My Story

Moving

2011-05-22T22:29:00.001+08:00

Will be blogging from lesterchia.blogspot.com.

That blog will chronicle mainly my journey as an entrepreneur of a startup, www.GastroCouture.com.

The City of Barcelona

2009-03-08T04:13:00.003+08:00

Excerpts from the diary: 6 March 2009 (edited for language)

The city of Barcelona is amazing. One day it is so gloomy and cold and uninviting, the next day its clear blue sky with lots of sunshine just warms you up. What a morning to fall in love. After class at 1030am, with soft rock and alternative music in my ears and the wall street journal in my hand, I started a walk home. Looking up occasionally from the WSJ while walking, I see the clear blue sky with the inviting winter sun over the now familiar architecture. Pausing at traffic lights, and looking up, I see the inviting blue sky. Smiling at a kid on his dad's embrace whom will never remember this stranger, or the trail of white smoke from the planes up in the clear blue sky, or looking at the faces of the people and scores of tourists with smiles and happiness, one cant help but smile together under this bright blue ceiling. As the sagrada familia came into view, one just had to sit in the park facing the new facade. Still with the slow music in my ears and reading the WSJ with pigeons trampling along in front and coupless in love around, one just sits to pen this thoughts. As I left the park, one turned around and whispered "Thank you", while looking at the Sagrada.

What a morning in Barcelona.

What a morning.

Life in HK (9)

2008-08-05T12:10:00.011+08:00

Here's the difference between polluted and non-polluted days in HK.

These are obviously the 2 extremes. The polluted pic is a day where it was supposedly the most polluted day in HK ever, since records begun, whereas the other non-polluted pic is just a very nice day in Hong Kong. Of course, the in-betweens of these 2 pics is really the norm, with the scale tilting toward smog filled days.

So in my mere short stint here, i've lived through, on record, the most polluted day in HK ever, and the wettest month ever. How exciting!

Toll rises as city melts

Nickkita Lau and Agence France- Presse

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Hong Kong gasped its way through the worst air pollution ever recorded yesterday as smog and soaring temperatures mixed in a lethal cocktail that left one woman dead and dozens of elderly people in hospital suffering breathing problems.

Just days before the Olympic Games are due to begin, the benchmark air pollution index reached an unprecedented 202 in Tap Mun - one notch higher than the previous record of 201 set in 2005 at Tung Chung.

Temperatures soared to 36 degrees Celsius in many areas and at least 91 elderly people were taken to hospital with respiratory problems. A further 1,334 needed emergency help.

Senior citizens' groups said the elderly had borne the brunt as Kowloon City, Sha Tin, Tuen Mun, Sai Kung and Shau Kei Wan sizzled in the heat and high pollution.

The government confirmed last night that a 52-year-old Sha Tin woman had died of suspected heatstroke in the afternoon after being taken to Prince of Wales Hospital.

Another man suffered heatstroke and was in a stable condition in Kwong Wah Hospital last night. A postman in Fan Ling was also overcome by the heat.

The Hong Kong Observatory's principal environmental officer, Dave Ho Tak-yin, confirmed yesterday's API was the highest recorded since air quality monitoring was introduced in 1995.

He blamed the influence of high air circulation from Typhoon Fung- wong, which hit Taiwan yesterday.

Dutch Olympic soccer coach Foppe de Haan described the smog as "awful" as his team prepared in Hong

Kong for the Olympic Games.

De Haan said his side had trained in a special gym back home to prepare them for the hot and humid conditions in Hong Kong and China but there was no way of replicating the smog.

As thunderstorms crossed the territory last night, the observatory's senior scientific officer, Tsui Kit-chi, said it would be mainly cloudy with showers today, which will likely blow the pollutants away.

Yesterday territorywide air pollution levels ranged from "high to "severe."

The API at Tap Mun reached a "severe" 202 at 3pm while in Sha Tin, where the Olympic equestrian events will be held, it hit a peak of 173 at 2pm before dropping off.

An Equestrian Company spokesman said the high levels of pollution and temperature had not affected the horses and there had been no complaints from athletes. Vets carried out checkups on horses and there was no cause for alarm, he said.

The horses received training in the morning and were kept in air- conditioned stables in the afternoon.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said Hong Kong's heat is one of the challenges athletes will need to overcome.

"Athens was hot as well. They need to overcome cold as well as heat," Tsang said.

"It is part of the competition."

The Home Affairs Department last night opened 14 temporary shelters for those suffering from the heat.

Source

Life in HK (8)

2008-07-14T17:16:00.003+08:00

Well just when i thought Hong Kong had nothing else to offer, on i stumbled onto beauties. On saturday, after having a meal at Soho, we walked toward the upper part of Soho where we had never gone before, and on we found, lo and behold, the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens! Its seriously out of nowhere, a green getaway admist the busy central life. The animal collection is quite bad, but its just the thought of a 'zoo' at central! And we continued walking and walking not knowing where we were going, and discovered treasures at every turn. That's one of the beauties of living in a foreign city, to be able to delight at these.

On sunday, i stumbled onto a gold fish street! The whole street (almost literally) is selling fish stuffs, from coral plants and fishes to gold fishes to crabs to turtles, its a haven for people who are looking to start a aquarium at home. And then i found a plaza thats like far east, and they sell so much more cool guys stuff than anywhere else so far that i've been to in Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong, there are so many more unfortunate people that you see on the streets. I was at Fa Yuen street yesterday, and i saw this old lady (maybe 70 yrs old), working as the city council cleaner, cleaning up rubbish bins and sweeping the road side floor. I stood there for 5 mins watching her with pain, and i was just thinking what spirit she has! As compared to other able bodied people on the streets who just hope people will drop them some coins (like me), i admire her fighting spirit for someone her age. SO i resolved, that i shall only drop my loose change for people who are not able to work, because otherwise, they should be like this old lady at Fa Yuen.

Life in HK (7)

2008-07-13T01:17:00.001+08:00

WOW! How much luckier can one get?

Wettest month on record for Hong Kong by Steph Ball

The Hong Kong Observatory has declared June 2008 its wettest month ever on record, with records dating back to 1884.

Up to midday on Monday June 30th, the total rainfall recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory was 1,346.1mm (53 inches) breaking the previous record set in May 1889. The previous rainfall record was 1,241.1mm (49 inches).

The heavy rain is being attributed to active southwesterlies over the south China coastal areas during the first half of the month. On June 7th in particular, a heavy storm gave as much as 145.5mm (5.73 inches) of rain in one hour. This set a new record at the Hong Kong Observatory for the highest rainfall ever recorded in an hourly period. The rain triggered floods and landslides prompting the highest level of weather alert.

Rainfall during the second half of June is being attributed to Typhoon Fengshen. Fengshen which first lashed the Philippines hit southern China a week ago as a weakened tropical storm. The storm was slow moving and lashed the region with heavy rainfall for several days. Guangzhou and Macau (also in the Pearl River Delta) both set new monthly rainfall records.

Although a few showers are forecast for Hong Kong today, high pressure is expected to bring fine weather over the next few days.

source: BBC news

Life in HK (6)

2008-06-24T22:46:00.002+08:00

So this week my roomie's family is here, so he's migrated to a 5-star hotel, while im still (in the words of my school's placement officer) here in the slum area at Prince Edward. It was like my 1st day in Hong Kong many weeks ago, expect that this time i went to sleep alone in the room, such that when i woke up i felt that adrenaline to get up and going to work - like after my 1st night here. Of course, from the 2nd night onward, it was back to normal, where i woke up dreary and sleepy.
Been plagued by gastric, such that a visit to the doc didnt really help, and the Bismag pills my mum gave me is quickly thinning down. I just want it lost soon.

I still really cant decide if i want Hong Kong to be polluted or not. You see, when Hong Kong is polluted, the pollutants is so dense that no sunlight gets through, and though polluted with particles, the sun does not beat down on us hapless beings. However, on days without pollution with clear blue skies (so far, in my 4.5 weeks, only 3 days - last fri, sat, sun) , the sun beats down on the land, resulting in me sweating by the time i get to the MTR station, and i really hate heat (There's a deeper story, and i'll go at it another time).

So you must be thinking, of course we can do without the pollution! OK, i admit i was worried. I'm a person who well knowingly or unknowingly, swallow my mucus when its stuck deep in my nostrils. So this random thought came to my head, with so much "pi sai" in HK, and if the particles seep through, wont it land in my mucus? And then if i swallow my mucus, wont the pollutants enter my system, and then, wont the pollutants like cause me to have cancer or something? So i went to do some research, and guess what i found!

As the nasal conchae cause air to swirl in the nasal cavity, the mucus moistens the air and traps any bacteria or particles of air pollution. The cilia wave back and forth in rhythmic movement, and pieces of mucus with their trapped particles are swept along to the throat. The mucus is then either spat out or (more often) swallowed. Any bacteria present in the swallowed mucus is destroyed by the hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice of the stomach.
Source

That said, it doesnt mean that you go sniffing in all the pollutants, and hope that the hydrochloric acid in your stomach works at 100% efficiency. Therefore, i conclude that, i really still dont know if i like it polluted and less hot or vice versa.

Typhoon Fengshen is approaching close to Hong Kong, and the Typhoon No. 3 signal is hoisted. Well when the signal 8 is hoisted, it means that we dont have to work! Well the beauty of living overseas is you get to experience things like that, with pounding rain and a bloody typhoon! That said, after im done with this post, i'm going down to experience the wind produced by Fengshen, because it supposedly will hit Hong Kong hardest around midnight.

Life in HK (5)

2008-06-18T16:57:00.003+08:00

OK! lester & kei's adventures is up and running!

Click here

Well i'm adapting to life in Hong Kong already. From my two experiences living overseas, i'd say it takes about 3 weeks for me to settle down and get the momentum going. So its my 4th week now, and things are great! HK has been either having polluted days or rainy heavy downpour days for the past 3 weeks since i was here. One hardly sees the sun, or even the blue sky. All you see is cloudy or polluted grey skies. However, when it's raining and night, and the light from the massive buildings reflect off the grey skies, it gives the city that glowing aura which i feel is so sexy! More so when the rain slides down the curvature of the buildings, and the lights give off that glow off the buildings and the seemingly reachable sky, it looks so sexy! Of course, when i tell that to everyone, everyone thinks i'm crazy. But seriously, see for yourselves when it happens, in the sexy Hong Kong city.

Been to Shenzhen over the weekend for some shopping and massage. The 2-hr body massage cost just SGD 35, and all 3 of us were in the same room enjoying the wonderful experience. The package even came with jacuzzis, saunas, fruit bar, ice cream bar and also wonderful personal sofa chairs with an attached tv. The most interesting experience however, was at 12am, when Spain played Sweden - More than 10 naked men in the huge jacuzzi watching the football match together.

