Friday, December 19, 2008
Christmas gone mad
One bright and sunny Sunday afternoon I got cracking on the last Griswalds Family Christmas idea for our junior in the office. This is what happened. One person with a lot of time on hands......5-7 hours, $200, 1000 Christmas candles, 150m of tinsel, 10 rolls of Christmas paper, 5 rolls of sticky tape. And one Santa hat…...the result
Thursday, December 18, 2008
World police cars
Wow, look at this. Some have such great "privilege", especially a small segment of the European police force.....
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Malaysia - Proton Saga
Malaysia - Proton Waja
Malaysia - Proton Perdana
Australia - Alfa Romeo GT
Australia - Holden VE Commodore
Austria - Porsche 911
Bulgaria - Porsche 911
Canada - Jaguar S Type
China - Hummer
Germany - Brabus CLS Rocket
Germany - Porsche 911 Carrera
Italy - Lamborghini Gallardo
Italy - Smart
Japan - Skyline GTR
Singapore - Subaru WRX
South Africa - Lamborghini Gallardo
UK - BMW M3
UK - Lamborghini Gallardo
UK - Lotus Exige
USA - Corvette C6
USA - Dodge Viper
USA - Ford Mustang
USA - Hummer H2
USA - Nissan 350Z
Malaysia - Proton Waja
Malaysia - Proton Perdana
Australia - Alfa Romeo GT
Australia - Holden VE Commodore
Austria - Porsche 911
Bulgaria - Porsche 911
Canada - Jaguar S Type
China - Hummer
Germany - Brabus CLS Rocket
Germany - Porsche 911 Carrera
Italy - Lamborghini Gallardo
Italy - Smart
Japan - Skyline GTR
Singapore - Subaru WRX
South Africa - Lamborghini Gallardo
UK - BMW M3
UK - Lamborghini Gallardo
UK - Lotus Exige
USA - Corvette C6
USA - Dodge Viper
USA - Ford Mustang
USA - Hummer H2
USA - Nissan 350Z
Monday, December 15, 2008
Fun, eventful weekend :)
The weekend that just passed was a pretty good, fun-filled, eventful one.
It started on Friday nite, with work's Xmas party at Era Bistro in South Brisbane. It was held after work. We finished early at 4pm so that we can get ready for the party which started at 6pm. I chose to stay at work & hang out with a few colleagues until it was time to head to the Xmas party. The party was a black & white cocktail party. On the whole, it was good, but the food provided was not enough for my liking. It was all finger food & nibbles. The main attraction for many was, of course, the alcohol. Wine was in plentiful supply. Likewise, the beer, but the tab was limited only to Hahn. I can't quite believe that, & was a bit disappointed by the lack of variety. Nevertheless, I drank what I could - but still didn't get quite as drunk as some others. I spent nearly half my time outside the Era Bistro premises chatting with those colleagues who chose to hang outside. At around 11pm, I left & caught a cab home safely.
I spent much of Saturday recuperating (slept in a bit & all that, & so skipped the Clay group picnic) & relaxing. Then come evening, it was time to head over to Sono Japanese Restaurant at Portside Wharf, Hamilton to have a group dinner with a few ex-colleagues - the ones I was close to at my previous workplace. Some of them brought their spouses. We had booked out a private room to ourselves, which overlooked the river. A good decision, according to my friends. We had our shoes off. One of my colleagues brought her baby along, & she misbehaved for a good portion of the dinner (always trying to knock anything that is on the table). The food was delicious. Among other things, it included the sashimi & sushi platter, plus we had the Sono banquet. Very nice - I enjoyed the meal. The seafood was all fresh, everything was clean & superb. The only downer was the green tea ice-cream, which didn't have a strong green tea taste as I would have liked. That aside, it was enjoyable & relaxing. I mean, with the private room, we were pretty much shielded from the noise in the open dining area. Maybe next time, we can seat in the open area. All up, there were 6 of us (including myself, but not counting friend's baby) so the dinner set us back at $69 per head.
