Forest Adventure @ Bedok Reservoir

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Coasta Victoria Cruise 15-20 Dec '12

Cruise Pictures
Langkawi
Penang
Recommendation: Die die must try. We paid about S$500 per person for the cruise (not including the island tours) and we get to enjoy free flow of food, accommodation, hot water pool, sauna, nightly entertainment, gym, etc.
Reminder: Must bring power adapter for charging your mobile devices.

Mum's birthday

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Gunong Lambak Day Trip, 7 Sep '12

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Last year, I organized a trip to Mount Kinabalu (Mt. K Trip) for my family and a number of ECE staff joined in the fun. We enjoyed ourselves so much that I actually looked forward to another such opportunity.  The idea of Gunong Lambak came about when I was bush walking with my wife in Bukit Timah one Sunday afternoon.  We have retiree friends who used Gunong Lambak as a training base for their adventure trips.  If retirees could do it, it should be doable by most people.

But there is one little problem: I have never been to Kluang myself, I could not do it alone – I needed help.  I am very glad that Billy and Tee Boon Lye agreed to jointly organize the event.  With Billy’s youthful energy and Tee BL’s expert local knowledge, we were all set.

Tee entertained us with his Kluang stories – 4 versions of how Klaung got its name, a coffee shop that the former Johore Sultan would send armed personnel to collect his supply, the botak curry man, Kluang people’s hospitality and productivity.  His descriptions of mouthwatering Kluang food are enough to convince me that we need another trip just for this.  Tee BL is indeed a gracious host and a Kluang Da Ge Da.

Other than some minor cuts and sore muscle, we were none the worse after the climb.  For the record, we did not encounter any leeches.

Some gems from our colleagues:
Sze Kai Loon while helping a colleague up a slope:
“Careful, don’t hurt the earth.” (Say it in Hokkien for effect)

Yong Saw Soon:
“If you miss this opportunity, you will have to wait another 20 years.” (This certainly resonated with the older staff for this is the first time we did something like that in my 25 years with NP)

Unsung heroes:
Ong Meng Tiong:  In addition to his own stuff, he carried the backpack of another climber and a first aid kit for us.
Sze Kai Loon: He volunteered to be the last man and literally hand held the slowest climber to the summit.  This is the glory of patience, kindness and self-sacrifice.
The 3 girls, Amanda, Eve and Janet, provided the cheers.  They were giggling and having fun like high school girls.

Lessons learnt:
1. For breakfast, always choose to detour. I was told that the farther one has more choices and better food.
2. We chose a different return path from the one that we used to climb up.  The problem is that this path split into many different paths towards the end and the climbers may end up separated.

Comments:
It was a good trip!
I spent the whole weekend talking about it!
Thanks to Chee Kin, Billy , Ah Tee and everybody in that trip.
Tan Boon Lee

We would like to thank you for organising the above one day bonding event to Kluang , Malaysia.
We do a lot of exercise climbing up the mountain and enjoy the educational tour at the ZhengXin organic farm. Not to mention the delicious organic lunch and the shopping we have done at Kluang town.
The objective is clearly met as we bond very well during the entire trip.
We deeply appreciate the support of Management on this event and we look forward to have more of these activities so as to promote even higher level of bonding and better work-life balance among ECE colleagues.
Thanks again !
Tee Boon Lye

My Omron HBF-500 Body Fat Monitor Results

Body Fat (%) = 19.7 (Healthy range: 19-21%)
Visceral Fat = 7 (Healthy range: 1-12)
Body Age = 42
Muscle Skeletal (%) = 31.6 (Ideal is greater than 35%)

My Beep Test Results on 22-8-2012

My Level = 8, Shuttle = 3
My VO2 Max is 40.87
According to the VO2max norms for different ages, I am good.
To be excellent, I need to hit 9.7.
Lesson learnt: Run in circles rather than in straight line to reduce the strain and stress of stopping and reversing.

VO2max Calculator

ttp://www.topendsports.com/testing/beepcalc.htm

VO2max norms for different ages

http://www.topendsports.com/testing/vo2norms.htm

Loh WH's Farewell Lunch, 31-8-2012

Raffles Town Country Club

Clementi Gateway

Clementi Gateway (bounded by Commonweath Ave West  & Clementi Ave 6)

Artist Impression of the upcoming BTO

NP Runners’ Relay 2012 (13 July)

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First of all, I must thank Hui Ling for covering Chen Ming’s invigilation duty.  Without her help, the outcome may be quite different.

