Out of this world!

Greetings and salutations!

Ok so I promised that I'll bring you upstairs in the next post. But before that, so many people have been asking me, what is Jeddah like? So my bedroom will have to wait till the next time as I set out to tackle this burning question.

First off, lets get the location right. Jeddah is one of the major cities of Saudi Arabia. Some even call it the commercial capital of the country. Located on the western coastline of Saudi Arabia, its a thriving port city. Having been here for a month now, I can say that this place is out of this world. And it is.


Located about 1.17899 billion kilometers away from earth when the entire solar system is lined up in a straight row, Saudi Arabia boasts a culture and lifestyle you'd never imagine was possible. And if you think thats a lot to contend with, there's always the landscape and surroundings.

True to its alienic persona, you feel like you're landing on mars when you look out of the aircraft window before touch-down. But in fact, as my diagram above has shown , you're further from mars than you think you are. Interplanetary travel on a boeing. Imagine that.


Here's the view from my hotel room during my initial days here. The breathtaking view brought tears to my eyes. Mainly because the breath I was taking was full of sand and obviously some of it got into my eye.


Of course I've already mentioned some of the adjustments to my lifestyle in my previous entries and chats I've had with friends.
- No ice cold beer to enjoy after work (Man I miss my crown lager)
- No socialising with members of the opposite sex unless its a spouse. Which makes me wonder, how did you meet your spouse in the first place?
- gotta time your shopping to make sure that it does not coincide with the prayer timings.
- All women are covered up. All you see are men, whom sometimes, I wish were covered up too.
- Various public places are segregated into 2 sections. One for single men, the other for families.
- The mad driving style on the road. Its like a warzone out there.

Even the birds do things a little differently here. Usually, you'd think that under a car would be the last place you'd wanna be. But here, they stay there to survive.

When I'm out and about, I marvel at the vast amounts of space rock and sand. Its everywhere. Granted you see the occasional palm tree here and there. But why does this place look like the inhabitants of zargon 4 invaded recently? It looks like a warzone! There's rubble and shells of destroyed buildings everywhere. As for the roads, lets just say the surface of the moon would feel like the backside of a new born baby when compared to the road surfaces here.


But you know what? Despite everything, I'm laughing most of the time. Not only at the insanity of this place, but also at the amazing experience and opportunity I've been given. Just the other night, as I was walking to my car after a long day at work, I found myself looking upwards to the night sky. There was a gentle breeze blowing, accompanied by the sound of the palm trees rustling in rhythm with the distant roar of an aircraft billowing down a runway. I could see the stars. The same stars that you'd probably see if you look up at night on earth. As I stood there on the warm desert floor, I took a deep breath and I thought to myself, wow, I'm in Saudi Arabia.

Week 3 gone by

Time sure flies! Feels like I just landed in Saudi Arabia not too long ago. At the same time I feel like I've been here for ages. This place messes with your mind. At least I still have a mind to mess with, I'm surprised I haven't lost it! Anyhow, many have been asking about the kind of accommodation I live in here. Well, the majority of expats here live in what is known as a compound. Its like a community within walls and each entrance/exit is guarded. Security is pretty good in these compounds and the people living within don't have to worry so much about the restrictions that are in place everywhere else. So women can walk around in shorts and T shirts and a man can talk to a woman even if they're not married. Wow! How about that?

Anyhow, photos of the security aren't allowed in these parts so I secretly snapped one while I was driving home the other day. Here you can check out one of three machine gun installations that guard the entrances and exits.


First time I saw it I was thinking to myself "Holy cow! Is that for real?" What kind of crazy people do they have here to warrant that kind of setup? Quite worrying. And its not like the pissy rifle that I handled during my NS days. Its more like a full-on Rambo badda badda (Celine's sound) machine gun.

