A Tale of Infinite Dreams

Tired

2010-01-11T02:05:00.004+08:00

I'm just getting a little tired of it all right now.. Sometimes I wonder why I keep getting myself into spots like this.

Good times, good times.

2009-12-07T18:39:00.008+08:00

Haven't had the chance to write here in awhile, and while it's only been slightly over a month since my last post, so much has happened, and so much has changed. For starters, and also most importantly, I've finally managed to get my hands on that elusive Lumix GF1! It certainly took awhile, but the I think the wait was definitely well worth it. Not much to say about the zoom lens, but the pancake lens is simply phenomenal.

We also had a little gathering between the 4th to 6th December at Downtown East. A number of no-shows, but it was still as fun as it could be. Sure, I see some of the guys on almost a weekly basis, but having everyone under one roof or at the barbecue pit after so many years really brings back the memories. And while we have all moved on with our lives, some married, some out of design even, essentially we haven't changed one bit. Jokes of old and new, stories of times long forgotten - The memories all came back to bring us back in time. If I had a chance, I would relive all those times again and again, and would trade nothing for it. Life couldn't be any better than this, and I truly am thankful for the great people that I am surrounded by. Some keep me sane, some keep me on the right track in life, and some simply keep me going.

OK before I start going all emo and start tearing at the eyes, pics of the chalet! LOL.

One of the craziest minds I've ever come across.

Doing what we do best while waiting for the rest..

Zurina dropped by!

The couple

Sounds vs Hips

Mmmmm..

Everyone doing the hippy pose

Group photo, minus Zurina

Taste of Paint.

2009-10-21T21:34:00.002+08:00

18th October 2009 - A big day for some of us. The 3rd leg of the Singapore Paintball Novice Series 2009 was held at West Coast Park that day, and our team, the Berserkers: Sons of Odin, was in full attendance to deal out the pain.

OK well we didn't exactly get a podium position or what, but it was a good experience. Having to gel our movements on the fly for the very first time as a whole team wasn't exactly an easy task. Took a few games to get everything down, and by the time we maintained consistency, it was already a little too late. I still think we did exceptionally well though, giving most of the top teams a difficult time, but never being able to finally win them. All in all, a good experience!

Another piece of good news as well. Come 1st November 2009, Singapore paintball will cease to have the centre line! Speedball will now be able to be enjoyed by the masses! Woohooo!!

Inglorious Basterds.

2009-10-02T04:12:00.003+08:00

Finally caught Inglorious Basterds today, and damn must I say it was one hell of a good show! As usual, in good old Quentin Tarantino fashion, almost everybody dies in the end.. LOL. The best thing is that we watched it for free, cos we each had our own free GV movie passes! Good stuff.

Movie aside, my legs are absolutely trashed today. Ladies and their endless stamina for shopping. It was a good 2 hours of walking, and the best part is that it was all within PS! Talk about exploring every single store!

K and her chicken rice.

My turn..

Before the long ride home.

Heh how often do you find a Rolls Royce parked in a HDB carpark?

Grow Up.

2009-09-30T02:42:00.002+08:00

Today, for the very first time in close to two and a half years, I headed back to the office on my off day to help out. Needless to say, everyone was stunned to see my name on the board, listed under the category of "OT". LOL. The extra money has never enticed me, and unless they decide to give me triple of my pay for coming back, I don't think it ever will. I went back today simply because I knew that for the boss to come calling me in the morning for help, it had to be really bad, for they would usually not even think about trying to recall the officer named Stanley. Anyway, it was a quick four hours before I was done, and it all seemed to pass in a relatively short span of time.

Dinner with Elise was the programme for the night, as she was just about finishing up some stuff in her new role as Projects Officer for the upcoming launch of our oh-so-godly system. Elise never fails to cheer me up with all her rubbish. For a small little entity, she sure makes a hell lot of noise.. Always hyped up, always with an opinion, always there. The little one can get a little lost though. Had to "Morpheus" her to Clarke Quay from Funan as she was clueless about the way. LOL.

It was supposed to be Ramen for dinner, but after looking at the menu, we realised we might as well be better off eating Ramen at any normal coffeeshop, which led us to Kyomomoyama on the same floor, and that proved a very neat choice! Serving sizes were huge, a little too huge, and the food was good too! My soda tasted a little more like just syrup with ice though. Gosh instant sugar rush.

Michelle/Elise. Whatever you might want to call her, her constant chirping never fails to brighten up your day!

A bit of an overload, perhaps?

By the river.

As we were sitting on the river bank just chatting about random office stuff, she mentioned that I should apply for that position. Not my kind of stuff I must say. There have been a number of people recently who have been taking up more important and noble roles, and I feel that these people are good choices and have what it takes to lead. I know that I myself would have no problems working with or leading a bunch of people, but purposely doing shit to get noticed just isn't my way of earning it. I'd rather let my own actions speak for themselves, because more often than not when you try too hard, you just end up falling flat on your face.

Which brings us to something else. Leadership. You either are cut out for it, or you're not. If you're not made for it, there are certain things you can do to build yourself up, or at least to mask your incompetency. No matter how much you try though, if you do not grow up, if you do not start behaving like an adult, much less a leader, if you do not stop being childish, if you do not stop bawling over shit that people can't be bothered about, if you do not start dressing right, NO ONE is going to take you seriously, and no one is going to give a flying fuck about you. That might very much explain all those failed attempts recently aye? Like I said, if you address these problems, you might stand a chance against someone who was born to lead. The sad truth is that usually those that are capable do not feel a need to prove themselves to anyone, hence they take the back seat and let those that have something to prove make a mockery of themselves. I know where I stand, and I know what I'm capable of, and I don't need to prove it. It is, however, getting increasingly difficult to tolerate the shortcomings of those that are trying a little too hard.

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This.

2009-09-21T02:13:00.003+08:00

Last night I dreamt once more of something that I cannot bring myself to remember. All I recall is that you were there, and we were walking. Just that alone is enough to make it something special.

Arrivals

2009-09-17T10:53:00.003+08:00

I don't know if it's a good or bad thing, but it has been a really long while since I even said anything. To someone at least. In fact I haven't uttered a word since I received that really cold message on my phone, to which I could only respond "OK". There are certain ways to go about doing things, and some things, you just can't resort to that god damned SMS. Cos that's just taking an easy way out, and it leaves your friends wondering what they even mean to you.

Now that I seemingly am not going to Sydney anymore, I've suddenly found myself with a whole lot of extra time during the end of the month, with nothing to do. Planning anything with anyone else is gonna be tough too, cos my initial travel dates were all spanning only weekdays. Urgh.

Well enough mucking around. At least I know where my priorities lie now, and one of them just happened to arrive at the store! Say hello to my little friend.

A Jackson Case!

Jackson RR5FR in metallic pink with silver bevels!

Mmmm.

Well anyway, that wasn't the only thing that arrived. Just the other day the postman came by my place with 3 huge boxes. I was real excited of course, as I was expecting the team's paintball gear from the US. Haz was excited enough to come over and catch the unboxing process as well.

3 huge boxes!

The Berserkers: Sons of Odin are in business!

New Empire 2009 E-Vents!

Still Loving You.

2009-09-07T01:54:00.002+08:00

Scorpions - Still Loving You

Time, it needs time
To win back your love again.
I will be there, I will be there.

Love, only love
Can bring back your love someday.
I will be there, I will be there.

Fight, babe, I'll fight
To win back your love again.
I will be there, I will be there.

Love, only love
Can break down the walls some day.
I will be there, I will be there.

If we'd go again
All the way from the start,
I would try to change
The things that killed our love.

Your pride has build a wall, so strong
That I can't get through.
Is there really no chance
To start once again?
I'm loving you.

Try, baby try
To trust in my love again.
I will be there, I will be there.

Love, your love
Just shouldn't be thrown away.
I will be there, I will be there.

If we'd go again
All the way from the start,
I would try to change
The things that killed our love.

Your pride has build a wall, so strong
That I can't get through.
Is there really no chance
To start once again?

If we'd go again
All the way from the start,
I would try to change
The things that killed our love.

Yes I've hurt your pride, and I know
What you've been through.
You should give me a chance
This can't be the end.

I'm still loving you.
I'm still loving you,
I need your love.
I'm still loving you.

Powerless.

2009-09-02T20:31:00.002+08:00

There is no worse feeling in the world than when you're dealt a situation, and you're totally powerless against it. In fact, it isn't really a situation at all, it's more of an answer, where everything's final and no matter how much you try, there simply isn't anything that can be done.

People sometimes ask me what the colour of the sky in my world is. It's a little difficult to answer now, considering it's in pieces all around me.

The God Damned Flu.

2009-09-01T02:16:00.005+08:00

Seems like the flu has been catching up with some of us lately. I myself am down with it, and nearly called in sick yesterday morning thanks to the god damned flu. Slowly but surely, the rest of the office is catching it too, and it won't be long before we start seeing multiple MCs listed on the board...

The other day R was saying that she was falling sick as well, and yesterday, she decided to drop me a call, but I could hardly hear a thing. I already knew she had a sore throat, but I had no idea it was that bad. Hearing her cracking voice on the phone, it just didn't seem right to keep her on the line so long, as much as I wanted to talk. I just wished I could have done something, but yeah there's nothing much one can do when you're half an island away, at work, and fighting the flu I guess.

On a brighter note, looks like that trip to Australia during the end of September is going to happen after all! Sydney's like totally new to me, and I'm really looking forward to it! But of course, people who know me better, know that it's not really the location that's gotten me all excited!

Hell Yeah

2009-08-26T02:57:00.001+08:00

~~Sydney here I come!!~~

Action-packed Holidays!

2009-08-24T22:29:00.006+08:00

And so, today marks the final day of my 2 weeks of vacation leave from the office. It definitely feels like a bitch to have to drag myself to work again, after such a long break. While I may not have moved around much during the break, at least I managed to catch up with friends that I've been meaning to see for some time, and also got round to doing some of the things that I've been meaning to do. The last 4 days have really been the main highlight though - 4 days worth of non-stop indulgence, headbanging, and paintball!

The Shift Team had lunch at Mandarin Oriental's Melt Cafe on the 21st of August, along with the Unit Managers. The lunchtime buffet spread wasn't exactly the most spectacular of buffets, but it was time well spent with friends and some good desserts. It had been some time since I last saw them, as I had been away from the office for so long. After the lunch was a little speech by some of the bosses, some prize giveaways, and also a bowling session at Marina Square. After everyone had either left for work or gone off to their own programmes, Me, Tony and Elise headed off to Mezza9 at the Hyatt for some cakes and martinis. Elise refused to admit that the strawberry shortcakes there were better than Bakerzin's though! LOL

Tiffany was real drained from night shift, but she managed to pull this pose off anyway.. LOL

Pretty Moon with her little concoction of ice cream and strawberries

Almost the entire team, all smiles!

John, Tiffany, Michelle, Sylvia, Angela and Hwee Boon

The little girl I always tease about her height.. LOL

The same night that I got home, I managed to catch R online and we were talking about how we had not met for some time, so we made some flash arrangements the next day to meet for a movie and a little shopping. She had to go shopping for a present for a 2 year old boy's birthday party that she would be attending in the evening. And so, we caught the insanely silly Bruno, which kind of left some scars in my eyes I think... Never have I seen male genitals being flashed right in my eyes before on the big screen.. ROFL. After that was shopping at Takashimaya, where we settled for a Mega Bloks toy for the little kid, after aimlessly walking the floor countless times..

Taking some time off the kid's shopping to get herself some hair clips

Shopping for kids' toys too much can sometimes bring out the kid in you!

Some of the things that we considered getting..

Done with the kid's shopping, we decided to pick up a sunflower for Penny!

So yeah, it was a movie and some shopping, and I made my way to Wala Wala early for what was to be one of the most epic, insane, headbanging Wala Saturdays ever. Penny was going to celebrate her birthday there that night, so the turn out was going to be bigger than usual, and big it was! Somehow, there were lots of big groups there that night also, and this usually always meant more energy, and more headbanging!

Penny with R, with the sunflower she bought.

R & J.. LOL

"Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses.."

The usual suspects, always with something to say, always with a head to bang.

Dancing in the moonlight, R calls it. LOL.

The Wala gang!

And so after a long and crazy night of headbanging, I dragged myself home to prepare for my next day's programme, paintball! Met up with Robert for some skirmishes with the guys from Ares, and did some snapshooting drills with Robert after that, where I promptly had my ass handed to me on a silver platter. LOL gotta start working on those snapshooting drills.. Gregory from Ares was cool enough to bring his DSLR, which he caught some awesome shots with!

Whooo love this shot!

After a few rounds, I have paint on my mask. LOL

thePwnagerator.

And finally, we come back to today.. Apparently R & J didn't get enough the previous time, and so arranged to meet for a nice quiet lunch at Ichiban Boshi at Suntec City. Now this was where I really screwed up.. LOL Elise had initially made arrangements for a buffet at Ritz Carlton and had reminded everyone about a week before, but stupid me totally forgot about it and went for lunch with R instead. I decided to check with Roy if he would be in the office later on, only to find out that they were at the Greenhouse at Ritz Carlton having their lunch. Major bummer.. But I did go down after lunch anyway to have a short chat with them and also see my former supervisor! The day before, R was kicking up a racket about how nice the sunflower that she had bought for Penny was, and even had thoughts about keeping it herself.. LOL so Mr Ninja decided to get one for her, but had to travel to all 3 florists in the area just to get it.. Haha was well worth it though!

R, always happy to see Sunny.

Little Sunny, always a pleasure to look at.

It may look like all the food is on my side of the table, but it's not! We were sharing this! And Ichiban Boshi has the best Cha Soba ever!