Was sick earlier in the week, so i went to the Doctor. I was thinking as i sat there, what a good experience! I hardly spoke Cantonese, and i managed to get through the whole process (other than the Doc, who spoke Chinese), till it was time to pick up my medicine. I hardly had any idea what the pharmacist was talking about.

Life in HK (4)

2008-06-04T22:22:00.004+08:00

Well in my haste to set up another blog for Lester & Kei's Adventures, i deleted my previous settings on my current blog. How dumb can that be. Now i've probably lost all the links of my friends' blog. Well after i set up the other webbie i'll focus back on mine!

Anyway just got back from Soho where we had a wonderful dinner, breakfast style of eggs ham bacon and pancakes - thanks to a friend's recommendation. Walked past Lan Kwai Fong, and it was full of expats. Also, the predominant language at LKF is english, where even Hongkies look-alike speak english. Weird. Maybe its to be 'in'?

Just got off the line with Hui and Ping. Hello u 2!

Life in HK (3)

2008-05-28T23:55:00.004+08:00

So its the 3rd day of work and 4th day here, and i feel utterly useful already! We actually get to do real IB stuff, so work's picking up. Hope the pace continues so i can really get something out of this internship! Well so my office is in exchange square, which is directly above the HK stock exchange! Its so ironic that i actually visited the HK stock exchange even before i visited Sg's one, and whats more, am spending more time here. That said, the view from my office is spectular.

You can literally see the whole Hong Kong bay (if thats what its called) from my office on good days. When i say GOOD days, it means days when we can see the sun and its not so polluted. Unfortunately, its quite rare. I think in my 4 days here, i only saw the sun peering through the pollution/clouds for like 5 mins in the morning. SO anyway its actually quite therapeutic to just stand at the window and look out.

Well im moving out of my infested apartment into a smaller nicer cosier apartment higher up in the building. So we spent the past hr or so cleaning up this place. And the room upstairs has wireless!

Life in HK (2)

2008-05-26T23:49:00.003+08:00

OK! so here it is, about 28 in hours in HK, finished 1st day of work, and killed 4 roaches in my apartment.

Life in HK (1)

2008-05-25T23:57:00.003+08:00

SO here it begins, Work & Travel Hong Kong - Lester returns to WAT HK - working in the financial sector.

Well this time round, not much feelings as i left Singapore, without the usual fanfare. Last year, i met as many people as i could before heading to Orlando, somewhat like i'll be gone for 10 years. This time round, it was a pretty quiet affair, disappearing quietly - somewhat like how it'll be for the next year as i'll go on exchange.

My apartment is near Prince Edward station. Here's the dilemna, stay in a nicer furnished apartment at a higher cost, or stay in lousier conditions at half the cost. As im typing this, we're still making the decision of what we should do while waiting for the landlady to come back. We entered the lousier apartment earlier and killed 2 baby roaches already, so if we are going to stay there, we need a major overhaul of the room.

One thing's for sure, life in HK would NOT be as ideal as life in Orlando. Nonetheless, lets just make the best of it.

Woman and a Fork

2008-05-23T10:27:00.000+08:00

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things 'in order,' she contacted her Pastor to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.

She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.

Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

'There's one more thing,' she said excitedly.

'What's that?' came the Pastor's reply.

'I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.'

The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.

That surprises you, doesn't it?' the young woman asked.

I'm puzzled by the request,' said the Pastor.

The young woman explained. 'My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocol ate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!'

So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: 'Keep your fork the best is yet to come.'

The Pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket andsaw the fork in her right hand. Over and over, the Pastor heard the question, 'What's with the fork?' And over and over he smiled.

During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.

He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come. Friends are a very rare jewel , indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed Cherish the time you have, and the memories you share ...being friends with someone is not an opportunity but a sweet responsibility.

Nostalgia

2008-05-05T09:46:00.002+08:00

ok time for some nostalgia! exactly 1 year ago, i was on my way to the fun filled summer! 1 year ago minus 2 hr 45 mins i boarded the plan. So 1 year ago, i must be somewhere over the pacific ocean just off thailand.

no same old boring S'pore. complete freedom. license to do anything under the sun.

thats one year ago.

Boat Asia 2008

2008-04-28T21:26:00.002+08:00

These past few days being in the Island Suite for the high network people has taught me many lessons. Overall, i would say the Boat Show was an eye opener. I mean, i have never heard of it, and would never hear of it - not in the near future anyway - if i was not asked to work in the event.

Well i was poorly paid, but the fringe benefits more than made up for it. Having island shop tops and bottoms, cabs to and from work, exquisite finger food meant not for us obviously, and champagnes and wines! Not to mention the freeflow movenpick ice cream, and the free paulaner beers thanks to the relationship we struck up with the beer lady.

These intense 4 days have found me many new close-bonded friendships, and being so ever sentimental, i miss everyone already.

Exams are OVER!

2008-04-23T00:19:00.003+08:00

So the exams has gone, and suddenly i find myself trying to fill in the void left by school. Its been such a busy semester (like every other sem), and once it ends, it feels really really weird.

For one, im going to be working at Boat Asia 2008 as an ambassador to high networth clients. Dont know how that will exactly work out, but hope i meet some interesting people, whom i hope can decide to fund me should i decide to be an entrepreneur in future. Haha.

Then its off to be a trainer for Microsoft Windows Mobile till end May, then if things work out, HK for internship from early June till mid Aug.

This few weeks especially, since i came back from US, i have been really harbouring thoughts about being an entrepreneur. Its really tempting me to have a flexible schedule and to see a direct relationship between hard work and results, and to of course, satisfy my high nAch. I've been reading up books recently (yes, i went to the library to borrow entre books 1 day after my exams ended), and who knows, i may just decide to do something radical.

Dissapointing CNA

2008-04-23T00:08:00.002+08:00

Well i think CNA is really disappointing. They really report stories from the government's perspective. The recent Mas Selemat case only highlights it further. I was just watching it over din/per, and no matter what angle that they report in, it only hightlights the good side of the whole incident, that we've learnt from our mistakes, that Singaporeans are happy about the whole episode of the government being transparent. Nothing mentioned about bad leadership causing this.

One thing for sure, I feel our Home Affairs Minister should take responsibility. Singapore is one of the only countries that you will see a minister shun the responsibility when things go wrong to those under him, and still remain where is he. If they want to pay competitively like the private sector (of millions for a minister), they should take actions that would befit the money that matches the private sector. He should take responsibility and resign. Period.

Memories

2008-03-17T11:43:00.004+08:00

I guess memories will never die, but its how much you remember them, especially good memories.
Recently i took to the trend of listening to symphony 92.4fm while driving, and it brings back such great memories of times in US, especially and specifically Disney's Animal Kingdom and its paths with classical music.

Also, there's the hollywood bowl! While watching a classical concert, as me and kei shivered uncontrollably, there was this jap guy beside us who's wife kept serving him hot miso soup. Boy, we wanted to kill the guy and take the wife!

p.s you can see the small little hollywood side up on the hill side on the right (click to enlarge)

The kind soul @ 3am in the morning

2008-03-09T03:45:00.003+08:00

So there i was, stranded when the car engine wont start. And after flagging down a taxi for a tow-truck's number and him saying he doesnt have (which is quite funny), i hung around feeling terribly lost. Here's the dilenma:
1. Call my parents and wake them up to come rescue me.
2. Settle the problem myself
3. Wait till morning when my parents wake up so they can come rescue me.

So i tried the 2nd option - call AA, but AA insisted that i be a member, because they only serve members. And so the guy tried to persuade me to take up a 1-yr's membership of $112.something.

Then here came the saviour. After me asking him for the number of a AA related service, he said he'll help me start my engine. He drove his car in front of my bro's, and took out crocodile clips to help jump start my engine. From the sound of his engine, it sounds a little 'zeng' seriously. So glad i stopped someone who knew about cars.

Then a surprise. It wasnt a battery problem.

So he was puzzled, and walked one round the car, and sat in the car trying fancy footwork with the 3 pedals, and it still wont start! Then, enlightenment came. He decided to try the reset button, which i seriously couldnt find when i tried earlier.

And the car engine started.

So its so amazing, at 3am in the morning, when he could just say, "oh sorry i dont have the number," he stopped and helped me prevent a big disaster at 29A.

I think i'll buy him a coffee voucher and leave it at his windscreen.

DAMN glad for ppl like this around..

The sharp cookie-dough nose

2008-02-19T02:05:00.003+08:00

And so here i was, studying for my mids and preparing for my 830am presentation at 2 in the morning, when i caught that distinct whiff that i never ever forgot.

THAT of a COCKROACH!

So i turned around and looked for it high and low on my messy table, and all the time i used my nose to smell the items on which the cockroach has been on to trace its whereabouts. Alas, i traced it onto my FIIM notes, but it still wasnt there! So i stepped back, figuring that it must have either escaped into my cupboard, or out of my window. THEN, i caught the whiff again! And there it was, right at my blind spot where i first caught the smell of the dirty pest.

So i did the most humane thing, using insecticide and letting it struggle for its life for probably the next hour, instead of giving it an instant death by squashing it.

God damn it, i hate these things.

Well so how did i acquire such an acute sense of smell toward the humble little roach? Basically, the single storey post war terrace house that i grew up in was quite old and run down, and it has this sewer right in the middle of the kitchen. Being curious kids, me and my brother used to open the sewers (even though we eventually knew what was coming) to lure cockroaches out so that we could step on it using our "cha kiak". The smell from the sewers reek of roach smell so strong, that in an area infested with roaches, i can spot it right away.

Another trick we used was that of heated pandan leaves (yes, pandan leaves, in case you didnt know), and we threw it down the sewers before covering it. Soon you can see tens of cockroaches struggling to get out only to meet doom under our feet.

We even drowned cockroaches then using McDonald's toys.

I think i somehow vaguely remember a cockroach showdown with a leech.

Somehow my childhood facination of roaches disintegrated into fear of these irritating pesty creatures.

Happy New Year 2008!

2008-01-01T14:58:00.000+08:00

Went for the Media Corp Ch 5 count down at Vivo city last night! Hua got the tix for me, who in turn got it from Shauna Simon's sisters who are friends with Hua's friends. Haha. So it was a big group of us ushering in the New Year!
Jade Seah wore this skimpy outfit which made her look fat, and the Deal or No Deal girls wore a tad too much clothing (HAHA), Hady was a NO-SHOW while live on Ch 5 he was singing - prerecorded of course, while the Live the Dream winners were damn awesome dishing out rock and R&B.

I shall try my best to keep to my New Year Resolution, and here's wishing everyone a fruitful year ahead!

