Steamboat Tuesday...

what was supposed to be a night out at Timbre became steamboat at Liang Seah Street "鲜得来"...
but at least the place is air-conditioned... compared to Timbre...
the service was good too...
not forgetting the muscular China guy who helped to top up our soup...
yummy... i meant the food...

although we were all very full by the end of 2 hours...
dessert was a must in any dinner outing...
so we headed to "记得吃"...
had my cold peanut paste to complete my meal for the day...

星期六的深夜

这是王力宏最新专辑里的最后一首歌。。。
感人的歌词。。。动听的旋律。。。
尤其是第二段歌词。。。
那么的无奈。。。那么的渴望。。。
让人听了不禁眼眶湿湿的。。。 

---

<<星期六的深夜>>
词曲:王力宏

星期六晚上 那儿都不想去 也无法入睡
看着电视机 持续在发呆 喝了七分醉
闭上了眼睛 试着不想你 但已来不及
忘了如何让眼泪 停止流下
还好没人看见(到) 没人会说话

星期六深夜 我想起了你
没什么特别 只是回忆
你让我自由 我很感激
星期六深夜 喔~~
永远不会有任何人能代替你

这就是遗憾的滋味
陪着我形影不离
明天我会面带微笑
但无法忘记你

让我自由 我很感激
星期六 喔~Yeah

永远不会有任何人能代替你

Birthday Sunday...

had tea with Steve @ Royal Copenhagen to celebrate his 35th birthday...
our friendship went all the way back to our third year in Bendemeer Secondary...
followed by 2 years in AJC (where we were the only two guys in the class with the same combination)...
i am blessed to have a friend in him after 20 years...
have a good year ahead, my dear friend...
may all your wishes come true too...

KTV Again...

met up with my AIA agent in the morning...
she took over my account from Joey, my senior in AJC...
Joey joined AIA after her graduation with a Computer Science degree...
we were close for a time in 2003 when i was not working and she would drop by on her way to church...
unfortunately, about two years ago news of her suicide came...
today i got some info on what happened...
depression...
the silent killer...
scary...

met up with Thyetus, David and Shaun for Knocked Up...
surprisingly an interesting movie...
funny yet real...

next was 爱情海 for some live Chinese music...
洪劭轩 performed most of the 新谣 music...
the next group was alright, with too much dialogue between them...

Kenneth and Kian joined us for a while...
before we headed to K-Box Marina for more KTV...
second night in a row singing...
hahahaha...
time to update my music "library" with the latest hits...

Birthday @ Mac?!

a colleague of mine has been planning her birthday celebrations at McDonald's for the last couple of months now...
and the day is today...
when she first had the idea, i rejected her invitation...
but when she insisted and handed me the invitation card, i reluctantly accepted...
well... what a mistake it turned out to be...
thank goodness i was late and was barely there for half an hour...
or i would have died of embarassment...
the tables and chairs were mini-sized, meant for kids...
there were no games planned...
everyone was just sitting around doing their own thing or chit-chatting...
ultra yawn...

the group adjourned to K-Bok Cineleisure for karaoke after that...
stayed until 3am...
was dead tired by the end of it...

14.28%...

finally the letter came...
the annual increment (including market adjustment) was 14.28%...
ahead of my personal expectation...
but generally on par with or less than some others...
makes me wonder where i stand in the company...
or should i just be happy with what i got...

沉溺于爱情海中。。。

was up at 5:30am to get ready for the Mizuno Wave Run 2007...
it was raining...
finally decided to go for it hoping that the rain will stop by 7:30am when the run was supposed to commence...

the rain indeed stopped at 7:40am...
i was late though...
by the time i started running, the fun runners have left...
was held up by them eventually...
completed my 10km run without stopping...
clocked 61 minutes (according to my watch)...
surprisingly well considering that i was held up a couple of times and the muddy conditions of the tracks in the reservoir...

the nightmare started when i went to collect my baggage...
it was a huge mess...
luckily i got mine within 45 minutes...
compared to StanChart last year when i waited for nearly 2 hours...
the queue for the goody bag was equally bad...
fortunately i spotted Joseph and cut the queue...
we still had to wait for an hour...
walked back to Temasek Polytechnic to wash up before getting onto Joseph's car to Tampines for breakfast...
as we walked in the Polytechnic, memories of my JC and Uni days flashed through my mind...
i took a cab home after breakfast...

slept for a couple of hours before heading to Marina Square for facial...
it's my sixth session already...
time flies...
nine more to go...

was feeling hungry after the facial...
on my way to the bus stop just next to Millenia Walk...
saw the Music Dreamer Cafe (爱情海)...
found that they actually served dinner and decided to give it a try...
it was a pleasant evening...
with good singers and music...
they were so much fun chatting among themselves and with the audience...
heard a number of new songs...
S.H.E... JJ Lin... Eason Chan... etc...
some boy celebrated his birthday there too...
while another guy went up to sing "Love, Is" to her girlfriend...
i left at around 10pm, just before they were to close...
in my heart, i knew i will be back again...

