Fais comme tu veux.

Chinatown Randomness

2009-11-05T16:30:00.023+08:00

A long hiatus since i last posted anything. To my understanding, Geocities has ceased service, and that explains the dead links for my recent blog entries (not very recent though). I shall fix them after my exams. Wish me luck :)

Before i return to my cave to 'try' mugging for my exams, let me share with you a few random photos taken in Chinatown not too long ago utilizing the ubercool lightbox.

From high up above

2009-05-22T23:43:00.002+08:00

See our Chicken Feat.

Tampines East at dusk. Busy street, busy-bodies.

Happy Feet

2009-05-13T22:45:00.002+08:00

See our Chicken Feat.

9 chicken feet feat. Chop chop chop, chop chop chop. My mum's favourite part of the 2 legged animal.

Cette semaine

2009-05-10T22:23:00.005+08:00

Je viens de reserver un emplacement pour IPPT samedi prochain, 7.30am á Camp Maju. Au cours de prochains jours, je devrai m'entraîner pour que recevoir un résultat d'or. L'argent qui vient avec le résultat d'or est trés important comme je l'utiliserai pour ma randonée.

En plus m'entraîner, j'ai besoin aussi de finir mon rapport IA comme mon professeur viendra á mon bureau en deux semaines. Quand il vient, je lui soumets mon rapport et en plus de tout cela, je lui présente les choses qui j'ai fait pendant 22 semaines pour IA. Je pense que la présentation est d'épargner son temps alors il ne doivent pas lire le rapport de chacun. Quoi que ce soit, j'espère obtenir une bonne résultat pour mon IA.

Around Bedok Reservoir

2009-05-09T23:43:00.000+08:00

See our Around Bedok Reservoir.

The day before, the skies were in hues of purple, red and orange; somewhat a near perfect sunset with a setting that evoked a short-lived moment of bliss and harmony. I didn't bring my camera.

Today, i brought my camera with high hopes of witnessing the same sunset i saw the day before. But it didn't happen. Instead, i walked around Bedok Reservoir before heading back home, feeling empty and pretty lost.

trente-et-un jours á la fin de stage

2009-05-05T23:20:00.007+08:00

Je lis qu'une des manières d'apprendre une langue est de lire et écrire plus. Comme ma source de la langue français vient des livres, chansons et films, j'essayerai m'entraîner ecriver en français dans mon blog. Un des problems avec ça est qu'il n'y aura personne pour corriger ma grammaire et d'autre fautes. Mais j'essayerai toujours...

En moins de cinq semaines, ma stage viendra la fin. J'avais déjà prévu faire beaucoup de choses depuis le début de ma stage - jouer de la guitare, apprendre le malaise et française, lire et faire de recherches pour ma randoneé á Tibet, m'entraîner pour ma IPPT, prendre des photos et rencontrer mes amies. Ce sont les choses qui cassent ma travaux banal et monotone. Je déteste l'idée d'aller travailler comme les travaux que je m'a donné ne sont pas reliés á mes études. La société sait vraiment utiliser pleinement les étudiants par les servir pour faire la saisie de donneés - quelque chose qu'ils ne veulent pas de faire.

Daily window

2009-04-17T23:11:00.008+08:00

See our Home.

Looking out of the window while engaging in what seems like deep thoughts. Waipo waipo, what's on your mind ? How i wish i can take a SCROLL on your intricate mind.

Flashback Cambodia (1 of 2)

2009-04-12T01:52:00.004+08:00

It has been more than 4 months since i returned home from my YEP (Youth Expedition Project) in Cambodia. Up till today, recollections of the wonderful experience I had in Cambodia still appears vividly in my mind. My yearnings for an idyllic lifestyle, and one that allows me to stray far away from the hustle and bustle of city life, can all be found in Cambodia, invariably.

The backyard of one of the school we visited. Nevermind the tell tale signs of old age; as long as the school serves its intended function, it will still be a place to educate kids in the village for many years to come.

Les fleurs comme les enfants - le cadeau de la vie.

Façade of empathy, care and love. One of the many orphanages that we visited to distribute donated items. Size of the orphanage doesn't matter, for its the priceless human touch that matters the most.

Resident of the orphange. Small, vulnerable and defenceless. The moment he saw a few of us, he seeked solace by the side of the the wall, only to be greeted by more of us.

Lines of differentiation. Red, blue, orange, green soaking the mid-day warmth.

Water, the drop of life. Saviour every drop with a pump in hand. With a manual water pump like this, you'll be coerced to think thrice before wasting water.

Clever use of empty glass bottles to decorate the frontyard.

Closer to nature. Geese like these can be seem roaming around freely in the village, and living in unison with all things big and small.

Silk filaments being unraveled from silk cocoons to be used in the production of silk.

Lady working on this traditional silk machine.

Spinning of silk into bobbins. There are red ones...

and blue ones too...

Sorting the silk thread.

Flowers.

Boat ride to Tonle Sap Lake which means Large Fresh Water River, which is an important lake and river system of great importance to Cambodia. It is one of the most productive inland fisheries in the world, supporting over 3 million people and providing over 75% of Cambodia's annual inland fish catch and 60% of Cambodians protein intake (extracted from wikipedia).

Along the way to the lake.

Our guide Rianne giggles after splashing water from the river onto us, catching us by surprise !

Housing on stilts along Tonle Sap.

Woman who sell drinks to tourists embarking on the Tonle Sap tour.

Most, if not all of the houses there are of the same built and looks almost identical.

Scene of the floating village, giving visitors an almost surreal feel to it.

Little boy keeping the dried prawns

Flashback Cambodia (2 of 2)

2009-04-11T03:28:00.000+08:00

Village girls deriving fun from a game of rubber bands.

Tonle Sap Lake with the setting sun.

Congested road in Phnom Penh. On our way to catch the Apsara dance.

Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide. This is Pol Pot's secret prison (codename S-21) during his genocidal rule from 1975-1979. During this reign of terror, between 1 - 2 million Cambodians and foreigners were starved to death, tortured, or killed. This is the site of the former high school turned prison.

Silence. Photos of genocide victims on display in the many prison cells.

Upon arrival at the prison, the prisoners were photographed and required to give detailed autobiographies right up from their childhood to their arrest.

Fixture to keep the prisoners' head straight up before they were photographed.

Actual cell where the prisoners were being tortured.

Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf,dix. Counting their days spent in the prison.

While inside the prison, moments of poignancy will unravel itself and visitors alike will be thrown into a sense of disbelief. Walking on the outside will mar these thoughts at least for awhile before reality sets back in again.

View of Choeung Ek Genoicidal Centre, which was in essence the burial ground for those arrested and tortured atthe Tuol Sleng Prison.

Cyclist - the iron-leg

2009-04-04T00:28:00.004+08:00

Ironman in the making. Taken during their cycling leg of the race.

As he swirl by...

and as they swirl by...

Cyclist keeping track of his race timing during the 90.1km cycle.

Waiting for her ironman.

Kidzquest á la zoo (starring Timothy)

2009-03-16T23:03:00.004+08:00

The zoo on this sunny island of ours is definitely not one where you find animals caged up and put on display.

Okay, that's really random. Now let me introduce you to my kid of the day - Timothy !

He is ''SHY, NOT TALKATIVE'' at all... As he likes to mumble to himself, I'd always have to bend down to his mouth area in order to catch a wisp of his words of wisdom.

Here, he is starring at the one animal that is iconic to the Singapore zoo - The ~~Rambutan~~ Orang Utan.

Kidzquest kids leaning against the glass panel while marveling at this huge friendly primate. At the same time, you'd hear them shout in unison :"What is this ??!". Despite telling them repeatedly that it is an Orang Utan, they'd transpose its name to Rambutan automatically (after chanting it continuously without any pause in between). Kids.

The Orang Utan's stare.

Okay, enough of Orang Utan. Now back to Timothy with an intelligent look...

and his hyper side.

Throughout the whole zoo trip, he was either holding on to my hand or running about. It was pretty hard to get him settled down in times where there weren't any eventful activities for him to participate in. On the bus ride back to school, he was totally maxed out.

Around Reul Commune

2009-03-07T14:00:00.005+08:00

Besides helping out at Kok Veal Village and W.F.C (Working for Children) orphanage, we also had the chance to venture out to other places around the Reul commune. This photo was taken at the backyard of Amelio training centre. Hung on the makeshift lines and barbed wire fences are their laundries left out in the sun to dry.

Pastel coloured flower like this one here is not an unsual sight as you walk around the training centre's vicinity.

This is a typical scene in the classroom of a village school. The children's eagerness to learn as depicted in this photo of a school girl focusing on solving her Math problems. We were there to distribute some donated items (stationaries) to the school children.

In order to save precious paper and pen, the school children still practice writing on small wooden chalk board in their not-so-brightly-lit classroom.

As we entered the classroom, these well mannered school children immediately stood up from their seats and greeted us Khmer style.

A curious girl peeping through her classroom's window to witness a not-so-common-sight - foreigners in her school.

Most of the kids in the village are devoid of an education as their families are either too poor to send them to school, or their families simply don't place any emphasis on their education as they're required to work in the fields for their livelihood. These 2 girls created their own learning opportunity by listening to the lessons taught in the classroom from outside the classroom.

