Heritage Walk Saturday??

the office organised a Heritage Walk on a Saturday morning and i actually attended it... it's a boring 45 minutes walk from the Asian Civilisation Museum (ACM) to Lim Bo Seng Memorial to City Hall and back to ACM... but the experience revealed a couple of interesting facts about us and Singapore...

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A (holding mobile phone): they are meeting at the Stamford Raffles statue...
Me: which one? the white one or the black one?
A: got two meh? thought there's only one outside Victoria Theatre?
Me: got two... one at VT; one at ACM...
A (holding mobile phone): it's the white one...
Me: then it's at ACM...

anyone knows why there are two Sir Stamford Raffles statue?? and how come one black, one white??

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A: they brisk walking so fast... never even explain the things to us... what Heritage Walk like that?
Me: how many memorials are there around the entire Raffles Place / City Hall area?
A: there's the Lim Bo Seng one...
B: and the tall tall one near to the Raffles City...
Me: the tall one is for World War One or Two leh?
B: huh? got two World Wars meh?

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after the walk we spent some time admiring the Salvador Dali sculptures at UOB Plaza... before having our nasi lemak at Golden Shoe...

Celebrations Friday...

to celebrate the end of the dreadful audit... we had a mini-celebration in the office after work... opened a bottle of red wine... snacked on chips and burritos... and had a merry good time...

went to join Patrick and his friends for his birthday dinner at Market Cafe, Raffles City... though i work in the office tower, i have no idea where Market Cafe is... i went to Swiss Cafe to ask for Market Cafe... the kind lady pointed me to the right direction... made my day...

the dinner was superb... enjoyed myself very much... of course, the company was even better... so many familiar faces...

after dinner, i headed home to rest... cos i was too tired from the shitty week...

goodnight world...

Last Week Of September 2006...

the last week of September 2006 started with nothing but shit work in the office... the finalisation of the report to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) reached its peak due to the deadline of 30 September 2006... and none of us is prepared to return to the office on a Saturday to finish it... hence, die die must send out by Friday 29 September... which we eventually did...

i missed two farewell lunches because of the report... and i also missed my Thai class and running because of the report...

you know you are highly stressed when you forget to scan your EZ-Link card while getting down the bus... and when you start to dream about work... friends have advised me to use lavender aroma oil to relax myself... thanks to all for your concern and well wishes... i am fine now...

i shall blog about the other days separately...

Shoe Broke Wednesday...

when you're down, even your shoe wants to bully you...

my shoe had a slight tear on Monday night... decided to hang on to it for a little while more... shopped at Robinsons on Wednesday... their special event for members... storewide 20%... after looking for a while, decided on a certain pair... salesgirl passed me a size 40... it was way too big... they did not have anything smaller for that model... the salesman then went around to search for shoes with size 39 (the smallest size available)...

decided on a pair of Renoma shoes... not of the best design... but beggars, no choice... cashier punched in the wrong code... forgot to give me the additional 10% off the 20%... redid the entire transaction... sianz...

wanted to buy Renoma undershirts... no size for the white ones... not really my day...

Happy Birthday To...

my mum

thank you for taking such good care of me all these years...
it is an honour to be pampered by you...
and to be showered with your love...
i try to be as filial a son as possible...
though i may fail at times...
i seek your forgiveness...

i want you to know that i love you deep in my heart...
have a beautiful day...
and a wonderful year ahead...

Mum's Birthday Dinner @ Wah Lok...

mum was showing me her new Swatch in the car... the happy look on her face really made my day... food pics galore...









from top:
toothpick with name of restaurant
beancurd in dark sauce + chilli
shou tao (pao)
deep fried prawn + baby octupus with mayo
Peking duck (wrapped)
Peking duck (unwrapped)
shark's fin soup
scallop with baby mushroon and green vegetables
fish (soon hock)
roasted chicken
deep fried duck meat (from the Peking duck)
Ee Fu noodles with scallop, prawns and squids
aloe vera, grass jelly in honeydew sauce with vanilla ice-cream

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this was taken at the restaurant, before the dinner started...

