In A Daze...

dazed through the next three days after Christmas Day...
looking forward to my KL trip...
time to meet up with William and Ken...
shopping...
feasting...
New Year's Eve countdown...
yeah!!

Christmas Day...

woke up at 12pm...
was still feeling dead tired...
i should stop doing overnight stuff like clubbing, mahjong and sex...
simply cannot recover the next day...
terrible feeling...

Christmas gathering at Kenneth's place...
too much food... a tradition for all potlucks...
and we had five rounds of cakes for desserts...
cheese cake, log cake, etc...

glad to meet up with the gang...
and it's such a good feeling when i see their surprise and smile on their faces when i pass them the gifts...
Christmas is about spreading and sharing the joy of love...

came home around 10:30pm...
received SMSes from Jason, Ken, James and Kenneth...
they loved the double happiness burner from Anthropology or the piggy calendar...
such a good feeling...

Christmas Eve...

although it's Christmas Eve, i am still having the usual Monday blues...
couldn't really perk myself up for the festive season...
had our office gift exchange in the afternoon...
got Sins chocolates...
and more chocolates from the others...
my staff surprised me with a Solvil Et Titus watch...
that must have cost them a bomb...
(but when i showed it to mum when i am home, her immediate reaction was "so old fashioned")...
think i should continue to stick to Swatch to maintain my young and trendy looks...
nevertheless it was the thought that really matters...
thanks to them for sticking around with me all this year...
especially with the numerous and continuous resignations in the Compliance Department...

went home to shower before meeting my secondary school classmates for the annual Christmas Eve gathering...
last year i was away spending Christmas alone in Taipei...
the sushi i ordered from Sakae didn't turn up...
everyone was so pissed with the restaurant for such bad service...
couldn't be bothered to screw them also...
we played Pictionary before and after dinner...
it was hilarious and there was so much fun going around...
it amazes me how some of them could guess the words with only one stroke of the drawing...
while others could make mountains out of molehills... looking way into the drawings...
the gift exchange followed after midnight...
got myself a Barcelona expresso cup and saucer set...
very pretty but not sure if i will ever get to use them...

Steve, Daniel and Chong Hin played mahjong at my place until 5:15am...
so dead tired by then...
luckily i won S$50...
cleared up the place and headed straight to bed...

Merry Christmas everyone...
And a FABULOUS 2008...

Lazy Sunday...

Sunday was spent at home resting...
watching Little Britain Season 2 on DVDs, borrowed from Kerry...
then spent the night writing Christmas cards for my staff and colleagues...
the annual ritual...
my mind was a blank when i was to write for the newcomers...
don't know them well at all...
just the basic greetings...

Saturday Dinner @ Crystal Jade...

last minute arranged to meet up with Shaun, Kenneth, Jon and Kien for dinner...
James was out with a friend and could not join us...

Crystal Jade @ Vivocity was over-rated...
price-wise, it is reasonable...
we wanted the dumplings in soup since today is the celebration of the winter season...
however, they ran out and we had to settle for green tea dumplings with peanuts...

after dinner, Kenneth wanted to buy some Christmas decor...
but most of the good stuff were sold out by now...
bummer...
we did some shopping at Giant before taking the NEL home...

incidentally, this is the third time i am in Vivocity in four days...

Shopping Friday...

arranged to meet James for lunch and shopping at Vivocity...
i could still feel the alcohol in my body...
the whole morning was lousy, despite a 9-hour sleep...
i swear i will never get so high again in my life...
wait a minute... didn't i say that the last time i was drunk??
hahahaha...

bought three pairs of jeans (one blue, one black and one white) and a t-shirt from Spade...
i swear i did not buy them under the influence of alcohol...
i was totally sober by now... hehe...

had lunch with James at Kim Gary...
i am so thrilled to be dining here since it opened months ago...
the queue has always been exceptionally long...
somehow the decor of Kim Gary in KL is much cosier and nicer...
food-wise, Kim Gary has to be the best HK cafe in Singapore...

after lunch, James went to open his bank account with POSB...
then we were off to the company which was doing the colour separation for an ad he's doing...
then we were off for a drink at Harry's before meeting David, Shaun and Jeff for dinner at Takashimaya...
managed to reserved seats at Coca, although they were only available at 8:30pm...
the steamboat buffet at Coca was quite good... my first time there...
although the service was far from perfect...
it's tough speaking to the non-Singaporean waitresses...
even James had to resort to his half-past six Mandarin in order to get his message across...

drinks were served at Mandarin Meritus Mezza Lounge...
ordered a pot of tea cos there's far too much alcohol in my body from last night...
James, Shaun and i went to check out Cineleisure before heading home...
it's been a long day...
but i have no complaints...

