July 2003 Archives

What features would you like Movable Type Pro to have? My number one request is Subcategories. So I won't need to split up all my geek posts into separate groups, like what I'm doing now.

Next on my list: Automatic rebuilding of specific pages that have been affected by a modification. Most of the time, the changes I make seldom affect all pages. So for instance I would usually rebuild the Indexes first, then one of the archives sections. If MT Pro can handle all that (and it looks like it will), it would be ace.

What features would you like MT to have?

Other, slightly random finds:
Movable Type for Project Management?

As of yesterday, my job title has been reviewed from 'Design Technology Advisor' to 'Web Technology Advisor'. Which is more in line with what I'm doing now, what I'm going to teach, and what I'm going to learn more about, in the future.

Can't wait to see my new name cards!

If I think very hard about it, I probably have like 21 things to do by yesterday, and I haven't completed anything yet.

I will be reorganising this blog into new categories which better suit the subject matter in my posts. Please excuse any mess that may result.

Update: I had dinner with cousin Luke and several of his old schoolmates. I was early and had to look out for one of his friends, whom I hadn't met before. However as a top debator he was well known throughout the junior colleges. Those sort of people were in the league which I knew I'd never get into.

Then I wondered why I was feeling so apprehensive! Despite being out of the Singapore education system for years, I still felt a sense of awe knowing that the people I was meeting, were all geniuses, scholars, doctors-to-be, outstanding speakers. I, the hapless underachiever, felt unworthy to be with them.

But I was wrong. They were fascinating, open conversationalists with no airs about them. We adjourned for drinks after dinner, and I came home feeling very sleepy but - still, fascinated. I think I need to get out of the house more often.

I'm going overseas next week to train people in web techniques and hopefully get them to appreciate and implement web standards in their work.

At the same time, I'm also teaching a few good friends how to customise their own blog templates using stylesheets. I guess it's almost like killing two birds with one stone, although the former task is much wider in scope and has to be properly documented. Which explains why I'm still in the office right now, hacking away at a decent Powerpoint presentation / tutorial.

I've got a long way to go, but there was one section I definitely thought I should bring up to my hapless 'trainees' - what books to read on CSS. So I whipped up good ol' Amazon.com, and our very own Computer Book Centre to check on the best prices in Singapore for those titles. There were lots of comments posted by readers of each title, and I was running through each one to gauge which books were best for each group of people. Things were getting a little dry.

Hence I nearly rolled on the floor laughing when I saw this recent review by a female web design instructor, of CSS guru Eric Meyer's book, Mastering the Language of Web Design:

If I ever meet Eric Meyer in person, I'll have to drop to my knees and worship him. All of his books are outstanding, but this one is his best.

Lucky guy. But I wonder what his wife will have to say about that! X-D

It's late. I didn't have a chance to blog yesterday because I had a rushed job to complete. I leave next week for Manila with my training whip (yes, yes, I'm going to Makati and I have insurance coverage) which means I have to get all my work for the next couple of weeks, done by this week.

I spent some time with my old friend Lisa this evening, installing software on her new laptop, get her wired up to the Internet, giving an introductory Flash tutorial in under half an hour. How I envy people who get to further their studies - especially in sunny California! We rushed off for dinner at Original Sin (yum!) with Andrea, who I discovered was an MT blogger herself! What a great surprise. And it was another old schoolmate who hosted her blog.

So it turns out, I'm not the only one 'leasing' out web space, domain names and installing blog software for her friends. Bah :-P

Tonight, before I concuss, I'll work on Vanny's new wedding photos. Vanny leaves today. I will miss her. But I am happy for her. I hope she will be happy too.

I also have to finish writing an article for a women's organisation soon. Sometimes I think I volunteer myself out a little too much.

I just got home from Vanny's farewell party. Saturday was a day of madness, with me driving from one end of Singapore to the other, within an hour. I performed a song I wrote years ago, which means nothing to me anymore. I have many such songs. I wonder what makes people fall in love. I wonder why some people haven't dared to take the big leap despite everyone, including me, noticing how much they like each other. Are you reading this? Do you know who you are?

Good night.

