cloud computing

(Excerpted from Wikipedia)

Cloud computing is a way of computing, via the Internet, that broadly shares computer resources instead of having your local Personal Computer handle specific applications.

It is an Internet- ("cloud-") based development and use of computer technology ("computing").^[1]

In concept, it is a paradigm shift whereby details are abstracted from the users who no longer have need of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure "in the cloud" that supports them.^[2] Cloud computing describes a new supplement, consumption and delivery model for IT services based on the Internet, and it typically involves the provision of dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources as a service over the Internet.^[3][4]

The term cloud is used as a metaphor for the Internet, based on the cloud drawing used to depict the Internet in computer network diagrams as an abstraction of the underlying infrastructure it represents.^[5] Typical cloud computing providers deliver common business applications online which are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on servers.

A technical definition is "a computing capability that provides an abstraction between the computing resource and its underlying technical architecture (e.g., servers, storage, networks), enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction."^[6] This definition states that clouds have five essential characteristics: on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service.^[6]

The majority of cloud computing infrastructure, as of 2009^[update], consists of reliable services delivered through data centers and built on servers. Clouds often appear as single points of access for all consumers' computing needs. Commercial offerings are generally expected to meet quality of service (QoS) requirements of customers and typically offer SLAs.^[7]

gladys' soliloquy

Human life is complex and at the same time simple. It is same as the flower, fragrant as well as thorn sharp and honey, sweet but also bitter. For most of the people life is often like a pinball game, passing trough narrow pathways, hitting at the sharp edges and falling deep down to unknown gulfs of dents. Dilemmas call in the lives one over another to make life on earth more and more intolerable. At this point anyone may possibly think in line with renowned writer Shakespeare that "Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale, vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man" or "Life is a tale told by an idiot -- full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

it's my evil sister's birthday!

omg, i hate to admit it, but i do look like my evil sister. ahem, except that i look kinder, and i AM kinder. hahaha.
so, every year tis time, i dread having any form of contact with the evil sister. she constantly bugs you for bday presents (and almost all the time, unsuccessfully too, haha!)

tis year, mommy has volunteered to organise a dinner, with grandaunt, and erm, aunty. aiya, let's juz say we are relatives, complicated to get the proper salutation. oh i was wrong abt the organise dinner part. it was nowhere near an organised one!!!!

first of all, the three old folks happily lazed around at home while we reached and queued up for seats. zzz. as if the three of US look like 8 people. $)%)%^*)($#^&)(#%$)$. mommy was nowhere near tampines, and she does not have the contact numbers to locate grannyaunt!

thankfully, all things work together for kiasu and fierce looking evil sister. the waitress muz have sensed thunderstorm approaching, and kindly allowed us into the restaurant even without the full attendance of people.
and these are the fruits of our waiting! i *heart* ginger chicken! ginger is good!
oh, tis is my 'lost-count' yusheng. for once, the fish are VISIBLE. whoo hoo! and it's superlicious salmon!

well, happy birthday evil sister... hmm, if this satisfies u, here's your present --->
BOTH iphone and iTouch also give u ah! wahhaha!

and now, for the CNY foods....

#1: Shanghai Night at the Crowne Plaza Hotel

frankly speaking, theme parties can be pretty fun! not that i am into cheongsums and the like, which explains why i turned up in a modified cheongsum (top). hahaha.

~the only foods that kept us surviving, cos we took foreverrrrr to start the main course....
oh we won the pineapple tarts!~~here's us!~

~oh and the BIG group photo again...~**********

#2: Pre Reunion...

headed to IKEA! meat balls! ooh but both of us looked very sian, cos the weather is simply intolerable!

**********
#3: Reunion Part 1

Home cooked food by my very-know-how-to-cook mother in law... as usual, im the daughter in law in the 媳妇的全胜时代。。。 so i juz wait for the food to be done.. ha!

**********
#4: Reunion Part 2

home cooked food by my mommy! eh, she's very conservative and does not wanna venture into steamboats, popiahs, and the like, so we opted for the usual cooked food again... with sister's fav food.. zzz.. too much la!

it's time to hit the gymmmmm.....

