interesting conversations..

i overheard today.

at a coffeeshop-

mum: see that girl, must wear mask over her mouth to go out.

dad: uhm.

lady: must be allergic to the pollution or what.

i was thinking, wow! so not judgmental. 

dad: look like foreigner.

mum: haiyo, so fat will get sick one meh?

at sheng siong-

mum: what's my handphone number ah?

4 year old kid: wah your own number also don't know!

mum: you seldom call your own phone what.

i'm lovin'..

being back in singapore!

i'm at kashmir

and i can't imagine the violence that used to plague this state. it is beautiful and very peaceful, with a scenic lake and nice people. only reminder of the past are the military patroling the streets. other than that, the place is definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

the greatness, that is nature

just for you

i met a dog..

and he didn't have a name. he walked with three legs and had a cute little face. we crossed paths on the first day, with a pat on the head and an friendly wag of tail.

our second meeting was pretty much the same, but then instead of parting ways, he followed me and farhan on our way to the hadimba temple, a 15 minutes walk from where we stayed. along the way i bought him a pack of butter cookies, and in that instant we became firm buddies.

for half a day, this little dog followed everywhere we went. up hills and down slopes we went, this friendly dog went. he waited patiently outside the restaurant while we took a break. he barked at a stranger holding a shovel, thinking he may attack us. he distracted barking dogs while we walked on with ease. he also lazed with us in the late morning sun, atop a rock that faced the vallys, river and mountains.

i will never forget you little dog. you made my last day at manali so memorable and fun.

blogging from india...

is ok! the speed is fast and i'm pretty much loving the weather here! so much to say, but i think the pictures will speak for themselves. it's awesome here with the mountains, rivers and...

SNOW!!

yeah, can you believe it? i bet most of you guys didn't even know there's winter in india! and i love the food, so please erase the previous post from your minds. hahahaha!! very yummy can! i'm having all the naaaaaaan i could possibly ask for, and more. my only hope is that the cold weather will burn my carbs twice as fast? lol.

anyway, happy 24 in advance. i miss.

going india..

well definitely looking forward and in advance, thanks you guys for sending me off!! very touched. =) 

what can i say? one thing i've learnt since cambodia - no expectations, as to quote desmond. and talking about desmond, he's back for a whirlwind stay in singapore and he's probably coming to the airport as well!

and and and! i've been not caring about my weight these few days cos i'm prepared to lose major weight there (okay then, i have one expectation), and kinda hoping the food's not too much to my taste. well, we'll see.

so my one big wish is to be able to post this, again when i come back. but some how at the back of everyone's mind, they know it's not gonna happen! haha. see u guys when i get back!

i love her!

jennifer aniston on oprah

don't mean to be rude but..

that is fucking ugly. my God!

prawning

me & roy go prawning and here's our catch!

说不出的美

说不出的美， 你感觉过吗？

america's next president

“If there is anyone out there who doubts that America is a place where anything is possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer,”

-Obama

once a week, and no smell!

i forgot to share this incredible product with you guys! those with B.O. under the pits.. here's your saviour and he/she comes in packs of 3! one swipe and you will be odour free for a week - exactly! according to the packaging, your saviour is safer than mouth wash, made from 85% water, do not clog your pores and 100% not irritating. gentle as well!

so do try it. very amazing and it really really does last exactly one week. so when the smell comes, you know it's time to open that next pack. till then! stay odour free my friends.

and i cannot repeat it enough...

watch this!

just keep swimming swimming swimming

can someone please agree with me that gold fish look dumb but cute?

and how cool are hermit crabs??!! they can change shells. okay maybe everyone knows that but i didn't and i was so damn amazed!! so it means you can choose shells you fancy (of different colours!) and put them in the tank. and they could change from green to silver (the crab will practically 'move house') the next day!!! so cool i wanna buy! haha

the soup spoon @ fusionopolis

i love fusionopolis more and more! first they have an awesome fitness first (only the largest fitness club outlet in singapore thank you!), then they also have starbucks, harry's and now, soup spoon and market place! such a cool place. best thing? not crowded at all.

chocz-o-licious!

joyce, woooo, yihao and me went for a fondue spree last monday! we pigged out at both max brenner's and chocz and concluded that while max gave a variety (dark, milk and white chocolate), chocz's hazelnut milk chocolate was sinfully rich and irresistible! it's what they call a taste buds orgasm.

happy belated halloween!

