ECE Cycling Day (29 August '13)

Start-End Point

Cycling Trail

Sunny smile.

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We thank God for the wonderful weather: no haze, no rain on 29 August '13. On our way to Punggol Park from NP at around 1:25pm, the sky opened up and it poured dogs and cats at Hougang and Ang Mo Kio. I could hear some of our staff already making plan B: checking out the nearest coffee shop with their smart phones.  Amazingly, it was completely dry at Punggol. As the coach turned from Buangkok Drive into Hougang Ave 10, we were so happy to see Khee Peng and Director waiting for us there.
We have 104% attendance because Dr. Lee NH joined us in the last minute made possible by Jiun Pink who volunteered to use his own bike. As the last man, I don’t get to see much action but I could see that Dr. Li Yan, Leh Ee and Yeow Whatt are very comfortable on the 2-wheeler.
Along the bicycle trail, we shared stories that we would probably never do in our normal day-to-day routine. We stopped at Punggol Point Park (bus no. 84 goes there) to give our bum a break and take in the view of the Johor Strait and Serangoon Island. At Lorong Halus Wetland, we learnt how the government overcame the problem of having a former landfill just next to the reservoir.

Some asked me to compare this trip to the Bukit Lambak trip that I organized last year. The Lambak trip is easier to organize, the only problem is getting the 3 quotes and after that, the selected agent handed all the details.  For this trip, we have to go through all the processes of buying the snack, arranging the transport and paying for the bikes.

Cost:
Cereal bar: $80.25
Bike and helmet rental: $486 (Glen and Jiun Pink used their own bikes)
Transport: about $100
Drinks: leftover from the Runners' Relay + from ECE general office
Total number of participants: 28+1

Contact: Joe Chua, HP: 96440180
Email: jcauto180@gmail.com
Address: Jomando Adventure & Recreations
Punggol Park, Hougang Avenue 10

Opening hours for Jomando Adventure & Recreations
Thursday / Friday: 2 to 8pm
Sat / Sunday / P. Holiday: 9am to 8pm
Close on Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday

Refrigerator Door Alarm Project

This video was created to inspire students taking the 'Refrigerator Door Alarm' project in the Fundamentals of Electronics. Click here.

NetRiders' Competition 2013

Date: 30 Sep 2013, Monday
Time: 1030 to 1700 hours
Venue: Nanyang Polytechnic
Form teams of 2 NSS students who will work jointly on answering theory questions (MCQ and fill in the blanks) and practical using Packet Tracer.
Attractive prizes and refreshment from Cisco Systems.
NP Wind Breakers for top 2 teams from NP (this is on top of the prizes from Cisco).
CCA points for all participants.
Results: Lau Kok Tiong and Dorwin Yang Junwen came in 9th.

NP Runners' Relay 2013 (19 July)

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Team A led from start to finish. Alan grabbed the pole position and never looked back, he pulled ahead with a yawning gap from the rest, Sze KL stretched it farther, Mark Wong a bit more, Chee Yuen even more.  Zekun ran like crazy so that Liu Qi will have an easier time, Billy the 7th runner was competing against the other 6th runners.  He almost overtook me (6th runner in team B) at the finishing point. Team A won in a record time of 37+ min. For the record, this is the first time we managed to retain our title. Well done, ECE! This calls for celebration.
Team A: Alan, Sze KL, Mark Wong, Zekun, Chee Yuen, Liu Qi, Billy (Wai Sing, reserve)

Team B played the catch-up game like what Team A did last year by putting the lady runner ahead in the running order. The strategy worked beautifully. When you chase and overtake a fellow competitor, you will feel a sense of focused energy and a surge of adrenalin as you pass that person. I have my kicks.
We ran our guts out and came in fifth. Do you know what? There are only 5 prizes in the staff category and we got the last one! We are so grateful and thankful.
Team B: Ong TS, Janet Goh, Ong MT, Calvin, Khee Peng, Chee Kin, Yang Yu. (Jen Hong, reserve)

We won because we have the 3 elements of success on our side:
1. 天时: Zekun and Liu Qi are leaving us next month. Had the timing been against us, we would lose 2 key members. Billy and Teck Soon will not be available had the race been postponed a week later.
2. 地利: We are physically closest to the running track compared to all other divisions so it is easy for us to hold training.
3. 人和: We banded together to bring glory to our division.
Team A has its strong foundation in Team B and Team B benefited from the overflow of talent from Team A. Teck Soon and Yang Yu can easily replace any Team A member (other than the lead and anchor runners) with minimum impact.

Many thanks to our supporters:
Wei Lian, our cheer leader, camera lady, store keeper
Wai Sing: team 1 lap time keeper
Jen Hong: team 2 lap time keeper
Amanda, Kou LP, Eric Koh, Chua KC, Yang Yu's wife: camera man
Boon Kee: cheer leader and prize handler

The power of Yoga

My running speed and stamina have been declining over the years. From my youth where I chased 2.4 km under 9 min (never succeed) to struggling just to go under 10 min and before I knew it, I was even happy when I could clock under 11 and then 12.
After the last campus run, I noticed I slowed down significantly. I have to seriously push myself just to go under 13 min. I even began to accept it as part of my aging. Recently and for the first time, I was able to reverse the decline. My secret? Yoga.
At my wife’s urging, I signed up for a Yoga class with her. The package is not cheap and I struggled. I realized that I did not practice what I preached. I always say beside God, my health and my relationship with my wife takes precedence over all others. But in real life, I put money ahead of them.
Ever since the first Yoga class, I have not regretted the decision. I fall in love with my wife all over again and I am courting her every day.  Now I am back to challenging the 12 min barrier and spending time with my wife. It is money well spent.

Cisco NetAcad Partner Meeting 2013 at Bali, Indonesia, 30-31 May

I was quite nervous actually. This is my first time that I attended such a conference and most people were strangers to me. I should have taken my time to show off the examples that we had. Poor time management on my part. I was given half an hour and I did not make the most out of it.
Nonetheless, I am very thankful to Cisco Systems for giving me the opportunity to speak in such an important conference. It is an honour and a very good experience for me. I hope the same for my counterparts in the other institutions.

Forest Adventure @ Bedok Reservoir

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