Life is better with a little drama in it

2011-08-01T23:26:00.004+08:00

My New Workplace.
SAF Centre for Leadership Development, SAFTI MI
(the place where I lead, excel & overcome...)

So I've started working at SCLD for coming two months now. Everything has been happening at such a fast pace, with so many (more) things to learn! But so far, I'm loving the workplace environment here and the work I'm doing so far.

One thing as part of a CLDian, we always espouse reflection - especially our own reflection... to think about our own learning and development. And this is best demonstrated by my BIG BOSS with his never-failing weekly self reflections for everyone in the Department, which I feel maybe I should start practising myself too...

2011-04-19T23:59:00.005+08:00

19.04.2011
HAPPY 30th MONTH-NIVERSARY ♥

How fast time flew by... without noticing, it has already been 2 & 1/2 years. Sure we have had our quarrels and unhappy moments, but we have overcome it all. And I believed that that has made our LOVE even stronger... and our commitment to each other stronger.

And I believe if we walk together, we can walk together hand-in-hand till we turn old, till our hairs turn white...

Last but not least, I know I don't say this all the time, even when I know I should but -
I LOVE U, BABES. I REALLY DO... =) Happy 30th.

2011-04-10T09:20:00.016+08:00

"The Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."

The date was 2nd April, 2011 (a Sunday). I attended Mass with Charmaine today. Coincidentally, it was a period of time, when I was going through some turmoil & uncertainty...

I had just recently got a new job offer during reservist, which by no doubt, is definitely a good thing that happened in the least expected way. However there is still the uncertainty as to whether I can get through the HR Department's screening & interview stages... as well as whether you really made the correct career switch? And it's just so coincidental that here I was, looking for a job... and there it is, someone offering me a new, interesting job. I have to quote a phrase from LTA Shaun (my reservist friend), "It's as though the stars have aligned." So now, all my fingers are crossed~!

Next, is something I always sorta dream of but never really expected to happen in real-life - becoming a Model. It all started when I was queuing in front of the ATM machine to draw some cash after walking about @ NEX Shopping Center, getting dinner & bubble tea before heading over to Charmaine's house. Just then before it was gonna be my turn next, I was approached by two "model scouts" who have apparently stood at one corner, observing me. Of course, at first I was thinking to myself, this must be some kind of scam... but thinking back, this wasn't the first time I've been approached by model scouts in a shopping mall. So I decided to give it a try & hear what they have to say.

Anyway, one thing led to another, they gave me one of their name cards & we exchanged contacts. And by the next weekend, I received their call, asking me to come down to their office for a casting. I went after much consideration - thinking to myself, even if I don't make it big as a model, at the very least, I will have gained some experience about modelling, or learn a new thing or two about better presenting myself to others. Most importantly, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone & try out new things in my life. I don't wanna leave a blank page in the chapters of my Life (this has become my new motto in Life)...

So I went down, filled out a particulars form, walked my first ever walkway, had a short "interview" session with one of their models, and agreed to their model grooming class over a period of 7 weeks, all within two hours in the same Saturday afternoon...

The problem was: all these happened so quickly (& out of the blue), that I couldn't come to terms with it. To tell the truth, I never thought I would (or could) make it one day, as a model. I don't know what ever did the model scouts saw in me, thinking I could even make it as a model... I was never totally 100% comfortable with my looks, especially my smile. And right now, after going through all these, I even beginning to doubt my self-worth, and whether I was being a "toad lusting after the swan's meat".

That is why, it's time like these when I start to question myself & undergo a stage of inner turmoil & uncertainty.

But somehow, it's during times like these, that God somehow works his magic & answers your prayers. The scripture reading this Sunday was 1 Samuel 16: "David Anointed King". The story was that the Lord has sent Samuel to anoint the King of Israel, choosing him amongst one of Jesse's eight sons. The story goes as the Lord sending Samuel to Jesse. When Samuel arrived, he caught sight of Eliab (one of Jesse's son) and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before him". But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." And so one after the other, Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these." He then asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons that you have?" He answered, "There is still one left, the youngest; he is out looking after the sheep." Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Send for him; we shall not sit down to eat until he comes." Jesse had him sent for. Soon, a boy of fresh complexion, with fine eyes and pleasant bearing came before them. Just then, The Lord said, "Come, anoint him, for this is the one." At this, Samuel took the horn of oil & anointed him where he stood with his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord seized on David & stayed with him from that day on.

Having heard this reading, my worries & concerns were somehow lifted from me. I was as though I was enlightened. I came to realise that what you're worth shouldn't be based on looks & appearances, but what's within you - the heart. And so, I shouldn't doubt my self-worth, for everyone was made to do great things. However the choice of whether you are doing great things, come from you alone. Life is all about making choices. No one can force you. Opportunities can be presented onto you, but you have to be the one who steps forward & seize it.

At the end of the day, I think I should be glad that I did all these. Because I knew that I would certainly regret it in the future, if I didn't force myself to go through all these... to have this one chance to expose myself to the more new experiences in Life.

2011-04-04T22:37:00.012+08:00

Today is the 4th of April, 2011...

Tomorrow is 清明节 (Qingming Festival), according to one of my aunties. Seriously, I don't know all these traditional dates & stuffs though I feel that as part of being Chinese, we should take note if not know at all when these important dates are (if only there was a easier way of remembering or counting these days).

Anyway, nearing this time of the year, our family will gather together and go pay our respects to my late-grandmother at the temple where she's rested. There will be my grandfather, my uncles and aunties, as well as one of my cousins going down together to pay their respects. Taking this chance, this will always be some sort of a gathering since Chinese New Year...

As usual (and fortunately), my smallest auntie will fetch me to the temple from my place. And today because we were pretty early, we managed to get a parking space along the road outside the temple. But I can't say the same for my other two uncles who came later, as the place soon became very packed.

But so it was, one after the other, my aunties & uncles including my grandpa eventually arrived. We then laid out the tea, fruits, food, hell notes (the usual stuffs) that were to be offered to my late-grandma. My grandpa, aunties and uncles will then pay their respects and offer their joss sticks to the Deity. And in between these sessions of paying respect and offering joss sticks, we always gather around & chit chat, with my grandpa sitting & resting beside on the chair (He has difficulty walking and standing, due to his weakening legs).

And so in times like this, the warm sunny morning covered with smokes from the burning joss sticks, as I stood amongst my aunties & uncles during their conversation, looking at each of them. I couldn't help but noticed how much my aunties and uncles have aged over the years. Their greying hair, their looks of tiredness from the hectic of lives, their aged & wrinkled expressions. How time has left its passing mark on them, as it slips away from each and every of us bit by bit. Suddenly I recalled the days when my once-young aunties and uncles used to play with me when I was a small kid. How they took care of me when I was younger, before each of them got married and had their own family & kids.

And then it also dawned upon me that I was no longer that kid they used to play with. I was getting old too. I will soon be approaching 30 in a couple years' time. I will soon be getting married myself and starting my own family. Just like that, the harsh reality of Life smacks you right in your face... That's how real Life can get. That's how harsh Life can be. Life doesn't cut corners for anybody. One moment you're still in kindergarten, the next you're in the Army, and before you know it, you've graduated from the university and thrown into the workforce. That's how fast Life can steal time away from you, without you paying attention.

And so you think to yourself, what have you done all these while?

Have you been living your Life? Or has Life been living you?

~.~ A Self-reflecting me, someone seeking answers ~.~

2011-03-04T23:30:00.008+08:00

You took my breath away...

You are the only one girl who can take my breath away.
And you did it again this evening... just like you did for the first time at your sister's wedding.

But the thing that amazed me was that you knew it, even before I told you. Even when I thought I didn't show it...
You told me it was all over my face.
It's true... you read me like a book.
And I love the feeling of this evening.

It's like You made me fall in love with you all over again... and I can't stop loving you.

2010-08-27T00:00:00.008+08:00

Voyage de la Vie
My first theatrical circus experience...

I was glad that I managed to catch my first ever theatrical play, especially with all the hoo-ha circulating around it in town.

The "Voyage de la Vie" is Singapore's first circus theatre spectacular with an international cast of circus stars from 16 countries. The performance acts are fantastic and breath-taking. It's definitely worth catching it at Resorts World Sentosa.

The story is about our Singapore Idol 2006 runner-up, Jonathan Leong who plays the main protagonist, a young man named 'The Boy' who goes on a journey of Life and his encounters with Love, Temptation, Imagination, Conflict, Life and Death.

He is brought into the world of his own imagination by 'The Game Master' (Alexey Goloborodko). Guided by the mysterious 'Lantern Keeper' (Viktor Kee), the Boy meets other colourful characters like the illusional duo 'Maestro & Magician' (Jarrett & Raja), the seductive 'Diva' (Melanie Chy), the charming 'Crystal Cat' (Aurelia Cats), the graceful 'Life' (Liina Aunola) and the sinister 'Death' (Martti Peltonen).

I was particularly impressed by the act by the 15-year-old boy dancer contortionist who was so 'soft', flexible and seemingly boneless, that Charmaine even said that he looked like he doesn't have a stomach and intestines. And there was the thrilling life & death performance by the crossbow shooter who totally amazed me with his marksmanship and precision, especially the part where he shot an apple that was just above his head (like on television). Last of all, truly entertaining was the juggling act by the gifted world-class juggler with his smooth and elegant moves.

I wouldn't mind watching it for another time, given the chance...

The Cast of Voyage de la Vie

2010-08-11T22:49:00.005+08:00

Eye Candy? No... Mak Sai~!

Charmaine and I were having a chat after dinner last night.
And our conversation went on to the topic of 'eye candies'.

C: Why do we think of our eye candies as the perfect guy or girl?
But when we get to know that person personally, he or she doesn't seem right for you anymore?
L: So was I your eye candy?
C: No... (with a quick blank expression)
L: So I am your 'mak sai' (means 'eye shit') lah.
Something that is not attractive but somehow or another, you end up with it every morning in bed for the rest of your life?
Both of us: LOL~!

And that was the best joke of the night... (But it does make sense on a certain level.)

2010-07-23T23:42:00.004+08:00

Our Virgin "Prawning" Trip together!

Friday, 23rd July 2010

Though "prawning" has been in trend now for some time, I never really got the chance to go "prawning" until tonight, with Charmaine & two of her friends... So this is my virgin "prawning" experience, as is Charmaine's too.