Good news for sociable Movable Type users:

Meetup with other local fans of Movable Type to discuss changes and plug-ins, offer tips, and gush about this customizable publishing system.

I've logged in to the Singapore division, cast my vote for the venue and offered to be a host for this local event. The time of meeting? Monday, Aug 11 at 7:00PM (the second Monday of every month).

Now, I'm looking at the Top Cities for Movable Type Meetups list, and Singapore is ranked 36th out of 92, with one (1) member. I know there are many more people out there. Do spread the word and make the Singapore event happen. Thank you.

Update: Thanks to Jean, we now have two (2) members and have jumped to number 20 on the list. Hurrah. We need five to make the event worth attending.

Update #2: Thanks to Kristen and Mark, the newlyweds, for joining in!
We're now the third most happening group, right after San Francisco (Ben and Mena attending) and New York (Anil). Just one more person... come on, folks, I'm sure there are plenty of you out there!

Update #3: Well done, Singapore! There are now eight of us, which is enough to get the party started!

It appears that a beta tester of Macromedia's forthcoming Flash 7, couldn't keep his mouth shut. Screen shots and more data are posted on the Flashmove forum. Well, it's either a leak or a very clever marketing ploy, because it's got me hooked.

Ogle, everybody, ogle.

Seems there'll be two different versions of Flash 7, one for web designers and one for serious developers. In Flash MX all we had was a different panel layout.

Jack Neo's movie (literally translated as Run, children, run) didn't move me enough to tears, unlike its predecessor I Not Stupid, but it is still good enough by local standards. The plot is adapted from an Iranian (?) story and tugs at the same old heartstrings. Children once again are the stars of the show, and they were well cast (they did have 1,500 kids to choose from).

Jack Neo, the cast, and Minister Lim Swee Say were present, along with some corporate bigwigs. In fact the boys and some other TCS stars were sitting just four rows in front of me, so looking at the big screen with their silhouettes in my field of vision, was a little surreal.

Thoughts about the movie? It was an eye opener, a good slap in the face to those of us born with silver spoons in our mouths. It is moving to see the lengths to which some children will go to, for dignity, honour and love. I can completely empathise with the troubles, the bullyings, the desires, the cover-ups and fear of retribution that the children went through.

Of course, my logic started to kick in at certain parts but I should suspend my disbelief. In the end, it's up to the children to save the day. And enough said!

Microsoft has lost another major client, The US Navy:

The new way of fighting is built around Internet standards, including web pages, routers, Ethernet, instant messaging, and chat rooms. Casualties appear to be both expensive customized systems and Microsoft software.

What users probably don't like about Microsoft:

1. High price tags for many of its products, especially with the advent of free or relatively affordable open source software. CNET News, July 21 - Microsoft to pay US$1.1 billion back to consumers and corporate clients who have been overcharged.
2. Microsoft products, having proprietary source code and tonnes of 'legalese', are also less easily customisable by users than open source software
3. Microsoft products are infamous for numerous security loopholes. I admit it's good that problems are acknowledged and fixed, but how did this happen in the first place?
4. Loss of goodwill. It's the general arrogance of a monopoly which has eradicated or swallowed up, by fair means or foul, many competitors such as Netscape, relying instead on its huge war chest to battle it out in the courtroom.

Many users have stuck to Windows, Internet Explorer and Office, because that's what came pre-installed; that's what everyone at work is using; they've been using it for years and don't feel the need to try anything new. It's perfectly understandable. Anyway, more programs are written for Windows precisely because of this vicious cycle.

But obviously trends are changing. With slashed IT budgets, many corporations are turning to cheaper alternatives, and alarm bells are ringing. Subsidies are now being dished out, with Linux being singled out as the biggest threat.

Yet Microsoft shouldn't fight the open source movement but go with the flow. It has already taken some steps in its integration of .NET with XML web services. But it has failed to 'innovate', despite its assertions, in many other areas. Internet Explorer may be the most popular browser now, but it is lacking in functionality that others such as Safari and Mozilla, provide - popup ad blocking, tabbed windows - little improvements that make the surfing experience all the more user friendly. Also, it has some well-documented CSS bugs which have not been fixed.