A photo with Sunny to wrap our little meeting up.. =)

My former supervisor, Pearl!

All in all, I think that although it was shortlived, these 2 weeks have been really fulfilling and have really allowed me to catch up with my life, and the people around me. It has thrown me a little deeper into some other thoughts though, and sometimes you just wonder whether those thoughts are worth thinking about, and whether some things are worth going through all over again. But that's for some other day to think about! TONIGHT WE DINE IN HELL!! yah right.

C Day. =D

2009-08-02T22:07:00.009+08:00

I tend not to get too excited about anything most of the time, in fact more often than not, if there is anything particularly interesting happening, the expressions on my face might make it seem like I was either indifferent or dreading it. Yesterday was different though.

Started off with an early morning paintball session at Red Dynasty. Met Haz there cos he was meeting Ian to collect a Dye Jersey, which didn't look that bad. Spent the rest of the day sliding around the field with Robert, and practising some really hardcore snapshooting, which left me with a number of bruises on my arms. Well at least they were on the arms and not anywhere else, cos that means you're not playing tight enough. I did suffer a shot to the knuckle though, and that one hurt like a bitch. The shot promptly tore the skin in the area, and all I saw was a mix of orange paint and red blood. After washing that down and taking a break, I took another hit to that same spot AGAIN. The one day that I decide not to wear my gloves, I get hit in the knuckles. What irony.

Anyway, that wasn't what made my day.. Met C later on in the day to catch Public Enemies, and the very fact that I got to see C was already enough to excite me. She was a little late so I was walking around the place a little, and when she finally came along and I turned to look at her, everything was like in slow mo. Everytime I see her it's like she looks better and better. LOL. Had a nice little coffee session at TCC, quiet place to catch up over some good drinks and finger food. The Russian Earl Grey she was having just wasn't my kind of thing though.

The movie was up next, but I think I may have set my expectations a little too high for the film. I don't know why, but anytime I see a flick about gangsters during the 1930s era with their fedora hats and overcoats, I automatically have the same expectations I would have after watching stuff like The Godfather. While it was still a good show, it felt a little rushed in some parts.

After the movie was a nice dinner at Sushi Tei, where they called for the last orders a little too early. I can see why most people say the Paragon one is one of the best Sushi Teis, but that's if you're speaking solely on the whole atmosphere and ambience of the place. The staff weren't exactly the most helpful people around, neither were they that much friendlier. LOL. C was nice enough to peel my prawn cos I was having a little trouble with it. I have never had problems peeling prawns before, but this was one tough nut (or shell) to crack. Haagen Dazs wrapped up our dessert, and it wasn't long before we called it a day.

@ Sushi Tei, browsing the menus.. Mmmm prawnnnssss....

I was having trouble peeling the prawn.. So I enlisted some help.. LOL

Gasp. Stunning.

Our little indulgence to wrap up the sumptuous dinner.

I demonstrate my abilities to make my index finger disappear into the light. LOL. And you can see the damage at the knuckle area from my 2 consecutive paintball hits..

All in all, an afternoon and evening well spent, with someone special!

Speed Kings

2009-07-28T01:47:00.004+08:00

As most of those closer to me have found out, paintball is quickly becoming a bigger part of my life. After the recent gear acquisition trip to KL not too long ago, a bunch of us were discussing about forming a team to compete in the local tournament. Haz and Suwandi have since gone through Basic Tournament Orientation which is conducted by Red Dynasty Paintball Park, a course that anyone who wants to play speedball locally without a centre line is required by law to take. Neil seems to be following up closely with his BTO coming up on the 23rd of August.

Anyway, on the 25th of July, Red Dynasty hosted a mini-challenge as a small replacement for the third leg of SPNS, which sadly had to be cancelled due to lack of participation. It was great to see so many players in RD again, with lots of local teams taking part in the action. The initial plan was to form a team under the monicker of Pain Inc, but unexpectedly, our teammate Ian showed up late, and there weren't as many free agents as we would have liked. I ended up guesting for the Contract Killers, and Haz for the Evil Avengers.

Amid the reffing that could have seen some improvement, and some minor hiccups here and there, I think all in all it was a good day of speedball. Made lots of new friends, learnt a couple of things from the veterans, and also got a couple of new marks on the body. If only every weekend at RD was like this, things would be a whole more enjoyable. Pics coming right up!

Me and Haz walking the field, and me walking my trigger fingers LOL.

Contract Killers. From Left: Rudi, Mayor, Myself, Sham, Benguin.

Evil Avengers breaking out from the start frame, Haz at the far right.

Credits go to Bryan aka Judas86 for the great pics!

Road Trip.

2009-06-24T20:53:00.006+08:00

Well, so the weekend passed with the 4 usual suspects finally crossing the causeway to head into Malaysia for a short holiday.. OK it wasn't exactly a holiday, but I think it was a relaxing break from the usual monotonous lifestyle in Singapore, not to mention the food was good too!

We had crossed over into JB the night of the 19th, settling down at theHaz's place for the night before beginning the long drive to KL the next morning. Had a taste of some games on his PS3, and before we knew it, we were slowly zonking out. It was kind of a tiring day for myself as I had just gotten home from SAF Day rehearsals on the very same evening, having about an hour and a half to prepare myself before the pickup at my place. The rest had been in the office earlier in the day as well, so yeah I guess we were all beat.

We were up again at about 5am on the 20th, preparing to move out to KL. Haz was driving while I sat there in the passenger seat taking in the sights of Malaysia, a place that always made me feel more at home than Singapore.. I miss visiting my relatives up in Taiping, and everytime I do, I get this greater sense of just being home. Merv and Suwandi decided to carry on their beauty sleep for most of the journey, with me stealing some snapshots along the way.. LOL.

Taking pics in the car at about 7am on a rainy morning, not exactly good for focus.

A couple of hours and close to 200km later, we made our first stop at the KFC+A&W-on-an-overhead-bridge rest stop for breakfast. We were all expecting to get some A&W breakfast, but realised that everything was closed, except for KFC. Without much of a choice, I settled down with a KFC porridge, which actually was quite tasty! They had this strange morning meal called the A.M. Riser though, and that just sounded totally wrong to us.. LOL.

Wasn't long before we were on our way again..

Another couple of hours later, we finally arrived at Haz's brother's place, where we dropped our stuff and headed out for breakfast AGAIN, but this time a proper one. We headed out to this cafe that was just round the corner, and although it probably isn't the best in the world, the Roti Canai and Teh Tarik were enough to satisfy me for awhile.

That amazing Roti Canai and Teh Tarik.

Anyway, after breakfast, we decided to head out to Napshot, a pro paintball shop just a few blocks away from where we were. Getting my paintball gear settled was my main agenda for this trip, so I was reasonably excited about finally being able to try on some stuff. We waited till it was about 11am, then headed out to the store, only to find that it was closed. A bit of loitering brought us to a music shop, some shopping malls, some ice cream, some donuts. We finally got down to settling my paintball gear at about 3+pm, and we headed back to the house to drop more stuff.

Evening time was food time, and we were stuffing ourselves with Indian cuisine this time, and boy did it remind me of our times in India. They even had the "65" batter! LOL it looked like cucumber 65 this time.. Other than getting my paintball gear, one of my main reasons for coming up to Malaysia everytime is the food. The food simply tastes so much better! Pity I was too busy stuffing my face to be taking pics though.. LOL.

The night market was next, but it turned out that once you've seen like four shops in one cluster, you've more or less seen the entire market. It's either shoes, watches, clothes, or bags. And then it just keeps repeating itself..

The next morning, we headed out to the Petronas Towers with intention of conquering the sky bridge, but as it turned out, the tikets were already habis when we arrived. LOL. Well at least we walked away with a shot of us and the towers. Guess the sky bridge visit would have to wait till next trip, although I have this feeling it might not be very soon for us.

The Petronas Towers.

Tiket Habis sial.

All your base are belong to us.

Anyway, that trip to KLCC kind of wrapped up our weekend holiday. After much walking around, we decided that we really just weren't made for shopping centres, so we decided to get the hell out of dodge and head for Muar to pick up Haz's mom. Had a durian feast there before moving off, and by nightfall, we were all back in Singapore.

Although we didn't accomplish much this trip, I think it still was a fruitful experience, and a welcome change from our usual "raarrgghh, wuaarrgh, neearrggh what-to-do, where-to-go" weekends. Now to get that New Zealand trip planned and settled...

just can't let go.

2009-06-19T00:45:00.002+08:00

It's only been some days since I last met her, but I already miss Ms R terribly.

I thought I had let it all go already. Looks like I was wrong...

The Rush.

2009-06-14T19:53:00.003+08:00

Life isn't life when you live it without the adrenaline. Heh I've always been one to live life on the edge, and all because you're hitting your mid twenties doesn't mean you can't continue doing that! Damn.. Mid twenties.. I feel old already.

Not the point anyway!

Had another outing at Red Dynasty Paintball with a bunch of good friends again, and although there were some last minute pullouts, it all turned out nicely after all! We had a nice attendance of 10, which meant it would be 2 teams of 5 going at each other's throats round after round, with minimal rest. The new E-Vents really performed in the blazing sun, with the fireshield mirror lenses providing crystal clear vision while blocking out most of the sun's glare.

I've since registered for Basic Tournament Orientation, which will be held on the 28th of June at Red Dynasty! After passing BTO, local players will be able to play speedball without the centre line! While that could potentially mean more pain for everyone because of the proximity your opponent could get to you, nothing beats the thrill of painting the crap out of your opponent from behind!

Round 1. Red Team = pwnage.

Round 1. Blue Team!

Game on!

White E-Vents at the side and Carbon Fiber E-Vents in the middle. Killer combination in terms of skill, looks, and desire to kill. LOL.

KIIIILLLLL!!!!

Victory pose. Renee plants the flag while we spend time trying to look cool for the camera. LOL.

Finishing the day off with a group photo!

Stars & Connections

2009-06-09T13:29:00.006+08:00

I'm not one to be believing in horoscopes and the stars, but sometimes it really seems as if what the astronomers are saying might be true. I myself am a Gemini, and in true Gemini fashion, not only do I sometimes seem to have totally split personalities, but all my life, I've also taken interest in anything that might make my brain work a little more than it should.

Hobbies that I have - Photography, music, skating, gaming, and more recently, paintball. One of these hobbies alone is enough to burn a hole in one's wallet if it is taken seriously enough, and here I am, trying to take all of them seriously. Gosh. It's time to start toning down, put some serious thought into what I really need and don't need. As much as it is fun trying out new things, I think there should be a limit as to how far I get into it. Now that I have my licence as well, there's that thought of getting my own little ride to move around in, and that's definitely gonna burn quite a big one.

I was talking to a friend that day, and she's the typical all-guys-are-jerks type of person, having been with a few, all of whom were magnificent bastards. She did mention something that made me think a little though. Half the time, when the guy wants to get the girl, he would come up with all sorts of things to convince the girl that she's the most important person in the world blah blah blah, and that was what this guy had said to her. This person, as it happens, would be the very first guy that she actually fancied seriously, but he was kind of a flirt. So the scenario goes, the guy is finally professing his love for her:

Guy: So have you thought about it?
Girl: Yes, but I don't think it would be a good idea for the both of us to be together. (This was much much longer, I merely simplified it. LOL)
Guy: But why?
Girl: Come on, seriously, how many girls have you been with, and how many did you actually get into a relationship with, and for how long?
Guy: You're right, but a guy can change. (This sounds familiar. I'd like to believe the same, and I think it CAN happen, but it takes a lot of determination and willpower. aahhahahha)
Girl: Yeah right. A leopard doesn't change its spots.
Guy: Maybe, but the main difference between those girls and you, is that I'm falling in love with you.
Girl: Oh really? And what would you know about that?
Guy: Not much maybe, but I know that I've been with many girls before, but I want you to be the last.

(And this was where she said something that got me thinking.)

Girl thinking to herself: But I wanted to be your first.... As you are mine.

I don't know what happened after that cos I never asked for details, but they never got together. LOL. I don't know why, but it just got me thinking. More often than not, we get caught up in trying to make someone sound like she's the best of the lot, but sometimes it just doesn't work, because she simply doesn't want to be the best. She just wants to be the first, and the only one. That, in itself is a little difficult if you're a magnificent bastard of a flirt I guess. LOLOL.

Returned of the Damned

2009-06-04T16:41:00.013+08:00

In the beginning, there were only 4. I was one of them, and the clan grew both in size and in power by the day. In time to come, it became one of the most feared, most ruthless, but still, most popular teams not only in the local Xbox scene, but among its many friends as well. We played by only one mantra, and that was to have fun no matter what. Whether it meant screwing up the entire game just for the sake of one silly notion, or pulverising the opposing team, we were in it for ourselves and not there to please anyone. We were Team Damnation.

Some time last year, some of the team took an interest in pro paintball, and formed the paintball branch of TD. Since then, they have been training together, making regular trips up to Malaysia to practise and even join tournaments. I always was interested in joining them, but never got down to it. Until now!

The Citiphone shift team went for a paintball session the other day, and though it wasn't my first one, it was that little extra kick I needed to get me started on pro paintball. Next thing I knew, I was looking up gear reviews on respectable paintball sites and even on Youtube, looking for suitable gear to deck myself out with.

After much talk with the TD people and some research, I finally narrowed down my mask selection to Empire's 08 E-Vents. I had gotten hold of Myaadraal's carbon fiber E-Vents and used them at a game, and they absolutely worked for me. Paintballs bounced off the cheeks, the lenses stayed crystal clear even under the extreme heat, and breathing wasn't a problem. I have since ordered and received my very own white E-Vents, affectionately known as the white Stormtrooper, thanks to its resemblance to the pre-mentioned character from Star Wars. LOL. I swapped out its stock smoked lenses with a fireshield lens though, just to add more mojo to it.

