Rest Rest Rest...

Sunday was spent resting at home...
breakfast with family at AMK...
bought two of those big vacuum plastic bags to store my Army and old clothings...
spent about an hour packing the stuff...

then it was time to catch up on some sleep...
and watching TV...

the President's Star Charity show was quite nice...
but the segment by the Beauty World artistes was quite disappointing...
unfortunately, we've bought our tickets to the show already...

Savage Saturday...

met Kerry for the movie Savage Grace...
we had tea at Gelare before that...
he showed me his new toy, a Japanese notebook that was ultra small yet packed with all the necessary features...

the projectionist must be sleeping for he played The Home Song Stories instead of Savage Grace...
the lady next to me confirmed with me that she was in the correct cinema...
after nearly 30 minutes of commercials and watching the Lust, Caution trailer twice, Savage Grace started...
a movie about a totally dysfunctional family...
dad fell in love with son's girlfriend and left the family...
son turned out to be homosexual...
mum had sex with a gay gigolo...
son had sex with the gigolo too...
son and mum and the gigolo had a threesome...
mum had sex with the son...
son stabbed mum...

after movie, Thyetus joined us for dinner and KTV at Partyworld International Building...
Partyworld has a much better selection of songs (including older hits) and a more user-friendly system...
price-wise, it's comparable to (or slightly cheaper than) K-Box...
Partyworld IB is quite empty when we were there due to its not so central location...
will be back more often...

Goodbye My Friend...

reached home at around 2:30pm...
the end of my annual in-camp training...
one that was plain idling...
good to catch up with the gang after so many years...
most of us did not change much physically...
came home and slept for a while...

---

met a few of my colleagues for a farewell dinner for one of them...
she calls me "brother" in the office...
mixed feelings to see her leave the company...
i did not agree to her quitting without a job...
but who am i to judge when i did that twice before...
for each his / her own... hopefully she will find happiness elsewhere...

i have always teased her to be a man caught in a woman's body...
although the closest she got to be a man was in the way she dressed...
deep inside she still behaves like a woman...
i have also teased her that God sent us angels to help her with her makeover...
unfortunately, we did not succeed before she leaves us...
wish that she will continue to change for the better...
be less obstinate and be more open to new ideas...
and of course, find a job that she likes...
and maybe to top it all, find the man of her life and settle down...

good bye and good luck, sister...

IPPT Incentive...

was so nervous about taking the IPPT...
chinup has always been my weakest link...
drank a can of Red Bull before the test...
fortuntately managed to do 4 chinups for 2 points...
running was terrible under the hot evening sun...
still managed to clock a 12:12, according to my own watch...
overall, got an IPPT incentive award of S$100...

no more IPPT for the rest of the year...
will have to go for my FFI after i turn 35 in November 2007 to see if i am fit for IPPT...
for now there seems to be no reason for me not to be fit...
hahahaha...

Mum's Birthday Dinner @ Hua Ting...

mum wanted a simple and non-expensive but i decided to bring the family to Hua Ting...
Hua Ting was listed as one of the Top 50 restaurants in Singapore by the Straits Times...
and i thought we should give it a try after having dined at Wah Lok and Imperial Treasure...





Hua Ting appetiser palette (duck sliced with mango / wasabi mayonnaise prawn / deep fried mushroom)...



shark meat soup with mushroom and vegetables (S$28 per person per bowl)...



chicken with yam paste...



broccoli with scallops...



some special fried rice...



steamed "soon hock" fish



some dessert with ice-cream



longevity buns (nicely placed under a longevity bun tree)...



mum @ 52...



me @ 35 (come November)...
mum loved this T-shirt of mine... ;-p

for five of us, the bill came up to S$406, after the UOB 18% discount...
not too bad for such a wonderful meal...

881 Fever Continues...

was at Ang Mo Kio for breakfast with my parents...
found this Hokkien CD featuring the original versions of some of the songs from 881...
also bought another 3 CDs by the late Hokkien Song King of Singapore, 陈金浪... 3 for S$10...
here are three of the songs by 陈金浪...
enjoy...

陈金浪 - 3号妈咪

陈金浪 - 乞食调

陈金浪 - 一人一半感情襪煞

Me Myself...

watched the Thai movie, Me Myself, with Kerry...
my only motivation was the lead actor, Ananda Everingham, who was the male lead in Shutter...
surprisingly, the movie was such a romantic and touching tear-jerker...
my nose was runny by the end of it...

a simple story about a cross-dresser (played by Ananda) who lost his memory after he was hit by two robbers...
he was taken home by this lady, Oom, who accidentally knocked him down immediately after the robbery...
she didn't really have a choice...
they developed a love relationship in time to come...
Oom has an adopted little boy, who for the first time in his life, was able to connect to the man of Oom's life...

unfortunately, Ananda regained his memory later...
and was torn bettwen going back to Phuket to continue to be a cross-dresser or to marry Oom...
he finally made the decision to head back to Phuket...
the little boy was very saddened by it...
and he put on make-up to coax Oom to bring him to Phuket to look for Ananda...

the movie was filled with funny parts...
yet at the same time it was able to show the progress of the love and care Ananda had for Oom and vice versa...
and the bonding between the little boy and Ananda was also nicely scripted...

on the whole, a wonderful show...
catch it before it's gone...

check out the following website: Me Myself

we shopped at HMV after the movie...
bought the DVD "Ghost"...
heard the song "Unchained Melody" on the radio a few days ago...
and was so moved by it that i have to have the movie...
also borrowed all three seasons of "Little Britain" from Kerry...
so many DVDs... so little time...