And now that Internet Explorer will no longer be a standalone browser, I wonder whether the Windows-IE alliance will hold out despite growing user defections to alternative operating systems. Only time will tell.

Exactly one year ago, I started blogging proper, using Movable Type. My weblog is practically a baby. But hey :) I've had fun, and I hope you have too. Happy first birthday to the Daily Weblog!

An excellent dig at upmarket coffee vendors: Doonesbury drives the point home.

Wired gallery: Sony's new PEG-UX50 Clié is, like, totally amazing. And expensive. But yeah, amazing.

I just took the W3 Schools' CSS quiz, and am awfully mad that I only scored 18/20 (I took about 5 minutes). No cheating! If anyone wants the correct answers I can provide them for you later. *mutters* I misunderstood one of the questions!

Oo-er. In under 5 minutes (including some time spent writing an SMS) I did a little better on the XHTML test, scoring 19 out of 20. Darn!

Microsoft's CFO ranks Linux as its number one competitor, so to speak. It's technically number two on the list of threats, but I won't take the economic environment (listed as number one) into account, since it affects everybody. [Update: US States with slashed IT budgets are turning to Linux]

Take a look at Apple's comprehensive Aqua interface guidelines for developers (thanks to Seet for the link).

Hey hey to the new Mrs Yap - the first of our friends to get married. Bet she's too busy to see this post ;-) I just got back from the wedding dinner of the year (at least, it's big to me), made my speech without stuttering (note to self - stand even closer to the microphone next time).

And it was good to see everyone again, especially Joan and May, who travelled back from yonder shores just for this special occasion. The couples' parents looked so happy. The groom was definitely very happy. The bride ... aww, I'm glad she was okay with my speech and didn't clobber me afterwards (as she usually does :-). After hearing Chris, Lin Kiat's good American friend speak on his behalf, I thought I'd better cut down on content with 'sabotage' potential, since he was so nice about LK.

Anyway, I'm back in my humble little abode, wondering whether I should launch an incomplete website. Well, the blog's ready at least, so I won't be surprising anyone with any broken links. Maybe I _will_ launch that first. Here goes!

[Post blog July 19 2003]: Little Vanny's now a married woman! :-D Woo-hoo! The church wedding was lurvely, thank goodness I didn't bawl my eyes out; I was too busy singing hymns and taking photographs at the same time.

[Back to July 20] And I'm making the wedding speech on behalf of the bride this evening!

I am waking up early today, and hopefully will make it in time for the 8 am church service, rushing home to change into my baju kurong (Peranakan outfit), then rushing off to the Conrad to meet the others, then I will make my way to the new husband Lin Kiat's place to witness (and photograph) the tea ceremony.

I just updated their wedding website with more pics from my Olympus C5050. It's time to sleep. Good morning.

Today was 'Patch-The-PCs' day. Fixing the Microsoft Windows security flaws, that is. A big thank you to the LSD Research Group for spotting the kinks in the armour, and not releasing the source code over the Internet for evil hackers to prey on.

If Microsoft were a car manufacturer, there'd be countless casualties, product recalls and multiple lawsuits at hand. In reality, nobody's really batting an eyelid because we're already conditioned to the fact that things will never be perfect. The Microsoft share price has dipped slightly by US$0.83 (-3.02%) to $26.69, but in other news, the company has posted a huge third quarter profit.

The US Army and Department of Homeland Security might just want to re-think their recent software contracts with Microsoft:

"Microsoft wants to boost sales to government anti-terrorism and security agencies. The company has been working to reassure federal authorities who said they were concerned about Microsoft security after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In March, a hacker breached a Defense Department computer through a flaw in Microsoft's Windows... Microsoft last month [June 2003] won its biggest contract ever, a $478 million, six-year deal with the Army." Source: the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

[On an unrelated note, the USDHS is now using blogs to keep track of their correspondence. Hmm. ]

Just got back from Vanny's hen night. Her wedding site, designed by yours truly, is up too. Nothing fancy.

Channel News Asia is showing, as I type, a news special on the local advertising industry. They even mentioned Project Eyeball, a newspaper I used to work for. I thought we'd forever be forgotten, left behind in the dregs of the media world. So it was interesting to hear its name on television, again.

