new professional engineering look

My favourite magazine Professional Engineering has gotten a new look. I have been reading it since university days and this is the 3rd look I've seen. After the latest change it looks more and more classy like a lifestyle magazine than some dull engineering periodical.

I am enjoying it bit by bit and let me share some damn-good quotes from the November issue:

engineers don't articulate how important they are to the nation's well-being. They don't brag, they don't participate in political point-scoring - they are too busy for such wasteful activities.

I'm not a politician (and therefore allowed integrity). I'm not a banker (and therefore allowed morality). I'm not rich (and therefore spared jealousy). I'm not poor (and therefore spared the wrath of politicians, bankers, and the rich). But mostly, I'm happy to still have a job.

I just hope the new ink doesn't smudge under my fingers like the old one did.

what I've learned from my current job

What I've learned from my job:

• Don't bother doing a fantastic first draft. It'll have amendments anyway after your boss has vetted through it, and it is not surprising to see v0.1 to v0.10 (which is not the same. This is not maths.) after some volley exchanges of emails. So for the sake of efficiency, just send out the first draft early so that you get the bounce-back early.
  
  "Do it once and do it well" does not apply in the real world.


• Get used to it. You propose an idea to your boss, he shoots it down. Some half an hour later he comes back and "counter-proposes" to you the exact same idea. Then he submits to his boss and claims the credit.
  
  That's the thing when your organization has that tall hierarchical pyramid. My previous job's was pretty broad and flat and the power-distance was quite short. I stretched my arm and I could touch the biggest boss.


• Continuing the previous point, you can be the one proposing the revolutionary idea and doing all the dirty work, but at the end of the day the one getting the accolade and appearing on newspaper and magazine is definitely not you. He may not even share the same office building as you!


• Wisdom from the veterans. If they give you a deadline, stick to the deadline. Better late than early. Giving them what they want early is an indication that you have nothing to do, NOT because you are efficient.
  
  This point, I don't fully agree. But oh well, we all need a breather.


• Your boss' boss may use you to monitor your boss. Delicate balancing act, your boss is the one giving you the performance grading, but his boss is the countersigning person.
  
  But I suggest don't screw your boss up.
  

Considered on-job training (OJT)?

the parrot intern

And so, an intern came to my company. Since I am the newest guy around in the section, ie The Expendable whose absence won't impede the daily operation, I was tasked to take charge of this intern.

This intern is studying mechanical engineering in this university in the Southern Hemisphere. I happen to have bad experience with people who happened to be from that university. This guy proved to be equally moronic.

The first thing when our boss met him in the meeting room, the intern said "let's just be casual, I don't like to be formal" WTF! Who do you think you are to say that? George eff-ing W Bush? Even us permanent staffs dare not talk to our boss this way (of course, cos our boss decides our bonuses). He claimed to have worked in different industries, takes part in toastmasters, teach people on public speaking, etc etc.

And he has this habit of repeating what other people are saying. Before you end your sentence, that is. I was quite irritated, and so I decided to react accordingly. I stopped at mid-sentence just as he was about to copy me word for word, and I asked him "so how?", "and then?", "you were saying?" Completing the sentence is not easy when you are talking about technical stuff. You know it, or you don't. Was I hiding my smirk?

Since he was so proud of his goodself (and apparently, his university), I thought I could talk intellectual stuff with him. I asked if he knows about the ideal gas law. He said yes. So I asked what is the ideal gas equation. *silence* I rubbed it in. Isn't that fundamental? He claimed he has worked in many industries, including semiconductor and blah blah blah, so I asked him, have you seen a production line? *silence*

Notwithstanding his lack of EQ, he served as a good reminder for me not to be full of myself. Since you think you know it all, people won't want to pass you anymore knowledge. In the end you are the one losing out.

people like to be overcharged

The last I saw, 350 people like this, ie to be overcharged for their bus fare. Click image to enlarge.

I guess it works the same way how some people like to be whipped or slapped. Kinky!

schooligans

This morning's Chinese Newspaper ran a report on how this mother committed suicide a few times cos of her schooling son. While the mother was in hospital, the son even invited his friends over to his house to play. The report also referenced the recent violent cases involving youngsters in Singapore, and highlighted what some schools are doing to "help" these problem kids.

I think I can share some experience from my teaching stint.