There were two counters at the Runners’ Relay registration booth, one for the staff and another for the students.  I naturally queued up at the staff counter.  In front of me was a bunch of young people, smiling and giggling away.  I was in a hurry and I kept thinking that they were in the wrong queue.  I was about to give them my 2-cent worth of advice when the young chap in front of me called out to his students.  I had to quickly bite my tongue before the wrong words rolled off.

To avoid congestion, the student teams (19 of them) were flagged off first.  A minute later, it was the staff’s turn.  Billy stunned everyone with his explosive run.  He ran off like a Kenya runner running against a field of secondary school kids.  It was a sight to behold.  I caught myself smiling when I recalled the scene.  It was pure joy.  Billy even caught up with some of the students as he passed the baton to Eve.

If you were like me who love watching movies where the protagonist’s fortune swing wildly along when your emotion this is what we have here.   After the first runner, team 1 was arranged from the slowest to the fastest.  When their second runner ran even our team 2’s Hee JJ caught up and overtook her by a huge margin.

Amazing, Kai Loon, team 1 third runner, came from behind and overtook Patrick Han (team 2, third runner) at the changeover point.  Yu Yang and Zhao Min caught up with all the rest except COI (water) but the gap was still very huge.  We kept faith in our strategy – we kept motivating ourselves that they have a weak link at the sixth runner and Puay Hong will gobble her up skin, bone and all.

Finally it was down to the last runners.  It was a titanic battle between Chee Yuen and COI’s last runner.  Both were equally strong and determined.   Chee Yuen did the honors and anchored the team to victory.  We are champions!

Members of Team 1:  ECE_Runners
Billy, Gek Huay, Kai Loon, Yu Yang, Zhaomin, Puay Hong, Chee Yuen

Team 2 did well too.  For the first time, team 2 won something by finishing sixth in the field of 15 staff teams.  We don’t have a strategy like team 1 but we have a secret weapon.  It is secret so we will keep it as that.  But rest assured, we won it fair and square.
Members of Team 2: ECE_Amateurs
Meng Tiong, Juay Jiunn, Patrick Han, Khee Peng, Kee Wan, Chen Ming, Chee Kin

For the first time, a NSS student team participated in the event.  They came in 9th out of 19 and all the members are third year students.  They trained in Clementi Sports Stadium because half of their team was having internship and that location was a compromise for all. They had so much fun from the training sessions and on the actual day that they told me that they should have started participating since year 1.

What a regret! I am reminded that the greatest mistake in life is not participating.  They will not remember most of the things that happened in the classroom but this is something they will remember for the rest of their lives.
Members of the student team from NSS:
Nicholas Quek, Ng Wei Lin, Jeremy Ong, Nathania, Wei Hsiang, Nikki Chua, Jing Xiang

Thank you to our supporters:
Dr Chong, Linus, Francis, Nancy, Gwee CS and Sunarto.  My apologies if I missed out anyone.  I was half blind most of the time as my Wei Lian was holding my spectacles.
Special thanks:
Wei Lian for safekeeping our things when we were running.
Billy’s wife for pacing our two girls.

Our reserves:
Hock Chuan, Wai Sing and Janet.

Official Results:
Staff
39:33:97 - ECE-Runners - Billy
41:09:02 - Team COI 1 - Chua Meng Huat
42:38:14 - ICT - Andrew Tan
42:47:62 – ME STAFF - seow Chih Wei David
44:14:18 - EE United - Isaac Ong Yen Hong
44:29:98 - ECE - Amateurs - Low Chee Kin
45:15:80 - BAndsmen - Puan Keng Choon, Peter
45:16:43 - LSCT Staff Team 1 - Briek Starink
45:51:99 - HS-C Team - Winston Lim
45:57:52 - FMS Media Magnets - Craig Mc Turk
48: 01:33 - HMS - Chye Aik
49:59:47 – Admin –Andrew Choo
50:18:49 - Team COI 2 - Sakinah Binte Hamzah
53:41:15 - LSCT Staff Team 2 - Wayne Lee Forday
60:00:29 - HS R 4 F - Akram

Student
38:17 - BA RUNNACC-Lim Cheng Jun Bryan
40:51 - FMS- Benjamin Lee
41:00 - ICT 2 - Firdaus Pang
43:01 - ICT 1 - Toh Yu Cheng Alvin
43:29 - Health Science Nursing - Terrence Tan
43:59 - BME - Carlson Chen
44:04 - MES - Tee Kai Yang
45:36 - ECE Student 1 - Sandar Aye
46:22 - NSS / ECE / SOE - Quek Jia Hao Nicholas
46:24 - LSCT - Sun Yun Fei
46:47 - Team SOE - Ruban Raj Manoharan
47:19 - ECE Student 2 - Edwin Ong Zi Wei
49:15 - LSCT- Sebastian Joseph Teo Wangxian
54:59 - HMS - Chan Min Yi
56:59 - EE FANTASTIC - Yar Zar Ye

Singapore ASPIRE game@NP photos

The ASPIRE game is a simulation game that challenges the player's entrepreneur, financial and internetworking skill. We hope to impart in our students 21st century soft skills (e.g. innovation and character) in a fun and non-threatening manner.  Gaming is a natural way to reach out to these digital natives.

