Operation DXD06 - DaXmasDinner 2006

Just had my christmas dinner.
Burp.
Burrrrp...
Burrrrrppppp.
Enough said. Heh.

Has a great time, just like every christmas lunch/dinner I've had for the last few years. But this time, itz a little different.. on top of having more guests and less leftover food (everyone kena forced to dao bao home!), GenDaGreatEventPlanner is more organised this year. Just look at this:


Background of Operation DXD06
Objectives: To serve all dishes hot and at the same time at 5pm sharp.
Target:2 Appetizers, 5 main dishes, 4 side dishes.
Weapons: 2 microwaves, 1 convec oven, 1 toaster all working simultaneously.
Squad members: Mum Dad Sis and Gen.
Time given: 4 hours.



Looks impressive huh? Or abit too exegerated liao? haha =)
But anyways it worked!Other than the fact that i totally burnt the Seafood Casserole, I managed to return the kitchen back to my mum with no burnt walls or watsoever. Phewwww....

Went for a workshop on leading events recently. The trainer's opening lines were " To be a good even planner, you have to be obsessed with details, kiasu, and flexible"
Shall work my way towards that...

I'll have 5 whiteboards ready for next year's Xmas Dinner. =P

Cute Piggy banks!

For the last 2 days, my whole family is involved in a major spring cleaning operation in preparation for the christmas party. What's the link, you might ask. Well, my house, though not very very small, but itz overly cluttered with unnecessary stuff, thanks to the everything-also-must-keep genes that runs in my family.

Anyway, the main point is..... There're 3 totallyyy adorable piggys in my house and I really luvvvved them. Itz really a pity to throw them away but the thing is, there's absolutely no space in my house to keep them! =( =(





They are all about the height of a desktop speaker, as good as new! Heys, if you think itz cute rite... drop me an sms can? I'll give it to you as a christmas present!I'm serious! Quick, pick up your phone now and call/msn/sms me! =D

Interesting personality test

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to good manners and elegance. In love, you feel the most alive when your lover is creative and never lets you feel bored. You'd like to your lover to think you are loyal and faithful... that you'll never change. You would be forced to break up with someone who was ruthless, cold-blooded, and sarcastic. Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with. Your risk of cheating is 100%. You are not suited for a monogamous relationship. You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred. In this moment, you think of love as commitment. Love only works when both people are totally devoted.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

Point 6...... Oops. So, for guys out there... thank goodness i'm not attached! haha =)

Wanna Learn PPCDL ??

Yeah!! I've completed my PPCDL (Powered Pleasure Craft Driving License) course at last! Had my practical lessons today, and itz SO FUN!!

Actually I think driving a powerboat is different from driving a car or a bike. We have to get used to the idea that the reaction of the boat (during steering) is quite lag. You steer left, the boat will only start to turn about 4secs later. This is quite a feat for THIS gan jiong spider lor! At the beginning, i went like "Did I steer right? I think I did leh? But it is not reacting!! What's going on? Is there smth wrong?? Ok nvm nvm, i'll steer more"

That's why itz damn easy to spot my boat - the bodoh one that is either spining about herself or doing a snakey-but- supposedly-straight course. No wonder half of my boat mates(5 students to a boat) got headaches/seasick during the lessons. Oops!

During the day, we did alot of drills like steering straight course, man-overboard and different kinds of berthing. Though tiring but fun!=)

Then at night, we drove out into the sea!! So CooL !! You cant really see much cos there's no 'street lights" out in the sea, but the feel of going at hight speed at night was simply exhilerating.

But the one thing about this course is that the next available theory exam slot is about 5 weeks from now, that means the theory and practical exams will eat into my term time. =( =( =(

Anybody wanna learn powerboating too? Learn leh! Then we can go boating together next time! =)

Arhhh.. so tired.. go sleep liao. Zzzzzzz.....

GenDaBlurest

I lost my Sony Erricsson 3G handphone today.
Well Done.

Yet another costly lesson. More expensive this time.

Lost my wallet and my handphone in a matter of 2 months. What else can I lose, I wonder.