Kouk Khang Primary School. Simple and all things down to their bare minimum. Most, if not all of the schools in the village spot the same school/classroom setting as shown above.

An outdoor classroom (no doors, no windows, purely open air with a shelter!) with a class of older, if not younger village kids. It is quite common to have a class filled with children of different age group as they don't start school at the same age. The age gap between the oldest and youngest can stretch to as many as 10 years old.

Its break time at Reul Primary School. During this time of the day, the kids will flock over to the snack lady for some munchies if they can afford it.

In the village, electrical lightings are considered a luxury item rather than a necessity. Without proper lighting, it would be almost impossible to study in their house (hut). Before this girl got distracted by my presence, she was self-studying by the stairway up to her house; where the good afternoon light illuminated her notes.

As we ventured deeper into the village, a group of cheeky kids trailed behind us. These kids are seen riding in their over sized bicycles.

This little puppy has strayed away from his pack due to our presence. We're like big-scary-giants to them isn't it? The village is simply incomplete without these amazing creatures.

Buang

2009-02-24T21:21:00.001+08:00

Buang the naughty boy strikes again. Amazed by his own image on the camera, he decided to tease my camera yet again...

Neighbourhood shop

2009-02-24T21:18:00.001+08:00

Lady shopping for some fruits/vegetables at the neighbourhood shop.

Quackkkk

2009-02-24T21:16:00.001+08:00

Birds of the same feather flock together ?

Another house

2009-02-24T00:24:00.001+08:00

Yet another house

23

2009-02-24T00:22:00.001+08:00

23 souls contained in one hut

Everyday sight

2009-02-24T00:20:00.001+08:00

The coop infront of our house

Volleyball

2009-02-24T00:19:00.001+08:00

They do it best

Enthusiasm

2009-02-24T00:17:00.002+08:00

He saw what we were doing and simply followed suit. Size does not matter for he's stronger than he seems.

Eagerness

2009-02-24T00:14:00.001+08:00

Fertile tree

2009-02-24T00:11:00.001+08:00

I embrace outdoor 'off loading'. Serenity and blissful moment that everyone ought to enjoy. Flies and mosquitoes long be gone.

Working hard

2009-02-24T00:08:00.001+08:00

Learning the rope of rice harvesting.

Randomness

2009-02-23T23:42:00.001+08:00

Growing everywhere, wild and free.

Happy villager

2009-02-23T23:38:00.001+08:00

Although, they have to harvest under the scorching heat, they seem happy at work with us helping out. More hands, less work !

Rice field

2009-02-23T23:36:00.001+08:00

Planting rice is never fun, harvesting ain't fun either; its purely hard work.

Sans thick clothings

2009-02-23T23:32:00.001+08:00

Villagers squatting by their ad hoc fireplace to chase away the morning cold.

The rising sun

2009-02-23T23:26:00.001+08:00

Set beyond the horizon is the sign of life. The sign of a new beginning that marks the journey of sleepy 'sun rise' gazers ! I can't believe we actually wake each other up in the midst of our dreams and soak in the morning coldness while waiting for dawn to break.

Kok Veal at dawn

2009-02-23T23:20:00.002+08:00

Towards the end of our stay in Kok Veal, the first task of the day was to cuddle in our warm wear (read: my sleeping bag) and marvel at the beauty of the first light of the day.

Kids of Kok Veal, Cambodia

2009-02-11T20:31:00.009+08:00

Part one:

Their undeceiving innocence, smile and joy, despite their precocious entanglement

with adulthood. The humble and pastoral life they lead, coupled with their contentment

with all things big and small are fine attributes that make them unique. A whole new

learning experience sets in while interacting with them during my stay in the village,

bringing home not just the photos, but with a simple lesson at heart - cherish what you

have, and be contented with life. Smile always.

Trees - more

2008-11-19T17:06:00.005+08:00

Pulau Nanyang - Where the trees,leaves and rain rein...

tree more papers to go !

a break

2008-11-16T13:30:00.005+08:00

Taking a break, waiting for the break. 4 more papers to go and it'll be a break !

MS3007 is so fun.

i love you...

i'll x-ray you...

i'll charge into you...

I'LL CONQUER YOU !!!

okay, back to reality...

des enfants de NTUC

2008-07-26T05:23:00.004+08:00

2 weeks gone in a flash, and right now, i'm browsing through the photographs taken during my Young NTUC volunteering stinct for NTUC childcare centre. On the day itself, each of us volunteers were pre-assigned a kid to play nanny with while the kids toured around the Science Centre.

As the kids streamed out from the centre's main door to meet their nanny, eagerness tainted their coy little faces. The mischievous little devil of them all greeted his nanny with a sullen, impatient look, rendering himself a tad too difficult for his nanny to handle.

Even i'd be intimidated by a throng of unfamiliar faces surrounding me - needless to say a 5 year old kid. Therefore, it took a little while for them to adapt to the surrounding and open up to their nannies. A smile on their faces definitely brightens up one's day. :)

Revealing their innate self. Curiosity - scruitinising every part of that watch.

And not to forget, this is Yee Chern, my adorable buddy for the day !

He seemed pretty quiet and reserved at first, but not till you see this...

They'll just go to wherever that interests them. Hopping and running, skipping and bouncing.

Even adults are fascinated by new things. Never too old to be fascinated. *AHHHHH*

Fancy a fry or two ? Or shall we ''dish up'' more kiddy faces ?

The kawaii pose.

The stick-my-tongue out *bleah*.

The come-on-let's-fight.

Or do you prefer the chestnut !

Oh and my adorable buddy ! Ever cheerful and chatty.

With this, i shall leave him with a balloon to keep his creativity and endless questions afloat, limitless and boundless.

Convocation 2008

2008-07-25T22:03:00.005+08:00

Congratulations to Danlin, Meiwei, Jiawei and Krystina who graduated on 23rd July 2008 ! Here's some excerpts from the casual walkaround photowhoring session...

4 years of hard work (to put those plagues on the floor*)

6 amis & 3 animaux

Jiawei !

throw all ye' mortar board hats high high huat arhh !

D A N L I N !

Meiwei !

and its a happy ending, wheeeeeee ! Wish you all the best in your future endeavours !

Shoot the shoot

2008-06-24T02:09:00.002+08:00

My short photostudio ''get-away'' - all thanks to Shaun !

Macau (19th May - 24th May)

2008-06-08T20:26:00.012+08:00

When i first got wind of this Macau work trip from Alan, i immediately jumped upon the chance without giving it much thoughts. With travel expenses, food (read: restaurant most of the time) and lodgings (read: 6 star !) fully paid for by the company, i wonder which outrageous 'broke' uni student would decline such an offer.

Although most of my time was spent in the hotel, harbour and airport facilitating guests with their arrivals/departures, check-in/check-out and other ushering duties, I still find this a fruitful and worthwhile trip. Firstly, I got to soak in the grandeur of a 6 STAR HOTEL, and not to mention staying in it for the whole 6 days. I also got to experience first hand, the feeling of stepping into a casino and to witness their extravagance with all things big and small, from the façade to even the bar of soap lying aimlessly in my room.

I also got to interact with the locals (perm/temp staffs working with us) and found out more about their way of life and culture. Although there's not much of a language barrier between Macanese and us (for most of them speak English), I still experienced some difficulties in getting my points across to the older drivers and workers especially when they start blabbering machine-gun style in Cantonese with puzzled looks on their faces to me. Its kind of weird to meet this group of people; as to me, they're chinese, but when you talk to them in English/Chinese, they'll give you a puzzled look, and it'll makes you wonder if they're insincere or trying to play a prank on you. Life is never short of surprises, isn't it.

MGM Grand - The hotel (6 STAR !) that i stayed in

View of the concierge

Top: View from the top. Bottom: Room 817 - chez moi (temp)

Look at the toilet, it has a see thru glass panel visible to the occupiers/guests. Tips for prankers: just undraw the curtain which is ONLY accessible outside the toilet while the toilet is occupied.

Drawer of alcoholic drinks (du vin ?)

Right: Up till now, i still don't know why they hang a mirror infront of a large panel of mirror

Talk about innovation and creativity... Try soaping your hand first before turning the faucet on.
slippperryy, slipperryyy.....

Place where we had our daily breakfast. Right: Look at the fridge - Wake up to the sight of hanging body parts ?! cool rite...

Once inside Venetian, day feels like day, night feels like day. You can gamble your whole day/night away still thinking that its day time out there

One of the many stores in the food court, Singaporean Noodles (???) anyone ?

At the harbour, throngs of people awaiting for the arrival of their guests. Top: Short skirt catches more attention ? Bottom: Waiting for mr/mrs RICE FIELD HOSPITAL ?

Rainwater collection in the harbour

Top: The signboard reads - HOTEL - shuttle bus. Irony.

Macau Tower

The leftover 'refreshments' !!

Left: Burp. I contributed to 6 of the missing Portuguese egg-tarts.

The toilet in Macau tower has many urinals and basins. This is just one of the 2 or 3 rows they have inside the toilet

Talking about many. Many coffee cups

We only had a few hours to roam around the street on the last day. If i'm not wrong the following pictures are taken at Largo do Senado.

A church?

More churches ?

