Man Without Dreams is like Bird Without Wings

An Amazing Weekend!

2006-07-11T01:52:00.000+08:00

The weekend that just passed was filled to the brim with fun-filled activities and it was kick-started by a drinking session on Friday night. I was invited by JW to meet her friends who were visiting from UK for a chilling out session at Sound Bar. I actually recommended she bring her friends there cos its kinda out of the bustle of the city and the music is soft enough to hear each talk without having to lose our voices. I also asked a colleague - JM, who was touching down from Thailand to join us since we've been having this drinking session thingy going on for a few Friday nights.

Before I arrived at Sound Bar, I expected to only see JW and 4 of her friends whom she got to befriend during her studies in UK.. 2 British Born Chinese sisters, 1 Malaysian girl and 1 cool BBC dude who's a rocker.. but when I arrived, I was SHOCKED to see a crowd of 10-plus people seated on high stools chit-chatting away.. and the only person I knew was JW.. i wasn't prepared for this at all.. i thought maybe i could make friends with 4 people.. but 10-odd was a no-no.. i really didnt wana have small talk with sooooooo many people.. esp after a tiring week of work.. so i actually shyed away and ran to a corner and started thinking of an escape plan.. some crap excuse just to leave the group.. (I am very shy for those who do not know.. haha) but I couldn't think of any credible excuse and besides i've already invited the other colleague who was arriving from Thailand and its bad to cancel on him..

So with all shyness i headed back to the tables.. already red from ears to cheeks.. and sat down beside JW.. and soon found out that it was a gathering of people who have studied in various universities in UK.. there were would be lawyers, economists, marketeers, consultants.. all in one table.. to my pleasant surprise, things worked out very well.. and i was soon able to assimilate into the group and was actually enjoying myself very much (though i only stuck to the 4 core friends).. we moved on to Zouk after an hour and i met up with JM there and had a merry time drinking and dancing.. its been a while since i got into the dancing mood.. these days i jus prefer to drink and watch others dance.. and even for drinking.. i've been controlling a lot.. ever since i got so badly drunk on my company's D&D.. so these days i drink with moderation and if possible, i stick to beers since i handle them better.. haha..

Saturday afternoon was spent in office doing work which was fine by me.. i can't recall the last weekend where i haven't gone back to work.. but oh well.. it doesnt disturb me much since i don't have any other commitments (no life basically).. and besides i had Saturday night to look forward to!! I was going to the Night Safari with JW and her UK friends.. I've never been to the night safari and have always been wanting to go! The adventure started at about 8pm for us and off we went on the tram ride that lasted about 45mins where we had a tour of the animals.. some of which were near enough i could literally stroke their heads.. my favourite has to be the Lions and the Tigers.. i've always been a fan of both.. haha.. this was followed by a trip to Bongo Burgers.. where I had a juicy beef burger with huge fries and a diet coke..

After dinner, some of them caught the animal show - Creatures of the Night.. but me, JW and LL did not make it as it was just too crowded.. when the rest came back to join us, we set off on foot to comb the safari.. it wasnt too difficult since there are trails for you to follow.. the highlight of the night had to be the Bat Enclosure where bats were allowed to fly freely above your heads.. i'm not sure if they were bats.. or birds.. they were soooooo freaking hugee!!!! and cos the enclosure was rather low-lying, you could feel the wind that comes from the flapping of the wings of the Batty-Birds! that was how close we were with these "friendly" bats.. haha.. it was fun! By the time we finished with the trekking, it was almost midnight and it was time to leave.. we took a cab back to JW's house.. she was very kind to open a bottle of red wine for us to savour.. but me and her rocker friend, SM, had the horrifying job of picking a bottle from her dad's collection.. i know next to ZERO about red wines and i surely do not want to end up picking an expensive bottle without even knowing it and when her dad comes home to find that bottle that we polished off (without even knowing how to appreciate it!!) is his best-kept bottle then i would so lose my head.. in the end, we choosed the bottle with the most recent year, 2004.. methinks we should be safe.. haha.. we had the privilege of getting SM to play the guitar to entertain us.. but only for a short while.. he was shy to perform i guess.. haha..

Sunday was another great day cos we celebrated my good ol' brother's bdae! Hua-ge hasn't been in the best of moods lately and it was cool to get together with him and Lewis and Sok and Duck.. we had a little celebration at Settlers Cafe in Holland Village, playing board games.. the bdae cake was a very sinful chocolate cake from Sweet Secrets.. this was followed by a tea session at Essential Brew and then topped-off with dinner eating Katong Laksa.. I hope my best bro had a good time and hopefully with the passing of time.. and age, he would continue to enjoy his life and make the best of it! bro.. as long as you are happy, i'll always support whatever you do! a toast to many more bdae celebrations!

Weekend in KL

2006-05-28T23:54:00.000+08:00

Just returned from a weekend getaway to KL to attend my colleague's wedding. We made our way there by car and it took a little over 4 hours to get there which is amazingly fast. The entourage consists of Timothy, the car owner, a very funny character who is also my immediate supervisor, Chee Wai aka Winnie the Pooh (a nickname I coined for him cos he really looks like Pooh and his entics never fail to put a smile to my face) and last of all Her Majesty, my lady boss, CLP....

When CLP told us that she was going to "tag along" with our carpool last monday morning, I almost choked on my breakfast. I could hardly believe that I was about to spend 4 hours in a 3m by 2m box with my lady boss on a trip to KL.. these are the things that nightmares are made of and I was about to experience one LIVE! thoughts of having to make small talk, and not being able to bitch about work and life crossed my mind.. and worst of all.. i imagined she would be screaming directions to Tim and breathing down his neck for either driving too slowly or too fast!!! I could so hear her go "WHAT THE F**K?? CAN'T YOU SLAM ON THE GAS?? WE'RE BEHIND SCHEDULE!!!"

