Work!!!

Aish..it is 8 40am on a Monday morning. The blues have kicked in - hard.

I took leave 2 Fridays ago, and havent been at work since. Really having fun, enjoying my time, partying, living it up, travelling here n there. Refusing to give up my hols, and ended up going out last night and returning home at like 3am.

Does that make me immature and unable to face the realities of life?

Nooo...really not looking forward to the daily bump n grind of work. P'haps I am overloaded, too much expectations...my manager is a great manager, he really coaches me, but sometimes I wonder whether he is even aware of all the stuff he is piling on me. Can die wan..

The company has a huge ass company gathering this morning, at 9 30am at a hotel in PJ. Its for all management levels and involves everyone being updated on company progress/outlook and is held a few times a year. I have .. 45 mins to shower brush teeth wash face dress n get there.

grr..and at 8am the manager called, and spent 10 minutes on the phone outlining the tasks he wants me to do today.

actually i SHOULD be IN the office by 7 30. so i guess the fact that i was still groggy from sleep and yet he chose to ignore it is a good thing in itself.

ok boring post, just trying to psyche myself up for the week ahead.

well lets see what i did exactly a week ago. still in singapre.


me and the cousin woke up and went to balestier road for supposedly famous chicken rice. it was quite good but a bit oily.



the place looked interesting, with its old world (cheap maintenance) deco.



and then we loitered ard orchard, trying different places to chill out, logon the net, people watch and chat. this place seemed quite cool, with its 'pods' like layout aka star wars.


and then we headed to starbucks. now i must say i am a big fan of starbucks. i just love the whole experience of sitting there, people watching, in an aircond environment, with my laptop, the strains of Coralie Clement's Samba de mon coeur qui bat (a song i first heard and subsequently obtained, when i was working as a waiter in an established and upmarket thai restaurant in Melbourne). theres something to be said for sitting there sipping a san pellegrino, whatever jazz soothing ur nerves, and not having to work, enjoying the aircond, ppl watching, surfing the net, conversing with good company. ahh...


we were then tempted to play checkers on the table..


and we were distracted by this gross/cute sight of some birds (vultures) attacking the plate/cups left behind by patrons..
ok shit...better go for work...and stop reminiscing. grow up boy, grow up! face ur responsibilities! not a child anymore...and shit how to make it in 20 minutes?!

Dalliances with my camera..

[Listening to: Andrea Bocelli (Sopranos) - Puccini Nessun Dorma ]

never fails to hold me, this guy...when you listen to him... u HAVE to do certain things in order to gain the full appreciation and enjoyment of what he has to offer.

0) light 1 small candle in corner of room
1) off the room lights
2) lean back on chair
3) press play & enjoy

- - - - - -

as some of you may know, yours truly has been quite the interested amateur/hobbyist photographer..thks to the strong influences as well of a certain pal..but (excuses excuses) haven't really had the time to spend on really going out n indulging in and improving upon this hobby. as such, using THIS as a starting point, i shall stick up some of my recent endeavours, and perhaps, in time to come, i may be able to look back and see how much i have improved. at this point, im still developing the basics, and theres not much real photography skills involved, such as trying different combinations of aperture size/shutter speed/focus settings/lighting. just trying to learn the camera, and the effects of different settings, to understand these things better. thus at this point it is still more or less about snapping something in an interesting manner with a slightly better than point n click method, and hopefully, there will be gradual improvement over time.

all photos below are not edited or doctored in any way.
- - - - - - -

lantern in the sky...chinatown - 21 oct 2006
lantern in the sky2..chinatown - 21 oct 2006

contrast of sky with building - chinatown - 21 oct 2006
experimentations with lighting and shadows..chinatown ... 21 oct 2006
rain on the window panes...experiments with natural light - MRT - 22 Oct 2006
top view..crisscrossing elevators (or stairway to ground floor) - Cineleisure Orchard - 22 Oct 06
a spiralling dome..silhouette against the sky - dome of wheelock place - 23 oct 2006
bridge - reflections - chinese gardens - oct 24 2006
weeping willows impersonation


- - - - -

getting late.. im sleepy...nite folks.

