Archive for the 'Stories' Category

Ping Me? Meaning of Words

Published
by
Zz85-nds
on December 20, 2008
in Stories and Technology
. 1 Comment

My housemates and I have interesting conversations at times @ home.

Mr Krishna was telling me about how he didn’t understand the meaning of ping used here, like “Ping me when you’re done” or “I’ll ping you”

So I reply that meanings of words change, and many a times it get derived so much it doesn’t reflect its original context or meaning. Nevertheless its good to know its original meaning and know how it evolved. So while the technical guys know the purpose of “ping” or the IMCP echo, some might think that ping came from “ping pong” (table tennis), as seen in the IRC days. The most likely inspiration of the word ping would be sound waves created by sonar in submarines.

Another interesting topic is “blog” (in its context have another meaning for ping too), derived from weblog, was in fact a technical term for a developer’s/designer’s tool. After some time, blog was almost a synonym to “online diary” and these days blogs has also almost become an essential part of online marketing.

Other times brand and product names affect people’s vocabulary too. For example, most people doesn’t seem to know that “Rollerblade” is in fact just a brand for the sport “In-line skating”. Photocopying could be called “Xerox” in America, and “zapping” in Singapore. I used the word “Scotch tape” for years before knowing its a trademark for a adhesive tape product.

Then the singaporean language “culture” or Singlish is a big culprit of giving new meaning to words, infecting the native English, Malay and Hokkien. And for that we have a few online Singlish dictionaries here and here.

Its interesting but whether this word morphing culture is good or not, I don’t know. We tend to get petty smart and lazy using such words, but at the same time we are adding more definitions to our dictionary entries.

A Letter from Prison

Published
by
Zz85-nds
on May 10, 2008
in People, Stories and Thoughts
. 0 Comments

While going out from home a few days ago, a neighbor approached me asking me to translate a letter she received. So began my attempt to be a english-chinese translator while reading the letter simultaneously. Following is a rough impression of its contents

Dear nephew,

I’ve been recently sentenced x years imprisonment and will be release on xx.xx.20xx. As you know I’ve did not study much in the past so this letter was written with the help of my cellmates. I hope you would study hard and not follow in my footsteps.

Do not worry about me as I’m well taken care here. Let my children know and give them my prison cell id, so they can visit me or write to me.

… … …

The letter, was written on a “prison paper” letter format with very neat handwriting. My neighbor, not understanding english and worried something bad had happened, decided to clarify with me.

Fortunately (or maybe not), it turned out the letter was sent to the wrong destination. The block and unit number were correct, but the recipient’s name and street address was wrong, so I suggested returning the mail.

Although this few short minutes was insignificant, it provoked a few thoughts of mine.

1st, it made me realised how personal letters were. Emails are still personal, but perhaps not at the same level as written letters. Perhaps the early believers would have been very encouraged when they received letters John wrote to the church while in prison.

2nd, it shows the prison in another light away from Prison Break and Mal Selamat saga. Its sad if you know if a friend or relative is in prison but jailed time spent would be worth if it is able to change a man’s life, and the lives around the man.

Another little incident that day for thought: While looking at when the rain would stop, a passerby threw the classified section of the newspaper on a bench and walked off hurriedly. An inconsiderate or courteous action? Well, I took that newspaper to shelter my head back home, then dump that into the recycling bin.

2008 New Year Updates

Published
by
Zz85
on January 6, 2008
in Bloggin, School and Stories
. 0 Comments

well nothing much has change. Things are moving on at a constant (or maybe pretty fast) pace that I do not feel a full reset. I still feel some new year symptoms for example when noticing the heavy congestion on the roads after work- due to fact adults are getting back to work and students back to school.

Modules Bidding. School reopening in 2 weeks time and I’m torn to which path to take. The technicality of the Computer Science stream seems to entice me, but my Diploma in Business Informatics seems to set the path for Information Systems. Anyway I bidded for 5 modules, which seem quite pro-IS :

  • CS1231 - Discrete Structures
  • MA1505 - Mathematics I (aka Horror Maths)
  • CS2261 - Enterprise Systems Development
  • CS2250 - Fundamental of IS
  • CS3216 - Software Development on Evolving Platforms (aka Facebook Module)

Blog maintenances. This blog has been advertisement-free since it started (>2.5 years?). Since there were suggestions of getting a little pocket money due to a steady amount of visitors here, I compared Google Adsense, and some regional advertisers- Adverlets, Nufflets, Nuffnang. Since Google is more reputable, I’m trying it. I customised the ads not to be too obvious, and can be found in a small section/widget in the right sidebar of the page.

You might notice I’ve have been playing with some other widgets in the sidebars. I’ll be adding scripturizer (js version), some interesting stuff (get hints from my next post) and trying to clean up stuff which is not working.

