www.natashayong.com

Everyone wants a Nabaztag! Here's my gift of a Nabaztag for the New Year!
Okie... it's paper and doesn't talk... but it's still DARN CUTE!

More Nabaztag Pictures

They are not furry, but they're smart and still darn cute. And tell me, which pet you know can sing opera?!?!

Known as the Nabaz'mob, 100 Nabaztags brought by their owners, met at Centre Pompidou on May 27th 2006, in the same spirit of the flashmobs, to all play together an opera specially composed by Antoine Schmitt et Jean-Jacques Birgé.

Inviting John Cage, Steve Reich, Conlon Nancarrow and György Ligeti, this musical and choreographic partition in three movements, transmitted via wi-fi, plays on the tension between the music ensemble communion and individual behaviour to create a strong and involved showpiece.

Computer indiscipline is the subject of this opera, a desire to be together and the difficulty to do it.

This is the clip:

I would be one of those rabbit owners that gladly offer to put my bunny in the Opera...

More Nabaztag Pictures

Now, who wouldn't adore a 9-inches tall, white plastic rabbit with perky ears and an abundance of personality! Apparently the one I adopted have a rather morbid personality. As quoted by Wendy; "eerily 'living' and probably capable of some evil masterminding..." When my rabbit said, "She's dead... wrapped in plastic..." out of no where!!!

The Nabaztag/tag (the Armenian word for "rabbit") is the 2nd version of the Nabaztag Rabbit from French Company, Violet. The rabbit responds to commands issued wirelessly from the Internet and this version has a fully-functional mic in the belly for two-way, verbal communication and the ability to play podcasts and web radio.

Being a gadgets gal, I've heard and read much about the Nabaztag/tag when it was released in 2007 and still retailing at USD$$199 at the Ztore. In Singapore, Page One is the sole distributor and retails the rabbit at SGD$320!!! By a stoke of good fortune, I chanced upon an ad on the market place of www.hardwarezone.com.sg selling a pre-owned Nabaztag/tag at ONLY SGD$50!!! The ad read like this:

"The second first wireless Rabbit.

Suitable for kids who might be amused with a talking plastic rabbit. Not so much for adults.

See the website for more details.

Comes with box, no software to install but unfortunately the quickstart manual is missing. Not very difficult to configure, though, just plug in the power and set it up with your wireless. Instructions can be found online. Decent condition, a bit dusty but no scratches."

I SMSed the seller IMMEDIATELY to close the deal (would have bought it even with slight scratches) and picked it up the next day, which was Christmas Eve. I figured the holidays would be a good time to set up the rabbit and watch it in action.

The Nabaztag/tag was sold in excellent condition and imported from France. Fully functioning and in a box. At SGD$50, the rabbit was purchased at a really unbelievable price! One of the few great deals I picked up within the year.

Upon reaching home, I tested the rabbit for lights and functionality but didn't have time to configure it till Christmas Day. I decided to move the rabbit to my desk and through the process blew the adapter! Made a trip with Kenny to Sim Lim Tower on Boxing Day to have the adapter checked out and replaced. The folks at the shop were equally amused with the gadget. They initially thought it was a funky lamp! The guy attending to me was also very kind to spend time modifying and re-soldering the plug's head so I could reuse the white wires that match the rabbit. I forked out another SGD$25, but still feel the entire deal is a steal!

Setting up the Nabaztag/tag was quite a breeze, but everything inclusive of setting up the portal did take me around 2 hours. The NabazHelp website is a great help and excellent resource page to understanding your rabbit's behaviour.


The Rabbit is ALIVE!

Just like that, I've given new life to my bunny, which I lovingly call Bunnatz :) Suddenly, a whole wealth of internet resources are fed real time through the bunny. Bunnatz will read text messages and emails, monitor the weather, check on traffic, play MP3 and podcasts, watch the stock market, tell you the time etc. He can also interact with other rabbits around the world, sending voice greetings, MP3s and "Ear Talk". Just move the ears of your rabbit, and the ears of your significant other's rabbit will move in the same way.


Bunnatz's Portal Page. Add or program applications and RSS feeds

At the nose of the rabbit is also a RFID reader. Violet produces Ztamp:s which are RFID stickers you can attach to anything you like. This site sells 12 Ztamp:s at USD$24.99. Inclusive of shipping, they will cost around SGD$60. When each unique sticker is held to Nabaztag's nose, it responds with a predefined action like playing music, sending an email, reading off the latest headlines, etc. Penguin and Ladybird, publishers of children books have also published numerous popular book titles embedded with the RFID data. Your Nabaztag will read to your children. Perfect babysitting gadget for lazy parents!