There are many prawn fishing farms in Singapore. The one we went to is called Hai Bin U Enterprise - Prawn Fishing (Bishan). It's located at Bishan No. 603 Sin Ming Avenue (575735), right next to Nature Park Golf Driving Range. Apparently the place is quite popular because the car park just outside was packed! not that I drove there or anything... just saying.

The rate for renting their rod are:
$15 for one hour,
$25 for two hours, and
$30 for three hours.

We rented two rods (one for Charmaine and me, another for her two friends) and "prawned" for three hours, from 9pm - 12am. That's $60 altogether. The price, I guess was quite reasonable, compared across other prawn farms in Singapore. And the prawns I think are generally quite big. The family beside us caught one prawn that was HUGE! The head was HUGE! The largest I've ever seen in my whole life!

Huge head! Huge pincers!

The place was already quite packed when we arrived @ 9pm. And it only got worse as it closed in to midnight. Even when we were about to leave, people were still coming in... The thing with there being more and more people, was that it became increasingly harder to cast your line into the middle of the pond where I believe most of the prawns were. Not to mention the chances of lines tangling together.

There was also a coffee shop connected to the prawn pond. And there are always people walking around the pond, taking orders for food and drinks. I ordered drinks while the girls ordered some food. It's really quite convenient, and you can concentrate on just prawn fishing... without leaving your seat.

Before we set off, everyone was asking if I dared to handle the prawns as they had two pincers, and if I knew how to remove any prawns from the hook after being caught. Frankly speaking, I didn't know how to do either. I never had any fishing experiences... but I figured it shouldn't be any problem at all. After all, I'm JCC (Jungle Confidence Course) trained during my National Service. If I can kill a quail, I can certainly handle some prawns... No problem~!

Charmaine was the first to have a 'go' between the both of us. It wasn't long before she caught her first prawn for the night. And seeing the girls screech in terror as the prawn 'flew' out of the water and into their seat, is always a laughable sight to behold... hahahah.

Her first catch... My first catch... And the biggest catch of the night...

Catching the prawn was the easy part. The hardest part was what to do with it, once it got caught. And that was our first challenge for the night - removing the prawn from the hook without getting caught by the pincers. One way is to leave the prawn resting on the floor, stepping on the two pincers and breaking them off at the joint that joins it to the body - a bit cruel, I must agree. =| But that was the only way we knew at that moment. After the pincers are off, it still took me quite some time to remove the hook. Needless to say, by the time I was done with the captive prawn, it was already dead (probably from the pain I caused when I was trying to remove the hook) when I dropped it into the net, submerged in the water. The second way (which I slowly mastered and got the hang of, after several more catches) was just to use one finger to hold down the prawn's pincers while holding the prawn with the thumb and index finger at the head, just above the body, at the same time. Then, use the other free hand to remove the hook quickly (you'll get the hang of the trick after some practice). With that increased speed, I managed to keep them alive when they drop into the net... =)

My "war trophies"... All the broken pincers collected from the prawns...

After you're done with all the prawn fishing, you can actually barbecue your catch over their pits as I've been told, as they provide satay sticks, salt, charcoal and even sambal chilli. But by the time we were done, it was already quite late. So we decided to split and bring home all we've caught for the night.

"Our Catch of the Night"

I think I've gotten quite pro at fishing for prawns, with prawns taking my bait every now and then. Our catch was not that bad. The girls tell me it was beginner's luck... I say we can only tell on my next visit.

2010-07-18T08:20:00.021+08:00

KOREAN FEAST
Sunday, 18th July 2010.

Today is Korean Feast Day... A day where my Girlfriend is gonna whip up a Korean Feast for family & friends! And lucky old' me gets to enjoy the great food as well... =P

Charmaine's good friends back from Secondary School days...

It's amazing to know how she finds the suitable recipes and shop around for the ingredients in preparation days beforehand. From finding the recipes either online or from books to researching on the ingredients shown on the recipes to actually buying the ingredients... It's as though she is some great chef in charge of some kitchen in some restaurant!

It's also amazing how much energy she has! Earlier on in the day, we went for our swim which left me quite beat thereafter. But when we got to her place, she got to preparing all the ingredients while I concussed as soon as I hit her bed... her soft, comfy bed.

During the time I was asleep... zzZZZ~

She managed to slice up the 'three-layered' pork. The beef was sliced beforehand & marinated overnight.

... slice the carrot, chop the tofu, slice the thin pork belly meat... prepare the seasonings, as well as the kimchi.

... cooking stew, some tofu and vermicelli with the kimchi - serving our "Soup of the Day - Kimchi Chigae (Soup)"!

... dishing up another dish - "Dukbokki (Spicy Rice Cake)", along with Kimchi as a side dish as well as a special seasoned paste - "Ssamjang (Mixed Soybean & Chilli Pepper Paste)", which I personally like on my barbecued meat... =)

The table is set~! And all the dishes are served. All Ready for the FEAST~!!!

I say and I'm sure Charmaine also agrees with me...

The Korean Feast was a SUCCESS~!

I'm so lucky to have a girlfriend that can cook so well! Hehe...
Can't wait to try out her other Korean dishes, especially the Bibimbap.

Check out the recipes for the above dishes at Charmaine's blog if you want to... =)
http://youarecolor.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html

2010-07-11T00:00:00.008+08:00

Singapore Dragonboat Festival 2010
10th & 11th July, 2010

"They became the Legend. We became the ones who made them a Legend..."
Quoted from Enyu

It's time for the annual Singapore Dragonboat Festival once again...

A two-days race that all tertiary institutes' Dragonboat teams train so hard for, including our NTU Dragonboat Team. The reason the team trains so hard is - for the PM Cup. Especially for this year, as it will be history in the making if we are able to win again this year, making it our 3rd year winning consecutively. For this reason alone, it's enough for me to head down to Bedok Reservoir to watch the race and support the current team. Another reason being to catch up with the alumnus' teammates who have graduated and are coming back to support the current team as well.

It was really nice to see some of the alumnus as well as those who will soon be graduating - Denny, Enyu, JinHan & Ashley... I would imagine it to be a nice graduating gift for those who are graduating, if we were to win the PM Cup again this year - for the third consecutive year!

However, 人数不如天数, it turned out as a pity that NTU wasn't able to continue onwards to our 3 years winning streak for the PM Cup. Just when everything seemed within our grasp... when the team's reputation was at its peak... when the team so wanted to create history by winning the PM Cup for three consecutive years... we fell. We fell hard. We fell so hard - it hurt so much.

But I believe that with each fall, the team will always come back stronger... better... and hungrier for "revenge". To win back what we lost... Like we have always done, regardless of whether it was in 2007 and 2008 against NUS or now, against SIM... I believe our team will come back even stronger & give them a race they won't forget in 2011~!

NTU 杀~!!!

From an NTU Dragonboat Team Supporter

2010-07-04T18:56:00.004+08:00

“今天的胜负，我不是想证明我们中国的武术比西洋拳更佳优胜。
我只是想说人的地位虽然有高低之分，但是仁格不已该有贵贱之别。

我很希望从这刻开始我们大家可以学会懂得怎么去互相尊重。”

I just re-watched Ip Man 2 with Charmaine & Family. And again I find the above statement by "Ip Man" in the movie after battling down the British Boxing Champion - 'The Twister', very meaningful and inspiring.

Translated into English, it simply means:-
" I did not come here today to prove which is better - Chinese Kung Fu or Western Boxing.
And although people have different status in life, I do not believe that one person's integrity is worth more than another's. Hence from this moment on, I hope that we can start learning how to respect each other."

It may sound very simple but yet I think it really says a lot in one's self-cultivation in humanity as well as becoming a "Better Person". A Lesson we must all bear in mind...

2010-07-03T14:10:00.001+08:00

Caught the so-called "Ip Man 3" today. Being an Ip Man fan since the first movie, I was actually quite excited to catch it. However after seeing the movie, I was actually quite disappointed with it. A lousy storyline straying from the original story of the grandmaster, the fighting scenes didn't really get to me this time round and the new lead actor (Dennis To Yu-Hang) playing Ip Man didn't really leave an impression on me, as compared to the Ip Man played by Donnie Yen.

Don't be mistaken that this is "Ip Man 3", although most of the cast are the same with the addition of Yuan Biao, Dennis To and guest appearance of Ip Man's real son - Ip Chun. In fact the original Ip Man movie starring my idol - Donnie Yen ended at "Ip Man 2". This so-called third Ip Man movie - "The Legend is Born - Ip Man" staring the new lead actor and directed by a new director, is a stand-alone story on its own about Ip Man, that in my personal opinion, is trying abit too hard to cash in a quick buck on the recently famous Wing Chun grandmaster's life story...

If you ask me, watch it if you want but don't expect too much from its two predecessor films. Anyway I bought the DVD - Ip Man 2, and watched it again with Charmaine & Family. Really think it's so much better than this... =P

2010-05-27T23:59:00.002+08:00

Date: 27th May, 2010 (Thursday)
Event: Charmaine's Graduation
Venue: Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Welcome to Charmaine's 2010 Graduation from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Diploma in Tourism & Resort Management. This marks the end of a chapter as a polytechnic student in her life story, but also signifies a new chapter that will unfold in time to come...

And now in this new chapter, she has decided to move on, to further her studies for another year or two... before she's gonna enter the harsh working world like me~ hahaha.

But for now, let's have this blog entry to commemorate this special day, where my girl puts on her "fugly" graduation gown (according to her lips, not mine) and walks onto stage to receive her diploma certificate.

"I love what they did with the stage setup, especially with the humongous "graduation" neon lights!
So much more impressive than when I was in Singapore Polytechnic, or even NTU..."

As I check out the stage & look back on how beautiful the campus looked like as we drove in moments before, I start to think that the polytechnics nowadays in Singapore have such an engaging and conducive environment for the students to study in. The campus surroundings look great, and its facilities so extensive and well maintained. I would think it's really a blessing that Singapore kids get to study in such environments like these, and not having their schools at the top of some hill or mountain, nor need to travel on foot for half a day's journey to the next village or town to attend school like those 3rd world countries...

But OK, I'm starting to head off-track here. hahaha...

Anyway, today is Charmaine's Day! And I'm supposed to be the part-time photographer following her around to help her snap pictures with her classmates and lecturers.

That's Charmaine on stage receiving her Diploma (or what in fact is an empty case...)

Pictures of Charmaine with her Lecturers... and her course mates

Individual shots with the famous group of "Eight"... and a Class group photo

More photos with the group of "Eight"...

And last of all, photos with the parents as well as the Proud Boyfriend =)

Like I said, today is only an end to one chapter. And soon another will begin writing.

