My Raindrops of Reflections

09/12 The sun and the rain

2011-12-09T19:09:00.001+08:00

If the sun insists on burning brightly and at the same time the rain insists on pouring relentless, what usually happens? The poor person on the street will fall sick. Sometimes a softener in between like an umbrella helps to reduce the ordeal.

Otherwise one can choose to get drenched when the sun has no choice but to set down eventually.

I wish I were only the umbrella.

08/12 Growing Up

2011-12-08T21:09:00.001+08:00

Been waiting to write this for a while but did not really find the time to pen it down.

Been reading my friend's blog and she has really an adorable son. Although he can be very mischievous at times, he is really cute.Then my wife's niece who is 1 year plus old, she is also adorable. From the day she was born, crawled and now walking clumsily around, she has really grown from the time we went to Bangkok in June. Then my niece who is approaching her first birthday, is also very cute and has really brought happiness to my parents' life. The way they played with her must have turned back time, reminiscent of memories taking care of me and my sister.

Taking care from a baby can be really tiring and frustrating. But I am sure the memory piggy bank will be priceless and the growing up journey will be amazing and awesome.

Just my thought.

14/11 Reluntance

2011-11-14T00:19:00.001+08:00

I should be sleeping by now and I think I can dive deeply into slumberland easily. But, I am quite reluctant to do so and trying to repel all natural forces to coax me to sleep.

Anyway, this is going to be a short post which personifies my deep reluctance to go to bed and later to work. My wife also feels this way but thankfully, she is already asleep. She needs to wake up really early and she definitely needs lots of rest. As for me, I usually can pull it through if I have about 6 to 7 hours of sleep but I know I am getting old.

Right. My mind is pestering my heart to give up and go to bed which I will dutifully yet reluctantly obliged. Quite nothing much I can do seriously anyway.

Yes. I am hungry now and my stomach is shouting for consumption of food / junk. Well, it's not going to happen. Sorry.

13/11 Back to Zero

2011-11-13T20:36:00.001+08:00

It has been raining during the latter half of the day ever since I came back from my holiday adventure last Thursday. Today's heavy rain seemed to signal the demise of my rest and I will need to return to this place where I am paid for my services. Reluctantly, I am resigning to my fate as all good things usually come to an end fairly quickly. Sometimes, I wish I am armed and blessed with more wealth than now.

Our 6D5N holidays which included Hong Kong, Macau and Shenzhen were very enjoyable. I think we can be very proud of ourselves because we planned all these on our own and went through all the immigration procedures. Everything went smoothly and well. Memories and photos were plenty and we are having a fair bit of challenge trying to sort them properly. One thing that is clear is that my wife takes better pictures consistently than me.

Ever since my holidays, I realized I can't stop eating actively. Thankfully, I did not seem to gain weight and that is assuming the weighing machine is doing its job and not making me happy. At the end of day, I guess it's time to resume my running regime and ought to start slowly all over again.

30/10 Half Time - 5 Days

2011-10-31T22:08:00.003+08:00

It is another start to another week. I am in a a paradoxical situation where I hate the birth of this week yet at the same time look forward to this week. Since Deepavali (Wednesday), I was on leave till yesterday (Sunday) and that meant that I was absent from work for a good 5 straight days. Somehow it did not feel that I have rest sufficiently which probably says a lot that each day is spent meaningfully.

Wednesday was more of a lazy day at my parent's place before meeting my wife's friend at Relish. Strangely, the conversation turned into a topic about our current job and the husband of my wife's friend asked me to submit my resume to him. Not too sure how it will turn out but at least another shot of leaving and a change of environment.

Thursday marked our 4th year customary wedding anniversary. How time flies. I am happy that all my brothers for that day are now happily married and one of them has actually beaten me by embarking on the journey of fatherhood. We celebrated this special occasion with a having buffet lunch at Triple Three although we have just been there during my Birthday in June. I feel the variety and the quality of the food was enticing and these hooked us badly. The 1 for 1 credit card promotion by DBS was the final piece in our decision making. Seriously, I just could not write anything negative about Triple Three and we are already toying with the idea of going there for a whopping third time this year. It was raining that day and we shopped at H&M for the first time but ended up with no extra shopping bags. Strangely, the fashion line up was mainly for winter wear and we do not have winter here in Singapore. We ended the day at Vivocity's Pacific Coffee Company with a cup of special coffee with ginger and some bites.We forgot to take a picture of both of us on this day.

We celebrated my wife's niece's birthday (10 years old) on Friday. Her parents had planned a BBQ celebration with her friends by booking a BBQ pit near their house. The rain was on and off but it did not dampen the entire occasion. Children nowadays are so fortunate and the parents have been saving up so many wonderful childhood memories for them as they grow up.

It was a footballing weekend and Saturday was again a great of celebration. This time, I witnessed with my very own pair of small eyes the collapse of Stamford Bridge. It was a soccer match between Ch3l5ea and Ar53nal. The eventual scoreline was obvious and we won 3-5. This was a game filled with so much drama and passion and could just be a turning point and tonic for us!

Sunday came with so much abuse from us. We were dreading the end of our 5 days of holidays. Nonetheless, when this Friday fellow comes, I will be going to Hong Kong and will be away from work again for a good whole week!

All pictures taken from Samsung Galaxy S2.

25/10 My Fault

2011-10-26T00:04:00.001+08:00

Finally, I can escape from the crutches of the evil hands of work and I will only return next Monday.

Shall write a little more next time. Anyway, the literature juice for this month is less than last month. Nothing inspiring to write about, to be honest.

But one thing I must write to remind myself. Today I reminded my wife to install an Android app - Chinese Calendar and upon installation, we both realized that it's her lunar birthday today. Ouch. No Mee Sua or eggs for her to peel. I feel really bad. I still remember the days when we were working in M1, I rushed to buy a bowl of Mee Sua for her during my lunch time and it was not convenient too. Did I say I only had 45mins of meal break?

I must remind myself to remember next time.

11/10 Busy October

2011-10-11T23:29:00.001+08:00

October has always been one of my busy and peak period. Just this week, I have trainings from Tuesday till Friday. Last Thursday, I also attended a e-resource day at NUS followed by the interview on Friday. At least I have something to look forward to - the long weekend starting from the Deepavali public holiday and my Hong Kong holidays in November. I am desperately counting down!

As for the interview, the HR manager seemed happy but raised some teething issues such as straining environment and long working hours during the last week of the month. No job is perfect and as long I can learn things and am paid well, probably worth to pay some opportunity costs. But honestly, I don't really harbor high hopes of getting a 2nd interview. The first interview just seemed so atypical of the usual stereotyped interview. Then again, my intuition was wrong for my interview in the previous job application too. In soccer language, the ball is round.

Interview aside, managed to meet a good friend and ex colleague for lunch. We were all in the same ulu area and literally same boat. It is always nice to catch up with old friends especially the population of friends and kakis is dwindling. Another department is rumored to be on the verge of closing down in March next year. I really hope I am gone by then.

This is sent from an app called Blogaway which I have downloaded from the Android Market. I am going to bed soon and loving my phone. Oops!

29/09 Difficult Courtship of S2

2011-09-29T21:02:00.000+08:00

It has been 6 days since I owned my Samsung Galaxy S2. I only have one word to describe which is BRILLIANT! This phone is fast, customizable and light! There are so many things I can do on this phone which I could not enjoy on my previous iPhone. I am truly very impressed with the ever improving Android OS. Ice Cream Sandwich is next! The only minus point is that the number of apps for Android cannot beat Apple's but it is definitely competitive.

Last Saturday, I had to go through so much pain before I can manage to get the phone in my hands. Firstly, both the exclusive distributor and M1 Shop that are nearest to where I stay had no stock. I had to travel from Choa Chu Kang to Clementi Mall to get my phone. And the best thing was they could not accept my iPhone for trade in because they deemed it as a faulty set. They claimed that my Home button was insensitive and I can show them a million time, how easily I could press the button. The insensitive home button problem is well documented in the Apple community and it was not as though mine was not even responding. Reluctantly, I bought my Samsung Galaxy S2 first at $268 before I thought of other ways to dispose this phone. I really thought that nobody else would accept this phone due to this issue but thankfully, one of the 2nd hand shop offered $230 which was considered quite high. The trade-in value accepted by M1 was $250. So all in all, I paid $38.

There is still so much for me to explore on this phone and it is taking so much time away from me. Even at work, I could hardly stop myself from ogling at this beauty.

Taking about work, I am lucky enough to be selected to go for an interview next week. I am not too sure if this job is considered too "big" for me when I looked through the JD. I guess I would not know unless I try. I do hope in time to come, there is finally some good news for a good guy like me. :)

蘇慧倫 <<我們都是好人>>

詞：姚若龍　曲：陳小霞

一排黃裡透紅的路燈　照得半夜三點像黃昏
感覺有些什麼已經冰冷　有些什麼卻正要發生

坐在天橋上面看星辰　脫了鞋子脫不了煩悶
只是想喝一口你的啤酒　卻感受到瓶口的微溫

如果不是倔強讓人變得愚蠢　幸福不會變成被甩上的門
我想我們都是好人　可惜擁有太驕傲的靈魂

如果你沒在我頭上輕輕一吻　我也不會哭得像個小女生
我想我們都是好人　可惜只有做朋友的緣份

蘇慧倫 <<我一個人住 >>

------------------------------

On a separate note, 蘇慧倫, Tarcy was one of my idols during my younger days, cant believe she is already 40 and she still looks so good!

23/09 The Green Eve

2011-09-23T07:51:00.000+08:00

It's finally Friday and today shall be the day I perform all the necessary backup and then wiping of my iPhone 3GS content.

I have already brought my chiong case, sport arm band from gmarket but the arm band is not here yet. It should be here later today. As for the screen protector, I personally went to Vivocity to purchase them. This is my only branded accessory so far. I have also bought a USB jig just in case my imminent phone requires more complex medical recovery. Right, this is probably the first time I get ready all the stuff before my new phone is in my hands.

Ok! Waving to Tomorrow.

OEM Phone Case - $7.90

2 Screen Protectors - $26

19/09 My Green Robot is going to eat the Apple

2011-09-19T19:58:00.001+08:00

孙燕姿 <<绿光>>

My impatience iS impeding the progreSS of each passing day and my brain iS growing more and more rootS.

I can't wait to embrace the arrival of this Saturday with both hands literally. One hand selling my almost 21 months old ailing iPhone 3GS (http://ireflections.blogspot.com/2010/01/2201-to-be-i.html) and the other fickle-minded hand caressing the slim and tender Samsung Galaxy S2 powered by the little green robot.

Well, no more small fruity for me by the end of this week although I still have a bigger fruit - iPad 2 to chew. So from Symbian to iOS, the journey has been exciting where I have been through the hassle of getting signed certificates for my Symbian (Nokia) and getting my iPhone jailbroken many times to get friendly apps.

I am not going to let this green robot off the hook too. I have been quietly studying and reading up on the process of rooting and installing customs roms. Something like jailbreaking but definitely more complex and challenging. It will be fun as long I do not get my phone bricked.

Some of my friends asked me why I did not want to wait for the iPhone 5 with the much anticipated iOS5. My reasoning is pretty simple. This Saturday marks the start of my 21st month contract and I did not have to fork out additional $300 surcharge for a new phone. Moreover, by the time iPhone 5 reaches our shore, there will be very high demand especially the festive season. I did not wish to buy time. My jailbroken 3GS has most of the things which iOS5 will be offering. Lastly, I have a iPad 2 too.

Oh, did I say tomorrow is only Tuesday? Argh

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

14/09 Being Chased To Run

2011-09-14T22:25:00.000+08:00

The very dark clouds were looming and cats and dogs were just waiting to be unleashed. This was right before I began my running. The direction I was running towards (Bishan) to seem to have fine weather and has not been influenced. You can imagine, heaven in front and hell behind and I had to make a quick decision which was to either abandon my running plans or face a possible drenching and scolding combo.

I decided to go ahead with my plans and get it done and over with quickly. Everything went quite smooth until I made the u-turn back to my starting point. Thunders were furious and lightnings were splitting the evening sky. It was near to the end of the world literally. The strong winds were increasing my inertia to reach my destination but my legs were really defying the madness of nature. I did not know I can run that fast consistently.

Thankfully, once I reached the finishing point, the heavy rain poured and I was not drenched at all. I heaved a huge sigh of relief and it was definitely an eventful yet wonderful run.

The run: http://runkeeper.com/user/rainyguy/activity/52151942

娃娃 <<大雨>>

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

12/09 Fantasizing the Moonless

2011-09-12T23:31:00.002+08:00

The round moon must be trying hard to wow us today but we could hardly locate her presence. Today is Mid Autumn Festival and the whole island is engulfed with this haze that also help to add to this mysterious veil.

With this Mid Autumn Festival falling on a Monday, it gives us an opportunity to spend this day with my family in Ang Mo Kio. For almost 3 years, I have been spending 3 days in Ang Mo Kio and 4 days at my house in Bukit Panjang. Moving our stuff around from one place to another regularly can be quite an hassle and my wife has to follow this ritual with me too. It can really be quite tough and tiring. Well, it can only be good spending more time with them right.

The PSI today is about 60 to 70 which still falls under the Moderate range and it did not handicap me from running today. My next run should be on Wednesday and I can only hope the wind changes its mind and that the PSI does not exceed 100.

Since there is no moon today, I can only fantasize on the moon then or 当时的月亮.

王菲 - <<当时的月亮>>

曲：李冰词：林夕

当时我们听着音乐

还好我忘了是谁唱谁唱

当时桌上有一杯茶

还好我没将它喝完喝完

谁能告诉我要有多坚强

才敢念念不忘

当时如果留在这里

你头发已经有多长多长

当时如果没有告别

这大门会不会变成一道墙

有甚麽分别能够呼吸的

就不能够放在身旁

看当时的月亮

曾经代表谁的心结果都一样

看当时的月亮

一夜之间化做今天的阳光

谁能告诉我哪一种信仰

能够让人念念不忘

回头看当时的月亮

曾经代表谁的心结果都一样

看当时的月亮

一夜之间化做今天的阳光

回头看当时的月亮

曾经代表谁的心结果都一样

看当时的月亮

一夜之间化做今天的阳光

当时如果没有甚麽

当时如果拥有甚麽又会怎样

11/09 Hazy Days + 6 years on

2011-09-11T16:44:00.000+08:00

The ~~smoking~~ smoke smell and the haze greeted my gifted sense of smell and sight when I woke up. And so, it finally arrived after news reported that Singapore could experience brief periods of slightly hazy conditions. Yesterday's rain can only brought relief and concealed the possible hazy skyline from our eyes. I hope it is only a passing haze so that I can persist with my religious weekly running.

The PSI as of 4pm on 11th September 2011 was 55 which fell under the "Moderate" category.

Can you see the slight haze? (taken by my iPhone 3GS)

The beauty of having a blog which is updated regularly and has tagging is that I can always look at what I have previously penned.

Previous Blog Entries about Haze: http://ireflections.blogspot.com/search/label/Haze

I personally find it quite enjoyable reading my old posts and it does help in stirring up wonderful memories. I realised that I started penning my thoughts since 5th September 2005 (http://ireflections.blogspot.com/2005/09/0509-humble-beginning.html) meaning this blog has been around for 6 years already with 279 posts which is quite amazing. Never thought it has been that long and I am glad I chose the right shoulder / domain - Google to lean on and I hope they live on. Geocities has been history.