This was the place where we had lunch

Food elevator. I wish i had one of these, linked directly from the food court to my house

Is this safety or hazard ? I think its a safety hazard to strap yourself to your kid

A typical street scene

One of the many Portuguese style tiles

Another view of Macau tower

View of friendship bridge

Nicholas Tse's Dad on the left ! Yeah, my first paparazzi shot albeit taken by a camera phone !

What a wander-ful night

2008-05-27T09:33:00.005+08:00

Yesterday was one of the most ridiculous night ever - i got stuck in Clementi for the whole night ! I knocked off from my telemarketing job at 7.30pm and proceeded to Toh Yi Drive for the HDB survey assignment after my dinner. Although locating the place was a breeze (taking into account my unfamiliarity with places in the west) with the help of our friendly SMRT staffs, my maiden voyage there alone took up a whooping 1+ hour. By the time i reached the stipulated block and kick started my virgin assignment, it was already 9.20pm.

The first survey took up around 1.15hours, and time check - 10.50pm. After completing the first survey, the greed in me after factoring in the time and distance required in getting from home to Toh Yi Drive, decided to go ahead with another survey, with hopes that the next household wouldn't mind my presence at such an odd timing.

Sure enough, the next household(an auntie) was kind enough to 'take' me in after listening to my plight (eg. Hello auntie, i came all the way from Tampines, and i can only do survey at night because there's nobody at home during the day. So please, help me out with the survey okay? ) and she was kind enough to accomodate with me for the entire one hour or so. Her kindness paid off and she received a Fairprice $5 voucher, as for me, time check - 11.55pm. Et voilà, i missed the last MRT back home ! Tired and desperate to get home, I pondered with the idea of taking a cab home. However, I figured out that it made no economic sense as the cab fare would have cost as much as what i will be paid for a survey...

And there i was, a lone soldier for the night, wandering aimlessly in an unfamiliar terrain called Clementi, under the watchful eyes of the merciless beast - time.

Ohh, and i have to get back to Toh Yi Drive for another few more times (hopefully) in order to complete the given assignments before i get paid. :/ talk about fun....

Efficient debt collector

2008-05-02T00:22:00.004+08:00

Once again, the school has showcased its efficient debt collection system...

Dear Student (xxxxxxx),We have yet to receive the payment for your hostel fees due on 25-APR-2008.The outstanding hostel fees including the late fee is $ 210.00.

Please settle this amount by 06-MAY-2008.

You may pay by cash/cheque/NETS at: Cashier's Office Student Services Centre 42 Nanyang Avenue Level 3 Singapore 639815

Kindly print a copy of this mail when making payment.Please ignore this reminder if you have made the payment.

Please note that students with outstanding fees (hostel, tuition, miscellaneous fees) will be barred from viewing the examination results.

ohh, and its the examination results this time round....

Libre ! (pas libre)

2008-04-30T22:13:00.000+08:00

C'est la fin d'exams et mes vacances iront bien, j'espère. Yeah, today is the start of the end and it is definitely another milestone in my university education. 2 years gone past just like that, and i've already completed 4 semesters worth of work; not mentioning 4 major exams ! Gosh, I'm already half-way through my university life. For the next 3 months or so, i'd be relieved (temporarily) from the drudgery of education and be spared from any forms of lecture materials.

Although holidays are meant to be a period where one is free to do whatever they want, mine is always restricted by my financial capabilities, for my notion of freedom lies with the ability to travel overseas to some foreign land and explore the great unknown that the land has to offer. I'm always astounded by some of my peers who doesn't seem to be held back by any forms of monetary burdens. Their spending power are onlydetermined by their will to spend and money matters doesn't seem to be of any issues to them. They don't come from uber rich family and neither do i hear of them working. So what did they do to achieve such finiancial 'freedom'. As such, i certainly believe in the existence of those earn-until-nobody-knows kind of lobangs. Please show me the ropes !

Now back to my self-pity rants...Some say i'm stingy, some say i'm thrifty, be it the former or latter, it doesn't really matter. I'm just trying to make ends meet (for myself) and survive on my meagre monthly tuition paycheck, and I really hate it when the school starts emailing me the hostel and tuition fee...yaya, i know if i don't pay up i can't register for my next semester's subjects..smart..

Good Year !

2008-01-03T00:04:00.000+08:00

Hello 2008, goodbye 2007. Out with the old, in with the new.

A new year awaits me and i hope 2008 will be better than yesteryear. It definitely will; i'm looking forward to it !

Wrap the past with the present, and the present will be spiced up with colours and LIFE - moss! oh, dull.

Happy Birthday Weitian !

2007-12-30T00:52:00.000+08:00

Celebrated Weitian's birthday on Thursday. While waiting aimlessly for my elder sis to turn up (which she didn't, due to some work commitments), we(mum,weitian,me) strolled up and down the rows of shophouses along tanjong pagar road in a bid to kill time and also to lookout for other decent dining outlets (beside the one i've booked). Alas, we settled in at a korean restaurant as planned and whee, mouth watering korean cuisines await us !

Mum and me

Pouty pout pout

Just eat it

Kimchi Rice Cake blah blah

Bibimbab? Bibbibub?

Tao gheys

Posers

Fort Canning Park

2007-12-22T01:48:00.000+08:00

A casual stroll around the park with skies tainted blue, white and grey. Remnants of the past presented in an urban landscape.

random t3

2007-12-07T14:37:00.000+08:00

3

2007-12-07T00:06:00.000+08:00

gloom be doom. this is just not the right time.

Taiwan-o-blog ! (part trois)

2007-08-05T22:12:00.000+08:00

Day 3. Ximending -> Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall -> Taipei city hall-> Danshui -> Tamshui fisherman's wharf -> Wufenpu night market

As the shops in Taiwan won't open till noon, it was pretty hard to come to a general consensus for our morning activity. Left with not many choices, we settled in for a visit to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall.

We woke up early that morning hoping to witness the change of guards parade. But to our disappointment, we were told by a security guard that the parade has ceased temporarily due to the ongoing construction works. What a waste (of our time) ! We could have woken up later !

Nonetheless, we continued with a walk around a mini-park, followed by a non-guided tour around the museum.

So S P A C I O U S

The Gate of Great Centrality and Perfect Uprightness

One view to ~~rule~~see them all

CHIANG KAI SHEK !

The handsome security guard, that's what they(girls) said

At the MRT station, on our way to Taipei city hall...

Woah ! Change of ~~guards~~ MRT staff parade

Taipei 101. Its hard to fit this monster into the lens

Straight, long, tall

No camera ?

Taipei 101 and its haute couture

At Danshui Fisherman's Wharf...

Lover's bridge

Blow wind blow. Look at their hair. Haha

The bridge from underneath

Long ice cream before catching the magnificent sunset. JX's eyes fixated at the ice cream.

Silhouettes

Artist by the bridge

Alternative view of the sunset

We met up with MW and Jeff at Houshanpi station, and concluded our day with shopping at Wufenpu.

to be continued...

Taiwan-o-blog ! (part deux)

2007-08-05T13:30:00.001+08:00

Day 2. Ximending ->Taipei main station ->Rueifang -> Jiufen -> Yeliou -> Keelung

We woke up (early) just in time to witness the morning rush. As the hustle and bustle of life whizzed past us while we consumed our mobile breakfast consisting of soya milk and 蛋饼, it was as if we were indifferent to the changing environment, guising us as a temporary misfit, passing us off as true blue tourists.

As we had to reach the train station in time for our Rueifang bound train, we made haste and do away with the luxury of time we had; at least for awhile. As we could not get the block train tickets, we were separated into 3 pairs in different cabins.

At Tapei main station...

Human traffic regulator acting busy!

Train conductor 'kiapping' his way through

Waiting for the bus to Jiufen

It was a zig-zagging trip up Jiufen as the bus captain negotiated around bends that were aplenty. Up in Jiufen...

What a nice way to enjoy old age

Curvy, wavy, slanted

Lanterns like these bloomed everywhere in Jiufen

Check out the narrow lanes

Zipping through with ease

That's where we purchased our pineapple tarts and tai yang bing

Its hard to locate rubbish bins in Taiwan, maybe that's why they do up their used coconut shell

Fish balls everywhere

The tourists !

Next stop, Yeliou.

We could have taken the bus to Yeliou. But after weighing the pros and cons (the unbearable heat, long waiting time, long travelling time, hassle to transfer buses), we decided to go by cab.

At first, in order to reduce our travelling costs, the 6 (MW and Jeff haven't arrived yet) of us wanted to try squeezing into a 4 seater cab. But after a ridiculously lengthy negotiation with the cabbie, we made do with 2 cabs instead. The cabbie assured us a speedier trip as he would be using the highway, and also, he reiterated that the cab fare was justifiable and considerably 'cheap', judging by the distance between Jiufen and Yeliou. To add on, he also mentioned that since we're there on holidays, we should dare to spend more money. Duh!

We were in for a surprise in Yeliou. The high cab fare didn't do justice to the sceneries and things we could do there ! And due to the scorching heat, most of us were well hidden under the shade most of the time. Only a few brave us ventured around the park.

Rocks

Queen's head

Street while walking to the bus stop

After a long bus ride, we reached Keelung.

Scooters always storm the front

Miao Kou night market with its distinct lantern lineups

4 storeys high Macdonalds ! Statue of libery look-alike beside that infamous golden arch. How cool is that !

