Dropped by Funan today with Isaac, on the way home from town. And of course, every trip to Funan must include shopping at the biggest computer mega-store in town - Challenger.

Normally there’s nothing much to report in Challenger cos there’s just too many nice things to see. But today there were a few interesting items on display.

Hmm… Ordinary extension cords on sale.

Was looking at extension cords because I recently bought one from NTUC. I actually needed a 6m long cord but since they were all 3m ones, I was just checking out what nice features these might have, when this particular brand caught Isaac’s eye.

What?! PMS extension!

Hahahaha… Now who would want a PMS extension?! What a wrong name to brand your product.

Next up I was looking around the antivirus section cos I am currently looking at alternative antivirus solutions (ok and so the boxes were also pretty), when I came upon this:

Norman Antivirus? Cheong one ah?

I didn’t know antivirus software also got people want to imitate…

In the games section we came across a whole slew of tycoon games.

Isaac suggested they should come out with “University Tycoon”. Build your own university in a small but global nation with only people as its resource.

The next item wasn’t really found at Funan’s Challenger but at East Point’s! Whoo hoo! See East Point is one of the best shopping malls in Singapore. Maybe I’ll post an entry on that next time.

Anyway the next item deserves a post on its own so scroll down to the next entry.

It all started with Yixin wanting to hang her photos on her wall.

So we went to look for hanging solutions which does not permanently damage or scar her wall, and found 3M Picture Hanging Strips, with Command™ Adhesive, offering firm holding power and clean stretch removal for damage-free organizing and decorating.

The instructions of the hanging strips said to use “isopropyl rubbing alcohol” to clean the wall surface before use.

Isopropyl alcohol sounds like some cheem chemical but if you go to any hardware store, I almost gurantee you that you won’t be able to find it there.

“We only have solvents like thinner” they told me and suggested Yixin to use it.

What?! Use thinner on your newly painted walls?! Think sometimes you should learn to discern the sales person from the expert.

Anyway, I could kinda guess what isopropyl alcohol is. And where exactly to get it.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Isopropyl alcohol (also isopropanol or rubbing alcohol) is a common name for propan-2-ol, a colorless, flammable chemical compound with a strong odor. It has the chemical formula CH₃CHOHCH₃, and is the simplest example of a secondary alcohol, where the alcohol carbon is attached to two other carbons. It is an isomer of propanol.

So guessed what it is? Here’s where you can find lots of it… in Challenger.

Products with isopropyl alcohol.

Hahaha… most of us would probably have one of these lying around at home, or used it before. It used to be quite popular as your simple floppy disk drive cleaner.

Here’s one with 100% isopropyl alcohol:

Label says: Contains pure 100% ISOPROPYL Alcohol

So silly. Such a simple and basic solution. I remember using it to clean my keyboards and mouse in the past and almost anything with it.

So versatile our disk cleaning solution is.

Note: Photos were taken with my new Sony Ericsson k610im. Notice that it doesn’t come with macro mode or close focus. Will post about it soon.

Yixin asked me to do a Carebear quiz to find out which Carebear I am, cos she got cocerced into doing one herself.

So here’s my results…

Tenderheart Bear

Well I have no idea how they get the result given the insanely few questions asked.

Anyway…

Tenderheart is a loving and lovable bear who knows lots about helping others share their feelings. By helping people show they care, Tenderheart Bear helps spread love and make it grow. He wears the perfect symbol for his job on his tummy—a heart.

• Caring Mission: Shows people how to care.
• Symbol: His heart symbol represents his famous loving care.
• Personality: Caring and kind.
• Character Quirk: He’s a real daredevil in any vehicle from a skateboard to a cloudmobile.
• Color: Brown.
• Best Friend: Grumpy Bear
• Relationship Challenge: Helping Funshine Bear know when it’s the wrong time to joke.
• Motto: Nobody cares like a bear!

Incidentally, Love-a-lot Bear has a crush on Tenderheart bear. heh.

Got this email from “Prof” Lai and it was successfully forwarded to my new phone. So I read it on the bus. How cool is that?

Anyway that’s besides the point. It’s a very interesting story and I’ve seen it being blogged by those who got the mail too. So just thought I’d share it with my readers (however few that is)

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United States.

Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course his or her freshman year, regardless of his or her major. Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.

This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman but was studying with the intent of going into the seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well-liked and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the Professor’s class.

One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. “How many push-ups can you do?”

Steve said, “I do about 200 every night.”
“200? That’s pretty good Steve,” Dr. Christianson said, “Do you think you could do 300?”

Steve replied, “I don’t know. I’ve never done 300 at a time.”
“Do you think you could?” again asked Dr. Christianson
“Well, I can try,” said Steve.
“Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of 10 for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it!” said the Professor.

Steve said, “Well, I think I can. Yeah, I can do it.”
Dr. Christianson said, “Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind.”