張信哲<<肩膀>>

或许寂寞会让人不安
思念敲门的时候总觉得慌张
但你的模样是时间冲不淡
还是自己的潜意识在倔强

任性是你曾有的翅膀
失去你感觉像失去一座避风港
此刻受了伤你给过的希望
还能往哪里找加油站

靠着我的肩膀
是你戒不掉的习惯
两个人的天亮
你有我的温度取暖
靠着我的肩膀
就能抵住了全部风寒
再多曾经的伤感
都在我的背弯安静的柔软平躺

靠着我的肩膀
还能依偎在谁身旁
失去的安全感
午夜梦回倍感慌张
靠着我的肩膀
幸福感觉的理所当然
再多拥抱都徒然
谁给的都没有我的那温暖

思绪那么极端
笑着的时候眼泪总是防不胜防
离开我的肩膀
时间原来比我想象中还长

10/09 Swimming with Mooncakes

2011-09-10T21:57:00.001+08:00

Last Saturday, it was my first dip in the swimming pool after many years. In fact, I can't even recollect when was the last time I exposed myself to the public in a public swimming pool. After buying a new pair of ~~google~~ goggles yesterday, I splashed into the swimming pool again today. The only swim zone for me was restricted to a pool depth of 1.2m to 1.6m for reasons I don't think I need to elaborate. After today's swim, I hope I can return to the pool soon as it is really a very good and relaxing way to work out. At the same time, with a healthier tan, I can give people the illusion that I am slimmer.

Swimming Pool at Senja-Cashew Community Centre

Nope, this is not my playground

Unlike previous year, we bought our mooncakes via Groupon this year. Attractive prices and the avoidance of gate crashing with the crowds were tempting. The mooncakes were from Mandarin Orchard Singapore and we bought a total of two boxes.

Mandarin Orchard Singapore

Mini Snow Skin (For my In Laws)

Almond with Black Sesame Paste x2
Green Tea and Melon Seeds x2
Purple Sweet Potato and Amaretto Truffle x2
Lychee Martini Mooncakes x2

Baked Mooncakes (For my Parents)

Double Yolks and White Lotus Paste x \4

Mandarin Orchard Singapore

Avoided the Crowd and Long queue at Cashier

It has been a rather cooling day today and Google Weather is showing that the temperature is about 26 degree now. I hope the same weather continues. By not switching on the aircon will save us quite a fair bit of electricity bills.

I have been listening to Jeff Chang's songs for the play <<花季未了>> for the past few days. Especially the following song, I prefer his rendition than Rene Liu version. His voice is still good and I wish I could catch the play.

05/09 Running after Visiting to the Zoo

2011-09-05T20:44:00.001+08:00

The strong sun shone on me and perspiration wet my face. Occasionally, the sun hid behind the clouds and the sky threatened to thwart this meaningful day. Thankfully, Heaven was kind to us and this toying of our feelings actually brought some relief to an otherwise typical humid day.

This Monday was untypical of what I usually endure every week at work. So good until I forgot that today is Monday and I should be suffering from my weekly dosage of blues. Today, we brought children from the Canossaville Children's Home to the Zoo for a day of fun. When I see the children, I feel for them as they have their reasons for staying in the Home. These kids can be quite playful but at least they did not create too much a nuisance for us and you can sense their unwillingness to part ways with us. At the end of the day, I breathed in this air of meaningfulness and revitalized my soul.

Some photos which I took from my iPhone 3GS. There are some shots which include the children but I cannot publish them to protect their identities. I should have brought along my camera.

Giraffes

Baboons

I reached home early after a physically tiring day but I still went ahead to do my weekly run. Maybe this renewed soul of mine spurred me on, I shed almost 2 mins off my regular timing. It was a fantastic achievement and I was so proud of myself. My report card - http://runkeeper.com/user/rainyguy/activity/50859328 When I looked at the total distance I have clocked, I cannot help but asked myself why my weight is still on the high side. I guess the temptation of food is too hard to resist. On the other hand, my weight could have spiraled out of control.

Since today is quite an meaningful day, this is quite a inspiring new song by Jeff Chang. <<陪伴>>

04/09 PE + Jacky Cheung + Hong Kong Holidays

2011-09-04T20:43:00.000+08:00

It is now September which means we have already walked almost 3/4 of the year and we are only few months away before we bid farewell to the year 2011. Objectives have been set for the year and none is close to reaching maturity yet.

I wrote about voting for the General Elections previously and the chance to cast my vote happened again on the 27th August for the Presidental Elections (PE). To be able to vote twice in a year is extremely rare in Singapore. Unfortunately, the one I voted for did not win and I was quite disappointment with the outcome since he lost by a mere 7269 votes after a recount. Still, I admire for the fact that he was the first to step out to announce that he was taking part in the PE and accounted himself pretty well during the campaign. I hope he continues to contribute.

Would you be able to dance and sing many fast numbers at the age of 50 and without showing signs of breathless? Not many can and I probably would have collapsed. This man - Jacky Cheung or 歌神 (God of Songs) is remarkable. My wife and I went to his concert (1/2 Century Tour) on the 30th August 2011 at Indoor Stadium. It was the last of his 5 days concert and over the past 4 nights, he must have belted the same songs over and over again. Yet, he sang as though he was singing it for the first time, injecting so much feelings and life. This is definitely the best concert I have ever watched, even surpassing Jeff Chang's. I paid $98 for the ticket and to me, this is a priceless moment and experience.

Taken from main entrance

This was our view

5th night and full house

Some Youtube Videos of the Concert

I am looking forward to my next break - Hong Kong Holidays from 5th November to 10th November. My wife's birthday is on the 6th November and I will be celebrating her birthday there!

6 Days & 5 Nights - $1,476.58

The link to our Hong Kong 2008 Holidays - http://ireflections.blogspot.com/2008/08/1408-change-resign.html

And now I am slowly building up my itinerary list.

Hello Hong Kong again!

28/07 A day of worthy and worthless memory

2011-07-28T20:15:00.001+08:00

I still remember vividly what happened in the wedding studio 3 years ago (27th July 2007). We wore our wedding suit and gown and flashed off our megawatt smiles to our wedding photographer. And for the outdoor shots we went to Labrador park and Duxton shop houses. We were all so tired out at the end of that day and we took a long time to wash off our heavily styled hair. It was a moment I will never forget. I am happily married.

What happened yesterday was also a day which I will never forget. Firstly, I found out that my job application is unsuccessful via online. It was rather strange that after going through 2 rounds of interviews and I harbored really high hopes of securing that job. I really thought I would excel in this job and start a new chapter of my career. I will be really curious to know the reason of the rejection. This disappointment is an extremely bitter pill to swallow. Probably, I am never destined to work in the public sector. I also applied to be a teacher and unfortunately, silence is my only answer. If I could go back, I really should have taken my studies more seriously. Local honors degrees are deemed more honorable. Then again, I may never meet my lovely wife. Life is such always a paradox. It is really hard to have the best of both worlds.

So I remain on this job for now. But I believe this adventure has been rather fruitful, allowing me to prepare for interviews properly and getting all my school certificates and transcript in order. More importantly, I strongly feel I have done well in the interviews so far!

That aside, my poor wife scalded her delicate left hand with boiling water in the office yesterday and blisters appeared. She is fine but hope it won't be painful and recovers fast.

I have always wanted to write about the Bangkok trip with my wife and my in laws. But I did not have always the luxury of time to write or upload pictures in my blog. Spending time with family is always very rewarding. My wife's youngest niece who just turned one year old today, followed us to Bangkok too. She is such a darling. I helped out with the carrying of the stroller and witnessed how difficult and challenging it could be taking care of a baby. There is always a lot of sacrifices but at the end of it, I am sure it is definitely worth it. I wonder when is my time to answer the call of fatherhood. Next year is the year of the dragon which is quite untimely.

I am now in a vessel making my way back to Singapore. We had a team retreat in Batam and I am the only guy in the group of 7. When you are away from work, every little things we do are enjoyable. When you are back in business, everything sucks.

Seriously, I no longer have the motivation to continue working in this company. What do I gain when I put in so much efforts? Where is the growth? Where do I see myself here in 5 years time?

So what's next? Continue finding a job? Do some little business online? Stay in this job? Many questions. And I need to find an answer to increase my income for the family and grow my career. I wish I am a rich guy with sanity!

Back in Singapore! Ya back to work tomorrow. How 'nice'.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

09/06 Bangkok Holidays

2011-06-09T23:42:00.000+08:00

Oh great! Finally a well deserved (self proclaimed) rest from work!

Bangkok Holidays from 10th June 2011 to 13th June 2011.

Bye Singapore now!

29/5 And so when is my turn?

2011-05-29T02:06:00.001+08:00

Why am I still up at this hour? I asked myself.

I am now lying on my bed in the air con room waiting for the 245am match between Man U and Barcelona. Not that I am extremely excited to watch this game since my team Arsenal is not playing, I am just hoping for a game of exciting football. Hopefully, I will not be disappointed. One person who is rooting for a Manchester victory will be my wife who is warming up in her slumberland. I am going to wake her up shortly to watch the match.

Arsenal is going to play a pre season friendly game against Malaysia XI on the 13th July 2011. Tickets are already on sale and I have yet to purchase it. My wife could not come with me despite her strong interest to catch that game. She has her reasons. As for me, I have to go to Clementi Camp for a medical review on my PES status on the 12th July in the morning. The arrangement for this trip just can't get anything trickier. My friend will get back to me on his decision whether to go. If he is not going, I will have to abandon the idea of going and I will be extremely disappointed. On a positive note, this will definitely spur me to watch my Arsenal in London.

And so, another of my LN lunch kakis has left us last Friday and our group will get smaller in a month's time as another of the team is asked to leave. I don't wish to elaborate more on this since not everything is fair in the office. As a matter of fact, I feel for him very much. In a way, I am happy for him. The boss just cannot seem to see eye to eye with him. I am happy for both of them and wish them all the best.

My resume just got pumped to v2.0. Much better and hopefully made me more sellable. I feel like an consumer good but this is the reality of life. It's all about marketing and packaging. I am going to try again with this v2.0. I need a change of environment and higher income.

And so, my parting shot today is "when is my turn"?

An imaginary voice whispers "it is just a matter of time, just hang on".

09/05 Fever = MC x 2 days

2011-05-09T12:36:00.000+08:00

I am officially out of action for 2 days starting from today. The fever which I have few days ago refused to let me off. My temperature taken at the clinic was 38.3 degree Celsius and immediately I was given a mask to wear.

I feel the weather these days is freaking. The rain seems to have dried up too just like in the case where "lightnings" are subdued. I did not even have to move and beads of sweat will trickle down my forehead. This is very uncomfortable and it does not help when I have low heat tolerance. Just yesterday night, my pillow was soaked with my sweat.

Now I am given 2 days of MC and I shall really rest. Been down too easily with illness especially this year.

08/05 Elections and iPad 2 Memories

2011-05-08T15:16:00.002+08:00

I thought this will be good memories to keep in my blog :)

Poll Card for Singapore Election 2011

Receipt for my iPad 2 Purchase. (Funny, it always ends up rotated wrongly after uploading)

08/05 Election Results

2011-05-08T15:01:00.003+08:00

And so a new chapter was written for Singapore yesterday. We have the first ever opposition party winning a GRC at the expense of Mr George Yeo. I am not sure what how this will eventually turn out for our country and shall wait for time to tell. At least, Mr George Yeo was gracious in his defeat speech and even thanked Mr Low for the fight. Mr Low did not bothered to return any thanks despite a good fought battle. That says a lot in my humble opinion.

Well, results of my electorate : Holland-Bukit Timah GRC as follows:

Voting Results for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC

Ok, I think I am sick again because I am having running nose and slight fever. I wonder what is wrong with me this year as I am getting sick quite easily and frequently. Sigh.

Today is definitely another hot and humid day. My legs are sweating when I am typing this on my iPad. Very uncomfortable indeed.

06/05 Cooling off day

2011-05-06T23:56:00.001+08:00

Despite having set up a tumblr account, I did not have the motivation to write anything. It might just be that I did not manage to find time and sit down to ponder what have happened to my life so far. Well, today is cooling off day and tomorrow is polling day. So what better time to write my reflections now.

Thanks to my consistent blogging previously, I did penned down my thoughts during the last election in 2006 and they can be found here via this link Election Reflections. How things have changed since 5 years ago when we had our last Singapore election. I am no longer working in M1. I am happily married and I have my own roof. Well, just that I have no children yet. I am no longer under Ang Mo Kio GRC and currently under Holland-Bukit Timah GRC. So I have the chance to vote again (2nd time).

This election has been pretty interesting and exciting. Like I said 5 years ago, people have grown up and we have now the social media (Facebook, twitter, YouTube etc) to keep us informed on the activities and rallies. Rising cost of living, emergence of foreign people, government spending and investment losses became convenient topics for the opposition parties to drill on and brainwash the minds of the citizens. No doubt, I could feel the sincerity of one opposition politician trying to fight for us despite his frail body. There are some who are outstanding speakers and some attention seekers. I have already made up my mind who I want to vote for. (PAP vs SDP) I am looking forward to the voting results and I am quite sure it will be a close fight and not a strong mandate which our PM is striving for.

The weather today is very humid and I am sure it hit almost 35 degree Celsius. So much for cooling off day.

Lastly, I am typing and posting this post from my new iPad 2. My wife bought this for me at her workplace on the first day of launch (29 April 2011). Thankfully, she did not have to queue! I am absolutely overwhelmed with joy and pride when I wrapped my hands on my iPad 2! My iPhone 3GS must be absolutely furious at me for neglecting it these days. Everything seems so small using my iPhone now. And I thought I was satisfied with my iPhone screen size previously! Men are hard to be satisfied when gadgets are concerned. I am waiting for my iPad 2 case to come from Hong Kong!

Okay. I am actually feeling very tired while I pen this post. My brain are almost in a state of hibernation. I guess I am probably writing this with elementary and repetitive words. Please pardon me. Right, I should now rejoin my wife and watch this Korean show 49 days with her.

Till then. I hope I can talk about my new job in my next post. Sigh. I wonder when that could be.

09/03 Time to find a Job

2011-03-09T08:52:00.003+08:00

I still like it here, at least I have written a lot of my personal reflections here.

Nowadays, the explosion in the number of people I follow in Twitter means I am spending a fair bit of time to read through as many tweets as I can. This usually takes up 45mins which is typically the time I take to reach office.

At the same time, I have also setup a new tumblr account (www.jeobulous.tumblr.com) to keep myself atop of all these new social media hype. It is easy to use and much more versatile compared to Blogger.

After spending 2.5 years in my current company, I believe it is time to look for other opportunities now. I have come to another stage of my life where financial planning takes centre stage for both retirement and family planning if it happens. My current job does not satisfy me financially now.

Realize finding a job can be really tedious. First the CV then the resume. When you are applying for government positions , you are required to enter everything all over again. Did I already mention about the intense interviews that I will be going through again?

Hope everything goes well smoothly.

Okay, I am reaching my office soon.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

17/01 Better?

