Monday, July 31, 2006

Go! Saturday

Tiring day at work! Gave tuition in the morning, followed by shift job in the afternoon. Could not concentrate well. Made a few silly mistakes here and there. Gosh, the rainy weather might have affected my mood to work. whahaha... Sunday Blues...

Last night at Dbl O was fun. A colleague of mine turned up. I was surprised to see her there, well, she even treated me to drinks. ha... paiseh... Though i always see her at work, she dressed very differently at party. Before that, i had a jug of vodka orange with Gavin. Tat drunkard!

Anyway, met Ziyi too. I questioned her why didnt she turned up at the class gathering on Thurs. Good reason. She was busy at work, left her workplace after 10pm. Wow... Poor thing too, work long hours.

Then it was hall 9 pple. OMG! The usual gang is there, Eric came to me suddenly and poked at me. That guy... Well behaved when his gf was there. Then met another hall 9 guy whom i cant remember his name. If i am not wrong, he is one of the ah beng in 47. He remembers my name and call me. Paiseh, i forgot his name.

Of course, the usual regulars were present. Disturbed one of them who was sweating badly after an hour dance. Though tiring, it is fun and relax. Any work related stuff are thrown away once in Dbl O.

Was at Marina Square earlier. Met up jun. Chatting with her is always so relaxing. No stress attached. ha... Was surprised at the Diamond Drink that she mentioned. Is is really so fantastic and nutritious? Or is it really the power of MLM? ha...

Time to sleep. Intend to sleep till late in the morning before heading to work. Need to catch some quality sleep. Zzz....

Friday, July 28, 2006

MJR Reunion Nite

Oh my god. This is a night that is worth remembering of. Met many of my ex-classmates in town this evening. Many were having stable careers. Some have changed while some still look the same. Those who surprised me were Cheng Yuan, Daniel. Been almost 10 good years since we lsat met.

Most have grown more mature. The youthful ones were Gerald, Daniel, Cheng Yuan. I really take my hats off them. No change at all. Look exactly the same when we were in our teens. MY GOD! Alright, one of them commented that i look younger and different. hahha... Yeah, my sec school days were yucky. So skinny....

Who attended? Gerald, Daniel, Hao, Ying, Shuyang, Huishan, Huiyu, Siew Noi, Cheng Yuan, Huiling, Qiang, Weiquan, Kevin, Zhongsheng (the main cast for the day) It is so nice meeting them. I mean its more than a decade since we graduated. Gone were the days when we don our uniform. Oh, Mrs Yong (form teacher) and Mrs Poh were there too.

I guess they (Mrs Yong & Mrs Poh) must be proud of our achievements. We did MJR proud afterall. Everyone is doing well. I am happy for them. Can you imagine, having dinner with our teachers after so many years? We always maintain a good distance from our teachers back in school days. Now, we are like friends. So gan ren... ha...

Hearing news that enrolment for MJR has fallen, i feel sorry for the school. I hope current students can do the school proud and in turn attract more potential students. Our school performance has dropped over the last few years. I think the current principal must be having a big headache.

Anyway, Zhongsheng is migrating to Australia for good. So good. Life over there is less stressful and more relax. If i ever visit Brisbane, shall pay him a visit. So much have changed, but we are still in contact. I think the next gathering will probably be at huiyu's wedding dinner? or perhaps CNY gathering at her house...

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Midweek Break

Whoo... Its Wed nite and i am playing mambo songs all the way. Been some time since i club on midweek. More suitable for students, i guess. I will be flat if i club on both wed and sat. One regular asked why din i turn up on wed nite at zouk, well, i told her i will get extremely tired by end of week. Need to preserve a bit of energy.

Last wkend trip to Dbl O was exceptionally fun. Qiang was there and i kept him busy by asking for Cascada's songs. Whahaha... Yeah, techno songs, miss the good old days at MU with "Elvis Presley". haahaha.... I think most clubbers who love retro dun really enjoy techno. I am probably the minority.

Was treated to some housepour by Rasheed. Together with his sis, we danced at the side of the bar, not the dance floor. Cool! As week pass, get to know more regulars. In the past, i always find these places being dominated by "baddies". Not exactly for Dbl O. Much upmarket and less beng if compare to MU.

The regulars here are more entertaining, better educated and speak good english. hahah... Most of them are tertiary educated. That makes this place so unique. I dun wish to comment on others, but pple here are generally courteous and less vulgar.

It's my off day again. Finally, after 4 working days. There will be a big gathering with my former classmates later. Really looking forward to seeing them. One of them is leaving Singapore for good, thus even making it the need for me to turn up. well well...

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

World Class Transport?

Cant believe it. The NEL or better known as Northeast Line is down for almost a day. It must have been a major fault that left the station closed for 8 hours. Thousands of commuters were affected. This breakdown also mean more work for me. Has been rushing ard like mad since afternoon.

