peddling my services

and the poet speaks again.

2008-02-28T21:38:00.002+08:00

i love this man, i really do.

你，是怎麼看你自己的呢？

advertisement.

2008-02-28T21:28:00.005+08:00

for sale:

two aaron kwok concert tickets for 21 february 2008.
condition: excellent. mint and unused.

ffffffffff. i can't believe we forgot to go for the concert.

lesson learnt: if you buy concert tickets, remember to go for it.

the tickets will be framed and used as my new living room's conversation piece.

it's expensive enough to be one.

ding-ding!

2008-02-28T20:32:00.012+08:00

i've always thought i was a person who enjoyed my own company i.e. i have no problems being alone. i could spend whole weekends in bed with only a book, and i'd be perfectly happy. (some pple call this lazy, i call this being comfortable in my own skin.)

but it hasn't been so since moving to HK. i do not like being alone.

which is why i heart the ding-ding. i board, i climb up to the upper deck, i switch on my ipod and i wait to see the world go by under my feet. i feel contented even though i'm alone, and i feel like i can really be happy in my new home city.

for hkd2 a pop, it was well worth the money.

maybe one day, i'll learn to be comfortable in my own skin in hk. but for now, i have my ding-ding.

ps: ancel, if you ever get your ass over here to hk, i'll show you what a ding-ding is. they do not make them like this in the boat!

my baby girl.

2008-01-22T00:18:00.001+08:00

i miss her so.

possessed.

2008-01-07T00:03:00.001+08:00

whatever possessed me to uproot myself and move miles away to a foreign land to work? i must have been insane.

i wanna go home.

for you, mr. reeves

2008-01-06T11:12:00.001+08:00

how awesome do we look?

relocation.

2007-12-30T09:48:00.000+08:00

relocation's a funny thing.

for the longest time, i'd thought that i'd be able to up myself and move to another country without any problems.

now that i finally have the opportunity to move, it's proving to be a lot more difficult than i'd ever thought it'd be.

of course i have all the normal relocation worries. like adapting to a new environment, making new friends and perfoming in my new job.

but the most difficult aspect so far, is saying goodbye to my family and all my friends in singapore. the idea that they're going to be further away scares me a little and i worry that this physical distance might translate to an emotional distance.

i've been having such mixed feelings about moving to another country. on some days, i'm incredibly excited about it and i can't wait to begin my new life in a foreign country. on other days, i dread moving and i wish i'd never made the decision to go to hk.

still, in ludicrous's words, this is a leap of faith. i can only make the most of this decision and hope that everything else falls into place.

hello 2008.

blog...

2007-11-04T09:59:00.000+08:00

...i love

我，永遠不洗的調色盤。

mixed feelings

2007-11-04T09:29:00.000+08:00

the excitement of moving.

the fear of moving.

i am a fag hag.

2007-10-21T03:02:00.000+08:00

i have collected 5 new fags who hail from 3 different continents in 2 days.

this has got to be some kind of a new record.

mari, shoe-slut: i have arrived.

number three.

2007-10-13T02:39:00.000+08:00

he did not have an obvious appeal.

but i had the biggest crush on him in college and thought him the most charismatic and attractive guy in school.

he is not classically good-looking.

but he is sensitive and oh-so-easy to talk to.

he was, and is, an amazing actor.

and he has the most beautiful baritone i've ever heard.

he is an outstanding artist and an excellent english literature student.

he is everything that i am not.

i used to be so envious of his gf(s).

and yet, i saw him at PLAY tonight. he turned his back when he saw me.

oh how could i have not seen the signs?

i can't believe that we've lost YET another amazing male to the gayest of our species.

"a complete breath of fresh air"

2007-10-06T00:10:00.000+08:00

he's got the world's least glamorous job - a salesman at the carphone warehouse, a mobile phone service provider in the uk - AND he's got bad teeth and a less than attractive face.

but listen to the guy whom simon cowell's called "a complete breath of fresh air".

who's having the last laugh now?

promoting christianity

2007-09-22T19:07:00.000+08:00

seen on a poster, outside a church, on the way to town:

6,669,119,825 people
6,912 languages
1,035 ethnic groups
192 countries
7 continents

ONE CREATOR

go figure.

what can i say? some people really do know how to sell their god better than the others.

a picture speaks a thousand words.

2007-09-22T11:37:00.000+08:00

ooh la la! that's all i have to say.

playing grow up.

2007-08-25T13:27:00.000+08:00

i had dinner with a few friends from university a couple of weeks back.

during dinner, i sat at the table and looked at all of us in our corporate wear when suddenly, i thought of us during our student days when grubby jeans, t-shirts and bomber jackets were our uniform.

i felt like an actor in one of those movies which follow a group of friends from their uni days through to their working lives. in those movies, the actors usually transformed from carefree students to working class adults in 5 minutes by wearing more formal clothes, styling their hair and combing it back so it looked that much more grown up.

for some reason, at that moment, i saw all of us as uni students, playing grown-ups by wearing adult clothes. i couldn't believe that it has been 4 years since we've graduated and all of us have moved on so quickly. it was almost surreal.

i could still see us in our worn out t-shirts (back then, wearing worn out t-shirts was not so much a fashion statement as a necessity) crouching around the stove and attempting to make a pot of soup with whatever we had left in our fridge which wasn't expired.

we're all more liquid and jaded now and we've officially entered our "late twenties". instead of examination results, we shared work tales and woes. we talked about marriages and babies and we discussed the rising / falling COE.

hello peddlar. welcome to life and adulthood.

a mark of shame.

2007-08-06T22:38:00.000+08:00

the mouthless cat has finally justified it's existence!

excerpts from an associated press article today (i swear this is real):

"BANGKOK, thailand - thai police officers who break rules will be forced to wear hot pink armbands featuring "hello kitty," the Japanese icon of cute, as a mark of shame, a senior officer said monday.

"the striking armband features hello kitty sitting atop two hearts.

"'simple warnings no longer work. this new twist is expected to make them feel guilt and shame and prevent them from repeating the offense, no matter how minor,' said pongpat, acting chief of the crime suppression division in bangkok."

i'm so glad someone is finally putting that annoying mouthless cat to good use.

花样少男少女。

2007-07-05T04:03:00.000+08:00

i have started on this teen drama recently.

and i am ashamed to admit that i really enjoyed watching it. but in my defense, it is honestly a very entertaining show.

the bad acting, slapstick humour and predictable plot aside, the show draws you in with the innocence and idiosyncracies of its main characters, who want nothing more than to experience true love (*rolls eyes*). embarrassing as it is, i do find myself rooting for the female protagonist who has enrolled herself in a boys' school to be close to the one she admires.

however, the main reason for this show's popularity, i believe, can be attributed to its prettier-than-usual cast. the "prettiest boy" trophy has got to go to boyband member, 吴尊 who, with his big eyes, perfect hair and flawless skin, must have sent countless girls (both young and old) swooning across asia and numerous boys wishing they looked like him.

but truth be told, he is indeed HO leng (very pretty) ah! i want his skin! i am so jealous!

if you have nothing better to do, watch this show. if nothing else, you'll be properly entertained.

*fucks off to continue watching 花样少男少女 and admiring the leng-ness of 吴尊.*

more things to love about the big apple.

