Bringing Garfield Home
After five years of being semi-domesticated and close to three years of returning to the wild, Garfield has adjusted to a fully domesticated life in our home.
Updates
Fixing my Ear, Nose and Throat in 5 Surgeries
I have undergone five surgeries since 2002. All five were ear, nose and throat (ENT) related. I removed my over-sized tonsils, which were causing very frequent sore throat. I was unable to breathe normally through my nose because of a deviated septum (the cartilage between nostrils) and excess cartilage in my nose. In addition, I was born without 1.5 out of 3 middle ear bones in my right ear which meant I was almost completely deaf on my right. I thought it would be interesting to share what the experience was like.
Driving License. Done.
My family and friends have bugged me for the longest time to learn driving. And so I decided to get it done. Probably 10 years late if you ask them, especially my wife. I finally did it because of a snowballing sum of factors. Ride hailing apps are no longer sufficient for me. It does …
My Weight Loss Journey: Six-Month Plan and Results
I first worked on losing weight in 2012 when I weighed around 94kg. I was then facing telling signs that my body could not deal with the excess weight – a high resting heart rate, easily tired, out of breath, etc. Bringing down my weight by 12kg was a relatively quick process brought about by …
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Century Ride: My 165 km Cycling Milestone
My parents gave me a bicycle when I was five years old. It was a black BMX bicycle with two extra support wheels to help me balance. The bike did not last for too long but long enough for me to develop an interest in cycling. I never rode past the vicinity of my block. Fast forward …
Transition and Plans
The last time I wrote about a transition was in 2009. I was finishing up my relatively long temp job before starting on my Economics journey at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Time flies. Four years have passed and here I am at yet another transition. The time lapse between this transition and the …
A Quick Update
The past few weeks have been busy yet rather exciting weeks for me. Here is a quick update. This year the site has moved from a ‘once every two days’ schedule to a daily update. There is always so much to write and share and I hope the posts have been interesting and enjoyable. My …
2012 In Review: What A Year That Was!
31st December. This is probably my favorite day of the year. The end, the feeling of completion and a whole brand new year ahead. It’s good to take stock of what has transpired over the course of the past 12 months. So much has happened in 2012 and many steps forward were taken. Personal Losing weight: …
What I Learnt from Blogging
I bought my domain 8 years ago and its main purpose was host sites that I created ever since picking up the language in Secondary 2. It was never my intention to blog even though that was pretty much what everyone was doing with their own domains. davejunia.com served as a host to sites I …
The Necessary Bell Curve: Why & How
Singaporeans face the bell curve from the age of 12 and this may continue all the way till we retire. It is used in nearly all national exams including the PSLE and also in firms where they mark employees for promotion / firing. There is a natural reaction to simply call this measure brutal and unnecessary but …
Equipment for Continued Weight Loss
In my last post, I lost 7kg and had an enforced 3 weeks break due to a nasty shin splint. I’m back running again and have taken the weight loss tally to 12kg. Based on feedback on the last post, here’s a look at the simple equipment I used to make losing weight a little …
Of School, Startups & Jobs
It has been an incredibly busy week and it will remain so for the coming month or so. I have had my hands full with many things ranging from studies, working on an exciting new start up, some contract work and a few other projects. I’ll keep my updates short and sweet. Studies – …
How I Lost 7kg in a Month while Eating KFC
I was gaining weight consistently ever since I completed my ‘A’ levels and went on to the army. Thereafter, food intake continued to spike during exam periods and summer holidays while doing my internships. This is a reflection of a month’s work without giving up my favourite food. The Push During my last internship …
My Internships & Work Experiences
I have completed 2 full summer internships during the undergraduate years. I am going to undertake my fourth year this coming semester and am about to enjoy the final week of my last ever summer holidays. Here’s a look at both internships. Summer 2012: SingHealth – Centre for Health Services Research http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtxEdb8PuTE This internship …
Tested: Power Consumption – Every Appliance/Device
Electricity bills are rather high in Singapore. I decided to do a thorough test of all appliances to see how much each device in my home draws. I live in a simple 4 room HDB flat and there are 3 members in the household including myself. This test is not to check if the power …
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Garfield – A Possible New Family Member
My parents wanted me to keep pets when I was young to teach me how to take care of things. I was the only child and possibly this was kind of a substitute for a sibling. My dad actually wanted more kids but my mom had her hands already full with one so I started …
Short Update
School It’s been a tough week. I have been focusing on getting this paper completed. It is the toughest for the semester and I have been sick as well this week. Next week would be a crunch with a solo presentation on this paper, another group paper and group presentation (albeit the last 2 are …
Crunch Week
As the end of the semester arrives, I have a few loose ends to tidy up. One big one has come up and is due next Monday. Not surprising that I will be giving full focus on that for the entire week. It has turned out to be a pretty good sem and if I …
Insurance: A New Tactic?
We’re familiar with high profile types of insurance coverage. Death, loss of limbs, loss of senses, big scary things. Those bang on the fact that a low percentage of people would meet unfortunate accidents. That’s also why you see insurance blossoming in ‘safe’ countries where death or major injury rates are low. Interesting Strategy I …
Here we go again
The second half of the semester starts tomorrow. Compared to the last, this has been a relatively smooth semester. Last semester was a nightmare and I’m very glad to have escaped that. I have 1 difficult module, 3 manageable ones and 1 that would be S/Ued (elective). In fact, I’m not sure if I have sufficient modules …
Happenings on Public Buses
I was told I have quite an experience to top off my bus taking routine daily. I don’t know if I’m a jinx or jinxed but I will compile the more memorable happenings on the bus. Bus 154 This actually inspired me to write this post. On the way back from Church I was sitting …