As for pants, jerseys, gloves, elbow and knee pads, I'm kind of eyeing Empire as well, but I'll be taking a trip up to KL on the 20th to check them out before ordering. Always good to try out the stuff before you commit to an order. Don't wanna be dragging your pants around when running on the field!

Anyway, some pics of of the gear and our latest paintball outing!

The bunch of us at the entrance of Bottle Tree Park, home to Red Dynasty Paintball.
Notice how everyone is still clean and fresh.

Me with a fellow vintage Team Damnation member, the Mysterious Pnut, and Jennifer and Roy.

Hmmm. Yours truly.

The aftermath. All painted up, but still all smiles!

My new Empire 08 E-Vents in white, with the fireshield mirror lenses!

New Toy

2009-05-08T23:57:00.004+08:00

OK now, I know I haven't been updating this space as much as I used to, but that's simply because I've been preoccupied with other stuff. Like fooling around with my new toy, the Panasonic Lumix LX3! It's been some time since I realised that my trusty and loyal Sony P200 is replaced by something meaner and faster, but nothing had really caught my fancy till I recently looked up the market again and found two distinct cameras that matched up. The Canon Powershot G10 and the Panasonic Lumix LX3.

It had to be small, and it had to be powerful. Both cameras had the compact size I was looking for, although I was favouring the Canon because its lens would retract flush into the body when not in use, whereas the Lumix had its lens segment sticking out of the body at all the times, not to mention that it had a lens cap. The G10 just had lens curtains.

The G10 was more hefty than the Lumix in terms of weight, and it also sported an external viewfinder which the Lumix totally didn't have. The Lumix does have an optional external viewfinder accessory which you can slip into the hot shoe though, but that costs a ridiculous $300+?

Handling wise, I thought the Lumix scored more points in that area cos of its more rectangular body. The G10 is almost square, which made it a little too small for me to hold in terms of width.

What really made me decide on the Lumix though, was its Leica lens. At f2.0, it is about 2 times faster than the G10's f2.8, making low light shots a breeze, and it has a super wide angle at 24mm, something the Lumix has always been famous for. An f2.0 aperture also means deeper depth of field when taking macros and portrait shots with a zoom.

And so yeah. I haven't been going round taking much pics, but here's some test shots I took just to check out the quality of the camera. They were uploaded to Facebook, so quality definitely has taken quite a hit here. Can't be bothered to repost them on my photobucket.. LOL

BTW, it might be good to know that the colours in these pictures were not manipulated in any way, other than minor adjustments such as rotation and some luminance noise reduction.

don't push it.

2009-04-29T02:11:00.003+08:00

My patience is being severely tested, and my tolerance levels are hitting their limits.

Won't be long now, mothercitifuckers.

CATS

2009-04-19T03:26:00.002+08:00

It's been awhile since I caught a musical, and even longer since I caught a good one that would etch itself deep in my memories. Today, however, I saw the reason that CATS has been on Broadway for such a long time, and is still drawing and aweing crowds today.

Stepping into the Esplanade Theatre with R, we were greeted by a beautiful, elaborate stage, magnificent lights and props all pieced together in a fine masterpiece. Just looking at it, I knew that the musical had to be good, and it didn't disappoint. The dancing, the singing, the acrobatics, were absolutely amazing!

If you haven't watched it, or don't have plans to watch it, I can tell you that you're seriously missing out! Get your tickets before it's too late!

Mmmm.

2009-04-06T11:02:00.003+08:00

OK I realised that my blog is starting to stagnate once more, but that's mainly cos nothing much has been happening in my life also. LOL other than the usual family meetups and occasional Wala Wala session, life has been pretty smooth sailing.

Yesterday I had my first real experience of driving on the roads thanks to Haz. Aahaahaha a little clunky and scary at first, but I think after awhile I got the hang of it. Now I just gotta work on parking.. Hehe.

In the meantime, Lina introduced me to yet another symphonic metal band that I kind of immediately took on to. Xandria, a German metal band, complete with a female vocalist. Not as powerful a voice as Nightwish, but I think she pulls it off very well!

the pwnagerator continues pwning

2009-03-28T10:22:00.000+08:00

YES! I GOT MY DRIVING LICENCE!

Alive once more!

2009-03-22T12:44:00.002+08:00

Last night was my first jam session in a relatively long time, and although there were last minute problems like having to source for a bassist in less than a week, and having even less time to relearn the songs, I think it turned out really good! Metallizing normal songs and impromptu stuff were the highlights of the day, with me ending up singing Smoke on the Water and Enter Sandman, making a real joke out of myself. AAHAHHAHA real fun jam session.

Anyway here's a little snip of me making a fool of myself.. lol

Any Means Necessary!

2009-02-25T03:03:00.002+08:00

Lately I've been spending so much time trying to form up my band, thinking of ways to make it big, doing mainstream and crowd-pleasing stuff to ensure survivability, that I think I kind of lost touch with myself in the process. I didn't realise this until one fine day, a good friend, whom I also jammed with quite a bit, whom I even taught guitar to, sent me a message about the latest album from Hammerfall.

It had been some time since I listened to metal, and I decided to just give it a listen, and as miraculously as the flowers popping out of the desert after a storm, I suddenly felt alive again! I usually would take some time to get the hang of the mainstream crap that we had been doing, but it was different for this little return to metal. I feel alive when I play the music I love, and it is the very reason I even play.

I think I've found the way, and while it may not be pleasing to most ears, at least I'm playing what I truly want to play! Make no mistake, I'll still do that mainstream shit, but nothing makes me get into the music more than metal!

And so, I bring you:

Any Means Necessary by Hammerfall!!

it don't beat the way it used to.

2009-02-19T03:07:00.003+08:00

I've come to realise that I am uncannily bad at keeping my attention on multiple things at once. If I'm really preoccupied with something, the rest of my world could be sinking around me and I wouldn't know, which is why I've been occupying myself with my new band recently, kind of like putting a natural setback to good use. Not only that, penning down new ideas and thoughts for those elusive tunes in my head takes up quite a bit of time as well. As much as I tell myself to move though, I can't help but make that little detour when heading to the office, with the tiny little hope that maybe some day, something might happen. I find myself holding my breath as I come round the corner, but it's just a strange feeling, kind of like yearning for something, but at the same time just dreading it all.

Well at least I can more or less say that I came out of this slightly changed. Culled a number of bad habits, took on a few new but harmless ones, but all in all, I think I came out better, just missing something.

I guess it's time to forget.

More listlessness.

2009-02-06T03:16:00.004+08:00

Things have been pretty uneventful lately. Work has been the same old same old, and now that I literally have to drag myself to work everyday cos there's hardly anything to look forward to anymore, I think I've seen better days.

The days shortly after CNY were a mix of dilemma, uncertainty, and confusion. Had some trouble with a little gift that I had acquired for someone important. Problem is there was a chance this gift might have bounced back in the following days after that, and I was on the verge of taking it back just to cause less of a headache to everyone, but at the same time I wouldn't have felt very good about it. Now that the issue has seemingly been settled, I still feel bad for having my way. And no, I don't ask for anything in return.

My Grassroots stratocaster arrived yesterday. First time playing on a scalloped fretboard, and although it's like playing on the edges of 6 knives, I'm actually starting to like it. Sounds quite good on overdrive as well.

Random: Fierce loyalty may be one of my strong points, but it may very well also be my downfall.

Now what?

Rocking out on CNY!

2009-01-28T02:11:00.002+08:00

Today was absolute fun! Instead of the usual visiting and stuff during Chinese New Year, this year it was a little different cos both my parents went back to Malaysia to visit, leaving me and my brothers to fend for ourselves back home. So I got some friends over for a Rock Band and Guitar Hero party, and we sure as hell rocked the house down!

Neil was the first to arrive shortly after 1PM, and that's when it all started. 9 hours of crazy screaming and singing till late! Also celebrated Renee's birthday with a delightful strawberry shortcake which proved to be much of a challenge to get because of the long weekend and public holiday. Well at least now I know where I can get a good cake, be it a working day or not.

There may not have been any red packets from visiting this year, but I sure had a blast today! Pics pics pics:

Rock Stars in the making!

Rocker chick Zee on vocals

Fion decided to join in the fun with her microphone-tambourine

Fion and one of her lucky cushions.

Renee's Birthday Strawberry Shortcake

Leonard, the birthday girl, and myself

A "family portrait" to wrap it all up!

WWJD - What Would Jit Do?

2009-01-25T21:00:00.004+08:00

Everything.

I Want My Life Back

2009-01-21T12:54:00.002+08:00

So R's finally left Citi for good, joining a financial institution that, I would say, makes life as easy for them as possible, and also at least gives them a nice office to work in. Tiffany and Elise, on the other hand, have decided to stay on thanks to the amazing pay figure that they would be drawing, despite the shitty work which I have less and less of a tolerance for nowadays.

Met up with R yesterday with a sunflower for lunch and waffles at Gelare, and had a good listen about her extremely hairy boss who is supposedly gay as well. LOL. Well, even if I don't get to see her in the office anymore, at least we can still do lunch.

Chinese New Year's coming up soon, and once again, I'm not returning home to my grandparents' place. I like going back, but sometimes this whole shift work thing makes life real difficult. Once I get my licence, I'm definitely converting to the day team. Shift work is just burning my life away. Maybe then, I'll be able to get my life back on track and start making things happen.

Goodbyes

2009-01-14T01:18:00.005+08:00

A little more than 24 hours ago, I came to know of something which made a bit of my psychedelic sky crash down to the ground. The little superhero girl is finally leaving Citi, taking up an offer with another financial institution. While I am extremely happy for her, I couldn't help but think about how fun the office was with her around, and how much I would look forward to work on weekends cos that's when I would see her. Come this weekend, that won't be happening anymore.

One by one, the temp staff are all leaving, with only Elise staying behind to take up the offer with Citi.. Sooner or later it would be my turn as well, and though that day would mean the start of my return back to the design life, I kind of dread having to say my goodbyes to the friends I have grown close to.

Dearest R: I thank God that we crossed paths for you have opened my eyes to so many things, and I wish you well in your new job.. Take care, and we'll catch up during those Balaclava, Timbre, or Wala nights!

Revelations

2009-01-13T13:36:00.002+08:00

I have this friend. I've known him for many many years now, and people think we're close. Well ok, close enough to be enemies cos I don't keep friends this close. Throughout the many years I have known this person, I noticed that he would never think twice about putting down a friend, myself included, just to make himself feel better, or look better in front of others. Not only that, I have never met someone so emo, so indecisive, and so obsessed with his own little hobby that he would use friends to help him in it. He also seems to have a severe need for attention from anyone around him, and, as expected, puts people down just to get it. I could easily bring this person to his knees, but all this while I've been sparing a thought for his immensely huge ego and pride, which seems to be bigger than the universe itself.

Just the other day though, I stumbled on a friend's blog entry which seemed to be bitching about someone, and after much coaxing, I realised that she was bitching about the very same person. Then yesterday, another friend was bitching about how this person was putting her down in front of everyone that day, and how much he disgusts her. To think that I had the impression these few people were all good friends with him as well.. LOL. Well they did think the same of me.

Anyway, enough is enough. The next time I get a remark in my direction, something painful is going to be hurled back, and severing a friendship of so many years with a "friend" like this means nothing to me. Because you keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Close enough to put them six feet under.

The Ting Tings!

2009-01-09T13:33:00.002+08:00

Damn, The Ting Tings are coming to town! To go or not to go!!

Random.

2009-01-08T02:48:00.002+08:00

R lost her wallet today, and while I was there getting flustered about the potential consequences, she was talking about shopping and looking for a blazer.. LOL she never ceases to amaze me.

Good thing though, that she remembered exactly where it was and got it back later.. =)

Double Scoop and Double Movie Tuesday!

2009-01-07T00:45:00.003+08:00

Finally, after a very very long time, I made it to Gelare's waffle Tuesday for that double scoop waffle, reason behind the delay being that everytime I'm free, others are not free, or when they're free, I'm just not free. Hit PS' Gelare for the waffles with R, after which we caught College for quite a few laughs in the theatre.

We also finally decided to visit Da Paolo's Pizza Bar at Holland Village, having KIVed that place for quite some time now. Tucked away in a nice quiet alley just across from Holland Village, the dim lights were reminiscent of Halia, and here I was with the very same special person, at a place that we had both been wanting to visit. The pizzas were ok, nothing really special or out of the ordinary, but nice.. My cocktail though, was atrocious. I knew nothing good could ever come out of coconut creme in a drink, but my curiosity got the better of me.. LOL. The strange concoction tasted like cough syrup, and I never finished it. Halfway through the dinner, R suggested we catch another movie, back at Cathay again. It wasn't long before our phones were out checking out movie timings, and the call went out to R's sister to help us place the booking for Ip Man cos Mr Nokia N95 8GB's web browser, in all its glory, wasn't powerful enough to show the damned theatre seats..

I can count the number of non-English movies that I have ever watched in a cinema in one hand, and Ip Man has just been added to the number. I've always been awed by all these Chinese martial arts stuff, and although I can't validate the accuracy of the moves, it was quite a good show I must say..

With all that, I think it was a good half day well-spent! The dilemma though, is still hovering around my head with that burning question that I thought I had answered not too long ago. Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

2009-01-05T02:41:00.001+08:00

If I lay here,
If I just lay here,
Would you lie with me,
And just forget the world?

you electrify my life.

