Da Vinci's 'Last Supper" goes online

I read something interesting in the Sunday newspaper that I thought I would share with you.

Now you don't need to get to Milan to see Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece. All you have to do is log on at http://www.haltadefinizione.com/ to see an image of the "The Last Supper" at 16 BILLION pixels.

This high resoultion will allow experts to examine details fo the 15th century wall painting - including the traces of drawings Leonardo put down before painting. You can even see close up how Leonardo made the cups transparent.

And all this is done in your home instead of queuing up long hours in Milan's Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie

Note: I found the resolution took some time to load especially if you zoom in an out quickly. Anyway, Enjoy!

Yummy birthday cake versus yucky cappuccino ice-cream

MY BLACK-FOREST BIRTHDAY CAKE!!

Do not be mistaken by its appearance. This cake is like no other.

It was meant to be a surprise from Mak and he had planned for it to be delivered the night before my birthday. So all the arrangements were made online (Mak is in Singapore, cake shop is in Taipei) and everything set as planned.

Alas, on the 7th of october, Taipei was hit by that massive typhoon - Krosa. I'm telling you that it is the worst typhoon I've experienced since I've got here with buckets of water pouring down and powerful winds sweeping through Taipei the entire day.

Apparently, everywhere in Taipei was closed for the day except for the cake shop. (Kudos for their professionalism). So the cake shop delivery man really went out of his way, braved the storm to deliver the cake as instructed.

Well, the security guard who received the cake on my behalf was in the midst of handling some super super "chaotic" situation (oh so he said) and so he shoved the cake into the giant freezer in the basement. And there it remained for the next 2 days.

Of course, I'm clueless about this whole chain of events since its suppose to be a surprise and when they finally remembered enough to get in touch with me, imagine my very very nasty reaction.

My first reaction was to scold the stupid security guard as severely as I could muster. :) But OK LAR, the cake turned out to be all right and since he was really apologetic about it, I made my peace with him.

So, doesn't my birthday cake look just so yummy? In fact, (minus the whipped cream because its just so sinful) it tastes fabulous and I admit to helping myself to a big serving when I return home from a stressful day at work. Nothing like chocolate cake to alleviate work stress for the day. *BURP*


AWFUL AWFUL ICE CREAM!!


While we are talking about food, let me talk about this awful awful cappuccino ice cream that I bought. It came in a package of 5 sticks.

I mean, check out the packaging...doesn't it look quite so cool? But of all the bad ice creams I've tasted in my life time, this has got be be the worst!!

Wah lau eh...don't know what to do with the remaining few sticks. Hmm..maybe I can offer that security guard downstairs.

Boy, can I nurse a grudge...I'm plain evil...............HAHAHHAHAHA.

Blogspot banned in China but there always is a way

Spent the week in Shanghai and returned to Taipei with a few interesting finds - both professionally and personally.

Hey, did you know that blogspot is banned in China? Yup, indeed it is blocked by the Great Firewall of China (GFW). Felt so restricted just because I knew that I was not allowed to go where I wanted to go. You know, my desire to visit blogspot was not great to begin with, but just because I couldn't, I found that desire growing and became SO CONSUMED in finding ways to get around it. Well, finally I found my friend who was able to share with me 2 different ways of getting around the GFW. Satisfied, I went on to do something else. Hence, the REBEL in me. :P

I LOVE IT! That's just one of the reasons why I think China is so alive and exciting!!! Things are always evolving and people just don't play by the rules as much as they do in Singapore. (which of course you can take it in a good way or bad way :) ).

On a similar note, I'm reading a book by robert t. kiyosaki about financial literacy and the message I'm getting is that people in general has just got to be so much more INFORMED than they already are. Yes, we have to play by the rules, abide by the law, but if we do it in a dogmatic manner, we'll always be like the majority - stuck in the rat race. The rich get richer and the poor well....we get poorer. No robin hoods around anymore - steal from the rich to give to the poor. Its work smarter and not harder.