After touring the Miao kou vicinity, we took a bus to Bisha Fishery Harbour. This place seemed like a tourist-trap to me. Rows of restaurants, desperate for customers. All the various restaurant staffs tried alot of hard sell tactics to lure us in. However, since the first shop we went past had nicer staffs, we decided to have our dinner there.

Eat fresh. We shopped for our seafood and got the restaurant's chef to cook up a storm for us.

The storm !

After dinner, and after a small hilarious commotion set off by Joan and MY, we we were on our way back to Ximending.

We were so excited that we could get our train tickets using English

We went back to what we do best after taking this photo, and, that's sleeping :)

to be continued...

Taiwan-o-blog !

2007-08-04T18:04:00.000+08:00

The new semester is going to start in 2 days time, but here i'm, still reminiscing over the Taiwan trip that happened more than 2 weeks ago.

Up till now, i still can't get over the stupendous tour we had there - the third-person glimpse into Taiwanese culture and its people, the myriad of street food that had left indelible marks on my gastronomic radar, sceneries/sights that had captivated me, the fostering of new/old friendships, and last but not the least, the valuable memories that came as a post product of this 8 days trip...

Day one. Singapore -> Taipei -> Ximending -> Shilin Night Market

On board Freego bus (which translates into 飞狗 !) to our hotel; which is smacked right in the heart of Ximending !

Convenience right at our doorsteps :)

After checking into the hotel, we were en route to Shilin Night Market.

Throngs of hungry souls !

Big biscuit wrapped in small biscuit.

Big sausage wrapped in small sausage. How cool can naming get ?

The infamous smelly tofu. Its available almost EVERYWHERE !

XXL crispy chicken. Big, fatty, oily piece of chicken.

As we strolled down rolls of seemingly identical food stalls, we were greeted by this one particular uncle selling 'Orh Arh Jian' (fried oyster + egg).

Mr Orh Arh Jian

He was overly amicable/naggy (or 'lor sor') and it was through this 'trait' of his, that we would be consumed by conscience NOT to sit infront of his stall and order 'Orh Arh Jian' from him. He even secured a bubble tea vendor for us ! Call that efficiency or sales tactic ?

Next, we explored the Shilin vicinity.

Old skool game is the ongoing fad in Taiwan. Its hard not to notice such gaming stations as you stroll down the lanes.

A peek at some of the trendiest (ok lah) shop in town...

Sleeping in progress. Caught red(green)-handed.

Tattoo Stone-ist

Custom made sticker shop.

N is for women, N is for men. So, what's N ? Peculiarity.

It was a hectic first day for us as we had to adapt to the sudden change in environment (Everything, everwhere chinese !) and cope with the menacing time ticking away. Everything past by so quickly and without a doubt, it was time for us to head back to our hotel and get a good night rest.

At the MTR (MRT) station.

to be continued...

First time baker

2007-07-12T20:47:00.000+08:00

Macarons au chocolat ! (picture taken a week later with my 2 remaining macarons)

This is actually a back-post of a draft i almost forgot about. Here it goes....

...baking is lots of fun, easy for everyone ! or is it supposed to be chopsticks ?

A few weeks back, i had my first go at baking with MT. Although the macarons we baked didn't taste, look and feel as good as those from Canelé, it was the sense of achievement and satisfaction of transforming almond flour, egg whites, sugar, cream and chocolate into a mouth watering delicacy that was exhilarating.

As first timers, we spent more than the stipulated time on marketing, preparation and final baking process. And it was through this baking session that i became more 'bake-savvy'. I came into contact with parchment paper, understood the difference between parchment paper and baking paper, realised that fine granulate sugar is simply called caster sugar, understood the term 'piping', knew how to convert between 'cups, oz, g, tablespoons', and last but not least, realised that baking is not as easy as it seems.

Baking is definitely more about technique, rather than just following the recipe. I think that's what separates the good baker from the bad. Good and bad. Ying and yang. Everything seems to mirror that, doesn't it ?

IPPTstinks - an un/eventful day

2007-06-24T00:48:00.000+08:00

The IPPT (individual physical fitness test)'s monetary incentive of $400 which i'll be receiving from SAF doesn't come easy. I had to survive the >1hour journey to Maju camp ALONE (due to some un/foreseen circumstances; kudos to Veggie and LMY! :-) )

You see, Maju camp is so ulu pandan that the word 'ulu pandan' is written on the sign board !! Thanks to my fellow packers for unraveling the meaning of 'ulu pandan' to me.

And i had to endure and squeeze my way through hordes of 'runners' in a grueling 2.4km run which lasted for 9.23mins, and act nonchalant in front of a bunch of monkeys (read PTI and uncles-taking-the-test) despite their stares of disbelief after i jumped (standing broad jump) 250cm on my first attempt. Ok, i should stop engaging in self-pity. I should get on with my life and be thankful that i'm still young, not mentioning fit (to a certain extent).

I wonder what i'd be like, physically, 5,10 or even 20 years down the road. Will i retain my fitness as it is today ? Or will i end up like one of the numerous uncles-taking-the-test who are experiencing difficulties in doing sit-ups and lugging a tummy while completing a 2.4km run-that-never-seemed-to-end ? In order to reduce the probability of all these from happening, i should make it a lifetime pledge to exercise regularly and strive for gold in all IPPTs. I'd rather be thin than be fat. I'd rather be fit than be sick. And the list goes on and on.....blah...

After the test, i was on my way to Dhoby Ghaut to meet my friends for dinner...

I stained the bus seat with sweat that was lingering beneath my butt. I left traces of sweat on the bus platform as i alighted from the bus... Next, still clad in my soaked singlet and shorts, i boarded the almost-packed-with-commuters MRT at Dover...

I was enshrouded by 'disgusted' commuters who were less than 30cm away from me. I couldn't even stand my own stench, lest them - total strangers. Throughout the entire MRT journey, i tried my best to keep still. I tried my best not to make even the slightest movement in a bid to prevent my horrendous stench from shifting towards their direction. Occasionally, as i shift my eyes to look at them, i could see them holding their breath and shifting their heads away from me discreetly. At that point in time, i was petrified. I was helpless. Urghz. "Outram Park, all passengers...", and the exit door slid apart. This was the moment ! I scurried to the nearest exit, never to look back.

The North-east line (NEL) train arrived at the platform. I was hoping that the NEL "regulars" (those who will go to Little India/Serangoon in one big group) will be in one cabin. To my delightedness, it did happen, and at last (i told myself), i could blend in with the crowd :) However, my blissful moment only lasted for a mere 5 secs. The moment i stepped foot into the cabin, they too, were staring at me with that disgusted look on their face. What else can i say ?

I brought these upon myself and i regretted not bathing after the test. This should serve as a warning to me. Please bathe.

Working work

2007-06-15T00:26:00.000+08:00

As the baby boomers and post war generations embark on their relentless quest to look/smell/feel younger/good, its no wonder the perfume and cosmetic industry is inundated with a myriad of such products to cope with their rising demands.

Despite landing myself a cushy job (read Packer) in the airport's perfume & cosmetic store, where packing and exchanges of products take place between the customers and me, the bulk of these products are still unbeknownst to me. Most of these products bear similar traits, and its kind of hard for me to differentiate one from the other. But well, who cares ? As long as the products are classified by volume and packed into the respective bag(s), and the customers clear the security checks at the boarding gate with no hassle, then my duty as a packer would be rendered 'well-done!' - by me, of course. :)

But nothing in this world is smooth sailing, even Titanic sank you know. Ya, so as it is, i get to witness the occasional blunders that mar the workflow; of sales representative, of cashier, of customer or en masse. Nobody likes to get the blame when something happens (eg. when customers get the wrong item(s), their purchase(s) failed to be delivered to the boarding gate, sales rep A snatching a prospective customer-who-will-be-spending-big-money from sales rep B..and the list goes on..) and this is when you get to witness, first hand, the extrication of the flaws of human nature. The parties involved start to get pushy, somewhat trying to wallop each other up ... Okay, i'm exaggerating.

As i lean against the counter passively and watch these 'dramas' take its toll, a sense of helplessness will unfold in me as i don't know who to empathize with. Even after working there for a month or so, i still find it hard to comprehend all these love-hate, hate-hate relationships. Maybe aunties are just aunties and i ought to leave them as they are. For who knows, these might be the kind of events that will spice up their ever mundane job/life and will also provide them with a leeway to engage in some afterthoughts (maybe some self reflections to make them a better person ? err, or maybe some post-plotting to seek vengeance the next time such conflicts arise again). How i wish i had the ability to read people's mind.

Rochore Kongsi for the Aged

2007-03-23T14:41:00.000+08:00

Tucked away in a corner of Bugis is a place less known. A place where busy city dwellers neglect.

This is a place where solitude succumb to communal living. A place where love and care co-exist, and this is where, a group of destitute aged calls home.

They seek no luxury, for life is short. They have been acquiesced with life’s shortcomings, for the world is no stranger to them. Shower them with your love and care, for they seek nothing other than those who care. A mere visit or simple chat with them, will definitely brighten up their day.

Old Changi Hospital

2007-03-03T00:05:00.000+08:00

With all the wild thoughts rummaging through my mind, i cannot help, but to refrain from zooming in (the photos).

SPCA

2007-01-28T17:14:00.000+08:00

I admit. I've never been to SPCA. Today was my first.