When Saturday morning came, I had my apprenhensions about the trip.. I tot maybe I should get MC.. but I cant leave the guys in the lurch.. and considering that Winnie isn't exactly CLP's favourite guy.. i figured i better be there to do the small talk so Tim can concentrate on driving.. besides I really wish to get out of SG for a while.. even if to Msia.. so finally i made my way to Redhill MRT to meet the gang and soon all of us were nicely packed into Tim's maroon Nissan Sunny EX Saloon.. off we went.. headed for the 2nd link..

I had the "fortune" of sitting at the back with Her Majesty cos Winnie was the first to reach and he got the front seat.. Why oh WHY did I wake up late!!?!!?? seeing Winnie seat beside CLP would be such a kick for Tim and me.. haha.. anyways the small talk began and we talked about work (what's new).. and then travelling.. the different countries she's been to.. and then the different countries i've been to.. and this went on for a good hour.. with topics ranging from education to homosexuality.. and that was about as long as I could make small talk with anyone.. besides I was sleepy.. so I took out my shades, put them on and went off to slumberland.. haha.. At our first stop, CLP took over the front passenger seat from Winnie.. and without so much as asking him if he minds, she pushed her seat back.. and poor Pooh had to contend with such miserable leg space I wonder how he survived without any cramps.. (and poor Pooh is not exactly the slimest guy on earth.. hence the nickname right? hehe)

Finally we reached KL and things got better cos CLP went off to do her own shopping and the 3 guys were finally allowed some male bonding time aka bitching time.. when we checked into our room, there were only 2 single beds.. so we resorted to drawing lots.. and I must say Heavens is very fair cos Pooh got one bed to himself and Tim and I were to have a special heart to heart bonding session at night since the bed would be soooo small I swear I will be able to hear his heart beat.. but alas it was not to be cos all I heard that night was his freaking SNORING!!!! Tim is a champion.. he snored within 3mins of lights off.. I was impressed.. but then.. little did I expect that the REAL champion is Winnie.. his snoring was of such gargantuan magnitude I tot the room was trembling.. I know I snore too but I am pretty sure I was in the presence of GREATNESS.. people who define the word SNORING like never before.. :)

Next morning CLP went to have her hair treated and Winnie went to catch X-Men whilst me and Tim happily slept till the high noon.. not cos we were enjoying the bonding but cos we were both tired out by the contortions our body underwent throughout the entire night (so that there was still enough space between us and not scream "YOU GAY" at each other!!).. after satisfying our sleep demons.. we went to satisfy our hunger demons with a high-tea buffet at the hotel.. and by the time CLP and Winnie returned.. we were all set to make the gruelling journey back home.. only this time, I didnt wait too long to put on my shades and pretended to fall asleep.. but in all fairness.. i would say Her Majesty was not as hard to please as I expected and overall I had a pretty decent trip.. oh i also realised that exactly 1 year ago on 27th May, I went into Msia too! That was for a scuba diving trip with John to Tioman.. what a freaking coincidence.. haha.. now i'm looking forward to my next getaway and something tells me its going to be sunny, friendly Bangkok.. :)

Starbucks coffee or Kopitiam kopi?

2006-05-17T21:03:00.000+08:00

A few years back I asked a friend who has been used to drinking Starbucks (or any other western brand) coffee if she would one day consider drinking kopi from a hawker centre. To further illustrate my question, I told her that kopitiam kopi has a rich flavour and is really authentic albeit its less glamourous image. And the variety is usually rather limited. You either have "Siew Dai" aka less sweet or "Kopi-O" aka without milk or "Kopi-C" which is with evaporated milk and they all come in the same standard size. Starbucks coffee as we all know it costs almost 5 times more than kopitiam's kopi and has many flavours such as espresso, cappucino, frappucino.. and god knows what other cinos.. and u can have whip cream or without and you can have it ice blended or just ice or hot.. and then u have 3 different sizes with fanciful names such as Tall, Grande and Verde.. and Grande is actually large in Italian.. not sure about Verde though..

anyways.. I remembered clearly her quick answer was "Why not??" and I persisted by arguing how she would not enjoy the kopi at all cos its just so different from the western coffee that she is used to and that she would be torturing herself if she tries it. Nevertheless, with her stubborn nature.. she insisted that she wouldn't mind and she do not see a problem at all.. years later and I'm not sure if she has really tried the kopitiam kopi.. but my gut instincts tell me that she still very much prefers Starbucks coffee and I don't think that is going to change for a long time to come..

morale of the story is: if you r a Starbucks coffee lover.. don't bother trying kopitiam kopi cos its just not suitable for you and you really shouldn't even taste it.. on the other hand if you r a kopi-lover.. you may have tried Starbucks coffee since you can find one at almost every corner in town.. but ultimately since u r a kopi-lover dun bother with Starbucks (or any other western brand) coffee cos it just ain't ur cup of tea (or in this case kopi)...