Some of you tell me you miss reading this blog. That's nice to hear. It's not quite ready yet - not perfect, not validated enough. Then again, nothing can be 100% what you want it to be, if you're too ambitious.

Zeldman reports that parent company AOL has dismantled most of Netscape in a mass-firing exercise. However, the Mozilla spirit will live on over at mozillafoundation.org.

According to a press release, AOL has pledged US$2 million over the next two years to support this new independent movement. Red Hat and Sun Microsystems have also promised software support.

Update 17 July 2003: Wired reports that Mozilla wants to rumble with IE. Well, good luck to them. I use Mozilla much more often than Internet Explorer now, but I'm a geek. Geeks use Mozilla. Because we're more interested in standards compliance than the average man on the street running a pre-installed Windows operating system. Because we're fascinated with the open source movement, and have probably considered using Linux, if we haven't already.

Which is why Mozilla controls less than 2% of the browser market.

Mozilla also has lower name recognition than Netscape. I don't have hard statistics to back this up, but just ask the colleague next to you (anyone who's not a geek) if they've heard of Netscape or Mozilla. I can assure you, the former would ring a bell with more people.

But I'm still sticking to Mozzy. Because it is more standards-compliant than IE. Because I love how it tabs my browser windows. The only grouse I have is how it runs Java applets more slowly than IE. Not good for online transactions. But that could partly be the web developers' problem - many sites are probably still designed for and checked only in IE. Unless the Windows-IE monopoly is broken (there is hope via the Open Source movement).

So the new Mozilla foundation have a rocky, uphill task to climb. The geeks have to go a-marketing. Let's see how they do it.

Gallery of cool pics taken by the Sony Ericsson t610.
Over 10,000 Germans join community to translate the latest Harry Potter book.
Jupiter Research has a paper on how clients' content management needs can be analysed better via the use of weblog software. Now we're talkin'!

[written while blog was being revamped]

So, I tried to purchase a Jazz Fake Book at Borders yesterday night. My jazz piano teacher told me it was available there.

Someone ought to tell the Borders staff that. The first employee I approached, gave me an incredulous stare, and made me repeat the title a few times. He couldn't believe there was such a thing as a fake - Fade??? no, Fake, spelt F-A-K-E book.

Why don't you check with information? He gestured briefly and walked off.

Fine. The girl at Information gave me a funny look. Er... everything's there, she gestured vaguely at the music shelves. (Yes, I thought ... that's why I'm asking Information, because you guys can tell me exactly WHERE it is?)

She keyed in a query on her computer. 'We only have one book, Charles Mingus, More Than a Fake Book. Is that the one?'

No, I said. I didn't just want Charles Mingus (even if he is a great bassist). I did see a Fake Book on the top row of a shelf, but it was more evergreen than jazz, cost S$100 and was thick enough to kill someone with a slug on the head.

Instead I picked up a Bills Evans biography going at S$34+, and left.

This morning, I decided to check out our local bookshops online. Kinokuniya had an efficient books database system, and priced the title I wanted at over S$70. Deliveries over S$50 are free, and made the next working day.

Times didn't stock anything with the word 'Jazz' in it, but I'm certain they stocked the Idiot/Dummy series in-store, meaning that their database is probably out of date.

Borders doesn't seem to have a local website. The MPH website is sparse, a far cry from its heydays.

Online bookshop Acmabooks, however, gave a 10% discount on the original price, bringing it down to about S$60. Deliveries over S$50 are free. I expect the book to arrive anywhere between 1-14 days. Woo-hoo. (Incidentally, the biography I bought was going at $29+. Dang.)

And here ends one of my they-could've-been-so-much-better rants.

This website will soon be closed for renovation. No idea when I'll be done. Bear with it in the meantime.

I'm thinking of getting proper IT certification, in line with my new job title. There's only so much I can learn on my own. While my role now requires more 'overseeing' than simply 'doing', it would certainly increase efficiency and productivity at work.

I'll be doing some research on my own, but if anyone knows of any good courses or schools, do recommend them. Thanks!

Britney Spears says: I'm no virgin.