Like some quote I heard somewhere, "Life's awesomeness is not in its destination, but the journey we travel along the way". I know you have the jitters about moving on to the university - the new unfamiliar environment and heavy study load and stress that comes along with it, but I'm sure you will overcome whatever obstacles that may come your way. And whenever you need, you will always have me to fall back onto... hehe.

Relax! and have fun in Curtin~!!! Cheers, babe!

2010-05-15T00:00:00.002+08:00

Wedding Bells Ding-a-Dong~

This time round, it's my childhood cousin, Nishi Awasthi's wedding on the 15th of May, 2010 (Saturday). Time really does fly us by, most of the time without us even feeling it until one day when your cousin, one year your senior, gets married. Today is one of those days... haha I look back at the days when the four of us were still kids, my brother (Terrence), her brother (Himraj), Nishi herself and me. We did the funniest things you can imagine. Exploring the nearby "long kang" (sewage canals). Playing with mini pocket size mahjong tiles. Playing with He-man action figures. Pretending to cross quicksand using bridges made up by bolsters and pillows which were going to fall apart any moment...

Next thing I know, two out of four of us are married. Don't worry, I'm just saying only. I'm not planning to get married anytime soon. Not yet. But I already found my 对象. Hehe

It was a Chinese + Indian style wedding split into 2 parts. Today was the Solemnization cum Wedding reception at one of the ballrooms at SIA Club, the second one sometime in October. My cousin, Nishi, being an Indian-Chinese, has to certainly go through the traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony which happened just moments before the wedding reception that evening.

I like the mood of the first picture, the groom in a Chinese suit with 'dragon' imprints & Nishi in a traditional Cheong-sum. In the second photo, seated are my late-granddad's elder brother & his wife, probably the most senior elderly at the wedding. Dun pway pway... In the background standing is my grandma. Last photo is my late-father's elder brother & wife, smiling away so happily. Haha

After the tea ceremony, the guests start entering the ballroom where the solemnization together with the dinner reception will take place.

This is the reception counter. Check out the cool bird-cage used as the Angbao money box. And Charmaine really likes the decorative twigs next to the table, where the guests get to write down their blessing for the newly-wed couple & hang them up. Quite innovative, except that I feel Singaporeans are still abit "shy" in expressing their feelings. Haha... Next, you have the walk-in of couples, followed by the groom and lastly, the bride & her father.

The taking of their wedding vows, and exchanging of the rings, presentation of wedding certificate & of course the yummmmmmm-sheng!

Dinner was Indian buffet style... Quite tasty indeed, especially with the curry, samosa's and naan! =P In the midst of the dinner buffet, there were some special programs lined up for the guests. First up, was two songs by my younger cousin, Eugenia - "A Moment like This" and "曹格 's Romeo Juliet" with Himraj. I know she takes singing lessons but this is the first time I heard her sing. Boy, did she shock me with that powerful voice of hers... haha

Next, was another of my younger distant cousin. Don't quite remember his name =P but apparently he & his partner are Singapore's Youth Champions for International Ballroom Dancing! 来头不小喔!

After the ballroom dancing, there was the Indian dancing by a group of Indian kids whom I believe are the groom's cousins. Indian music is indeed very catchy & entertaining... I found my head moving towards the music a couple of times myself... hehe =P Don't believe me? Just look at the Mother-in-Law getting up & joining in on the dancefloor yourself.

I don't know about Indian weddings, but one thing that is never left out in Chinese weddings during the dinner is - yes, the photo-taking session with the newly weds.

That's my table and that's the bride's and my side of the family. That's us, the Four Mighty Cousins at the top

That's the groom side of the family,
and then the bride & groom with Dad, Mum & Brother-in-Law and my family!

Most important of all, after all the relatives from the bride's side of family had left. Check out what the groom has in store at the end of the wedding!

Dim the lights and~
P-A-R-T-Y~!!!

While the rest of us were seated at the table at the back, chit chatting, my head, body and legs were moving to the loud Indian music~ hahah. And Charmaine dared me to go & dance on the dancefloor! Of course I didn't go out there. I wouldn't dare to do that... not without my partner, Charmaine~ hahah.
P.S. I was game as long as she dared to go out with me to the dancefloor.

Last but not least, Congrats to you, Cousin! Hope you have a blessed & blissful marriage! ^^

2010-05-01T05:41:00.009+08:00

Leslie's (Future) Best Friend~

Charmaine sent me these pictures one morning and boy, does the Golden Retriever puppy look cute or what! I have such a soft spot for cute dogs, especially Goldies... ranked as the World's smartest dog!

My dream to own one for my family next time in the future... Time to think of some cool names to name my dog next time...

I really think that all this puppy does, is eat, sleep, play and LOOK CUTE! Hahaha...

2010-04-25T03:47:00.015+08:00

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY ALEX~!!!
HOPE YOU HAVE MANY GOOD YEARS AHEAD~!!!

This is our photo at the party! Us and the birthday boy and the birthday boy's girl...

Today is Charmaine's Best Friend, ALEX's 21st birthday! But the party was held one day before the actual date, & we almost missed it, thinking it was the following day! =P Thank goodness, ALEX needed to borrow Charmaine's tumbler, and in the process, reminded her that the party was later that evening! Hehe...

This is Alex's Bday Cake... This is Alex cutting the cake... and this is Alex after having his face smashed into the cake... (Culprit => Charmaine)

So, the Party was held at one of the condominiums at Bishan. I thought the place looked really cool, especially the ground floor apartments because of their extra garden/backyard space they have. But I never really went inside any of the apartments for a view because it was a BBQ party next to the swimming pool... The only tour we had around the area was when we excused ourselves to the public toilet in the midst of the whole BBQ. We walked around the area, fantasizing that we were staying there & were taking an after-dinner stroll, like a married couple. HAHAHA

This is the Couple's more unglamorous shot... Qui Ling & Alex

Anyway, ALEX's girlfriend, Qiu Ling (dunno why I keep remembering her name as Qiu MEI? Too many Chinese drama series, perhaps?), was really nice, being a great host, taking charge of the barbecuing & always delivering the freshly cooked food to Charmaine & I, seated comfortably at our table. Just to clarify, I wasn't being lazy! I just didn't want to move around too much as I was down with the flu bug. Moving around too much will just burn me out fast... So in a way, we were being "served" like the King & Queen". =P

And, may I add... The catering by "EATZ CATERING" was good! Especially the mee siam! Definitely the best mee siam I had by the catering standard. Yum yum! =)

Anyway, looking at ALEX's Canoe Polo Teammates & juniors in the party crowd, I started to miss my ex-Dragonboat Teammates especially those from the same batch as me (the 18 Arhats!)... Some of them are still having their exams for the last semester before they graduate! ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR PAPERS!!!

Let's have another gathering soon! Xiao Long Bao or anything... =)

Happy 21st Bday, ALEX~!!!

2010-04-21T01:01:00.015+08:00

Random Tots... I hate these Black Sheep! You're from OCS? Then, please act like one!

I went to Bishan Gym after work, today for my workout. It's a nice feeling to sweat it all out, build up that manly, toned, muscular body I so sought after (hehe =p) and de-stress, all at the same time! And all these for an inexpensive price of S$2.50/-

"Be a Real Man, Get a Six-Pack~!!!"
Leslie! Where is my six-pack!?

Anyway, I was doing my weights workout half-way when I noticed this new guy that was standing beside me. This guy was dressed head-to-toe in OCS clothings, which was why he caught my eye (to all those people out there wondering why I'm noticing other guys...). OCS white shorts and a maroon OCS long sleeve pullover sweater. I've never seen this maroon OCS pullover sweater, which must mean he belongs to my junior batch.

My first thought was "Wah, this guy's scared that people don't know he's an Officer ah?" Personally I have issues with young people who like to wear this kind of outfit out of their army camps. My perception is that these guys are show-offs... who like to show off that they are from OCS, PTI, Guards or Commando etc. I mean I'm also proud that I'm from OCS, that I suffered through months of hardship & training to get commissioned as an Officer of the Singapore Armed Forces, but I don't put on airs or purposely show that I am from OCS in front of people... I prefer to keep this pride within me.

So when I saw this guy all dressed up in OCS, I felt abit put off but I reminded myself that I shouldn't judge people too much on their first impression. =) Having said (thought) that, I went about continuing with the rest of my workout.

Not long after, as I was doing my weights, I noticed the OCS guy again. He was trying to move one of the benches from the back to the front, facing the full-length mirror. Right in the bench's way were some weights lying on the floor. The way he does it was to use his feet to kick the weights away, making some grunting noise while doing so... Next he gave the bench a good push from behind before holding up the other side so that you can now push the bench on its wheels. After he pushed it in front of the mirrors, he fixed the bench into its sitting position, making sure that the locking mechanism hit against the metal of the bench "Cling, clang, cling, clang" before it locked in the correct position. After that was all the cursing & swearing that came out from his mouth, when he noticed that the seat was shaky. He dropped the weights onto the ground, fiddling with the bench, making a lot of noise, trying to fix the seat... Finally he decided to complain to the person-in-charge in his commanding tone, sort of demanding that he reflects this to the higher management.

Ultimately, the whole process where he kicks the weight out of the way, drags the bench, fixing it into the sitting position, making a lot of unneeded noise... That really turned me off.

It also got me thinking to myself. Is this what that is happening to the young Officer Cadets these days? So inconsiderate, so stuck-up, so oblivious to the other users in the gym... dropping weights, blabbering vulgarities in public. The standard & public image they set for themselves when they tell (show) people that they are from OCS...

It's these black sheep that give all of us, Officers a bad name. No wonder most of our Men don't look up to us, thinking of us as "NATO's" (No Action, Talk Only), putting up that rank for show only. Time for some self-reflection, man...

2010-04-13T23:46:00.020+08:00

RELEASE THE "CRACKER"...

Movie: Clash of the Titans (I give it 4 out of 5 popcorns)
Weather: Drizzling in the night (just the way I like it)
Company: Charmaine (just the way I like it)

Just went to catch "Clash of the Titans" in 2D, with my favourite lady, Charmaine~!

Personally, I'm not such a big fan of the recent 3D craze... and definitely not a fan of paying that extra $3 bucks for those 3D spectacles... To me, the film itself in 2D was just as great, if not better as many people warned me about catching it in 3D, coz it sucks!

