krisnut's Xanga

London Underground public announcements

Thu, 21 May 2009 21:16:21 GMT

Among all the cities I've lived in where I use the public transport, London definitely offers the most unusual public announcements in its Underground network.

1. "The Victoria line is closed today due to industrial action." (industrial action = strike)
2. "There are major delays on the Central line due to passanger action." (passanger action = someone jumping onto the rail tracks. It's horrible.)
3. "This train is held at this station to even out the gaps between trains." This one never fails to baffle and amuse me each time I hear it.
4. "Planned engineering work." They should say "perpetually planned engineering work." Ok, ok, so it's the oldest underground network and they're always working to improve it.

Places to study

Fri, 15 May 2009 08:38:25 GMT

I'm really picky about - among other things! - where I can do my studying. So when I embarked on studying for the CFA, finding a conducive place to study was quite a challenge since I don't properly belong to a school.

Back in my university days, Rice University's libraries were real blessings. I studied a lot in Fondren Library. I loved its high ceilings, dark wood furniture, floor-to-ceiling windows, and high shelves filled with hardcover books. I can't explain it, but just being in that environment already made me feel smarter. I still remember the bliss which was sitting on a plush armchair, enjoying my Sociology textbook, and looking out the big windows into the main square of the campus, watching students passing or cycling by. I thought, "I love studying Sociology and I love this place. Thank you, God." When Fondren got crowded, I went to the business school's library. It was so brand-spanking new and fresh, yet always so empty; those MBA students didn't do a lot of studying for sure!

I remember one summer I visited a friend who was studying in Oxford University, and we popped into one of the college libraries. As soon as I entered, I just wanted out. The place felt claustrophobic, the air was dusty (or was it musty?), and I could feel my nose was going to act up if I were to stay there longer. I have to say, at that time I just thought, "My, I wouldn't be able to study here. Thank God for Rice's libraries." (I'm sure there were newer libraries in Oxford... just that we happened to stop by a small and old one!)

Fast forward to April 2009. I tried the Starbucks near my apartment, on Edgware Road; it was too dim and messy. Costa Coffee on the same road was too noisy. Starbucks on Baker Street had no tables big enough for my CFA books. Finally I found a Starbucks I was happy with. It's on the corner of Great Portland Street and Weymouth Street. This Starbucks isn't too busy, has high ceilings and almost floor-to-ceiling windows, looking into fairly quiet streets lined with quintessentially London brownstone buildings. I quite liked the music, too. So I studied there for about a week.

Then I tried the RIBA building which my architect fiance recommended to me. It's actually just round the corner from the Starbucks mentioned above. This building is quite a find. I would have never guessed that the place is open to public. The restaurant closes at 3 pm, and thereafter, this wonderful space is open to anyone. It's a beautiful hall filled with daylight and the decor is smart and stylish. I like. (In fact, I like it so much I wish I could have my wedding there, but it's too late now.) I studied there for about two weeks.

Next, the Wellcome Library. I think this is where I'll study for the next month. I really like it as it feels like a proper university library (perhaps I just enjoy the fact that it brings me back to Rice), it's got Internet and printing when you need it, you can't bring food and water but there's a nice (read: fancy) water fountain in there. More importantly, unlike at Starbucks and at RIBA, I don't feel like I'm the only studying. Everyone there is mugging, so not only the physical environment is conducive for studying, but also the people. Thank you, Ying Hwei, for telling me about this place.

Well, I've got to go to the Wellcome library to study now! Blogging has been a nice break.

My favorite meat

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:38:23 GMT

There's no question about it. While I love beef and lamb and do increasingly enjoy duck and pork, if I had to choose one meat to live on for the rest of my life, it would definitely be the chicken thigh. Is there any other more versatile, flavorsome, yet affordable meat? With cattle meat, different cuts need different ways of cooking, but with chicken thighs, you will do them justice with almost any cooking method. You can roast it - plain, or with herbs, spices, and sauces. You can deep fry it (thank you, Col. Sanders for your legacy!). You can pan fry it with various kinds of seasonings and sauces. You can boil it ala Hainanese chicken rice. You can simmer it for a few hours and make a hearty chicken soup. You can grill it to make Japanese yakitori, Indonesian satay, and of course, you can simply barbecue it with barbecue sauce. You can stir-fry it with vegetables. You can put it in curries, Thai or Indian. You can make chicken and mushroom pasta. Man, the possibilities are endless.

