Scratch Post

30 October 2005

[Whoa!] Dick Morris

Dick Morris - father of "Triangulation" is a damn political genious!

Still 1/3 into his book "Behind The Oval Office" and it's damn addictive. Sure there's a lot of self indulgence in it but behind that there are so many intriguing things about the inner workings of politics in and out of the White House!

A lot of the things I used to just read in Newsweek editorials back in my late teens and early 20s suddenly have a new dimension to it.

Also, completed the reading of "Spin Cycle" - a pretty good narrative of Mike McCurry, and the White House, and how even the media are all engaged in spinning the news with their various special interests in mind.

Bought 2 books from Borders SG when I was there (Borders Msia sucks for some reason - no variety, no depth - just lots of space). Probably when I am back in Msia next week will look for more stuff in ... Kinokuniya.

And gotta try to watch entire Season 4 of The West Wing before I balik to BKK (too soon too soon)... so anyone who is interested in the upcoming marathon can join in.

23 October 2005

[Work] Loudness in Solitude

It's one of those Sundays where you are stuck in this client office in Bangkok, and the entire place is empty. All lights in the floor are off save for where I am sitting. Nice tone to the overall environment though.

So you sit down planning upcoming events, clearing up things and trying to find a way to wrap up this phase of the project. It's supposed to wind down by now but its always that last 10% which is the hardest to close out.

PC's blasting away this CD I bought in Singapore the weekend before: Garbage - Bleed Like Me.

I'm taking a quick break to blog this entry in, and know that I am going to miss Tim Russert grilling some senators in Meet The Press again this week....Dammit!

[Whoa!] Saturday Night "Not-So" Live

I am damn tired. Has been such a long journey and its hell weary on the soul. So I finally get a rare moment to chill in front of TV (not where I stay though - I got conned but that's another story) and laugh my head out with Sat Nite Live on CNBC Asia. It's not really live, it's a "the best of" selection ... which means its probably been carefully screened for Asian sensitivities.

This week - you have Will Ferrell returning as host, and though this time it lacks a political sketch I really enjoy some satire to relax. Perhaps the most ironic of all is that its proudly sponsored by Tourism Msia. ... a show that is so New Yorkian - that its starting credits and montages are packed to the brim with NY scenes, NY landscapes, NY lifestyle and values .... is sponsored by Tourism Msia.

10 out of 10 for the sponsorship my life is defined by some bright moments of satire and sardonic humor; but -101 for the marketing brilliance.

20 October 2005

[Whoa!] Sheer Genius

My siblings laughed and laughed at it.

I however saw it beyond its crude simplicity and idealism .... as the ultimate homeage and the next rational step to humanity's metamorphosis into the cyborg-tronic state.

Sheer genius and such captivating imagination!

19 October 2005

[WhatNext] Glance Back

Well, I finally did something I perhaps should have done a while back. In life there probably isn't much of a wrong, neither is there much of a right either. But just makes me remember that weird quote about life and a box of chocs....

14 October 2005

[Work] Launch Plus 01hrs

Open dammit .... Open!!
~ the last words of Ultra Magnus, moments before Galvatron & co blasted him apart

Keen @ D-Day. Launch plus 01hrs.

11 October 2005

[Work] Thunderbirds Go!

A few setbacks recently in the DCMS & CC projects. Things delayed and lessons learnt. ECSYS 2B though was launched as planned thanks to 3 great chaps - Chong Yaw, Bee Jiunn and Saik Fong.

Original launch target for DCMS and CC 19 Sept 2005 but now its most probably 14 Oct 2005.

I guess the trick is to still feel motivated to get things done right and as fast as possible despite some level of burnout. But you gotta do what you gotta do.

Gearing up for the revised launch date Friday morning. Lots of rush again.

Can't help but have that Thunderbirds Theme run through my head everytime something critical pops up.

Ta-ta-ta-ta... tata-ta tata-ta-taa-taaaa!!!

Makes you feel that you've just launched a couple of supermod vehicles and will be saving the day.


Take that evil scum!!

10 October 2005

[Self] Jap Dinner & Some Observations

After some adjustments in life, I have found cooking quite interesting .... even slightly therapeutic. Cooking shows are quite interesting - each chef has his/her individual style; and the processes involved can be intriguing. Plus more oft than not there is an element of culture and creativity involved in the art of food preparation.