Salute to GenDaBlurest.
Very soon, she will become GenDaPoorest. Ha!

Let's hope that next year will be a better one.
Ming Nian Hui Geng Hao! =)

It has been confirmed......

Christmas Party Menu

Appertizers

Vegetable Salad

Black Pepper Mussel

Main Dishes

Roast Herb Turkey

Roast Leg of Lamb

Black Pepper Roast Beef

Honey Baked Cheese Ham

Black Pepper Baked Salmon

Side Dishes

Seafood Casserole

Roast Garlic Potatoes

Chicken Mushroom Pasta

Garlic Bread

Desserts

Chocolate Noel Ice-Cream Log Cake

(Sticky Chewy Chocolate with marshmallow swirls and shortbread ice-cream)

Ritz Strawberry Struddle

Freshly Cut Fruits

Drinks

Fyi, itz for only 13 adults ( 2 elderlys, 1 person on diet and a family of small eaters) and 3 kids.

Alamak, sure got tons of leftover after that. Anybody wanna come and help eat? heehee =)

The Calculator that Couldn't Count...

Tomorrow is my last paper! Woohoo~!

But all of a sudden, my calculator lost it's ability to count! It gives me funny answers. Frown.

Being an Engineering Student from an outstanding University in the region, I am well trained in critical thinking and problem analysis (read: Spotting exam questions). Not wanting to lose any precious time, I jumped into action and investigated the matter, determined to find the root of the problem.


Test Nr 1 -- (1.6 x 10^3) / 4 = 400 (correct)

Test Nr 2 -- (1.6 x 10^3) / 6 = 2666666667 (wrong)

Test Nr 3 -- 11^2 = 121 (correct)

Test Nr 4 -- 11.11111111^2 = 12345678901 (wrong)



Eureka! I found it!

Have you? =)

Happy Sotong Day

I just had an exam today and I did something damn stupid.

What's worse than not knowing how to do a question and leaving it blank?
Itz when you know the answer but left it blank because you FORGOT to do it!

Everyone, say hi to the biggest sotong of the year. *wavesssss*

My heart almost stopped when i realised it after I handed up the paper.
What the @&@?>@!@S!#!@#$!!!!!!!!!!

After that, I went to Old Chang Kee to buy to buy a stick of Squid (sotong) and gulped it down. It was to commemorate this Day of Sotong, and also to send them to exterminate that stupid sotong in me. (Hopefully it works, cos i still have my last paper on Monday!) Ok lar, i was hungry also.

Haiz. I shall go bang myself on the wall now.

12nn sharp.

Arh, the sweet sound of silence.....

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.... TODAY PLS.

=S

Sanity Test

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh
Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

I'm losing my sanity soon!
Or maybe I already have.

I have 3 afternoon/evening papers this week, with a day in between each other.
3 PAPERS!

But at 9.30am SHARP everyday, the real test of concentration and self discipline starts. All because of the incessant loud hammerings and drillings from my neighbour's renovation works. *GROWL*

And by loud, i mean DEAFENING. My mum says that itz the unit 2 storeys below us, but judging from the amplitude which my table vibrates with, it should be the unit just above me lar!

And all the noice continues on non-stop from 9.30-5pm with only a one lunch break in between.
Oh you mean they DO take a break? Thank Goodness.

That's why i always look forward to 12nn everyday. Not because of lunch. At last i can hear my thoughts when I'm studying. Other than that, I also get a chance to convince myself why my thought out '20 methods to stop neighbour's renovation works' wouldnt work.

But good things never last rite. Not long later, the whole thing starts again. Faint.

Finally my sister understands the kind of hell I've been going through. She (who places sleep on high pirority in life) got woken up by the drilling this morning. Ha! Maybe I can get someone to support my that '20 methods' at last.

Alas! After a few complains, my sis did a record breaking feat by getting changed and out of the house within 15mins! Lagi Best. Damn, how i wish i could do that too. =(

So here I am all alone at home, fighting the insanity monster. But dun worry, i'm still holding up well because I've not executed any of the 20 methods.

