I've got you under my skin

CNET News.com: Chips that really get under your skin

Everyday is a holiday with you

By Esthero

I met him on sunday
I loved him by tuesday afternoon.
Woke up on friday
And changed my whole life to make some room.
Around a quarter to two I have remembered all my lines
I'll say "When I think of you, You're like my favourite song... or that melody, that melody I love"
And it goes: La da da da da..da da da

Hopped on the metro and I make my way home
but I can't get him out of my mind
No matter just how hard I try
And if the rumours are true
then I can look forward to some better days and getaways..... so nice
Cause when I am with you
You're the crescendo to that melody that melody I love

We'll have better days and getaways cause everyday is a holiday with you

You've gotta let me know
I gotta know for sure
Don't leave me out in the cold
I've gotta know for sure
lalalalalalalala....

When I think of you
I see better days and getaways cause everyday is a holiday with you.

Not another medical drama, you say?

Hardly qualified to critique since I'm not a regular follower - TV's on but I'm not watching, yeah I do tt - but I managed to catch the finale.

Tonight's takeaway: You're better off letting secrets in the open.

Really now? I heard someone go.

What I like about the show: You've got a bit of everything, from fumbly wannabe doctors to medical adrenaline to restrained romance. My favourite character? George, the lovable loser. The rest? Izzie's beautiful but too self-righteous, Meredith's insecure, and Cristina's too angsty.

Review off CNN.com:

Bedside manner assumes a whole new meaning on ABC's doctor dramedy "Grey's Anatomy" -- what with interns babysitting severed penises, elevators doubling as boudoirs, syphilis running rampant among the staff, and the whole series opening with a crucial one-night stand.

Add narration that's more Carrie Bradshaw than Baudelaire ("By the time the pain of not doing a thing gets worse than the fear of doing it, it can feel like ... a giant tumor") and you've got "Sex and the City" for the stethoscope set. (Patrick Dempsey's Dr. McDreamy may as well be code for Mr. Big.)

The always-awed Meredith Grey (Renee Zellweger doppelganger Ellen Pompeo) and a stock supporting cast-asexual lug, callous cad, blond bombshell, and nakedly ambitious go-getter (Golden Globe winner Sandra Oh) -- beguilingly bear the panic and pitfalls of the surgical intern experience.

Even with outrageous cases typical of every prime-time hospital series (a guy shoots seven nails into his head, a tumor tops 50 pounds), "Season One" manages, with snark and sex appeal, to save itself from wonky patient-of-the-week sentimentality (sorry, "ER").

EW Grade: B+

Sun King

Jonathan Schwartz has this to say:

The antiquated 1950s view of business is the boss walking around trying to squeeze every last bit of work out of employees, worried they are ordering Christmas presents online. I actually worry about the opposite, getting my people to take all their vacation time. We have a system that notifies me when someone is about to lose vacation days because they haven't taken them in time. Every one of my direct reports is in danger.

Huh?

Gorillaz, the Virtual Band

After I saw Jason's posted clip of Gorillaz's Dare MTV, did some research - here, read more about this fascinating group at Wikipedia.

Love & Let Love

After tutoring my cousin this morning - yes, I've started tuition again but thankfully teaching family's quite rewarding and it's also a relative breeze because it's just Elementary Maths or affectionately known as E-Maths plus kids are always such a joy.

I digress, so I tagged along with my aunt's family for lunch. Over teochew porridge and kopi, I asked my aunt whether my dad had borrowed money from her - a redundant question because I already knew the answer - and told her pointedly tt I would repay her.

The conversation dovetailed into one about my dad, financial implications of buying a HDB flat, car prices as well as moonlighting alternatives, enlightening me most of all, on human perception.

Suffice it to say tt it's left me in a both ponderous and a burdened mood.

My resigned conclusion cum steady parry: harbouring deep-rooted resentment will only tear down the resenter; instead live and let live, love and let love.

Retreat!

And so ended another office retreat held over 2 days amidst much fun & food. Never ask though what was achieved because tt question is simply counter-productive.

1 year, 3 months and still counting...

Too many (wanna-be) biathletes

To my utter disappointment, registration for SG Biathlon Men's Open is closed.

Still keeping my fingers crossed.

P.S. I better stop the boy-boy pics lest ppl interpret as paedophilic inclinations.

age of the blog moguls

Read: New York Magazine: Blogs to Riches

Finishing Last

DFL: Celebrating last-place finishes at the Olympics. Because they're there, and you're not

Accomplished & Satisfied

12MN - Went to bed. Occurs to me again tt something untoward might happen during the race. I pray for protection and good weather. Woke up in middle of night to numb arm - was sleeping on it. Oh, go to sleep, Ed, at least you didn't wet your bed. HMPH.

6.50am - Alarm went off, laid in bed for 1min psyching myself. Gotta get up. Gotta get up. Ok now, get up. Now. Er, now! Dad's already up, asks me if I want boiled egg. I groggily wave no as I shuffle towards the toilet.

7.20am - Breakfast of half an apple (leftover), 2 small banana's, 2 slices of bread and 1 cup of milk tea. Tummy still feels slightly off. Mom nagging dad about something.

7.52am - Hitching lift from parents who are rushing to church. Dad chiding mom for taking too long to change.

8.30am - Reach HarbourFront MRT, notice other guys who are obviously heading for the same race.

9.05am - Alighting, we realize earlier race waves have already started when I see people running out of Tanjong Beach with the trademark athlete number drawn on arm.

9.10am - I'm here! Where's the blasted registration booth?? Wander around booths till I'm greeted by (18yo?) girl with sweet voice who helps me put on my security number tag and directs me to do my body-marking where 2 girls pull out huge permanent markers. Barely 10seconds in, girl-on-left giggles as she realizes she's written the wrong number - again, she says. I blurt, "Er, make tt into a dragon and just write the correct number below."

