... Life ...

life can sometimes be such a contradiction...

... Shoot 3 ...

Hmmmz, I was at JEC on Saturday morning, walking around shopping for a screen protector for my new Nokia 6500 slide, when I bumped into the people from MediaCorp recording 'Shoot 3' there. It's a talkshow which would probably be screened at the end of the month. So yea, see if I get to go on national TV by then. Hehe. Anyway, the topic was something on the local actors and artistes which completely did not interest me at all, so there I was, taking photos instead... Keke...

There you go...

... Smiles ...

There is no particular reason behind my smiles and laughter...
You just brought them all out of me when you came along..

=) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =)

... Again ...

... Cats ...

Cats: ....
Stray cats: ARGH!!!
Stray cats which jumps and sleeps on my car: ARGH ARGH!!
Idiots who feed stray cats which jumps and sleeps on my car: ARGH ARGH ARGH!!!!!

... 14/11/07 ...

It's been a bad day. A very very very bad day. Bad from start till the end.
Worst since I got back from SEP.

Some old sayings are really for your own good. Bear them in good mind....

... We are the Champion (Stacker) ...

Haha, rem the song that goes like the title? Well, we could have sung that after the robot competition on Friday. Champion Stacker was the competition name, and so is title that our robot won. Spasm King, the Champion Stacker. Stacking a record of 12 blocks in under 3 minutes, that was a job well done. A spectacular job from our team of 7: Lester, Chee Wei, Shaun, Willy, Adrian, Guorong, and not forgetting, myself... Hahaha...

Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting to you ME3102 Champion Stacker 2007: Spasm King!!!

Erm, don't ask me why there's a flower on top of it. Supposedly aesthetic. My friend asked me, how come a flower for a 'male' robot. I said, it was given to him by his 'her' after he won the competition!! Hahaha....

And a tribute to our team and supervisor. A pity Shaun wasn't around in the photo.


A photo with the runner-up team, also led by the same supervisor.

And some stupid shots we took with the robot after the competition.



It's been a far cry from the time when we first started the testing phase of the robot. It sucked the hell out of our lives. Spent so much time on it. Remembere the time when we had problem to get the motors to run properly on HandyBoard. It's been a long way. Well done!!!

Well, the competition was hot. Literally too. It was held outside the Design Lab where there was no aircon, and there were so many people. 95% guys, so the ME gers there were all complaining. Hot surroundings bring 'chou nan ren'. Wahahahaha.. Just take a look. And at the idea of my friend, try doing this: 'Where's Jerry?' Prof Jerry Fuh is the course coordinator. Hahaha..


There were many robots around that day. All sorts and mechanisms. All sorts of stacking algorithms too. Some had names, like ours and Edric's. Edric's robot had the most interesting name. Ha, it's called Meiyan. Try asking him why. He's been shot and suan since the couple of days just before the competition. Here's a showcase of some of the robots around that afternoon.

Meiyan in action

Xianhong's robot at starting position

The robot which aimed to grab 9 blocks in a single grip. Ambitious, but too many factors to manage. A pity it got entangled by its own comms and power line. Turn Turn Turn... Whee... Muhahahahaha....

Christopher n co.'s robot. The chopper robot. Beware!!

It's gonna be exams time soon. So yea... Good Luck to all! And to me.... =(

... Robot SK (SPASM King) ...

After so many long days of testing, finally, we have managed to grab 12 blocks in a single unassisted try (not even touching the power cable). It was a far cry from the times when we were still trying to get the motors and the handyboard to even run properly. Satisfaction, but extremely tired too. Is it really worth just 4 MCs? More I say!!!! At least 6!!! Hahahaha.....

Here's a video clip of the 12 blocks stacking attempt by SK.

... Little Friends ...

Haha!! There are now 2 new little friends who are permanent passengers in my car. Little Eeyore and Little Piglet. Haha.. Cute eh... Hehehe....


And another set of really cute soft toys. Hahaha... Big brother Russ taking good care of little schooling Eeyore.. Kekeke.... I love this shot!!

... Busy Busy ...