2008-12-30T20:12:00.004+08:00

So here we are, hitting the end of 2008 very soon, which very much means the end of my long leave as well. The feeling of going back to work sucks, but at the same time, seeing everyone again isn't that bad at all.

Had another day out with R yesterday. It was initially supposed to be Guitar Hero World Tour day with the colleagues at my place, but my Xbox decided to give way just a couple of days before. Since that one didn't go through, we decided to just hit the malls for some crazy post-Christmas sale shopping and a movie.

After hearing R's constant ravings about the boots at Zara which she really wanted, I was concocting a plan to pick them up before she could and pass them to her, which ended up with me meeting Samson's bro, who just so happens to work at that very same branch! Met up with the nice chap in the early afternoon, picked up the boots feeling all red-faced at the counter cos of the choice of item, and spent the rest of the time shopping and having a coffee. R finally arrived shortly after 4pm, and it was almost comical how she was happily screaming away with her half-broken voice when she saw them. I think the people around were wondering what the hell was going on though.. LOL.

After that was more shopping, only this time with R, but we ended up not getting anything cos all that was left from the sale either didn't fit or wasn't much of a looker. Dinner at Waraku was next, and oh boy, that's the last time I'm ever having anything more than one of their set meals. After being defeated by the Maggie Goreng Pattaya the previous day, I thought I wouldn't be coming across a situation like that again, but whoa the Tempura was just too much.. Caught Bedtime Stories with an extremely bloated stomach after that.. Great movie full of laughs and crazy stuff! And of course, how could we forget a dose of TCC after such a long time!

Putting a smile on someone's face has never been so fulfilling before, and although we had to get the boots swapped for one size bigger in the end, haha at least we still got the boots.. LOL.

Wrapping Up Christmas

2008-12-26T01:02:00.004+08:00

Woohoo this year's Christmas couldn't get any better! Although it was a long and tedious process, organising the whole Citiphone Christmas Lunch turned out to be quite fruitful after all, with almost everyone turning up for a great buffet lunch at the Conrad. The international buffet there is fantastic, I must say. Loads of crayfish and prawns were the main highlight on my plates for the entire afternoon.. LOL.

Anyway, as if that wasn't enough, went down to Harry's after that and spent the afternoon chatting away with some good pals from the office over multiple mugs of beer, cocktails, and mocktails. Then it was off to Wala Wala, where we spent the night being fascinated by Fion's strange hamster-like lumps on the side of her cheeks everytime she smiled. Very intriguing indeed..

Well anyway, the next day, which would have been yesterday, the eve of Christmas, I made a trip down to Swee Lee and finally picked up that Boss GT-10! I totally love what I'm hearing so far, and the possibilities seem endless! It's like having a whole chain of pedals without all that hassle of wires, power supplies, daisy chains etc etc. And then, it was Wala Wala AGAIN, but this time it was for the Unxpected Christmas, and it was Asri dbassbitch's last day with the band. For those not in the know, The Unxpected perform at Wala Wala every Thursday and Saturday, and they sure kick some ass! Great headbanging hits came out one after the other, with strange renditions of Christmas songs after midnight as well.

And as if that still wasn't enough, I'll be back at Wala again on saturday, this time to celebrate Neil's birthday. LOL that's gonna be something worth seeing... Muaahhaahahah!!

Claryse and me!

Renee, me, and Rikka.

Fion and me!

LOL WTF.

WTF WTF WTF! LOL.

Wala ramblings

2008-12-21T03:26:00.002+08:00

Just got home from another happening night at Wala.. No matter how many times I visit the place, there's always something new and exciting happening. LOL today's eyesore of the day was this dude who was supposed to be getting married within the week, so he was there celebrating his last week of "bachelorhood". Needless to say, Shirlyn got him up on stage to dance to Queen's I Want To Break Free, and he started running his own stripshow. An eyesore, but it was funny as hell nonetheless.

Christmas is coming up by the way, and I'm yet to get that gift I'm supposed to be passing to my gift exchange partner at Christmas lunch this year.. It's not a difficult one, in fact it's very clearly stated what she wants.. Just a matter of getting off my lazy ass to pick it up in the coming days.

I Just Want You.

2008-12-18T15:21:00.004+08:00

Ozzy Osbourne - I Just Want You

There are no unlockable doors
There are no unwinnable wars
There are no unrightable wrongs
Or unsignable songs

There are no unbeatable odds
There are no believable gods
There are no unnameable names
Shall I say it again, yeah

There are no impossible dreams
There are no invisible seams
Each night when the day is through
I don't ask much
I just want you

I just want you

There are no uncriminal crimes
There are no unrhymable rhymes
There are no identical twins
Or forgivable sins

There are no incurable ills
There are no unkillable thrills
One thing and you know it's true,
I don't ask much
I just want you

I just want you
I just want you
I just want you

I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired
I used to go to bed so high and wired, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I think I'll buy myself some plastic water
I guess I should have married Lennon's daughter, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

There are no unachievable goals
There are no unsaveable souls
No legitimate kings or queens,
Do you know what I mean, yeah

There are no indisputable truths
And there ain't no fountain of youth
Each night when the day is through,
I don't ask much

I just want you.

facing up.

2008-12-16T19:59:00.002+08:00

Sometimes I think it might be better to wake up from this nightmare that is torturing me everyday, but at the same time I'm also enjoying every single minute of it. I want to take a step out the door into that whole new world, but I keep stopping myself from opening it simply because I refuse to let go of something that I cannot see, at least until now, I think.

There can never be another one that amazes me this way. There can be others that amaze me just as much, but never in the same way, and I am thankful that we crossed paths. That very fact keeps me from walking away, but it's just a matter of time, and that time is now.

Glasses glasses.

2008-12-15T02:10:00.002+08:00

So now that we're coming to the end of the year, I suddenly realised that I had not utilised my flexi-dollars which the company grants to us for use on miscellaneous stuff like insurance, prescription optics etc etc. Seeing that I had about $397 in my account to use, I proceeded down to the optical store to shop for those Ray Bans that I had always been wanting to get. And since it was Christmas season, everything was on sale! Now I'm a happy camper with 2 new pairs of Ray Bans, and they're all paid for by the company!

While we're on the topic of glasses, caught Bolt in 3D today with R. One of the better animated films I've seen recently I must say, and the 3D glasses really made the film stand out. We, however, looked totally silly in them. LOL.

chasing shadows

2008-12-02T01:52:00.003+08:00

In my efforts to make sure this blog does not stagnate once more like what I used to do, I thought it might be time for an update..

The past week or so has more or less been slow moving, with R and others falling sick and nearly losing their voices at work. Honey has never been more of a staple at work. Then there's the problem of moving into a brand new month as well, which means its open season for those god-damned people to call and ask for a waiver of this, waiver of that. Seriously, Singaporeans can never be happy with what they have. Somehow they must always have what that person has, must have the latest piece of shit on the shelf, must do what that person's doing, must follow the crowd even though it could just be leading to another suicide bomber (which I really wouldn't mind sometimes..)

Well anyway, yeah. A friend told me the other day how she admired my courage and perseverance in the recent developments. I'm not sure about that though.. Surely there has to be a time to relent and leave things the way it is, but I just can't bring myself to do it. I think I might have lost myself in the process. Gotta find the way back and set things straight..

Cakes, beer, and lots of fun.

2008-11-23T04:23:00.007+08:00

Today was an absolutely fun-filled, not to mention enjoyable day. Started it off meeting R for cakes and cocktail at Hyatt's Mezza9, where we almost couldn't decide on our choices. The strawberry shortcake and strawberry cheesecake were a must of course, on top of that there was the green tea opera and chocolate mud. Had this amazing frozen strawberry daiquiri as well while R had her latte.

After Mezza9, we were off to Wala Wala at Holland V, and that's where the fun really started. A pity that R had to leave a little early cos of her interview the next day. The friends started to show up one by one, and the band started to play hit after hit. If Wala was like this every saturday, I wouldn't mind spending my nights there every weekend! All in all, great fun and lots of laughter and sick jokes, kind of reminds me of the twisted conversations me and theFamily have most of the time.. LOL.

My Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri

=D =D

Me with my Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri

Our selection for the night: Green Tea Opera, Strawberry Cheesecake, Strawberry Shortcake, and Chocolate Mud. Not to mention her Latte and that Strawberry Daiquiri.

@ Wala Wala: Zach, Neil and myself.

The ladies: Pauline, Michelle with her new braces, Charlete and Penny.

Together now!

Doreen and me.

Michelle and me.

people to hurt, decisions to make.

2008-11-19T01:44:00.003+08:00

I like it when I have choices. It gives me the feeling that at least I have some control over certain issues that need to be decided on, and that there is some flexibility to it.

The problem now is that the time has come to make some decisions again, and this time having choices isn't exactly the most pleasant of things, cos making a decision on any of those would mean letting the others down. I could stand and wait at the crossroads just to see what happens, but sooner or later I've gotta walk down one of its paths, and abandon the rest. Either that or I could just turn around and walk back where I came from, which essentially would still be a display of how much of a bastard I can be.

Damn it.

Strawberry Indulgence

2008-11-16T23:03:00.005+08:00

Finally hit mezza9 at the Hyatt Hotel today to try out that strawberry shortcake that some people are talking so much about. Strangely, considering that the place is housed within a hotel like the Hyatt, the cakes were going surprisingly cheap! The strawberry shortcake was going for $4.50 compared to Bakerzin's $6+. Overall, it was quite a good experience. We had tiramisu, strawberry shortcake, strawberry cheesecake, and blackforest. The tiramisu was nothing much to shout about though, in fact it was almost tasteless. The strawberry shortcake was topped with rolls of white chocolate and blueberries, which went really well with the rest of it. The strawberry cheesecake was just plain awesome. Loads of strawberries on top of a thick mass of cheese. Great stuff. The blackforest was ok, nothing out of the ordinary.

From left: Tiramisu, Strawberry Shortcake, Strawberry Cheesecake, and Blackforest Cake.

After that it was more shopping again, and this time I decided to return to the tailor at Far East Plaza who had made my first suit about 2 years ago to check out his selection. Surprisingly, he remembered me! Haha he was asking where theHaz was as well cos he remembered we both had our suits done up there 2 years ago. Turns out that he had quite a fine selection of fabrics there, and I couldn't help but get some shirts done up. I'm beginning to feel the need for a bigger wardrobe now..

Quantum of Solace was up next. People were right. It's mostly action now, and the whole espionage thing is totally gone. It was still quite a show though.

Shopping and more shopping

2008-11-16T00:39:00.002+08:00

It's amazing how the ladies do it.

I was out of the house as early as 10am this morning, and having just finished the night shift the night before, I definitely had zero chance of catching some shut eye. We were supposed to attend this talk on animation technology, in our hopes of gaining some insight on what might be useful for the soft squids, but due to a royal screw up by a lounge attendant and his manager, we ended up missing the entire thing at the Picturehouse. Not wanting to waste the fact that we were already there, Haz, his bun and me decided to catch Madagascar 2, which didn't turn out so bad after all. Had quite a few laughs in there, and I actually didn't doze off during the show!

After that it was just shopping madness. From Centrepoint to Ngee Ann City to Wisma Atria to Paragon to Heeren to Cineleisure, we spent the entire day walking and walking and walking, shopping for stuff. Hey I'm not complaining that I get to go out shopping, but whoa damn is it tiring. So here I am now at home nursing two sore ankles, and I'll be out there again tomorrow afternoon, repeating the process once more, just at different locations. LOL.

The Number 3 and The Rose

2008-11-13T00:57:00.003+08:00

Something really strange happened today. I was walking to work, passing through the corridors of the SMRT building at City Hall when this dude stopped me. I thought he might have been asking for directions or something at first. He subsequently introduced himself and said he was from India, and start rambling on about how he could tell by looking at my forehead, what kind of person I am. All the time that he was talking to me about my character, he never looked me in the eye, but was looking at my forehead. I didn't really listen much, but I did remember him saying that if there's one thing that's bad about me, it's how brutally frank and honest I can be, if I'm for example, sitting at a table talking with a bunch of friends.

So he goes on and asks me if I know about astrology and the stars, and I said I've heard of it. Then shit started to get real weird from there. He took out a notepad, wrote something on a paper, crushed it and asked me to hold it in my hand. He then asked me to tell him a number from 1 to 5. I picked 3. He then asked me what my favourite flower is, and I've always liked roses, so I told him that. He then asked me to unwrap the piece of paper I was holding.

"3. Rose."

I was like WHOA WTF. He then told me that this coming year, I'll have 3 opportunities or instances of very good luck, or something good will happen, and that business will be good. After that, he shook my hand, and he walked off.

This was just weird, but I more than welcome that little fortune he predicted for me, for I sure could do with some of that good fortune right about now. Heh simply amazing.

random thoughts

2008-11-12T02:07:00.004+08:00

Okay so that trip to mezza9 didn't happen due to some last minute unforeseen circumstances, but I'll get down to hitting the place soon anyway..

I've been feeling kind of aimless recently. Maybe not aimless, but fickle. Not to say that I'm not fickle-minded most of the time, but while I usually dedicate most of my time to one single thing that I'm the least bit interested in, I'm beginning to find that attention being quite divided recently. The worst thing is that the amount of effort being put in isn't being divided, resulting in tired days and bad mornings.

Ok you people probably don't know what I'm rambling on about here, but that's the whole point. You don't have to know cos that would mean knowing one of my dark little secrets. LOL.

In the meantime, random thought for the day:
I hate it when people are late. If you have a good reason to be late, like maybe if the bus broke down, you had to run a REALLY important errand etc, it's fine. It utterly disgusts me though, when arrangements are made and I arrive on the dot, only to call and find out that you're not out yet. It's even worse if you lie about where you are, because it's not that hard to tell a liar over the phone. The least that could be done would be to at least inform me, but even that has a limit to it. There's only so long that I can wait.

