Wowee!
Its been ages since I last blogged and heaps of stuff have happened since! In fact there's so much to say I don't even know where to start! So I guess I'll just ramble on for now. This entry is more of a reflection for me I reckon....
2006 didn't start off too hot. It was plagued with uncertainty, failed relationships and a lot of confusion. I didn't know if I wanted to remain in Melbourne after my graduation or return to Singapore to look for a job. It was a pretty tough decision for me back then, and I gotta admit that I made it without a clear mind. Return to Singapore I did and I gotta say, it was tough at first. I was so unsettled most of the time and I didn't have peace within me. I thought maybe I made the wrong choice but now I know it was God starting his work with me.
Tried looking for a job for a while but nothing came through. As July approached, I became less and less motivated with the job hunt coz I had plans to return to Melb to snowboard! What an awesome time it was! Up till now I still wonder what possesed my mom to approve my extravagant holiday. Perhaps it was God at work again. I had a great time and I established some good friendships during the Melbourne stint. Got to know some of my melbourne friends in greater depth and the friendships that blossomed from there was well worth it.
But! A flaw in having such a great time in Melbourne was returning to reality when it all ends. Returning to Singapore, I might've sunk into depression when I was under more pressure to find a job. Well, maybe not depression. I wasn't depressed, I was just....numb. Fortunately, I had my amazing cell group to get me through this low point. Before I left for my snowboarding trip, I already knew I was in the midst of very special people. W133 is really an amazing cell group, full of amazing, talented and loving people. And while I'm having a great time with the cell group, I'm growing closer to God as well! Smashing!
So anyhow, by God's grace and floated by my cell group's encouragement, I finally landed a job. Right, which means I'm officially out of retirement. hur hur hur. So life is looking pretty good now. Of course in the midst of all this, my parents bought a new place and I have a bigger, more spacious room now. Better living space for me! Sweet!
Now, back to the point where life is full of unexpected moments. My negative sentiments towards relationships have also been turned upside down! And in the most unexpected circumstance as well. However, all is good and amazingly smashing now. An absolute delight is what I'll say about it. Brilliant!
So, 2006 was pretty much an off year for me. It was like a year long break to fix whatever was wrong with me, and now I'm all set to get back into it. I may have started 2006 in the pits but I'm ending it with a bang, and I have God to thank for it. Happy new year to you all!
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Wheels for FFF
About 2 weeks ago, my cell group had some combined cell group meeting. I think 7 cell groups were involved and following the cell group meeting, we had a scavenger hunt that they named wheels for F cubed. Basically, the FFF stood for Friends, Fun and Food. The gist of it was pretty much this; teams driving around the city area looking for the solutions to the given clues. Not all of us got to stick to our own cell group members though. Adrian and I were teamed up with Irenaus and Chris from a different CG. We got along swell and managed to complete all the tasks. Here's a brief look at what went down.....
As you can deduce, my team emerged victorious and we won the prize of a $100 marche voucher. It was pretty fun and we made new friends. The only food we encountered during the scavenger hunt was a gross tasting myanmar century egg dish, but I guess the $100 marche voucher more than made up for it. Friends, Fun, Food. Swell.
As you can deduce, my team emerged victorious and we won the prize of a $100 marche voucher. It was pretty fun and we made new friends. The only food we encountered during the scavenger hunt was a gross tasting myanmar century egg dish, but I guess the $100 marche voucher more than made up for it. Friends, Fun, Food. Swell.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Back to fantasy land!
Greeting's y'all!
Wow its been a while hasn't it? I almost forgot I had a blog back here. Apologies to the friends who've been complaining about the lack of entries of late. I've been pretty busy you see. Condo launches here. Property researches there. Heaps of stuff to settle leaving me with very little free time. And when I do get some free time on my hands, I go meet my friends. My fantasy friends.
Righto, before you start calling me loony or a schizo who imagines fantasy friends, let me explain. The 12th installment of the final fantasy series from square-enix was recently released and I have a copy! I've always been a fan of final fantasy and I've been playing the RPGs (role playing game) since they first appeared on the 16 bit super nintendo systems!
As usual, the game is filled with mystical creatures, over the top costumes and a wide spectrum of accessories and weapons. All very fantastically fantasy-ish. And of course, you're out to save the world. again.
The anticipation I felt while I was loading the DVD into my PS2 was immediately washed away the moment the opening theme started flowing out of my speakers. A wave of nostalgia swept through my room and i was transported back to the various times when i was playing final fantasy all day and all night long. In fact, I felt like I was being reunited with long lost friends. It feels like I'm actually running around in the final fantasy worlds with the heroes and battling monsters and villians. It feels like I'm on this great adventure with them, solving great mysteries and unlocking the secrets of the world. And ultimately, it feels like I'm saving the world with them.
I guess I get transported into another world where I can be a hero. Just running around on a great adventure and killing monsters. Free from the mundane and routine world that I know. Free from my worries and troubles. Free in my fantasy land. Its a pretty good feeling and you can even call it my happy place. Oh my, what am I doing here? I should be in front of the TV with my PS2! laterrrr.....
Monday, October 16, 2006
right about now, firestarter
Anyone remember that song, Firestarter, by the Prodigy?
"I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter. You're the firestarter, twisted firestarter"
Maybe those dumbass morons in Indonesia have been blasting that song a little too often. They're burning up their forests and what not to clear the land. Unwittingly, they're destroying the environment and the eco-system, not to mention the daily lifelihood of millions living in the neighbouring countries. Bastards.
The pollution from the fires is wrecking havoc everywhere! Planes are grounded due to poor visibility. Those with respiratory problems are having their lives placed at risk. Outdoor activities have to be limited and there's no such thing as going out to breath in the fresh air or to smell the roses! I can't go for my runs! I run to keep fit. How am I supposed to do that now with the haze level in Singapore hovering at unhealthy levels? Just taking a walk outside causes irritation to my eyes. And you know what happens if I don't keep my fitness up? My metabolic rate will go down, and a lowered metabolic rate means you will grow fat! I wanna put on weight but I don't wanna grow fat! I'm supposed to put on weight while staying trim and toned. Now that age is catching up, my metabolic rate is bound to slow down and this haze is NOT HELPING!
Is this my fate?? To go from skinny chicken legs to fatty bom bom? Noooooo......
"I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter. You're the firestarter, twisted firestarter"
Maybe those dumbass morons in Indonesia have been blasting that song a little too often. They're burning up their forests and what not to clear the land. Unwittingly, they're destroying the environment and the eco-system, not to mention the daily lifelihood of millions living in the neighbouring countries. Bastards.
The pollution from the fires is wrecking havoc everywhere! Planes are grounded due to poor visibility. Those with respiratory problems are having their lives placed at risk. Outdoor activities have to be limited and there's no such thing as going out to breath in the fresh air or to smell the roses! I can't go for my runs! I run to keep fit. How am I supposed to do that now with the haze level in Singapore hovering at unhealthy levels? Just taking a walk outside causes irritation to my eyes. And you know what happens if I don't keep my fitness up? My metabolic rate will go down, and a lowered metabolic rate means you will grow fat! I wanna put on weight but I don't wanna grow fat! I'm supposed to put on weight while staying trim and toned. Now that age is catching up, my metabolic rate is bound to slow down and this haze is NOT HELPING!
Is this my fate?? To go from skinny chicken legs to fatty bom bom? Noooooo......
Saturday, October 07, 2006
iChat DoTA
Greetings y'all! Man its really hazy out today in Singapore! The PSI index hit 150 today. That's in the unhealthy range. Someone stop the bloody indonesians who are slashing and burning up the jungles!!! Anyhow, after the customary "after church service dinner and fellowship" session today, I came straight home. In the comfort of my air conditioned room, away from the heat, humidity and the haze. And what better way to maintain quality time with my fellow cell group members than with iChat? Of course, this is currently limited to me, Alan and Melanie coz you'd need a camera/mic equipped mac to enjoy the full features of iChat.
And thus, our maiden attempt at a 3-way video conference via iChat commenced at about 22:45 E.S.T and it was a success! It was hilarious too and I must say, iChat is the best video conference program I have ever used. (well? what are you all waiting for? go get a mac already!) Here's a little screen capture of what it looks like.
As I was musing on the screen shot and marveling at how the reflections at the bottom of the participants' faces were nicely rendered, it occurred to me that our expressions and poses were strangely familiar. Then it struck me! Back when I was in melbourne and living with the Hanafi's, many a time I'd watch the boys play Dota. Dota is a spinoff game from the warcraft franchise and Wilfred, Josh and Brian are nuts about it! The most interesting part though, was when they'd select their heros. You'd get to choose from a wide variety of heros, each with their own special powers and appearance. I was always intrigued at which hero they'd choose and why. Anyhow, here's what I noticed.
Alan's upward stance and firm jaw-line, coupled with his neutral smile gives him similar features with the hero known as the stone giant.
My goggle eyed-toothpaste representative smile gives me the creepy and eccentric look thats not very different from the hero called the skeleton king.
And finally my favourite would be the lovely couple of JK and Mel. By sheer coincidence (and my total amusment), the way they are positioned and how much of their shoulders and bodies fill up the lower horizon mimick the look of the 2 headed Orge Magi Hero. Or is it heros?
Right, and it is with these amazing observations that I shall have to bid you farewell for it is wayyyyy late and I have to get up to go wakeboarding tomorrow! Later~
And thus, our maiden attempt at a 3-way video conference via iChat commenced at about 22:45 E.S.T and it was a success! It was hilarious too and I must say, iChat is the best video conference program I have ever used. (well? what are you all waiting for? go get a mac already!) Here's a little screen capture of what it looks like.
As I was musing on the screen shot and marveling at how the reflections at the bottom of the participants' faces were nicely rendered, it occurred to me that our expressions and poses were strangely familiar. Then it struck me! Back when I was in melbourne and living with the Hanafi's, many a time I'd watch the boys play Dota. Dota is a spinoff game from the warcraft franchise and Wilfred, Josh and Brian are nuts about it! The most interesting part though, was when they'd select their heros. You'd get to choose from a wide variety of heros, each with their own special powers and appearance. I was always intrigued at which hero they'd choose and why. Anyhow, here's what I noticed.
Alan's upward stance and firm jaw-line, coupled with his neutral smile gives him similar features with the hero known as the stone giant.
My goggle eyed-toothpaste representative smile gives me the creepy and eccentric look thats not very different from the hero called the skeleton king.
And finally my favourite would be the lovely couple of JK and Mel. By sheer coincidence (and my total amusment), the way they are positioned and how much of their shoulders and bodies fill up the lower horizon mimick the look of the 2 headed Orge Magi Hero. Or is it heros?
Right, and it is with these amazing observations that I shall have to bid you farewell for it is wayyyyy late and I have to get up to go wakeboarding tomorrow! Later~
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
ruminations of sentience
Right. So i'm 26 years of age, going on 27 come December. That'll make me just about 3 years shy of being in existence for 3 decades. Yeowza, sounds like some kind of relic! Well, not really. But still, one can't help but wonder, what is life about? I've been around for over a quarter of a century and I still haven't figured it out.