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the Professor pulled out a big box of doughnuts. No, these weren’t the normal kinds of doughnuts; they were the extra fancy BIG kind with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson’s class.

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, “Cynthia, do you want to have one of these doughnuts?”
Cynthia said, “Yes.”
Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a doughnut.”
“Sure.”
Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in the desk. Dr. Christianson then put a doughnut on Cynthia’s desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, “Joe, do you want a doughnut?” Joe said, “Yes.”
Dr. Christianson asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a doughnut.”
Steve did ten push-ups; Joe got a doughnut. And so it went, down the first aisle. Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their doughnut.

Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacked for female companionship.

When the Professor asked, “Scott, do you want a doughnut?”
Scott’s reply was, “Well, can I do my own push-ups?”
Dr. Christianson said, “No. Steve has to do them”
Then Scott replied, “No, I don’t want one then.”

Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a doughnut he doesn’t want.” With perfect obedience, Steve started to do ten push-ups.

Scott said, “Hey! I said I didn’t want one!”

Dr. Christianson said, “Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desk and these are my doughnuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don’t want it.”

And he put a doughnut on Scott’s desk. Now, by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow. Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now, the students were beginning to get a little angry.

Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, “Jenny, do you want a doughnut?”
Sternly, Jenny said, “NO!”
Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, “Steve would you do ten more push-ups so that Jenny can have a doughnut she doesn’t want.”
Steve did ten; Jenny got the doughnut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say “No” and there were all these uneaten doughnuts on the desks. Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each doughnut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push-up to make sure he did the full ten push-ups in a set because he couldn’t bear to watch all of Steve’s work for all those uneaten doughnuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely. Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the Professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set. Steve asked Dr. Christianson, “Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?” Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, “Well, they’re your push-ups. You’re in charge now. You can do them any way you want.” And Dr. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, “NO! Don’t come in! Stay out!” Jason didn’t know what was going on.

Steve picked up his head and said, “No. Let him come in.”
Professor Christianson said, “You realize that if Jason comes in, you will have to do ten push-ups for him.”
Steve said, “Yes, let him come in. Give him a doughnut.”
Dr. Christianson said, “Okay Steve, I’ll let you get Jason’s out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a doughnut?”
Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on.
“Yes,” he said, “Give me a doughnut.”
“Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a doughnut?” Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a doughnut and sat down.

Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve’s arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time, sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, “Linda, do you want a doughnut?” Linda said, very sadly, “No, thank you.” Professor Christianson quietly asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Linda can have a doughnut that she doesn’t want.” Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow push-ups for Linda.

Then, Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. “Susan, do you want a doughnut?”
Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. “Dr. Christianson, why can’t I help him?”
Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, “No, Steve has to do it alone. I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a doughnut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push-ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes.”

“Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a doughnut.” As Steve very slowly finished his last push-up, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said, “And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, ‘into Thy hands I commend my spirit.’ with the understanding that he had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up his life. And, like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk uneaten.”
Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile. “Well done, good and faithful servant,” said the Professor, adding, “Not all sermons are preached in words.”

Turning to his class, the Professor said, “My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not only His Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept his gift to us, the price has been paid.

“Wouldn’t you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?”

–Author Unknown

Can’t believe we influenced our SL with our “cheapo’ness”.

We were going to Marina Square to have dinner after service and was travelling in Eng Leong’s car. The “CARPARK FULL” sign was flashing so he decided to follow ZH’s recomendation to park at Millenia Walk.

However JBB’s big mouth and silly antics distracted him and he made a wrong turning and ended up going round the back of Marina Square towards the Esplanade.

Click to view notes

Told him the only way back was to make an illegal U-turn but he said there’s a way back through Raffles Link which I insisted was closed off due to some construction and when we turned in it was. JBB suggested to just illegally park there since where we’re eating is just next to the road but our law abiding SL decided not to.

So we thought of parking at Esplanade and drove down to take a look. JBB recalled the rates were $4 per entry the last time his dad parked there. But since there was a drop off point, we thought we’d just take a look.

Turned out JBB was right. Peaks hours were $4 per entry. But after 10pm, it’s $1!! And since it was only 10 mins to 10pm, we were like “Ooh let’s wait!”

So we turned out and but the road at the entrance was painted with doubled jagged yellow lines, meaning “No stopping, no waiting, no alighting”. But U-turning down the other side of Esplanade Drive, it was just double yellow lines, which means we can “stop” there!

So we parked ourselves at the slip road into the carpark and waited until 10pm. JBB’s watch was fast so we relied on our handphones which syncronises the clock with SG official time.

At 10:01pm, just to be safe, we cruised down the ramp and when we saw the time on the carpark ticketing screen showing 10:01, in we went cheering!

Hahahaha… can’t believe we made Eng Leong wait 8 mins just to save $3 in parking fees! Cheapo’fied by our cell.