i love you
无法不爱你 baby
说你也爱我
i love you
永远不愿意 baby
失去你
不可能更快乐
只要能在一起
做什么都可以
虽然世界变个不停
用最真诚的心
让爱变得简单
爱的地暗天黑都已无所谓
是是非非无法抉择
没有后悔
为爱日夜去跟随
那个疯狂的人是我
喔~
i love you
我一直在这里 baby
一直在爱你
i love you yes i do
永远都不放弃
这爱你的权利
如果你还有一些困惑
oh no
请贴着我的心倾听
听我说着爱你baby
yes i do
i love you

i love you
我一直在这里 baby
一直在爱你
i love you yes i do
永远都不放弃 baby
这爱你的权利

Super Duper Funny Merc Ad

Gotta hand it to Mercedes, they've really done it this time! Need to be a formula 1 fan to understand this commercial:)

All my Videos on Youtube

New embedded player on youtube:)

Top Gear's back on July 25!!!!

Yes!!!!!! It's back!

Take That - I'd Wait For Life

Ohmigosh, this is such a hauntingly beautiful song!

Problem with Microsoft Office

Goodness gracious me! Was having problem with Microsoft Office for Mac suddenly few days ago. It baffled me for a long while. Cause things just stopped working after restarting my machine. At first I thought there was a problem with Microsoft's preference files. So I deleted all my Microsoft related preference stuff in ~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft. Didnt work. Then I suddenly realised a lot of Rosetta-based apps (apps that are PPC-compiled) stopped working. So started looking on Google for Rosetta problems..... Finally!

Found the problem on MacFixIt:) Apparently updating to the latest Quicktime 7.2 with Java 1.6 installed beforehand creates a big problem as it breaks all Rosetta-apps. The fix is here:) Of course if u know a bit of sed will be useful cause it involves modifying all the ./ at the beginning of each line to / and changing all the " " (spaces) to "\ " in order to delete all the Java 1.6 files. I just used the replace function in vi to do it:)

Go Forth, Kimi and Start Painting all the Circuits Red!

May and June has been a tough time for Ferrari and Kimi Raikkonen fans. The sight of seeing Mclaren achieving 1-2 finishes in Monaco and then in a traditionally Ferrari-dominant circuit, Indianapolis, has been quite demoralising. Then came Magny-Cours, France and then Silverstone, UK. Yes! The Iceman is back in business. The last race at Silverstone has been mesmerizing to say the least. Everytime they show the on-board camera on Kimi's car, wow, it's so amazing to see how much he's pushing every single lap. Though there wasnt any on-track overtaking, but the fact that each milisecond counted in each lap just puts so much excitement into the race!

It's on to Nurburgring on 22nd July. Fingers' crossed, the winning streak will continue! But whatever it is, the excitement is back for me and every race, every lap, every point is gonna be thrilling to the end of the season in October!

Senyuman Mu

This is the one and only Malay song that I wrote back in 1997. It's called Senyuman Mu (Your Smile). Just put in the translation. It's literal translation, so not very poetry-like:)

A
Suaramu
(Your voice)
C#m
Ku rindu selalu
(I've always missed)
Bm E
Hatiku merindu wajahmu
(My heart misses your face)
F#m C#m
Selepas berkenalan hari itu
(After knowing you that day)
Bm E
Ku tidak dapat lupaimu
(I just cannot forget you)

A
Oh Sayang
(Oh my love)
C#m
Bila boleh temu
(When can we meet again)
Bm E
Hatiku mengenang wajahmu
(My heart remembers your face)
F#m C#m
Ku tidak dapat tidur keranamu
(I cant sleep because of you)
Bm E
Oh kamu! Oh senyuman mu
(Oh you! Oh your smile)

A
Senyuman Mu
(Your smile)
D
Menarik hatiku
(Attracts my heart)
Bm
Kita berdua selamanya
(The both of us forever)
E
Bina hidup mulia
(Build a perfect life)

A
Senyuman mu
(Your smile)
D
Memikat jiwaku
(Captures my soul)
Bm
Sepanjang masa
(All the time)
E
Aku fikirkan
(I'm thinking of)
A
Senyuman mu ooohh
(Your smile)

Till I See You

A B C#m
The greatest love that anyone could ever know
A B C#m
it overcame the cross and grave to find my soul
A B C#m
and till i see you face to face and grace amazing takes me home
A
i'll trust in you

