run Zo run

Distance: 10km
Time: 47 min and 51 sec
Position: 52/232

At first, I did it only for fun, not caring about placement. But once I figured that I actually run as a representative of the school, I decided to run as quickly as I can.

The 1st proper run was just few weeks back, after I got back from the brief Cro visit. Though I swim basically every day, I haven't run at all in the few months before the run. And so it was rather crazy to set a goal of keeping up with marathon running colleague, even though he said that the run was only a recovery run for him as he just ran a half-marathon few days earlier.

First 5kms was nice and easy; the last couple was a real struggle accompanied with a, now funny, in-between-ear conversations about stop-cannot stop... I give credit to the ego for not letting me stop, and finish 25sec behind my marathon colleague. As far as I can remember, this was the most exhausting physical thing I ever did... - nothing left in the tank - nice...!

From NP running

Paid holiday - ctd

It still feels like a paid holiday, I (still) like it...

My new contact kicked in from the start of this month. When I got back from Thailand holiday, it was nice to see the bank account balance after the 4 pay-checks have been payed in at once (including 3 months of gratuity at the end of the first contract).


CONTRACT NEGOTIATION

For all that negotiation fuss, I got the new mattress, and a choice to fly to Croatia instead of to Australia. Also, few hours of 'scolding' by the school Director and 'black listed' myself, so that, IMO, there is higher possibility of snowing in Spora, then me receiving an anther contract extension come next February/March.


LIVING ARRANGEMENT

I got news that I would be getting two flat-mates. One would have been ok, two - not acceptable. Having been accustom to the freedom and comfort of living in the huge 3-bedroom apartment by myself, and having an opportunity to host visitors, I didn't like the idea of having to share it with two fresh Princeton graduates. Though we might become the best of friends, I still prefer if they live the next door. So I'll probably end up moving out into an apartment in which an air-conditioning does not work, and a possibility of having to share it with students - it's about possibility vs certainty: a student/s might come for a semester, roommates are confirmed for one year.


NEW LAPTOP

Couple of months back, as though Santa heard me, I got one of those two-core, w/ 1G of ram (most ppl got the newer model with 2G of ram - so much for Director's favorite slogan during 'scolding' of 'we are all equal'). Though, I was pissed at times with the slowness of this current machine (which I am still using in the office, as I haven't registered the new one which I am now using at home) ...all of a sudden, since I got the new one, I got much more patient with the old one - guess convenience/choice of having two machines must of had something to do with it.


CURRENT TASK

Currently, I have some tasks in preparation of the teaching materials for the next semester.

Though most time (should be) is spend on the RFID project for the coming 'Open House'. Projects objectives are: tracking the movement of potential students around the facilities, and correlating students' showing at the Open House with the eventual student enrollments. Also, to enhance students' experience and help with the management of the event.

In addition to this, I am exploring the possibility of using Second Life to teach OO concepts.


NEXT SEMESTER

-Teaching
It starts on 15th October. I'll be again teaching OOAD2 (Object Oriented Analysis and Design 2) and a new subject for me, Project Management - both of them have over lapping content, also they share the dryness of Sahara.

-Competition
Together with Patrice, a colleague, leading a team of three students to a Java programming/strategy competition at NTU - virtualXgame; and problem solving by writing an algorithm at NUS - algoMania. Team name is Machinegun; with a motto, coined by JackKee: 'for truth and love, justice and hope; for the future' ...!

BS Father

Here Napoleon Hill summarizes his lessons in 7 minutes. No need to spend time and money on all that other hippie-happy BS materials as they are all - mainly just - repackaging the same ideas that he 1st published back in 1937.

You like it, but it's still bit confusing. No worries, here's the elaboration of the main points from the book - bullet format, simple...!

Ps: As I have mentioned before when writing about The Secret, I would not be surprised if my religious friends out there might say that they know of an other book(s) which far out dates Napoleon Hill's one - I would love to hear your comment on it - again, this is (only) a personal perspective.

Pessimism to Opptimism - in seconds

Last night, the net connection was not working down here in the lobby. System message was that my lap top's IP was not registered - thought they changed some settings while I was in Thailand, and that reason is behind the fact that I have not registered my new lap top yet.

Now, got back from dinner, and this is my in-between-ear conversation:

- [picked up the laptop] going down only for a while to check the mail/news
- no point going, the net doesn't work down there
- only one way to find out
- if it didn't work last night, it's not going to work tonight
- what's the point of NOT going?
- Pessimism...!

Mama visit

Mum got paid out at work (i.e. fired) so she decided to pay a visit to a family and friends back home in Croatia, including a stop over visit on the way there, and back, to her precious (i.e. moe).

Back in mid July when she first got here I gave her my - now, a very custom and routine - tour of Spora. And for her way back, I decided on something lazy, somewhere in SE Asia. Since she broke her leg on her second day back home, the resort on Lanta Yai, near by Krabi, in Thailand, turned out to be a perfect place for a week of rehab - pool exercises.

Unlike first time in Thailand, when I travelled around with my sister, this was a great week of resting: lots of sleeping, having chats with Mum and reading the book. Looking back at it, my Mum's attitude and spirit during the holiday was very impressive, not just because of the double fracture on her right ankle - one of the worst broken-bones type of injuries that have rather long and uncertain recovery; but even more, when taking into consideration the attitude of the environment in which she was brought up , and her own history with it.

zivilaDraga...!


