Friday, December 31, 2004
Finally got my birthday photos from Collin, so here's a backdated photolog of selected photos. For reference to the day's events refer to Dec 18 post. Hehe...will post Christmas bash photos once I get hold of all. (Shups, don't hold the photos hostage anymore ok? Please?)
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Here's a picture Huijun took. Couldn't resist putting it up. The kitten was actually sleeping like this. Kawaii des!
I met up with Steph and Bel earlier on, and after Sakae Sushi, we went down to Pacific Coffee Company opposite Marina. (Is that building Raffles Link? Can never remember...) So we were there a good 45 minutes when this waiter came by the tables and said "Sorry, we're closed." Curtly, to add. That got us pretty irritated.
What kind of service is that? The shortest thing he could have said would be "Sorry, we're closing." In fact, he should have gone round 15 minutes earlier and informed us "Sorry, we're closing in 15 minutes' time" or something like that. "Sorry, we're closed" says "pack up and get out" in no uncertain terms. It is plain rudeness. So we decided we will not make it so easy. So we stayed.
He came by to all the tables one more round to say exactly the same thing, "Sorry, we're closed." Bel decided that if he did it one more time she'd talk to the manager. So the guy came by with this attitude face and asked if he can clear Bel's cup of tea, which still had some tea left in it. So she said no, and the guy said the third time, "Sorry, we're closed."
So off to the manager she went, with our support. Fortunately for Pacific Coffee Company, they hired a fairly nice and not bad looking manager, else he would have gotten hell from Bel. Hmm hell from Bel. Nice ring to the phrase.
Bad, bad service. I can imagine Shups scolding the waiter if she had joined us. In the end, we popped by the other branch at Citilink, and we had no issue there. So it's just the fault of one insolent fellow.
What kind of service is that? The shortest thing he could have said would be "Sorry, we're closing." In fact, he should have gone round 15 minutes earlier and informed us "Sorry, we're closing in 15 minutes' time" or something like that. "Sorry, we're closed" says "pack up and get out" in no uncertain terms. It is plain rudeness. So we decided we will not make it so easy. So we stayed.
He came by to all the tables one more round to say exactly the same thing, "Sorry, we're closed." Bel decided that if he did it one more time she'd talk to the manager. So the guy came by with this attitude face and asked if he can clear Bel's cup of tea, which still had some tea left in it. So she said no, and the guy said the third time, "Sorry, we're closed."
So off to the manager she went, with our support. Fortunately for Pacific Coffee Company, they hired a fairly nice and not bad looking manager, else he would have gotten hell from Bel. Hmm hell from Bel. Nice ring to the phrase.
Bad, bad service. I can imagine Shups scolding the waiter if she had joined us. In the end, we popped by the other branch at Citilink, and we had no issue there. So it's just the fault of one insolent fellow.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
I was watching The Day After Tomorrow vcd on monday with some friends, and I was thinking that if this movie was released right now, it would probably strike the nerves or pull at the heartstrings of many. The recent series of earthquakes and tidal waves have been nothing short of catastrophic. As of yesterday, the death toll had hit 55000. I heard today it went up again.
The number is horrifying. Putting it in perspective: Palestinian suicide attacks against Israel generally kills at most a couple of dozen people. Plane crashes kill a couple of hundreds. September 11 killed about three thousand people. Those are disasters, so I don't know what exactly to call this. Nature is fearsome indeed.
I was reading this article in Streats today, and the writer was commenting about counting our blessings. Very true indeed. A tidal wave could easily do huge damage to a tiny island like Singapore. We should indeed be thankful that Singapore is situated in such a safe geographical location. I really can't imagine the devastation that had happened. Although the causes are very different, with this current catastrophe, the plot of The Day After Tomorrow almost seemed believable.
It is particularly scary when you look at the book of Matthew 24: 7-8, and Jesus said (regarding the signs of the End of the Age) "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." As analysts had studied, the number of wars in this past century is more than all those before. Disasters are occuring all over (or is it news nowadays like to hype it up?). It is time to do what's really important in our lives. "Beginning of birth pains" to me suggests there is worse to come. Ah no, I sound like a doomsday prophet. Bwahahaha.
The number is horrifying. Putting it in perspective: Palestinian suicide attacks against Israel generally kills at most a couple of dozen people. Plane crashes kill a couple of hundreds. September 11 killed about three thousand people. Those are disasters, so I don't know what exactly to call this. Nature is fearsome indeed.
I was reading this article in Streats today, and the writer was commenting about counting our blessings. Very true indeed. A tidal wave could easily do huge damage to a tiny island like Singapore. We should indeed be thankful that Singapore is situated in such a safe geographical location. I really can't imagine the devastation that had happened. Although the causes are very different, with this current catastrophe, the plot of The Day After Tomorrow almost seemed believable.
It is particularly scary when you look at the book of Matthew 24: 7-8, and Jesus said (regarding the signs of the End of the Age) "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." As analysts had studied, the number of wars in this past century is more than all those before. Disasters are occuring all over (or is it news nowadays like to hype it up?). It is time to do what's really important in our lives. "Beginning of birth pains" to me suggests there is worse to come. Ah no, I sound like a doomsday prophet. Bwahahaha.
