Pornuchatchat land

Second day in Bangkok, awoke to rain & thunder - not a good sign. Had a lazy morning, breakfast, cheesy horror flick (Freddy meets Jason) on tv and signed up for tour to the famed floating market.

Gaurav's proving to be entertaining company - esp. when he got all excited about McDonald's ice-cream sundae going for 19bht.

Yes, for the record, the hotel provided Strawberry flavoured ones.

Let's hope the rain abates.

Kaboom?

It was after a long meeting yesterday that a colleague first informed me about the London bombings. I wasn't surprised and in light of today's frequent terror attacks, I doubt many are.

On my commute home, it dawned on me that the next logical target could be Singapore because of the IOC. I tried to imagine a series of MRT stations being bombed but couldn't. Perhaps homeland security will step up security measures and lo & behold, when the news last night featured security patrols in the MRT stations.

But en route to work this morning, I didn't see policemen or NS personnel. Before reaching the MRT station, I wondered if they would check everyone's bags, causing a massive queuing delay. Nope.

A hypothetical thought: I suspect that if I was determined enough, it might not be that difficult to blow up a target. And it is simply not practical to beef up security measures to protest every single civilian.

Blink.

Route Runner

Met Eugene, an army friend cum next block neighbour en route to work today. He's moved from SIA to URA, so instead of driving to Changi, he takes the train to Tanjong Pagar instead.

I spied his shoe bag from far, thought it a little odd. Then remembering that we both took part in the SG marathon last year, I asked him, "You still running?"

"Yeah, in fact, I'm running back from work later."

Blink. "From work?"

"Yup, that's why I brought my stuff along."

"From town?" Puzzled, I was. "How far would that be?"

"16km."

"And which route you take?"

"Along Kallang river, there's a path."

WOW. Now that's a real love of running.

Aflutter?

The most beautiful human expression:
A smile being born.
Corners widening as synapses inform,
a face is recognized.
Perhaps her heart fluttered,
as he drew near.
Could she help but smile?



Charlie Chaplin

Smile
tho' your heart is aching

smile
even tho' it's breaking

when there are clauds in the sky

you'll get by
if you
smile through your fear and sorrow

smile and maybe tomorrow

you'll see the sun come shining thru for you.

Light up your face with gladness

hide ev'ry trace of sadness

altho' a tear maybe ever so near

that's the time you must keep on trying

smile
what's the use of crying

you'll find that life is stillworth while

if you'll just smile.

Website: Schizoalley

Schizoalley

Weekend Out

Saturday morning: Went swimming with G. Felt weak - perhaps not a good idea to exercise less than 24hrs after donating blood.

Saturday afternoon: After lunch, wanted to visit Le Petit Breton @ Upper Thomson. But Urban's recent publicity must have ramped up its fame - it was fully booked. Instead we went to Longhouse opposite for fruits, coffee & deep-fried favs (i.e. green bean cake & goreng pisang). TRIVIA - Did you know that Longhouse used to be an A&W restaurant with drive-through?

Saturday late afternoon: Cellgroup. Had an informative conversation talking to a member who works as a .NET programmer. She commented tt my job scope sounds pretty interesting and challenging.

Saturday night: Dinner at HV with AC bunch. Not too good choice of location - it being a weekend, most restaurants were quite packed. Settled for Thai Express, as usual, it was water & serviettes aplenty for yours truly to quench the fire. Shiok! Followed by visit to Sandra's sister's rented house at Chip Bee gardens. Apparently she's setting up a home retail business selling retro fashion for women and boy is she into vintage collectibles. Jeff's inspired to setup his own business - er... can't leak his secret out.

Sunday morning: Rushed to church for 9am service. Awfully sleepy but fortunately was perked up by service. Relaxed at JP sipping kopi-O while reading newspapers, had to suffer some 2nd hand smoke tho.

Sunday afternoon: Liza's wedding reception a la AC gathering! Only reason I got invited was because I msg-ed her on icq. The oddest sms Ben received just before as we reached Fajar LRT - "we managed to get a table". Liz looked quite different decked out in bridal gear. Oddly, was quite excited about attending my 1st malay wedding. Food was great esp. the mutton rendang and the atmosphere buzzing (even got a DJ to "spin" a mix of love songs and malay tunes, some faintly recognizable). The table, intended for 6, got increasingly crowded as more arrived. Finally culminated in a group photo. Nazrina offered her own wedding in a year's time :)

Sunday late afternoon: Tea @ The Tea Party. Just chilling. Jeff's been switching the conversation topics to domestic ones, i.e. home furnishing and audio systems.

