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Sunday 31 December 2006

錄音室

Are what have been recorded the truth?


Yesterday has been an interesting experience for me: my first time in a recording studio... It was for my percussion band though, I wonder when will my vocal recording be... Haha...

Progress was slow at first, we kept doing many retakes... Oh, I just realised who was the culprit... Haha... When we were doing Samba, everyone was playing so we had problems making everything blend nicely... I admit, it was my fault... The djembé being a high tone instrument is very obvious when all the rest are bass instruments, any beat missed or rhythm changed is immediately discovered...

We spent 3 hours setting up and getting the Samba right, the rest was a breeze... I was leading the Chinese section on the lion drum so we only did 1 take!!! Though I would had wished to do another one if we had the time, the cymbals weren't that good...

The Indian section took quite long as they had problems coordinating and the instrument didn't sound good in an air-conditioned room... The drum had to "drink" lots of water to make it sound more bassy...

Oh well, its easier to hear it then describe it... This is the version I edited, the one edited by the engineer wasn't exactly what we had always been playing... I'm not sure which one is better, but mine definitely sound better since I've covered up some of the mistakes as well as enhancing some instruments that weren't audible... Get it here...

djembé
This is a djembé...

efin & I
The djembé players... Havoc makers???

concentrating
Stop bothering me, I'm trying to concentrate...

Wednesday 27 December 2006

X-節

X-mas?


I've been thinking of this for the past few days, why is Christmas = X-mas? There is like no relation except maybe "criss-cross"... Then again, how did the first person thought of that and more importantly, why?

Asked a few people this question and a clan member posted a good explanation on the forums...

DanDrew766:
"For the record, Christmas is a completely religious holiday. The word comes from the words "Christ" which is god, and the word "Mass" which means gathering.

The English word "holiday" also is in fact religious. The word sprouts from the words "holy day" meaning that holidays began as days to be observed by the religious. Big corporations just thought they could capitalize on the idea with the introduction of Santa and such.

Tell me why we don't get a day off for St Patty's day but we do for things such as "Good Friday"? At least here in America we don't, because that isn't really a major English holiday. Its Irish, and if you are any good on your American history, you would know that the Irish didn't really like us, because Americans came from Britain, and the Irish were oppressed by the British.

Anyways, back to the argument at hand. X was in fact meant to replace "Christ" so as not to offend the Jewish people or any other non-Christian people. But seriously, who really cares about the Jews?(JK JK JK JK)

And no, "Christ" has nothing to do with Santa. But Santa in my opinion is the better one, he gives me video games!"


Boring entry, I know...

決心

New year resolutions: to make a better New Year resolution this year...


I'm sure there are many people that makes the above resolution, or maybe even "to achieve my New Year resolutions this year"... What's the point of making such resolutions when you know that you would not carry them out? To give yourself a target so that you have something to remind yourself of? Or is it just to bluff yourself that you've made such a resolution and you'll probably achieve it, thereby making yourself feel better (or rather less guilty of the things you have not done)... I know its too early to be posting this, but I want to type this all out while I still have it in my mind...

If there is something you want done, just go and do it... There is no need to wait until the very last minutes of the year to decide what you want to do... Maybe you have too many things you want to do so you have to list them down... But I'm sure you can do that on any other day...

News Flash!!! The reason for New Year resolutions just came into my mind, its like my left brain just talked to my right brain...

Making New Year resolutions is a way to reflect back on what you have done and not done in the previous year... It makes you think about what you'll want to achieve in the coming year...

Well then, problem solved... Hope all of you make resolutions that you can and will achieve... Happy Holidays...

Monday 25 December 2006

佳節

You're either happy or sad during festive seasons...


Holidays are times when people get together, be it friends or family... This Christmas is just like any other day to me, I spent it at home alone... So should I be sad that I'm alone during a holiday or should I just treat it like every other day?

Well, its almost over and I just treated it like any other day... No point making myself sad right? Its not like this day has any special meaning to me...

My phone just died on me and I didn't even do anything!!! Was chatting on MSN when I suddenly heard my phone rebooting... I thought it was just a normal crash until I realized that it isn't booting up!!! Tried to switch it on several times myself to no avail... Took the battery out for several minutes and still no luck... Finally resorted to formatting the phone (press and hold "3", "*" and the green button; might only work on Symbian phones)...

So I've lost most of my contacts and ALL of my messages... Oh well, I guess its finally time to let go of some things...

Tuesday 19 December 2006

新設計

New Layout...


Well, visually there isn't much of a change because I changed to the new blogger layout and spent an hour or so trying to make everything look the same as before... So what's the point of changing the layout if everything is the same as before? I don't know, just trying to find out what the new layout has to offer...

With everything being point and click, its more difficult to customize the layout now... I don't really like that space they put after my "artworks", "friends" and "links" on the sidebar... Haven't figured out how to remove those spaces yet...

I think the only good thing this new layout offers is the archiving of the archives; it make it easier to locate my past entries... The tallying of the posts is a plus too...

This made me realize that I'm not as productive as last year... Though I started out March last year, I had 9 more posts than this year...

Hmm...

I think I've just found out the reason... Someone took up all of my time during the past 3 months where posts are scarce... Its not that I have no time or nothing to blog about, but because I can't really blog about what happens here especially when I know that person reads it (and I just realized she still does)...

Oh... Shouldn't go that much into it... Christmas is coming!!! I've always hated this period, it is the most fun time of the year but it also signifies the end of it... It makes me realize that I have achieved nothing and this year is no exception... Oh well, gonna enjoy it while it lasts...

Monday 18 December 2006

思緒

Things are only how you want them to be...


This post is going to be very random; different people may have different interpretations of it...

Everyone knows life doesn't always go your way, it just follow you once in a while then move off in a different direction at the most crucial moment... That's why life sucks... However, I always believe that things are how you want them to be... Its like the cup that's half-empty or half-full, it doesn't necessary mean you're pessimistic if you see it as half-empty or optimistic if you choose the other... If so, what would I be if I say the cup was never full in the first place?

When things happen, you can groan and moan that your life sucks and how things can never go your way... Or you can be happy that things didn't get worse than it probably could... At these times, I believe that all those thinking are just a waste of time... Why waste time contemplating over the events when you could use it to think of a way to make the situation better?

I've always thought that I could easily control my emotions; I can be sad or happy if I choose to... It was only yesterday that I realize my emotions can only be controlled on the surface level... To others I may look totally fine, even I believed that I'm totally fine... It was when my mind stopped working when its supposed to that I realize that I'm still affected by the events that had happened... Maybe it was due to the lack of practice or maybe I was too tired, but I couldn't focus on what I was supposed to... Zombie would be a good word to describe it...

I predict I'll be normal again in 1 or 2 days time, but what is normal when things will never be the same again... I am the epitome of positive thinking, so yup... Nothing can bring me down...

Friday 15 December 2006

失去中心

Fun makes you lose your focus on the important things...


Being rejected really isn't a very nice feeling... First rejection was from MINDEF, my application for deferment was rejected... Its a 3 weeks ICT!!! What an idiotic thing to do when my exams are so close...

