My Life Encounters...

Hong Kong Escapade 22nd December to 27th December (Part 4)

2010-01-25T11:50:00.001+08:00

We left our hotel in the morning and headed over to the Four Seasons Hotel where we had made reservations for brunch at the Lung King Heen restaurant. LKH is a 3-star rated Michelin restaurant. It is also the only chinese restaurant with a 3 stars rating, It opens only at 11.30am on Sunday and Public Holiday, and at 12 on Monday to Saturdays. It would have been a very good view eat you're seated next to its large window as it gives you the harbour view.

The service was excellent and we ordered some dim sum and porridge. Some of the dim sum items were not fairly common (Fish Siew Mai). Our desserts, the mango pudding and mango sago were superb as well. I think the price for a 3-star restaurant is pretty reasonable. We paid about SGD 90 for two person.

In the Four Seasons Hotel, you can also find another 3 Michelin stars rated restaurant called the Caprice, a French restaurant. The place is quite popular that I couldn't even get a reservation one week in advance. This place was previously rated 2 stars and got the 3rd star in the latest Michelin guide, so they must be doing something right and better. Maybe I'll put this on my visit list next.

After brunch, we walked from Four Seasons to the ferry terminal via IFC Mall and caught the ferry to Kowloon site. The GF wanted to visit H&M so we headed over to Canton Road. Wanting to get away from the crowd, I decided to go grab a cup of coffee instead of joining the maddening shopping crowd. Unfortunately the Starbucks along Canton Road was also packed full of people, so I ended up in a bar at one of the hotel nearby and have myself a pint of Guiness and a cup of coffee while waiting for her. While waiting, I managed to call up L'atelier de Joel Robuchon and made reservations for dinner that night.

We left Canton Road and took the ferry back to Hong Kong Island side and walked from the ferry terminal towards the Landmark. As we had some time to kill before, we just walked about and do a bit of window shopping before proceeding to the restaurant.

I had initially wanted to do the Robuchon in Macau, which is rated 3 Michelin stars, but I didn't have much time in Macau. The restaurant actually has the usual table seating, or you can opt for the bar seating where you can see the happenings in the kitchen, which in my opinion, is pretty cool and an unique experience.

The food was excellent, the best in the few places I went to this trip. Quite an extensive menu of french fare, and they have the option of serving them in tasting portions, thus you get to savour a lot more different items without overeating. Service was very attentive as well.

They also have very extensive wine list if you're there with a wine connoisseur. The wine list is as thick as a phone directory.

We spent about 3 hours there, savouring one dish after another. We had about 8 dishes, including starter (complimentary) and dessert. Total bill came to about SGD300++, which was totally worth it in my opinion.

Feeling extremely satisfied, we headed back to our hotel to just relax and pack for our trip back tomorrow. As our flight was at about 12noon, (I tried to change to later flight, but no flights were available) we had to leave hotel before 10am.

Overall, it was quite a pleasant trip. The weather was very very good, and our itinerary was relaxing and not rushed, and of course, the dining experience was very good. Perhaps my next trip, I'll do more of the hawker/roadside fare after having sampled the higher end food this trip.

Hong Kong Escapade 22nd December to 27th December (Part 3)

2010-01-25T11:17:00.001+08:00

After a peaceful sleep on eve of Christmas, we woke up and headed downstairs to make arrangement for visit to Disneyland - the happiest place on earth, the GF claims. We initially intended to grab a train there, but when we learned that the hotel offers tour service 'direct' from the hotel to the park, along with the ticket purchase, we thought it'd be more convenient to go with the bus service. It turned out to be quite an error of judgement. We had anticipated that the coach will go direct from our hotel to Disneyland, as there were another family already on board, but instead, it went round Hong Kong to pick up more tourists before heading towards Disneyland. In all, it took us almost 2 hours to get to Disneyland from the hotel, when it would have taken us just about an hour if we had gone on the train on our own. The only good thing about this was that the coach was waiting for us at the end of our excursion at the theme park and sent us to the doorstep of our hotel, but not before dropping off other passengers in a couple of locations.

