百家乐~! Home Sweet Home!

Finally I managed to move back to my home in Potong Pasir after three weeks of renovations! It all started due to the massive crack in the tiles across the living room's floor one day. It literally formed a "hump" in the middle of the living room, making my living room seemed like a car park... Only one thing could be done; replacing the whole flooring in the living room. But one thing led to another. Mom decided a make-over for the kitchen - from the kitchen stove to the cabinets, as well as the kitchen's toilet.

"The rooms became cramped with everything from the living room & kitchen~!
Lucky there's still place to sleep when I need to..."

So, we tidied & packed up the place, moved everything into the rooms, & moved out (on the night of the June Race). Because it was too late to move in with my auntie & kids that night, Mom & I moved into Hotel 81 for an one-night stay, while Brother went to stay with 'Sis-in-law'.

How small the room was! One small toilet immediately facing the door, with the simplest, essential basin, toilet bowl & shower spray. Next to the toilet is the bedroom, with two single beds, a cramped dressing table & TV set with the cupboard beneath it. It is very cramped (very little walking space) but "space-effective". What you need is all there, nothing more, nothing less... And I kinda expected it. After all what you think people do there anyway? Book the room for a few hours (or at the most till the next day morning?), do what the birds & bees do, and be gone after it's done...

So anyway, sincere thanks to my Auntie, Mom & I put up at her place for the past three weeks. She & her kids (Uncle was overseas) welcomed us with open arms, after we were turned down by my granddad & 'selfish' cousin (long story)... During this period of renovation, I had to go back home to unlock the room doors when needed, 'supervise' their progress, shop around with Mom for kitchen & bathroom accessories. It was tough work!

The new living room tiles were layered with cupboard for protection,
as the living room became a temporary rubbish dump, full of dust & dirt...

But finally after three weeks, all the long wait was over~!

The kitchen transformed from this...

...to this~! New cabinets, new electric stoves & a new sink~!

The bathroom changed from this...

...to this~! New wall & floor, new toilet bowl, new water heater, new mirror cabinet~!


The living room also got a new coat of paint...


... and new curtains, with help from Charmaine.

After all the renovating, comes the CLEANING PART... That's the hardest part!
Took Mom, Charmaine & me 2D2N to clean up the kitchen & living room (sweeping & washing the floors & washing the refrigerator);
move everything out from the rooms, clean them before placing them back in place... and clean the rooms again.

And that's not the end of it... we still need to get some new furniture from IKEA - that means more shopping to be done!
Omg, when will it end?

Swimming in the Warm Sunshine~

SWIMMING IN THE WARM SUNSHINE...

The weekends have cometh; long since have I seem to have a weekend without dragonboating. A good chance to bring Charmaine together for a swim at the neighbourhood swimming pool @ Serangoon. We both enjoy swimming in the past, and now's a good chance to do just that. After all, without my usual dragonboating now, swimming seems like a good substitute for that full body cardio workout... =] However, one shouldn't be too ambitious when he hasn't been swimming for the longest of time... heehee. At first I wanted to accomplish 20 laps, but after around a few laps, it became 16. A few more laps & it became 14. Finally it became 10 plus abit of sun-tanning. HAHAHA! =P

"Us having a wonderful time by the pool..."

After a good swim, it's time for lunch @ Serangoon Gardens. After lunch, what better way to reward ourselves after a good workout under the warm, hot sun than sharing a bowl of nice, cold (sweetcorn-less) Ice Kachang. Yummy!

Sharing the bowl of Ice Kachang makes it less sinful =P

Another way to laze away & enjoy the weekends - FACIAL MASKS! HAHAHA!
Especially when yours truly bought so many cheap but good face masks from his last trip to Korea! Don't use, later expire & dry up!

Omg! We look like mummified mummies! So funny!

Happy Couple glowing after a nice facial mask! =]

Thanks for the wonderful memories.
They will forever live as a part of me.

"It's been two weeks since the PM Cup passed... and all the big wooha & excitement of NTU clinching both the Women's & Men's PM Cup have died down. Everything will now start all over again. In fact, the challenge has already began the very next day after PM Cup has ended. For NTU, it will be defending the Cup from its strong & upcoming varsity rivals like SMU & NUS. For SMU, NUS & SIM, it will be trying to 'erase their shame of defeat' & trying to win the Cup from our hands.

Train hard Team NTU!
Heavy responsibilities are now resting upon your shoulders...
No one has won the PM Cup for three consecutive years.
And now, imagine that.
You have that oppurtunity to create history for yourself, for the team, for NTU!"

These are the words of a concerned senior now turned alumni.

Two weeks have passed for me, since the end of my dragonboating profession. I still do frequent the gym, & do my regular runs. I guess that is my attempt in trying to retain that little connection I have with dragonboating; keeping myself in shape. But without the usual intensive trainings, I suppose that it will be a more conscious & disciplined effort on my part (I still want my abs!). All these is to do with "the pride of a dragonboater", you don't want to fall back into that abyss of being 'overweight', 'unfit' & 'unhealthy'... after all you were once a dragonboater. So rest assured that I won't turn into the legendary "黑熊白熊" of NTU. =P

Without any more weekend trainings, it just feels weird, somewhat out of place. I'm gonna miss those fun bunch of teammates... But for now, I shall live with the memories of the last June Race together.