Secondly, I was rejected several times yesterday while playing basketball... I'm fine with being rejected by Teck Sheng (he is so tall and all...), but being rejected by Cherlynn was depressing...

Today, my project proposal was rejected... I'm so dead... Really not good at coming up with problems to solve... Give me a problem and I can think of several ideas to solve it but not the other way round... Can someone help me think of something? Think of some IT stuff (computer, handphone, iPod, etc.) that you don't like or think can be better...

Thursday 14 December 2006

愚於愉

Yesterday was funny, today was fun...


Damn, I love that title... Ok, so yesterday wasn't exactly the best day I had... Something happened and things are getting a little rocky; I know the issue will have to be addressed sooner or later... Might as well thrash it out first and if things go bad, we won't need to waste anymore of our time...

After that something happened that made me cracked up... I was laughing, really laughing hard, but somehow I felt empty inside...

Today, I met up with 2 people for breakfast then played basketball with those Esprimere kids in the afternoon... It kept drizzling and the floor was wet, a big disadvantage for me... The only thing I'm better than any of those present is my speed; can't really sprint when the floor is wet though... Overall, it was fun and tiring... Haven't been exercising much these days, that workout really tired me out...

Life's going back to normal for a while I guess... or maybe not... Heh heh...

Tuesday 5 December 2006

一無是處

Its not about knowing how to do it, its about getting it done...


Knowing how to do things is useless unless you go out to get it done... For me, I haven't done anything yet... My project that is... Its already December and I haven't even have a contents page yet...

Was performing yesterday at Zheng Hua Community Club for the Arts Festival... I used to hate what we were doing, but I'm starting to like it these days... Think its because I'm getting better already... Haha... Met up with a friend I haven't seen for very long, she was supposed to come support me but she came after everything ended...

Oh well, haven't been doing much these days...

Monday 4 December 2006

殘廢

The worse handicap is the inability to get past your mental barrier...


This weekend seems to be the most packed after so long of nothing... First up, was performing at Vivo City promoting Standard Chartered... I haven't told anyone about it since I'll be wearing a tight suit, not exactly something you want others to see you in... The good thing is our faces are painted, so it'll take a while before you can recognize me... Well, at least that's what we hope; its a good thing I haven't seen anyone I know yet...

After that we decided to go Dragonfly at the nearby St James Power Station... The place is quite nice and I totally liked their band... They play Mandarin/Cantonese/English Pop at intervals throughout the night... Drank quite alot that night and reached home at around 2am...

The next morning I was at National Stadium by 7.30am already... Woke up late and missed the supposed meeting time, had to take a cab there myself... We were there for the Singapore Marathon (sponsered by Standard Chartered as well); not to run, but to "make some noise" to cheer them on... There was a competition to find the group that can "make the most noise", or as they put it nicely "best raise the spirit of the runners"... I didn't expect anything since I'm already dead from the events the day before, it wasn't a hangover or anything, just tired... Furthermore, my hands already hurt from that 2 hours of playing...

The people just kept coming and coming, there seemed no end to them... We kept playing until 3 hours later when the rain saved us... We got second though, $1000 prize, not much for 3 hours of playing...

We had to go back to Bishan for more practice since there is a performance this coming Saturday... And another hour plus of playing, my hands were totally gone... Usually if our hands are bruised, we'll just use another part of our hand to play, but there wasn't any other part of my hand that isn't bruised...

After that was Weifen's wedding dinner, was really tired by then... I didn't drink any that night, I could already drop dead without any influence of alcohol... Nothing interesting happened though...

Wednesday 29 November 2006

不如意事常八九

Someone just don't want me to be happy...


Now that my PC is up and running again, my PS2 is down... What is this? Some kind of trade off?

Anyway, I've decided to wear the white one... I bought it just for this so might as well... That is, unless someone has a good reason why I shouldn't wear that...

I'm the DEVIL... Why doesn't it surprise me? The description isn't what I expected it to be though...




You are The Devil

Materiality. Material Force. Material temptation; sometimes obsession

The Devil is often a great card for business success; hard work and ambition.

Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the major arcana, the Devil is not really "Satan" at all, but Pan the half-goat nature god and/or Dionysius. These are gods of pleasure and abandon, of wild behavior and unbridled desires. This is a card about ambitions; it is also synonymous with temptation and addiction. On the flip side, however, the card can be a warning to someone who is too restrained, someone who never allows themselves to get passionate or messy or wild - or ambitious. This, too, is a form of enslavement. As a person, the Devil can stand for a man of money or erotic power, aggressive, controlling, or just persuasive. This is not to say a bad man, but certainly a powerful man who is hard to resist. The important thing is to remember that any chain is freely worn. In most cases, you are enslaved only because you allow it.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Tuesday 21 November 2006

歸還

I said I would return and I have...


My PC is back!!! Somehow when I first pulled out my keyboard, it looks weird... A bigger monitor definitely feels better, the processor is much faster too... (in comparison with my brother's laptop; he doesn't read this so its ok...)

Now then, I took a picture without the shirt inside... Haha... Seems ok though, but I won't post it since there are some inherent problems with my pose... Ask if you want to see it; don't worry, its artistically censored...

Oh well, nothing much for now... More comments please, conducive ones!!! >_<

Sunday 19 November 2006

Still...


My PC is still dead but life goes on... Ben will be back in less than 2 weeks time; less time for myself then... XD

The purpose of this post is to get everybody's opinion, though I have a feeling I won't get any... Nonetheless, here's what I need you all to decide: the white T-shirt or the maroon one...

white T-shirt

maroon T-shirt

Tell me your pick in the chatterbox on the sidebar... Comments wise... well, as long as they are nice... Haha... Leave any comments you have, I can take it...

Tuesday 31 October 2006

GAME OVER


My PC is dead!!! Damn... I'm not really sure what's wrong with it, it fails to even show me the graphics card BIOS message... I think its my mainboard that's dead, which is a good thing since the mainboard comes with 3 years warranty... Only problem is I don't know where I kept the receipts!!! ARGHH!!!

Went bowling yesterday, its been at least 5 years since the last time I went for a session... Considering its been so long, its amazing that I can even hit 120... One of my highest score ever!!! I know that isn't a score to be proud of; its ok, I know I suck... Just not any good with ball games... Then again, I'm not any good with ANY games, maybe with the exception of computer games... Haha...

Oh well, it'll be some days before I get off my butt to bring the mainboard for replacement... No PC = no MSN, no anime, no happy me... Haiz... Maybe I'll start completing some PS2 games...

Saturday 28 October 2006

繪畫

Originality is the art of concealing your sources...


Its been what, 7 months since I last did a drawing? Hmm... This urge to draw is starting to overcome me; most probably because I've started to read manga again... I think I mentioned I want to draw my own characters instead of copying from others, but 1. its difficult to do so, 2. the results might not even win a primary school art competition...

Wait!!! I just have an idea!!! Haha... Its forming in my mind while I'm typing this, let me draft it out first before I forget it...

