30 November 2019

Immigration office efficiency November 2019


Despite a clear message that I rather not be travelling, since I find it tiring, and I have so many simulations to run to find solution, they still insisted that I go.

Don't they understand that I need to be at my desk working directly on my workstation for best efficiency? Of course I can remote into my workstation anywhere with internet access, but it's just not efficient that way.

And really, I am one of those who do the actual work of solving the issue, not one of those who travel everywhere attending meetings talking about solving issue.

I am a doer, not a talker. To me, meetings are necessary evil and waste of time that could be used doing actual work.

And by Murphy's law my passport is expiring just a few days short of six months from the date of travel, of course.

Bollocks.


But enough with the rant, here's the immigration office efficiency on Tuesday morning, when I popped over to renew my passport.

I arrived 07:52 hours to queue for number, and got my number at 08:03 hours, 11 minutes to get a number.

They were serving #1008 at 08:03 hours, mine's #1071, so I went out for a stroll.

Returned to the immigration office at 08:26 hours, after a 23 minutes stroll. They were serving #1012 then, 5 minutes 45 seconds to serve one with that rate, urgh.

Looked like it's going to take a long while before my turn, so I found a quiet corner to sit and read the novel I brought along.

Since they have number announcement, I recorded the time for every 10 persons served, starting from #1030, below are the time, serving number and the average efficiency at that time interval:

09:07 hours: #1030, 2 minutes 17 seconds to serve one
09:24 hours: #1040, 1 minute 42 seconds to serve one
09:45 hours: #1050, 2 minutes 6 seconds to serve one
09:57 hours: #1060, 1 minute 12 seconds to serve one
10:17 hours: #1070, 2 minutes to serve one
10:34 hours: #1080, 1 minute 42 seconds to serve one

So it's actually slower in the early morning and only really go to a somewhat stable rate after ~08:30 hours, probably that's when all the staff actually started working.

Close to 6 minutes to serve one prior to 08:30 hours, then average about 1 minute 30 seconds after that.

From queueing up for number to when I finally was done with payment, which was another wait after the photo shooting, took 2 hours and 43 minutes.

Then was told to go back later near noon for passport collection, which when I did, took another 4 minutes of waiting.

So the efficiency is actually not bad, average of 2 minutes 23 seconds per person for the whole duration I was there, and if we only consider the "stable" after 08:30 hours rate, it's less than 2 minutes per person on average. This is just the passport renewal (probably and new passport) process, excluding the collection.

Just too many people applying everyday so a lot of time wasted waiting, oh well.



Other |hyped up heads up| category entries.


21 November 2019

Another milestone


Married for fifteen years.

Thank you my dearest wifey, for all we have been through together.

For loving me as I am, for holding on through ups and downs.

For the hugs and kisses, for the love and care.

Happy anniversary!



Other |hyped up heads up| category entries.


10 November 2019

An aeroplane a day, part thirteen


Copyright:

LEGO is trademark or registered trademark of The LEGO Group in Denmark and/or other countries.

All original work on this site is copyright C.K. Goh and may not be copied or reprinted without my express written approval.

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Workshop: |1| |2| |3| |4| |5| |6|

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A week after I did the combinable vehicles, I took them apart and did a next level up.

This time it's vehicles and air-planes that can combine to form a robot.

the sum of all parts...

Shame on me for falling for the same thing my younger son pulled on me, saying he was interested in making this together. But when I took the trouble to picked out all the parts for him to make the second fighter jet that transforms into one of the legs for the robot, he simply said not interested anymore.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

So be it, no good will come from forcing a bonding time on things he is not interested in, and easier for me to build it myself anyway. 

...is a robot made

The feet was just a straight forward modification of the previous project. In fact, the idea of making a combinable robot started from these.

nothing fancy about these cars

I made the legs next, the intention was to make them into fighter jets but somehow when I was done the podracer in Star Wars came to mind.


the rear bottom wings folded down to form a protection for the calf

The lower body was also something I already visualised in the previous project, when the idea of making a combinable robot formed. So it's also another part I modified from the previous project.


this was a tank in the previous project


I did the upper body next, this one took a few iterations. From chest muscles not bulging enough to too much, and balancing took some work so the robot doesn't tip forward or backward, primarily by changing the number of wheels that rotate out.

this one took the longest to make and remake multiple times





Did the head next, and took me a few tries to find a suitable place for it when it's not on the robot. The shield came to be because of this.

initially wanted to mount the head on the upper body vehicle

no easy way to mount the head on that vehicle so made this instead

The arms are the last, initially was thinking along the line of the legs, two separate but identical fighter jets or podracers, but eventually made them one that can split into two.






Robot looks good, another success in my book, heh. ^_^



having wheels on the feet does make it harder to grip for poses

but still funky pose is possible =P

here's one with the shield

  

04 November 2019

Scribble Pad is twelve years old!