2007-06-27T13:07:00.000+08:00

pinkberry. like yami yoghurt, but so much better.
spotted pig. a bustling little pub in the west village where josh hartnett was spotted. this quaint outlet also serves the world's best mash potatoes and bakes a killer flourless chocolate cake.
woodbury common. 10 hours later and usd250 poorer, i'm a proud owner of a classy coach wallet (usd40. usd 40!), a pair of swanky g-star pants (usd15. usd15!), a pair of stylish nine west shoes (usd37. usd 37!) and much, much more.
pride parade. 5 hours of colourful floats playing anthem after gay anthem, drag qreens, cut bodies and butch women sashaying down 5th avenue. freebies including numerous pamphlets and skin care / facial products, 3 condoms, 2 strings of bright plastic beads and a "spank me happy" wooden ruler. amazing.
nobu. celebrity restaurant which serves fusion japanese food. every single bite contains an explosion of flavours. it's orgasmic.
brooklyn. the arty neighbourhood with its quaint cafes and shops. the quiet, tree-lined neighbourhood which exudes money and class. the breath-taking skyline of manhattan. brooklyn was a pleasant little surprise.
east village. this place comes alive at night and is packed to the brim with amazing places to eat, drink and make merry. we started eating at 7.30pm, and stopped only at 12.30am.
les miserables. there's nothing better than re-watching a favourite classic and realising that it's every bit as good as you remembered it to be.
organic food markets. so many things to eat. so little stomach space.
staten island ferry. haven't been on it yet. but i'm sure it's going to be tons of fun!

an update: whilst staten island itself was depressing and boring, the ferry ride across was amazing. i got a panaromic view of downtown manhattan and liberty island where lady liberty resides. the wind, the sun and the sea. i was a very happy girl on that ferry.

transitions.

2007-06-13T00:41:00.000+08:00

big fish in a small pond to swimming with the sharks.
management to entry level.
education to finance.

i have gone one big round and came back to where i should have been all along.

but i have no regrets. i have grown incredibly and matured so much. i've been given opportunities that i'd never thought possible and i'll be exploring a brand new world with a confidence i didn't possess previously.

small incidences in these past weeks have persuaded me that my momentous decision was the right one to make. and that some bridges are meant to be burnt.

all i can say now is good-bye. and hello.

no carbs.

2007-06-05T22:32:00.000+08:00

i'm on the anabolic diet.

i've yet to understand it fully, but i do know i'm not allowed carbs and leafy greens from mon to fri. i can have anything i want on the weekends though.

on top of that, for health reasons, i'm not allowed bean or bean products, red meat and seafood.

between my carbs and health restrictions, i'm left with mushrooms, steamed chicken, fish, grilled chicken, fruits and fried chicken on the weekdays.

oh gosh. the weekend has never seemed further away.

an update: i'm off this diet. it's detrimental to my health. *running to me carbs* gosh carbs have never tasted SO good.

mayday! mayday!

2007-06-05T21:50:00.000+08:00

the high-inducing fast songs. the melodious rock ballads. the honest and thought-provoking lyrics. the energy from the band. the charm and charisma of 阿信. the accoustic set by 玛沙. the effortless interaction with the concert crowd.

the band performed song after familiar song. and i sang along with every single one of them.

it was 3 hours of non-stop fun, laughter and rock music at the mayday concert last saturday.

foolish are those who missed the concert (not you shoe-slut. i know you'd have loved to be there), or who were bored through it all.

i may never stop the ringing in my ears. but it was all worth it.

JUMP! 让我们离开这地球表面吧！

to shoe-slut.

2007-06-03T01:02:00.000+08:00

if you're reading this, click on the 我的相公 link under "a peddlar's mates".

if you had no idea of this, be pleasantly surprised.

:-)

i want to watch!

2007-05-22T02:00:00.000+08:00

start spreading the news.

2007-05-22T01:21:00.000+08:00

yes! i'm going to the big apple! to the land of cream cheese and bagles, of streets and avenues, and of all things glamorous and exciting!

i have FINALLY settled my flight details.

good news is, i can fly to the home of lady liberty using my da's miles! in shoe slut's words, i completely lucked out. long story short, i won the waiting game against SIA. so now i'm flying to the land of skyscrapers for less than S$500.00, which means more money for booze, high-class dining and shopping!

yes! broadway, here i come!

damn krisflyer miles.

2007-05-03T00:14:00.000+08:00

all i'd wanted to do was go on a nice, affordable holiday to the big apple with a close pal.

i thought i'd had it all worked out. i'd fly out to the big apple on miles my da's accumulated, and stay with shoe slut who's been seconded there for 3 months. flight and accom all gao dim (settled)! i just need to save enough money for my shopping habit and bagel addiction.

or so i thought.

i visited the sq counter at paragon today, and found out, to my absolute horror, that all the flights were FULLY BOOKED.

which means i can fly out to the home of paris hilton and nicole ritchie, but i won't be able to fly back till a month later. that's a week after shoe slut's due to be back in singapore, and 3 weeks after my funds are estimated to run out!

so i booked myself on whatever flights i could get my miserable paws on, and waitlisted myself on another 3 more flights.

then i came home and logged on to the sq website. which was when i discovered, to my indignance, that if i were to PAY for the flight, i'd have lots of seats to choose from! of cos, i'd also be S$3000.00 poorer. but i get to fly out and come back on the dates that i want!

this discrimination is absolutely infuriating! what's the point of giving me all these miles if i can't redeem them when i want to? I'll accumulate millions and millions of miles and carry them ALL with me to my grave cos' everytime i want to go on a trip, the bloody flight's FULLY BOOKED. is this how they reward the loyalty of their frequent flyer? this is too too unreasonable!

i think i shall write a complaint letter.

then again, if i were a paying customer, and i'd just found out my seat's been given up to a non-paying-mile-redeeming-stingy-scrooge, i'd be writing a complaint letter as well.

sia just can't win.

on men's and women's magazines.

2007-04-20T14:22:00.000+08:00

conversation at work today:

jcc: my dad received a copy of xx men's magazine the other day. he said it was all rubbish. but i thought it was quite a good read!

me: oh that mag's pretty good innit? lots of interesting articles.

jcc: yup. men's magazines are so much more credible. more intelligent. they actually talk about socio-economic issues and things like that.

me: yah lor yah lor. women's magazines are so fluffy.

jcc: exactly. i mean all they tell you is how to dress to suit your body shape. how to use make-up. how to satisfy your men in bed. quite boring after a while. they don't even have real articles.

me: innit? one over-used article - date rape. i must have read it like 3 times.

jcc: yah! and what about the aunt agony columns? "dear aunt aggy, my boyfriend and i have been together for 3 years, and we really love each other. but he's been coming home recently with the smell of another woman's perfume on him. what should i do?"

me: or or or "dear aunt aggy, my husband and i have been together for 3 years, and we really love each other. but i've been having secret fantasies about his sexy new female colleague. am i a lesbian?"

jcc: "aunt aggy, how can we make our sex life more interesting?"

me: my personal favourite, "dear aunt aggy, my boyfriend has been suggesting a threesome with another woman. is he losing interest in me?"

ly: you all diss women's magazines. but you girls have obviously read enough of them to know what's in them right?

me: *silence* your point being?

men's magazines are the way to go from now on.

fucked over.

2007-04-16T01:10:00.001+08:00

i've had it with being fucked over by people who do not care. i think i've had the mickey taken out of me long enough.

c is right. i should stop asking "why?" and move on.

it's time to let go.

happy birthday.

2007-04-13T12:05:00.000+08:00

for all your narcissism and vanity,
for all your jibes and abuses,
for all of being the most insulting person any girl can know,
thank you still, for your self-depracating humour and optimism,
for being my friend,
for being you.

happy birthday ludicrous.

hypochondriac.

2007-04-08T20:01:00.000+08:00

house m.d.'s turning me into a hypochondriac. every minor flu, cough, fever or rash now has the potential to turn into a life-threatening disease. everything around me can kill me - termites, copper, cat's hair.

sleeping too much? it could be the neurological disorder, african trypanosomiasis, otherwise known as the sleeping sickness. cough that won't go away and blisters all over your body? it just might be leprosy.

everything can happen, and anything's possible.

the world is too dangerous. i think i'm going to hide under my duvet.

p.s. i love you.