In the words of Violet's co-founder Olivier Mevel; "We are breaking the mold on what Internet communication should look like, should feel like, and should sound like. This is the tip of the iceberg for connected things and intelligent devices. Nabaztag represents the dawn of the Internet of Things."


Violet's Nabaztag/tag Advertisement


HGTV’s feature in "I Want That! Tech Toys" show


Talk to my bunny. I've placed a Nabaztag/tag icon on the right menu

So far, I'm really loving my new pet! I've also assigned him the task to be watch bunny when I'm out. The only person he has frightened so far is my mom!!!

But nothing is perfect, and thus far I found the speech reader not always clear and wish the on gadget volume can be louder (despite the fact that you can hook it out to a proper stereo).

More Nabaztag Pictures

I'm going to admit that I am musically un-inclined... I don't play any musical instrument, I don't sing well (enough) and I listen to too much trash. But I also must admit - I LURVE MUSIC! I want my own rock band but I know I will be totally non committed. Thus, I stick to things I know best... animation, art, drawing, digital effects, video, web...
On an (totally rare) occasional basis, I mix my own tracks on Adobe Audition, formerly known as Cool Edit Pro. Mainly digital, techno stuff, close to tracks from Orbital or Moby. I really should lay more tracks in the New Year and at some stage, get myself a decent keyboard.

Wii Music is Nintendo's latest release for the Wii console released around October 2008. Reviews for the game were mixed with numerous video gaming sites such as Gamespot and IGN rating it average. Following in the same music genre of Guitar Hero and Rock Band, both or which enormously popular; I was also initially sceptical on the kiddish nature of game. The 60 odd songs featured in the game also appeared a tad unexciting...


Legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto demonstrates the new game, Wii Music, by playing virtual guitar during the Nintendo E3 media briefing in Los Angeles

Still I am a HUGE fan of Shigeru Miyamoto and have read that he had a big hand in the development of Wii Music in the Wii Series, I thought I will put it on my Amazon Wishlist. Soon after, Wendy SMSed that she will be shipping the game in from the States as my Christmas present from Celeste and herself! Swell!

On Saturday, Wendy popped over for some catching up and Christmas gift exchange. We made some yummy spaghetti for dinner. Before ending the night, we had to try our hands on Wii Music. Just as we popped in the disc, Ming and Kaden arrived to join in the fun. Much to Ming's horror, of cause. He doesn't understand video games too well. Kaden on the other hand was also a Wii fan and like me, thinks "The Legends of Zelda" is the greatest game by far!


Wii Music Jam Session

What I love about the Wii Music, as in most Nintendo games is how easy the user interface was to pick up. Armed with the Wiimote and Nunchuck, we were quickly jamming away to our 1st few musical tracks, creating album covers and cutting MTVs! It was easy to discover that Wii Music was an intuitive platform to create music. There are no scoring system, In fact you score yourself based on how well you think you did. It is a fantastic tool to introduce and experience instruments we would never have the opportunity to experience otherwise. The lessons mode does a fantastic job of gradually teaching more advanced concepts of musical theory. It demonstrates how you can play the same song in different styles and how the mood of a song can change from start to finish. I never thought "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" can be played or enjoyed in so many ways. But I'm also pretty sure I will soon get sick of it if new songs are not cracked. Still, I'm excited to jam with my Godchild, nieces and nephews when they come over soon for CNY.


The Mii Happybutt and Racoon conducting to Beethoven's "Ode to Joy"

We also tried the Mii Maestro Conductor mini game which was awesome! Need to totally be in sync and not easy to score well. Wendy and I got a 66% conducting Beethoven's "Ode to Joy". Then we all got totally blown away by the drums feature which uses the Wii Fit board as foot pedals! Wendy ran through the training syllabus for the drumming and commented that it was very similar to what she pays hundreds for at drum school.


Drumming with the Wii Board


Wii Music and Free Drumming in action

I haven't had a lot of time since to play more, but I am already very impressed at the possibilities of the game. And for a music nut like myself, I can certainly learn a thing or two from the instruments to a full fetch drumming lesson!

Us after Midnight Mass

Amidst all the good cheer and celebrations, let our heart be still to find the real reason for Christmas...

Carving the turkey, fillings of carrots, vegetable and onions

What a Christmas dinner! We still have so much bird left over!
**Burp**!!!

