The songs I am listening to. Right now.

I am listening to two songs over and over again, with different singers. When I like a particular song, I will listen to it repeatedly until I get bored. Ha ha ha! What a way to spoil a song. OK, here's a bit of how it came to be. While I was at my customer's place, they were playing a very nice jazzy kind of music. After getting it from them, the singer was Yao Si Ting, singing Scarborough Fair. So, I searched for more information on the Internet and came up with a collection of her MP3s (heh) and then, from the same website (you go find your own, OK?), it was featuring the 12 Band Girls. After getting their Christmas and "The Best of" albums, I was hooked into two Japanese songs:

Koibito Ga Santa Claus (
Yumi Matsutoya (aka Yumi Arai) wrote this song for the tenth album Surf and Snow (1980), which did not sell well until the very song was featured as the theme song of the hit movie Watashi o Ski ni Tsuretette. My Imagination came from after listning to this song:

The whole place is devastated, as if bombs dropped everywhere.Our sero was seen llying on the ground, dazed,trying to pull himself up but seemed to be out of strength. Meanwhile, the time bomb is still ticking. He collapses, giving in to Fate that perhaps, today, is the one day that he cannot save everyone anymore, and its time to die. As he stares into the Sun, suddenly a figure blocks his view. And exhausted as he is, he tries to focus onto that figure which in now kneeling besides him. It is the traitor!

Traitor: Well, well. Our Hero is lying there all by hiself!
Hero: Go on. Do what you want; Kill me.
Traitor: No. Thanks to you I have seen the truth. Truce.
Hero: We're going to die anyway.
Traitor: No we're not. I'm going to defuse the bomb
Hero: You can't do it. The traps are in place.
Traitor: Well, if I die, then you have one less to worry about.
Hero: .....
Traitor: Promise me one thing. Look after my Mother well until she goes.
Hero: OK
Traitor: Promise me! We've had our differences but you owe me this
Hero: Alright I promise. To stop the bomb, you have to set of the traps. It would...
Traitor: ...mean suicide. Yes. What better revenge for everyone to think they will owe me one forever.Ha ha ha!

The slight drizzle becomes heavier. About 1minute 10 seconds into the song...
Traitor: See you on the other side. And thanks for the chance to redeem myself, I am at peace now.

The Traitor rises and walks calmly to the building where the bomb is, his silhoutte fading into the rain and his whistling fades, drowned by the sound of the rain. Seconds later, the traps imploded with a muffle boom and a bright white flash, destroying both the bomb and the traitor. The Hero can only stare at the scene for so long before collapsing.

12 Girls Band


Live by Ichii Sayaka and Nakazawa Yuko (I like the audience shouting in the background)


Seiko Marsuda (My favourite singer at that time)
http://baharana.imeem.com/music/aK1dOeGp/seiko_matsuda_koibito_ga_santa_claus/

Kawa No Nagare No Youni (As the river flows)
This was the song composed by Akira Mitake, with lyrics by Yasushi Akimoto made immortal by a very famous Japanese enka singer, Hibari Misora who passed away shortly in 1989 after its release. Many artistes sang this song when performing live tribute to her. For me, the whole song was a bit sad and yet, inspiritional (OK, so I don't know the lyrics when I first listened to it).

Below are the lyrics which I took from the Net.

Shirazu shirazu aruite kita
Hosoku nagai kono michi
Furi kaereba haruka to'oku
Furusato ga mieru
Dekoboko michi ya magariku netta michi
Chizu saenai sore mo mata jinsei
A-a, kawa no nagare no yô ni, yuruyaka ni
Ikutsu mo jidai wa sugite
A-a, kawa no nagare no yô ni, tomedonaku
Sora ga tasogare ni somaru dake
Ikiru koto wa tabi suru koto
Owari no nai kono michi
Ai suru hito soba ni tsurete
Yume sagashi nagara
Ame ni furarete nukurunda michi de mo
Itsu ka wa, mata, hareru hi ga kuru kara
A-a, kawa no nagare no yô ni, odayaka ni
Kono mi o makasete itai
A-a, kawa no nagare no yô ni, utsuri yuku
Kisetsu yukidoke o machi nagara
A-a, kawa no nagare no yô ni, odayaka ni
Kono mi o makasete itai
A-a, kawa no nagare no yô ni, itsu made mo
Aoi seseragi o kiki nagara


Unauthorized English translation by sekicho:
(There are no personal pronouns in the song, so I've interpreted it as meaning "we." It could just as easily be referring to the singer or the listener.)