Lovely lovely lazy Sundays...

[Listening to: Norah Jones - What Am I To You]

norah, norah...you mean a lot.

- - -

Ahhh...this is great...

Waking up late, on a lazy Sunday...and my best friend calls and asks to go out..so out we go..2 guys having a lazy Sunday afternoon...to Megamall..where we split up and he does his thing and I do my thing, and 2 hours later we meet at MPH, and then its off to lunch at Jln Gasing.

Topped up by some basketball at the park by my house. Innit great?

But then..we got to talking about various things.. which got me thinking.

Well my friend recently came back from a family discovery trip back to China, to visit some relatives whom they'd never met before/for a long time (try decades). So he was describing their physiques, and how various people there resembled family members here. He would never have guessed if so and so was his relative even if he passed him on the street. And going deep into some village provincial town in Hebei, seeing those old houses with their internal courtyards, and the residents there, who was his direct aunt and cousin. Like...he goes so far, so deep, and theres someone there soo closely related to him. And it just got me thinking.

You know, many of us might be related to each other, in some way, that we don't know about. Nxt time you pass someone on the street..knock into someones car etc...THAT could be your sombody's somebody's somebody. The world is a big place. It makes sense many of us are related, even though the actual relation might be several stops away. And the thought that perhaps some cousin or some distant aunt or whatever..someone really close.. could be in some faraway deep provincial village right now.

Am i making sense?

Another thing. I sometimes wonder whether beautiful people have a heavier burden to live a moral life then the ugly people. Think about it. Ugly people don't have many people going after them right? So there is less temptation, less opportunities to stray, less tests of their moral fibre, and thus, easier to be a good person. But for a beautiful person, there will be lots of interest. Now, this beautiful person, knowing he/she is beautiful and can get almost anyone he/she desires, has so many more opportunities to stray, and perhaps to people hotter and more attractive than their current squeeze. So if this person remains faithful, wouldn't that be a harder task for him then for an ugly and unwanted person? Wouldnt that make the feat of this beautiful person, in staying honorable, be upped to a higher magnitude?

Hmm...the burden of being beautiful. If you are beautiful, and you don't switch to more attractive partners though you can, then it is 'well done, this is the right thing anyway'. If you do, you are a slut/asshole.

so unfair.

Weddings

I attended a wedding this evening. It was a colleague's wedding. I genuinely felt happy for him, and even though I wasn't particularly close to him, I felt he wasn't too bad a guy, and decided to turn up to show some support. Not many people from our company turned up, 2 out of 3 tables. Those who RSVPed did not show up. Furthermore, in true M'sian Chinese style, though we arrived at 6 50pm (starting time specified on card was 7pm) the dinner only got off ard 8 45pm due to the late arrivals. Included 2 photos below that retain the participants annonimity.


The walk up the aisle

The obligatory table by table toasting



The wedding itself was not particularly remarkable. There were some goods, and bads. It was not particularly engaging. A good one I went to was the wedding of my friend's sister. Besides the touching powerpoint slides and videos, the groom made a beautiful speech honoring his dad, wife and in laws. It was beautiful and touching to see the son so publicly lauding his dad. Perhaps its the fact that my own dad passed away when I was 5, and I never got to know him, never experienced the joys of having a dad, and would never be able to publicly acknowledge him. To see the groom throwing away so called society-imposed manliness and announcing his deep love for his wife was inspiring. As was thanking his in laws for producing such a wonderful daughter (actually, I long ago already intended to use this line at my own wedding...subject to reappraisal closer to the time to reassess corny/cheese factor). There were some interesting games played, for example, the blindfolded bride had to slap/pinch/knead the asses of several of the bridegroom's bestmen in order to identify the one that belonged to her husband. Likewise, the groom had to feel (molest) the bridesmaids hands to identify which was his wife's.

Regardless. These weddings however did bring back many memories, and raised some questions.

