2009 CNY gathering

Glad to host the gathering for so many of you. Thanks for coming. Hope u are not shocked by the "VIVA" request and it's my sudden idea only 1 day b4 the occasion.




Sorry I may not be a good host and may neglect some of you...tried my best running around to make sure are are take care off...in the end I still missed afew important things...like forget to hand out the angpaso to some of you, thanks for the few reminders.

This year lucky number is "3" - 2+6+7+8=23 remainder =3. There are about 7 winners. My own year 1 PEM has 3 alone!! plus LY + JL etcetc.

As usual beside eating Pizza and KFC..we played dice and ZhongZiMiMa to clear the food.




It was really a fun and joyous gathering. Hope to see u again next year!!

Graduation CD 2009 - registration

Dear 3rd year students who are about to graduate,

Good news!! the design of this year Graduation CD is now decided and we (myself and Christof) will start the production soon. Aim is to finish the production by May...which is your graduation day!! This involves printing /drying / editing / mass copy of the CDs. It will take awhile to complete.

I hope to pass the CD personally to you on that day so please do come for your graduation and look for me don't be late.

I am still not 100% finalised on the CD content...still working on them. you bet there will be pictures through the final year, videos on VIVA, outings, gathering etc etc...need to step up the effort abit as soon as the Batam trip is over...

As per usual as in least years, we print 50 copies only. So if you wish to have a copy, pls register in my blog. 1st come 1st serve!!!! Pls do not register for others...let those who are my blog readers and willing to register have a chance instead.

This year graduating class is of 2 halfs...1 half is more participative and cheerful in class...whom now are still in PBP, and the spec chem class is rather close to me especially.

The other half are currently in school, they are much much more quite in lectures...hardly any questions / ansewrs during lectures...but they are actually kind students. After the last lecture, they are actually more willing to write their feedback and let me know how much they like and appreciate my lessons in writing, some let me know via MSN too. So I guess they choose to hide their words and express in writings instead.

it's time to part and you move on with your future advanture...may this be my last gift to you...like I always siad...keep it dearly and who knows, one day u might show it to your grandchildren!!! :)

See you on the graduation day!!

1st encounter with the Year 1 P1 class

With our school COP dropping year by year, feedback from the year 1 lecturers are getting more and more predictable and the mid term onwards. The current batch seems to surpass the standard of the previous batch year after year, without surprises.


The ongoing joke in the department now is the the CEP lecturer needs to explain the concept of density using 3 lectures. They are also more noisier nowadays.


With a quick glance into the paper survey / findings of parents expectation : their favourite course for thir children to take up nowadays : BUSINESS. No wonder the science / engineering COP now is way way higher compared to business/ marketing / finance courses!! It seems like only the nardy and the wierdy choose us now...more of the latter I'm afraid...


Well you really can't blame the parents can you? Who wouldn't want their children to be towkays and drive merzs and be the CEO / CFO / UFO etcetc.


Anyway...today I had my 1st encounter with the 1st year students during their electives invigilation. They are really some interesting characters among them!!



4 of them fall straight into sleep and wake up only 1 min per 10 min sleep type of pattern. (They must be the rabbits among the tortoise, such non challenging elective test papers are really no kick for them. Maybe the FPM or RS papers in year 2 will excite them abit more.) Too bad I can take pictures to show you that really funny gang of 4.


1 can't stop talking and I had to stop him using the mike...

1 wore 2 big bangles and generated contant metal knocking noise throughout the test...i wonder if she wear these during lectures...

1 spend 1 hour totally engrossed in drawing the following picture...I dun think it's Obama...maybe some bollywood star whom I dun recognise....she flip over and write whenever I walk pass...Thinking back I should have stand there all the time, maybe then she can write more rather than draw more...

I ask my wife who she think is the character...she says it must be JChrist. Cheeky!! My son says he is F Torres.








Can't wait to meet them in year 3....if they survive year 2 1st of course...god bless...amibuddah!!