As the river flows

This road is narrow and long
We've walked it unconsciously
If we turn our heads, far in the distance
We can see our hometown
Bumpy roads and winding roads
And uncharted roads, c'est la vie
Ah, like the flow of the river, laid back
So many years pass by
Ah, like the flow of the river, endlessly
The sky is dyed with twilight
Living is travelling
On this road without an end
People we love come near us
As we search for our dreams
Even on roads muddied by rain
Someday, again, another clear day will come
Ah, like the flow of the river, calmly
We want to lose ourselves
Ah, like the flow of the river
As we wait for the thaws of the coming seasons
Ah, like the flow of the river, calmly
We want to lose ourselves
Ah, like the flow of the river, forever
As we listen to the stream of blue

The version by the 12 Girls Band was quite nice and for some reason, it was quite soothing. Further YouTube searches got me these gems:

Misora Hibari


12 Girls Band


The Three Tenors (Surprise! Surprise!)


Jose Carreras (Excellent!)


CSO (if this was made for a movie, it might sound like this.Very very good)


Hatsune Miku (Cute version, especially the "Aaahhh....."chorus part)

I am so Fucking Pissed!

Right now, my right hand is throbbing in pain as I try to type. I am angry because of a lot of things that developed a few minutes ago. One of my daughters have rummaged through my stuff and lost a few things. I was so angery that I slammed my fist on to the table (at a wrong angle). And right now, after a fewminutes, its already starting to swella nd a bit diffucult in moving the last finger. So I told my wife, if it gets worse by midnight, we're going to the Hospitalas I suspect itmight be a small fracture.

I am so pissed because these stuff are expensive and vital forme electronic projects to come. Always beingshort of cahs pisses me off and justot meak one electornic item hoping to sell it to make some profit, I need to save a lot and also keep them in one side until everuthing is ready. And then, in just a slght moment, its all gone. Missing. And kisd being kids, they have no recollection of what theyhave done nor where it had gone misngs to. (Damn, no its hard to type)

time an time agin, I have told them not to touhc muu things and time and itme again, they woudl for a while bfore forgetting it all. I msutbuy moe boxes le. And a bigger cane.

Fucking cibai btul

The hand already start o swell just a fwe minites aog

Panasonic KX-TDE100 Launch

Finally, the KX-TDE series is here and we were invited to the launch. Its the same as the KX-TDA 100 and 200 but with a different processor card and a slightly uprated casing. So far, only two models are available and perhaps, the KX-TDA600 equivalent would be coming soon. What is so interesting is that it is being touted as a full IP-PBXsystem.This is wonderful as apart from having physical phones, you can have virtual phones (SoftIPPhones) in your PC. This effectively doubles the capacity for each KX-TDE system. And if you already have a KX-TDA100 or 200, all you need to do is to change theprocessor card to enjoy the new features. And not only that, each KX-TDE can be connected to another KX-TDE system via IP (you can have fixed IP Streamyx, VPN or even leased lines). And that is not all, programming can be done to every system via these same lines because now, instead of using the USB port, all it needs is a Network connection. The KX-TDE is able to use the CSTA and And then the handsets. Now, they have backlight LCD screens and the top model range, would have customisable LCD screen on the side-strips. And lastly, by adding a Bluetooth module, you can use it with Bluetooth headsets such as the Plantronic Voyager 510, Motorola H500 and the Jabra FS528. This is so good. Wow