Well, I've always liked the Greek mythology since I was a small kid. Stories about the Titans the first beings on Earth... how they were overthrown by the Olympians, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades... Stories about Hercules and his twelve famous labors for King Eurystheus as well as the Stories of Jason and the Argonauts. These were stories I used to read from borrowed story books from the National Library... Therefore, as you can see, the movie was a flash-back of my childhood fantasy =p

Plus the company was wonderful~! Having tonnes of fun & laughter with my girlfriend. Buying a magazine of her Korean boy band superstar idol together with her other eye candy, Wu Zun. Smuggling outside food into the cinema like we always do... Joking around, talking rubbish along the way after the movie on the way home.

All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better way to end this day. =)

Life's joys are in the small things.
All the best for tomorrow!

Visiting those who have passed on...

2010-04-06T23:14:00.017+08:00

Sometimes it's good to take a moment to remember those who have passed on...

It was the long weekend just back around the corner... with it being Good Friday & the Chinese "清明节". My family & I took this opportunity to visit two important persons in my life - my grand-mum & my dad.

First, my grand-mum on Thursday with my Mom & most of her family. Since the year she passed away in 2006, I've never been to where her ashes were kept. I mean I was at her funeral wake & went through with her cremation too. But it was the following day when my aunties & uncles went to collect her ashes after the cremation & sent her to her final resting place at some temple, that I was not with her. I guess I must have gone back to school because in my memory, I remembered that my grand-mum passed away during my one of my one-week school term breaks, thus I had the whole week to attend her wake, but had to go back to classes the following Monday.

That being said, this was the first time I went down to visit her. Before that, I always had something on & couldn't make it with the rest of my relatives.

And having see her tablet with her picture, it truly brought back memories as I whispered to her picture, "Ah Ma, 阿汉来看你了." Of course, I'm not going to be that dramatic as those people you see on TV, breaking out into tears & yelling what-not nonsense. I'm just not like that. We spent some time there, gathering as a family & chit chatting, when I found out that my grand-mum's mother was the head of a then cigarette-selling syndicate! Makes me idolize her even more! When it was time to take our leave, I took a final look at her picture before saying good bye. We went off to a nearby coffee shop to have our breakfast & that was the end of it... =P

Next was visiting my dad @ the Garden of Remembrance on Saturday. It was sort of an impromptu visit. Suddenly while I was at home, a call from my brother & sister-in-law came, telling me, "Wanna go visit your dad? Prepare yourself, we coming to pick you up in around 15 minutes time." So just like that, I was picked up, followed by my Mom @ Takashimaya. And we were on our way to Lim Chu Kang, The Garden of Remembrance.

We spent some time tidying up my dad's tablet & changing the flowers for new ones... before we went off to Jurong Point for dinner @ some Japanese restaurant, where I gave everyone a treat...

"Left, your left, your left right!~"

2010-04-05T07:58:00.007+08:00

MY VERY 1st RESERVICE IN-CAMP TRAINING~!
(22th MARCH 2010 - 01st APRIL 2010)

No pictures... cuz no camera phones allowed in camp. =p

It's been a long, long time since I last updated my blog... =p (Forgive me, my dearest readers, especially the most loyal of them all - my girlfriend, Charmaine!). *It's been so long that I almost forgot my user name & password~ hehe

Anyway, the very fact that all of you are reading this post means I'm back from my very 1st ICT in one piece (which means In-Camp Training for those ladies whom don't know the army terms).

The fun fact behind my ICT, was that I sorta "volunteered" for it. The same goes for Amos as well, whom was in the same ICT as me... We basically didn't received our SAF100 because our records state that we were still studying. And by some twist of fate, we had our CO called us up to "encourage" us to attend the ICT... and we only received our letter of notification one week before the In-Camp started on 22nd March.

But first of all, I must say although many of the people whom I met in the camp are not always so "happy & enthusiastic" about stepping into that green uniform which they last donned some 5 years ago, it was certainly a most pleasant experience for me. To be able to take a break from that air-conditioned office & step into the sun, the natural out-field. To be able to give it a good sweating-out & catch up with a few familiar faces I've not seen since the good old BMTC days in Pulau Tekong.

On the first day of the In-processing, I was late... very late. Adding on top of that, my hair was basically not acceptable due to the residual effects for dyeing my hair some months back. Somehow, in the course of heading to the barbers to have my hair dyed back to black, I ended up having a hair cut as well. It turned out to be a disaster! I looked like a @*!%. The first thing I did when I got out for my 1st nights out, it was a straight trip to the hairstylist for a PROPER haircut!

The rest of the training days, basically had me perspiring & cursing at the hot weather. The first few days brought back those sweet (smelly) memories from my Officer Cadet days, when we would wear the same uniform days in a row when we know the exercises in the next few days are gonna be "xiong!" - basically meaning that your uniform is just gonna get dirty (if not dirtier) or that you're just gonna perspire profusely in it... Well, we had technical handling for the first day, live range for next entire day, & some combat obstacle course followed by shell scape digging the next day! You can only imagine how smelly our uniform is gonna get! HAhaha...

Beside those enduring training moments, I really enjoyed those heart-lightening chats with my Men & fellow Commanders, where we just joke around, get to know more about each other & what they do outside in their civilian lives.

These are the days that I will remember till our next ICT which will take place in January 2011~!!! That's gonna be like real fast...

2009-12-25T23:54:00.006+08:00

DRAGONBOAT '06 BATCH CHRISTMAS PARTY! WHAT A "P.I.M.P" EVENT~!!!

It's the year of 2009. The beginning of many more years of the 06' NTU Dragonboat Batch Xmas Gatherings to come! A splendid initiative from Ah Boon's part to suggest this idea, which I totally, fully support with my heart! It's a good idea to gather all of us brothers in arms (paddles) back each year for a festive gathering, especially now when most of us who have become alumnus don't go for weekend trainings like we used to, all the time (including myself). I remember those days when we all train in preparation for June races when we see each other's face almost everyday, spend more time together than we do with our girlfriends. This initiative I believe is a wonderful idea that I'm willing to support each year (even if I become Food I.C. each year =S ).

Our "全家福"

The guys...

...transform into the 18 Arhats!

The ladies of our lives... =) (hopes to see a rise in numbers... hehe)

(Many) thanks to Melvin, this year's BBQ party was held at his place, hence the name "P.I.M.P" which meant "Party in Melvin's Place" for those who still have no idea, in particularly Andy Tan. Haha =P. Of course, we can't forget Ah Boon the organizer of this 1st yearly event, and the rest of the batch who took time off their busy schedule of rushing to more than one party, and came down for the party.

Food was great, especially Charmaine's potato salad which everyone liked very much, and the rather unexpected huge amount of leftover BBQ food! Company was splendid, with all the crappy, noisy & fun-loving bunch of guys! Wii was very fun, even left my girlfriend addicted to it! Gifts for the gift exchange session too, were interesting!

Never had so much fun before at Wii...

The $10 Budget Gift Exchange begins...

The Gifters and the Giftees...
Hope everyone enjoys their gifts. It's the Thought that counts...

Till next year... may we gather on Christmas Day again! Good luck, & Take Care ya all... =]

2009-12-12T16:54:00.010+08:00

11th December, 2009:
My first ICT briefing...

Just yesterday, I went back for my first ICT briefing in Mandai Hill Camp, with Amos...
Since we are in the same battalion, as we found out long time ago, he has become my reservice buddy. Haha...
Thank God for a familiar face!

We went there, without a single clue on what to expect. The only thing we knew was that we were going to attend a half-a-day battalion briefing, that was all. But we arrived at the entrance of the camp, I was shocked. There was a long queue forming from the Guardroom... I thought that was the queue for the StarHub or M1 iPhones that they launched recently. Hahaha...

In the end, it took us quite a while to finally get through the Guardroom & enter the Camp. We just followed the signage along the way to find our way to the Multi-Purpose Hall, where we were shocked again. Another long queue forming up! Funny thing was, we just queued up without knowing what was ahead. Eventually, as we got closer to the end of the queue, only did we found out that there was the In-processing going on... all the administrative & sizing of uniform & equipment.

But I must say that the administrative set up was quite poorly done. No one knew where to queue up, cuz there were queues forming up all over the place, circling within the MPH itself. So confusing! Even the staff down there weren't as helpful as they should be, they didn't bother to offer assistance or gave instructions on where to proceed onto next. Amos & I had to rack our brains to figure out where to go to next...

Eventually, all the sizing & administrative procedures were completed after more than one & a half hours! And judging from the schedule they put up on notice, we were behind time. But not to worry, as I told Amos, the one true characteristic of the SAF Army is that, even if we start behind time, somehow we will always end ON TIME! Haha...

We proceeded on to the Auditorium for our briefing. The contents of the briefing I shall not say, but I did see some more familiar faces. I hope we end up in the same platoon or company. As far as I know now, Amos & I are in the same platoon! That is something worth rejoicing about... hahaha.

Anyway, INTERESTINGLY, at the end of the briefing, as a reward for our outstanding IPPT Silver & Gold Award achievements, our CO had a prize presentation for all those who achieved Silver & Gold awards!

A total of 65 silver awards and 8 gold awards. And needless to say, yours truly here (me!) got the Gold Award! Haha... My prize is a complimentary VIP Guest Pass for True Fitness Gym, attached with a name card of the supervisor. I wonder if it's a free membership gym pass? Wouldn't that be great! However, I think that will be highly unlikely... haha

Oh no! My ICT is gonna start soon! A feeling of both anticipation and unreadiness... =S

2009-12-06T21:25:00.013+08:00

My New Idol : DONNIE YEN

<<導火线>>
<<FLASHPOINT>>

I caught "FlashPoint" again last night on DVD. And I absolutely fell in love with Donnie Yen! He is officially my new Chinese Idol~! With killer looks (he's 43 years old, can you believe it?), a cool personality, and a hard & muscular body, not to mention his amazing fighting style~! You should see how he fights in the movie - moving at super fast speed, every punch, every blow so deadly (able to land his victims in the movie in vegetable states). And how he slams people & use locks on his opponents. This style of fighting just seems more superior & more realistic to me, compared to his kung-fu fighting peers like Jackie Chan & Jet Li. No offence, I mean those guys are good too, but Donnie Yen is the BEST. HAHA...

Omg, I sound as though either I'm a gay who has the hots for Donnie or I'm some girl who is smitten from head to toe with him... But I am neither!

Anyway, can't wait for this coming December 18th~! "Bodyguards and Assassins" shows in cinemas! And yes, you probably guessed it, Donnie Yen is in it as well.