As a new teacher, I was put to teach 4 classes - a sec 1 normal academic (NA) class, a sec 3 NA class, a sec 5 NA class, and a sec 4 normal technical (NT) class. So eye-opening even the blind can see. I'll use the more politically correct term, these classes were challenging, and I must say that some students from these classes are good. As for the others... Some slept in class (which, in fact, is the least evil), some played cards, many took out their phone during lesson and played the games inside, some would run around the classroom, hitting one another with broomstick. Some would loiter around the neighbourhood after school, speeding about on their seat-less bicycle, or enjoying a moment of nicotine at the void deck. Did I mention those who openly stood up to challenge you, and stared you in the eye?

And then you may say, "your classroom management sucks!"

But do you know what powers do teachers have? The power to fail students' test. That's all. Detention? The guys were totally cool about it. Confiscate their ear-stud? They can always stick in a new piece. Confiscate their handphone? One got physical and then threw a chair. It is like answering to hostage situation armed with paper bullet.

Sometimes you try to talk it out with the parents, and what do they say? "Don't disturb me about my son!" "I'm busy". Nowadays it is very easy to skip school, all you need is a parent's letter, and some kids are good at signing for their parents. It is to the extent that girls skip school whenever auntie red visits, and boys skip when their outside business is good.

So how?

the ah bengs

I'm not saying those with dyed hair are bad guys.
Neither am I saying those who wear their cap sideway must be gangsters.
I'm also not saying those with piercing are ah bengs.
And I won't say those with tattoo belong to secret society.
Those found with knife, could be just helping their old grandmother buy a chopper for the kitchen.
Those who watch porn don't necessarily become bad teachers.

First the slashing in Pasir Ris. Then at Bukit Panjang. Next, Ang Mo Kio. And now there's this 2 kids flashing parang on the MRT, not forgetting one was on the reserved seat. The scholar who kept porn is another story.

What I feel is that after the first case (Pasir Ris) happened and the media reported about it, some bored kids at different parts of Singapore began to dare each other, thus leading to the subsequent cases. It works like how media report on suicide case could have an negative impact on suicide cases that followed suit. That's why it is important for the media to stress on the mention of "death penalty", although some daredevils (or pure dumb fart) would love to walk on the line.

Lately I saw police officers on patrol in neighbourhood, which is a good thing. But... Please wear your peak hat while patrolling, that would make you look more you-mean-business and less casual feel. Red beret Special Operation Command officers armed with MP5 would be more reassuring, of course. Best if you can bust those void deck gatherings.

Ever seen PTU patrolling the streets in Hong Kong? That's called deterrence.

the other side of the interview table

Less than half a year into the job, I found myself on the other side of the interview table.

To be very frank, if I was on the other side, ie, the interviewed, I wouldn't have passed it. That sounds unfair, right? The unqualified trying to qualify others. That's why I was taking the sideline, only asking questions pertaining to background experience.

Back on this side of the table. Candidates who are competent, even if they are nervous you can still feel their quality seeping out. Some are well-prepared, they can give you textbook answers without missing a step, but they lack the field experience and will go mute, although they may do a desperate attempt. Some, irritate the hell out of you (one interviewer ever said that to me), and try to make you feel like they are the interviewer.

Interview is a necessary evil. Some will just have to stop at that stage.

print your road

I saw this clip that shows how they lay a brick road like unrolling a carpet. Bricks ok! But I guess not very useful in Singapore's context. Innovative nonetheless.

lucky childhood

Now that I am (officially) past my childhood, when I look back I realize I had a very lucky one.

I had a 3-D View-Master, I had a 1st generation Game Boy, I had Lego, I had GI Joe figures, I had a 286 personal computer that needed a DOS disk to boot, I had a Nintendo Game & Watch, Gundam models, etc etc.

I remember feeling envious when other kids had Nintendo Famicom or something. I don't think kids nowadays would settle for any of those, but I still am grateful for what my parents provided for me.

meeting plato and a platypus in a bar

Sometimes you enjoy the book so much you totally forget the objective of the book (or perhaps, that's the objective?)

On a few occasions at the bookshops I saw the cute cover of the book Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar, and I told myself this is one of those must-read books. Cute title too, and I always judge books by their covers. Written by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein, the book tries to talk about philosophy using jokes. It tries to start light with metaphysics which is not physics, then moving on to logic, ethics, etc etc.

While the jokes are either on religion or sex (or both), they always start your brain thinking, so you can say those are intellectual jokes. Maybe I'll share one non-sex joke from the book...

