Been using iPhone for the last 2 days. Well.. I'm not really sure I want to use it as my day-to-day PDA phone. Reasons.. 1. I use Mac at home but PC at work. Most of my appointments are for work. But I could only sync to 1 computer. Duh... 2. I use a lot of SMS during my work since it's too noisy at work sites. But I can't forward SMS, and I can't send reply to multiple parties. What gives? 3. Simple thing like changing ringtones to my fav songs is a hassle. I've done some reading up and post the steps at the end of this entry. But this doesn't apply to SMS alerts. 4. Installation of applications. I haven't even tried to read up on that yet. So far I haven't been able to install anything from iTune app store. Supposed to go through some more steps. 5. I'm still struggling with the keypad.. I want my stylus!!!
iPhone is cool. But after a while the novelty wears out. Now right I'm thinking of switching back to WM6 and use iPhone purely for surfing, emails, music and video. I still need to replace my D810 cos it's giving me some problems lately. HTC Diamond looks good.
How to create custom ringtones for your iPhone... 1. Go to iTunes > Preferences > Advanced > Importing and change the “Import Using” drop down menu to “AAC Encoder” 2. Right click on the song, select “Get Info.” Go to Options tab. Check both “Start Time” and “Stop Time” boxes. Type in the time you want your ringtone to start/stop. The ringtone has to be 30 seconds or less. Personally I prefer to use an audio software (eg Wavepad) to clip the portions I want. 3. Right click on your newly “clipped” song. Select “Convert Selection to AAC.” 4. After the song is encoded, go to your iTunes Music folder, locate your song, and drag it to your desktop. 5. Click on the song and change the extension from .m4a to .m4r (ignore the warning msg that appears) 6. After the extension is changed, double click on the file to add it to your iTunes library under the ringtones section. 7. Sync your phone with iTunes.
I submitted everything to the sparkling contractor at 12:40 pm today. Hard copy, soft copy hand-delivered to his office. Feel so liberated! I'm going to ignore all his calls from now till I restore my health.
For 2 whole freakin weeks I was either working till 2-3am or through the night. Keep making changes...freakin stubborn too... Right now what I've submitted is for tender only. I dare not think what will happen if they really get the job.
But I actually admire their level of committment. There's no way a local contractor would go to such extent.
.. wait.. oh no.. he just sent me a sms.. he's coming over now... arrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!
p.s.
he's nickpicking!!! typo errors, fonts too small, my report presentation style... some more had the audacity to complain he couldn't fly back because the reports weren't complete and he's very unhappy.... LIKE HELL I CARE! it's his own bladdy fault. He wants perfection then he has to give me time! Each time he makes changes he expects me to deliver that same day. WTF!
But I wasn't too upset with him today.. know why? because he looked very stressed and tired. Looks like he's going through some sleepless nights himself too. hahahahah... oops... *snicker*
I got my iPhone on Sunday. But it had been sitting in its box for 2 full days. Took it out only yesterday. Perhaps age is really catching up coz I'm no longer excited about new gadgets the way I used to be. But then again I was so busy and been sooo tired for the last 2 days. Perhaps I wasn't in the mood?
So how do I like my iPhone? Mixed feelings.
I paid about $200 for it when I extended my Singtel contract so it's affordable. And I didn't even need to trade in my old phone. Setting up was easy. My email accounts were set up very quickly and I was able to download emails whether I'm connected to WiFi or using the mobile broadband.
I sync it to my Macbook and transferred about 400 songs over. 16GB is more than adequate to hold the songs I want. Photos, Contacts, Calender events etc were sync without any problem. Watching Youtube, videos are exactly what you would expect of a Apple product. So on the whole it's pretty cool.
So what's my gripe? I'm a stylus person. I've been using stylus since Palm III days. And when I'm too lazy to pull out the stylus, I would scribble with my finger nail (screen protected of course!) .
But for the iPhone, text entry is via a touchscreen keypad. And I'm so totally not used to it. I keep tapping the wrong letter. On top of that the phone automatically made word suggestions, so a "thks" was corrected to become "this" and was sent out before I could re-correct it. Anthony said this couldn't be turned off.. unless I crack my phone. I've briefly looked at the procedure to crack the phone. I went brain-dead after a few lines (been happening quitr often becos my sleep-deprived brain couldn't function properly). So I'll leave that till next week when things normalise a little.