'tis the season to be scary, wahahahaha haha ha ha!

happy saturday

i spent a very enjoyable and pleasant evening today with my mum and sis which lasted till almost 11.

love&pain

电话响起了
你要说话了
还以为你心里对我又想念了
怎么你声音变得冷淡了
是你变了
是你变了

show to watch

awesome show

these are all..

but just numbers on a machine. soldier on!!

msn

we were talking about going to holland v for dinner next sat. qq loves the shellfish.

qq ; says: (4:12:23 AM)
hahahs. but i don mind lahs.. i like tt gong gong!!

:: Simple Logic :: [ feeling the blues ] says: (4:12:35 AM)
ya gong gong like u

a place i haven't been..

for the longest time!

Pesta Raya!

night-scape

ahh.. memories

and was around tampines safra when i saw this brilliant landscape. i think sunsets are nicer than sunrise.

and one from the artist.

bodycombat number 3

i just finished my bodycombat class (my third one), but who's counting. awesome i can feel the fat dissolving, but that's just me. and who cares if i was the only guy in the class? lol.

awesome awesome song!

daniel powter - next plane home

yummy or not?

it's my first ever, proper (subjective) cooked meal i did.. all by myself! more to come! lol.

terriyaki salmon aglio aglio

being singaporean means...

pushing a trolley to this queue, totally ignoring this sign.

today, tomorrow and so far

today i... 

fried my first fish - terriyaki salmon in olive oil

tomorrow i...

will wake up in time and go for the body combat class

and so far...

i have been eating salad with fish (tuna/salmon) for the past few days (dinner)

i love lunches...

..with my grandparents! cos dinners are always so rushed and no time to hang out after. today we went east coast for carl's jr then walked along the beach a bit. nice weather and breeze.

at carl's jr.

can you tell my grandpa's very full?

my grandma's camera shy.

my grandpa's unfinished portobello mushroom burger.

leftovers.

saw kids cycling and people having a dip in the water. i just love the beach just it's so relaxing and calming, especially on days like today when there's no crowd and you see a few people cycling, skating, swimming and fishing. the world is great on days like that!

i love my grandparents!

sianz

... cos i missed my body combat class. i can't believe my alarm rang and i turned over and slept back! i just ran 15 on the treadmill and it just doesn't seem enough!

hot!

iPhone named 2008 Gadget of the Year

After they tallied the votes, iPhone came up a big winner in the 2008 British Technology Awards. It not only claimed the award for Gadget of the Year but won the Best Mobile Technology, Most Stylish Technology, and Technological Innovation of the Year awards, as well. iTunes also won honors, seizing the Best Music Technology award for 2008.

the memory of running, by ron mclarty

i've had this book for ages. but i don't know why i've never blogged about it or highly recommended it to someone else. i guessed it just faded away after i read it. maybe it didn't get as much hype as "the kite runner", or it wasn't written by someone who had massive success with previous books, like mitch albom's "the five people you meet in heaven". so i guess it got lost in my collection.. until last week. i spent a slow week re-reading the book and i really appreciated it.

a fat slob who is a alcoholic and depressed, smithy ide is forty and sad. he hates his job and his apartment. smithy doesn't have friends and still goes on vacation with his parents. his sister, bethany suffered from a mental illness that led to her disappearance. the tragedy never detached itself from the ide family.

when his parents die because of a car crash, smithy goes on the road on his bicycle, one night in a drunken stupor and carried on across america. he meets all kinds people - sick, in need of help, unreasonable. he helps and listens, falls in love along the way. with a bag and his bicycle, smithy ide is on a quest that leads him to a better life.

this is a debut novel but it is filled with lots of heart. smithy's emotions are real, and you feel his happiness and pain, wonder and sickness. you read with fervor when smithy talks about bethany's past, and many chapters leave you hanging on to the very last word, as you wait for the author to go back to that incident. the novel is a joy to read and now's the time to say it.

I HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!

fitness first

will i finally be hot fit?

weekends =)

weekends are my favourite days of the whole week! not because i dread getting up weekdays morning to go to work (i'm unemployed), not because i get monday blues (i sleep in late mondays and every other day), and definitely not because i worry about lunch cos by the time i'm up, it's just nice for dinner. man i live a good life!

but i digress. weekends are the greatest cos everyone books out by saturday and we always have a great time! 

just yesterday, we had the greatest BBQ ever in history of all BBQs!

haha okay we didn't. it was normal, burnt food and all. but it was as fun and we had a blast. what i remembered from last night:

felicia - waiting for the sotong to cook

darren - head chef

shonia - waiting for chicken wings to cook. only the wings

alvin - correcting shonia

joycelyn - "... so that you can flirt with his sister!"

woo - "his sister is disgusting."

daniel - wah finally see him

qq - gambling (as usual)

yihao - smacking boxer

me? i like to imagine myself as the assistant head chef but apparently what i thought of my cooking wasn't a shared opinion. i thought my chicken wings were magnificant! i felt my chicken filet was an art masterpiece and the fish toufu i grilled? BBQ perfection can.

but i guess the others didn't think so. lol

apple may shut down iTunes

Apple is not pleased.