2007-04-03T00:27:00.000+08:00

a touching, heart-warming tale about life after the death of a close one, p.s. i love you is a chick-lit unlike any other.

i loved this book, and now it's been made into a movie! starring academy award winner hilary swank, and gerard butler of phantom of the opera, and more recently, 300 fame.

gosh, i can't wait to see this!

house m.d.

2007-04-03T00:12:00.000+08:00

"what would you want? a doctor who holds your hand while you die, or a doctor who ignores you while you get better? i guess it would particularly suck to have a doctor who ignores you while you die."

i've recently gotten myself hooked on this little gem of a medical drama. i've watched only 4 episodes so far, and i can't wait to see the rest.

hugh laurie plays a bitter yet brilliant diagnostician, dr. gregory house, who possesses neither a bedside manner nor social skills, but whose unconventional thinking and pure brilliance earns our reluctant respect. his brutal honesty is immensely entertaining, and one can only wish to be half as forward as he is. week after week, he tackles puzzle after medical puzzle with his select group of young experts in order to save lives.

a comparison between medical dramas is inevitable. but note this: house m.d. is nothing like grey's anatomy - it is far more intelligent, and no less entertaining than the latter. the producers of house m.d. have done a magnificent job in assembling a brilliant cast who brings to life a very well-written script.

watch it. you won't regret it.

lost.

2007-04-02T23:40:00.000+08:00

i refer not to the hit tv series, but to my life.

i think i'm in dire need of some direction.

the gorgeous mr. adam cooper.

2007-03-14T22:35:00.000+08:00

he's the definitive swan. think he looks a tad familiar? he appeared in the last minute of "billy elliot" as well, the grown-up and extremely graceful billy elliot.

check him out in matthew bourne's swan lake.

最重要的小事 - 五月天

2007-02-21T23:18:00.000+08:00

我走过动荡日子追过梦的放肆穿过多少生死
却装作若无其事穿过半个城市只想看你样子
这一刻最重要的是
是属于你最小的事

世界纷纷扰扰喧喧闹闹什么是真实
为你跌跌撞撞傻傻笑笑买一杯果汁
就算庸庸碌碌匆匆忙忙活过一辈子
也要分分秒秒年年日日全心守护你
最小的事

我就算壮烈前世征服滚滚乱世万人为我写诗
而幸福却是此时静静为你提着哈箩凯蒂袋子

这一刻最重要的是
是属于你最小的事

世界纷纷扰扰喧喧闹闹什么是真实
为你跌跌撞撞傻傻笑笑买一杯果汁
就算庸庸碌碌匆匆忙忙活过一辈子
也要分分秒秒年年日日全心守护你
最小的事（最重要的事）

你笑得像个孩子每个平凡小事变成永恒故事

love.

2007-02-04T20:22:00.000+08:00

i came across this website on a friend's blog today, http://web.tickle.com/tests/inkblot/, and in a moment of boredom, decided to take the inkblot test. so here are my results:

lulu (my alias, like anastasia beaverhausen), your subconscious mind is driven most by love

your instinct to love and be loved is rooted very deeply in your subconscious and affects most of the decisions you make in life — whether you are aware of it or not (zun bo?).

you inspire people to experience their true feelings of love and act kindly towards others (huh? but i can barely act kindly towards others!). you also value your personal relationships more than most people (i suppose there is some truth in this statement).

your unique capacity to love may be greater than those around you, which means you may have more to give in relationships than your friends or romantic partners do (wah lau, damn lugi).

your psyche is very rich; the more you learn about it, the more you will understand who you really are (i'm glad that someday, i may actually start to understand who i am).

an epiphany.

2007-01-21T04:02:00.000+08:00

my first ski instructor at steamboat springs (not outgoing, friendly, austrian axel) was a grumpy guy.

on one trip up the slopes, i had the misfortune of getting on the same chairlift as him. it was a rather long ride, and i thought i should try to hold some sort of a conversation with him.

so i asked him if he was busy at work. the guy mumbled something about how prior to our arrival, he worked 30 days in a row. no days off.

which is crazy! and i exclaimed as much. the grumpy guy then looked at me, and said, "yah. it's tiring. but at the same time, you know, it's just skiing."

at that moment, i wished that was something i could say about my job - that it's not really a job, it's just fun. but i couldn't.

maybe it's time for me to seek greener pastures somewhere else.

bad things do not happen once.

2007-01-19T14:38:00.000+08:00

in four days, i have been on the ski patrol snowmobile twice.

in four days, i have been to the ang mo kio x-ray clinic and laboratory twice.

i visited the technicians at ang mo kio today. again.

i add a new injury to my battered body.

i have a very badly sprained ankle. i cannot put any weight on my right ankle, and i cannot walk.

what with an unmoveable right shoulder, and a gimp right ankle, the right side of my body is officially not functioning.

i knew coming back to singapore was a bad idea.

memories from steamboat springs.

2007-01-19T06:16:00.000+08:00

i love staying in a ski resort.

i love that for 10 days, you belong to this small town where everyone knows everyone else (a novelty for a city girl), and free bus rides are provided around town (ditto).

and i love that for this short period of time, all you do is eat, ski / ride, watch tv, and sleep.

i love the trips we make to the huge supermarkets with not bottles, but buckets of peanut butter for sale, to buy enough food to last us for the week.

and i love my elder brother, who is an amazing cook, for whipping up meal...

after meal...

after meal of delicious dishes to keep us all happy and full.

i love the skiing.

(nothing, and i mean NOTHING prepares you for the agony of squeezing your feet into those tight-fitting ski boots.)

(but it won't be long before you get used to that painfully numb feeling, and start enjoying the feeling of zooming around in your skis.)

(an apprehensive look at the slope we're about to conquer.)

but i love the riding so much more.

(pre-fracture - with a big smile.)

(post-fracture - less smiles, less confidence, and with a much more cautious stance.)

and of course, i love love love the beautiful, beautiful snow scenery which you will never see here in the lion city (not even at our infamous snow city).

i love the new friends that we make.

(axel, our austrian ski instructor who's always shouting "hey! i'm the old man here!" whenever i want to take a break. i swear, he is a slave-driver. but he's such a hilarious person.)

(and there's todd, our southern riding instructor who's all about sharing the love of snowboarding and music from his side of the world. he's grown very weary of seeing ski patrol snowmobiles zoom past him whenever i disappear for short periods of time. i'd like to think i'm his star student - two trips on the ski patrol snowmobile in four days! that HAS to be a new record.)

and finally, i love the wacky, paris-hilton-esque photos you take whilst on holiday.

i DO NOT love being back in singapore.

photos from the big apple.

2007-01-17T10:16:00.000+08:00

i'm suffering from the post-vacation blues. so this is my way of doing something about it - arranging my holiday photos.

gosh, i wish i was anywhere but here right now.

fairy lights from the huge, huge, HUGE christmas tree at rockefellar plaza. i took this picture whilst standing under the tree. gorgeous.

on the subway to soho. i love this photo for reasons unknown to myself. it's just a very "旅游" photo, don't you think?

details on the prince street station wall. the whole wall was filled with such silhouette details. beautiful.

balthazaar, a french bistro at soho. a supposedly fantastic place for celebrity-spotting. but i haven't seen anyone the 4 times i've been there. typical. celebrity-spotting aside, this place serves excellent fare at reasonable prices, with a cosy, if somewhat noisy atmosphere to boot. advanced reservations recommended.

another fantastic restaurant in the big apple - asia de cuba. a fusion restaurant along madison avenue.

world trade centre site.

flatiron building - one of my favourite buildings in the big apple simply cos' it's an interestingly-shaped one. it really looks rather flat, doesn't it? and not too far from this cafe, city bakery, which serves one of the best salads i've tasted ever.

a big apple icon - the empire state building.

a boutique hotel next to the museum of sex (which i would have visited if i wasn't with my mama). i thought the lights on the building's exterior rather looked like sperms swimming, no?

park avenue. one of my favourite avenues in the big apple cos' it's so wide! and it's very upper class. my mama made a very astute observation - buildings which a very upper class tend to have white, rather than black people as their door men. hmm...

the chrysler building at dawn. another big apple icon. beautiful isn't it?

really, i wish i was anywhere but here right now.

when a sprain becomes a fracture.