A man is praying to God. "Lord," he prays, "I would like to ask you a question."
The Lord responds, "No problem. Go ahead."
"Lord, is it true that a million years to you is but a second?"
"Yes, that is true."
"Well, then, what is a million dollars to you?"
"A million dollars to me is but a penny."
"Ah, then, Lord," says the man, "may I have a penny?"
"Sure," says the Lord. "Just a second."

I enjoy the book so much, but, what philosophy?

scc international rugby 7s

Went to catch the 63rd International Rugby 7s held at the Singapore Cricket Club last weekend. I am not a rugby fan at all, but having learned a bit of it during secondary school days sure helped to appreciate the game a little.

The Padang was transformed into a festive village, with playground for kids, beer garden, Guinness booth, and more beer booths. Basically it was like a festival filled with Caucasians.

Rugby is sometimes termed "rough game for gentlemen", and playing in front of the Supreme Court must have helped. Every 7-minutes half was filled with action. There was just no time to stall time. The clashes, the impacts, the throat slam... ok not wrestling. The spectators were treated with progressive level of games, from the local secondary schools to international schools, to oversea rugby clubs. The final game was definitely most heartening. With seconds to go before the final whistle, SA Viper scored a tough equalizing conversion from the side, forcing the game to go into sudden death. Eventually Penguins won the title.

The spectator stand was equally amusing as the pitch. When not screaming, the crowd sung along with songs like "I get knocked down", "YMCA", "Sweet Caroline", "Rock you". Of course, some did silly funny stuff when they had malt down their throat.




Man, at the end of it my voice was gone and I felt like diving in to score a try.

3rd roll of film

Ok folks, I'm done posting photos from my 2nd roll of film, the efiniti. Let's just say I won't be using that for the time being.

Up next are photos from my 3rd roll of film, the expired Kodak Max 400. This was my first attempt at expired film, no foul smell although it was 4 years stale. Unsure of how it would perform, I wasn't expecting much but the effect was delighting (you don't need a Canon to delight you always). The photos are grainy, but the colours are satisfactory. Sometimes you just don't know to attribute it to the camera, or to the film.

Anyway I've taken a few shots of the National Stadium before it got torn down. Photo memory I guess.

feeling secured?

The recent Downtown East murder case did worry me a little, not just because I was at the exact same spot some weeks ago. The thing that worries me is I remember seeing a bunch of security guards.

Security guards are a common sight post-911. We see them at bus interchanges, we see them at MRT stations. We see them checking for handphones during movie gala, we see them at the goodie bags queue at events. The questions seem answered but not quite: what do they do and what can they do?

Just look at the security guards at malls and stations. Most of them fit into the category of being called aunties and uncles. Imagine a security guard at the station checking bags and he found a boom boom in a bag, if the bad guy is determined enough to sacrifice his life, you think he won't snatch the bag back and push the ah pek away?

A security guard ever said, he will just keep his eyes open, but if anything happens, he's not going to stand in the way of the bad guys. Trust me, I'm not suggesting they should block bullets. They are only armed with a walkie!

And some of them make you feel even less secured. I wonder how many of you have bumped into this weird looking bespectacled man on the Norh East Line. He dresses up like a security man, complete with epaulette, neck tie, lanyard and a taped up fake security pass. Another one, another bespectacled man at the bus stop next to Bishan MRT Station, complete with a very real looking blue pass on his neck with the merlion logo. Childhood ambitions unfulfilled?

To me, some security guards are like biological CCTV or extra hands to dial 999, other than extra job positions created for the population.

crh380a on the shanghai-hangzhou hsr

The Shanghai-Hangzhou high-speed railway started operation late last month with the CRH380A running the line. (no, not A380) With a operational speed of 350km/h, it shortens the travelling time between Shanghai and Hangzhou from 78 minutes to 45 minutes, thus "shrinking" the Yangtze River Delta.

On first look the production model of the CRH380A does resemble the Japanese Shinkansen's JR500 Kodama, oh well... Look on the other side, you can try out the bullet trains from around the world just within China :) Let me see, I've sat on the CRH1 (Chinese Bombardier Regina) CRH3 (Chinese Siemens Velaro)

vending crab

I believe it is the season for hairy crabs and I just saw the supermarket selling them. But can you imagine vending machine selling hairy crabs?

Chanced upon this clip a few days ago. It shows this ordinary looking vending machine in China that resembles those selling snacks. But what it sells, are hairy crabs packed in individual plastic casing.

Seems like the crab could survive the free fall.

after enough fuel, the food for thought

After talking about the fuel for thought, it's time to talk about the food for thought.