Look What You've Done

2006-05-03T22:54:00.000+08:00

Take my photo off the wall
If it just won't sing for you
'Cause all that's left has gone away
And there's nothing there for you to prove

Oh, look what you've done
You've made a fool of everyone
Oh well, it seems like such fun
Until you lose what you had won

Give me back my point of view
'Cause I just can't think for you
I can hardly hear you say
What should I do, well you choose

Oh, look what you've done
You've made a fool of everyone
Oh well, it seems like such fun
Until you lose what you had won

Oh, look what you've done
You've made a fool of everyone
A fool of everyone
A fool of everyone

Take my photo off the wall
If it just won't sing for you
'Cause all that's left has gone away
And there's nothing there for you to do

Oh, look what you've done
You've made a fool of everyone
Oh well, it seems like such fun
Until you lose what you had won

Oh, look what you've done
You've made a fool of everyone
A fool of everyone
A fool of everyone

- Jet

4mths into working life..

2006-04-23T23:55:00.000+08:00

wow.. its been 4 full mths now that i've started work for company A.. things have been hectic and non-stop.. constantly bombarded with new stuff and meeting new people.. and working very very long hours.. haha.. i dun usually get to see the sun set when i leave office.. so u're looking at about 10pm every night.. i doubt anyone visits my blog anymore.. but its fine.. i actually enjoyed reading my past entries.. acts like a diary for me.. wish i still have the blog entries for my California days.. have some really hilarious and great moments there all blogged..

the last time i blogged i was on my way to australia for a 3 week backpacking trip.. and i was still joking with aug how i wish the trip would end soon.. haha.. and of cos time waits for no one and indeed fulfilled my stupid incoherent wish.. and tada.. 4 mths later.. i am here typing in front of my comp like i dun see enough of it.. haha..

this 4 mths has been very interesting for me.. many twists and turns.. ups and down.. but mostly i am at peace with myself.. maybe cos i put in almost every waking hour in work that i dun have time to bother with other stuff.. oh and it doesnt help that i am taking CFA classes on Sun from 10am to 5pm..

although this is my blog i am still unable to bring myself to be totally transparent here and put down every bit of my life here.. i wish i could.. so i can remember all that is happening.. but i guess i treasure my privacy and only a very selected few get to know all the skeletons in my closet and the demons that hounds me.. haha..

ok this entry is jus to kick start my blogging again.. will try to do it more often if life gets more interesting that is... haha.. to sum it all up.. the past 4 mths has been very very eventful.. cant wait for more.. i am running out of time.. better do as much as i can as soon as possible..

4 hrs to leaving on a jet plane

2005-11-30T13:50:00.000+08:00

What's playing: Good Times Gonna Come - Aqualung

Well well.. in about 4 hours I'll be boarding a Boeing 747 to Hong Kong enroute to Sydney! I know it seems kinda dumb cos its a big detour but Cathay Pacific has this promotion where I get 2 nights of free hotel stay in HK if I do a stopover there.. since I have been dying to go to HK i guess this promotion makes sense! :)

This is a graduation trip for me.. finally all exams are over, no more honours year project.. no more studying.. no more tutorials.. i'm not sure if this is necessarily a good thing but well its a close to one chapter of my life and a new chapter is about to begin.. Although i'm having a mixed feeling of anticipation and anxiety, methinks it should be a good thing to move on and take on the new responsibility of bringing home the bacon.. (well i brought home chicken wings on the last day of my exams.. a taste of things to come! haha..)

I'm having a bad premonition about this trip though.. i wonder if this is just a feeling I have everytime I leave for a long trip.. the last time i flew to States for a year i was feeling downcast as well.. the wet weather today aint helping things.. I'm not sure what "bad" stuff may occur.. but i'll be on the plane 8 times (of which i'll be jumping out of the plane once cos gng skydiving in Brisbane on the 5th of Dec!) and then going to a country that's now having some grudges with Spore cos of the death penatly meted out to drug traffickers, having high terrorist alerts.. But i know deep inside its not these things that's bothering me.. in fact they are the least of my concerns.. its that baggage that i've left behind.. argh well.. hopefully it will still be there when I come back for it..

Ok guess i'll leave now..

What's playing: Left Behind - Aqualung

I'm loving it!

2005-10-16T11:34:00.000+08:00

Wow i haven't been blogging for almost a month now.. and I must say the past month has been a whirlwind.. but i'm loving it! Finally I've moved out of the birds dun lay eggs place to a flowers are a blooming place!! I love my new house! Its not new.. it's a resale unit but hey i think my dad did a GREAT job of painting the house and plastering the walls (esp. my room) and the place is just sooo cozy! Every night I go to sleep literally with a smile on my face! :)

I haven't been taking the mrt since I moved.. there's just way too many buses here.. i can get to school in 15mins with a direct bus (compared to previously where 15mins i'm still at Woodlands MRT station, if i'm lucky..) and the best part is i get to town in 10mins.. and then there's the huge hawker centre jus a stone's throw away.. good food at cheap prices! It's been a super long while since i get to eat my fav wanton noodles for only $2!!! (besides eating in sch lah) and there's sooo many wanton noodles stalls here I can't decide which to eat from... of cos its not all rosy.. the void decks are a little dirty and there are many big fat cats stalking this area.. but other than dat i'm cool!

Last weekend I was given a tour of my vicinity by Feng who drove me around the estate and brought me up to Mt Faber (which i'm ashame to say i've never been to) and Telok Blangah Hills.. the two hills are like just next to each other and within jogging distance for me.. and I must say the view up there is really good.. reminds me of the good old days in San Fran where I would drive up this cliff that overlooks the Golden Gate Bridge and the city skyline.. i love mountains and i love the sea.. and i never expect that Sg actually has that to offer.. ok not mountain but at least its a knoll.. so.. beats nothing.. Funnily my army officer brought me on a tour of my estate again the next day.. and seeing his enthusiasm i couldnt bear to tell him that i have been given a tour already! haha.. but its cool.. he brought me along his jogging route and showed me a 6km route and a 10km route.. oh and he just got back from Hawaii and he bought me a surfers tee and a signboard that says Aloha! with a dolphin engraving and its hanging nicely on my bedroom wall to greet anyone who walks into my room!