Happy 12th birthday, Scribble Pad!

As per custom, here's the number of viewers based on the counter. The one for 2019 is as of 17:42 hours.

2008: 4746
2009: 13300
2010: 23226
2011: 31677
2012: 37412
2013: 42469
2014: 46926
2015: 50532
2016: 53716
2017: 56798
2018: 59939
2019: 62732

Last year I thought the reduction in view has plateaued, I am wrong. It continued to drop, and logically when no one is viewing I should really just stop posting online.

Sensible thing to do, but it does mean I will not have a handy tool to search for a past event or memory though, hmm...

Regardless of whether it's for sharing online or just resides in my own computer, I can't imagine myself not writing, not recording life events and moments.

Maybe I will just be selfish and retain this tiny corner of the internet as my online diary.

Anyway, as always, thank you for reading this blog, I hope you get something out of it.



Other |hyped up heads up| category entries.


30 October 2019

Potato mode: on


Initially just wanted to take a day leave to attend elder son's graduation this Friday.

But when I saw that my annual leave accumulation is nearing the limit and will soon burn, I thought what the heck, and took two more days.

So starting tomorrow, I have five days break including the weekend. =D

My plan is to stay home and be a potato, hehe.

Slacker for the win!

I am an introvert, nerdy, geeky spud and proud of it! =P

Anyway, potato mode is officially on.



Other |nutty nuts| category entries.


28 October 2019

An aeroplane a day, part twelve


Copyright:

LEGO is trademark or registered trademark of The LEGO Group in Denmark and/or other countries.

All original work on this site is copyright C.K. Goh and may not be copied or reprinted without my express written approval.

-----

Workshop: |1| |2| |3| |4| |5| |6|

-----

It has been a long time since I last did anything with LEGO, three years and three months according to the date of the last LEGO blog.

The kids have outgrown LEGO, preferring computer and television, anything with a screen I suppose.

A shame really, I truly believe LEGO is for all ages.

It's really an outlet for creativity, think tool instead of toy if that makes you feel better.

front view of the six vehicles

Anyway, elder son being away on school trip this long weekend, I thought I should do something with the younger son so he won't be bored without his brother around.

So I drafted an idea of a multiple vehicles LEGO project where the vehicles can combine with one another to form a bigger vehicle, so we both can work on different vehicles at the same time.

You know, interactive father and son bonding time, that sort of thing.

rear view of the six vehicles

Well, he was keen and interested for like fifteen minutes, as soon as wifey was out with her mobile phone he glued to her side watching whatever she was watching on her phone.

Then the television. Yea, oh well...

combined

Since I have started, I damn well will finish it.

So I spent two days working on it and think I did a decent job, worthy of sharing. ^_^

different combination

I called them tanks, but probably armoured combat vehicles are more appropriate since they have wheels instead of tracks.

All of them have rotating turret with either large-calibre gun, cannon, missile launcher or sonic weaponry (like sonic tank in Dune!).

Two of them can change their weapon angle of elevation for anti-air warfare.

many possible combinations

Since the design intent is to allow the vehicles to combine in any number or configuration, the connecting mechanism is the same and of the same level despite the different vehicle heights.

The exceptions are (1) the orange vehicle has no front connecting mechanism so can only be the front vehicle, (2) the red and white vehicles can only be connected to the yellow vehicle.


While didn't really have that father and son bonding time, but I did enjoy creating these tanks.

So that's something, at least.


25 October 2019

有感而发:我有这样一群朋友


二零一九年十月二十五日。

我有这样一群同事朋友,都不知道算不算深交、还是志同道合?

总之在一起开心快乐,至少我是这么觉得。

不同背景、不同层次、不同喜好、不同品味、不同价值观、不同性格。

但看到他们我的嘴角会自动上扬、心里会不禁喜悦。


有些曾经是同部门的,有些不是。

有些有一起工作过,有些从来没有。

共同点应该是那些工作以外的康乐活动,如羽球、桌上游戏、唱歌。

都是一起玩过的、疯过的、笑过的。


开始那些康乐活动,是我非常庆幸自己做过的事。

还真的没想过,那些打羽球认识的陌生人竟然会成为这么靠近的朋友。

毕竟我是个有点反社会、反交际的宅男,社交活动不多。

而几乎我所有的社交活动,就是和这群同事朋友一起。


当然可能只是朋友不多的我的自作多情啦…

情谊本来就不是对等的,友情深度不是相对的。

每个人在别人的心中有不同的位子。

不是你把别人看得很重他或她就同等的看重你。


但那不是这文章的重点。

重点是换了部门后的我,远离了这一群朋友。

鲜少有互动,好久不见了。

我想念他们。


我知道就算是见了面自己也不知道该做些什么。

交际不是我的强项。

但我知道见到他们我心里会是舒畅雀跃的。

那应该就足够了。



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