Ok, so moving on, after you reach the guard house and let them inspect your resident's label on your car, resident's card from your wallet, recite the secret resident's pass phrase and finally give them the secret resident's handshake and wave, you go through and then pull up into the driveway of your unit. They call it a "villa" but I think its too posh a word. Villa stimulates thoughts of a luxurious establishment by the beach adorned with high-end fixtures with german brands that cannot be pronounced without sounding like you're clearing your throat. A villa is something that will feature in tatler magazine or the latest Architect's digest. What I have here, is a box from the 80's with bits of wood nailed to it.


And yes, thats my amazing grey Honda Civic 1.6 with ABS. No, not Assisted Braking System. Its Air-Bags Short. Once you're parked and through the front door, you see the kitchen.


Its pretty good sized and has all the basic components of a kitchen. No complaints here. There's even a water dispenser thingo coz apparently, if you drink the water from the tap, you'll be filled with so much metals that it'll react in your guts and make you a walking time-bomb. So don't drink from the tap unless you wanna commit suicide (bombing). Now, if you look behind, you'll see the maid's room (which I have decided to use as a store room since I don't have a live-in maid) and next to it is the laundry area.


So walk past the kitchen and you'll find yourself in the dining area. The unit comes with a full sized dining table and huge cabinet to display all your wares. Pretty useless since I live alone and don't have huge meals. But its pretty good for having my morning cereal and reading the newspaper sprawled across the whole table.


So from the dining area, we then transit to the living area. I converted one end into my "work" area. Got my trusty mac setup there. All my music, entertainment and most importantly, the link to the real world is here. The other end has got the sofa set and TV with cable. I haven't sat on the sofa since I got here. Its green. It'll be like seating in a sea of moss.


Phew! This blog post is getting a bit longer than I expected! Tell you what, I'll leave you with a shot of my back patio and that'll conclude the tour of the ground floor. I'll take you guys upstairs in my next post! Hope you enjoyed the guided tour!

Puff the orange loofah

Asalaam mualaikum!

Hey, in Rome, do as the Romans do right? Now everyone who reads this has to say mualaikum salaam back to me. Come to think of it, are people living in Rome still called Romans? Or are they just collectively called Italians now?

Anyhow, Its been 2 weeks since I arrived in Saudi Arabia and honestly, I haven't had a decent shower. Ok before you guys go EEEEWWWW, I bathe twice a day ok! Sometimes even 3. Its just that, I never feel like my shower is complete without a loofah. You know? You gotta have that good scrub down after going out and exposing yourself to the grossness of the outdoors. Especially so in Saudi Arabia. I don't know why but it always feels so yucky and grimy outside. Doesn't help that its hot and humid here too. Much like Singapore but with an oven strapped to your backside.

One of the things I kicked myself about was not getting a Loofah from the bodyshop in Singapore before I came here. That simple scrounged up ball of fabric makes a huge difference for me. Therapeutic even. You see, after a good scrub down, you feel like all the grime and dirt and sand is washed away, along with your troubles and worries. You come out of the shower feeling clean and refreshed. You can almost feel yourself glowing. Thats what a real bathe is about. Some like to soak in the bathtub and come out looking like an oversized raisin. Some just want to jump in and hose themselves down and thats it. I like a thorough scrub down.

So I couldn't take it anymore. I deserve a decent shower! Especially when I've been robbed of other pleasures in life, SA isn't gonna take away this one. After work I ventured into a mall that was relatively near the airport. First time being in a mall in SA and man! It was HUGE! Gigantic. But more about that in another post. I walked around hoping to find some kind of bath/shower shop or home essentials shop. Anything! Shop after shop I looked and there was everything except a Loofah. I wasn't ready to stop a saudi and ask him where to buy a Loofah. Do they even call it a Loofah? That might be an arabic word saying that your mom looks like a boiled camel for all I know.

So after the 10th head scarf shop and countless outlets selling shoes, bags, watches, fashion, sports, carpets, camel saddles etc etc... I was ready to give up. I was starting to worry that I'd forget how to get back to the entrance to the carpark where I parked my car. I thought to myself, GOD! if only bodyshop would open here!