I'm not sure what's with the obsession in the US and the UK with chicken breast meat. Something about breast meat being healthier and so on. However, a quick online research (and if it's online, it has to be truth, right?) shows that "while it is true that chicken thighs contain twice the amount of fat of boneless, skinless breasts, it is only at a mere 11 grams of fat per 4-ounce serving. That is less than you will find in the same size serving of beef, lamb or pork." Well, at any rate, this bewildering obsession for breast meat can only benefit thigh lovers like me by way of pricing. They say that breast meat is more expensive as it requires more butchery work, but I think the higher price also reflects the higher demand for breast meat.

My only complaint is that sometimes supermarkets don't sell thigh fillets. I still haven't found a way to debone and skin thigh meat quickly. I do know a friend who does, though. I shall implore him to teach me the secret skill!

Reminiscences of Constellation (Part 2)

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:44:55 GMT

I still remember my first day of work at Constellation in July 2005. It was like landing on a different planet. For a start, people talked in a different language. Here, a "curve" can be "flat" and "flat" means either no change or a zero value. Moreover, "F" is January, "Dees" and "Z" are both December, "Ercot" is Texas, "vol" is an "option", and an "option" is much, much more than just a choice! As if that's not enough, "long" is nothing to do with duration of time or extent in space and "PNL" are the three most important and heart-wrenching letters in the alphabet.

People also looked quite different from me. They were all male except one, mostly white Americans, and save for a few, each of them was almost twice my mass.

They also cussed a lot. I had never heard the f word used in so many different forms before-- it's a noun, a verb, an adjective. One guy used it in his every other word that my (rare) non-cussing co-workers started keeping a tally.

Welcome to the power trading floor. My primary responsibility was to provide the power traders a daily PNL ("profit and loss") report and its reconciliation with a similar report by the accounting group. It wasn't that challenging conceptually but through that task I learned how to use Excel functions and the weird-looking, DOS-based risk management system called SecDb. There were days I felt that it was a thankless task, what with the occasional trader crushing my report into a ball as soon as he saw his miserable PNL on it.

But I am thankful for the nice colleagues in my team. They patiently explained to me what "curve", "flat", and "long" means, and how the business worked. Thus, I stepped into this world called derivatives trading and I thought it was fascinatingly clever.
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Note: I haven't written Part 1 and 3 yet (learning this technique from the Star Wars people...heheh..)

My English

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 22:44:01 GMT

At the 07/08 new year's eve, I went to the countdown party/ thanksgiving service at my parents' church. One part of the service had people going up to say what they're thankful to God for in 2007. My parents and I went up (my sis wasn't feeling well, so she stayed home), too. My parents said some things (in Mandarin), and then I spoke some (first in English, since I'm more proficient there than in Mandarin, then translated to Mandarin so my parents could understand).

On Friday, my mom called (as she often would). She said,

"A lot of people have been asking if you've gone back to London. They also said, "Your daughter's English is so good/ refined!"

I told them, "Oh, really? I didn't know that! This kind of thing, you guys would have to let me know in order for me to know, since you know the language and I don't."

So I felt very happy and very proud, because people said that my daughter's English is very good. I thank God for that."

Some questions - can you help?

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 22:42:48 GMT

1. How is it that some people have dark eyebrows and light hair? Take for example:

Alistair Darling, the British Chancellor of Exchequer (I know, it's a mouthful.. it's simply the Minister of Finance, if you will, or Secretary of Treasury)

Anita Ekberg in La Dolce Vita

2. Speaking of Anita Ekberg, and of very good-looking actors/actresses from the past, how is it that some of them don't age nicely at all?

Anita Ekberg in 2007

Leonard Whiting, of Romeo and Juliet (1968) fame, in 1968

Leornard Whiting, in 1995

My sis is awesome

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 22:44:21 GMT

This e-mail from my sis today made me smile on so many levels. She knows me too well, and is also one of the most generous persons I know.

I'm heading home on Thursday and will be there through the New Year's! Can't wait.