Off to Genting tomorrow, and im determined to recoup my losses from Vegas!

Arsenal Victory

2007-12-17T02:24:00.000+08:00

As i returned home, i looked up into the sky, and i saw a sight i havent seen in this rainy December - the Orion Belt. Well in a way, i grew up with the Orion Belt, as i spend lots of nights at the balcony gazing up at the stars, from times of sadness and hopelessness, to joy and happiness. The Orion Belt has always been there, and somehow it just comforts me whenever im 'lost', that there's something familiar in the sky twinkling away, light bearing down on me.

Just returned from a charged up atmosphere at Happy Daze @ Gardens, where Arsenal beat Chelsea 1-0! AWESOME!

FM Open

2007-12-03T00:15:00.001+08:00

Had my first taste of an official fencing competition today at Fencing Masters Open held at Clementi sports hall over the duration of the whole day. It was quite an eye opener to see all the different styles of Epee and how the whole system basically works. Of course, my arse got kicked real bad fighting individual, but at least i managed to leave out of it having more "slick moves" in my head, and a whole new exciting experience that i can look forward to!

Universal goes to Korea

2007-11-28T12:09:00.000+08:00

Well great news, Universal goes to Korea! And of course, there's one of a smaller scale opening in Singapore. In my opinion, Universal is the most amazing theme park ever! They have bat mobile moving along the streets, Zorro and his maiden posing for pictures along the way, and Rugrats in mascots, plus many more! Not to mention those amazing no kick rides that they have. Really great effort put into those rides, though majority are not those thriller scary type, but still A+ for the 'wow' factor and effort.

I remember this time in Australia when i was very young, and i was at i think it was Dreamworld or something, when Penguin (from Batman series) came to grab me from my mum's hands and threw me into this cage behind his Penguin vehicle. Not knowing what happened, with my mum standing there laughing, i thought why the hell is this happening to me?!? So there i was, "happily" wailing away with the rest of the "prisoners" trying to pacify me. And i was real little at that time, so how could Penguin bully me? Haha. So in the end, Penguin had to release me, making me the Prisoner who probably spent the shortest time in his jail cell. And of course, those poor adults who tried to pacify me (who obviously couldnt do as well as my mum), looked at me in envy as i left watery-eyed. HA!

Cant wait for Universal Singapore!

The birds

2007-11-23T11:25:00.000+08:00

You know your little garden is in good shape when you see birds chirping and dancing in the little greenery by the front.

You also know that your roof is in bad shape when you see those same birds (using twigs and whatever from the little garden) trying to build a nest in the gap in the roof.

How ironic.

Stardust

2007-11-17T12:52:00.000+08:00

Watched stardust last night, and it really really is a fantastic movie. I mean, its totally my kind of thing. Fantasy, magic, the evil witches, the prince charming saving the damsel in distress, and of course, a wonderful love story with a happy ending.

Synopsis

“Stardust,” based on the best-selling graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess, takes audiences on an adventure that begins in a village in England and ends up in places that exist in an imaginary world. A young man named Tristan (Charlie Cox) tries to win the heart of Victoria (Sienna Miller), the beautiful but cold object of his desire, by going on a quest to retrieve a fallen star. His journey takes him to a mysterious and forbidden land beyond the walls of his village. On his odyssey, Tristan finds the star, which has transformed into a striking girl named Yvaine (Claire Danes).

However, Tristan is not the only one seeking the star. A king’s (Peter O’Toole) four living sons – not to mention the ghosts of their three dead brothers – all need the star as they vie for the throne. Tristan must also overcome the evil witch, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), who needs the star to make her young again. As Tristan battles to survive these threats, encountering a pirate named Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro) and a shady trader named Ferdy the Fence (Ricky Gervais) along the way, his quest changes. He must now win the heart of the star for himself as he discovers the meaning of true love.

Choose this poster because it seems so significant of the movie - the star.

It just makes me wonder, when will we find our star?

Updates

2007-11-13T10:10:00.000+08:00

Its been a long time since i updated. Well there's nothing much that i've been up to other than school and my social life. Obviously social life > school. It has also been some time since i came back from US, and how i long for it once more. On a happier note, i won the fencing rookie challenge, and on a sad-er note, the 1st prize is a $75 fencing voucher. They're trying to pull you into this vicious cycle. Nonetheless, i decided to purchase the $580 fencing set anyways.

Over the weekend, helped Huaz with her family day event at Sentosa as a mascot. Just look at it. It was just utterly hot, stuffy and claustrophobic in that face mask, as much as i love doing this kinda crap. But it was a favour to a dear friend, so no complains - to her at least anyways. Haha.

And i thought this pic was cool, with all our hand paintings while waiting for the truck to come load up the logs.

Also hosted SSU Sports Night in Oct. Pics are mostly in facebook as i havent got it yet, but here's my fantastically cool halloween-like attire for the night.

The sweetest thing

2007-09-19T00:05:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, at 1am, while sending a friend home, as i was turning out from the CTE into the PIE sliproad, i saw an interesting sight.

There they were, 2 of them, on a bicycle with heaps of probably cans at the back portion. The old man was cycling and the old lady just sat at the bar in front of the elderly man. Still looking cosy and close, through all the hardships (even now, at 1am this night), through their wrinkled skin and frail bodies, probably after all these years.

As i was going pretty fast, i just caught this brief 2 sec glimpse of them, but it was enough to invoke this pretty strong feeling in me, leading to a few questions.

Does love last this long? Will couples stand through thick and thin in this materialistic age?

Just so amazing, this sight...

Buffet Galore

2007-09-09T21:04:00.000+08:00

3 buffets in 3 days! Seriously too much. There was my birthday at M Hotel, Charmaine's birthday at Miss Clarity's, and Granny's 85th at Sakura. Its not helping that my IPPT is in 5 days, coupled with the fact that i havent trained much since coming back after 3 months of no exercise policy in the states.

I was just looking at some pictures and reflecting back and realised how nice the beaches in the states are. In Singapore, after even a 10 min tanning session, you'll be like all drenched in sweat. I was at Venice beach in LA and i actually fell asleep while tanning and woke up feeling freaking cold, thanks to the Pacific Ocean breeze. Now, aint it good if we have good ocean breeze while tanning so we wont have to sweat big time. Alternatively, global warming could come early to Singapore as world climates turn topsy turvyy.

3rd Week of School

2007-09-04T20:39:00.000+08:00

Well its the 3rd week of school, and its kinda boring me out! Maybe after such a great summer, things just wont seem as interesting anymore. I'm trying to work hard, but it seems like a far stretched dream. I probably am too lazy to get hardworking so early in the sem, and there goes my dream of pulling up my gpa.

I'm still allocating lots of time for my social life, and i joined more CCAs this sem. One of which is fencing, which is pretty fun to me. Well, will probably stay on to fence after the clinic is over. Its kinda a good stress reliever as well, to vent all your anger on trying to 'kill' the other person, as well as a good workout, though not as intensive as the other sports. But well, fencing seems such a sophiscated sport. I've joined some others as well - Recre fishing, Golf, Handball. I really wouldnt mind competitive handball, but heard they're severely lack of people.

The 3 months in USA really seems like a dream. In a way, i dont wanna wake up from that dream. But i know i'll miss my family and friends. Im so nostalgic. So here are more photos..
Of course, there's japan as well, but thats left for another day.

Clearwater beach, FL

Hardrock Cafe, Bahamas

On a snorkelling/BOOZE cruise in the Bahamas

Miami South Beach Stretch

Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay FL

Ball Game in Anaheim Stadium, LA

Sunset Beach, LA

Baywatch @ Venice Beach, LA

Golden Gate, SanFranc

Yosemite National Park, California

One of those small sleazy motels in some small town (Bishop)

The strip in Vegas

Updates in USA

2007-07-24T17:11:00.001+08:00

Well been pretty lazy to blog over the last few weeks. So much has happened, and its just amazing, especially the last week at Orlando. Went to the Bahamas for 6 days as well - beautiful clear waters but a shabby looking capital Nassau. But in brief, here's what ive been through since leaving Orlando.

Myself Hocklee and Kei have since spent 11 days together, traversing a total of 1691 miles when we returned the car yesterday. We spent 4 days in Vegas, passed through Death Valley and the lowest point of the American continent (-81m below sea level), spent 1/2 day at Yosemite looking at Sequoia trees, stopped by many small towns along the way, 2 nights in San Franc, 4 days in LA.

Along the way, many interesting sights and experiences, and fun stuff which 3 guys experienced in many ways. Sad to say, but its bye to US in 2 days after so many many weeks here.

But hello Japan.

Then back to school for Bondue.

Then school starts.

Updates in Orlando (11)

2007-06-18T12:36:00.000+08:00

Today something cool happened. I was a cashier at the snack bar at the Shamu stadium, and the queue was like horribly long. And i just serve without looking much at the guests' faces. Suddenly, i looked up and i saw this tall guy who looked super familiar. Still i didnt think much because i was trying to dispense the queue as fast as possible, and then he passed me his credit card to pay for the snacks, and on it - Edwin Van De Sar.

Updates in Orlando (10)

2007-06-15T13:20:00.000+08:00

Who said the teasing would stop?

Just some of the Asian contingent at my work place

Fireworks everynight at Seaworld

M&Ms world at Florida Mall (The diff colours behind are all M&Ms)

Updates in Orlando (9)

2007-06-14T11:49:00.000+08:00

Sadly, this week, all the Thai internationals left. For those of us whom have made solid steadfast friendships with them, the loss was painful. In seaworld crew lounge, the emptiness and quietness of the area reminds me painfully of their return home.
Though sometimes we have to speak to the Thais like they're kids due to their poor grapse of English, the bond i feel with them is much greater than most of the Singaporeans here. They seem so sincere in the friendship and its such a joy being around them, especially the hot thais. Haha.

The thais here like to throw parties as well, especially last week before they leave this week. Parties at most rooms in the whole area, with seemingly free-flow alcohol, thai styled food and a living room cum dancefloor with great music. We can even party-hop! Since firstly the thais are

quite friendly, and secondly because most of them/us are so high no one know whats happening!

The best neighbours around

Updates in Orlando (8)

2007-06-09T11:41:00.000+08:00

Today the most extraordinary thing happened. I got to see the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis! Though at a distance of like 70 miles, but its still quite a sight! The feeling going through me when i saw the shuttle was quite amazing - if i were an american i'd be so so proud.

The huge screen at the Shamu stadium was switched on the the NASA channel, and then behind the screen was the shuttle launching from the Kennedy Space Centre as a bright spark in the sky. Apparently the locals told me they used to go to the space centre during school excursions. It'd have been quite a sight to behold live. After the launching of the shuttle, the stadium erupted in applause and it was such a beautiful moment.