Anyway a simple sms took me quite a while to send out. This is so going to take some getting use to. The iPhone looks delicate compared to my D810. I haven't bought a casing yet so right now I'm still using my D810. I have bought a multi-SIM card system. And I could switch between phones easily. So for day-to-day site visits think I'll keep to D810.
I was right about the Sparkling contractor wanting more changes. I slept only 2 hours yesterday. I was ok for most part of the day since I had a reasonably good rest on Sunday. But by 6pm I was feeling the effect again. I'm definitely getting old. I used to be able to go 3~4 days without sleep.
Came home, slept for 2 hours and got up at midnite to work on the tender again. I'm nocturnal. I do stay up late as a habit. But to read, to listen to music, to watch the stars, to surf and/or work on my long list of want-to-dos. And I hate it when I'm under pressure to deliver work.
But this should be the last round of changes since the contractor will be concentrating on the pricing next. Anyway I'll make myself unreachable to this fella once I submit my final report. I had enough.
And I still haven't collected my ice-cream maker. grrrhhh.
Last Saturday, after the mad rush to send out the reports, my adrenaline tapered off, leaving me in a half-zombie state.
Hubs dropped me & Rachel off at United Sq. for breakfast. And for the first time in my life I felt like puking when I smelled the coffee. (ok.. coffee at McDonald's wasn't great but it wasn't that bad..) I had 5 mugs of coffee in the past 6 hours and I just couldn't take the smell of coffee any more.
After I walked Rachel to her class, I went straight to AoR. Wasn't in the mood to do much. I chatted with Leon and rest of the people at AoR. But half the time I wasn't sure what I was saying. I have slept like 6 hours in the past 72 hours and basically I in a sleep-deprived-comatosed-state.
I took 1/2 of my drum lesson but was too tired to continue. I got Rachel to take over the rest. Cancelled my guitar lesson with Akie too, cos my mind couldn't process anything else.
I finally got home at 3.30pm, took a flu pill and knocked myself out. The 2-hour uninterrupted sleep did wonders. By 6.30pm I was fresh again, ready to face what's left of Saturday. Sent a text msg to Sophia to confirm our meet-up. So at 9.30pm, me & Sophia were chilling out at Vino Vino. Dee was there too. I finally found out her full name. Iylia. Nice name. Asked her why is everyone calling her Dee since her name starts with a I. She has no idea too! hahahha. It was fun chatting with her. And Akie, he kept making fun of me about my afternoon's zombie-state.
Went to Timbre at Substation after that. Goodfellas was playing. They were belting out a Cantonese number when we arrived. It was a popular song by Beyond but it took us a while to figure what they were singing...hahaha. Teased Rafi about it when he came over to chat during the break. There are a few video clips of Goodfellas at Timbre. But all rather low quality videos. Told Rafi I couldn't see him in many of the clips. Ought to raise up the drum platform a bit.
It was quite enjoyable... the company, the live music, the people-watching and the booze. Although I had to keep a lid on the booze part since I was driving. We stayed till closing time. Sophia likes the place. Me too. This place's a hidden gem. So looks like we'll be going there pretty often before she leaves for Oz.
Sophia stays in Jurong, so I drove her back. Cab fare would have cost a bomb and she already paid for the drinks. It was way past 2.30am by the time I reached home. As long as it's not work, I dun mind the late early hours. hahha
Finally I got most of the stuff out for the silly tender. BUT! (there's always a big butt but) tender is closing on 8 Sep, which is still 2 weeks away, and knowing how this group of Sparkling contractor work, I won't be surprised if he asks me to re-check and further refine my design again..and again..and again..and..
Didn't sleep the whole night and now I'm bushed. Managed to email him the report this morning. Perhaps he'll feel bad to see my emails sent out at 2.45am and 7am? Ha!
Whatever! Hopefully I get to pass a peaceful weekend. Been receiving multiple SMSs from him for the last 2 weeks and boy! I really hate reading his SMSs. I suppose it's because he doesn't speak English that well. His SMSs always sound so bladdy rude.