Sometimes I hear a gleeful exclamation that life's GREAT! Most of the time I hear murmurs that life sucks. Do these people even know what they're talking about? Or is it just a careless expression of their current situation of state coz more often than not, these same people have been known to use both phrases. So which is it?
When I look back at what I've been through so far, my life seems to be fine. Actually its been pretty good. I've always had a roof over my head, a comfortable bed to sleep on and meals to keep me growing ( Yes I'm still growing ). I've got wonderful parents who nag at me but also provide generously. I always have my needs met and a fair amount of my wants granted. But despite all this, I sometimes still sit back and wonder, is this all there is to life? It seems like I'm not really full on and jumping for joy at being able to take a breath every few seconds.
People who've lived through wars. Those that have suffered from disasters and calamities. Those who survived accidents. Now these are some people who would clobber me on the head and admonish me for not being thankful for everything that I have now. And the fact that I'm blogging about it now kinda means that I know that I should appreciate it. And I do. I really do. But why is it I don't feel a giant blast of euphoria whenever I wake up in the mornings? I'm sure someone who's been hiding for his dear life would when he wakes up to find out that the war is over. Please God, don't misunderstand, I'm not asking for something horrible to happen to my life. I'm just wondering if its absolutely neccesary to go through a rough patch to truely appreciate the good times? I wanna just live in the good times and be happy! NOW! :) <--- (what a fake smile, you'd look psychotic if your face were in that exact shape )
Is ignorance truely bliss? Would I be in absolute rapture if I were living up in a mountain, not knowing about the happenings and the technologies of this world? I wouldn't want something if I didn't know it existed right? And if I don't want anything, I'd be totally satisfied instead of constantly thinking when I can earn enough to buy that sports car or get a hold of the latest Mac with the most gorgeous screen. I wouldn't even worry about earning money for anything! I'd just live everyday as it comes. Gathering food when I feel hungry. Sleeping when I'm tired. Probably invent my own games to pass the time. Sounds pretty boring huh but if it were true, I wouldn't know better anyway since I don't know that snowboarding or playstation exists.
So why does this dilemma exist? Whats the confusion about? How can I write so much nonsense over nothing? I'm not sad. But I'm not happy either. I'm just. Normal. Can I even say that? I'm normal. Sounds weird. Say it out loud to yourself slowly. I'm NORMAL. "Normal" is an adjective that implies conformity with established norms or standards. So I'm conforming? What exactly is that standard that I am comparing myself to be conforming?
Ok its time for bed. Goodnight.
Sometimes I hear a gleeful exclamation that life's GREAT! Most of the time I hear murmurs that life sucks. Do these people even know what they're talking about? Or is it just a careless expression of their current situation of state coz more often than not, these same people have been known to use both phrases. So which is it?
When I look back at what I've been through so far, my life seems to be fine. Actually its been pretty good. I've always had a roof over my head, a comfortable bed to sleep on and meals to keep me growing ( Yes I'm still growing ). I've got wonderful parents who nag at me but also provide generously. I always have my needs met and a fair amount of my wants granted. But despite all this, I sometimes still sit back and wonder, is this all there is to life? It seems like I'm not really full on and jumping for joy at being able to take a breath every few seconds.
People who've lived through wars. Those that have suffered from disasters and calamities. Those who survived accidents. Now these are some people who would clobber me on the head and admonish me for not being thankful for everything that I have now. And the fact that I'm blogging about it now kinda means that I know that I should appreciate it. And I do. I really do. But why is it I don't feel a giant blast of euphoria whenever I wake up in the mornings? I'm sure someone who's been hiding for his dear life would when he wakes up to find out that the war is over. Please God, don't misunderstand, I'm not asking for something horrible to happen to my life. I'm just wondering if its absolutely neccesary to go through a rough patch to truely appreciate the good times? I wanna just live in the good times and be happy! NOW! :) <--- (what a fake smile, you'd look psychotic if your face were in that exact shape )
Is ignorance truely bliss? Would I be in absolute rapture if I were living up in a mountain, not knowing about the happenings and the technologies of this world? I wouldn't want something if I didn't know it existed right? And if I don't want anything, I'd be totally satisfied instead of constantly thinking when I can earn enough to buy that sports car or get a hold of the latest Mac with the most gorgeous screen. I wouldn't even worry about earning money for anything! I'd just live everyday as it comes. Gathering food when I feel hungry. Sleeping when I'm tired. Probably invent my own games to pass the time. Sounds pretty boring huh but if it were true, I wouldn't know better anyway since I don't know that snowboarding or playstation exists.
So why does this dilemma exist? Whats the confusion about? How can I write so much nonsense over nothing? I'm not sad. But I'm not happy either. I'm just. Normal. Can I even say that? I'm normal. Sounds weird. Say it out loud to yourself slowly. I'm NORMAL. "Normal" is an adjective that implies conformity with established norms or standards. So I'm conforming? What exactly is that standard that I am comparing myself to be conforming?
Ok its time for bed. Goodnight.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Voice of an Angel
Whenever I am weary, You pick me up and never let me go
You give, me strength
For when I’m lost and lonely, you walk with me and show me the way
You’ll be, my friend
Angel voice, I long to have you near
Your precious words are all I wanna hear
And let nothing, come between us
Coz nothing in this world can ever compare
You give, me strength
For when I’m lost and lonely, you walk with me and show me the way
You’ll be, my friend
Angel voice, I long to have you near
Your precious words are all I wanna hear
And let nothing, come between us
Coz nothing in this world can ever compare
Sunday, October 01, 2006
hoax obliteration
I am vexed. I was alerted to a website depicting my own demise. dnew356.blogspot.com showcases a comic that deceives audiences into believing that I was devoured by a shark. Such subterfuge will not be tolerated! When I find out who these insurgents are, I will personally send Amber, my harbinger of death, to annihilate and destroy. Just you wait dnew356! Muahahahahahahahaha
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Animal Planet
I was having supper with a friend recently when a giant beetle fell off the branches above us and landed on our table with a huge thud. It struggled for a little while before flipping itself off its back and then proceeded to crawl towards me. At this moment my friend started freaking out whereas I calmly scooped up the beetle with my hand and threw it into the nearby grass patch. My friend was properly horrified and shrieked at me, "How could you do that? GROSS!"
Why was it gross? The beetle was a creature of nature. One of God's creations. It wasn't intending to harm me or anything. It just happened to drop into the wrong place. I'm one who is generally at peace with nature. I love animals, and animals love me. In fact, after going through my blog, I've come to realise that I'm constantly in contact with nature and her animals in my adventures. Some have even been photographically documented.
So I say this to all you people out there. Love nature and other living creatures around you and life will be a more exciting place to hang out!
Why was it gross? The beetle was a creature of nature. One of God's creations. It wasn't intending to harm me or anything. It just happened to drop into the wrong place. I'm one who is generally at peace with nature. I love animals, and animals love me. In fact, after going through my blog, I've come to realise that I'm constantly in contact with nature and her animals in my adventures. Some have even been photographically documented.
So I say this to all you people out there. Love nature and other living creatures around you and life will be a more exciting place to hang out!
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Extreme sport?
I'm going wakeboarding on the 8th of October and I was asking my cell group if they'd wanna come along and wow! What a response I got! Turns out there's gonna be 20 people going so we'll need about 4 boats. Some of them have never tried before and asked me all sorts of questions. Is it fun? Does it hurt? Can you die? etc etc.
Well, wakeboarding is an extreme sport I guess. And as with every other extreme sport, there are risks involved, coupled with the possibility of pain. However! You shouldn't let that get in the way of the immense amount of fun you will have! Wakeboarding is extremely fun and extremely addictive. It gives you a good workout too. For beginners, I daresay that you will feel no pain at all when you fall. The boat's moving to slow for you to hurt yourself when you're starting out in the sport. The only pain you'll feel will probably come from the aches the day after. What you'll get is great fun under the sun, wind rushing by as the boat glides on the water and great fellowship with those on the boat with you.
So be prepared for the fun time you're all gonna have and ride safe!
Well, wakeboarding is an extreme sport I guess. And as with every other extreme sport, there are risks involved, coupled with the possibility of pain. However! You shouldn't let that get in the way of the immense amount of fun you will have! Wakeboarding is extremely fun and extremely addictive. It gives you a good workout too. For beginners, I daresay that you will feel no pain at all when you fall. The boat's moving to slow for you to hurt yourself when you're starting out in the sport. The only pain you'll feel will probably come from the aches the day after. What you'll get is great fun under the sun, wind rushing by as the boat glides on the water and great fellowship with those on the boat with you.
So be prepared for the fun time you're all gonna have and ride safe!
Sunday, September 24, 2006
ahoy matey's!
Aloha! Guess what I did today? It was a pretty X-games day coz I went wakeboarding all afternoon and then roller blading in the evening till past 11! Ahhhh the vigor of youth. (Wat?!)
But what I wanna talk about here is not about my day. Rather, its about a serious thought that I had. See, while I was wakeboarding with Sharon and her cell group member Susanna, it was revealed that Susanna actually owns a house in Sebana! Ohhhh the wonderful memories of Sebana. The peaceful, serene environment. The calm and smooth waters. Wakeboarding Mecca I call it. Its great for the occasional getaway retreat. What a great place to have a cell group meeting!
Soon after we ended the wakeboarding session, we were talking about organising another one in 2 weeks and apparently, heaps of cell group members were very keen to come. I asked my own cell group and the response was good too. In fact, we'd probably have to book 4 boats to accommodate everyone at the current count. Christians love wakeboarding! Well the Christians in my zone at least.
So, we've covered 2 things so far. Susanna's house in Sebana. Cell group members wanna wakeboard. Following me so far? Coz here comes my brilliant idea. Why don't we buy our own wakeboard boat? Our very own ZONE BOAT. Sweeeeet. We could organise cell group meetings in Sebana where the boat could be docked (docking in Singapore would cost too much) and have whole weekends of wakeboarding in clear flat water!
Now, Yalan's zone comprises of 7 cell groups. Each cell averages 15 members. That gives us 105 individuals. Seeing how we pay cell group fund every month, we could set up a zone boat fund. So, a proper wakeboard boat like a mastercraft X series would cost around $80K. Divide that amount by a period of 12 months and 105 individuals, the monthly contribution to the Zone Boat fund would work out to be around $63.50 per member! Roughly the price of one wakeboard session. Brilliant! Hur hur hur. I wonder if the relevant individuals are reading this entry?
But what I wanna talk about here is not about my day. Rather, its about a serious thought that I had. See, while I was wakeboarding with Sharon and her cell group member Susanna, it was revealed that Susanna actually owns a house in Sebana! Ohhhh the wonderful memories of Sebana. The peaceful, serene environment. The calm and smooth waters. Wakeboarding Mecca I call it. Its great for the occasional getaway retreat. What a great place to have a cell group meeting!