As we arrived at the park at about 1pm, we managed to catch the first parade along Main Street. This was a good opportunity to catch all the Disney characters pretty close up (and the only time I caught Mickey during my whole trip...). It lasted for a good 30 to 45 minutes and we took a lot of pictures. Next up, we headed to Tomorrowland to catch a ride at the Space Mountain roller coaster. The queue was quite long (about 45 minutes) but Disneyland had implemented a 'Fast Pass' system where you can obtain a Fast Pass that allows you to jump the queue, but only at specific time and once per ride per day. The ride itself was quite exciting, travelling at high speed and velocity in darkness littered with small blips, it really left you to your senses to grasp the thrill of the ride. As the queue was too long, we didn't bothered queuing for a second round.

Most of the eating places were packed with people even though it's almost 3pm when we decided to have lunch at a slightly more proper dining at the Plaza Inn which had a very chinese styled decoration. After lunch, we walked towards Fantasyland where many of the more popular characters hang out. We managed to get outself on the queue to take pictures with the princesses of Disney. Because of the overwhelming queue, the park attendants had to limit the number of people per session, and we were the last two for a session with Belle (of Beauty and the Beast) and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). After taking the pictures, we headed over to Adventureland and we queued up (again) for almost an hour to get on the Jungle River Cruise. It was a simple but pleasant ride along the river (slight respite from the crowd).

As most of the attractions had really long queues, we didn't really checked them out, and instead just strolled around and even got on the train that goes around the park just to pass some time. We then grabbed our dinner at one of the cafes eating hotdogs and egg tarts (which were very nice) before proceeding to get a good spot for a view of the day ending fireworks. It's almost unbelievable as people have already gathered at the roundabout just in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle and we only managed to get some standing space... and this was 2 hours before the fireworks were scheduled to go off at 9pm. So we stood there and waited for 2 hours before we witness a very impressive display of fireworks for over 15 minutes... was it worth standing 2 hours in a good spot for? Yea, I'd say so. But I probably wouldn't do it again.

After the fireworks display ended, we made our way out of the park to our coach which was waiting for us and took us back to our hotel. A quick shower and off to bed for rest after a pretty tiring day of visiting Disneyland and queuing......

Next... Fine Dinings...

Tiring Friday

2010-01-18T13:29:00.001+08:00

What a tiring Friday. I don't think I've ever been this tired on a work day, without actually doing any official work. As part of my new company's annual offsite event for the team, I participated in the "Incredible City Race 2010", together with close to 100 of my other colleagues. We were divided into 10 groups and was given instructions to visit four different stations located in Chinatown, Bugis, Clarke Quay and Little India.

At each station, the teams were given instructions to complete the set tasks along with some additional challenges to gain some points. Points are given based on how accurate the team answered the questions that are associated with the tasks. Teams also gain additional points if we complete the task in shorter time frame.

At the end of the race, each team will need to decipher the clues gathered at each zone that tells them which is the end point - which is at bar in East Coast Park. Our team were the first team to officially finished the race, a good 1.5 hours before the stipulated end time. As everyones gathered, we were informed that there'll be a last challenge before they tabulate the scores. After completing the last challenge, the company started the lucky draw process, where everyone will win something, ranging from 50 dollars NTUC vouchers to Philips sound bars. I drew the 23rd price, which was a premium rice cooker. Whee.....

Overall, it was a very tiring but enjoyable day. It gave me a chance to get to know more of my colleagues out of the office environment and the team I was in was a whole lot of fun and motivated people. Although we didn't win the first price in the race (we finished second and each got a 150 dollars voucher), we felt good because we were able to complete the tasks together very quickly and had fun doing that.