To add on, a long meeting in the afternoon had delay much of my working time. Everything was in a hurry. Even mine dinner time was cut short. I ate so fast that i dun think my stomach can take it. Very bad and unhealthy for digestive system. Thankfully, when i reached home, i can still manage to catch NEL.

I was seriously wondering how would SMRT look at the whole issue. NEL, run by SBS Transit, came into the picture in 2003. Only a short period of 3 years, a major fault surfaced. Billions of dollars have been invested and it kept boasting abt its driverless system. So wat happen today?

There are bound to have flaws in any system. Having a long break down is really too much a commuter can accept. By the way, NEL charges higher fares than other lines, i think someone must come forward to give a good explanation to the mass public. World Class transport system? Yeah, marred by unforseen circumstances.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Airport Trip

Another long but fulfilling working day for me. For the first time, i am granted entry into the restricted area in the airport. Well, only airport staff are allowed into the area. Personally, i feel very fun to work in the airport. I have tried applying for jobs in CAAS and SIA, but somehow i failed. Bleah....

My mood changes when i arrived at the airport. It reminds me of holiday!!! hahha... Was looking at the big sign board, when i saw San Francisco and LA, i am like... argh... want to go there again. I missed Universal Studios. Damnz... Feel envious of all the tourists in the airport. When is my turn again??? Nov...hahaha

The feeling is really different when you are working. Time counts and the pressure adds on. No more holiday mood but to continue keep looking out for events going on in the airport. Wonderful experience. Brought me memories of days while i was in SR.

Met up Kevin and Ian yesterday. The mini SR gathering was good. Second time in almost a week. As usual, get to know the latest juicy story abt SR. ha... Same old story. I guess we could write a book on SR. Can see that Ian is very pleased with his work. Good for him.

Its sat again. Although its an off day, i have many things to get around with. The usual dbl o session will not be missed. Yes, my only form of luxury at the end of the week. Will be meeting up jun too. Been sometime since i met her. Too busy with lots of things. Thankfully, she is understanding. That makes me even more appreciative and miss her a lot.

Life is really not a bed of roses. You achieve something while sacrificing other stuff. For my kind of job, there are many things that i have to compromise. Time is very important to me. Frankly speaking, a lot of social time have been lost. I dun have the luxury of having weekend break. I am used to it now and i think my dear friends know tat too.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Reminiscing SR Good Old Days

The world is small. Met some of my former colleagues who joined my current company. ha... Its a mini-gathering. I had one when i first came over. That gathering reminded me of many good old days. One had left for good, the other is now based in a foreign country.

I am glad those who just joined are coping fine. But i guess it takes time for them to fit into the new culture. Seriously, SR has the best culture. No stabbing, no fighting, nothing. People there are more easy going. I was very paranoid when i first came over too. Scary!

Times are better now. I called it an achievement. Manage to overcome the odds. Anyway, they are new, i shared their sentiments too. It was a good gathering. The studio visit was cool. Like wat Fei said, "Reminicing SR Good Old Days". I got to agree.

There will be another round this coming thurs. Cant help but hope to see them soon. I assume there will be more rumblings and gossips. ha... If i were still with SR, i wonder how will things be like for now. hmm....

Monday, July 17, 2006

Honourable Day

Woke up very early this morning for an important event. Met Mr D Tsang in his suite. How nice! Manage to shook his hand which made my day. I mean who would ever have this opportunity to get so close with him? Exciting day!

However, it is also a long working day for me. Over worked. My other colleague is still busy working while i am already back home in the comfort of my room. Oh yes, there was a little party this afternoon too. Help myself to nice food like laksa, mee siam, satay, chicken wings and pastries. Ate so much tat i skipped lunch and was full during dinner.

Anyway, I understand from Kevin that my former colleague joined my company. Wow! It is a unity of my ex-colleagues. whahaha... Need to meet up with them asap. I have actually agreed to meet up one of them for lunch, but i was way too busy. Opps. Maybe wait till i contact the other colleague. hee...

Abt to KO in bed very soon. Have been waking up very early for the last 2 days. Need to catch more sleep. Bed bed bed.....

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Car again?

Singaporeans' craze for car is always there. The crowd turnout at the Car carnival in suntec was huge. I saw the news just now and almost laughed till my jaw dropped. Its like a wet market, full of pple negoitating and buying plus "sight seeing". Fortunately, i am not one of those car craze.

Seriously, i dun understand the desire for a car. Fuel cost is in its all time high. Middle east crisis may worsen the situation, global oil prices has shot up more than US$75 dollars a barrel. If a war broke up, oil prices may hit historical high of US$100. I will congratulate all the car owners. You are filthy rich. How abt donating some of your moolas to me?