In-Camp Training...

yesterday, left the office at around 8:45pm, after clearing all my work...
and after telling my staff what to do for the next week when i will be away serving the nation...

this morning woke up at 5:30am...
it's been a very long time since i last woke up at such un-Godly hours...
managed to catch a cab to Seletar East Camp to report for my 8-day In-Camp Training (ICT)...
luckily i gelled my hair before i left home or my "Mud Fire" hair colour would have been so obvious...
fortunately i also cut my hair on Monday in preparation for this ICT...
for those who had coloured hair and long hair were forced to get their hair dyed black and cut on the spot today...
the auntie charges S$18 for a dye and S$8 for a cut...
some of my army mates were caught...
and trust me, it wasn't a very good experience...

the briefing in the morning was all we had for the day...
the rest of the day was spent chit-chatting with my army mates either in the canteen or the bunk area...
if not for the interesting topics of discussion, it would have been most unbearable...
with the super duper hot weather, some of us were perspiring outside the bunk...

it was shocking to know that the army (in collaboration with the Government) will be conducting HIV testing for reservists who have served more than 5 high-key ICT...
i wonder if that is leagal...
i thought HIV testing should be voluntary...
even the doctors cannot force the patient to take a HIV test...
what right does the Army have then?

we will be attached to the Maintenance company next week to help repair vehicles...
time for more idling and relaxing...
of course cock-talking...

there will also be IPPT next week...
hopefully i am able to complete the three chinups...
my only obstacle since running is not a problem...
wish me luck!!

Depression...

was chatting with my colleague about my neighbour's suicide...
she commented that her close friend is also suffering from depression...
it started since the father's death...
now the friend becomes very quiet, keeps to herself and refuses to go out...
she will also be in a daze most of the times...
little or no reaction when spoken to...
she has even spoke about committing suicide...
they are trying to bring her to see the doctor...
and pray that she will be able to get out of it in time to come...

Suicide...

came home and mum told me about the neighbour's suicide...
the neighbour was suffering from mental illness before that...
was in the Institute of Mental Health for a week...
she was worried about her husband's court case and stuff...
and went into depression...
after the court case was settled and the husband was slapped with a fine...
she was still unable to get over it...
ended in the tragic suicide...

i have to agree that depression is a silent killer...
it is extremely dangerous when it hits...
and that's when one needs the help of those around...
to notice the symptoms and get them out of the illness...

Gatherings...

had breakfast with mum and dad in AMK...
the rain started pouring...
what a nice weather to be tugged in bed and sleep...
however, i'm meeting Jsen at his new place in Bayshore Park...
it's his birthday-cum-house-warming lunch...
specially prepared for me and me only...
for i am his Da-Ge (i.e. big brother)...
thanx for the wonderful lunch...
and of course, thanx for introducing the game, Sequence, to me...
simple but fun...
cannot wait to have the group play with you guys and friends soon...
the unit was nicely and cosily done up...
Yokie the dog was exceptionally friendly...
funny that i dislike small animals but they are always attracted to me...

met up with the gang for tea at Hotel Intercontinental lobby lounge...
nice pastries and superb Tropical Orange tea i had...
good to catch up with you guys...
it's been quite a while since we last met...
seems like we all have our travel plans all worked out for the rest of 2007...
except Shaun... hmm...

Boring Saturday...

went for my facial in the early afternoon...
changed the dinner appointment at Jsen's place to Sunday lunch...
headed home cos my unit is on standby for this weekend...
continued with disc three of Planet Earth while munching on mooncakes...

nothing much happened throughout the night...
until about 12+am when i realised a lot of movement in the living room...
went to check out what's going on...
my whole family was up...
someone from the 7th floor unit has committed suicide by jumping off the flat...
i looked out the kitchen window and the body was already covered by the police...
younger brother's car was just parked next to the body...
what a sight...

couldn't sleep after that...
was playing Sudoku on my mobile until 2+am...
finally tiredness knocked me out...

treasure life, people...

The Home Song Stories...

met Kerry for The Home Song Stories, starring Joan Chen and Qi Yu Wu...
a tragic tale about a Chinese woman whose life was filled with nothing but sadness...
she tried her best to stay alive by going with different men...
and she had to get jealous of her own daughter...
the scene where she hung herself was the moment of the entire film...
Joan Chen is still the best female Chinese actress so far...
way beyond the league of Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi and the list of newcomers...
Qi Yu Wu gave a decent performance as Joan's lover...
the little boy, Joel Lok, who played Joan's younger son was superb...
his eye movements tell a lot of emotions and feelings the poor boy felt inside...
an enjoyable movie...

chatted with Kerry about a couple some serious stuff...
work... dreams... relationships...
i should seriously be thinking about what i want to do next...
wish me luck, mate!!