Hong Kong Escapade 22nd December to 27th December (Part 2)

2010-01-18T12:01:00.001+08:00

On Christmas Eve, we decided to sleep in a little and only left hotel almost 11am. Wanting to taste some wanton mee, we walked a few blocks towards Hay Hay Restaurant, and we each ordered a bowl of wanton mee each and also a plate of charsiew (BBQ pork). The wanton was succulent and juicy, and the warm soup was a good respite from the cold morning weather. I've originally planned to go to Macau earlier and perhaps pay a visit to the 3 Michelin stars rated Robuchon restaurant there, but feeling lazy, we dallied and only decided to go to Macau after our lunch and short walk around Wan Chai. So we headed to the Turbojet pier in Sheung Wan to grab a speedboat/ferry to Macau. I was quite surprised that the speedboat was quite 'luxurious' - definitely have a better feel than an AirAsia plane... The journey from Hong Kong to Macau took us about 45 minutes and it was very pleasant. You can also buy drinks and snacks to consume while you're in the boat.

Upon arrival, we proceeded to a bus stand where we boarded a shuttle bus headed to the Venetian. I was quite impressed with the development that is happening around Macau. The roads and bridges were very impressive, and so were the many hotels and casinos that dominated the landscape there. We arrived in Venetian and our first impression - it felt like we're in Genting! The large interconnecting spaces somehow reminded us of our walks in the halls around Genting. I guess all casino resorts would give you about the same feel for things. We walked about, admiring the grandeur of the designs when we stumbled upon a queue that is waiting their turn to get their tickets for Zaia, a Cirque du Soleil show. GF got very excited and decided to join the queue without knowing what are the showtimes, but lucky us, the next show is at 5pm, and there was about 1.5 hour more to that. So we got our tickets and went exploring the vast resort a little before grabbing a quick bite prior to the show. Once we're in the hall, I could see that the theatre was built specifically for the show and it was very impressive. We sat through 90 minutes of spectacular stunts and acrobatics and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and felt the money and time well spent. We proceeded to one of the foodcourts and had our dinner, and we ordered some Portuguese items, after all we were in a former Portuguese colony. We left the Venetian at about 9.30pm and made our way back to the ferry terminal and managed to catch the 10pm ferry back to Hong Kong.

We reach Hong Kong at almost 11pm and made a quick dash back to hotel to drop off our stuffs and freshen up a little. We then took a cab towards Lan Kwai Fong to join in the Christmas countdown festivities. When we got close to LKF, I noticed that there were a big police presence in the vicinity and of course, there were hordes of people. Bear in mind that I've not been to LKF and have no idea where it is actually and what's the scene like there. So we just got off the cab and followed the throng of people walking up the slope. Again, I noticed that there are many police personnel around directing human traffic. As we got closer to the centre of LKF, the crowd got thicker and we were pretty much shoulder to shoulder with other party-goers. I was pretty much caught in the middle of the street, with people pushing from the back and some people trying to head down from the front. It can get pretty claustrophobic, and I'd be worry if some stampede and trampling might happen and the smaller sized people (my GF namely...) would have problem breathing, etc. There was no chance for me to duck into any of the pubs that lined the street to grab a drink even. So, we just followed the flow (almost literally) of people and made our exit. In the midst of all that, the clock actually struck midnight and we did welcomed Christmas in LKF. We queued up for the cab and got back to our hotel almost 1am, and I headed to the 7-11 store next to the hotel to grab a can of beer for myself, which I enjoyed in the room before calling it a night and hit the sack.

Next up... Disneyland on Christmas Day!

Hong Kong Escapade 22nd December to 27th December (Part 1)

2010-01-13T12:07:00.001+08:00

With a blink of the eye, and it's now halfway into the second week of the new year. I'm settling down pretty well in a new job after leaving my previous company after over 2 years in the job. I was pretty lucky that I managed to take a 2 weeks break in between the job towards end of 2009.