Ok, I'm back... This will take 3 times longer than usual since I skipped human anatomy when I was learning how to draw manga last time... Well, you can't blame me right? It took me several weeks to learn how to draw a head, then several more months to perfect it... By the time I was done, I've already lost my references... Stay tuned for more updates on this...

Now on to the update of my current life:




So this the end of the entry, until next time then...

Saturday 21 October 2006

今天

Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday...


Today is the first time in my life that I did spring cleaning without anyone ordering me to... I know I should be ashamed of it rather than being proud about it... Still, I did something I've never done before...

Its been a month since my mum left, she went China to take care of my sister who's going to giving birth at the end of this month... The housework is all done by my mum when she's at home; she nags about us not helping out with any chores but what do we do when she'd done everything? Indeed, the house feels more cosy when its clean...

The new song we're learning in singing club is 流星下的願 by 張學友 & 許慧欣 from 雪狼湖... Its a very nice song and the best part is its very easy to learn... I think this is the first song my instructor said I don't sound like 郭富城 at all... So it is possible for me to not sound like 郭富城 when I sing!!! Haha... Problem now is how can I do this for other songs? I don't even think its possible, but its good start...

Really wish I can update my blog more often, but there's nothing to talk about... Even if I try to detail my everyday life (which would zero the already mediocre viewing audience), I can't do it for long since my last saturday is the same as today which would most probably be the same for next saturday...

Saturday 23 September 2006

成就

The best part about excelling is to surpass yourself...


Went for IPPT again, think I'm getting addicted to taking IPPT... Broke all my records from the previous test; except situps that is, no point breaking that record... Oh, this is the fastest 2.4 timing I've gotten in my life, even faster than BMT!!! Haha...

ippt result 2
Silver again...

I know I'm evil, some might know I'm evil, but most don't... They just think I'm irritating, that's all... Haha... Took the below survey and expected myself to break the charts; its a good thing I didn't... Seems like there is still some hope for me...

Greed:High

Gluttony:Medium

Wrath:Medium

Sloth:High

Envy:High

Lust:Medium

Pride:Medium


Discover Your Sins - Click Here


Haven't been updating my blog for quite some time already, its not because I'm plain lazy... Things happened, but its inappropriate for me to publicize it since its not settled yet... Maybe someday I'll talk about it, maybe I'll not... I don't even know if what's happening is good or not... Things just got a lot more complicated... I could probably think of something if I think hard enough, but I'm getting tired...

Friday 15 September 2006

考試

Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward...


Just got back my results... Not what I wanted, but what I would had expected: 72, 70, 42, 41... Why such big differences? A very clear case of where my interest and ability lies... I can't write essays, which will lead me to hate essay writing subjects... This I can explain why I almost failed my Software Engineering, but it is no excuse for my Advanced Programming...

A mere lack of effort displayed... Couldn't be bothered to do well for my Advanced Programming and I don't know why... Though I read the notes from front to back, I didn't really try to let it sink into my mind... I had time; time is not an excuse... I could had practiced more to get a better grade... But this is all in the past, nothing I do now can change the fact that I got 41 for my Advanced Programming...

So... I'll need to score very well for ALL my subjects this year; including the project (not very possible)... Haizz... No other way to get my First Class Honours...

Should I be glad that I scored better than others or should I be sad that I scored worse than my expectations?

Wednesday 6 September 2006

忙、忙、忙

Busy, busy week?


Other than Sunday, Monday and Thursday of this week, I've been doing my part time job... I always have something to do everyday, not the norm these days... It may seem like I'm very busy; that's not what I feel though...

I was performing on Sunday at Tampines Central Park, just the normal gig that we are doing nowadays... Its the short one, so I like it alot... The energy is maintained without the draggy feeling...

Schooling on Monday and Thursday... No singing club on Wednesday, so worked on that day as well... Should be free on Friday, then working on Saturday again... Another performance on Saturday afternoon and evening, can only go for the evening one because of the work which I had long ago promised...

So... busy, busy week or boring week?

Saturday 26 August 2006

續錄

Continuation...


Haha... I guess many have already predicted what happens next... Allow me to talk about something else first before I continue...

Went for IPPT this morning, quite a scary experience since I did not train much... It has been at least 6 months since I've ran...I did a short training 3 days back: minimal amounts of weights then a sustained sprint of 800m... Still, I was aiming to get silver...

Static stations was easy, though I couldn't do 10 chin ups anymore... Damn... When I did the 10th one, the Physical Training Instructor (PTI) in front of me counted it, then another one from beside him said, "Last one no count, 9..." ARGH!!! I wanted to throw my shoe at him but my shoe was tied too tightly, he was lucky... Was quite demoralised after that... Had to do better at the other stations to cover up...

Last station, 2.4km run, the one everyone is afraid of... Timing for silver award is 11:40 mins or below, my timing last year was 11:30 mins; too close for comfort... Worse part is I was fitter last year, someone even commented that I reminded him of a PTI... Oh, and I forgot to bring my watch, double whammy...

Went around asking people's timing, finally found one who is also 11 minutes plus... Better still, he is several slots in front of me so I start 20 seconds later than him... If I pass through the finish line with him, I'll be getting 20 seconds lesser than him... That would definately get me that silver, IF he really is an 11 minutes runnner... And the results...

ippt result
$200 birthday present from the government...

I passed the guy but didn't slow down and sprinted towards the finish line, afraid that I wouldn't meet the timing... Ha!!! Was so happy when I saw the clock, 11:01!!! That's my personal best record!!! That guy got 11:25, a silver timing runner just as he said he was...

Since my birthday is this coming Wednesday, I could go for another IPPT next Saturday!!! Haha... Another $200 maybe? I wonder if my muscles would recover by then, though I'm not feeling anything now...

OK now, back to the ghost story...

There isn't any!!! If there is, it was probably some insects in my hair... I didn't brush them off though, what if it was a hand instead?!? Well, nothing interesting happened afterwards... Heh heh... Waited so long for one paragraph of nothing...

Monday 21 August 2006

烏民島

Pulau Ubin...


Finally did some interesting stuff, went for the "Pulau Ubin Hungry Ghost Tour" organized by Singapore Paranormal Investigators (SPI) on 19/08/2006 with Weida... SPI always organize outings to explore the supposedly haunted places in Singapore, but this was different, it was offshore... We'll explore the most famous haunting spots that are unparallel to anywhere else on the mainland...

Shaver
Why the hell did you bring a shaver?

Torch
Oh, it's a torchlight?!? It seems more practical as a shaver though...

First we tried to find the spirit tree, but it was already burnt down and all that remain are its chopped up pieces...

Following that we boarded the truck which would take us halfway to a lost old Malay cemetery, the other half would be a 40° ascend on foot... This is the largest cemetetry (the size of a football field) in Ubin, many local Ubin residents do not even know of its existence!!! Traces and artifacts of black-magic being practiced at the old graves still can be seen there, vials that used to contain animal blood and plastic bottles that hold the spirits can be seen lying around...

