Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Emptiness

To be immersed straight back to work after touching down from a great hoLiday affair is one thing that shouLd not be happening.

ALthough there can be no jetLag from Hong Kong via Singapore, the sudden switch of a reLaxed mood to a fast-paced LifestyLe once again gives me pretty much a Lousy evening in the office.

Having said that, it wouLd have been a dream come true if there can be a job that gives me the ticket to set foot on more Lands. However, there is by far few, and for myseLf, aLmost cLose to none.

I wiLL await my next trip, as addiction for traveLing sLowLy buiLds up.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word

It was a pretty rush day for myseLf as there were many deadLines, so much so I Left the office onLy at midnight.

The day couLd not have been worst if not for an incident which happened in City Square MaLL.

It was aLready 5-ish and I had to submit some purchase order form by 6p.m as our finance cLoses their account for the financiaL year.

And so I waLked through City Square MaLL basement via the North East mass rapit transit. There right in front of me were the escaLators going up to the exit of the maLL. As I approached at the escaLator, this coupLe popped up casuaLLy Looking upwards and stroLLing, cutting my path between me and the escaLator without noticing me.

I stopped ... and aLLowed this coupLe to pass, but kena stepped by the 'gentLeman' who apparentLy reaLised that he was in the way.

Expecting an apoLogy, I Looked at him. SurprisingLy, he gazed at me and waLked past as if nothing happened in siLence. What the fuck man! If you stepped on someone, you apoLogise. Its that simpLe.

I kept staring at him as he went the other way of the escaLator, he was stiLL gazing at me Like nothing freaking happened! As I moved up and he moved down, I finaLLy gave him the uLtimate "what the fuck" gesture, shook my head and moved on. There was not a singLe word said between us.

It stiLL baffLes me the kind of etiquette that Singaporeans have cuLtivated throughout the years .. as we can see, sure has changed .. but definiteLy not for the better.

We need to be more gracious, more humane and better respected.

Fucking stepped on my three weeks oLd Pedro Loafers. To heLL, moron! (excuse me, pLease)

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

The TransLator

My Taiwanese fren, Joan, seeked my assistance on MSN as foLLows ..

味曾 says:
你可以幫我翻譯一段英文嗎?
但是要用中文跟我說
拜託你ㄌ
causes for this include the extended period of inactivity before surgery slow resolution of the skeletal muscle derangements that occur with end-stage heart failure

And then I repLied as foLLows ...
 
Long© says:
“造成的因素有。。延长无能活动期间 然后手术将延慢骨肌主枝与 心脏摔坏 (end-stage)”
不懂你看得懂我写什么

She repLied me ...

味曾 says:
?
害!!

... now we aLL know our Chinese Language sucked big time.

Sunday, March 07, 2010

A new era has begun. Actions no Longer speak Louder than words.

Money does.

Monday, March 01, 2010

Kenneth's BacheLor Party

A day of rendezvous comes with a price .. getting a freaking hangover on Sunday, practicaLLy throwing up every now and then for the whoLe of the day.

More to come soon ... for now gotta run to the dude's ROM ceremony. Cheers.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

3 Words

These 3 words are aLways easy to say when you do not reaLLy mean it .. and freaking difficuLt when you reaLLy do.

Right in front of me, she stood, asking me if she had done a good job in mopping the fLoor. Throughout the years, she has handLed the mop for no more than five times.

I said .. "ok Lah .."

In fact, aLL I wanted to teLL her was, no matter how poorLy it was done I wiLL stiLL Love her.
She may not be one of the best mothers, but she IS my mother.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

The Pride of Asia


Everytime I watch China's mass ceLebrations on teLevision, I am absoLuteLy impressed by the efforts of each and everyone of the performers be it the singer, actor, or even a dancer with a smaLL roLe. They take great pride just being on stage, or more so being a Chinese.

You can feeL that China, being Asia's powerhouse, are so proud of their achievements that they wiLL aLways mention it even during their performances.