2011-01-17T08:45:00.001+08:00

Another New Year, so will another new year be better?

Home and away, which is better?

To stay or leave, which is better?

For better or worse, life still goes on.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

16/10 Hotter and Colder

2010-10-16T10:42:00.001+08:00

The weather is incredibly stifling hot these days. Even after a cold shower, the toilet feels hot too and I will perspire soon after. This feeling is annoying. I am sweating while writing this. Sigh.

Thankfully, my holidays to Europe is coming soon and I cant wait to enjoy every single moment of cold breeze caressing every part of my body.

I have also changed some more money and updated the rates on my previous post.

24/09 Daze Days

2010-09-24T22:29:00.000+08:00

I must have been too overwhelmed with the working days that I toyed with the names of these people. I had posted them in Facebook before, maybe I should keep a copy of my "famed" wisdom here too.

Weekends - A working day is splendead. A non working day is splendid!

Monday - Mourning day.

Tuesday - It is a Tuesday aka chute-day aka rubbish day.

Wednesday - Wednesday, Wednesday. So when is the day? All the weekdays are bad. Wednesdays always act innocent.

Thursday - Thursday is a dirt day after first 3 working days.

Friday - Its Friday and its the last work day of the week. It's either going to be a frightening day or fri (free) day.

18/09 France+Switzerland+Italy+UK

2010-09-18T12:19:00.010+08:00

The highly anticipated trip is getting nearer and nearer to the corner of our luggage. The hotter the Singapore, the more intense my work, the more I want to fly there now. I want to enjoy myself thoroughly with my wife and forget everything (excluding loved ones) in Singapore!

For a start, let me list out the major expenses of my trip here to remind me how expensive this dream trip is and we must enjoy ourselves!

We took the tour package (France+Switzerland+Italy) from ASA Holidays and we will be on our own to London.

Summarized Package Tour Itinerary

Cost of Package: (SG$3438x2) - (SG$200) = SG$6916 (subject to changes in tax)

Airlines: Emirates Airlines with a transit via Dubai.

Exchange Rate(s) when we changed our currency.

Euros - 1.89 and 1.732 and 1.812**
Pounds - 2.099 and 2.09* and 2.085**
Swiss Franc - 1.329 and 1.369* and 1.334**

*Rates when we changed on 15th October 2010
** Rates when we changed on the 30th October 2010

Extension to London + Manchester
Deviation and Airport Tax: SG$280x2 = SG$560
Train from Paris to London (Eurostar): SG$188 for 2
Train from London to Manchester (Virgin Train): GBP90 for 2
Accommodation at Manchester - Macdonald Manchester Hotel & Spa = GBP188 (2 nights)
Accommodation at London - Burns Hotel = GBP380 (4 nights)

I shall stop here. This should keep my excitement going!

04/09 Hello London 2!

2010-09-04T11:21:00.001+08:00

I have just received a confirmation that my London extension has been confirmed! Basically, this only means that I will be leaving Singapore on the 4th November 2010 (5th November because the actual departure time is slightly after midnight) and will arrive back in Singapore on the 24th November 2010.

This whole trip is definitely going to cost us a lot.

Anyway, I just really can't wait to shake off the burden of work and indulge myself.

25/08 2nd Last

2010-08-25T23:56:00.001+08:00

It is almost midnight and I probably should be counting my sheeps. Well, I can't really sleep yet. Well, maybe soon.

Just had my 2nd last Korean lessons under the Elementary Stage 1 Program and sad to say, I am still lost in translation. I thought I started very well, understanding the vowels and consonants. However, as the level of difficulty increases, I begin to lag behind. The preparation of my trainings to my clients made thing worse as it zapped up most of my time even during the weekend. The fatigue was undeniably hurting.

Sadly, I am unable to continue the 2nd stage of the Elementary program with the current group of students because of my Europe trip in November. I would have missed at least 2 classes if I go ahead to enrol myself. Since i have started on this journey of learning the Korean language, for interest and pride sake, I tell myself not to give up.

I have a vision - to write a short blog post in Korean here! It will not be easy but it is worth another try.

Time to sleep and prepare for yet another working day.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Jelebu Rd,Singapore,Singapore

22/08 Eloping to Europe in November

2010-08-22T17:53:00.003+08:00

Oh dear, it has been 4 months since I last visited this place and submitted a post too. I realized this has been my regular opening speech in almost every recent post which I have submitted!

Work responsibilities have been heavy and every Wednesdays have been dedicated to my Korean classes at Senja-Cashew CC. Unfortunately, the lessons are ending soon and because of my work (training) preparation, I have been neglecting my Korean revisions. I am very guilty about this. Basically, it has been non-stop meeting of clients to conduct training daily for consecutive 2 weeks. After a while, it felt really tiring and I am relieved I can take a short breather now. I have only 2 trainings to conduct next week and not really big scale training. Of course, there are other stuff I need to look after and I will just take that separately.

The BPL football season has started and so glad #Arsenal football is now fused back to my life now. Weekends become more meaningful!! If only everyday is a weekend and that's possibly a thought that comes to my mind everyday now.

Watching soccer at Emirates Stadium can soon become a reality. We signed up for a holiday package to Europe with ASA holidays and the countries which we will be covering are Italy, Switzerland and Paris. The departure has been confirmed and we will be leaving on the 4th November (or 5th November since after midnight). Because we are extending the trip on our own to London, the only thing that is left hanging is the diversion confirmation from London. I really hope the extension will be successful and we can be informed early too. The rail tickets and hotel accommodation would be dearer as we get nearer to our departure date. The excitement is slowly getting up on my head and I have also created my ticker to count down to our departure date!

Last week, we went to Jeff Chang Happiness Choice 20 World Tour concert at Max Pavilion last week and it was a really great one. In my opinion, it was even better than the one I attended in 2008. His voice was in good condition and we can relate to the selection of songs he delivered. If only, he can sing more songs but again, there are too many nice love songs under him. One day is not enough. Here are some pictures which I have taken > 2010-08-14 Jeff Chang Happiness Choice 20 World Tour

11/04 Busy Week but Happy

2010-04-11T00:18:00.000+08:00

In my last blog post, I wrote about how busy I was this week because of the numerous training. I am glad it has passed and I have received good feedback from my training. I found this especially encouraging because people usually do not leave any remarks for Q5. It gives me the motivation and inspiration to continue what I am doing and I hope to do it better.

The challenge is that the personality of the audience is never the same and perhaps I have managed to click with them. Both parties enjoyed the training!

We had a healthy dinner today. The color of the rice has changed from white to a mixture of red and brown. Importantly, the chef (my wife) has yet again made the meal tasty and it suits my taste!

04/04 Long Easter Weekend

2010-04-04T22:10:00.007+08:00

The long weekend which I have yearn for is slowly coming to an end.

The past week has been difficult because I was literally surviving on my own. 2 of my only team mates are on leave (Medical and Annual leave). One returns tomorrow and the other only will come back next Monday That makes me very both mentally and physically tired.

Now that the long weekend is almost over, the coming week continues the momentum where I left off. 3 trainings to conduct (1 for NIE and 2 for MND) and things to follow up. That's my job.

Work aside, the easter long weekend has been good. My Arsenal scored a late late winner and I was literally overwhelmed with excitement! At the same time, we have Pizza and Red wine for accompany. Importantly, the weather has been kind - cooling.

Now that I have BlogPress App on my iPhone, will this signal an explosion of blog updates? Or will I disappear from here for months? Only my next post will tell.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

04/04 Still Alive here

2010-04-04T18:05:00.004+08:00

It has been raining for the past few days.

When I look back at the date of my last post, you can't help but lament that time flies. It always goes unnoticed especially when you are busy.

Perhaps, like 80% of the people, I am now powered by Apple iPhone 3GS since late January 2010. Despite the lack of ability to multi-task, it has definitely enhanced my mobility compared to my previous N97. With this change, I am afraid I have to bade goodbye to Nokia. There is definitely no more "WOW" factor and the so called flagship phones it has launched so far has been nothing but terribly disappointing. I do miss the radio though. So what's next? A guy buying a Pad?

My wife is also using iPhone now and perhaps more tech savvy now. Not much, at least a little.

I received a email from Google that they have launched this template designer which I have used to give my current blog a make-over. I have to say it is easy to use and I like the clean interface which somehow resembles my iPhone GUI. Maybe I am now MAC-netized.

That's about it. Just a little note to say, I am still alive here...Just indulging myself more in Twittering at the moment. I hope I did not miss much.

Thanks for dropping by.

22/01 Being i

2010-01-22T09:51:00.010+08:00

Very soon, we are approaching the demise of January 2010. This is really fast despite my relentless grumbles of the crawling weeks.

I am really glad today is Friday because I have just completed four days of consecutive trainings to different clients. This can really be mentally tiring as you do not know the nature and characteristics of the audience. Some can intentionally throw you tough questions and some can habitually disrupt your delivery flow. Yet, at the same time, I need to continue to exhibit a consistent level of professionalism from my body language and gestures. Of these 4 trainings, I really enjoyed the one I conducted for NUS Law students. Maybe we are both young adults and they are really fun lot to joke with.

My facebook has become a politically correct social hub. More and more work related people are added to my list of friends and this includes my new boss. There have been a lot of restructuring and reshuffling of people in the company and whether this will benefit me really remains to be seen. Thankfully, my blog and twitter have not been exposed although the immense power of Google search can expose all this. I can still be an I!

I have been reading quite a lot of iphone including jailbreaking, tethered and untethered. Maybe I have been toying the idea of getting one since the ownership of it becomes an option. I do not know if this is because I am bored of Symbian or because it is a new gadget for me to dissect with. One thing for sure, the number of apple apps is incredible! So many more compared to Symbian's. Of course, I am also not a follower of fad. We shall see if I will lay my hands on the Apple soon or one day.

It has been a rainy Friday! If only, work is an option, to switch off and on at will in office.

Yawn...

I am looking forward to playing soccer tomorrow!

05/01 A Brand New Post and A Brand New Post

2010-01-05T08:48:00.011+08:00

Today marks my first working day of the year and this will also be my first blog post of the year.

Wishing myself and my wife and everyone (who still comes here) a very Happy New Year 2010.

On my way to work now and honestly, the cooling weather crippled my religious call to work. I wished I could sleep longer or rather do not need to go work. Nonetheless, for the work year to have an auspicious beginning, i have to abandon any reluctance and embrace the start. Just sadly, my very competent work partner is no longer able to walk the journey with me.

Okay, shall now enjoy my remaining journey to work.

18/10 Cookies Baking

2009-10-18T16:31:00.001+08:00

For someone who has not made/baked cookies before, this was a wonderful attempt and more importantly, it tasted really lovely and I cant stop eating!

Thanks dear!

12/09 Running with the Sun and Wife...

2009-09-12T10:59:00.002+08:00

The beams of the sun rays pierced through our windows and shone on our room. The reluctance to wake up was clear. But I made a promise to myself and I have to wake up.

For the 2nd consecutive Saturday, I manage to pull myself to go for a run to keep myself healthy and shed some kilograms. I did not run alone and I grabbed my wife. She was really hesitant to wake up because she wanted to sleep more because she has been working on a few Saturdays. Poor Gal. Well specially for her, I have planned a slightly shorter route with minimal elevation.

Overall, it was still a good run. I look forward to my run again next Saturday!

05/09 許哲珮 - 美好的 MV

2009-09-05T21:29:00.001+08:00

When you are away from work and listening to this song, you will feel so much at ease. Everything will be 美好的!

"美好的"
詞 / 曲: 許哲珮

我們走過一整片日落
就這樣牽著手一直走
世界沒有盡頭有我
感謝生命中美好的

兩個人分享彼此感受
全世界只有你最懂我
你的眉頭你的酒渦
是我心裡最美好的

夏末的微風吹過我領口
你還是擔心我受了寒風
輕輕暖和我冰冷的雙手
你忘了你也怕冷
卻只想到我

我們走進彼此的生活
希望能牽著手一直走
世界沒有盡頭有我
感謝生命中美好的

30/8 A Proposal at Cineleisure after Orchard Central and Ion

2009-08-30T22:49:00.006+08:00

Yesterday (29/08) was a long but fulfilling day. Amidst the hot weather, we were almost like a pair of domestic tourists strolling along the new-looked Orchard Road.

I mean, I have been working in town for almost a year now, it is a different feeling shopping the same area after work and especially with my wife.

Orchard Central was really a disappointment. It really gives you a new definition of shopping or rather a shopping turn off. Shops are poorly organised and we felt like a maze in this gigantic building. At the other end of Orchard Road, Ion Orchard does live up to its elegant and engimatic robe. The variety of shops in there is truly amazing. We did not spend enough time shopping there as we needed to head off to Cineleisure to catch our move "The Proposal".

"The Proposal" was a show full of humor. Though the storyline was typical, the acting stirred up excitement and laughter. A good movie to watch during the weekend!

The match between Man U and Arsenal was a disappointment. Haiz, I do not want to talk about it. Better luck next time.

*Written & Submitted from my Nokia N97*

23/08 A Sumptuous Dinner again...

2009-08-22T21:36:00.002+08:00

Nothing beats having home made meals.

Yesterday (22/08), my wife made a simple yet delicious dinner again. Bak Kut Teh, Fried egg with Prawn and Vegatable with mushroom.

Only managed to take a few shots of the fried egg with prawns.

Another great dinner! But sadly, weekend is over again

09/08 National Day

2009-08-09T18:13:00.005+08:00

I was excited as this is my first time displaying our Singapore National Flag at our Jelebu House. At the same time, I was worried that the placement of the flag was wrong because I do not want to see my unit being stomped! Nowadays, Singaporeans enjoy stomping.

Eg: National flag used as curtain by MacPherson Estate resident

My wife is on her way back from Malacca because of her office event (teambuilding). She has been away since yesterday morning. A bit disappointed that I am not able to spend the long weekend with her.

05/08 Thanks to Maternity Leave

2009-08-05T08:58:00.003+08:00

Ever since my team leader aka my only partner went for her maternity leave, the past few weeks have been amazing. The workload on my plate has never been so much. Trainings seem like a daily and never ending process and follow ups become my desserts for the day. The best thing, she will only be back in November. More things to come. On a positive side, you could call this accelerated learning. But I do miss her presence and the conversation about kids.

Currently, I am on bus 700 and on my way to work and typing this from my Nokia N97. Good thing, I am not going out to meet clients or "perform" any trainings today. I hope to clear my most of my stuff today, hopefully no new things but that is rarely the case. The traffic on the expressway is smooth. Hope this reflects my day.

Just went to do my routine blood test for my thyroid yesterday and it has been about 3 months since I last took my blood test. Hopefully, the results will turn out well. He did comment that my blood pressure is on a slightly higher reading. Time to control my diet and exercise AGAIN.

19/07 Tweet Tweet

2009-07-19T10:55:00.005+08:00

The explosion of social media application has revolutionized the digital world.

With my workload piling up.I may not have the time and energy to detailed reflections these days. I shall borrow the convenience of Twitter to have short and frequent updates. Facebook is too crowded. Check out my twitter updates at the top of my blogger page.

My Twitter Page

And sadly, my photo album link is gone because they require payment after 1st year usage. Will hunt for another new photo host when I am free.