During the break, I took the opportunity to book a flight to Hong Kong for a short getaway. The last time I was in HKG was some years back, when I was with my first job, and I had visited HKG for a project meeting. I certainly didn't have time to explore HKG then, so this time, there'll be chance for me to be a tourist in an island that is not unlike the one I'm currently residing in. I have the GF as my guide, as she has been there for about 3 (or was it 4) times in the last few years.

We left Changi Airport on the evening of the 22nd of December, and arrived in Hong Kong International Airport a little past 10pm. We collected our luggages and proceeded out to grab a cab. The cool air that greeted us as we exited the airport was refreshing, but it wasn't as cold as I thought it might be as it was about 16 to 18 degrees Celcius, which was about a typical temperature on a cool night up in Genting. We took the cab towards our hotel at the Novotel Century in Wan Chai. I can only vaguely remember HKG from my previously visit and most of the impression was what I got from watching Hong Kong serials and movies. So as the cab cruise along the roads and bridges towards the city, the very tall and high density looking apartment buildings definitely made quite an impression. If I felt Singapore's resident was cooped up, now I can sense why HKG is one of the most densely populated city in the world. We arrived at the hotel just before midnight, and after checking hit, we practically fell asleep.

We woke up relatively early on the morning on the 23rd of December and got ready to head out. We took a short walk from our hotel to the nearest tram stop, and rode the tram downtown towards the Central Business District. We got off at the HSBC building, where you can see the iconic bronze (?) lions guarding its front entrance. From there, we walked towards the lower Peak tram station to ride up the hill in the historic tram. I had made reservations for brunch at the Peak Lookout restaurant, a quaint cottage looking restaurant located just opposite the Peak Tower, which was also the stop for the tram. We went up to the Peak Tower Observatory and take in the view of Hong Kong. We were pretty lucky that the day was clear with very little fog, as the following few days turned out to be quite foggy and the view of the city from up there would have been obscured. After lunch, we took a cab to Horizon Plaza, where some of the shopping warehouses are located. From there, we took another short cab ride to the Prada warehouse where the GF did some shopping. Satisfied with her purchase, we then headed back to hotel to change before heading out.

We took a ferry from Wan Chai towards Kowloon and headed towards the pier where we would board the Aqua Luna, a chinese junk, that sails around the harbour. I had booked the ride starting 7.30pm in order for us to catch the well known Symphony of Light from the junk. The ride took about 45 minutes and we caught the light display from the comfort of the junk. It was quite a pleasant experience. After disembarking, we walked briefly along Canton Road before reaching our dinner place at the Aqua Restaurant located on the 29th Floor of the One Peking Road building. I had made reservation in advance from Singapore, and they had placed us next to the window overlooking the harbour, so we got a very nice view of the harbour as we dine. Ambience was very nice and service was pleasant enough. I had also pre-ordered a dessert platter with a candle and birthday message as a birthday treat for the GF. Was she surprised? I'd like to think at least a little.

After dinner, we walked about in the surrounding area, including the new 1881 Heritage, which includes a old Police Headquarter that is now coverted into a boutique hotel. By the time we wanted to head back, the ferry service already ended and we had to queue for taxi to take us over the sea and back to Wan Chai.

Next up... Christmas Eve in Macau and LKF

Kinokuniya 20% sales

2009-11-17T17:23:00.001+08:00

I've just gotten an email flyer from Kinokuniya... they're having their 20% storewide sales from the 19th to 22nd November... and I'll be away from 18th to 21st November... good thing I still have the 22nd to go and pick up the rest of my Fables collection... woohoo!

I've recently finished Jeff Abbott's thriller "Trust Me" and is halfway through Jeffrey Archer's The Path to Glory. I still have John Grisham's The Associate sitting on my book shelf waiting for me to pick it up. I might be able to cut down on books purchases given that I recently signed myself up with the National Library Board (NLB) in Singapore and I can borrow books from the public libraries now.