Sunday evening: Dinner @ home. Was watching Spielberg's AI. Funny, I remember this show being non-inspiring. But think I appreciate its premise a lot more - simplistically put, that humanity is programmable. Most touching scene: when David's mommy said, "I love you." Everybody wants to be loved.

What the...

From AutoSpeed.com.au: Designing the perfect bra. So not a woman's thing.

Flashback: Never give this guy a camera phone

In a Marriage, Obedience = Respect?

For Lunch: DSTA Tower - Vegetarian Food (Fried Beehoon with 4 Assorted Dishes and a dash of Chicken Curry) with Kopi-O-siew-tai (i.e. less sugar) --> Only $2.60 altogether, real value for $$



Yesterday's TODAY saw a contribution by Frances Ong, To Love is to Obey where she emphasized her marriage experience - she discovered that ceding to her husband's authority brought both order and mutual respect amongst the family.

Her enlightenment struck me and reminded me of this verse: "Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives." (1 Pet 3:1 NKJ)

It's a biblical advice that I couldn't make sense of, particularly in a society that strives for gender equality. After all, the modern family unit typically consists of 2 breadwinners who are of similar education and importantly, share responsibilities and bank accounts.

Among the interest and responses generated, my friend, Gaurav, replied this Gender Nothing to Do With Who is in the Right and argues that Ms Ong's take is a traditional one that suggests escapism. Instead he highlights the importance of gender equality and self-respect.

The debate on gender equality - been there, done that - will never cease simply because gender differences simply are. On top of that, no marriage is the same. Therefore the main point that I surmise is this: a marriage is a partnership that grows on an equilibrium maintained by the couple.

Lunchtime Musing

For Lunch: Telok Blangah Cresent Tauhu Goreng & Lime Drink with Shaved Ice --> BAGUS!



On a whim, I brought my Tchai 4th CD to work today and was listening to it. Bad move, was v. distracting and worse, it dug up memories of an NUSSO concert where we played that symphony with Rachmaninov 2nd piano concerto.

Goose bumps upon goose bumps later (thanks to Wiener Phil under Karajan NOT NUSSO), I was seriously contemplating the possibility of picking up the horn again. "How? When? Where?" were the immediate questions tt arose. Once again, it all boiled back to tt million dollar question: how much do I love the horn and music-making?

I was into my final year at NUS and if I remember correctly, it was my last big bang concert to oversee as president. Oh yes, pitching high notes at fortissimo while fretting the small stuff and dealing with a gamut of organizational problems - it's all coming back to me. Had to play a solo in Tchai which didn't sound too great. For some reason, we placed so much emphasis on mastering the symphony - our showpiece - and neglected the concerto and it was in fact the soloist's fame which drew the crowd that night.

Well, all's done and over with, hardly in touch with anyone from NUSSO.

Streetdirectory.com.sg

Recently StreetDirectory.com has started charging for its services. Its entire business model seems to be built on the premise tt people like me would pay to view enlarged maps, calculate jogging distances and plot travelling routes. We shall see.

Coldplay - Low

You see the world in black and white
No colour or light
You think you'll never get it right
But you know you might

The sky could fall could fall on me
The parting of the seas
But you mean more mean more to me
Than any colour I can see

All you ever wanted was love
But you never looked hard enough
It's never gonna give itself up

All you ever wanted to be
Living in perfect symmetry
Nothing is as down on this Earth as us

You see the world in black and white
Not painted right
You see no meaning to your life
Yes you try
Yes you try

And all you ever wanted was love
But you never looked hard enough
It's never gonna give itself up

All you ever wanted to be
Living in perfect symmetry
Nothing is as down on this Earth

Don't you want to see it come soon
Floating in a big white balloon
Or given on your own silver spoon

Don't you want to see it come down
Careful throwing your arms around
Saying not a moment too soon

Cause I feel low
Cause I feel low
Oh, yeah I feel low
Oh yeah
Oh

Oh
Cause I feel low
Cause I feel low
Oh
And I feel low
Oh love
Oh

A Lot Like Love (2005)

NYTimes: Ashton Kutcher, the "male equivalent of the dumb blonde". Great show anyhow.

Butt What?

Tuned in to the last 5min of Nip/Tuck just because I went to bed. And there it was, a male American butt peering back at me. I probably blinked - is this Singaporean TV? Thot MDA wouldn't allow such cheeky content.

BEAUTIFUL PRAYER?

Received in the mail.



I asked God to take away my habit.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away,
but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a byproduct of tribulations;
it isn't granted, it is learned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares
and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own! ,
but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.