Shopping Saturday...

went shopping with mum at Suntec City and Marina Square...
breakfast was served at the new food court...
had half-boiled eggs and bread...
nice simple meal!!

started with the Health & You exhibition...
boring like anything...
we left within 20 minutes...
the Harris book fair next door was equally disappointed...

most of the shops were not opened by the time we're done with the exhibitions...
went over to Marina Square instead...

wanted to get a pair of working shoes...
but the smallest shoe size they have is 6 while i am a size 5... sucky!!
bought two casual shirts from Domanchi...
followed by three shirts from G2000...
and two pairs of pants from G2000 blu...
what a shopping day for me...
so happy...

the main purpose of this shopping trip is to show mum the new XL JL (extra large John Little)...
but then it was not that large after all...
mum bought a total of three handbags!!
each time we go shopping, she will definitely buy at least one bag...

lunch was the kolo mee...
mum liked it...
although it was a tad expensive...

as it was raining, we took a cab home...
slept for a short while before going out to meet Eugene for dinner at Bugis Junction...

it was a wonderful Saturday for me...
loved it...

20072007...

today is a special day...
20 July 2007 or 20072007...
but then a couple of my friends were illl...

was supposed to have dinner with Jsen @ Bar & Billiard Raffles Hotel...
last minute he called to cancel it cos his diarrhoea was still acting up...
i decided to head home to have a good rest...

David was not well today too...
he was in Hongkong when the headache and fever started...
then flew to Shanghai and will be returning to Singapore tomorrow...
hope he gets well really soon...

CIA...

I PASSED!!!!!

i am now officially a Certified Internal Auditor...
a piece of excitement in my otherwise boring life...

no pay increase though...
just three more alphabets to accompany the lonely "CPA" behind my name...

Lazy Sunday...

my plan to go for a run in the morning was abandoned due to The Practice...
woke up at around 10+am...
had breakfast and continued with The Practice...

took a break in the afternoon to watch the Guiness Pool series live on TV...
glad to see the Taiwanese player win the event...
he was so cool throughout the competition...
only smiled after he won the event...

went for a 10km run after that...
was feeling lethargic throughout the run...
finished the run in 64 minutes...
worse than my timing at last Sunday's Passion Run...
but then again, running in a competition is different...
mentally more prepared...
target for coming Sunday's Mizuno Wave Run is 55 minutes...

completed the last two episodes of The Practice before turning in...
*yawn yawn*

KC Saturday...

was lazing at home watching The Practice...
met up with KC for dinner...
he's here from KL to watch Dim Sum Dollies...
the power of the vibrant local arts scene...
passed him the Eternal Summer poster i asked Steve to buy from Taipei...

we saw the Filipo movie, The Blossoming Of Maximo Oliveros...
wasn't impressed at all...
rather disjointed plot...
and the filming was raw...
however, i was surprised at the acceptance level of sissies in the movie...
wonder if it's the same in real life...

coffee was served at TCC Paradiz Centre...
there were so many young teenagers...
didn't know Paradiz Centre and Parklane were like that...

went to Fragrance Backpackers with KC to check in...
didn't know they have a small backpackers community in Little India...
more eye-opening when we visited Desker Road and Mustafa...
in the dark alleys of Desker Road, we saw a lot of sexual-enhancing toys / supplements...
the Viagra was going at S$20 for four pills...
dirt cheap...
even got the pfizer logo on it...

Mustafa had quite a good collection of DVDs...
saw Mind Your Language series...
was tempted to buy...
but controlled myself...

i left KC at around 12:15am...
took a cab home and continued with The Practice after my shower...
was stuck with the notebook until 4am...

