A Cookie's Life

Warning: This is mostly a crappy blog. Crappers and crap-accepting folks alike: Welcome! To all others: Warning. Danger! Keep Out! Read On At Your Own Risk! The author shall by no means be liable for any damage caused directly or indirectly, implicitly or explicitly as a result of the reading of the contents of this blog.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

30 Memer Memers =)

1. Who ended your last relationship?
Death. It makes the ending of all relationships (on earth that is) certain.

2. When was the last time you shaved your legs?
Hmmm, I suppose that would be when I had a fall and friction caused some hair to be shaved/ripped (depending on how one looks at it or on one’s use of language) off.

3. What were you doing this morning at 8am?
Well, since it is only 2.24 am now and I am no prophet, I have no idea what I would be doing at 8am this morning.

4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago?
Breathing, staring at this laptop screen, shaking my legs, sitting on this chair, clicking/typing something, thinking.

5. Are you any good at math?
To a kiddo in kindergarten – definitely. To a PhD in Mathematics – nay.

6. What did you do yesterday?
Use up more of Earth’s precious resources.

7. Do you have any famous relatives?
Considering that we all came from Adam and Eve and are hence, one big-happy-and-sometimes-not-so-happy family, the answer to this question would be "yup, definitely!"

8. Have you ever burped in front of the opposite sex?
Hmmm, is there a normal human being on planet earth who does not burp at all? If not, why would the presence of the opposite sex eliminate this burping phenomenon? Well, I suppose we all burp in front of the opposite sex. However, most of the time, we will try to subdue the burp such that it cannot be noticed or heard.

9. Do you know the words to the song on your myspace page?
Look at the piles of stuff that I have to memorize. Why bother myself with such unnecessary information?

10. Last thing you received in the mail?
A message.

11. How many different beverages have you drank today?
Let’s see…. Water, soup, gravy, juice found in the apples that I ate, the water content found in the bread that I ate and yup, the water vapour that I inhaled through my mouth.

12. What's one thing you wish to change about yourself?
Sin.

13. What do you wish for?
To be in a state where I do not have a wish for a wish/change.

14. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?
Nah… I am paranoid about announcing my name to the whole world, or rather to the people at the beach.

15. What's the most painful dental procedure you've had?
The anesthesia jab.

16. What is outside your back door?
The part of the world that is not the interior of my house.

17. Any plans for Friday night?
Yup yup yup yup.

19. Do you have a secret crush?
Erm… I have more than one actually. Let’s see… I have crushed several ants, cockroaches, beetles and other insects whose name I do not know. Come to think of it, now that I have listed them out, they can no longer be considered my secret crushes.

20. Do you keep in touch with your exes?
Yup, definitely. My ex-cell group members and ex-school mates do organize gatherings once in a blue moon (or shall I say, several lunar cycles).

21. Do you dislike anyone right now?
Nope. But I dislike certain character traits/habits that are found in some people. Oh, and the ‘some people’ mentioned here includes myself.

22. Something you are excited about?
Hmmm…. It can be quite random at times. Perhaps my adrenal glands would have a better answer.

23. What is your favorite flavor of JELLO?
Since I can’t even recall when was the last time I ate/drunk (should it be eaten or drunk?) that, I don’t think I will be able to state my favourite flavour.

24. Are any of your great-grandparents still alive?
Body– no. Soul – yup.

25. Describe your key chain?
Hmmm…. It’s more like one key ring since I see no chain (i.e., a series of tiny interlocking loops/rings).

27. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large crowd?
A few minutes ago. Considering that there are billions of microorganisms around, whenever I speak, I am speaking in front of a large crowd.

28. What kind of winter coat do you have?
When it is winter, or when I’m feeling cold, any top that I own becomes my winter coat.

29. Dane Cook is.....?
A descendant of Adam and Eve.

30. Can you tie a cherry stem in a knot with your tongue?
I have no idea. Haven’t tried.

posted by Glass Cookie @ 9:00 PM  0 comments



Monday, January 07, 2008

A Gentle Self-Reminder

Hmmm, I must remember... I must remember, I must remember that... that...