That Saturday nite dinner meant I missed out on family dinner with Val & Andrew coming over, for Val's birthday (which is really today, 15/12/08). But never mind, because I was going to catch up with her on Sunday evening at her surprise birthday BBQ at Val & Andrew's complex. It was a late, last minute thing organised by Andrew. Just a few of Val's friends plus myself & BT (my parents were at farewell dinner at their church). BT & myself were initially watching Qld Roar v Newcastle Jets at home. Newcastle opened the scoring in the 25th minute, whereupon BT & myself agreed that we had seen enough (sick & tired by Roar's poor showing) & immediately headed over to Val's surprise birthday. We thought we missed the surprise, but not we didn't - we were the last invitees to arrive at the BBQ area, but didn't really miss anything as Andrew had not yet arrived with Val. That happened shortly after. Val (who had been wearing sunglasses & possibly was made to close her eyes) was escorted by Andrew. And when Andrew gave Val the ok to take off the sunglasses, surprise!! She said she had no idea & didn't suspect anything. We thus had our BBQ dinner & fellowship, saw Val cut her birthday cheesecake, before cleaning up & heading over to Val & Andrew's townhouse to hang out for a while. I finally saw Val & Andrew's new plasma TV. After a while, we said our goodbye & headed home. Happy birthday, Val! Thanks for being u! May God continue to bless u abundantly!
Good, nice, enjoyable weekend I must say :)
Even Qld Roar won - they came back to beat the Jets 2-1....me & BT followed the live score from BT's mobile while at the BBQ. We were happy with the result. That was Roar's first win over the Jets at Suncorp Stadium. About time, too.
Some pics from the weekend:
nice, isn't it
decisions decisions.....
getting ready
the arrival of the birthday girl
so how old is she now??
keep blowing, sister!
all smiles
Val & Andrew :)
It started on Friday nite, with work's Xmas party at Era Bistro in South Brisbane. It was held after work. We finished early at 4pm so that we can get ready for the party which started at 6pm. I chose to stay at work & hang out with a few colleagues until it was time to head to the Xmas party. The party was a black & white cocktail party. On the whole, it was good, but the food provided was not enough for my liking. It was all finger food & nibbles. The main attraction for many was, of course, the alcohol. Wine was in plentiful supply. Likewise, the beer, but the tab was limited only to Hahn. I can't quite believe that, & was a bit disappointed by the lack of variety. Nevertheless, I drank what I could - but still didn't get quite as drunk as some others. I spent nearly half my time outside the Era Bistro premises chatting with those colleagues who chose to hang outside. At around 11pm, I left & caught a cab home safely.
I spent much of Saturday recuperating (slept in a bit & all that, & so skipped the Clay group picnic) & relaxing. Then come evening, it was time to head over to Sono Japanese Restaurant at Portside Wharf, Hamilton to have a group dinner with a few ex-colleagues - the ones I was close to at my previous workplace. Some of them brought their spouses. We had booked out a private room to ourselves, which overlooked the river. A good decision, according to my friends. We had our shoes off. One of my colleagues brought her baby along, & she misbehaved for a good portion of the dinner (always trying to knock anything that is on the table). The food was delicious. Among other things, it included the sashimi & sushi platter, plus we had the Sono banquet. Very nice - I enjoyed the meal. The seafood was all fresh, everything was clean & superb. The only downer was the green tea ice-cream, which didn't have a strong green tea taste as I would have liked. That aside, it was enjoyable & relaxing. I mean, with the private room, we were pretty much shielded from the noise in the open dining area. Maybe next time, we can seat in the open area. All up, there were 6 of us (including myself, but not counting friend's baby) so the dinner set us back at $69 per head.
That Saturday nite dinner meant I missed out on family dinner with Val & Andrew coming over, for Val's birthday (which is really today, 15/12/08). But never mind, because I was going to catch up with her on Sunday evening at her surprise birthday BBQ at Val & Andrew's complex. It was a late, last minute thing organised by Andrew. Just a few of Val's friends plus myself & BT (my parents were at farewell dinner at their church). BT & myself were initially watching Qld Roar v Newcastle Jets at home. Newcastle opened the scoring in the 25th minute, whereupon BT & myself agreed that we had seen enough (sick & tired by Roar's poor showing) & immediately headed over to Val's surprise birthday. We thought we missed the surprise, but not we didn't - we were the last invitees to arrive at the BBQ area, but didn't really miss anything as Andrew had not yet arrived with Val. That happened shortly after. Val (who had been wearing sunglasses & possibly was made to close her eyes) was escorted by Andrew. And when Andrew gave Val the ok to take off the sunglasses, surprise!! She said she had no idea & didn't suspect anything. We thus had our BBQ dinner & fellowship, saw Val cut her birthday cheesecake, before cleaning up & heading over to Val & Andrew's townhouse to hang out for a while. I finally saw Val & Andrew's new plasma TV. After a while, we said our goodbye & headed home. Happy birthday, Val! Thanks for being u! May God continue to bless u abundantly!