But itz only a matter of time....... you guys on top (or below), watch out! *ROAR*

The Calm before the Storm...

9am tomorrow, I'll be having my first paper in the past 1 year... (ok lar, that one i took in TUM not counted... cos not graded so dint really care.. haha)

Everything is so normal and quiet today.
No more the 7pm show, sister not at home, mum and dad watching tv as usual.

As for me, i'm feeling as calm as the weather tonight ...

I think I forgot how exam feels like.

Anyway, wish me luck.

Auf Auf Auf!

A photo from an old friend...

My Regensburg colleague was clearing his photo achives and he found this photo, so he sent it to me..















Haha!! I couldnt help laughing when i saw it.. I had to wear some special glasses made to view some (lunar/solar??) eclipse at that time... Thought I cool with it! Dint expect myself to look so geeky.... =S

Oh i miss those days.... where we share jokes, ideas, debates every now and then, not forgetting the surfing the net and watching UTubes after every deadlines..... Oooh~~ that kind of relaxed life.... *dreamy*

Exams? To hell with it....
Just let me indulge myself in some great memories for now...

The Differences among the Engineers...

Ok, this is an interesting thing i've heard, which i think only my fellow engineering friends would understand... My lecturer said the whole thing in quite a "matter-of-fact"-ly manner, but i cant help but being amused by it!

He popped a question one day in the middle of explaining some calculations.

"What is the difference between a civil engineer,a mechanical engineer and an electrical engineer?"

Not much, I thought.

"The factor of safety used by the Civil engineers are at least 3 (huh?!?! SeRiouS arh!?). And we Mechanical engineers, we use about 1.5-2.
And for the Electrical Engineers.... They will go 'Huh? Factor of whattt?!?' "

Haha... Itz so true, and I actually dint realise that!

"That's why for the Civil Engineers, when faced with complex differential equations, they would just cross out all the terms with powers higher than 1, ie only the Linear forms. (wah.. easy life... heh...) For us mechanical engineers, we'll have to justify why the term of powers above can 3 be neglected, then justify again why the term with power 3 can be assumed negligible... and after a whole essay, then we start solving for the answer."

"As for the Electrical Engineers....
No 3rd ODE (ordinary differential equations), No Fun for them...! "

*Totally speechless*

Looks like I was right... EE was Really not my cup of tea.
Haha.. =D

But more importantly, the conclusion?
Mechanical engineers have to learn not only to do calculations, but also to smoke your way through to make your life easier.... muahahaha =D

A Lesson Learnt - an expensive one.

Since young, I had been already the very forgetful and blur Gen you see today. Eversince i lost my primary school bus pass for the 3rd time, my mum had drilled into my head that I should 'always look back when I leave a place' .

Over the years, this practice has served me well.

Until last thursday, at least..

***************

Scene 1 Setting:

Gen sitting in Central Library Level 3, reading RBR textbook

Props present on Table:

1 black wallet

1 handphone which was Not set to silent mode and a volume of 6 (yes, gen is abit deaf.. haha)

And other barang barangs..

*Action!*

3.40pm: Handphone rings loudly suddenly. Gen picks up call swifly and walks among the shelves.

3.50pm: Gen walks back to the table.

4.00pm: Gen packs up and realised wallet is not on the table.

Ask the guy sitting opposite her if anyone went to the table during her absence- NO.
Search the shelf (haha, suprising she could still remember which one!) - NO.
Ask the lady who was sitting near the shelf if she had seen a wallet - NO.
Check the lost and found counter -NO.

Sheisse.

Suspended both her debit cards and atm card. Made a police report on loss of IC and other important documents.

*** End of Script***

The next day i got a call from Change Airport telling me that someone found my stuff.

When i got there, i recovered:

1) All my RBR loan slips (yar lar ... Gen is too lazy to rewrite them everytime mah.. =P)

2) My Passport size photos and a photo of me and christine ( This thief really doesn't know how to appreciate beauty....=S )

3) Among the important documents are my POSB cards..