Have a Coke... it'll make you happy

2009-11-17T13:21:00.001+08:00

Have you bought a can of Coca-Cola recently? I just bought one from the vending machine downstairs to go with my home-packed bread for lunch. Normally I don't pay much attention, but today, I had it placed next to my laptop while I'm browsing and reading some articles when I noticed some rather interesting images on the can.

If you look closely at this well known visual item, you'd have noticed that they've made some changes on the printed words and images. For example, they have this image of a bulging can with a caption that says "330mL of happiness waiting to be opened by you". Noticed that this is their way of getting the same message (the nett volume) across with new messages that is likely to prompt you to pick up a can. Then there's this - "Nutrition facts (per 100mL) you'll be pleased to know" and this - "What goes into making you happy" followed by the sinful ingredient (I'm surprised there's no drug in there to induce all these happiness) and accompanied by a smiley. The can also asks you to "Sit back, relax and enjoy this sparkling flavoured drink manufactured & distributed by the Happy People at" before revealing the address of the manufacturing plant.

Instead of the usual boring barcode, this can's barcode actually has hands that extends out from the barcode waving and holding bottles of Coke. Then there's also 2 faces that makes up the silhoutte of a phone indicating their consumer service line with the tag "There's a cheerful voice on the other line". One another part of the can is a silhoutte of the famous coke bottle shape made up of the following text "The record for the loudest burp is held at 118.1 decibels. That's as loud as a chainsaw. You can do better than that. Coca-Cola. Your Coca-Cola burp is already impressing your neighbour a mile down the road. With a little training, you could probably break that record. BURP. Start practising. Open happiness". (I have burped a few times in the course of typing the text up above). And finally, there's "Recycle to make the world a happier place".

After all these, how can you not be happy when you're having a can of Coke? BURRRRPPPP....

Movie Review: 2012

2009-11-13T16:28:00.001+08:00

Roland Emerich just loves to destroy the planet - from Independence Day to The Day After Tomorrow to now, 2012. I seriously wonder if he is perhaps an abandoned alien who harboured a strong hatred for human and its civilizations. OK, this may be an idea lifted from the TV series V. Some of you might have remembered this TV series back in the 80s about green reptile-like aliens who "wears" human skins and their eyes sensitive to sunlight. The guys at TV land just relaunched a new V series in 2009, and I caught the first episode, and it seems alright, although some of the actings are a bit stiff. Oh, but I digress.

I caught 2012 at the cinema last night. After months of teasers and trailers in the cinema, you finally get to experience the whole excitement of watching the earth falls apart (almost literally) being "attacked" by the forces of nature. Come to think of it, if you've seen the trailers, you probably seen half of the destructions shown in the movie. I must admit there were parts that were quite gripping - the first flight out of LA as you watch the whole world tumbles down around you (could be an interesting theme park ride... seriously) but there were also parts that were quite draggy - like when John Cusack and Amanda Peet were kissing when the clock is counting down and impending doom is just minutes away. The supposed touching moment didn't come across as strong as what we've experienced in the Armageddon when Bruce Willis says goodbye to Liv Tyler (and Aerosmith's theme song makes it even more memorable now).

The CGI effects weren't that great either... it still felt like you were watching Independence Day kind of effect (ID4 was release back in 1996, that's 13 years ago). Many times, you couldn't help but notice the outline of the actors against what was clearly digital background (superimposed on green screens). I would certainly expect better quality considering we have gone many years ahead now, and having films like Transformers where the CGI effects were so good that it is not difficult to believe that the living machines are there for real.

Overall, it was an average watch. Trying to inject humanity into a disaster movie is not new, but unfortunately I don't quite connect with the human characters. I would really rather see more destructive effects. Maybe I should find the time to catch Discovery Channel's The Perfect Disaster.

Fables

2009-11-06T16:17:00.001+08:00

Remember the stories you read as a kid? Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilock and the Three Bears, Sleeping Beauty and others? Well, the Fables comic series from DC Comics - Vertigo took these characters and placed them in a modern world setting with adult themed storylines.