If you find me being too cryptic at this stage, apologies, my mind is not very organized right now. I haven't had my cup of coffee for the day. * hops out of chair to make Vietnamese coffee - I deserve it today...Its the weekends :) *

Anyway, came back from Shanghai with lots of GOODIESSS: interesting books and DVDs. Dirt cheap I tell you. Dirt Cheap. Anyway, I won't worry about me being bored in Taipei, so much to see, read and do. :)

Allergies on a Friday afternoon...first experience with Taiwan medical facilities

Everything started off as normal today. My mood was pretty good. Its a Friday after all. I'm normally a happy person on Fridays.

For lunch, we tried a new restaurant called Caterpilla today. It serves Mexican and Western food but though the food was all right, we were the ONLY customers during lunch time. Horrors! That is really really bad in Taiwan. Competition is so tough for the food industry, I'm sure Caterpillar can't last very much longer.

The weather was really good today. (Perhaps too good?!?) The sun was shining and it was HOT HOT HOT, which I must say is a nice change from the drizzy sort of weather I've gotten accustomed too in Taipei. (I've experienced 3 typhoons in my 28 days here. So that's alot of wet weather for you :B).

Anyway, I started experiencing a slight headache in the afternoon and figuring that I need to have a clear mind when I'm reading those "old-so-boring" contracts, I asked my colleague for a pain killer. She gave me HALF a capsule of Ibuprofin. Within 45 minutes, I started getting an allergic reaction. (which i didn't know at that time!)

First, my left eye started to swell. We weren't sure what it was so they asked the driver to send me to the eye doctor. But on the way there, my right eye started to swell and my voice became scratchy and I started to feel a pressure on my chest. Oh-oh, that's not an EYE problem!!!

Okay, emergency time. Driver makes an illegal U-turn and starts heading for another hospital. At this point in time, my face is all PUFFED up, eyes start getting teary and vision starts blurring. So, we ended up at 博仁综合医院. Okay, my experience as follows:
1) Went to register
2) Went upstairs to see a doctor (realized they jumped my queue and sent me to a doctor immediately- (who is in charge of the 神经内科） (hence, no waiting :))
3) Doctor confirms its an allergy and writes me a slip for medication
4) Go downstairs to pay at the counter
5) Go to another counter to collect medicine
6) Go to the emergency ward for the jab and then....

Nurse takes a look at my medication and loudly says...."No, this medicine can't be right" and proceeds to make a couple of phone calls to clarify. OH NOOOOOO, what is going on here? (Note: By this time, I'm a little disorientated which happens to be a common allergic symptom)
For more information on common allergic symption, please refer to: http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/allergy-symptoms

They changed my medicine and gave me a refund before giving me the jab. OUCH! IT REALLY REALLY HURT and I'm NOT being a baby about it!! It was like one of the MOST PAINFUL jabs I've had in my life

Went back to the office, took my stuff and LEFT. The anti-histemine drug was making me really tired and giddy. Anyway, my eyes were also soooo puffed up that my vision was blurry. Driver sent me home and I went to bed straight away.

Woke up feeling better and had dinner. Made arrangements to join a field trip to Yi-lan county tomorrow morning. Meeting time is 7.25am!! OH-OH. Yeah, but I'm still going. Can't miss a day with mother nature and some whale watching. :) Pretty excited.

So anyway, I'm still feeling a little oooooozzzyyyyy but I guess I will be fine tomorrow. Carpe diem yah....SEIZE THE DAY. Every minute and second counts.......

An anti-histemine cartoon. (No point not laughing about it....:) )

Rome and Carthage - Lessons to learn

I'm reading a book on the history of mankind. In one of the chapters, it covered the clash between Rome and Carthage. Based on what I read, it was no surprise how Rome became an empire in those early days. I found it very inspiring and feel it is a lesson to learn from as the fundamentals can also be applied to our daily lives.
Let me summarize it as follows:

In the early times Rome had been the only strongly fortified city in central Italy, but it had always offered a hospitable refuge to other Latin tribes who happened to be in danger of attack. The Latin neighbours had recognised the advantages of a close union with such a powerful friend and they had tried to find a basis for some sort of defensive and offensive alliance. Other nations, Egyptians, Babylonians, Phoenicians, even Greeks, would have insisted upon a treaty of submission on the part of the "barbarians". The Romans did nothing of the sort. They gave the "outsider" a chance to become partners in a common "res publica" or common wealth. The "outsider" appreciated this generosity and he showed his gratitude by his unswervering loyalty.