Questions:

1) When & will I find, or know when I have found, that girl who is right for me, who may or may not be perfect, but perfect for me?
2) How the hell will I organize something so grand?

Memories:

My own sister's wedding. Its great to have an older sibling get married...you get to be a supporting star. =) . I felt proud, happy for her, everything... yet a part of me felt really really sad. Its like, your sister is officially moving on with her life, going to have her own issues, her kids, etc. I know she loves us still, but its just a tad sad that she won't be living in the same house. I really do miss her. She was a GREAT, let me repeat, GREAT (most of the time) sister. she was such a great da zie to me AND my friends that ALL my buddies, all 10 of us, turned up in full force to support her. I just want the husband to know, if he EVER upsets her, I will not let him off easy. Its a childish threat, but ain't nobody gonna walk over my loved ones. oh yea..as a result of my deceased dad, I had to stand in and drink for him...also, in case the groom overdrank.. i had to accompany the whole entourage on their table by table toasting so i could drink on his behalf..

cheh...I MISS YOU AND WE LOVE YOU!

My beloved younger sister, mother, cheh1, cheh2, and sourfaced me


A time when strange uncles became stranger The other 2 sisters play bridesmaids.. Pouring the champagne.. Don't know why I have been replaced Almost all the males in my family...obviously, not many of us..and 2 in this pic are female Her new room Her new room

Been told I always have this expression..


Representing man of the house on stage


Sweet..

The family


The extended family


Neat cake..



The cousin who looks like Alex To

And now, 3 years later, I proudly display this photo of my niece:

Sze Ern @ Great Wall

Ahh...when will it be my turn...future wife...please show up!

An adventure down South

The Great Escape

OK...

Here I am all settled down, ready to spew forth whatever I have accummulated in my little bird brain throughout my little solo escapade and sojourn down South...for a much needed bout of away time.

Work was going crazy...things were piling up THIS high *indicates with a broom to a spot roughly somewhere 10 feet above my head* .. so much expectations, pressure, work, demands, blah, blah, blah, the hols were soo timely couldnt have come at a better time. Towards the hols I was practically slowing down at work, literally, not doing much, just whiling away time and racing home. Anyway, so then the hols were here, and I made the trip down South. Its prolly the 10th time I've done so this year but it never loses the lustre.

(wow cool suddenly how come I have so many different fonts to play with? shall experiment..)

---

So anyway, the wonderful thing is, since I signed up for the Fitness First account back at The Curve (thats KL to you non KLites, you inferior beings) on a global passport basis (which was ridiculously cheap when coupled with the corporate rate that was enabled by me being an employee of *so-called-big-firm*, I headed straight for the gym at Paragon. So simple, easy and fast...ahh... the joys..so anyway there I was happily checking out their facilities, taking a shower et al, and there were some things I noticed.

UNFORTUNATELY I was not allowed to take photos in the male changing rooms DUH (and sorry to disappoint u jo) .. or I could back up what I am about to say with pics.

Comparison of The Curve FF and Paragon FF

1. Shampoo et al is more diluted at Paragon than @ The Curve.
2. At Paragon, the shower cubicle locks are measured EXACTLY to the mm. The part which actually locks in place, is not A SINGLE MM more than required. wow...to save cost I presume...in the course of my work I have come to realize that when you produce en masse, even ONE mm in the course of things can add up to a lot of dough. The Curve's locks are generously lengthed..this makes no difference to the lockability but it does probably cost more. Ahh..the S'pore way vs the M'sian way.
3. Paragon provides towels! The Curve does not.
4. The Curve has more toilet cubicles, is bigger, more luxurious and spacious and does not have that damp sweaty smell compared to Paragon.
5. There are more wellbuilt and well sculpted guys at Paragon FF (hey goons..drop dead. dammit..how do you do it man) compared to the one at The Curve, which is chock full of guys with big arms and big bellies.
6. The chicks at Paragon FF are just..drop..dead..how to concentrate here!? For a normal hot blooded young male like me.. its like..a hot ass everywhere. I TRY to be civilized and not look and not oggle, I hope no1 thought otherwise. It would be unnerving to be perved at I guess. But to be fair, the girls at The Curve FF were not bad too..just that in general, girls in Singapore dress and look better..are fitter.
7. More drinks, more leisure area at The Curve.
8. Theres this Personal Trainer here called Chris Cheng. This guy appeared on the cover of Men's Health. OK, man, not to be gross or what, but I would give my third testicle to be able to look like him man. Aish..