It's nearly 3 weeks since I last posted something. Been a busy period for me. Time has been largely taken up by Design Project and my FYP. Haiz. But well, the design project's competition is in 2 weeks time and our robot seems to be looking pretty good except for some hiccups. We did some testing yesterday and things look good. Hope our robot would be able to pick some blocks on the competition day itself, and not go into spasm mode, just like its name, SPASM King. Wth.. Well, here's a short clip of the testing we did yesterday. Robot went according to our written command to turn into the lanes where the blocks would be placed.

I also had a discussion with my PhD research student on my FYP yesterday while we did our firing tests. Things seem to be slightly clearer, especially after I've done my first firings on my samples. You know, they were all shattered and fractured. Come to think of it, I do feel a sense of pity as I see these samples which I need 1 whole week to make, destroyed in less than half an hour. Hmmz, is that what researchers always feel when they see their works fail during their numerous tests? Hmmz.. I still think that I'm not cut to be in the research industry. Ha. I can't post any photos on my fired samples here, cos the whole project seems abit confidential.

... Surprises ...

The occasional surprises spice up life and sweetens it, doesn't it? Ha.. Hope that was a little surprise for you.. Keke.. And that it made your day, especially after a long and busy one..

;-)

... Mid Autumn ...

It's now into the 8th month of the lunar calendar and that means Mid Autumn Festival is just round the corner. And to start things rolling, my mum got a big mooncake as a gift from the parents of 1 of her student passengers. HAha.. Quite big, about 15cm in diameter. Like a small cake. Hahaha...


Then there's a mid-autumn celebrations at the Esplanade on 25 Sept. How about strolling down the waterfront, with a lantern in your one hand, and my darling's little hand on the other, and admiring at the big round moon at the same time? KEkeke... Good eh? HAhaha..

... IED 07 ...

It was International Exchange Day at NUS yesterday. There were booths on the various places around the world for SEP and I sat in for the seminar talk on NZ SEP in the afternoon. Together with Binjuan to support Veron on her short talk. But what actually made me post this entry was the video made by Yiling. It showed many highlights of our experiences in NZ. I've watched the video before yesterday, but it wasn't as impactful, watching with people who are interested in going SEP in NZ (though I think a vast majority are actually there for Australian SEP than NZ. But heck look at Faith, she didn't get her Australian SEP, but ended up with hell lots of fun in NZ!).

But most importantly I think watching the video with those who went on NZ SEP with me brought on alot of different feelings. It made me thought back again those times. Those times when I was on my own, independent living and learning. Times with the SEP people, doing stupid stuff together and laughing at ourselves. The roadtrips we had together. The people in NZ, the nature and space, the weather, the activities we did. Watching the video brought all these images back to my mind.

Before I returned to Singapore, Nicole (a full time UC student) asked if I would miss NZ, and UC, cos she felt we didn't enjoy as much as the previous batch of SEP students. I said I probably would and I had just did. Looking at the photos and videos that we took, I would want to go back to NZ again someday, if I have the chance and $$$$$. Hahaha! Any NZ SEP people wanna go back together, say 5 years down the road? Hahaha! And we go for another road trip, this time including places we didn't manage to go to. Like the Bay of Islands. HEhehe...

Yep, miss NZ. Miss the nature, the space, the weather, the people. Miss the roadtrips, the time we spent together. ;)

... Home Grown Chilli ...

Was home the other day with my family when I realized that the potted chilli that my father planted outside the house is now so big. It's like those that are found at the Yong Tau Foo stalls, all ready to be with the kuay teow mee + sweet sauce. Ha! There were still tiny weeny the last time I saw these chillies, and that was like probably 2 to 3 weeks ago. No chemicals added, all looked after by my father. My father and his father are both damn good in plants. Haha.. Look at the Fu Gui Hua next to the chillies, they've been blooming like nobody's business. Keke.. Too bad, I dun take after either one in this aspect. Hehehe...



Have been rather busy lately, and reaching home late on most days. So didn't realize they've grown so big. Hehehe.. And I foresee harder times coming, with term paper questions released for my CAD/CAM module, and my FYP which has been stuck like dunno since when. Haiz.. Please, let me have a breakthrough on my project and I could go forward...