"NTU Flag flying up high"


"Double Victory to NTU Dragonboat Team"


"Last year, it was just me. This year, I got my Ngee Ann Girl!"


"Do-Re-Mi & their happy girlfriends"


"The Legendary 18 Arhats - still not totally assembled"

~The End~

Da Vinci the Genius Exhibition...

Da Vinci the Genius Exhibition @ The Singapore Science Centre

From May 16th to August 16th 2009

It's been a long time since we have gone to somewhere interesting to explore & have fun, due to her attachment & my prior commitment to training. Since Charmaine♥ wanted to go see the exhibition of 'Da Vinci the Genius' @ The Science Center, and I thought it would be a such a new, exciting experience, we were soon on our way to the Science Center~!

I boarded a bus towards Ang Mo Kio Hub, while she♥ hopped on midway. Grabbed a few bites to fill our empty stomachs. Then we set off on our journey to the 'Da Vinci the Genius' exhibition @ The Science Center, via the Red North-South Line. It was a 38minutes train ride from AMK to Jurong East... Upon arrival, we're presented with two options: to walk or to take the bus to the Science Center. If you know me, I'll always prefer to walk ONLY IF it's for a short distance & sheltered... Haha

I can't remember when was the last time I went to the Science Center... think it was during my secondary school days. Anyway, it was "Science Center, Here WE COME!~"

It wasn't even the weekends & the whole place was bustling with activities! Parents with kids, kids with kids, & teachers with kids from school excursions.

And then I saw my childhood favourite - Dinosaurs! Well... actually I only saw one model of the T-Rex, but I just gotta take a photo with it~! Heheh...

Before we get carried away by other attractions outside the Center, we better go get our tickets. Tickets are:
$15 each - for just the Da Vinci the Genius Exhibition only,

$16 each - for the Da Vinci the Genius Exhibition + Science Center Package.

As we proceed onto the exhibition at the Annexe, we saw the first & last exhibition piece at the entrance, that we were allowed to take a picture of... It's an "emergency bridge"; a wooden bridge that can be erected quickly during battle situations. It doesn't require any ropes or nails to secure the joints. It simply makes use of the weight of the soldiers crossing it to interlock & secure it in place! Truly the Laws of Physics applied in a simple yet intricate form...

About Leonardo da Vinci:
Found out about the scientific journals of Leonardo; called the 'Codices' - examples like the 'Codex Leicester' & 'Codex Atlanticus'. From which, all the exhibits were constructed as closely as possible to the original drawings... We saw many of Leonardo's amazing flying machines, nautical, hydraulic & architectural innovations, and applications of civil engineering & incredible war machines.

After visiting the exhibition, did I find out that many of today's inventions & technology were derived from Leonardo's. He was a renowned renaissance artist (painting, sculpting), philosopher, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, architect, botanist, musician & writer. He was famous for his painting of the "Mona Lisa" & "The Last Supper", & his drawing of the "Vitruvian Man".

Did you know, Leonardo was an illegitimate son & did not went through proper education, he wrote backwards from the right to left. And that during his time, he already conceptualised a helicopter, a tank, a submarine, a diving suit, a glider, a calculator and the use of concentrated solar power (Truly amazing!). Many of these facts intrigued me, as I found out more about him throughout the exhibition...

Interesting facts about "The Last Supper"

(Above: The Actual Last Supper in vibrant colours)
(Below: The Last Supper after years of deterioration & repair)

- Leonardo began working on "The Last Supper" in 1495 and completed it in 1498. However Leonardo did not work on it continuously during this period of three years. It was said that on some days, he would work on the painting without putting down the brush to rest. On other days, he would not even lift up the brush, but simply look at it. It was even said that he spent one year in the streets without working on the painting, simply to observe & note down the peoples' expressions. He was studying & looking for the ideal expressions for the twelve disciples. It was also during this time that Leonardo devised a new technique for painting "The Last Supper" on dry plaster on the wall instead of wet plaster, which was uncommon during those times. However after it was completed, it started to deteriorate as early as 1517, proving that Leonardo's new technique didn't work. And because it was so damaged till the point where the figures were beyond recognition, a doorway was cut through the wall painting in 1652, but was later on, bricked up. This can still be seen as the arch-shaped structure located near the center base of the painting.

Interesting facts about the "Mona Lisa"

Left: The actual Mona Lisa with its vibrant colours.
Right: The present Mona Lisa after damage & attempted restorations.

- Leonardo began painting the "Mona Lisa" in 1503, left it unfinished for a period of time & finally finished it shortly before he died in 1519. "Mona Lisa" was speculated to be named after Lisa del Giocondo, a member of the Gherardini family of Florence & Tuscany & the wife of a wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. Another saying was that the "Mona Lisa" was never a real person, and that it was Leonardo whom created her based on the ideal facial features collected on the streets during the painting of "The Last Supper". Others say that it was the female version of Leonardo, himself.

- The "Mona Lisa" was once owned by Napoleon, whom hung it in his bathroom for a period of time before moving it into his bedroom later on. It was during this period, when the steam from the bathroom damaged the painting.
- The painting was also once stolen on August 21st, 1911, in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. The theft was discovered two years later, that the Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia (an Italian) stole it, believeing that Leonardo's painting should be returned to Italy & displayed in an Italian museum. When he was caught, Peruggia was hailed for his patriotism in Italy & served only a few months in jail for his crime.