OK enough pseudo gay behaviour.

Last night, I accompanied my friend to search for a room to rent. Dude just moved here to work. Anyway so there we were...we met this dodgy looking guy..and we went up to his place. This place was in People's Park. We went to the 30th floor. OK the view was great. Really great. But his unit was like this:

- 1 room - shared by a family.

- 1 room - a female student

- 1 room - 2 girls

- 1 room - himself.

Whilst we were checking out his room (which would be rented to my friend) I heard a small shuffling sound behind me. I slowly inconspicuously turned my head a fraction and out of the corner of my eye I see the room behind me the door is slightly ajar and inside is like, a red light, prolly caused by a red lamp, I don't know, but as my eyeballs slowly travel down that gap b/w the door and the frame, I see a little girl with long hair standing there watching us with furtive eyes. She suddenly looked up, saw me, and slammed the door shut. O..K...so I turn back to the room and the guy is saying to my friend "..yah I live alone.. all alone, no worries.." then I saw in the corner of the room got bra, got female clothing, and from where I stood, I could see under the bed, which had like a few pairs of super high heels. Then the kicker..the guy goes on to say "..and don't worry, you literally have the toilet all to yourself..that family there never uses it, and those other 3 girls, they only come out @ night, you won't see them during the day..their work they only come out @ night.." then he gives my friend a knowing smile.

OK. Then later on downstairs eating dinner we looked at each other. What the heck? Now would you take up a place like that? AND for $SGD550/month! crazy...as we talked some more, this stunning white long pair of legs stopped next to our table. I stopped stuffing my face and looked down. I saw a high pair of heels. My eyes slowly travelled up..nice calves..smooth..small knees...nice thighs...friggin short skirt..nice waist...hmm..not very well endowed..white face...blonde hair..curly hair..WAIT...something wrong with face..eyes travel down again..white face..red lips.. big eye -

..

..

..

$#%$#^%^ HOLY #@$@# ITS A GUY!!! a transexual transvesvite shemale!

Suddenly the lady (lets be kind here) walked off to some other shop, amidst hordes of lecherous eyes, disapproving looks, curious gazes and leaving scores of men puking blood.

Me included.

I was saying to my friend, DONT STOP ME, DONT HOLD MY ARMS, IM GONNA GRAB A PARANG NOW...

actually i dont mind gay people, really, and im even ok with transexuals. but if, THOUGHT NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN, even though its entirely because of my own stupid pervertness, if i happen to ogle at one of em BEFORE knowing the truth, i get very edgy, somehow. don't know how to describe.

well thats that, serves me right for perving.

I remember in thailand...long lines of dirty middle aged men lined up to squeeze Thai transvesvites' tits for a measly buck or two. gosh if thats not desperate and degrading I don't know what is. have some dignity!

ok man this has been a long past I shall stop here and continue again next time, with more pictures..

ciao baby hastalavista..and tonights dinner..am meeting up with an old, long lost friend...will prolly go n try NYDC mud pie based on a certain friend's recommendation..(yup ruki, however u spell it, this BETTER be good).

keep u updated!

In Singapore!

TimeOut!

I am in Singapore!

Yep, its time again for one of my regular periodic trips down south...so many stories to say..u know how sometimes u run around and u keep getting ideas pop into ur head, things u want to talk about, or say to certain people, but when the chance arrives for u to say these things, u forget all about it?

OK, I hope when the time comes, i can remember what is it i want to say.

take care & god bless! should be back writing ferociously by friday.