I ask God to help me LOVE others, as much
as He loves me.
God said...Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.

If you love God, send this to 10 people and
back to the person that sent it.

So how does it make you feel?

Cat Food

From aurilophile, a cat lover

Used to tell G that we oughta bake quaint Christmas cookies.

Ah Choo

Nostrils are sore from repeated blowing.

Whining

That's how I feel at work sometimes.

Your Work, My Work

Was buying a bun at Sweet Ring, a traditional bakery @ Bukit Merah central. Love their interpretation of the staid an-pan bun - 3 twirls of red bean paste spilling out from within & it's coffee-flavoured.

Queueing behind an auntie and a family of 3 made me anxious if I was going to be ticked off for coming late for work again.

When it came to the auntie's turn, she glanced from her 3 buns to my lone bun sitting on the greasy aluminum tray.

"You first." Seeing my surprised look, she added, "you working mah, I'm just a housewife, due for more household chores at home."

"Household chores are also work what." I smiled & duly paid for the purchase.

I added "And I end at 6pm, you?"

"I end at 6.30," she said. "After that, it's back home to do household chores lor."

Sensing my puzzlement, she clarified, "6.30AM, I clean offices."

Wow. No wonder we need Mother's Day.

* Conversations translated from mandarin

I Hate Ironing

From Crosswalk.com: K.P. Yohannan - It's Not Unusual to Feel Discouraged

Don't Wanna

Don't Wanna Fall In Love
Green Day

Don't want to have you hangin,
Around me like a leech.
I think you're just a problem,
So stay the hell away from me because I don't believe in you.
And I wanna sit here all my life alone.
This may sound a little rough,
Don't wanna fall in love.
Don't need security.
I ain't no dog without a bone.
Don't have no time for love.
So stay the fuck away from me because I don't believe in you,
And I wanna sit here all my life alone.
This may sound a little rough.
Don't wanna fall in love.

This may sound a little rough.
Don't wanna fall in love.
This may sound a little rough.
Don't wanna fall in love.
This may sound a little fucked.
Don't wanna fall in love.

I Scream Island Creamery!

Met up with bro at holland v after work. Both feeling sian, so decided to explore greener (& cheaper) pastures!

And off we were to Serene Centre, at my suggestion of visiting Black Canyon Coffee there, followed by homemade ice cream. Suffering the tropical humidity, we trudged to the back of HV to catch 165. The bus felt awfully stuffy, didn't dampen our spirit one bit... except for our shirts.

Along the way, we continued our usual brotherly banter. It's funny but sometimes I don't feel the 4yr difference in age between the 2 of us - maybe I'm simply immature.

Turns out Black Canyon's a mid-range restaurant serving international thai (read: fusion) cuisine. Went in to explore a cosy sale & rental bookshop instead - for some reason, children's books call out to me, but thankfully they're shrink-wrapped.

Adam road didn't seem too appealing. So off we were to Coronation Plaza instead - bro assured me tt there's food at the top level. Passing by Crown Centre along the way, I reminiscenced about A&W and Il Piccolo (an italian eatery tt used to serve real good lasagne). Also passed by a women's slimming centre (obnoxious bro wanted to go mock the poor ladies) and a couple of pubs.

Then I remembered reading about some eateries at the other side of Coronation and persuaded him to go on further with me. As we passed NTUC @ Coronation, bro commented, "some uncle here might just be the CEO of some company." Didn't see no rich-looking uncle, except for some tai-tai's.

Turned out that the further stretch is filled with atas shops selling organic food and expat-oriented wine places. So back we were to Coronation - inside of which is filled mainly with small businesses, maid agencies, dubious-looking LAN gaming shops with bubble tea signs etc. Discovered a cheap eatery selling western food and bubble tea and at that time, was filled mainly with schoolboys from Hwa Chong & ACS. Hurray, I feel young again! Got there just in time to catch its last orders, the other unfortunate boys had to leave empty-stomached.

After dinner, off to Island Creamery! Had teh tarik ice-cream, bro had mud-pie. Verdict - teh tarik bagus! Mud-pie looked good but too frozen to enjoy. Takeaway from post-dinner conversation: bro wants to run for opposition - you go, bro!


One happy bro and one happy family.

Spotted

Spotted in my dept director's office (translated from Mandarin):

Weak person wait for opportunity

Strong person create opportunity

Wise person seize opportunity

SG Fantastic Film Fest - SF3

Presented by Singapore Film Society

23 to 28 June 2005
At GV Marina, Singapore History Museum and Library@Esplanade

Dan da Giggin'

Last sat @ the Esplanade's concourse, Dan was doin' his thang.