Also, I’m involved with OpsFly (Operation: Financial Literacy for Youths), in the IT team and its site will be at http://opsfly.com Not much content is up for now and work will have to be done.

Next month would be my piano exams, and I’m involved with a concert this month- I ought to spend less time with computers and more time practicing music.

The Search For Stars To See (Part I)

Published
by
Zz85-nds
on July 30, 2007
in Biking, Interesting Stuff, Stories and Technology
. 0 Comments

The time is 2300 hours. Equipped with little more than my handphone, GPS receiver, cousin’s Giant road bike, army glasses, I set off to find an “wulu” (deserted) area around my neighborhood where I could graze at the stars.

Cycling Route Tracked with GPS
(courtesy to Google maps)

Why the want to look at the stars? Some friends might have know my love for stars, (not so much in exams) that in my bedroom are glow-in-the-dark stars linked with adhesive to the ceiling. When overseas even in Malaysia, it was nice to look up and see the beautiful sky we seldom chance on at home. During my army’s guard duties, it was nice to step out of the building at night, with the dark surroundings, gave attention to the bright backdrop of stars overhead.

Although I always ask others if they knew how to look at stars, I never get to learn, and so I always had my own way of looking at them. Until I visited this webpage, The Night Sky, with over 80 pages of night photos, teaches you how to identify stars, direction, constellations, and planets. Armed with this new knowledge I wanted to look at the sky for myself.

In my memory, the route I’ll be taking will be going through the least populated and least lit, places which perhaps I could get the most out of the sky. Up the slope, round the road to the Yishun channel cycling track, connect to a lonely road at a Malay Kampong g (village) near the Sembawang beach.

Well… I didn’t manage to see the stars today.

For one reason, perhaps its too early?

Two, as what a writer describe in an article I read years ago: “Light population”. Lights from the city, from the HDB flats, from the roads, and even the deserted road I remembered with proper lights has been covered with street lamps.

Three, the sky. Too bright, I thought, such that I see a lighted background behind the trees and lampposts. Seemed because of the bright full moon in the near horizon. Yet I remember seeing both bright stars and moon in my duty days. Cloudy sky, was my conclusion, as the clouds trap the moonlight to reflect or refract creating a bright sky with no stars.

Summary:
About 30 mins of cycling time,
~8km of flat distance
Average speed of ~20km/h
Maximum speed of 36.4km/h
Average elevation: 12.2 m.s.l.
(tracklogged by Trekbuddy and reports by uTrack)

No star grazing. Let’s wait for another time.

Notes From Myself For Myself (Part 1)

Published
by
Zz85-nds
on July 25, 2007
in About Me, Bloggin, Hobbies, NS, Stories and Thoughts
. 0 Comments

27 June 2007 Wednesday.

I separated from my campmates as we go on our separated ways home. My bus reached Bukit Batok Bus Interchange, and I took a walk into West Mall. A text came from a ORDed friend, saying he has a gift from Hong Kong for me. To stall time waiting for him to arrive home, I went into Bukit Batok Community Library and borrowed a few books quickly. 1 was copy writing, another resumes, a book for writing autobiography and one for writing journals.

[
Side story about my library fascination: My mum used to bring me to ang mo kio's library when I was young even though traveling time took at least 30 mins. (there was where I read about computer programming.) I was a librarian 3 years in my secondary school days. I spent countless time in Yishun library when it was built no more than 50m from my home! After O'levels while working, I made it a point to visit every branch of community library in Singapore - I believed covered almost everyone of them. NYP library was a place we inhabited during exams period, while some studied, some eyed for girls)

Trivial: Spelling and Languages are still one of my worst abilities! Some friends think I'm dyslexia.
]

The book that caught my attention, “Notes From Myself”, subtitled “A Guide to Creative Journal Writing” by “Anne Hazard Aldrich”.

My impressions reading the book, was it teaches you what is journal writing, the benefits and insights, and provides interesting notes and excerpts from other authors and journal writers. The book gives tips for writing, and also reasons to make you do so, and although journal writing would be a mile different with blogging, nevertheless its a read to make you reflect how you write.

Listening to the Morimur album while reading took my thoughts and feelings back and forth many places while I try to complete the book before the due date. Morimur album, btw, is recording done by Christoph Poppen and Hilliard Ensemble rendition of (a remixed) Bach’s Solo Violin Partita and Vocal Music. It has a modern idea, yet a very nice baroque, bach feel.

Back to the book, the last chapter made me reflect on the words of eleventh century scholastic Richard of St. Victor:

A man, who has not yet succeeded in seeing himself, raises his eyes in vain to see God. Let a man first understand the invisible things of himself before he presumes to stretch out to the invisible things of God…
for unless you can understand yourself, how can you try to understand those things which are above yourself.