Ps: I meant to say '...visit to one of her precious' but it just didn't sound as good - sorry Yogic :)

Sunny skies

I like the mix of tasks that currently take up my time:
To learn and balance them better - to schedule better - is still a work in progress...

every day in every way...!

Beautiful Ours...

Croatia...!
-by Hrvi:


Summer in Croatia, 2007

Turist => pay

Through all the SE Asia travels I've done so far it has been the same... after a bus arrives at an destignation it gets swarmed by taxi/bike drivers offering a ride and accomodation. ...Just people trying to make a leaving, nothing unusual there...

As I was just finishing of the post about my Vietnam trip, I got remained of a bit of an unusual situation that happened once I got of the bus in Mui-Ne, that earned me a nick name 'Sheep' with the locals for the duration of the stay.

As the bus ride form HCMC was some 6h, first thing I wanted to do was to get to a toilet... so somehow I comunicated to one of the many guys wanting to pick up tursts that I'll be back... Then while making a way from a toilet to a bar to grab some water I made an eye contact with that guy in the group, indicating to wait a bit longer... After I was finally ready to sort out the accommodation, and was going back to meet this group, some 5-10 of them now. As I was approaching one of them came forward with his right hand high, as though to give me a 'high five' ... I extended my hand forward, palm facing up, upon which he slapped it pretty hard, while giving me a visit-card of some hostel. Then he grabbed my arm and started dragging me, at the same time saying something in Vietnamese... I'd guess something along the lines of 'this one's mine'. Naturally, I didn't want to have any of this, and I stopped, trying to explain that I'm not a 'live stock'... I was using body language and cow, horse, sheep sounds... Though, in that initial moment I got a bit upset, it turned out to be a good laughter for all. And since they are all staying around the place where that guy I made an initial contact with took me, around there I was know as Sheep, something sounding like:

beyNee...!

Congrats to Marina&Mile

So I got there on Thursday evening. Spent Friday in Zaton with Uncle - he's trying to complete the house over there (been at it 10+ years, that's how things still are over there...) - and his family. That was my only dip into the wonderful Adriatic sea.

In the evening we went to the village (Rastevic; 5km from Benkovac towards Zadar) , they went to say good-byes to all the family before the morning trip back to Germany, and I stayed there for the night, before morning ride to Pag, an island some 50km away where the wedding was taking place.

Wedding and all was just nice... I was rather still buggered by the loooong trip, jetlagged... and later drunk with bit of upset stomach - to much of prsutto and paski sir, so that gave me a great excuse not to jump-around to 'good old' Cro music.

When I woke up on Sunday morning, I felt great... energy to the full, no jetlag, no nothing - thought, it must of been all that Malvazija which I filtered though my body that did the trick. Spend the Sunday with cousins in the village.

Monday I was around the town, meeting with some few friends at the old neighborhood over there. For dinner, met with my freshly married cousin.

Tuesday morning at 7:30 I was on the bus, on my way back.

Reached Spora Wed evening, back at work Thursday morning.

quick&sweet...!

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Got approval to go back home-home for cousin's wedding

I understood the rule 'no one takes leave during the exam period, unless there is a valid concern related to the imitate family. ' That being said, I was still surprised that the point that got me the approval of the leave, from that beautiful eM, was actually just a side point relating my Mum's holiday mishap:

- Also, currently my Mum is visiting over there as well. She landed in Croatia on the 17th of Jul, then she broke her leg on the 20th of Jul. Now she's bed tied w/ a cast on her left leg till the last week of her holiday - 1st week of September. As an added bonus, it would be nice if I could pay her a visit as well.

I've ended up sending that eM cos Director, after telling me on Friday to come and see her on Monday, took the annual lave herself on Monday - surely it was something related to her parents (apparently she lives with them; never married) or siblings.

I got an reply to the eM on Tuesday, telling me to come and see her. Thought she did not want to tell me 'no' via eM. Again, I was wrong. She wanted to once again reiterate all the many points she already told me after the contract negotiation process and the mis-understanding caused during leave approval for the Vietnam trip... She also told me that HR is still upset about IF who caused so much trouble.... To which I replied that if they are still talking about that insignificant instance, then they must be bored over there at HR - she did not find it funny - As a back paddle, I continued: 'I mean what really happened, I asked for something they said no, what's a big deal.' She had nothing to say - guess she couldn't, cos it's the truth.

So after leaving all that piljavina behind her... or in these terms, after scolding - they love that word round here - I get the approval for the leave on Friday and Monday... Luckily my RO is understanding so I get couple of extra days on the credit. [Worth mentioning is that, if it wasn't for the need to swap my exam invigilation duty, Director, nor anyone else, would have had to know about my tip].

Then there was a race to get the air-ticket, I was booking and canceling flights from Saturday onwards, as I couldn't get the approval. Prices were all they way up to $4.5K, where as usual would have be around $1.3K.

Finally on Wendesday I got $1.5K flight for that evening, 5h wait in Instambul - can! RO gives me ride to Little India to pick up the ticket. Then it was on to clearing out all the things and making sure no one misses me (all but one cleared, there was one re-marking of the Final Year Project demonstration, that someone had to sit instead of me as a second marker) I made it to the airport at the - now usual time - 20min before the departure. 32 hours later I got to Zaton (little tourist village near Zadar where my Uncle has a house - Mum was there).