Monday, December 27, 2004
Just came back from a colleague's wedding dinner at Pan Pacific. Food's pretty good actually, although I don't like the layout of the ballroom. It comfortably held about 25 tables, but the thing is the ballroom is very long and fairly narrow, so the stage is very far away from the back tables (where I was... *grumble). Apparently my table was the last table for the TJC staff, so there was only me, and three of my chemistry department colleagues (by right, four, but last one is sick), and people we totally don't know. Fortunately, I was in the company of three lovely ladies.
We had a lot of fun joking about this guy who was quite clearly interested in one of the three ladies. He was trying very, very hard. It started with him coming over to talk to the other two ladies, who were helping out at the reception. Then he asked the name of the third colleague, and as an afterthought, he introduced himself to me. Why I say afterthought is because I'm seated between the two colleagues at the reception, and the third colleague. So he bypassed me first, then got back to me. It was soooo darn obvious. Apparently, the 'target' was unaware, while the three of us talked about it. He came by once to make small talk about having seen her before. Didn't get far. Came back again to remark about her looking like this teacher in her same batch teaching in VJC. Didn't work, cause none of us knew who he was talking about. Came by again, but she was saved because she was busy talking to another pretty colleague. Last try was good. He came by, requested a photo with all of us (yeah right...) and then sat right next to her.
I was guessing he would ask for her number before dessert time, but apparently he didn't have the guts. I believe he would go the safe route: ask the number from the bride through the groom, his friend. Wedding dinners are full of such things, I realized. Do people believe that it's easier to find love during someone else's celebration of love or something?
I finally managed to use the bloggerbot! Not super friendly, blogwise, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. Finally, my blog shall see the light of day! Photographs! I think the resolution of the pictures taken with my handphone seems more than enough for the blog...I will post more pictures wherever possible. *happy.
We had a lot of fun joking about this guy who was quite clearly interested in one of the three ladies. He was trying very, very hard. It started with him coming over to talk to the other two ladies, who were helping out at the reception. Then he asked the name of the third colleague, and as an afterthought, he introduced himself to me. Why I say afterthought is because I'm seated between the two colleagues at the reception, and the third colleague. So he bypassed me first, then got back to me. It was soooo darn obvious. Apparently, the 'target' was unaware, while the three of us talked about it. He came by once to make small talk about having seen her before. Didn't get far. Came back again to remark about her looking like this teacher in her same batch teaching in VJC. Didn't work, cause none of us knew who he was talking about. Came by again, but she was saved because she was busy talking to another pretty colleague. Last try was good. He came by, requested a photo with all of us (yeah right...) and then sat right next to her.
I was guessing he would ask for her number before dessert time, but apparently he didn't have the guts. I believe he would go the safe route: ask the number from the bride through the groom, his friend. Wedding dinners are full of such things, I realized. Do people believe that it's easier to find love during someone else's celebration of love or something?
I finally managed to use the bloggerbot! Not super friendly, blogwise, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. Finally, my blog shall see the light of day! Photographs! I think the resolution of the pictures taken with my handphone seems more than enough for the blog...I will post more pictures wherever possible. *happy.
Saturday, December 25, 2004
We had a small gathering at the condo of the newest addition to our cell group - Eric. He now ties the youngest spot with Chris at 19 years old. We had a lot of fun singing Christmas carols and chatting. As I was sharing with the cell then, I'm really thankful to God for the current cell group. Somehow, our cell had started and went through many generations of people who left us, and I think the core that has remained is made up of only 3 of us. Strangely, just when Adrian was considering closing the cell, it revived. Many people came in one by one, and now our cell is of a fair size, but the numbers aren't the important thing. The important thing is we all get along very well. There is a unity that was never present before, and I think this year is wonderful for ministry because of that, and my sunday school boys.
After that we went down to the church Christmas bash. At first the Teen Lodi (Lodi is supposed to be an acronym but I forgot...think it's Living Out Divine Inspiration?) competition almost bored me to tears. The ponchos given out to be used as groundsheets were way too slippery for the "treacherous" slopes of Fort Canning. I think I only found it fun after the praise and worship started. Involvement is essential for fun. I love my sunday school boys. Fun bunch. Hope I will raise them up well as a spiritual father.
When it all ended, Shups drove me home in our friend's car! Haha...first time I'm a passenger when she's driving. In the privacy of this blog (what privacy? haha) I would like to comment that Bao's giving instructions while Shups was driving was very amusing. He either sounds like a driving instructor (with the sian sterness) or they can pass off as a married couple! Eh...the other time I sat in a car that my aunt (who rarely drives) drove, with my uncle beside her, both occasions are remarkably similar. Hehe. I am soooo gonna get screwed for this post.
After that we went down to the church Christmas bash. At first the Teen Lodi (Lodi is supposed to be an acronym but I forgot...think it's Living Out Divine Inspiration?) competition almost bored me to tears. The ponchos given out to be used as groundsheets were way too slippery for the "treacherous" slopes of Fort Canning. I think I only found it fun after the praise and worship started. Involvement is essential for fun. I love my sunday school boys. Fun bunch. Hope I will raise them up well as a spiritual father.