I always picture SPCA as a big, dilapidated enclosure, housing all kinds of abandoned pets in situ. Contrary to my beliefs, SPCA is actually quite small, and the compound residing those abandoned pets is considerably well-maintained; with regular paint jobs done up by volunteers. However, each individual animals there will have to make do with the fetid stench emanating from their enclosures and also the 'less-than-abundant' living space allocated to them before they get adopted. Sometimes, i sympathize with them for the state they're in, but i guess they should be feeling blessed - for they're being provided and cared for in their new found home.

One of the many wall paintings done up by volunteers

Epitome for innocence

Look at her eyes

He can't get to his playmate on the other side of the cage

I'll be good

Please adopt me

shooting car, chasing sun

2007-01-01T23:48:00.000+08:00

On new year's eve, Alan and I set off at around 5.30am, reaching Seletar dam just in time to do some setting up and catch the sunrise. At first, we wanted to stop put at Upper Seletar Reservoir. However upon reaching there, we realized that the reservoir was facing west (not an ideal spot for shooting his car against the sunrise). Due to the sudden change in plan and our rush for time, we settled for Seletar dam instead.

The sun rose 20mins before the forecasted timing at 7.07am.

After the sky transformed into a pale and hazy shade of grey, we knew that the end of our mini-photoshoot was here. Alot of shots were either full or partially underexposed /overexposed. It was harder to shoot in low lighting conditions than i thought. To make things worse, the short-lived sun rise was a ticking 'time bomb' on its own and the fast but gradual change in light also got into my nerves. With my limited knowledge in photography and the time constraint (hard to experiment with the shuttle speeds/apertures) imposed by the earth's rotation, it made me appreciate the essence of photography even more.

A walk around town - tampines new town

2006-12-30T00:41:00.000+08:00

After so many days of endless rain, the sky finally cleared and the roads dried. Armed with my camera, i took a walk around my neighbourhood.

First stop, the park (err, it plays host to a SMALLL running track, an exercise station, a playground and a badminton court).

He stopped his play and posed for me (why? ya, he saw me holding on to a camera). Kids these days can be such a photo whore. Nonetheless, i took a picture of him !

Here comes his armed accomplices...
Lethal weapons. Little weapons

Contented with just a 20m x 20m area! Look at how happy she is.
You see, i'm a total stranger to her, but she just smiled at me cheerfully. Or maybe she was just showing off her straight and neat rows of teeth !

How many times do you walk past nature without realizing its existence ?

There are many stray/domestic cats loitering around the neighbourhood. This one happens to be a domestic strayed-away cat.

She noticed me

This basketball court seems to attract only teenagers. I have yet to spot any uncles/aunties playing in this court.

They agreed to let me photograph them during their match

I realized they can play pretty well. Haha?

That goes without explaining.

Another one...

And so, that concluded my day.

Rain

2006-12-29T12:20:00.000+08:00

Rain.

ma mère et ma sœur

Weitian's Birthday !

2006-12-28T12:08:00.000+08:00

Celebrated Weitian's birthday yesterday and yes, it has been a long time since we dined out in a restaurant. My mum is always busy at work, and our family don't usually go out together. It is through Weitian's birthday that my mum can finally detach herself from work, embrace the good food and spend some quality time with us - as a family. I'm really looking forward to more of these family outings.

My 3 sisters posing for the cameraman. Mama, where are you?

Empty plates and heavy bellies

I'm infront of you all !

chi ba boom

2006-11-29T10:30:00.000+08:00

The exams are finally over. I don't believe it. Half a year ago, i was still an 'obedient' soldier, always at the beck and call of those fussy superiors, doing tasks assigned by others to them. And half a year later, here i am, paying to do tasks assigned by others that will determine my future. I'm not a master, but merely a slave to this wicked society. I feel so stupid. Okay, i am. First ever exam (after 2 years) and i blew it. arghhhhhhh. The holidays are here, i think i should play hard now and work even harder during the next semester.

Day after the storm...If only everything could turn out this way.

Day after the storm, Tampines - 201

zoo

2006-07-11T22:59:00.000+08:00

When was the last time you went to the Zoo ?

1,2,3,4 ,5,6,7,8 HUH?

Zebra-not-crossing

You can't catch me

What are you staring at ? I bite.

Do not disturb. Sleeping in progress.

Meow!

tee ass toe - smelly, sweaty, hot

2006-04-16T22:05:00.000+08:00

Despite being a world-class DJ who has been voted number 1 (in 2002,03,04), Tiësto's performance in MOS was rather mediocre, and well, a huge disappointment to his faithful supporters (like me).

The queue (those without priority tickets) at MOS started forming up distinctively at around 7pm; with like minded 'fans' queuing up as early as 6.30pm, in anticipation that MOS would be crowded way before the stipulated timing and entry made impossible. Nobody wants to miss this rare chance of catching Tiësto live in Singapore and high hopes have been imbued into him for crafting out a high energy night. 9+pm, the doors opened and yea, one step closer to seeing Tiësto live!

Ironically at around 11+pm, the crowds were already hailing the DJ as god and chanting "Tiësto!" in unison. However, they failed to identify that it was the resident DJ (Damien Saint or whoever) and not Tiësto who was behind the decks. They paid $38-$42 (way above the normal cover charge) to catch Tiësto without even knowing who he is. How absurd.

By the time Tiësto took over the decks, the dancefloor was already packed like sardines. Everyone warm, sweaty and there were barely enough space for us to stand and let alone, dance. The dance platforms were unstrategically positioned and obstructed our view. The lightings for the DJ platform were way too dim and we couldn't really see what Tiësto was doing up there. Despite having played in most (if not all) of the prestigious clubs and big-scale dance events in the world, Tiësto's technical abilities on the turntable that night was atrocious. He can't even beatmatch precisely! His selection of tracks (boring tunes which i couldn't ID) were also unlike his livesets that i've heard before. What's more ? He wasn't even enjoying himself (saw from the projection screen) - a signature style of him in all his live events.

Being squeezed in a supposedly big and spacious, but apparently small dancefloor was bad enough. Having paid $42 to catch an underperforming DJ made it worse. And i've yet to mention the visual effects - banal and repetitive. Overrated DJ in an overrated club ? Just my 2cents worth. arghz.

Stuck at home

2006-04-11T23:54:00.000+08:00

Dark clouds enshrouded the morning skies and ushered in the rain that followed closely behind it; indirectly dictating an irrevocable truth - i can't swim today! What a whimsical way to kick start the day...

The serenity of a neighbourhood (especially HDB's) in the day need not be in direct relation to the number of inhabitants (sans those working/schooling/not-at-home): sound level is likely to rise as with the increase in inhabitants, but this is not always the case. With the deafening roar of drills and tools wailling inexorably and tearing the silence apart, no number of rantings from pissed-off neighbours can outlast its dominance in the neigbourhood. No number of complaints to the authorities can stop it; for its approved for. So how can people who happens to be at home, wants to rest, seek solace or solitude in the comfort of their home do so now - in such a disruptive environment ?

That's why i don't like to stay at home during the day, i'd rather be out. I don't want to be stuck at home (although i can still go out on a rainy day, but it really dampened my day (right at the start)). urghz.

Phone?

2006-04-09T09:41:00.000+08:00

The uncouth manner of talking loudly over the mobile phone will just give away your supposedly 'private' conversation to curious passer-bys. But this course of action might just be inadvertent as our mobile phones are always set to its maximum volume due to the incessant concoction of loud noises in our environment. As the volume gets louder, its also an innate human reaction to speak louder.

When you're onboard a public transport, the action of talking loudly will not only disrupt the peace in the enclosed space, but you'll also start to find commuters staring at you discreetly; somewhat judging you based on your few minutes stint. With just a short piece of conversation being overheard, one can easily decipher basic facts (the who, what, when, where ,how) from you, with you still mesmerized in a world of your own. I've seen infuriated people hurling abuses into their phone, people sweet talking into their phone, people discussing work related materials over the phone...et cetera, and ultimately, people using 3 languages in one sentence over the phone.

I was ascending a flight of stairs when i heard this: "Ni de ah yi bah lu buoey zik gai second hand gai gang qing." (meaning: your aunt just bought a 2nd hand piano). I think this is the beauty of being multi-lingual - you will always find a word from another language to replace a word that you've conveniently forgotten.

For an angel

2006-04-08T22:23:00.000+08:00

Despite being a 1998 single, Paul van dyk's - "For an angel" , till today, has already emerged itself as a dancefloor anthem - one which possesses an unsurpassable and undeniable appeal in capturing the hearts and souls of clubbers, making them groove religiously over its euphoric and upbeat elements. Agnelli & Nelson played it @ Zouk, the crowd went crazy. PVD played it @ Zouk and St. James Powerhouse, the crowd went crazy. TR played it @ Milkbar, the crowd went crazy. The list goes on and the crowd still went crazy over "For an angel" - a truly remarkable and amazing tune i'd say; a classic tune in its highest attainment. One of my all time favourites too!

Tiësto will be spinning @ MOS next friday and i think he'll be churning out wicked tunes just like his mixsets. Just Be Tiësto-ed.

Monkey

2006-03-30T15:37:00.000+08:00

This is just one of the random artworks i did out of boredom. It is not meant to be a mockery or a picture form of satirical expression. And ultimately, no harm intended! :)

Titled: Monkey (Model: JY + Monkey). Click for a 1024x768 resolution image.

