I bought my first ukulele last year in Singapore for $30. The only reason I got it back then was because of Youtube. I stumbled upon a duo singing a cheery song about their favourite-online-social-networking website. I loved the song. Cutesy song I thought (Rocky even moreso) and the ukulele? Sounds uplifting maybe, it's portable too. Couldn't be hard to play an instrument with only 4 strings and it's kind of like a bass guitar, I thought (again).

So one weekend I strolled into a music shop after classes just to look for one. There I saw them not one but a few hurrah, but it was disappointing. They all look like toys, constructed from lousy materials, and had poor finishings. With some thought, I returned the next day and the ukulele, I bought. Boy, was I a happy camper. Took me a couple of days to get the hang of it being so tiny and all. After learning the few songs I know, the one above, a few by Sophie Madeleine (Balls of Rocky and Balls), and Jason Mraz, it was tossed aside because there weren't any songs I can play with my level of skill and the ATPLs were just around the corner.

Friends back home knew I started picking up the ukulele. Just before I left for Perth, my darling friends, Mun, Jeff, Yinng and Ernst got me a ukulele with a message written behind, and I'd always add "that I should always have it with me never leave it behind, and everywhere I play it I would keep you in mind".

Today, I've got two little ukuleles (Soprano ukuleles
they're called). With all the time I have, sometimes I pick up the ukulele. After so long I've gotten a teeny weeny bit better with it, starting to find songs I can do some finger picking with. One in particular, Jake Shimabukuro's "While my guitar gently weeps", made me realise I need a different type of ukulele (one with a longer neck - more frets). The rightmost ukulele in the picture is a Soprano, then followed by a Concert, two Tenor ukuleles and the last a Baritone. So I've done a little bit of reading on ukuleles. Got to know what I'm getting for the money I'm spending after all (sighs).

The soprano is the ukulele that is most easily recognized because it is the tiniest and the tone is typically the one associated with ukuleles. The one I have has only 12 frets (frets - literally).

Next the concert ukulele is also referred to as the alto ukulele. It is slightly larger than the soprano model, but it has a 15" scale compared to 13" on the soprano. This makes it a bigger choice for people with larger hands. It has a fuller tone.

The type of ukulele that can come with different numbers of strings is the tenor ukulele. It also has an even fuller tone than the concert ukulele. It comes in 4 or 6-string types. You can even get an 8-string type of ukulele as a tenor. It is larger than the concert ukulele. Jake Shimabukuro uses a tenor for his crazy picking solos. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (RIP) as well if I remember correctly.

This is the largest of the ukuleles and resembles a mini-guitar. It can even be tuned like a guitar. It has the deepest tone and is usually the most expensive model.

I guess I'm willing to spend $150 on it, tops. Hopefully I get a good deal. I'll need to read up more on the types and brands. I will become a better ukulele player. This would be my new year resolution (heh) it's never too late to think of some after the eve.

My eyesight is getting worse! Please pray for me.
Really, do pray for me. Sigh.

Not all airshows are fun and exciting and pilots are not perfect.
This is the 2002 Ukraine airshow disaster.

Baby Sarah Ho was born on the 28th March 2009 at 7:47am. So the next day, on a Sunday morning, I started organizing a course outing for a visit after church service. I managed to gather 6 of us, and some brought girlfriends. Sarah is now the darling of 143. She is so alert and so freakishly cute all wrapped up. Her skin feels softer than peaches. She lets us carry her around. She makes funny noises too. So, There are now 3 babies/children in our course, Alan's and Nicholas' children. I expected the hospital to be more of a baby factory, the nursery (if that's what it's called) packed with babies in 'trays' lined up nicely in rows and columns. Alas, there were only a handful in there, and they're not even stacked properly!

Later in the evening J.Lo wanted to check out Flight Experience, the B737 simulator. It costs $1,000,000 by the way, and it's not the full motion simulator. I imagine it would cost a fortune. Mary then suggested Fish Spa at Singapore Flyer before our movie, Confessions of a Shopaholic. Gah, fish spa was traumatizing for me. Especially when they try to get in between your toes. I sort of became the laughing stock of the day for the staff. Hmm, about the movie, I thought it was pretty funny. I wonder if I became something like a spotlight for Nigel and Mary.

• Clip 0903 : Kenko Fish Spa

Today's CAAS exam was somewhat a breeze after 6 weeks of cramming. It is a 3:30hr paper that ended about noon, so the bunch of us had lunch in Changi. Alan and I had to rush back because Colin wanted to fly with me for the 1.30pm slot, the wind conditions at the time was rather turbulent for me, but he had confidence in me that I'd be able to pull it off and sent me for solo! I was College Charlie Delta! I had a total of 10 minutes alone in the plane! The adrenaline, the excitement! I now am able to walk and stand tall for I am a PIRATE!

Thank God I landed safely, because during finals 100 ft agl the wind sort of blew me off unstable. My judgment was off, my mind was set to land and I did. It wasn't a good landing, no screeching landings, still Colin congratulated me on the ground, and gave me a can of beer for my milestone. I really felt I had more to learn, more to brush up on, I wanted him to teach me more. I will ask him again after my ATPL exams. He is a good instructor though his methods were peculiar. With perseverance and diligence one will be able to do it under him. Thank God again, and all my friends who supported me and kept me in their prayers.

• Clip 0902 : My first solo dunk

In the evening we went to Sunset to have the legendary level 30 buffalo wings. Super spicy, just touching level 10 wings burns your skin. Level 30 made my eyes teary just by sniffing. Eating one will give you 30 minutes of torture for the burn in your throat and tongue. Then later in the day it spreads the stomach, cramp for hours that felt like a serious gastric. I couldn't walk straight. Ouch. I think my stomach has a hole in it now. Can't imagine level 35.

• Clip 0901 : C143 challenge