Good, nice, enjoyable weekend I must say :)
Even Qld Roar won - they came back to beat the Jets 2-1....me & BT followed the live score from BT's mobile while at the BBQ. We were happy with the result. That was Roar's first win over the Jets at Suncorp Stadium. About time, too.
Some pics from the weekend:
nice, isn't it
the view from the top
decisions decisions.....
getting ready
the arrival of the birthday girl
so how old is she now??
keep blowing, sister!
all smiles
Val & Andrew :)Wednesday, December 10, 2008
8 high-stress jobs
Quite interesting, this article. Now, the article doesn't say that the jobs listed are the top 8 most stressful jobs. Just a list of 8 jobs which are stressful. Having said that, if everyone were to compile their own top 8, I'm sure some of the jobs below would appear on their list.
Personally, I do agree with the list below, or at least some of them. Other stressful jobs which I can think of are restaurant chefs, lawyers, judges, engineers, & financial analysts. Ohhhh, I reckon pastors, too. Pastors have their own unique challenges & particular stresses. Just ask my church's pastor, or any aspiring future pastors - they will agree to that. But I would imagine that pastors do derive great joy from their service to the church & to God.
Personally, I do agree with the list below, or at least some of them. Other stressful jobs which I can think of are restaurant chefs, lawyers, judges, engineers, & financial analysts. Ohhhh, I reckon pastors, too. Pastors have their own unique challenges & particular stresses. Just ask my church's pastor, or any aspiring future pastors - they will agree to that. But I would imagine that pastors do derive great joy from their service to the church & to God.
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8 High-Stress Jobs
Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer
Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer
If you want to find a job that is free of stress, you're out of luck. Only characters in movies and on TV have jobs that don't cause occasional hair-pulling or high blood pressure. These are the same people who have huge apartments overlooking skylines and plenty of time to hang out with friends. Their jobs have unbelievably flexible hours.
In real life, however, every job you take, no matter how big or small, finds you stressed out once in a while. Whether you're dealing with an endless line of customers, a demanding executive or an uncertain economy, anxiety will find you. It's just part of life.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, occupational stress originates from a variety of issues, including:
· Long hours with few or no breaks
· Employees unable to participate in the decision-making process.
· Job insecurity and large amounts of impending change
· Physical danger
Some jobs have more stress than others. That's not to say they're bad jobs, they just require people who are strong enough to handle the increased stress that comes their way. Here are eight of them:
1. Retail Salespersons
Why: Jobs in sales require you to convince customers to spend money. Customers don't necessarily want to spend money and even if they do, they have a variety of places to shop. Salespeople have to prove their merchandise is the best option. If that weren't stressful enough, retail compensation is often commission-based, which means your paycheck is tied to how much you sell.
What they earn: $24,530
2. Doctors and nurses
Why: Doctors and nurses deal with life and death on a regular basis, a pressure found in few occupations. They have to handle patients while accessing an encyclopedia of medical knowledge. Doctors and nurses who work in hospitals or clinics that don't keep regular business hours often work on little sleep and are on call even on days off. In recent years doctors have also been forced to deal with an increase in malpractice lawsuits.
What they earn: Internal medicine physician: $166,420; Registered nurse: $62,480
3. Accountants
Why: Crunching numbers requires attention to detail that can make your eyes cross. Not only are you dealing with a client's finances, but you also have to take into account volumes of rules and regulations that change each year. Plus, you're expected to know about minute loopholes and read tiny print that nobody else does.
What they earn: $44,632
4. Teachers
Why: Elementary and high school teachers put up with a lot. Students aren't always easy to control or motivate. Parents who can't understand why their children aren't doing better often place the blame with teachers. And pressure to prepare students for standardized tests mean they can't always stick to the lesson plans they'd prefer to teach.
What they earn: Elementary teacher: $43,421; High school teacher: $46,531
5. Firefighters
Why: When firefighters are on call, they've got to be ready to respond to emergencies that range from minor car accidents to huge explosions. They might go an entire shift with no emergency or they might get a call that keeps them out for hours. Perhaps most importantly, they're playing with fire literally. That's stressful enough.