The screen playing the launch and the shuttle

in the background

Updates in Orlando (7)

2007-05-23T09:13:00.000+08:00

I seriously think im getting better at cooking; from the taste of the food to the time needed to cook. The food is tasting better, and the time needed to prepare, wash up and clean up is getting shorter as well. This is really cooking 101, where it forces you to cook to save money. Surprisingly, more guys than girls (from Sg) here can cook. So to all those aspiring house-wives/husbands, hone your cooking skills while living overseas, because circumstances will force you to! Not to mention that you can cook for people who will happen to be complete noobs, and you get praised as well! Haha.

The S'poreans rented a car today since there were like 10 of us on our off-day. We started off the day by going to downtown Orlando. Downtown is pretty different from the area that i'm staying. It has like skyscrapers there, not that high though, but at least higher than the area around International Drive, where the tallest buildings are hotels. We ate at a chinese restaurant, and then went to a Asian supermart, where it carries all asian spices and food. Bought more asian items like oyster sauce and noodles, where its hard to find in the mainstream supermarkets here. Im sure Walmart sells, but its a little too far for me to get there. Heard there's one opening at my area soon, so hope i can catch it before i leave.

After that, we went to Downtown Disney. Disney here has like 5 different theme parks, and another area called Downtown Disney. Its an area of shops selling Disney merchandise beside a lake, and there's also an area called Pleasure Island, where it has like 7 clubs banded together, each with a different theme.

Updates in Orlando (6)

2007-05-22T09:06:00.000+08:00

Over the weekend, i went to Universal Studios Orlando. It has a totally different concept from Seaworld. In Universal, they have like Spiderman and Zorro roaming the streets, and the streets in Universal are really streets! Havent had time to explore the whole place yet, but will do so again before i leave at least.
And Universal City Walk is like the ultimate chill place! With music blasting on the walkways, nice pubs, bars and clubs and restaurants and nice lights especially at night - its the place to be!

Opp is Universal City Walk

On Sunday, i went out with a local couple(Jason and Megan), together with Kei, Cheryl and Weili. Its really a good perspective to go out with someone from here, because firstly they drive, and cab fares here are ex and buses seem non-existent, and also that they can tell u about local customs and norms. We went to play mini-golf because Seaworld staff can play for free on this particular Sunday, and then after that we had the most amazing dinner/supper at this palce called Perkins. Jason was also trying to show off his stunt driving skills, and in the process i think he scared the shit out of the other cars on the road man.

Updates in Orlando (5)

2007-05-19T12:36:00.000+08:00

I seriously had some doubts about my job selling drinks at the stadium; whether its the best, or whether they are more fun jobs around - until today.

I went to apply for extra hours because i wanted to fill my time up. My shift was to be from 930 - 6 at this place called Hapy Harbour, which is essentially for kids. And to my dismay, i was assigned to sweep the floor for the whole 8 hours! The first few hours i took it easy, going over the area a couple of times, but when it got to after lunch, i was like super terribly bored of sweeping. Like what another lady told me, she had never swept so much in her life.

The next 4 days - sat, sun, mon, tue - are off-days for me. Still deciding what im planning to do. I wanted to fly up to New York, but the tickets are too expensive at USD 300+. Hopefully i can find something nice. Orlando is a nice place, but there's just too little things to do, much like S'pore.

Updates in Orlando (4)

2007-05-16T11:49:00.000+08:00

This is Lester in Orlando.

At one of his summer jobs.

In the Shamu Stadium.

Updates in Orlando (3)

2007-05-11T11:19:00.000+08:00

Cooking 101

Status: Passed

Today i tried my hand at cooking. Turned out that the food was edible after all! Well me and Kei prepared, and i cooked the meal. On the menu was minced pork potatoes and spinach kailan with rice. Looking at the minced pork potato we thought that it was a goner, but it really is not too bad after all.

I was defrosting the pork in the microwave. And the pork became disgustingly semi-cooked instead.

Cooked.

Like wth.

Lesson learnt: Always watch ur defreezing pork that is in the microwave - lest it becomes cooked.

Updates in Orlando (2)

2007-05-10T12:10:00.000+08:00

Today was officially 1st day at work, where we were given the staff's orientation. My department's training is this Saturday, so another 2 free dats off before i'd start work.

Am trying to be domesticated as well. Bought groceries like vegetables, raw beef, pork to cook. Even if its sucky, at least its a 1st try to being independent, instead of relying on the instant foods like the frozen pizzas.

Been travelling up and down International Drive recently during my time here. Intl drive is like this street which is like maybe 20km long, and has all the major attractions. It has the factory outlets, Ripley's museum, the supermarket and lots of good stuffs! Ok another reason why im confined here is because the bus fare is super cheap of 25 cents (for seaworld staff) as compared to if i go out of the bus route. As i mentioned, taxi fare is a bomb. The thais who have been working here for long told me that with my i.d the fares are cheaper, but im still trying to find out if tts the case.

Should be headed to Universal Studios tomorrow, because being a Seaworld staff, we get to go in free! Nice perks man.

Updates in Orlando (1)

2007-05-08T10:38:00.000+08:00

OK! so day 3+ in Orlando. Things are looking pretty cool. Today's weather is crazy. Though its summer, the temperature in Florida (of all places) is like 20 degrees. Right now, which is 11pm, its even worst! Like 15 degrees or something. We're freezing out here trying to tap on someone's wireless. My fingers are like numb already, while Kei's just acting cool with his HUGE earphones. And we're damn paranoid, cause we're sitting outside someone's stairway. And Kei cant hear with his act cool headphones, so its up to me man. Anyway our mum's are like calling each other to find out about us, jus because we didnt call back for 1 day. =p

Today was also processing, where we did our paper work and all. We also took a drug test with samples of our urine and hair (??) given. After that, we were free to roam seaworld, to sit the rides and to play with the sea creatures. Amazing place.

Work's probably starting next week. Im working in culinary at vending, which is probably something like street peddlers, which suits me great! Rather than just being stationary at a shop or something.

Shopping here is fantastic too. Dunno if i mentioned it before, but i'll just say again. With all the factory outlets, and with the Sg currency growing stronger against the USD, its just great to shop here man!

Outside Seaworld

At the Killer Whale Stadium

Thats Shamu, one of the many killer whales

Dolphines under water

At a chill out bar outside the factory outlets

Our 1st attempt at grocery shopping

Well thats about it for today. Gotta make calls home, as well as reply mails. ciao.

Greetings from Orlando!

2007-05-06T15:58:00.000+08:00

After a tiresome 28-hour flight with transits in Tokyo, Seattle and Denver, im finally in Orlando! Right now im at some shady petrol station 20 mins (walk) from my apartment, taping onto their wireless cause the apartment's wireless wants us to pay!

All's looking good, the weather feels great, probably because its 4am right now, and the sun is not out. The taxi fare to the apartment costs USD$55! Its really a rip-off, and the meter jumps like $0.25 every 3seconds.

Jet-lagged quite bad. Still pretty accustomed to Singapore time, and we're 12 hours behind Singapore.

Today's sunday, and me and Kei will probably head back out to try to sleep, before hitting town a little later on to see whats there. And im hungry now, but there's nothing much here. Its i think safe to say that Orlando doesnt really have a night life, maybe due to the fact that its all family-based theme parks here - Seaworld, Universal, Disney World.
On the way here, the cab driver even thought we were Koreans! Apparently this country is still reeling from the shock of the Virginia incident.

More soon!

Off to the States

2007-05-04T20:47:00.000+08:00

Well off to the states in 10 hours. Somehow, it didnt sink in yet, that im gonna be away for 3 months. But one thing's for sure, im gonna try to enjoy my summer!

I'll try to blog from time to time, with regards to my progress in my trip. I'll also try to upload pictures if possible, if the virus running around my com doesnt shut down my comp for good. haha.

Bye Singapore (for 3 months).

Hello Orlando.

Hello U.S.

Hello Japan.

End of Exams

2007-04-19T23:24:00.000+08:00

So the exams have ended 1 week ago, and since then it's been non-stop action. Lots more stuff to do before i head for the states, but whats most important is to catch up on the rest before my summer 'vacation'. Results are not coming in at all, and i aint that anxious about it anyway.

Been watching alot of CSIs as well, and each time CSI 5 shows the vegas scenary, it just makes me so excited to get there. I vaguely remember the beautiful memories i had from vegas, and when i look at the huge Pikachu just on top of my cupboard, it makes me all the more excited about going there again.

Sat down to plan the trip yesterday, and we're moving from LA to Grandcanyon to Vegas to San Fran to Santa Cruz and Santa Babara by way of a rented car. Just checked out the rates for a convertible and its like USD 476 for 10 days, which is quite affordable. Imagine riding down the freeway blasting music with our convertile top down and hair flying in the wind. Stopping at burger joints when we're hungry. Boy that rocks.

Random Pictures

2007-03-10T12:10:00.000+08:00

Just some random pics..

New year @ kenneth's

1, 3, 5, 7, 9!

LTB - the dance grp

Life on the line in Thailand

getting an artistic shot

Updates

2007-03-10T11:59:00.000+08:00

Well this blog has been dead for quite a while. Anyway truth is, i've been super lazy to update as much as i'm busy. School's really busy right now. I have 5 project deadlines in the next 2.5 weeks. But the people in school's pretty fun though. The people that im seeing most often right now is my LTB group, and i guess after it ends it'll feel real weird not seeing them.

LTB was a blast as much as a success. We went down to MINDS to teach the I.D children how to dance and paint, and brought them to Irene Nursing Home to bai nian to the elderly there, as well as put up a dance performance there for them to see. On top of that, just concluded this week was an etiquette workshop and a lifeskills workshop. Really hope that the kids are impacted.

So much thoughts running through the head. Need to clear them out.

Found a new found love. That is, listening to EMO songs, prolly cause been a little emo lately. But the best is when you're emo, and you listen to emo songs, and feel even more emo. Heaven. period. haha.

LOVE THIS WORLD!

Birthdays & WRX challenge

2006-11-05T02:50:00.000+08:00

Well Bryan turned 21 today with a dinner at Jurong Country Club. Well bryan turned up for my party alone, and i turned up for his alone as well. Nonetheless, made new friends there whom are bryan's friends, and they gladly took pains in accepting me into their girly circle. Haha.