Selamat Hari Raya Haji...

it is a public holiday today...
lazed at home the whole day...
attended my colleague's wedding dinner at Mandarin Oriental (formerly known as Oriental)...
Yee Lee looked gorgeous in the wedding gown...
was busy taking pictures with the rest at the entrance...
Eileen and i bought vodka and cointreau to mix our own concoctions...
and i was so high by the time the guests started leaving...
still managed to guide the cab driver to Thomson (to drop off Eileen, who was equally, if not more, high than me)...
and then to Ang Mo Kio MRT station to drop off Pat...
before reaching home...
the cab had to stop for me to puke cos i was so giddy with the various turning in the car park...
more puking in the lift...
and yet more puking in the home toilet...
mum was up to prepare some drink for me to probably wash out the alcohol...
went straight to bed after all the puking...
i am so glad i am on leave the next day...

Dinner @ Bosses...

last minute arranged to meet the ugly dolls for dinner at Vivocity...
Shaun and i were on time... and headed to Pacific Coffee for cakes and coffee while waiting for the rest...
Kerry arrived next, followed by Kenneth...
James was gonna be late and we decided to proceed to Bosses for dinner...
ordered 5 dishes and nice fusion teas...
James arrived at around 9+pm...
the decor in Bosses was black...
very apt for its name in Chinese...
the food was good but not so for the service...
despite pressing the "call" button on the table numerous times, no one came to our rescue...
had to resort to the old way of catching the waiters' attention by raising our hands...
what a shame...

met up with David after dinner...
headed to St James Power Station...
however, we were refused entry to the Bellini room because Kenneth was in sandals...
ended up having drinks at the alfresco Peppermint Bar...
nice decor but too hot for comfort...
at the stroke of midnight, David will be officially 43 years old...
Happy Birthday, big brother...

Crab Dinner @ Uncle Leong...

went to Uncle Leong for crab dinner with my colleagues...
it's been a long time since we last went there... easily a year...
coincidentally, Tin, Roy and Eugene was at the table next to ours...
the crab bee hoon soup is still superb...
the soup was tasty and the crab was huge and meaty, especially the pincers...
the three large crabs we had cost S$175...
total dinner bill for 7 of us came up to S$270...
but it's worth every cent...

Sowing The Seeds Of Good Karma...

was at Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital for some charity work organised by the company...
put up the Christmas decorations...
wheeled the patients from their wards to the hall...
sang Christmas carols for them...
gave them gifts...
served them food and drinks...
and eventually wheeled them back to their wards...
it is heartwarming to see the old folks smiling, clapping and singing along...

in the evening...
my birthday 1130 was the first prize for the 4D draw...
S$2,000 in the pocket...
just in time for my Christmas shopping...

David's Birthday Party...

decided to bring James along to the party...
checked with David and he has no problem with that...
glad to meet up with familiar faces...
Ken, Patrick, Grace, Tracy, Vincent, Norman, Daniel, Dominic, Melvin, Hisham, Jerry, etc...
there are some new faces too...
and about half of the crowd i do not know...
managed to survive the party with a total of 4 to 5 glasses of red wine...
luckily James was able to mingle around on his own...
hahahaha...

Shaun and i bought David the Planet Earth DVD, which i have checked with David and he wants that...

Orchard Week...

was in Orchard three days in a row...

Tuesday was down to Borders to get some books...
as well as to NUM to get the party tee that Kenny in KL wanted...
then bought David's gift...

Wednesday met James for dinner...
i was late and he was able to catch the Christmas light-up...
i liked this year's light-up a lot...
the colour scheme was excellent...
ran out of ideas on where to eat and we ended up in Sun With Moon...
James has been in Singapore since two weeks ago...
he is here for work...
and William has specifically asked me to take good care of him...
will do what i can...
James is looking for a place to stay...
he is temporarily putting up at a friend's place until end of the month...
kinda tough to find a place during the Christmas season when everyone is out of town...
it was a pleasure chatting with him and getting to know him better...
amazing that during his two-week stay so far, he has already been to quite a number of places...
well done, my friend, and keep it up...

Thursday was dinner with three of The Lost Boys at California Pizza Kitchen...
good to see KW after so long...
and glad that Steve and Joseph could make it...
the food at CPK never disappoints... especially the dessert...
managed to catch up with each other...
we are even planning a trip next June...
cos two of them are teachers...
hence the June timing...
looking forward to that...
and the mini-alumni gathering that i am supposed to organise...

Medical Checkups...