Wuyishan

2006-03-28T22:19:00.001+08:00

My first few attempts in creating a wallpaper size photo montage. .

Montage of Wuyishan. Click for a 1024x764 resolution image.

Children

2006-03-23T21:44:00.000+08:00

Children - a seemingly harmless creation and an epitome of innocence and naive charm. These are just some of the children that had crossed my path and captivated me during my stay in China. Just because of my love for kids and my perpetual effort in trying to capture the best picture of them, i've been dubbed as a paedophile by my tour companions :(

The demureness of this little girl exudes the traditional upbringing of a girl in a typical China village. Taken by JY.

Look how easily fun and happiness can be derived from a puddle of rain water

Little boy amazed by the waves of steam rising from the buns

A young sprinter has emerged from a game of chasing with friends

Learning how to walk

Curiousity induced by the human traffic at the bus interchange

Too engrossed with their new found 'toy' to notice the world

woohoo

2006-03-08T21:38:00.000+08:00

Mai dong xi, chi dong xi, mai dong xi, chi dong xi and kan dong xi... What a great way to past time! China here i come - in few more hours time ! Bon voyage !

boredom

2006-03-05T11:42:00.000+08:00

There is The Speak Good English Movement and Speak Mandarin Campaign, why isn't there a Speak Malay/Tamil Campaign in Singapore ? So far, I've only seen SBS buses zipping by me with those tastefully done up advertisements promoting the use of English/Mandarin. To sustain my curiousity, i did some googling, but it yields nothing. Pardon me for my nescience if this is not true. This is just how blasé i am, staying at home, pondering over mundane things.

Flipping through the newspaper's weather section, the appalling fact of rain/showers over in Hong Kong and Shenzhen is disheartening me. With rain, sight-seeings trip will be hindered; which equates to more shopping. Arghz. Hope the weather will turn out for the better throughout our entire 13 days stay there. Rain rain go away...

China

2006-03-03T23:02:00.000+08:00

Armed with only 2 friends, 1 luggage and an exhaustible supply of money, off i go to China in another 6 more days. This trip will be a special one as there's no parental guidance involved; we're free to roam the streets and its all up to us in managing and monitoring our financial status. We'll be juggling between shopping and sight seeing on our 13 days journey and i hope everything will turn out as it should be. Right now, i can only do the final preparations while waiting for this day to arrive.

My pre-trip photo!

see

2006-02-20T22:16:00.000+08:00

Its a lazy saturday afternoon and everything seems to be brought into a standstill amidst the blazing afternoon sun. While i was cruising along the city streets, i got to view life in a different perspective; and that is - never to take things for granted. It appears to be an inherent part of human nature to take things for granted and we ought to change it, for we're blessed (compared to them).

Old but not weak

Makeshift sleeping corner

Bored

2006-02-12T01:28:00.000+08:00

Overwhelmed with boredom, so i decided to toy around with my camera. Shots taken on Saturday, 11pm around my estate.

On the overhead bridge

On the overhead bridge

Gloomy HDB

Crossing the road

Don't worry, be happy

Vacuum cleaner

2006-01-14T21:31:00.000+08:00

The juxtaposition of 2 seemingly identical vacuum cleaners raised my curiousity and so i inquired one of the store assitant. Me:" Which of the two is better ?". He pointed expeditiously to the one on the right; of which costs more and he added on saying that its better because there's an additional suction power control knob on it. Sensing something amiss, i questioned him :" So is the knob useful?" He faltered and replied :" No.". Well, well, what can i say. Dumbfounded.

pix for thoughts...

2006-01-10T19:36:00.000+08:00

The world is never a small place for such coincidence...

New year...

2006-01-10T11:54:00.000+08:00

Days after days of rain, casting ennui on me. No matter how much enthusiasm and vim i have on engaging in outdoor sports, the bad weather has already snatched it all off - from me. Trapped at home, i've got nothing much to do, except to turn into an esurient monster. Since i'm not a connoisseur of food, i'll just eat anything that's edible at home, less those that requires preparation. Increased in intake of food but a standstill in exercising, what a way to start the new year.

Dreadful thoughts would always shadow upon me whenever i think about the division 'saikang'. We were the few 'suay ones' to be inured into doing one of the 'shitty-est' job. After being told that being incompetent in the army is okay, i've concluded that incompetence is the key factor in leading a primrose path for one's NS life. If one starts this mores too late, more often than not, he/she will fail. And his entire NS life would be filled with 'shit', tons and tons of it. I happened to fall victim into that. I'm not saying i'm competent, but i'm just incapable of 'smoking out'. As till now, i've already been 'arrowed' to do more 'saikang' vis-à-vis the rest of my platoon mates. Really hope that we'll be reasonablily compensated at the end of it for the precious time and hardwork we've put in.

Yeah !

2006-01-02T16:15:00.000+08:00

After months of hiatus, i finally got back my dope of trance music at Phuture. Kudos to Lionel, Felix, Brandon and Chris for unleashing yet another uplifting and euphoric set . It was a rather retrospective night for me as flashbacks of the good old days of 'trance-ing' shuttered through my mind - the day i stumbled upon trance music, the day Trancerepublic was born, my first clubbing during Trances>1. All in all, i really enjoyed myself yesterday night; jumping to the beats of my favourite trance music.

The turnout at Phuture was not bad (crowded but not packed), considering the fact that the bulk of the clubbers were at previous night's new year's eve party. Zouk on the other hand also had its fair share of clubbers, although the main bulk of clubbers flocked over to Phuture. Hail to TRANCE man !

Next event worth attending would be Paul Van Dyk's politics of dancing world tour at Zouk on the 30th this month. It would definately be another milestone for the local trance scene. Woohoo, i'll be waiting for this day to come. P.L.U.R !

Nonsensical discoveries

2005-12-22T22:13:00.000+08:00

Every packet of imported foodstuffs would be affixed with the importer's sticker, citing informations like the company's name and address.

Nutritional facts are printed at the back of every food stuff. Be it canned or packet, its compulsory to make notice to the general public the nutritional values of the food. It turns me off whenever i see zeros at the vitamins or dietary fibres column. The manufacturers should at least refrain from printing them in the first place. It'll help to save the printing ink.

Less sugar doesn't mean its not sweet. Most of the time, it still taste too sweet. There ought to be a guideline as to how sweet is sweet.

A normal camera can operate at temperatures around 0°C to 40°C. Needless to say, the lens.

Liars ought to plan thoroughly and run through their 'flawless' plans over and over again in order to prevent any loopholes. If you plan to lie, do a good one. Don't get caught. It takes just one lie to ruin another person's view on you.

Recollections...

2005-12-22T21:41:00.000+08:00

Old chap surrounded by parrots at Pemberton

Angry pinnacle

Rock formations nearby Cape Leeuwin

The Station House

Busycow

Washing Powder?

ROC Candies in the making

Aborigine seated outside St George's Cathedral

Me, at the Windmill Farm

Just some of the unique graffitis

Little girl shaking hand with street performer

At Pelicans Inn

Wild Kangaroo

Me, surrounded by pinnacles

Sand dune

Thirsty Point View

Wilderness

Fist shaped rock formation

Standing ontop of the natural bridge

Part of the Gap

Me, seated beside a blowhole

View from gap

Clear seawater

Me, with statue outside St. Martins Tower

Back from Perth

2005-12-20T14:47:00.000+08:00

Back from Perth for 2 days, but i still feel lost and uneasy deep inside. The pessimistic views i have for going back to camp (doing things i hate) and the sudden loss in holiday enjoyment might have contributed to the bulk of my mood. A sense of loneliness in the house also played a part to this unavoidable sentient. Looking back at the photographs i've taken during the entire course of the trip, how i wish the holiday wouldn't end. I missed the sights, sounds and weather of Australia, something which would not be found in Singapore - ever.

The trip to Perth almost ended up as a shopping trip due to our poor planning and communication. We didn't manage to book a vehicle in advance as it was all fully booked during the peak season. Count ourselves lucky. If not for the sudden available of 1 vehicle on the 4th day at AVIS, we'll be having a wasted trip to Perth (fly to perth and shop? waste of time and money).

We touched down on Perth International Airpot on Day 1 and took a cab to my sister's residence in Nedlands. We had a tour of her school (UWA) and travelled by the subway to Subiaco.

Day 2. Headed to St George's College first thing in the morning and then by subway to Fremantle. Had ice-cream at the famous Simmo's, visited the Round House, had a heartful fish n chip lunch at the famous Cicerello's, followed by shopping at Fremantle Markets and E Shed. By pass Bell Tower to have dinner at Annalakshmi.

Day 3. Expensive $800 (no car, so maxi cab) ride to Nambung National Park, 19 km south of Cervantes to admire at the Pinnacles. Short visit to King's Park in the evening as the day's time was expended by the long north-bound travelling time to the Pinnacles.

Day 4. Toured around the City of Perth. Was lucky enough to rent a Torago for our trip to the south-west of Western Australia.

Day 5. Drove via Freeway South to Rockingham, Mandurah, Bunbury, Busselton and finally to our destination, Margaret River. Visited Sandalford Winnery, The Berry Farm and some other farms. It was almost dusk when we reached Surfer's Point, just in time to admire at the sunset. Checked in to The Station House.