2007-01-17T00:00:00.000+08:00

i went to see my trusty sin sei about my sprained shoulder yesterday. he massaged it a little, said it felt a little swollen, and asked me to get an x-ray.

so i went to ang mo kio to get my x-ray done (not very friendly people i might add). turned out my sprain was not so much a sprain as a fracture. explains why i couldn't lift my arm up.

so now i'm out of action for about one to three weeks. i'm not supposed to move my arm at all. not that i can even if i wanted to.

my very first sports injury. i'm so proud yet so annoyed at the same time.

my trophies of war.

2007-01-13T08:07:00.000+08:00

injuries sustained from my skiing / snowboarding stint:

a slightly sprained left ankle (from forcing my foot into my ski boot)
a bruise on my right calf (from my ski boot which was buckled a little too tightly)
a bruised right shin bone (from the too-tight ski boot which pressed against it)
sore butt and knees (you either fall on your booty or your knees when you ride)
a sprained right shoulder - i can't lift my right arm at all (hard fall from riding a little too aggressively)
aching muscles everywhere. and i mean everywhere.

and a grand finale from today:

a bloody nose (again, from riding a little too aggressively. a little confidence is a dangerous thing.)

i have officially gone on every form of mountain transportation possible:

skies
snowboard
snowmobile (twice - once after my sprained shoulder, another after my bloody nose), and
in a stretcher (a few seasons ago - i was brought down the mountain to the first aid clinic in a stretcher).

with all these sports injuries, i'm officially a sportswoman.

ps: todd, don't worry, we're still feeling the love.

styeasy.

2007-01-11T10:05:00.000+08:00

this is a new snowboarding term i've learned. it short for stylin'-with-ease.

ski pants tucked into the bindings of your snowboard? not styeasy. ski pants covering the bindings? that's styeasy.

my instructor producing a piece of cloth attached to his jacket just when i needed to clean my sunnies after a hard fall? pure styease.

when you're snowboarding, you're not snowboarding, you're not even boarding. you're riding. how styeasy is that?

it's time to styease up for riding dudes.

second leg - the big apple to steamboat springs.

2007-01-06T10:06:00.000+08:00

i left the big apple (*sob*) for steamboat springs, colorado, yesterday morning. and here was my journey, door-to-door:

6.30am
woke up to my mum shouting, "xin ah! wake up and wash your face lah! i want to keep the toiletries already!"

7.00am
left the hotel. crossed the road to 42nd and 5th to wait for the airport express to newark liberty airport.

7.10am
boarded the airport express.

8.00am
reached the airport. checked in. was asked to pay usd100 for overweight baggage by a white chick. probably the highlight of her day.

8.00am to 10.00am
waited to board my flight to denver, colorado. read half of my new chick-lit "the nanny diaries". so brainless, but so hilarious.

10.00am
boarded ua785. fell asleep before the plane took off.

10.00am (big apple time) to 12.30 (colorado time - 2 hours behind)
slept my way through the entire 4 hour flight. i think the flight attendant attempted to force some water down my throat, but to no avail.

12.30pm to 2.30pm
waited for my dad to arrive from san francisco. finished reading the second half of "the nanny diaries". hated the ending.

2.30pm
met my dad at the baggage claim area. he asked me to arrange for transportation up to steamboat springs, the ski resort where we'll be spending the next week or so. nothing too difficult. or so i thought.

2.35pm
asked the guy at the ground transportation information counter the fastest way of getting up to steamboat springs. was informed that there was only one shuttle that goes up.

2.40pm
called the one shuttle company that provides transportation up to steamboat springs. was informed that all shuttles for the day were FULLY BOOKED.

2.45pm
ran back to the guy at the ground transportation information counter for help. he said the only alternative was to charter a shuttle.

2.50pm to 3.00pm
ran around denver international airport looking for a shuttle to charter. finally found a grumpy asian guy willing to do it for usd500. he's supposed to be worth every cent cos' in his words, "i experienced. i drive you up there."

3.00pm to 5.30pm
waited for my brothers to arrive from the big apple and london respectively. ate a garden salad from burger king, as well as dodgy chinese food from a place called "panda express", whilst waiting. also walked around a small bookstore, and found 4 books i'd like to read.

5.45pm
elder brother finally, finally arrived from london. i was starting to feel a little like tom hanks in "the terminal".

5 hours after arriving from the big apple, we were finally, finally on our way to steamboat springs.

5.45pm to 10.45pm
grumpy asian guy drove us up the mountains. it started to snow. grumpy asian guy was quite the reckless driver. for those who have sat in my car before and thought i was reckless, you haven't met this guy. his car SPINS everytime he does a u-turn. i am NOT joking.

i made myself sleep the entire way so i wouldn't get freaked out by his driving. i'm deluded that way.

10.45pm
finally reached steamboat springs. had to locate the mgmt company next, so we could check into our condo.

11.00pm
stuck in falling snow outside mgmt company, which was obviously closed. a security guard was supposed to be around to check us in, but he was nowhere in sight. f**ker was probably eating snake somewhere. countless attempts at contacting him finally paid off. he drove down to the company, and handed us our keys.

11.00pm to 11.30pm
drove around steamboat springs, trying to find our condo. when we finally did, the vehicle we were in refused to go up a snowy slope. the van wasn't equipped for such snowy grounds apparently. hah! hah! hah! grumpy asian guy not so experienced after all!

11.45pm
finally, finally, FINALLY got to our condo and moved all our luggage in.

the entire journey, from the big apple to steamboat springs, took 18 hours and 45 minutes (big apple hours). to put things in perspective, my journey from singapore to the big apple (on different continents ah, for the geographically challenged), door-to-door, took less time.

i'm HOU tired ah.

new york moments.

2007-01-03T10:33:00.000+08:00

an adolescent moment

i took a photo with the poster for "suddenly last summer". cos' gale harold's face was on it. my mum asked if one photo was enough.

and here's the thing, i had to think for a moment before answering in the negative.

an unhappy moment

i saw two ho-ho-hot guys along fifth avenue today. they were tall and lean and impossibly stylish.

the catch? they were holding hands. sometimes, the world is SO unfair.

a tiffany moment

i visited the flagship store on fifth today, and pretended to be someone i wasn't - someone whose wealth was in the paris hilton league. i got the sales lady to show me piece after unaffordable piece, and i admired each and every one of them.

it feels good to be SO pampered.

a moment of realisation

it might have been my purposeful walk. it might have been my air of apathy. it might even have been the cream cheese bagel i was holding in my hand.

a tourist stopped and asked me, another tourist, for directions today. and i managed to direct her.

it's a sign. i was born to live in the big apple. why else would people mistake me to be a new yorker?

foray into times square.

2007-01-01T14:28:00.000+08:00

the day - 31 december 2006, the time - 11.15pm. the location - manhattan, new york city, the junction of 6th avenue and west 40th street.

my mum and i were just two of the tens of thousands of people stupid and disorganised enough to venture into new york's famed times square at this late hour. needless to say, we didn't get very far. all the roads leading to times square were blocked, and my mum was getting seriously freaked out by the crowd.

so i sent my mum back to the hotel, and set out to get into times square on my own.

i contemplated taking the subway to times square. but figured the station was probably closed. i thought about walking further downtown along 6th avenue, finding an unblocked street that would lead me onto broadway, and heading uptown again. but i got as far as 37th street before giving up.

i wondered if i should have taken up my brother's invitation to go to his friend's brother's friend's (i kid you not) apartment which overlooks time square. but decided i really didn't want to spend new year's with a whole bunch of strangers.

i wasn't keen on spending new year's on the streets with angsty people, annoyed with not being able to get into times square either.

so i headed back to the hotel, where i changed into my new jeans and top, counted down with dick clarke, got a close-up of the ball dropping on my flat-screen tv, and spent the new year with my mother.

just where i want to be.

