Exams Friday...

Thursday afternoon i was on half day leave to prepare for my CMFAS Module 5 exams...
instead i was sleeping for most of the afternoon...
managed to get up and read some chapters from 6pm to 7pm...
before breaking for dinner...
then it was Taiwan variety show on cable until 9pm...
back to studies from 9pm to 10pm before watching another Taiwan variety show from 10pm to 11pm...
completed the textbook by 1am...
wanted to go to sleep...
but the caffeine from the coffee i took at around 10:30pm took effect...
and i was awake until 4 in the morning...
in the meantime decided to watch the US Open on cable...

woke up at 6:30am, feeling groggy and tired...
reached the exam venue at Suntec City at around 8:45am...
got in, did the exams, passed and left...
headed to Donut Factory for a cuppa and 2 donuts...
still feeling tired... rested for a short while before heading back to the office...

met David for lunch...
managed to stay awake during the conversation...
had coffee again at Ya Kun after that...
my third cup of coffee and they didn't seem to help at all...

made it through the day and left the office at 7pm...
met Triston for dinner at Borders Bistro...
while waiting for him, i bought two books (Zodiac by Robert Graysmith and Cross by James Patterson)...
got the 25% discount voucher and received another 10% for my Borders Preferred Card... yippy!!
scanned through the menu at Borders Bistro...
we left without ordering and went to California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) at Forum...
CPK never failed to satisfy me...
the food was good, dessert was great...
of course Triston's company was superb...
managed to stay active throughout the night...
there's just so much to talk about...
about our lives, about music, about relationships, about sex...

Scent Of A Man...

used up my CK Eternity a couple of days ago...
was contemplating if i should get a new bottle...
decided not to...
will use up the French Connection and Bvlgari first...
although both scents not as strong or lasting...
it's about time i control my expenses...

Limits...

was happy with my personal best timing at this year's AHM...
but was saddened by the news that a young 25yo captain died after the run...
there's a report on him in today's Straits Times...
he was the fastest runner in camp...
and he completed the 21km in 1 hour 30 minutes...
amazing timing!!

moral of the story is that we have to know our own limits...
be it physical or mental...
when it's time to stop, stop...
and when the body is screaming for help, listen to it...

there are also other limits that we have to contend with in life...
for example relationships...
not just the romantic kinds...
but also the business or family types of relationships...
there are times we give in to someone we love (or like)...
without thinking about ourselves (why do you think they said that "love is blind"??)...
but i say we have to keep reminding ourselves what we want from it...
and end it when it is necessary to do so...

easier said than done, one might say...
how many of us are able to do it??
i wonder...
i always wonder...

Getai...

i knew i was supposed to study for my Capital Markets & Financial Advisory Services (CMFAS) Module 5 (M5)...
but the music from the getai downstairs was overwhelmingly tempting...
i stood watching the performance from 9pm to 10:40pm...
mostly the older folks...
with a few younger couples...
and two guys taking pictures with their tripods and cameras...

getai brought back a lot of childhood memories...
where my neighbours and my brothers were crazy over getai...
we will even go ask the singers (whoever they were) for their autographs...
7th month was a fun month to us kids...
especially when they used to have huge candles and joss-sticks...
which were banned in recent years due to fire hazard...

wonder how long more will getai lasts??
this year could be a good year for them partly contributed by the publicity created by the movie "881"...
it would be truly sad to see another tradition / culture disappears...

Army Half Marathon...

woke up at 3:30am...
barely had three hours of sleep...
had a bun, showered, changed and ready to go...
remembered my Red Bull before i left...

no problem getting a cab at this ungodly hour...
the taxi driver asked what event was going on in Marina Square...
managed to get to the carpark entrance to meet Joseph...

after 15 minutes we still could not find a parking lot...
ended up illegally parked...
everyone's doing the same...
i'm sure the management of Marina Square would understand perfectly...

had a quick toilet break and met up with Kang Chong. Wei Liang, Alex and Clement...
did my warm up while the rest started the run...
this year's run was a smooth one...
because the organisers delayed the non-competitive runners which were mainly the army personnel forced to run...
no runner jam...
everything was good...
even the weather was kind to us...

just like last year's StanChart run, i stopped at every water point...
finished the 21km in 2 hours 20 minutes (according to my watch)...
was proud of myself...
gotta wait for the official results...

will target 2 hours 15 minutes for the StanChart run this year...
i'm sure it's achievable...

we drove to Tampines 828 for breakfast...
kinda far but it's good to catch up with the group...
the rain came when we were about to finish our food...
how nice...

took a cab home, showered and now ready for bed...