And its also finally sam's turn amongst us 4 to turn 21, and it was celebrated with a bash at Fort Caning Country Club. Sang karaoke like we were all intoxicated, but of course i hardly touched alcohol for fear of getting caught. This is the bunch of people whom you will feel so comfortable that all your unglam moments can be revealed to them, and i do believe we have some caught on video of us doing nonsense while singing. Alcohol and drinks were free flow, and so were the somewhat back-dated songs.
After that, we went down to the Subaru WRX challenge outside Taka to take a look. Tonnes of cars were parked by the side of the road, and if the police comes, all the cars will get it, so we werent too bothered. It started wih 320 participants, and we were there which is about 12 hrs after they started, they numbered just under 200. Well the night is not as bad, wait till they experience the scorching sun once again. If God were kind, He would let the heavens pour, but well, since its for a $100K prize, and one should probably suffer abit. I do hope no one gets into serious health trouble though.

In CGH

2006-10-13T12:17:00.000+08:00

My brother got warded for dengue, and while in the hospital bed with the curtains drawn and my mother sneaking around inside, here's what i overheard..

After some random questions,

Doc: So you been overseas in the last 2 months?
Bro: Nope..
Mother: Erm, doc, he went to Sentosa last week.

Haha.
Me & my dad just looked at each other and laughed.
Super hilarious..

2006-10-10T00:00:00.000+08:00

Unreliablilty. Period.

Random Thoughts

2006-10-06T23:46:00.000+08:00

Random thoughts on a friday night...

1) Quite excited about the stats mid-term tomorrow. Crazy? Because after 3 yrs, im finally taking a paper that will have an influence in my life.

2) I found soot on my bed! Like wth?!? Its the haze man. I look out of my window, and its super super hazyyy.

3) Im serioulsy seriously considering if i should go work&travel USA, and i paid the deposit for it. I'm open to experiences, but i think im getting too comfortable in sg, thus the hesistation. Lots of things holding me back, but i think i'll go in the end.

4) Grandma's bdae tml, and yet another year older for her, and all of us.

5) Fides retreat is tml to mon, and i think i should go. So i will go on sunday and come back on mon.

6) My brother's fever hit 40.5 degrees! Makes one feel so vulnerable. You never now what may happen tomorrow.

7) Just saw a mail about a inter-sg uni exchange, where i can study in ntu or nus for one sem. Not a bad prospect, but i alr wanna go exchange!

8) Maybe i sld run for SA next yr, just for the fun of it.

9) I need alcohol and a dance floor and damn good RnB.. badly.. next week, next week.

10) ok im not studying, and i just watched the OCT video. brings back tonnes of good and bad memories. cheers to the 40th NSPIs!

Life is a daring adventure, or nothing at all - Helen Keller

School!

2006-09-27T17:11:00.000+08:00

Well school has pretty much settled down for me, and things are better now; much better from the sense of hopelessness i felt in the first 2 weeks of school. Pretty busy throughout this whole few weeks, and many datelines are looming next week as the midterms are coming. Well the routine these few weeks has been pretty much like this:

For mons, leave hse 750am reach home 10pm
Tues, leave hse 750am reach home 10pm
Wed, leave hse 750am reach home 10+pm
Thurs, no school but depending on proj meetings
Fri, similar to Thurs

Just last week, i was down in school on Sat and Sun for projects! Haha
Joined Voice Personality Hunt in School and i got 2nd. More importantly, prize money is $300!

A lovely story

2006-09-17T02:09:00.000+08:00

Just caught The Family Man on tv earlier, and im quite touched by the show.

How nice it is to be like the family in the show, where you are so in love with your partner that all else doesnt matter. No big ambitions to think about, no high life, no big careers, just you and your partner and your family, and you're terribly happy. A life where you feel with your partner, you can tide over anything. A simple simple life, but yet so fufilling and rewarding.

What a life!

A fantasy life perhaps?

I'm 21! and (legal to watch RA)

2006-09-06T23:28:00.000+08:00

So i'm 21 today!

i think this pic is nice

I'm 21!

Cheers world!

My Birthday Party!

2006-09-03T19:10:00.000+08:00

Well so my birthday house party was over yest! Im so glad most people turned up. It was fun fun fun; and the feeling of it feels good. Thanks to a few of my friends as well as my family for their great help in making Lester's 21st bdae celebration a great day to remember!

I'll blog more about it as soon as i have the time, while now i have to go and rush my 2000 word case study as well as my Analytical Skills project.

Till then.

Regrets and school

2006-08-23T21:10:00.000+08:00

I guess when the going gets tough, one just often pauses and looks back to the past for assurances. And right now, i look back, and i really regret a decision - a single decision - that i made a few months back. I remember very clearly a friend telling me to think really carefully, for if i do regret, it'll be very painful. Although i do think about it all the time these days, life is not about regrets, it is about moving forward. But still, it was my fault in the 1st place.

Met celine for coffee at Starbucks Cathay earlier as she was going to school for dance. She's pratically dancing all the time these days, and i do hope she does study at least a bit, and not at her (8 pages a day) pace.

So the assignments are piling up in the 1st week of school. What a screwed up system my school has, preassigning us only 3 modular credits, and making us fret on what to bid, when there arent even enough courses available. Projects are starting to pile as well. Well, Welcome to school, welcome to the school's thats 'different'.

Looking forward and trying to stay +ve!

School Starts

2006-08-21T23:57:00.000+08:00

Well school started today and well assignments are already coming in. My creative thinking projet group is meeting up this thursday to do the project. how enthu. So far its a 3 day week, depending on the last module i bid for. To think i was happy about a 3 day week, and already the first week and i have to go back to school on a thursday. So much for that..

Been feeling a lil down these few days, from the hesistation of school starting, to some family stuffs, to a good friend having rship problems. And celine is also treating me like im some stranger everytime i see her, and i just saw her today. Well hope things get more cheerful soon, as i get more into school stuffs and ccas.

Somehow the 21st is coming but i dont feel a thing. I was so enthu about the planning and stuffs prior to this week - printing cards and stuff - but if u asked me to do it this week, i probably wont. Hopefully by Sep things will be much better!

2006-08-15T02:15:00.000+08:00

well so all the camps have ended and its one week to school starting. Everything's pretty uncertain right now.. just feeling a little disgruntled with life and the prospect of school starting. My bdae's coming, and well went down with angie today to get the invites printed out. Still thinking of an appropriate form of entertainment to have, and everything is still not sorted out. Hope it'll be up soon. One thing's for sure, i'll buy more alcohol because everyone is asking for it.

To you: well i tried to be caring and nice, but it seems to be taken for granted. No more..

Orientations

2006-08-02T20:38:00.000+08:00

Well completed 2 camps,, and 2 more to go. Firstly was sports camp from 20 - 22 July, and another was Business camp which ended today, ran from 31 July - 2 Aug.

Sports camp was the most well organized camp i've ever been to. The logistical movements of the equiptment, the co-ordination and the effort put in by the exco is certainly commendable.

Biz camp, on the other hand, is not quite as well organized, but the people there were more 'happening'. There was alot of booze to go around on the second night, and one of the rooms was even converted into a club, with the school system playing the music! Exciting stuff.

Want to blog more, but im like super tired.

Meeting day

2006-07-27T23:23:00.000+08:00

Well today is a pretty pretty fruitful day. Firstly, its the 4 and second last day of the English Language Workshop(ELW)! Well ELW is for people who suck at GP, like myself.

After lessons, headed to meet Brandon and Jiayan from Sports OG, and watched Macho Libre at Cine. Kinda crap show, but it was alright.
After that, met up with Keneth and Rach for dinner at Sakae, and we had the BEST-EST seats at Sakae wheelock - tatami seats right at the secluded corner. Great meeting rach after so long, coz i miss her!

Last day of ELW tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Mummy!

2006-07-16T22:55:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday Mummy!

And many many happy returns and many many more happy birthdays ahead..

Back to school!

2006-07-15T00:52:00.000+08:00

Well after 3 hours of shuffling between msn, the internet and the task at hand, i finally completed an essay.

YES, an essay.

But why? School hasn't even started!

Well blame it on SMU, who insists that its students have to complete an essay for those who's GP is not good enough that are going for the english workshop.

______________________________

Essay Topic 1:

Some argue that Singaporean businesses need to develop cultures that foster creativity, innovation, and continuous improvement in order to remain globally competitive in the future. Explain why YOU think these three elements are important for a business to succeed and remain competitive.

Essay Topic 2:

Advertising can tell you a lot about a country. Often commercials reflect a country’s culture. How important do YOU think it is that commercials are created for the local populace?

______________________________

After not writing an essay for 2 1/2 yrs, you really cant expect me to write a superb essay (plus my GP's only C5) especially with such topics. But oh well, we all have to start somewhere..

And i start here.

Difference in Standards

2006-07-13T20:11:00.000+08:00

Today i was in town, and i went to Levi's at Taka because i wanted to punch an additional hole in my belt. So i happily strode in confident of being able to get it done because i was wearing a levi's jeans - and guess what? Some idiot at the counter, "Oh, not levi's belt ar, sorry i cannot help you." I mean come on, its only to punch one additional hole in the belt! I think he was trying to flirt with this other girl at the sales counter. I'll sack this kind of salesman man. Hope he rots there.

So i went to Zara to look at the clothes, and i saw a belt section. And i decided to try my luck, and i got it done, at ZARA! And it was this nice gentleman wearing a suit who very politely helped me.

Firstly, maybe because Zara is more established, but that is no excuse. Secondly, that punk is probably younger than me so he may not have travelled around to "discover" service standards. Still i think he should get sacked.

2nd matriculation at SMU today and i signed up for Sports camp, Biz camp and the compulsory freshman camp. Initially wanted to go SMUX camp but i got some crap english workshop for a whole week, because my GP is not up to standard. Too embarrassed with myself.
Nonetheless, SMU looks promising..

China Holiday

2006-07-07T21:43:00.000+08:00

Just got back from China about 15 hours ago, and im still physically drained due to the only 2 hrs sleep on the plane. Nonetheless, it was a pretty fun trip, lots of history, lots of heritage and lousy food.

Well if you've been to China, you'll realise that the people there are very rude. When they bang you, they dont say sorry, and they'll do anything just to get ahead of you. They always say if you cant beat them, fight them (haha), so thats what i did.
I f*cked an old man who cut my queue. Why? Because i was queueing a whole hour for some famous xiao long bao in Shanghai and i wasnt going to let him get ahead of me after queueing for so long.
I also quarelled with a lady who apparently scolded me in some dialect that i dont understand. So there we were happily standing at a designated spot for taxis and this lady just cut in front of us and went for the cab. I was like, WTF?!? So i went over there, told her not to cut my queue and blocked her way to the door of the cab. Thats when she started scolding me, but i really dont give a damn. My parents were laughing all the way in the cab.

I covered Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing and also Wuxi. Shanghai, famous for the amount of people. Suzhou, once famous for their pretty fair(nice) skinned ladies, until all left for greener pastures. Hangzhou, the story of Liang San Po & Zhu Ying Tai and premium grade long jing tea. Nanjing, for the ChangJiang bridge, and Wuxi, for their fresh water pearls.