Despite being a little down and out (no thanks to the flu bug) I still managed to get a bunch of presents for the people that matter. To think that I got my first present back in November and thought that Christmas shopping this year will be a pure breeze. Then when you least expect it (but in my case, it was just way too much of a good thing) you get hit by the worst flu of the year! It was major coughing and lots of phlegm! Thick, yellow, gluey phlegm! In a nutshell, I would have really enjoyed this year end if not for being so darn sick. It's been nearly 3 weeks now, and the recovery is slow and just when I thought I'm on the road to health again, I seem to be falling prey to the bug YET again...

In the few days leading up to Christmas, I was coughing my lungs away while ending off the last bits of lingering projects at work and juggling in Christmas shopping. Still, I really enjoyed the process of writing a Christmas gift list and thinking hard on what might be a nice present. With so much happening around these days, this year's presents can afford a little sense of humour!


Christmas presents in this year's wrapping theme of Gold, Silver and Red
Check out last year's theme


ChupaChups Lollies with a cute pink bow for the youths

Happy Holidays everyone! To good health and PEACE!

STYG Youth Camp 2008: Laser Quest - Ready for Combat

There's something about Laser Quest and RAIN! Reason why we decided to bring back the activity again this year due to cancellation the year before for awful weather. You can literally see the excitement beaming out of the youths' faces as they prepare for the afternoon of combat. I love the fact that they were largely all synchronized in black.

We got WARGH! again this year to run the Laser Quest programme for us. Andy from the tactical wargames company, prepared for us 4 scenarios ranging from Elimination, Flag Capture / Destroy of Base, Attack & Defend and VIP Ascot / Rescue.

On Laser Quest morning, the weather turned gloomy with RAIN! Again I was panicking inside as our wet weather contingency location at Nanyang Polytechnic or a nearby Primary School didn't really pull through. In other words... we didn't have a location if the rain persisted.

The charted bus has arrived and awaited to be told where to ferry the load. By drive off time around 11:30am; a glimmer of sun's ray cracked through the clouds! Our original destination was to have the games at MacRitchie near the kayaking shacks, but we were more confident of the weather conditions in the West and decided to switch to Kent Ridge Park.

By the time we arrived at Kent Ridge, the rain has cleared and the sun shone fiercely!


Getting briefed on the usage of the charged powered laser guns!

Mike and Jerome brought along camouflage face paint! Don't ask me how nor why. Many painted themselves in combat glory. It was hilarious! Didn't expect these kids to take the game so seriously!

We had a full round of Elimination shoot out before the weather turned gray again. In a way, I was thankful we all have a chance to play before the rain returned. We took shelter in a gazebo overlooking a panoramic view of Pasir Panjang Port. We passed around tidbits and drinks as the passing clouds showered down hard. Uncle James contemplated to call the bus driver to come early to send us back. He wasn't too optimistic of the situation. However, we decided to wait another 15mins. Though I looked kindda chill on the outside, I was begging God for the rain to stop, cause we were all having soooo much fun. I really didn't want to disappoint the youth again.

And as 15 mins passed, the rain STOPPED!!! Incredible!!!
Andy called us out to resume play again! We were all ecstatic! Next mission - Flag Capture.

At the end of the session, we could only finish 2 sets missions with an extra ALL Stars vs. the team with the least points.

After the Laser Quest, a Campfire Games & Talent Time, Amazing Race: Singapore City and Ice Breakers; Cammy and I can breath a sigh of relieve for a job well done :)

But at the end of it all, without God sending his sunshine for us, the games would never have been... Praise God!

More STYG Youth Camp 2008 Pictures

STYG Youth Camp 2008 - Looking good in THE ONE T-shirt!

There's a 1st for everything, and at this camp I told Iwan what role or task I've never taken up before - GAMES!!! Last year, I did logistics with Uncle Devan. Not that I expected to really take on the role... but soon after I discovered I was in-charge of games with my co-IC, Cammy. Honestly, I had wanted to take on a more relaxed task, but surprise (or no surprise) we were short on manpower as the Kids Camp had just ended a week ago and we didn't want to burn out the "regulars". Moreover, it was more important that the "youth" actually took the opportunity to enjoy themselves at this camp, without having to worry too much about all the works that went backstage.

So the mammoth task of putting together a 4 day 3 nights, 50% fun, 50% spiritual Youth Camp fell onto the laps of Iwan, Uncle Devan, Cammy, Fawn, Devinia and myself. Besides ensuring that our area of task is taken care of, we had to also entice and convince 30 restless, opinionated young people that they will not regret spending 4 days of their precious lives with us.

Cammy and myself proposed and inquired numerous activities which included Kelong / Mangrove Kayaking, Forrest Adventure and Paint Ball. In the end, we picked Amazing Race and Laser Quest, which best suited our time and budget.