When it all ended, Shups drove me home in our friend's car! Haha...first time I'm a passenger when she's driving. In the privacy of this blog (what privacy? haha) I would like to comment that Bao's giving instructions while Shups was driving was very amusing. He either sounds like a driving instructor (with the sian sterness) or they can pass off as a married couple! Eh...the other time I sat in a car that my aunt (who rarely drives) drove, with my uncle beside her, both occasions are remarkably similar. Hehe. I am soooo gonna get screwed for this post.
Friday, December 24, 2004
Sigh. I ended up getting my cell member Collin something he didn't really want. In fact, the irritating thing is that two of my ideas would have been better. I thought of getting him a bag and a controller, but in the end I dismissed them. Ah well. Next time I'll just call and ask. Birthday presents should be done that way, so as to avoid wastage. Hah!
We threw a very small Christmas party for the SM3 students. We prepared some spaghetti (me, who never helps in the kitchen, helped with the spaghetti...turned out alright...), had some ham and bread for sandwich. It was a brief one hour plus thing, but it was quite satisfying to see the smiles on their faces. They didn't seem to have any plans for celebration even though it was Christmas eve.
We had a bbq birthday party for Collin, and there was a large excess of food. Interestingly, other than the present from our cell, everyone else brought liqour. Aha! Alcoholic cell member. Hehe. I had the honour of setting up the fires in two pits, and later reviving the fires in both pits when the chefs let them die out. Now my arms from shoulder to forearms are aching. I was am ambidexterous firestarter, so now both arms ache like mad. Bleah.
We threw a very small Christmas party for the SM3 students. We prepared some spaghetti (me, who never helps in the kitchen, helped with the spaghetti...turned out alright...), had some ham and bread for sandwich. It was a brief one hour plus thing, but it was quite satisfying to see the smiles on their faces. They didn't seem to have any plans for celebration even though it was Christmas eve.
We had a bbq birthday party for Collin, and there was a large excess of food. Interestingly, other than the present from our cell, everyone else brought liqour. Aha! Alcoholic cell member. Hehe. I had the honour of setting up the fires in two pits, and later reviving the fires in both pits when the chefs let them die out. Now my arms from shoulder to forearms are aching. I was am ambidexterous firestarter, so now both arms ache like mad. Bleah.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
I bought a pair of leather slippers/sandals at last! Hard to find a good pair that doesn't slip off easily, is comfortable, looks good and is cheap enough! Surprisingly it's from Bata. My blood brother reminded me Bata stands for "buy and throw away", but I hope this pair of slippers will last long enough till I find something closer to what I am looking for. (Somehow this part just looks like it came from a woman's blog no matter how I word it...)
I bought a handphone pouch too! My two week old 6230 is showing signs of scratches on the screen. Sigh. Should have protected it earlier. But the stupid pouch is a hassle man. I have to take out the phone from the pouch everytime a phone call or sms comes in, or I want to call out or sms. The hassle from protecting it doesn't seem quite worth it. Maybe I'll just let it undergo wear and tear and some months down the road spend a painful $50 to get a new original cover.
The toughest part was actually to find a nice birthday card and present for my cell member. That was a pain, in the sense that I can't think of anything he wants or needs that he hasn't already gotten for himself. I settled for something that I think might be useful, but I shan't blog it in case he accidentally stumbles across my blog before tomorrow. Unlikely, but just in case.
Blood brothers outing today - Kungfu Hustle! It is not the otherwise crappy but tasteless Stephen Chow fare. It was actually hilarious, and people who know something about pugilistic novels will find the spoofs additionally funny. But the whole show was pretty well done, not just in the special effects, but the concept of it. But I do think it's a all-guys-outing kinda show. Not that girls won't find it amusing, but I think the appreciation is different. Anyway, we all thought it was good stuff man.
I'm overspending. I will eat grass till Jan's payday. Mooooo.
I bought a handphone pouch too! My two week old 6230 is showing signs of scratches on the screen. Sigh. Should have protected it earlier. But the stupid pouch is a hassle man. I have to take out the phone from the pouch everytime a phone call or sms comes in, or I want to call out or sms. The hassle from protecting it doesn't seem quite worth it. Maybe I'll just let it undergo wear and tear and some months down the road spend a painful $50 to get a new original cover.
The toughest part was actually to find a nice birthday card and present for my cell member. That was a pain, in the sense that I can't think of anything he wants or needs that he hasn't already gotten for himself. I settled for something that I think might be useful, but I shan't blog it in case he accidentally stumbles across my blog before tomorrow. Unlikely, but just in case.
Blood brothers outing today - Kungfu Hustle! It is not the otherwise crappy but tasteless Stephen Chow fare. It was actually hilarious, and people who know something about pugilistic novels will find the spoofs additionally funny. But the whole show was pretty well done, not just in the special effects, but the concept of it. But I do think it's a all-guys-outing kinda show. Not that girls won't find it amusing, but I think the appreciation is different. Anyway, we all thought it was good stuff man.