What they earn: $44,130
6. Farmers
Why: Agriculture requires constant attention, from waking up early to strenuous physical activity. That alone isn't stressful, but having no control over nature is. Droughts, floods, fires or other natural disasters can ruin months of hard work, and you can't do much about it.
What they earn: $23,508
7. Automotive assembly workers
Why: The automotive industry has always been volatile as manufacturers respond to the whims of consumers who want coupés one moment and SUVs the next. Add the pressure of assembling vehicles so that people who spend thousands of dollars can travel safely, and you've got a stressful job.
What they earn: $42,480
8. Stock brokers
Why: You can feel a bit helpless working at a job that's at the mercy of the stock market and economy. When things are going great, you reap the rewards, but when the financial climate isn't so great or the future is uncertain, you have no choice but to ride it out. Plus, competition is high for these jobs.
What they earn: $61,151
*Salary data based on CBSalary.com's average annual salary and the Bureau of Labor Statistics's mean annual salary.
In real life, however, every job you take, no matter how big or small, finds you stressed out once in a while. Whether you're dealing with an endless line of customers, a demanding executive or an uncertain economy, anxiety will find you. It's just part of life.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, occupational stress originates from a variety of issues, including:
· Long hours with few or no breaks
· Employees unable to participate in the decision-making process.
· Job insecurity and large amounts of impending change
· Physical danger
Some jobs have more stress than others. That's not to say they're bad jobs, they just require people who are strong enough to handle the increased stress that comes their way. Here are eight of them:
1. Retail Salespersons
Why: Jobs in sales require you to convince customers to spend money. Customers don't necessarily want to spend money and even if they do, they have a variety of places to shop. Salespeople have to prove their merchandise is the best option. If that weren't stressful enough, retail compensation is often commission-based, which means your paycheck is tied to how much you sell.
What they earn: $24,530
2. Doctors and nurses
Why: Doctors and nurses deal with life and death on a regular basis, a pressure found in few occupations. They have to handle patients while accessing an encyclopedia of medical knowledge. Doctors and nurses who work in hospitals or clinics that don't keep regular business hours often work on little sleep and are on call even on days off. In recent years doctors have also been forced to deal with an increase in malpractice lawsuits.
What they earn: Internal medicine physician: $166,420; Registered nurse: $62,480
3. Accountants
Why: Crunching numbers requires attention to detail that can make your eyes cross. Not only are you dealing with a client's finances, but you also have to take into account volumes of rules and regulations that change each year. Plus, you're expected to know about minute loopholes and read tiny print that nobody else does.
What they earn: $44,632
4. Teachers
Why: Elementary and high school teachers put up with a lot. Students aren't always easy to control or motivate. Parents who can't understand why their children aren't doing better often place the blame with teachers. And pressure to prepare students for standardized tests mean they can't always stick to the lesson plans they'd prefer to teach.
What they earn: Elementary teacher: $43,421; High school teacher: $46,531
5. Firefighters
Why: When firefighters are on call, they've got to be ready to respond to emergencies that range from minor car accidents to huge explosions. They might go an entire shift with no emergency or they might get a call that keeps them out for hours. Perhaps most importantly, they're playing with fire literally. That's stressful enough.
What they earn: $44,130
6. Farmers
Why: Agriculture requires constant attention, from waking up early to strenuous physical activity. That alone isn't stressful, but having no control over nature is. Droughts, floods, fires or other natural disasters can ruin months of hard work, and you can't do much about it.
What they earn: $23,508
7. Automotive assembly workers
Why: The automotive industry has always been volatile as manufacturers respond to the whims of consumers who want coupés one moment and SUVs the next. Add the pressure of assembling vehicles so that people who spend thousands of dollars can travel safely, and you've got a stressful job.
What they earn: $42,480
8. Stock brokers
Why: You can feel a bit helpless working at a job that's at the mercy of the stock market and economy. When things are going great, you reap the rewards, but when the financial climate isn't so great or the future is uncertain, you have no choice but to ride it out. Plus, competition is high for these jobs.
What they earn: $61,151
*Salary data based on CBSalary.com's average annual salary and the Bureau of Labor Statistics's mean annual salary.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Texas doctors
An Israeli doctor says: "Medicine in my country is so advanced that we can take a kidney out of one man, put it in another, and have him looking for work in 6 weeks..."
A German doctor says: "That is nothing, we can take a lung out of one person, put it in another, and have him looking for work in 4 weeks..."