But more importantly, I lost :

1) The wallet itself ( yar, it was just a stack of cards and paper found)

2) I/C

3) Campus R Debit Card

4) Cashcard

5) Adult Ez-link Card

6) Very little amount of cash

Wah... that guy really knows what to take...

But a few questions really puzzled me..

1) Why the airport? - Maybe he wants to make sure that the rest of the things are found and returned to me without exposing himself. He doesnt know where he can do that in NUS, and airport is the only place (though far but he has my ezlink card) he knows in singapore that he can do that.

2) Where is the scene of crime? It is either at the table or among the shelves. For both possiblities, would non-NUS student/staff be there?

3) Why not my Maric Card? - Maybe because he has one already. An outsider being in NUS library (for research etc) would want to keep the card for future conviences.

4) Why the pink IC? - Maybe he does not have one.... but yearns to keep one by himself for future conveniences. (But, an american wouldnt want it cos his greencard is much better than ours. The name doesnt match the face too.)

5) Why only my Campus R Card and not and/or my POSB debit card? - Maybe because the Campus R card is silvery white in colour and looks like a credit card. But.. will a singaporean student not know that?

Moreoever, we would know that singaporeans put most of their savings into POSB (and i have an atm card there!). So why not my POSB debit card? - Maybe he doesnt know that.

Or maybe, he just don't feel good spending too much of my money. Yar rite.

Conclusion about the thief?

We understand can liao. =)

But one thing is confirmed.

I'm going to be $100 poorer soon.

ICA here I come. =(

and

NUS Central library is not safe anymore.....

As the saying goes : 日防夜防，家贼难防。。

Nice accessories!

Hey gals! (and guys who are having trouble looking for a unique, nice and pretty presents for their gal friends)

Check this website out :
http://www.jolieavenue.blogspot.com/

I really think the earrings are very nice! They are carefully handmade, and only a few pieces per kind.

Cant believe Gen said that rite?Haha... That's because I really liked them! But too bad I don't have ear holes, and don't dare to get them.. heh.

Do take a look at the website and if any earring catches your eyes, don't hesistate to enquire about it yar? Oh, I happen to know one of the owners of this online shop and she's really a nice and honest gal... =)

On another note...I wonder if I can set up my own business next time too... *envy*

A Recruitment Letter

I recieved a letter from BBDC just a few days back. It says:

__________

Dear Miss blah blah blah blahhhh,

As our valued customer who obtains your licence from our driving centre, we would like to extend the opportunity to join BBDC's family as Driving Instructor.........
_________

I'm sure they dint check out my Driving Tests' scores before they send this letter..... because i got ..........

1st Test for Car : 20plus points plus 1 immediate failure
2nd Test for Car : 18 points plus a long scolding session (but still pass lar...)

Hahahaha... =)

Ehhh, I better not apply for this job..... also because......

*imagine scenerio as a driving instructor*

Me: Ok good, now you can turn left back to the driving centre....
Student : Huh? Left???
Me: Yar Left.....
(2 secs before the turn)
Me: Oh no!!! It should be on the RIGHT!?!?!?!!! Quick Quick! Turn Right NOWWW!
*Car tires screeeeeches*

Ok, I better not sabo anyone..... =S

Stereotyping...

Today, I contacted a seller from ebay to tell him that i'm interested to buy a bundle consisting of a Computer motherboard, CPU chip and RAM.

2 minutes into our converstation he popped a question to me,"Miss, you know how to build computer arh?!?" Not wanting to reveal too much, i simply replied that i'm buying for a friend.

Then he went,"Oh, no wonder.... normally women don't know how to build computer one."

I dint know how to react to that statement. At least that sounded negative to me...I had inferred it as "Yar.. girls are helpless when it comes to computer.."

At that moment i wondered if I should
1) Snap back at him and tell him that I've build at least 3 desktops at home? This will make him think thrice before making such stereotypical comments to a stranger next time...
2) Continue to be polite and ignore that statement?
3) Agree with him verbally but shake my head while saying it? (He cant see it anyway....!)