I'm overspending. I will eat grass till Jan's payday. Mooooo.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
The chinese students in the SM3 project are really friendly and spontaneous people. They are a really fun bunch of people. Even with my standard of Mandarin, I still find it hard to catch everything they say, partly because of the accent, but more because of the speed at which they speak.
The most notable difference between S'porean students and PRC students: I asked them to begin a round of introduction of their names, home city and university, and one by one they started voluntarily, and gave more details than asked for. I believe that a typical S'porean group of people who don't know one another (e.g. during orientation) when asked to do this will look at one another and no one will start until someone is pointed out to start or something.
The most notable difference between S'porean students and PRC students: I asked them to begin a round of introduction of their names, home city and university, and one by one they started voluntarily, and gave more details than asked for. I believe that a typical S'porean group of people who don't know one another (e.g. during orientation) when asked to do this will look at one another and no one will start until someone is pointed out to start or something.
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Blood brothers' birthday celebration can be summarized by xbox, cakecutting, and makan. Surprisingly, the turnout was almost full strength, considering that originally some people could not make it. And yet again, we lament the no-show of one blood brother, who has sold his soul to city harvest. And I thought FCBC christians are busy already...hmmm...
I still find it surreal when I see my blood brothers driving. It was like for a good many years, no one has a car, and that seemed to mark our youth distinctly. Maybe it's because I went through one more year of NIE so I didn't feel like I began work only until this year. But seeing them with their cars make me feel like we have aged to a new phase of life officially. Not that the car is a symbol of maturity or anything, but rather, an indication of purchasing power that comes from working individuals. I suppose the moment one of us gets married, the bubble will burst again. Heh.
I still find it surreal when I see my blood brothers driving. It was like for a good many years, no one has a car, and that seemed to mark our youth distinctly. Maybe it's because I went through one more year of NIE so I didn't feel like I began work only until this year. But seeing them with their cars make me feel like we have aged to a new phase of life officially. Not that the car is a symbol of maturity or anything, but rather, an indication of purchasing power that comes from working individuals. I suppose the moment one of us gets married, the bubble will burst again. Heh.
What a wonderful birthday I have this year!
Of course, as I'm blogging this, it's already over, but it feels particularly long. Starting with Friday with Jess, and today (by now yesterday), with my cell and good friends, and tomorrow, my blood brothers. Indulge me, for this will be a long post.
I started off heading down to Sim Lim square. Now I volunteered for this SM3 project, which is a collaboration of Touch Community Services and MOE. Basically we host PRC students who are invited to our local universities to study. Host as in fetch them from airport to hostel, bring them to amenities trips, tour certain parts of Singapore, and then provide support through the 7 months they are here before entering the university. So today, my G12 leader Adrian and some cell members brought them to Sim Lim square, and I went to meet them. So that's the background. I wanted to buy a Xbox game, controller, and a MMC card for my 6230 to store more MP3s.
So I went all over and found the cheapest MMC card 256mb at $55. Now Adrian had tagged along in my search and discouraged me from buying, saying things like it's not worth it, or think about it more etc. But at the shop with the $55 card and I was going to buy it, he finally said, "Aiya, we got you a MP3 player lah." Apparently it was meant to be a surprise and I kinda blew it. Hahaha...
Anyway I had planned to go home and pick up some stuff before going to church, but Steph rang me up and asked me to join her for shopping, and she's getting Isabel too. I found it rare that she sounded chirpy so I happily agreed. So we went to Starbucks, had some coffee, and went shopping. Steph originally wanted to come to church with me, but last minute she told me she's going to Touch Centre instead. And Isabel went home. (A lot of boring details, I know, but it's important to mention).
So after service, we had a big dinner - my cell group and my sunday school boys - and it felt great to have most of them there. Somehow something felt pretty much complete in that picture. After dinner, my whole cell went to Kster for karaoke. Halfway through the session, the lights went out, and guess what? Steph and Shups came in with a birthday cake! I admit I never would have seen it coming. (I was originally gonna meet Shups and Isabel for dinner today, but Shups cancelled it on Fri...part of the conspiracy!) Seems like they went to quite a lot of trouble to plan this, and I was really touched. Adrian gave a short speech that was really encouraging, and I really feel blessed to be in the cell. The current one which is spectacularly different from a couple of years ago. God has been generous in grace to us. So sweeeeet. We sang a lot, took a lot of photos, and I must say, this must be my most enjoyable karaoke session thus far in my life. And an extremely memorable birthday.
Yep, never would have seen it coming.
After that four of us went to play pool. I wasn't particularly on form today. We played doubles, and I think I chi1 luan3 fan4 in a lot of games, thanks to Shups' excellent form. It's a great day! I'm a happy man. Looking forward to tomorrow with my blood brothers. In stark contrast, I realized that my gang of blood brothers are more and more bochup about the birthday celebrations (I bought my own present alone -_-). Too many years together maybe...haha...
Of course, as I'm blogging this, it's already over, but it feels particularly long. Starting with Friday with Jess, and today (by now yesterday), with my cell and good friends, and tomorrow, my blood brothers. Indulge me, for this will be a long post.
