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We Only Got 4 Minutes, 4 Minutes...
2008-04-29 11:32:00
Two weeks ago, I made a post about water saving and that certain regions in Australia are now experiencing droughts. Out of the four seasons, "Spring" and "Summer" would be my most favorable seasons. Unlike "Autumn" and "Winter", the weather makes my skin extremely dry and itching like mad. Sometimes, I'm even force to take antihistamine tablets to reduce the itching besides applying sorbolene and body lotion.Now, let's get back to the topic. Is anyone out there would like to take a final guess before I reveal the actual answer? The post title "4 Minutes " has absolutely nothing to do with Madonna's latest hits. And if your clever enough, you should be able to tell the answer by now, but if you can't.....Don't scroll your mouse yet!!!..C'mon, you can do it!!!..Just think harder!!!..T-A-D-A!!!It's a 4-minute hourglass used to limit the time you spend in the shower. I think that this is quite a good practice in reducing the water usage. What do you think? Good idea? Bad idea? ...

Home-Cooking: Base Fillet Recipes
2008-04-27 08:39:00
We've been cooking and eating good food lately, trying out new recipes such as Steamed Hot and Sour Base Fillet and Baked Curry Base Fillet. Both of the dishes were tasty, just like the Stir-fry Basa Fillet with Garlic Shoot, and 年年有 “鱼” I prepared during Chinese New Year.I'm looking forward to prepare more variety of dishes in future. And lately, as the autumn nights are getting colder and colder, we can't help but start having Tomyam Steamboat again, but this time it's extra hot and sour!In case you don't know, the multi-purpose rice cooker can be use for cooking (Rice, Porridge, Claypot Rice), steaming (Egg, Sweetcorn, Tofu, Steamed Bun, Fish), boiling (Soup, Chinese Desserts), steamboat-ing and many other usages that have not been discovered yet. If you happen to find out any other methods, please feel free to share with me and the rest...We've tried Sichuan steamboat and n-times of Tomyam steamboat, so what's next? 2 kg of Breaded Calamari were "settled" by t...
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Drive Free Traffic to Your Websites
2008-04-25 05:21:00
I just noticed there was such an e-mail in my mailbox when I was doing a house-keeping on my mailbox this morning. In order to satisfy my curiosity, I paid a friendly visit to www.VerveEarth.com. And as usual, I got myself signed up, and began exploring around.I found that it may be one of the best ways to drive free traffic to your website. So, I made a point of dedicating this post to all my dearest friends and readers. And I believe, good things are meant to be advertised for free shared with the world in every possible way.The site works similar to Google Maps where you get to zoom in and zoom out to search for registered bloggers / website founders who are based in a particular religion or geographical area on this globe. Now, does it sounds interesting to you?
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The Rainbow Sky
2008-04-22 06:30:00
It was yesterday, late afternoon, when I took this shot. While I was on my way walking back from the university, I happened to notice there was a beautiful rainbow appearing on the left of the sky, in real close-distance. As I had no "equipment" with me at that time, so I just rushed back home to get our T100.Fortunately, the rainbows were still there but the second one seemed to be fading out. If you take a closer look, you may notice there were actually two rainbows appearing simultaneously in the sky above. It was just amazingly wonderful! How I wish the sky could be brighter, so that I could capture a better image...
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DFO Brisbane Airport (Part II)
2008-04-20 09:31:00
We spent our 4 quality hours there, shopping and circling around the outlets to make sure that we wouldn't miss out any available "good deals". I wanted so much to get myself a beautiful fur sweater for this coming winter, but they're really pretty pricey. Lets see, the cheapest one costs around 150 dollars?DFO food outlets, is the place where we took our lunch.The packing of Wok Me is similar to Noodle Box in Westridge, quite tiny and cute.$ 11.00 ++ for a small box of Seafood Fried Noodle. My boi ordered an extra hot one but it tasted sweet rather than hot, just like the Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce we usually take.$ 8.00 ++ for a small sized Nasi Goreng. Even though, the menu tells that they're serving Malaysian-style food but the flavor of the the dishes seem pretty strange. I bet in most all restaurants here, the food have to be adjusted to the local flavor in order to make it sellable, that's the fact we can't deny...Around quarter past five, we finally reached our home sweet...
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DFO Brisbane Airport (Part I)
2008-04-19 14:24:00
This early morning, we gathered ourselves in front of USQ Allison Dickson Lecture Theatre 5 minutes before the departure time. As I mentioned in my earlier post, we'll be going to DFO Brisbane Airport , the Direct Factory Outlets are made up of 120 big brands and they're having big bargains at up to 70% off. Oh well, here's a sneak peek of the items I've got for myself. There'll be more photos coming right up...The handbags are extremely cheap there, the one I bought is only 16 dollars!!!Striped Grandpa Top from Strutt Fashionwear at only 30 dollars.ESPRIT White Linen Shorts at only 15 dollars.