A Russian doctor says: "In my country, medicine is so advanced that we can take half a heart out of one person, put it in another, and have them both looking for work in 2 weeks..."
The Texas doctor, not to be outdone, says: "You guys are way behind, we recently took a man with no brains out of Texas, put him in the White House for 8 years, and now half the WORLD is looking for work!"
A German doctor says: "That is nothing, we can take a lung out of one person, put it in another, and have him looking for work in 4 weeks..."
A Russian doctor says: "In my country, medicine is so advanced that we can take half a heart out of one person, put it in another, and have them both looking for work in 2 weeks..."
The Texas doctor, not to be outdone, says: "You guys are way behind, we recently took a man with no brains out of Texas, put him in the White House for 8 years, and now half the WORLD is looking for work!"
Redhead story
A man is dining in a fancy restaurant and there is a gorgeous redhead sitting at the next table. He has been checking her out since he sat down, but lacks the nerve to talk with her.
Suddenly she sneezes, and her glass eye came flying out of its socket toward the man. He reflexively reaches out, grabs it out of the air, and hands it back.
"Oh my, I am so sorry," the woman says as she pops her eye back in place.
"Let me buy your dinner to make it up to you," she says.
They enjoy a wonderful dinner together, and afterwards they go to the theatre followed by drinks. They talk, they laugh, she shares her deepest dreams and he shares his. She listens.
After paying for everything, she asks him if he would like to come to her place for a nightcap and stay for breakfast. They had a wonderful, wonderful time.
The next morning, she cooks a gourmet meal with all the trimmings. The guy is amazed. Everything had been SO incredible!
"You know," he said, "you are the perfect woman. Are you this nice to every guy you meet?"
"No," she replies, "You just happened to catch my eye."
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Congratulations, Dan Au & Fayette!
My friends, Fayette & Dan Au, had their wedding ceremony & reception yesterday (Saturday 6/12/2008). They were actually married last Saturday in Sydney, where Dan was from. Today was the Brisbane leg of their marriage, & the ceremony was held at the Sunnybank District Baptist Church.
I have only met Dan maybe 2-3 times, so I don't know him all that well. But he seems like a really nice, cool guy. I look forward to building up my friendship with him over the coming years. It is Fayette through whom I know Dan. I have known Fayette for 7 years now, & I can say that it is a great joy & privilege to be able to count her as one of my friends. I first met her at the Youth Fellowship (YF) group at CCCB in Brisbane, years before Fayette would go to Sydney for Bible college. Fayette, perhaps more than anyone else, always encouraged & followed me up with my Christian walk. She’s constantly hounding me for my applications, showing love & genuine sisterly concern. She often never forgets what my applications are & always reminds me of the things I promise to do (but often neglect) in my Christian walk. Above all, she really loves God. I will always love Fayette for being a wonderful, God-fearing sister in Christ, for the fact that she actually remembers my applications & hounds me over them, for our enduring friendship & for the love & friendliness that she shows to everyone. With Fayette being who she is, it is little wonder that she is very popular. Dan himself is also very popular. (Fayette & Dan each have more than 1,000 Facebook friends).
Fayette’s bridesmaids were my sister Val & Alice. When Val got married last year, Fayette & Alice were Val’s bridesmaids. So I guess it would be reasonable to predict that Val & Fayette might be Alice’s bridesmaids when it’s Alice’s turn to be married. We shall see in the future, eh….. Anyway, the wedding ceremony was fairly short & sweet. There was no exchanging of rings, because that had already taken place in Sydney the previous week. Nevertheless, that did not detract from the wonderful ceremony. Val looked superb as a bridesmaid, likewise Alice. I didn't take much photos, because I was seated far at the back. The ceremony was followed by some light refreshments. I was surprised to bump into my work colleague Ann. Ann, it turns out, has been attending the Chinese congregation CCCB Southside for 14 years. So she knows Fayette & her family. What a small world! I told her that I attend CCCB St Lucia English congregation, & I never saw her before in the few times I visited the CCCB Southside English congregation. Ann made the curry puffs, which were all gone so quickly. No surprise there – I have tasted them before as Ann had previously made curry puffs for morning tea at work.