Oct has been great cos of other reasons as well but I rather not put it here.. i dun wana jinx it.. haha.. I wish it stays this way for as long as possible.. i have no expectations or high hopes whatsoever and everything that comes along is going to be a bonus.. besides I'm gng to start working soon and there are some uncertainties there.. so we'll see how long this last..

IF

2005-09-23T00:40:00.000+08:00

Ok warning.. this is going to be a major bitching session for myself.. its prob futile to bitch now but i jus wana get it out of my system.. so here goes..

I'm in the midst of job search now and I know that I have an offer already and I know its got good prospects albeit the long hours and programming that I will have to do.. BUT as I look at the list of jobs available, I'm wondering if I had agreed too readily.. or maybe its jus a case of grass is greener on the other side..

When I look at the very top jobs available in the market (not in terms of pay) that provides an extensive training with international exposure, I feel its probably (make that definitely) out of my league. According to PY, most of these jobs are super competitive and usually companies only hire top grads from schools like Harvard, Stanford, Oxford (how come they all ryhme?!) and not from local universities. Its sickening to know that it was all in my hands but I wasted my youth doing silly things like going to arcades, playing basketball after sch EVERYDAY, hanging out with classmates at Taka almost every other day, chasing skirts and everything else but putting 100% in my work..

I know I am capable of something better but I was content with being in the middle of the class.. I didn't care to top the class.. i thought mediocre was good enuf but ITS NOT!!! I was packing my cupboard the other day and saw my sec sch report book.. realised i actually top my sec 3 class.. i cleanly forgot abt it.. but who cares abt all these.. i never capitalized on it.. i was LAZY!!

IF i could turn back the clock, I WISH..

1. I had studied harder..
2. I was more motivated and driven..
3. I had a mentor when I was young.. I'm not blaming anyone of cos.. my parents and my uncle sure did a good job of disciplining me.. otherwise I think I'll probably be in jail now.. but there wasn't anyone to guide me and tell me how impt it is to be driven and to perform well..

Sometimes I am really envious of the rich.. they can afford to pay for their sons and daughters to study in top schools in States or UK.. of cos some of these kids were smart themselves and went on scholarships.. I'm not discounting the education that I received at NUS but the merits of an overseas education is undeniable and its not just the education.. its the people and the culture.. the emphasis on creativity, communication skills, presentation skills, bascially people skills, soft skills.. skills I'm afraid were not nurtured or at least not emphasized in our education here (not yet at least but think its improving..)

Ok i know i cant turn back time.. so its up to me now to work hard and fulfil my dreams.. its frustrating to start at the bottom but its also a good motivation now to push harder and faster.. I want to be in the shoes of the rich one day and provide for my children what I did not have access to.. the hunger in me is unbearable..

James Blunt

2005-09-13T18:52:00.000+08:00

"Goodbye My Lover"

Did I disappoint you or let you down?
Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?
'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,
Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won.
So I took what's mine by eternal right.
Took your soul out into the night.
It may be over but it won't stop there,
I am here for you if you'd only care.
You touched my heart you touched my soul.
You changed my life and all my goals.
And love is blind and that I knew when,
My heart was blinded by you.
I've kissed your lips and held your head.
Shared your dreams and shared your bed.
I know you well, I know your smell.
I've been addicted to you.

Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.

I am a dreamer but when I wake,
You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take.
And as you move on, remember me,
Remember us and all we used to be
I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile.
I've watched you sleeping for a while.
I'd be the father of your child.
I'd spend a lifetime with you.
I know your fears and you know mine.
We've had our doubts but now we're fine,
And I love you, I swear that's true.
I cannot live without you.

Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.

And I still hold your hand in mine.
In mine when I'm asleep.
And I will bear my soul in time,
When I'm kneeling at your feet.

Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.

I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow.
I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow.

-James Blunt

This song is very melancholic.. not that I can identify with it but you can literally feel the disappointment in the singer's voice.. James Blunt is well known for singing songs of unrequited love and tales of love lost.. I like the clarity of his voice.. Damien Rice is another male singer which i can draw a parellelism to for his crisp voice and sad love songs as well.. most famous of which are his recent soundtracks for the movie Closer.. "Blower's Daughter" and "Cold Water"..

Beautiful Song

2005-09-09T00:07:00.000+08:00

"You're Beautiful"

My life is brilliant.
My love is pure.
I saw an angel.
Of that I'm sure.
She smiled at me on the subway.
She was with another man.
But I won't lose no sleep on that,
'Cause I've got a plan.

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
'Cause I'll never be with you.

Yeah, she caught my eye,
As we walked on by.
She could see from my face that I was,
Fucking high,
And I don't think that I'll see her again,
But we shared a moment that will last till the end.

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
'Cause I'll never be with you.
You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
There must be an angel with a smile on her face,
When she thought up that I should be with you.
But it's time to face the truth,
I will never be with you.

- James Blunt

Sunny Sentosa Sunday

2005-09-02T10:42:00.000+08:00

Another one of my weekly blog updates.. i would expect my blogging to be less frequent in the coming weeks (not that it was very frequent to begin with)..

Last Sunday was spent at Siloso beach with a bunch of folks from the NOC program.. the skies were pretty grey when i left my house in the morning.. and that means its a bad day at the beach.. but surprise surprise when we reached harbour front, the sun was scorching hot.. guess the weather in woodlands and the weather down south is just very different..