10 things i love about the big apple (so far).

2007-01-01T07:02:00.000+08:00

what's not to love about a city with four seasons?
the city's many villages - each with a unique character of its own.
broadway.
soho. shopping (victoria's secret. h & m. mexx boutiques which are bigger than my closet space. dean & deluca - so much more than an upmarket tea-selling shop at ann siang hill.). balthazar. mm-mm.
post-christmas sales. i got two pairs of levi's for usd44. 'nuff said.
since we're on shopping - bigger clothings cuts for the fuller caucasian figure. and me.
stretch limousines. paris hilton has GOT to be in one of the 10 i saw in the last hour.
new york public library. no matter how noisy or rowdy this city gets (especially during this holiday season when everyone decides to congregate at the big apple), the new york public library, conveniently located opposite the gorgeous boutique hotel i'm staying in, can be counted on for some peace and quiet.
bryant park hotel (www.bryantparkhotel.com).
seeing gale harold (a.k.a. brian kinney) performing on stage. less than 5 metres away from me!

bye bye 2006. hello 2007.

2006-12-29T02:01:00.000+08:00

about 20 minutes ago, i sat down to blog about my achievements in 2006. 20 minutes later, i realised i didn't have much to write home about. i waited for a rush of things i had achieved this past year to come into my mind, i mean, it was 365 days worth of living.

but nothing came.

all i could think of was: i brought my mum on a trip to hongkong using my own hard-earned money. the first ever.

then i thought about jo's husband buying his parents a pair of first-class air tickets to singapore by the time he was my age.

that kind of put my achievement into perspective.

what happened to me in 2006? what did i do? did i just waste one entire year of my life away? when i thought back to this year that just passed, all i remembered was that i took each day as it came. not in a living-each-day-as-though-it-was-my-last or seize-the-moment-carpe-diem way, but a oh-god-just-let-me-survive-this-horrible-day way. a most depressing realisation. i honestly hope this is cos' of the melancholic mood i'm in now.

i've always wanted to live life to its fullest. but when it came down to the actual living, all i want to do is curl up in my bed with a book, occasionally fantasising about my object of affection. i'm such an escapist.

there are things that i'd like to do though. but i'm finding them so hard to:

i wish i had more confidence in myself and my beliefs.
i wish i really knew what i want to do with my life. i do so envy those people who do, and are honestly passionate about what they do.
more than anything in the world, i wish i had the guts to take 6 months to a year out to just travel and do nothing. i wish i did not constantly worry about holding a good job to justify my expensive overseas education / building a career / saving enough money, so on and so forth, and how a long hiatus from working would affect one or more of the above.

i guess if i had the first one, 2 and 3 come easily. but life's about overcoming all these "obstacles" i suppose, and moulding yourself into becoming the person that you'd like to be.

2007's probably a good year to try and make a head way with these "obstacles".

happy new year everyone.

first impressions.

2006-12-19T23:02:00.000+08:00

how accurate are first impressions? i've been thinking about this since i heard my friend's first impression of me yesterday. long story short, he thought i was a "si gi na" (i would translate this loosely as immature) when he first met me.

i am very quick to judge, and to form first impressions of people. whilst my vibes about people are usually pretty accurate, there were times when my judgements have been very wrong - thus proving just how wrong first impressions can be.

i hated one of my closest and dearest friends on sight. when i first met her, she was very quiet, very sullen, and very curt. qualities which i found a major turn off. but beyond her moody exterior, mich is an extremely good listener. she was always there when i needed her to be, and always said the right things at the right time. at the same time, she's a mad, mad woman, and was always up for a good bitching / gossip session.

i met jo when i was a teacher. my first impression of her was a carefree tai-tai who spends her husband's money on branded apparels and accessories. wrong. jo is one of the toughest and shrewdest businesswomen i know. in addition to running her own business and helping out with her husband's, jo is a full-time mother. she's capable beyond belief. every cent she's spent, she's earned it.

my first impressions of some of my closest friends were completely wrong!

but often times, i am the misunderstood one. "si gi na" being one of them. i'm sure a part of me will always be a "si gi na", but i don't think it's who i am. i've been thought to be arrogant, cold and unfriendly. hello, i'm like how friendly can? BUT, i'm not a social whore. i actually do feel a little shy and nervous in an unfamiliar social setting. for some reason though, people laugh when i tell them that. i feel so maligned.

i guess first impressions aside, you really have to give a person some time to find out what he / she is really like.

homeboy, who? mayday i say!

2006-12-07T17:05:00.000+08:00

i attended a concert organised by abc stout last night. the tickets did not come easy - 28 bottle caps for a pair of tickets - but thanks to shoe slut and her 江湖朋友, i didn't have to drink a single bottle.

i arrived at the concert at about 7.00pm and managed to snag very decent seats in the centre block, just behind the rock zone.

chen sheng opened the concert with quite a few of his more well-known numbers. his performance was a lot more entertaining than i had expected, mainly cos' i knew more songs of his than i thought i did. pin guan was up next, and whilst our malaysian boy had a really nice and soothing voice, he was very frankly, quite boring.

last but definitely not least, was chinese rock group, and the reason for my attendance, mayday. the energy that ran through the stadium before they even stepped onto the stage was amazing, and my heart just started pounding harder in my chest. i rather pity pin guan who probably knew that he was just preparing the audience for a much bigger act that would follow his. mayday finally took the stage, and opened with the fast number "孙悟空", and followed it with the equally "high-inducing" song, "john lennon", a tribute to the long-deceased beatle. i was up and standing by this time, bobbing enthusiastically to the songs, and singing with the band. the idiots behind me chose to remain sedate and act cool by sitting down (honestly, it's a rock concert!), but i really could care less if i were blocking their view of the stage. my cousin tried to "act cool" too but after a while, she couldn't contain herself and started bobbing together with the rest (and the best) of us.

the band then took a break from singing and spoke briefly about, and toasted drummer guan you's new baby daughter, guitarist stone's impending fatherhood, and lead singer ashin's birthday. long story short, they were just using all these recent developments in their lives to drink on the job. next up were the very effervescent "恋爱ING" (pronounced "lian ai eye-ern-gee"), the mayday classic beng song "轧车", the soothing love number "温柔", the inspiring and motivating "倔强" as well as some other songs which i don't remember. an encore was (naturally) called for when the band left the stage, and they finished off with a relatively less performed song "透露". chen sheng and pin guan then came on stage to celebrate ashin's birthday and of course, more stout had to be drunk.

i was quite disappointed that the band didn't perform the song which made them famous "志明与春娇" but all in all, the concert was mind-blowingly fantastic! i couldn't have asked for a better concert considering it was free, and it went on for 3.5 hours with mayday performing at least a good hour and a half of it. i left the concert on such a high i had trouble winding down and getting to sleep when i got home.

i recently watched a concert by my favourite homeboy, lee hom, and whilst that was an awesome concert, i must say i'd watch mayday over lee hom any time, any day. lee hom is mesmerising when he plays his musical instruments, but the pure energy and charisma exuded by mayday when they perform is simply unbeatable. their concert has to be experienced to be believed.

AWESOME.

my christmas wish list.

2006-11-27T22:45:00.000+08:00

'tis that season to be jolly and make merry again! and nothing makes me merrier than presents. in no order of preference, i present my wish list:

will and grace dvds. seasons five and six. US$90.00 (from amazon.com)
pjs. S$50.00 - S$80.00.
a canon ixus 60. S$499.00.
a white ipod. 30gb will suffice. i'm not greedy. S$428.00.
my beautiful david bitton jeans. which were sold out the last time i went there when the store was having a 50% sale. S$268.00 (non-sale price).
a pay raise. which would allow me to buy all the above. (jae and han, if you're reading this, you know what to do.)
and last but definitely not least. lee hom in a bow tie. only. priceless.

cos' he's ugly.