24/05 Busy

2009-05-24T10:27:00.003+08:00

This is probably my longest absence from blogging. Well, the idea of penning of my thoughts rarely crosses my mind these days and that may be a signal that my time here is numbered. Maybe I have been too occupied with my work and travel. Currently, I am doing my reservist which will end this Friday, 29th May 2009.

I was in Bangkok for a business trip from 30th March 2009 till 4th April 2009. I am really thankful that I was not there when the state of emergency was declared in Thailand. After that, my wife and I went for a relaxation trip at Taiwan from 11th April 2009 till 18th April 2009. And now, reservist from 15th May 2009 till 29th May 2009.

Some pictures from my Taiwan trip can be find here
Day 1: 2008-04-11 Taipei - Ximenting - Keelung
Day 2: 2008-04-12 Keelung - Yilan - Hualien
Day 3: 2008-04-13 Hualian - Taitung
Day 4: 2008-04-14 Taitung to Kenting
Day 5: 2008-04-15 Kenting - Kaohsiung
Day 6: 2008-04-16 Kaohsiung - Nantou - Taichung
Day 7: 2008-04-17 - Taichung - Taipei
Day 8: 2008-04-18 Last Day at Taipei

Work wise, there have been lots of training springing up. Even during weekends, I have to prepare my training plan and make sure my training meets their research needs. Argh.

Have not really planned for House Warming too...

That's about it for today. I will need to book in later at 9pm. It is going to be a tough week as I will spend 4 days 3 nights at Simpang. Digging and filling up sandbags is not an easy chore especially under the scorching sun. Well, not a bad way to shed some pounds and getting a healthy tan concurrently.

I ponder when my next post will be....Till then.

14/03 Writing again..

2009-03-14T12:15:00.005+08:00

Time appears merciless especially when I look back at the date of my last blog entry. Time flew by ridiculously and spectacularly fast when you least expect it. What is wrong with Time? I woke up around 8am, went for a jog and just completed my housework ritual. It is noon now and the sun is now at its peak and you are handicapped to slow the descent of the glorious and furious hot sun.

The air is now crisp after sweeping and mopping the floor and I have bathed.

The joy of writing seemed to be waning and I reckon it might be due to the emails that I have been writing in the office to the clients. I have to do lots of autopsy on my emails before I have to send my emails out and after sending, it will be examined unknowingly by my team leaders as it is part and parcel of my performance indicators. Things are better now. Then again, it has got to start somewhere in my life - writing a professional looking business email.

Home Cook Food is always the best.....It still look delicious after looking back at the photos. Well, my wife conjured these marvelous dishes.

Home Cook Dinner (21st February 2009)

Home Cook Dinner (1st March 2009)

Gosh, I am supposed to plan what to eat tonight and I have not!

Work and Food aside, it is heartening to see Michael Jackson is performing on stage again. Link: Michael Jackson's 50 London concerts sell out He is one of my favourite perfomer. I don't think I will ever get a chance to see him perform live...

Michael Jackson - Remember The Time

01/02 Dinner vu?

2009-02-01T22:07:00.004+08:00

Déjà vu? Yup. I had the same dinner again. Haha. I guess we do not stay here often and with the same food we have left, this was probably the best she could conjure.

Well, compared to my last dinner at home, today's dinner got healthier.

Now, the feeling of going back to work tomorrow is disturbing. Everything will clock back to tomorrow.

A Typical Day of a House-Husband..

2009-01-28T15:35:00.001+08:00

School bags are once again on the shoulders of the students and parents. The queue for taking buses is once again snake-like. It is really a terrible feeling to go back to work after 2 days of CNY and visiting friends and relatives. Well, let's make it 5 days if we consider weekends. I have the bliss of taking leave today to stay at home but I felt I have worked hard. Today is the day when I do not need to go out anywhere and we tasted self-independence.

My eyes opened to grace the day around 11am and I started to work soon after. I have to iron 4 clothes, yup, just 4 and it took me about an hour or so to finish ironing. All the clothes are coated with visible strands of dusts and those dark colored clothes almost turned white. I think the impact will not be so obvious if I had turned them inside out.

Shortly later I had my lunch and it was a simple meal cooked by my wife but at least it tasted nice and filled up my enormous tummy. Now, I look forward to more meals from her. Haha.

What's next? I mopped the entire house with the trusty "Roman' mop and now the house is almost cleansed of visible dust. It felt good just by strolling around the house.

After bathing, the time now is about 3.30pm already. Half a day is almost gone. A lot of things have to be done by ourselves but at the same time, I have new hobbies: sweeping and mopping. I also swear enemies with hairs strand on the floor and I have to took up arms to throw those hair strands away.

I declare that my life as a house-husband after work begins...

18/01 We have moved!

2009-01-18T22:29:00.001+08:00

Finally, we have moved in to our new house and I am coming back "here" soon.

26/11 Goodbye Maju

2008-11-26T22:11:00.004+08:00

I won this enduring physical battle finally. The joy is beyond my wildest imagination because this is something I thought I will never achieve again. I do not have to worry about IPPT until 26th June 2009. The word "RT" will only resurface if I cannot pass my IPPT from this period 27th June 2009 to 26th June 2010.

With this passing of IPPT, I pocketed $100. :) The phrase "Payment will be made thru' your bank a/c" is definitely music to my eyes.

24/11 Thryoid + Tooth + Medical Leave

2008-11-24T13:24:00.008+08:00

For the past 1.5 months, my daily life schedule is so packed until time became a subject of non-existence. Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays are devoted to doing my religious physical exercises. Tuesdays and Thursdays are usually spent going to my new house and checking out the process and taking note of any potential damages and poor workmanship arising from the renovation. Sunday is my purest free time which is arguably not enough. Anyway, all these will be changed come this Wednesday when the physical training comes to a timely end. I look forward to a free man again.

My thyroid is pressing for a return to action. After a few months of consistent good results from my blood test, the doctor decided to lift me off any medication for a month and see if i could say good riddance to my thyroid. That one month has passed and the latest blood test result is out. As you can see, all signs are indicating a return, so I am now under medication again. Good thing is that, it can be "medicinally" controlled.

Today I am on Medical Leave and given because of a minor gum surgery above my tooth (the one current being root-canal-ed). The root canal treatment has not completed yet. Because of my fracture tooth, this gum surgery has to be performed before the 2nd stage of treatment (crown lengthening etc) comes in.

$ pain. Everything revolves around money. The number and monetary value of monthly bills is moving north these days. Savings repel...going south..fast.

08/11 A Roof of Jecas

2008-11-08T00:14:00.001+08:00

I have decided to publish all my renovation stuff to another blog.

Link: A Roof of Jecas

29/10 Before Renovation Start

2008-10-29T23:48:00.010+08:00

The bouquet of flower was even more beautiful when the tulips "blossomed". Sadly, the tulips have withered but surprisingly, the roses are going strong after so many days.

Back to my new house. It is always interesting and memorable to record the whole process of renovation.

My Master Bedroom before Renovation

View from My Master Bedroom

My Master Bedroom Toilet before Renovation

My Living Room before Renovation

My Kitchen before Renovation

29/10 Maju II

2008-10-29T23:32:00.004+08:00

Today was a do or die day because it was supposed to be a potential last day for my Physical Remedial Training. Sadly, I flunked at the very last hurdle again. The 4 static stations can considered a breeze compared to my last attempt in June and 2.4km was again the assassin who murdered my chance of getting a pass. I was really determined to pass but I can merely mustered my strength to run 13 mins and 39 seconds. I was already gasping for breath during my 3rd round and I needed about 1 min and 40 sec for my 6th and final round to pass. It was beyond my reach. So now, I will have to spend Monday and Wednesday Evenings and Saturday afternoons at Maju for a period of 1 month.

28/10 Our First Anniversary & the Key

2008-10-28T23:00:00.005+08:00

It has been a year already since our customary dinner - 27th October and we celebrated this special day in advance on the 25th October. Through FarEastFlora.com, a lovely bouquet of flowers was delivered to my wife's office - "Rings of Eternity - Pledge your future to her with three rings - an outer ring of pure white ammi majus, a second ring of abounding red roses and an inner ring of lush maroon tulips encircling a core of seductive black fur." This was the first time I have ever done that and she was really happy. The bouquet was really beautiful!

We have our anniversary dinner at Secret Garden. We have never been there before and we really struggled to find the secretive place. In the end, after a couple of calls to the restaurant, we managed to track down the garden. The food (roast chicken and mushroom burger) coupled with red wine was fabulous. The dessert (Triple Choc with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream) rounded up this very special day. During the dinner, I surprised her with another gift - A Guy Laroche Bag. I wish I could have bought her a Coach Bag... Thankfully, my wife is very understanding. She knew with our current financial status and gloomy economy outlook, it is unwise to spend so much.

We collected our house keys today. The excitement of getting the key only lasted merely 15 mins because the handover process was so short. We spent almost half the day, looking at our "empty" new flat and taken some pictures. I need to decide whether I should start a new blog specially for the development of our new house.

12/10 Coming Soon...

2008-10-12T21:22:00.009+08:00

06/10 Plu$hed

2008-10-06T22:58:00.010+08:00

Finally signed yesterday at 11.50pm ~ Plush Living.
A huge load off our chest.
Cant wait ~

张信哲 ~ 太想爱你

05/10 Maju-lah Sundays Thursdays

2008-10-05T12:08:00.003+08:00

I am still around. These few weeks have been busy shopping around for IDs for our new house. Although I have the luxury of not working during weekends now, it seems that my weekends go away in a flash. Just yesterday, I spent the whole day at Singapore Expo - Gracious Homes 2008 listening to the ever impressing sales people blabbered about their fabulous products and flexing their persuasive talents.

Amidst the search for IDs, my weekends now become even shorter. For the next 1 month (possibly 2 months), I will spend my time in Maju Camp during my Remedial Training. Sadly, Sundays' training schedule is from 4pm - 8pm which is such a unearthly timing. Sianz.

Work wise, after my 5 years of exile in my previous job, the current job exposes many of my flaws. One of them is email writing. Email writing is part of the Key Performance Objectives (KPO) due to the fact that we have to address to customers' training needs and enquiries. Honestly, I feel a little insulted when mentioned that my emails needed some improvement but I tell myself to adopt an open mind and aim to do better than those who made those comments. I am not perfect and I am still learning. It is still an essential skill. Learning to crawl before walk.

09/09 I am Tied to Monday Blues

2008-09-09T00:45:00.006+08:00

These days, it is hard to spot me without a tie at Orchard. More than a week has since passed as I try to integrate myself into this new job of mine. 2 weeks of honeymoon training are all I have to enjoy, after that, it will really be back to serious work - Conducting training and managing clients' account.

It has been a total transformation from my previous job - different culture, different processes with a mature approach and I guess working in a MNC is really an eye-opener. I see so many "ang mo" and to strike a conversation with them can be a little intimidating and it does take a while to get used to. I am still learning to overcome it though. Unlike my previous company, I will not have the chance to hear people calling me boss anymore. Based on the rather flat hierachy tree, at least not so soon. After jailed in a small Jurong International Business Park, it is really hard to imagine my lunch are taken in Orchard Road. I feel like a country pumpkin wearing a tie whenever I go for lunch.

Anyway, I just enjoyed my first decent weekend off after so many years of captivity and it felt so great. Sadly, human needs are insatiable and this explains why I fell sick so soon - Monday Blues bug.

Time to sleep...

Maroon 5 - Won't Go Home Without You

I asked her to stay but she wouldn't listen
She left before I had the chance to say
Oh
The words that would mend the things that were broken
But now it's far too late, she's gone away

Every night you cry yourself to sleep
Thinking: "Why does this happen to me?
Why does every moment have to be so hard?"
Hard to believe that

It's not over tonight
Just give me one more chance to make it right
I may not make it through the night
I won't go home without you

The taste of your breath, I'll never get over
The noises that she made kept me awake
Oh
The weight of things that remained unspoken
Built up so much it crushed us everyday

Every night you cry yourself to sleep
Thinking: "Why does this happen to me?
Why does every moment have to be so hard?"
Hard to believe that

It's not over tonight
Just give me one more chance to make it right
I may not make it through the night
I won't go home without you

It's not over tonight
Just give me one more chance to make it right
I may not make it through the night
I won't go home without you

Of all the things I felt but never really shown
Perhaps the worst is that I ever let you go
I should not ever let you go, oh oh oh

It's not over tonight
Just give me one more chance to make it right
I may not make it through the night
I won't go home without you

It's not over tonight
Just give me one more chance to make it right
I may not make it through the night
I won't go home without you
And I won't go home without you
And I won't go home without you
And I won't go home without you

31/08 Ended and Beginning

2008-08-31T20:14:00.015+08:00

I tendered on the 1st August and today will mark the my official last day and part ways with my first company since my uni graduation. Physical last day was yesterday because today is considered a rest day. Despite serving a month of notice, it was only yesterday that some of colleagues learnt that I have tendered and all lamented that it was so sudden. At the same time, they were happy that I have finally managed to move on after making my intention to leave many years ago.

I have finally tasted the emotions of people who have previously left. It was most difficult leaving all the friends because only from that moment, you realized the value of true friendship which is beyond words - priceless. My friends made me a farewell card filled with precious well wishes and their impression of me as a person. To be honest, I was very touched. Some were expecting tears from me but much to their disappointment, I didn't. Behind the same cool image which they claimed I protrayed in the company, I was actually overwhelmed. If I were not a guy, I would have probably teared. Just before I left the company for the last time, I went around and bade goodbye. Remarks such as "Coaching Sup", "Fishtank Sup", "Senior Buddy" from my fellow colleagues/friends were comforting and I know to a certain extent, I have done my job well. Anyway, the good thing is that I know I will meet them again.

I am starting my new work life tomorrow. I abandon my comfort zone and move on to a new challenge. Uncertainty lurks but adaptability shall reign.

14/08 Change / Resign / Hong Kong

2008-08-14T14:57:00.003+08:00

Yes! After 5 years of my service for my current company, I have finally called it quits. I have tendered my resignation on the 1st of August and my last day will fall on the 31st of August. And I have found a new job just as well. Still on the line of client servicing but at least with a multi-national company and a little more on a training perspective. It is definitely a bold move because bonus payout is just round the corner and I would have to give up whatever things I am doing now. Still, the lure of fixed office hours and a little pay increment and the chance to move out of my comfort zone was too tempting. I have always felt that my stay in my existing company is overdued and now I am glad that I have the opportunity to move on.

Because of this sudden change, our intention to travel to places like South Korea in October (for our 1st year wedding anniversary) had to be postponed. Instead, we decided to go to Hong Kong in August and we booked the air tickets and accommodation via Zuji at the eleventh hour. So with minimal planning, we travelled from 7th August to 11th August. Total Damage: $1547

By the way, we were so lucky to go on the 7th August.

Click here: Tropical storm Kammuri passes Hong Kong, halting industries

I will summarize the whole trip itinerary.