In the end i chose option 2, of course...
Reason: I was trying to bargain with for a good price at time..... haha =)

But anyway, this also proves that I have weird taste for leisure activities....

I wonder if guys would encounter similar situation too....=)

Password Added...

At last I got a chance to ask Chiu Ling on how to set password in my blog to limit access. Hmm, but i think there's some problems to it, cos we might have to enter it twice before the page gets loaded. Oh well..... just bear with it yar?

I wanted to put a password is because I would like try writing my thoughts too in the posts.... (warning: i'm a boring person with boring tots.. hehe), so i wouldnt want a stranger to come up to me and say :"Gen, you are a so narcisstic!" or worse -"Gen... I know what you ARE thinking..." *shivers* Oh boy, that's a little too much.

Of course, I don't think anyone would be so psychotic to do that but... just in case...
I'm a shy person afterall, you know.....

=P

Mission Impossible 3 - The Last Stand

Damn, itz THE TIME again. When all hell break loose, and my room looks like a warzone. Ok, who am I kidding, it IS a warzone - GenDaGreaT against all the ling ling long long stuff. Oh yes, before i begin, i'm proud to announce that my lugguage has been reborned! See see !!

Tada! My mending skills not bad, right?!? Haha... Dun forget, I'm a mechanical engineer-to-be .. Heehee =) And it's pretty sturdy too, cos there are actually many many many layers of fibre glass tapes underneath, interwoven between the cracks and the chipped off part. Phew, it was alot of work, but no choice lar.. low budget mah.. heh. =)

Oh yes, we were talking about MI3.

Just like the last 2 times, it always seems like there way too many stuff to be squeezed into that poor little luggage of mine. I now conclude there are 3 stages of luggage packing :

Part One : "Bring It On"
During the 1st phase of luggage packing, people pulls out every single thing that MIGHT be needed for the trip. This will most like cause pleasant suprises like "Ehh!!! So THIS is where i kept my that favourite teddybear when I was 10!", or something along that line... And of course, we tend to get more excited as we pull out more stuff, and in the end, we even consider bringing that favourite pillow which has our 'smell' in it.

Part Two : 'Intoreable Cruelty'
Suddenly, you get a shock. "How come everything in my cupboard all end up on packing area?!?" Look at the tiny luggage of yours, and then look at the mountain of clothes, towels, toothbrush, toothpaste, camera, stationaries etc etc etc.

You feel that the room is spinning suddenly. *thud*
(faint liao lar..)

Part Three : 'The Exterminator'
I think I've described this process too many times liao. This is where the 4 golden rules i mentioned in the post Mission Impossible II comes in. From my past 3 times experience, rule 4 is the most important one. =X

Part Four: 'Spongebob in Square Pants'?
Gave a long thought the name of this part, but couldnt find a really suitable one. Anyway, the main idea of this part is to SQUEEZEEEEEE! Of course, it is not ONLY about squeezing, but also to know how to place your stuff strategically into that tiny luggage, so that every sacred inch of space is used to the Maximum. Behold...cos that would mean that big boxes of biscuits, sweets etc have to be opened up and chuck them into the little holes/spaces between the clothes and stuff! So please smell them before eating them hor... hahah =)

Anyway, at last I'm all packed and all ready to go home.... one quick look at the latest status of my luggage ...

1 box of 10kg to be sent home
1 check-in luggage weighing 33.5kg
1 handluggage weighing 15kg (!!!)
1 Laptop bag weighing 5kg
1 pouch weighing 800g
1 Gen weighing ........ shhhhhh...

My total hand luggage is around (gasp!) 21kg!
*Faint*

.

.

.

.

Wakes up and faints again.

Out of Baveria, Off to Pfalz !

Warning: This is going to be a Loooong blog with 14 pictures... People who are in a rush, with slow computers or with low level of patience are not advised to continue....