I guess that was why I really enjoyed my Jap dinner last night. This place called Ikkyu-An .... somewhere opposite Emporium and just below Phrom Phong BTS station. Had an open kitchen concept, and I was enjoying the free cinematics. Some geeky observations:

1- Carrot chunks: Peel the outside first with some cool peeler that gives it a wedgy shape; then cut in chunks from tip to top but make sure the carrot is rotated every time;
2- Cuttlefish chunks: Quick slices on the top side that cut into 25% of the meat in singular and 1 directional strokes; then flip over and repeat. After that, cut through the entire meat in uniform chunks; but notice how they come out in totally cool edgy shapes! I think this can be applied to jelly too will try.
3- Warming up sake: The non-microwave style. Put the sake into a pot of boiling water and blast it with torrents of flame. I was a bit worried that all my sake would have evaporated away but it did not ^_^"
4- Slicing "chang": I was wondering how to give "chang" its shape ever since I had some soup in another place weeks back. The mystery was finally solved. Totally different perspective into how to slice this vege - place a large bunch of "chang" and then slice from an angle of say 15 degrees, press down hard at the moment of slicing and make it decisive - this gives you a long thin slice which really looks elegant.
5- Methodology of making a good cold tofu: All ingrediants are all pre-prepared. The trick is to have it all brilliantly chilled in the freezer and the minute the need arises, take out the tofu, place it on the palm and carefully slice it into 4 smaller pieces. Take out the ingrediants (all already in this cool metal box with compartments) and decorate. The cool metal box makes it easier for the ingrediants to chill, but remember to place it back into the fridge when its done.

Cool or what? :D

09 October 2005

[Work] Agitating For Unlock

I know its a bit undeserving for me to bitch about being restless while my DCMS, CC and ECSYS teams do the real work at this point in the project life cycle. Can't code but I try to do my part as much as I can.

On the client side - trying to make sure they don't step all over us; being a tough asshole when required; being nice when required too; lots of negotiations; impromptu meetings; providing assurances; some documentation here and there. Running around locations and different floors.

On the onsite team side - buying junk food, accompanying them over the long nights; feeling guilty by leaving first but making it up by being in the office earlier than them; talking nonsense (its a function of the J.D.); and trying to set some direction admist this chaos. I've bought them some dinners out of my own pocket out of personal appreciation, and have even sunk to the level of giving a quick shoulder massage some weeks back.

On the offside team side - don't really do much for them due to the distance and that the TLs do more of the commnication with them; I always feel bad for not being able to do more; try to keep them in the loop of certain events; try to know what is going on there too.

Yup - that's what this 3rd Monkey does.

Anyway, for DCMS & CC systems - the night of 06 Oct 2005 (Thursday) was a bloody letdown. We were so psyched and ready to launch as targeted and then the gremlins popped up and multiplied - damn things really choked the system. Never was the term "DB Deadlock" more appropriate.

Yearning for a solution that will perform the "unlock". But trying to give the team space to do their work and not be too much of a distraction. Can't help but ask about status once in a while. Hope at least this minor interference is the most damage I do for now.

04 October 2005

[Work] Dry Run 5

Dry Run - Also known as a user (onsite) stress test - Also known as a "shakedown".

Welcome to Dry Run 5. By now just skip the test I am damn stressed, and I am already pretty shaken all over. Revised launch date is 2 days away and it must work. No option for any failure or gremlins. We're supporting 400 plus concurrent users, but will simulate based on a 50 "requests per second" scenario.

This is the time when the PM and his entire team suddenly become meek, humble creatures. I'm pacing up and down, being the bothersome distraction I am.

Pic: 400 plus users to support baby!!


The team is dead tired after days and days of tuning architectures, testing hypothesises, performing stats diagnostics. And yet they chug along and are so dedicated to their craft - that those thousands of lines of code work seamlessly, somehow defining 'logic', queuing against or overriding each other, listening for events before actions are taken, a lurking subfunction simply dwelling till it is invoked ... and somehow these singular actions are strung to somehow make sense....

There's a nervous tension in the air. The room is filled with the crackling of keystrokes, papers being shuffled, and people talking. I stop pacing and gaze across the room. Hundreds of users hack at the keyboards furiously processing stacks of forms at the craziest of speeds.

I crack a few jokes to diffuse the tension and guilt. Even start practising a pose called the "ARRRGH what happened to the system?!" look. I think I am getting better at it as time goes by.

Pic: Take 42 -ARRRGH what happened to the system?! Beside me is "Superman" Peerapong.

And then the client side BA walks briskly through the rows of users and distributes a system performance evaluation form - I am reminded of warfare back in the 18th century or so where the flagbearer would run in front of the army before the battle begun.

Then from afar the battle cry is called out to rally the bloodthirsty hoard.... and the battle begins.


03 October 2005

[Work] PM Hard At Work

In what's a cross between Nat Geog, gross insubordination and reckless invasion of privacy, check out what some folks captured on phonecam.

Unzip, then run on RealPlayer. You may need a plug in though. Should take no more than 20 seconds to load it up.

Ugly, but I can face the mirror everyday so I can take a joke. Besides, my project team is the best, you really can't help but love 'em for their sense of humor.


Now to get that whip out for all that lashing .... some salt pls ;)