I think this week I averaged 5 mugs of coffee and 3 hours of sleep per night. If you open up my veins now you'll probably see coffee flowing out. I could have asked my staff to help but they are relatively new. They lack the experience to know what modifications to make in order the design work. In fact, the calculations I did last night? My engineer was working on it for the whole of last week.
*sigh* my ice-cream maker was ready for collection on Wednesday and I haven't even picked it up yet. I was hoping to start making ice-cream this weekend But not much chance of that cos now I have to rush my other projects. Because of the 2 big tenders, all the rest of my projects are jammed up. Need to make use of this weekend to clear my backlogs. Imagine! My backlogs have backlogs. Wish me luck...
Worked till 2am this morning to finish the pile deign ...Only to find out my Excel template had a mistake. ARRGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I gave up my sleep for NOTHING!!! NOTHING!!!!!!
Then the engineer from the Sparkling country (pay attention to TV ads and you'll know which country I'm refering to) said he wanted to come over to go through the calculations. He was here since 11am and would not leave until I gave him some design reports. I had to skip breakfast & lunch to rush out 1 set of report and finally managed to get rid of him for the time being. Bladdy slave-driver. Tender closing on 8 Sep not tomorrow.. dunno why rush me until like that. Now I'm supposed to give him another 2 more reports by 6pm. Which I better try to or else he will come over and sit again.
My boss was laughing at me asking me what I've gotten myself into.
Received an email from Singtel. iPhone has arrived. It'll be launched midnite 22 August 08. This is the part that I get confused. midnite 22 August refers to today midnite or tomorrow midnite? Anyway I'm not one of those whose die die must be the first person to get one. Already reserved one to be collected on Sunday.
The price plans announced by Singtel as follows,
If you are keeping to your current mobile plans,
But you would probably want to get the Mobile Broadband on Demand with the mobile plans
The iFlexi plans don't seem really worth it with only 1~3 GB data bundle. If I'm going to surf or watch Youtube on the iPhone, 1~3GB won't be enough.
Was discussing with Anthony, who is also getting the phone, about the plans. He has done his homework. I too lazy. So easier to call him for a summary.
I'm currently using the iTwo Plus, I will be able to get the 16GB iPhone at $208. Then I'll add the Broadband 1000 package which will set me back by another $22+. I could trade-in my Dopod 810. Should be able to fetch $200~250 for that. But I haven't really decided yet. I might keep the D810.
I really don't know what to do with Mr. CoW. For the past 1 week I keep losing my temper whenever I speak to him. I'm a fairly friendly person and I will try to avoid confrontations whenever possible. But with Mr. CoW, i can actually feel my blood pressure rising every time he opened his mouth.
After my chat with him, he behaved himself where addressing me is concerned. He's idea of small talk is weird...I still can tahan a bit. His way of reporting is long-winded, but I can also tahan a bit more *sigh*. And when I'm in a good mood, I can laugh it off.
But today! argghh!
My clerk would usually help me to filter his calls. But she happened to be on another line and he slipped through.
Mr. CoW : Sorry ah.. I got something important to report to you.
Me : Yes? (*sigh* what now?)
Mr. CoW : Last night I ate some prawn noodle.
Me : ??
Mr. CoW : Then hor ..this morning I went to the site. I suddenly stomach upset. I shit in my pants. I playful lah.. know I shouldn't eat all these type of food.
Me : ??????????? *wtf*
Mr. CoW : Then I have to go home to change and wash my pants.
Me : (*take a deep breath*) Why are you telling me this?
Mr. CoW : I got diarrhea. I shit in my trousers what. So I need to clean up!
Me : (*raising my voice*) Listen.to.me.properly. I am asking you why are you telling me this? Why do I need to know that you shit in your pants or whether you wash your pants or not?
Mr. CoW : No lah. I scared later you worried about me, wondering how come I never go to the site.
Me : Why would I worry about you? If I need you for anything I'll call. (*literally shouting*) Do you have any idea how much work I have on my hand? Even my husband doesn't call me to report shitting problem to me. Why are you doing this? You think I am your mother is it?
Mr. CoW : ok ok. sorry sorry.
Me : *slam down phone*
I was planning to keep him until his contract expires. But I'm not sure I can take any more of his nonsense any longer. And I'm getting kinda worried too. This guy seems to be developing (or already developed?) some mental problems. If I keep him I'm asking for trouble. But I fire him, will he start stalking me or will he get depressed and committ suicide?