There was a public holiday in Germany called Christl Himmelfahrt. With my amature German, i think it means something like The Resurrection of Christ. Anyway, I had nothing planned on that day actually because the day after is a Friday and is also normal working day (That's intolerable cruelty!). So, it makes no sense for me to get out of regensburg just for one day. But thank goodness steffen invited me to a traditional celebration at his hometown in Pfalz (near border of France) on this day, where he had to help out with the logistics.

That's because he is a voluntary Fireguard.

( I have all along heard from him about voluntary fireguards but i was under the impression that they are just an briefly trained support team to the actual fireguards during any disaster. I was so surprised when i realised that they are trained like a full time fireguard, and some of them are actually trained and certified to handle chemical catastrophes too.
Wow, R E S P E C T. )

Anyway, back to my first experience away from Bayern....

Wednesday was a mad rush for us as we grabbed our stuff after work and hit the road 15min later. (actually, itz 45mins later... Cos this xiao jie over here dilly-dally dilly-dally, and then decided to bathe.. Such a troublesome woman! hahaha)

Steffen driving us back to his hometown. It was a 4 hours drive... Butt pain pain arhhh.. =X


Lots of Greenery along the all famous German Autobahn. Moving at 140km/h at this point of time and all the cars are overtaking us like nobody's business!! The best way to describe the cars on the Autobahn - Now u see it (a car), now u dun! =S

A few observations by this first timer:
1) Who says there's no maximum speed limit in Autobahns? Max limits varies between 80 - 120 km/h on some parts, but as usual, people dun really follow it. heh. On the average, people move at 140-160km/h. That's almost twice the speed of ours!!
2) Jams can go up to 25km along the Autobahn. Avoid at all cost unless u are driving automatic cars and has too much time to spare. BUT provided u know ur way around it cos...
3) Once u miss a turn somewhere, especially on motorways, the next exit could be half an hour later...... = (No wonder so many continental car producers are integrating navigation systems into their cars!)
4) There are NO Street lights on the Autobahn. We could only depend on our two good 'ole headlights at night. (Thank goodness the sun only set at 9.30pm nowadays. )
5)The car audio volume turns up(and i mean UP) Automatically whenever the radio station is announcing the traffic report. This is of course to catch the attention of the driver. But it shocks the passenger at the same time.


Fire Station Pic 1


Fire Station Pic 2


Time to set off ! Steffen the Fire Engine Driver.
Sitting in a fire engine makes me feel like a road tyrant! haha... cos the vehicle is so big, and when cars normally stop at the side, and lets it pass if the road is too narrow! And when the siren goes off, I feel like I'm on for some action! (haha, the siren was only on for about 5 seconds to warn the cars near it that it needs to U-TURN! haha..)


Inside a Fire Engine... This is SO CooL! They can pack so many things into such small space! I wonder if the fireguards can remember where everything is during times of emergency. If that's a pre-requisite to be a fireguard, then I can forget about being one. haha =)


Time to start work... Steffen was in charge of grilling the steak which was to be sold. It was delicioussssss..... yum yum! And me ? I'm in the BKL group... Bao Ka Liao group. Heh. Clean clean here, wipe wipe there.... And of course, eat here eat there ... free of charge somemore! =D


People starts to come in despite the rain. As u can see, the people that came are mostly from the grannies club or the granddad club...


A cute junior Fireguard. Too bad only 14 years old, i think.


Start of Church service. This church service is the coolest one i have seen throughout my 21 years of catholic life! Itz actually combined service by the protestant AND the catholic church in the town. The protestant pastors are in black robes and the catholic one in white. Talk about tolerance and harmony =)


Lots of Cakes too! Yum yum yum yum yummmmm...........


Gen is a Fireguard too!!!!! The coat belongs to that nice guy in the photo. Cos is was drizzling and very windy that day, so i was kinda trembling under my thin windbreaker. But i look cooL rite?!?!? =D


2 Fireguards! Yar i know... The jacket is WAY too big for me.



Horses on the way back... Nice =)

Moving around Germany without a car is near impossible unless you are willing to pay up to 180Euros (S$360) for a return trip train ticket. For this reason, I had all along thought i wouldnt have the chance to get out of Baveria. But alas! Thanks Steffen! =D