OK, time to come back to reality. In fact, the first thing that came to my mind half-way through the presentation was that Panasonic should have launched this years ago if they wanted to compete with Toshiba's CTX/CIX PABX series. All the features about IP phones, both on system and software already exists since 2001. In this area, for a Toshiba customer, it is nothing new. The only saving grace is that although the KX-TDE also uses "licensing" its only applied to their virtual extensions. And their built-in simple VMS (Voice Mail System). And their X-DCPfeature which now lets you double the phones but this time, apart from using a SLT (Single Line Telephone), you can now use a Digital Keyphone! And also their impressive DECT system. Now, if they lanched this years ago, Toshiba would have a very difficult time to counter them. Alas, at the moment, for every new Toshiba system, Panasonic is late by a few years.

The 4-channel DECT phones are being
displayed and in the back ground are
the new phones with LCD panels. At
the back is the KX-TDA with the
KX-TDE processor card

I am not sure why the LCD screen acted
this way with my Nikon D50 even after I
have removed the circular polariser

Here is another KX-TDE system

But all the while, I was really interested in the
infra-red switch which replaces the normal
mechanical switch for door access. Instead
of pressing the button, you just touch it or
wave your hand, its enough to open the
door. Nifty, eh?

The buffet dinner was nice but my mind could
not stop thinking about used "condoms in virgin
oil" when I looked at the delicious squid cooked
with curry leaves. And don't get me started about
the mango pudding too.

Being an IT dumbass

Our normal workhorse printer is on the blink and so, my Boss got me to search for a new printer before the new clerk comes in (she already came in by Wednesday.Last week.). The old printer was giving us problems as it needs to be reset (taking out the toner and pressing buttons) before it can spew out anything. So, after a long search, we got a HP.

And throughout the whole day, I was trying to install it into the network server. Being an IP Network challenged person that I am, I was pretty confident that the printer would not work as it should by the end of the day. How I hate it when I am right. Its days now and although the printer can print but when I bung it to the network printer server, it does nothing but wink its lights at me.

I got the printer connected to the PC direct but it would
not print. And I also used the cleaning utility but it still
would just take in the paper and churn out nothing. The
funny thing is that during the cleaning, it turns the paper
into this. Nice texture though

Finally, I pulled out the toner unit and discovered this..... aiyah!

Were you insured?

This morning, it was just an ordinary morning and nothing exciting really happened until after half-past nine. One of my techs went for a brief walk downstairs after our briefing and came up to tell us that our next door neighbour got robbed.

Well, there was nothing much we can do since we don't even know them at all except that they have staff coming and out everyday. By about eleven in the morning, the came over and through the intercom and CCTV (OK, we installed this so that we do not get harassed by morons selling fake stuff or pizza coupons, etc.) informed us that they wanted to have a chat with us and have a look at our CCTV recordings. I told them that we do not do recordings but nevertheless, invited them to come up to have a chat.

My Boss: Whoa! what happened?
Neighbour: We got robbed last night. Did you guys hear anything?
My Boss: Nope. I was here late and didn't even hear a sound
Neighbour: Can we have a look at your CCTV recording?
My Boss: Sorry, we don't record but put it on the TV
Neighbour: Oh... They took eveything. PCs, Laptops, LCS projectors, the lot. Anything that was not nailed down, it was taken. And the PCs are old!
My Boss: Yeah, sad isn't it? Its not the PC thats important but the data in the hard disk.
Neighbour: Deepavali's next week and I guess these people needed the money
My Boss: Yeah, well, let's go over ad have a look and if we could help you (blah blah blah).By the way, were you insured?
Neighbour: No. Well, we thought such things cannot happen to us but it did. Sigh.
Me: So, what line were you in again?
Neighbour: Insurance
Me: . . . .
My Boss: . . . . .
Neighbour: Oops

So, I tell my tech to be more vigilant since he likes walking about. Still, I want to know where to get cheap laptops and LCD projectors......