The next place was the highlight of the night: a triangular junction... What was usually a T-junction was made a "triangle" junction instead... There is this triangle plot of land in the middle of the road much like in a round-about... SPI invited a specialist called Azri (who is the son of both parents that are Malay Bomohs and he had been trained formally in Indonesia by a famous Bomoh master) to perform a ritual a summon the spirits... After that, they decided to perform one of the methods to see ghosts from "The Eye 10", the knocking of bowls at a junction...

The bowls were set, the offering positioned, all that's left are the volunteers... I asked Weida if he wanted to volunteer, it'll be quite an experience... Azri then started going around checking everyone's right palm and asking them if they want to be part of this experiment... He came to me and checked my plam and asked me to try it, so I was like I'll go if Weida goes as well... He checked Weida's palm and said, "You cannot..." Weida was stunned, all this exploring and now he is told he can't see them...

I was hesitant, but my curiosity got the better of me... I wasn't thinking of the consequences or anything, just wanted to try it... The rest of the guinea pigs were gathered and Azri briefed us on what to do if we see or feel them, he also said to shout his name if we were too scared... Everyone else was ordered to wait at a hut 50 meters away, the tension was building... Before he left, he walked to me and placed his hands on my shoulders, "You be careful, k?"

WTF?!? Did he have to single me out? And what's with the "be careful" part? What can I do man? He was the one that asked me to join the experiment... All these went through my head; I wasn't scared, just stunned... He gave the command to start and left us alone... Everyone started knocking, though we were not in unison, it was obviously a slow tempo... We were facing a forest and I would glance every once in a while into it for any abnormalities; starting to get quite worried about what Azri said... I repeated his name in my head a few times, afraid that I would forget how to shout his name if the need arises... Started to imagine what I would do if something starts creeping up towards me, I guess I would be too afraid to control what I will do...

In less than a minute, the guy on my left started knocking VERY quickly, and I really mean very... Did he see something already? I glanced left through the corner of my eye but I don't see anything, nothing in front either... Several minutes passed, I was getting tired and bored, still that guy was hitting at an incredible rate... I started feeling something behind me...

Monday 14 August 2006

最後一天

Last day, 17/07/2006, Monday, Cloudy...


Woke up at 9.30am to pack my bag, had to make sure I don't leave any of my treasures here... My bus to Macau leaves at 2.15pm so I just need to leave home at 1.30pm to catch the feeder service to the bus terminal... I'll just slack until then...

At noon, my sis said she'll be coming home to bring me out for lunch instead... We went to that great western restaurant again (Alvin kept his promise, while I had almost forgotten about it) but I doubt the roof will open at noon, at least I'll get to take some pics of the toilet...

alvin & eki
Alvin and Eki outside the restaurant...

restaurant
The outside and inside of the restaurant...

urinal
Was that a tiger's tail?

tap
Can you even call that a tap?

Ordered Swiss pork chop this time and got one fat slab of meat... Once the meat is sliced, delicious melted cheese oozes out of it... There's a piece of ham in between the pork...

swiss pork chop

Just when I lost all hopes, the spotlight turns on and the roof starts retracting!!! It's not as spectacular as at night though and there wasn't the spectacular music... Watch it here...

After lunch, my sis sent me up the bus and I started my journey home... There were only a few other people on the bus and the seat was quite uncomfortable...

Oh, a pretty lady (I think... I'm not wearing my specs due to a headache) just boarded the bus, she sat down in front immediately and I didn't have time to put on my specs...

Saw the girl during the pit stop...............

Crossed the border to Macau and got on a cab straight away to the airport... Reached the airport at 5.40pm and was lucky to be able to check in, I'm supposed to board at 5.50pm!!! Then I realized the flight is delayed, don't know whether that is good luck or bad luck...

True to the Singapore sprit, people were still queueing even though they have to wait an indefinate amount of time... The plane hasn't even landed!!! The longer I wait, the longer the queue...

queue
Free food?

Oh, here's the plane!!! Shit, I'm like at the end of the queue... I'll be smelling shit for the rest of the journey... Nah... I'll just sit with the pretty lady I see in front, this time I'm wearing my specs...

There's a lot of catching up to do when I get home... There's a project workshop I'm supposed to attend at 7.30pm today; just leaving Macau air territory by that time...

I'm tired from standing in queue, how do people stand in queue overnights? I guess they sit down most of the time, but aren't they bored? I sure am bored... I can see the plane now but the gate isn't open...

Yay, the gate is finally open!!! Had trouble taking the first step, think I've grown roots... Will be reaching Singapore around 10pm... Home Sweet Home...

Sunday 13 August 2006

最近

Recently...


Its been weeks since I've talked about my current life, better do so before everyone forgets who I really am... I should be heading off for work now, but who cares...

School has started, singing club has started, I'm almost back to the normal schooling days now... The past few weeks were eventful, its been almost a decade since I've last done this... Would it end now?

Was playing basketball with Weida yesterday... We totally sucked... Or at least I did... It took him an hour or so to regain his accuracy, but I still couldn't do my lay-ups properly... Strained my adominal muscles so much that I had difficulty breathing after a while; used too much strength with my right arm as well, now I'm aching all over...

One remaining entry of my China holidays... I'll end off with a poem from one of the kids in my percussion band, visit his blog to see more...

blue.wastelandconcept.

green yellow red.
forest, sun, fire.
black white grey.
darkness, light, twilight.
blue black black.
sea, oil, death.
white black black.
paper, pen, words.
green grey green
moss, stone, reclaim.
change of shape.
change of hue.
watch it fade
into the blue.
-wastelandconcept.

Friday 11 August 2006

第八天

Day 8, 16/07/2006, Sunday, Sustained drizzles...


Stayed at home in the morning waiting for time to pass as the 點心 restaurant opens at 11am... It was only when we reached the place that we realized the restaurant opens at 8.30am during weekends... Damn... Wasted our morning...

The food was cheap, but it wasn't as nice as the one in Hong Kong... Went for facial after brunch... Along the way, we realized there's a chili sauce stain on my white 3-quarters!!! Good thing the parlor has bleach and managed to remove the stain... The facial took a little more than 1 hour...

We then went to the famous residential tower that people rent and set up shops instead... There's almost 2 shops on every level with the most famous one on the 19th floor... We didn't have time to comb the entire building as we needed to head over to the jade market before it closes at 6pm... Bought a Timberland backpack, Adidas T-shirt and pouch here...

Reached the 上下九路 jade market while the shops are starting to close... Our purpose there is to buy crystal handphone straps that my eldest sis wanted... I bought one as a birthday present for 詠惠, as well as several more to see if I could sell them in Singapore... Actually I was thinking of keeping the best one for a special someone I'll meet someday...

chan ancestor temple
My ancestor temple!!! I haven't read what it says yet...

Went to have 燒鵝腿面 for Ұ5 (≈S$1) only!!! There's supposed to be spring chicken as well but, we went to the wrong end of the street where the outlet doesn't sell them...

Today is one of the earliest days we reached home...

Wednesday 9 August 2006

第七天

Day 7, 15/07/2006, Saturday, Sustained drizzles...


Don't really remember what happened this day but I'll try...


We were supposed to wake up in the morning to go for a hike at the nearby hill with the waterfall, but it was raining quite heavily in the morning and we don't really like the idea of getting wet...