Since I was introduced to Neil Gaiman's Sandman many years ago, I have always been drawn to titles published by Vertigo, which is an arm of DC Comics. Vertigo titles are generally meant for matured readers. I've always enjoyed the more developed characters and stories presented in the pages of Vertigo comics as compared to the mainstream comics which focused more on the superheroes theme.

After I moved to Singapore, and found that the large bookstores here (Borders, Kinokuniya, Page One) have comprehensive stocks of trade paperbacks (TPB) of comics, I was excited. TPB are reprints of a collection of a few issues of monthly releases, normally one single story arc, into one single volume, making it easier to collect and read. Kinokuniya in particular has a large section with very good selection of both mainstream and independent titles.

Limited series like Neil Gaiman's Sandman, which actually consisted of 75 monthly issues, can also be found in 10 volumes of TPB. From the Vertigo line, I've also had read the Book of Magic series which was enjoyable, but I read off my uncle's collection. I then bought the entire set (13 volumes) of Lucifer TPB, that tells the story of Lucifer Morningstar, the fallen angel who ruled Hell, and left it in pursuit of his own agenda. Lucifer is a character originally introduced in the pages of the Sandman.

After completing my Lucifer collection, I recently started purchasing the Fables series. As mentioned, the stories revolve around the familiar characters that I first learned about in my childhood storybooks. In Fables, I was re-introduced to these characters who were driven out of their homelands into New York, forming a secret community and living among the humans. There's Snow White, who is a cold and efficient deputy mayor, and her sister Rose Red, a rebel and party animal. The Big Bad Wolf (from Little Red Riding Hood and Three Little Pigs) now takes on a human form and is the law enforcer among the Fables. Then there's Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalks) who is a drifter and con artist and Prince Charming, who married and divorced Snow White, then Sleeping Beauty and also Cinderella - it makes sense doesn't it... the same Prince Charming was sleeping with these 3 ladies all along. Then there's also We also caught glimpse of Beauty and the Beast, Pinocchio (who stayed as a boy, never grows), Bufkin the flying monkey from Wizard of Oz and many more. I've only had bought the first three volumes of the series and I'm hooked. I'm waiting for Kinokuniya to have its 20% members sale and I'd be there to sweep up perhaps the remaining TPB in series, and I'm sure there'll be more characters that will be revealed.

For those that enjoy a different dose of fairy tales - perhaps with a touch of reality, you should really go pick this up for your bedtime reading.

F1 season past

2009-11-05T09:33:00.004+08:00

Reading through the archives of my past postings, gives me an interesting perspective. It's like traveling back in time and review at things past... and shoosh... here I am back in the tail end of 2009 and get to see how things are different between then and now.

The 2009 Formula 1 season just ended, with the new spectacular Abu Dhabi race bringing down the curtain on a surprise- and incidents-laden season which see the brand new Brawn GP team winning both the drivers championship and constructor title. Jenson Button, long the underachiever among the F1 drivers, finally got his hands on the World Championship trophy. Well deserved, for how he played a part in helping the new Brawn team get off the ground in spectacular manner. Brawn team, is of course the incarnation of the previous Honda F1 team that team principal Ross Brawn, formerly of Ferrari, bought over when Honda decided to pull out of F1 due to escalating cost and the poor economic climate.

And talking of Ferrari, the 2009 season is another season in transition. They again didn't have the cars that can compete in terms of speed, handling and reliability compared to teams like Brawn, Red Bull and Williams who had worked longer on the cars for 2009. Felipe Massa did the best he could in the early races, before a horrific injury in Hungary cut his season short, and his place was taken by the laughable Luca Badoer. No offence to Badoer, but his performance in a Ferrari car during qualifying and races makes Ferrari look like a car that is consistently starting from the back grid. Giancarlo Fischicella, who replaced Badoer towards the end of the season, also didn't fare much better, which is quite baffling, considering that Kimi Raikonen still managed to respectable positions (mid-table at least...) in both qualifying and races. Also Fischicella managed a podium finish in the Force India F1 car before he got his dream move to drive for Ferrari. Maybe it goes to show that it is important to have a car designed, setup and fine-tune for its specific drivers long before the season begin. I think with that in mind, Ferrari had put together their new line up for 2010 - former world champion Fernando Alonso and the returning Felipe Massa. 2010 could be a very good season for Ferrari.