Bryan started giggling ½ way through his GTA game. Couldn’t wait to let me know the source of his mirth. “Hey mom! Listen to this! It’s so lame!” he said. He turned up the volume and this was what I heard.
I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name It felt good to be out of the rain In the desert you can remember your name cause there aint no one for to give you no pain La, la ..
An old classic by America The Horse with No Name....hahaha.. it was a hit back in the 70s. yup.. i remember learning & singing this song. ok.. the lyrics was a bit weird. He’s in the desert. He’s got nothing to do. Makes you wonder why he couldn't just name the horse! I had that song in my iTunes and I played the whole thing for Bryan. He couldn't stop laughing.
Come to think of it. There are many songs from way back then, songs I grew up with, which lyrics were rather banal, downright silly even.
Muskrat Susie, muskrat Sam Do the jitterbug out in muskrat land
Also another America’s…about a pair of rodents making out... Muskrat Love.
Neil Diamond’s I am I said comes to mind too.
"I am," I said To no one there And no one heard at all Not even the chair
what was Neil expecting? the chair to say "i hear you" ? hahaha... guess he couldn’t find any other animated object that rhymes with there. Personally I’ll prefer bear. At least a bear has got ears that could have heard him.
Wait till Bryan hears this next classic… MacArthur Park. Take your choice from 2 versions .. the original soulful one by Richard Ellis and disco version by Donna Summers.
Someone left the cake out in the rain I don't think that I can take it 'Cause it took so long to bake it And I'll never have that recipe again Oh, nooooooooo! Oh, nooooooooooooooo! Oh, noooooooooooooooooooooo!
Ought to be in dreamland... BUT!! still working... *sigh*
Yesterday wasn't so bad.. managed to clear some work. I was really moody on Wednesday. So stressed that I sent out 3 distress SMSs. Something I don't usually do. All responded immediately. So nice to have great friends! Boon and Syafiq responded with words of encouragement. The best was Fen. He called offering help with some of calculations and drawings. Many thanks, pal! I owe you one!
The main source of my distress is this PhD engineer from a well-known contractor from a 'sparkling' country in Asia. Bloody slave-driver from hell. For God's sake, this is only a fucking tender we're working on. But the details he asked for were as though they were awarded the job. His mannerism was what irked me. Kept comparing my work with another big-time MNC 's work. Bloody condescending and sarcastic. Told him I'm already doing my best with the manpower I've got. If he's not happy with that he could get someone else.
Anyway this isn't my the first unpleasant encounter with engineers from this country. Those guys are MCP! This time and age! WTF!
Feeling kinda burnt out for the last few days. While having my breakfast coffee this morning I started listing out the projects I'm currently working on.
17!
No wonder I'm feeling so stressed up. I've got so many people behind my back chasng for reports. Phone's been ringing non-stop too. Everybody's asking for theirs to be given priority. wtf! Maybe I ought to tell them whoever brings the check first will have theirs attended to first.
Shit! never felt so tired. and this bladdy headache just refused to go away.
yup.. today is one of those 'down' days.
Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow. Although.. I doubt so. Already have 4 meetings lined up. Was hoping to go to the gym tomorrow morning. looks like I'll have to miss it again *sigh*
Such wonderful news! 3 babies safely delivered within the last 4 days! Congratulations to Anthony & Jolene, Gu & Charrell, Leon & Lynn and the arrival of their 2nd kid.
Anthony, Gu, Charrell, Leon & Lynn are friends from IRC daz back in 1996. Gosh! 12 years already. Who says you can't form true friendship on the internet? There's also Jeff & Elaine, Edwin, Jamieson and Desmond. Other than the latter 3 whom had been sort of out-of-touch lately, the rest of us meet up regularly. Two weeks back, we even had a pre-delivery celebration at Gu's house!