Whenever a Greek city had been attacked, the foreign residents had moved out as quickly as they could. But when the enemy was before the gates of Rome, all the Latins rushed to her defence. It was their true "home" even if they lived a hundred miles away and had never seen the walls of the sacred Hills.

Fall of the year 218 before the birth of Christ, Hannibal, a Carthaginian general defeated the roman armies battle after battle. He marched from one end of the peninsula to the other, proclaiming himself the "deliverer from the yoke of Rome" and asking the different provinces to join him in warfare upon the mother city. Then once more the wisdom of Rome bore noble fruit. With the exceptions of Capua and Syracuse, all Roman cities remained loyal.

Hannibal, the deliverer, found himself opposed by the people whose friend he pretended to be. And after many years of uninterrupted victories, as the Italian peasants held aloof from this self-appointed "deliverer, Hannibal found himself besiged in the country which he had just conqureed.

In the year 190 BC, Hannibal driven from one city to another, a fugitive without a home, his beloved city of Carthage in ruin by war and condemned to pay the Romans millions of dollars for endless years to come, Hannibal took poison and killed himself.

Without speaking the obvious, I hope you found it as meaningful as I found it.

Vera in a box...Vera in an organic grocery bag

My sister and her husband are very fond of putting their koochi-ku daughter in all sorts of things...................to prove my point......

Vera in a Bag on the way to shopping

Vera in a box as they were shifting house

**DISCLAIMER **

No babies were hurt during this photoshoot.

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

Hell, apparently that crazy kid liked it so much! SHE'S OUTTA THIS WORLD!!!

Vulgarness - if you are 14 and below, please don't read this.

* Disclaimer - The content below can be rather crude depending on which planet you are from. Please proceed at your own risk *

I received an sms from my friend *who requested not to be named* 2 minutes ago.

The SMS went like this:

F.U.C.K stands for " Friends U Can Keep"
So promise me, you'll F.U.C.K me 4ever!
Of cos I'll F.U.C.K u 4ever 2. Ha.ha.ha.ha.
Send to all ur frends, & see who F.U.C.Ks you back.

So I'm on MSN with this same friend *who requested not be be named*

And the both of us proceeded F.U.C.K-ing back and forth ending with....my friend saying
Promise me...You'll F.U.C.K me forever.
And my response was...
Yah..yah..I'm F.U.C.K ing I'm F.U.C.K ing !!!

MessageBox.Show("Hello World. Jamie from Taipei")

All right...........I haven't blogged for eons so I am kinda lost for words at the moment. How shall I start?
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*jamie thinks real hard*
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Well, so many things have happened over the past few weeks that I have kinda lost momentum on what to blog about - yup! finding it hard to find a place to start recapping.

Okay, let's start with: I'm sitting here in my little apartment in Taipei and I've been here for several weeks now. Actually, I arrived in Taipei on July 28th. That would be 27 days ago. Wow! Its almost a MONTH! OOOhhhh-hooooo. That was FAST!!!

Life is not bad here and I didn't have much difficulty fitting in although I have to admit that the traditional chinese bit was mind boggling in the first few days that I was here. But after the 2nd week, I started getting used to it and am learnin new words everyday.

The company put me in a pretty cool place with swimming pool, gym and what not. My home in Taipei is just 15 mins away from my work place, 10 mins away from 101 building (and all the shopping), 5 mins away from Carrefour, 10 mins away from Living Mall (which is another fab shopping mall with a nice cinema). I've been to the movies 3 times already since I've been here because its just SOOO convenient. Hell, I sure ain't complaining! Ok, ok, I'm just counting my blessings MAN but yup, I'll stop raving!

Tan Moon Cake said this afternoon to me: "Sis, your blog is SO boring...there are no updates!"

Well..yeah....the update is...I've been really busy with work and in the evenings I'm also pretty engaged with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Visual Basics - my latest craze. ...
I've progressed from coding MessageBox.Show("Hello World") to now writing a program that input and output data from an sql server using visual basics. My little employee database. (I'm an aspiring owner of a company. :) )

Okay, my colleague was really puzzled when she asked me what I did in the evenings at home. She must be thinking OH POOR JAMIE....ALL ALONE IN TAIPEI and yup, I had to prove her right by telling her my amusement is coding. She replies: "And why are you doing this in the evening when you should be relaxing after a hard day's work? Like shopping!" And at this point in time, her eyes light up at the mere mention of shopping. (even window shopping, her eyes light up....trust me!)