More cars on the road means higher ERP and road tax. This is a way to curb the number of vehicles on the road. Who gets all the benefit eventually? Yes, LTA. Who owns LTA? Singaporeans are so abiding and loyal to the country. Your contribution will help boost our economy, the ministry in charge may end up having huge surpluses. We will see more MRT lines, more underground expressway coming up. Wonderful. I am sure we will reach world class transport network very soon.

On another issue, i receive notification from IRAS abt income tax. Cant believe my eyes. Someone who draws a miserably low pay has been required to pay tax. Huh? I cant even own a stupid credit card, yet i am required to pay income tax. I think if someone reads my payslip, he can laugh till his head off. Anyway, i still have to pay no matter what. Cos it is mandatory.

Sometime, i really cant help but feel disappointed as a Singaporean. Hopefully, National Day can spur me up with more singaporean spirit.

Friday, July 14, 2006

What's next?

Finally back to work. In one short afternoon, i heard news that some colleagues are leaving. Most are moving towards a better opportunity. I am so envy of them. If given great opportunity, i would leave too. Who would not want to move up the ladder?

A colleague post me a question, would i leave if i see more opportunities in the current job? Well, my answer is simple. It will delay my stay. That's it. Unless the next job is so much better, i am sure anyone will leave immediately. ha...

Oh yes, after my trip to US, my upcoming trip has almost been confirmed. This time to a Southeast Asian country, Yangon, Myanmar. My mum asked if i was interested as she is joining a tour in November. After studying the itenery, i am pretty intrigued. Its a buddhist pilgrimage tour.

I guess it is time to purify some of my thoughts and to grow roots of wisdom. I have never been to other Asean countries other than Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. It is also time for me to understand the culture of our neighbouring countries. Anyway, travelling has always been my hobby. I love to see the world because it gives me a new prospective view in life.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Life is...

It has been sometime since i last blogged. Well, many things happened at home lately. I was on urgent leave for 2 days. My uncle passed away and was busy helping out at the wake. Did not have proper rest too. Only sleep for a few hours. There was also one day when i went back for work.

Life is vulnerable. One min u are here, the next min u are gone. What left behind are memories of the person. There are lots of things in life that we cant control. When time is up, u have to leave. I guess this is part and parcel of life. Earth rotates. It wont stop because of you.

Lots of thoughts keep running in my mind. Like i always say, do wat you like to do as long as it is within your limit and legal. You dun want to feel regret later in life. At the very least, you have tried. Life is like a story book, recording what you have done. It should be something meaningful rite?

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Enhanced ATM Card

Change to a new ATM card today with enhanced features. Besides the normal atm function, it allow users to sign like a Debit card when making purchases. The only difference is it doee not allow internet transaction. I think this is good cos of better security.

I had no intention to change the card until this guy sell this new card to me. I made my way to the bank and they changed the card for me immediately. Better than credit card, no annual fees, no interest, no special requirement, nothing. Absolutely fantastic. That is why i say, dump away that stupid credit card. I dun trust them anymore.

However, this kind lady, who happens to be the counter staff attempt to cross sell me other financial products. She asked if i was interested in one of the funds, better than putting my money earning a mere 0.25% interest.

Oh my answer is very simple, if i can fail to apply for a credit card, why should i invest my money for other purposes? They thought i am POOR, cant even meet the basic requirement of a card. If that is the case, i really see no reason to invest. I tot they have already hinted to me i got no money. Now, dun ever dare me. I will screw anyone who attempt to sell me financial products. k.

I almost blasted at her. ha... But din do it. The lady was very helpful, with smiles all over. I told her politely i am not interested and she thanked me. ha... Quality service. Probably i should write her a letter of compliment, to thank her for delivering a good service.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Call me God

Yeah. News has been running mad recently over this incident. Mavis Hee,a Singaporean singer turned unsound when she shouted "Call me God" to some pple in a prominent hotel. I was sad when it came out in the papers and news. I dun know what happened to her but papers have been speculating lots of unjustified facts.

10 years ago, I remembered she was the next best singer after Kit Chan's debut. Ken and i were so crazy about her. When she came SP to perform, Ken and i skipped class just to get tickets for her concert. We even sneaked to backstage, carpark, just to catch a glimpse of her. Ken even asked for her autograph.

When she performed at Marina Square, hardcore fans like us would wait for hours just for a few songs from her. There was once a Mavis Hee event organised by 933, Ken and i turned up very early. We managed to get the first row cos we were early. ha.. Not to the extend of hardcore fans today. We shook her hand, shout her name, sang with her. It was fun. I even bought a few of her albums.

10 years later, we grew older. Although i am not as crazy as before, i still miss her good songs. Till today, i still chant one of the song lyrics "Yi Han"... dun get me wrong, i am not unsound too but find the lyrics meaningful. When news of her being kept in custody at IMH, i felt sad. She must have undergo tremendous trauma that ended up in this manner.