SM brought along 2 canadian friends (Leeann and Corrine) and i must say they were very adventurous and fun-loving! The 2 gals were on a SEA tour on their own and they hardly planned for it.. so basically its an anyhow-whack trip.. i think traveling like this can be very fun especially when you dunno what to expect!! I hope to go traveling too in Dec.. my final month of mental, physical and emotional freedom before i start work at The Firm.. infamous for its long working hours.. basically no life.. i attended a talk by a senior manager from the firm recently and he was saying how he used to go home at 10pm everyday for the first 2 yrs! his gf's dad objected to their r/s cos he tot that his daughter was dating some gangster who can only meet her at 11pm! but luckily he's now happily married with her.. guess i wun have that problem though.. cos i dun even have a gf to start with so that means i can stay till 2am every day in the office! whahaha..

anywayz back to beach day at Sentosa.. we played captain's ball in the sea and how you do that is basically get someone to sit on the shoulders of another person and then u try to throw the ball to that person.. the 2 canadians were damn sporting.. they were tugging at our legs, fighting for every ball, and wun give 2 hoots about drowning us in the process! haha.. but it was very fun and i think they really added life to the day!

To sidetrack abit.. i heard an astonishing story recently of this gay who had a one night stand with this guy.. and one day his sister brought her bf home for dinner and it turned out that his sis's bf was the guy he had a one night stand with!!! and to top it off they were going to get married soon.. guess after their marriage the sister will be wondering why her husband is spending so many nights "watching soccer" in her brother's room.. sadz..

This story popped an interesting qns in my head.. if one day you found out that the person you had a one night stand with (or a fling) turned out to be your close friend's bf/gf (and you didnt know they are together).. would you tell your close friend about it? And let's say you r the 'victim', would you prefer to hear it from your partner or your close friend? And would you forgive them both? *food for thought*

Booze week

2005-08-22T22:50:00.000+08:00

Last week was just booze week all the way.. after a healthy start on monday with a 40-min jog with Andy and Rm around Yew Tee estate, the rest of the week was just sinful and intoxicating..

Tue night was spent at Settlers cafe playing Zombies with Seagull, Andy, Duckie and Seashell.. it was my first time there and i must say the decor is very conducive for playing board games though i kinda like Oasis at Liang Seah Street better.. Since i was introduced to these board games cafe by Lewis, I have been to them like 4 times in a month.. but i love playing board games simply cos there's a lot more interaction amongst friends as compared to movie-watching.

Wed night kicked off booze week with free flow of housepours, beers, bacardis and wines at Velvet's 11th anniversary party. JL is a member of velvet and he kindly got me along!! It was super last-minute and last-minute, spontaneous decisions can sometimes turnout to be unexpectedly good! We were there at 9pm and by like 1030pm i was super high already.. since it was free flow we just drank like a fish and it doesnt help that we were mixing the drinks.. red wine+beer makes a very bad combination.. was outta there by 11pm..

One day of rest and Friday was again free booze all thanks to bdae boy AT! It was happy hour at Siam Supper Club and the beers were going at 3-for-1!!! I never heard of 3-for-1 before! The table was filled with buckets of Hoegarden and Corona.. I was the "living-bottlecap-opener" cos the beers came with the caps on and the silly waiters did not leave us any bottlecap-opener. This was a skill i picked up in US.. can't rem who taught me.. think it might be JL.. not sure but basically you use your teeth (molars) as a wedge to open the caps.. (*children.. do not try this at home.. uncle got train before)

Saturday was yet another bdae celebration at club Momo with YT (bdae gal), WS and DL.. we had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen before drinks and I highly recommend the Peking Duck pizza! It is super delicious with crispy stuff littered all over the pizza and its best eaten without any additional powedery cheese or chilli.

I went to inspect my new house on Sunday cos we are getting the keys on the coming Friday and need to make sure the house is in order before we take over the keys. It was my first time there cos when my family bought it, i was in Johor Bahru getting molested by an old aunty and eating pathetic seafood but that's another story so i shan't digress.. The new house was a little disappointing cos i expected my room to be bigger but its not and the estate is old and kinda dirty cos we bought an old 3-room HDB apt that thankfully has been upgraded. But i can't complain since the location is a big improvement from WOODLANDS (where birds dun lay eggs) to the now centrally located Tiong Bahru (where flowers are a blooming!). It took me only 15 mins to orchard by bus and the best part is along the way, the bus took me past Zouk, then to Central Mall, then Clark Quay, then to Mohammed Sultan and finally to Orchard.. all in a span of 15 mins!! (Currently 15 mins may not even get me to Woodlands MRT station by feeder bus)

I'm looking forward to a brand new chapter of my life!!! Anyone who happens to be in town and needs company can activate me in 30 mins (if i'm free lah) starting next month!! whoohooo!!!

Quarter-life crisis?

2005-08-13T05:13:00.000+08:00

I was going to campus today.. and was crossing the bridge leading from Bouna Vista mrt to the 95 bus stop.. the bridge is a makeshift steel one cos there's construction going on with the concrete bridge.. that same concrete bridge i crossed for almost 4 years now but never had this thought crossed my mind (pardron all the 'crosses').. but somehow it suddenly strucked me - "Why do we live?" A simple four-word question without a simple answer (if there is even one that is..)