The Banquet...

saw The Banquet last night with Vincent... after his birthday dinner at Uber-Burger (or some other name) @ Millenia Walk... the place where they have the S$101 burger...

my take on The Banquet... a display of beautiful people, sets and costumes... flawed by a bad script and slow pace... and marred by horrible acting, with the exception of Ge You, who played the Emperor...

have i had too much expectations due to all the hype and controversy over Ziyi's double?? i don't think so lor... the entire movie gave me the "been there, done that" or "seen this, used that" feeling... horses running in river... screams Lord Of The Rings... the makeup and costume remind me of all the wuxia pian before The Banquet... the soundtrack by Tan Dun sounds all too familiar... the set of the palace is similar to Hero... while the set of the place where the Prince learns music / acting is so House Of Flying Daggers... of course the fight scene is nothing but imitations of everything we've seen previously...

overall, The Banquet is nothing original... but a poor rojak feast of bits and pieces from past movies...

1 popcorn + 1 popcorn (for the closing theme song) out of five popcorns...

Vincent's Birthday Dinner...

Saturday was spent at home for the most part... left the house at around 3pm... went to Kerry's place to feed his cat, Cola... then to visit him at SGH... he was off the drip and looked much better... really hope he will be discharged tomorrow cos he's flying to the States for business and leisure on Monday afternoon...

---

met Vincent for his birthday dinner... gave him the Nie Zi DVD... something that he's been looking for for a long long time... i've been keeping it with me for the past one year or so...

a chapter ends... another chapter begins...

Shopping Friday...

on leave to shop with mum... the last time we did that was during the Great Singapore Sale... this time it's to get her birthday present...

first stop was OG for their 44th Anniversary Sale... and mum wanted to renew her OG Card... bought bedsheets and quilt cover... *again*...

then we were at John Little for their sale... didn't buy anything... hahahaha...

next came The Heeren Swatch store... she was trying on a few Swatches... finally, she chose the Swatch Skin... i like it too... will post the picture next time... she wore it for her birthday dinner on Sunday...

we stopped by Paragon to look at Loretta Yang's liuli exhibition... beautiful pieces but pricey... can't afford any of them...

lunch was at Lucky Plaza chicken rice stall...

the shopping trip ended with Takashimaya... Lavender and East Ocean moon cakes... plus a Sheridan bedsheets mum's getting for a friend's house warming...

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dinner with Kerry was cancelled cos he was warded in SGH for food poisoning... a very bad case that has lasted for 2 weeks... poor thing... visited him in the evening... and stayed with him until 12+am... cos he needed to get work done on his notebook and the wireless access was at the lobby...

Crazy Thursday...

was involved in yet another long and dreadful meeting from 4pm to 8pm... missed my Thai lesson... as well as the dinner with some friends at Beach Road steamboat... joined them for dessert at Tong Luo Wan's cafe along Liang Seah Street...

so nice to see Ken after months... good to see Norman and Tin too...

and Tony was back from watching Madonna's concert at Osaka... thanx for showing me the video...

and of course, dearest Patrick... busy taking pictures with his new phone...

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after dessert, Ken, Patrick and i went to Little India to soak ourselves into the festive Deepavali mood and to take pictures of this year's light up... very nice...

Work... And The Weekend Ahead...

work has been sucky for the last couple of weeks... not been able to sleep well at all... and yesterday had the worst case of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in months... five times in the morning... until my ass was sore...

thanx to all well-wishers on MSN... with such a nick "My Ass Is Hurting..." i am inviting gossips... hahahaha...

finally going on leave tomorrow... shopping with mum... cos her birthday is next Tuesday... mum wants to buy moon cakes too... so heading to Takashimaya... hopefully their moon cake fest has started... also visiting Paragon to view Loretta Yang's display of the glass thingy...

Saturday will be meeting Vince for his birthday... provided nothing crops up on his end... even if there is, it's not unusual... i have decided to give him the Nie Zi DVDs i asked my younger brother to buy from Taiwan quite some time ago as birthday present...

Sunday will be running at MacRitchie as a start to my training for the 21km at the StanChart's marathon in December... then rest at home, before heading to Wah Lok (Carlton Hotel) for mum's birthday dinner with my family...

enjoy your weekend, people... i know i will...

Feelings... Emotions...

i am really really bad at hiding my feelings / emotions... what i feel shows on my face... IMMEDIATELY...

Approved...

NTUC has approved my living policy, without any loading or whatsoever... i am so glad...

听妈妈的话

been listening to Jay Chou's new album...
wonderful music as always...
besides the duet with Fei Yu Qing...
there are a number of gems in the album...

my favourite is this song...
reading the lyrics brings tears to my eyes...