The reception was held at Tavernetta, somewhere in Northside. I arrived there early as I was head usher at the reception, with the other ushers being Alvin, Mag & Mei Shan. Fayette approached me for the head usher role a few months ago, & it was such a privilege (I had jokingly asked her if she is really sure about choosing me). But I didn't get off to the best of starts. First, on arrival, I discovered that I left the red packet back home, so I had to ring BT to bring it (fortunately, BT was still home when I rang). Then, there was a bit of a hoo-ha about the arrangements for the guest books & wedding gifts, & how to co-ordinate the arriving guests so that they can sign & drop off their presents. We had to use the guest books from the wedding ceremony while waiting for the reception guest book to come. It never came! Fayette later told me she realised she had it all along & forgot to arrange for someone to bring - she had wrongly assumed that one of her relatives would bring it. Aaaahh, the topsy turvyness of weddings. One day, I might experience it myself should I ever get married!
The tables were all cramped together; I don't remember attending such a cramped reception. There was a birthday party at the room next door, so we could hear the loud music, especially when the Tavernetta staff from one room to the next. And the food service was very slow, but that was (if I heard correctly) due to the sheer numbers which placed stress on the kitchen staff. But despite all this, I really liked the reception. It was simple, & there was much to savour & enjoy: the violin performance from Fayette's youngest brother Caleb (Fayette played together with Caleb); the speech from Fayette's other brother Ivan (which included some funny video clips from years gone by); all the other speeches (from both dads, the best man & the bridesmaids). Did I miss anything? Ohh yeah, there's the usual bridal dance (Latin), & thereafter the night concluded with quite a few people joining in the dance. Well, it was a very very good night - & I'm sure many people enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
Anyway, to Fayette & Dan, very well done. What a pleasure it was to witness your union. May God richly bless your future together as He surely will!
I have only met Dan maybe 2-3 times, so I don't know him all that well. But he seems like a really nice, cool guy. I look forward to building up my friendship with him over the coming years. It is Fayette through whom I know Dan. I have known Fayette for 7 years now, & I can say that it is a great joy & privilege to be able to count her as one of my friends. I first met her at the Youth Fellowship (YF) group at CCCB in Brisbane, years before Fayette would go to Sydney for Bible college. Fayette, perhaps more than anyone else, always encouraged & followed me up with my Christian walk. She’s constantly hounding me for my applications, showing love & genuine sisterly concern. She often never forgets what my applications are & always reminds me of the things I promise to do (but often neglect) in my Christian walk. Above all, she really loves God. I will always love Fayette for being a wonderful, God-fearing sister in Christ, for the fact that she actually remembers my applications & hounds me over them, for our enduring friendship & for the love & friendliness that she shows to everyone. With Fayette being who she is, it is little wonder that she is very popular. Dan himself is also very popular. (Fayette & Dan each have more than 1,000 Facebook friends).
Fayette’s bridesmaids were my sister Val & Alice. When Val got married last year, Fayette & Alice were Val’s bridesmaids. So I guess it would be reasonable to predict that Val & Fayette might be Alice’s bridesmaids when it’s Alice’s turn to be married. We shall see in the future, eh….. Anyway, the wedding ceremony was fairly short & sweet. There was no exchanging of rings, because that had already taken place in Sydney the previous week. Nevertheless, that did not detract from the wonderful ceremony. Val looked superb as a bridesmaid, likewise Alice. I didn't take much photos, because I was seated far at the back. The ceremony was followed by some light refreshments. I was surprised to bump into my work colleague Ann. Ann, it turns out, has been attending the Chinese congregation CCCB Southside for 14 years. So she knows Fayette & her family. What a small world! I told her that I attend CCCB St Lucia English congregation, & I never saw her before in the few times I visited the CCCB Southside English congregation. Ann made the curry puffs, which were all gone so quickly. No surprise there – I have tasted them before as Ann had previously made curry puffs for morning tea at work.
The reception was held at Tavernetta, somewhere in Northside. I arrived there early as I was head usher at the reception, with the other ushers being Alvin, Mag & Mei Shan. Fayette approached me for the head usher role a few months ago, & it was such a privilege (I had jokingly asked her if she is really sure about choosing me). But I didn't get off to the best of starts. First, on arrival, I discovered that I left the red packet back home, so I had to ring BT to bring it (fortunately, BT was still home when I rang). Then, there was a bit of a hoo-ha about the arrangements for the guest books & wedding gifts, & how to co-ordinate the arriving guests so that they can sign & drop off their presents. We had to use the guest books from the wedding ceremony while waiting for the reception guest book to come. It never came! Fayette later told me she realised she had it all along & forgot to arrange for someone to bring - she had wrongly assumed that one of her relatives would bring it. Aaaahh, the topsy turvyness of weddings. One day, I might experience it myself should I ever get married!