Can't wait... Hope the storyline & fighting sequels are fantastic! I have high hopes for this film... hehe

<<十月围城>>
<<BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS>>

VISITING "HER" GRANDDAD...

2009-12-05T00:35:00.013+08:00

Today is supposed to be the late post of "7th of November, 2009". One year exactly after Charmaine's grand-dad passed away...

It will be always be a regret that I didn't get to meet Uncle in person. He who doted on Charmaine so much. But this is not Charmaine's real grandfather as per se. The thing is like this - Uncle's wife whom is Charmaine's "granny", is ACTUALLY her nanny who took care of her when she was young. No need to say, Granny also doted on her. Even Granny's daughter doted & helped took care of Charmaine as well. You can say practically their whole family loved Charmaine (well, who can resist her? hehe...) & doted on her pretty much. Even up till this day, they are still pretty much in contact & in good relations.

I remembered just a few months back, I was invited to dinner at "Granny's" place after my (then) work @ NUS. That was the second time I met Charmaine's "Granny" & "Granny's daughter" (the one who changed Charmaine's diaper before).

The first time was a brief introduction during Charmaine's sister, Pamela's wedding. That night was more of a "Ohhhh... so that is Leslie... Your boyfriend. Not bad ah, quite handsome!", "Remember to bring him to our place for dinner some time ah" and "Ah Ma wanna see him more". Hahaha.

Anyway, that night at "Granny's" place, I was treated with very much welcomed arms from "Granny & her daughter". They treated me like part of the family, & I'm grateful for that. Hehe. I hear from Charmaine that they told her, "Ah Gong would have approved of Leslie, if he saw him." =P

So today (7th November 09), I really wanted to make the trip to Mandai Crematorium to pay my respects to "Ah Gong". We took a taxi from Charmaine's place, and we were the first to arrive with some time to spare, before the "Granny" and her family came. Using the "alone" time we had with "Ah Gong", I secretly prayed to God & "Ah Gong" in heaven, hoping that he can "hear" me. I introduced myself as Leslie, Charmaine's boyfriend and told him not to worry for Charmaine, cause I am around and I will take care of her. Continue to watch over us, and I hope you will give us your blessings in heaven above. I also prayed to God to look after "Ah Gong" up there, and bless the rest of their family with good health & peace.

After my secret prayer, we just sat around talking to each other before his niche, until the rest of the family finally arrived. "Granny" & daughter & her two daughters, along with some of the uncles, aunties, nieces also came. You can see how much they loved "Ah Gong" as well, especially "Granny" who couldn't control her tears when she saw her photograph on the niche. The scene touched a part of my heart, and I had to hold my tears. =P Next, they laid out a bowl of fishball noodles, a glass of hot 'teh' & a can of grass jelly drink in front of him. All of it, once "Ah Gong's" favourite food & drinks. After that, as a norm (I guess), the family & us went around, checking out other people's niches.

After the visit, we went for a family lunch at a nearby restaurant. We separated into two tables, one for the uncles, aunties, the other for the kids & youngsters (includes Charmaine & me, of course!). Each table ordered a plate of Hainanese chicken, roasted duck, roasted meat, Wu Xiang and veggie. It was plenty of food for our table. Too much, in fact!

After the lunch, it was time for everyone to go back to their homes. We said our good byes to "Granny" & her daughter, as well as all the relatives and hitched a ride in one of the cars to the nearby MRT where we went back on our own.

"It is always hard to have someone close to you leave you suddenly. But we must move on & slowly adjust back to our lives. And the truth is, they never really leave us as long as their memories live within us. Lives will end, but memories will never cease. That is the beauty of Life."

2009-11-24T23:05:00.004+08:00

No more SENTOSA for abit of beach & SUN-TANNING,
but that's all right!
Can't wait to go on a field trip to MacRITCHIE RESERVOIR this FRIDAY~!!!
~.~.~
Baby, remember to wear proper SHOES this time. It's gonna be a LONG WALK~
=P

2009-11-23T21:55:00.021+08:00

Today is one of those days where again there isn't ANY work for me to do in the office...

You can say that it is good & slack for me, but seriously if you ask me, I really rather be occupied with loads of work! That way, time will pass more quickly for me, in a blink of an eye. Instead of me like today, practically dozing off the whole morning at my desk due to boredom, even as I tried to read up on some notes that one of my managers have lend me to read during my free time. I don't know what's wrong with me though. Just that when I start reading through the notes, I will start to doze off unwillingly without myself noticing it... hahaha. Can you imagine my colleagues passing my desk & finding me dozing off... God, that is sooo embarrassing~! They will be thinking to themselves what a lazy loafer I am... the nerve to sleep on the job! =S

Come to think of it, things have mostly been this way since my schooling days. Whenever a lecturer starts his/her lecture, my thoughts and my mind will eventually start drifting off elsewhere. That is one reason why I don't attend lectures back in University =P. THANK GOD FOR LECTURE VIDEO RECORDING THEN~!!! HEHE.

Both my girlfriend & I have come to an common conclusion that may explain what's happening... I have short attention span and I get bored & restless easily. hahaha... That is why I need work! on my desk to keep me occupied and awake~ HAHA. Only through doing work, can I keep myself occupied and awake! I can't sit around all day, doing nothing!

2009-11-16T20:51:00.003+08:00

It's been already two months at work...

Seriously, it's been quite fun working currently as a Trainee Executive in Underwriting at First Capital Insurance, especially with the two ladies stationed in the two cubicles behind mine. I never fail to "eavesdrop" on their telephone conversation when they pick up a call or call out to brokers. What cracks me up is when they are so courteous to the broker when they are on the line. Before you know it, they hang up the phone & start mouthing away - "Stupid! So stupid! Can't stand this broker! Why so stupid..." This kind of scenario just makes me laugh out loud deep inside~! HAHAHA...

I think I've also been very lucky to have two very friendly, very helpful, very kind and patient managers whom really spare part of their busy schedule to explain things to me, imparting their vast knowledge to me, making sure that I understand what's going on and what is it that I'm doing... I truly believe that both of these lady managers are a Godsend to me.

The good thing about working in Raffles place, is that it's very close to my home via the North East Line (NEL), with an change over to the North-south Line at Dhoby Ghaut Interchange. I can leave home at 8:30am and still arrive at work on time. That's gotta be good! Plus I get to dress up smartly for work too, in my shirt & tie, pants & leather shoes.

The bad thing is the food... Everything in the CBD area just seems to be that much more expensive. Even the cheapest food will be in the range of $3.50 to $5.50~! And if you know me, you know that I am a big eater~! HEHEHE... And all that eating and sitting in the office only serves to make me become a fatter man~! Totally against all that I stand for... HAHAHA... I must slim down, must stay healthy, must stay fit~! More gym, more weights, more runs~! HAHAHA

And another thing about lunch... is who you are lunching with, your lunch buddy in short. Almost all the ladies in the office belong to the "eat-in" group, which means they always 'take away' their lunch & eat it in the office... in the comfort of air-conditioning minus the stinky smell they get from the food courts and eating places. So that leaves me with not much of a choice for a lunch buddy except for another colleague that entered the company at the same time with me. Those who know me understand that basically I'm very easy to get along, unless you get on my nerves in some way or another. But once you get on my bad books, your name is pretty much there to stay... (yeah, that's right) Well, at first I was pretty much okay with this colleague, but as time passes, I realised that I just simply can't stand him.

Of course, it may not be fault on his part, he may well be being himself. However that still doesn't change the fact that I can't stand him now. It's my perspective, my opinion, but I just don't like people flaunting their knowledge in front of me or keep informing me how much work they have done in the office. I just feel what he says, how he speaks and how he acts is very much fake, rehearsed & done for the sake of currying favors with others...

When he is with other colleagues, it just seems as though he MUST start a conversation with the other person. It feels as though he is purposely making it a point to start a conversation. This point to me, seems pretty fake and I can't stand it. He can even bring up things that have the remotest connection to the situation at that moment, to try to strike a conversation. In my dictionary, I call that "trying too hard". (Well people, don't judge me. I'm just voicing out my opinion. They don't necessary have to be right, simply because they are my opinions.)

So now, if you ask me, I really rather lunch alone by myself in the food court or take away back to the office, then to have lunch with someone I can't stand but have to pretend to be fine with... That is how working in real life pretty much is like - we all have to don our masks and pretend to be someone we're not, just to get along with others, to have a functional working relationship, to survive in this urban jungle. So you can't just shake him off at lunch, neither do you know how to break the news that you rather lunch alone if things go on like that...

Anyway, enough talk about my lunch buddy.

All I know is that I have another four months to learn and experiment, and it will be the end of my probation period, and most probably following my "promotion" to an Executive. Can't wait till then but on the other hand, it may also mean that my workload will seriously increase, as I've seen many of the "senior employees" staying after work, doing overtime, including my two lady managers... it may also mean working on Saturdays as well. But well, we'll take things one at a time...

(Wish me luck in my new workplace... till then.
All the best of luck to my friends having their exams in NTU~!!!) =]

2009-10-19T00:00:00.010+08:00

It's our 1st year anniversary today...

19th October 2009!

How time seems to fly in a blink of an eye!
It was like just yesterday when I saw this tall and pretty Ngee Ann girl with her cheeks flushed (from the hot sun) at Kallang SDBA, hanging out with her bunch of dragonboat ladies, resting before their double training session in the afternoon...

Then before you know it,
We got into a "stalker stalking the stalked" comical situation, that seemingly grew out of proportion...
We officially became friends on Friendster...
We exchanged our e-mail addresses & started chit-chatting on MSN...
A few days later after that,
We had our first "date" at Serangoon Gardens' Coffee Bean, watching "10,000 B.C." on my laptop...
And we started going out more often...
Finally we got together.
And tonight we celebrate our 1st year anniversary together...
on 19th October 2009...

We had our dinner at a casual Japanese restaurant called "WATAMI" @ The Central.
The service was remarkably good & the staffs were very friendly.
We asked for an window side seat & we got one with a good view of the Singapore River.

Decor of the place was also pretty well done up...

Food came in a wide variety... and was delicious too!

We ordered a side dish - Crab Meat & Scallop Cream Croquette, together with a main dish each - a bowl of Chashu Ramen & a Sliced Beef Hot pot with Assorted Vegetables. Finally, ending off with a Choco Banana Parfait dessert! Yummy~~!!! Hehe
And the price was fairly reasonable too! A MUST TRY for you folks out there... =)
We had so much fun during the dinner, that I felt like we had fallen in love all over again! hAhA

After the wonderful dinner, we went walking around inside the shopping centre until it was time for the shops to close. And then we went out to find a space to sit along the Singapore River bank, enjoying the night scenery & lighting all around...