I turned around to the left and BAM! THE BODY SHOP!!! They DID open in SA. Praise the Lord! I must've been the happiest asian guy in Saudi Arabia to see a bodyshop outlet. So I hurried in and true to the foundation of the bodyshop, there were many brightly colored Loofah balls arranged by color and placed in different sections of the shop. I was ecstatic.

So here I am now, feeling cleaned and refreshed, typing about how you can never take things for granted. Not even a simple bodyshop Loofah. Nothing like a tough station to teach you about the little things in life eh?

Its exactly like in the movies!

Saudi Arabia I mean. You know how you watch movies and the country is portrayed as run down buildings, crazy roads and heaps and heaps of sand? Thats it! Before I came here, I googled Saudi Arabia just to have a look what I was in for and the pictures looked alright. Nice modern buildings by the red sea and all that. I wish I could meet the fabricating spin doctor who put those pictures up as a welcoming introduction to SA and pound him into the sand of the beaches at the red sea.

Oh, for those who do not know, I've been posted to Saudi Arabia and yes I haven't blogged in 283365 days but who cares? How's everyone by the way? Hope all is well.

Its been slightly more than a week since I got here and I'm still learning my way around.

Saudi Arabia is a shocking country. Jeddah is supposed to be the most open of the cities in SA, however, its still a culture shock for me. Firstly, all the women are covered up! As a mate of mine would put it, all you see is the letter box slot. Every woman must also be accompanied by their husband or some relative and if they are stopped by the religious police, they gotta produce documents to prove that they are related. So most of the time, I only see MEN. I go to the shops, MEN. In the airport, MEN. When I eat in the restaurants, MEN. There are seperate sections for restaurants, one for single men and the other for families. I shudder to think what would happen to you if you walked through the wrong door. You'd probably be pelted to death by stale bread or something.

Oh and they hold public beheadings in the city square every friday. Also, if you're caught stealing, your hands get chopped off at these sessions as well. Someone offered to bring me to one to have a look but I politely declined.

The heat here is shocking as well. on a good day, its 38 degrees outside. I guess its normal since i'm in the middle of a desert. And this place looks like a desert too. Sand everywhere! And for some reason, it also looks like a warzone. There's always some rubble or demolished building wherever you look. the small roads are in a shocking state while the main roads are barely acceptable. And driving! Thats a whole different adventure in itself. Road rules don't seem to exist here. The Saudis do not follow speed limits or road markings. They swerve and go wherever they want. And they all think they're F1 racers. I can cruise along at 120-130 km/h here without worrying about getting stopped by the traffic police. They don't stop you for road hogging you see. Besides, the saudis will just horn you and then overtake you at 200km/h. I've even seen 2 cars come to a screeching halt in the middle of the freeway just to wind down their windows to talk to each other. They still think they're riding camels out here. Shocking. Doesn't help that I gotta get used to driving on the other side of the road (left hand drive here) and my 1.6 litre Honda civic is a manual with NO AIRBAGS. oh but petrol is about $0.20 a litre here. even water's not that cheap.

Things like food and general shopping here is quite cheap. I can survive on quite little if I wanted to. I hear that sales are really good too. However, I've been warned that counterfeit stuff are pretty common here. even in the so called boutiques and departmental stores. (I've already seen some counterfeit items in the duty free area of the airport) Oh! and if you are shopping in a mall or supermarket during any one of the 5 prayer times during the day, be prepared to be locked in the shop for about 20 mins while the prayers are going on. Sometimes they even turn off the lights so you're just stuck there in the dark contemplating how it is that your life turned out the way it did.

Its really a different world out here. I'm still coming to terms with it but I know that at the end of the day, it'll be a good experience that not many can have. I wonder if I can buy an oil field here?

Time is of the essence

Welcoming the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 15300ST to my horology collection.



You can never have enough time.

The Exodus

Phooooo Weeeee! I haven't blogged in ages! Time sure flies and now, one by one my fellow course mates are being posted out! Joe's gone to Beijing while Michelle is on the plane to LAX as I type this. Well I guess its just them and Bob for now since Kenrick, Reuben and I are still stuck here in good o'l Singapore. Not for too long I hope.