2006-11-22T15:31:00.000+08:00

i heard this on 98.7 yesterday morning, whilst on the way to work.

a guy, let's say x, who was afraid of rejection, had asked the djs on the morning show to profess his (x's) love and admiration for his colleague, y. so the lovable djs on 98.7 called up the lady and this was what went on:

djs: morning! is this y?
y: (suspicious tone) um...yes? who is this?
djs: hi! we're the muttons from 98.7. just want to ask you ah, do you know a guy by the name of x?
y: (still in a suspicious tone) um...yeah. he's my colleague.
djs: great! so you do know who he is. what do you think of him?
y: (quite enthusiastically) he's okay. quite a nice chap. fun to hang out with.
djs: oh brilliant! brilliant! cos' you know, he's really interested in you. he thinks you're beautiful and intelligent, and he really likes you!
y: (shocked) huh?!
djs: yes! so do you think there's any chance the two of you might end up together?
y: (still in slight shock) um...do i have to answer this question now?
djs: well, i mean, yeah! cos' you know, if there is a chance, then let the guy be happy lah, you know? if not, let him know, so at least he can go check out the other trees in the forest...
y: (cutting in) no.
djs: i'm sorry? what did you say?
y: no. i don't think there's any chance we can be together.
djs: (sounding shocked now) no? but...but why not? i mean you said he was a nice guy, and he was fun to be with? why not man?
y: um...cos' he's ugly!

omigod...like how power is she?

i do admire this lady on some level for her brutal honesty. at least she has the guts to admit her superficiality on national radio. me? i'd probably give a patronising answer like, "oh i don't know him well enough to give an answer." or, "i don't know. we'll have to give it some time to see." i am, after all, a PR whore. diplomacy flows through my blood you know? *gags* but then again, i'm not in y's shoes.

honestly though, how important are looks in a relationship? for me? my partner must be decent-looking enough for me to face / kiss / sleep with for the rest of my life. other than that, charisma and personality are waaaaay more important. as all my close friends can attest, people i used to like hardly look like drops of heaven. but then again, they never look like pieces of hell.

still, if a piece of eye candy with enough personality to charm for singapore comes along, who am i to say no?

thanksgiving.

2006-11-19T02:25:00.000+08:00

i don't quite know when thanksgiving is, but i do know it's around the corner (i think). so i thought i'd blog about the things i'm thankful for:

my wonderful family: my loving mother, wise father, and amazing brothers who give in to my every whim and fancy, just because i'm the only daughter.
a warm home i can come back to everyday after a long day at work. there is nothing better than having a nice, home-cooked dinner waiting for me after a particularly trying day.
sr being back in singapore for good, well, for the next year at least, after 2 incredibly long years. i have missed him so much.
friends, old and new. in particular, i'm glad i made the decision to follow my brother to paddling trainings, and throwing myself into a completely new social group. not something i'd usually do, but i'm glad i did.
finally moving up my company ladder after 1.5 very tough and tiring years. i have been through so much, and done so much ground level work. i'm glad my efforts paid off.
understanding bosses who do not scream at me for making mistakes, but rather, allowing each mistake to be a learning experience for me.

like every normal person, i gripe about my life and problems. but i think at the end of the day, i have many things to be thankful for (*touch wood* - i do not want to jinx them).

i just need to constantly remind myself of them, and stop being such a bloody uncontented bitch.

a whore's life.

2006-11-14T23:35:00.000+08:00

i lead a "whore's life".

sr's been calling me a "bitch slut whore" for as long as i can remember.
example: "eh bitch slut whore, come and look at this shirt. do you think i can wear it with that blazer i bought yesterday?" and while i walk, red-faced, to sr, the entire shop turns around and stares at the whore.

since i've started paddling, i've been called a "pop culture whore" and / or "media whore" (cos' i know what's going on in the ever amusing world of entertainment), a "cam whore" (cos' i like my picture taken), a plain "whore" (for drooling after different guys at the same time - can i help it if i have a lot of love to share?), but i'm glad to say that i've yet to become a "ktv whore" (for i do not hog the mike when i go to a ktv lounge).

recently, i've ended my trend of working short hours by working 12 hour days (i swear, this is NOT the norm in my company. and contrary to popular belief, just cos' my hours are short doesn't mean i don't hold a real job). i have become a corporate whore.

my friends are all whores of some sort or other. i guess birds of a feather really do flock together.

i think i'll go look for a willing pimp now.

an update: i am now a "PR whore" as well. i have just realised that my jobscope includes making sure that everyone i work with is happy, so they can all do their jobs properly. i should totally be in diplomacy.

halloween.

2006-11-11T18:59:00.000+08:00

finally! photos from that halloween night. i haven't gotten all my photos yet. some of them are still with j. but these will suffice.

j managed to snag us some tickets to be part of this halloween bus entourage, an exclusive event (6 buses, 6 locations, 6 hours) organised by one of the radio stations. this bus brought us club-hopping around the mohamed sultan / town area.

for those not in the know, i went for this party as chicken little.

my chicken little t-shirt, which i painstakingly painted the night before the party. white t-shirt courtesy of giordano. all other art materials courtesy of my company's art store. the secret to my perfectly painted, seemingly impossible straight lines? masking tape. just one of the many random things i learned while working for an art company.

my chicken comb / crown. the damn thing refused to stay up the whole night.

my piece de resistance: the glasses. i must give credit where credit is due. i didn't make these glasses. han engineered them one fine day, using straws, plastic covers and masking tape, whilst we were driving around the island, meeting out clients. by the end of the day, when we were done with all our appointments, she had finished crafting this little piece of jewel.

me with j. i was supposed to be chicken little. but i looked a little too happy and chirpy amongst all the half dead and goths. so d decided to add some fake blood to my neck. for the rest of the night, i was kentucky fried chicken little. which is a little closer to the halloween theme i guess. j was the little boy from ju-on. he had his costume down pat, and was a hot camera favourite for the whole night. not that it bothered our cam whore. heh.

j and d, the chambermaid / nurse. a standard conversation which was heard throughout the night:

person trying to pick d up: oh my, you hot sexy nurse you. i need you to clean my wound.
d: (deadpan) i'm a chambermaid.
person trying to pick d up: i need you to clean my room then.
(d walks away with a disdainful look on her face)

j and spanky. i don't quite know who spanky is supposed to be. but kudos to him for spreading the body paint so evenly! a post-party debrief revealed that he got his mum to help him. aww...

anyhow, as i said, j was a hot favourite that night. he spent most of the night creeping behind pple, getting into character, and being a most convincing toshio.

the party began at butterfactory, and moved on to the hacienda, which was a nice, chill out place along dempsey. nice, but completely wrong as a venue for a halloween party. drank more martell there (i REALLY do not like that drink, but they were a main sponsor i suppose), and got to know a few of j's friends:

(from left to right) the black widow, j, bao zhu po (another hot, hot favourite of the night) and THE maid. whilst d was A maid, this lady in red was THE maid. as in, from the local horror flick. the very red dress she had on was on loan from her bridal studio. most generous of them i must say! i do think she looks a little too beautiful to be a horror figure though.

after hacienda, we moved on to attica, which was very small, very dark, very smoky and very crowded.