Day 6. Drove all the way south to Augusta to admire at the sceneries around Cape Leeuwin. Next, we headed to Jewel Cave for a tour followed by a drive to Pemberton to climb up the famous Gloucester Tree. Had lunch at Pemberton Chicken. Drove eastward to Albany where we bought some food for dinner and checked in at the Pelicans Inn.

Day 7. Had a view of Mt Clarence. Drove to the Windmill Farm followed by Torndirrup National Park where Geography came alive ! Had a spectacular view of gaps and blowholes! At Walpole, we visited the Valley Of The Giants. Nxt we drove over 390km via the Albany Highway back to Perth where we had a feel of the Friday late night shopping in the city.

Day 8. Returned the Torago and explored the city. Revisited King's park but this time round, we had to walk there. Packed our luggages for next day's homebound flight.

Day 9. Back to Singapore. Warm weather and hordes of buildings welcomed us.

tai tai tai

2005-11-12T22:30:00.003+08:00

27 hours more and i'll be in Changi Airport for a dreadful trip to Thailand for EX Sapperstar. Actually i've got 2 choices. Either i stay in camp and do duties (COS and GUARD) or head up to Thailand with the majority of my platoon. I chose not to stay back. I hope Murphy's law won't come true when we're up there in Thailand. Many mixed feelings in my platoon for this trip as as usual, Staff.T holds the carte blanche and we're just 'peanuts' compared to his 'superiority'. It has been a long 5 years since he last stepped in Khanchanaburi's soil and we can all see that he's pretty nervous about it and he has done alot of things which seems like carrying coals to Newcastle. Actually there's no raison d'être for us to be in Thailand as this trip was meant for charlie coy's ETEC (etap?). Thanks to our previous S2 for initiating this training trip for our platoon. :| Controlled canteen breaks and abstinence from mobile S4(s) are just some of the minor things that are awaiting us and the future is not ours to make.

Up till now, i still don't know why polo-tee is de rigueur for this trip. With reasons such as "putting on collar-less shirt will spoil the SAF image" and "tee-shirts are for kids", i don't know why SAF regulars are still confined to this unlogical logic. Haiz, just bear with it and endure the last 6 months or so of service, c'est la vie i guess.

Podded

2005-11-10T22:53:00.000+08:00

My mom adopted iPod mini recently as 'he' was abandoned amid a series of chairs. Being a kind soul, i bought 'him' basic necessities so that 'his' identity could be traced. Hoard of junks were fed into 'him' by his previous owners, as if not enough, due to negligence and slavery (made to do long hour of chores), the performance of 'his heart' was deteriorating. It was time for me to do something. I did a bypass surgery on 'him' last week. Operation went on smoothly and recovery rate was impressive. iPod mini's lifespan extended remarkably and i was impressed.

arghz.

2005-09-18T11:21:00.000+08:00

The most dreaded event is coming once again - Range (which sets me in a rage). Whenever i put on my helmet, my already 'depreciated' intelligence will continue to slide down the scale and my ever slow movement will be made worst. Let alone asking me to aim and shoot. I've been tagged as a 'bobo shooter' since BMT and i really feel bad about it. After each shoot, others get to rest. But for me, i had to go through the hassle of drawing ammos and fight it out with the target board, again. This stigma was made worse when i'm the chamber specialist (need to guide others how to shoot) but my name was being called out for the re-shoot detail. The feeling of guiding someone something you're not confident in is simply fxxxup. I've tried my best in all the ranges but suffice it to say, inadequate. Shucks, combat shoot 1 next week and i'm not feeling good about it. Miracles do happen and i hope to receive its good karma next week.

Fish bait

2005-09-12T17:48:00.000+08:00

AHM finally over. If not for the finisher medal which equates to 1 more day off, i think you'll find more people walking (me included) and going home after noon is a possibility. In medal we trust ! The female runners were good, their endurance and determination really spurred me on and definately surpassed what i possessed. Whenever they ran past me, a moment of disappointment clouded in me. I've re-affirmed how weak i am and i should feel ashamed about it. Time to work hard and train up.

Arghh... I want to watch "March of the Penguins" ! Nobody seems to like documentary film. Triste empereur....

hmmm...

2005-09-03T17:21:00.000+08:00

Not so good ehh ? So odd, is it because of the tyrant ?

Yet again ....

2005-09-03T16:52:00.000+08:00

This time round, it turned out to more aggressive. Blood was inevitable. Serious itch and misery :(

zzz

2005-09-03T11:16:00.000+08:00

"Specs are just super pioneer", i fully support the casual remark made by the guard. Pioneers can give up but specialists can't. Specialists shouldn't be called "COMMANDERS", they should be called first-class man. Specialists do the same things as their man, only to get fcuked if something goes wrong....lalalalala...

Relieved !

2005-08-31T13:22:00.000+08:00

One more load off my shoulder and many more to come. The feeling of passing something (however insignificant) is simply ecstatic. The taste of success is really what it takes to drive a man; the aftertaste which comes as a package is much more alluring and makes one desire for more. Soon, complancency creeps in and starts to invade the consious mind, directing its host to failure and jumpstarting the vicious-cycle. Being humble and upholding a clear mind will indeed help to lessen the magnitude of impact. A bittersweet moment, a moment to remember for life.

Driving practical test !

2005-08-30T23:31:00.000+08:00

Driving practical test tomorrow. Hope i'll pass in first attempt ! Good luck to myself ! All the best ! I will get my driving license tomorrow !

another saturday...

2005-08-20T22:58:00.000+08:00

This month is full of tastebud indulgence. I've dined in at more restaurants then i did in my 20 years of life. Needless to say, i've also spent alot of money in exchange for these experiences. Its always good to try out new things and there are more than 101 things i want to try before i ORD. So much things but too little time. While slacking at BK today, a couple entered. That guy said :"Wah, burger king got lamb leh. You want to try ? " - curiousity does initiate our openness to new experiences.

At kino's livres français section today, i saw a chinese lady who was accompanied by an ang moh. I was totally amazed when she conversed in fluent french (like those in the movie sia) with her french counterpart. She spoke as though her french was her native language. How i envy her ! Those livres enfants were not as easy as what i've perceived. Flipping through them made my heart throbbed (vocabs were like monster eating up my brain) but at the same time unintentionally inspiring me to keep on learning, never to give up ! Se passioner pour l'apprentissage du français !

I was so happy when i purchased "Above & Beyond's latest vinyl - Air for live". Only to test it back at home and realised it was warped. Got to report the defect(s) tomorrow before i book-in. Hopefully they'll do a one-for-one exchange.

seeing rogue

2005-08-13T17:29:00.000+08:00

" I've found something that is contrary to what i believed in - music is not a key factor in attracting the general public into pubs/clubs. I think its the pool of people in it that will ultimately form up a bigger community of crowd. For example, if you're sociable enough to start up conversations in a pub/club with strangers, you'll definately find the place homely and the chances of you and your newfound friend(s) visiting the same pub/club again will be high. If your network of strangers-turned-friends widens up, it will indirectly mean that the number of people in the pub/club will increase if you all decides to pub/club together (it need not be the same pub/club). "

Rogue - a pub that is partly built-up with my above 'theory'. The main bulk of the crowd coversed in their own language (MALAY) and smoke like there's no tomorrow. The drinks are too expensive ($45/jug of beer) and the DJ simply suck. All the rojak and 'trainwrecked' tunes are too unbearable. It will make EDM (electronic dance music) lovers lose confidence in the industry. The DJ should retire and let the pub be entirely a live band pub.

action - reaction

2005-08-11T19:44:00.000+08:00

I'm always attracting mosquitoes. No matter where i go, be it an urban or forrested area, i'll always be the mosquitoes' prime and foremost target. I'll definately be their number one choice, the first person in a group to be feasted on by 'them'.

No doubt, this seemingly harmless creature has been creeping around my room at night, somewhat assaulting me for my presence. It is today, that I finally caught 'her'. She should be happy that i had photographed 'her' for memory sake - to remind me of all the sufferings she had brought on me in exchange for her pleasure. As i am a clumsy person, i accidentally broke 2 of 'her' legs while transporting 'her' around.
But as a kind soul, i applied MOPIKO on 'her' to soothe the pain she was experiencing (MOPIKO proves effective for external mosquito related matters). The last time i checked on 'her', she was dead.

The bug is ours to keep

2005-08-10T10:19:00.000+08:00

The NDP songs revolve around my mind and plays accomplaniment to my 5 senses. With its highly repetitive structure, these parasitic melodies has inhibited my mind and are clinging on tightly to their new found 'home'. I know it takes time to eradicate their presence but at the moment, their presence are overwhelming and i'm fighting a losing battle. 'The future is ours to make'. What type of 'future' have i made out for myself ?

Human beings are just like parrots. A fusion of our minds with repetitive 'actions' will bring about results that we least expect to, in this case, remember. Who in this world, rather than those NDP maniacs would want to remember NDP SONGS ?