We had a H2H talk... and exchanged presents. Actually it was more of passing me my present.
I had actually already hid her present in one of her wardrobe cabinets two weeks ago, only to SMS her at 12 midnight the night before to tell her that she can start looking for her anniversary gift then. What a surprise right, baby? HAHAHA... *wink

Her gift? A SOLVIL TITUS watch that she had her fancy on for a long time...

My gift? A new leather wallet from BRAUN BUFFEL to replace my old, worn-out wallet. Plus some love letters for me... hAhAhA

Always Love You, Baby! hAhAhA...
Remember our Good Times Together Forever~!

2009-09-14T00:37:00.040+08:00

A WALK THROUGH THE PARK...

Our visit:

Southern Ridges Park, from HarbourFront MRT - Marang Trail - Faber Walk (@ Mt. Faber Park) - Henderson Waves - Hilltop Walk (@ Telok Blangah Hill Park) - Forest Walk - Alexandra Arch - Floral Walk & HortPark - Kent Ridge Park - Singapore Science Park II... The actual end point will have end at West Coast Park.

Our walk:

The original trail should be around 9km. However we were only able to complete about 6-7km of the journey due to Charmaine's backache & sore legs... hehe.

Today's a bright sunny Monday~! Last Friday was my last day at NUS... and Wednesday will be my first day at my new workplace. So better enjoy ourselves before I soon dedicate my time to my work.

Woke up early in the morning, all prepared to set off on our trip! Met up with Charmaine along the MRT down to HarbourFront. Went to VivoMart @ VivoCity to stock up on our snack & water supplies for the long walk.

Went ahead to the MRT underpass & came out of Exit D which was the exit opposite of the Seah Im Road Food Centre & the beginning of the Marang Trail. Immediately, Charmaine & I got into the mood with some cam-whoring to kick start the beginning of our lovely, exciting trip!

We proceeded into the woods of Marang Trail... followed along the trail, taking pictures here & there, and arrived on top of Mount Faber - "Faber Walk". The surrounding is very different from when we went there once at night. In the night, the feeling was more romantic with the dazzling lights from the street lamps & "The Jewel Box's" decorative lights. Whereas in the day, the atmosphere had more of a soothing, relaxing touch to it.

After the Faber Walk, we came to the Henderson Waves, the highlight of our trip today. Managed to successfully capture our jump-shot after 11 attempts. But I still feel that the jumping pose could use so more practice, cuz our pose seem abit awkward. Hahaha... We stayed on the bridge under the HOT HOT SUN for quite a long time, cam-whoring. But we soon surrounded to the heat and went into the Hilltop Walk in Telok Blangah Hill Park...

When I reached the Terrace Garden consisting of a series of semi-circular terraces all the way to the top of the park, I realised that this was the location that I have seen in many TV productions. Hehe~ Many wedding couples also like to patronise this spot for their photo taking! They have those purplish pink flowers (called Bougainvilleas) planted everywhere on the terraces. Makes it seem so beautiful & magnificent, especially so when it is in full bloom! As expected, we spent a long time up at the Terrace Garden... hahaha...

Then we went downhill to the Forest Walk, an elevated steel walkway that stretched through the secondary forest of Telok Blangah Hill till it reached the Alexandra Arch. The raised walkway above the canopy of trees offered us a bird's eye view of the forest. The experience was really good, as though we were walking in the skies...

Alexandra Arch was the next stop... after the long walk in the 'skies'. Alexandra Arch is a bridge with the concept of a open leaf, which spans across Alexandra Road. The bridge will light up with dazzling & changing LED colours into the night, making it a spectacular sight.

As we walked down the bridge, we came to the garden hub - HortPark. It is the second time I came to HortPark. The trees and flowers were more or less as beautiful as when I went previously with the Lin Clan... except for the new look of the display room near the entrance. It has moved in a lot of new indoor plans, and innovative ideas of incorporating interior design together with plants into your home. For example, fixing pots of plant against the wall of the room, as well as having a plants within a picture frame, framed up against the wall. The air-conditioned display room was a relief for both of us, a pit stop for us to enjoy the air-con & recharge our batteries, and take plenty of pictures before we carried on. We definitely spent alot of time in HortPark snapping away shots, coz there's always something new or beautiful to take pictures of~! HAHA

Finally after we finished walking through HortPark, we were pretty much exhausted. Too sweaty & tired to carry on... especially after climbing up slope to Kent Ridge Park past the "Reflection at Bukit Chandu" war museum. Finally we walked until we couldn't carry on anymore at the Pond near the Science Hub, and we found our way out to the nearest bus stop & took the bus to Holland Village for dinner before we head home!

What a fulfilling day for me as I got to spend some quality time doing something new with Charmaine, before I start my new job @ First Capital Insurance. But she still feels that I cheated her, cuz she thought we were only walking to the Henderson Waves, not the whole stretch of Southern Ridges Park. HEHE

- Friends, take some time off your busy schedule for a stroll down @ Southern Ridges Park and enjoy the nature, the greens and fresh air...

2009-09-11T22:36:00.009+08:00

WORK LIFE @ NUS...
11 Aug 2009 - 11 Sept 2009

After the wedding on Sunday, 09 Aug 09 (National Day) & the following Monday being a public holiday, it was time for me to report for work @ NUS on Tuesday, 11 Aug 09. Haha. I feel the ironic, a NTU graduate working in 'rival grounds' - NUS, but that's just one of many Life's turns & twists...

First off, I got the job through an recommendation from Charmaine's sister who works in NUS too. There was an opening for a temporary/part time position in her department at that time. Since I was looking for a job & I didn't waste time rotting at home, I decided to give it a shot, keep myself occupied while looking around for a permanent job. Needless to say, I got the job after the interview by their HR manager.

So I reported for work @ the Shaw Foundation Alumni House - Office of Alumni Relations. Close to 1 hour of traveling time & changing from the MRT to bus to NUS. The traveling is a turn-off for me, even though it's just one hour... as compared to those who travel from the east to the west or vice versa. But it's just me...

My department is truly a wonderful place to work in for that one month or so of working there, before I switched over to my current permanent job. The whole Office occupies a small space on each floor for each department. Our department, the Operations Division occupies the second floor office on our own, so we're practically in our own world, most of the time.

One of the best perks in my job, is that because there are always events going on. The hirers will have to order catering & sometimes, the guests don't eat as much as they can or the hirers will cater more than enough food. In whichever case, there will be leftover food at the end of their events. Most of the time, the hirers will give us the green light to go ahead & help ourselves to the food. No point in wasting good food, right? In that case, the whole events team will activate! We will pack the food for ourselves as well as the housekeeping aunties & uncles, sometimes the security guards. We are like a big family over there!

Once I remembered that I packed so much good food for myself that I did my work & ate at the same time, I started my work & eating at 2+ pm & ended up finishing my food at close to 5pm... HAHA! My colleagues were like "OMG, Leslie, are you still eating!?" Pamela even caught me off guard & took a snapshot at me across her cubicle. Haha

Check out the wide spread of food - Sushi! Soft shell crab! Teriyaki chicken!
& Me caught off guard on camera with my stunned look~!

More good food~~! I'm loving it~!

Besides that, we also order Sarpino's Pizza for eat-in's on any occasion we can find! Be it somebody's birthday or my farewell treat... During my one month stay there, I already had the pizzas on two separate occasion.

Another thing was that the people there are wonderful. They are kind, friendly, helpful & a bunch of joy to work with! There's Nurul, Ramy, Pamela of the Event & Venue's Team, and Mark Twee, Lee from the Building's team & Belinda the Department Head. The thing I like is that they are very close to each other as well... celebrating each other's birthday & buying presents.

It's Ramy's birthday~! And it's time for a group photo~!
(From left to right - Belinda, Ramy, Me, Nurul, Lee, Mark)

The two pretty Malay girls, Ramy (mother of two) & Nurul (one year younger than me, as I found out towards the end of my working days there) have really been a bunch of joy to work with, always helping me out. I always approach them whenever I'm handling funny queries from hirers for their events. Nurul & Pamela are my e-mail check through list. They are always helping me check through my e-mails before I send them out to hirers. They, together with Pamela, have taught me many a things about events.

The two pretty Malay girls - Ramy & Nurul~
Thanks for brightening up the office place!

Mark & Lee on the other hand, dealing with the Building & AV side, have also taught me alot of things that I've never came across before - electrical risers, aircon cooling units, AV equipment etc. Beside being my lunch buddies, they have also been very patient & open towards me, sharing what they know unselfishly with me...

Finally, Belinda the Department Head, though never really personally teaching me anything, has taught me more than she even known. Through my observation on her, I have also learnt quite alot on the managing system, setting & demanding standards etc. Well, though some may not have fancied her much, I feel that she has being misunderstood to some extent. She is those kind of people that as long you do your part up to her standard, she won't purposely find fault with you.

These are the impressions I have of my colleagues at OAR...

I wished that I could spend more time there & get to know all of them better, but I nonetheless, have to find a permanent job position & start my career going. I Wish All of Them Best of Luck!

And thanks for the farewell gift & card for me...

2009-08-09T21:43:00.000+08:00

The Happily Wedded Couple - Terrence & Vania
09th August 2009

Great News to share, everybody! The Lin family just went through a 喜事~! Nah, as much as I wished it was mine, it's not... maybe in due time. Already found the perfect candidate though! *wink* Hahaa...

It was my 大哥's wedding~! Held on the same day as our Nation's Birthday (the National Day) on August 9th 2009. Does it have any connection to the fact that he is a signed-on army personnel? I don't know... Anyway it was a Sunday and the following day is still a public holiday. Maybe that's why...

Anyway, I'm really happy for both of them, 大哥 and 大嫂~! For the first time in who-noes-since-when, I see my own older brother all groomed up, looking smart, even with that big belly of his... hahaa. On the other hand, the bride looking ever more stunning & beautiful in his wedding gown/s on their special day.

The day started as early as 6am before the break of dawn. Almost all the groom's 兄弟团 stayed over at our place for the night. When the alarm clock struck, (this is also the first time I've seen my brother wake up on time when the alarm rings) slowly one after another, everyone started to make their way to the bathroom to have their shower, brush up, dress up and prepared to set off to "collect" the bride. Charmaine also woke up early, dolled herself up and tagged along with me early in the morning. Hehe...