7th August (Raining)

Cathay Pacific CX 0736 - Departure Time: 10.15am
Hotel: Metropark Hotel Mongkok

Arrival at HK Airport > Bus A21 > Reached Hotel

Checked in Hotel > Fa Yuen Gai > Tsim Sha Tsui / Avenue of Stars / Symphony of Light @ 8pm

8th August (Drizzling)

Mongkok Langham Place Mall (Had HoneyMoon Dessert) > Took MTR to Causeway Bay MTR (Had Yee Shun Desserts) > Took Bus to Admiraty > Walk to the Peak Tram Station

Suspicious object detonated in MTR
(08-08 18:13)
Police detonated a suspicious object inside a busy MTR station this afternoon after they received a report of an object with wires and tubes attached found on top of a public phone booth inside the station.

Exits D, E and F of Causeway Bay station were closed but Exit F was reopened at 5.30pm for passengers to leave the station.

Police received the report around 3.45pm.

Fire services went to the station on standby and the bomb disposal team detonated the object at around 5.20pm.
Investigation is ongoing according to police.

We had just finished our desserts at Yee Shun and after we stepped out of the shop, we saw police cars, ambulances, bomb disposal team and ATV fliming crews just outside the exit of Causeway Bay MTR and there was a big crowd forming. We thought we were lucky because we thought they were filming. Until, the police attempt to disperse the crowd away then we realised something is amiss. As we were concerned with our safety, we quickly took a bus and left.

While I was typing this, happen to read news on Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station was disrupted.

Tsim Sha Tsui was disrupted
(6 mins ago)
Tsim Sha Tsui was disrupted this afternoon amid the ongoing Olympic Equestrian events in the territory after a suspicious object was found in a flower trough on Mody Road.

Police rushed to the scene and sealed off the section between Chatham Road and Science Museum Road. Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station exits P1 and P2 have been closed.

Causeway Bay was disrupted on the eve of Hong Kong's Olympic equestrian events last Friday.
Police later detonated a suspicious object found in Causeway Bay MTR station. It was later found to be a marine flare.

9th August (Clear)
We spent the whole day at Lantau Island visiting the Big Buddha.

10th August (Clear)

Wong Tai Sin Temple > Tsim Sha Tsui > Granville > Star Ferry Pier > Clock Tower > Mongkok

We did not realised and there was actually a fire broke up at Mongkok morning.

I am down with Fever and had to buy panadol.

11th August (Raining)

Last min shopping for Wife's Biscuits.

Fever did not subside.

Took Bus A21 to Airport> Cathay Pacific CX 0715 8pm

I am supposed to return to work on the 12th but my fever still did not subside. I was given 2 days of MC and today is my off day. Going back to work tomorrow already. Fever no more but running nose now.

I miss my HK breakfast!!

28/07 Canheg / Rseing

2008-07-28T17:26:00.006+08:00

The words in my subject seem imminent...this time, it really is going to happen. (shall reveal it soon once confirmed)

That aside, I have been tuning to Radio Mix 101.1 (Melbourne). Most of the times playing great songs. Especially weekday nights (Melbourne time).

One Republic - Stop and Stare

14/07 Molar-less, Almost

2008-07-14T12:17:00.003+08:00

I reckon I lost about 1kg within 1.5 days while it feel as though half of my mouth is crippled. To be precise, a fragment of my 2nd last molar tooth was hanging to its dear life to the gums and I can feel it was shaking. Only till I visited the dentist yesterday afternoon then I realised my tooth was fractured. Having not visited the dentist since 2001, the phobia was unmistakeably present. It felt as if I was back to my school days when the fierce female dentist with a mask, prepared to give me a good and nasty long lectures on my poor oral hygiene and also the extra robotic hands which she had.

I have to commend that the dentist I went to yesterday was very nice and patient and because of me, he had to sacrifice his lunch. He acknowledged my fear and scribbled down what he planned to do and the expected results very clearly. In the end, I chose to extract that fragment of the fractured tooth and everything that he did was painless. Unfortunately, my pulp was exposed and he had no choice but to put up a temporary filling and refer me to a root canal specialist. Not that he cannot perform the root canal treatment but because of the complexity of a fractured tooth, it was better to leave it to the good hands of a specialist.

The cost of a root canal treatment is very high. It is going to cost me probably about $1.5k for the tooth. Heart-pain... Yesterday's damage was $110. Heart-pain x2...

30/6 爱与诚

2008-06-30T16:32:00.004+08:00

其实自己一个更开心只等你讲
其实大家早已嫌大家却扮忙
恨有多一点碰撞
仍然无聊事干不敢打搅对方
要是你愿意诚实讲一趟
彼此都起码觉得释放

不要哭我也忍得了这些年来的委曲
没法真心爱下去
只好真心真意的结束

别再做情人做只猫做只狗不做情人
做只宠物至少可爱迷人
和你不瞅不睬最
终只会成为敌人

沦为旧朋友是否又称心
没有心只像闲人
若有空
难道有空可接吻
注定似过路人陌生
你怎么手震

长期被迫恋爱也真比失恋更惨
长期扮演若无其事般更困难
是我专登反应慢
明明为时甚晚牌一早该要摊
再像我伴侣仍望多一眼
一生都将会记得今晚

别再做情人做只猫做只狗不做情人
做只宠物至少可爱迷人
和你不瞅不睬最
终只会成为敌人

沦为旧朋友是否又称心
没有心只像闲人
若有空
难道有空可接吻

这预告发自虔诚内心

对不起自动分手错愕的你怕会伤感
盲目的我现在也可转台
来贺你新生

别再做情人做只猫做只狗不做情人
做只宠物至少可爱迷人
和你相交不浅无谓明日会被你憎

沦为旧朋友是否又称心
没有心只像闲人

若有空
难道有空可接吻
注定似过路人陌生
你怎么手震

30/6 Last Day

2008-06-30T16:16:00.001+08:00

Today is the last day of June 08 and is also the last day of my 5 days of legal absence from work. This long break was taken with consideration and in conjunction of my birthday on the 27th June. We did not go for any short trip and anyway, there was a couple of celebration apart from mine which we needed to attend. We could have gone to Genting...

26th June

My birthday celebration was arguably one of the best so far. All thanks to my wife who managed to source out such a good deal for singing and it was just the two of us belting out hits endlessly from 9.30pm to 2am. (26th June). The birthday cake was surprisingly bigger than our expectations and we had to ask for a box to bring my cake home. We initially thought it was just a small slice of cake for formality sake.

27th June

I thought it was memorable to take a snap shot of my phone's screen. This was taken after I had my Japanese sushi meal at Ang Mo Kio Hub but not a cheap meal though and there was also no credit card discount which we can utilize. It was a treat from my wife. And of course, later that night, I had to attend a wedding dinner at Shangri La Hotel. Well, my birthday must be an auspicious date. The venue itself was already inconvenient and we had to walk quite a fair bit from Orchard MRT station. It was also my 1st time assuming my role as a guest in a wedding dinner after mine. The ball room was big and we reckoned there was about 50 tables. Still felt mine was more comfortable and more cozy and our food and service was way way better.

I kinda missed 27th October 2007. Anyway, 27th June 2008 marked 1 years 6 months since our ROM and 8 months since our customary dinner. Time flies...

28th June

We had dinner at "My humble house" at Esplanade and it was another birthday celebration (not mine already). It was chinese cuisine in a fine dining setting and honestly, we did not know we were having our dinner there. The food was heavenly marvelous and each dish was delicately created and named. This set dinner came with a hefty tag though. Not bad, I had my post birthday dinner (no lah, nobody celebrated for me) in a fine dining restaurant.

To summarise, 1 birthday = 3 birthday cakes, wedding dinner, good food....signs of good things to come..sure hope so...

House's next...

20/6 A Frog ate my $100 away

2008-06-20T00:43:00.010+08:00

From 5pm onwards, I was probably possessed by a frog yesterday and I did not have a good time at Maju Camp where I took my IPPT Test. The static stations were strategically chosen by me in such a manner: Chin up followed by Shuttle Run then followed by Standing Broad Jump and lastly Sit ups.

May's Results:
Here

Yesterday Results:
Chin up: 5
Shuttle Run: 9.7sec
Standing Broad Jump: 216cm
Sit ups: 39

It was the 3rd station where I spent the most time in. First 4 jumps resulted in "Line Fault" (Shoes touched the line after take off), 5th jump registered 207cm (I thought I passed already) and 6th jump registered 203cm. Happily, I removed my number tag only to realize that the minimum distance to pass was 212cm. I had to request for a retry yet again which was usually not allowed. Victoriously, I managed to jump 216cm but to be honest, my thigh muscles were beginning to show the dreaded curse of strain after all the frog jumps.

A frog cannot run, can it?!

My 2.4km timing was the worst when I came in at 14mins and 30 secs. Well, I had to run a total of 3 rounds to complete 2.4km and I can sense the finishing line becoming more distant just halfway through the first round. My tired leg muscles were unable to conjure any miracles and each passing stride became gloomier and I can almost feel that my potential monetary reward of $100 was gone. Okie, granted that I did not fall out and continue to aim for the finishing line which probably was smiling at the fact that I saved them $100.

Anyway, each run serves as a foundation block and a merit to health. I also realise that as much as I want to pass, it is probably too much to take 2 months to make up for the 1.5 years of non-exercise and my fitness was not something to be exactly proud of 1.5 years ago.

Always next time to try again right?
Yes.

17/06 Uncharacteristicly Bored

2008-06-17T01:31:00.002+08:00

I have been running a distance of 2.4km almost every alternate days to prepare myself for the IPPT test this coming Thursday at Maju Camp. To be honest, my physical fitness has never been good ever since I finished my national service years ago and having a BMI higher than average did not help too. I finished my run around 11.15pm (consider yesterday) and after a hot shower, you can't feel any more fresher than this. I clocked my best timing yesterday at 13mins and 23 secs and this only means I am only a stone's throw away from the passing time of 12mins and 40 secs. Anyway, I am not very optimistic since I do not have knowledge of Maju Camp's running route so I cannot really plot my running strategy. Well, I probably got to bulldoze my way through and pray for the best. $100 in the marking if I pass. Easy money right?

My wife is already in slumberland and I am reluctant to sleep just yet. Possibly because I am starting my work tomorrow at 11.30am. The night is serene with slight drizzle earlier and I am feeling kinda bored now. Not too sure what I would like to do now actually. Browsing the net, playing my football manager 2008 are just too religiously routined and engineered. At least, on a positive side, I do not have to think about work and my mind can take its break. Euro soccer will only commence at 2.45am and by then, I would really struggle to stay awake. I really miss having my Arsenal team in action.

Still 4 more months to getting our house keys and the waiting somehow seems eternal. Come to think of it, it has been about 7 months since our customary wedding dinner. Paradox again, time flies this time and unfortunately, there are some friends I have not met up since then. Being me, I guess I enjoy the comfort of my home after a tiring day's work and spending time with my wife and family.

After typing relatively much today, my sense of alertness eroded as my biological clock prepares the time to sleep and wake up later today.

{The Jets - You got it all}

I, I was a game he would play
He brought the clouds to my day
Then like a ray of light
You came my way one night
Just one look and I knew
You would make everything clear
Make all the clouds disappear
You're better than all the rest
Who do I love the best
Don't you know, don't you know

You got it all over him
You got me over him
Honey it's true
There's just you
You must have been heaven sent
Hearing me call you went
Out on a limb
And you're all that he's not
Just look what I got
Cause you got it all
Over him

No, don't let him worry you so
Once I met you I let go
Oh you can surely see
You're so much more to me
Just one look and I knew
You would make everything clear
Make all the clouds disappear
You're better than all the rest
Who do I love the best
Don't you know, don't you know

You got it all over him
You got me over him
Honey it's true
There's just you
You must have been heaven sent
Hearing me call you went
Out on a limb
And you're all that he's not
Just look what I got
Cause you got it all
All over him
(You got it all over him, You got me over him)
Honey it's true there's just you
You must have been heaven sent
Hearing me call you went
Out on a limb
And you're all that he's not
Just look what I got
Cause you got it all
All over him

P.S. Such a nice song to play at night...

02/06 OTP Exercised

2008-06-02T16:19:00.007+08:00

On 30th of May, we exercised the OTP. Now we are waiting for our 1st HDB appointment - 9th of June and getting our keys on the 27th October which is also our 1st year wedding anniversary. This has never happened before...

From the Lake House OST - This Has Never Happened Before

02/06 Mr & Mrs Ho @ Ho Chi Minh City

2008-06-02T15:39:00.001+08:00

We set off to Ho Chi Minh City on the 25th May and returned to Singapore on the 28th May. This trip was considered a partially sponsored trip because of my wife's sister and brother-in-law. Air tickets and accommodation were taken care of by them. We took Singapore Airlines and stayed at Rex Hotel. It was my 1st trip to Vietnam and 1st time taking SQ too. It was nearly a scare though because I was sleeping in the aircraft when I heard a loud "thump". I opened my eyes - I thought the aircraft had landed and how badly SQ's pilot landing prowess was. Shortly, the annoucement came and we were in a midst of a thunderstorm and unable to proceed with descending. The aircraft had to re-route to make its landing.

Upon reaching Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), it was very hot and humid, just like Singapore, probably hotter. The whole street is virtually planted with motorcycles and you can hear the horning sound from vehicles almost at every single heartbeat.

We took up day tour packages for Day 2 and Day 3 of our HCMC Trip. 2nd day, we went to Mekong Delta and 3rd day, we travelled to Cu Chi Tunnel.

Info on Mekong Delta: Click here
Info on Cu Chi Tunnel: Click here

After both the day trips, the night was dedicated to the night market. Like Bangkok, they have many replicas of various branded bags and shirts and they were cheaper compared to Bangkok. Just that the variety was lacking. This time, with 9 of us, bargaining was not a chore. Collective bargaining left the seller powerless but to obliged.

Overall, it was a pleasant trip although HCMC was quite laid back. She does not have any railway system unlike Bangkok but the Vietnamese are quite friendly, leading a simple life. There are always black sheep, my wife's brother was almost pick pocketed on the 1st day.

I am not sure if I would like to go back there again though...maybe Bangkok? Going overseas is always fun and have always left good and fond memories.

20/05 670181

2008-05-20T15:38:00.007+08:00

The above will be my new postal code. Yes, I have finally found a flat after a couple of years of searching and praying. Well, I signed the OTP (Option to Purchase) on the same day (18th of May) I viewed the house. In actual fact, my wife and my in-laws viewed first in the afternoon 2pm and I could only go after work which was after 9pm. My nice in-laws came to my work place and drove me to view the flat.

The whole house was well maintained and clean, in other words, move in condition. Renovation are bound to be but will be rather minimal - ie. no hacking of floor etc. If nothing goes wrong, we will probably be getting the keys in October. The seller requested for October as they are moving to a EA unit merely a few floor above us. We were fine as we are not in a hurry and October is coincidentally our wedding anniversary year. You can't ask for a better timing. I can't wait for that day to come!

Anyway, I will be staying on the 24th floor. I do not have the luxury of panoramic view from the living room but still got a little bit of things to see. We paid $25k cash over valuation. Location + High Floor + Age of unit (about 5-6 years) = I felt it was worth it. The next thing to plan for will be the designing part, the furnitures etc which will be exciting and fun. Looking at longer term - next 20-30 years, our spending will need to be tightened and carefully crafted.

