Monday, July 28, 2008

DHL Balloon - An Ariel view of Singapore

Last Monday, the whole family went for the DHL Balloon ride.

DHL 1

Located at the empty ground near Bugis, it was an adventure that Nicole had been asking about, for a very long time.

In fact, every time we passed by the Bugis area, she will always cry out, "Daddy, I can see the balloon!"

Her dreams and desires finally came to past! :)

We had to wait for about an hour before we got on the 740pm flight. Nicole was clutching on to her boarding pass, and could not wait to get onto the balloon.

(NB - The attraction is very crowded, as the balloon cannot fly everyday, due to weather and wind conditions. We had to call ahead, before we went, and we had to cancel some early excursions due to the weather)

Anyway, having an endless flow of energy (parents of 2 & 3 year olds would agree with me), we had to entertain them. Check out their photos!

DHL 2

Soon, it was time for our flight!

The balloon is actually attached to a cable, so the max. height and the duration of the trip is also fixed.  The balloon also does not move away from it landing zone, but it just goes straight up, hover, and then comes down again.

Here is a collage of the night view. Weng and Nadine went up as well!

DHL 3

I will recommend going for the balloon ride at night, as the views of Singapore in the day are not that picturesque (It's not like the view from the Eiffel Tower!) The ride is also not that long, where you can't really catch a full sunset! We were probably up in the air for a maximum of 10 minutes.

At $23/ride for the adults & $13/ride for kids 3-12 (Thank God, we managed to get a discount thru a CG member), it was quite an expensive adventure for the whole family, but something we had to do, as the ride is closing soon!

It will close by September 2008, so bring your kids there today! (Hey! they should pay me for this free advertisement!)  

DSC_0003

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Friday, July 25, 2008

Bible Trivia

Since I started studying at Trinity Theological College, I have been "pounded" with tons of information about theology.

Here are some interesting Bible trivia that I have picked up along the way.

trivia pursuit

In fact, I made it into an ala trivia pursuit game with my wife. She loves to digest information like this!

1. How many letters did Paul write?

Answer - 13 (some say 14, but Hebrews seems to be written by a 2nd generation Christian)

2. In the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), which of the 4 are part of the original 12 disciples?

Answer - Matthew and John. Luke is a gentile writer and a companion of Paul on his 2nd missionary journey (Acts 16). Mark is Peter's companion.

3. Which of the Gospels, is considered the earliest work?

Answer - Mark.

4. In the New Testament, which writer can say that he wrote the most number of words?

Answer  - Luke. His works had more words than Paul's letters combined.

5. Which of the 12 apostles was not martyred?

Answer - John. He died of old age in his 80s.

6. Which 3 apostles are considered the pillars of the Early Jerusalem Church?

Answer- Peter, James and John.

I hope you guys scored well, as you attempted the 6 questions.

Before I go, for all those readers out there, who have been following American politics, here's a funny video.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Movie Review - The Dark Knight

This week, my wife and I had a change to catch the latest Batman movie, "The Dark Knight" at AMK HUB.

dark_knight_joker

My wife is really not into action movies, but she surprised me by saying "I Liked It!"

One of the highlights of the show was the late Heath Ledger (He also acted with Mel Gibson in "The Patriot") as the "The Joker". He was really scary and irritating! As compared to Jack Nicholson who played the same role previously, Ledger was revelational!

Robin Williams and Adrien Brody wanted the role of Joker as well, but I am glad that Ledger got it!

To prepare for this role, Ledger lived alone in a hotel room for a month, to explore the psychology of his character. Although his death was sudden, Ledger had completed all his scenes, making this movie, his final appearance on film.

In terms of plot, the film does keep you guessing, and it is great entertainment, if you are planning to go to the theatres this weekend.

BTW - If you are thinking of a quiet cinema, do not go to AMK Hub. The place is crawling with people, even on a normal working day!

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Monday, July 21, 2008

Party at Downtown East

Nicole was all excited!

She was going to a party at Downtown East in Pasir Ris, and it was a birthday party with all her church friends at "Explorer Kids!"

I did not know what to expect at the new playground for kids, but I was pleasantly surprised!

The place was really BIG! And it had "Ball Pools' for the kids to play with, "High Wire Activities" for the 7-12 year olds, and also a "Fun Maze" for the young ones.

Mummy and myself brought Nathan and Nicole up the mazes and we tried out the slides that came with the mazes as well. It was really fun, as the slides would go down really fast, and Nicole screamed her head off! (Sorry, but I not have any pictures, as the kids kept me really busy!)