*roar*

Don’t eat like a tiger

Many of the festive treats are high in sugar and fat. Some of these snacks can even contain calories similar to a small meal. Hence, you should consume them in moderation and/or increase your physical activity level to prevent unwanted weight gain.
You can use the following tips to help moderate your intake of festive treats:

• Limit your intake by portioning out the festive treats in a small plate.
• Choose to consume more fresh fruit such as mandarin oranges and less of festive treats.
• Share your festive treats with your friends and relatives

The table below shows the calories of various New Year goodies, and the equivalent amount of physical activity needed to expend them:

Food (per serving)	Calories (kcal)*	Jogging Duration (min)
Bak Kwa, Pork (1 slice, 94g)	370	55
Love Letters (3 rolls, 39g)	168	24
Peanut Crackers (1 small plate, 88g)	418	63
Pineappple Tarts (3 pieces, 20g)	246	36
Twisted Cookies (3 pieces, 12g)	201	30

_{Calories taken from HPB Online. **Values based on a 60 kg man}

alex mcQUEEN no more. =(

“	On behalf of Lee McQueen's family, Alexander McQueen today announces the tragic news that Lee McQueen, the founder and designer of the Alexander McQueen brand has been found dead at his home. At this stage it is inappropriate to comment on this tragic news beyond saying that we are devastated and are sharing a sense of shock and grief with Lee's family. Lee's family has asked for privacy in order to come to terms with this terrible news and we hope the media will respect this.	”
—Alexander McQueen Office, Official Website, 11 February 2010

Oranges...

Became Santarina to help distribute oranges to our dept today. Happy to be in a happy working environment. To those complaining abt lousy colleagues, bosses or shitty work, these u will have with u everywhere u go. But godliness and contentment is indeed great gain! :)

Ooh and sebastian helped us peel a couple of oranges on the spot too. Didn't make a mistake getting him to join the orange peeling competition.


I'm beginning to blog on the go nowadays. Sigh.

- Posted from my iPhone

teabreak!

if my office is at vivocity, well tis would be my teabreak!!!!! but for today, i settle for four leaves. zzz.

Popiah Fiesta

I have to say, theme CGs are fun. Wat's more many themes in the same CG meeting!!!

CNY... Valentine's Day... Popiah! All on the same day!!!

Our generous share of ingredients, thanks to the bargaining skills of our guys, the Aùñty-杀手!!!
KèñG the popiah man teaching all of us how to make a good popiah (as if we all dunno, duh.)
Alright, I dunno. Tis my first creation and it looks like a flattened soggy burrito from kfc.
And finally, after the n th try, I made THE perfect popiah! Yay!
You should try popiah fiesta one day too! It's really hilarious, an eye opener!

- Posted from my iPhone

I *heart* Theme CGs!

And it's our yúshēng parrtee! A must to kick start our year, every year!

Tis year, it's our privilege to be able to use angie's new place. Totally IKEA! Cosy!

~preparing the table by laying plates, new house no newspapers.~

~H.U.A.T ah! Very heartwarming to hear the wishes and dreams of everyone for tis year. Of cos we all shouted 'big building in central south' loud loud too!~
~And a toast to our glorious 2010. Ad juz can't stay still. Zzz.~
- Posted from my iPhone

CNY & Love Day!!

How often do u get CNY and Valentine's Day falling on the same day??

Well, in conjunction with such divine date, I got my über creative kids to make a lantern from materials - the age old primary school activity.

And this is what they produced....

- Posted from my iPhone

of friends and friendship

and to my friends who have inspired my life in one way or another, tis especially for you. =)

**********

There are days when bubbling from us
comes the innocent child within,
who giggles at the little things
and wears a silly grin.

There are days when
melancholy comes to visit for a while;
the mind feels tired, the body weak;
we have no strength to smile.

There are days when joy abundant
grabs a hold of you and me;
wraps us up in all it's splendor,
lifts us up and sets us free.

There are days when sorrow
wraps us in its cloak of grief and fear,
'till our hearts ache to the breaking,
'till our eyes can't shed a tear.

There are days when love
bestows us with its wonderment and light;
with its beauty and its mystery,
its power and its might.

And there are days when life
rewards us and seems to make amends
by granting us a marvelous gift,
the precious gift of Friends.

l.o.v.e

Love, like a tree,
sends its roots down deep
so when the storms of life abound
and the winds of adversity blow,
it shakes and bends
and goes with the flow
but doesn't break or fall.
And during times of drought
it drives its roots down deeper
so whatever comes and goes –
summer, winter, spring or fall,
the good times and the bad –
it stands the test of all.

**********

have a sweetest valentine's day this february, my friend. =)