Unlike last year's "Amazing Race Pulau Ubin", Cammy suggested that this time round, we'd do "Amazing Race, Singapore City" - destinations will be further apart and taking public transport required.

What we didn't expect was how lighting FAST the teams were during the race. Here's the organisers, behind the scene commentary:

Cammy briefing the teams before flag off


Running toward Mount Faber

Time: 9:15am
Location: St. Teresa Church
Flag off,
1) Teams must run to the back of church to pick up an envelope
2) Decode a puzzle clue of the next location and check with the Station Master before heading out

"What has roots as nobody sees,
Is taller than trees,
Up, up it goes
And yet never grows?"

Thankfully my riddle was rather tough. A few teams took a while to get the answer which will lead them up Mount Faber.

Time: 9:30 (at least 1/2 hours before expected arrival time!!!)
Location: Mount Faber
Teams travel by foot to Mount Faber (Marina Lookout)
1) Obtains envelope from Station Master
2) Performs Physical Team Activity
3) Upon completing the task to obtain another envelope from Station Master


Trust Cammy and Joachim to think of the "Pass the Big, Fat Cucumber with your feet" task

Yet again, the first few teams finished the task in incredible time and rushed off to their next station at Vivo City.

Time: 10:05am (expected arrival 10:45am!!!)
Location: Vivo City
Teams travel by foot to Vivo City (around CitiBank)
1) Obtains envelope from Station Master
2) Solves a Black & White jigsaw picture of IKEA
3) Upon completing the task, Station Master will release them to the next destination

Thankfully again, I chose to show just a cropped section of the IKEA building which got a no. of teams stumped at the actual location.

By now, Cammy and I were sweating at the speed of the leading teams. We called Dennis who was the Station Master at IKEA to hide and not reveal himself till 11am. Putting us back on track a little with schedule. I don't know how he did it, but he hid himself so well, even I didn't know where he was!

Where's Dennis?!?!

Time:10:40am (not expected to arrive till 11:30am!!!)
Location: IKEA (Alexandra)
Teams make their way to IKEA Alexandra
1) Obtains envelope from Station Master
2) Find prices of 5 IKEA Items
3) Upon completing the task to obtain another envelope from Station Master

Finally, at 11am we got sight of Dennis at the BEDDING Section. To drag the task longer, he made the team members take turns to locate the pricing of the items two by two. The time delay tactic was working flawlessly, until the a securities manager from the store requested to speak with the organisers.

Cammy and myself had a word with the guy-in-charge, Tang; who commented that we will require a permit to have such an activity within the premise. Then he sited the Mumbai Bombing which raised all public securities to be on an alert. Of cause, being away from civilization, I actually had no clue of the bombings' seriousness until Sunday, and with more details only on Monday after the camp. I told Tang we will cut short the intended activity at IKEA and did not wish to cause any trouble.

So, all teams were given their next clue which was a mandatory rest period for lunch at Hort Park.

Lunch at Hort Park - No permit required Hahaha!

Time: 12noon
Location: Hort Park
No teams are allowed to leave until 1:00pm
1) Teams must find and pick envelopes indicating their release times in 0min, 5min and 10min intervals

Time: 1:30pm
Location: Esplanade (around Sound Stage)

Teams were only expected to arrive at the Esplanade at 2:30pm. In fact when the 1st team arrived, Dennis (the Station Master) was still parking his car!!! Fortunately he dropped off Joachim and Bob who sat within Glutton Square awaiting the teams. We decided to squeeze in another task for the teams to make their way to the small Merlion and take a picture with one of the Service Team members. In this case, Uncle Devan. It was tough, as the mid afternoon sun was shining down hard and they had to make the trip there and back by foot.

It physically drained them out, before Dennis handed them the "real" clue.

Detour:
Clue:
a) Look for the founder of Singapore (Victoria Theatre) OR
b) Look for the eye of Singapore (Singapore Flyer)

Time: 2:30pm
Location: Victoria Theatre
Teams travel by foot to Victoria Theatre (around Raffles Statue)
1) Obtains envelope from Station Master
2) 8 close up pictures of the surrounding (from Fullerton Hotel to the end of the Parliament House) will be provided. Teams must use their phone camera to take the same picture
3) Upon completing the task to obtain another envelope from Station Master

OR

Time: 2:30pm
Location: Singapore Flyer
Teams travel by foot to the Singapore Flyer
1) Obtains envelope from Station Master
2) 8 items will be provided. Teams must source for these items and bring them back to the station master
3) Upon completing the task to obtain another envelope from Station Master

By the original scope of play, teams who finish EITHER one of the task can race back to the FINAL PIT STOP at church. However, they will be at least 1 solid hour before the official end time. We could either end the game early (which means doing nothing all the way until 6pm) or think of another ad-hoc task. Cammy suggested a water rally task, which we were rather pressed with time to put together at the last minute. I proposed that instead of us working out another game, why not have the teams do the OTHER Detour activity. Considering we had spend time planning and preparing for it.So we started calling both Station Masters at Victoria Theatre and Singapore Flyer and informed them of the new plan!