2010 could also prove to be an exciting year for the Red Bull team, who finished second in the constructor championship this year with Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel in the drivers seat. Young up and coming driver Vettel proved his mettle and finish second behind Button in the drivers championship. I do foresee interesting annual battles between Vettel and Louis Hamilton for the drivers championship for many years to come. Louis Hamilton should also look forward for a better year in 2010 as he failed to defend his 2008 title as McLaren failed to provide Hamilton and team mate Heiki Kovalainen with a good car at the start of the season. By the time McLaren got their acts together, Hamilton was already way behind the chase for the title.

Alonso's Renault team was embroiled in controversy when former driver Nelson Piquet Jr. came out and claimed that he was instructed to crash his car in the inaugural 2008 Singapore GP that helped Alonso win the race. This led to the maverick Renault team principal Flavio Briatore quitting the team. It's a team in turmoil and will look to 2010 to put the incidents of 2009 behind them.

Toyota continued to show some improvement, but not much for a team that spent the most money amongboth the F1 teams. BMW and Williams did alright, not spectacular, while the Force India team surprised some people with strong showings at the tail end of the season. The Toro Rosso team propped up the grid most of the time.

I must admit I didn't follow F1 as closely this season compared to past years. I didn't even managed to procure a ticket for the race in Singapore, but I told myself that I would buy one for the 2010 season in Singapore.

2010 should also be an interesting year with new teams given greenlight to race and over the next few months, there should be more development in terms of team setup and confirmation of race drivers. This off season should also proved to be very interesting. One team that I'd be paying particular attention on would be the Lotus F1 team, owned by Malaysian Tony Fernandez. Already having Mike Gascoyne on board as Technical Director is already a big step and signaled this team's intention. Rumours have it that they might be also getting Jarno Trulli on board, and I think that'll help because Trulli has the experience and did well for the years he was with Toyota.

I'm back... and This Is It

2009-11-04T13:23:00.001+08:00

Wow... it's been (almost) one year since I last blogged. And I think many of you can attest, many things can happen and/or change in that period of time.

So, what prompted me to drop in and pen down a few notes here this time? Well, one of it was the insistence of one particular wings flapping creature that is close to heart, who commented, "why don't you just put in a few notes in your blog?", just the other day when we were lounging away on our comfy couch at home.

To tell the truth, I've always wanted to wait till one full year before I put something down here again. Why? No reason, I guess... just excuse for being plain lazy on having to organise my thoughts and put it down in a comprehensible manner. I realised that over the last one year, my attention span has actually gotten shorter, which may not be a good thing as I need to get myself focused again and set forth to accomplish better things in life. Thus, taking the time to sit down, give thoughts, organise them and ultimately convey them here should give me a kick start again before the year ends with a whimper... I certainly hope not.

As usual, I would think the usual items I'd be blogging on are the movies, music, books and the happenings around me (what else...). And to that, I would really recommend fans of Michael Jackson to go catch "This Is It", the movie that recollects scenes from his rehearsals for his 50 sold out concerts in London prior to his untimely death in June this year. I watched it last Friday in digital (it was definitely clearer compared to conventional film projection) at the Cathay in Singapore and thoroughly enjoyed it. Like many my age, the music of MJ, from Beat It to Thriller to Man in the Mirror, has provided the accompaniment to our lives growing up. While watching This Is It, apart from giving you a taste of what his concert would and could have been, it also gives you a glimpse of how meticulous, dedicated and involved MJ is in his performances (or rehearsals in this matter). You definitely feel a big loss when you stop and reflect that this great artist is no longer with us and we won't be able to see any more new brilliance coming from him. I find myself bobbing my head and tapping my feet to almost every song 'performed' during the show. The energy shown by MJ was incredible. I particularly enjoyed the works done for "You Don't Care About Us" and "Smooth Criminal". There were also new segments filmed for the concert for "Thriller" and a couple of other songs. The clapping ovation the movie received at the end of my screening showed that MJ's works are greatly appreciated by many.