I started off heading down to Sim Lim square. Now I volunteered for this SM3 project, which is a collaboration of Touch Community Services and MOE. Basically we host PRC students who are invited to our local universities to study. Host as in fetch them from airport to hostel, bring them to amenities trips, tour certain parts of Singapore, and then provide support through the 7 months they are here before entering the university. So today, my G12 leader Adrian and some cell members brought them to Sim Lim square, and I went to meet them. So that's the background. I wanted to buy a Xbox game, controller, and a MMC card for my 6230 to store more MP3s.
So I went all over and found the cheapest MMC card 256mb at $55. Now Adrian had tagged along in my search and discouraged me from buying, saying things like it's not worth it, or think about it more etc. But at the shop with the $55 card and I was going to buy it, he finally said, "Aiya, we got you a MP3 player lah." Apparently it was meant to be a surprise and I kinda blew it. Hahaha...
Anyway I had planned to go home and pick up some stuff before going to church, but Steph rang me up and asked me to join her for shopping, and she's getting Isabel too. I found it rare that she sounded chirpy so I happily agreed. So we went to Starbucks, had some coffee, and went shopping. Steph originally wanted to come to church with me, but last minute she told me she's going to Touch Centre instead. And Isabel went home. (A lot of boring details, I know, but it's important to mention).
So after service, we had a big dinner - my cell group and my sunday school boys - and it felt great to have most of them there. Somehow something felt pretty much complete in that picture. After dinner, my whole cell went to Kster for karaoke. Halfway through the session, the lights went out, and guess what? Steph and Shups came in with a birthday cake! I admit I never would have seen it coming. (I was originally gonna meet Shups and Isabel for dinner today, but Shups cancelled it on Fri...part of the conspiracy!) Seems like they went to quite a lot of trouble to plan this, and I was really touched. Adrian gave a short speech that was really encouraging, and I really feel blessed to be in the cell. The current one which is spectacularly different from a couple of years ago. God has been generous in grace to us. So sweeeeet. We sang a lot, took a lot of photos, and I must say, this must be my most enjoyable karaoke session thus far in my life. And an extremely memorable birthday.
Yep, never would have seen it coming.
After that four of us went to play pool. I wasn't particularly on form today. We played doubles, and I think I chi1 luan3 fan4 in a lot of games, thanks to Shups' excellent form. It's a great day! I'm a happy man. Looking forward to tomorrow with my blood brothers. In stark contrast, I realized that my gang of blood brothers are more and more bochup about the birthday celebrations (I bought my own present alone -_-). Too many years together maybe...haha...
Saturday, December 18, 2004
I just caught Ocean's Twelve. Still a funny movie, and a convoluted plot, but I think it's definitely not as good as Ocean's Eleven. Somehow the casino heist seemed a much smarter plot than this one. Ah well. Anyway, the interesting part is that I caught the movie with Jess, and then we went for supper, and she drove me home in her spanking new car.
I still have feelings for her. It's gonna be tough getting over her completely. Come to think of it, do I want that in the first place?
I still have feelings for her. It's gonna be tough getting over her completely. Come to think of it, do I want that in the first place?
Thursday, December 16, 2004
I failed my IPPT. Never mind the fact that I got a MC, because actually, I wouldn't have passed even if I tried. I think I have started training for it waaaaaay too late. So here's the sinking reality.
Remedial training. 2 times a week. Argh. On a more positive note, I will be forced to exercise. I realized I do have poor discipline when it comes to exercise. I am also getting fatter by the day...need to work off some of the oil. Haha...
I met up with my chem eng classmate for dinner after that. On account that I went to Khatib camp for IPPT, and I am so rarely in the northern part of Singapore, and I'm so free, I gamely went to Causeway Point to meet my friend. I think the only important thing I do in this holiday of mine is catching up with old friends. Interestingly I see many friends quitting or thinking of quitting their jobs lately. Now I feel even more thankful I went into teaching, because I am even more sure I wouldn't have been happy in the chemical industry.
On a side note, I always wonder why those slimming centres got all the already slim celebrities such as Jacelyn Tay and Fann Wong (slim may be an understatement) for endorsements. I still find Fann Wong's Xando advertisement remarkable. "After using Xando, I have lost 2% body fat!" Wow. From slim to skinny. Yippee. Here's a comment from my mum: "All these slimming centres should get Moses Lim to endorse them. If he can slim down, the centres sure get big business." True right? Why don't any of them dare to work on Moses Lim?
Remedial training. 2 times a week. Argh. On a more positive note, I will be forced to exercise. I realized I do have poor discipline when it comes to exercise. I am also getting fatter by the day...need to work off some of the oil. Haha...
I met up with my chem eng classmate for dinner after that. On account that I went to Khatib camp for IPPT, and I am so rarely in the northern part of Singapore, and I'm so free, I gamely went to Causeway Point to meet my friend. I think the only important thing I do in this holiday of mine is catching up with old friends. Interestingly I see many friends quitting or thinking of quitting their jobs lately. Now I feel even more thankful I went into teaching, because I am even more sure I wouldn't have been happy in the chemical industry.