Soon after we ended the wakeboarding session, we were talking about organising another one in 2 weeks and apparently, heaps of cell group members were very keen to come. I asked my own cell group and the response was good too. In fact, we'd probably have to book 4 boats to accommodate everyone at the current count. Christians love wakeboarding! Well the Christians in my zone at least.
So, we've covered 2 things so far. Susanna's house in Sebana. Cell group members wanna wakeboard. Following me so far? Coz here comes my brilliant idea. Why don't we buy our own wakeboard boat? Our very own ZONE BOAT. Sweeeeet. We could organise cell group meetings in Sebana where the boat could be docked (docking in Singapore would cost too much) and have whole weekends of wakeboarding in clear flat water!
Now, Yalan's zone comprises of 7 cell groups. Each cell averages 15 members. That gives us 105 individuals. Seeing how we pay cell group fund every month, we could set up a zone boat fund. So, a proper wakeboard boat like a mastercraft X series would cost around $80K. Divide that amount by a period of 12 months and 105 individuals, the monthly contribution to the Zone Boat fund would work out to be around $63.50 per member! Roughly the price of one wakeboard session. Brilliant! Hur hur hur. I wonder if the relevant individuals are reading this entry?
Friday, September 22, 2006
Fugu?
Konichiwa!
Did I ever mention that I'm an ardent fan of Japanese food? I love everything Japanese that's edible. Sushi, Sashimi, hand rolls, tariyaki, wasabi, tempura, ramen (EXCEPT THOSE FROM AJISEN!!!!) etc etc. You catch my drift. So it wasn't much surprise that Nicole and I ended up at raku over at greenwood for Japanese before she left. As usual, the food there was good. Fresh and delectable.
One thing that stood out that night though, was the Fugu. Now Fugu is Japanese for pufferfish or blowfish and it is a Japanese delicacy.
Most of you will know that this species of fish is poisonous and can be lethal if mishandled. It is the only dish that the emperor of Japan is banned from consuming and only select chefs with proper training and certification can prepare it. Well, I spied "Fugu" in the menu and immediately I was on the case! Wow! Another fear factor moment! A brush with death maybe? Anyone recall my food adventure involving the sea urchin? Sweeeet.
So I ordered and it took a while for it to come and when it finally did, I was perplexed. You see, in my mind I was expecting a soft, fleshy white dish a-la-sashimi. However what was served were thin brown strips of meat. It looked almost like jerky. Nicole was stumped as well but she prayed for safety anyway. So what happened next? We ate it of course. And this was the weird part, almost immediately an intense pain shot up my throat and up into my head! Everything was turning white and I started foaming and seizing!! I WAS DYING!!!! And then Nicole's voice totally pierced through my imagination and brought me back to reality. "It tastes weird huh? Like meat..." I was chewing on it too and you know what? It did taste like meat. In fact it tasted exactly like Bak Kwa! Bak Kwa is roasted slices of marinated pork, usually eaten as a snack.
How disappointing! They could've cut up a slice of bak kwa into strips and served it to me saying it was fugu and I wouldn't even have known! How come its brown and meaty anyway? How did the fish get that way? Nicole reckons its dried or preserved and all they did was heat it up and serve it with Japanese mayo. Sheesh, what a letdown. I guess I gotta go to Japan if I wanna try the real thing. So my fugu experience wasn't much of a "living-on-the-edge" one but at least I enjoyed dinner. I wonder if there are other places that serve fugu? And the REAL thing. Not some preserved jerky bak kwa wannabe.....
Did I ever mention that I'm an ardent fan of Japanese food? I love everything Japanese that's edible. Sushi, Sashimi, hand rolls, tariyaki, wasabi, tempura, ramen (EXCEPT THOSE FROM AJISEN!!!!) etc etc. You catch my drift. So it wasn't much surprise that Nicole and I ended up at raku over at greenwood for Japanese before she left. As usual, the food there was good. Fresh and delectable.
One thing that stood out that night though, was the Fugu. Now Fugu is Japanese for pufferfish or blowfish and it is a Japanese delicacy.
Most of you will know that this species of fish is poisonous and can be lethal if mishandled. It is the only dish that the emperor of Japan is banned from consuming and only select chefs with proper training and certification can prepare it. Well, I spied "Fugu" in the menu and immediately I was on the case! Wow! Another fear factor moment! A brush with death maybe? Anyone recall my food adventure involving the sea urchin? Sweeeet.
So I ordered and it took a while for it to come and when it finally did, I was perplexed. You see, in my mind I was expecting a soft, fleshy white dish a-la-sashimi. However what was served were thin brown strips of meat. It looked almost like jerky. Nicole was stumped as well but she prayed for safety anyway. So what happened next? We ate it of course. And this was the weird part, almost immediately an intense pain shot up my throat and up into my head! Everything was turning white and I started foaming and seizing!! I WAS DYING!!!! And then Nicole's voice totally pierced through my imagination and brought me back to reality. "It tastes weird huh? Like meat..." I was chewing on it too and you know what? It did taste like meat. In fact it tasted exactly like Bak Kwa! Bak Kwa is roasted slices of marinated pork, usually eaten as a snack.
How disappointing! They could've cut up a slice of bak kwa into strips and served it to me saying it was fugu and I wouldn't even have known! How come its brown and meaty anyway? How did the fish get that way? Nicole reckons its dried or preserved and all they did was heat it up and serve it with Japanese mayo. Sheesh, what a letdown. I guess I gotta go to Japan if I wanna try the real thing. So my fugu experience wasn't much of a "living-on-the-edge" one but at least I enjoyed dinner. I wonder if there are other places that serve fugu? And the REAL thing. Not some preserved jerky bak kwa wannabe.....
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Brain stimulant
Has it come down to this? I have run out of ideas on what to write about. My regular posts filled with sarcastic humor have turned into bland and lame entries. I don't even know what kind of comics to make anymore! Where has all the nonsensilism gone?? The very essence of this blog has been lost.
Wanting to add a new post, yet not knowing what to write about the other day, I decided to look through my archives to see what I've been blogging about in the past. What I read were fun thoughts and ideas. Some mischevious, some sarcastic, some creative even. Well there were a few angry posts but we'll let those slide. So I sit here wondering, whats become of that spark that used to ignite the creativity and the words? How come I've not been able to create interesting articles for people to read?
I think I'll attribute it to my current state in life. Nothing's happening for me right now. I'm not having much fun, I'm not having great experiences and I have nothing to think about nor talk about. There's nothing to arouse my curiosity or to stimulate my mind. There's nothing that is provoking thoughts and ideas that I can repackage into a blog entry. My toe nail that died while snowboarding finally dropped off today. Thats all I can think of right now.
I'm not upset or uncomfortable or anything, but I'm not very happening either. Bugger. Well at least some of my shows have returned. Prison break and House are downloading as we speak and I hear that Lost and Grey's anatomy are starting soon. Save meeeeee
Wanting to add a new post, yet not knowing what to write about the other day, I decided to look through my archives to see what I've been blogging about in the past. What I read were fun thoughts and ideas. Some mischevious, some sarcastic, some creative even. Well there were a few angry posts but we'll let those slide. So I sit here wondering, whats become of that spark that used to ignite the creativity and the words? How come I've not been able to create interesting articles for people to read?
I think I'll attribute it to my current state in life. Nothing's happening for me right now. I'm not having much fun, I'm not having great experiences and I have nothing to think about nor talk about. There's nothing to arouse my curiosity or to stimulate my mind. There's nothing that is provoking thoughts and ideas that I can repackage into a blog entry. My toe nail that died while snowboarding finally dropped off today. Thats all I can think of right now.
I'm not upset or uncomfortable or anything, but I'm not very happening either. Bugger. Well at least some of my shows have returned. Prison break and House are downloading as we speak and I hear that Lost and Grey's anatomy are starting soon. Save meeeeee
Monday, September 18, 2006
Sunday, September 10, 2006
riding habits
Greetings y'all!
Having returned to Singapore for almost 2 weeks now, I am still having the occasional withdrawal symptoms from Melbourne and Snowboarding. SO! What better way to get my mind off things than to go wakeboarding? Yup, I totally dig being strapped to a board and moving around sideways at speed.
As fate would have it, Melissa and her friends decided to go and they extended an invitation to yours truely. Everything started off pretty well. The weather was good, the company was awesome and the water was acceptable (for a Saturday) but when it was time for me to hit the water, imagine the horror when I realised my riding was all stuffed up! I literally was, HITTING the water! Almost every jump I launched ended in disaster! I was crashing and crashing, but the funny thing was, I was crashing in a weird way. Not the normal "jump gone wrong" crashes I was used to. Rather, I found my body rotating a little in mid air and I would land in a weird position and SPLASH.
Being back on the boat after my run, I pondered for a bit and then I realised where my troubles lay. I've developed bad habits from snowboarding! It dawned upon me that when I was launching jumps on my snowboard, I'd look down towards the snow to spot my landing, my board would sometimes be rotating in the air and my hands are usually flailing around to keep my balance in check. Now, you try doing that while wakeboarding and what do you get? A crash. Why? Simple, coz you gotta keep your hands on the rope handle! DUH.
So I guess I gotta work on correcting those bad habits on my next session. I wonder when will that be? Anyone wanna go?
Having returned to Singapore for almost 2 weeks now, I am still having the occasional withdrawal symptoms from Melbourne and Snowboarding. SO! What better way to get my mind off things than to go wakeboarding? Yup, I totally dig being strapped to a board and moving around sideways at speed.
As fate would have it, Melissa and her friends decided to go and they extended an invitation to yours truely. Everything started off pretty well. The weather was good, the company was awesome and the water was acceptable (for a Saturday) but when it was time for me to hit the water, imagine the horror when I realised my riding was all stuffed up! I literally was, HITTING the water! Almost every jump I launched ended in disaster! I was crashing and crashing, but the funny thing was, I was crashing in a weird way. Not the normal "jump gone wrong" crashes I was used to. Rather, I found my body rotating a little in mid air and I would land in a weird position and SPLASH.
Being back on the boat after my run, I pondered for a bit and then I realised where my troubles lay. I've developed bad habits from snowboarding! It dawned upon me that when I was launching jumps on my snowboard, I'd look down towards the snow to spot my landing, my board would sometimes be rotating in the air and my hands are usually flailing around to keep my balance in check. Now, you try doing that while wakeboarding and what do you get? A crash. Why? Simple, coz you gotta keep your hands on the rope handle! DUH.
So I guess I gotta work on correcting those bad habits on my next session. I wonder when will that be? Anyone wanna go?