A B C#m
With all I am I'll live to see Your kingdom come
A B C#m
And in my heart I pray You'd let Your will be done
A B C#m
And till I see You face to face and grace amazing takes me home
A
I'll trust in You

E B
I will live to love You
C#m G#m
I will live to bring You praise

A/A2 B C#m
I will live a child in awe of You

A B C#m
You are a voice that called the universe to be
A B C#m
You are the whisper in my heart that speaks to me
A B C#m
And till I see You face to face and grace amazing takes me home
A2
I'll trust in you

E B
I will live to love You
C#m G#m
I will live to bring You praise
A/A2 B C#m
I will live a child in awe of You (repeat)

A E B C#m
You alone are God of all
A E B C#m
You alone are worthy Lord
A E B C#m A
And with all I am my soul will bless Your name (repeat)

I Will Run To You

C D G
Your eye is on the sparrow and
C D Em
Your hand it comforts me
F C
From the ends of the earth
D G
to the depth of my heart
C Am D
Let your mercy and strength be seen

C D G
You call me to Your purpose
C D Em
as angels understand
F C D G
For Your glory may You draw all men
C D G
As Your love and grace demand

C D G D Bm Em
And I will run to You, to Your words of truth
Am G C Am D
Not by might not by power, but by the spirit of God


C D G D Bm Em
Yes I will run the race till I see your face
C Am D G
Oh let me live in the glory, of Your grace

Made Me Glad

VERSE 1]
D A
I will bless the Lord forever
D A
I will trust in Him at all times
D A
He has delivered me from all fear
D A
He has set my feet upon a Rock

D
I will not be moved Bm Esus4
And I'll say of the Lord

[CHORUS] A Bm
You are my shield, my strength
D Esus4
My portion, deliverer
A A/C#
My shelter, strong tower
D Esus4
My very present help A
In time of need

[VERSE 2]
D A
Whom have I in heaven but You?
D A
There's none I desire besides You

D
You have made me glad
Bm Esus4
And I'll say of the Lord

Hebe from SHE singing Qi Qin's Song

Lewis Hamilton - The Tiger Woods of Formula 1

Everyone knows the story of Tiger Woods, the story of an African-American who can into a predominantly Caucasian majority sport and turn it around with his brilliance and consistency. Well, I think this story has arrived in the sport of Formula 1 as well. The buzz name, especially in Britain is Lewis Hamilton. So much so that 6 races, 3 months into the 2007 season, people has almost forgotten about the dominance of Michael Schumacher for the previous 13 years. Cause, Formula 1 has a new hero and refreshingly, he aint white:) With Kimi Raikkonen being so horrifically terrible at Ferrari, think I've found a new guy to support in Formula 1. Still adore Ferrari but I've finally jumped on to the Lewis bandwagon.

The fact that he made Fernando Alonso, his team-mate and another super young-talent ( youngest pole-sitter, youngest F1 race winner, youngest F1 world champion and (deep breath) youngest double world champion) so desperate in wanting to win the Canada GP that he hack-sawed his car into the grass at the first corner (apology for this extremely long sentence) and subsequently spoilt his race just shows how good Hamilton is. 6 races into his first season, 6 podiums (3-2-2-2-2-1). Dont think Schumacher was this good this young although it's all about timing as well in F1 with Hamilton joining Mclaren at a time when the car is just super good (who needs Adrian Newey after all:P). We'll see how the season goes but Lewis's the man of the moment for sure!

BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica's Horrific Crash

Scary crash but the amazing thing is Kubica escaped with nothing but an ankle sprain and concussion. Apparently the first question he asked after regaining conscious was "Can I race in Indiannapolis next week?" Crazy stuff!

Expressions of love

Attended Charlotte Chapel this weekend and sermon was on marriage relationships. One particular point caught my attention and it was on expressions of love. Think this applies not just to married couples but to friendships and relationships in general. There are five main areas in which love can be expressed and received:

• Words spoken
• Deeds done
• Gifts given
• Time spent
• Affirming touch

The pastor also mentioned that for each individual, some of these five areas are stronger in terms of how love is expressed and received. In order to make a relationship work, there is a need to understand how each other expresses love comfortably so that the relationship may be fruitful and rewarding.

In Order to Remember...

... you need to forget.