Monday night went for a routine medical checkup for my insurance purchase with NTUC...
went through my entire medical history with the doctor...
amazing...
realised that i have been a regular in TTSH...
since year 1997...
i have been in and out of TTSH for various reasons...

Wednesday morning went back to Seletar Camp for my FFI phase 1...
that is the routine for those hitting 35 years old...

will have to wait for the results of both checkups...

Joseph's Birthday Lunch...

today is Joseph's birthday...
he is 35...
he is married with a kid...
he is my classmate from Bendemeer Secondary School...
we have known each other since 1985...
22 years and counting...
like what he said when we toasted during lunch...
"to another 22 years"...
wonderful to have friends like him...
who are still in touch after so many years...
we might not meet up as regularly as we would like to...
but at least we make the effort here and there...

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the food at Greenwood Fish Market & Bistro was fabulous...
if not for the fact that Joseph drove and picked me up at my place...
i would not have wanted to have lunch there...
i ordered 2 oysters: one fresh while another cooked... they were very tasty...
the mushroom soup was very fragrant too...
my main course was the pan-seared hapuku...
i have no idea what fish that was but it was tender and sweet...
the meal ended on a high note with my coffee and creme brulee...
this has to be one of the most heavenly meals i ever had...

Happy Birthday, Joseph...

KTV Saturday...

Triston and i sang our hearts out for 3 hours at the Ten Dollar Club (a KTV in Chinatown)...
first time singing with him...
his vocals were impressive!!
very versatile...
we did a great duet singing Faye Wong's "Lian" (aka face) in falsetto...
i was totally stunned in awe when Triston did Soda Green's "Xiao Qing Ge" (Little Love Song)...
he sounded like the lead singer, Qing Feng...

Kitaro Love & Peace Tour 2007...

the day has finally come for the Kitaro concert at the Indoor Stadium...
had dinner at the food court in the newly-opened Kallang Leisure Park...
most of the shops were still not opened...
not too sure what else will be available once everything is ready...
interestingly, the mall is opened when the National Stadium is closed for good...
until the new stadium is ready in a few years' time...
hopefully the shops can survive...

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we were upgraded to the next priced seats due to poor ticket sales...
frankly, i am not familiar with Kitaro's music, except for the Silk Road...
however, music transcends everything...
and i was mesmerised by his passion for his works...
his team of musicians were fantastic and produced the most touching music...
the beating of the drum and gong sets our hearts in flames...
was pleasantly surprised to have an encore...
he actually played "Jiu Gan Tang Buay Boh" (the theme song from "Da Cuo Che" sung by Su Rei)...

can you imagine Kitaro was banned back in the 80s because of his long hair??
Singapore has come a long way since then...

Wong Kok HK Cafe @ Bugis Junction...

last minute met up with Kerry for dinner at Wong Kok HK Cafe in Bugis Junction...
i have tried the one in JB City Square...
the food was good...
i had my maggie noddle with luncheon meat and egg...
kinda sad that the green apple juice was more diluted than the ones they serve in JB...

Nintendo DS Lite...

finally got my Nintendo DS Lite...
got the red top black bottom...
very chio...
playing Cooking Mama 2...
and Mahjong...

still exploring the R4 features...
don't know if can play mp3...

any nice games to recommend??

Standard Chartered Half Marathon...

woke up at 3:30am to get ready for the run...
had bread and coffee...
took the shuttle service at 4:30am...
fortunately, i wasn't yawning too much this time...
cos i slept early last night at 10pm...

the beginning of the run was breezy and cooling...
but by 7am, the sun was out...
and by 8am, it was blazing like the oven...
at the turning point of 17km, the lack of training started to take its toll on me...
and the hot weather made it worse...
decided to stop and walked...
the thighs and shins started cramping...
and it was painful to continue...
brisk-walked for the rest of the 3km or so...
and ran all the way at the final 300 metres...

the worst timing i ever had for the half marathon...
2 hours 33 minutes...
as a consolation, i did not train since the AHM in August...
and with all the good food throughout the month of November...
it was still an achievement...

The Day After...

14 groups of friends...
12 days of celebrations...
9 dinners, 2 lunches, 1 KTV, 1 mahjong, 1 clubbing...
3 Western, 2 Italian, 2 Chinese, 1 Peranakan, 1 Japanese, 1 seafood, 1 international buffet...
7 gifts, 4 ang paos...

it has been a wonderful 3 weeks of birthday celebrations...
tiring but enjoyable and rewarding...
and above all, good to catch up with friends and family...

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was home the whole day to recuperate from all the celebrations...
and to prepare for tomorrow's half marathon...
was watching Little Britain...
hilarious...