Farewell...

attended a 4-in-1 farewell dinner last night at Clarke Quay...
4 colleagues from Compliance have resigned...
within 2 months after the new Director joined...
so what is the reason for their resignations??
you go figure...

kinda sad to see so many familiar faces leaving around the same time...
and it makes me wonder why i am still here in the company...
come November i will be celebrating my 4th anniversary here...
will i break my own longest record of 4.5 years i stayed in my first job??
only time will tell...

on the brighter side, the desserts at Nectarie was superb...
and the green apple juice is simply heaven...

7th Lunar Month Last Day...

the weather was perfect to stay home and sleep since the rain started early in the morning...

woke up in the morning with a bad cough still...
paid my GP a visit and was given stronger anti-biotics...
miraculously, my conditions improved by the end of the day...
somehow the medicine given by the company doctors was not up to standard...

was sleeping for most of the morning...
watched three episodes of Planet Earth in the afternoon...
accompanied mum downstairs for the prayers for the last day of the hungry ghost 7th lunar month...
many people were already burning their incense papers...

glad that i managed to complete the book, Zodiac during this period of medical leave...
this time has to be the worst case of illness this year...
three days of medical leave in total...
gotta take good care of myself...

Home Sweet Home Sunday...

the whole Sunday was spent at home...
resting...
reading...
watching TV...
sleeping...
eating...
reading...
sleeping...

of course in between gotta take my medicine too...
of course without aircon, my conditions were much better...
somehow, the stubborn cough simply refused to leave me alone...
mum kept asking me to consult my GP for a second opinion...
will see how i am tomorrow morning...

Sick Sick Sick...

went into the office in the morning...
the aircon aggravated the runny nose and the cough...
by 10am, i was out to see the company doctor for the third time in five days...
this time i saw Dr Kumari whom i used to see all this time...
she was on leave over the last few days...
finally she decided to prescribe anti-biotics for me...
was given the day off to rest...

gotta cancel the movie outing with Kerry in the evening... sorry dude...

by the time i reached home it was close to 12:30pm...
took the meds and hit the sack straight away...

Sick Le...

the illness has been brewing since early last week...
it has been waiting for the right moment to strike...
as Thursday night i was kinda stressed out due to the exams on Friday...
my immune system must have been at its lowest...
hence, the symptoms came on Saturday...
and Sunday was nothing but sleeping...
on Monday, it was confirmed that i had runny nose and cough...
according to mum and my colleagues, it's dry cough...
the weather could have contributed to the conditions too...
what with the rain and cooler weather...
today's Tuesday and the runny nose got worse...
so did the cough...
been taking the medicine given by the company doctor...
hope to recover really soon...

Sleepy Sunday...

slept at around 3+am last night... watching US Open...
woke up and bought breakfast for my two brothers again...
called dad to check that they are doing fine in Malacca...

wanted to do so many things today...
but ended up sleeping most of the time...
in between naps, i managed to finish Andrew Gross's The Blue Zone...
quite a good book to read...
similar to James Patterson's style of writing...

parents came home at around 6+pm...
bought dinner for the whole family...
watched some TV before heading to bed at around 11pm...
maybe my body is falling sick and is sending the signals for me to rest more...
hence, the sleepiness throughout the day...

Aaron Kwok Saturday...

on my way home, received a call from mum that elder brother has been taken to A&E of TTSH...
for acute tummy ache...
as i was too tired and needed the rest and since younger brother is there with them, i decided to catch some sleep...
woke up at 2+am and 4+am to check if they were back...
they came home at 5+am...
doctor suspected it could be some "stone"...
prescribed some medication to break down the stones and to control the pain...

dad rested for a while but mum was awake throughout the night...
they were heading to Malacca in the morning...
timing was bad, i know...
sent them to the main road to catch a cab at 6:45am...
came home and went back to sleep...

woke up and bought breakfast for my two brothers...
continued to rest more until the last afternoon...
met Steve at COMEX 2007...
shopped for nearly one and a half hours before buying the Seagate Freeagent 500G harddisk @ S$219...

Danial joined us for dinner at nydc...
DBS has a whopping 35% discount...
as i did not bring my DBS card with me, Danial paid for it...
what was originally a Teacher's Day treat from me became his treat to me...
hahahaha...

when we reached the Indoor Stadium, there was hardly any crowd...
by the time we entered, the lights dimmed...
the announcement came and the concert started...
as the concert was not sold out, we were "upgraded" to the next price seats...

Aaron is a fantastic performer...
with his sleek dance moves and choreography...
he kept the audience on a high...
unfortunately, his singing was not as good...
but he never had good vocals to begin with...
brought back memories when he sang his old Chinese ballads (e.g. 到底有谁能够告诉我， 我是不是该安静的走开)...
sad thing was he talked in Cantonese throughout the concert...
had he forgotten that he's in Singapore??
nevertheless it was still an enjoyable evening...

came home and elder brother was already asleep...
checked with younger brother that he is okay...