月亮代表我的心

D F#m
你问我爱你有多深
G D
我爱你有几分
Bm
我的情也真
G
我的爱也真
Em A
月亮代表我的心

D F#m
你问我爱你有多深
G D
我爱你有几分
Bm
我的情不移
G
我的爱不变
Em A D
月亮代表我的心

D F#m
轻轻的一个吻
G A
已经打动我的心
D F#m
深深的一段情
G A D
教我思念到如今

你问我爱你有多深
我爱你有几分
你去想一想
你去看一看

矜持

G
我从来不曾抗拒你的魅力
D/F# Em
虽然你从来不曾对我著迷
C
我总是微笑的看著你
Am D
我的情意总是轻易就洋溢眼底
G
我曾经想过在寂寞的夜里
D/F# Em
你终於在意在我的房间里
C
你闭上眼睛亲吻了我
Am D
不说一句紧紧抱我在你怀里

G
我是爱你的
D/F# Em
我爱你到底
C
生平第一次我放下矜持
Am D
任凭自己幻想一切关於我和你
G
你是爱我的
D/F# Em
你爱我到底
C
生平第一次我放下矜持
Am D
相信自己真的可以深深去爱你
G
深深去爱你

Holy Fire

Holy Fire
Brian Doerksen, Steve Mitchinson
Key: D

Verse 1:
D /C#
Holy fire from heaven descend to us we pray let us
Bm G D /C#
Burn again. Holy fire from heaven consume our hearts
Bm G D /C# Bm G
Today let us burn again, let us burn again.


Verse 2:
D /C#
Holy breath from heaven descend to us we pray let us
Bm G D /C#
Breathe again. Holy breath from heaven revive our
Bm G D
hearts today let us breathe again, let us breathe again


Chorus:

G D/F# G D/F#
Waiting in expectancy surrendered to Your sovreignty
G D/F# Em /F# G
We're hungry for true intimacy, Lord, For the things
D /C# Bm G
Of Your heart


Verse 3:
D /C#
Holy stream from heaven descend to us we pray let us
Bm G D /C#
Drink again. Holy stream from heaven bring new life
Bm G D
Today let us drink again, let us drink again.

I Stand In Awe (Who Can Know)

I Stand In Awe (Who Can Know)
Martyn Layzell
Key: G

Intro:
G2 D G2 D G2 D G2


Verse 1:
D D/F# G Asus4 A
Who can know the mind of our creator?
D D/F# G Asus4 A
Who can speak of wonders yet unseen?
Bm7 D/F# G Asus4 A
Who can reach the height of understanding?
G Asus4 A7
To play the notes of Wisdom’s melody?


Verse 2:
Who has weighed the dust of every mountain?
Who has walked the mysteries of the deep?
Who has laid the earth on its foundation?
And who conducts the waves upon the sea?


Chorus:
D/F# G D/F#
I stand in awe of You
G A Bm7
I stand in awe of You
D/F# G D/F#
So glorious and true
Em7
I stand in awe
Asus4 A
I stand in awe


Verse 3:
You have seen the end from the beginning
You have been before the world began
You have reached to me within my darkness
And in the light of mercy now I see

Catching Up!

Havent been updating the blog for a while since February 2007 cause been busy with work and hanging out with friends here:) Well gonna do a bonanza of video posts after this:) Quick update of what happened since February:
1. Went to Italy with few of my church friends for a week (the Chinese New Year week, in fact). Fun!
2. Came back and was busy with weekly assignments (had to review 5 research papers a week), projects, preparation for dissertation, exams till beginning of May
3. Helped organized and attended my fellowship's retreat on April 27-30
4. Ohya, celebrated my birthday. Friends here got me a new watch cause old one spoilt after 7 years of using it.
5. Was videoman for my fellowship leader's wedding. Twas a great day for the newly weds.
6. Now starting to get busy with dissertation work:)

Hope to post up more juicy details on some of the stuff:)

Michael Schumacher's Fiat Advert

Quite fun, poking fun of MS's retirement:)

Mind-boggling Anagrams

Some people just have too much brain juices. Check out these anagrams from this joke site:

Mother-in-Law = Woman Hitler

Semolina = Is No Meal

Eleven plus two = Twelve plus one

Dame Agatha Christie = I am a right death case

Strike Command – NATO’s Chartered Site = See it’s more damned stick than carrot

Desperation = A Rope Ends It

The Morse Code = Here Come Dots

Dyslexia = Daily Sex

President Boris Yeltsin = Endless Insobriety Trip

The meaning of life = The fine game of nil

Presbytarian: = Best in prayer

Dormitory = Dirty Room

The Earthquakes = That queer shake

Slot Machines = Cash lost in ‘em

Animosity = Is No Amity

Snooze Alarms = Alas, No More Z’s

Alec Guinness = Genuine Class

The Public Art Galleries = Large Picture Halls, I Bet

Contradiction = Accord not in it

That’s One Small Step for a Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind =
Thin man ran; makes a large stride, left planet, pins flag on moon. On to Mars!