Though the weekend does not come
and there are no holidays in the month,
Though the cook fails
and the canteen produces no good food,
Though there are not enough hours for sleep
and there is no end in the journeying,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will be joyful in God my savior.
The soverign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.

Lalala... =)

Thought: Is my Lalala a sign of a lack of sleep or it is just me finally feeling happy after the entire aftermath of my first day at work? Hmmm...

Lalala... =)

posted by Glass Cookie @ 8:26 PM  0 comments



Thursday, January 03, 2008

A Blog Entry

Well, as the title suggests, what you are reading now is a blog entry (duh?). And as the starting of this obviously-a-blog-entry blog entry suggests, I have not much idea as to what I could possibly blog about although I thought I'd better blog a little more before my industrial attachment starts. And since I have not much idea as to what I could possibly blog about on this obviously-a-blog-entry blog entry, I did the following search on google (search string: "things to blog about") and found the following article:

5 Things to Blog About Right Now
A big challenge for bloggers of all experience levels is what the hell to blog out. Here's some ideas:

1. The biggest fear around your business or industry. Vulnerability scares the hell out of anybody - but is one of the fastest ways to build rapport. My post about bookfat still gets me emails.

2. The top news story - filtered through your topic. If your an IT firm, talk about the challenges of deploying networks in disaster areas. If you are in marketing, talk about the marketing genius of Karl Rove.

3. The most popular book in your niche. No-brainer. Go to Amazon, find your category, read the top book in your category, blog your notes, make a mindmap, add an entry to Wikipedia, great a study guide, refute, rebutt, advance, expand, expound.

4. The big elephant in the room. Every industry has one. What isn't being talked about among your colleauges? What's the controversial topic? What is pissing people off?

5. A smart blog post from your colleague. Always feature other people on your blog, colleagues, clients, competitors...

After looking through the list, I thought I'd just answer/comment on the following, since it didn't really look that helpful based on the usual content on my blog. And so...

5 Comments To Blog About Right Now
1. The biggest fear around the aer*space industry: It's not as glamorous as it seems - aer*space engin*ers, like all other engin*ers, are badly overworked and badly underpaid in their industries for the kind of crap they have to do.

2. The top news story: Sing*pore's main focus on repairs. It makes no difference between a mechan*cal engin*er and an aer*space engin*er - at least not to the people in the industry.

3. The most popular book in your niche: The bible. Who needs to go to amazon.com to find the bible anyway?

4. The big elephant in the room: Erm, I don't see no big elephant in the room, and definitely not in any industry (with the exception of ivory hunters and zoos, that is). And I seriously doubt it pees on anyone around it unless one so chooses to stand strategically to receive the stream (ie. as opposed to a shower. You see, when an elephant pees, it is a stream, not a shower, unless some crazy nut decides to fix a shower nozzle of some sort) of blessing. Hmmm, or could the above suggestion be translated to the big elephant known as the A380 in the aer*space industry? =) It sure is huge in any room (or any hangar in this case), any day, any time.

5. A smart post from my colleague: Actually, I would if I could but I don't really read posts from my colleagues. And technically speaking, I can't do so when I've yet to start working. So, until next monday when I'm on industrial attachment, going around asking my colleagues "Hi! Do you have a blog? If you do, could I read it to find smart posts?", this is not possible.

So, sigh... there's nothing much I can think of blogging. At least not yet. But hey, considering that this is a blog entry (duh?) with words after all, I guess I did blog about something at the end of the day though seemingly boring it may be?

(Yet another) Comment: Sleep tight people (if anyone happened to fall asleep while reading this seemingly topic-less entry) =) Zzzzz...

posted by Glass Cookie @ 9:20 PM  2 comments



Tuesday, January 01, 2008

To Me Best Buddie

Hi Ernie, here's wishing you a merry christmas and a happy new year, if you failed to recieve my sms during the watchnight service =) Smile!

posted by Glass Cookie @ 4:01 AM  0 comments



List Of My All-Time Big Stunts In M&D

30 Jul 2006 - When Silence Is Golden 2
It's funny how history repeats itself in a different form. This time, I minimised the volume of the keyboard to zero to try out a new song "I believe in miracles". And for yet (again, miraculously, ironically) another bizarre reason that I know not of, I actually turned the volume up WITHOUT knowing - and CONTINUED practising. Somehow the amplifiers were turned off by the sound guys (probably a safety measure against stuntmen like me?) until they could finally silence it no more and suddenly, out of the nowhere (oh, sorry, that would be the keyboard) came a loud note that penetrated the silence. I jerked in shock (very obviously). And yes, once again it's during the announcement time when silence is definitely golden.