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小朋友 你是否有很多问号 为什么别人在那看漫画
我却在学画画 对著钢琴说话
别人在玩游戏 我却靠在墙壁背我的 ABC

我说我要一个大大的飞机 但却得到一台旧旧答录机
为什么要听妈妈的话 长大后你就会开始懂了这段话

长大后我开始明白 为什么我跑得比别人快
飞得比别人高 将来大家看的都是我画的漫画
大家唱的都是我写的歌
妈妈的辛苦不让你看见 外面的事不在她心里面
有空就去多握握她的手 把手牵着一起梦游

听妈妈的话 别让她受伤
想快快长大 才能保护她
美丽的白发 幸福总发芽
天使的魔法 温暖中慈祥

在你的未来 音乐是你的王牌
拿王牌谈个恋爱 爱我不想把你教坏
还是听妈妈的话吧 晚点再恋爱吧
我知道你未来的路 当妈比我更清楚

你会看着学习的同学在这会写东写西 但我建议你最好写
妈妈我会用功读书 用功读书怎么会从我嘴巴说出
不想你输 所以要教你用功读书
妈妈织给你的毛衣你要好好的收着
因为不知道时我会告诉他我还留着
对了 我会遇到周润发
所以你可以跟同学炫耀赌神未来是你爸爸

我找不到童年写的情书 你千万不要承认
因为我了解你会照着纸上学的
你也会开始自己会唱流行歌 因为张学友开始准备唱吻别

听妈妈的话 别让她受伤
想快快长大 才能保护她
美丽的白发 幸福总发芽
天使的魔法 温暖中慈祥

听妈妈的话 别让她受伤
想快快长大 才能保护她

长大后我开始明白 为什么我跑得比别人快
飞得比别人高 将来大家看的都是我画的漫画
大家唱的都是我写的歌
妈妈的辛苦不让你看见 外面的事不在她心里面
有空就去多握握她的手 把手牵着一起梦游

听妈妈的话 别让她受伤
想快快长大 才能保护她
美丽的白发 幸福总发芽
天使的魔法 温暖中慈祥

More Doubles...

Wednesday Afternoon

on our way to SMU for lunch... chatted about a friend who was away in Bandung, a town in Indonesia...

at SMU Kiliney Kopitiam, a big poster advertising their drink, Bandung (rose syrup with condensed milk)...

Wednesday Night

after Thai lesson and dinner, on our way to City Hall MRT via Citylink, a friend commented about the Singapore Biennale and that he wants to see the sculptures by Salvador Dali...

Thursday morning front page on STLife... you guessed it... Salvador Dali... and the locations of his sculptures brought in for the Singapore Biennale...

Thursday Night

last minute mum called to say that my uncle was hospitalised... SMSed the gang that i have to meet mum at TTSH and couldn't join them for dinner... at the ward, there was this visually impaired patient who requested to be attended by a nurse called Raymond... he only wanted Raymond to look after him... even asked Raymond to promise him by shaking his hands... reminded me of my childhood days where we hook our small fingers as a pact / promise...

yesterday, at Marina Square, i bumped into a friend whose real name is... no prize for guessing it right... Raymond...

i am speechless...

Weak...

yesterday, i did my first Bodypump in 3 weeks... was recovering from my backache before that...

my fitness level is depressing low... was only carrying 3.5kg weights for the legs and my knees were shaky when i walked down the stairs after class... for the rest of the session, i was only carrying 2.5kg weights... and i couldn't even finish the last part for the shoulders... WTF!!

wonder how i'm gonna complete the 9km run this Sunday... sheer mind power...

Nelson Chia...

saw Nelson Chia (a performer with Toy Factory who did Porcelain) yesterday night getting out of the same train as me at Kovan MRT station... the second time i saw him at Kovan... the last time he was with a woman, presumably his wife...

this morning, while reading Lianhe Zaobao supplement, ZBNow (equivalent to STLife), there's a short article on... tada... Nelson Chia...

seeing double again... freaky... is "The Host" controlling my mind... or is my mind going through "Frostbite"...

but i've not seen any four-digit number for tonight's 4D as yet...

Run For Hope 2006

last minute decided to go for the event... every year my company will make a donation to the Singapore Cancer Society and we can get to run for free... hehe...

for more information on the run, check out their website: Run For Hope 2006

Pairs...

remember i was commenting in an earlier post that things are happening or appearing in my life in pairs... very deja vu feeling... kinda scary, if you ask me...

this morning i changed my MSN nick to "Crossing Over To The Dark Side... You Coming?"... no idea why i did that... when Kerry asked me what dark side i was referring to, my reply was it's nothing in particular... no meaning one... just out of the blue...

during lunch, i passed by O'Brien to pick up I-S and Juice magazines... on the cover of Juice were the words "The Dark Side" in big letters... there is an article titled "The Dark Side"...

what is happening to me?? please... somebody help!!