That makes Singaporean-Chinese Like me, feeL reaL good. And often, it is a wonder if other Chinese immigrants stiLL remember where their roots Lay wherever they are. More often, they don't, and it is a pity.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

The Movie Affair

Few days back, I caught Armoured. It was so-so.

Yesterday, I caught The WoLfman. It was ok.

This morning, I caught The Royal Tenenbaums at home. And I reaLised that sometimes, the best things are actuaLLy nearer to you than you think they are.

This Light-hearted comedy gives one the Laughter they seek, and with some twists and turns of each and every character of the Tenenbaum famiLy, it makes the viewer Look forward to what happens next. ReaL cooL, with a few pieces of creative inputs to the pLot, it was no wonder the 2001 fiLm was nominated for the Academy Award.

Rent it, and watch it today!

And wishing a happy Lunar new year to my feLLow Chinese friends ..

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Ginger, as good as oLd

I attended a wedding dinner on Saturday evening. The bride was my cousin on my Dad's side but we were never cLose as I grew up mainLy with the cousins on my Mom's end.

It was heLd at the SwisshoteL @ RaffLes City, quite a grand baLLroom, yet a simpLe dinner and formaLity. There were toastings, catch-ups between reLatives and friends, the joyous moments of the coupLe and their reLatives and the common things you wiLL see at a typicaL Singaporean wedding dinner. The event was what we put it as, cLassicaLLy simpLe.

The onLy moment I got out of the evening, was towards the end of the dinner when my grandmother, in her 80s aLready, hoLding hands tight with the granny of the groom's famiLy. I can onLy perceive being in her shoes.

Looking in my grandma's eyes, I see no fear, no emotions. With her grey, siLky but thinning hair, one couLd but wonder what exactLy an eLderLy being is thinking about. I did not ask her though, for my cantonese is not even cLose to basics.

Somehow I thought though, that if I were to reach my 80s and the most of the important peopLe have aLready Left, in this worLd, there are nothing more for me to hoLd onto.

The art of Letting go, can onLy be truLy understood with experience.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Born to be WiLd

Men are aLways at their utmost best when it comes to sociaLising .. with the opposite sex. In Hokkien terms, it is known as "chee-hong".

The LeveL of enthusiasm, though, varies amongst different types of guys, and the cLassification of the opposite sex.

Yesterday, a Friday evening, I went away to the far west to ceLebrate the birthday bash of Cong. Upon arriving, there I saw various groups of girLs, and of course, my very own footbaLL 'kakis'.

I took the next five minutes observing the groups, and was surprised to find four Japanese teens that Randy brought to join us in the party. They are here on a home exchange program and my good friend was a part-time tour guide. At the other side of the barbeque area contained Cong's schooL mates. As the evening went by, you reaLised the attention were more on the Japanese .. but mainLy on the girLs.

I don't know, somehow, Japanese girLs are aLways that attractive to most. Either that, or just because they are foreigners. When I was in Vietnam a month ago, I got the same 'speciaL' treatment from the LocaLs.

But then, you know men best when you are a man yourseLf. And yes, we are born to be 'chee-hong' ... and its in the bLood.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Somehow, Facebook is fast becoming an every day tooL for many.

So much so, bLogging has become very much forgotten.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

100110

A wonderfuL day to remember for one of the greatest men in the chapters of my Life, the Lads did up a surprise birthday ceLebration for WiLLiam on Sunday.

WiLLiam is no stranger to the worLd of amateur footbaLL, and since the day he stepped into the team aLmost a decade ago, he has been the primary factor in how the team has deveLoped and progressed.

In fact, there are no more than five peopLe in Life that I Listen very much to, and he is one of them.

I am appreciative of how much support and direction he has given to me throughout my footbaLLing Life, and occasionaLLy personaL Life. He sure deserves the respect of everyone associated with Greats FootbaLL CLub for aLL the passion and effort put in to bring us to where we are today.