Summit Luncheon

The first dish on the table was water apple, green papaya, mango, guava & pomengranate salad served with hawthorn berry sauce. Ok that's a mouthful, both the name and the appetizer. In fact, I couldn't finish the green papaya. The water apple was surprisingly sweet though.

Next up was the Asian Platter which consisted of Hainanese chicken rice, tandoori fish with yoghurt, and mutton satay. This combination of some of Singapore's favourite local delicacies sure gave the foreign guests a good taste of Singapore. You just have to dirty your fingers eating the satay :P

As for dessert, is that creme brulee? No! It's mango juice with pomelo, strawberries & sago served with coconut ice cream. Yup, that Hong Kong dessert, but with a twist with the coconut ice cream which was a magical combination in place of coconut milk.

Summit Dinner

Dinner started with the appetizer called trio of scallops with pineapple jicama salsa & lime vinaigrette. Chim names.

I was busy networking so I didn't take a photo of the soup, so we move on to next which is refresher. Refresher in the midst of the dinner! Lime sorbet with sour plum powder. I don't know what peel was that on the sorbet, but it fitted in well with the mild sour taste. Refreshed.

The main course would be soy-glazed chicken pot roast with apricots, gratin potatoes & bouquetiere of vegetables. I seriously like the fusion of east and west!

Last but definitely not least, the dessert. Molten chocolate cake with lemongrass ice cream & marinated kumquat. I thought the event logo on the ice cream was edible, but my mouth told me it wasn't. The molten chocolate cake was really to die for!

And of course, a choice of Lindesman semillon chardonnay or shiraz cabernet for your networking needs. I was at first a little reluctant to drink, until an angmoh asked if I don't drink alcohol. "Seldom," I said. "And tonight is the seldom!" The angmoh asked the waiter to pour into my glass. I was wide awake the whole night.

singapore energy summit 2010

I attended the Singapore Energy Summit which was right after the Prime Minister spoke at the Singapore Energy Lecture. Consisting of 6 dialogue sessions, the Singapore Energy Summit is a highlight of the Singapore International Energy Week 2010.

Following closely on the main theme of Smart Energy Economy, I observe from the discussion that the weight seems to have shifted from renewable energy to energy efficiency. (observation: Shell is the presenting sponsor of SES, and there were speakers from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Malaysia, Brunei, all oil producers. You must be kidding to talk so much about non-fossil, renewable energy)

So much was being discussed and so many points brought up, I have taken down 8 pages worth of notes! Some of the common views were that we need a bottom-up approach from the consumer level, and that there is no single silver bullet to energy issues. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been repeatedly mentioned, as it is seen to be more viable when coupled with fossil-based power generation than say renewables. The role of smart policy and regulatory support was also brought up.

There were many great speakers at the summit. For example, Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director of International Energy Agency, gave a very captivating presentation. Brunei Minister of Energy Pehin Yasmin Umar didn't lose his humour even though he lost his voice to sorethroat. He was frank to say that fuel subsidy is the biggest barrier to energy efficiency in Brunei, and the more electricity they use the cheaper it is. (he also said he only took up this position a couple of months ago :P)

For me, the session has been an eye-opener and really left me with much fuel for thoughts.

(just an afterthought, there were a few speakers from Japan, but how come not China? And how about inputs from our very own Energy Studies Institute?)

staff development as an investment

The local Chinese newspaper has been talking about the scholarship bond-breaking case lately. Some see it as merely a business dealing, while others brought up the issue of ethics. It kind of reminds me of the similar situation the industry is facing.

Some time back I was having a meeting with this construction firm's boss. We were trying to encourage him to send more workers for training. He said he ever sent a worker to attend the training by a Japanese equipment manufacturer. The next thing you know, after completing the training the worker resigned and went to work for the rival company. So I asked, why not make the worker sign a bond? But who would want to be bonded, and how to enforce it? Anyway, there were some heartening cases too, like a construction worker who started at $24 a day rising up to become site manager earning more than $3k a month.

Another time, I was talking to this construction trainer at a training institute. He said a contractor complained to him saying he sent a worker to attend course. After completing the course the worker told the boss he had to go back to India cos his parent was sick, etc. So the boss let the worker go, and guess what, he was seen working at another construction site in Singapore.

Spending money on staff development is like investment. There is no guaranteed return. But we still have to do it to keep the wheels moving forward. On the runaway cases, let's say you are contributing to the industry :P