A snail which fights back! Here's a snail which has a shell that can blunt claws of crabs which try to crack it open; The wonders of Nature! The more I read about snail shells, the more I'm amazed by how Nature can generate such structures in direct response to day-to-day problems. Human engineering is peanuts compared to the intricate natural designs manifested on supposedly "simple lifeforms". We are only as big as what we see ourselves to be. Bigger, may just only be smaller.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/01/19/could-a-deep-sea-snails-shell-inspire-next-gen-body-armor/

Super tired week... So happy it's the weekend! Until seeing that it's coming to end... It's as though I'm living for the weekends... No, I am living for the weekends! Only to see myself sometimes too tired to fully exploit my weekends... Shits it's Monday again...


A pair of Golden Orb Web Spiders, with the tiny red male, as compared to the huge female! Spotted on a busy track near Henderson Waves bridge... I feel like I'm the little insignificant red guy, treading on the sticky web of politics & relations, with huge omnipotent giants ready to swallow me whole at any one time... Or am I just being spider-ish? Hope it's just me, blurred me...

A very busy caterpillar who thinks he's a choo-choo-train! Spotted on the railings on Mt Faber...

A pretty caterpillar also travelling on the railing, who also thinks he's a choo-choo-train! Life as simple as it gets; eat-sleep-grow... Nice haha!!

Good weather times are coming back! It all signifies cheery sunshine, good biking times, good outdoors times and less chances of having to go to work on wet mornings on jammed-packed, rain-slowed public transport! Yay!! Cheers to the weather!!

The beautiful riverside view in Kuching, totally exudes the peace and calm of the place... I love the place. Totally unlike our messy, hectic island.
*Click on the pic to view it, so nice I love it!! =)*

When can this blur turtle ever get his Subaru?

It's yet another year past and gone. What have I achieved this past year? While... I've graduated finally, and I got myself a job. I have a stable income. I broke my back, and will never need to worry about IPPT ever again. I picked up DSLR photography, and still enjoying it. I still don't have the free cash to splurge on my bikes. Life has been an exhausting juggle between work, play, family, friends, and sleep, with no signs of abating. Plans and hopes for the next year? We'll see.


The flower of the night, the almost-last-flower-of-2009. And it was a resplendent example to cap the end of 2009. Not to say it smelled so especially sweet.


The first example to flower pointing towards my home too. Hoping that the sweet fragrance and exemplary beauty will spotlight new and better times ahead on my family and loved ones. Cheers.


The New Year's Day fireworks. Home sweet home. So sweet, the ants, roaches and flies on it are getting ever so all over our increasingly-xenophobic nerves.


Nonetheless, all hopes that in the new year will end up as sparkling and beautiful as these fireworks, as they fade away awaiting the next barrage of fireworks to display their glory... life's a non-stop fireworks show isn't it? Cheers to 2010!

Christmas Day holiday, spent it out taking photos, eating prata, and playing pool. My first pool game like almost ever (not withstanding all the little failed tries when I tag along with the other guys...)


The oldest ship still sailing on the seas of the world; the 95-year-old MV Doulos, now berthed at Harbourfront. Was once a wartime supply ship, now a floating book fair...


The beautiful basement of Orchard Central, before the foodcourt opens, and the peace and quiet is lost amongst food smells and chatter~

The beautiful lighting of the basement...


Taking the lift up to the rooftop garden of Orchard Central.


My pool experience today wasn't quite as disastrous as all my previous attempts... haha!

Stepping from 2009 to 2010 really soon, what lies ahead?

It's another grey, wet, cold and drab Saturday... I want to go out! I want to cycling! I want to go take photos! I hate rain on weekends so much...


Thomas, who says turtles cannot be on bikes? =)

Damn sian today... Super sian... Bloody hell... I hate monkeys, I hate dogs; they always look happy, always without a care in the world. I so envy them. So much.