(from left to right again) spanky, his gf, j, my bro, d and myself at attica.

from attica, we moved on to double o, which was amazing. they played music from the 80s which suited the crowd i was partying with, and of course, myself. we managed to dance and move quite a bit despite the ridiculous number of people there. the whistle used to signal that we were moving on to the next destination came all too soon, and before we knew it, we were on the bus again, with burning vodka poured down our throats. bar none was next, and i met jae, my boss there! she took one look at my costume and asked, "did you finish your entire outfit in the office?" she was a most understanding superior though, and just laughed when i admitted to my misappropriation of company resources. next up was dxo. no more alcohol for me at this point. i ordered coke, pretended it was some alcoholic drink or other, and drank up with the rest. our final stop was q bar. i have jogged past this place plenty of times during beefcake sessions and have been wanting to visit for forever, so i was psyched when i finally got to step into this bar! music wasn't fantastic, but i met shann in the toilet! which was really quite something considering shann and i have been planning (and failing) to meet up since the end of our diploma lessons in may. we stayed at q bar for quite a while, and i was beyond tired by the time we left.

this picture was taken just outside q bar. j's pretty much gone, and out of his toshio character. bao zhu po and i still grinned madly, but i suspect it's the adrenaline more than anything else. i remember all of us taking a photo where we were all sitting in the middle of the road. amazing. i also remember j, d and i racing down the road outside the old supreme court, which was closed to traffic. fun. then j kicked his feet, and his slipper came flying and hit me in the face. not so fun.

we had supper after we left q bar, and i don't remember much else. i must have crashed upon reaching home, and woke up only when my bro asked for the car keys.

definitely a night to remember.

urban legends.

2006-10-30T23:13:00.000+08:00

a tooth left in a glass of coca-cola will dissolve overnight.
kotex was first manufactured as bandages during ww1.
no one is ever declared dead while on disney property.
winston churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.

are these statements true? or are they just urban legends?

i came across this website today, www.snopes.com, whilst reading some articles on yahoo. it's a site devoted to debunking urban myths, and i'm pretty sure it's a well-known website. but suakoo that i am, i found out about it only today. and it's amazing! all kinds of random information are available there! i spent a good 5 hours reading bits and pieces of this website, and i'm obviously nowhere near done.

armed with my new bits of random information, i am now officially an asset for a game of trivial pursuit and / or articulate.

now is that the truth? or is it yet another urban legend?

homeboy.

2006-10-29T22:26:00.000+08:00

last saturday, i attended lee hom's concert at the indoor stadium with mich . this is the second time i've seen our favourite abc in action, and may i say that he just gets better and better?

he began the concert with the title song from his latest album, 盖世英雄, bringing the crowd to an immediate high, and continued in this line for a while with a few more of his faster songs. he then brought everyone to a swaying calm when he sang the ballad, "kiss goodbye", and dedicated it to miss kit chan, who was in the audience, and whom he harboured quite the crush on some years back (up yours law! who said he was gay?) speaking of people in the audience, if i may just digress a little, the singapore idols (the pioneer batch) were part of the crowd as well, and this included mr. taufik who looked EXTREMELY bored, that is, until he saw himself being caught on camera, during which, he gave a somewhat embarrassed smile and wave. honestly, do they not have better people to invite to the concert? that boy had prime seats to one of the best concerts of the year and all he could manage to do was look bored? seriously! anyhow, back to the concert. the rest of the concert was awesome as we watched lee hom sing song after song, dancing for some, playing accompanying instruments for others - extremely swoon-some can i just say? he played the piano, the violin, the drums, AND the er-hu.

some really high points of the concert included our homeboy playing the guitar whilst the crowd sang to 大城小爱 (i think) - the only time i'll have lee hom playing the accompaniment while i sang, and him playing the incredibly melodious and soothing cinema paradiso on his violin. by this time, i was more than ready to marry lee hom. so when he said he envied us all for being able to return home to our warm beds tonight, while he had to return to a hotel room, i shouted to him, inviting him to come home with me. but of course he didn't hear. pity.

the encore was incredible as well, where lee hom had everyone in the crowd hanging on to, and listening to his every instruction as he sang 不可能错过你, bringing us to the climax of the concert as he sang the chorus over and over and over again, and asking the audience to join in as well. lee hom sang his biggest hit to date, 唯一, next, and then, it was all over. i waited for people to call for a second encore, but disappointingly, no one did. instead, people started leaving the stadium (some were already OUT of the stadium), and so i sat back down on my seat to relieve the very surreal two hours i just had.

gosh i can't wait for the next homeboy production.

depressed.

2006-10-27T12:51:00.000+08:00

law left early yesterday morning. i miss him.

us.

the heavenly weekend which preceded hell week.

2006-10-23T12:05:00.000+08:00

it has been an INCREDIBLE weekend. i've had so much fun. but i'm also completely tired out.

friday
10.00am
law and i drove to xx primary school as i had some brochures to pass to one of their art teachers. i made law drop them off at the general office as i was in worn-out berms and flip flops which were falling apart - in other words, i was deemed unsuitable to be seen by any school personnel. law came galloping out of the school, excited that he had visited a primary school in singapore.

12.00noon
law, mich and i went to ya kun at united square for a quintessential singaporean brekkie that was, in stb's words, "uniquely singapore". this was at the request of law who wanted a taste of the "green jam" which he had heard so much about.

the quintessential singaporean brekkie - oishii!

the boy also demanded to try our famous "lah-sa" (laksa) - but he'll just have to be patient and wait for a while. we've only got so much stomach space.

2.00pm
we moved on to little india after breakfast to soak in some of the deepavali atmosphere. i don't remember much of it except that it was very hot and very crowded (the heat destroyed all memory of the trip there). law got himself a henna, and also bought an ethnic indian top. he is so adorable sometimes. whilst getting a henna, he told the nice lady at the stall, "um, i don't want flowers on my hand. what other designs do you have?" "a tribal sun i can draw for you," replied the nice lady in a THICK, THICK accent. law frowned for a bit (it was obvious that he completely didn't understand the nice lady) and said, "um, what does it look like?" the nice lady looked at him like he was an idiot and said with a tinge of impatience in her voice, "like a sun. it looks like a sun. it's a tribal sun design."

*cricket sounds in the background*

*a cartoon crow flies across the screen*

the tribal sun henna that looks like a sun.

moving on, we toured desker road (for a trip to little india is not one without a walk down desker road), mustafa centre (ditto) and the arts belt (which we kind of stumbled upon - really nothing to shout about). we then stopped for dinner (finally!) at komala's, which was such a relief to my empty and growling stomach.

9.00pm
we walked around the esplanade, just enjoying the night breeze and one another's company for a bit. supper was at gluten bay, where we introduced law to such local delights as bbq-ed chicken wings, char kway teow and oyster omelette. haven't had such a heavy, lard-filled feast in a long, long time, and i must say, i enjoyed every sinful bite of it. yummy!

1.00am
drinks followed supper, and we finally, finally went home.

saturday
10.00am
met dor who was flying out of singapore in the late afternoon. i brought her to ya kun (second time there in as many day), and we caught up with each other.

12.00noon
brought dor to hmv and introduced her to five albums:

lee hom's new album (an extremely talented hunk if i ever knew one) - 盖世英雄
mayday's compilation album (they are quite simply, the best chinese rock band i've ever heard) - 知足
two of jay chou's older albums - 龙卷风 and 范特西
"音乐教父" zhou chuan xiong's compilation album

she bought all of them. the chinese music industry should totally hire me to be their marketing person. i just sold five chinese albums to an american.

3.00pm
went paddling. did my time trials again. i was faster by one second. honestly, what's the bloody point?

8.00pm
LEE HOM CONCERT! amazing concert it was. the boy is so talented that if i didn't love him so much, i'd be griping about how unfair it is that he possesses the equivalent of six people's talents. admittedly, some of his costumes were rather cheesy, and it's not very nice of him to bare so little flesh, considering what a good body he has. that aside, this concert was AWESOME. i should really write a separate post about his concert, because i can't do it proper justice otherwise.

sunday
1.00am
picked my mum from the airport. bloody china airlines was late. again.