Memories of Melbourne

Currently Listening What Am I to You? By Norah Jones see related

Bout of nostalgia..

___________________
[ Melbourne - Lygon Strt - 2004 ]

---

Actually, on second thoughts...I don't think I will sleep.

If I sleep...that is another 2 hours of my life gone, unlived, unexperienced...

At this juncture of my life, I can feel the vapid remnants of youth slipping by, like the last remaining drops of sand disappearing faster and faster in one of those ...watchamacallit..those 2 glass tubes conjoined by a narrow neck and you can tilt the thing upside down and the sand falls from 1 cylinder to the next through the narrow tube.

As I lay down, tossing & turning trying to catch some shut eye...the playlist automatically flipped to Norah Jones..which, as these things sometimes happen, instantly transported me back to another time, another place, so far away, and not so long ago.

---

A boy. Its late and he can't seem to fall asleep. He lies there, as the hands of the clock tick by, ever so slowly, loud and clear in the silence of the night, sharply contrasting with the thick stillness of the air around him. He sits up. He has a burning desire to get out of the room and go out into the night. Do something that makes him feel like he is all alone, the only person alive in the world at that moment. And what better time than this? He decides to grab the camera, take his bike, and get out into the night. The feeling is indescribable, as he freewheels and caroms around the streets in the cold winter night, heading nowhere aimlessly, just pedalling in any direction he fancies. "Should I take this turn left, or that turn right? Doesn't matter...just turn!" He cycles fast, and delights in the cold air rushing against his face, and the cold chills running up and down his spine. He lets go of the handlebars and opens his arms. He faces the sky and closes his eyes. He inhales deeply. A wonderful, wonderful feeling. Have you ever felt like that before? Like the whole world is asleep. And only you are awake. And only you are enjoying the night, like it is your own little secret. Places and things that looked a certain way look different in the night. Every tree. A busstop. A sign. A scene. Everything is alive. There is no 1 on the streets. Ahhh...

---

That boy, obviously, was me. Magical moments like these are what I miss a lot. Its a good thing they are captured on film.


[ Old Law Quad - University of Melbourne - 2004 ]



[ IMAX Theatre - Nicholson Strt, Melb ]



[ MacArthur Sq - Melb - Experimentations with light]




[ Top view of road - Melb - These are car taillights - Experimentations with shutter speed/aperture ]



[ Same as above ]




[ Union Sq - University of Melbourne ]

- - - - - - - - -

Guess I should sleep now.

Overheard at the gym...

Overheard at the gym...

Last week I joined a gym.

My lower back has been killing me  ...too much basketball in my younger days, without the proper
accompanying stretches/warmups/cooldowns/keepfit...so I really need to go and work out my lower back
and strengthen it.. and recently had a craving to sit in a sauna.. so I went around scouting out the gyms right?
Just to check out what packages they had. Wow...these people are so aggressive in trying to pull in members.
Its like sales.. so hardsell. 

Anyway..I got reminded again why these commercial gyms can be quite a turn off...lots of people going there to
see and be seen..I chose the one just round the corner from my house, FF @ The Curve. Fortunately not
EVERYONE was like that...anyway something interesting happened last night while I was there...

----

overheard:

*buffed up whitish skin color guy sweating n gruntingtalking to his workout companion* wah... i feeling sick
these fewmonths alwiz la...dunno why...since i join gym hoh, damn easy to sickloh...3 times alredi u know..
*grunt* i sick..

his companion: wah really ah...aiya...u dun fuck so much la.. hahaha

grunty: no loh...my gf nowdays damn busy lar... no time for me ok...

hiscompanion: she seeing someone else la soh hai hahaha.. how long nosex...eh i heard hoh if u alwiz train
and u dunt eat properly, u willeasier become sick.. coz when work out all ur body vitamins n nutrientsgo
to the muscles mah...hahaha...maybe thats y la u cannot perform sogf abandon u..haha soh hai la...

grunty: *oof*..really ah..shit man...fuck u la...

- - - - -

whoa !!!

dont know what to make of this!