To be or not to be: that is the question, whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune =
In one of the Bard’s best-thought-of tragedies, our insistent hero, Hamlet, queries on two fronts about how life turns rotten.

I Love You Lord (Greater Than Anything)

Really love this song a lot. The melody is just so beautiful. It's quite unknown though surprisingly as searching it in Google reveals very little hits. Hope this video can let more people hear this song!

Key F (transposed to G in final verse)

F (G)
I love You, Lord
Gm (Am)
Greater than anything
C (D)
I love You, Lord
Bb (C) F (G)
More than my heart could sing
Dm (Em)
I love You, Lord
Am (Bm) Dm (Em)
More than I love myself
Gm (Am)
I love You Lord
C (D)
I love You Lord
F (G)
I love You Lord

I worship You
High above everything
I worship You
With all that my heart could sing
I worship You
O let my life give praise
I worship You (3x)

I lift my hands
I am a sacrifice
I lift my hands
My body and soul a prize
I lift my hands
All that I am is Yours
I lift my hands (3x)

Allelujah, this is my song of praise
Allelujah, I'll worship You all my days
Allelujah, all that I am is Yours
Allelujah (3x)

One more Enzo Ferrari No More

Only 400 Enzo Ferraris were made and they are really about to become endangered species. Comedian Eddie Griffin just crashed one, belong to the producer of the movie he was promoting, Redline (movie on fast cars, gambling and stuff).

Get A Linux

Oh my gosh, this is really funny:)). The Apple Get a Mac adverts are quite cool, spoofing at Windows inadequacies but Novell has done a spoof of the spoof coming out with 3 similar type of adverts, promoting Linux. Apparently, Linux's a hot babe:). I'm sure all the geeks out there will love this idea. Well, imitation is the best form of flattery I suppose:))

Ad 1


Ad 2


Ad 3

Super Goal From Paul Robinson - Goalkeeper beats Goalkeeper

Though the future isn't clear, there is Hope!

It's so amazing how God reminds us of His goodness all the time. What started out as an online chat with a friend in Edinburgh on a normal Friday afternoon has been a recurring theme throughout the weekend and more. The theme of humility and surrender to God has been recurring again and again these few days. Matthew 5:5 says that "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." I quoted this to my friend when we were talking about humilty. Then during bible study in the evening, we discussed about Philippians 2:3-13. The same topic on humility again (though during bible study, I very embarrassingly used the word humbleness:), which does sound very much like a word, to be honest:P). On Sunday, the Rock church had an invited speaker and guess what he spoke about? Yup, humbleness humility again. It's just so amazing!

I believe as the day when I leave Edinburgh for Germany for a year grows closer, the Lord is reminding me that He is ever-present and He is control. So though the future isnt clear, there is Hope! Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see". Amen!

Math Joke

Theorem: All numbers are equal.
Proof: Choose arbitrary a and b, and let t = a + b. Then

a + b = t
(a + b)(a - b) = t(a - b)
a^2 - b^2 = ta - tb
a^2 - ta = b^2 - tb
a^2 - ta + (t^2)/4 = b^2 - tb + (t^2)/4
(a - t/2)^2 = (b - t/2)^2
a - t/2 = b - t/2
a = b

So all numbers are the same, and math is pointless.

Documentary on Muar (Mandarin)

Wow, some guy has done a very good documentary on Muar, Johor, my hometown. It's very variety-show like and very professional. I've learnt so much from it myself. Too bad it's in Mandarin only.

Part 1


Part 2

To Flood A MailBox

Just realised how easy it is to flood a mailbox, especially company emails where there's a limit sometimes. Check this out. Got this email from someone:

Subject: Sony Erricson - promotion

Dear All.

Please pass on to all your friends and relatives the following mail from Sony Erricsson.

Sony Erricsson is giving away phones for free. Sony Erricsson is trying word-of-mouth advertising to introduce its product and the reward you receive for advertising for them is a free phone free of cost. To receive your free phone all you have to do is to send this email out to 8 people (for a free Sony Erricsson j200i) or 20 people (for a free Sony Erricsson k400i WAP).