Good luck you guys who are out there now though I hear that our friends in China won't be able to read this coz of the ban on blogger by the government there. Whats up with that??

Oh and Bob has gone to Japan for a holiday. Again. He barely got married and already he's on his second honeymoon. I waved goodbye to him at F54 today while I was on duty doing the departure south wing. Yes, while I was on DUTY.

Which reminds me, ever wondered how you're on duty and then BAM! something happens with a passenger which requires the immediate attention of the DM. That really erks me. When we're out on our rounds, the ground staff always act like we're flies bothering them and then suddenly the walkie goes off "DM XXXX can you please go to gate XXX. The staff there needs your help" and when we get there its always, "eh boss, sorry ah, I don't know how to handle this"

But thats not what I wanna talk about, rather, its how we react to those extraordinary situations. I gotta be honest, whenever I'm in the shower, my mind is always buzzing on overload and conjuring up scenarios that can happen at work. And I ALWAYS have an amazing retort or sentence to say to a passenger for whatever reason they give at all. Be it at the check-in counter, at the departure gates or on board the plane! You name it and I'll settle it. But then when it comes down to it, when the passenger is glaring at you and demanding the 9 planets (or is it 8 now? I'm not sure anymore) those amazing pre-molded answers go flying out the window and is promptly minced up by the nearest rolls-royce trent engine on a boeing. Instead, what comes out of my mouth is an unflattering, "Oh....uh....I see. Sorry". Well sometimes at least.

Thats not right. The passengers should be afraid of ME! They should be at my mercy since I determine if they are to get on the plane or not. In those few hours that they fly on the airline, their lives belong to me! Muahahahaha.

Right. Well it doesn't always happen that way. Most of the time I'm stumped coz I cannot fathom what the passenger wants anyway. Either that or I just cannot decipher what they are saying. Sigh, its the nature of the job I reckon. We get better at this with each passing day. Righto, time for bed mates! Hope y'all are having a great time! Later~

The adventures of C&D!

A Gazillion years later...

And I finally post a new blog entry. Ok this blog thing is getting tiresome. But here goes anyway!

What have I been up to? Training, training and more training. Work has been really cool. Its been slightly more than 7 months of training and as my training phase draws closer to its end, I am getting ready to be posted overseas. Where I'm going...I don't know, but I have a pretty good idea where I want to go. For that I'm leaving it entirely to God. Let's see where this adventure called life takes me. Sweeeet.

I'm a totally changed person wardrobe wise. I've never seen so many shirts in my wardrobe before. Its always been board shorts and T shirts for me. But look into my wardrobe now and you see shirts! 1 for eveyday of the month even. And *gasp* pants and TIES! Yes, I look different now. But only during office hours. The climate in singapore doesn't allow you to stay in that get-up for long.

Other than that, nothing much has changed. Oh but I have picked up a new hobby! Watch collecting! After wearing my trusty and loyal Tag Heuer for 15 years, I have ventured into the upper echelon of horological artistry. I never knew watches could be so fascinating and a marvel of mechanical mastery. As "revolution" magazine would put it, watches are machines with a heartbeat. I could not agree more. Early this year I added a Master World Geographic from Jaeger LeCoultre to my inventory. Its a beautiful piece that tells me the time for 24 time zones at a glance. Pretty handy for my job.























Now, me being me, I decided to get another one a month ago. This time its a simple modern classic from A.Lange & Sohne. The epitomy of Saxon horology. Its a breath taking holding the Lange 1 in your hand. Everyone needs a good watch.

















Time waits for no man. Till my next post....

clear mind of the swim

WooOOOooo! Nothing like a good swim to clear the mind and loosen the joints. The swimming complements my running, and the running complements the swimming. In the midst of this regime, I can throw in some biking and tada! Almost like a triathlete except that I don't run and bike in the gay looking tight suits.