On a side note, I always wonder why those slimming centres got all the already slim celebrities such as Jacelyn Tay and Fann Wong (slim may be an understatement) for endorsements. I still find Fann Wong's Xando advertisement remarkable. "After using Xando, I have lost 2% body fat!" Wow. From slim to skinny. Yippee. Here's a comment from my mum: "All these slimming centres should get Moses Lim to endorse them. If he can slim down, the centres sure get big business." True right? Why don't any of them dare to work on Moses Lim?
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Wow I don't quite believe it! Moses Lim also thanked God! And he said something like God bless you Singapore? I couldn't quite catch it. This is truly, truly unprecedented. I hope more Christian stars start winning awards! Hahaha...
I'm now watching Star Awards. Almost all of my predictions came out right! (My mum was commenting why I don't pick 4 numbers for her 4D...) But that's not why I blogged. I'm impressed by Li Nanxing, who in his acceptance speech, said that (rough translation here) the reason that he is able to sustain himself through so many years of filming is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Woohoo!!! He said that on national TV!!! I don't know how many millions of viewers are tuned in right now, but that's one heck of a testimony! Way cool. I suppose only a guy like him can get away with something like that anyway. Hehe.
Woohoo!!! He said that on national TV!!! I don't know how many millions of viewers are tuned in right now, but that's one heck of a testimony! Way cool. I suppose only a guy like him can get away with something like that anyway. Hehe.
Friday, December 10, 2004
A bit of haiku:
Late and hurrying
A horde of shambling zombies
Always block my way.
Everyone's a roadblock when you are in a hurry, isn't it?
Late and hurrying
A horde of shambling zombies
Always block my way.
Everyone's a roadblock when you are in a hurry, isn't it?
I met Isabel today for shopping! We started from Bugis, and I managed to finally find a nice pouch to replace my old one. Hey, it's more difficult than you think...it has to fit a Sigg water bottle, an umbrella, a windbreaker, and on weekends, a bible. And other miscellaneous items. Without looking huge. So it's a rare find. Now to find a new pair of slippers/sandals...
We went to Ding Tai Fung for dinner, on the spur of the moment. The one at Paragon is quite a big place, and it was perpetually busy in there, much like Crystal Jade, which I go to more often. My colleague had been raving about it every time I mentioned Crystal Jade, saying Ding Tai Fung is much better, so here's my final verdict.
The food at Ding Tai Fung is definitely good, but I can't really compare, because the food served is largely dissimilar. Crystal Jade is more Hong Kong in style, and Ding Tai Fung is Shanghainese I think. So there's no real basis for comparison. Except maybe the xiao long bao, and I actually still prefer the Crystal Jade one. So I consider Ding Tai Fung, Lao Beijing and Crystal Jade to be in a similar league, sharing also similar prices.
Anyway, here's another gripe about parents with small children in public. There was this family eating dinner there, and this cute baby girl seated on a baby chair. After they finished the dinner, the girl started ripping the wet tissue apart into small pieces and threw them all over the floor below her. And the parents did nothing to stop her, and looked bemused. Well, the consolation is that the whole family is caucasian! So I guess Singaporeans aren't the only ones who don't know how to take their kids in toll and let them run amok. (Isabel: "At least they said thanks to the waitress for cleaning it up. Singaporeans may not do that." Point to ponder...)
We went by the carnival behind Orchard MRT, and looked around. The rides looked uninteresting, but there was this outdoor ice skating thing, without the ice. The floor is supposed to be made of this special material that allows for the skates. But they seem to be moving pretty much slower. And I've always thought ice skating works because the ice beneath the blade melts under the high pressure of the sharp edge, producing a tiny line of water that makes it possible to skate. Hmmm...my logical mind boggles. We did buy some titanium pendants though. I hope it really is titanium, as every other pendant I have had always rapidly tarnished. It looks very me. It looks very cool. (Oops. A bhb moment.)
We went to Ding Tai Fung for dinner, on the spur of the moment. The one at Paragon is quite a big place, and it was perpetually busy in there, much like Crystal Jade, which I go to more often. My colleague had been raving about it every time I mentioned Crystal Jade, saying Ding Tai Fung is much better, so here's my final verdict.
The food at Ding Tai Fung is definitely good, but I can't really compare, because the food served is largely dissimilar. Crystal Jade is more Hong Kong in style, and Ding Tai Fung is Shanghainese I think. So there's no real basis for comparison. Except maybe the xiao long bao, and I actually still prefer the Crystal Jade one. So I consider Ding Tai Fung, Lao Beijing and Crystal Jade to be in a similar league, sharing also similar prices.
Anyway, here's another gripe about parents with small children in public. There was this family eating dinner there, and this cute baby girl seated on a baby chair. After they finished the dinner, the girl started ripping the wet tissue apart into small pieces and threw them all over the floor below her. And the parents did nothing to stop her, and looked bemused. Well, the consolation is that the whole family is caucasian! So I guess Singaporeans aren't the only ones who don't know how to take their kids in toll and let them run amok. (Isabel: "At least they said thanks to the waitress for cleaning it up. Singaporeans may not do that." Point to ponder...)