The party room was BIG as well, and we had more than enough space for all the parents. All of us also had complimentary tickets for the Ferris Wheel and the kids really looked forward to it!

ferris wheelAt $6.50 a ride, it was not cheap (It gets cheaper, it you have at least 4 adults)  but I think they really let you go for quite a few rounds!

Mummy and Daddy felt dizzy after a while, and we wanted to get off!

Here's a short video of Nicole on the Ferris Wheel:

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Walking with Jesus & Fatherhood

Since starting life in my new semester at Trinity Theological college, I have learnt some new Latin words:

 

SOLVITURE

AMBULANDO

 

What on earth does it mean? Well, it's a fancy way of saying

                             - It is solved by walking -

walking

We Christians like to used terms like, "You got to talk the talk, and walk the walk!"

Walking is therefore another synonym for Living!

In Luke 24:13, we have two companions who were disciples of Jesus, walking on the road to Emmaus (means comfort)

Along the way, they talked about the things that happened in Jerusalem with a stranger.

Luke 24:15-24

"As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.
He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
“What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”

From the story, we see that the two disciples experienced God because they kept on walking despite the trials that they faced.

Isn't it true but many times, as we walk, we tend to think that Jesus has forgotten us, and left us on a lonely path of failure?

If you read on further in the passage, the disciples discovered that Jesus was with them after all. And as they walked, their hearts burned as they "broke bread" and communed with God.

I had a similar experience at being a father

Previously, I never played with babies. Did not look at them nor could I imagine playing peek-a-boo with them!

But as I lived out my life, and walked along the path of fatherhood, I started to enjoy the walk, as Jesus walked by my side.

Today, I have baby photos on my table, a camera full of pictures with the kids, and a lifestyle that revolves around them.

It's like what they say - The 1st step is the hardest!

Solviture Ambulando - It is solved by walking!

Here are some videos that I found about being a Dad! - Hope u guys like it!

P.S - I can imagine myself with the light saber playing with Nathan

Monday, July 14, 2008

Blogging - When Videos need to be rotated

With everyone carrying a camera phone coupled with video capabilities, it is not uncommon for one to take out the phone when something exciting happens!

A problem arises when the video is taken with the wrong orientation.

The Nokia default Video program has a rotate button for images, but no such rotation button for videos.

It is a real problem as some of my videos have been posted the wrong way up. Click here

After some research on the Internet, I finally found a FREE program that can solve all my problems.

The problem is aptly called "Video Flip and Rotate" which can be found at www.download.com

With a simple interface, it is easy to use even for tech dummies

coversion1

...and best of all...IT'S FREE!

Check out the video, after it has been converted! No more watching videos sideways on your screen!

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Friday, July 11, 2008

Dengue Fever and the recovery

A lot of people have been asking me, how I have been since I have been struck by dengue fever. Well, I was not back at work last week because of complications to my dengue fever.

What do I mean by complications?

It seems that dengue can also affect the brain, the heart or the liver.

According to my doctor, I had the less of the 3 evils, as it affected my liver.

What does that mean?

In simple terms, I made me feel very tired and listless, and I experienced a lack of energy to do the things I normally do.

Medically speaking, before this complication, I wasn't even sure what the liver did. I just thought of the liver as an organ that was somewhere in my body, and an ingredient that my wife liked to drink in her ZHU ZHA TANG (Pig organ soup).

Well, the problem made me do some research on the net, and here are my findings (Skip this, if you are not into scientific mumbo jumbo)

It seems that humans can only last up to 24 hours without the liver functioning properly. It plays a major role in metabolism and has a number of functions in the body, including glycogen storage, decomposition of red blood cells, plasma protein synthesis, and detoxification.

The doctor told me that I had to eat good food...I went...And that means?

According to my research:

brocoli

Food that is good for me to eat at this time:

Broccoli,Brown  Rice, Carrots, Eggs, Garlic, Spinach, Tomatoes, Wheatgerm, Melonn, pepeers & Mushrooms.

glass_of_water

Foods for the General Health of the Liver

Drink lots of water (6–12 cups per day) because it helps the kidneys to get rid of the toxins that the liver has broken down.

Soy Beans & plenty of fresh fruits and lightly cooked vegetables

hot-dog

Foods that can Make the Liver Work Harder

High fat meats like sausage, bacon, salami, hot dogs and high fat dairy products like whole milk, ice cream and cheese, which contain saturated fats.

Other foods to limit that have a lot of saturated fat are french fries and high fat snack foods like potato chips, Doritos and Cheese Doodles.