One point to take note of, if you go to China, is that they talk so well in chinese that more often than not, before you realise, you're smoked into adding to the GDP of China. So we went to the(jacked-up prices) jade factory, pearl factory, long jing tea plantation, silk factory, where lots of people parted with their monies, mine included. But the worse is where we went for a feng shui talk. This guy, Chen, was so convincing that he convinced 4 familes to part about S$12K for a few stone pi xiu. Now pi xiu is this animal which is supposed to bring good fortune, and the highest price paid was by this NIE prof in our grp, for 3 stone pi xiu about 15cm in length at most, S$7200. What a rip off! I bet he's cursing and swearing right now, because you can get those pi xiu on the road for 1/100 of the price.
So beware!

But of course, i love the exchange rate.
The average wage is 800 RMB, which is s$160. Way too low! Quite pity them, because they have to slog so hard for S$160, but of course, their standard of living is different.

Some pictures..

Its so amazing that you get to do things with your family while on a holiday that you havent done at all in your life in s'pore. And of course, a big thank you to my parents, firstly for financing this trip, and for the many happy memories in China.

Happy Birthday, Vincent!

2006-06-26T01:14:00.000+08:00

Well, a big shout out to a good friend of mine,

VINCENT CHOO WEI TAT

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY

Reminisce of the past in PA

2006-06-15T19:47:00.000+08:00

This post is up EARLY specially for my buddy who used to complain that i rocked the bed too much, i rubbed my nose too loud in the middle of the night and that i didnt give a damn about him, and of course, the buddy that never shares his good food with me. Lolx..

So i went back to Police Academy (PA) last Sat with Sam for Police Week Carnival 2006. It was just a year ago that i was running all over PA trying to get things in order and now im back, as a member of public. This year's carnival is much more impressive than the previous 2 years largely because of the layout of the carnival, where it seems to have much more stuff all around because of the lack of huge empty spaces of grass. The tentages were all compact together making the carnival have a very warm feel to it. They had the same archery booth at the old PA range, with Uncle Ringo back again with their games, and Harvey Norman came to set up their huge row of make-shift stall as well.

So after saying hi to my ex-colleagues and ex-bosses from Welfare and looking around the carnival, Sam and myself made our way back to our old bunk where we stayed for 9 mths.
Of course, this place is largely deserted now, so God knows how much eerie-er it can get. But the ramblings from the 42th OCT were still on the board.

And this is our stairway to our beloved creepy toilet, where the toilet doors will just start swinging in the middle of the night while you're peeing.

And this is where 12 guys used to bathe naked each time, and also where Xu Wen erected while bathing with 11 other guys. Lol !!!

And while walking around, guess what we saw! If it were in our time, we'll probably get screwed upside down, made to run 20 rounds round the parade square, held in push-up position for over an hour, and confined!

Now guess why?

So we walked to the grand back entrance of our barracks.

And then it was on to the basketball court, where we played soccer, basketball, did our pull-ups, had our junior term bar and of course, had the killer PT session with FI Eddie.

On to the swimming pool, where trapping water for how long would determine the swimming CAT status of a cadet. Yes, a dumb procedure no doubt, but thats what Gus (Btw, word's going around that Collin Ma broke Gus's hand with his Dojo move) would do.

And who can forget, the road we take every morning to flag raising, the road that we'll run along after every tiring PT/"short run" sessions, the road we always run/march/walk along 99% of the time no matter where we go in PA..

Who can forget SPOM? The place we were all looking forward to.. Our dining in, which means our POP!!

The rest of course, is a story saved for another time.....

(for old time's and my buddy's sake..)

Best Regards,
Lester Chia
Manpower Officer
Staff Well-Being
Welfare Division
SPF Manpower Dept

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2006-06-10T12:22:00.000+08:00

Ok just woke up by a call from Sam asking what time to meet. *yawn* Time to go Police Week Carnival!

Well clubbing yesterday was great! after not clubbing for some time. Music was much better as well, much better than MOS. And guess what, 2 of us got like damn high on 1 bottle of Tiger from the coffeeshop, 1 jug of Bourbon & 2 glasses of graveyard. Damn loser right? Like so lousy alcohol threshold.

And Miss Sim was there, super duper high as usual.

Just heard something really funny the other day from a friend who went for a Baptist (that is now based in Expo) church camp. They were doing a sin list and guess what's top on the list? Being a catholic! i mean like wtf?!? If being a Catholic is a sin, where does that leave your Baptist church? Ok i wont go into an idelogical debate, but its downright ridiculous that their teachings is that. And some other 'sins' include insomnia (??) and poor appetite. And of course, their sin list just goes on.

To the friend: I'm really sorry for what happened and that it has to be this way but thanks for wanting to be there no matter what happens.

Sex is Zero

2006-06-07T16:35:00.000+08:00

Just watched finished Sex is Zero. Its a super hilarious show, coupled with some steamy scenes. And the lead is damn hot! And she plays a student in a local Uni. If only Uni had such hotties like her.. that'd be great.. lol.
To show all of you im such a generous fellow, i shall share with all of you - Ha Ji Won.

The beauty of It

2006-06-07T12:50:00.000+08:00

There's something i'd just like to say, which im sure you all already know - that is, the beauty of parents. When you're down and out, you can DEFINITELY be sure that they'll be there for you. When you're mood-swingy (yes, thats weird for a guy, i know), they're the ones that will give in to you and try to make you happy. When there is a need for something, they're also the ones that will try their best to give it to you. They may not even take the best for themselves, but they'll give it to you.

Awww, yes, the beauty of my parents.

I love them!

Sad but True

2006-06-02T00:22:00.000+08:00

Today, about 15 ex-marists met up after such a long long time - to be exact, after the O'levels. And it aint cause of something good, its because one of our marist friend passed away. Just so sad that it has to be at a wake that everyone's meeting up, and even sadder that one so young has to just go like that.

Nonetheless, it was great meeting up. Just reminiscing about our marist past and roaring with laughters till our abs hurt and throats hoarse just made the painful thought of a friend leaving this world go away.

And i met Miss Daphne Heng earlier in the day for lunch after not seeing her for like 3 yrs? Was great meeting this friend of 7yrs.

Repainting

2006-06-01T00:10:00.000+08:00

well this few days is a period of re-painting of the house.. i helped out 'abit', if you'd see why. Pity just no photo of my Dad, who slogged the hardest to get our rooms all re-painted.

Even my usual lazy Mum got into the action.. lol

my bro touching up

reality?

accident

2006-05-19T13:00:00.000+08:00

Mum just called to say she met got into an accident. She knocked down a lady on her bike outside plaza singapura. Apparently, she didnt check blindspot. She's now headed to the hospital with the lady and the amublance. Hope everything will be alright.

Lesson Learnt: Check Blind Spot even though you're a lao jiao driver!

holidays

2006-04-15T11:09:00.000+08:00

hmm.. here's what i've been doing since the ever long awaited ORD date..

31Mar - 3 Apr 06
Went to Bintan with my family for the weekend. We landed up playing mahjjong most of the time. We rented the welfare villa, and it even came with a buggy! So wherever we went, we zipped around in the wonderfully bald-tire-buggy. And there was the wonderful beach with lots of sandflies. But the sand was beautifully white and "soft".

9 Apr - 13 Apr
I have the most amazing mum. She once again generously financed my trip to Hong Kong. The flight there was great! thanks to the upgrade to business class on cathay pacific. but the worst thing happened after. because the seat was so spacious, somehow my digi camera dropped onto the floor, and it spoiled! on the first day, well not even the first day, but the first hour! so no photos from this trip..

Well got to stay in Shangri-la kowloon for the first 2 nights, after which we stayed at an apartment for the remaining 2 nights. Shopping isnt that great, mainly because things are quite highly priced. But it got better as we got to ladies street and fa yuen street, much like the night markets in taiwan, where you can bargain as much as 50% of the price.

Went up to the peak as well, but it was super cloudy, so we couldnt see much. But we went to the walk of starts by the channel, and what a skyline. The skyline stretches for like 180degrees from Kowloon, and our timing was so nice that we got to catch the lights parade from the top of the many sky scrapers.

and i have to start work soon.. *yawn*

Roadtrip!

2006-03-22T21:06:00.000+08:00

And so, 4 guys took to the streets of M'sia yesterday for what would be such an exciting roadtrip.

HockLee, Aaron, Yuan Kiat & myself went into JB for some shopping and the exciting prospect of cheap seafood. It started with shopping at holiday inn, where 1 in 3 cars in the carpark belonged to S'poreans - a s'porean paradise. And then we proceeded to Pengarang, where a futile atempt by aaron to eat in JB itself went unnoticed. So we took the 2 hour drive to somewhere near Desaru for our beloved dose of lobsters and prawns, even our nice driver told us that he may get lost. Throughout the journey, it was superbly fun crapping around.

Aaron's going HongKong with a "primary school friend", and someone whom he just went out with on the 2nd date today. He's planning to get, or rather, we hinted at him to get the first kiss on Victoria Peak. Now how romanticccc is that!

On to the restaurant that Yummy King 3 stopped by in 2003, among the yummies that we had, we had lobsters, ceral prawns & promfrot (dunno how to spell). And the lobster costs just half of what it would cost in S'pore!

Back to S'pore, we played mahjjong for 3 hours at my place before watching lousy liverpool trash even lousier brimingham 7 -0. Boo.

What a fun and exciting roadtrip. More more more!

[photos not in]

2006-03-13T22:18:00.000+08:00

As i left office for what would probably be one of the last times i leave cantonment, i leave with a certain ambivalence, not because i'll miss the culture there, but rather my area and the routine for the past one year. As i left, not many farewells were said as i leave a place that i didnt really enjoy. I left a shitty boss and a even shittier culture and i'll be glad to look forward to what the future has in stall for me, armed with the knowledge of knowing a little better now, about office politics.

2006-03-13T02:31:00.000+08:00

ORDed!

ORDing

2006-03-11T13:47:00.000+08:00

One more day! will be the day i get my pink i/c..