Ratatouille + The King & I...

Friday... full day of meetings...
met Kerry at VivoCity for Ratatouille...
wanted to have dinner at Kin Gary but the queue was super long...
wonder if i'll ever get to taste Kim Gary in Singapore...
settled for Terra Cafe instead...
food was not too bad...
service a little lacking though...

Ratatouille was about 1 hour 45 minutes long...
long for a cartoon...
but it was a fun one...
about a rat who knows how to cook gourmet food...
unfortunately, i slept during part of the show...
not that the show was bad but i was simply too tired...

Saturday was lazing at home for most of the morning...
went for my back treatment at 4pm...
my back / body acne has been bad all along...
decided to do something about it...
the therapist was quite fun...
joked about a lot of things...
strange to put mask on the back...

met Desmond and Guhan for dinner at Asian Kitchen...
the outlet at Marina Square served Thai / Vietnamese dishes...
great food... but service was a little slack...
one particular waiter did not smile most of the time...
had Japanese ice-cream after that...
bumped into Jensen and my cousin (and her family)...

The King & I was rather refreshing...
nice to see a mostly Asian cast cos the story was set in Siam (aka Thailand)...
i've not watched the movie before this musical...
no expectations and was pleasantly surprised...
the set was quite outstanding and impressive...
especially the buddha and some other mythical statues...
the singing was good too...
somehow i enjoyed this more than Phantom Of The Opera...

got a ride from Guhan...
bought my Red Bull from Cheers...
came home, showered and slept...
Army Half Marathon tomorrow...
waking up at 3:30am!!

Weekend Is Here Again!!

watching Ratatouille the cartoon at GV Vivocity later...
tomorrow watching The King & I...
Sunday morning has the 21km Singapore Bay Run (formerly known as the Army Half Marathon)...
will rest for the rest of the day after that...
hooray!!

Tired Again??

dozed off while watching TV at around 12am...
woke up at around 1am to switch off the TV and lights...
was dreaming throughout the night...
now very sleepy...
and today is only Thursday...

The Unseen Side Of The Escalator Problem...

Realisation: The Unseen Side of the Escalator Problem

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men to do nothing. - Edmund Burke

At the subway, those standing on the right side of the escalator should either move to clear the way, or stand on the left to make way for hurrying commuters. Such is the rule advocated locally. However, many are either unmindful of its existence, or choose not to follow it, thus possibly inconveniencing others. Often, the right is jammed, as a result of one person standing still. But is it really just this person's fault? The person jammed by him is also part of the jam, as he in turn jams others behind him. This "queue" goes on and on... but only when there is quiet surrender to the mild desperation of the situation. This might seem like a small matter, but let us see this an analogy for all forms of needless "self-imposed" suffering we give in to.

This "queue" exists because the person behind the first "jammer" does not tell him to move. This second person might however internally blame him for blocking, though he is in the best position to do something about it - to remind him to follow the rule. In this sense, the second is blameworthy too. Likewise, the third person could remind the second person to remind the first person to follow the rule... and so on. Everyone in the jam is to blame - those who follow the rules and those who don't. It's all too easy to point fingers at the first jammer, when we might be jammers too. Some rules are valuable - which is why we follow them. And when they are not followed, those who value them should remind the rule-breakers of their value.

Is there little worth in clearing the jam, since the escalator takes less than a minute to reach its destination? But how much time is wasted if jams recur daily? It is senseless to continually harbour resentment if one never does anything to resolve it. The world is a massively compounded Samsara (realm of suffering) because there are not enough folks who do the right thing to make it a universal Pure Land. If we all do the right thing and encourage one another to do so, Samsara would become paradise in a flash. Though paradise is realised by personal purification of the mind, true paradise is for everyone. Those who value it do what they can to help others realise it too. Are you doing enough to make the world a better place? -Shen Shi'an

Monday Run...

going for a run this evening...
i better practice before the half marathon this Sunday...
will do another run on Thursday...
and pray that everything is fine...