My nickname was Meow (could tell I'm a cat-lover..) and since I was the oldest among the group, they called me Mommy Meow. Back in 1996~97, Hubs was overseas fairly often, Bryan stayed over at my mom's on weekdays and Rachel wasn't born yet. So I was quite free weekdays. We would IRC late into the nights, have on-line games, meet up in the middle of the nights for coffee or go pubbing. And for weekend outings, I would bring Bryan along. The gang literally watched Bryan, and Rachel, grow up. In a way I watched the gang grew too, from carefree youngsters into mature, responsible parents. I'm so proud of everyone of them! wah.. macam like I really their mom! hahaha
The EF28-70 f/2.8L lens has been discontinued and replaced by EF24-70 f/2.8L. The reviews of the 24-70 have been good, most citing it as the best all-purpose/walk-around lens. I got my EF28-70 f/2.8L at second hand and it has performed beautifully. Hence no justification for me to upgrade. But have to admit that the extra 4mm was pretty tempting
Not when you learn something new.. and in my case.. 2!
First I went for my trial belly dancing class this morning. Usually I'm quite apprehensive when I embark on something new or unknown. But not today because I'm not alone. Sophia, Jean and Sandra were there too. Sandra started a year ago and she's been trying to get us to join. So today was our trial lesson. And? I love it! . All those willowy arms and undulating pelvis moves... it was fun. And since Sophia, Jean and I were such newbies.., we kept breaking down in laughters. Especially at the shimmies, when I discovered new layers of blubbers round my waistline previously unknown to me! hahahah.
The instructor, Kumar (yes! a guy! ) put us gals to shame. Boy! can he move! He kept us moving continuously for an hour and it was a great workout. I definitely am signing up. Sandra looked sexy wearing that sash covered with coins. The clinking coins went well with the music and the movements. I'm going to get one of those once I get a hang of the movements.
Next! Ice-cream lesson. I went with my neighbour to a ice-cream course. I found out that the ice-creams I love weren't difficult to make! I sampled 8 homemade ice-cream flavours.
There were Orange Sorbet, Yogurt, French Vanilla, Hazelnut Gelato, Death-by-Chocolate, Coffee Khalua, Black Seasame and Durian.The best thing about homemade ice-cream is that I know exactly what went into the ice-cream. I get to control the amount of sugar and fat. Now I can eat ice-creams without guilt. I'll need to re-arrange the kitchen and freezer a bit before I buy the ice-cream maker.
Went Verona to visit the hometown of Romeo & Juilet. These are fictional characters. But that doesn't stop Juilet from having her own house complete with a balcony. What a tourist crap trap! If it wasn't for the interesting streets, I would have kicked Lawrence (tour-guide) for making us pay extra for this side trip to Verona.
Don't know about you, but I find this star structure near the Arena rather intriguing.
Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it I tried to be chill but you’re so hot that I melted I fell right through the cracks, now I'm tryin to get back before the cool done run out I'll be givin it my bestest and nothin's gonna stop me but divine intervention I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some
But I won't hesitate no more, no more, it cannot wait I'm yours
Well open up your mind and see like me open up your plans and damn you're free look into your heart and you'll find love love love love listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing We're just one big family And it's our godforsaken right to be loved loved loved loved loved
So, i won't hesitate no more, no more, it cannot wait i'm sure there's no need to complicate our time is short this is our fate..I'm yours
I've been spendin' way too long checkin' my tongue in the mirror and bendin' over backwards just to try to see it clearer But my breath fogged up the glass and so I drew a new face and I laughed I guess what I'd be sayin' is there ain't no better reason to rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons it's what we aim to do our name is our virtue
But I won't hesitate no more, no more it cannot wait I'm yours
Well open up your mind and see like me open up your plans and damn you're free look into your heart and you will find that the sky is yours
so please don't, please don't, please don't, there's no need to complicate, Cause our time is short This, this, this is our fate, I'm yours
A lovely charming town with plenty of photo opps. Got most of my souvenir here... mainly Swiss Army knifes and watches. Tried the Swiss Fondue.. but found too rich for my liking. Bryan & Rachel, both cheese-lovers, were crazy over it. It was very windy & cold up at the top of Jungfraujoch. We were 11,333ft above sea level. And I was surprised to see birds and wondering what were they doing so high up. I suppose the birds were wondering the same about us humans. The view up there was awesome. Too bad the clouds came in soon after we arrived.