... My Altis ...

My mechanic hoisted my car up when he was servicing my car, to release the old engine oil for replacement. And I spotted this big scratch on the bottom of my front bumper. It's not at all obvious when the car is on the ground, but it's quite obvious tat it's scratched when the car was parked head in. I suddenly realized that I've not been taking as good care as in the past, especially now when my brother also uses it, it should have gotten better attention. Hee. Not that I'm siao, although I might be abit, but the truth is, this Altis has been such a good help to me!~ Ha!~ Juz look at how I was able to update my profile, and you know why. Wouldn't have been possible that day without it. I was so so so glad I drove it out that night!~ HAha...

Coming back, hmmmz... Some things I wanna do and have on my Altis soon, given the money and time:-

1. Polish (Long overdue for 1, esp after the rains over the last 2 weeks, it's in dire need of a good polish. Ha)
2. Solar film for front windscreen. Windscreen was changed when a stone made a crack on it. Courtesy of my brother. Thanks leh! =P
3. LEDs for cabin lights. The current ones are hot!
4. Cushions, so that er hem, will have sth to hug. But then again.. er... won't the cushions fight wif me over the hugs?!?!?! Argh... (so down it goes, from S/N 3 to 4.. Wahahaha...)
5. 3M lookalike car mats.

John Hopkinson

"Born: 27 July 1849 in Manchester England

John Hopkinson was the eldest of a family of five children. After showing great abilities in mathematics, Hopkinson was awarded a scholarship to continue his study of that subject at Cambridge. He entered Cambridge in 1867 graduated with a mathematics degree in 1871, as the top 1st Class student. He was also first Smith's prizeman and made a fellow of Trinity College. Although he had been awarded a Whitworth Scholarship to continue his mathematical studies at Cambridge, Hopkinson decided to put his mathematics to practical use in Engineering.

Hopkinson was appointed professor of electrical engineering at King's College London in 1890. At the same time he became director of the newly founded Siemens Laboratory. In the same year he was awarded a Royal society medal for his work on the magnetic properties of iron."


Read about this guy when I was doing my Applied Mechanics module. This guy was a great engineer in Impact mechanics studies. Haha.. The important point is.. Sharing the same bday, how come I'm not as shen2 as him? Hahaha... I'm also doing impact work leh... Hehehe... =P

Somehow, it seems that women's intuition and 6th sense are very accurate.. Cannot dun believe.. Hahaha... And can be scary at times too.... *shakes head*

Juz impacted on me how closely we can be linked... Is the world too small or just NUS? What would our feelings be if we were to bump into one another altogether? Hmmz...


~It's unlucky for people to cross into my path~

... New New New ...

It has been a really long time since I last updated this blog. Been shoot-ed by at least 2 of my friends for not updating. But then again, I'm not really a blogger before I left for SEP. Hahaha...

Nonetheless, the new semester has started and I am supposed to start working on my FYP. Week 2 is gone, but I'm still freaking blur and lost on the details of the project. It seems as though I have info everywhere, but many don't link at all. Lost. Hope things get better in the 2 weeks to come, before midterm break comes.

The past 1 week has been really exciting. Very happy indeed. Probably the best time that I've had in my life. Much happier than the days I had in NZ, I'd say. Why? Ha.. Anyhow, I just want all of us to be happy, for days to come, even when there are challenges and stress to face. We'll do it, won't we?

Well, we were out celebrating Veron's 21st birthday on Frday. Had dinner at NYDC with Moses and Binjuan too. It's been a while since the 4 of us met up together again. So it was nice to see everyone, though I've met Veron and Moses the previous week at Tea Chapter with the rest of the Otago SEP people. Ha.. Some photos of the dinner to end the post...

From left: Moses, Veron, Binjuan and ME

Moses mixing Salad

This shot looks and feels weird. Could have done better... =(

Cough cough cough... Haven't seen such coughs since the 06/07 sem 1 exams... Not much stress for SEP exams... =p