ESPZEN Amateur League Division One, a pLace where out of 100-odd teams yearn to be in, and WiLLiam has done it for Greats. And now, we owe him a pLace in history which is to win the championship.

Thank you, WiLLiam.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

The Crossover



It has been aLmost four days since my return from the hoLiday trip to Cambodia and Vietnam. However, I am stiLL trying to drag myseLf back into the reaLity of a Singaporean Life.


Like many others, this trip sure has given me Lots of good memories, and to be abLe to meet and communicate with the LocaLs are definiteLy most interesting.

Looking back at the time when we crossed the borders to Vietnam, there I was thinking how much I wiLL miss Cambodia. LittLe do I reaLise that Ho Chi Minh has given me more reasons to keep it at the back of my mind for a very Long time to come.

From the roadside hawker to the tour agency Lady, from the souvenir saLes girLs to the masseuse, each and everyone has been reaLLy great towards us as foreigners. To them, Life goes on after us, but for us, a part of each of them are Left with us.

The aromatic Vietnamese coffee and the deLicious Pho beef noodLes are some things that my tongue stiLL yearns to taste. In the past, my dream to traveL every country once is supposed to gonna be more than enough, but for Vietnam, I feeL that I have not seen enough and therefore, its gonna be an exception that I wiLL definiteLy be going back again every once a whiLe.

Boheng, a seasoned traveLer to Vietnam and our friend, toLd me before that Viet peopLe are aLL very friendLy and warm and simpLe.

With the concLusion of the trip, I must totaLLy agree.

More photos can be found on Facebook.

Thursday, December 31, 2009

The Big Divide



Having spent the Last four days of this trip in Cambodia, whiLst my mind is stiLL fresh with what I have seen and that the emotions are stiLL pretty much stiLL Lingering, I suppose I wiLL just jot down some of the amazing stuff I have seen, if I can.

They caLL Cambodia the Land of Wonders, and it sure Lives to its name. From the minute I Landed in Siem Reap untiL the moment I crossed the border from Phnom Penh into Vietnam, nothing has faiLed to impress me.

The ancient tempLes at Angkor Wat, with its rich history preserved, brings one back in time, yet coming back to reaLity, you see that tourism has, in fact, been the main cuLprit in the acceLeration of ruining the remains of these wonderfuL man-made structures.

Tourism has no doubt been the primary source of income for many of the businesses in Cambodia, however, through it, many Cambodian peopLe have been infLuenced by the money-factor so much so that even the purest of a young chiLd's mind has been poLLuted to the fact that money is the reason they Live for.

There are chiLdren every you go in the tempLe ruins wanting to seLL souvenirs and books at obscene prices, and they sure have a way in how they speak. Two-year oLd, five and oLder ones .. its amazing how many Languages they have Learnt to communicate with the many nationaLities that visits their homeLand. We sure have met quite a number of chiLdren with very good command of EngLish, and other Languages incLuding Mandarin, Japanese and even Spanish.

On our finaL day in Siem Reap, waking up at the wee hours of four o'cLock to cycLe aLL the way from our hoteL to the tempLe ruins to catch the beautifuL sunrise, is to be the best decision we have made as we cycLed in totaL darkness aLong the roads, onLy to be Led occasionaLLy by passing vehicLes. ALong the way, staring at the vast sky fuLL of shining stars made the experience unforgetabLe.

At 5-ish, we got to our destination, I forgot the name of the ancient King's private swimming pooL which is an enormous reservoir and there we caught our sunrise in the greatest possibLe way we couLd. And there, we had fun with the chiLdren seLLing hot coffee and souvenirs. No, we did not buy any, but the few of them sure had given us Lots of fun there. And the chiLdren themseLves are as happy as they can be despite the poor saLes.

This is one sunrise I wiLL never forget.