Though she is not in the entertainment business anymore, i dun wish her to see her in this state. I hope she can recover quickly. Wish her all the best!

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Best Apple Strudel

Have you ever tasted the best apple strudel in Singapore? Well, i tasted one from Ritz. OMG! It is so delicious that i keep craving for more. ha.... Some clients sent us 2 boxes of strudel, when i took out a slice, it somehow made my day. See, i am so easily satisfied.

I have tasted several kind of strudel or even apple pie. They dun give me good impression, often, i would avoid taking. However, this time, i decide to give it a shot, and wow. I am glad i tried! A colleague of mine told me it's one of the best and expensive kind in Singapore. Very justified.

Back to World Cup, i am not a soccer fan, so it did not affect me much. When i turned up at Dbl O last weekend, the crowd was pretty huge. Most were glued to the TV set for the quarter finals, between England and Portugal. I have not been following, but when i knew England lost, i had a good laugh. whahahaha....

Simple. I was in London 4 years ago when the World Cup took place in Japan and Korea. English fans get crazy whenever there's a match involving English team. Damn, when they lose, they get rowdy and attack anyone on the street. I remembered i hide in the house where i stayed when there's a match.

If they win, u see cars flying UK flag, lots of cheerings, sirens, horns etc. The atmosphere is not too bad. To me, it is a kind of experience, something that u dun feel it at home. I always pray hard there wont be a match between an Asian team and English team. If we win, all or perhaps most Asians will get it.

Game is almost coming to an end. Things will return to normal after the whole event finishes. For non soccer fans, we have to endure a few more days. Those who cant take it can take a holiday to USA or Taiwan (nearer n cheaper) if they dun want to feel the frenzy. These places are the most peaceful when world cup comes along!!! They dun like European games. ha.. So do i....

Sunday, July 02, 2006

California Dream

Alright, i shall now continue second half of my US trip. After i left New York, i arrived in Los Angeles (West Coast) in the evening. Well, in US, the place is so huge till it had 4 time zone, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. LA is 4 hours behind New York. My biological clock almost landed in a mess.

The tour started with trip to Las Vegas. I was excited along the way cos it's the world gambling capital. Before that, we arrived at a huge factory outlet where i had another shopping spree. Bought Polo Raphl, Levis and Guess. It was dirt cheap. When we reached Las Vegas, it was late afternoon.

For those who traveled or read abt LV, it is a town right in the heart of a desert. ha... Yup, the place is surrounded by desert, weather is warm. Spent abt 7 hours walking along Las Vegas Blvd. Casinos were so nice, well decorated. I particularly like MGM, the place is so huge. CBS studio is located in it.

Night scene was even powerful. Forget abt clubbing. There are broadway type of shows, musical fountain and theme parks etc. Its really a 24 hour non stop working place. I love the vibrant.

The next destination was Grand Canyon. OMG! I cant believe when i stepped on the rim of the Canyon. The place is magnificent. I could spent the whole day sitting down enjoying the beautiful scenery. Its just fantastic. If ever i will go back again, i want to go to the foot of Canyon. I will try river rafting and enjoy scenery from the bottom.

San Francisco was the next place to visit. I can never forget Golden Gate bridge. I walked on it, feel it and catch the beautiful scenery on top. San Frans has lots of slopes. U need good stamina to travel upslope. Weather is cool. It feels like New York except for less high rise.

The trip at famous Fisherman Wharf was good. I had chowder with clams in sour dough. Sat by the sea, i ate and enjoy the scenery again. Its really once in a life time. Now, dun even compare to Boat Quay or Sentosa, cant fight. Went to Colombus Street, bought some Italian pastry. Though expensive, i have never tasted something so good before.

I also visited Yosmeti National Park. Was in close contact with gigantic waterfall. Pretty cool place except for mosquito. ha.. Afterall, its a forest. Was bitten a few times. It almost took us a day to reach the place.

Paid US$24 to visit hearst castle. Its a big castle located off the coast of Pacific Ocean. Constructed by a millionaire in the 17 or 18 century, i am impressed by the structure of the various buildings. Wat caught my attention was the interior, pple in tat centuries are already playing billards, card games and even got indoor swimming pools.

Finally back in Los Angeles, on our last day, Hao and i made a quick stop to Hollywood. Yes, the heart of entertainment. We strolled the fame of walk. Saw the names of many stars including Asian star like Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee and Michelle Yeo. Saw the famous HOLLYWOOD sign from the main road. Shops even sell addresses of famous celebrities like Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp etc. Not too sure if it is true.

This is my last stop in USA. If there was time, i hope to visit even more places. Din get to go Universal City. Only take a peek and left. Well, on my next trip, i hope to make a more detailed trip. ha... That also means more money. Shall see....