04 Jun 2006 - Time and Congregation Waits For No Man
It was another faithful day in church, playing the keyboard for morning service, 9 and 11 a.m. After the 2nd service praise & worship session, it so happened that no one else could make it for the closing song. Well, since I was pretty free, I was asked to play it. So, I went down, charted out the chords, practised the piece in the tabernacle. On my way up the stairs, the first thought in my mind was: "Hey, it's so crowded. I need to get up the stairs. Now, how do I queeeeeze my way through?". The second thought in my mind was: "Hey, why is there a crowd coming down at this time? ... ... ... NOOOOOO!!!!!!" Man, time passes fast when you're practising the piano in church, and painstakingly slowly when it comes to exam pieces.



[No date] When Silence Is Golden
It was during the announcement, when pastor was giving out announcements before the offering song. Silence was observed as the pastor spoke. I retracted my hand from the score folder beyond the keyboard. For some amazing reason, my hand retraction path headed for the keys of the keyboard. And since the word 'fast' to describe the retraction rate was an understatement (for yet another reason I know not of)... you know the rest of the story.



[No Date] When Silence Is... Anything But Golden
Hmmm... once the amplifier on my side was switched off for some reason during praise & worship. And for some other reason that I know not of, I thought that the keyboard sound couldn't be heard. So, I tried pressing some keys. Didn't hear anything - drums were too loud. I proceeded to bang some keys repeatedly until... hmmm... I thought I heard something. Oh oh... ONLY my amplifier was turned off. (Note: Instrument: Brass sect 1, volume - max.)




List Of Other Small Stunts/Experiences In M&D

Fastest Fingers First
As a keyboardist, one usually comes into contact with different instruments within the same piece. It usually varies from strings, brass, violin to organ sounds. The funny thing is that sometimes, it is possible that your mind suddenly goes blank, and when the next instrument is required, I go "Oh no, what's the number combination for brass???!!! Wait wait wait wait...". And as usual, time and tide waits for no man. No. More accurately, a drummer waits for no number-fumbling keyboardist. Yea, that's the description man. Solution (ok, this is not a solution but an undesired consequence): Play a brass part with strings, or an organ part with brass, or none at all.



Cold Fingers
Usually, the atmosphere in the sanctuary is very cold to me. Sometimes, the atmosphere in the sanctuary is deep-freeze cold. Under cold or colder conditions, the fingers may or will harden and lose its dexterity. Then again, stuff could still be played, however stiff the fingers may be (with diminishing quality). Solution? Rub them while resting, or else, take off one playing hand and rub it vigorously without catching too much attention. I mean, what else can i do? I remove both hands when I need them ON they keyboard!!! Oh, I missed out that hand-clapping would be a sure kill to whatever heat you may have desperately tried to generate.



Record Breaker
Well, each week CD-RWs and envelopes used to contain the scores passed to musicians would be recycled. They are returned back to the musician's basket in the metal cabinet so that they can be used again. Of course, each time a person would return his/her envelope and CD used the previous week. Well, just somewhere in the 3rd week of June 2006 I returned a record holding of (prehaps of all-time in Lighthouse Evangelism's 16 years of establishment) of 9 envelopes with 3 missing somewhere at home. Oh well, you can't really blame me cause for the first time in my life, I saw the word "envelope" in the sms reminder about recycling. Or at least I would like to think so, about my first time noticing that word (fingers crossed).



Stubborn Pedal
Do you have any idea what it is like to have a pedal refusing to budge when moved with your feet, only to exceed its ideal position when you decide to set your adjusting strength to "brutal level". At that kind of rate, it just never gets to the position that you want it to be. Last resort: Bend down and move it with your hand just before the drummer starts his 4-beat intro to the next song.