But one thing came to mind. I realised after my recent trip to Melbourne to visit my absolutely hot and yummilicious girlfriend, that the gels and creams and toiletries that we use in Singapore is always a yucky texture. Toothepaste for example always comes out nice and gelly and firm in the cooler climate of Australia, the way it should be. Whereas in Singapore, we get a gross not liquid but not really gel texture. Shampoo too, stays in the palm of your hands when you squeeze it out of the bottle instead of dripping and tricking down your hands. We're not experiencing our toiletries the way we should I tell ya! How annoying!

And I can't help but make a mention about everyone's "favourite" OS again. Windows is the bomb I say. Literally. It always blows up in your face when you need it most. My mom came around with her VAIO in the evening and asked me to have a look at it coz she recently did an update and the laptop wasn't working properly like before. So I powered it up and after windows boots up a huge warning window appears and screamed something like, "Warning! The vendor has made an illegal change of the system .dll to section of main memory that has not been authorised for .dll segment constrains. Contact vendor for proper allocation blah blah blah...." you get the drift. Why does microsoft always have to launch warning windows and screens to intimidate people in a language that no one understands?? I'm pretty sure its in English but after reading it countless times I still have no clue what it wants me to do. I dunno if its the sentence structure or the grammar or whatever, it just doesn't make any sense! If everyone in the world spoke like that, there would be total anarchy. Stupid system.

Anyhow, I rattled along for too long now. So I'm gonna give it a break and return for more next time. Later~

The VascoEra

A good friend of mine is in the media industry down in Melbourne and this is his latest production. Awesome stuff. If only he'll give me a role in one of his videos....

www.youtube.com/thevascoera2

Rain therapy

Its pouring again. U2's electrical storm is playing in the background, how apt. I've always loved the rain. Especially when I'm indoors at night. The sound of the raindrops pelting the windows is really therapeutic. Now with my new room, its even better coz a portion of the ceiling actually forms the roof so I can hear the rain hitting the roof. Pitter patter.

Its nice because I feel so protected. Dry and comfortable even when the sky is pouring and the trees are losing their leaves from the angry winds. At the same time, I feel like there's some kind of purification ritual going on. The rain pouring down, clearing our skies of the haze, washing away the dirt and the grime, cleaning the impurities of the world. And you know what? The world becomes more beautiful, even for only that short moment. The air is fresh and everything is clear.

I loved jumping in puddles as a kid, dancing and playing in the rain. I wonder why I don't do that anymore? Maybe coz people will look at me weird and think that its bizarre for a grown up guy to be enjoying himself drenched in the rain. Sometimes when I'm doing stuff like running, wakeboarding or anything in the open, I secretly enjoy it when its rains. Sure I love the sun but the rain is fine with me.

Ok, enough rattling on. I'm gonna slide under the covers and enjoy the rain's lullaby while it lasts. G'night!

I have a blog?!

Oh! Goodness me! I have a blog right here! I totally forgot about it! No posts since the beginning of the year and even the chatterbox thingamajik has died. (Ok let me resurrect it)

Though in the short 3 months that I have been missing, heaps of things have changed in my life. Its been pretty amazing and I am a blessed and happy fella. You know how things just go by in life that are mundane? Well I love these mundane things coz I feel so alive doing it! My job is simply swell. I actually look forward to going to work and I enjoy the company that I'm in. The fact that I have pretty good hours for now don't hurt too. Though it won't be like that anymore once I get posted overseas. But you know what? I'm actually looking forward to it. The challenges I will be facing and how I'll laugh at them as I overcome! And how often do you get the opportunity to live and work in different countries in your life? Sweeet.

God's been good to me. He's blessed me and met so much of my needs. Great job, great house, a totally new wardrobe, swanky gear for work, new phone, new watch blah blah blah the list goes on. But on top of it all, he's given me a totally awesome relationship. She's a big part of the reason why i'm so pleased with life right now. Every guy needs a hottie who's talented and loving and has a sweet melodious voice that is pleasant to the soul. I'm glad I found one before I die.

Righto, looks like this entry has gotta do for now. So, how does this thing work again? Where do I click to publish it. What in the world is new blogger / old blogger? later~

Farewell 2006, Hello 2007!

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!

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.

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.....

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......

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~

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.

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

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