Mini digital cameras are proving to be the bane of bookshop owners and girls in locker rooms.

*phone rings*

I pick it up with a sense of dread, knowing it is probably the persistent travel agency salesgirl who's been trying to get me to come over for an hour-long sales pitch since the beginning this week.

"Hello? This is D--- ah... just calling to see if you've changed your mind and whether you can make it today to collect your free gift -"

"Sorry I'm going for a meeting now. Very busy. Can't make it," I whisper in hushed tones. It doesn't work.

"Really ah... How about tomorrow? Can you make it tomorrow? Just come over and collect - "

"Listen, I don't WANT the free gifts anymore. I don't have time to collect them (this part is true). Can't you just call another customer?"

"Er, haha, it doesn't work like that, I already told my boss that a customer is coming and we already ordered the 10 rolls of film for you ... if you don't collect I'll have to pay a fine."

"Why should you be fined!? Why can't you get someone else?"

"Er I am very new here... I hope you can understand my situation. I already told my boss got customer coming. If you can come over for just one hour I show you around, you get the free gift, you benefit, I also benefit ... If you don't come I get into trouble...Maybe I put you through to my manager?"

[At this point I'm thinking, to heck with your situation... this is a scam, stop playing the sympathy game!]

"No!" I snap. "Look I'm sorry but I'm NOT INTERESTED. "

"Is there something wrong that you dowan to come? Did you hear anything bad about us?"

"Apart from the fact that I really don't have the time, one of my friends complained to me that you guys tried to hard-sell to him. So I'm NOT interested. OKAY? Tell your boss one of your colleagues tried to intimidate my friend. Look, I really have to go-"

"But ... maybe that colleague is no longer with us? I promise you, I won't try to hard sell... in fact I dowan to sell anything to you ... I just want you to come over and collect your gift, okay?"

I say 'no' one more time. She says something curt and hangs up a split second later.

What salesperson would say she wasn't trying to sell me anything? Why would they give away ten rolls of Konica film and a watch for free? Coming to think of it, they TOOK my personal information from a supermarket lucky draw I entered months ago. What kind of agency would resort to such tactics unless they had desperate intentions?

And why should she be fined for ordering something which can be used for another customer? Something didn't sound right. I'm glad she hung up. My only regret was that I didn't see through the scam right away and slam down the phone on Monday. Initially I had a mistaken impression that it was somehow related to the contest I entered. Doh!

Please pray for the surgical team as they proceed to seperate the skulls of the twins.

I truly hope the worst is over. I think it is.

Update:
Oh no. Ladan has passed away, according to a Straits Times breaking news article. She was the more outgoing twin.

Update #2 @ 4.30pm
Both twins have died. I am so, so sorry it happened.

I suppose we will hear from the team as to what exactly happened, in the hours to come.

Laleh and Ladan, we will remember you fondly - for your fighting spirit and the 29 years you spent together, overcoming the many physical odds in your life. I'm really sorry it couldn't have been otherwise.

After reading the horrible, horrible Yahoo! forum comments on the Bijani twins (bless their souls), I wonder how some people can sleep at night.

Fix 'em, then shoot 'em as they walk out of the hospital, said one.
Now we'll have two terrorists instead of one, said another.
It's a great waste of US taxpayer money, said yet another member who obviously didn't even realise that no US funds were being used.

I could go on and on because for every meaningful message there are five others which are derogatory, abusive, racist and downright ignorant. I don't even KNOW the twins personally. But if you haven't noticed, they're human beings too. Get a life.

Might I ask my readers to pray for them. Above the doctors and hospitals' reputations, share prices and anything else. God's will be done.

Bloggers Gain Libel Protection

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last Tuesday that Web loggers, website operators and e-mail list editors can't be held responsible for libel for information they republish, extending crucial First Amendment protections to do-it-yourself online publishers.

Got that? I'm not liable for anything posted in the above paragraph ;-)

I dreamt this morning that I bought a red Ferrari. I was driving around town with it, but couldn't go fast because of the speed limit. Silly isn't it. Let's see if this dream comes true now.