In a perfect world, all dogs should be nice and friendly and cuddly... Like Blackie from Mawai Eco Camp... I hate stray dogs! Especially when they bark and chase me when I'm out on the trail cycling! When I'm alone in the middle of some jungle somemore! I can't enjoy my ride if I have to keep looking around for any signs of stray dogs while cycling! Haiz... at least we don't have tigers or lions to worry about... =)

It's been 6 months since the back-breaking incident in my life thus far... While it's not been bothering me too much, it has not gone away totally as well, always sending me ad-hoc reminders never to forget about it... I've been totally grateful to whoever is looking after me up there in the heavens, and also grateful to all the wonderful people in my life. I'm totally grateful to be still walking, still running, still cycling. To be able to move about freely is a gift that we all take for granted. Thank heavens, thanks peoples =D

I hate smoking! I hate smoking! I hate smoking!!!! I hate smoking! I hate smoking! I hate smoking!!!!

Quite busy week for me, even though my main project for the year has been completed... so many little little errants to catch up... super tired and low motivation... feeling too tired to even go for my cherished biking and running sessions...


Met up with the FD Shooters for the Vivo anniversary fireworks. Had a meeting with my STK supervisor in the morning, which he had to evaluate me and sign my confirmation letter, then he asked me to join the Triz course he's in charge of. The course on only 3 days later! But anyway, the shooting went quite ok, apart from my photos which looked quite cropped on the sides... I want to try better again next time!!




Playing with longer shutters this time around, some pics came up nice, but many came up quite over-exposed... Try again next time!! Note: Must remember to bring tripod mount for shoots! =p

My Triz course friends, all strangers prior to the trip. But after a trek in knee deep mud, sitting through an afternoon of lessons, we sort of became quite ok friends, especially after a few beers... =)

It's really nice to be having the chance to go to Mawai Eco Camp on a company-paid trip =D

I quite enjoyed the kampung lifestyle, if only the snoring beside me at night wasn't there...~

It took me 45 minutes to get from Joo Koon MRT station to my Tuas plant this morning, usually just 15 minutes bus ride away. 2 double-deckers came and went, packed full. It is like SBS Transit decided that it wanted to bring back the feel of the early S'pore years, when bus services were infrequent, and bus drivers stop their buses several bus-lengths away from the bus stops even when you press the bell early and properly. And when buses were dark, dirty, dusty and smell funny. It sure didn't help that the main bulk of the people taking the bus seemed like stuck back in time as well. I spotted an iPhone, and a Crumpler bag, and they seemed like F16s flying amongst Jurassic-age Pterosaurs! Ok, too much petty complains... I just want my buses on time! And at least give me a space to stand when it reaches my bus stop!!

Remember the snake I caught on camera at Dairy Farm trial about a month ago? I was reading about the snakes in S'pore, when I discovered that this is not an Elegant Bronzeback. It's actually a new species only just discovered in S'pore in 2003! Wow!


Its real name's the Red-necked Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis Kcopsteini), as can be seen from it's reddish colour behind the head.

This song kept looping inside my head... and my MP3 player... and my Window Media Player... I could never understand why some songs can take root inside my head! Lyrics? Tune? Style? Vocals? Hmmm... but yep I do find 卓文萱 quite so irresistible too... ;-)

I was wasted after a drinks session. For my first time, I felt pretty terrible after drinking, although it could be due to my new bedtime regime ever since I started working. It seems that no amount of coffee, alcohol or stimulant could repel the avant of sleep at 10.30-11pm every night... although adrenalin seems to help to a certain extent... The effects of lack of sleep also seems to be much more pronounced now; I really do feel myself getting extremely grumpy and stupid (as in low IQ, especially when it isn't high to start with!) after bad nights! No Kel will not become a grumpy ugly uncle!!

This little mount of aluminium. Under a marco lens, it looks pretty much like a real snow-capped mountain. But it's barely a centimeter high. Like my job, so magnificently insignificant.