Un bout de mon vie d'ingénieur militaire

2005-08-05T21:14:00.000+08:00

Il y a un sergent-chef dans mon bureau qui n'inspire pas ma respect en personne. Je lui le respect seulement pour le rang il est usant. Je connais que si je lui blesser en sens unique ou d'autre, mon vie sera mauvaise dans la bureau. Je ne peux pas gagner lui parce que je suis seulement le rang bas de NSF. Il est quelqu'un qui bien traiter ceux qui sont d'aide directe pour lui. Par exemple, personnel dans l'équipe de passe de accès étaient donné plus les privilèges que ceux qui n'étaient pas. Nous étaient laissé se regardé de VCD dans la chambre de i-net et la bureau du passe, gratuit de le petit-déjeuner pendant répétition de NDP, laissé un haute de niveau bruit et beaucoup d'autres. Haiz. Pourquoi ne pas nous ? Nous avons donné plus de travail, surtout sont redondant. Par exemple, j'ai donné beaucoup d'inutile d'affiche, nous étaient fait de 'funpack' en la NUIT, attacher à d'autres de personne pour de travail difficile...... Alors que nous étaient fait toutes la travail de merde, où en étaients lui ? Il n'est pas partout en vue!

D'autres deux la spécialiste, Timothy et Nic, ne pas pouvoir le faire aussi. Je n'y peux rien :(

Broken french. Only i can understand.

2005-07-29T22:19:00.000+08:00

J'avais bien prévu d'écrire ma blog en français, mais il est beaucoup plus facile de ne pas le faire. En tout cas, laissez-moi essaye.

Aujourd'hui est un tel long jour. Nous avons fait beaucoup de la marche, juste qu'il dresser la fléchages sur la poteau de lampe et la feu de circulation, tout le long des quartiers autour le Padang. Après quoi, nous sommes allé à la centre de Funan pour le déjeuner. Ensuite, nous avons continué avec la reste des fléchages et préparions vingt de la panneaux de signe pour demain. Bien que nous avon fini notre travail plus tôt, je n'ai fait pas allais ma maison aussitôt. Moi et HC attendions pour Monsieur Ron pour notre billet de la parade au jour nationale. Marche autour Cityhall et Suntec - perte de temps. :( J'ai deux billet pour ma mère et cousin. Tant pis ma petite sœur est en camp, elle est aller perdu ce une fois dans cinq ans la parade.

J'ai atteint à la maison à sept et joué avec la plaque tournante comme j'ai acheté trois le vinyle....

Je me réveille tôt demain. Ce va être encore un tel long jour.

2005-07-11T15:52:00.000+08:00

Sleepiness is the greatest excuse to everything and i happened to be a victim of it.

creep (he)

2005-07-03T13:35:00.000+08:00

I have seen it, but it doesn't mean i know where it is. Don't order me around, cause i don't intend to help you. If you can utilize your assumption skill in the wrong manner, so can i. You need my help. But i assumed that your charisma would attract your trustworthy friends to help you. They didn't.

You like to contradict yourself. You ought to shut your mouth so it will be a better place with you around.

You don't deserve 'it', you just count yourself lucky.

You laze around and got agitated by 2 words, 'slack ar'. If you're not guilty, why be afraid ?

the future is ours to make ?

2005-06-05T09:02:00.000+08:00

'The future is ours to make' - the catchphrase which is on emphasis for this year's national day parade. Unfortunately, a simple statement like that need not represent its humble self, there's actually more to it. By making references (for this statement) to things that are constantly revolving around our mundane life, the future is not exactly ours to make. It is more or less dictated by those of higher authority, may it be the government, your boss, your officers in the SAF or et cetera. Examples of which are the increase in movie ticket pricing, the bus fare hike, higher university fees and so on. These are not what we want, it just happened. Not the type of future that we want. But what to do ? It just happened. Efforts (petitions,forums) have been made to rectify the changes but what happened? All gone to waste. We have seen it all.

The multimedia design team is a complete hoax. In the first place, we were told to express our creativity and let those creative 'juices' flow. Albeit all our efforts and hard work spent on designing stuffs(be it tickets, covers, posters..etc), a few simple excuses for rejecting our concept and ideas are what it takes to put our efforts down the drain. Little do they know that coming out with something from nothing is not a simple process - transitions from phrase to phrase, with trial and error doing its magic here and there. So much so for creativity, yeah ! I was tasked to do the national education show(NESHOW) cover. First design rejected, reason(s) being the kids were looking depressed and it doesn't reflect well for such an event. But the photos were taken on the previous year's NESHOW. If the kids were unhappy, doesn't it has something to do with the show ? Second design pending at first, although minor changes here and there (eg. use gradient on the cicles' border, DUH!). It got rejected for apparently no reason but he says that those kids in the cover don't look primary 5. fuck. He wanted me to do the third design using those photos provided by TP(photos of primary 1 kids?, grandmas, aunties and uncles). "You want primary 5 looking kids but yet you want me to use younger kids and old people on the cover. How should i go about doing it ? I don't know what other excuses you'll be coming up with. I feel so insecure. I just don't want to waste my time on doing things that are going nowhere." fuck. The celebration at heartland ticket design that i crafted out with much hard work was replaced by a somewhat seemingly UGLY design (only a shitty photo, a shitty plain background and few shitty tasteless text). A design which took me months to 'perfect' and make countless submissive edits was pulled out at the last minute. Just because you can't appreciate 'art', you say its messy and disapprove of it. fuck. The future for me now is not under my control. I feel as if i'm stuck in thick mud, can't move anywhere and up to you to 'abuse'. I'M NOT YOUR SERVANT.

Star(s),crab(s) and bar(s) suck. They're not my favourite food. Je ne veux pas travailler.

Pink Martini - Sympathique

2005-04-22T23:34:00.000+08:00

Ma chambre a la forme d'une cage
Le soleil passe son bras par la fentre
Les chasseurs ma porte
Comme les p'tits soldats
Qui veulent me prendre

Je ne veux pas travailler
Je ne veux pas djeuner
Je veux seulement l'oublier
Et puis je fume

Dj j'ai connu le parfum de l'amour
Un million de roses n'embaumerait pas autant
Maintenant une seule fleur dans mes entourages
Me rend malade

Je ne veux pas travailler
Je ne veux pas djeuner
Je veux seulement l'oublier
Et puis je fume

Je ne suis pas fire de a
Vie qui veut me tuer
C'est magnifique tre sympathique
Mais je ne le connais jamais

Je ne veux pas travailler
Non
Je ne veux pas djeuner
Je veux seulement l'oublier
Et puis je fume

Je ne suis pas fire de a
Vie qui veut me tuer
C'est magnifique tre sympathique
Mais je ne le connais jamais

Je ne veux pas travailler
Non
Je ne veux pas djeuner
Je veux seulement l'oublier
Et puis je fume

Inspired and motivated

2005-04-17T12:19:00.000+08:00

http://up.nickpan.com/videos.html

SG rollers ! Download those videos, footages of skate sessions around Singapore. Truly amazed and inspired by them ! I want to do handrail grind soon !

out

2005-04-17T11:38:00.000+08:00

Reached home at around 5.15am. Chinablack was fully packed with people, we queued for around 2hr just to get in ! The bartender gave us each a cup of free drink while we were queuing up. Music wise, they were playing 'rojak' - a mix of hip-hop, progressive and breakbeats. When i got in, i thought it was progessive night caused Iio- rapture (some prog mix) was played, but the next tune was a hip-hop song cross-faded in untactfully. It was a big turn off. From then on, the whole live set became 'rojak'. The DJ did some off beat beat juggling and some tunes wasn't even blended in well. lousy man. During the later part of the night, i caught him yawning his way through. Haha. The overall crowd was quite good, clubbers were grooving and showing off their best dance moves on the podium and dance floor.

Before going to Chinablack, i met up with my secondary school friends for movie, dinner and coffee-bean. Infection was such a lousy film, i would rate it 1/10. 1, for the sound effects, stealth portion and disgusting renditions. The 3 magical words ' shut up lar' thrown to a bunch of noisy and rowdy girls by an ah-beng prior to the start of the movie was very effective. 1 clap for him! The coffee-bean session brought back our secondary school days memories as we pulled back images from the past. Teachers and school mates who had made footprints in our minds were relinquished during the session. It was a good talk i should say, after not seeing each other for quite some time.

En apesanteur

2005-04-15T22:22:00.000+08:00

Calogero
--------
En apesanteur
-------------

J'arrive à me glisser
Juste avant que les portes ne se referment
Elle me dit "quel étage"
Et sa voix me fait quitter la terre ferme
Alors
Les chiffres dansent
Tout se mélange
Je suis en tête-à-tête avec un ange

En apesanteur
Pourvu que les secondes soient des heures
En apesanteur
Pourvu qu'on soit les seuls
Dans cet ascenseur

Elle arrange ses cheveux
J'ai le coeur juste au bord des yeux
Et sans la regarder je sens la chaleur
D'un autre langage
Alors
Les yeux rivés
Sur les étages
Pourvu que rien n'arrête le voyage

En apesanteur
Pourvu que les secondes soient des heures
En apesanteur
Pourvu qu'on soit les seuls
Dans cet ascenseur
Dans cet ascenseur

J'arrive à me glisser
Juste avant que les portes ne se referment

En apesanteur
Pourvu que les secondes soient des heures
En apesanteur
Pourvu qu'on soit les seuls
Dans cet ascenseur

En apesanteur
Pourvu que les secondes soient des heures
En apesanteur
Pourvu qu'on soit les seuls
Dans cet ascenseur.