Happy Birthday Wee Meng...

today's my younger brother's birthday...
here's wishing him a great year ahead...
may his career soar to greater heights...
and may he be healthy always...

dinner was served at Beng Hiang restaurant in Amoy Street...
check out their website: www.benghiang.com

ordered seven dishes for 6 persons for a total bill of S$175...
quite worth it...
although a few people i spoke to told me that the standard has dropped...
we found the food to be good...
maybe it was our first time, so nothing to compare with...

dinner started with the steamed longevity buns...
next came the appetiser of a duck salad...
followed by kai lan cooked with salted fish...
prawns steamed in dark sauce...
the oyster omelette had big juicy oysters...
the kong ba bao (pork with buns) was cooked to perfection...
the kong ba was tender and soft...
the deep fried chicken was very tasty...
it was amazing that we could finish the whole chicken (cos they don't sell half a chicken)...
the hokkien noodle was bland though...
dessert of red bean soup was on the house...

the service aunties were friendly and quite prompt...
a wonderful dining experience afterall...

The Bourne Ultimatum...

collected my Singapore Bay Run's race pack from Toa Payoh SAFRA...
still cannot believe that the run is next Sunday...
gotta do some practice the coming week to make sure i can complete the 21km...
my personal target is to complete within 2 and a half hours...

met up with Shaun and Titus for The Bourne Ultimatum...
good movie... action-packed...
though i didn't watch the previous two instalments, i was not totally lost...
only trouble was the fast action made me giddy...
and immediately after the movie, i vomited my "hot dog bun" out...
poor me...

Cai Qin Saturday...

had my facial at Bella...
the manager met up to discuss about the treatment for my back...
i've been plagued with acne since my secondary school days...
and as my face got better, the back got worse...
and probably due to the body scrub i did in KL, the condition was aggravated...
eventually signed up for 10 sessions of back treatment...

met Kerry at Borders cos i needed to collect my Borders Preferred Card...
decided to sign up for it since it included 10% discounts for magazines and Borders Bistro...
had tea with cakes...
checked out the new aluminium iMac...
darn cool...

took the bus to Indoor Stadium for dinner at the new Brewerkz outlet...
it was empty when we arrived at 6pm...
and was packed by 7pm...
probably the concert patrons were there for dinner too...
a number of the items on the menu was not available because the oven has broken down...
we had the buffalo wings, satay and a pizza...
nice food...
service was a little slack due to the crowd...
but on the whole still a pleasant dining experience...

what can i say about Cai Qin's concert??
it was simply fabulous...
her vocals were flawless...
and she was cute and funny...
made the audience love her more than ever...

glad that the songs she's chosen were hits in their own generations...
and of which we had heard before...
from the 30s / 40s Shanghai to 50s / 60s Hongkong to 70s Taipei...
and of course her own songs were songs which we could sing along to...
she cried while singing Hai Ou (seagull)...
a true expression of her innermost feelings... maybe...
but the song was really touching...

we had dessert at the 24-hour Coffee Club at Orchard...
how not to grow fat at this rate??

881...

was expecting a simple sob-sob story of a getai singer...
but was overwhelmed by the exaggerated costumes, special effects and techno music...
the hilarity of the fights between the two getai groups made the film lost its focus on the lives of the getai singers...

the soundtrack saved the movie...
the songs were nice and catchy...
the ending where small papaya died was a tearjerker...
overall, still a watchable movie...
although the acting could have been better...

admire the amount of efforts the director and cast have put into to publicise the movie...
and that it was doing well at the box office...
kudos to the audience who are supporting local productions...

Gwen Stefani...

rushed down to meet the gang at Old Airport Road hawker centre for dinner...
the prawn noodles was simply delicious...
and the durian tarts were ok...

the much-anticipated Gwen Stefani concert started at around 8:40pm...
late by 40 minutes wor!! terrible...

the stage was totally empty, except for the presence of the band...
there's no other set or props used throughout the concert...
Gwen's vocals were also not as powerful as Christina Aguilera's...
we couldn't figure out what she was singing at all...
surprisingly, she was ok when she's talking...

the highlight of the concert has to be when she ran to the audience stand...
and belted out "Cool"...
the crowd went crazy and the concert reached the highest...
the encore was good too...
"What Are You Waiting For" also got the audience on their feet...

on the whole, not that great a concert...
looking forward to Saturday's Cai Qin's concert...