We went by the carnival behind Orchard MRT, and looked around. The rides looked uninteresting, but there was this outdoor ice skating thing, without the ice. The floor is supposed to be made of this special material that allows for the skates. But they seem to be moving pretty much slower. And I've always thought ice skating works because the ice beneath the blade melts under the high pressure of the sharp edge, producing a tiny line of water that makes it possible to skate. Hmmm...my logical mind boggles. We did buy some titanium pendants though. I hope it really is titanium, as every other pendant I have had always rapidly tarnished. It looks very me. It looks very cool. (Oops. A bhb moment.)
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
I met up with my pastor for lunch today at Bishan, and after that we drove into the new RJC compound, which is still in the works, to take a look.
It was disgustingly huge.
I wonder how many times bigger than TJC it is...it has a huge block of classrooms, and I think it's 5 storeys high (good luck to students who gets the top floor rooms...didn't see lifts...). There is this 6 or 7 storey circular building that I suspect is the admin and teachers' room block, and it kinda looks like the national library they are building near bras basah. It's that kind of look. There's a block by itself which houses LT6, and I didn't find the other 5 LTs, but the LT looks like what we have in NUS. Properly carpeted floors and all. There's 4 tennis courts, 2 basketball courts, and one indoor basketball court (= size of 4 badminton courts) housed in one building by itself. Another building houses the school hall. There's of course the football field complete with running track and viewing gallery. Singapore's premium institution indeed. The funding sure is immense.
I am impressed, and I am envious. Bleah.
I had a nice time catching up with my pastor. He was telling me his plans for the next big thing he's gonna do, and the idea of a cyberwellness centre was exciting! I hope it takes off. Then I can go there and play free games while doing something meaningful! Bwahahaha. He also lent me a couple of books, which I hope I still have the discipline to finish reading. One of them is The Case for a Creator, written to address scientific and logical people. The book appeals to my intellect straight off, and I hope it arms me with enough knowledge to debate with Darwin and Big Bang Theory supporters the next time I talk to them. Hehehe.
I went to visit a friend who is down with chicken pox after that, and we played many hours of Magic the Gathering (henceforth abbrieviated as MTG in this blog) cards. I don't know whether to pity him in that sorry pox-ridden state, or to congratulate him that he had gotten 2 weeks worth of MC so late in the year.
It was disgustingly huge.
I wonder how many times bigger than TJC it is...it has a huge block of classrooms, and I think it's 5 storeys high (good luck to students who gets the top floor rooms...didn't see lifts...). There is this 6 or 7 storey circular building that I suspect is the admin and teachers' room block, and it kinda looks like the national library they are building near bras basah. It's that kind of look. There's a block by itself which houses LT6, and I didn't find the other 5 LTs, but the LT looks like what we have in NUS. Properly carpeted floors and all. There's 4 tennis courts, 2 basketball courts, and one indoor basketball court (= size of 4 badminton courts) housed in one building by itself. Another building houses the school hall. There's of course the football field complete with running track and viewing gallery. Singapore's premium institution indeed. The funding sure is immense.
I am impressed, and I am envious. Bleah.
I had a nice time catching up with my pastor. He was telling me his plans for the next big thing he's gonna do, and the idea of a cyberwellness centre was exciting! I hope it takes off. Then I can go there and play free games while doing something meaningful! Bwahahaha. He also lent me a couple of books, which I hope I still have the discipline to finish reading. One of them is The Case for a Creator, written to address scientific and logical people. The book appeals to my intellect straight off, and I hope it arms me with enough knowledge to debate with Darwin and Big Bang Theory supporters the next time I talk to them. Hehehe.
I went to visit a friend who is down with chicken pox after that, and we played many hours of Magic the Gathering (henceforth abbrieviated as MTG in this blog) cards. I don't know whether to pity him in that sorry pox-ridden state, or to congratulate him that he had gotten 2 weeks worth of MC so late in the year.
Monday, December 06, 2004
I have officially broken up. Not that the last time I broke up with my ex was unofficial, but rather, we had an agreement with our pastor that we would come together in Dec after half a year of careful thought to reconsider the whole thing. So today's the day, and the final decision was that I wanted to give it a shot, but she felt that it wouldn't work between us. Since it takes two hands to clap, it was a verdict to go separate ways.
But in any case, I have grown through the relationship, and the past six months of being unattached. The experience itself is still invaluable. I'll get over the disappointment eventually, so friends, don't worry for me.
But in any case, I have grown through the relationship, and the past six months of being unattached. The experience itself is still invaluable. I'll get over the disappointment eventually, so friends, don't worry for me.
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Nowadays every wedding I attend becomes a love-hate thing. I genuinely feel happy for the bride and groom everytime, but at the same time I start to get depressed about why my relationship didn't work out. Of course, counting the fact that not all that many people know about my breakup, I still get the occasional "So when you getting married?" thrown at me. Fortunately today's 'offender' was nice enough not to probe further.
On a side note, I really wonder why some parents bother bringing their little children, especially if they are known to be hyperactive, or extremely noisy. I should make a note here in my blog to remind myself that should I become a parent next time, I would find some way to deposit my children somewhere else until they become sensible enough, if I were invited to a wedding, or any other serious occasion.