Within 2 weeks you will receive a free phone. (They will contact you through your e-mail address).

Please mark a copy to:-
XXX@sonyerricsson.com

So imagine how many emails this poor fella from Sony Ericsson has been receiving. Exponential I tell you. He/she must have offended someone really naughty:P

Back from Italy

Bourgiorno! Just got back from Italy on Monday. It was a fantastic trip. Had loads and loads of fun. Photos to follow. Once I caught with my work:P Left on Saturday 17th Feb for Rome, spent 5 days there, then 2 days in Florence. Was supposed to come back the next Sat 24th but had to extend the trip by 2 days cause RyanAir canceled my flight due to foggy conditions. No regrets cause the last 2 days were even more fun. It's amazing how God arrange things sometimes:)

Xin Shang Xin Tong Bu Tong - Daniel Chan (心傷心 痛不痛 - 陳曉東)

Another of my favourite Daniel Chan song.

背對著背 偷偷的流淚 誰都害怕看誰的臉
靜靜回憶追逐這些年 每一個愛的畫面 好美
背貼著背 沉默中無言 迷戀的你萬念俱灰
當我轉身想吻你的淚 你郤推開安慰

心傷心 痛不痛 愛掏空 情失控
忘了聽你想說什麼 少了溝通變苦衷
心傷心 痛不痛 愛放縱 情放手
忘了問你想要什麼 若給的起我都承受

走到門口 我還你自由 淚在閃爍心在顫抖
愛情原來 經不起犯錯 扛不動回憶太重 寂寞太濃

Ferrari's 60th Birthday

Normally, during your 60th birthday, you'll probably get your friends who are still alive, your family to come celebrate with a cake, a bit of dinner and maybe reminiscence over the good old times. Oh no, not Ferrari. They are commemorating their sexagenarian status by going on a world tour of 41 countries starting from UAE where their new investors are and ending in Italy. Top Gear is keeping progress of it with a nice Flash presentation showing the countries and also a nice montage gallery of Ferrari's history.

Schumacher, the next Ferrari F1 team boss?

Totally plausible. The guy's smart, knows not only to drive a car fast but also to motivate his engineers to perform to the highest level, knows the F1 scene inside out since he's been around for more than 13 years already. Wonder if he's gonna be a technical/sporting director first with Ross Brawn back as team chief, replacing Jean Todt in 2008 or is Schummi gonna replace Jean Todt directly... Will be interesting...

Beauty and her Supercharged Beast

Current women tennis no 1, Maria Sharapova choosing her Range Rover Supercharged (uses the 4.2L engine from Jaguar).

There can only be one Cantona

Found this gem of a video (probably one of thousands) showing Eric Cantona's best goals for Man United. The finese and the exquisite touch is just so amazing. The guy can aim his chips at the top corner of the goalpost so accurately, it makes you cry to watch:))

Get A Mac Advert

Latest in the Get A Mac advertisement series. This is so funny, it pokes fun at Vista's many security dialog boxes.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

I have no reasons to put this up but what the heck:))

John O Shea's 5-minute role as Man Utd keeper

Once again, a match which I didnt watch and then MU wins. For the record since I've got to UK, I've only watched 3 MU matches. All 3 has ended up in defeat for some reason (0-1 to Celtic, 0-1 to West Ham and 1-2 Arsenal). All 3 were away games which MU dominated and yet somehow lost because of lethargic play in the final third. Anyway, I'm digressing. Just wanna share this wonderful clip from the Tottenham-MU (0-4) match which John O Shea (normally plays left-back) saved magnificently from Robbie Keane. Van Der Sar was injured 5 minutes from time after a clash with Keane and MU had used up all their substitutes. After this save, some MU fans started chanting "Watch and Learn, Robinson", rubbing it in for Spurs' keeper Paul Robinson who conceded 4 goals. Incidentally Robinson is now England's no 1 keeper. Not good news for English fans, I suppose:P

Malaysian Driver Joins Spyker F1 as Test Driver

Quite surprised about this news. Fairuz Fauzy, the 2nd Malaysian driver in the A1GP series and a GP2 driver, has just joined Spyker F1 team as a test and Friday driver. Wonder how much money was paid for it...