Job security has been a worry... I've never felt totally secure ever since the first few days of work. Yet I could not been sure about jumping ship, or sticking with it till a big wave comes and throws me overboard. In addition to my other big insecurities in my life. Till then, it's just looking forward one pay day at a time... and constantly convincing myself that the ground under me won't be giving way just so quickly yet...

Feeling much more relaxed at work, after I've finished the testing of a big project, and can wrap up for this year, although there are still a couple of reports and a presentation before the project's really closed... Really pleased because despite of the tribulation suffered in the course of the project, causing so many frustrating delays, but the products still passed testing reasonably well, so yay! Especially that I had to take over from my senior and then see out the project at a critical phase of producing and testing the product! Really have to thank my senior and supervisor for all the help too during the times of my lost-ness! I still have a couple of hot potatoes in my care that I have to handle with care, and get them out as soon as possible, those are a worry too, customer's already making noise! But finally, I can see the end of this year, at least. Before the mayhem of next year starts, already seeing a new stock of potatoes coming in for me to cook... fries or mash?

Have been chewing Mentos again, this time at work. The last time this happened was in April, during my exams... now I'm chewing Mentos during all the brain-juice squeezing times at work... Luckily it still seems to work on me... =)

The cleaner aunty at my plant in Tuas has passed away, on the bus, on her way to work early in the morning (those who read the New Paper would know...). Apparently, she suffered a heart attack and burst artery while on the bus, and passed away almost immediately... We were all so shocked when we got the call from her cleaning supervisor. She was a frail lady, yet she insisted on coming to work every single day except Sundays, where she'll go out with her grandchildren. Soft-spoken, and ever so courteous, yet always ready to smile and chit-chat. She always ask before coming in to mop the meeting room floor, where I'll be every morning to check my emails before I start work. She'll always greet me whenever I go to get water from the water cooler. She'll always greet me when I go out for lunch, always reminding me to go early to beat the crowds. She'll never get angry even when I step into the toilet and leave my black safety-shoe prints on the floor. And I'll try to greet her if I see her too. I'll even try to chat with her when I finish lunch early and see her sitting in her chair by the stairs. She even asked if I needed coins to buy drinks from the vending machine just the day before she suffered the heart attack! Now, we'll all get goosebumps whenever we pass by the stairs, with the empty chair and her slippers beside it. And I'll never feel the same whenever I check my emails in the meeting room. It felt worse when we heard that she had to lie for hours on the bus, before the police brought her to the mortuary. And her kin had to wait for two days before they got to see her. So sad, for an old lady to leave without to see her loved ones, without getting her daily hug from her 3-yr old grandson, with seeing her older sister in hospital. At least she left the world with love from all over; the office people, her cleaning partner uncle, even the Bangala worker from our plant came on his own accord to her wake with flowers for her. Really touching. Really sad.

Went with the Snappers to Keppel Harbour. I never knew such a nice place lied at the end of that road! I only knew it hated the construction sites along the main road, which littered it with irritating rocks and cement that threatened and claimed my bike tires and gave me a puncture once!


Got Mas to help me take this... Had to launch off a bench to get some height... I've never been a good jumper haha!! Guessed it that I hated SBJ in IPPTs... =p

Dropping pebbles into the water feature under one of Harbourfront's office towers...

Our "poor-man's" fish-eye lens...

We were captivated by a leaky hose and taking turns to capture it and the wet leaves that it was creating!

The Keppel bridge, leading to the "island"... quite a bloody warm day, although it did leave us with a glorious sunset...

The classy wooden planked seaside boardwalk...

I love the effect of this pic! Like machiam diving into the sea!!

Met two friendly dogs, although Rusco here is more interested in biscuits than me...

Beautiful sunset, but I'm only allowed to enjoy it on weekends...

Have to thank the Snappers for not fxxking me when I was half-hour late... at least not in front of me... =)