DJ + horn + vocal = boppy bossa nova & nujazz

Too bad the crowd wasn't responsive.

Prancing & Flailing

Attended SG Dance Theatre's Stravinsky Dances last night with ZH, Ray, Jon & G. Managed to book tix for $16 each, just 2 hours before the show. Not bad huh?

Choreographed by Marie-Claude Pietragalla, it was a pretty interesting interpretation of Stravinsky's works Les Noces (The Wedding) & Le Sacre Du Printemps (The Rite of Spring). In general, it was a lot more modern abstract than literal dramatics.

Simply the humble opinion of someone unfamiliar with dance, of course :)

Les Invasions Barbares

The Barbarian Invasions (2003)
Directed by Denys Arcand

From BBC: Warm, wise and witty, The Barbarian Invasions is a beautiful film. A sequel to writer-director Denys Arcand's barbed relationships comedy The Decline Of The American Empire, it finds its frank and funny French-Canadian friends 15 years older, reunited at the bedside of the terminally ill Remy (Rémy Girard). His estranged son (Stéphane Rousseau) is also on hand - a city broker who finds it hard to forgive his philandering father. This sounds serious but it's never sombre, with chuckles to match tears, jokes jostling with acidic observations on mankind's "history of horrors".



Essentially, a dramedy cum social commentary about... life, in general :)

Yesterday at cellgroup, it was getting stuffy, so I got onto the sofa to open the grill-less sliding windows.

"Hey, be careful yeah??" Someone behind yelled.

Peering down 7 storeys, I suddenly realized how precarious a position I was in and quickly retreated to a safer height.

The guy continued, "A friend's friend was spitting out the window and the next thing my friend saw were his legs outside the window."

I wonder, in those few seconds, what would my thoughts be? Would I scream and whose name would I scream?

Pardon the morbidity.

Cracking

Another hot & humid morning. The smell of burning incense paper was irritating my sinuses.

Was preparing for a frivolous blog entry about Denise Keller from EFAG when my mobile rang.

It was Alvin - inwardly I groaned.

"You have to pray for me..." His application for insurance got rejected because a preliminary health-check indicated a possibility of kidney failure or cancer. He said he was so affected by the news that yesterday he broke down on the bus ride back home.

Suddenly I felt bad. I tried to encourage him by pointing out that the final test results weren't out yet and then reminded him not to worry. He sounded like he started to sob, but he went on to say how he thinks his busy schedule is taking a toll on him.

"Why don't you take a break tonight," I suggested. Long answer - lotsa things to do. Short answer - trapped by circumstances & choices.

He continued, "I'll come for service tomorrow... since I'm free."

Alvin was calling from the restaurant, so he had to get back to work. After hanging up, Denise Keller didn't look appealing no more.

As the self-explanatory chinese idiom goes, ling2 shi2 bao4 fuo2 jiao3 - last minute hug buddha's leg.

It's human nature, isn't it? To think of God only when things go badly or when disaster strikes.

Ever asked yourself, if God had 1 thing to say to me right now, what would he say? I did.

Carry Balls

It's great to have colleagues who carry balls for you :)

Anne aka Fanny Wong & I each bought a gym ball for $15 at DSTA tower. Anne got the auntie to inflate it for her and Lez was kind enough to carry it all the way back. This huge toy was a source of much politically incorrect mirth, esp. when we had to squeeze it through the metal detector gate.

Amedeo Modigliani (1884 - 1920)

Nude Sdraiato (1917) - It calls out to me...

(From Wikipedia) ...was an Italian painter and sculptor. Modigliani was born into a Jewish Italian family in Livorno, Tuscany and began his artistic studies in Italy before moving to Paris in 1906 where he began to create his unique style, influenced by the artists in his circle of friends, primitive art, but standing apart from them stylistically. Sick most of his life and an abuser of alcohol and drugs, as well as a known womanizer, Modigliani's life took a toll on him and he died at the early age of 35.

*cue patriotic song*

Lookie what I found... Stamps of the Soviet Era. Notice the dated periods?

Ennui

Noi Albinoi (2003)

Director: Dagur Kari
Starring: Tomas Lemarquis, Throstur Leo Gunnarsson, Elin Hansdottir, Anna Fridriksdottir, Hjalti Rognvaldsson, Kjartan Bjargmundsson, Petur Einarsson, Greipur Gislason, Gerard Lemarquis
Details: Ice / 93 mins / (No Cert).