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Water Saving
2008-04-18 14:06:00
Yeah, they are my new red uniforms with black cap. Neither the kitchen hands nor the waitresses all wearing the same type of uniform. I personally think, red color is indeed looks more refreshing than the old black ones and I love the cutting as well. By the way, we'll be going for Direct Factory Outlets (DFO) Brisbane trip tomorrow at 7.30 a.m. Remember to come back and check out my upcoming updates!Ladies and gentlemen, have a wild guess on what's the tiny little blue "thingy" we got in the bathroom. Now, let me give you a hint, it has something to do with the sticker below. Haha, start cracking your head before I announce the answer here."USE A PLUGGED SINK RATHER THANRUNNING WATER TO RINSE DISHES AND VEGSAVE 9 LITRES A MINUTE"That's the sticker being stuck right in front of the kitchen's basin / sink by the management. It reminds us not to waste water whenever we're using the taps, especially in the period of drought. For your information, here's the sequence of Australia...
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Sony Cybershot DSC-T300 Vs. DSC-T100
2008-04-16 16:12:00
Back in May of last year, we've bought ourselves a 8.1 MP red Sony Cybershot DSC-T100. Just within less than one year, in March of 2008, the corporation gave birth to another 10.1 MP slim point and shoot camera, namely the Sony Cybershot DSC-T300. My first reaction was, "Oh-my-God!!! 10.1 megapixels ???..." Yep, it's for real and the latest T series camera works solely on touch-screen interface.My apologize to my dearest readers, I wanted so much to continue writting but my heavy eyelids are beckoning me to the bed instead. I'm extremely exhausted today, but I promise to update the details of these two camera models as soon as I get back from work tomorrow, that would be around night time. So, see you guys around!~CLICK TO ENLARGEFinally, I've figured out a comparison table of these great product features. I'm so sorry for the delay. It took me quite some time to search and to filter the information. I had to create the table in .xls (Exel) before converting it to PDF. Besides...

Teen Horror Movie: Prom Night
2008-04-15 13:34:00
Today, we headed to The Strand in the city once again, with the intention to watch the US top-charted teen horror movie entitled "Prom Night ". The movie is a remake of a 1980 Canadian thriller starring Jamie Lee Curtis. According to Sony Pictures distributor, "Prom Night " has earned an estimation of $22 million during its first three days screening in North America.Don't worry, you're safe reading this post as it contains no "spoiler" content. The overall rating for the movie is still good, not too bad for a horror film. There were several interesting scenes which made the girls screamed in the cinema, but I was pretty much enjoying the "climax" from the start to the end. My advise is, go and check it out yourself if this is the kind of movie that you're after, it's definitely worth the ticket price.
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A Busy Day in the Kitchen
2008-04-14 16:28:00
While I was busy preparing chocolate cake at the other side of the kitchen, these two fella spent their "quality time" together, coating and frying the calamari pieces. I bet they did enjoy themselves throughout the entire process though, a big applaud to them!It's our second attempt of preparing Crumbed Calamari. The ingredients we used are bread crumbs, one whole egg, calamari (squid), cooking oil, and some salt and pepper. Surprisingly, the result is better this time, they were really crispy and delicious.As for the dipping sauce, it's my newly D-I-Y hot and sour sauce with a combination of cut chillies , 1/2 lemon, and a little bit of soy sauce and squid oil. In additional, the dish tastes good with sweet chilli sauce or any other dipping sauce you prefer.This is the type of Curry Chicken or Chicken Curry we usually prepare, my boi loves to put in some Indian spices for extra flavoring. When the chicken is cooked, the boiled eggs and potatoes pieces will then be added into the...
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Student Village: Blue Vs. Orange
2008-04-13 11:02:00
These are the two finest shots of the dayI was freaking bored...trying to find some self-entertainment.Apparently, the photos look imperfectunder my woeful photoshopping skills.So, please bare with me...Here is one awesome video clip showing youhow a skillful photoshop user may turn a great big fat ladyinto a slim-figured sexy chick. *impressed*
More About: Student , Blue , Orange , Village

The Spiderwick Chronicles
2008-04-10 06:16:00
The weather is turning unusually cold in the autumn, it was around 12 °C last night when we were playing "Chor Tai Tee" downstairs. Yesterday morning, we went for a fantasy movie called The Spiderwick Chronicles . This is NOT just another Bridge to The Terabithia or Pan's Labyrinth kind of films. I found myself pleasantly surprised as the story was tremendously entertaining and thankfully resolute, even the CGI effects were pretty amazing.This is one of the rare times where I entered the cinema without knowing whatsoever about the trailer / synopsis. In case you don't know, the story is based on 5 books and it was well put together as one brilliant fantasy movie. Not to mention, the great acting by Jared and Simon (the twins), Mallory (the sister) and Helen (the mother).Brownies attach themselves to households where they help out with chores and protect the family from burglars and goblins. They are fond of speaking in rhymes.When the little brownie gets angry, he will transform ...