9.40am - Changed & stretched. Now sitting on beach amidst other participants, all waiting for respective waves. Horn blares loudly. I observe the participants dashing into the water. Hear people talking about a delay, a quick check with the timers sitting under an umbrella reveals a 20min delay. HMPH. Sun's too hot, shucks, forgot sunblock. Notice others cheering friends on. Nope, not feeling lonely, just alone. Horn practically farts briefly to start next women-only wave - either organizers are cost-cutting or the guy sounding horn is sexist.

10.05am Preceding wave's off, time for warm-up! Enter cold, murky water to put on yellow swimcap and did a short lap, confirming tt one can't see beyond 1m. An old fellow with white hair briefs us at the starting line, "If you see someone next to you in trouble, please don't hesitate to help him." Standing in 3rd row, I'm anxious to start. Looking around me, I spot swimming trunks of different brands, the occasional tattoo, and an ang moh in a swimsuit.

10.10am - Horn sounds weakly again but we're no less eager, racing into the water. Spend first 30m avoiding adjacent swimmers, next 100m finding my rhythm.

Reaching the turning point, I'm surprised I find strength to dash up the beach. I quickly glance to see literally a sea of bobbing yellow heads. Back into the water. Swimmers more spread out now. Realize I have trouble swimming straight. Last 200m feels like forever.

Back on solid ground, zip into transition area to change. 1min later, am pounding asphalt at a hard pace. They didn't call it the Sprint category for nothing and I find myself overtaking others before me, though slowing down occasionally before spurting faster again. 1km in and I'm already wishing for the end-point. Man, where is it??

Finally, I spy the finishing line ahead and begin speeding up to it. Crossing it, I read a timing of 1h51m - can't be mine though. Peeling off the champion chip off my ankle, I struggle to catch my breath. But alive, I feel.

After cooling down, I do a time check: 11.10am. Send off an sms of assurance to dad: "Safe and sound, a race well-run." His reply: "Ok thanks, praise God."

Glad I finally did it. Up next, Singapore Biathlon! Woohoo!

Pre-race Anxiety

Perhaps a light run before a late dinner wasn't such a good idea. Suffice to say tt my tummy feels a lot lighter now.

Tomorrow's the big day and at Tanjong Beach I will be! Crowding and elbowing with hundreds of other sweaty bare bods *somebody say eewl*

Both apprehensive and excited I am! Turning in early but surprisingly am tired enough already.

My M1/SingTel Burden?

Did you get a CNY greeting a while ago and got charged $1 for it?

Read Tomorrow.sg: Consumer Alert! M1/Singtel Subscribers may be victims of fraudulent charges

Thirst

"She knew, though Edmund did not, that this was enchanted Turkish Delight and that anyone who had once tasted it would want more and more of it, and would even, if they were allowed, go on eating it till they killed themselves." (p.33 of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe)

We all have a Turkish Delight in our life, what's yours?

A little excitement in boring SG

Tomorrow.sg: *NEWS FLASH* Hunt for gunman is on in Singapore!

For 1 only

Oh alright, enough with the V Day dissing already. Lest people think I'm a sour, dour prematurely-resigned bachelor.

Seriously, being asked repeatedly about my evening plans and seeing people walking around with flower bouquets in hand ain't a great feeling. Even mom's been dropping hints (she remarked how Diana Ser must make a good wife).

Life as a singleton should be great, no? No commitments, no bickering, eating and thinking for 1 only... Yet I know part of me yearns to be in love. Let's just hope tt this forlorn wistfulness won't last beyond tonight.

When women see people looking at them, I wonder what passes through their minds. Is it hope? A heightened sense of self? Feigned disinterest?

No point fathoming them, here's a toast to singlehood in all its glory.

Cheers.

Yahweh

U2

Take these shoes
Click clacking down some dead end street
Take these shoes
And make them fit
Take this shirt
Polyester white trash made in nowhere
Take this shirt
And make it clean, clean
Take this soul
Stranded in some skin and bones
Take this soul
And make it sing

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, Yahweh
Still I'm waiting for the dawn

Take these hands
Teach them what to carry
Take these hands
Don't make a fist
Take this mouth
So quick to criticise
Take this mouth
Give it a kiss

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, Yahweh
Still I'm waiting for the dawn

Still waiting for the dawn, the sun is coming up
The sun is coming up on the ocean
This love is like a drop in the ocean
This love is like a drop in the ocean

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, tell me now
Why the dark before the dawn?

Take this city
A city should be shining on a hill
Take this city
If it be your will
What no man can own, no man can take
Take this heart
Take this heart
Take this heart
And make it break

Theological Sparring

Read these posts from wooQ:

Refutation of City Harvest's "Divine Healing" Article

Commentor: "I have absolutely no doubt Kong Hee is a 'dynamic' leader who knows how to motivate his audience. But so was Adolf Hitler, who was highly effective at speaking in front of large crowds. Portraying a 'dynamic' personality in no way validate the truthfulness of the leader’s teachings."

A Response to Daniel (Pst Audrey's Zone) regarding the Word-Faith Movement

"To be 'deep in theology' is to revere the Word of God. I do not see how any practicing Christian could despise the Scriptures when it is plain that the Word of God is meant to guide our lives."

My take: In-fighting don't bring no glory to Him.

Sara Lee, xie xie ni

Celebrated my dad's 53rd birthday with zi char at AMK and a Sara Lee coffee pound cake. Simple but definitely heartfelt. After snuffing the lone candle, we prayed for each other - we're believing for health, wealth and fulfilled purpose this year. So much has passed, but so much has yet to come to pass. May this year be bountifully fruitful for the House of Ng.