Limit processed foods like white bread, white rice, cakes, cookies, donuts and candy.

Limit caffeine to 2-3 cups/day.

Eat light meals more frequently. Eating a light evening meal can help to reduce the liver’s work during the healing hours of sleep.

Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is known to be a powerful toxin than can also be stressful to the liver.

My Personal View

During the whole week, I had lots of porridge and skipped my favorite fast foods.

Presently, my enzyme levels are not back to normal yet, while means another blood check next week, but my energy levels have slowly returned.

I suspect, I caught dengue while I was in Taiwan, as I had to visit some camp sites with lots of mosquitos.

So, I guess it explains the tiredness that I felt during Camp Phenomena  and why I had to experience the extremely painful Chinese Massage as well.

But PTL! that I am much better, and I have the energy to take on the world again!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Weddings - An opportunity to be a flower girl

Last Saturday, Joseph and Emily got married!

It was another opportunity for Nicole to be a flower girl again!

This is her 3rd attempt at being a flower girl, and all within 6 months. Check out her 1st attempt and her 2nd attempt here!

When asked by Auntie Emily to be a flower girl again. She was a little bit shy at first, and she was coy about it.

But things changed when Auntie Em promised her a Milo Chocolate Bar at the end of the task - She raised her hands and said emphatically.....YES!!!...I want to be a flower girl!!!

My daughter was bought over a a Milo Chocolate Bar!

milo-bar

However, when the day approached, she displayed real enthusiasm for the role again, and was excited at being the little princess!

We dressed her up for her role, by getting out her flower girl dress and flower girl tights.

We did have some problems this time though - She was just watching TV as we were preparing to go and she suddenly burst out crying!

Turns out that Nic urinated in her tights.

Thank God that the tights were thin and that they dried in time, as Bear & Del helped us by putting the tights over the dryer.

It was NICE & WARM & DRY, when it was time for her to make her appearance :)

She was a bit nervous as the crowd cheered, but she made it to the end! Way to GO! NICOLE!!!

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Friday, July 4, 2008

Nuffnang - I got paid for Blogging!

Guess what!

Ever since I started blogging in Nov 2007, and getting an advertising company--Nuffnang, to put ads in my blog in Dec 2007, I received a letter from them today!

mail

It was my long awaited cheque from the company!

A cheque of $54.45!

Yipee! PTL!

check

It may not be much for a working adult - well not enough to quit my day job and become like XiaXue and blog full-time! But it's a start for a 30-something who just started to blog last year!

If you have not tried out any of these online advertising companies, do give Nuffnang a try! - I see it as a good way of getting back some cash for something you would probably do for free anyway.

Best of all, it's not based on the number of clicks per ad, but you get paid basically for the traffic you already have (when an ad campaign is placed on your blog)

I reckon that they are worth a shot! - considering I got nothing from Goggle Adsense or the other companies yet! :)

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Thursday, July 3, 2008

Nokia E71

My wife just bought a new HP - the latest Nokia E71

e71

She signed on for a 2 year contract with Singtel and she got it for a special price of $248.

What makes the deal even sweeter is that she managed to trade in her 'ultra lousy' E65 for $200, and we paid the rest via $40 Singtel vouchers and $8 up-front cash. PTL!

She has been resisting to purchase the phone, as there have not been much reviews about it yet (Singtel just released it last week), But she finally took the plunge after much persuasion.

I like the slim and sleek look of the model - just check out how slim it is compared to my Nokia N95 (8GB).

Mine is really chunky compared to it!

IMG_1365

But today she gave me her 1st complaint about the model.

She says "I have to really sit down and think before I SMS. I can't use just one hand when I want to SMS anymore, but now I need to use 2 hands due to the QWERTY Keyboard and the really tiny buttons -you got to have the fingers of an aneroxic model to use them effectively. (Check out my fat fingers next to the buttons)

IMG_1357

But it was either the Nokia E71 or a blackberry - so I told her, you would probably have the same problem with another model.

Currently, I am trying to get her to explore the new phone and all its features. She has not even changed the ringtone yet. It is still the classic default Nokia ringtone albeit a jazzed up version .

She says I am a techno geek, but I beg to differ -  Hey! I hardly go to the Hardware Zone Website, and I have not been to a PC fair for the last 5 years. I think they need to review my status in the techno geek club!

If u are thinking about getting the phone - It is still a safe bet at the moment!  It has not dropped any calls, nor reset by itself yet (NB-these are common faults that I have found with Nokia Phones)

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