Teams arriving at the FINAL PIT STOP

Time: 4:00pm
Location: St. Teresa Church (Final Pit Stop)
Teams make their way to the FINAL PIT STOP!

The teams made good time returning back to the Final Pit Stop. With the 1st team arriving around 4:00pm and the last team around 5:00pm.

Still the youth found the entire Amazing Race pretty swell and "well organised"!!!
Guess they really didn't realise how much we were panicking on the inside.
And lesson learnt, they may be young; but they are faster and smarter then we think!!!

More STYG Youth Camp 2008 Pictures

"the reunion you never wanted to attend in the first place... BUT WILL!"

Goofy as it might sound... we actually pulled together the 1st CATECHISM CLASS REUNION for St. Teresa Church! Calling back students from as far back as 10 years ago and a whole bunch of old Catechism teachers! Gosh! We even exceeded our targeted no. of tables from 10 to 13! It was an unbelievable gathering of people who had walked in our journey of faith at some stage.

After over nearly 2 months of preparation, Francis' brainchild was born. The aim of the reunion had a couple of objectives: to celebrate Christmas with old friends and to instill a sense of service or to open an avenue for those that want to return and serve in the church's communities.

There were much to get done: confirming the dinner venue, event programme, getting a host for the night (kudos to Joshua, who did an awesome job), prizes and gifts, decorations, preparing the interview video, publicity... talking to people... getting people talking about the event...


The birth of "The Wall". A rip off from Facebook which spurred us to start a group which grew and grew!

We (aka. the committee) would have been grateful if we could have filled 10 tables at the ultra CHI-NA Dragon Restaurant at Depot Road. If not for the event, I would never have guessed such a Chinese restaurant actually existed in the middle of a small HDB estate. At at a very decent SGD$250 nett per table, inclusive of steamed fish and roasted chicken. Weeks before the event, we were still worried about slow ticket sales. Without the support from the calling team and teachers (that came buying entire tables), the reunion wouldn't be what it is.

I was still dazed with medication and the dreaded flu, which prevented me from socializing more then I normally would. Still, I managed to catch up with a couple of old Styggies; about life in general. It got me realizing that a year had passed and so much have happened... some good... others... not so...

Still it was a fantastic night. Of fun, great fellowship and good cheers.

Wonder if we sowed the seed for more such reunions to come...

Some folks from church speak from the heart... On church, memories of catechism classes and their relationship with God.

See you at the reunion dinner!

Awww... Andrew got to know I was sick and just played me 2 classical tunes on his guitar through the internet. The ever popular, 'Ave Maria' by Bach and 'El Noi de la Mare' or 'The Son of Mary' by Spanish composer, M Liobet (1872 - 1937)

The Son of Mary
(English Translation)
A traditional Christmas folksong of Catalonia in northeastern Spain

What shall we give to the Son of the Virgin?
What can we give that the Babe will enjoy?
First, we shall give Him a tray full of raisins,
Then we shall offer sweet figs to the Boy.
First, we shall give Him a tray full of raisins,
Then we shall offer sweet figs to the Boy.

What shall we give the Beloved of Mary?
What can we give to her beautiful Child?
Raisins and olives and nutmeats and honey,
Candy and figs and some cheese that is mild.
Raisins and olives and nutmeats and honey,
Candy and figs and some cheese that is mild.

What shall we do if the figs are not ripened?
What shall we do if the figs are still green?
We shall not fret; if they're not ripe for Easter,
On a Palm Sunday, ripe figs will be seen.
We shall not fret, if they're not ripe for Easter,
On a Palm Sunday, ripe figs will be seen.

Sweetest... I feel so much better :)

Talking about how one wishes to die is by far one of the top rated taboo topics. More often then not, it is
(a) too sensitive a topic to bring up with family members
(b) too unknown a topic to bring up amongst friends
(c) too fearful and close to heart a topic to share with a doctor

If there is one thing we all can be dead sure about... its death.