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USQ Harmony Day 2008 (Part III)
2008-04-08 07:59:00
Finally, I have the time to filter and photoshop the event photos of the USQ Harmony Day '08. However, the majority think that the activities organized this year were plain bored and simply lack of new ideas/ activities. Even the food prepared by the international food stalls didn't seem to be attractive enough.They have been performing the same kind of Drum Dance during the past two years. Since 1995, Drum Dance has gained popularity in Toowoomba and South-East Queensland, performing at numerous public and private events.Alex, my boi and I had written our names on the signature board, which will be used as the stage background for the coming Harmony Day celebration. This is not a full report throughout the day, as I only partially participated in the 2-hour event.
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10,000 B.C. @ The Strand
2008-04-07 15:01:00
Today, we begin our day by watching 10,000 b.c. at The Strand , which is just within walking distance from Grand Central Shopping Centre. You can easily spot the not-so-new yet not-so-old double-storey cinema building on the left side of the second intersection.With the aid of the the Student Movie Saver Card, you're only required to pay 9 dollars per movie ticket. What's the coolest thing? The cinemas here are all on a "free-seating" basis, just like those in United States.The director of The Day After Tomorrow, as well as the casting/crew of 10,000 b.c. have done a great job in producing such a marvelous adventure film that last for 2 hours and 35 minutes. It's really worth watching and definitely won't let you, the ticket payer down.Before I end this post, I'd sincerely like to thank the person (one of The Strand staffs) who returned my boi's wallet to him, your honestly and caring are very much appreciated. I could hardly imagine what would happen to his wallet if he were ...

Sunday Market: Flora
2008-04-06 06:11:00
Hooray, USQ 2 weeks mid-semester break has officially begun, starting from this week! You must be wondering what my plans are, throughout the long holidays. Oh well, my answer is, I have no idea!!! My new colleague, Sherry has invited me to join them a 3D2N trip to Gold Coast next week, Movie World would be part of the plan. I still haven't make any decision yet, but we'll see how it goes...This morning, my friends and I paid a visit to both the Sunday Market and Coco's (Hooper Centre) for groceries and fresh food as planned. The photos below were taken upon the permission of the friendly stall owner. Also, I managed to grab myself a couple of things from the markets today, they include:190 g Roasted & Salted Pistachios @ $3.002 kg Green Apples @ $3.00250 g Cherry Tomatoes @ $ 2.001 kg Tomatoes @ $1.801 kg Broccoli @ $3.00Choy Sum aka Chinese veggie @ around $ 2.00Long Beans @ around $ 2.001 kg Fish Fingers @ $4.70730 ml Mae Ploy Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce @ $2.00175 g Smith's ...
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Blue Skies
2008-04-04 15:20:00
These photos were taken using Sony Ericsson K550i, when I was on my way attending the late afternoon class. The sky was amazing beautiful, it's just that the cameraman (me) who failed to capture the true beauty of the scenery...
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USQ Harmony Day 2008 (Part II)
2008-04-03 12:21:00
It was a sunny day for outdoor activities, the sky was so blue with white puffy clouds, the air was filled with gentle breeze and birdsong...The event started sharp at 12 noon, 10 minutes before I reach the USQ Quad to meet up with Alex and my boi. A couple of International food stalls had already been set up offering different kind of dishes.There were a lot of people queuing up in front of the African food stall, so I decided to try out their recipes which costs 5 dollars each. The food wasn't as good as I expected, I can cook even better than this...The Chinese food stall was just selling some kind of baked chicken, plain rice, and another 2 dishes that look unattractive.Coincidently, Jiaren & Stephenie were "peeping" on the Philippines food. Then, the words "Pearl of Orient" captured my attention and reminded me of Penang Island (Malaysia's Pearl of Orient).The hamburger / sausage stalls failed to attract enough customers to buy their "products" that day. Probably because ...
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USQ Harmony Day 2008 (Part I)
2008-04-02 15:16:00
Credits to Seng Yee for taking this shot for us.Michael, one of the Kendo performers.Andrea, the charming girl in orange dress code.My macho boi is having a glass of icy cold orange juice...Alex is signing for the Harmony Day campaign.Woo Jin with his Korean girl-friends.