So a message to all those who have done it before, or intend to do it. I will hate you like you're the only person to hate in this world if you're fuck late for no good reason, at least for that period of time that I'm kept waiting, and a short period of time after you show up.

boring thursday updates

2008-11-06T16:02:00.004+08:00

Okay so I'm on night shift for tonight and tomorrow, and I can't for the life of me put myself to sleep. Going to hit Hyatt Hotel's mezza9 later for some of that strawberry shortcake that some people claim to be better than Bakerzin's. Only one way to find out!

Anyway, I was bored enough to do something like this.. LOL

new suit and newly weds

2008-11-03T09:58:00.002+08:00

Yesterday was Kelly's wedding at the Park Royal at Beach Road, and it was nice to see her all dressed up in her best for her big day. Like all wedding banquets held like this though, I always thought of it as a pretentious facade with zero interaction. Throughout the dinner, you get to see the bride and groom for a grand number of about five times, all for no longer than 2 minutes each.

1. When you first arrive, they'll be there to greet you.
2. When they walk down the red carpet into the ballroom before dinner commences.
3. When they walk back in again for the champagne ceremony.
4. When they come round to your table to take a photo.
5. When you leave. (This could be excluded for some other guests, cos we actually went to look for her before leaving.)

If I had to host a wedding dinner for a bunch of friends, I'd make sure it was unorthodox and a lot more personal.

On other notes, the new suit arrived that day, and of course I wore it to the dinner! Really great work, no wonder everyone's always praising this tailor. Who says you have to spend $3000+ just to get a stunning Hugo Boss suit? Just hit the tailor! Especially this one, cos I told him I was eyeing the Hugo Boss 2008 collection, and he took a magazine out which had the exact suit I wanted. All he had to do was follow. LOL.

satisfaction.

2008-10-29T10:55:00.002+08:00

So R stumbled on the prezzie that day at work (yeah at that size, it's a bit hard to miss it), and while everyone thought it was a cake, of course she knew what it was about cos of the shop name printed on the top. She didn't find out what was inside till much later though, apparently because she couldn't bear to untie the ribbon as it was too adorable? LOL. Well it was opened in the end anyway, and I was utterly delighted that she totally digs the whole package.

Dearest R, receiving that gift may have made your day, but just knowing that you like it and all that effort didn't go down the drain, totally makes mine! =D

Mr Silent Ninja

2008-10-26T02:46:00.006+08:00

Remembering that R was saying that her burner had been given to her dear sister some time ago, and that the Harnn candle was quickly dying out, a quick visit to The Naturalist seemed to be in order. The very same guy who attended to us the last time was there again, and he gladly shared his vast and extensive knowledge on the different recommendations of essential oils, and their therapeutic effects. After a long and careful consideration of what might work out best, I was out of the store with a burner and two custom-blended concoctions. They even gave me their in-house box to put together the entire package. Really cool stuff.

Picked up more silver ribbons from Prints and spent half of the night figuring out the best way to wrap it, before I decided to do away with the wrapping paper and just put that box design to good use. I mean, you don't want to put someone through so much suspense just unwrapping something right?

And so Mr secret santa decided to be the silent ninja once more, but it was so much more difficult this time cos the package was so huge. Difficult to keep the people from wondering what I was doing with this bag in my hand with a box in it. LOL. But I got it done anyway with my over-the-top stealth and infiltration skills. I hope the scents work out for you R, heh even if they don't, I hope you like the burner!

ramble ramble ramble

2008-10-24T00:52:00.002+08:00

Waking up at 6.45am in the morning isn't exactly something that I fancy doing. Been doing that for the past 2 days just to attend my driving lessons in the morning and I feel extremely drained already. Tomorrow, or should I say, later in the morning would be my next lesson, and according to the instructor, I'd be hitting the public road so that we can get started on that 3rd gear. 3 days into the beginning of my lessons and I'm on the road. There's this naggy, nervous feeling about it, but at the same time I can't wait!

Today's lesson was all about low speed control and extremely tight right angle turns. Half clutch, half clutch. Finding the biting point on the clutch was a major bummer at first, but after awhile I more or less got used to it. Just gotta make sure I don't forget it tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, gotta hit the tailor for my suit's fitting. Urgh. Gonna be a long tiring day, but at least the rainbow's starting to come out once more in my world. Made a call today to find out that secret santa's sick again. I guess studying too hard sometimes can get the better of you.

So let's go.

Moving along

2008-10-22T10:36:00.003+08:00

Today was my very first practical lesson at BBDC, and it more or less kicked off to a good start. I could count the number of times I had to move forward, brake, reverse, brake in one hand before the instructor decided I was better off moving around the circuit rather than wasting time going back and forth.. Heh I guess some knowledge and experience does help a little. Now I just gotta find that sweet spot on the clutch..

Life has been coming along nicely, and things are returning back to normal. Busying myself with my own stuff helps to keep the mind off things, so does retail therapy. Retail therapy though, is extremely bad for the wallet. In a course of 2 months, I have ended up with 3 shirts and 1 pair of cufflinks from Raoul, some shirts from Zara, some shirts from Topman. Looking sharp is one thing, but whoa, it comes at a price.. LOL.

Try as I might to listen, I'm beginning to find it difficult to keep things the way it is. Going against my own will is the worst thing that I could ever do, but sometimes it might be for the better. Or is it? Time to get it on, so let's go.

Bryan Adams - The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You

I don't look good in no Armani Suits
No Gucci shoes or designer boots
I've tried the latest lines from A to Z
But there's just one thing that looks good on me

The only thing I want
The only thing I need
The only thing I choose
The only thing that looks good on me...is you

I'm not satisfied with Versace style
Put those patent leather pants in the circular file
Sometimes I think I might be lookin' good
But there's only one thing that fits me like it should

The only thing I want
The only thing I need
The only thing I choose
The only thing that looks good on me...is you

Yeah it's you - it could only be you
Nobody else will ever do
Yeah baby it's you - that I stick to
Yeah we stick like glue

The only thing I want
The only thing I need
The only thing I choose
The only thing that looks good on me... is you

setbacks, achievements.

2008-10-18T02:55:00.002+08:00

Getting through a major hiccup in life can sometimes take a lot of wind out of a person. The sky came crashing down recently, and it happened so quickly that all I could do was let it happen and pick up the pieces. Rebuilding it is a slow and painful process, and like all things that shatter, you can piece them back together but things will never really be the same, as it will always be more fragile than before. This is where though, that you become more delicate towards it and treat it with more care and concern so as not to let it happen again. I'm still learning the best ways to get it all glued together, and sometimes those lessons can come quite harshly, but nevertheless I'll get it done in the end.

On other notes, I'm more or less a third of the way to finally getting that damned driving licence. Passed my basic theory test that day, and had my provisional driving licence done up. Now I just gotta get myself through those practicals and final theory test, before I hit the traffic police driving test which would be a few months later, then I'll finally be on the road!

wrecked

2008-10-11T17:43:00.004+08:00

Lately I've been trying to keep myself busy just to keep my mind off things, but no one ever said it would be easy. Every moment that my mind has the chance to idle, the memories start coming back and I get that wrenching feeling in my chest again. Thinking of the merry times helps a little, but only serves to amplify the fact that I may never have the chance to enjoy them again, although that is probably why they will always be special to me.

Confusion reigns supreme now, and I'm suddenly stuck in the dark again. I thought that maybe learning a couple of new acoustic songs to jam with my buddy at work might help, but somehow I ended up with all the songs that only serve to make me feel worse.. I always feel like I want to talk to someone about things, but at the same time I want to forget it all. I want to distance myself for this period of time to give us some space to breathe and hopefully forget, but I can't stop thinking of her, and find myself repeatedly reaching for the phone, only to find that I don't know what to say. I pretend like everything is fine at work, but I've been feeling terrible since the day.

Today I decided to pick up my Fender Strat and hit some notes for Bon Jovi's I'll Be There For You, but suddenly, for the first time in countless years, the tears came out and I never finished the song. Damn it I need to get through this quickly, but will I allow myself to?

I guess this time you're really leaving
I heard your suitcase say goodbye
And as my broken heart lies bleeding
You say true love it's suicide

You say you'd cry a thousand rivers
And now you're swimming for the shore
You left me drowning in my tears
And you won't save me anymore

Now I'm praying to God you'll give me one more chance, girl

I'll be there for you
These five words I swear to you
When you breathe I want to be the air for you
I'll be there for you
I'd live and I'd die for you
Steal the sun from the sky for you
Words can't say what love can do
I'll be there for you

I know you know we've had some good times
Now they have their own hiding place
I can't promise you tomorrow
But I can't buy back yesterday

Baby you know my hands are dirty
And I wanted to be your valentine
I'll be the water when you get thirsty, baby
When you get drunk, I'll be the wine

I'll be there for you
These five words I swear to you
When you breathe I want to be the air for you
I'll be there for you
I'd live and I'd die for you
Steal the sun from the sky for you
Words can't say what love can do
I'll be there for you

I wasn't there when you were happy
I wasn't there when you were down
I didn't mean to miss your birthday, baby
I wish I'd seen you blow those candles out

I'll be there for you
These five words I swear to you
When you breathe I want to be the air for you
I'll be there for you
I'd live and I'd die for you
Steal the sun from the sky for you
Words can't say what love can do
I'll be there for you

words

2008-10-10T03:56:00.003+08:00

a lot of work needs to be done.
i won't be able to to last.
i'll run out of steam.
some things about me make me a bit of a bastard.
i'm not in the priority list.

the words keep ringing out in my head, and they hurt everytime they do.

wtf.

2008-10-08T02:35:00.003+08:00

If you sincerely want to help, you make sure that you're willing, and that you have the capacity to do it or at least try to do it, not just because you want to show that you want to and then run away when you can't. If you have something else to be caught up with and are not sincere, it shows up real easily, so don't f*cking come asking me if I need help or not. It makes things better that way.

But at least for now, I am extremely thankful that I have theFamily.

Defeat.

2008-10-07T14:15:00.003+08:00

I have never felt so defeated in my entire life.. Throughout my existence, failure has always been something that happens so very seldom, and even when it does happen, I come back round and make things right in the best way I can. It's only been slightly more than 24 hours, but so much has gone through my mind. Thoughts of joy, sadness, denial, disbelief. I want to escape from it all, but at the same time, running away is not something I like doing. I want to talk to someone about it, but I can't find the words to explain myself. My best buddy is definitely around to help, and is trying his very best, but I'm not sure if I'm up for what he is telling me. Each passing minute is another moment that I die once more all over again, and it gets more painful every time.

Where did I ever go wrong? What was it that I did not do? What was it that I did? What are my flaws that I must fix? Was it something I said? What must I do to show that I am truly willing to give my all because I see something wonderful in this? How do I show it?

Last night I found myself doing things that I have never done before. I have been listless at times, but last night, I somehow realised that I was standing at the door of my room, just looking out into the rest of my home, but I wasn't seeing anything. I don't even know how I ended up there. For once in my life, I was shivering in my bed, curled up at the corner with my quilt around myself. I felt like something important had escaped from me. The next thing I knew I was just taking slow walks around my house, staring into every single mirror that I crossed. At 2AM I walked up to the main door just to touch the door knob to make sure it was locked, which it surely was. I looked around the home that I had grown up in for the past 16 years of my life, and saw myself as a little boy running around it, not a single worry in the world, with so much to live for and two loving parents to take care of me. I remembered the first day I stepped into the house when we just moved in. White empty walls, just our sofa in the centre, our belongings in boxes next to the door.

And now here I am, sitting listlessly in front of my laptop again, staring at my phone, just wishing it would beep at least for another time. The storm outside's just ended, and the sun is showing itself once more. The cold is subsiding, the warmth from the sun's rays filling up my room. I only wish that I can get back on my feet as quickly as the storm disappeared, but I'm not moving on just yet. It's been an hour since I started writing this post, more thoughts have passed through my mind, and I don't even know what I want anymore. It's times like this I wish I could just numb myself to everything and be an empty shell of a person, unfeeling, lifeless, and indifferent.

Why... why... why... Lord if you have a masterplan for me, a penny for your thoughts please...

a cry for help.

2008-10-07T00:34:00.001+08:00

Lord, I could really do with some help and guidance now...

There was something in the air that night, the stars were bright..

2008-10-06T13:14:00.009+08:00

Words cannot even begin to describe what a day I had yesterday! Was meeting up with R to catch the ABBA Mania concert at Esplanade which we were so looking forward to, so there I was at Millenia Tower waiting for her to end work and she shows up, stunning as can be although she was handling a complaint just minutes before.

Sakae Sushi was up for dinner, with a whole assortment of salmon, chicken, fish, asparagus, rice, cha soba, and we were gladly filled with green tea as well. An interesting remark about the counter dude's hair came out while we were making payments.. LOL curly and standing and frizzy was it?

Esplanade was our next destination of course, and wow what a show! The audience needed a bit of coaxing at first to get off their butts and groove, but it wasn't long before the whole theatre was turned into a giant dance floor, mambo night style! We had a hell of a time with hits like SOS, Take A Chance On Me, Super Trouper, and of course, who could forget, Dancing Queen! Truly an unforgettable night not just because of the show which was good in its own right, but of course the amazing company stole the night.

So after all that was done, we started on our usual walks again, and found ourselves ending up at the Pump Room at Clarke Quay, cos Brewerkz was closed. The band Enigma was playing, and somehow, everything fell into place again cos they were playing old school retro songs, and so there we were again, a continuation of our own little mambo night. It was really strange though, every single song we reminisced about was played within the next 1 or 2 songs, which was a little eerie, but hell, it made things a whole lot more fun. So fun that we had to stay till the last set was done at about 2:45AM, after which we hit the road for home, and I got something off my chest.