On a side note, I really wonder why some parents bother bringing their little children, especially if they are known to be hyperactive, or extremely noisy. I should make a note here in my blog to remind myself that should I become a parent next time, I would find some way to deposit my children somewhere else until they become sensible enough, if I were invited to a wedding, or any other serious occasion.
I played pool today, and it was terrific. I won five games in a row one-on-one, including my benchmark opponent Jay. But it wasn't a great victory because he made a fatal error near the end. After that we went on to play doubles (hmm sounds like badminton or tennis huh?), and my team won 4-2 in best of 7, then 3-1 in best of 5.
I finally broke my record of number of balls pocketed in one turn. Today was 6! I am one ball closer to clearing the table! But the crucial fact wasn't that it was 6 balls, but rather the state of the game. (Somehow I think, Shups, you are the only one who will understand this post...) My opponent had cleared all balls except the last black ball. My team still had 5 balls and it came to my turn. The black ball was quite near the centre pocket, so basically if I don't clear the table, I lose. The first three shots weren't super difficult, but the breakpoint came at the next one. My placing went off, so the only ball I could hit was the green one which is parked along the cushion (breadth of table) near the left pocket. My white was slightly to the left and behind it, and very, very close (less than 1 inch!). There was no other pocket to try for, and I had to cut the ball at nearly 90 degrees and send it along the wall all the way to the right pocket. I gave the cue ball a heavy left spin, and hit, and the green ball hugged the wall as I intended and went in!
My opponents, who were mocking our 5 ball lag previously, who also obviously didn't think I could pocket that shot, sat in stunned silence, "I don't believe it" written all over their faces. And I placed the cue ball in a good position for my last coloured ball, which placed me for the ending shot. 6 balls. And a spectacular finish. My opponents' morale was dead low for the next game. Bwahahaha. This was my best match of the day. The rest of you can wake up from this boring entry now.
I finally broke my record of number of balls pocketed in one turn. Today was 6! I am one ball closer to clearing the table! But the crucial fact wasn't that it was 6 balls, but rather the state of the game. (Somehow I think, Shups, you are the only one who will understand this post...) My opponent had cleared all balls except the last black ball. My team still had 5 balls and it came to my turn. The black ball was quite near the centre pocket, so basically if I don't clear the table, I lose. The first three shots weren't super difficult, but the breakpoint came at the next one. My placing went off, so the only ball I could hit was the green one which is parked along the cushion (breadth of table) near the left pocket. My white was slightly to the left and behind it, and very, very close (less than 1 inch!). There was no other pocket to try for, and I had to cut the ball at nearly 90 degrees and send it along the wall all the way to the right pocket. I gave the cue ball a heavy left spin, and hit, and the green ball hugged the wall as I intended and went in!
My opponents, who were mocking our 5 ball lag previously, who also obviously didn't think I could pocket that shot, sat in stunned silence, "I don't believe it" written all over their faces. And I placed the cue ball in a good position for my last coloured ball, which placed me for the ending shot. 6 balls. And a spectacular finish. My opponents' morale was dead low for the next game. Bwahahaha. This was my best match of the day. The rest of you can wake up from this boring entry now.
Friday, December 03, 2004
Recently there are many friends and relatives telling me to go learn driving. Let me explain why I have no intention to pick up driving. Contrary to popular belief, although the Lambourghini and Ferrari cars catch my eye anytime they pass by on the road, what I really want to drive, if I ever drive, is a monster truck.
Yeah you know, the truck with the huge wheels. I mean, why would I want to be in an average car stuck in a traffic jam? I can just roll over every single car (actually considering the size of the truck, I'll be rolling over them two by two) and get to where I want to go. Never mind that I leave a trail of destruction. Or if some irritating driver cuts my lane or takes my parking lot, I just roll over the car. Without the driver inside of course. Would I murder? Bwahahaha.
Anyway, since Singapore does not allow monster trucks on the road, therefore I find no car worthy of driving. Therefore, I choose not to drive at all. Therefore, I am not taking driving lessons. Although, I would settle for a tank. Or the homegrown Bionix. They kinda accomplish the same thing...
Yeah you know, the truck with the huge wheels. I mean, why would I want to be in an average car stuck in a traffic jam? I can just roll over every single car (actually considering the size of the truck, I'll be rolling over them two by two) and get to where I want to go. Never mind that I leave a trail of destruction. Or if some irritating driver cuts my lane or takes my parking lot, I just roll over the car. Without the driver inside of course. Would I murder? Bwahahaha.
Anyway, since Singapore does not allow monster trucks on the road, therefore I find no car worthy of driving. Therefore, I choose not to drive at all. Therefore, I am not taking driving lessons. Although, I would settle for a tank. Or the homegrown Bionix. They kinda accomplish the same thing...
Thursday, December 02, 2004
I have finally succumbed to the temptation of getting a coloured phone. After eyeing the nokia 6230 for almost a year (before that, it was the 6220...see how devoted I am?), I bought it today! Considering the money I earn from my invigilation, I had just enough for the upgrade. Hehe.
Now to figure out how to upload MP3s into my phone. Hmmm....
Now to figure out how to upload MP3s into my phone. Hmmm....