KL Trip - 8 To 12 August 2007...

Wednesday 8 August 2007

first time going to KL alone for holiday...
but i am sure everything is gonna be fine cos Ken and William will take good care of me...

rushed home after work to catch the 10pm coach...
dad drove me to the coach terminal after knowing that i was gonna take the bus there...
so touched by his gesture...

got my coach number and met up with Chris and WF...
same timing, different coaches...

there was a line of coaches at the Singapore side...
but everything was smooth and custom clearing on both sides was a breeze...
slept throughout most of the ride to KL...
in between SMSed Ken to tell him where i was so that he can gauged my arrival time...
reached KL Puduraya bus terminal at around 4am and saw Ken outside the car waiting for me...
so glad to see him after two years...
we first met in HK back in February 2005...

reached his place at around 4:30am...
small one-room Government flat...
rather run-down but good enough for me...

Thursday 9 August 2007

Happy National Day, Singapore...
how patriotic of me to be away during your birthday... hahahaha...

breakfast was served at Kim Gary @ Sungei Wang...
good food as usual... nice to have my first meal in KL in Kim Gary...
before shopping started, we went to look for hotels...
unfortunately, all were fully booked...
so no choice but to stay at Ken's place...

within a short three hours, i have bought about 12 tops...
and we've gone from Sungei Wang to Bukit Bintang Plaza to Lau Yat...
decided to give our legs a rest by sipping tea and eating cakes at Secret Recipe...
a cake + a coffee / tea was only RM10!!
how to find such deals in Singapore??

continued shopping at Lot 10 before heading home...
on the way home, arranged to meet KC at TGIFridays for dinner in the evening...

showered and rested before heading out again...
i must have taken the most "non-cab" public transport (i.e. monorail and LRT) this trip...

we each ordered a dinner set of appetiser, main course and dessert for RM39.90!!
so dirt cheap!! and the portions were big for Asians...
unfortunately, ken and i were having tummy ache during dinner...
wonder what caused it...

chatted with William over the phone after dinner...
he apologised for not meeting up earlier due to some emergencies...
told him not to worry...
will meet up tomorrow...

i slept like a pig...
with a smile on my face of course...
from the wonderful shopping to the good food to the fabulous friends i have...

Friday 10 August 2007

we started the day with breakfast from downstairs...
Ken bought me chee cheong fun and big pao...
the big pao was really big - double the size of what we have in Singapore!!
and of course he didn't forget my kopi-o...

we took a cab to Mid-Valley Megamall for more shopping...
bought a few tops and a belt from Factory Outlet Shop (FOS)...
there's even a 10% discount for HSBC / Citibank credit cards...

William met us and we continued to shop for a while before leaving for Ikea / Curve, another Megamall...
i like the design of Curve...
we had our late lunch at Kim Gary again...
now you know how much i love Kim Gary...
yet to try the outlet in Singapore's Vivocity...

more shopping... bought another top from the FOS there...
and also a handbag for mum...
before calling it a day...

we had dim sum at some stall by the roadside...
it was past 11pm by then...
didn't have much appetite...
only had a pao...

William drove us back to Ken's place to pick up some clothings and toiletries...
and he drove me to his place...
showered and went to the poolside for a chat...
there's just so much to talk about...
anything under the sun...

headed home to rest at 3+am...
yet another eventful day...

Saturday 11 August 2007

woke up at 10am...
showered and got ready to head out of the house...
breakfast was at a coffee shop...
had pork balls noodle and kopi-o...
William had ban mian...
also tried some local pastries...

next was massage...
my ritual in KL...
this time i opted for the relaxing Sensorama and body scrub...
the whole experience took me close to 3 hours...
but it was money well spent...
the ambience, the serenity and the skills of the masseur were superb!!

Ken and Johnny came to pick me up to One Utama, another Megamall in KL...
late lunch was served at Mongkok Cafe...
similar to Kim Gary...
nice food...

more shopping followed...
bought two magnetic earrings...
ended up quite painful after wearing it for 4 hours...

William drove us to the old Subang airport for seafood dinner at LaLa Chong...
the food was so-so only...
i've never travelled so far out of KL for a meal...
so it was still something new...

after dinner, we drove to Ken's place to pick up all my belongings...
packed my luggage at William's place before going clubbing...
we had our beer and Long Island Tea...
i was kinda high...