It was snowing as we drove through the mountain pass from Luzern towards Verona. Very nice indeed! The coach-driver stopped for us to stretch a bit and Rachel was ecstatic. She was stomping around, trying to catch the falling snow and making snowballs. I had no idea she loved snow so much. Thought she would be complaining about the cold and dampness. You should have seen her cheeks.. very rosy.
I've told my friends about AoR, and two of them decided to visit last Saturday. Sophia is interested in guitar and thinking of signing Saffron up for drums. Tang is interested in drums but his son wasn't sure yet. His son played a few instruments, so far no formal training. He's more interested in music arrangement. Too bad AoR is currently not offering that.
T & his son stuck around to watch how the lesson was conducted. Which was basically, standing outside my window, watching me for the entire 1/2 hr lesson... made me so conscious of myself.
Rafi said they (Goodfellas/Soulfellas) would be performing at Esplanade over the weekend at 8.30pm. I guess must be at the new Esplanade Outdoor Theatre. No wonder Esplanade was rushing for us to complete the works there... probably have performances lined up for the NDP celebrations. But I had to miss it. There was a NDP preview that night. No way I was going anywhere near Marina area. And I couldn't go on Sunday too since the next day was a school day. Oh well. Another time perhaps.
Had lunch with the Tangs and then I went Scotts Square for site inspection. No place to park on site and had to park at Hyatt Hotel. So imagine me walking through the posh hotel lobby and down Scotts Road in my construction boots & helmet. New fashion statement at Orchard! heheh
I was back at AoR for guitar lesson at 6. I still can't figure how to grip the guitar and spent the next 30 mins contorting my fingers. Akie made it looked so effortless. But how? Can't stand it. I got to do it somehow.
After a quick dinner, I went over to the expressway site. Need to witness backfilling sequence since my Mr. CoW was on medical leave. Left site around 9.30pm and headed down to Cathay Ben & Jerry's to watch Luth & Akie. That area around Cathay was teeming with young people. In fact there was still a queue trying to get into Cathay's carpark. Parked at Plaza Sg. Just a short walk.
As usual, very young crowd at Ben & Jerry's. Ordered an double Espresso instead of ice-cream. Watching my weight. But next time I would get a Double Expresso Double. Their double was so tiny.
Luth & Akie..as usual, very entertaining. One of the songs they played was Jason Mraz's I'm Yours, my JM fav. So guess what song I'm humming now?
I won't hesitate no more... no more.. it cannot wait.. I'm yours
I hired Mr. CoW to help with this PUB project, the same project that encountered problem at the major expressway. So far he MIA-ed at the 3 critical stages of the repairs. First was when excavation exposed the pipelines. Second when the cutting shield was retrieved exposing the damaged pipes. The 3rd was last Saturday when the damaged pipe was finally repaired and backfilling commenced.
So why wasn't he around this time?
He was given 3 days MC.
What for?
Ahh... here's where I''ll backtrack...
The whole of last week was one accident after another for him. On Monday, he told me he was coughing blood. Later found out what he meant there was slight blood tint in his phlegm (I hope no one's eating while reading this!) What a drama king!
Came back the next morning and couldn't wait to show me his MC. He pretended he couldn't read what the doctor wrote, which I'm sure the doctor has explained to him. Anyway the word was "bronchitis". I told him to take the day off to rest. But he insisted he's ok and he's worried about the projects and since I was so nice to him, he felt responsible to make sure work progress ok. He's trying to make me feel guilty. Not working!
On Wednesday, his finger got caught when the van's door slid shut. He ended up with a blue-black finger nail. Again he couldn't wait to show me. Again told him to take the day off. Again he refused, citing reasons as above. I was quite exasperated and told him I've handled my projects without him for the last 20 years. I was pretty sure I could manage without him for the next couple of days. He just wouldn't listen.
On Thursday, he went to Holland V to collect a cheque for my clerk and walked right into a glass door. He ended up with a huge lump on his forehead. He called back and said he was going to A&E at SGH to check in case he had concussion...hmm.... He was given 3 days MC.
This morning he appeared at office with a huge bump on his forehead just above the eye. He's now walking around the office wearing his shades.
I don't know whether to laugh or to sympathise with him.
I know I may sound mean. But even my very good-natured clerk came to me saying she understands why I always get very agitated when I talk to him. You got to meet him in person and you too will know why.