I just received a phone call from some agency telling me that they obtained my information via a supermarket lucky draw I entered ages ago, and that I've won 30 rolls of Konica film and a watch. But first I must attend a travel exhibition. No obligation to buy anything, they assured me many times. It's in town. Gurmit says they tried to sell the same thing to him before. Now I'm wondering if I should stand them up.

I took out a big sports bag to store all my comics in. Now, I usually group my books by genre / character / series, but they got slightly rearranged with the repacking. So I was deeply surprised when I realised that 'Rogue' was now on top of the left stack, and 'Gambit' was on top of the right (the couple from X-Men had their own series each). I suddenly remembered a dream I had many years ago, when I had just started collecting comics. I was standing at the back of a car, loading stuff (at the time I didn't drive a car so it was strange to me), and those exact titles were lying face up in my bag. I also dreamt that the movers' truck was going back down the driveway, and that my mum also arrived.

This time, neither party appeared but it felt very real. Now, this is the most delayed incidence of deja vu I've ever had!

Back to packing. Sigh.

1. Vicki is back!
2. I drove with mum to the airport to fetch her early this morning.
3. I have not done my jazz piano homework (most of it, anyway) yet.
4. We're moving house big time, starting today. Loads more to pack.
5. I have not finished Vanny's wedding site.
6. I was at Karen Seow's dinner party till late last night, went home and slept soon after. So did not blog (heh heh).
7. Did I mention that Vicki is back?

Continued at 4pm:
8. Helped mum move some stuff to the new apartment.
9. Still have half the bedroom left to pack.
10. Movers coming in early next week.
11. Thus, am in deep s***. Amazingly, I haven't freaked out yet. I think I'm too tired to do that now.

12. I found my old diary. Most entries were dated in '93 with a few token entries in '95, making it at least 10 years old. Can't believe I was so full of angst. I'd have sent myself to see a shrink. At least I noted down some nice things that old friends like Van Heng, Jiamin and Isabel did for me when others were getting me down. I now remember. It's been a decade in retrospective, but thank you. I am truly blessed to have you as my friends.

13. Jazz piano lesson coming up in an hour. I have to buy my own jazz fake book because the copy I'm using now is my teacher, Victor's.

14. I finally came up with something for Vanny's wedding site. It looks better but I am still far from happy with it. I think it's because I don't usually do 'soft' looking sites, preferring the power of sans serif / pixel fonts, strong colours and the like. My bad.

14. Back to packing.

Update at 9.30pm:

15. Survived piano lesson. Asked for less homework but to no avail *sob*
16. Dinner at Bistro Cameleon, Vicki's favourite restaurant. They were closed for renovations but opened especially for her (yes, she really is a regular customer). Lucky girl.
17. Back to packing. Starting to worry a little now.

The latest Netcraft survey is out. Apache has increased its market (server) share by 0.56% to 63.72%, while Microsoft has fallen 0.90% to 25.95% overall. More details here.

In more bad news for Microsoft, eight major players have formed an alliance with Linux for consumer electronic devices. Sony, Matsushita (parent of Panasonic), Hitachi, NEC, Sharp, Toshiba, Philips, and Samsung. The group claim that IBM will soon join them.

It's time to embrace the Penguin! :-D

Star Sports, our only cable channel showing Wimbledon, has been oscillating between a replay of the Popp-Philippoussis match and a live telecast of the Henman-Grosjean match because of the darned English weather.

From the way it looks, the Scud's being Popped. Or, he's Philippoussizzling with a Popp. The Aussie looks scary, visually. Like a slimmer version of Andre the Giant, with a dark brooding stare and a goatee. The German guy is really tall. And good. I don't really care who wins this match, though.

But I am partial to Sebastien, with the large darling eyes. He's been well behaved so far, which is more than I can say for his opponent. [Update: Grosjean was born on 29 May 1978, making him four days younger than me!]

Together with Greg Rusedski, Tim Henman has demonstrated that Englishmen can be rude too. Telling the umpire you're not listening to what he has to say, then stalking off, is not good form. Statistically anyhow, in terms of winners, first serves, aces, previous matches played and seeding, Grosjean is the superior player. Henman bears the weight of all expectations from his countrymen, though.