Had my ORD farewell with some of my dept's peeps on thurs where we had a sumptuous dinner at a kopitiam. Considering its a kopitiam, it whipped out - at SI Johnny's request - butter crayfish, chilli crab, herbal prawns, golden something chicken. In total, the ever so generous SI forked out $500 for the food and another $200 for the beers.

yesterday was my last work day, and i was hectic-ly busy. still had to slog out on my last work day. MPD's D&D was held last night at the jewel box @ mt Faber. Still felt last year's D&D was better, but it was still as fun. In a way, its like an appropriate farewell for me and my squadmates, to go out with a BANG. Had lots of photos as well, will post them when i got it uploaded.
The lucky draw concept was pretty cool, where they had 10 boxes lined up along the stage, and any prize that you want you'd put in your coupon to contest for the prize. A bad thing is that you only have one chance for the top prizes. The prizes ranged from azen neeon, a sony camera, a PSP, a philips hi-fi, a portable dvd player... and i won the philips hi-fi! haha an appropriate prize to get me ready for school with mine spoilt..
got nominated for best dress as well, but i didnt win due to insufficient votes. haha. people arcoss the floor were supposed to sms in. but think not enough fan base.

today's sat and its just 1 day to ORD! For those that went through the army journey,..

ORD, back to study
Got degree, so happy,
cant forget , still remember,
the day i got my pink i/c..

2006-03-04T15:07:00.000+08:00

NTU has a new major for BBA - tourism and hospitality management. and now im in a dilemna. tourism was something i have always wanted to do but is not available in s'pore, till now... though i feel that SMU will give me a better education, somehow i feel inclined to lean towards what i'd like to pursure..what's more, NTU offers a 3 yr direct honours while SMU is a 4 yr direct honours course..

SMU or NTU?

was on the train last night and saw lots of recruits. and looking back at the journey i've comed, i'd say what an interesting journey it was..and i have exactly 8 days of my liability left to serve. its so interesting that once you attain the age of 18 ( for JC students), you are plucked out from the comfort of your home and thrown into the unknown, where you are forced to bond with people you may or may not like, and forced to train hard though you may not like it. but once there, we try to make do the best out of it. and the experience and friendships that we take out of there are so valuable that no one can ever take it away.

now back to these recruits, they were unabashedly talking about this girl they saw on the way and how hot she looked and blah blah. they even went to the point of pointing at the poster of a pregnancy kit tester and asked each other if they ever or will ever use it.. loudly in public..
well recruits will always be recruits.. the result of wearing the green uniform. im sure all of us passed through this at one point or another..

ORD!

2006-02-25T12:17:00.000+08:00

Just watched VH1's fabulous life of today's supermodels. no doubt they lead this super glam life, but they are just so stunning - God's gift to them and to us men. haha. top of the countdown of the hottest is gisele bundchen, but the hottest i feel is still, adriana lima.

simply gorgeous..

2006-02-24T22:57:00.000+08:00

actually whats the point of saying "i feel very bad" and not do anything about it?
might as well dont say it if nothing nice will come out of it.
pissed.
some ppl just wont ever understand me.

anyway its a friday at home in a long while. havent been home on a friday. think today's jinx. everyone either has something on or deployment tomorrow. so i went to the hougang gym to work out abit, since i havent been to the gym this week at all. well at least i made a friend in the gym. mum's been playing mahjjong all day and still is now. was actually supposed to play at fannie's, but aaron has a last min deployment tomorrow morning. so think im just gonna read my ins book abit, and burn through movies all night.

and guess what? its 16 days to my ORD! just cant wait to start school.

2006-02-24T18:08:00.000+08:00

below that facade, is this lonliness that i just want out of me. shit. i hate it.

2006-02-15T19:30:00.000+08:00

valentine's day was sweet. it was mainly at sentosa where we zipped around in the sentosa bus from one end to another. after deliberating on what to do, we finally settle on the luge. The luge is okie, not fantastic, just alright. The course is too short though, for people like me that wants to 'eVo' down the course.

after that we headed down to underwater world where, again, we felt that the whole trail is too short. but the marine life was quite pleasing to see though. then it was off to dolphin lagoon where cel volunteered and had her body drenched and got kissed by the pink dolphin. quite a nice sight that i got on video. after that, we just hopped on and off trams and buses before finally arriving at the musical fountain.

dinner was a real "good experience". just ask cel and she'll tell you that. thank God she wasnt fuming. one thing that's funny is that we arrived after a couple and left earlier, with the other couple not even having their food yet. the girl was just fuming mad! ha..
and oh yes, if you have any special occasion to celebrate, DO NOT go to COSY BAY!

Surf & Sweat 2006

2006-02-07T15:48:00.000+08:00

presenting to you...

Surf & Sweat 2006
Beach Soccer
2nd Runner-Ups

from left: my brother, kenny, me, olsen, my cousin jerald

guess who were the crowd pullers at surf&sweat? part of SR dance team!

the girly sunglasses that i won as part of the 3rd prize..

and guess who got it..

Great day at sentosa on Sunday for beach soccer. The sun was shining, the people were hot and lots of friends were there for the various events. A total of 32 teams competed for the honours.

It started with the group stage where we drew 2 and won 1. From there, we won all the way straight through to the semis where we lost on penalties. Thereafter we won the 3rd place play-offs with a 1-0 hard fought victory.
In the quarters we played against a sore-loser ex NP dragon boat team who thought that size was everything. But too bad, guess they were wrong. That match ended off on a sour note as some walked off without even shaking hands.

And so, for the third prize, we received 2 Tiger beer hampers, $100 worth of vouchers and 5 girly NEXT sunglasses. I think we'd even have our photograph coming out on the NTU magazine! I only pity the 4th placed team, who will walk away with nothing after a whole day of hard fought matches except a short mention by the emcee.

Great day, great 12 hours spent at siloso beach, great fun.

2006-01-30T22:49:00.000+08:00

just came back from watching fearless with my family. and i actually teared. when he was about to die. and i quickly wiped off the tears, for fear of the fact that my dad sitting beside me will laugh at me.

as i was driving out of the carpark, i saw a sight which made me cringe with pity and sadness. on the pavement selling tissues is an old blind man, balding and just squatting there waiting for what may probably be his meal of the day. it was just a glance as the car shot by, and im sure none of my family members saw it, but it was enough to leave me with so much sadness. i mean, its the 2nd day of cny at 10pm, and this blind man has to come out to sell tissues to support himself. maybe he doesnt have a choice, but i really admire his determination and i feel so sad for him. in my heart, i was saying a prayer for him. back at home, i knelt at the altar for another prayer, that God will bless and protect the man and all disabled, that admist their handicapped, they will find the courage and strength to lead this life.

i will go back to bishan to find him tomorrow.

and i realise how lucky i am, and im not going to take that for granted.

Ambition?

2006-01-25T23:04:00.000+08:00

Do u still remember when you were a kid, you wanted to be everything? Well, i wanted to be a policeman (which i am now), a fireman, a lawyer, a EPL football player, a singer and the list just goes on and on, just like how a kid's imagination should be - wild and imaginative.

If you ask me now what i wanna be, i would say i would wanna be a sportsman, actually any sportsman on a pro tour is fine, but more specifically, i wanna be a EPL football player. Can you just imagine earning millions for doing something you like, for chasing your passion, strutting your stuff in front of tens of thousands cheering for you.

of course, that is just a dream; a fantasy.

2006-01-18T14:45:00.000+08:00

Was at celine's place last night and something funny happened.

Peace (the overly-pampered dog) was rummaging through angeline's luggage as she was packing to leave for hongkong. nobody was watching her except me sitting comfortably on the sofa as the whole family was apparently busy running about each with their own mini errands. so i watched as she sniffed through angeline's clothings and guess what? she settled on the undergarments. so she was happily biting the bra strap when celine's mum suddenly walked back and shouted for peace to stop. and off peace ran, with a pantie between her teeth!

Soon help came as celine, angeline and her mum were trying to catch peace to take the undergarment back. it's quite a funny sight as 3 adults were running all over trying to catch peace with a pantie betwen her teeth. and sure, peace was satisfied with the pantie and wouldnt let herself get caught. of course, i just sat there and watched. afterall, im sure they wouldnt want me taking the pantie for obvious reasons.

if only you all could see it, what a funny moment. haha.

2006-01-16T17:34:00.000+08:00

Celebrated JC's 21st birthday with the jc clique yesterday! its the first time in months since all 6 of us could make it down to a table for a meal. haha. had fish and co at suntec where we ordered 2 seafood platter for 2 and 1 new york fish & chips and 1 normal fish & chips. in the end, we landed up playing zhong1 ji2 mi1 ma3 to finish up the excess mussels and calamarie and also the birthday cake. think the people inside fish&co were pretty irritated with us as we made a hell lot of noise. but who cares? you only hit 21 once! proceeded to Conrad for drinks after that, and suprisingly, no one ordered alcohol. haha. so me and vincent were the first to wish her happy birthday in person cause we were the only ones left with her on the way home. how sweet can that get. haha.

To JC: My dear a BIG BIG happy birthday to you! Thanks for being the keeper and hope you'll continue being a great one. haha. a happy happy 21st to you and may you age with wonderful grace.

Today's also Paul's 21st birthday.

To Paul: Bro, looks like you're the 1st among the 4 to hit the R(A) movies yea? haha. Really enjoyed our times together, be it with the 4 on our initial fri nights or with the clubbing gang in countless clubs, but here's wishing you freedom from the ex! And of course, best wishes for hitting the big 21. Seeya on sat!

2nd anniversary of NS

2006-01-13T12:51:00.000+08:00

exactly this day 2 years ago, i was on a ferry enroute tekong. many memories just come flooding back. from the sufferings in bmt to the elation of passing out to the challenges faced. a good 2 years i would say, with many challenges conquered and many weaknesses exposed.

with the 2nd year mark today, it marks 2 months to my ORD!

and what better way to mark it than with a day of sunshine peering through the clouds after 5 days of continuous rains.

I'm a LEGAL driver

2005-12-31T15:51:00.000+08:00

Finally, no more fear of driving on the expressway/road and feeling paranoid at every other vehicle (some of you may know what im talking about). I finally got my license! After passing my final theory on the fifth try, twice failing and twice forgetting to go, and waiting for about 4 months for my TP, it has finally reached my hands - the coveted license to drive.

For those of you curious as to how many demerit points i received, i got 16. And i struck the curb at the crank course. See how lucky i must be. But thanks to the tester as well, he was lenient with me.

(Crank Course filled with cars as i entered)

(At the final bend in the crank course)
Instructor eyeing my rear left wheel as i turned at the final turn
As i turned, i struck the curb.

Tester: (immediately turns around and shouts) STRIKE CURB!

Me: (Jerks up and after taking in the gravity of that mistake, lets out a loud sigh)

Tester: (looks at me smugly) Strike curb ar

Me: (slowly nod my head)

1/2 way to failing my TP

It was actually quite funny, if it weren't for me being in a driving test, to see the instructor turning around shouting so loudly i would have laughed out.

After that i must have appeared nervous as he gave me specific instructions to go here or there and double and thriple checked his instructions to me.

A near flwaless run on the road helped me attain the coveted license. And a real big thanks to Celine, for being so fearless and having such confidence in me - the ONLY one to have such faith in me when no one else would have done so.