The Copyright Royalty Board in Washington, D.C. is considering a motion to increase the royalty rate paid by Apple to music publishers and the record labels from 9 cents to 15 cents.

The big tech company has threatened to shut iTunes down as early as today, Thursday, should they be forced to pay this increased rate.

Apple said the increase could force it to raise its song price of 99 cents, something they've refused to do even after crazy pressure from the record companies.

iTunes' Vice President Eddy Cue has also said that Apple could shut iTunes rather than raise its prices or absorb the higher royalty costs, "If the [iTunes music store] was forced to absorb any increase in the … royalty rate, the result would be to significantly increase the likelihood of the store operating at a financial loss — which is no alternative at all. Apple has repeatedly made it clear that it is in this business to make money, and most likely would not continue to operate [the iTunes music store] if it were no longer possible to do so profitably."

Eww. Sounds a little greedy to us!

The president of the National Music Publishers Association, the group pushing for the increase said, "I think we established a case for an increase in the royalties. Apple may want to sell songs cheaply to sell iPods. We don't make a penny on the sale of an iPod."

Interesting point!

We think Apple's full of it, though. Let's see if they'd really shut iTunes down!

Someone else will eventually emerge and take its place, right?

We hear MySpace Music a-calling!

taken from gossip blog www.perezhilton.com

javier the slacker

"what's up?"

just my luck

that i had to meet that gym manager yesterday and this woman at east coast park today.

was there with my mum, sister, maid and javier for dinner just now. javier was behaving very badly, jumping at kids, jumping at dogs, jumping at bicycles. I WAS VERY PISSED OFF. so i smacked his mouth and then she said (very loudly),

"YOU NEVER SMACK A DOG'S MOUTH."

okay thank you, shout louder please.

then she said things like don't smack a dog's mouth, it will hurt and he's just a puppy. yes it will hurt cos i intended it and yes he's a puppy and needs to learn. and her dogs were yapping away happily and straining their leashes. it's all fine with her cos i think they weigh less than 8kg each, and mine is heavier than all 3 of them added up. 

and she was glaring at me even though i smiled at her. WHY AM I ATTRACTING SUCH PEOPLE RECENTLY??

what. kids need to be taught so do dogs. if kids can be smacked why not dogs. i love javier and i love dogs but i do not believe in spoiling my dog and letting him do whatever he wants. saying no no no just doesn't work in some circumstances and she, ought to know better than me cos that was what's happening to her!

california fitness - novena sq

Unpleasant experience with California Fitness

I WOULD like to relate an unpleasant experience with California Fitness at Novena Square on Feb 13.

I was contacted by their marketing department of a Chinese New Year package which I was rather interested in, provided they meet certain conditions I was asking for. After a few rounds of discussion via phone with Ms Shan of Novena Square branch, we agreed at 11.30 that night that they will meet the terms I was asking for and invited me to visit them to sign the papers that very night.

What I found when I reached California Fitness was Mr Colin Fernandez introducing himself as gym manager who then started giving a sales pitch of another offer which I had already declined. When I told him about the agreement made over the phone, he replied that there was no way that package could be given.

What shocked me is the unapologetic manner in which the staff of California Fitness conducted themselves - they got a customer out of the home at 11.30pm purportedly to sign papers whose terms have been agreed on, only to find that this was not the case.

This is certainly not what I expected from a reputable entity such as California Fitness.

Tan Beng Chong

definitely not what i was expecting as well when i walked in yesterday afternoon! i made myself very clear that i was shopping around for a gym membership and wanted to ask more about california's. it seemed however, i said "I WANT TO SIGN UP TODAY" because the gym manager almost forced me to.

it all started well, smiles and small talk with the gym manager who brought me around. i was thinking.. okay, this seems like a nice place. lots of equipment, friendly staff and clean. good thoughts. positive thoughts. so we proceeded to the tables where he said he'd tell me more about their membership. great.

but he sees his friend and he goes over to talk, leaving me alone. but it's okay, i'm not petty. i can overlook such stuff.

then he comes back and he starts drafting out a price list for me on a paper. when done, the conversation went something like that:

me: "so this is the best price you can give me?"

him: "i'm the gym manager, and today's the last day of the month. this is a special price."