Moving Pedal
Amazingly, although the pedal refuses to budge when you want it to, somehow it also refuses to stay in the spot when you want it to. And the more you pedal, the further it gets away from you no matter how you position your foot. And in extreme cases you may find yourself almost starting to slouch or slip from your seat, not that the keyboardist seat is any immobile than the pedal to begin with. Solution: Try to kick it back (this is the time when the above experience suddenly comes in again). Just what's with the pedal, I wonder?



Confession...
Take a look at the following score:

=)

Well, since strings sound somewhat soft, and somewhat muffled such that demisemiquavers are not to distinct, and considering it does take up time and there are 5 other pieces to go, and considering this is but 2 bars in a 100 bar piece, and considering blah blah blah... sometimes I play just a note. (OK, most of the time, happy?) Hey, I'm not the only keyboardist around guilty right? Someone tell me I'm not the only one... pleeeese....



Lame Invention List + Misc

Inventions
- Metal-coated tea bag to help with the sinking (Edmund Lum)

- Sound-powered telephone (Edmund Lum)

- Sound-powered telephone (Edmund Lum)

- Plug-in phones for plugging into a payphone to call - unable to recieve call. However, 10 cents will still be needed and you pay your monthly phone bills as usual (Edmund Lum)

- A clean dirt-free rubbish chute (Edmund Lum)

- A touchpad keyboard similar to the touchpad on a laptop, with letters on it (Edmund Lum)

- USB-portable touchpad (Edmund Lum)

- A square CD for better storage (Edmund Lum)

- Battery-powered book (Edmund Lum)

- Disposable dustbins (Edmund Lum)

- A "short circuit" switch that help save electricity when there is nobody at home (Edmund Lum)

- A white/black highlighter (Edmund Lum)

- Safety deposit box made of pure diamond for hardness. It is transparent to allow better visual of objects within it (Edmund Lum)

- An optic mouse combined with a decorated ball placed inside like an old-school mouse to allow any surface usage (Edmund Lum)

- DIY handphone to cut cost (Edmund Lum)

- A plastic knife - no rusting and it is lighter (Edmund Lum)

- Quick dry glue, only 0.2 sec of dry time (Edmund Lum)

- Doorless toliet for faster access (Edmund Lum)

- A pen with wider pen hole to prevent that all-time infamous ink jam (Edmund Lum)

- A 5-mm thick paper to prevent paper cut (Edmund Lum)

- Water-proof toilet paper to prevent wetting the entire roll when dropped on a wet floor, or easy breakage (Edmund Lum)

- A thermal panel powered heater (Edmund Lum)

- A faq list for patients who do not want to reply to any visitors (Edmund Lum & Glass Cookie)

- A deodorant that puts people off (Mustard seed)

- An umbrella with a wire connection (to attract lightning) that's earthed (Edmund Lum)

- An earthquake detector that sounds when there's an earthquake (Edmund Lum)

- A water sensor at the shoreline to detect an approaching tsunami (Edmund Lum)

- A energy-saving fridge that switches itself on via a smell senser specially for detecting certain rotting smells (Edmund Lum)

- A fire extinguishing bomb that creates a huge area of vacuum (sounds familiar?) so as to deprive the fire of oxygen (Edmund Lum)

- A solar powered torchlight

- A power-saving exit sign that lights up only when someone is around (Gabriel Goh)

- A self-locking door that locks itself when no one's around and unlocks itself when someone's near (Edmund Lum)

- Pencil lead harder than steel to improve on its fragility (Edmund Lum)

- A water-proof teabag to prevent breakage over long periods of soaking (Edmund Lum)

- A manual powered air conditioner (Glass Cookie)

- A water-sensitive sprinkler (Edmund Lum)

- A auto retractable roof via light and water sensors, hidden in the wall for protection (Edmund Lum)

- An anti-burglary system with the switch and sensor in the same room (Edmund Lum)

- A wooden barbecue pit (Glass Cookie and Edmund Chen)

- An acrylic oil rig and drill bit to save $$$ (Glass Cookie and Edmund Chen)

- A windows based DOS command prompt program (Glass Cookie)

- A wired handphone (Jackson Lum)


Misc
- A birthday breakfast celebration (Glass Cookie and Jackson Lum)

- A domesticated grizzily bear (Glass Cookie, inspired by Amanda Low)