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Ajisen Ramen Poison
I've been up all night. Diarrhea, Vomiting, Fever and cold sweats. Its miserable and I feel like crap now. My body feels like it got hit by a truck. I can barely move my limbs around. Never, NEVER eat at Ajisen Ramen. Its a pathetic and sorry excuse for Japanese food. The service was bad and the food tastes like crap. And to top it off, it makes you sick. The first time I had it, I got sick. Last night after eating the worst Ramen I've ever had, I spied the "Ajisen Ramen" logo at the bottom of the reciept and it all made sense. The restaurant at the Takashimaya food court was part of the Ajisen Ramen chain. And surprise surprise the poison struck again. Bastards. I'm calling the health ministry straight after this post.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Coming to a TV screen near you.....
Hahaha! Its complete! My snowboarding documentary is done! After 4 full days (and nights) of going through the footage and pieceing the segments together, I can safely say that I have managed to capture the true essence of my snowboarding adventures! This has got to be the most fun I've had making a video yet! Sweeeeeet!
For all the wonderful people involved in it, you'll be getting a copy in your mail soon! Hahahahahaha. In case I forget, you can place an order here. Laterrrrrr.
Friday, September 01, 2006
on the fly
This explains why I love snowboarding. Here's Brian, Wilfred and Grace catching air too! Sweeeeet!
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Beyond now
Hola!
Phew time for a break. A break from browsing through the papers, scoping out potential jobs. At the corner of my eye, almost out of view I spy my snowboard lying idly next to my guitar. Is that a layer of dust collecting already? Or maybe its just the plastic cover its in. Oh I do miss Melbourne so. My friends, the snow and the cool climate.
I'm not meant to be stuck at a desk, looking at the computer screen. I was built to be launched out into the great outdoors, conquer the unknown, freeze in the snow, you know? So in the midst of the job hunt, I asked my mom what she'd think if I decided to be a snowboarding instructor. She said, "Sure, if thats what you want." How cool is that?? I'm starting to think that my mom may be a misplaced citizen like me.
But alas, the results of my search wasn't promising. The average cost for an instructor's course lingered around the ₤6000 mark. YES! Six Thousand Pounds! Thats like almost 20 grand in singapore dollars. Of course it includes a season pass good for mountains in Canada (read: WHISTLER BLACKCOOMB), food and lodging for 11 weeks and of course, training and certification exam fees. ₤6000.....Groan.
I guess its kinda like taking a course in uni. I cannot justify asking my parents to pay for it though, they've already provided me with so much, more than I could ask for. I came to a conclusion that maybe I'll work for a couple of years, get sick of the corporate world and by then I would've saved enough to embark on this.....let's call it a sabbatical. Sweeeet.
But then I started thinking and then I realised, what if......what if I was in a stable relationship, or worse, what if I was married? I wouldn't be able to just take off and go. The course itself is 3 months, and if I wanna make use of that certification, I'd be teaching kids how to snowboard in snowfields all over the world. Such is the dilemma of a soon to be 27 year old. Is it now or never?
A life of eternal winters wondering snow fields round the globe, or a life in Singapore with a stable job and maybe my soulmate?
Phew time for a break. A break from browsing through the papers, scoping out potential jobs. At the corner of my eye, almost out of view I spy my snowboard lying idly next to my guitar. Is that a layer of dust collecting already? Or maybe its just the plastic cover its in. Oh I do miss Melbourne so. My friends, the snow and the cool climate.
I'm not meant to be stuck at a desk, looking at the computer screen. I was built to be launched out into the great outdoors, conquer the unknown, freeze in the snow, you know? So in the midst of the job hunt, I asked my mom what she'd think if I decided to be a snowboarding instructor. She said, "Sure, if thats what you want." How cool is that?? I'm starting to think that my mom may be a misplaced citizen like me.
But alas, the results of my search wasn't promising. The average cost for an instructor's course lingered around the ₤6000 mark. YES! Six Thousand Pounds! Thats like almost 20 grand in singapore dollars. Of course it includes a season pass good for mountains in Canada (read: WHISTLER BLACKCOOMB), food and lodging for 11 weeks and of course, training and certification exam fees. ₤6000.....Groan.
I guess its kinda like taking a course in uni. I cannot justify asking my parents to pay for it though, they've already provided me with so much, more than I could ask for. I came to a conclusion that maybe I'll work for a couple of years, get sick of the corporate world and by then I would've saved enough to embark on this.....let's call it a sabbatical. Sweeeet.
But then I started thinking and then I realised, what if......what if I was in a stable relationship, or worse, what if I was married? I wouldn't be able to just take off and go. The course itself is 3 months, and if I wanna make use of that certification, I'd be teaching kids how to snowboard in snowfields all over the world. Such is the dilemma of a soon to be 27 year old. Is it now or never?
A life of eternal winters wondering snow fields round the globe, or a life in Singapore with a stable job and maybe my soulmate?
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
farewell my love
My run here in Australia has ended. I cannot believe how fast 1 month and 3 days can go by so quickly. The time has come where I have to reluctantly pack my bags and drag myself to the airport.
I had a great time though and I'm thankful that I was able to delay my return by 2 weeks. That extra time gave me the opportunity to enjoy some of the best experiences of the holiday. Epic snowboarding trips. New friends made and great relationships established. Great times over food and at beautiful places. The only drawback is that its making my return to Singapore a little harder.
Well, to sum things up, here's what I'm thankful for:
1) First and foremost, I gotta thank God for blessing me with such a great holiday and the chance to have it.
2) The SNOW! That's the main reason why I came back to begin with! OH and the great chance to ride my custom X. I managed to visit all three mountains as planned and each trip was made amazing by the company of people I was with. My riding has improved and I've got heaps of great photos and videos to seal in the memories.
3) The boys at no.20 Lansell Road. Wilfred, Josh and Brian. You guys have been a great bunch to hang out with and I'm glad to have been able to get to know you all better! Thanks for letting me crash there most of my trip and for being so gracious with my needs. I had heaps of fun with you all up in the mountains and in melbourne.
4) Eunice over at Malvern. My other dwelling place. Thanks for letting me stay at your apartment and invading your "warehouse". You've been so sweet and I just wanna thank you for letting me stay for that week or so. I'm glad to see your leather journals and diaries and photoalbums picking up. They're beautiful! everyone should have one. More on that in a later post....
5) Great friends I've made along the way. I'm glad I got the chance to hang out with my uni / engineering friends and then make new friends in the process! By alphabetical order: Alan, a fellow snowboarding fanatic, I hope your butt recovers soon so that you can get some spring boarding done man! Bee, you're a blast to hang out with and I enjoyed getting to know you better this time round. I pray that things will go smooth for you and that you'll be smiling all the time! Randy, you're still as goofy as ever and a great buddy to chill out with. At least we hit falls creek together so the promise to ride together this winter was kept. Ru O, you're a barrel of laughs man. It was fun snowboarding with ya and thanks for the jokes in the long car rides. And last but not least, YEN! We finally meet after passing by each other at various events and probably even in the campus centre. 3 years in Monash and I only get to know you when I'm back here for a holiday. Better late than never I guess. Thanks for being such a sweetie. I really enjoyed hanging out with you and getting to know you better. I hope someday we'll get that hot chocolate under the stars.
6) My amazing church friends. Here's a big shout out to this amazing bunch of people who made my non-snowboarding days in melbourne amazing! Thanks for the dinners and that final farewell at HRC! I had a great time fellowshipping with you all! Buzz me for the pictures ok? I have heaps and heaps. See you all in Singspore soon!
Oh there's so much more to be thankful for but it seems I have to start packing my bags now if I wanna get on that plane back to Singapore. hmmmmmm.......
THANKS FOR THE GREAT HOLIDAY!
I had a great time though and I'm thankful that I was able to delay my return by 2 weeks. That extra time gave me the opportunity to enjoy some of the best experiences of the holiday. Epic snowboarding trips. New friends made and great relationships established. Great times over food and at beautiful places. The only drawback is that its making my return to Singapore a little harder.
Well, to sum things up, here's what I'm thankful for:
1) First and foremost, I gotta thank God for blessing me with such a great holiday and the chance to have it.
2) The SNOW! That's the main reason why I came back to begin with! OH and the great chance to ride my custom X. I managed to visit all three mountains as planned and each trip was made amazing by the company of people I was with. My riding has improved and I've got heaps of great photos and videos to seal in the memories.
3) The boys at no.20 Lansell Road. Wilfred, Josh and Brian. You guys have been a great bunch to hang out with and I'm glad to have been able to get to know you all better! Thanks for letting me crash there most of my trip and for being so gracious with my needs. I had heaps of fun with you all up in the mountains and in melbourne.
4) Eunice over at Malvern. My other dwelling place. Thanks for letting me stay at your apartment and invading your "warehouse". You've been so sweet and I just wanna thank you for letting me stay for that week or so. I'm glad to see your leather journals and diaries and photoalbums picking up. They're beautiful! everyone should have one. More on that in a later post....
5) Great friends I've made along the way. I'm glad I got the chance to hang out with my uni / engineering friends and then make new friends in the process! By alphabetical order: Alan, a fellow snowboarding fanatic, I hope your butt recovers soon so that you can get some spring boarding done man! Bee, you're a blast to hang out with and I enjoyed getting to know you better this time round. I pray that things will go smooth for you and that you'll be smiling all the time! Randy, you're still as goofy as ever and a great buddy to chill out with. At least we hit falls creek together so the promise to ride together this winter was kept. Ru O, you're a barrel of laughs man. It was fun snowboarding with ya and thanks for the jokes in the long car rides. And last but not least, YEN! We finally meet after passing by each other at various events and probably even in the campus centre. 3 years in Monash and I only get to know you when I'm back here for a holiday. Better late than never I guess. Thanks for being such a sweetie. I really enjoyed hanging out with you and getting to know you better. I hope someday we'll get that hot chocolate under the stars.
6) My amazing church friends. Here's a big shout out to this amazing bunch of people who made my non-snowboarding days in melbourne amazing! Thanks for the dinners and that final farewell at HRC! I had a great time fellowshipping with you all! Buzz me for the pictures ok? I have heaps and heaps. See you all in Singspore soon!
Oh there's so much more to be thankful for but it seems I have to start packing my bags now if I wanna get on that plane back to Singapore. hmmmmmm.......
THANKS FOR THE GREAT HOLIDAY!
Sunday, August 20, 2006
blue moon
Anyone looked up into the night sky and saw the blue moon today? I didn't. What I did see was this blue tram ticket and it was in my pocket. Yeap! For the first time in my existance in Australia, I have taken the tram. One of Melbourne's most basic form of public transport, I found myself getting into one after finding myself all alone in the house and needing to get to the city.Wilfred's reaction kinda summed it up. "How did you go to the city today? HUH? YOU WHAT?" I must confess that the tram ride was quite pleasant, though the tram hardly moved at the speed of light. It was more like taking a slow relaxed stroll. No rush, no stress. It was quite a good way to take in the urban sights and admire the odd architectural gem. It was also a great chance to put my iPod nano to use. I do miss the times when I enjoy my tunes through earphones as I watch faces come and go on public transport.