(At the de-brief)

Tester: So you strike curb ar..

Me: (nods head again)

Tester: So, you made several mistakes. Blah, blah..

Me: (My mind was really in a blank, the prospect of waiting another 3 mths for the next test is quite demoralising, and i just nodded at everything he said while appearing quite sad. After the de-brief, i was thinking back, and i realised that i didnt even absorb a word of what the tester said about my mistakes. )

Finally, after announcing all my mistakes, and emphasizing to me that he did not deduct 8 points from me for failing to confirm safety (which im so thankful for), ....

Tester: Do you know you cannot control the car in the circuit? I thought that you also cant control the car on the road, but eh, on the road you're okay what. If you cannot control the car on the road i also won't give it to you.

With that, he turned around and ticked, PASSED.

I'm a cry BABY

2005-12-20T21:25:00.000+08:00

Had one of the busiest days in office today. Bring Your Kids to Work is in session, whereby officers bring their children (2 - 12 yrs old) to work, and they can either leave their child with us or they can choose to stay with their children throughout the programme. Specially crafted programmes were drafted by engaged trainers to ensure parents and child got enough bonding time together but not at the expense of the childrens' fun time.

Even director CID brought his children down together with his wife. Looking at him, you see him like all other human beings or fathers. You'd think that being a director, everyone has to give him respect, me included, but like all fathers, he has to tie his son's shoelace when his son asks, has to take drinks for his son when his son asks.

Looking at the different kinds of kids, i began thinking what type i was. The crybaby kind, the quiet keep-to-himself kind, the curious kind, the super hyper-active, the extrovert, the sporty agile kind or petty kind.

Well after just having a friendly discussion with my parents, sad to say, i was the crybaby in my earlier years. There were times when i would just cry and cry and cry and Mum would not get to sleep till 6am. She said she'd put me down after patting me and lie down on her bed, but i would start wailing again, and she'd get up to pat me till i fall asleep again and the cycle goes on, with my father snoring away in the background. Haha. I still am a crybaby now, but only when im very sad though.
I was also hyper-active, in the sense that i cant keep still and run aroundddd, you know, those kind of irritating kid. Haha.
Very hard to be pleased kind (still am now though).

I certainly have alot of my father's bad traits that i dont really wish to name. I'm a firm believer that what a child sees is what he will learn and do, and as hard as im trying to shrug it off, im having so much difficulty doing it. I really hope i'll change for the better soon, so God help me please.

xMas

2005-12-20T18:16:00.000+08:00

yea! xMas is round the corner once more, the most jovial the best time of the year! Every year toward xMas i'll just feel so happy, and i hope this year proves to be the same.

So sad to not be able to walk down Orch with my girlfriend, to shop & sightsee. She's either got dance or clubbing or all that jazz, while i am, pretty much very boring. Haha. Anyone wanna go walk Orch?

nonetheless, a very very MERRY XMAS to one and all (though the decorations along orch aren't all that nice this year).

Lumbong Trek

2005-12-13T20:13:00.000+08:00

Over the weekend, i went with NUS Rovers to Lumbong for trekking. Situated near Kota Tinggi in Johore, it is supposedly one of the easier routes for trekking. When you hear the word easy, you would think of it as a fairly straight-forward route right? At least thats what me and gilbert thought, but the route was actually quite tedious - criss crossing the river, waist deep water crossing, climbing up near vertical slopes, cutting across waterfalls and having to pass through some fairly dense vegetation. It started raining as when we were half-way into the trek, and by the time we reached the campsite, we were all drenched and shivering.

The campsite at the top is an open area of white sand, sand much like siloso's, and as it was still raining, we just huddled in a circle and looked at each other as we braved the cold. All in all however, it was a very good experience for a first time.

3 musketeers

Navigating the route up

My group

Dinner was sumptuous! Other than the standard maggi noodles, we actually brought up eggs for frying, canned mushrooms, campbell soup, bread and also packet porridge and canned fruits. But even if it was just maggi noodles, we'd be contented, because any food tastes good when hungry! I dont know whether its because i was hungry or that the girls in my group knew how to whip up a nice omelette, but the fried egg cooked in the mess tin under a bunsen burner tasted fantastic! So did the canned longans and canned almond and the maggi mee.
The com members even brought up their own steamboat! And a frying pan with a stove to fry chicken!
Power.

The next day on the way down, we stopped by the third waterfall for abit of fun.

Had dinner in JB beside City Plaza, at a back alley filled with throngs of pushcarts. Stingray and vegetables shared among 3 at just S$4 each.
As we hit the bus terminal, it was packed like sardines! As they say, there's a first for everything, so we decided to walk across the causeway. As if that was not enough, the Singapore side terminal was so packed as well that we decided to walk from Woodlands checkpoint to Masiling to take a train home.
As soon as i bathed after reaching home, my head touched the pillow and it was goodnight to the world.

Blissful 25th yr anniversary

2005-12-01T22:59:00.000+08:00

My parents hit the milestone of being married for 25 years today. I can just imagine those struggles just to bring me and my brother up, and im terribly grateful for that. And to celebrate the occasion, my family had dinner at the old Westin, with wines and cakes, and plenty of delights.

As of today, my official count to ORD is 101 days!
101 and counting..

Milestone in Wakeboarding

2005-11-22T09:37:00.000+08:00

Went wakeboarding yesterday, and i could finally jump! Not those kind of kiddy kiddy jump, but a jump of some considerable height. Of course, there was pain in the process as i smacked face down right into the water umpteen times.

I still remember the day when i could first ride on the water as being the first milestone. And now, i've reached yet another.

Till date, many many money burned of course.

UWO Retreat & MPD Bangkok Trip

2005-11-18T18:58:00.000+08:00

It's 2 countries in 1 week.

Went to Thailand from last thurs to sun, spent lots of money, bought lots of things, drank lots of liquor and smoked my lungs dry, and ate hellalot!

And as soon as i got back, it was off to Bintan from wed to today, fri for UWO Retreat. It sure is one of the more fun roadtrips i've been on. We stayed at the extravagant Bintan Lagoon Resort villas. We had a total of 3 villas of different sizes; Buganvile, Angsoka & Cempaka. The Angsoka villa is huge! There's even a swimming pool attached behind the villa, which sadly, only one of us utilised it.

The angsoka villa swimming pool from the balcony

Back view of a sibling villa

On the 2nd day, we took a 1 1/2 hour roadtrip to Tanjong Pinang. Navigating the hilly roads and bends at like 90km/h, the skilful driver caused many of the older folks to throw up.

As soon as we hit the town, i got turned off. The buildings are rottingly old, the air is filled with fumes from the countless motorbikes, and the whole place is just so dusty, so dirty. My sensitive nose got even more sensitive with the dust and fumes. I seriously cannot imagine myself living in such a setting. But at least i managed to get some tibits for loved ones.

The UWOs are such a fun bunch, and though i was secretly hoping for the whole retreat to end (due to the neverending nerve wrecking pressure from my boss), im already missing them, especially the aunties whom i could get along so well with. Everyone could get along so well as a group, all watching out for one another, all never hesistating to share items as seen from the team building games played. I'm so glad to have experienced such camaraderie thought the huge age gap was evidently present.

Group photo

And this is Florence. She is sooo gentle she makes me cringe everytime im near her.

And how could i forget about the liquor bought from the 2 trips. DFS of course.

Liquor galore

Hell Hole

2005-11-09T18:03:00.000+08:00

My office has the most fucked up people around.
The environment is really wrong, just wrong.

On the bright side, as what Paul says, its "brutal learning".

This place just stinks.
I cant wait to get out of here.

4 months and counting....

a WRX soon?

2005-11-06T13:16:00.000+08:00

My 'sudden' conversation with my Dad in the car.

After seeing a WRX zoom by.
Dad: "Eh, so whats so good about a WRX ar? Just a car only wad. Maybe i should get a WRX as my next car then we'll see what's so good about it!"

My heart skipped a beat.

Me: "wa u sure not. then you should dye your hair all white and wear oakleys. Lao Hiao!"

Dad: "but then again, maybe not la. Coz its a rear wheel drive (after just checking, its a ALL wheel drive), and when you break the car may ski."

Me: "No la wont one la. Its a rally car le. Performance engine performance car!"

And so, the prospect of getting a WRX in the house in the coming years just excites me so much! Even though eventually when my parents changes car and do not get a WRX which will eventually be the case, still, im still VERY excited by the idea right now.

Demanding?

2005-11-04T13:33:00.000+08:00

Am i too demanding?
All i asked for is a call to say sorry and maybe a little pampering.
I got more quarrels instead.

Maybe we're just not in the right mindset to be committed.

They always say you got to lose a person to know the value of a person.
Is it true?

My Shot at Acting

2005-11-03T11:11:00.000+08:00

I had a shot at acting yesterday. And it was not just any set, but those sets with the huge cameras on a roller and the special lightings and a director shouting "action!". I was acting for SPF's Ethics Seminar 2006, where the Police Force comes together to learn about ethics? And yea, im acting as a crook. I only had like 2 lines for the whole production, and lots of action as the man behind the "scene", like drinking beers in the background as my corrupted crook friends negotiated a deal. But still, its the feeling of being in a set, with everyone around you scrutinizing your every movement as you strut your lines. How exciting!

So basically the story goes like this. I opened a jackpot club with my boss. So recently the Police kept raiding our premise and confiscating our fruit machines, and im losing big money. So my boss decides to rope his friend, who's currently a policeman, to tell us of pending raides so we can take precautions to prevent our machines from being seized. Eventually, the bad guys always gets caught and it is no different in our case. And what's more, our storyline is based on a true story.

Gotham Penthouse

2005-10-23T11:10:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was the night i was supposed to get drunk, but everyone around me was drunk instead and i landed up sending Ben home. We were at Gotham Penthouse last night, and the only reason why we managed to get into a club for guys 23 yrs and older was because Ben's friend's mum was celebrating her birthday there. The mum is one havoc queen.

Anyway im going to start learning parking later. Finally!! So excited.

Ridiculous

2005-10-21T09:07:00.000+08:00

I just heard the most ridiculous thing last night. And it goes like...

"I'm christian and you're catholic, and eventually im afraid my church friends may shun me due to their adverse reaction about us."

I'm like, "what the hell?"

If thats your definition of church friends or friends, i feel very sad for you.

Are they such fanatics that they must date within their own group of Christians or if not will be ostracized? Thats something quite absurd considering its coming from a church-going group. Even if we do not take religion into context, as a friend, i'd want my friends to be happy no matter who they go out with. Even so, its not really any of my business who they go out with.

This is really such nonsense.

Lesson learnt.