TaLking about Cambodian chiLdren, one thing that I have been pretty much curious is that chiLdren have no say about what they want to do. If a chiLd is born a farmer's son, he wiLL be a farmer, and if a chiLd is born a fruit seLLer's daughter, she wiLL be assisting in the famiLy business. But is this what they want to do? Or is it what they have to do ..

Coming back in time to the present, it is New Year's Eve in Ho Chi Minh, whiLe I am to Log off soon inside this internet cafe, the note is to be continued as and when I can ...

.. tiL then, have a happy new year!


You can see more pictures of the trip from Facebook.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Eve of X'mas

Its here.

Do enjoy ur individuaL ceLebrations. For those who are not, fret not, for Santa CLaus is watching out for you.

Dun forget to hang the stocking by your window ...

Merry Christmas, one and aLL!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Late Night Drama

I am now fucking awake having been invoLved in a "get-the-car-back" incident.

Just an hour ago, my Dad woke us aLL up as our famiLy car went missing in the middLe of the night. The key was nowhere to be seen. Since aLL members of the famiLy are in except for one, there can onLy be one cuLprit - my younger brother.

Being the usuaL bLack sheep of the famiLy, this was just one of the stunts he had performed throughout the years. And we aLmost got the poLice invoLved this time.

After being abLe to contact him and his good friend with persistent caLLs and having sent sms-es that probabLy scared the shit of them, we managed to meet up at nearby. As I expected, there was damage to the front bumper, the driver was the friend, they drank, and they are not Licensed.

Infringements of three traffic ruLes (unathorised driving of car, drink-driving, driving without License) and two house ruLes (unauthorised driving for outsiders, freaking inconvenience caused). What the fuck are these bastards thinking?

The friend has been toLd off by me, and has agreed to pay for the damages. I rejected the apoLogies and Lame excuse though. The bLack sheep, as he is, shaLL sLeep in the Living room tonight.

And for me .. I shouLdnt even be awake. After so many years of discipLine and guidance, sometimes a Leopard can never change its spots.

I give up.

The immediate question now is how I shouLd turn in with high bLood? Maybe some games wiLL heLp. Off for some CaLL of Duty onLine to kiLL some anger .. out.

Friday, December 18, 2009



To See

I bumped into Larry, one of my grassroots Leaders, at the coffeeshop yesterday. As he was to be fLying off that evening with his famiLy, we had a smaLL taLk and he shared about the goodness of home stays in Europe.

Great food, exceLLent hospitaLity are just two of the many Larry had been impressed in his Last visit at London.

His memorabLe experience couLd very much aLLow myseLf to visuaLise my traveLing pLans for 2010. CoupLed with the introduction of this pLace on TV right now, I wouLd most probabLy be gearing up for an exciting trip to ... New ZeaLand!

I can't wait to carry that out, but before that, my Cambodia-Vietnam trip wouLd be happening in a week.

FinaLLy.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

If I Have A Choice

I wouLd run away from everything, find that LittLe isLand with beaches and waters so cLear, they make you think of nothing more than the present.

But do I have a choice? Nope, not at the moment. And that is why I stiLL have to get dressed in shirt and pants, enter the same damned office day in day out facing the same shit.

If onLy peopLe are Less competitive and ambitious .. workpLace wiLL definiteLy be a good pLace to be in. Whatever it is, do not incLude me in that equation for "I come in peace .."

.. my Long-awaited reward of a perfect getaway is so near, I can feeL it now. But then, it wouLd be a brief fareweLL to the fun-Loving temp who shouLd most probabLy be gone when I'm back after the cross-over to the new year.

I Love temps and interns .. they make Life much more interesting!  =)
The P-Factor

Even in a seemingLy innocent workpLace Like mine, you cannot escape what we caLL the P-factor.

As much as I do not wish to get invoLved, somehow or rather, I am dragged into it and become part of it.

This is the reaL worLd .. and sometimes, we do not have a choice.

ReaL. FugLy worLd.