Every time I look at Grosjean, I can almost picture him in a Musketeer's uniform, whipping a sword instead of a tennis racquet. He's been awfully quiet and subdued this match, but I'd say it's a crafty plan to conserve his energy. I'd like him to win, much as it would disappoint the host country - especially having to lose to a Frenchman.

When is it going to stop raining?! Some people have to sleep, y'know. I'm keeping myself awake by packing stuff and going through empty diskettes and CD-ROMS of dubious (written? blank? faulty?) status.

A ridiculously huge ant (3cm long) was crawling around the room just now. It was substantial enough to make a thud sound when it landed on one of our boxes. Finally, dad found it and clobbered it. Even then, lying mangled, it was still moving its legs about. I flung it into the toilet bowl. This paragraph is pointless. I'm bored. I have to stay awake. Good night.

Update: Grosjean has won, fair and square. He was in tears during his post-match interview. Aww.

It's been a few months since the invasion (or liberation, depending on how you see it) of Iraq. While the war isn't officially over yet, have you ever wondered just how many people died in the September 11 attacks, which were no doubt a key influence (or excuse, depending on how you see it) for the most recent war?

These facts are taken off the US Department of State website:

That's a total of 3,056 people, if my calculations are correct.

Now, according to Iraq Body Count's database, over 6000 people have been killed so far in the subsequent war in Iraq.

Just think about it.

This morning, I sent my car for servicing. After dropping it off, I gave Queenie a call in case she was still at home, since I was in the area. We shared a cab, and made it to work early enough to have breakfast together.

After that, it was work work work, it's been picking up lately and I hope I'll still have time to breathe by the end of the week.

I nearly had the honour of going for a meeting on Friday at 10am, and another meeting at 11am. I was actually needed! It felt so good. However we decided that I didn't really have pressing questions to answer for one of the sessions, so I'll sit out for that one.

After work, Denyse kindly fetched me from the office and we went back to - you guessed it - John 3:16. Denyse fiddled around with a few tripods. She nearly bought a tiny stand that was amazingly extensible yet fragile, like a radio antenna. It wasn't too stable, we felt, and it certainly wasn't worth risking her SLR camera on it. She settled for a sturdier, more run-of-the-mill tripod.

I inquired of a lens adapter (this is the umpteenth time I've mentioned it I think) for my Olympus C5050 digital camera. Now, the Olympus Service Centre told me that the CLA1 adapter was going for S$36 or thereabouts. A specialist camera shop in town quoted me $42. I'm glad I looked around a little longer because John 3:16 quoted me $35. I bought a Vitacon 0.5 wide angle lens for $130 and got the stepping ring thrown in for free. I'm glad I'm now a regular customer :-)

[ Note: individual deals and discounts may vary! ]

In the middle of my discussions with Lesley and Denyse, I suddenly noticed Benjamin (a junior from ACJC) and Jeremy (friend of May and Queenie) standing behind me. They were both wearing white shirts and dark-coloured pants, so I thought they had both returned from some a capella church choir practice or something. In fact, they didn't even know each other, and Denyse didn't know either of them, so I made some introductions.

The boys were there for very clever reasons. Jeremy, a photography whiz, was collecting some photos they developed for him (I didn't know they provided this service!). Ben actually ordered a photo printer through them.

The shop was getting pretty crowded for a weekday evening, and the four of us were standing around, waving our ATM cards and cash about but not getting any attention because more new customers were being served.

"What is this!" I said. "People here are almost shoving money at you guys, and it isn't even a strip club!"

Finally we settled our bills, and Ben and I shared a cab. I got off at the service centre to collect my car.

Coming to think of it, today I didn't drive to work, but all my transport was provided for. I met up with friends from three different stages of my life and actually spent time catching up with all of them. It's unimaginable; it really is a blessing.

Now I turn to a new problem. Karen Seow has asked each of her guests to wear something pink to her birthday dinner this Friday. I have nothing pink to wear (at least, nothing that is visible to the public eye). If I don't turn up wearing anything pink, the birthday girl will punish me by making me do unmentionable things that will probably haunt me on my wedding day.

Question: What should I do?

Bigger question: What if I like being punished?