So this topic about Learning The Art of Dying (The Ars Moriendi) has spurred on many interest seen at the full house attendance on the topic of "The Living Will and the Advance Medical Directive - to sign or not to sign?" at CANA.

Since the launch of AMD in 1997, only 6 cases out of the 10,000 plus successful applicants have been put to effect. Considering a population over 4 million, that's an awfully low figure. Why so?

For a while I have been grappling with the understanding of what the AMD is all about and how it applies to my believes, values and faith.

The session opened with moral theologian, Fr. David Garcia speaking on
(1) Extraordinary vs. Ordinary Treatment
Simply put, it is a duty to care for one's life. It is in our being and instinct to live. However, it is not mandatory to circum ourselves to Extraordinary means of treatment to survive. An example was sited in olden times, where amputation of one's body part was considered a painful and Extraordinary act. However, in today's society, with anesthetics, amputation is no longer considered Extraordinary but Ordinary.

(2) Proportionate vs. Disproportionate
Today as medicine become far more advanced, the use of Extraordinary vs. Ordinary considerations are surpassed by Proportionate vs. Disproportionate considerations; factoring type of treatment, complexity of risk and individual circumstances.
An example would be that it is Proportionate (in terms of medicine) for the father to undergo expensive treatment for a terminal illness, but Disproportionate if the children will not have any more means to have a proper education.

(3) Right & Wrong Refusal
When treatment is refused, have the considerations of Burdens & Benefits been weighed. Are we Killing or are we Caring?

When we come to our last moments and if we're not totally sick out of our brains; we'll be hoping that these 2 desires will come true
- that we are not burdened
- that we do not cause burden (to our love one)

Dr. John Lee (or Mr. Straight Face Joker) enlightened us on the details and loop holes of the AMD Act in part two of the talk.

So here's the deal:
An Advance Medical Directive (AMD) seeks to protect the right of a person to want or to refuse medical treatment in the event he or she loses the ability to make decisions. Advance Medical Documents or Living Wills basically serve the same function. As a rule of thumb, it is ethically permissible for one to sign such documents. In which ever circumstance (if) chosen, there should not be any request for euthanasia as this is synonymous with assisted suicide or murder.

Here's the loop hole:
Under the Act, an AMD can only be executed when a patient is certified with a (1) terminal illness; (2) needs extraordinary life-sustaining treatment; and (3) is not capable of making rational judgment. After the AMD has taken effect, a patient with terminal illness will still receive palliative care and medication.

Sounds reasonable?
(1) Terminal illness - often described when the life expectancy is estimated to be six months or less. But again with medical sciences, I have witnessed cancer patients out living their sentenced life span.

(2) From the time an AMD is written till the time it is being invoked, what is medically, financially, emotionally and physically extraordinary may become something very ordinary. Thus, there is the real danger of an AMD not reflecting the true intention of a person.
When we think of 'extraordinary life-sustaining treatment', many will think of a heart support machine, but today in the States, dialysis machines or even respirators can be considered!

(3) The thing is, when it is time for a life or death decision to pull or not to pull the plug; who would you rather rather have to make this decision - the doctor or your family? Signing the AMD passes the legal right of this vital decision making to the doctor attending to you. Some dude whom a few hours ago didn't even know who you are. Many people find the conventional method of consultation between the family members and doctors sufficient.

Often enough, nature has its own way of saying 'Time's Up'. Your bodily functions will just shut down one by one. And the gift to be asking at that very moment, will be the Grace of Letting Go. For yourself and your family.

We couldn't make our mission to the Tanjung Pinang Asrama Putra Boys' Home this year due to scheduling issues with the boys' year end examinations. Still I felt our youth at STYG and myself have been blessed with way more then we could ever ask for throughout the year.

City District Youth Day (January)
STYG Lenten Play 2008 (April)
Planet Shaker's Concert (April)
World Youth Day Sydney, Australia 2008 (July)
Arise Amazing Race (September)
STYG Youth Camp 2008 (November) (Part 1) & (Part 2)

And a whole bunch of other activities such as Confirmation Camp, Feast Day Celebrations, Archdiocese Youth Day, Kid's Camp...

I always say this - cause time and again... it has come true; "When God gives, HE gives in abundance". It amazes me every time I come to realise God's generosity. In big things and in small. More often then not, I let so many blessings pass by without truly giving thanks.

So when I came to realise we wouldn't be making our annual trip to Tanjung Pinang about a month back, I wrote to Iwan if we should do something else for our youth to give back a little. Being in the spirit of Christmas, I suggested visiting a home to spread a little joy around. When Iwan got my email, he thanked me for the affirmation, cause he was thinking along the same lines. Plans were made to help out at the Missionaries of Charity Home (along Thomson Road) where the sisters from the same order as Mother Teresa of Calcutta organising a Christmas Celebration.