I just bought 4d and toto. Pray it will open. : )

Looking back, this video will not be relevant to us anymore.
Link: http://ireflections.blogspot.com/2007/08/2408.html

Now:

13/05 A House of Deceit

2008-05-13T13:04:00.011+08:00

On the 10th of May, we were enjoying our rare Saturday breakfast together at Ang Mo Kio Mac Donalds while we flipped the Saturday's Straits Times for any potential housing leads. Despite an ocean of text, we found this particular Ang Mo Kio Block 122 unit with immense interest. The seller was not represented by any agent surprisingly when we called up and from our initial call, we gathered information that she wanted $20,000 cash. As we were not particularly sure the exact location and the promixity to the central, we decided that we will call her back again. Once we pinpointed the location, we called the second time and she began her preach on the excellent location and other plus points (designer deco) of her flat and indirectly hinted on cash over valuation of $20,000. We sensed something was not right. Mind you, the newspaper ad did not indicate the amount for cash over valuation.

Nonetheless, we made an appointment to view the flat and we then realised she used to work as a housing agent. Considering the age of the flat, the flat looked well-maintained and there was a few potential buyers looking around. We promised to call her back later that day to inform her whether we would be making an offer or not. Later that day, she made the first move and claimed that a couple (working professionals) offered $20,000 already. She probably sensed our sincerity in buying this flat, she honestly told us that she intended to ask $30,000 from them since they are working professionals. On the other hand, she also believed that they may not be willing if she ask for $10,000 more forthrightly. Hence, she will ask for an extra $5,000 from both of us and see who was willing. But because we were sincere and seemed to converse better with her, she might consider giving the priority to us if we can offer $25,000. We made a final offer of $20,000 instead as her way of deceit did not warrant $5,000 extra. The next day, she smsed that the flat has been taken.

Disappointed, yes but since we are not in desperate need for a house, we will continue to keep a look out. Who knows, a better unit is in the open, crying out for us.

09/05 牡丹憂& 可爱美眉 MV

2008-05-09T21:53:00.006+08:00

[牡丹憂] - A song about mother's love and worry for her son

[可爱美眉] - Although it is a little weird for a man of his age to dance like this in this MV, the song is quite lively and if one has gone to his concert, I thought this is the funny side of him. This song reminds me of this MV...

09/05 Reservist Relief

2008-05-09T21:19:00.004+08:00

After an avalanche of reflections for the month of April, the momentum slowed down a little.

I have just went back to complete my 5th year in-camp training at Clementi Camp and this year was also the unit's low key event meaning to say, I only have to go back for 4 days. The highlight of this in-camp was the combat shoot (range) and apart from that, it was really nothing much. The weather has been hot and occasional rain only brought temporary relief. Me being the section commander with my 5 men almost became the section attaining marksmanship and we could be $200 richer per person. To be a marksman, you need to hit 80% for both day and night shoot. We did it for the day shoot - 72 out of 90 targets (80%) when many of our fellow comrades had to reshoot since they can't even hit the 65% target for the day shoot set by the company. When night fell, the targets were really difficult to see and we were like many, struggling but we still passed.

I failed my IPPT, much to my expectations but I felt I did quite well.

Sit Up - 36 (Pass)
Shuttle Run - 10.0s (Pass)
Chin Up - 5 (Pass)
Standing Broad Jump - 216cm (Pass)
2.4km Run - 13mins 54 secs (Fail)

For 2.4km, I needed to run below 12 mins and 40 secs. While I tried my best to run, I was always struggling from the start. The burst of speed was missing and the stamina was found wanting. Anyway, I was only declared fit to do physical activities near the end of April and with this result, it felt like a pass. A pass in my fight against thyroid although I am still under low dosage of medication.

My whole body suffers from muscle aches after all the sit ups and running, I felt like an old man. All my movements suffer from degraded agility and mobility. But then again, this in camp training is a relief and I can put my work stuff aside and meet old friends again - a 5 years old friendship.

22/04 All The Way

2008-04-22T23:59:00.001+08:00

When somebody loves you
It's no good unless he loves you all the way
Happy to be near you
When you need someone to cheer you all the way

[Chorus:]
Taller than the tallest tree is
That's how it's got to feel
Deeper than the deep blue sea is
That's how deep it goes if it's real

When somebody needs you
It's no good unless he needs you all the way
Through the good or lean years
And for all the in-between years come what may

[Bridge:]
Who knows where the road will lead us
Only a fool would say
But if you'll let me love you
It's for sure I'm gonna love you all the way all the way

So, if you'll let me love you
It's for sure I'm gonna love you all the way all the way

21/04 Almost Pink

2008-04-21T17:49:00.004+08:00

My thyroid blood test results assured that my thyroid remains in stable condition for consecutive months but I have to continue taking 0.5 tablet 3 times a day. This is because of my cholesterol blood test results which is marginally on a high side and my doctor is not leaving it to chance since it is co-related to thyroidism. Anyway, this only means that I am fit again for almost all physical activities. I am going back to reservist from 5th May to 8th May and I can't escape from taking physical fitness test already and gaining an instant ticket to remedial training (RT). Well, I am not fit since previously only declared fit for brisk-walking. Anyway, I am one foot in to playing soccer again. *Cheers.

My wife's fever has subsided. Her only foe is the irritating cough but it is getting better which is great news.

Almost back to pink of health for this husband and wife.

20/4 【逃生】歌词库

2008-04-20T22:52:00.009+08:00

1【残念】

很可惜等待无法撐太久
很可惜拥抱还是会落空
遇到爱情就跌得好痛

真可惜只能用简讯说分手
真可惜整天追逐还是比他落后
付出过的全部都被你没收

最怕独处的时候
总会掉进灰暗的漩涡
卷走快乐麻木到不会躲

（从今后）只能依靠一点点残存的想念
陪着我整夜失眠来来回回
忘了你已走远
只能争取一些些残酷的想念

把爱摧毁不留温柔的馀味直道我崩溃
知道我心碎

2【逃生】

高脚杯里你的唇印
盖上冷漠刺青
是一张心碎证明

冷风过境扫进心底
痛苦无力防御
手一摊就被占据

脱罪的话你可以
说了千遍还不腻
听到的和感觉到的有差距

放过自己放过压抑
放过整片浮生的记忆
往事痛击孤单侵袭习惯就可以

感情的戏我没演技
赢不了你温柔挑衅
只好丢弃只好不回应用沉默反击

逃生的路会在哪里
我要自由不要窒息
曾经以为你就是氧气
原来只是闹剧
爱过一场输个彻底

3【牡丹忧】

京剧:
娘生儿连心肉儿行千里母担忧儿想娘亲难叩首娘想儿来泪双流

哲:
雪　冰封了二月的枝头
团圆声此起彼落　
她　窝在萧瑟的胡同
凭一件旧棉袄来过冬
　
她浮满了皱纹的双手　
将我肩上积雪拂走　
当仰望着模糊的轮廓　
是我童年里取暖的火
　
旧棉袄的陈年斑驳　
像妈妈的眉头深锁　
风中的岁月经过　
熟悉的背影依旧

旧棉袄被寒风刺破　
妈妈还是给我笑容　
她说再怎么冷用针线补过的痕迹　暖和

京剧:
娘生儿连心肉儿行千里母担忧儿想娘亲难叩首娘想儿来泪双流

哲:
她　浓浓的乡音声始终　
经过几番灾难风波　
泪　总是在我眼前结冻　
从容的走过春夏秋冬　

旧棉袄的陈年斑驳　
像妈妈的眉头深锁　
风中的岁月经过　
熟悉的背影依旧　

旧棉袄被寒风刺破　
妈妈还是给我笑容　
她说再怎么冷用针线补过的痕迹　暖和　

旧棉袄的陈年斑驳　
像妈妈的眉头深锁　
风中的岁月经过　
熟悉的背影依旧　

旧棉袄被寒风刺破　
妈妈还是给我笑容　
她说再怎么冷用针线补过的痕迹　暖和

想念那一场雪却在她银丝白发上飘落

4【可爱美眉】

词：余传贤/何启弘曲：余传贤

可爱的美眉我可爱的美眉
你就像一朵刚盛开的玫瑰
可爱的美眉我可爱的美眉

跑到路上宣布要和你相恋
找一个网咖上线和你聊天
我很想抽空和你一起逛街
用一点爱情就霸占着世界

哦我的双眼凝视你的双眼
我确定你是我的baby
轻松的语言我喜欢这种直接
爱完全没界限

可爱的美眉我可爱的美眉
你就像一朵刚盛开的玫瑰
可爱的美眉我可爱的美眉
你就是我找的那一座乐园

把你的声音录到手机里面
谁打电话来都会问那是谁
你的名字我一天念好几遍
当你耳朵痒就是我在想念

哦我的双眼凝视你的双眼
我确定你是我的baby
轻松的语言我喜欢这种直接
爱完全没界限

可爱的美眉我可爱的美眉
你就像一朵刚盛开的玫瑰
可爱的美眉我可爱的美眉
你就是我找的那一座乐园

5【小木马】

词：吴奕纬曲：马奕强

整理旧照片泛黄的笑脸
记忆不断涌现湿热我的脸

铺木的街道无忧的年少
外婆的歌
轻轻的飘过
夏天的那座桥

找不到
斑白的头发和微笑
想回到
外婆她温暖慈祥的怀抱

小木马轻轻地摇啊摇带我回外婆桥
小时候斑驳的红瓦砖墙早已倾倒
小木马轻轻地摇啊摇
外婆不曾变老依旧哼着熟悉的歌谣

小木马轻轻地摇啊摇带我回外婆桥
长大后稻田里红色蜻蜓再也看不到
小木马轻轻地摇啊摇外婆不曾变老

我好想念她唱的歌谣

6【最好的时光】

词：郑淑妃曲：陈小霞

总是在这样的晚上
陪你散步到天亮
你的手如此冰凉
握紧后舍不得放

不常把爱挂在嘴上
却把你捧在手上
我的爱如何丈量
一辈子细水流长

因为你
我拥有最好的时光
细细品尝
爱情淡淡的清香
快乐悲伤
我为了你
而珍藏
藏在我心上直到地久天长

我感谢
你给我最好的时光
无怨无悔
默默守在我身旁
这一路上多少的狂风巨浪
很乐意在你的世界
做你的避风港

有人说感情像醇釀时间越久越芬芳
和你一起走过的地方还要再和你分享

7【牧羊人】

词：小象曲：小象

山顶上有一个孤独的牧羊人
他总是悲伤的在歌唱
谁在那不远的另一座山岗
跟着他轻轻地在哼唱

山顶上有一个孤独的牧羊人
他总是悲伤的在歌唱
谁在那半山上静静的仰望
仰望着他悲伤的脸庞

耶哦他在唱心爱的姑娘
耶哦她何时才能够
回到他身旁

只是他一直都没有
能发现她一直陪在他的身边
只要他一回头就能发现
知道她所有思念

他总是看着那片天边
不眨眼我沿着他的视线
只看见风云善变也遮不住蓝天
阳光总会出现

8【单车与跑车】

词：林白曲：无建億

如果爱情是一段路
晚到的人不一定输
每个转弯放慢速度
每个细节都看清楚

(Rap:)
夜生活的夜景有太多陷阱有太多变形金刚
会变成女生骗你你以为她是千金实际上她是个千斤顶
当你手机里面都是美眉的昵称这感觉很熟悉你每晚吵热气氛
这个游戏没有想象中的逼真辣妹看得太多反而喜欢陈绮贞

也许爱情需要胜负
只是我不习惯征服
我用温柔速度收集
这一路上所有的美丽

爱情需要胜负
只是我不习惯征服
我用温柔速度收集
这一路上所有的美丽

这是单车与跑车（嘿~耶~嘟嘟嘟~）
热狗：嘿阿哲
阿哲：啊怎样
热狗：你太正经了就像个阿Sir
阿哲：哪有
热狗：你喜欢单车还跑车是喜欢当大哥还小哥
阿哲：嗯我只是来唱歌

我也不是吞吞吐吐
只是喜欢放慢脚步
拥抱每个简单领悟
享受每个小小幸福

(Rap:)
桃花几朵还是会寂寞难道只是为了气魄
我疑惑我的心中的想法在移动
这个节奏很Funk 很棒的今晚我的心里不会出现新的女房客（Hello 我是。。。）
你是谁都忘了~坏男孩的花名册就先把她放着放着

9【长途旅行】

词：姚若龙曲：陈小霞

一直有个小小的坚持
最想要的才最有价值
所以我对你那么痴
别的可能试都不想试
面对感情我只想真实
没有什么华丽的说词
而你转过脸的样子
却让我的心情有点湿

像醒在一节摇晃的车子在雨中向远方奔驰
望着身旁空着的位子陷入一种孤独的沉思

爱是曲折的长途旅行
几分期待几分倦意
给你的心给你的情
仿佛是被托寄丢了的行李

爱是未知的长途旅行
也会迷路也会惊喜
能否不要太早确定我的地图没有你要的风景

10【天使的眼泪】

那夜里的歌声
有天使的眼泪
在星光中苏醒
随烟幕而低垂

如婴儿那一般
甜蜜的沉睡
无缘故的飘摇
在幸福的追随

孩子你啊
多谢你的话
是否有点累
是否有点醉

那夜里的梦中
有天使的眼泪
为微笑而苏醒
为呼吸而误会

如婴儿那一般
甜蜜的沉睡
有缘份的牵引
在幸福的追随

孩子你啊
多谢你的话
是否有点累
是否有点醉

Collected from JeffBBS.com

18/04 Limited Supply and To Be Unplugged

2008-04-18T22:55:00.005+08:00

The chances of getting a house of our own appear slimmer as our housing board's supply of houses has reached an all time low.

THE Housing Board yesterday alerted couples looking to buy completed new flats that its supply had now dipped to an all-time low of 1,300.
With the 'progressive clearance' of its unsold stock, there will be fewer completed units offered for sale in future, it said.
The HDB is now urging buyers to consider its build-to-order (BTO) flats where there will be 'ample supply and regular project launches'.
BTO flats will be the main source of new flats in future, the board has said. These flats are built only when there is sufficient demand, and usually take about three years to build.
The next two BTO sales will be launched at the end of the month, for flats in Punggol and Sengkang.
These new flats and others in towns such as Woodlands and Bukit Panjang will make up the 5,000 new flats the HDB plans to offer in the period until September.
The HDB's latest sale of completed flats, launched on April 10 - of 490 four-room or bigger flats in various towns such as Bukit Batok, Bukit Panjang, Choa Chu Kang and Jurong East - had received 5,700 applications by the time it closed on Wednesday.
The ratio of about 10 applicants for every flat offered under its bi-monthly sales programme is 'similar to other sale exercises conducted over the past year', said the board.
The take-up rate is high because flats offered have been completed or are nearing completion.
The HDB advised buyers to 'plan ahead for their housing needs' to minimise waiting.
It also acknowledged recent public feedback that applicants who are not serious buyers 'should be discouraged from participating in sales exercises, to avoid crowding out those with more pressing housing needs'.
In recent BTO launches, for example, Punggol Vista, Fernvale Vista (Phase Two) and Coral Spring in Sengkang had take-up rates of 72, 65 and 70 per cent respectively.
Many initial applicants did not go ahead and make a purchase despite the chance to do, perhaps because their desired units had been sold, or they had decided on other housing options.
The HDB said that it is reviewing the flat application system to address this concern.
Only flats at Telok Blangah Towers and Treelodge @ Punggol, HDB's environmentally friendly project, had high take-up rates of 100 and 94 per cent respectively, it told The Straits Times.
Recently, the board also revised its launches and will sell three-room and smaller unsold flats once every three months, instead of once a month. And the bigger flats - three-room premium and above - will be sold half-yearly starting Oct 10, instead of every two months. "Taken from Straits Times"

I think I am sick.
Link: Texting while driving? Time to Unplug
My wife is still sick though slightly better. Fever at 38 degree.