Pedro...

my staff brought me to Pedro @ Citylink to check out the sale...
i didn't even notice the shop for the umpteen times i walked past it...

bought this pair of casual shoes at $47.25...
cheap anot??
nearly bought the maroon colour one too...
one maroon and one white on each foot...
quite nice when i tried it in the shop just now...

ps: the sale ends this friday...
and Pedro opening another shop in Wisma Atrium tomorrow...

Monday Dinner @ Home

it's been a long while since i posted anything on mum's home-cooked dinner... Monday dinners are usually at home... yeah!!

哭。。。

first it was 林忆莲 <<不许哭>>。。。
then it was 张惠妹 <<哭不出来>>。。。

到底是怎么了。。。

Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars...

fell so deeply in love with this song...

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We'll do it all
Everything
On our own

We don't need
Anything
Or anyone

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel

Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Questions...

lately, things have been happening / appearing in pairs in my life... it's been going on for about a month now... kinda scary...

---

my student SMS me this:

7 328 649 970 what's is the nth term??

SMS my reply: should be 7 + (n -1) * 321

---

less than 15 minutes later, received a call from my jedi apprentice (who is studying nursing) asking me about his assignment: how / what would you counsel a 23yo who has been diagnosed with testicular cancer...

told him various factors to consider:
1. psychological - balls are important to a man, even a young man... how to cope with the trauma...
2. social - his interaction with the people around him... how to tell his parents... support from friends, parents, etc...
3. financial - treatment costs money...

and probably many other aspects to consider too...

Tuition Saturday...

just finished tutoring my student at around 11:55pm... started at 3:30pm... with a one-hour dinner break in between...

will this score good karma points for me? i hope so...

gonna shower and try to catch the US Open tennis matches...

Funeral...

there is a funeral going on downstairs... besides the usual tunes that the band will play, i actually heard "Time To Say Goodbye"... looks like they are catching up with the time...

for my funeral... nothing but Madonna and Sandy Lam... probably some techno trance too...

Arty Farty Dave...

so many performances to watch:

1. 6th Asian Film Symposium (The Substation Sept 2006) 
2. Forbidden City (tickets bought liao Sept 2006)
3. Thunderstorm (The Theatre Practice Oct 2006)
4. Superstar The Pop Musical (Singapore Polytechnic Oct 2006)
5. be! dazzled (The Acappella Society Sept 2006)
6. Fundamentally Happy (The Necessary Stage Sept 2006)
7. Cheek (Cake Theatrical Oct 2006)
8. Little Shop Of Horrors (Dim Sum Dollies Nov 2006)

林憶蓮 - 呼吸

finally bought this album during lunch at HMV Citylink... will listen to it after my meeting in the afternoon...

bought more DVDs again:
1. To Wong Foo... Thanks For Everything... Julie Newmar
2. A Cry In The Dark
3. Sliding Doors
4. The Hours

not going to visit HMV for a long long time...

DVDs Galore...

was chatting with Shaun on MSN about HMV DVD Sale... he commented that he bought Dead Poets Society at S$18.50... told him i was at HMV last night but didn't see the DVD...

went to Citylink HMV during lunch... and couldn't control myself... ended up buying the following:
1. Dead Poets Society
2. Dead Man Walking
3. Great Expectations
4. The Talented Mr. Ripley
5. Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil
6. Sex, Lies, And Videotape

i must seriously stop buying DVDs... haven't had time to watch the hundreds of them at home...

1833...

finally managed to organise a mahjong session at home... specially for Jason, my dear Treebeard... i hope this Ringbearer didn't let you down afterall...

it was a square table match between Jason, Melvin and my secondary school classmate, Joseph... we only managed to play 2.5 rounds from 3:30pm to 9pm (with a half hour dinner break)... glad to know that you guys enjoyed mum's curry chicken...

i was the biggest contributor of S$70... Melvin was the sole winner...

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Sunday was spent at home giving tuition in the afternoon... and Nintendo DS in the afternoon and night... playing Tamagotchi and Brain Academy... madness... younger brother came to show me his new Xbox 360... he has Playstation, PSP, Nintendo DS and now Xbox 360... no forgetting his PC... i wonder where does he find all the time for so many gadgets...

mum came into my room to ask if i've bought 1833... told her not... she checked my 4D tickets and realised that i did... starter prize of S$250 in the pocket once again... YEAH!!

1833 was the last 4 digits on my California Fitness Infinity membership card...