me: "okay thanks. i'll look around and consider."

him: "you're not signing up today?"

me: "no. i just wanna look around. fitness first having a promotional package that's almost the same price."

him: "you have seen fitness first's equipment right?"

me: "yes, and it's not any less selection, just that you have more quantity. it's okay i just want to look around."

him: "no need to look around. if you are looking at price, it's all the same."

me:' "i'm not. i rather pay $30 more for a swimming pool."

him: "what do you want a swimming pool for?"

me: "i like to swim! you mean i cannot have a choice?"

him: "swimming only relaxes your muscles."

me: "it's okay can i have the piece of paper, i will look around."

him: "no you cannot."

he very rude! arghh! i'm fucking pissed and damn shocked that such an established gym can have such a rude gym manager. you tell me lah! in between he did offer another package that was a year long but i had to pay upfront 12 months. crazy! after such attitude he think i will sign with him? or i don't want to think twice? he implied many things ok. he implies that fitness first was not up to par, then he implied that i cannot afford to pay so much, then he challenged why i wanted a swimming pool.

i left the place astounded.

F1 mania!

the sound was deafening but the atmosphere rocked!

see if you can spot a car in one of the pictures. 

womanizer

I Love The World

i love this video! very heart-warming.. i know the world can't be so beautiful, but it's nice to indulge in reel-ality just for a moment.

Day of Mayhem

the day was exactly like the title. mayhem.

imagine 3 dogs in one car, plus 4 passengers, 1 driver. but most importantly, faulty air-con.

CAN JUST DIE INSIDE.

javier was damn excited, boxer was in a huge cage and baby was, no, not shivering. she was practically 'vibrating'. that day was as tiring as days can get.

and the biggest (in all sense of the word!) irritant of the day has to be..

.

.

.

he ran everywhere, didn't come when called, and jumped on a kid and made him cry! i can imagine what shonia will say. "oh my god, so horrible!"

but i love him to bits.

Rock of Ages

you guys should check out this thai band called clash. quite cool haha.

we're back..

and i wished we stayed a few more days.

lol. but our finance would definitely not allow that to happen. it pains me to just think about how much we spent. totally unacceptable! not backpacker-ish at all. but what the hell! it was a celebration so i guess it's ok to splurge once in a while.

patong worked it's charm as soon as we arrived. a small town with lots of shops and eateries, it was paradise. not to forget the charming little guesthouse that greeted us when we arrived up the town's points.. by a lot. i felt the thai people were generally very nice and friendly. met a lot of people who made the trip more pleasant.

phi phi took a little getting used to. the place is very run down, but that's okay. the biggest disappointment on the first day was the weather and beach. the water was not clear - at all. and the lodging just made me so gloomy. but that cleared up as the day wore on, and by the second day i thought phi phi rocked. island life at it's best.. quaint shops, nice pubs. nice.

but the best-est thing that happened on the trip? diving. it rekindled my love for the sport and i really missed out so much these 2 years. i wanna go diving again as soon as possible! but even better than best-est? yihao dived as well and that was just great.

tell you guys a secret..

we are broke!!

turns out phuket is not so cheap afterall! accomodation may be a steal, and getting bargains when shopping makes things affordable.. EATING IS NOT!! everyone knows i definitely do not eat like a mouse. well, it's definitely taking a toll on our funds. so...

it's QQ to the rescue!

she just transfered 3174 B to my account. lol.

thank God for ATMs.

phuket's not so sunny!

hey everyone! patong has been great! haha okay lah not great but fun enough. it's shopping heaven so yihao's pretty much the happiest he's been since some time (army and all!). the nightlife is so vibrant.. clubs, caberet, tiger shows, macdonalds (open 24hrs). how to describe the sex industry? it's like geylang on every street. patong's beach is the pits. total disappointment. our accomodation rock though! for air-con and comfy beds, we only pay $22 per night!

just came over to phi phi island today. the weather was quite bad in the morning but cleared up by afternoon. the water turned out to be not bad!! clearer than perhentian, but you have to wade further out sea.

we're gonna dive tmr! yihao's going for the discovery scuba.. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? i'm so psyched! the underwater world is amazing and he's gonna see it tmr! okay everyone. have fun back in singapore and see u guys soon!!

tired

Q: what is worse than giving out pamphlets at an MRT station?

A: giving them out door to door.

i am fucking tired can. my legs ache, my eyes want to close, my arms hurt and my shoulder feel like they are about to drop off. accepting the job was easy. but the execution is oh so killing me. and FYI to those stuck-up asses who snubbed me, ignored me...