WHAT!!! @#$%@#$%, well firstly, I DO find it rather relaxing -- except when I start getting a stupid compilation error that won't go away. At that point in time, I want to smash my computer in -- but Shopping?!?!? I think I would end up more stressed up than I would be BEFORE I start this so called "theurapeutic" treament. Erm..thanks but no thanks.

So any way....CHAK Bro!!!! here is my blog update. YES, I insist on having the last word especially when it comes to YOU. Anyway, you know I adore you .....guy with the ugly hair. But I must win, I MUST I MUST. I'm such a fighter cock.

Okay, zip zip zip. Back to reality and back to my life in Taipei....on the weekends and evenings...I have recently started putting more effort into cooking. I'm a damn lousy cook...but the good news is...I'm NOT a fussy eater too...so I don't waste too much food.

Okay, here is a picture of the first dish I cooked since I came here: - (Very simple but it was fun). And after weeks of practice...I'm starting to be able to whip up quick 15 min meals. :) I affectionately call my meals.....commando training for the stomach. :)))))

Precious Vera at Ah Yat Abalone

Before and After Pictures.. Twinkle lost 5 KG!!

Before:

After:

(5 kg lighter and the world is brighter) :-)

黑白五常 - (courtesy of Adeline)

I took this interesting picture in the cab the other day. I was really surprised to see this because I always thought that chinese people (especially older folks and taxi drivers :) ) are usually very superstitious and scared of such things. Obviously not this taxi driver!! :-P


For those who do not know what I'm talking about....let me share with you that the chinese believe that when you die...the hell guards will come and collect your soul to be judged. The hell guards come in the form of Hei Bai Wu Chang 黑白五常 as shown above. One of them short, plump and black while the other is tall, white and have his tongue sticking out.

And there is a reason why one is white and one is black and its an interesting story. Do you know?

Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) - Churning of the Milk Ocean

If you've ever departed from the new Bangkok airport - Suvarnabhumi Airport, you will be greeted by an impressive statue the moment you clear immigration.

The statue depicts one of the famous scenes from Puranas (Hindu literature) - Samudra manthan (Devanagari: समुद्र मंथन) aka the churning of the ocean of milk. This story is celebrated in a major way every twelve years in the festival known as Kumbha Mela.

The Churning of the ocean of milk tells of the story where demons and gods cooperated to churn the sea for thousands of years in order to extract the elixir of immortality, coveted by both groups.

As you can see from the pictures, the Devas (demigods) are engaged in a tug of war with the Asuras (demons). Each team is holding onto one end of the king of serpent - Vasuki (aka Naga). The centre of the serpent is coiled around Mt. Mandara (which is a pivot) and at the base of this pivot would be Vishnu, incarnated as a huge turtle.

Asuras (demon) holding onto the head end of the Naga (3 headed king of serpent)

Asuras (demon) with colourful painted body and demonic faces

Naga wrapped around Mt Mandara as a pivot and supported by turtle (Vishnu)

Devas (demigods) holding the tail end of the serpent

You can see that the demigods are depicted in human form.

As the ocean churned, a deadly poison known as halahala emerged. Shiva drank this poison and his wife stopped it in his throat with her hands, causing the throat to turn blue. (explaining why Shiva is sometimes called Nīlakantha meaning Blue Throat)

From the churning, numerous opulent things were also produced including Dhanvantari (Heavenly Physician) carrying the pot of Amrita - the heavenly nectar of immortality.