Went for a buffet lunch, I think it's Ұ98 per person and they serve all kinds of food... I really mean all kinds... The whole layout is quite posh, with a grand piano in the center and someone was playing and singing classical English songs on it... Then they served crickets, snakes and all kinds of wierd stuff, maybe its their culture but it sure doesn't fit with the grand piano concept...

Because of the soya bean milk that I had alot of in the morning, I was quite full already... The baby lobsters looked cute, so I grabbed a couple...

baby lobsters

Haven't really eaten much and I started on the desserts already... First was some cakes, a little bit of everything... I grabbed 6 slices of different kinds of cakes and gobbled them up before I remember to take some pictures... Then was the ice-cream, the chocolate syrup they had at the ice-cream counter wasn't really tasty... Clever me got a plate and collected the chocolate from the fondue fountain and poured onto the ice-cream; the ice-cream started melting and the chocolate froze... I think I overdid it on the chocolate as there was so much chocolate I could die from all of it...

Since I've already tried "chocolate" chocolate ice-cream, might as well try other things as well... Got a bowl to collect the chocolate this time...

chocolates

I tried to "chocolatized" everything on the table, chocolate peach, chocolate banana, chocolate "mango pudding" and the wierdest of all chocolate prawns!!! If that spoon could be eaten, I'll dip it in the chocolate as well... Argh... Forgot to try chocolate watermelon juice...

After lunch, we went back to change for tonight's party... We went there early to go shopping at the nearby 北京路... There were parts of the ancient roads as well as a 3-dimensional map of that city sealed up along the streets... Too lazy to take any pictures as it was raining; can't photograph anything with the rain running on the glass panels...

The party is by this big fashion company that I don't remember the name... The company bought Richard Clayderman's license which Alvin is in-charge of, so he is invited as well... Once we arrived at the level, there was this red carpet with lots of photographers along one side and a printed canvas on the other... I was taken aback with this scene and just realized how big the party was... The cameras starting flashing and we were supposed to sign on the canvas... Man, feels like some superstar....

There's a fashion show at the start, pretty Chinese models strut their stuff while Alvin and I were wondering when will the food be served... Halfway through the dinner, another round of entertainment starts... First up was this 17 year-old girl on a saxophone, it was amazing... She was really good and I couldn't help but took a picture of her... I didn't take a picture of her when she wasn't playing cause she looks nicer with the saxophone on her mouth...

saxophone

Next was 2 Filipino women's vocal performance... Before they started, my sis was talking about how Filipino vocalists usually have powerful voices... Then they started singing and it was so disappointing... I don't blame them if they can't really sing, but what I really hate is people who go on stage without preparation... They obviously hadn't practiced much, maybe once or twice in the backstage that kind of stuff... If I am the organizer, I'll ask them to pay me instead man...

The ending of the party was quite badly organized, the salsa dancers went on stage and I thought they were gonna perform... Instead, they danced to the house music and tried to invite guests onto the stage... And so it ended like that...

Monday 7 August 2006

第六天

Day 6, 14/07/2006, Friday, Sunny...


Woke up at 7am again today, had to take a dump badly (I think its because of the hotpot last night)... Took a bus to 天河體育中心 this time as there is a big shopping center near there... I left home at 10am expecting to reach just in time for the shops to open but instead reached 1¾ hours later... The place is very big and I didn't know where to start, not much effort was put into designing the architecture for a shopping centre...

Wasted alot of time at the lower levels where they sell clothes and jewllery... When I finally reached the sports level, it was time for me to go... Meeting my sister along the main road where they will stop momentarily to pick me up, so I can't be late...

Went for lunch at a normal restaurant which I'm not sure what their theme is... The food was ok, nothing much to say about it... After that we took a taxi to one of the shopping street around Garden Hotel, while Alvin has to go back to the office...

This is the place I got most of my shopping, all the products come straight from the factory so its very cheap... List of items I got:

Giorgio Armani long-sleeve shirt
Armani Exchange pants X 2
CK T-shirt
Paul & Shark 3-quarters
Adidas cap
Maui Island sandals
Mickey Mouse boxers

The Mickey Mouse boxers is very cute, not really sure why I got it... Just for the fun of it I guess...

We went back to school to meet up with Alvin and my sis has to attend a meeting... In the mean time, I'm typing this...

Dinner is at a chinese restaurant, it looks like any chinese restaurant in Singapore... We ordered fried oysters, fresh prawns, 2 types of clams, a big fish and some vegetables... All the plates were very big and the dish on it filled appropriately (not like Singapore's big plate but little food)... I learnt something today: fresh prawns peel very easily... Just remove the head part of the shell then squeeze the tail and the prawn will POP right out!!! Peeling prawns have never been such a breeze... You can never guess how much all these cost... Ұ110 (S$22)!!! What can you get with S$22 in a restaurant in Singapore? Maybe that plate of vegetables...

Thursday 3 August 2006

第五天

Day 5, 13/07/2006, Thursday, Sunny with showers in the afternoon...


Took my own time to wake up today, when I woke up I thought it was 9am already as the sun was up and very bright... Only after I finished brushing my teeth did I realize that it was only 7am... Well, I'm clever enough to guess that the sun rises 2 hours earlier than Singapore...

Took a shuttle bus out of the estate then another bus into the city... My brother-in-law (Alvin) was waiting for me at the bus stop I will be alighting... We bought some takeaway and went to his office...

He is currently working for a company managing Richard Clayderman's license in China... My sister is teaching a few levels below his office at Raffles Design College... He shifted his office there so as to be with my sis...

Here I am in his office typing out my blog from day 1 to now while waiting for my sis to finish work... Stayed in the office until 4pm and she still haven't appear; so we went down to look for her... We entered the school through a door that seems locked...

locked door
Oh, the door is padlocked...

opened door
Yar, right...

This is the escape route for my sis to go home early or to visit Alvin's office... It's at the end of the corridor of the staff floor so not much people passes by...

notice
I have a very strong feeling that this notice is addressed to my sis...

Had dinner at a hotpot restaurant where the hotpot is super hot... The last time my dad visited that place, he said that was the most torturous meal he had ever had... We ordered the mildly hot soup base this time so it wasn't that bad...

After dinner we went to the supermarket "A.Best", its one of the attractions of 廣州 as well... So what's so special about the supermarket? The translations on the signs are as my father says it, "Fann-tastic..." I only managed to take 3 pictures before I was stopped...

funny translations
I bet my father would disown me if I ever give this kind of translations...

my sis
My sis taking the dog out for a walk...

clffordcondo
The view of the lake in the middle of the condo estate...

P1010028
View from my sis's place of the amusment park... Where's Batman?

Tuesday 1 August 2006

第四天

Day 4, 12/07/2006, Wednesday, Cloudy...


Weida, Rita and Micheal were suppossed to go 深圳 today for massage and stuff but everyone woke up late... They decided to laze around for the today and go shopping instead... Weida called Rita to check if she was awake, she obviously just woke up judging from her voice... Weida asked her to go back to sleep then meet up for lunch or something...