It also gave me a chance to spend some time with myself. Sitting there I could ponder upon what I wanted to do with my life. What jobs I'd like to try out. What kind of girl I want to date. How I'm gonna draw closer to God. How I should land that heelside 3 when I launch off a jump.... you know? the important things in life. But seriously, I didn't expect to enjoy taking the tram and I'm thinking that maybe I should take the bus or train now and then just for the kick of it. I reckon it would be a good experience too, being on the bus with no specific destination in mind. Just to be along for the ride and see where it leads you. I'd enjoy that. Someone told me thats what sagittariuses do. They wonder around and enjoy life. Sounds good to me.
Till my next post, take deep breaths and enjoy what life serves up!
Thursday, August 17, 2006
New friends I got to (s)know.
Greetings friends and passers-by!
Looking at the little window on my watch with the date dial reminds me that I have a week left in Australia. Yes, my snowboarding adventures are drawing to a close. With only 2 more day trips left in the plan, I can safely say that its been a blast. I've also met my goal to visit the 3 main ski resorts in Victoria. Yes! I've conquered Hotham, Fallscreek and Buller all in one season.
The new snowboard is phenomenal. I can ride faster, pop higher and carve harder. Its like riding a magic carpet! Furthermore, being a white board, you can barely see any scratches or marks when dumbass skiers run over your board at the chairlift line. It still looks brand new. Sweeeet.
The weather has been pretty good to me. God has blessed me with pretty good snow for some decent fun. This season's riding has definately stepped up a notch. Amen to that! But the most important point to be raving about has gotta be the great company I've had on this trip and the big bunch of friends I've made through the snow! Thanks for all the smashing fun and awesome memories.
As you can tell from the few photos I've placed around this post, I was with great company and it was a blast. Till my next snow season!
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Lima Beans
Hey Y'all! First off, I have to apologise for the recent entries on my blog. I was just looking through it and realised that I've been talking non stop about snowboarding! This must be boring some of you to death! I mean, not everyone has an interest in this topic and yet I keep going on and on about it. Therefore, I have decided to talk about something else in this entry. Something that I'm sure we all hold dear to our hearts. Lima beans.
The Lima bean or butter bean is grown as a vegetable for its mature and immature beans. The small-seeded wild form (Sieva type) is found distributed from Mexico to Argentina, generally below 1600 meters above sea level, while the large-seeded wild form (Lima type) is found distributed in Ecuador and the north of Peru, between 320 and 2030 meters above sea level. The pods are up to 15 cm long. The mature seeds are 1 to 3 cm long and oval to kidney shaped. White seeds are common, but black, red, orange and variously mottled seeds are also known. The immature seeds are uniformly green.
The lima bean is palatable and nutritious both immature as a fresh vegetable and mature as a dry pulse. Dry lima beans require lengthy soaking of about twelve hours and thorough cooking. Both soaking water and cooking water should be discarded to eliminate flatulence-inducing oligosaccharides.
The lima bean is a perennial plant usually cultivated as an annual plant. It prefers warm temperatures, but is tolerant of drought. To plant lima beans properly, the soil temperature needs to be at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. If the soil is 5 degrees colder than that, mortality in the beans may occur.
Righto. To conclude, great wisdom can be gained from this entry. Therefore, if you wanna induce flatulence, you should ingest the soaking or cooking water thats used to prepare the Lima beans! Sweeeeeet.
The Lima bean or butter bean is grown as a vegetable for its mature and immature beans. The small-seeded wild form (Sieva type) is found distributed from Mexico to Argentina, generally below 1600 meters above sea level, while the large-seeded wild form (Lima type) is found distributed in Ecuador and the north of Peru, between 320 and 2030 meters above sea level. The pods are up to 15 cm long. The mature seeds are 1 to 3 cm long and oval to kidney shaped. White seeds are common, but black, red, orange and variously mottled seeds are also known. The immature seeds are uniformly green.
The lima bean is palatable and nutritious both immature as a fresh vegetable and mature as a dry pulse. Dry lima beans require lengthy soaking of about twelve hours and thorough cooking. Both soaking water and cooking water should be discarded to eliminate flatulence-inducing oligosaccharides.
The lima bean is a perennial plant usually cultivated as an annual plant. It prefers warm temperatures, but is tolerant of drought. To plant lima beans properly, the soil temperature needs to be at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. If the soil is 5 degrees colder than that, mortality in the beans may occur.
Righto. To conclude, great wisdom can be gained from this entry. Therefore, if you wanna induce flatulence, you should ingest the soaking or cooking water thats used to prepare the Lima beans! Sweeeeeet.
snowboarding zombie
MAN! A dumbass SKIER skied straight over my board and stripped my quiksilver sticker off the font off my board! ARGH! Is it so difficult to pretend to be sponsered by quiksilver? Why did you have to ski over my board? There I was minding my own business. Sheesh. Oh well, luckily I have a few more of those stickers. *ahem*
Right, enough ranting. Its just that I get so moody when I'm back in Melbourne waiting for the next snowboard trip. True to my Chinese zodiac sign, the mountain goat in me is one with the mountain. (hmmm is it a mountain goat? or just a regular goat?) Don't get me wrong, I love Melbourne! But I liked it a lot more when I had my own car, my own place, my own space. Relying on people for lodging and transport really gets me down. Sleeping in someone's living room, driving someone else's car, asking my hosts what the plans are for dinner....its just not me. I like to get out there and get things done, when I want and how I want.
Besides, I feel bad getting in the way of the people who are nice enough to put me up. Thanks to Wilfred during my first 10 days here and now Eunice. You guys have been great. I'll be out of your hair soon ok?
Hmmmm, though it kinda contradicts my decision to extend my stay here for 2 more weeks huh? Oh, did I forget to mention that I'll be here till the 24th of August? I decided against returning on the original date on the 10th coz there's still so much snowboarding to be done! Bring it on!!! hmmmm, what was I talking about again?
Right, enough ranting. Its just that I get so moody when I'm back in Melbourne waiting for the next snowboard trip. True to my Chinese zodiac sign, the mountain goat in me is one with the mountain. (hmmm is it a mountain goat? or just a regular goat?) Don't get me wrong, I love Melbourne! But I liked it a lot more when I had my own car, my own place, my own space. Relying on people for lodging and transport really gets me down. Sleeping in someone's living room, driving someone else's car, asking my hosts what the plans are for dinner....its just not me. I like to get out there and get things done, when I want and how I want.
Besides, I feel bad getting in the way of the people who are nice enough to put me up. Thanks to Wilfred during my first 10 days here and now Eunice. You guys have been great. I'll be out of your hair soon ok?
Hmmmm, though it kinda contradicts my decision to extend my stay here for 2 more weeks huh? Oh, did I forget to mention that I'll be here till the 24th of August? I decided against returning on the original date on the 10th coz there's still so much snowboarding to be done! Bring it on!!! hmmmm, what was I talking about again?
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
sore bum but going strong
Hey y'all!
Found some time on my hands so I decided to have a quick little update on this bloggo thing-a-magik. As some of you know, I'm still in Melbourne and getting a fair bit of snowboarding done! The snow conditions have really been picking up and it gets better and better with every ride!
Of course, having better snow conditions also means its much colder too. And nothing beats the cold than taking a break on a cafe on top of the snow covered mountain with a hot chocolate and 2 marshmellows in it. Pure bliss! One thing that's spoiling my enjoyment is my sore bum. It hurts so bad when I sit or move around too much. Its the result of crashing too much when your snowboarding stunts go awry I guess. Its funny though, snowboarding. I love it so much but if you think about it, this is quite a mental, physical and financial test.
You see, the cost of going on a snowboarding holiday is phenomenal. Lodging in the mountain is expensive. Food is expensive. Chair lift tickets are expensive. If you rent gear, its gonna cost a bit too. Now, when all that is said and done, you're finally on the mountain and zipping around, and then you crash. You try to get some air, go for jumps, you crash again. Infact, even beginners who are learning on the baby slopes will soon realise that there is a lot of crashing to be done. And then come the aches and sores and pains the morning after. Epic I tell ya. Now finally, comes the cold bit. After boarding down a run, you gotta take the chairlift back up again. Its during those few minutes where you hit the lowest morale in the whole experience. You're sitting on the chairlift, the wind is blowing at sub zero temperatures and you're struggling to keep warm. The wind and snow pounding at your face and other peeks of exposed skin sends painful cold shivers through you. Its miserable.
Yet, despite all that, Snowboarding rocks I tell ya. The freedom and the speed. Zipping around the mountain. Landing your jumps and tricks. Its an amazing feeling. I hope everyone gets to go at least once in their life and enjoy it! Righto, I better go lie down and rest up so that I can recover in time for my next adventure! 3 more days! wooo hooooooo!
Found some time on my hands so I decided to have a quick little update on this bloggo thing-a-magik. As some of you know, I'm still in Melbourne and getting a fair bit of snowboarding done! The snow conditions have really been picking up and it gets better and better with every ride!
Of course, having better snow conditions also means its much colder too. And nothing beats the cold than taking a break on a cafe on top of the snow covered mountain with a hot chocolate and 2 marshmellows in it. Pure bliss! One thing that's spoiling my enjoyment is my sore bum. It hurts so bad when I sit or move around too much. Its the result of crashing too much when your snowboarding stunts go awry I guess. Its funny though, snowboarding. I love it so much but if you think about it, this is quite a mental, physical and financial test.
You see, the cost of going on a snowboarding holiday is phenomenal. Lodging in the mountain is expensive. Food is expensive. Chair lift tickets are expensive. If you rent gear, its gonna cost a bit too. Now, when all that is said and done, you're finally on the mountain and zipping around, and then you crash. You try to get some air, go for jumps, you crash again. Infact, even beginners who are learning on the baby slopes will soon realise that there is a lot of crashing to be done. And then come the aches and sores and pains the morning after. Epic I tell ya. Now finally, comes the cold bit. After boarding down a run, you gotta take the chairlift back up again. Its during those few minutes where you hit the lowest morale in the whole experience. You're sitting on the chairlift, the wind is blowing at sub zero temperatures and you're struggling to keep warm. The wind and snow pounding at your face and other peeks of exposed skin sends painful cold shivers through you. Its miserable.
Yet, despite all that, Snowboarding rocks I tell ya. The freedom and the speed. Zipping around the mountain. Landing your jumps and tricks. Its an amazing feeling. I hope everyone gets to go at least once in their life and enjoy it! Righto, I better go lie down and rest up so that I can recover in time for my next adventure! 3 more days! wooo hooooooo!
Monday, July 24, 2006
Back in Melbourne
Wooooo! Its a day to a week since I've returned to Melbourne and what a week its been! I love the cold. I love it when its so cold out that your fingers feel like ice and you can see your own breath. Somehow, a steaming hot cup of tea always tastes better in cold climates. Brilliant!
So, what have I been up to? Well the first thing I did was go for a cell group meeting! haha. So holy I am. It was good to be reunited with friends from my Church in Melbourne. There were new faces too and it was a blast.