4 cars including the bridal car, driving along the expressway in a single file formation and in sequence, what a sight to behold! We arrived on time but the bride was still not ready yet, and we had to hang around in the nearby car park for like 30 minutes, chit chatting & taking photos.

When the bride was finally ready, it was time to "gate crash" & "collect" the bride~! But before that, the cars went parading a few rounds around the car park below the flat, stomping their horns away & sounding their car alarms off, alerting everyone that we are here to "collect" the bride. Every nosey neighbour soon had their heads sticking out from their flats to see what was going on... haha.

The cute young boy, Sam, playing the role of the "lucky boy", arrived downstairs to open the door to the bridal car & handed the two oranges over to the groom. Immediately out of the car, the relatives & the 姐妹团 from the bride's side had their heads over the parapet of the corridor to welcome our groom. And soon our gate crashing games began...

As concluded by us, the 兄弟团, we all agreed that this is one of the "better standard", challenging (or worst, depending on your point of view) wedding gate crashes, considering other weddings we've been to. Here's why:

1. The Stairway to Heaven
First of all, the task was to carry the groom (my brother, easily weighing 80 - 90kg) up 13 flight of stairs to the bride's home without having any of his body come into contact with the floor or the staircase railing and without using any form of piggy-back or fireman lift. Lucky we had the numbers & the strength to carry him up, since all of us if not strong, were bulky in size. The girls even had a digital camera lent to one of us, to video the whole process and ensure

2. Bunch of Sweet Nothings
After the test of our strength, it was time to test our literary skills. We were to write mushy, romantic, sweet nothings on 100 pieces of post-it notes in a matter of minutes. And no, we can't write convectional phrases like "I Love You", "You are my everything"... We had to come out with more creative phrases. So each of us took up a topic we were familiar with & set off to work. I of course ended up with dragonboating as my topic... while others ended up with food, desserts, characters etc. It was really mind-draining... Hahaa

3. Sing along, Singapore Idol
Next it was time to work our vocal cords as we had to compose, dance and sing aloud a Chinese/Dialect love song to the bride in her room, while donning skimpy female outfits which they bought at the Pasa Malam for 3 at $10 sale.

4. 酸，甜，苦，辣 (Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy)
Last but definitely not least, my personal favourite although I never want to see it nor do it again. First up on the menu, 酸 was represented by some sort of big sour limes with the white sour flesh under the skin purposely left behind. Second, 甜 was bite-sized Mars chocolate bars coated with those fizzy ENO powder mixed in water. I'm telling you it didn't taste sweet at all. Next, the worst of the worst - 苦 was the worst tasting ever bitter gourd with a layer of those bitter solution you apply onto the children's fingernails to stop them from biting them. I'm telling you the bitter taste from the solution was made to linger in your taste buds for days~! Finally, 辣 was a slice of ginger with a layer of chilli padi and wasabi on top. These are the ever-lasting impressions of 酸，甜，苦，辣 that will stay with me for a long time...

Check out the mouthful of food *gulp* & the disgusted look on everyone's face...

5. Ang Pow Bargain & "Pegs on the Face" Torture
Next up is the must-have for any Chinese wedding - bargaining of the ang pow money... which ended in the punishment for one of the 兄弟团 and the groom - having clothes pegs secured onto your face & pulled off in a split second! All I can say is that the 姐妹团 may look like fairies but they are actually sadistic devils in disguise who seemed to have vowed to take revenge on the male population... haha =P

After passing the 姐妹团, we were stalled again by the bride's little cousins this time. But no fear, they were easily bought over as they "sold" the bride for $10 each. Once entering the bride's room & asking for her hand in marriage, the groom unveiled the bride & kissed the bride lovingly. In meantime, the 兄弟团 were running about the house, complaining & searching for ways to get rid of the bitterness that still lingered on... We successfully "collected" the bride & headed back to the groom's home for the traditional tea ceremony.

Get on your knees & ask for her hand, seeking approval from the Parents...

We finally 'snatched' the bride over... Time for Photoshots! Together with the relatives & the 兄弟姐妹...

Off we go to the next destination - Potong Pasir

Ah ma 喝茶，Mother 喝茶, 姑姑喝茶...

结婚成功~!!!

I, on the other hand, with some of the 兄弟团 had to change into our No. 1 uniform in time for the church wedding ceremony. Yours truly here, was "privileged" enough to be selected into the Sword Bearers/Party that will do the March-in for the wedding at the church as well as for the wedding banquet. This was the very first time I did my sword drills. Strangely I didn't get to practise any sword drills back when I was in OCS. But it has been long since I donned my No. 1 uniform, besides it was a chance to show Charmaine how smart I looked in it. Hahaha

More photo taking in our smart uniforms & beautiful dresses...

We were ahead of schedule when we were at the groom's place so there was time for all of us to take a break and catch our breath back. After which we headed down to the Church of our Lady Queen of Peace for the Solemnization ceremony. When we arrived, we still had time to cam whore at the back of the church. The ceremony went smoothly, - I did the march-in & march-out to the back of the church, & fell asleep throughout the ceremony. HAHA! The newly wedded couple signed the wedding certificate, and walked out of the church, under the blessings of the swords. But the work's not done, as the couple went to another classroom in the church & changed into their 2nd set of outfit - the groom changed out of his uniform into his black suit, and the bride changed into a light pink Peranakan bagu, for MORE tea ceremony to all the relatives! At the end, even I had to offer tea to 大哥 and 大嫂.

Signing on the Certificate of Marriage...

Walking down the aisle... under the blessing of everyone & the Sword Party

大哥, 大嫂喝茶... (Welcome to the Lin Family, Vania)

Onward to Orchid Country Club~ Grand Ballroom!

Check out the settings & the grandness of the place~!!!

At the end of the church wedding, all the guests went back. Everyone then headed towards Orchid Country Club to get ready for the wedding banquet at night. There was a lovely cocktail reception outside the Grand Ballroom. But Charmaine & I didn't get to enjoy it... as we were helping out with the reception & registrations. After the guests were finally seated, I started to standby for the March-in. We did the march-in & raised our swords, tip touching tip, in welcome of the newly wedded couple, but the couple took so long to walk down the aisle that my partner's & my arm soon began to tire & tremble, that we had to raise down our swords towards the end. Haha. When the couple got up onto the stage, it was our cue to march out of the Ballroom, change up & join back at our respective seats for the rest of the dinner.

The Sword Party & the March-in~!

Charmaine & I went to the couple's hotel suite to change into my black suit. During so, we missed the 2nd entrance of the couple riding in, on the hotel's jeep down the aisle of the Grand Ballroom, and also the Yum Sheng session on stage... Grrr, what a waste!

Beep Beep! Here comes the couple on their Jeep...
Pop~ Champagne Time... Yummmmmm Sheng~!!!

An Award Winning Pipa Performance by a Good Friend~ =)

Later on, there was even a performance by one of the bride's family's good friends - an award winning Pipa performer in Singapore (though I didn't know him but he was really good). However, as soon as he started his performance, the relatives' small children started to go onto the stage & started dancing. Soon everyone was laughing at the kids, obviously shifting their attention from the performance to the kids, which I felt was doing injustice to the performer & his goodwill. However the newly weds soon did asked the parents of the kids to get them off-stage & apologised to their good friend. Lucky the friend was easy-going & everything ended with a good note... =)

Photo taking with the 50 Tables~!!! starting with the VIP tables...

More photo taking with the Sword Party... & relatives...

After that, I believe comes the most tedious segment for the night - the newly wed's photo-taking session with each & every table. Following, finally, the time came for the guests to make their exit. All the family members of the newly wed, including myself, line up along the Ballroom main exit to thank each & everyone who took their precious time to come down & grace this holy matrimony between the newly wed couple. With that, the night finally came to an end...

Time for the guests to leave... Thanks for coming!

More photo taking with the Groom & Bride...

It was great to see my 大哥 and 大嫂 finally tie the knot after years of being together. May they enjoy each other's company & be understanding & tolerant towards each other. I wish them eternal love & bliss together forever. =) All the best...

(I wonder when my turn will come... hehe)

2009-07-18T09:22:00.022+08:00

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~

2009-07-12T01:58:00.007+08:00

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! =]

2009-07-11T20:13:00.006+08:00

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...

2009-07-05T22:33:00.000+08:00

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.

Happy 22nd Birthday, Dearest...

2009-06-19T14:12:00.000+08:00

Date: May 28th 2009 (Thursday)
Occasion: Charmaine's 22nd Birthday

It's supposed to be celebrated on May 28th, Thursday... but there was Dragonboat training @ Bedok Reservoir that evening, in preparation for the upcoming JUNE RACE. Hence, I decided not to skip training & join Charmaine & her family for a nice buffet dinner @ Oriental.

Just check out the good food especially the prawns & desserts! What a waste! What a waste!

And these two sisters (Charmaine & her sister, Pamela) are ever so evil... They purposely took video of the prawns & the desserts. Haha!

So anyway, after training @ Bedok Reservoir, I headed over to her place for the cutting of the birthday cake. Auntie Betty was also so funny, because Charmaine's Birthday falls on the same day as the Dumpling Festival, so she bought five dumplings & pretend that those were Charmaine's 'birthday cake'. We even placed the candles on the dumplings, lit them up & sang 'Happy Birthday'. So funny! Of course in the end, Auntie brought out the actual birthday cake & surprised Charmaine... and we had a round of photo-taking session with the birthday girl.

That's my Girlfriend... Forever the Drama Queen! HAHAHAHA!

Photo-taking session with the Birthday Girl~... ♥♥♥

So... that ends the night of celebration, with me eating up most of the YUMMY-LICIOUS cake! Hehe
~.~.~
End of Part 1 - 28.05.09
~.~.~

As I wasn't able to spend time with Charmaine on her actual Bday, I made it up to her by spending the following day with her instead. I brought her to Raffles City's food court - Food Place after work for dinner before bringing her to The Marina Barrage. Frankly speaking, the Food Place @ Raffles City does have some nice Japanese food, like the Japanese Omelette rice & Tempura Yong Tau Fu.

"Ebi Omelette Curry Rice & Tempura Yong Tau Fu Set Meal + Chawanmushi"

Took a train to Marina Bay, followed by a long & dusty walk through a tunnel to an out-of-place bus stop & waited for a bus that we thought would never come... Alighted at the designated bus stop & walked quite a distance before FINALLY reaching The Marina Barrage. Super inaccessible, without a car!

Beautiful Water Fountain...