PLEASE DON'T GIVE THAT FACE LIKE ACCEPTING THE PAMPHLET WILL KILL YOU CAN. wanna compare probability it is more likely to kill me. you all not gracious at all.

.

.

.

.

.

but seriously lah, the guy wants to hire me again after i come back from phuket to give out more flyers. i dunno man. i did these 3 days as more of a friend than i need the job. and i feel people in the company dun take me seriously leh. i think i am more capable than what they think. quite pissed off. and is 22 too old to still be giving out flyers?

most probably.

being singaporean means...

having to check this out:

http://beingsingaporeanmeans.blogspot.com

double o

double the fun!

being singaporean means...

moving closer to the person in front of you in the queue when someone else comes near

the end is near, as the days grow short

funny how once on off days, the days fly by. in no time, i'll be in sunny phuket enjoying my iced tea and a nice book, while hoping fervently that i won't get stomped by protesters.

i'm kidding.

anyway i have some great news i'd like to share!! firstly,

CONGRATULATE ME COS I ORD LOH! yes yes, the much talked about day has finally arrived! i listened in delight as my encik uttered the sacred words ALL nsf would kill to hear. "Glenn, today is your last day." How i felt? Priceless. 2 years can be a very long time.

secondly, my india trip's pretty much confirmed and to celebrate, i bought an canon SLR. lol. okay lah, just an excuse but i strongly believe that i'll be putting it to good use. for my future travel adventures!

lastly, EVERYONE should go check out the script, a three-piece irish band that has a pretty solid album.

being singaporean means..

to speed up when the driver in the next lane signals he wanna cut into yours.

hummmmmmed.

i said to my friend (very loudly), "shit i just humped to rihanna's song."

it's hummed damn it!! see? nothing good comes from rihanna.

want

i want to be an author, a director, a script-writer.

i want to be a photographer, an editor, a producer.

i want to be a social worker, a traveller, a wise man, a diver, a runner.

i want to sleep below the stars, hug people i love, pat every dog i see.

i want to swim oceans, walk along a train track, plant my first tree, say anything and everything.

i want to be myself, to be comfortable, to age gracefully, tell of amazing stories.

i want to swim with turtles and fish, lie on the grass with my dog after play.

i want to see my first flake of snow, see the most beautiful sunset, love someone with all my heart.

i want to be loved back, feel like the luckiest person in the world.

i want to know that even if the world is against me i have friends who will stand by me.

i want to make sure my grandparents know that they mean the world to me.

i want someone to hold my hand, hug me tight, and never let go.

am i having a mid-life crisis? =S

secondhand serenade

the album: a twist in my story

who: Secondhand Serenade is an American acoustic rock solo project fronted by vocalist and guitarist John Vesely. The solo project began in California, USA, in 2004. Vesely has released two studio albums to date under the name Secondhand Serenade, Awake in 2007 and A Twist in My Story in 2008. The debut album used multitrack recording to create the sound of a band using technology,[1] the second album took a different path, using a proper band and an orchestra to establish a more accomplished sound. [Wikipedia]

genre: love ballads

my rating: 4/5

review: it's one of those albums that seem very cool, but you know, turns out quite cheesy. but it's like a guilty obsession - one listen and you don't wanna stop. not that i'm too cool for it, but i'm pretty much over-age. yes i'm an old man. but it's addictive.

this album is really actually for the young and very in love! for the ones who would journey the ends of the world for their the other half. those who love like there's no tomorrow. in one sentence, second hand serenade's like the modern backstreet boys.

over-used word: tonight

cheesy phrases: "i was born to tell you i love you." "my eyes are screaming for the sight of you."

creative

check out xiang yew's creative blog at:

http://www.nothingbutcreative.blogspot.com

.

he looks goofy-cute

hog's breath

what a rainy day it was today. the picture on top shows really low clouds while driving across the ECP.

pretty much spent the day with yihao. went to work early morning but my encik let me off halfway! =) hardworking people deserves time off once in a while you know. hehe. 

anyways, we were at vivo since early afternoon and decided to.. EAT BIG! haha, everyone knows military food leaves much to be desired. after almost two years, i sincerely believe the day's food standard depends solely on the chef's mood.

SO, i suggested hog's breath cos i went there once with my mum and sis, and the food rocks! expensive yes, but worth a splurge once in a while. see the pictures for my take on the food. just for your info, the bill totaled to about $83. we were too full to order desserts.

my advice? skip the nacho and pig out on the desserts. (dessert) portions are quite huge!

HOG'S BREATH

$24

$34

$13

*prices are rounded off

it's like i bought a new dog

before

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after