And then the highlight of the week. Snowboarding! We took a drive up on Friday to Falls Creek with Wilfred's friends and terrorised the slopes till Sunday. It was great to be back on the snow again and I finally get to ride my new snowboard and boy! does it shred on the snow. So smooth and zippy. Though at the end of the trip, my bum hurt like crazy coz of all the crashes sustained from numerous jumps. But it was good. Kudos to Brian who managed to pick up the sport of snowboarding. It was his first time and I think he did good.
I would post pictures up but blogger isn't allowing me to for some funny reason. Anyhow, I gotta go make a nice cup of earl grey and watch a movie on the sofa now. Need to rest and recover for my next snow trip on Thursday. Till then.......take care everyone!
So, what have I been up to? Well the first thing I did was go for a cell group meeting! haha. So holy I am. It was good to be reunited with friends from my Church in Melbourne. There were new faces too and it was a blast.
And then the highlight of the week. Snowboarding! We took a drive up on Friday to Falls Creek with Wilfred's friends and terrorised the slopes till Sunday. It was great to be back on the snow again and I finally get to ride my new snowboard and boy! does it shred on the snow. So smooth and zippy. Though at the end of the trip, my bum hurt like crazy coz of all the crashes sustained from numerous jumps. But it was good. Kudos to Brian who managed to pick up the sport of snowboarding. It was his first time and I think he did good.
I would post pictures up but blogger isn't allowing me to for some funny reason. Anyhow, I gotta go make a nice cup of earl grey and watch a movie on the sofa now. Need to rest and recover for my next snow trip on Thursday. Till then.......take care everyone!
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Wall of friends
Hey y'all!
The wall of friends has GROWN! go check it out! see if you can find your faces there and if somehow I've missed you (or you just can't find your face), give me a holler and I'll get straight on it!
you can check the wall out here.
The wall of friends has GROWN! go check it out! see if you can find your faces there and if somehow I've missed you (or you just can't find your face), give me a holler and I'll get straight on it!
you can check the wall out here.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Coldplay went by at the speed of sound
Yes! I finally caught my favourite band, Coldplay, in concert. I missed the last chance I had to watch them when they went to Melbourne but as luck would have it, their tour came to Singapore!
Concerts are even better when in the company of good friends, and this one was no exception. Jialing, Adrian, Geri, Pierre, Jason and Anna were right there in the thick of it with me. Jumping and singing and cheering and clapping.
From the moment the first song was unleashed and the lightings fired up, it was pure electricity and aural pleasure! Coldplay sang all the favourites and the crowd was definately pleased. My personal favourites were all there. God put a smile upon my face, YELLOW, the scientist, clocks, speed of sound... the list goes on and on. And what a performance the band put on! It was also fun to see the giant confetti filled yellow ballons bounce around when yellow played.
Now that the concert's over, and the Fifa world cup has also concluded, I only have snowboarding left to look forward to. LOOOOOOK AT THE STARRRRRS! LOOOOOK HOW THEY SHINE FOR YOUUUUUUUUU.
Concerts are even better when in the company of good friends, and this one was no exception. Jialing, Adrian, Geri, Pierre, Jason and Anna were right there in the thick of it with me. Jumping and singing and cheering and clapping.
From the moment the first song was unleashed and the lightings fired up, it was pure electricity and aural pleasure! Coldplay sang all the favourites and the crowd was definately pleased. My personal favourites were all there. God put a smile upon my face, YELLOW, the scientist, clocks, speed of sound... the list goes on and on. And what a performance the band put on! It was also fun to see the giant confetti filled yellow ballons bounce around when yellow played.
Now that the concert's over, and the Fifa world cup has also concluded, I only have snowboarding left to look forward to. LOOOOOOK AT THE STARRRRRS! LOOOOOK HOW THEY SHINE FOR YOUUUUUUUUU.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Post-wakeboarding
Sunday came and went, and what a Sunday it was! I finally got to wakeboard and the weather was awesome! The company was great too. A fun bunch from my cell group made it possible. However, the day wasn't without drawbacks. You see, the many times I've been wakeboarding at Punggol Marina, I always walk by a PINK coloured boat and I'll chuckle to myself. This particular boat looked like it was designed by Mattel for their most famous export, Barbie. It had pink trimmings and a pink canopy and pink sides and pink seats and probably a pink motor if you peeked under the hood. I'd always think to myself, "Gosh, thats a gay one. I'll never be caught in that."
So there I was, lugging my wakeboard and chugging along when I asked the driver which boat we were taking out. You can imagine my horror when he stopped in his tracks next to the pink boat and said, "this one."
Of course, Adrian had failed to mention that he had randomly booked the boats and he'd been assigned a boat called the Pinky X5. PINKY X5!! It even had a GAY name!! We were riding the PINK GAY BOAT!!! You can see that I wasn't too pleased. Thats the last time I'll let Adrian book the boats. Oh well.
So we were off. Split into 2 groups, I had Adrian, Rina and Ruth in *ahem* the pinky x5. But it was a blast! We had a great time laughing at each other and snapping pictures. It was great seeing them learn how to wakeboard. There was a lot of yelling going on too, mostly me screaming at them to squat like an ah beng. The other boat of Anne, Diana, Alan and Jason (was his name Jason? I cannot remember) whizzed by us a few times too. They seemed to be doing well and we even managed to catch a few shots of them.
At the end of the day, everyone had a great time and sun kissed skin. Then it was off to Jalan Kayu for Briani, mee goreng and prata. Can't wait till the next time we go riding again! Later!
So there I was, lugging my wakeboard and chugging along when I asked the driver which boat we were taking out. You can imagine my horror when he stopped in his tracks next to the pink boat and said, "this one."
Of course, Adrian had failed to mention that he had randomly booked the boats and he'd been assigned a boat called the Pinky X5. PINKY X5!! It even had a GAY name!! We were riding the PINK GAY BOAT!!! You can see that I wasn't too pleased. Thats the last time I'll let Adrian book the boats. Oh well.So we were off. Split into 2 groups, I had Adrian, Rina and Ruth in *ahem* the pinky x5. But it was a blast! We had a great time laughing at each other and snapping pictures. It was great seeing them learn how to wakeboard. There was a lot of yelling going on too, mostly me screaming at them to squat like an ah beng. The other boat of Anne, Diana, Alan and Jason (was his name Jason? I cannot remember) whizzed by us a few times too. They seemed to be doing well and we even managed to catch a few shots of them.
At the end of the day, everyone had a great time and sun kissed skin. Then it was off to Jalan Kayu for Briani, mee goreng and prata. Can't wait till the next time we go riding again! Later!
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Pre-Wakeboarding
Yay! found some church friends to go wakeboarding with! The sun is out and the morning looks great! No jellyfish please. weeeeee
Friday, June 02, 2006
How do you.....
.....get on this panel here at the start page of your blogger account? They say here that these are the blogs they've "noticed" recently, and they're encouraging us to have a look if we feel like browsing. How does your blog get "noticed"? Who does the noticing? Could it be there's some dedicated blogger staff sitting in some dark dinghy room, staring at their computers and running through the entire database screening and browsing every blog on their system? And then suddenly, EUREKA! Check it out guys! here's an interesting blog that everyone should browse to! OOHHH let's put in on the "noticed" panel!This panel, though capable of providing some material to glance at during times of boredom, is bothersome. Well bothersome to me at least. And in a number of ways too. Firstly, how do they decide which blogs to feature? The internet is a gargantuan network of computers and therefore, plays host to a ginormous amount of people at any single moment. Are there a set of guidelines to follow in order to ensure that most, if not all, of the possible interest groups are met? Could there be a person who actually clicked on every single featured blog and find nothing ineresting at all?
I clicked on some of them and was flabbergasted to find some really boring blogs in there. One showed nothing but the author's pet dog (and a really ugly one too) and another had heaps and heaps of programming jargon in there. I am in no way saying that my blog is any better and frankly, I think its filled with rubbish, but these other blogs are FEATURED! Blogger actually thinks they are worth checking out! Who does the quality control? Or maybe its just a computer program that randomly spits out a blog onto that list.
Now if its not a computer program, and someone at blogger actually thinks that a blog has content worth showcasing, does that mean that people are sifting through our blogs? Is this like a "big brother" thing where everything we say and publish is being scrutinised and kept under the watchful eye of some blogger government? Will we be eliminated or have our accounts suspended if we mention something that upsets them?
So whats up with that panel? Is it a geniune spot to showcase outstanding blogs? Or is it a subtle warning to let you know that an all seeing entity is keeping tabs on what you say. eerie.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
The Great Singapore Idol Diet
Alright all you fatties and people who are not fat but are worried about getting fat or just people who even bother to "diet"! I've got a good one for ya! The Great Singapore idol Diet!
I had the misfortune of having the television set switched on at around 11:37pm yesterday and right after the episode of "without a trace", channel 5 ran a little trailer showcasing some contestants fighting for a spot in the finals in the second season of Singapore Idol. Pick up your phones and vote NOW! YOU get to CHOOSE who enters the finals!.....Blared my TV set. And then the horror began. You know how it is when there's an inexplicably ugly or horrid freakish creature in a cage at those weird carnivals, and even though you knew you'd feel sick looking at it but you just had to sneak a peek? Well, my neck muscles twitched and instinctively turned my head towards the TV screen. I watched the snippets of the contestants singing and grooving to the songs. Well, I think they were singing, or at least trying to sing. And no, there was no groove at all. These are the people that our judges have filtered out and come up with?
And then it hit me. The nauseous feeling right from the pits of my gut. The half a pint of Ben & Jerry's phish food, half a bag of tapioca chips and a can of coke that I had guzzled down during "without a trace" started to churn within me as if some delicate chemical balance had been upset. "Why is this happening?" I wondered to myself. My junk food always went down well no matter what the conditions were. What's different this time round? I analysed the situation, trying to figure out a differential diagnosis.
The Idol jingle at the end of the commercial sparked of a giant halogen lamp on top of my head, shedding light on my query. Singapore Idol was making me sick. Just watching those people perform made my guts cringe. Why do they even bother? It was total rubbish and sickeningly abysmal. What good could come out of such a horrid program?
Gosh if a short teaser like this could make me almost throw up my yummies, what would a full hour long episode do?! Aha! catch my drift? See where this is heading? The Great Singapore Idol Diet! Simple. Just watch it during dinner (its around dinner time anyway) and TADA! everything will come straight out and no extra calories for the night! In fact, endure your hunger during dinner time and wait for the show to start! You'll lose your appetite straight away. Problem solved and no vomiting required. For those going for a more extreme solution, you can record it and play it back during various meal times or when you feel hungry. Don't overdo it though coz you still need to feed your body to maintain normal body functions. And the best thing is, you get a fresh dose every week in case you start to get used to the current prescription! Brilliant!
So go forth and take advantage of this great diet programme and you'll be losing the kilos in no time! No charge for this one. Later!