CNY preparation

It's CNY approaching again. We say goodbuy to Bush, the rat and welcome the Bull instead.

My wife and I have been spending some spare time going for shopping for CNY goodies the past 2 weekends. I guess this is the only time of the year that we buy abit extra and will not have the wasteful feeling.

So far what we have bought include Bak Kua, love letters roll, pineapple tarts (the outer type and the inner type), fried mini kok zai, fried mini shrimp roll, crispy cuttle fish, pandan buscuits, oranges, drink (lots of them...for the gathering), sweets, albalone, bird's nest, pine nuts, roast nuts, etcetc...and not forgetting the tibits we bought back from Taiwan too (almond buscuits / saseme buscuits /pineapple tarts taiwan style etc).

Noticed this year the selection of sweets are much much less than last year. Most likely due to the tainted milk incident. Cannot find big white rabbit now!! In the end i have no choice but have to use my personal packs of Japanese sweets used for teaching to filled up the sweet box at home. And guess what!! the kids love it and they are now hooked!! (wonder if it's the same with the students??)

I aalso bought the wheel brand mexican albalone first time this year. Yi Fan loves albalone and every year I have to fight with him during the steam boat dinner for the limited supply. And we have agreed to do a double blind test in year dinner. Wife will prepare the cheapo Australian one and the mexican one, who ever cannot taste the difference between the 2 types will have to settle for the cheapo brand. I think he is abit stress by now already....hahahahah.

CNY gathering also gathering pace....coming number reached 60 last night...could go up abit more still as there are still afew cannot confirm by now. Booked also the karaoke room last night...just to have extra space for the crowd. Looking foreward to seeing all of you.

Will pack the ang pao with wife soon...I guess the only thing we have not bought is the jellys from taiwan...that we will buy during the visit to chinatown after the dinner. that again is our annual routine to do some last minute shopping and looksee looksee in Cow car water.


WISHING ALL A HAPPY HEALTHY and PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!! :)

Taiwan tour 2008 (part2) with videos

Day 6 eveing we visited the 新拙江 NM. The next evening we visited the 六合 NM. Finally tried my favourite roast duck roll. You can find this easily in the south but quite rare to find this in Taipei nowadays. Tried the coconut too, v v sweet!! better than i expected. It's also the seanson for custard apple - they call it 释迦. we sometimes refer as thailand laichee too.


we also tried out the new MRT in Kaoxiong, very morden,comfy and stable. But the shops were rather deserted...unlike those in taipei.

visited also the famous 佛光山.



then we travel to Tainan after spending 2 days in Kaoxiong. Supposed to travel by high speed rail but we decided to follow the tour guide van instead. Visited the 安平 ancient castle and the side street shops for buscuits. It was a weekend so there is a big crowd of visitors which makes this small town very lively.



Had lunch the the market and taste 6-7 variety of tainan famous local dishes, including Coffin board (棺材板).

In the morning we visited the 延平郡纪念馆, the memorial hall for the folk hero 郑成功. In southern taiwan there are many many of halls, for which to remember the man who drive out the Dutch and fight against the manchuirans too.

Then we visited the taiwan salt museum in 七股. Took quit a few nice picture there and understand a bit more of the salt history too.



In the evening, we visited the famous 台南花园 NM. This huge night market is only open in the weekend. Now you can see why i took a long detour into the south and spend times in KX...just because i want to arrive in tainan on a sat to see and taste the NM !!

We arrived there abit late...7pm is the peak hour and is really v v crowded. Eat another 2 pieces of my favourite roast duck roll.


Hotel in tainan is also the best we have experienced so far in the past 7 days.




day 9 - going to visit 赤坎楼 and the 南元 farm stay.....we played golf and ride boat/ buggy and in the evening play lottos to win firecrackers as prices, overall a enjoyable 1 day stay in the farm.



They have display of 茶花 in the farm...reminds me of 天龙八部, the flower with white base with few red lines...isn't that 段誉mention - 美人抓破脸？