Thank you so much for the really really enjoyable night. I would repeat it again and again if I had the chance. In the meantime, I will wait patiently, as long as I can hold out, for you mean so very much to me. So along the lines of ABBA's Take A Chance On Me, "If you change your mind, I'm the first in line!"

What happens if I fail?

2008-10-02T00:40:00.004+08:00

And so it's almost time for judgement to pass, and I feel as unprepared as ever. Call my intuition and interpretation bad, but I haven't been picking up anything, and when I do pick stuff up, I'm usually clueless about what it means, or if it means anything at all. The big day is almost here, and while I'm usually very sure about how things would turn out most of the time in my life (and that would be positively), I can safely say that I am yet again, clueless. We'll just see how it goes.

In the meantime, new cufflinks from Raoul have entered my wardrobe! No points for guessing the choice of design, but they look stunning on the sleeves, I must say.

Mr Shopaholic

2008-09-30T01:50:00.002+08:00

I think I have officially been hit by the shopping bug. Almost every other day, I find myself thinking of getting new stuff for myself, new stuff for the house, new stuff for my wardrobe, my room. This sort of lifestyle is unhealthy, at least for the wallet. Time to put a stop to all that. But after I get that Raoul shirt. LOL.

Just got a call from R, whom I was supposed to meet tomorrow for a day of fun at the toy museum and my well thought-out after-museum plans, informing that she had unfortunately sprained her ankle and wouldn't be able to make it. I foresee another listless stare-at-the-wall day tomorrow.. I think I'd better head out and keep my mind from being idle. Time for that long overdue haircut and also to pick up that shirt..

Race to the finish

2008-09-29T14:33:00.003+08:00

Last night was sure one hell of an action-packed one! As we all know, Singapore was hosting its first ever Formula 1 event, and the sound of screaming engines and smell of scorched rubber was none other than exhilarating. To add on to that, we even saw Renault ING's Fernando Alonso perform the feat of taking first place, a long stretch from his starting position of 15 in the grid, after his teammate wiped out in the 15th lap by kissing the wall. On top of that, Ferrari's Massa had to rip out his fuel line at the pits after which he was given a penalty, and Raikkonen wiped out just 4 laps before the chequered flag coming out from a turn too quickly. Our roads are narrow enough, and those concrete barriers don't make things any easier for a car taking a turn at over 100 - 200km/h. Anyway, captured a miserable little video with the N95, not that you guys can really see anything, but at least it gives you an idea how fast those buggers are going. LOL.

On other notes, was at Wala Wala the other night with the little superhero girl, Elise, Min and Juanmei. I totally forgot that the UnXpected were not playing that night, leading to a rude shock when I stepped into the bar to find it only half filled. The music, UnXpectedly (pun intended), was quite good though, and more so reinforced the fact that I had moved on from all that metal and hard hitting music that I was so accustomed to. And so we had pizza, wings, and some drinks, and some pictures before we ended the night. Buggers said the 1-for-1 offer was only for draft beers. Somehow though, I ended up an extra Vodka Sprite cos apparently it applied to those as well. Well not that I am complaining about a free drink, but in the first place it was supposed to be a Vodka Lime.. LOL I guess they heard me wrongly over the music, and there I was wondering how come my Vodka Lime tasted more like Sprite.

Less than a week more to ABBA Mania! And then it's time to get things done, cos I can't take the suspense anymore.

beep.

2008-09-27T03:01:00.002+08:00

Whenever my phone alerts me to an incoming message, be it in the form of a little vibration, or a deafening alert tone, my heart would start to beat faster, my level of alertness shoots up, and the sense of anticipation while waiting for the name to appear is enough to kill.

lol damn it.

1:29AM

2008-09-26T01:29:00.004+08:00

For those who know me well enough, you can probably figure out from the title of this post that I'm just in that listless stare-at-the-wall mood again with the occasional thought fluttering through my mind, an untouched cup of cold coffee on the table, and the guitars tucked away in their cases and bags. There is no song in my head now, and my feet aren't tapping to that distant tune that constantly plays in my mind. Hell, I'm even typing this in slow motion.

Now let's try to remember out loud what might have happened.

I was dressing myself up for work this morning, putting on my new favourite shirt from Raoul which I so dearly like. Heading on to the mirror, popped the contacts in, waxed up the hair, and there I was, ready to hit the road. It was then that I took a second look at myself in the mirror and realised something had changed. And no, it's not that I suspect that my reflection might be someone else in another dimension copying my every move, although it probably is. I realised that I had lost touch with myself, my objective, my goal. This wasn't the Jit that I had set out to be years ago. I wanted to make things move, I wanted to give life to inanimate objects, I wanted to amaze the people, I wanted to tell them a story. Looking at this image of myself, I wondered. Have I moved on to something else, or has the world moved on without me? Either way, I wasn't exactly where I really wanted to be. Sure the money's good, and would be getting better, but how long am I going to continue running? Is it about time I stopped to be still once more, and take a step in another seemingly greater direction?

I walked out of the house pondering, I got on the bus pondering, and walked into the office pondering. As I was putting on my tie, I pondered and pondered. As I went about my daily affairs in the office, I took my time and pondered even more, but I still don't have an answer. That wasn't the only thing that I was thinking about though. There was a more pressing issue at hand, one of which I shall not elaborate too much, but my best buddies would know anyway.

I remember some time ago, I threw out the burnt Cranberry bun in the oven and decided to start baking a new one, and this time it was Raspberry flavoured. In the process of doing up this new recipe, I learnt many things, got motivated to do the things I always wanted to do, got rid of some old and bad habits, changed some of my ways, and had myself humbled just marvelling at other things. The whole baking process was going extremely well in my eyes, and it didn't seem to be long before it would be done. In recent days though, I decided to check on it and realised that although I had turned up the heat, the bun was still frozen, and it looked like it might not even start cooking. It got me rethinking the whole recipe and where I had gone wrong, what I could do, and up till now, 1:29AM, I am still pondering the thought. How long more should I continue baking?

I could do with some answers right about now.

Mamma Mia!

2008-09-25T01:47:00.003+08:00

Met up with R after work to catch a movie today, and as the title suggests, it was Mamma Mia! Had mixed feelings about watching it at first cos of some really bad reviews, but it turned out to be quite a show after all. The songs just really got to me. Brought back memories of poly life when we were all listening to the likes of Engelbert Humperdinck, Carpenters, and ABBA. Good times, good times.

Hmmm.

new scents

2008-09-22T23:53:00.002+08:00

Went out to Vivocity for some shopping today, and decided to put that staff discount to good use.. Heh picked up a Lemongrass & Lavender aromatic candle at Harnn and Thann, which I lit up almost immediately on getting home. Wasn't long before Mom entered the room asking what that nice scent was.. =D

Well the aromatic candle wasn't the only new scent. Decided to scrap the Hugo Boss that I had been using for so long and look for a new fragrance. After much mucking around in the men's parfeum section, decided to settle for the Davidoff Cool Water: Game fragrance. Refreshing change!

And so I left Vivocity relatively satisfied with my new buys, and took the train down to Plaza Singapura for some additional shopping, this time for new tops. Alas, the shop didn't exactly have the sizes for the designs I wanted. It wasn't long before I left the place in my bus home, and stupid bus door had to refuse to close when we were like a stone's throw (a very strong person's throw lol) from my bus stop. Had to get off the bus, wait for the next one. Blah.

Anyway, I finally found the inspiration to play my guitar again, which is a good thing, considering how much I have invested in them. But I realised my musical direction has changed.. I'm playing the Eagles now.. LOL.

Slow Sundays and Strawberry Shortcakes

2008-09-21T23:58:00.002+08:00

Today has got to be the slowest day ever in the office. Slow, mainly because there was quite a lack of calls, (not that I'm complaining about that) and also cos I had nothing better to do other than sit there and stone. It's days like this that I wished I had brought my laptop or guitar to work.

On other notes, Elise bought Bakerzin Strawberry Shortcake for some of the colleagues in the office today, and I had the chance to have a bit of Renee's slice. Real good stuff I must say, heh seems a lot more presentable and tasty than the one at Cafe Beviamo too! Mmm time to visit Bakerzin more often and try the rest of their stuff.. Mmmm....

Listless

2008-09-20T10:58:00.002+08:00

Lately, I realised I have been neglecting some of the things that used to be a little more important in my life. Little indulgences like my good old Xbox and my guitars seem to have taken 2nd and 3rd place in the long list of things that Jit can be bothered about. Sometimes it's simply because I'm a little too preoccupied with something else and am enjoying the moment so much that I forget about them, but sometimes it's because I just can't seem to find the drive to play them.

This morning, I decided to pick up the Edwards superstrat, hoping to make up for some lost time with it. Sitting it down in that ever so familiar place on my lap, and with my pick at the ready, I realised something. The notes just wouldn't come out. Not that I had forgotten how to play the guitar.. I could make notes come out if I wanted to, but they weren't coming out like they used to. There was no feeling in them, and my mind was elsewhere. Every hit of the pick gave me crap. It wasn't long before I set my guitar back on its stand and began staring listlessly into the wall, anticipating that little beep which never comes when I want it to.

I sure could do with a nice chillout session with a coffee and good company now. But work's in the way AGAIN.

Time and Coded Paragraphs.

2008-09-19T01:36:00.003+08:00

Rumours, vicious or not, are still rumours, and although the past few days have more or less been quite uneventful, more vicious gossips are popping out once again in the office from none other than the Abominations of Gossip and the little minions. Suddenly I'm hearing "Woaahh Jit, wearing contact lenses ahh..", "Eh Jit, wear so nice today for what?", "Eh Jit, who is it ah?" everyday, and it kind of gets annoying, but who cares anyway. People can gossip and rumour all they want as long as it doesn't get in my way.

Ego aside, been checking out some choices for my first watch as well. Okay it isn't really my first watch, but at least it's my first decent watch. IWC is one of the top in my list, and so are Omega, Oris, and Panerai. Well not that I will be getting it anytime soon thanks to their hefty price tags, but I guess researching and checking out the market first isn't going to do much harm.

Now, speaking of time, it surely is running out for some of us. Some have assignments due, some are leaving the country, and for some, it's just a matter of time before that make-or-break. I'm particularly worried about due assignments.

Essentially though, I think what's important is to make the most of the time we have, and spend it in a way that you wouldn't regret. At least you save yourself the tortures of having to look back one day and just sighing.

Ending it all off, I must say that while I'm trying to live life to the fullest, sometimes circumstances don't seem to allow it. If only the answers were so much clearer.

Celine's farewell dinner at Nanjya Monjya, Grand Copthorne Waterfront

2008-09-16T15:49:00.014+08:00

Met up with Celine, Alfred, Neil, and the Little Superhero Girl last night at Grand Copthorne Waterfront for a nice farewell dinner at Nanjya Monjya, a seemingly authentic Japanese restaurant where you get to cook your own Okonomiyaki, which would more or less be the Japanese equivalent of pizza. I must say the place isn't exactly in the most accessible of locations, but Celine's leaving for London soon, so I guess giving some way wouldn't hurt that much.

The Little Superhero Girl turned up in a stunning number for the night, and we made our way to the Grand Copthorne from Orchard. I, being the extremely terrible multi-tasker, forgot to count the number of stops cos I was busy talking to her and had to rely on looking out for the bus crossing the river before knowing where to alight, but we still got down at the right stop anyway.

Stepping into the place, I realised that the people working there were actually Japanese! Well either that or their English was really really atrocious for a Singaporean.. Haha but the service was excellent nonetheless. It was interesting trying to cook the pizzas cos all this while I've only had people do it for me while I stood in front of them waiting for them to get it done, and I think we had our fair share of screw ups, but it all turned out fine in the end. The pizzas were actually quite good stuff, especially the scallop Monjyayaki which we had as the finisher, but somehow I couldn't taste the green tea in the Cha Soba.

After that was the Pump Room at Great World City as we were initially looking for an ice cream place which I had suggested earlier, but stupid me did not plan for which one to go to, and didn't have a contingency either. I felt like slapping myself for that, but anyway we decided on Liquid Kitchen, but realised Pump Room, which I actually prefer, was still open! Had a nice drink, some wedges, and chat with Little Superhero Girl who sneakily changed her name in my mobile to something else, which almost caused some panic when I tried looking for the name later on in the night when I was sending a text message but couldn't find it.

Quite a pleasant night in the end, had some good laughs over dinner and the drink. And ZITTLE Superhero Girl, you looked quite the stunner as always.. =)

Anyway some pics for the night, courtesy of Celine's facebook..

Neil was the MasterChef of the night.

Celine trying her hand at flipping the pizzas.

The other side of the table. Quite nicely taken!

Me and the Little Superhero Girl

I think they were all hungry..

Me and the Little Superhero Girl again with that seemingly tasteless Cha Soba.. LOL

And of course a group shot to end off the camwhoring while waiting for that Scallop Monjyayaki to cook.

why?

2008-09-14T23:50:00.001+08:00

Some time ago, a good pal told me about how he had come across problems in his relationship because of a conflict between the beliefs of those of his significant other's family, and his own. Yesterday, yet another close friend told me about how a blossoming relationship was faltering because of the very same issue. Now I may not be the best one to consult on this, and my opinion might not be the most correct, mainly because of the reason that I myself am not devoted to a single belief, but I always felt it wrong to let something so wonderful go to waste simply because I call my God by a different name from yours. Sure, in the end, one has to make way for the other, unless both parties decide to leave everything behind and move on to a more beautiful beginning, but sometimes I feel that looking too far ahead might not be the best thing to do in situations like this. And yes, you love someone, you naturally would not want to hurt his/her feelings in future when problems arise, but is making him/her feel miserable before anything has even started worth it?