Windows Vista

Is this supposed to be the long awaited Longhorn? To be honest, I couldnt be bothered. Engadget covered the launch event. It's nothing compared to when Steve Jobs launched the Apple iPhone few weeks back. Looking at Vista's screenshots, couldnt help but notice that it's so Mac OS like with all the aqua feel and colour:)) They even have these small apps called gadgets, which sounds suspiciously familiar like the widgets in Mac's dashboard. 3D window frames. Nice eye-candy but again, doesnt really float my boat. More photos of Vista (waste-ta-time) here.

XML, XML and more XML

Just to share my workload this semester. Quite crazy and yet somehow, I don't really mind and kinda enjoy the challenge. In fact, I looked so relaxed that church friends seemed to think I have no work and am pretty free, which isnt really good:))

Taking 3 subjects this semester, Multi Agent Semantic Web (MASW), Querying and Storing XML (QSX), and Topics in Distributed Databases (TDD). The fun part is that all three subjects is quite tightly coupled. The common unifying factor? XML, XML, XML. In fact the QSX and TDD are taught by the same Professor, who is also incidentally my supervisor for my dissertation. So guess what's project is about:P Maintaining XML views:P

QSX and TDD are non-exam subjects. Easy, you say? Not really. For these two topics, I need to read 5 research papers each week and write a review for each of them. It's good training really. Used to find it tough to maintain concentration in reading these papers, which sometimes (most of the time) can be quite dry. I've also developed some techniques in reading them:P Will start to catch the main points while reading the first time. Then using these points, I'll write the review, referring back to the document only when needed.

The annoying thing about all these is that I seemed to have developed a huge appetite when I'm working. Mouth always itching for something to eat quite often. Just finished eating 1/2 a butter scone bought from tesco, spread with Nutella chocolate jam. 2 hours after dinner!! Must go gym consistently still:))

Scottish-Based Pasta?

I normally don post pics of the stuff I cook cause I think there are other better blogs on that:) This time, I have make an exception cause I think I've just outdone myself this time:)) Introducing Penne Haggis Carbonara. Yup, decided to make an unconventional pasta dish by using Haggis as the meat in my Carbonara instead of the usual bacon or meatball. With a bit of mixed vege, Carbonara sauce of course, cheese and herbs & spices, it tastes really good. Wanted to eat some potatoes as well but was too lazy to peel. So bought a packet of potato chips and pop them into the oven for 20 mins. How much for 3 days (6 meals) worth of pasta? £5. I'm beginning to see the satisfaction of cooking your own meals. Gordon or Jamie, if you wanna know more about this meal, just leave a comment:P

Quite Weird..

It's quite weird to be watching on Top Gear on an actual television since for more than 2 years, I've been watching on my computer. I think watching the show with Altec Lansing speakers is much better:P Have to say, this is quite an emotional episode cause to see Richard Hammond still alive and well after that horrific crash is just amazing. Almost cried... on Top Gear???!!!! Stranger things have happened before, I suppose.

But it was also a great episode. Jamie Oliver was absolutely fantastic as the Star-In-A-Reasonably-Priced-Car. The comparison between the Jag XKR and the Aston Martin Vantage V8 was nicely shot. The guys managed to re-surface a piece of road within 24 hours than a week. Of course, the finale was when they showed footages of the 300+mph Vampire that Richard drove before the crash and the crash itself. Is it worth putting someone's live through so much risk for entertainment? Dont think I'm qualified to answer that question. Top Gear has reconstructed the accident digitally based on the telemetry. Amazing and yet scary at the same time.

Top Gear's back...finally

When I found out I was coming to England, one of the things I really looked forward to was watching Top Gear at 8pm on Sundays. Unfortunately, due to Hammond's horrific crash, it wasnt to be and watching Fifth Gear is such a lame thing to do. But this Sunday, it's gonna change:) Top Gear's back!! Here's a snippet of what they're gonna do:) Hopefully can still get someone with BT access to download it:P

Sid Watkins on Michael Schumacher

Taken from Top Gear's new blog, this is what Prof Sid Watkins, one of the world's top brain surgeons, and the president of the FIA Institute for Motorsport Safety, said about Michael Schumacher:

"The calmest response I ever had at an accident was from Michael Schumacher, when he crashed at Silverstone in '99. I got to him really quickly after the accident - it was a first lap accident and my car was behind the pack. So I think it was about 86 seconds after the impact, I was there. Michael had taken his helmet off, and as he saw me running toward him he said 'it's alright Sid, it's only a broken leg.'