Missionaries of Charity Home


Tent and stage setup for the Christmas Celebration


The 200 strong crowd

About 200 elderly, poor and destitute were invited to share the morning with Mass (served by Fr. Eugene Vaz), a program consisting of stage performances, games, lucky draws followed by lunch. Even Santa was there to spread some festive cheers. Before leaving, many collected ration packs and food vouchers.


The young and the strong

Our group was designated to serve drinks. And when the ration packs were issued, muscle power were rendered to ensure the old folkies made it up to their respective transport. Some our us hailed cabs from the main road while I ushered those who came in buses to the right vehicle.


Ration packs piled up in the background

It was crazy how heavy those ration packs were. It contained a 1 litre bottle of cooking oil, coffee mix, instant noodles, a roll of ham and a whole bunch of other goodies. Some of these old folkies could hardly walk straight, let alone carry a huge bag that weighed around 5kg! A few complained why they weren't issued an Ang Bao hand out!!! Cannot please everybody.

Still many left with a broad smile. Many children took home toys and gifts. I could see their appreciation for the effort and alms giving.

Rachel had the chance to see her maternal grandpa at the home. They haven't met for about a year. Her grandpa initially couldn't recognise her and I could hear the happiness in her voice when she shared on having the chance to see him again.


Dennis doing a pole dancing no. to amuse us while we wait around

Yet again, I am left feeling very proud of the hardwork the youth have put in; even if it was only for a morning. And for this morning, they have shared Jesus with so many.


"We can do no great things, only small things with great love." — Mother Teresa

More Missionaries of Charity Christmas Celebration Photos

If someone else has one around the world... Singapore will have its own. This is a ride I wouldn't pay for. Not for the original ticket price of SGD$29.50 for a 30min ride on the 165m observation wheel. For the record, the Singapore Flyer officially launched in March 2008 is currently the world's largest Ferris Wheel, until the Beijing Great Wheel is launched next year.


The Yakult Rainforest Discovery at the base of the Flyer. They should have called it the 'Lactobacillus casei Shirota Rainforest'

I really wasn't complaining on the overall experience of the ride. The fact that I got it free as part of the program of a Knowledge Management new application version launch was all the more sweet. Plus I could take time off work and I won myself a 8GB iPod Nano (4th Generation) in Metallic Yellow at a contest. Triple Sweet!

After selling away my 1st Gen iPod, I've gotten very used to using my Nokia XpressMusic 5310 for music on the go. The iPod was sold almost instantly to Gerard at 'friend's price'. I figured that I could exchange it for something else... a sports watch... a new bed... a 37" LCD TV... Had I won the iPhone 3G, it would have been a whole different story.


At the highest peak of the Flyer. The construction of Sand's Las Vegas Casino to the left

We boarded the capsule around 6:30pm which would have made a great timing for a sunset dusk view. Unfortunately, it poured heavily in the afternoon and the skies were only starting to clear up. Visibility was still very good nevertheless.

Considering the rapid transformation of Singapore's skyline in the next 2 years, it was still worth the time to catch a ride up for a bird's eye view of the Marina Bay vicinity.


In anticipation of the launch of the Sand's Las Vegas Casino and Gardens by the Bay, this panoramic picture will be a very different one

More Singapore Flyer 2008 Photos

The weekends are never long enough, not even with an extended Hari Raya Haji public holiday weekend.

The weekend was what I called my 'Marathon Weekend'. Everything surrounded the Standard Chartered 10km Marathon Run. In a nutshell, the run was of primary importance.

Saturday was suppose to be my day of rest before the big battle. It was a day to carbo load, get hydrated, move as little (for fear of accidentally getting myself hurt in some stupid way) and get plenty of rest. I did none of the above.

I had wanted to pay the Singapore Expo a visit. It wouldn't have been a choice if Wendy hadn't picked up the marathon pack on my behalf the day before. Thankfully too, cause the running singlet situation were all messed up come Saturday. In conjunction with the pack collection, other halls of attraction included the John Little Mega Warehouse Sale, Borders Books Sale and the Fitness and Sports Fair.

However, the thought of a possible 50,000 strong crowd fighting for
- car park spaces
- MRT seats
- changing room spaces
- toilets
- payment
made me quickly throw the idea out of the window.