I had the misfortune of having the television set switched on at around 11:37pm yesterday and right after the episode of "without a trace", channel 5 ran a little trailer showcasing some contestants fighting for a spot in the finals in the second season of Singapore Idol. Pick up your phones and vote NOW! YOU get to CHOOSE who enters the finals!.....Blared my TV set. And then the horror began. You know how it is when there's an inexplicably ugly or horrid freakish creature in a cage at those weird carnivals, and even though you knew you'd feel sick looking at it but you just had to sneak a peek? Well, my neck muscles twitched and instinctively turned my head towards the TV screen. I watched the snippets of the contestants singing and grooving to the songs. Well, I think they were singing, or at least trying to sing. And no, there was no groove at all. These are the people that our judges have filtered out and come up with?
And then it hit me. The nauseous feeling right from the pits of my gut. The half a pint of Ben & Jerry's phish food, half a bag of tapioca chips and a can of coke that I had guzzled down during "without a trace" started to churn within me as if some delicate chemical balance had been upset. "Why is this happening?" I wondered to myself. My junk food always went down well no matter what the conditions were. What's different this time round? I analysed the situation, trying to figure out a differential diagnosis.
The Idol jingle at the end of the commercial sparked of a giant halogen lamp on top of my head, shedding light on my query. Singapore Idol was making me sick. Just watching those people perform made my guts cringe. Why do they even bother? It was total rubbish and sickeningly abysmal. What good could come out of such a horrid program?
Gosh if a short teaser like this could make me almost throw up my yummies, what would a full hour long episode do?! Aha! catch my drift? See where this is heading? The Great Singapore Idol Diet! Simple. Just watch it during dinner (its around dinner time anyway) and TADA! everything will come straight out and no extra calories for the night! In fact, endure your hunger during dinner time and wait for the show to start! You'll lose your appetite straight away. Problem solved and no vomiting required. For those going for a more extreme solution, you can record it and play it back during various meal times or when you feel hungry. Don't overdo it though coz you still need to feed your body to maintain normal body functions. And the best thing is, you get a fresh dose every week in case you start to get used to the current prescription! Brilliant!
So go forth and take advantage of this great diet programme and you'll be losing the kilos in no time! No charge for this one. Later!
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Give me back my TV!
My life as I know it is over. Once again, it is the time of the year where good TV shows in the US come to an end. As summer approaches, prime time TV in America all draw to an end, leaving us, the faithful watchers, lost. Our minds are wrecked with anxiety and curiosity. Oh those damned cliffhangers!
(House MD) Whatever happens to Dr House? Will he survive his bullet wounds?
(the O.C) What will the OC be like without Marissa? Will the show still be called "the O.C" when all the kids are going to universities that are NOT in Orange County?
(Lost) What the heck is happening to the survivors lost on that weird island? and Desmond's girlfriend?! How did she get into the picture? Do Micheal and Walt really escape the island?
(Grey's Anatomy) Who will Meredith Grey choose? Is izzy really quiting the SGH internship programme??
(invasion) Will the aliens prevail and take over the world and complete their invasion?
(surface) Will the undersea creatures take over the world and surface?
(Prison break) Where are Micheal Scolfield and his gang run? Can they outrun the police or will they be caught again?
(24) The president got assassinated?! Again??
And the biggest question of them all. WHAT AM I GONNA DO NOW THAT I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO WATCH?!
sigh.
(House MD) Whatever happens to Dr House? Will he survive his bullet wounds? 
(the O.C) What will the OC be like without Marissa? Will the show still be called "the O.C" when all the kids are going to universities that are NOT in Orange County?
(Lost) What the heck is happening to the survivors lost on that weird island? and Desmond's girlfriend?! How did she get into the picture? Do Micheal and Walt really escape the island?
(Grey's Anatomy) Who will Meredith Grey choose? Is izzy really quiting the SGH internship programme?? 
(invasion) Will the aliens prevail and take over the world and complete their invasion? 
(surface) Will the undersea creatures take over the world and surface? 
(Prison break) Where are Micheal Scolfield and his gang run? Can they outrun the police or will they be caught again? 
(24) The president got assassinated?! Again??And the biggest question of them all. WHAT AM I GONNA DO NOW THAT I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO WATCH?!
sigh.
Friday, May 12, 2006
I crave pancakes
Righto. How is everyone today? Jolly good I hope? I am in dire need of some advice right now. Being stuck on this little island country of Singapore, would anyone happen to know where I could get some quality pancakes for breakfast. And no, not those crappy hotcakes from MacDonalds. I'm talking about fluffy, steamy, airy buttermilk pancakes. Preferably with blueberries and a dollop of butter. Oh and some side servings of fried mushrooms, sunny side up eggs, rashers of bacon and chucky hashbrowns. Oh the memories of USA's iHop and Australia's pancake parlour. Help! Anyone?
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
epiphanical post
Whilst having ice cream with a close friend recently, she causually remarked that she had wasted a considerable amount of effort typing my "ridiculously long" blog address on her web browser, only to be greeted with an entry that she had read ages ago. "You don't update it anymore!" she said. "How can we be updated with the latest happenings in your life?"
Haven't you heard of a book mark you cow? And you can call me on the phone to see whats up can't ya? Well, I didn't say that, but those words went through my head. I brushed it off and said that there's nothing much to blog about anyway. And its true. The amount of fun and creativity I have in my blog entries, are directly proportional to how happening my life is. And honestly, my life is experiencing zilch right now.
I don't do much and go out much so I don't take pictures. I meet people now and then to do mundane things so there's nothing amazing or mentally stimulating going on. There's just nothing going in my life right now thats worth blogging about. And with each passing day, I get lazier and lazier and hence no activity on my blog.
so whats the point of this entry? nothing. absolutely nothing. ok bye.
Haven't you heard of a book mark you cow? And you can call me on the phone to see whats up can't ya? Well, I didn't say that, but those words went through my head. I brushed it off and said that there's nothing much to blog about anyway. And its true. The amount of fun and creativity I have in my blog entries, are directly proportional to how happening my life is. And honestly, my life is experiencing zilch right now.
I don't do much and go out much so I don't take pictures. I meet people now and then to do mundane things so there's nothing amazing or mentally stimulating going on. There's just nothing going in my life right now thats worth blogging about. And with each passing day, I get lazier and lazier and hence no activity on my blog.
so whats the point of this entry? nothing. absolutely nothing. ok bye.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Dream of Randomy
My head was buried in a nice big fluffy pillow and I was hugging my soft comfy bolster. The giant quilt wrapped around me doubled as both a mattress under me and a blanket keeping me warm. And there I was lying down on the lift landing in between 2 lifts on the 12th floor of some apartment.
I was constantly looking at my mobile phone wondering when Melissa would call. I was also trying to recall what floor she lived on ( Melissa lives in a landed house at Chaun Drive dumbo.). I was on the 12th floor, but I had the feeling that she actually resided on the 10th. Then I decided, I didn't want to lie down there anymore coz its dirty and totally weird to be lying on the floor with a pillow, a bolster and a quilt in a public area ( no shit einstein ). So I got up and pressed the down button for the elevator.
When it arrived, I got in, carrying my pillow, bolster and quilt in a huge bundle. As I was walking through the doors hugging my bundle, 2 people rushed into the lift, almost shoving me aside in the process. For some reason I could tell they were brother and sister. Maybe coz they looked alike. They both had slightly deformed looking faces, well not really deformed, but they had features that were not normal. It was kinda like features of mentally retarded people. I tried not to make eye contact even though I was kinda peeved at them for being so rude. They started talking in English, but I couldn't understand a single word they uttered.
The elevator stopped at the 10th floor and a lady got in. She was slightly on the bulky side and she was dressed very plainly. She was also carrying a black leather sling bag. For some funny reason she stood right in front of me. Her face straight at my face. I couldn't help but notice that she had a cleft upper lip. The elevator went down a floor and suddenly she muttered, "Darren? Don't you remember me?" My brain was sent racing. Who was this woman? Was she from my advanced diploma course? The one I took during my army days? "Are you......my classmate?" I stuttered. She used both hands to pull me to a corner of the elevator. " We went Mt.Buller together remember? don't tell me you've forgotten?" she said. Her eyes seemed to reflect a pained emotion, as if I had hurt her for not remembering her.
"Buller?" I muttered and then the elevator reached the ground floor. Everyone got out of it and the odd sibling pair walked off. I was left there standing in front of this mystery woman, trying to recollect all my snowboarding trips. I couldn't place her anywhere. And then I woke up.
I was having another totally weird, random and nonsensical dream. I've been getting a lot of it lately. I wonder why. Maybe I'm going insane. AND NOW I CAN'T GO BACK TO SLEEP COZ I'M SO AWAKE!!! AAARRRGGGGHHHHH. so here I am documenting my dream. Sheesh.
On a side note, the song "breathe" by Anna Nalick is totally awesome! Just wanted to share this with all my fellow music lovers out there. LAter.
I was constantly looking at my mobile phone wondering when Melissa would call. I was also trying to recall what floor she lived on ( Melissa lives in a landed house at Chaun Drive dumbo.). I was on the 12th floor, but I had the feeling that she actually resided on the 10th. Then I decided, I didn't want to lie down there anymore coz its dirty and totally weird to be lying on the floor with a pillow, a bolster and a quilt in a public area ( no shit einstein ). So I got up and pressed the down button for the elevator.
When it arrived, I got in, carrying my pillow, bolster and quilt in a huge bundle. As I was walking through the doors hugging my bundle, 2 people rushed into the lift, almost shoving me aside in the process. For some reason I could tell they were brother and sister. Maybe coz they looked alike. They both had slightly deformed looking faces, well not really deformed, but they had features that were not normal. It was kinda like features of mentally retarded people. I tried not to make eye contact even though I was kinda peeved at them for being so rude. They started talking in English, but I couldn't understand a single word they uttered.
The elevator stopped at the 10th floor and a lady got in. She was slightly on the bulky side and she was dressed very plainly. She was also carrying a black leather sling bag. For some funny reason she stood right in front of me. Her face straight at my face. I couldn't help but notice that she had a cleft upper lip. The elevator went down a floor and suddenly she muttered, "Darren? Don't you remember me?" My brain was sent racing. Who was this woman? Was she from my advanced diploma course? The one I took during my army days? "Are you......my classmate?" I stuttered. She used both hands to pull me to a corner of the elevator. " We went Mt.Buller together remember? don't tell me you've forgotten?" she said. Her eyes seemed to reflect a pained emotion, as if I had hurt her for not remembering her.
"Buller?" I muttered and then the elevator reached the ground floor. Everyone got out of it and the odd sibling pair walked off. I was left there standing in front of this mystery woman, trying to recollect all my snowboarding trips. I couldn't place her anywhere. And then I woke up.
I was having another totally weird, random and nonsensical dream. I've been getting a lot of it lately. I wonder why. Maybe I'm going insane. AND NOW I CAN'T GO BACK TO SLEEP COZ I'M SO AWAKE!!! AAARRRGGGGHHHHH. so here I am documenting my dream. Sheesh.