It's not like i am facing some major crisis in my life now and i surely wasn't about to fling myself over the bridge.. almost all the pieces in my life is in order.. i know what i'll be doing for the next 2-3 years at least and less for a missing piece, i am pretty satisfied with my life.. almost a little too comfortable for my liking.. i've lost sight of my dreams and getting derailed from my aspirations.. those big dreams i had when i was in Cali have since vapourized into yeah just dreams.. empty ones..

i attended the "welcome-back tea" for the 6th batch of SV students in the evening.. it was surreal to see them again after 6mths.. i remembered the last days of my stay in Foster City.. packing my luggage, saying my farewells and at the airport i told naef.. "I'll see you guys in 6mths! make the fullest use of your time here! i'm gng home to inspire others about entrepreneurship and share with them my life-changing experience!" i said that with full conviction like a raw pastor setting off on his first mission to evangelize and spread the good word..

6mths.. no 8 mths now have passed.. what have i done? Nothing.. zilch.. nada.. zero.. i have slipped back into the system.. a friend from the returning batch (still fully charged with "SV energy") concernly asked me.. "What happened to you Eugene? You seemed to have lost it.. you looked sapped.. When can we expect to see the same Eugene we saw in SV? When are you coming back to us?" The way he said "coming back to us" sounded like i have slipped into the nether regions of earth.. or maybe i was not the same Eugene when I was in SV? maybe this one in SG is the real one? or is this some excuse i am cooking up for myself? I find myself increasingly finding excuses for my inertia.. almost with ease now.. I dunno.. i am beginning to be filled with self doubts again..

The week before the FINAL semester

2005-08-08T00:09:00.000+08:00

It has been an eventful week though I guess if given a choice I would have preferred to spend it out of Singapore..

The adventure started on Wed.. watched Charlie and the Choc Factory in the afternoon with xr.. I didn't like it at all.. not sure if it was cos i needed to pee badly but didnt wana leave the theatre that's y i wasn't enjoying the show.. but it was rather boring watching Willy Wonker introducing his stupid factory.. oh well.. there wasnt any better show to watch that afternoon so....

Things got a little interesting after the show though.. i received a call from an unknown number and it turned out to be my Thai friend who is in town for a symposium! We met in Chulalongkorn university 2 years back when I went there for a forum between NUS and Chula. It was great to have a foreign friend visit! She's into international studies and asean history so we had a rather intellectually stimulating conversation on the situation in southern Thailand as well as the general political situation of the country..

Thursday.. hmm.. i rather not talk about thursday....

Friday was cooL! I met up with feng finally.. havent caught up with her for the longest time.. we went for the gala premiere of THE MAID.. it was actually pretty disturbing.. usually i am not fazed by scary movies but this time i must say i was feeling a little out of sorts after the show.. probably cos it coincided with the 1st day of the 7th month (it was actually intentionally screened on the 1st day since the movie centred around the Hungry Ghost Festival)

Saturday was spent playing board games at Oasis at Liang Seah Street.. there were four of us.. the 3 musketeers and 1 sock.. hahaha.. we played "Settlers".. it was very very very fun and intriguing! We took 3 hours and 20 mins to complete the game.. i love playing board games.. whahaha.. (a reflection of my age perhaps?) after all i grew up with board games - Monopoly, Cluedo, Scrabble, Risk, and Payday..

Sunday was kinda cool.. the 3 musketeers went off to ECP to cycle.. we agreed to meet 11am at CCK.. but as usual.. we 3 lazy pigs just couldnt wake up on time and by the time we started cycling, it was 2.30pm.. oh and we drove there.. so u can imagine how much later we woke up.. hahaahaa... but we had a good time cycling from ECP to Cozy Bay and took some pictures at the Indoor Stadium as well.. had a very good tan too.. the sun was blazing today..

Overall the weekend was well spent.. tmr school starts but this week i have no classes! haha.. so i have another week to slack around!!

How's this for a natural wide smile?

2005-07-28T01:48:00.000+08:00

whahaha.. py just sent me this pic.. nvr had it though i've seen it before.. that was us taking "Da Tou Zhao" (Big-head pics) at Monterey, California.. we were at the wharf about to board a boat to go whale watching!!! anywayz hope this dispels all comments about me not having a natural smile when i take pics! haha.. this is about as close to a wide smile as you can get from me!!!

I hate waking up EARLY morning to squeeze with peak hour traffic!!

2005-07-26T21:00:00.000+08:00

The handphone alarm went off at 6.30am.. yes no typo there.. 6.30am.. i'm having my sch vacation eh.. why the heck am i waking up so early!!?!! and to think it started raining in the wee hours of morning and i had to wake up at i think it was 4.30am to shut my windows.. and i slept at 3.30am cos i couldn't get to sleep.. obviously the start of a bad day..

it was still raining when i reluctantly pulled myself out of bed.. how i wish to snuggle back under my blanket.. but no i had to be responsible to the kind teachers at this all-girls primary school who were waiting for me to sit in and observe their classes.. so after a quick shower i jumped out of the house w/o breakfast and my usual coffee.. i love coffee and i believe that i have developed an addiction for it.. 1 day w/o it and i seem to be just a tat bit sluggish..

after waiting eons for my feeder bus to arrive (thank god i will be moving out of this bird dun lay eggs place in 6 weeks!!!) i was off to a rather good start - public transport wise.. until i reached clementi blue bus stop.. that big bus stop with 2 newspaper vendors, 1 "Gao Lak" (roasted chestnut) peddler, 4 flyers-distributors (is there another name for this occupation?), 1 visually impaired tissue seller, 1 elderly lady selling trivia and hordes of impatient passengers. When my bus arrived, there was a snaking queue for it.. no not snake.. snake is a little too orderly.. i would say a pool of people crowding at the entrance.. finally my turn to board and with both feet on the steps of the bus, i tot i was in! Whilst still savoring my victorious climb onto TIBs 189 (NUS pple not only can climb Mt Everest okay?!? climb bus also very steady one).. the bus driver screamed "hello boy!! no space liao!! wait for the next bus lah!! door cannot close!!"