The tables were all cramped together; I don't remember attending such a cramped reception. There was a birthday party at the room next door, so we could hear the loud music, especially when the Tavernetta staff from one room to the next. And the food service was very slow, but that was (if I heard correctly) due to the sheer numbers which placed stress on the kitchen staff. But despite all this, I really liked the reception. It was simple, & there was much to savour & enjoy: the violin performance from Fayette's youngest brother Caleb (Fayette played together with Caleb); the speech from Fayette's other brother Ivan (which included some funny video clips from years gone by); all the other speeches (from both dads, the best man & the bridesmaids). Did I miss anything? Ohh yeah, there's the usual bridal dance (Latin), & thereafter the night concluded with quite a few people joining in the dance. Well, it was a very very good night - & I'm sure many people enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
Anyway, to Fayette & Dan, very well done. What a pleasure it was to witness your union. May God richly bless your future together as He surely will!
(after wedding ceremony) the couple with Fayette's parents
(at reception) the couple with their respective parents
the bridesmaids (Alice & Val)
wow, look at the marvellous wedding cake! (I was told Aunty Julia made it - she's got fantastic talent!)
family photo - me with my sister, brother-in-law & 2 brothers
cutting the cake
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Leave red pens alone
Some governmental education forum in Queensland recently talked about banning teachers from using red pens to mark work. The reason? It is said that red pens can be seen by children as aggressive or confrontational. Therefore, it was suggested that the red pen be ditched in favour of other "less aggressive" colours.
An online poll was conducted by Courier Mail in the wake of the red pen debate. The poll asked if teachers should stop using red pen. Thankfully, 95% of the voters said "no".
Frankly, the red pen debate is ridiculous. Why ban red pens? Red pens were never an issue with children from previous generations, like myself. So why should it be an issue now? Don't you need red ink to differentiate or distinguish from the more "common" black or blue ink? Teachers are meant to correct students' mistakes, & red pen is just 1 tool to help them do that. Just because the colour stands out doesn't mean it's aggressive.
I'm surprised that the question of red pens was even raised. What next? Are they going to ban green pens because green represents envy or jealousy? Huh, if they ban green pens, I can imagine an uproar among the auditing profession! Are they going to ban blue pens because blue is associated with depression? Black is seen as evil, so shall we ditch black pens?
Hhmmm, I would have thought people have better, more useful & much more important things to discuss than the merits of red pens. Hey, I know of a good discussion topic: Should teachers & lecturers be forced to use fountain pens? Let's discuss at the next education forum, shall we....
An online poll was conducted by Courier Mail in the wake of the red pen debate. The poll asked if teachers should stop using red pen. Thankfully, 95% of the voters said "no".
Frankly, the red pen debate is ridiculous. Why ban red pens? Red pens were never an issue with children from previous generations, like myself. So why should it be an issue now? Don't you need red ink to differentiate or distinguish from the more "common" black or blue ink? Teachers are meant to correct students' mistakes, & red pen is just 1 tool to help them do that. Just because the colour stands out doesn't mean it's aggressive.
I'm surprised that the question of red pens was even raised. What next? Are they going to ban green pens because green represents envy or jealousy? Huh, if they ban green pens, I can imagine an uproar among the auditing profession! Are they going to ban blue pens because blue is associated with depression? Black is seen as evil, so shall we ditch black pens?
Hhmmm, I would have thought people have better, more useful & much more important things to discuss than the merits of red pens. Hey, I know of a good discussion topic: Should teachers & lecturers be forced to use fountain pens? Let's discuss at the next education forum, shall we....
Monday, December 1, 2008
Heaps to look forward to this month :)
I can't believe it's December already! I can't believe time passed by so quickly. Anyway, now that the last month of the year is here, I'm happy, because I personally have a lot of great things to look forward to this month:
- Dan & Fayette's wedding ceremony & reception (I have the privilege of being head usher at the reception)
- Group dinner with ex-colleagues at a Japanese restaurant
- Val's birthday
- Overseas vacation in Malaysia, stopping over for 1 night in Brunei on the way to KL. (Hopefully, I will get to spend a few days in Singapore after Christmas)
- Christmas Boxing Day shopping in KL
- Ryan & Nicole's wedding celebration (ceremony & reception)
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