"Then we hauled him out of the car, I was putting splints on his broken leg and attaching that to his good leg, and he sort of sat up a bit and said, 'Sid, will you do two things for me?' I said yes.

"He said, 'One - ring my wife and tell her it's only a broken leg, and two - tell Jean Todt to test the brakes on Eddie Irvine's car, because it was a brake failure.' I mean, you can't get cooler than that."

The guy can still think so calmly after an accident that just broke his leg...Wow!!!

You Are God In Heaven (Let My Words Be Few)

You are God in Heaven
And here am I on earth
So I'll let my words be few
Jesus I am so in love with you

Chorus:
And I'll stand in awe of you
Yes I'll stand in awe of you
And I'll let my words be few
Jesus I am so in love with you

The simplest of all love songs
I want to bring to you
And so I'll let my words be few
Cuz Jesus I am so in love with you

NASCAR RC Vacuum

If one has $280 to spare, he/she should really get this vacuum. Remote control, NASCAR-themed, looks quite cool and probably quite powerful. Know quite a bit about vacuums now cause my Christian Fellowship leader is quite a cleanliness freak and we've just bought him a Black and Dekker handheld 12V 35W vacuum. Very nice to play with. So now, every time we go to his house, we would purposely throw some crumbs on the carpet just to use the vacuum:))

Buorngiorno a tutti

In about exactly a month's time, I shall set foot on my adopted motherland, the land of coolness! The land that has given us fine supercars (Ferrari, Lamborghini and Bugatti). The land that has given us excellent actors (Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino (all Godfathers:P)). Did I mention great food as well? Yup, Rome and Florence here I come. Going with four other friends. Unfortunately, I wont be able to drop Maranello for a cup of tea with Jean Todt and his new assistant, some guy called Schumacher or something (I think he's German). I suppose, I can do it when I'm ready to buy my first Ferrari (by then it'll probably be Ferrari 1000099 (current models are 430, 599 and 612)). I'll carry on my wishful thinking and then get back to studying XML, RDF, Web Services etc.

Why Kimi and Felipe would make good teammates in Ferrari

Because anagrams of their names produce rather disturbing results:)) as seen below:

Felipe Massa = A Female Piss

Kimi Raikkonen = A Kinkier I Monk

Wish I could say this anagram thing was my original idea (which would be quite disturbing) but it isnt (Thank God). Got the idea from itv-f1's Gravel Trap (F1 Jokes) article on Adrian Sutil (which can be translated to Staid Urinal:))

Fernando Alonso? Find out yourself:P It's quite bad as well. Hint: Look for the synonym for "touch":))

Hossan's Leong Song made into MTV

This Singaporean actor, Hossan Leong sang this song live on MrBrown's show and someone made it into an MTV. So funny!

Raikkonen-Massa Line-up Unbeatable

Just give these two young chaps a fast and reliable car and the tifosi will be celebrating again this year after a two-year drought. Cant wait for the F1 season to start again in March!

Apple IPhone: New Object of Desire

Such a sleek and beautiful looking device, it can only come from Apple. It's the Apple iPhone that comes with a full touch screen, built-in iPod (basically means mp3 + video player), motion sensors to detect portrait landscape mode. It even detects when the phone is brought to the ears and automatically reduce the display brightness and reduce the touch screen sensitivity so that users wont accidentally end the call while on the phone. Nice! But the nice part is that it runs OS X or at least a minimized version of it. Pretty cool (for a geek at least:P). Available only in US. Will be available in Europe in Q4 2007 and Asia, 2008. Just in time when my current O2 contract ends:) Summary of its features at Macrumors.

蔡旻佑~我可以

New Taiwanese singer who can sing/compose (who doesnt nowadays actually). Voice a bit like Malaysia's Zhang Zhi Cheng, quite good.

Funny Course Feedbacks

Just got this from a friend. Didnt know Singaporeans are so brave one:P

City Square Shooting Gallery

Leng Chye just told me he went to try shooting (real guns! real bullets!) at City Square Shooting Gallery. Only RM100 for 50 bullets. So cool! Must try it next time I go back Malaysia.

担心 （Dan Xin)

I know it's a bit weird but here's another song I've recorded that is originally sung by a female singer. This time it's 担心（Dan Xin) by 陈洁仪 (Kit Chan)



Apologies that the conversion by youtube isnt that good. The syncing between video and audio is a bit problematic. Can download the full version here.