Obediently i got off the bus.. and just as i turned around, i saw 3 persons got on! apparently the pple on the bus woke up their idea and realized that they are not the only ones on planet Earth and that moving in to allow others to board is a simple good deed they can do every morning as they rush their butts to work!!! grrrrrrr....

So i waited.. and waited.. standing there motionless (the spiders were almost done with their weaving by then).. taking in 2nd hand smoke from a dustbin.. some bugger who threw his butt into the bin obviously forgot to stamp out the blurdy cig.. and when the next 189 arrived in almost 20 mins (usually it only takes 6 mins) i told myself i was determined to hop onto this one.. NO MORE MR NICE GUY!.. only to realize just abt 70 other people in the bus stop had the same idea.. it seemed like almost everyone was waiting for this godforsaken bus!!! does this bus go to Utopia? how come so many pple are taking it?! last i rem it only goes to Bukit Batok Interchange what!!

forget it.. i opened my umbrella and took off in a completely opposite direction to the other 70 people.. i was going to walk to the school.....

A walk down memory lane

2005-07-23T14:39:00.000+08:00

Early yesterday morning i returned to my sec sch to do a research on their IT usage.. it has been almost 10 years since i left the sch and this was the first time in a decade that i am back.. as i got off at the nearest mrt station and started trudging down that all too familiar path towards the sch, memories of my sec sch days flooded me.. there were pleasant memories and there were those i rather forget..

there was once in sec 4 a few of us were playing basketball at one of those neighbourhood courts surrounded by HDB flats.. suddenly this middle age lady shouted from her 7th floor window "WHY ARE YOU BOYS USING VULGARITIES AT ME??!!" and we were like WHAT??? its only normal for a bunch of hot-blooded adolescent boys to be cursing when the balls are not going into the hoops right?? why the heck would we wana spew four letter words and hokkein greetings at her?! so we ignored her and continued our game.. a few minutes later the lady came down and warned us not to run away and she has called the police! we were like OKAY WhatEver.. cannot be bothered.. but soon after the men in blue uniforms came, armed with clipboards and bicycles.. the officers took down our particulars despite us pleading innocence.. and it was only after the administrative stuff was done did they admit that the lady is slightly unstable mentally cos there was once when her little daughter was walking pass the court and was hit by a soccer ball.. and ever since, she hated pple who played any form of ball games at the court.. great we thought! at least they know we are innocent and its case closed! or so we thought.....

when we went back to school the next day, there was an announcement during assembly "Will the 6 boys who used vulgarities to BULLY an old lady yesterday at a nearby estate please come to the office after this?!" BULLY?!?! what bully!? i think we were the ones who were bullied instead.. reluctantly, we dragged our feets to the disciplinary office.. and there the discipline mistress reprimanded us and suggested that we should shout A E I O U the next time we miss our shots.. A E I O U?! how does that help to vent the augish and lift the spirits after a poor shot?!? back in the classroom, our form teacher told us to each write a report detailing what happened and we were not allowed to discuss so she can match our report off one another.. damn.. all this trouble jus cos of a mad lady!!! my conduct for that semester in my report book? "Fairly good".....

Mahjong Day

2005-07-20T02:10:00.000+08:00

Went to meet py, boon, xr and cheechen for lunch at CCK Lot 1 today.. had roasted chicken rice.. my favourite type of chicken rice.. though i cant say that the one at Lot 1 is anything to rave about.. anywayz after that we headed to xr's hse to play mahjong.. my luck hasnt been good in my recent mj games.. i think since the holidays started i must have lost like $150 playing 20 cents 40 cents.. so u can imagine how loserish my luck has been..

we started at like 2.30 pm and finished 2 rounds (for the uninitiated, 1 round is Dong Nan Xi Bei) before dinner time.. dinner was provided.. courtesy of xr's mum.. she's a really friendly and hospitable lady.. i really like her mum, she's rather funny as well.. i rem the last time she visited xr at cali and we were playing mj at xr's hse.. she was looking over my shoulders at my tiles and i played a wrong card.. she corrected me and explained what was wrong.. however being not too bright.. i did the same mistake again! haha.. and this time she couldnt helped but exclaimed "This boy really Ga Buai Sek (hokkein for teach already still dunno!)" it was hilarious and to think i still rem it after almost a year shows what an impression she left on me.. ever since then, i never forget this little lesson and whenever i play, i always rem not to make the same old bad move!

after dinner we played a final round and finished around 11.30pm.. that's almost 9 hours of mj for u.. my luck was really good in this final round.. good is probably an understatement.. basically whatever cards i needed and wished for, i would draw it.. i was at the point of disbelieve at the kind of tiles i had when i "Gao".. and not forgetting that occasional "Zi Mo"! it was funny how my yahoo horoscope reading for today was..

"Balancing the checkbook has never been at the top of your top ten list of favorite activities, but when that or any other chore needs to be done, you do it -- albeit reluctantly. This is one of those times."

and i was thinking to myself.. "balancing the checkbook.." hmm.. damn i am going to play mj so i better be balancing the right side of the book cos i have been debiting a lot and its time to start crediting!! thankfully the end result was positive though my checkbook isnt balanced yet and probably would never balance what with the way i spend money! whahahaha..