In the end, the cooperation between Devas and Asuras was shattered with Vishnu taking the form of Mohini - a beautiful and enchanting damsel who served to distract the Asuras while distributing the nectar to the Devas. (a little cheating and disception seems to be happening here). The Devas having fulfilled their plan of acquring all the Amrita banished the Asuras out of Heaven and into the underworld. (tsk tsk)

Of course, as all Hindu literature, there is many versions of the story. One such version can be found as follows:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samudra_manthan

Another version

http://www.sanatansociety.org/indian_epics_and_stories/the_churning_of_the_ocean.htm

One interesting twist to the story that I like was that:
A particular Asura, Rahu, had disguised himself as a Devas, and managed to drink some of the nectar. But before the Nectar could pass his throat, Mohini cut off his head. The head, due to its contact with the amrita, remained immortal. It is believed that this immortal head occasionally swallows the sun or the moon, causing eclipses. Then, the sun or moon passes through the opening at the neck, ending the eclipse.

Sunkist versus Thai Orange

In the early part of 2007, I spent quite a lot of time in Bangkok and I've been dutifully snapping pictures with my dopod 838pro but as you can quite clearly see, procrastination has gotten the better of me and I never quite got about to posting them online.

Well, its long overdue but I declare the winner of the orange juice competition between Sunkist and small Thai orange as .......................*drum rolls*

THAI Orange Wins Hands Down!!

As you can see from the picture below, the street vendor totally agrees with me and also proclaims Thai orange juice as NUMBER ONE!!! (index finger pointing up in the sky)

Perfect for a hot sunny day in Bangkok - This drink is ultra refreshing and cost only 20Baht. It is a heavenly concoction of small thai oranges, lime, salt plus sugar for the perfect taste. Like the famous Thai coconut, it can be found at almost any street corner and is relatively safe to drink. (Tried and tested - no stomach problems after bravely testing out several different stalls)

This picture is taken right outside the office building where I work in Bangkok and I relish the mornings where i get to treat myself to a bottle on the way to work....

LOMA results

I didn't get the 100 I was looking for... but it sure was damn closeee.........

301: Insurance Administration - 96
361: Financial and Management Accounting -99

For the effort I've put in for this 2 papers, I sure as hell ain't complaining..........:)

Indeed, I do!!

WHIPPEEEE......OUT FOR A CELEBRATION!!!!

Headachesss

Well, in an attempt to live life to the fullest, for the past few weeks, I've been on the "GO".

The result is....a super mind boggling headache that last for 2 days straight in which no amount of pain killers can possibly fix/mend.

On Thursday mid noon, I felt the onset of a major headache. It was like someone was playing Linkin Park full blast in my head. I had alot of sleep on Thursday but I went to bed with a headache and woke up with the same headache. Therefore, on Friday while at work, I was still feeling very extremely horrible.

That's when I became a pill popping maniac and my colleague is screaming:"Whoaa, easy on those pills, you can only take 6 per 24 hours."Still the pain did not go away and for the whole day I was like that ->

Managed to somehow survive the day at work. Wasn't in the right frame of mind and so I'm pretty sure I did alot of things I will later come to regret.

Anyway, come 6pm I am out of the office in a flash, jump into my car and flooring my accelerator I'm on my way home. The moment I'm home...I'm in bed with the covers over my head. No dinner for me, I just need to sleep.

This morn 5.45am. I'm feeling a little better now....

P/s: I saw another really freaky picture about someone having a headache, here is the link: http://www.freakingnews.com/Headache-Pictures-35336.asp

There are really strange strange people out there.

Senseless Ramblings...............

I've been so busy lately I've lost the momentum to blog. B.K says:"Now you understand what I mean when one has lost the passion to educate" and I'm thinking it should be along the line:"Now I understand what you mean when one has lost all all desire to infect others with utterly senseless ramblings" :)

Anyway, I'm BACK at 5.45am in the morning.

Water Spout spotted in Sunny Singapore

Okay, if you live in Singapore, you would find the landscape in the following photos very familiar. Yes, its a picture overlooking at our world class port and hold on a moment....what's that scary thing in the background.....The following pictures are not hoax, or doctored....

The above that you see are water spouts.

Water spouts are rotating columns of air similar in appearance to that of the tornado. They develop over warm ocean currents during unstable conditions or as cold front boundaries pass over the ocean. These are not very dangerous but can affect boats and yachts. Because they are over the ocean, they do not pick up debri but water spray is observed at the base.
Water spouts can develop over the ocean and move over the land. They are then called tornadoes. It is here where water spouts can be dangerous and has caused extensive damage to trees and buildings as well as over turn caravans in coastal communities. Once on the land, they dissipate fairly quickly. On the ocean however, they can last much longer.
Sometimes, tornadoes form over the land and pass over a lake or the ocean. These are then called water spouts despite the difference in the formation processes and dynamics.