17/04 We kept our $10

2008-04-17T16:19:00.005+08:00

We did not participate in the April bi-monthly exercise this time since unfortunately, there was no unit which aroused our interest and desire to throw in $10. So the burden of waiting and the search of our unit continues. Our search has been passive and futile for the past few months due to high cash over valuation (c.o.v) in the resale market.

I guess what we want coincides with what the public want too which of course spring no surprises. Well, we took part in the last bi-monthly exercise in February and together with us, there was 10000+ people vying for available units. This time, we did not take part, there was only 5000+ people. Haiz. Read: Heartland Disappointment Bureaucracy (HDB)

HDB's April sale draws 5,700 applicants for 490 flats

THE Housing Board's April sale of four-room and bigger flats closed on Wednesday with 5,700 applications for 490 flats offered.
The board said the applications and take-up rates for the Bi-monthly sales exercises are higher because the flats offered are completed or nearing completion.
But it noted that while demand is high in its recent sales exercises for its unsold stock, a significant number of applicants do not end up buying a flat.
The board is currently reviewing the flat application system, following feedback that non-serious applicants are crowding out those with more pressing housing needs. National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan had disclosed this move earlier this month.
HDB flats are now mainly sold via the build-to-order system, where projects are built only when a majority of units are booked. This means buyers have to wait about three years for the flats to be built.
In the next six months from April to September, HDB plans to offer 5,000 new built-to-order (BTO) flats in towns such as Punggol, Sengkang, Woodlands and Bukit Panjang. The next two two BTO launches will be in Punggol and Sengkang at the end of this month.
As HDB's unsold stock has shrunk significantly, the board has been asking buyers to plan ahead and buy under the BTO system. It advised urgent buyers to consider resale flats.
HDB Press Release

17/04 My Wife is Sick

2008-04-17T15:11:00.005+08:00

My dear wife has been sick since 2nd of April. From a mild sore throat, it evolved to become persistent coughing with phlegm. She almost recovered a couple of days ago until yesterday when the persistent cough returned with a vengeance. She is running a fever with a temperature of about 38.5 degrees and on a two days MC (today and tomorrow). Poor gal. She could hardly sleep at night, with coughing interrupting her slumber and making weird sounds. Something like snoring but not exactly, her airway is affected because of all these.

Knowing her, she rarely suffers from such illness. Guess the weather and the work environment have caused her to have an unbalanced immune system. Lately, many people are sick.

Hope she get well soon.

I went for my routine blood tests for both my thyroid and cholesterol too and will be getting my results this Sat. Till then...

14/04 Corrinne May - Angel In Disguise

2008-04-14T03:02:00.002+08:00

I woke up this morning feeling kind of blue
and I stumbled out of bed and
dragged my feet across the room
Right outside my front door was a rose
and a note that said 'Somebody Loves You'

Oh~ But out on the street it starts to pour
and before I get soaking wet,
A total stranger runs to give me
the jacket off his back
I turn around to thank him
But he waves me with a smile
And I can hardly believe my eyes
He puts on a halo and starts to fly

Take a look at the ordinary
Don't need to look for Paradise
You could be next to
an angel in disguise

I met a good friend for lunch
and we had a delicious meal
But I forgot to bring my wallet
I felt like an imbecile
But she was sweet, she gave me a treat and
Bought me a chicken sandwich
To take home for tea

Oh~ But out on the street with nothing to eat
A man and his shopping cart go
Travelling to places
Collecting social graces
I give him my sandwich
and we chatter for a while
I see a rainbow wash over his eyes
He gives me his halo and
I start to fly

Take a look at the ordinary
Don't need to look for Paradise
You could be next to
an angel in disguise

Don't try to hide away from me
I know you're by my side

Oooh~~

Take a look at the ordinary
Don't need to look at Paradise
You could be next to
an angel in disguise
Everyday can be legendary
Every minute, an endless surprise
You could be the next angel in disguise

I woke up this morning
Feeling kind of new

14/04 Try Again Next Season

2008-04-14T01:39:00.010+08:00

I have just finished watching the game between Man U and Arsenal and it is really difficult to fight against the disappointment that I have to stomach. Same old grandmother's story, we played the very beautiful game and we scored first, then conceded silly goal and then either drew or lost the game. The referees' decisions were always against us and we had terrible injuries. Talking about injuries, the one that Eduardo suffered against Birmingham (2-2 draw) must be the turning point. This is really sickening and although all these sound like sour grapes from me, admirably even Man U's manager offered sympathy. I guess that probably sums up Arsenal's season for 2008. - Downed but we earned Respect.

However, we defied many people's expectations. As a young team, we dared to challenge for the title - we almost touched it, defeated AC Milan at San Siro - one of the best European teams and all these without spending excessively. We are humbled and I am sure we will be back next season, stronger and more matured...

Link - Match Report: Manchester United 2 Arsenal 1
Link - Fergie sympathises with Arsenal

13/04 Lost Face

2008-04-13T00:54:00.008+08:00

My curiousity got the better of me and I decided to create a Facebook account on Friday. Honestly, I am totally disoriented. First, I have my mei who left messages on my wall, welcoming me to Facebook. She actually sent the invitation to me eons ago and I only accepted her request to be a friend yesterday. So I have a wall? We can even write wall to wall? Really weird huh. I just logged in again, checked the news feed and I saw my friend XX bought another of my friend YY for $xxxx. Hmm, so friendship is at a mercy of the market place where invisible buying and selling dictate the value? Ok, one of my friends just sent me this "eye sore" application. Am I an eye sore? And someone wants to "superpoke" me??

Err, I am supposed to have a Facebook but it turned out that I have lost face, literally. Maybe I should find out more but guess I am lazy to do so.

12/04 <<逃生>>

2008-04-12T23:49:00.008+08:00

每个人都在找爱情的出口
逃生

谁能知道，此刻错身而过的…
是短暂停留的过客？还是一生不可取代的幸福？

无法确定，该要往哪个方向走？
才能遇见幸福重生的曙光

所以继续在这个城市中
不断的…
相遇。停留。交错。

专辑曲目

01. 残念 Too Bad
02. 逃生 Escape
03. 牡丹忧 A Mother’s Worries
04. 可爱美眉 Hot Chick
05. 小木马 Little Rocking Horse
06. 最好的时光 Best Days
07. 牧羊人 Shepherd
08. 单车与跑车 Bike or Wheels
09. 长途旅行 A Long Journey
10. 天使的眼泪 An Angel's Tear

专辑介绍
张信哲以独特嗓音包覆细腻情感
将高潮起伏的旋律唱进你灵魂深处

张信哲参与制作 10首全新曲目
在最贴近人性的角度用歌声诉说用音乐感受
挣扎吶喊，辛酸刻苦，甜蜜狂妄... 弥漫在城市中的种种告白

【逃生】每个人都在找爱情的出口，在感情的藩篱中，该要如何挣脱？

【可爱美眉】复古基调的音乐声中，带着摇摆的愉悦、轻松的语言，把到最可爱的美眉！

【牡丹忧】歌坛新声-费洋以京剧老生开场，与阿哲细腻的声线同在诉说对母亲无尽的爱。

【残念】黄韵玲制作写曲、何启弘作词、钟兴民编曲，电影感强的音乐，将浓烈的情续沸腾到崩溃边缘。

【单车与跑车】M.C. HotDog与张信哲能擦出如何的火花？在爱情的竞速赛程中，用自己的速度互别苗头。

【最好的时光】【长途旅行】陈小霞继陈奕迅「十年」之后，难得跨刀制作令人激赏的深刻情歌。

【天使的眼泪】音乐教父罗大佑继「亚细亚孤儿」后，再造如诗歌般的音乐文学巨作。音乐才女范晓萱钢琴伴奏。

Will be released on 15/04...

12/04 《弦·歌·有·你张信哲 X 交响乐》

2008-04-12T23:37:00.005+08:00

Date: 15 Mar 2008 Sat, 7.30pm
Venue: The MAX Pavilion@Singapore Expo
Ticket Prices (Exclude Booking Fee): Standard - S$148, S$128, S$98, S$68

We purchased the cheapest pair of tickets...

新“泡面”发型亮相、演唱会京剧桥段、提词机悬挂空中，张信哲狮城演唱会“惊喜”连连。

　　暌违4年的情歌王子张信哲昨晚本地开唱，与过去不同的是，昨晚他与南洋艺术学院的管弦乐队合作，以结合弦乐、流行乐和古典乐的Live演出方式，呈献20多首经典歌曲给到场的7000名海内外观众。

　　阔别今年初狮城演唱会记者会短短两个月，阿哲昨以全新造型亮相，从酷似陈奕迅的卷卷的泡面头、鲜艳亮丽的舞台服装，到演唱会中穿插的京剧桥段等，无一不让观众眼前一亮。

　　阿哲的《弦·歌·有·你张信哲 X 交响乐》演唱会准时8时开场，在管弦乐队演奏由一首首大家耳熟能详的歌曲所串成的组曲后，阿哲以新造型缓缓从舞台左方走出，穿着笔挺西装的他，顶着一头卷曲的“泡面头”登上华丽的舞台，紧张地握住麦克，以最经典的情歌《宽容》、《信仰》、《不要对他说》、《从开始到现在》暖场。

　　优雅的交响乐的伴奏下，舞台中央3个银幕呈献的名画，以及高贵典雅的吊灯点缀下，让整个演唱会现场气氛弥漫着文艺气息。

阿哲以全新造型亮相，从酷似陈奕迅（小图）的卷卷的泡面头到鲜艳亮丽的舞台服装，无一不让观众眼前一亮。

　　在“泼墨的东方恋情”中，阿哲将中国风元素融入歌曲中，特地邀请了两名京剧演员“客串”，演唱《我是真的爱你》、新歌《牡丹忧》，让观众耳目一新。

　　现场空中悬挂着一大块荧幕，一开始以为是阿哲的提词机，后来才发现原来荧幕用处不是提歌词，而是提醒他在歌曲间中所要对观众说的话。演唱会后，有观众受访时表示，阿哲“大荧幕提词”作法尽管有欠诚意，但这并不会影响他整晚的演出。

　　经典歌没唱足歌迷失望而归

　　阿哲没唱足经典歌曲，歌迷失望而归。

　　昨晚，阿哲所献唱的百听不厌经典情歌包括《过火》、《太想爱你》、《爱如潮水》、《用情》、《难以抗拒你容颜》等，只不过，不少歌迷认为，阿哲还是少唱了不少“必唱歌曲”，有观众认为，像是《不做你的爱人》、《受罪》、《我们爱这个错》，“像是另外几首合唱曲《别让情两难》、《有一点动心》，他虽然没有特别嘉宾，但也可以自己唱啊！”

　　新专辑《逃生》下月亚洲同步发行

　　张信哲新专辑《逃生》4月份全亚洲同步发行。

　　演唱会上，阿哲透露，新专辑《逃生》下个月正式推出。昨晚演唱会中，他的两首新歌《逃生》、《牡丹忧》已率先曝光，两首新歌都获得观众热烈的反应。

　　据悉，为配合新专辑，阿哲将会在5月份重返狮城，为新专辑宣传、造势。

Taken from 哲迷茅草屋

22/02 Suzanne Vega - My Name Is Luka

2008-02-22T03:22:00.000+08:00

My name is luka
I live on the second floor
I live upstairs from you
Yes I think you've seen me before
If you hear something late at night
Some kind of trouble. some kind of fight
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
I think its because I'm clumsy
I try not to talk too loud
Maybe its because Im crazy
I try not to act too proud
They only hit until you cry
And after that you don't ask why
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore

Yes I think I'm okay
I walked into the door again
Well, if you ask that's what Ill say
And its not your business anyway
I guess Id like to be alone
With nothing broken, nothing thrown
Just don't ask me how I am
Just don't ask me how I am
Just don't ask me how I am

22/02 Heartland Disappointment Bureaucracy (HDB)

2008-02-22T02:50:00.012+08:00

The disappointment was simply too much for me to merely digest and let it go. I just cannot believe there are so many Singaporeans competing with us for a atrociously puny flat. (See Toa Payoh flats of 75 sqm = 4 room flat). And the number of quotas allocated to Chinese is as small as the flat size. Still I kept my fingers crossed hoping that a miracle will drop by and brighten up our lives but it never came. What's worse, we do not even have an appointment date because our queue number is excessively large. Disgusted.

See: Point 3 under Flat Supply and Options for First-timers

Unsuccessful applicants who are in need of accommodation are advised to consider booking a flat in one of HDB’s Build-To-Order (BTO) projects where there is ample supply to choose from.

I scratched my head and struggled to find solace and meaning in the word "ample". Like some good people from a forum suggested, they should consider BTO "Longkang" (Drain) estate. Read: Root Cause of "Sky-high" HDB flat prices Many people are frustrated and the HDB press releases these days are hardly comforting. So what's next? Save $10 again to buy hope for the next flat exercise. Go temple often... Full stop.

30/12 My Photo Album

2007-12-30T02:31:00.001+08:00

http://rainyguy.myphotoalbum.com

30/12 Ending of 2007

2007-12-29T21:29:00.001+08:00

The year of 2007 is making her full descent soon as we approach the birth of another new year. Since I havent been updating my blog for really a while, I thought my final post for this year should be a decision of wrapping up.

I guess eventful should be an appropriate word for summary here. Job wise, I evolved from a customer service officer who handled everything under the orange umbrella to one who cohabited with technology - Broadband & Blackberry, just to name a few. And now, though designation wise still a boring customer service officer, I returned and took on a more "non-formal" supervisory role. It is another total transformation and an alien responsibilty which I am constantly coping and learning. I have to make more decisions, manage expectations, being tough. The four functions of a manager which I learnt in school sprung into life. Everyday is different and the only thing unchanged is the astronomical level of workload. Meal break becomes a religiously ritual of destress and escape. But honestly, I am still ok. I ponder how long my name will remain as a staff of the company as I slowly plot my route to resignation and re-employment. 4 years plus of my youth here, it is really about time.

(28/12: The above was written while on the way to work from Ang Mo Kio to Jurong East)

Enough about work.

My wife and I registered our marriage earlier this Jan. Just months before that, my years of superior weight abandoned me abruptly and I was then diagnosed with hyper-thyroidism. My strength isolated me, my heartbeat raced. To curb all these, I had to consume 12 pills per day. Thankfully, till now, though still under medication with 2 tablets per day, the demon has been tamed and controlled. In Oct, we held our customary wedding dinner which we had the blessing of all our friends and my best xiong di who gave everything they had to make it a minimal fuss and fantastic big day for us. It was the best day of my life and the beginning of a new chapter. Thanks to all these years of support from my wife, I manage to fight whatever things I have crossed swords with.

Few more days to the dawn of a new year. I wonder what will be installed for us. New job? New roof? One thing I know is that it is time to distribute red packets during the annual lunar new year.