Since we were awake, we went to this 點心 restaurant in the building next to Michael's apartment... The food was quite nice and very cheap... We had around 13 dishes and paid S$20+ only!!! It was all fine until halfway through our meal Rita called Michael's handphone and asked what we were doing... She was totally shocked when she knew we were having 點心, Michael tactfully passed the phone to Weida knowing all hell would break loose... I thought it was just normal to go for breakfast expecially since its so near our place... True we may be going to a restaurant, but by the time she reaches the place it would already be lunch... Weida lost his appetite after that call and didn't look too happy...

I've never seen Weida being so nice to any girl before, and I liked her when I first saw her... After a few days, I'm seeing more of her real self... She better know how to behave; can't stand seeing my good friend like this... I realized her temperament is very close to mine, maybe that's why Weida can be with her like how he has with me? Though I've never quarreled with him before throughout these 11 years...

Went to the G2000 boutique as they saw they were having 50% discount last night, they didn't go in last night as I walked too fast and they had to catch up to me... Today we went there and they are having 70% discount!!! All thanks to me... Then they were thinking whether to step in or not, since it might be 90% tomorrow (yeah, right)... Michael bought a suit while Weida only a pair of pants, I didn't buy anything though as I know there are better deals at the place I'm going...

After that, Weida and I went to Esprit while Michael stayed at home... There weren't much nice clothings, the shop was big but the selection not so... The only nice apparel we saw was a sweater but it would be impractical in sunny Singapore...

Weida then wanted to buy something to cajole Rita, we realized how cheap the jwellery around here was... On top of that, a shop was having 60% discount!!! Weida didn't want to buy though since it might become a habit if he has to give some diamonds everytime he did something wrong, he is already quite poor from the past few months of going out with Rita...

Finally it was time for me to go to 尖沙嘴 station to meet my sister, I'll be going back to 廣州 with her alone... I warned Weida about giving in to Rita too much and spoil her, but he said that is exactly what he wants to do... What's wrong with him man?!?

We took a ferry to 南沙 then a bus to my sister's vicinity... That place is just like a village except the houses are condominium-style apartments, there are even free shuttle buses in and out of the village to the bus terminal connecting to the outside world... The village has everything you can think of, restaurants, hospitals, bars, even a hotspring bath house!!!

hot spring
Hot spring anyone?

We went to this superb western restaurant, where the food is very nice... What's even nicer about the restaurant is the whole concept, the wild outdoor feel... There are plants within the dining area that contributes this feel, but if you think that is all you are wrong... Surrounding the restaurant would be plants as well, but the shocking part is the toilet...

The wall holding the urinals is a piece of glass, behind the glass is a garden so you'll feel like you are peeing outdoors... The tap comes from the ceiling, its a bit irritating as the water trickles down in bits; nonetheless, it is a nice concept... Too bad I don't have a camera to show it to you...

Saving the best for the last, the main highlight for the night is the opening of the roof... The entire roof slides out while some spectacular music is played...

really hated myself for not bringing a camera... My brother-in-law said we could go back there some other time, and I hope he keeps his promise...

Sunday 30 July 2006

第三天

Day 3, 11/07/2006, Tuesday, Showers in the morning...


Went to McDonald's for a quick breakfast then had to rush to the meeting place... Weida had to go to the toilet urgently so we met up with Rita first... Her mum looked at me with suspecting eyes until she realized that I'm not her future son-in-law (scary... good luck to Weida)... Her mom didn't say anything when Weida arrived though, but Rita complained a lot about him going off on his own especially when he doesn't know the place well...

Ocean Park was filled with people as I expected, there were lots of school kids on their field trips...

The tickets were sponsored by Rita's mother (thank you, Weida) so we need not pay the HK$138... Went to see the pandas first, the smaller one looked a lot like someone is inside that panda suit; their grabbing and sitting actions were too human-like...

After that it started raining so we took the cable car to the top of the mountain where there are more indoor exhibitions...

cable car
View from the cable car...

Went for lunch at this cafeteria that was very expensive, a can of soft drink costs S$4!!! But I think it was worth it since it was indoor with nice seats, air-conditioning and out from the rain... After lunch, the rain cleared and we could go to all the rides...

The first ride was the "Mine Train", its the scariest amongst all since it had the fastest descent... I sat beside Michael and he is a bit bigger than me so the restrain bar wasn't holding tight on me... I'm quite light as well so I got lifted off easily, Michael complained that the descent wasn't long enough for it reached the bottom just when he was about to be lifted off... I realised that if I don't shout before the descent, I wouldn't have a chance to do so once we passed the apex... Everyting will be thrown upwards and so will my voice... The feeling is damn scary but more exciting...

It was time for the show so we went to the Ocean Theatre next... The killer whale is dead so the show only has dolphins and sea lions... There were 5 dolphins, 2 old ones that are retiring soon and 3 young ones... It was very obvious which were the older ones as they were very well trained... The dolphins were damn fast, the sea lions pale in comparision... Its very spectacular when the dolphins leap out of the water, they can reach a height of around 2 storeys high...

Next, we went to the "Dragon" where the track goes 360° vertically... It wasn't as scary as the Mine Train since we were forced onto our seats due to the centrifugal force rather than out of it... This was definately more dizzy though, it didn't help that I have motion sickness... I totally lost my orientation when we alighted, its even worse than getting drunk...

It was almost 6pm already, so we decided to leave the place... Halfway to the gate, we saw the Mine Train was still operating and decided to catch the "last train"... The crowd had already left so there wasn't any queue... We could take the ride as many times as we wanted but everyone wasn't interested... Only Yiming's boyfriend and I went for a second round...

Went to the peak to take some pictures... There is supposed to be a light show every evening, all the buildings lights up with different colours... There's supposed to be laser as well, but we didn't see any that night...

peak
View from the peak...

night lights
View from the opposite side of the river...

We had a simple dinner in a restaurant near Michael's place and went back... Weida wanted to play Mahjong again and this time I lost HK$180 to Michael... I realized its because I don't know how to play that's why they can win, since the winner is always the one after me...

Wednesday 26 July 2006

第二天

Day 2, 10/07/2006, Monday, Fair...


Everyone woke up at noon after the tired day yesterday... We went for lunch at a shop with a huge collection of coca-cola items... The food was ok, we ordered a lot though...

After lunch we went to the ruins of St. Paul; this time we can get in... The place is quite small with some interesting ruins... It's not creepy though, I doubt it would be any better (or should I say worse?) at night...

St. paul ruins
Back of cathedral's main door...

Went shopping next since we were already there, visited many shops with the girls but it feels good doing that... The outdoor temperature was even hotter than Singapore and the humidity around the same; being able to step into air-conditioned shops is a blessing...

macau shopping district
Night scene of the shopping district...

Shoppped around until evening but I didn't buy anything... Went for dinner next at a restaurant... We had crab porridge and many other food that I don't usually eat like eel, fried pig intestines, etc...

macau roman city
A Roman themed city...

trees
A scene near the "Black Sand Beach"...