On a side note, the song "breathe" by Anna Nalick is totally awesome! Just wanted to share this with all my fellow music lovers out there. LAter.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Geunomeun meoshiteotda
I think it means "the guy was gorgeous and cool" or some shit like that. Its the title of a korean movie DVD. Kim (my sister) came knocking on my door askin," hey BRUDDER. can you copy a DVD for me?" Being the king in technology of the house on Meragi road, I said no problem without even batting an eyelid.
So here I am at my under-utilised powerhouse computer, making a copy of this DVD and I couldn't help but notice the synopsis on the back of the DVD cover.
And I Quote"
Silver the saint is still the high senior high school living, come from well off family, the looks is surprisingly handsome and talented, and is still cause, his personality that one of the king of high and well known four greatest dayseses (???), because of the financial situation irascible (???), the does not tame, is filled withed the treachery consciousness. The beautiful and male of pattern revolts the saint of young silver to from here had the ream all young girl is it the madness's factor, place that arrive do is a baking hot vision of girls. It is ordinary that is a high student, outlooking of woman, but is filled withed the vitality, personality lovely. Soon opened to learn.
" unQuote.
Holy COW! how mind boggling is that?? I mean, after reading that you just gotta watch the movie man. You can't pass up a show with such an intriguing and mind blowing synopsis! I mean, whats happening? Whats gonna happen? WHAT IS IT ABOUT IN THE FIRST PLACE?! Whoa. intense and totally deep man. trippy. Can't wait to pop the DVD into my DVD player of being high technology and best visual entertainment in surprising unity family room. see? I can talk like them now. sweeeet.
So here I am at my under-utilised powerhouse computer, making a copy of this DVD and I couldn't help but notice the synopsis on the back of the DVD cover.
And I Quote"
Silver the saint is still the high senior high school living, come from well off family, the looks is surprisingly handsome and talented, and is still cause, his personality that one of the king of high and well known four greatest dayseses (???), because of the financial situation irascible (???), the does not tame, is filled withed the treachery consciousness. The beautiful and male of pattern revolts the saint of young silver to from here had the ream all young girl is it the madness's factor, place that arrive do is a baking hot vision of girls. It is ordinary that is a high student, outlooking of woman, but is filled withed the vitality, personality lovely. Soon opened to learn.
" unQuote.
Holy COW! how mind boggling is that?? I mean, after reading that you just gotta watch the movie man. You can't pass up a show with such an intriguing and mind blowing synopsis! I mean, whats happening? Whats gonna happen? WHAT IS IT ABOUT IN THE FIRST PLACE?! Whoa. intense and totally deep man. trippy. Can't wait to pop the DVD into my DVD player of being high technology and best visual entertainment in surprising unity family room. see? I can talk like them now. sweeeet.
Friday, March 31, 2006
brokenspacebar
Thisiswhatmypostwouldlooklikeifmyspacebarwasbroken.Allofmywordswouldbestucktogether
andtheonlyhintofsegmentationwouldbeinthepunctuations.Itisquiteannoyingtoreadisn'tit?Infact,Ireckonitwouldbealmostimposssibletoreadespeciallyifyouwerejustglancingthroughtohave
aquickupdateonmylife.wouldyouevenbotherreadingit.Iguessyouwouldsinceyou'vealreadyreadtill
thispoint.Idon'tthinkitsgoodfortheeyesthough,butitwilldefinatelybeaworkoutforthebrainseeing
howitwouldneedtodecipherthewordsinthesentanceandwhereitstartsandends.doyouactuallyhear
yourselfreadinyourmind.youwouldprobablysoundlikearobotreadingthisentrycozthatshowisound
liketomyselftypingthis.atthesametime,asIreadthisentry,myeyesarealsomovingconstantlyfrontand
backcozsomeofthewordskindamakenewwordswiththenextwordwhenstucktogetherlikethat.itsquite
amusingcozitsliketheeyesandthemindaresendingconflictingsignalsandeverythinghastobere
examined,whichisunnatural.anyhow,i'mgettingsickofthisandatthesametimemytypingisgetting
affectedcozmyhandsaregettingusedtonothittingthespacebar.bye
andtheonlyhintofsegmentationwouldbeinthepunctuations.Itisquiteannoyingtoreadisn'tit?Infact,Ireckonitwouldbealmostimposssibletoreadespeciallyifyouwerejustglancingthroughtohave
aquickupdateonmylife.wouldyouevenbotherreadingit.Iguessyouwouldsinceyou'vealreadyreadtill
thispoint.Idon'tthinkitsgoodfortheeyesthough,butitwilldefinatelybeaworkoutforthebrainseeing
howitwouldneedtodecipherthewordsinthesentanceandwhereitstartsandends.doyouactuallyhear
yourselfreadinyourmind.youwouldprobablysoundlikearobotreadingthisentrycozthatshowisound
liketomyselftypingthis.atthesametime,asIreadthisentry,myeyesarealsomovingconstantlyfrontand
backcozsomeofthewordskindamakenewwordswiththenextwordwhenstucktogetherlikethat.itsquite
amusingcozitsliketheeyesandthemindaresendingconflictingsignalsandeverythinghastobere
examined,whichisunnatural.anyhow,i'mgettingsickofthisandatthesametimemytypingisgetting
affectedcozmyhandsaregettingusedtonothittingthespacebar.bye
Sunday, March 26, 2006
without you near
its starting to get lonely and dark. I can't see much further. Where do you go from here.
How can you sit there watching, talking, to someone you think is me?
You think I'll fly, run, jump, when I'm just a rock embedded in a clump of weeds.
Yet I'm slowly being ground into sand. by the consistent pelting of questions. thoughts. ideas.
I just need to sit here for a while. I don't want to roll, I'll gather moss and disappear.
the others are everywhere. fluttering around. and my distance grows further and further with every flap.
its getting lonely, but its where i'd rather be.
wear down till there's nothing left. and be blown away away by the wind.
How can you sit there watching, talking, to someone you think is me?
You think I'll fly, run, jump, when I'm just a rock embedded in a clump of weeds.
Yet I'm slowly being ground into sand. by the consistent pelting of questions. thoughts. ideas.
I just need to sit here for a while. I don't want to roll, I'll gather moss and disappear.
the others are everywhere. fluttering around. and my distance grows further and further with every flap.
its getting lonely, but its where i'd rather be.
wear down till there's nothing left. and be blown away away by the wind.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Revisited: Leaving on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again.
Actually, turns out I'll be back on the 8th of March 2006.
Actually, turns out I'll be back on the 8th of March 2006.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
How to survive being thrown out of the car
As I was cleaning the interior of my car today, I decided to clean the door sill while still perched in the driver's seat. Yes, I know I could've stepped out of the car and kneeled down next to the door to do it, but I was just too lazy and the nappa leather seats were just too comfy! Well, it cost me because somehow, I managed to find myself in an awkward and precarious position and ended up landing on my face and elbows on the cold hard concrete. It hurt. Fortunately there was no one around and I scrambled back to my feet and nursed my sore and skinned elbows.
And then I thought to myself, "Gosh, falling out of a stationary car hurts a lot! How do you ever survive falling out of a moving car?" Therefore in order to protect the interests of all the motorists and passengers reading my blog, I went ahead to do some research and here's what I found.
Prior to actually getting thrown out of the car, it's best to prepare on your own. Go into a quiet room and spin in circles looking down at the floor and up at the ceiling in order to get ready for the spin that you'll get thrown into once you hit the floor. Then, take yourself to your nearest slabs of nice, clean concrete and practise throwing yourself elbow first on the floor. This way you can mentally prepare for the impact, so it's not a shock when it happens. Obviously you've got to make sure you have some decent protective padding on first.
Once you've done the initial preparation, you need to find a good smooth surface to land on. If the surface is rough, there's a very high chance you will tear your clothing and really injure yourself. The car itself needs to have a wide door and, more importantly, a reliable driver that you can trust.
Recce the road and practise opening and closing the door of the car
Before actually going ahead with the jump, drive along the road a couple of times, opening the door and checking for the best spot to land on. Shout at the point where you're going to jump, so everyone around knows where and when it's going to happen. Once you've done the initial preparation, you need to find a good smooth surface to land on.
Try to land elbow first. This will reduce the shock of the impact.
Good padding is essential. Ideally, your whole body will be covered, preferably starting with a pair of jeans and a decent jacket. Underneath that, you'll need padding on your elbows and knees - basically every bony bit of your body needs protection. When it comes to being kicked out of the door, think of how a pen or pencil rolls. That's what you have to emulate. Throw yourself out, leading with your shoulder or arm. If you lead with your hand, you'll tear all of your skin and you won't complete the roll properly.
Wear plenty of padding and let the momentum carry you until you stop.
Your arm should contact the surface and throw you into the spin. The hardest part is actually stopping once you've begun the whole thing. You have to keep going, let your energy just carry you and slide along. Once you've accomplished that, you can stand up, dust yourself off and live to tell the tale.
Re-arrange clothes, comb hair and repeat if necessary.
And then I thought to myself, "Gosh, falling out of a stationary car hurts a lot! How do you ever survive falling out of a moving car?" Therefore in order to protect the interests of all the motorists and passengers reading my blog, I went ahead to do some research and here's what I found.
Prior to actually getting thrown out of the car, it's best to prepare on your own. Go into a quiet room and spin in circles looking down at the floor and up at the ceiling in order to get ready for the spin that you'll get thrown into once you hit the floor. Then, take yourself to your nearest slabs of nice, clean concrete and practise throwing yourself elbow first on the floor. This way you can mentally prepare for the impact, so it's not a shock when it happens. Obviously you've got to make sure you have some decent protective padding on first.
Once you've done the initial preparation, you need to find a good smooth surface to land on. If the surface is rough, there's a very high chance you will tear your clothing and really injure yourself. The car itself needs to have a wide door and, more importantly, a reliable driver that you can trust.
Recce the road and practise opening and closing the door of the carBefore actually going ahead with the jump, drive along the road a couple of times, opening the door and checking for the best spot to land on. Shout at the point where you're going to jump, so everyone around knows where and when it's going to happen. Once you've done the initial preparation, you need to find a good smooth surface to land on.
Try to land elbow first. This will reduce the shock of the impact. Good padding is essential. Ideally, your whole body will be covered, preferably starting with a pair of jeans and a decent jacket. Underneath that, you'll need padding on your elbows and knees - basically every bony bit of your body needs protection. When it comes to being kicked out of the door, think of how a pen or pencil rolls. That's what you have to emulate. Throw yourself out, leading with your shoulder or arm. If you lead with your hand, you'll tear all of your skin and you won't complete the roll properly.
Wear plenty of padding and let the momentum carry you until you stop. Your arm should contact the surface and throw you into the spin. The hardest part is actually stopping once you've begun the whole thing. You have to keep going, let your energy just carry you and slide along. Once you've accomplished that, you can stand up, dust yourself off and live to tell the tale.
Re-arrange clothes, comb hair and repeat if necessary.
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