Why can't everyone just get along?

rainy friday morning ramblings

2008-09-12T09:58:00.001+08:00

Hmm just got back from the driving centre about an hour ago.. Was there to do my Basic Theory Evaluation, which I passed, which means I am now cleared to take my Basic Theory Test on the 15th of October. Shouldn't be much of a problem, considering how easy Basic Theory is. After that, I'll be able to start booking my Final Theory Evaluation and Test, and at the same time start on those practicals. Can't wait to finally start driving!

The day before, secret santa was telling me about what a lousy day she had cos of school. and she was obviously very affected by it, no longer the usual, chirpy person that I was so familiar with. We chatted for awhile and at least had a few laughs, after which msn decided to screw up on everyone and I noticed the people on my list dropping like flies. So I decided to just check with secret santa yesterday to see if she was better, but found that she had finally fallen sick. And those assignments that are going to be due next week aren't exactly making things a whole lot better either.

I hope you get well soon.. We'll get those muffins when you're feeling better. =)

the stunner

2008-09-11T12:20:00.001+08:00

Yesterday was quite an eventful one.. Got up at like 7am to head out to the driving centre for the first of my basic theory practices.. which turned out to be quite easy. The evaluation's coming up on Friday, so I better make sure I'm prepared. Coming home, I thought that maybe I should catch some shuteye before getting up again to head to work, but I found myself sitting online just waiting for something to happen, so I decided to leave the house earlier than usual, drop by the optician and get those contact lenses that I had been procrastinating about.

Now the problem is that I had forgotten it was a wednesday, so I decided to suit myself up in one of my new bright white shirts to head off to work, fully decked out in office wear. It was only when I stepped into the office that I realised most of the people were in polo t-shirts. LOL damn it. But everyone was commenting on how the new short haired look without the glasses was quite the stunner, all except the jealous ones of course.

MUAAHAHAAA. You know who you are fools!

Some kind of magic

2008-09-10T00:16:00.001+08:00

And so I woke up to a dreadful day knowing that I had to return to the office for that session with the CEO, knowing that I was doomed to waste away a substantial part of my day doing nothing but sit on a chair and listen to stuff. It then crossed my mind that it might be a good idea to ask secret santa out to dinner as I would most likely have been done with the meeting by about 6-ish.

So the messages went out, the calls went out, the reservations went out, and the night turned out to be an unforgettable one.

Arrived at the place just in time to see secret santa reaching the main gate, and we proceeded to look for Halia at the Botanical Gardens. It turned out to be a gem of a place, a nice little restaurant amongst the trees and little lights, with tealights providing the perfect ambience for an outdoor dinner. The food was great, the place was perfect, and the company was magical. Had a great Teh Tarik Halia dessert and a nice little chat after that, but sadly secret santa already had other plans for the night.

The night was short, but it's something that I don't mind doing again. Glad you liked the dinner.. =)

PS: and Haz, really, thanks for being such a great help.. hehe

a night to remember

2008-09-09T03:47:00.001+08:00

The initial plan was to head down to City Hall to meet up with Neil for dinner while waiting for Celine and Alfred to be done with their own before we headed to the usual chillout spot at Clarke Quay's TCC, but somehow I just decided to beep someone else to come along. The replies came back informing of the slim chance of that ever happening, and so that was that.

Neil was as FOS as usual when I met him at Millenia Walk, but aren't we all.. LOL and so we decided to have dinner at the Funan IT Mall coffeeshop. Just as we sat down, none other than theHaz entered with the bun.. Haha surprise surprise! Turned out that the gang was meeting up after all, and that the coffeeshop was the meeting place. While Neil and me were supposed to head off to our own coffee gathering, I thought heck, why not just get the whole gang along since everyone knows each other. And so there it was, a nice big TCC gathering that turned out better than expected cos it wasn't just the 4 of us. I think most of us had a great time with the whole Batman and Joker interrogation crap.

Then just as I was brooding over the fact that my multiple attempts to call on my Secret Santa were appearing to fail big time, Secret Santa decided to grant a wish and appear out of nowhere!

=D =D =D

Sadly the gang was already preparing to leave cos most of them had to get up for work the next day, so it wasn't long before we got out of there. And since the night was still young and Secret Santa still had not gotten her dose of some TCC-lovin' yet, it was none other than the 24 hour one at Shaw House. Heh God bless the person who thought of a 24hr outlet. Had a nice drink and salad, chatted quite a bit, and I had my crash course in cursive handwriting as well. All in all a very pleasant night full of laughs, flying insults, pointless growling, and lots of fun.

And to my Secret Santa, thank you for the unexpected surprise, it really made my day! =)

Mr Secret Santa

2008-09-07T20:19:00.001+08:00

And so this morning I was woken up by a beep on my phone at 11.14am, with a very welcome message from a very welcome person. Apparently my efforts to be the secret silent ninja in my latest "leave-the-gift-and-disappear" operation had been in vain - instead I turned out to be the secret santa - as the gift I had planted could only have come from me thanks to the choice of artist for the CD. HAHAHA call me silly, but for some time it didn't strike me how obvious it would have been. In any case, I'm glad you liked the album, silver ribbons and all.. Knowing that alone makes my day. Hope you like what you hear! =)

technical difficulties

2008-09-06T02:22:00.001+08:00

Today I attempted to write a simple note in the best of my handwriting, but realised how much of a failure I am at it. HAHAHAHA I filled up at least 4 pages of A4 paper which used to be my DBS bank statement practising again and again till I got it right, and just when I decided to pen it down for good, all that practice just kind of escaped again. I decided to just heck it and write anyway, and I think it came out quite nice. LOL maybe I should have used a table instead of my laptop. I should seriously consider writing in cursive at work..

Anyway I hope you'll like it. =)

pwning the procrastination

2008-09-04T23:38:00.001+08:00

Today is officially a new historic day! I decided to get off my lazy procrastinating ass and finally enrol at the driving centre after years and years of dragging it along.. Haha what was it, 5 years?! So I've got my test date down.. BTT on the 15th of October, and I'm done with the 2 compulsory Basic Theory lessons. Next week will be one of the practices followed by evaluation 2 days later.. Gotta make sure I pass my evaluation or I can forget about taking that Basic Theory Test..

On other notes, we've decided to catch ABBA Mania at the Esplanade on 5th October! Now I just gotta go back to work to drop a P or leave on that date, after which I'll secure the tickets. Just hope that the tickets aren't sold out by tomorrow! Speaking of which, why the hell am I on the A2 shift tomorrow? Been awhile since I did A2 on a weekday. Well the good thing is that I'll have the chance to head out and buy those tix at the SISTIC counter downstairs.. Or I could just make a run down to Esplanade and get that Banyan Tree vaporiser at The Naturalist. About time I started doing up my room with at least some sincerity.. LOL

TCC - Tea, Curry, Cakes.

2008-09-04T01:26:00.001+08:00

In the latest of my food adventures, we decided to visit Curry Favor at Stamford House today, a place that I had seen quite a long time ago, but never bothered to step into till now. On first glance, one may think that the prices there would be a little steep, but I thought they were ok, with dishes not exceeding $15 for the lunch special. Serving size was just nice as well, but somehow I felt the dish I ordered was a little plain. Haha it was basically rice with my meat, and of course the curry, which I thought could have been placed on a heater to prevent it from caking up so fast. The curry was alright, less spicy than I thought (which started me thinking that maybe I should have chosen spicy instead of regular), but the lemon tea was next to tasteless.. LOL.

Next up was the hunt for the "tea house with Victorian furniture and cutlery" at Esplanade, but not before having quite the lesson on aromatherapy and plant effects from this very respectable dude selling essential oils at one of the stores there. Really interesting stuff I must say, and it's even got me considering getting a little burner just for my room.

After a bit of walking though, we realised that the "tea house" was none under than The Cookie Museum, where I had a taste of the 5 continents with my "Treasure of the 5 Continents" tea, and some really good Bailey's Irish Cream Liquer Cake. She had what they called the lady's favourite, which she thought it wasn't anyway, but I think it still had a unique taste to it.

She had to leave after that, so I thought some retail therapy might be good, and ended up really going out to search for those shirts I had been wanting to get for some time. I was in dire need of long sleeved shirts that I could wear without tucking them in, and of course they had to have that slim cutting or else I'd just look goofy walking around in a fat looking shirt. Finally found what I needed at both Zara and Topman, and ended up buying from both. Urgh.. talk about retail therapy.

And of course, what better way to end off the day than with a nice warm tea at TCC with theFamily.. Been some time since we met up, and there we were going through the usual motions again, sitting at the table talking about life, about growing up, how old we were getting, and our never-ending plans for a get-away. One day we should all just make up our minds and settle for something.. Hahaha but that would not make us theFamily would it?

quiet nights

2008-09-03T03:53:00.001+08:00

3:54am, and i'm still here just chilling in front of my trusty laptop, doing nothing but gazing into the night sky. i could do with a TCC Frosty Bailey right about now, but that would probably prevent me from going to sleep for at least the next few hours.

work was a real drag today. it always is, but somehow today just lasted a whole lot longer than the rest of the days.. well at least there weren't any major problems. some days it's like all hell just broke loose with customers and then they come calling up into the hotline to whine about stuff.

right now i'm just waiting for that little beep on the phone before i go to bed. a little sign is all i need..

refresher

2008-08-31T21:33:00.001+08:00

After giving it some thought and a careful assessment of what has happened throughout my life, I've decided that what my old pal said is true. Sometimes the buns get burnt in the oven cos you leave them in there for too long, and there's nothing much you can do about them, other than baking a new one. I've been holding back on others all because I somehow always felt this little glimmer of hope in salvaging that burnt one, but I think I see the light now. It's there at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel is oh, so damned bloody long. I only hope that it doesn't get shut out before I reach it.

On other notes, I was out with a friend some days ago, and had my eyes opened to a whole new perspective. All this while I had been leading the simplest of lives, taking each day as it comes, not caring about what the next one brings, not bothering about the more important details in life. The lives of others breezed past me everyday, I couldn't care less about how all these people around me affected my own life. This friend, however, showed me something entirely new that kind of struck a note in me. Throughout the day, I learnt more and more about how family plays such a big part in this friend's life, and how little gestures can mean so much. I was also exposed to the goodness and generosity in this friend, and I constantly thought to myself, "what have i been doing all this while in my own stuck up little world?" I used to think that I was doing enough, but this day I realised I've been going down an entirely different path with a false sense of achievement.

Thank you for showing me the way, you are truly a godsend.

i'm a wheel i'm a wheel...

2008-04-17T13:28:00.001+08:00

life at work may not be the best all the time, but good things do come along every now and then. recently, we tied up with Skateline so all employees are able to enjoy a 20% discount at the Peninsula branch! heh and that was the final key to ending my 1+ year procastinating spree to get new skates.. made a quick visit there on Tuesday, and picked up the 08 model K2 Moto! yesss now i have my wings once more.... well not exactly wings, but i will be able to fly once more with the new skates... yesssss. gotta get down to relearning how to skate.. haven't done that for some time, but it's like riding a bicycle eh, can't really forget how to do it. hmm now i just gotta figure out what to do with the older ones.. they're virtually fine, just that the wheels and bearings desperately need changing. anyone here wears a US 10.5 skate?

the new K2 Moto '08!

citi life and emo crappers.

2008-04-10T02:44:00.001+08:00

Well so today I was going about my usual stuff in the office, dissing people and all like I usually do, and suddenly this person gets all angry and shit like that. so i thought, hmm maybe it might be a good time to stop. you never know when someone's really pissed with you eh? and so throughout the rest of the day i've got the occasional question or conversation with this person, and every single time, i try to say something politely, but i get some angry ass remark back in my face. i'm like.. "oohh someone's pissed at me..."

and so we go on and i realise this person's doing similar to other people as well.. so it's not long before people go like "ohh are you okay? do you need a break? do you need some rest? what's on your mind? are you feeling unwell? do you have something you need to talk about?" and this person just goes "ohh it's nothing i'm just tired.. ohh not enough sleep.. ohhh ohh ohh ohh.."

so here i am, i'm like "..........................."

fuck yo, if you need attention, please find some other means to do it. you're freaking grown up and all, please don't go on some emo trip in front of me just to get the sympathy of others. i'll most likely spit that emo crap back in your face anyway cos i hate emos. ok everyone has a right to be emo and all, but i'm sure there are better ways and times to do it. like in your room at home, alone. no one needs to be there seeing you crap all over yourself. now please go cry in the corner.

that said, i'd better catch some shut eye. no work for me tomorrow! yay! but gotta be at ritz carlton at 8.30am tmr for some customer service course... urgh.. good thing it's on a work day..

Cover of The Trooper by Iron Maiden

2008-04-05T23:51:00.001+08:00

a tribute to Iron Maiden, and also my Ibanez PGM3 which I will be selling to a new owner tomorrow, here's a cover of The Trooper!! one of my better attempts, i feel.. heh enjoy!

iResurrect

2008-04-04T01:02:00.001+08:00

it doesn't take a lot of reading to notice that i like to come back and post in short bursts at a time, and i think this would be the start of another one.. haha usually when i suddenly start posting again, it most likely means i've got something or someone new in my life that i would like to talk about, and in this case, it would be..

another new guitar.... AAHHAAHHAHA

in fact it's 2 new guitars.