8.30am
woke up to give j his morning call. went back to bed. he was up since 8.00am. nb.

9.15am
woke up for beefcake. correction. woke up LATE for beefcake. ironic isn't it? that i woke up to wake somebody up, so HE won't be late, only to end up being late myself.

9.30am
beefcake. we ran to the indoor stadium, and did some circuit exercises there. long story short, it was tough. i don't think i've ever exercised so hard in my life. let hell week begin.

j, ry and i walked back to kallang after beefcake, bitching about the singapore idols all the way. we've accumulated so much bad karma, we're all coming back as pigs in our next lives.

10.30am
paddled. paddled. paddled.

2.00pm
met law, mich and cyn for lunch. law is a bottomless pit. he ate:

a curry pork cutlet set - inc. a huge plate of rice covered in japanese curry, fried pork cutlet, a salad, a miso soup, a chawanmushi, and a plate of fruits
half a huge plate of sashimi
some (i.e. quite a bit of) random sushi from the conveyor belt
bits of our food

lunch was at ichiban boshi at the esplanade. it's SO good.

4.00pm
went shopping along orchard road. law went into topman to get some clothes.

6.00pm
fell asleep at starbucks in wisma.

8.00pm
brought law to emerald hill - my favourite place in singapore - to look at the beautiful shophouses there. whilst law was being trigger happy and clicking away at all the buildings, mich and i had a short but in-depth talk about our respective futures. it's almost scary how i know what i'd like to be doing for the next 2 years of my life, but not beyond that. am i wasting my life away?

9.00pm
we went to geyland serai - the smell of ramly burgers, grilled chicken wings, otak-otaks, various fried foods, exhaust fumes, and uncleared garbage filled the air. a most interesting concoction. we ate our fill of junk food, and just wandered aimlessly amongst the countless stores, all selling various hari raya goods.

12.30am
home sweet home. i fell asleep before i managed to switch my lights off.

monday
9.30am
it's back to work. fuck.

on bureaucracy.

2006-10-19T11:35:00.000+08:00

i called up one of singapore's largest leasing companies this morning to ask a simple question. the following is the conversation that transpired between me and the company:

xxx company: (very friendly and helpful voice. i felt hopeful.) good morning xxx company, how may i help you?

me: hello, good morning. i'd just received a copy of our tenancy agreement and certificate of stamp duty from your company yesterday. i'm supposed to sign and return an acknowledgement form. can i sign this form on behalf of mr. ang (the tenant), or does he have to sign it himself?

xxx company: (still in a friendly and helpful voice) please hold on a minute. let me put you through to the leasing department.

me: um, sure.

(annoying extension tone that goes doo doo...doo doo...doo doo...)

xxx company: (less friendly voice) hello.

me: hello, good morning. i'd just received a copy of our tenancy agreement and certificate of stamp duty from your company yesterday. i'm supposed to sign and return an acknowledgement form. can i sign this form on behalf of mr. ang, or does he have to sign it himself?

xxx company: uh, what ah?

me: um, the acknowledgement form? to acknowledge that i've received the tenancy agreement and certificate of stamp duty? can i sign it on behalf of mr. ang? or does he have to sign it himself? (honestly, only so many ways i can ask the same question.)

xxx company: uh which area ah?

me: monk's hill terrace?

xxx company: (voice becoming increasingly unhelpful) uh wait ah. i put you through to the relevant person.

me: !!!

(sound of unhelpful voice flipping through pages of contact sheets, searching for the right extension number to dial.)

(annoying extension tone again.)

xxx company: hello.

me: yes, hi! i'd like to...(cut off)

xxx company: this is *** speaking. i'm sorry i'm not around to pick up your call right now, but if you'll just leave your name and contact number, i'll get back to you as soon as i can.

(sound of me maniacally slamming the phone against the wall and screaming profanities at xxx company.)

my bootiful nikes!

2006-10-18T22:53:00.000+08:00

aren't they heaven? i'm glad the sole of my old pair came off whilst i was gyming today.

the mediator.

2006-10-18T17:55:00.000+08:00

i do not dislike my job. in fact, i like it pretty much. my hours are short and (fairly) flexible. i work with some incredible people who have groomed, and allowed me to grow in ways i never thought i could or would.

but there are aspects of it that are so tedious. aspects brought about by the same people who have groomed me.

when i signed on to this job, being mediator between two egos was not part of my job scope. my namecard says i'm in "art management". my contract says i'm an "art manager". so how does mediation come in?

i work very well with either ego. our meetings are always constructive, and work always, ALWAYS gets done. but somehow, with the both of them together, egos collide and work just takes a backseat. most of the time, i'm the mediator between those two. it's tiring. nothing gets done, and everyone comes out feeling drained and unaccomplished.

i've been told that this was not always the case, so honestly, what happened? maybe it's me. i should just leave them alone.

i'm glad the weekend is kind of coming. dor just emailed. she's going to be in singapore this weekend on a business trip. i'm so happy! i haven't seen her since june. with both her and law here at the same time, this weekend is looking pretty damn good. i can't wait.

the long arm of law.

2006-10-17T23:29:00.000+08:00

law's FINALLY coming to singapore! yes yes yes! i've been asking him to visit for AGES! and he's finally, FINALLY coming!

only thing though, for a miserable S$60.00, that boy chose UA over SQ. so instead of arriving at normal daylight hours, he'll be arriving at midnight, and leaving at the break of dawn.

(-_-")

coffee, tea or sleep.

2006-10-17T01:14:00.000+08:00

i couldn't sleep AGAIN last night. finally nodded off at 3.30am. i blame the stupid milk tea i had for dinner. honestly. some people just don't learn.

i'm an idiot.

it figures.

2006-10-16T23:12:00.000+08:00

i was handed the company's finances about a month ago, and since then, not a day goes by without me poring over my spreadsheets and making sure that the company does well under my care. staying afloat is one thing. doing well is something else altogether.

it's pretty stressful. suddenly, i'm taking note of every single little thing and purchase, and wondering if it may affect our profit margin.

i don't think i'm complaining really. in fact, i think i'm pretty excited about running this company properly, and i'm quite eager to prove myself. still, i do miss the days when i do not have to worry about our monthly cashflow, staff bonuses and money for christmas presents.

ignorance IS bliss.

a spanking new post.

2006-10-16T11:58:00.000+08:00

i finally caught on to the blog fever. about 5 years too late. so many things to learn. i wish my younger brother was around to show me the ropes.

had an incredible weekend, which began on friday evening. met quite a few paddling (i.e. dragon boating) friends for dinner and strangely enough, karaoke. i've always thought the ktv lounge to be a rather intimate outing destination, to be visited only with those dearest and closest to you. that is, with people whom you can warble tunelessly in front of without fear of embarrassment. but my latest visit to the ktv lounge with my new friends proved me wrong. it was, without a doubt, honest-to-goodness fun! we had the few shy ones who adamantly refused to sing - who were more interested in drinking games. and we had a couple of ktv whores who hogged the microphone and sang their lungs out. even 'lil shy ol' me threw aside my inhibitions and belted out a couple of ah-mei and sandy lam power ballads. i didn't do justice to ANY of the songs i sang. but still, all in good fun.

went paddling on saturday. did my time trials (which i got tricked into doing) in the thickening haze. i blame the haze for my less than ideal time. paddled more on sunday, after a very tiring "beefcake" session. had lunch. played mahjong - i lost money. i blame the haze, the "beefcake" session and paddling for my fogged up mental facilities. went home. had dinner. sang to lee hom. and laid in bed for 3 hours, tossing and turning, until 3.00am. i blame the iced "yuan yang" i had for lunch. and the haze. just for good measure.

now i'm back at work. gosh the weekend's never looked further away from this side of the week.

update: i just got a call from law. he's coming to singapore on thursday! this week is suddenly looking MUCH better!