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The Making Of : Straight-Through & Cross-Over Cables
2008-04-01 13:29:00
These are the two RJ 45 network cables I made during the CCNA Network Fundamentals Practical Test in the Cisco Lab this afternoon. The yellow one is a straight-through cable, whereas the blue one is a cross-over cable.We were given 3 hours to complete our task, which was to "produce" 100% workable network cables by ourselves. During my very first attempt, 2 to 3 of the UTP happened to be broken. I was a little worried but still managed to pass the test after my second attempt. Now, I can start playing around with my D-I-Y network cables.CLICK TO ENLARGEBy the way, USQ Multicultural Centre is organizing a series of Harmony Day activities tomorrow from 12 noon until 2 p.m. There'll be International food stalls, cultural dances / music, traditional garments fashion show, as well as other interesting functions going on. The dress code is "Orange", so see you there!P.S. Happy April's Fool to my dearest friends and family.
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Sayonara, Tallenbudgerra Gold Coast
2008-03-30 09:32:00
I was supposed to enjoy the sunny beach and aquamarine sea water in Tallenbudgerra Gold Coast BUT due to certain circumstances, I'm stuck in Toowoomba, working and doing assignments like everyone else...
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Domino's Hawaiian Cheese Burst Pizza
2008-03-27 10:22:00
I got a hot sizzling Domino's Hawaiian Cheese Burst Pizza delivered to my boi this afternoon, but what does "Cheese Burst" mean? It's actually a type of pizza crusts / bases. Domino's Pizza offers two major category of crusts: Famous and Indulgent. The "Famous" crusts are Classic Crust, Deep Pan, and Thin 'n' Crispy. "Indulgent" crusts, on the other hand, are The Edge, Cheese Burst, and Triple Cheese.Both my boi and I are cheese lovers, so I decided to have a try on the Cheese Burst. As you can see clearly in the photo above, there is a thick layer of creamy cheese dripping out of the classic and wafer thin crust. The pizza tasted extremely yummy and we loved it very much!!!

Home Cooking: A1 Bak Kut Teh (肉骨茶)
2008-03-26 15:12:00
Yesterday, after the morning classes, we brought ourselves to Clifford Gardens to shop for the Bak Kut Teh ingredients.Sauce: Cut red chillies, minced garlics, sweet soy sauce, and soy sauce.Apparently, we don't have any "肉丝油菜" here, so I just replaced the dish with Fried Lettuce + Anchovies instead.Ingredients: Pork ribs, meatballs, Golden Mushroom (金针菇), Button Mushroom (双孢蘑菇), and Shiitake Mushroom (香菇 / 冬菇).Seasoning: A1 Bak Kut Teh Spices (or any other brands), garlics, salt, sweet soy sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and MSG (if preferred).This is the souvenir I get from Benny, who has just came back from one-week Easter holiday trip to Thailand with his lovely wife.It feels good to start working again, as "手停, 口不停" which means "hands stop but mouth never stops". That's what keeps us working hard to earn a living...
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Earth Hour 2008 : Fight Against Global Warming!
2008-03-25 16:10:00
Do you care enough about global warming to take action? If you do, please kindly sign up with me now for Earth Hour 2008. Basically, all you need to do is just turning off your lights for one hour at 8 p.m. on this coming March 29th. Earth Hour 2007 used to be a Sydney event but in the year of 2008, Earth Hour has become a global movement. Please bare in mind that...“Turning the lights off for Earth Hour is a great first step, but if you really want to see a difference, then make Earth Hour part of your everyday life.”P.S. Thanks Alex for the valuable information and video clip of Earth Hour 2008.
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Supremo Pizza + "Chor Tai Tee"
2008-03-24 16:45:00
Lately, we had been staying up REALLY late, partially was to watch movies and the HK drama called "缘来自有机”. Another reason is because both of us were having Easter holidays and I, myself on the other hand was off from work for one whole week. How awesome could that be?!In this late afternoon around half-past-five, after we had our late brunch, three of us started to play "Chor Tai Tee" which is also known as "Cho Tai Tee" or simply called "Tai Tee". In between 5.30 p.m. to almost 12 midnight, we only stopped for a very short while to bake the Papa Guiseppi's Supremo pizza for dinner. As the rest of the time, we just played and laughed, laughed and played...I believe you could hardly imagine playing "Chor Tai Tee" non-stop for 6 hours with no money involved?! Sometimes, the games would turn out to be so much more fun and exciting with just a little twists and turns. I'm always prepared, and surely looking forward for the next coming round!
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Test Your Typing Speed
2008-03-22 16:51:00
64 wordsWhat about you? Hehe, I was wondering around the Internet just now, seeking for some entertainment to kill my boredom. Eventually, I got myself to a Speed test website where you get to test your typing speed online and I found it's really fun to play around with.The result in the end will show how many characters you've actually typed within one minute and how many of they are correct / wrong words. Of course, you'll be able to type more words if you don't bother rectifying the misspellings. Don't forget to share the results with me after you've completed the test, good luck and have fun!68 wordsOH MY GOD!!! This is so embarrassing!!! My "highest achievement" is only 68 words per minute, sigh... I bet I'm the slowest typist among all of you.
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