As you've probably noticed by now, I've gotten a haircut:P I wanted to keep it like for a year but I just cannot stand it. I've only managed to maintain it for 4 months. (this sounds even more girlish, so I shall stop talking about this anymore:P)
G Bm
我的你总是迟疑
C D7
连吻别也要隔著玻璃
G Bm E
我的你在我指缝间远离去
---
C D
这城市太过拥挤
Bm E
满座的爱情电影
C D
我用力推不开回忆
---
G
担心你的担心
C
怕你将我想起
Bm Em
在那微寒的夜寂寞来寻
C D
最好是屏住你的呼吸
G G/B
哦...担心我的担心
C
你就这样放心
Bm Em
我却如此愿意竟然愿意
C D
用白天用黑夜
G
用思念拥著你

Christmas 2006 and New Year 2007

It's been a great month! Just relaxing, waking up late, watch shows (Mythbusters (all geeks and non-geeks would love this show!) and Guess Guess Guess (Taiwan variety show hosted by Jacky Wu, darn funny!). First Christmas and New Year celebrated outside Malaysia. Wow... just the thought of it and the journey the Lord has brought me along these past years... quite overwhelming.. The sense of gratitude to God, my family, my cell members in Malaysia, friends in Malaysia, in UK and in Edinburgh. I really do feel so blessed.

Just a quick update on what I did during Christmas and New Year. Spent 6 days in South of England (Cambridge, Reading, Didcot and London) with my MMU buddies and chums. Went down on the 23rd Dec. The amazing thing was that I didnt sleep at all the previous night. Guess what I did? I actually played Mah Jong!!! Yes. Of all things to pick up in UK, the last I expected was Mah jong but somehow I did. And I learned it from these kids who are like 2-3 years younger than me!! Except 1 guy la...my fellowship leader whereby the word young would be an understatement when used to describe him:P

Anyway, I'm digressing. Just played monopoly, poker, Risk (Lord of the Rings version, so darn complicated since you have know the middle-earth map instead of the world map), tai di and bridge (this is another new game I've learned, very very addictive and so fun). Guess, life in UK is mostly about indoors, so you really gotta learn to love indoor games, board and card based (it's not the end of this story yet, btw:P). Helped Chuan to cook a roast duck as well:

Noticed the end product on the table. Edible and not too bad. Receipe was given by Chuan (long haired gay guy on my left in the photo)'s friend who owns a restaurant in Cambridge.

Did some shopping in Reading in London as well. Bought a big bag pack (70+10 litre), 2 new shirts from NEXT and a new windproof/waterproof/heat-containing jacket, which surprising comes with a secret function:


Oh yes! It makes nice sound effects for kung fu moves. As you can see, when Siow Yuen (our host in Reading) held her digicam in video mode, I was "obliged" to do a demo:P More photos here.


Had some duck and char siew at London Chinatown day after boxing day. Photo taken by Shirley Ong, whose camera obviously have some problem since it made everyone in the photo look fatter than normal:))

Went back to Edinburgh to celebrate New Year. Attended this year's Torchlight Procession, a yearly Edinburgh celebration. If you're in Edinburgh on 29 Dec, you must attend this! Everyone will meet at the Parliament Square near Royal Mile. You can buy torches for £5 each (it's for charity) and everyone will start walking down the Mound, along Princess Street towards Carlton Hill. Then a small (and I mean really small) Viking ship will be set on fire. They'll also set fire to a bear (not a real one la, it's made of straw, I think). Then fireworks willl be set off. Wow, it's quite a view to see fireworks from really close by. Nice!










Apologies! Got side comments in the video. Not very professional, I know!

Spent New Year eve's eve at Glasgow, a good brother treated a few of us to watch Night at the Musuem at the Imax Theatre in the Glasgow Science Centre. It was absolutely fantastic! The generosity and graciousness of the people I've met here is so amazing sometimes! Went to look around Glasgow's shopping area. The sales by then had trickled down, so didnt buy anymore stuff (I know I'm sounding a bit girlish but hey, who doesnt like buying stuff man!)

New Year eve was spent at a friend's place as it was his birthday as well. We played a game called Citadel which is quite cool. We're all quite addicted to it cause we've subsequently played 2 more times and I believe there are many more to come:))

New Year day itself was spent playing mah jong, citadel and watching some movies... all indoor activities..again;)

Well, semester's starting again. Back to work again. Choosing my project next week. Hope to choose an interesting one. Postings would be reducing soon.