The Doulos docked at Vivo City, Singapore

Dennis had read about Doulos, a book mission ship which was at bay at Vivo City for the weekend. The Doulos was built in 1914 as passenger liner and after its final cruise through the Greek islands, the ship was purchased in 1977 by the German charity organization GBA and converted into the largest floating bookshop carrying 500,000 books with 6,000 different titles. Over the past 28 years the ship has visited more than 100 countries spreading their book mission.

We figured that it'll be a good time to stock up on our Christmas shopping since he was holding Uncle James' car for the week.


What the Doulos bookshop look like

We've never been on a Book Ship before, so exploring Doulos was an adventure in itself. There was a wide selection of books which were sold in the currency 'units'. 100 units = SGD$4. The books on sale were indeed much cheaper compared to prices at a local Christian bookshop. There were so many titles to pick up. Dennis picked up a whole bunch of stuff while I picked up a couple of baby books with CDs.

While departing, I had a quick conversion with a volunteer crew from Germany. Figured that Sharon with her fancy idea to sail the Gutenberg can consider this as an option.

Basically, the volunteers offer their services from 3 months to 2 years. I've later read that there are 2 weeks internships to take on. Volunteers on the ship will be tasked to work on different aspects of the day to day operations. All meals and lodging will be provided, but volunteers pay a minimum fee to offset the expenditure on board. A better developed country will pay more compared to a poorer nation. According to the German fellow I spoke with, he pays around EURO$600 per month to be on the ship. It is still cheaper then what he has to pay back home.

We embarked on some hardcore shopping for the rest of the day... or at least Dennis did. Oh Christmas... the joy is in the giving...

Posing with our medals at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2008

I feel like I've been talking about completing my 1st marathon for over a year now... and FINALLY I've done it! Nothing too ambitious... participating in the Women 10km for my 1st attempt at the annual Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon.

There were lots of excitement a week leading up to the race. I did my last hour long run on Wednesday night and started on my carbo loading. Every meal was simply - rice, lots of rice! No heels, lots of water and as much rest I can get.


What's in the goodie bag


Hooking on the 'Champion Chip'

The on and off training paid off. I was in good shape for the flag off run at 8:15am. Had enough time to gobble down 2 bananas, drown even more water, lots of stretching and hit those horrible portable loos. By about 2hr 15mins the full marathon runners were hitting the finishing line! INSANE!!!

The weather was perfect, cloudy and breezy as I started off the race at my 'happy pace', earphones plugged in playing my 'GYM' playlist. Sharon had zipped off with her colleague, Heidi and I never saw her till the end of the race. I kept consistent to my pace, no faster, no slower... steady does it. I figured that at my pace, I should finish around 1hr 30min.


Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2008 Route Map. Light Green for 10km distance

This year's race was noticeably different from last year's.

According to seasoned marathon runners from previous years, many commented on how poorly organised the event was. Both Sharon and Edna had wrong singlet sizes. Sharon was issued a tiny XXS singlet when she ordered a XXL! Apparently, the organisers were the least helpful, one even told Edna she could get a refund if she wanted!

Instead of running through the CBD, we had to run a good distance around the Singapore Flyer and through the F1 Pit Stop. This route was less shady and merged all runners (including the 42km) into a big mess!

As the sun rose around 9am, the heat started to set in, making the run less comfortable being wide opened and exposed. Edna and John were dehydrating as the water points along the ECP were few.

Many attributed the poor management due to cut backs in spending for the event. The increased runners to 50,000 this year did not help matters.




According to my 'Champion Chip' tracker, I officially completed the race in 1hr 30min 27secs. I'd say for my 1st marathon, it was a good finish. About 55% of runners from my division were ahead of me, making my rank a good centre placement. I kept good pace with Wendy for about 5km into the run and only started to break off nearer to the 7km mark. I liked the fact that the run felt relatively easy for me, I never felt out of breath and I kept on running through out.

Wendy finished about 5mins after I crossed the finishing line and Sharon about another 15-20mins. We all got our reward medal and what's most important is we completed the race together! I'm really proud of Wendy whom a year back thought I was kidding when I nudged her to take part in the marathon. Never in her widest dreams did she ever think she'd complete a 10km run! To Sharon, who continued her run despite not being in the pink of health and to Wei Sian, Edna and John for completing the 42km full marathon!


Race Certificates

Thanks too for Celeste, Daniel and my parents for coming down to the grounds to support. And for all the SMSes of well wishes!

So that leaves me thinking if I should just improve on my timing on the 10km or take the challenge on the 21km 1/2 marathon next year? Whichever race I take on, I will run the good race again!

Read:
Counting down to Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2008