AAHAAHHAHAHA.

first up is the Ibanez PGM3! i bought this cos i had ordered the Edwards CY-165CTM through Davis Guitar, and it was taking a hell of a long time to come in, so i had to buy something to feed the hunger.. problem is, it turned out to be such a nice instrument to play that i'm considering keeping it, but that would mean too many guitars in my house.. urgh. so here it is! great looking guitar, great neck, great feel, just that the pickups could be swapped for better ones.. not that i would, seeing as to how i might eventually sell this since the arrival of my Edwards..

and of course, next up would be my Edwards CY-165CTM, which took a total of FIVE months to arrive since my order. i'm not blaming the people at Davis Guitar though, they're real nice chaps (most of the time) and the fact that they brought it in at such a good price more than makes up for the wait. now people are always talking about dream guitars and shit like that. this comes real close to that..
quilted maple top, neck-thru design, abalone bindings all round the body, neck and headstock, vine inlays, satin finish for the neck's back, gold Gotoh hardware, original Floyd Rose bridge, 2 great Seymour Duncan pickups, and 27 frets!! omgwtfbbq. but seriously though, Edwards has once again shown how much effort they put into making a great guitar, while still making it totally affordable. at least they're not soaking in the grandeur of their own name *coughGIBSONcough* and producing instruments at ridiculous prices.. anyway what better way to welcome the guitar to the family than to create a video with it! heh below you will find a shameless cover of Man on the Silver Mountain by Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow.. along with some pics!

my 2 prized Edwards guitars!

and of course, the Man on the Silver Mountain.. haha some screw ups here and there, and my phone started ringing at the end of the video.. lol

emptiness.

2007-10-02T03:00:00.001+08:00

it's been about a week since a bunch of us were at the airport sending Celine off. thank god there were no tears and all that kinda stuff.. everyone seemed to be in a jolly mood.. Celine's dad even bought us jollibean drinks.. heh if you're reading this, please help me thank your dad for the treat..

now that you're gone though..

i feel lost.

2 nights in Bangkok

2007-09-18T01:21:00.001+08:00

and so i just returned from my sponsored trip to Bangkok.. finally got to see the place that so many people talk about again and again, and also a regular holiday destination for some.

honestly, the 3 days and 2 nights that i was there, i hardly saw anything that might make me go back.. haha i'm not saying that i don't appreciate the free trip, but i'm just wondering what makes the people go back repeatedly.. shopping might be one of the reasons.. although i realised that once you've seen one place, you've seen them all. they sell the same things everywhere, just at different prices.. urgh..

but anyway, it wasn't all so bad. i think if there was one thing i liked about the trip, it was mingling with friends.. and then there was the boat ride down the chao phraya river while having a damned good dinner buffet.. well anyway, pics galore!

neil, jennifer, and me at Changi Airport before boarding the flight

jennifer and me

having sausage prata for dinner before flying

me and neil in a restaurant in Baiyoke Sky Hotel, Bangkok. the green curry's great stuff!

they've got pink cabs in Bangkok!!

and orange ones too!!

me and neil in Chatuchak. rip off heaven.

there's just something very disturbing about Ronald McDonald in Bangkok.. that look in his eyes....

me, neil, and thaddeus in a japanese restaurant in MBK.

jennifer and me at Suan Lum Night Market. also ripoff heaven, and damned hot at that.

me and jennifer in her new fake ray-bans. lol

last day in Baiyoke Sky Hotel. just before leaving for the airport.

2 weeks.

2007-09-10T00:45:00.001+08:00

today i was at the airport sending off a colleague who was going overseas to study.. i probably won't see her again till maybe july next year? that's if she comes back in the first place.. it was quite sad to see her leave and all, but i can't say i'm the closest to her. hell, we only just got to know each other like a month ago?

it started me thinking though.. 2 weeks later i'd be sending off another friend... and this one would be extra painful..

argh.

coffee coffee coffee!

2007-09-09T01:40:00.001+08:00

ignore the title first, other than the coffee, i've finally gotten myself a new pair of puma shoes! muaahahha
haven't bothered to take any pics of them, not sure if i ever will, but yesss... new shoes..

but anyway, yeah had a meal at coffee club last night with thaddeus and his gf weijing, alfred, and celine.. i certainly had no problems with my food, but thanks to weijing for being so fierce to the waiter about our food being delayed, we got 15% off and a complimentary drink.. haha thanks eh..

my honey mustard chicken sandwich wasn't so bad, in fact i think it was quite worth it.. thaddeus had lots more to say about his beef concoction though.. feeling like rubber, coming out of a can.. haha well shit happens... hell even the coffee classic didn't taste good..
as for celine, i don't know how you do it, but yeah taking in all that prawn and wasabi seemed like a pretty challenging feat.. haha

after that was dessert at NYDC, and hell yeah the mudpie was good stuff.. though i must say that i was a little too full to really appreciate it..

back from the dead

2007-08-19T18:04:00.001+08:00

after a good long hiatus, i think it's time for another of my occasional updates.. a lot has happened since i last posted.. some good, some bad, some scary.

for one, i'm no longer a telemarketer lol. it was fun in the beginning, but after awhile it just got plain boring and routine.. and the people there.. bunch of backstabbers urrgh. i have since left the Marriott Vacation Club, and now i'm with Citibank as a phone banking officer! aahahaha

ok lah it's been about 2 months or so since i joined them, and so far so good.. the people are good, the pay's good, and the job's actually quite ok. once i've settled in i guess i'll start taking up some freelance stuff on the side to fund my hobbies..

along with these 2 months have come along quite a lot of cool stuff and cool people, and first on the list would be the new Edwards Les Paul! yes i know i was eyeing the flying V at first, but after listening to the tone on this one, i just couldn't give it up... and of course words are useless without the guitar porn!

and of course it's got the open book headstock..

on the other hand, gone is the sunburst 70's reissue stratocaster.. replacing it, the very same model, just in vintage/yellowish white! muaaahahahahaha my dream come true.. here it is next to my Roland Cube 30X, my xbox 360, and my.. umm.. big toe.

sorry for the poor lighting, it's just that the weather's been dark and cloudy for the past few days.. haha

also been meeting lots of new people in Citibank.. bunch of fun people i must say.. and then of course there are those who you sometimes just wanna kill.. and then there's one.. but i won't go into that.

anyway seeing that i actually have quite a bit of time on my hands nowadays in the evenings, i guess i'll be trying to update this space more regularly now, but of course that ain't a promise. you readers (or may i say voyeurs) can keep checking back if you would like, i'm not stopping you.. muaahahaha.

cheers.

an update.

2007-04-25T21:50:00.001+08:00

heh and so once again, the once-in-a-blue-moon update comes along on this humble little blog.. hell i can't even remember what i last posted.. aahahahha

well anyway, it's been some time, and yes life is still a living hell sometimes, but the storm has passed, and the sun shines once more into my life.. not all the time, but at least it shines. for those who wanna know, i've dropped out of the design line for awhile, hehe and at the moment i'm with Marriott Vacation Club International - Asia Pacific as a TELESALES CONSULTANT. AAHAHHAAHHAHAHA

Jit the Telemarketer. omg wtf bbq.

heh it's a fun job really.. surrounded by clowns everyday, getting to talk to people everyday, it kind of opens your eyes to the world and the kind of people you can find lurking on this little island.

as for my hobbies, heh the old MIM Fender Stratocaster is gone!!! and replacing it.....

the new MIJ Fender ST72! basically a Fender Stratocaster as well, but this one comes with US Vintage pickups to give you that real Fender "twang"! and shiny maple neck mmmmm... shinyyy..... mmm.. and the best part, the LARGE HEADSTOCK.... mmmmm....

living hell.

2007-03-04T00:56:00.001+08:00

my life has gone to hell.

but i will rise once more.

(damned) sleepy saturdays.

2007-02-03T13:44:00.001+08:00

saturdays are usually the time of the week when i'm at my most energetic, dying to just get out of the house and play.. and today shouldn't be any different! or should it?

woke up feeling extremely groggy today, haha which explains why i'm at home on a nice saturday afternoon.. well anyway it's been one hell of a week though.. from the hoobastank concert last sunday, to illusions of restarting a fire that burnt out so very long ago, crazy clients making last minute changes (and i really mean minutes when i say it), and then the sudden feeling of being lost in limbo after the project conclusion... it's going to be a long break till the next project.. about 2 weeks maybe.. and there's this dreadful feeling that everyday's gonna be a lazy one like this..

laziness and pointless ponderings aside, there's always something to turn to in times of boredom and wandering thoughts.. and that would be my preciouusssss.... fender strat. been looking to get something new though, and i'm currently undecided between the Made in Japan Fender ST72-58US, or an ESP SV Standard...

the Fender ST72-58US.. basically a '72 reissue, with large headstock, maple fretboard, and OMG OMG FENDER USA VINTAGE PICKUPS.. yumm... good stuff for those blues twangs...

but then...

the ESP SV Standard!! OMG OMG EMG81 PICKUPS.. and the flying V shape is just orgasmic..

aarrgghh which to get. normally i would have the "if you can't decide on one, you get both" mentality, but these axes don't come cheap.. the fender's not so bad, maybe close to 1k.. but the ESP's definitely somewhere close to 3k.. raarrgh heavy metal or blues...

choices.

2007-01-25T22:47:00.001+08:00

ok so with the recent entry, everyone knows that i'm alive and back.. but there seriously isn't anything much to add on to this space.. ever since i started work, life has been nothing but a freaking routine. i get up in the morning, wash up and hit the office, work till about 6pm, knock off, and head for home..

once i hit home, it's either my xbox, my guitar, or more work.. is this what it's going to be like till my retirement? hell i hope not. well the good thing is that work is bringing in the cash.. but if it's going to be this routine for the rest of my freaking life, it's gonna be boring as hell..

surely there must be something better out there. the thought of leaving the design industry in the pursuit of musical interest has always crossed my mind, but that won't happen till maybe a good few years later, when i can really say that i'm ready for that.. but yeah i'm sure a life of music is a lot more enlightening and entertaining than a life of "hi good morning, so what do you have for me to do today, boss?" yeah so what if you work your way up to creative director or CEO or fking president. you'd still be going a damned office, and the only difference between you and your empoyer/employees would be the size of your cubicle, and the digits on your paycheque.

i think i'll stick to what i'm doing for now, but it might be a good idea to come up with some sort of plan for the future.. well not to say that there's going to be any, by the looks of it.. what with all these effects of global warming that are gonna kill us slowly in 10 years if YOU FUCKING PEOPLE DON'T TURN OFF YOUR FUCKING LIGHTS WHEN YOU'RE NOT USING THEM, OR LEAVE YOUR FUCKING COMPUTERS ON ALL DAY AND NIGHT EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE NOT USING THEM COS YOU WANT THAT PR0N, ANIME, DRAMA SERIES, SOFTWARE, WHATEVER ELSE YOU MIGHT BE DOWNLOADING JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANNA PAY FOR IT.

on to global warming now. if you haven't already watched An Inconvenient Truth, i suggest you do head down to your nearest DVD/VCD store and pick it up. If you haven't noticed by now, our planet Earth, which we call home, is dying all thanks to ourselves, and if we don't do anything about it within the next 10 years, we can more or less kiss our sorry asses goodbye. in 10 years, the destruction that we have caused the Earth will backfire on us slowly, and the planet will go into a slow cycle of self destruction.

here are some statistics from the film:
"The 10 warmest years in history were in the last 14 years. Last year South America experienced its first hurricane. Japan and the Pacific are setting records for typhoons. Hurricane Katrina passed over Florida, doubled back over the Gulf, picked up strength from unusually warm Gulf waters, and went from Category 3 to Category 5. There are changes in the Gulf Stream and the jet stream. Cores of polar ice show that carbon dioxide is much, much higher than ever before in a quarter of a million years. It was once thought that such things went in cycles. Gore stands in front of a graph showing the ups and downs of carbon dioxide over the centuries. Yes, there is a cyclical pattern. Then, in recent years, the graph turns up and keeps going up, higher and higher, off the chart." - an excerpt from Roger Ebert's Review of An Inconvenient Truth

so i suggest that if you haven't watched this film, you owe it to yourself and your children and the rest of the world to watch it. if you think that it's all a bunch of bullshit, then you can just go kill yourself.

the king returns once more.

2007-01-14T22:55:00.001+08:00

OKAY I KNOW I HAVEN'T UPDATED THIS SPACE FOR MONTHS.

so i decided to come back and tell everyone that i'm still alive, expecting to see an average 0.1 daily visits for the month of january 2007..

BUT NO.

it's the 14th of january, and i've got... 547 VISITS?! wtf.
547 visits in 14 days is no joke, especially when people should have found out by their first visit that you haven't updated since.. ehh.. october 2006?

and so, i would like to take this opportunity to tell you all that i'm out of the army that i've been bitching so much about (since october 2006 in fact.), and that i'm alive, well, and working freelance for a production house..

but at the same time i'm also curious as to how i got 39 hits daily since january started.. lol. i know this sounds weird, but if ur reading this space, do stick a comment saying hi or something.. whether private or public, it doesn't matter.. i'm just being curious here.. lol

it's almost here!

2006-10-02T17:04:00.001+08:00

and before you know it, we're into october! my final month in the army! muaahahahahaha freedom!!

with this freedom comes more stuff to get stressed over though.. gotta get the portfolio into shape, find myself a job, earn some money, buy the stuff i wanna buy, buy the stuff my family wants to buy... it's a huge world out there, and it's time to take it all in..

of course there's still time for enjoyment though.. 360 nights will continue, with shotguns and soon, some brawling goodness with smackdown vs raw 2007! and gears of war and rainbow six vegas and nhl 07 and omg omg there's too many..

and then, come 9th november, UNLEASH THE FURY with Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force at Fort Canning Park!! tickets available at SISTIC!