============================================

IMPORTANT - Pls bring the following things home

winter jacket - need this for japan in mar and honeymoon in nov

one pair of sweater

CDs - music for wedding march-in, during dinner.. (i'd like to compile a CD and then ask the restaurant to play it throughout the dinner function)

Pls mark this in your calendar :

Saturday 25th 1 - 6 pm - check out OLE (HIV/AIDS awareness) @ TP HDB Hub where i'll be volunteering. http://www.onelife.org.sg/

Sunday 16th 7 pm - Dinner at Soup Restaurant @ United Sq (Oswin's treat)

Monday 24th 1 pm - Check out bridal shop, choose gowns, etc @ Precious Moment Bridal

Friday 28th 7pm - Dinner @ Si Chuan Dou Hua (my treat, this is where my wedding dinner will be held next year)

Tuesday 1^st Jan 6 – 9 pm – Jenny n Calvin back from Indo, catch up with them

other things that you might want to book

- Kimage haircut (i've got free voucher)

- Dentist (i can make the claim)

- Facial (Adonis)

HOV

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 22:14:17 GMT

My boss was telling me today about an amusing incident he encountered during his business trip to Jakarta.

Jakarta, like most capital cities of emerging economies, has bad traffic congestion. Recently they created high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, with a minimum of 3 passengers per vehicle. Right where the cars line up to enter the HOV lane, there's all these guys, standing by the ticket machine, helping you get the ticket and all that, and then the guy hops into your car! My boss was like, what the heck? So then our client explained to him that you pay the guy like 20 cents, he rides with you till the end of the HOV lane, and then he walks over to the lane going in the reverse direction to get back.

Busy

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 22:37:11 GMT

I'm so busy with both work and social life it's not even funny.

Take this week, for example. I've been having 12-hour days since Monday and I've been looking forward to tomorrow (Friday) since Monday night.

Except... I know this weekend is going to be a busy one, as well, socially. Let's see:

Friday night

Dinner with colleagues, and/ or
Go to the social/ hangout thing with the ASLAN team (ASLAN is the homeless outreach group at my church here). I just signed up to ASLAN and would really get to know the people.
Some friends are going to check out this lounge and someone has a special pass to it. I rarely do this type of night life/ drinks thing.. looks like I won't be able to go.

2. Saturday

Day: Hang out with and host one of my best friends from Singapore who's in town for business.
Late afternoon: Tea with Rice University's Dean of Social Sciences who's in town and wants to meet me to discuss plans of developing a Center for Energy Education at Rice.
Night: Housewarming party of a church friend, who's going to cook a seafood dinner and who's reportedly an excellent chef. (How can I possibly miss this, right?!)

3. Sunday

11.30 am service
Afternoon: Another church friend, is cooking Malaysian lunch! And I've been hearing she's a great cook as well, so I can't possibly miss this!
Evening: Joshua Bell's concert (it's Joshua Bell so I can't miss it either)
There's an event at church called "the Dating Controversy" which I think will be very interesting but I guess I'll have to miss it b/c I've bought tickets for Joshua Bell!

AND, I'm supposed to co-lead this coming Tuesday's small group with one of the small group leader, whose schedule is as bad as mine! I mean, look at us trying to find time to meet before Tuesday so we can coordinate our co-leading... see her e-mail to me today:

==================
Kris, I am at a wedding in Devon on Saturday so driving down on Friday night and then driving back on Sunday afternoon, followed by church and Second Sunday event(Kristin's edit: this is the "Dating Controversy" event I mentioned above). Monday night I have the first rehearsal for the Christmas Prom Praise concert so I am not sure I am going to be able to meet you unless we meet to discuss it on Monday lunchtime (Tues lunchtime have court hearing), since we work so close by?

I was going to do the prep tonight (in between packing?!) and then perhaps we can liase tomorrow re. which bits each of each should cover (ie you first half, me second half or vice versa - whichever you prefer).

How's that sound?
==================

I think I was panting by the time I finished reading her e-mail, but I know I'm no better than her either...

I'm officially in my "early late" 20s now =P

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:25:01 GMT

And yes, you can have your cake and eat it, too, if you have two friends who are keen bakers!