More detailed write-up in NP-SoE website

Interesting Links

NP Online Bookshop
http://www.ubspress.com/nptextbooks

Electronics Engineering
http://elearn-electronics.blogspot.sg/

Stunning iPad Magic Show
http://www.youtube.com/embed/53_qvMQfvOE

Amazing optical illusion
http://www.brilliantbraintraining.com/the-amazing-new-looks-of-hollywood-celebrities/

Inspiring talk
http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html

http://www.cmu.edu/homepage/multimedia/kaiFuLee.shtml

General
http://www.flixxy.com/the-paperless-future-emma.htm
ISACA Student Event

Letter to my children

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=474954857887&set=vb.151523654862808&type=2&theater

My favourite hardware shop
Sun Hee Hardware
Blk 354, Clementi Ave 2,
#01-239, S(120354)
Tel: 6777 1788

Cisco Day @ NP '12

26 April 2012
Photos

Cisco Networking Academy NetRiders' Competition

Here is a video to tell you more about the Cisco NetRiders' Competition:
Video for Cisco NetRiders 2012

YEP Laos 6-20 March '12 Photo Album

Overview
Pre-trip
From Singapore to Vientiane (6 Mar '12)
Visit to Singapore Embassy, Vientiane (7 Mar '12)
Visit to COPE, Vientiane (7 Mar '12)
Village Orientation, Pong Song Village (8 Mar '12)

Main Project Work
Making of bamboo mesh (9 to 12 Mar '12)
Making of Concrete (12 to 16 Mar '12)
Link Way Construction (12 to 16 Mar '12)
Teaching of Information Technology (12 to 15 Mar '12)
Teaching of school students (12 to 15 Mar '12)

Farming Activities
Harvesting of Sugar Cane (8, 14 Mar '12)
Harvesting of Charcoal (9 Mar '12)
Setting up of Charcoal Furnace (12 Mar '12)
Setting up of Charcoal Furnace (13 Mar '12)

Fringe Events
Mountain Climbing (11 Mar '12)
Cluster Cooking (9 to 15 Mar '12)
Weaving (12 to 15 Mar '12)

Bonding Activities
Telematch (10 Mar)
Baci Ceremony (16 Mar '12)
Picnic at Nam Song River (17 Mar '12)
Bonding with Lao children
Bonding among ourselves

Others
General
Lao Food
Rest and Recreation

Splitting of Bamboo

Bamboo Splitting Video by Mr. Low
Video featuring Ishwarya, Jia Jie & Jia En

Bamboo Splitting Video by Mr. Peter Tan
Featuring Jia En, Sylvia, Jia Jie, Ishwarya, Jun Wen, Ivy & Don

Weaving by Syafiq

The Bible as the living word of God

During a family Bible reading, we came across Proverbs 25:2 which say “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, to search out a matter is the glory of kings.”
The verse resonates with me because I teach Computer Forensics and during the lab lessons, I give my students related puzzles to solve.  They enjoy solving the puzzles so much that they will ask if there are puzzles for them to solve when they are in the lab.  The element of uncertainty astounds and excites some of them.
I have seen all kind of responses the moment they solved the puzzles – punching the air, shrieking in delight or just a cynical smile.  My pride and joy is to catch and savor these moments. I will ask the student who solved the puzzle to share his solution with the class.  And that is the glory of the kings.
To hide something is also an art.  If no one could solve it then it serves no purpose, I must as well give them a lecture.  On the other hand, if it is so easy that one look and everybody could solve it then it would not bring out the joy of the kings.
A few days later, a colleague told me that he felt a little lost after he is no longer a module leader.  He had been the module leader for as long as I could remember.  My immediate response was to tell him to give his successor a free hand and not to interfere. Then I remembered Proverb 25:2.  I shared with him and I told him, he is the seeker now and God will reward him with the glory of the kings when he finds it.
I shared my story with my lunch partner and added my 2-cent worth that Proverbs 25:2 is applicable to our search for our purpose in life.  My friend was indignant.  He said as a Christian, there is no need to search. Only 2 things matter for a Christian – number 1 is to glorify God and two to enjoy God.