The 3 Musketeers

2005-07-19T01:34:00.000+08:00

Attended lewis' convocation last Tuesday (12th July) at NUS University Hall.. It was Hua's Birthday on the same day as well!! He's the first among us to hit Quarter Life Crisis.. haha.. anyway as i was saying, lewis graduated from Chemical Engineering.. one heck of a tough faculty to be in.. competition is tough.. people are hardworking.. getting CAP of 5.0 doesn't gurantee you a Dean's List position.. its crazy.. Hua has also graduated from NTU Mechanical Engineering.. i think he did great too! Its a "da-bao" (meaning take away.. aka take away your modules to the next sem.. aka retake mod lah) faculty and he managed to clear it all in 4 years.. well done all!

This was taken after the convocation when the 3 of us and ruimin went to Marina Square for dinner.. i wasnt smiling cos i can't seem to smile nicely into a camera at all (anyone can offer some tips?!!) pple tell me my smile looks fake.. looks funny.. looks bird.. *give up lah.. jus dun smile anymore next time when i take photo*.. anywayz i swear that place is a blurdy maze now.. we couldnt orientate it to the old marina square at all.. god damnit.. had a hard time finding the restaurants and basically our way around the shopping mall.. but i must say the change is indeed much warranted since MS really hasnt been attracting crowds..

Before lewis came, hua and me went to try out the new Carl's Junior at MS! they pack one heck of a freaking huge burger! i rem there was this tag line "She's lying when she says Size Doesnt Matter!" haha... anywayz the last time I had Carl's was in cali and its great to see it here in spore though i am still hoping for In and Out Burgers to come here.. they have dA Best fast food u can ever have.. their fries are so tasty and healthy cos its freshly cut from whole potatoes and not pre-fried like the usual fast food.. oh and they only have 3 types of burgers on their menu.. its all beef btw so maybe not that suited for local tastes since we are more fowl eaters.. alrighty.. i digressed too much.. jus wana congratulate my two best budz on their graduation!!!

Visit to Kindergartens

2005-07-18T16:57:00.000+08:00

Visited 2 kindergartens today as part of my hyp (honors year project) research.. needed to find out the usage of IT in K1 K2 curriculum.. and whether the educators at these centres feel its necessary or even integral to have IT.. Some educators feel that the children's eyesight may deteriorate.. (i think it is ady happening with or w/o IT being used in Kindergartens..) others feel that it leads to anti-social behavior.. anyone has a view on this??

personally i feel its not very necessary.. you pay extra $35 a month ($85 with IT, $50 w/o) just so your kids have 2 half-hourly sessions per week of IT lessons.. doesn't really make sense to me unless the parents are economically disadvantaged and can't afford to have computers at home and/or Internet connection then maybe giving their children the exposure in the Kindergartens could be a good idea.. anyway this is a problem that is increasingly mitigated with free PCs being given out by the neighbourhood's CDC (Community Development Centre i think).. I heard the Internet connection problem is still very much a concern as there are families who seriously cannot afford to sign up for Internet.. something we take so much for granted in our lives already.. dun think anyone who is reading this can do without the web anymore right? (I know I can't...)

anywayz just for everyone's knowledge, children in primary schools today are all exposed to IT.. exposed might be an understatement.. basically from P1 onwards, they learn touch-typing.. and slowly progress to MS Word, Excel, Ppt and so forth.. some even learn Photoshop and Dreamweaver.. heloo??!! even I cant do that.. and to think i was supposed to help out with their IT class.. and when asked what's my major.. i squeaked out "computing.."

Grandpa's 90th Birthday Party

2005-07-17T23:31:00.000+08:00

Just came back from my grandpa's 90th bdae dinner.. 90th! omg.. wonder if i can even live half as long.. but my grandpa has lost much of his past vigor.. he has slim down considerably almost to the point where he needs someone to help him sit down or stand up though he can still walk with the aid of a walking stick.. his eyesight is failing him badly and so is his hearing.. i dun think he can recognize me anymore..

Sadly i was never close to my grandpa probably because i can't speak teochew for nuts (not peanuts but nuts.. though peanuts are the rage these days.. no thanks to Mrs Goh C. T.) i rem almost 6 years ago when i brought him for a checkup at a polyclinic.. the doc asked me to translate for him but i couldn't even complete half a sentence other than the usual "Ah Gong.. hoi bo? (meaning are you well?)" The Doc shook his head and asked me how come i couldnt communicate with my ah gong.. the incident left an indelible mark on me.. *ashamed of myself*

These days i only see my ah gong 3-4 times a year.. Chinese New Year, his birthday and the occasional drop-in.. my mum has been telling me to visit him more often before he goes "sell salted duck eggs" (that's a chinese way of saying kick the bucket) Its sadder now cos i used to be able to know what he's saying (i can understand better than i can speak) but just now at the dinner i couldnt even make out what he was elating about.. but at least i could tell he was happy..

On to happy tots.. my cousins' children were there.. my cousins are considerably older than me so their kids are all in the primary school age.. very fun to watch them play.. really brings laughter to the room and of cos NOISE! haha.. but it was great to see them having a good time playing with one another.. i told my 2nd sis.. imagine one day our eldest sis will have 2 kids.. she'll have another 2 and i'll have 4! and the eight little treasures can run around our homes and bring joy and laughter to us (but i think my parents will be the happiest of all!!)

Crying Out LOud!

2005-07-17T13:15:00.000+08:00

Not too sure if there'll be anything interesting to blog about.. my life isn't exactly very exciting at the moment.. this will probably jus be a space for me to rant and to think aloud..

Last time i kept a blog was when i was in California last year.. But the blog was wiped out by blogspot when they revamped their website.. guess it's my fault as well since i didn't visit it for like 6 mths.. haha..

Ok let's hope this blog will survive longer.. though i very much doubt it..