Sunday 12 August 2007

met Ken at Avenue K for lunch...
lunch was at some Shanghai restaurant...
food was not too bad... but service sucks big time...
saw TCS Thomas Ong and MC King and another actress...
wonder what they were doing in KL?? filming??

as it was still early, we sat down for tea at Dome at KLCC...
the rain came...

William drove us to the bus terminal...
huge jam along the way...
left the car and walked...
luckily Ken was with me for the registration and waited with me for the bus to arrive...
Puduraya bus terminal was noisy, hot and crowded...
the worst i've ever seen...

we said our goodbyes...
and had our farewell hug...

i slept throughout most of the journey home...
was dead tired...
on the way it was raining...
is that a sign that even God is crying??

reached home at 11+pm...
very tired...
showered, downloaded my emails and hit the sack straight away...
another long week ahead of me...

thanx to Ken & Johnny, William and KC for making this trip another memorable one...
i love you all...

23 tops, 3 sunglasses, 2 belts, a bag for mum and some other miscellaneous stuff...

Short Week...

this week is gonna be a very short week...
Thursday is the National Day holiday... and i will be on leave on Friday...
heading to KL on Wednesday night...
couldn't go for mambo with Kerry and gang...
but i am sure i'll have a swell time in KL...
YIPPY!!

Sunday Run...

training for the Army Half Marathon sort of started...
went for a 12km run this evening...
completed in about 65 minutes...
good for a start...
will be heading to KL for a short National Day break...
sure put on weight...
gotta train harder after that...
hehe...

Big Fool Lee...

what a translation of the legendary late Lei Dai Sor...
he was the voice of Cantonese story-telling back in the 60s to 80s when we still have the thing called Rediffusion...
i grew up during those times...
though i could hardly remember listening to Lei Dai Sor because i was Hokkien...

the play was the life story of Lei Dai Sor...
a story with a sad ending...
he was at his peak when the Government introduced the "Speak Mandarin" campaign...
which ended his career...
a loss of not just a person... but also of the various dialect languages and cultures...
very sad indeed...

fantastic performances by the cast...
especially the protagonist...
the use of Chinese opera and characters from the Cantonese stories connected the play nicely...
but at three-hours, the play was too long...
good to see a number of old folks watching the play...
it must have brought back a lot of memories for them...

Corrinne May...

attended Corrinne May's concert at the University Cultural Centre Hall...
a God-forsaken area... for a God-loaded concert...
this is my second Corrinne May concert, the previous one was her Christmas concert in December 2006...

she performed quite a number of songs from her new album, Beautiful Seed...
the album was delayed until today...
had a wonderful time...
her vocals were still good for live performances...
especially love the song, Five Loaves And Two Fishes...

we left immediately after the concert...
and Shawn SMSed to say that he saw us leaving...
asked if i wanted to buy the CD...
got two: one for myself and one for a friend in Shanghai...
Shawn even queued to get Corrinne's autograph... happy like mad...

dinner was served at Crystal Jade, Holland Village...
David joined us...
sadly, Kenneth received a parking ticket...
told him i'll pay the fine instead...
he said he will appeal...
i din't know can appeal parking fines...
hahahaha...

Nude Wednesday...

please do not be misled by the subject...
Nude is the name of an IndoChine restaurant at Wisma Atria...
had dinner with two colleagues...
the standard has dropped significantly...
compared with the last time i was there many many months ago...

Concerts...

suddenly so many artistes coming to perform in Singapore...
Corrinne May this Friday (ticket booked)
Gwen Stefani 14 August 2007 (ticket booked)
Cai Qin 蔡琴 18 August 2007 (ticket booked)
Aaron Kwok 01 September (ticket booked)
Eric Moo 06 October (ticket booked)
Sammi Cheng 郑秀文 13 October (to book ticket soon)
A*mei 张惠妹 08 November 2007 (ticket booked)

there are a couple other concerts that i am not watching:
tong an ge 童安格 + zhou zhi ping 周治平 08 September
4 asian divas live in concert (Frances Yip 葉麗儀, Anita Sarawak, Maria Cordero 肥妈 - 玛莉亚 + Elisa Chan 陳潔靈) 09 September