The Practice...

today's Friday 13th...
luckily nothing bad happened...

had dinner with Kerry @ Waruku Starhub Centre...
yet another last minute arrangement...
cos nowadays he's busy with his new love while i am still busy hibernating...

the food was superb...
and we ordered too much...
one bad thing about the place is the noise level...
way too high and we could hardly hear each other...

went HMV to pick up a copy of I-S magazine...
they've turned glossy...
and with more colours...
brilliant...

saw The Practice DVD in HMV...
was just talking with a friend about not seeing the release of the series...
after some persuasion from Kerry...
i bought it...
Kerry bought Transformers the cartoon series -- all five box sets...
guess we're both in our spending mood tonight...

ps: i actually finished The Practice over the weekend...
which went to show how much of a no-lifer i am...
but i am not complaining...
it's always good to spend time with myself...

next on my to-watch list will be Planet Earth that i borrowed from Kenneth...
before i get Little Britain from him...

MC Monday...

the tummy was acting up again...
went to the Polyclinic to see the doctor...
spent close to three hours in the clinic...
torturous...
luckily the games in the new phone accompanied me...
also got a referral to see the specialist in TTSH...
the date was 18 October 2007...
that's like 3 months away...
goodness me...
how efficient is our healthcare system??
scary...

Wimbledon 2007...

so glad to see Venus Williams win the ladies singles title...
beating a surprising finalist of Marion Bartoli...
Bartoli came back from one set down in the semi-finals to beat the number one seed, Justin Henin...
Venus became the lowest-ranked player to win the title...

on the men's front, it was a repeat of last year's final...
Federer versus Nadal...
unfortunately, Nadal lost in a five-setter...

Run Run Run...

couldn't sleep after the big Americano...
got everything ready for the Saucony Passion Run later in the morning...
watched a bit of tennis before turning in at 2am...
woke up at 5:30am to get ready for the run...
took bus 55 to ECP...
walked about 1km to the starting point...
completed the 10km run in 63 minutes...
off my personal target of 60 minutes...
but considering the limited training i had, it was still an achievement...
had breakfast with Joseph before heading home for a nap...

met the Ugly Dolls for dinner at New York New York...
impulsively bought the Sony Ericsson W660i...
my first big ticket item since i got my May performance bonus...
realised later that some shops are selling the phone at a cheaper rate when compared to the M1 shop i went to...
lesson learnt...

spent most of the night setting up the phone...
from syncing the contacts and calendar to the ringtones and other settings...
tiring sia...

Dim Sum Dollies...

was lazying at home once again on a Saturday morning and afternoon...
met up with Guhan and Eugene for dinner before meeting Shaun at the Esplanade for Dim Sum Dollies (DSD)...
after last year's flopped show (The Little Shop Of Horrors), i was full of expectations for this year's DSD show...
and they didn't disappoint me at all...

the jokes were current and hilarious...
spice girls, civil service pay rise, the Lee empire and the Integrated Resorts were some of the funny parts...
had a good time watching the DSD back in action...

had coffee with Shaun at Bishan Junction 8 after the show...

No Smoking...

been a social smoker for quite a while now...
although a lot of people still do not know about it...
last night i refilled the liquid gas in my lighter...
this morning, it was all dry...
the gas has evaporated just like that...
is that a sign for me to quit smoking??
considering also the recent rule on no smoking in entertainment places...

Diana Concert...

went for a run this evening...
couldn't sleep after that...
the body was emitting heat...
even with the aircon on, i was feeling it...
sucky...

channel-surfing on cable...
and came across the Diana Concert...
amazing show...
Jason Donovan performed Any Dream Will Do with Donny Osmond...
Jason looked so old... very different from his hey day back in the late 80s...
Rod Stewart's Sailing was touching and moving...
so was P. Diddy's I'll Be Missing You...

i was also watching Wimbledon match between Serena Williams and Daniela Hantuchova...
Serena was clearly the better player...
unfortunately, she had a very bad cramp near the end of the second set...
she was tearing and screaming in pain...
and was limping during the tie-break...
very painful to watch her play in that condition...
luckily the rain came and stopped play...
and she managed to win the match after play resumed two hours later...

KTV...

woke up in the morning with a bad case of diarrhoea...
luckily the immodium worked in suppressing the bowel movements...
collected my race pack for the Saucony Passion Run to be held next Sunday...
the t-shirt looks obiang with the orange colour and the "Geylang Serai Community Club" printed at the back...

headed for my facial at Marina Square...
couldn't believe it's been three weeks...
time flies...

met up with Siang Leng (and Xuezhen), Vincent and Kerry for karaoke @ K-Box Marina...
Lik Kiam couldn't make it because of Warcraft...
WTF?? hahahaha...
glad that Vincent, another Warcraft fanatic (or addict), could make it...