After dinner we went back to get our luggage and headed to Hong Kong... We went to Michael's (Weida's buddy during his studies in Australia) place to stay for the next 2 nights... Weida then wanted to play Mahjong, I had no choice but to make up the numbers even though I don't really know how to play... Lost HK$220 to Weida, somebody stop this guy from winning!!! Slept at 5am and have to wake up at 8am to go to Ocean Park with Rita's mother who can't stand people who are late... I'm getting worried for Weida...

Saturday 22 July 2006

新生

Esprimere freshmen orientation...


If I have to wait for my holiday entries to be up before posting anything new, I'll miss out on many interesting events... First up is yesterday's outing at Sentosa...

SIM's singing club, Esprimere, had their orientation outing at Sentosa... Being part of the group, I went to help and get to know the juniors (of course, the latter is more important)... Was prepared to go into the water but no, they had to do something like the "Amazing Race"...

We were given several pictures (clues) and are supposed to take identical pictures with our digital cameras... The clues were seperated into envelopes and we were to get every picture before opening the next envelope... Some of the pictures don't give much clue about where it is located, for example our very first envelope... It shows several Japanese letters and that's all!!! We were totally clueless but luckily, we cheated... We opened the 2nd envelope and decided to complete the 2nd one first since it is very obvious that the place is at Fort Siloso... Good thing one of the girls have good attention to detail and manage to spot our first clue at Fort Siloso!!! After that, we decided to keep 2 envelopes open at all time...

posecollage
Some of the pictures had poses and we had to do accordingly...

skycollage
Taking the sky ride was part of the challenge...

After finishing all those pictures, we had to perform a song (we are a singing club after all)... We had a hard time choosing a song, and some practice to get the appropriate key for everyone... Just before the performance, we were told that creativity was part of the judging critera as well... We then decided to sing with a faster tempo and b-box at the chorus... With only 5 mins of practice time, we had no time to correct the pitch after getting the tempo and b-box correct... We knew the pitch was wrong, but did not dare to risk messing everything up while trying to change it... Obviously, the guys couldn't reach the gals' key; I tried my best but it's still awful... Judge for yourself here...

group photo
My group from left: Teck Sheng, Luyi, Peiwen, some gorgeous guy that I forgot his name...

In the end, our group won!!! Haha... Not sure whether its because of the singing or the race... After that was some standard game; turn 20 rounds on the spot, run a distance then do something... As usual, my group won!!! I cheated... but... oh well...

Almost everyone left after that while only 4 went for dinner, then later to Hark Music Café... Went there to chill out and met up with those members that had already graduated...

harkcollage
I was the only one with sun burns...

Thursday 13 July 2006

第一天

First day, 09/07/2006, Sunday, Fair...


Reached Macau at 1:30pm, the flight was 3½ hours... The first hour of the flight was interesting, its my the first time on the plane after so long... When we took off, the sun has already risen, so we could see everything outside clearly... The sight was great, not magnificent but just great...

Touched down and Weida's sister, Yiming, was waiting for us already together with her boyfriend (they arrived one day before us on an earlier flight); Weida's girlfriend, Rita, was there as well... They were laughing when we stepped through the sliding dooes and I was wondering if we had done something wrong... Weida's hair was jutting straight out, much like Suneo (阿福) from Doraemon, too bad they didn't take a picture...

suneo

The rest of the the day we went around looking at Macau's tourist attractions as well as trying the famous Portuguese eggtarts... It was nice and crispy but I didn't really try to find out why it was so famous, was still trying to get used to the new environment...

In the evening, Rita's father treated us to a very sumptuous dinner in an old chinese restaurant... The first dish was shark's fin double-boiled with chicken, the claypot was so huge you can fit a basketball in it!!! We each had several servings of the shark's fin and was quite full before any other dish was served...

After dinner was a trip to the nearby shopping district, the buildings and roads were rebuilt, maintaining the Portuguese style...

At the end of this street was the ruins of St. Paul... Since it was night time, we couldn't go exploring in it; but isn't it more exciting to explore it at night?

We went to the Sand's casino next... The live band there was great, their energy level was very high, not something you see often in Singapore bands... I just went around touring the place while Weida tried his luck... We left the place at around 1am; Weida left with an extra HK$1000 (S$200) in his pocket...

Went back to Rita's aunt's apartment to watch the World Cup Finals, everyone was tired and dozed off in the middle of the match...The television stopped working a few minutes after half time and we just went to sleep, was too tired to complain or carry on watching...

PS: The pictures will be added when I reach Singapore...

Sunday 9 July 2006

飛機場

Airport...


Sent Michelle off yesterday, very sad to see her go... It'll be a great loss to our band... She would be a very fun friend if we had more time together, won't be seeing her for a very long time...

Met up with Jonathan yesterday too, at the same time I was sending off Michelle... He is currently studying in London and is back for the holidays, it's been a long time since I've seen him... Jonathan is a very great buddy of mine during the army days, there's a post dedicated to him but I have no time to look for it...

Why do I have no time? My parents are at the door waiting for me to go... I'll be flying off today to Macau and they'll be seeing me off... Should be back by 9 days; expect the next entry by the 10th day...

EDIT: Now I'm at the airport waiting so might as well add on to the post... Yesterdy night I went drinking with Weida and friends at this place in Dempsey road, the place is quite nice and the wine is very cheap... We were talking about going ice-skating when we come back, looking for more people to go together... Anyone interested?

Tuesday 4 July 2006

重映

Deja vu...


When I was coming home on the bus today, I was haunted by a scene from the past... This old man came onto the bus with a scorn on his face, something very similar to what happened last time... The seat beside me was empty, so he stared at me and kind of indicated he wanted the seat... As usual, I got out of my seat to allow him an easier passage to the seat inside... He sat down and I sat down cautiously beside him being very aware of his actions... I'll not give him any chance to attack me; break his legs before he even wriggles a toe!!! Ok, that was a bit extreme, but I was really thinking of different ways of retaliating while keeping alert during the journey... Oh, and I did this survey before I started this entry:

You Are 32% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well.
In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

Hmm... Its good that nothing happened in the end, I got off before him so he had no chance to complain... Aww... Would had really wanted to break his legs... Heh... -evil grin-

While I was looking for the record of the similar incidence, I read through some of my previous posts and I realized they were quite funny, especially the one where I hit a pole (I'm not going to direct you to it, find it yourself... Its very embarrasing you know?)... Maybe its not because of the way I present it but rather the events were really funny... Then I also realized my English was better back then than now... Not that it was very spectacular but the style of writing was more correct...

Some how I can understand why my English is getting worse, its because I'm conversating in English more often now (all because of a certain someone who can only speak funny Mandarin at best)... Shouldn't speaking more English improve it instead? Yar, if I was speaking English... It's quite difficult to converse in proper English with little kids you know? And you can't speak English when that person is speaking Singlish; it'll feel kind of wierd right? This is the reason why I try to converse in Mandarin whenever possible...

Oh well, I just need to allocate a segment of my brain for Singlish and another segment for English - 2 different languages for 2 different purposes...

Monday 3 July 2006

短暫的幸福

Happy times are short...