Too bad, my digital camera was spoilt that night so we had to settle for Charmaine's handphone. If not, we could have taken more nice photos in the dim lights. Nevertheless, the night view of The Marina Barrage is still great... and the atmosphere just nice for dating. hehehehe

In the end, I got her a stuffed Monkey (which she named "Monty") together with a sunflower I promise to get her for every birthday... Teehee
~.~.~
End of Part 2 - 29.05.09
~.~.~

Meet Min the Huskey~!!!

2009-06-17T02:14:00.000+08:00

"A Comical Shot of Min..."

As I attended Charmaine's Granny's wake, I met Min the Huskey that had her picture on Charmaine's Friendster photo album. I saw her picture during those days when I was still spying on Charmaine... hehe

Min belongs to Cousin Ann May (Charmaine's cousin). She is nine doggie years old - which is 63 years old in human years, so she is already quite old. A bit hard of hearing & her eyesight isn't that great either, but she is the most obedient & clever dog I've ever seen. And she has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen...

I found this out when Charmaine & I brought her out for her walk. A trained dog will always walk on the left of its master, just like Min did. A trained dog will also walk in pace with its master, not like other dogs that are practically 'walking' their masters instead of the other way round.

Min has inspired me to train my future family dog, which I hope will be a Golden Retriever whom are said to be the smartest breed of dog around. However, Golden Retrievers are big dogs. That means I have to find a good job, earn & save enough money to buy a big house with a garden so I can keep a big dog like a Golden Retriever & have enough space for it to run about...

"Check out the colours of her eyes... so pretty"

"Me walking Min..."

"Charmaine with Min"

Last GoodByes to Charmaine's Grandmother...

2009-06-17T01:21:00.001+08:00

Monday, 14 June '09 - Wednesday, 16 June '09
Charmaine's bed-ridden granny passed away this Monday morning... as unexpectedly as the passing of a shooting star across the night sky.

Though it can be seen as a form of release from the bonds of years of torturing illness & sickness, it is never easy for remaining loved ones to accept the harsh reality that hit as hard as waves against rocks beneath the cliffs.

Kinda reminds me of the time when my Dad & Grandma passed away... and I believe that they are now in a better place, looking down on us, blessing us with their best wishes. Same as what Charmaine's granny would be doing now...

Charmaine's granny's wake lasted for three days till Wednesday, where the body was then brought to Mandai Crematorium for cremation. If anyone who has been to such occasion, will know that this is the hardest part of the whole funeral; relatives weeping & yelling out the name of their beloved as they saw through the glass panel, the body being pushed into the burning flames. I teared at this point when I saw Charmaine's Mom & her sisters crying out for their Mummy, but Auntie Betty (Charmaine's Mom) although the youngest, was the stronger amongst the daughter. She was the one who was always comforting her eldest sister... telling her that Mummy has gone to be with Daddy. That she wouldn't leave in peace if she saw them crying like that... In all honesty, I kinda respect that.

So as the body has being cremated & everyone headed back to the house for some lunch, the tense feeling of saddness started to slowly lift off the air & people were starting to joke around, making conversation... And this is the way it should be. We must understand that as there is life; the birth of a child, there will come with it; death. So when someone dear & beloved leaves us, we should celebrate his or her last journey of life, instead of crying over his or her death.

"The reason death sticks so closely to life isn't biological necessity - it's envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can. But life leaps over oblivion lightly, losing only a thing or two of no importance, and gloom is but the passing shadow of a cloud."

Xiao Long Baos!!! Char Sao Baos!!! Come get some Baos!!!

2009-06-16T23:38:00.001+08:00

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao @ Holland Village

Thanks to our 小王子, JinHan... We had another "batch" gathering graced with the appearance of Ashley & JiaQi @ Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao, Holland Village before our upcoming June race on the 27th & 28th of this month.

I wanna recommend this CJLMXLB to others too, for its South-Northern Steamboat Buffet which starts from 8:30pm to 1am on weekdays. Remember to make your reservations, it seems that business is quite good. There were quite a number of people also queueing up as the time approaches 8:30pm & we had to wait for quite a while to get our seats, even though we already made reservations. But then again, we had 14 people so we can't really blame them.

The place is located @ Holland Village, next to the Holland Road Shopping Centre & at the intersection of Lorong Liput & Holland Avenue.

I think I prefer this outlet much more than those in Bugis Street. The place is air-conditioned & comfortable as a place for gathering amongst friends & families. The food for the steamboat is well prepared & very hygenic. Not forgetting the free flow of drinks (like barley, water chestnut etc) & xiao long baos, char siew baos, man dous that you can stuff into your mouth. The xiao long baos & char siew baos are really good too. How do I know that? Because we can gobble down 40+ baskets of xiao long baos (5 in each basket) & 20+ baskets of big char siew baos (2 in each basket). Desserts are also served, such as the red bean pastry, clear osmanthus jelly & almond beancurd. But in my opinion, only the almond beancurd is truly YUMMY & REFRESHING~!

As for the steamboat itself, they serve 4 different soup bases for the steamboat, such as Sichuan Ma La Spicy Soup & Pork Bone with Sweet Corn Soup. You can try out the bi-combination (yuan yang) if you want two different soup bases at the same time. The ingredients for the steamboat include the usual veggies (lettuce, cabbages, spinach etc), mushrooms (oyster mushrooms, golden mushrooms etc) & sliced meat (pork, beef, chicken, lamb). They also have those beancurd, dumplings, fish balls, sotong balls, shrimp balls, crabmeat balls, salmon balls, sausages, pig's skin, pig's liver, pig's belly, cuttlefish, u-don & vermicelli etc... No seafood except for the designated 100grams of prawn each person is entitled to. But the food was really good enough in terms of quality & quantity. Not much to complain, unless you are really one of those picky people who like to "pick bones out from eggs".

We had a great time there, but I don't think the same can be said for the waiteresses & staff working there, serving two tables of 14 monsters whom are "whacking" the xiao long baos for all their worth (Nick, on the other hand, "whacking" the orange soda drink). It was a great feast cum gathering! One of those I truly enjoy... Hope this culture never ends.

Check out the glorious good food~!!!

How Good is the Food? Just ask Boon, Denny, Jonah & Nick!

Look at how high the Xiao Long Baos stack up! We can't even see Enyu behind it!

Check out the reasonable price too!
Each of us only paid $24 for all that good food!

おいしい Oishi! Ramen~

2009-06-05T01:40:00.004+08:00

おいしい Oishi! Ramen @ NOODLE HOUSE KEN

"Us @ NOODLE HOUSE KEN"

Friday's finally arrived again. Means there's no evening training tonight. Means the weekends are just around the corner... No work the next day although there's still training the next morning, means Charmaine & I can still go dating...

Plans for the evening are simple enough...
- Meet up after her attachment @ Plaza Singapura
- Have dinner @ our favourite Japanese Noodle House
- Catch a movie @ PS Golden Village (preferably Angels & Demons)
- Walk around, do abit of window shopping
- Send her safely home

I arrived @ PS earlier to buy the tickets for the movie... Too bad, we couldn't watch "Angels & Demons" due to the time slot. The 2hours+ movie was showing at around 9pm, which means that we would have trouble sending her home after the movie ended around 11pm++... So we caught the next best movie: "Night at the Museum II"... which I thought was not too shabby. It managed to crack me up a couple of times... like those three Cupids whom I think are actually the Jonas Brothers, & the alternating cut-scenes of the miniature Roman General 'Octavius' charging through the grass in the front yard of the White House, with the strong, powerful, dramatic music playing in the background one moment & next, the silent, quiet, tranquility cast over the entire front yard in the night (You have to watch it to understand what I mean).

So having said that, we have managed to watch 2 out of 3 movies that we planned to watch. But then, more good movies keep popping up & we have to add them onto our list - "Transformers II" & "Ghost of Girlfriends Past"... There's also "Drag me to Hell" which surprisingly is what my timid girlfriend (HAHA!) said she wanted to watch! She is the one who keeps trying to convince me to watch it with her. Hahaha...

"Transformers II: Revenge of the Fallen" is showing on June 24th~! JinHan's Bday!

Before we went for the movies, we went back to the Japanese Noodle House @ Orchard Plaza where I brought Charmaine to on our official first date... sure brings back memories. Two shy mouses then, have turned into a pair of strong, rowdy, crappy dragonboating couple today... haha!

So I wanna share the place with the rest of the world. The place is called "NOODLE HOUSE KEN", open on Mondays - Saturdays, 12noon to 2pm, then 6pm to 2am, close on Sundays.

Located at a "ulu" deep corner of Orchard Plaza along the side of the shopping centre, where the tailor shops are, you can find this small joint (easy to miss if you are not paying attention) with two separate seating areas. One is the kitchen with the counter right in front with perhaps one or two tables at the sides (much like those small shops seen in Japan), the other separated room is more spacious, with more tables available... However it's still not a lot, therefore seats are limited. But so far, during my visits there, I have been able to get a table on the spot.

"For those who still can't quite get where to find the place, I have even did up a map for you..."

As for the food, they serve pretty decent ramen (I like their char siew ramen & cold noodle) & rice balls at reasonable prices over there, although this time, they did forget to put the stewed boiled egg that were supposed to come with our bowls of ramen. -_- I've seen Japanese people dining there before, so the food can't be all that bad...

"The Menu"

"Char Siew Ramen & Rice Balls..."

Entry #77

2009-05-24T03:36:00.001+08:00

The one where we baked a Cake together, and you plucked my hair!

Went over to Charmaine's house in the afternoon. Kinda cute that both Charmaine & I are having backaches from Dragonboat training, but hers was so much worse than mine. At least for mine, I can still walk normally, while she might as well have transformed into a pregnant lady or 70+ year old granny... hehe (she's so gonna kill me).

Since we had nothing to do & that packet of Hershey's cocoa powder was going to expire soon, we decided to bake a cake. This is the 1st time I'm baking a cake - my virgin experience... hehe. Baking a cake can actually be quite fun, from sifting the cocoa powder, to mixing in the water, cooking oil & eggs, to finally putting the batter into the oven for baking (150 degrees for 40 minutes)... IT CAN REALLY BE A WHOLE NEW EXPERIENCE~!!!

After the cake is done, the whole family crowded around & each sampled the lovely chocolate cake, but it was abit too dry... think we left it in the oven for too long.

Our efforts together... (Great picture taken by Auntie)

Nothing better to do, she started plucking my facial hair with her make-up "pliers"... Painful but 'shiok'!