Wow...

Tudors : Henry VIII and the mysterious WC

What a relaxing weekend.....Just chilled, did what I like and had alot of sleep.....My sinus problem started clearing up on Friday morning and was all better by saturday (my paper ended on thursday afternoon). My friend Jo said,"The mind blocks stress out but the body never lies.." :) Interesting...

Anyway, its Sunday evening, had late dinner so I'm just surfing online, allowing my food to digest abit. I chanced upon a website on the Tudors which I found very interesting:

http://www.brims.co.uk/tudors/

Its states that its an interactive site for 7-10 years old about Henry VIII and the Tudors.....It might be for 7-10 years old but there were many many things that I learnt from the website...it got me hooked for a while....

Particularly interesting, check out the wives page. :P
http://www.brims.co.uk/tudors/wives.html


Something very relevant I learnt from the website though -> During my travels, I notice many people asking where the WC is....(which many us of knows automatically it refers to the public toilets/bathrooms). But when I've asked these people if they knew what WC really meant, they couldn't tell me. Like seriously, not even ONE person could tell me what wc was. Like me, we just took it for granted that WC = toilet.

Well, I finally cracked this mystery today from the Tudors website...W.C = Water Closet ;p
The things that we learn everyday. :P

Imperfection...............

People have told me that I'm a perfectionist when it comes to certain thing. (It certainly doesn't apply to ironing my clothes or doing the laundry....) But it does apply to the way I work. I am not proud to say that I succeed 80% to 90% of the time driving both myself and my colleagues up the wall. I've had countless close friends/colleagues tell me very similar things:

Concerned Friend: Hey, you know what your problem is.....you need to learn how to chill......
Me *flustered face*: But but...how can they do such a thing...its crap!
Concerned Friend: Still?! Calm down and just chill
Me: Okay fine fine fine. Its my fault, I should have done xxx and yyy and if I didn't do this and he didn't do that, it won't become like this...... Or maybe if I had done zzz or aaa then.....
Concerned Friend: Stop beating yourself up and stop expecting others to live up to your expectation. The world doesn't work that way......
Me: @#!$@#$ It shouldn't be this way.......

As you can see, I'm a hopeless case. I know I shouldn't ...I shouldn't... I shouldn't...but I do. But I shouldn't. :P

I try to make myself meet a certain expectation of ....myself and yes....I admit it, I have an expectation on others too. (horrors! but definitely better now than before HORRR) I used to get very very disappointed when people don't meet my expectation at work and I show it on my face. I still do that sometimes..old habits die hard..Uey, if I don't meet my own expectation, you can be pretty sure that I'll beat myself up Days and Days over and over again.

My ex boss once told me:" Jamie, you are too hard on yourself. You must learn how to relax". My current boss says: High sense of ownership...:) Keep it up.

**But this week, he started to tell me to relax......and take the day off.

I have been known to destroy something/anything because there is a blemish. A friendship, a relationship, .........., because it doesn't meet my idea of perfect, complete whole....so I strive and strive to meet that goal of perfect, being everywhere and doing everything.

When I say I want to do well, u know that I'm aiming for 100/100 for certain things...i get very sore if I don't do it. In the past, I preferred to fail a paper by not turning up instead of doing the paper at all....if I didn't study. Compulsive....I KNOWWWW *hides face*

Today, K.Ling told me that the first impression she had after she read an article about someone from HP dying due to overwork or excessive stress, the first person she thought about was me. :(

Hey...why do you have that perception of me....wait, let me correct myself, I think many people DO think that way of me....I better chill .....

Perfection...................Imperfection.................Perfection...............

Vera...her first mouth of semi-solids..and then..she is liking it....

First, its the shock...
Daddy and Mummy going: "Vera...chew chew chew...Yummy right...mmmmmhhh Yummy"
Vera goes:" Yikes, what's that on my tongue?!?!"



Then, its..."I LOVE IT...GIMME MORE GIMME MORE. Heck, I can chew the plastic spoon too!"