A few hours after my previous post, my savings dropped below $2000... -crying- Must work harder these few days and get it back above $2000 before I go China... Never knew flowers were so expensive...

There's something wrong with my house these few days, the lizards are dying... Not that I keep them for pets, but isn't it wierd when you see lizards dying one after another? I know my mum haven't been using poisons for quite some time already, so their deaths are kind of unnatural...

A few days back, my friend (Winson) had a job offer for me: design t-shirts... There's this shop in bugis that sells t-shirts and the boss had ran out of ideas for new designs, so she is asking around for designs... I'm not really the creative type so Winson gave me an idea: design a whole range of t-shirts with percussion instruments on them... There isn't any design like that in the market therefore it should be quite sellable; I'm sure he asked me to design them because he has been looking around for them... Considering the amount of percussion instruments around, I'll be quite wealthy from selling all those designs...

Today, Winson gave me another job offer: coordinator for his production company... He wants to start a production company with a few other friends and had already found sponsors... The job sounds quite fun and I'll be able to learn a lot of things as well as see famous people... Only problem is I have no experience in this field and I'm pretty sure it will be very stressful... The responsibility is huge and screwups might end the career of the performers as well as the entire company... Since I have no experience, the risk is just too great...

The reason he wanted to create this production company is to promote his band, which he plans on holding a concert in the indoor stadium at the end of this year... So we were discussing along that line and I suggested performing in a pub instead; open a pub and be the resident band in that pub... He loved that idea alot and asked me to be his partner for the pub... Of course I agreed, this is gonna be so fun...

This goes back to my earlier problem, I have less than $2000 in my bank!!! I need to get a loan somehow... He'll be getting a loan from the bank as well and if nothing goes wrong, we'll be sitting down discussing the business plans when I come back from China... I'll try to get a loan from my sis when I go over there... By the way, she's an English lecturer in China, very clever right? This is going to be so exciting...

Sunday 2 July 2006

教育與文憑

Does education equals certification?


This question flashed through my mind while I was passing by Assumption Vocational Institute... There was this banner promoting the school's certificates and I thought how good is the certificate... Anyone who sees this kind of certificates would think that it is substandard, they would rather hire an A'level student than someone with the cert... Isn't it kind of illogical then? The person with the cert specializes in that particular kind of job, but the A'level student knows nothing...

Then another question comes into my mind, "What is the purpose of education?" The purpose of education in Singapore has become a way to get "that piece of paper at the end"... Shouldn't education be a means of learning some skills necessary for your job in the future? Back in the days when education wasn't widespread, people learnt essential skills themselves or from their masters... There was no paper needed, what you can do is more important than what others think you can do...

There is this friend, the band leader of a certain percussion band, he has no music certificates of any sort, so he was not thought highly of by the director... It's not because he can't play well (I'm pretty sure he is one of the best drummer of the 2nd generation); but because he has no certificates...

Then I thought about my situation, "Why am I trying so hard to get a First Class Honours? It's the knowledge that is important right?" The answer is simple: better honours = higher marks for exams = better knowledge of the subject... Seems like there is no easy way out of getting honours... I feel sad for musicians though...

Feels good each time I go to the cash deposit machine, I'm saving money!!! It's even better today, I've finally reached $2000 again!!! Ha!!! When my savings went below $2000 a few months back, I started panicking, "Am I spending too much?" Now to maintain it and try to hit $3000... So not used to having little reserves, can't really remember how I coped with a $14k drop in one night...

Saw an IQ test on someone else's blog and decided to try... I admit using a calculator, so the maths part is not true...

Your IQ Is 136

Your Logical Intelligence is Genius

Your Verbal Intelligence is Exceptional

Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius

Your General Knowledge is Above Average

Thursday 29 June 2006

露營

How was the camp?


Good... Learnt quite a few things there as well as knowing a few more people...

So what's this camp about?

It's a selection camp for an agency that sells Prudential insurance... Only those selected can join the agency...

So what do you do in the camp?

They say it's a trade secret, but it's more or less some group activities...

Wha... so big shot ar, still must have camp to select their employees...

They are the best agency in Asia so they want to choose only the people who can do the job...

Is being an insurance agent one of your dreams?

No, I didn't know this was a selection camp until the actual day... Everyone who went for the camp really wanted to get into this company, all except me... I couldn't care less if I was eliminated, but since I was there, might as well try to convince some people... Maybe it's because of the "nothing to lose and nothing I really want to gain" attitude that let me not only win the favour of the chairman, but also the fellow interviewees as well... It might not have been so easy if I really wanted this job...

Were you selected then?

Of course... Else I won't be typing all this... ;)

One last question, why is this entry in an interview format?

Mainly because I am too lazy to chain them up in complete paragraphs; it will be more boring as well...

Monday 26 June 2006

任務完成

The end of one task brings the start of the other...


Finally got bored enough today to get my hands dirty and repair my piano... It was a very exciting experience as well as troublesome, now I now why the piano guy was so reluctant to help me repair it... Mine is an upright piano with a drop action, one of the most difficult pianos to repair (as said by the piano guy)...

There's this screw beneath the hammer that I need to reach to correct the hammer, a very simple task... The problem is that no screwdriver can reach that position when there are so many mechanisms blocking it... So I started unscrewing things, it's kinda scary since I don't know what exactly I'm doing and whether I can put it back again... After removing some parts already, I still couldn't reach the screw (I could actually reach it with a small screwdriver, but it doesn't have the strength to turn the screw)... It was still very cramped, can't really put my screwdriver in... It's time like this that I wish I had the powers of Jean Grey or Magneto, I could easily finish this task...

I had no choice but to give up, unless I want to remove the entire drop action (which is basically the entire structure of the piano)... At least all this wasn't for nothing, I managed to make the piano sustain correctly now...

drop action
Drop action...

Next up is the Urban Foundry website again... Finally got to upload to their website, so now it's not just the geocities one anymore... This website is as always, almost done... At least I'm proud to say I'm not the one procrastinating, it's always them (almost typed damn)... Can't wait to get this over and done with...

Will be going for a chalet tomorrow, it's a 2 days 1 night camp by Prudential... Why am I involved in a corporate get together? It's organized by my friend's girlfriend and he don't want to go alone so he asked me along... I'm free anyway and it's good to know more people right? When they told me the essential things to bring, I got all excited when I heard "torchlight"... Always love it when activities involve torchlights... Heh... Another story in my arsenal or another boring night? I'll force a story to happen if I have to... evil grin

Sunday 25 June 2006

演出

Best performance...


Yesterday's performance was at Raffles Marina, a yacht club in Tuas... For the 2 years I was in this band, this was the best performance I had... Not because I didn't make any mistakes, but because it was really enjoyable... Nothing really special happened during this performance, don't really remember what was so great about the performance... Well, below are some pictures of the members, someone obviously did not know how to take pictures (actually I think its because the camera is lousy... Whoever sees this is not allowed to tell the camera's owner!!!)... The pictures are very blur, any tips on how to edit it?

Young
The young...

Mature
The mature...

Old
The old...

Video Girl
The girl (didn't get her name) who helped video our performance...