Ok. To those who retain readership here, Happy New Year in advance!

(29/12: The above was written while on the way to work from Ang Mo Kio to Jurong East)

It took me 2 days to materialise and penned this post and on the train. That probably depicts how busy I am these days and my time each day is so short-lived.

14/11 張信哲 - 做你的男人

2007-11-14T23:02:00.001+08:00

东京纽约每个地点
带你去坐幸福的地下铁
散步逛街找电影院
累了我就帮你提高跟鞋
塞车停电哪怕下雪
每天都要和你过情人节
星光音乐一杯热咖啡
只想给你所有浪漫情节
让我做你的男人
24个小时不睡觉
小心翼翼的保持
这种热情不退烧
不管世界多纷挠
我们俩紧紧的拥抱
隐隐约约我感觉有微笑
藏在你嘴角
让胆小的你在黑夜中
也会有个依靠
就算有一天爱会变少
人会变老
就算没告诉过你也知道
下辈子还要和你遇到

14/11 Just Married - "A Customary Dinner"

2007-11-14T22:25:00.001+08:00

So our customary wedding dinner was over and this newfound meaning of marriage life has not robbed me of the desire to write though. I reckon the time for me to reflect alone is lesser now because of a new important person in my world. It is going to be called two-as-one world and I welcome this new definition with open arms.

How time flies mercilessly! It is going to be almost 3 weeks since our very big day and I hardly have the time to write about my feelings because days about our wedding, we flew to Bangkok then followed by a package tour with Chan Brothers to Melbourne/Sydney. We only returned home with faces of disappointment on the 11th Nov. We enjoyed so much till we cannot bear to leave and the re-sight of HDB flats remind me of my endless search of our love nest. Battling with the 3 hours time difference was tiring though.

Looking back, after so many months of preparation solely for that big day and the fact that it flashed past as fast as a bullet train left us really sad. Thankfully, everything went smoothly as planned and with the amount of attention given to us, we really felt like idols. I can still remember and will remember forever everything vividly with fondness right from the day sabotage to the wedding dinner. All these will never be possible without my lovely bride. My brothers (Xiong Di) has really done a fantastic job as they supported us all the way till the end and ran the show with such sheer organisation and flawlessly. They really took away a whole load of my anxiety off my chest.

My Bros:
Sonny - As usual, cool and composed rendition of the English Emcee Script
Ah Ho - Assured handling of the laptop
Marcel - Showed extreme awareness and sensitivity to the wedding proceedings
Tham - Injecting humorous moments and memories and taking care of the roast pig, always there.

Many thanks bros and also Cass' Jie Meis.

We heard from the guests' feedback that the food was marvelous and everyone enjoyed as much as we are. The video and pictures are not ready yet. Pity. Got to wait a while more I guess.

That's about it for now, tired.

To be continued...

30/09 Almost Done, Almost There

2007-09-30T18:29:00.001+08:00

In case anyone thought something happened to me, I better explain my disappearance here. Well, not that anyone asked. But judging from the intensity and frequency I used to update my blog previously, this is something quite unusual. And it puzzles me why the speed of time can escape easily from my sight and mind without me realising it. It is slightly more than a month since I wrote anything here.

This particular past one month has been very eventful based on my standards. From work to my life, it is a 180 degree change. Suddenly, my job scope changed. Instead of relying on team managers to decide and make decisions, I am becoming somebody whom my fellow colleagues need to rely on. My ears becoming the home of complaint calls, my mouth becoming the soul of protecting myself, the company and my colleagues - an Ambassador. My eyes becoming more sensitive to environment. I need to be spot on with my judgement and decisions, no wonder, more power comes with more responsibility. Obviously I welcome that, but I am not ready yet. Time is siding with me, but the decision to stay on this company is still a mysterious question mark.

One month has passed and I am now less than a month away from my wedding day. I am enjoying the wedding preparation thanks to our friends who have generously shared their preparation experience with us.

Almost done, Almost there.

24/08 家,太远了

2007-08-24T17:13:00.000+08:00

From my fav singer...well, this song is about war but the chorus is kinda relevant to about us having no house...yet. Should sing to HDB la.

王杰《家，太远了》

曲：Ricky Ho
词：陈大力
编：Ricky Ho

风...太大了...难道只是为了吹干眼泪
雨...太急了...仿佛真是为了洗去哀伤
山...太高了...难道只因早已无处可躲
河...太宽了...仿佛注定永远无法渡过
鲜血浸透了土地也开不出花
永远短暂如彩虹抓也抓不住
我们没有家我们没有家孤儿是我们的名字回家是梦里的呼唤
我们没有家我们没有家孤儿是我们的名字回家是梦里的呼唤
太远了——我们的家！

家...太远了...难道只是因为时间因为距离
梦...太长了...仿佛只是为了绝望为了逃避
死...太多了...难道真是为了仇恨为了生存
爱...太短了...仿佛只是为了分别为了回忆
鲜血浸透了土地也开不出花
永远短暂如彩虹抓也抓不住
我们没有家我们没有家孤儿是我们的名字回家是梦里的呼唤
我们没有家我们没有家孤儿是我们的名字回家是梦里的呼唤

24/08 Fireworks To Celebrate We are Top 10%!

2007-08-24T17:03:00.001+08:00

I was given a pair of tickets to watch the Fireworks @ Marina Bay on the 18th August. The display of fireworks was supposed to commence at 9pm but we arrived and sat down by 5pm++. The seats were pimpled with water droplets because of a heavy rain from morning till afternoon. Some of the spectators brought cloth to wipe the seats dry but we only relied on the pale looking tissue to do a reliable job.

At about 9.15pm, the fireworks lit up the sky with the applaud of the spectators. The feeling of watching the fireworks comfortably was a joy and this was so different peeping from my kitchen during Singapore's birthday when she celebrated at the National Stadium. This time, the night sky was personified and came to life. The fireworks roared, danced and swayed along with the mostly oriental music. Great stuff. After that, we finally had our deserved dinner - Oyster Mee Sua and Spicy Fishball and tu-tu. Because of tu-tu, we encountered an ungentlemanly guy, a total letdown.

The aftermath of it was undesirable though expected. Road traffic was crawling and we actually asked for it since we chose to take a bus instead of train. The whole bus journey took 1hr and 30mins.

The results of our house application is out. Out of a total of 10200 applicants vying for 350 flats, my queue number was 1379. Come to think of it, the result was not too bad being in the top 10%. Anyway, today is the opening day of flat selection and our preferred flats have been chosen. Another similar ending to our balloting of flats.

13/08 What A City of Po$$ibilite$!!

2007-08-13T23:48:00.002+08:00

We waited earnestly for this day - 10th August 2007. This is a Bi-monthly ritual that can once again give us a chance to have our own roof, our very own house. Living in a country of possibilities, we thought something may just happened. It happened - so far not for the better, probably a turn for the worse.

Today was the 3rd day for the public to apply and the response was more overwhelming than I anticipated. I reckon that the applicants are also shaken and utterly disappointed by the "bullish" resale market. Buying a house is already painfully hard and with HDB shamelessly increasing the price, it is like rubbing salt on our wounds. For each flat application, we have to pay $10 and at this moment, they have stolen $70k from us to buy the "salt" every 2 months. This is so frustrating and disturbing.

February 2007 (4 Room - #13th Floor)

August 2007 (4 Room - only #3rd Floor)

February 2007 (5 Room)

August 2007 (5 Room)

Comparing with prices with the same unit on sale 6 months ago, it takes a no brainer to realise that price has ridiculously went up this time (+$38k). If they associate this increase part of GST hike, I regret to say its not a 2% hike if you calculate.

Living in this city of po$$ibilitie$, you can only look up and pray. With a stroke of luck - 4D/toto or HDB Balloting (top 10 applicant), I can then dream of having my own house, own roof.

Praying.......

This post illustrated that we are not the only ones:
http://forums.hardwarezone.com/showthread.php?t=1692347&page=1&pp=15

07/08 A Mind and Purse Struggle

2007-08-07T00:55:00.001+08:00

It has been a huge contrast between last Sunday and yesterday. Instead of standing for hours, we sat for hours this time round - 5 hours to be exact. We were trapped in a very difficult situation which was hard to bail ourselves out. Buried by hundreds of nice photos, we had to selectively choose the right number to accommodate our tight budget.

We were actually at Sophia to choose the photos for our wedding album yesterday evening. The initial stage of choosing was very easy until towards the end, we had to eliminate the best out of the very best to reduce the overall cost. We flipped through countless times and it was really a daunting task because the pictures came out quite nice. Putting aside those unwanted ones was heart-wrenching and a mind struggle.

At the end of it, the total damage for the photos that we topped up was $1800. It was higher that what we budgeted and I shall decline to reveal the number of extra photos here. We spent almost $7000 within a span of 2 days.

I regret to say I did not win the $600k Toto draw yesterday.

When is my turn? Any hint?

06/08 小薰&阿本 - 甜甜圈MV (18禁不禁片尾曲)

2007-08-06T17:16:00.000+08:00

甜甜圈( 片尾曲 )
作詞:王雅君　作曲:王雅君　演唱:阿本+小薰

天天　非常想你的天天
飛過城市的邊緣　降落愛你的終點

想念　互道晚安的每天
卻又捨不得說再見( 說再見 )　你的笑那麼甜

我的直覺就是那麼堅決　不怕有暴風圈
因為你是我最晴朗的大晴天

愛　要你牽我的手每一天　我要非常用心感覺
因為愛你　才是我最後最美麗的句點

喜歡在你的肩膀盤旋　習慣兩個人的世界
因為愛你　才讓我的心永遠像甜甜圈

(RAP)
牽妳的手　還是有點緊張　看妳雙眼　怎麼好好說話
這次真的下定決心鼓起勇氣擁抱妳讓我們的愛連成完美圈圈
曾經懷疑自己是否能保護你是妳讓我看見世界美麗
是妳帶我走向溫暖生命因為有你我的天空放晴

緊握住妳的手一起　迎接未來　十八歲的蔚藍環繞　永遠的愛

(RAP2)
是否能夠繼續　因為妳能讓我真正充滿勇氣
有妳才可以真正面對自己　一起面對未來
十八歲的蔚藍　兩人一起擁抱永遠的愛

(RAP3)
是否能夠繼續　因為妳而讓我真正充滿勇氣
因為妳才可以真正面對自己
緊緊的握住妳的雙手　一起面對未來
十八歲的蔚藍　兩人一起擁抱永遠的愛

06/08 Attention All Passengers...

2007-08-06T17:01:00.001+08:00

Where should we go for our honeymoon? Australia - Perth / Melbourne / Sydney / Tasmania came into our mind and places like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand etc were eliminated immediately. We yearned to romance @ Europe but the prices were quite steep and our SG$ were inferior, so probably next time. There will always be opportunities.

Saturday's papers were all about tours promotion and packages which we though were quite attractive and competitive. The three tour agencies we went were Dynasty Travel & SA Tours (Millenia Walk) & Chan Brothers (Suntec Exhibition Hall 4-04). Both SA Tours and Chan Brothers were having roadshows and you can already imagine Singaporeans, both venues were flooded with people.

We queued and stood for 1hr and 30 mins before our turn @ Millenia and we barely sat for 10mins when our turn came coz they could not accommodate our departure date and their customer service was very passive. We then went to Chan Brothers @ Suntec amid our disappointment. Luckily I went to get a queue number first while my wife was queuing at Millenia Walk. There was 262 customers before me. So all in all, we waited for 4-5hrs for our turn to enquire @ Suntec. Can you imagine!

Chan Brothers had a 8Days Melbourne/Sydney tour departing on the night of 28th October which suited us and we booked it. Total damage came up to about $4800 (including $1000 deposit) for both of us after all the discounts they could come up with and we have a free 4-piece luggages for our gift. The departure date has not been confirmed yet due to pending group size. They needed 10, so 8 more, should be easy. We sure are looking forward...

Thank you Chan Brothers.

Photos are courtesy of Nokia N80. Well...with due respect, should have used my wife's K800i.

29/07 Collin Raye - All I Can Do Is Love You

2007-07-29T02:06:00.000+08:00

It's simple, so easy
Somethin' 'bout your gentle way that frees me
I feel it, all I can do is love you

This one thing I'm sure of
Nothin' sweeter in this world than your love
I'm certain all I can do is love you

All of my dreams are yours
Those distant shores of love at last have found me
Best way I can explain is there's hope again
And you're the light surrounding me

My lifetime I'll prove it
'Cause baby when it gets right down to it
I can't help it all I can do is love you

Like warm sun in winter
All I expected was this sweet surrender
I now know all I can do is love you
Forever, all I can do is love you

29/07 Wedding Photo Shoot

2007-07-29T02:00:00.004+08:00

We took our wedding studio photos on the 27th July 07 and I thought I should write our experience here.

Our appointment was supposed to be at 9am and being foreign to the Shenton Way crowd, we only reached about 9.15am. Not too bad 'coz our makeup artist only arrived minutes before us. For the first hour, I was "abandoned" and "banished" - I was left alone sitting on a sofa while the makeup artist (Liren) began her magic on my wife. The annoying boredom made me wonder around in the studio and I took the above photo and surfed internet (thanks to Wireless@SG) Then about 10am, I was next on her make up dish after my wife. My face's first time was presented to Liren - trimming a little of my eyebrows and applying em peal and make up. It felt kinda funny but I thought she had done a fabulous job.

The camera started rolling from 11am. My movement was as stiff as a wooden block and being the photo subject was weird and I thought my wife did so much better. I am sure she will look stunningly great when the photos come out. Just hope that we do not need to top up a bomb for the additional poses that we need to develop. Lunch break was around 1.30pm and we had 2 packets of fragrant fried rice - complimentary from Sophia. Anyway, anything that they would give us for lunch, it would taste nice because we were hungry. While we were enjoying our lunch, the morning drizzle continued persistently until 3++pm. Eventually, we went to Labrator Park and Duxton Hill for our outdoor shoot but we did not take that much. It was beginning to drizzle again and we were really tired after all the smiling and posing. I swear that was the first time I laughed so much.

We looked forward to the photos which we were promised that we will be able to see in a couple of weeks' time. Overall, we enjoyed ourselves because we were very well taken care from the photographer Soo and his assistant. The whole session ended around 7pm.

I thought it was a relief after reaching home but it was not over yet. Arghh, I needed to remove my make up. I had to apply make up removal and use cotton wool to wipe off - yuck! so much a hazzle. Mind you, my makeup was only a layer. My wife had a tougher time - pitied her.

Finally, my wife slept at 10++pm and I slept at 11.20pm. That was how tired we were.

20/07 Carpenters - Touch Me When We Are Dancing

2007-07-20T16:54:00.001+08:00

Play us a song we can slow dance on
We want to hold each other
Play us a groove so we hardly move
Just let our hearts beat together
Oh, baby, `cause it feel so good
When we're close like this
Whisper in my ear and let me steal a kiss

Come on and touch me
When we're dancing
You know you've got that loving touch (loving touch)
Touch me when we're dancing
I want to feel you when I'm falling in love.

Tonight's the night and it feels so right
My heart is saying it to me
You're the one I've waited for so long
So let your love flow through me
Oh, baby `cause it feels so good
Just to be this close
You've got me up so high
I could fly coast to coast
(Repeat Chorus)