Redefining the word 'quirky', 'Noi Albino' follows the title character, who is not an albino but is something of a social outcast in the small Northern Icelandic fjord in which he grew up. Unable to commit to a life within the rural hinterland and uncertain as to what he wants to do should he actually leave, Noi is at something of a juncture in his life. A new girl working in a cafe near his school is the catalyst for Noi to get interested in life again, meaning that he's got to deal with a drunken father and a rather feisty granny. A filmmaker with a real and understanding of the power of the absurd, Dagur Kari has made an interesting, visually dextrous, movie. Although somewhat detached from its central protagonist, the climax of 'Noi' is still massively captivating. Kari visual style remains engagingly ambitious through (the gorgeous snow lands are beautifully and very starkly shot) while the performances - Lemarquis especially - are edgy. There are some faults - the intensely languid tone for one - but 'Noi Albino' heralds the emergence of new talent. Worth catching - if starkly shot, remote existentialist Icelandic dramas are your thing.

Film Review by Garreth Murphy
Reviewed on 21 November 2003






For some reason, the banality and futility of life rings out.

Week in Review

My recap of the week just passed:



Sun - After church, caught Revenge of the Sith @ Cineleisure with Darren, Calvin, Irvin (Iv's bro), Heshan & bf. Where do I begin? Irvin's turned out to be a fine young man. Once again, the price of movie tix have gone up. Feel like a real oldie, reading my newspaper while eating @ Subway's. Gee, youngsters look so... young! I wanna be 17 again... The movie was not bad - just don't watch it for the acting. Also, Lucas' tying up of loose ends got pretty incredible & inane at times - we meet Chewbacca, realize how inhumane Obiwan can be & also discover the secret to immortality.



Mon - Went cycling @ Pulau Ubin with Ray, ZH & G. Uber fun! Dashing down dirt tracks, negotiating mud puddles & ZH's utter disappointment at Chek Jawa (I blurted, "What, you expected to see a casino here??"). Ended the day with dinner @ Holland V with cell group mates - coz cell group is splitting. Typical S'porean camera fun. Essential Brew's a nice hangout - try the apple crumble with choc ice-cream! BTW I've put on 4kg since I started work at MINDEF. Sigh...



Tue onw... - Work work work. Was rushing a proposal to be submitted last minute. Busy busy busy - till boss popped in to say that proposal was not needed anymore, only presentation slides. Hmph. Second visit to Jaggi's proved ultra-satisfactory - mmmm, love north indian food. Finally went to The French Stall, near Little India - affordable French food - gotta try the ice-cream profiterole!



Fri - Had a candid session with boss about my performance thus far. Overall favourable, though I think I'm under-achieving. Colleague mentioned that she met a peer who now drives both a Porsche & a beemer - made her question her own achievements. Met Ray, ZH & G for supper of mainly fruits along upper thomson - how healthy is that?? Lured by canto-pop karaoke cum sing-along, we popped into a neighbourhood pub - Starlet - only to be besieged by an over-friendly waitress, eager to befriend us. Quickly fled over to quiet watering hole @ Bishan park instead.



Sat - new cell group. As usual, meeting new people, mostly younger than me & still schooling, yet I feel younger than them. Guess work hasn't taken its toll on me yet.

Queen: Bycicle

Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like

You say black I say white
You say bark I say bite
You say shark I say hey man
Jaws was never my scene
And I don't like Star Wars
You say Rolls I say Royce
You say God give me a choice
You say Lord I say Christ
I don't believe in Peter Pan
Frankenstein or Superman
All I wanna do is

Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my
Bicycle races are coming your way
So forget all your duties oh yeah!
Fat bottomed girls
They'll be riding today
So look out for those beauties oh yeah
On your marks get set go
Bicycle race bicycle race bicycle race
Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
Bicycle bicycle bicycle bicycle
Bicycle race

You say coke I say caine
You say John I say Wayne
Hot dog I say cool it man
I don't wanna be the President of America
You say smile I say cheese
Cartier I say please
Income tax I say Jesus
I don't wanna be a candidate for
Vietnam or Watergate
Cause all I wanna do is

Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like

SG Food In Australia

Caught on tonight's episode of Food Lovers' Guide to Australia, Singaporean expat girls' bridal shower. Hilarious! Of course, popiah was the main feature :) Guess S'porean gals have hope after all!


Pictured: Beef Tenderloin with Roesti & Broadbeans (mmmmm...)

Finally... FOOD PORN ALERT!! Calling all food lovers to check out the Food Art videos.