Journey to the Past

The weekend of Mother's Day 2009 was definitely one (fun and) overbooked weekend. Planning for this weekend was started a couple months back, when we thought there were only the Youth Retreat to go to. We were part of the Youth Group for a long time, and even though we are past university age, we still would like to support their program. The place for the retreat was 3 hours away No problem, it was only from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. Plenty of time to sleep off the tiredness, and be fresh for Monday morning works. So we signed up without second thoughts. Pemberton - our destination for Spring Fellowship 2009 Then my mom came and decided to stay until just after Mother's Day. Which meant that her flight was leaving on early hours of the Monday after. Which meant that we needed to get her to the airport around Sunday midnight. Okay, going to the Retreat would mean leaving my mom without us for the whole weekend. But then my mom encouraged us to go. Yuli wasn't p...

For all coffee lovers (or Tim Hortons' Iced Coffee lovers), go and get your coffee shot of the day at Tim Hortons tomorrow! On May 21, between 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm, get a FREE small Tim Hortons Iced Coffee! Hmm... now I need to find out the nearest Tim Hortons around my office. By the by, I am so glad this time the offer is for Canada, instead of the usual "USA Only" promotions.

As the rumor suggested , the new Kindle DX was announced this morning. I am drooling over the big screen (still in the middle of reading a manga). It's also a good thing that they finally support PDF files. But the almost-USD-500 tag price is working against it. I knew I wouldn't buy it before, but now I know with deeper conviction. On another note, the Spring Fellowship is coming. I am so looking forward to it. And of course, Vina's wedding is up next after that. Do.. mi.. so... I need to make sure I hit the right notes when it matters. In the meantime, Sony, hurry up and release a bigger screen e-reader, please!

Since yesterday morning, the internet has been buzzing with the rumored new Kindle DX that supposedly will have a 9.7 inch screen among other things. Engadget even has the leaked pictures (shown here). I am not a big fan of Kindle, BUT a 9.7-inch-screen sounds wonderful. I wish Sony would release one that size as well. Why would I want a 9.7-inch screen? Well, for one, think about all those mangas I have downloaded (and printed on to PDF for reading on my Sony PRS-505). On 6-inch screen, it is a bit small to read especially when I am sleepy. I need to change the display to display only half a page at a time to read comfortably. A regular manga has 4-12 volumes, at 130-190 pages per volume. That's a lot of page turns, especially at half-a-page a turn. The waiting time to turn sometimes exceed the reading time. A 9.7-inch screen will enable me to read my mangas comfortably again. I have also started to collect technical books for my work and other managerial books. On a bigger scr...

This is my third speech on the ToastMaster club. More information about the topic can be found here . Cleaning with Vinegar Some things in life are unavoidable. Tax is one of them. Cleaning is another one. If we neglect to file our tax, the government will come knocking on our door. If we don’t do cleaning, our house will be messy and full of bacteria and viruses. When it comes to cleaning, a lot of cleaning products are available out there. But believe it or not, the title “The Perfect Household Cleaners” is hold by vinegar. This is the same vinegar that we use for cooking. Households around the country have proven the effectiveness of vinegar. Vinegar is surprisingly effective, when compared to other cleaners . It is an 'all-in-one cleaner,' so there is no need to buy specific cleaners for different purposes. Vinegar is good for cleaning kitchen surfaces, sink, bathtubs, toilet, ceramic tiles, appliances, painted walls, floors, messy microwave, top of the fridge, and other so...

Thanks to the AudioBook library on BC Online Libraries, I started borrowing audiobooks more often. I found it very handy, especially since my commute takes about 45 minutes one-way every day. The audiobook I recently listened to was Dr. Blair's Japanese in No Time: The Revolutionary New Language Instruction Method That's Proven to Work! . As the name implies, this book teaches Japanese for total beginners. The tape runs for 3 hours in 3 CD's. It begins with a story where the listener is a tourist in a Japan amusement park. As it turns out, the park is taken over by a group of Flower Ranger fans, that are angry because their favorite show is canceled. The listener's mission is to find out these fans' plan and prevent it from happening. The story is quite amusing, and each "to be continued" section stirs the curiosity to know more about the story. The Japanese lessons themselves are arranged to suit English speakers best. With stories to accompany vocabulari...

I joined the Toastmaster Club at my work, and here is my speech number 2. The purpose of the speech is to have a good speech organization, with an opening, a body, and a conclusion. Since it took me a long time to organize this speech, I might as well post it on my blog. Note that this is a trimmed down version of the legend, with some parts edited out to avoid cultural confusion (and to fit the speech into a 5-7 minute window). The Origin of the Temple of Prambanan (also known as "The Legend of Bandung Bondowoso") When you look on any of the wonderful architecture, have you ever wondered who built them, for what purpose they were built, and the stories behind the construction? Indonesia has a lot of lakes, temples, mountains, and beaches, and each of them has its own story. Each of these stories teaches its audiences a lesson in life. Today, I am going to tell you the story about controlling your temper, and of a temple called Prambanan. Once upon a time, there was a kingdom...