I read somewhere that the DVD will be released sometime in February, so it'll make a good pick up to watch for those that didn't have the chance to catch This Is It during it's two weeks limited run. I'm still perplexed as to why they're limiting it to just two weeks, perhaps Sony is trying to boost up ticket sales by making it 'exclusive'.

Buying books on the cheap...

2008-11-15T09:38:00.002+08:00

I've always been meaning to blog this... I bought 6 books at the Times Warehouse Sales in Singapore Expo last month for only SGD 32, albeit they're a bit old (at least 4 years old I reckon)... cheap cheap still.

It gave me an opportunity to pick up a couple of books by authors I've not read before, but mostly I still hunted for books by familiar authors.

The Christmas Train (David Baldacci)
Motson's National Obsession: The Greatest Football Trivia Book Ever... (Adam Ward and John Motson)
High Crimes (Joseph Finder)
The Tristan Betrayal (Robert Ludlum)
The Resurrectionist (Michael Collins)
24 Karat Schmooze (Marc Blake)

Exhausted Mind

2008-11-14T22:05:00.001+08:00

It's been one of those week where I feel my brain has been exhausted
as weekend approaches. Although I had just finished dinner and drinks
with colleagues after another day of pressure putting on a good show
as part of a project evaluation, I didn't feel relieved at all, but in
fact a lot more exhausted that I declined offer from PC and Stan to
join them at ICB. I just need to head home and be alone and not
putting my brain into any gear at all...

Ferrari needs to be more reliable next season

2008-11-03T22:06:00.003+08:00

My sympathy goes to Felipe Massa. He did everything that is expected of him in the season's finale in Brazil only for Lewis Hamilton to catch a lucky break (or poor strategy by Toyota and Timo Glock) and pip Massa to the World Championship.

For many years, particularly during the years that Michael Schumacher dominated the sport, the Ferrari car was one of the most reliable, hardly breaking down and allowing Schumacher to consistently finish in the points. This year (and last year), Ferrari car has broken down more than it ever has during Schumacher's time, thus, it is a bit cruel that Massa had to loose the title the way he did this year. Hopefully, next year Ferrari will return with more consistent cars, and both Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa will both be challenging for the individual titles again!

Random jottings

2008-10-21T05:46:00.001+08:00

This must be the earliest I've been at the airport to fly... Got here
bout 5.15am, waiting for my flight to KL at 6.50am... Gives me time to
grab a breakfast, but I think I just burped last night's dinner.
Hmmphh.

------

Oh, the 'officer' at the immigration checkpoint was kinda cute. At
least she's not one of those aunties who looks up at you from your
passport like you're this bad boy who's about to bring her daughter
out on a date... But I don't think this officer is much of a morning
person either... Don't think I got even a smile hello...

------

One of my regular breakfasts in Singapore has been the toast + half
boiled eggs + coffee breakfast set. I absolutely loves half boiled
eggs since I was a kid. Although a nasi lemak breakfast would have
been a lot tastier, but I reckon this is a slightly healthier
option...

------

It's been quite a hectic last few months of work, work and more work.
Ok, I did throw in a few sessions out with the friends in between.
Hopefully will be able to get some breaks in the last few weeks of the
year. Note to self, I need to check with HR on my annual leave
balance.

Randoms

2008-09-24T21:10:00.004+08:00

I'm at departure lounger at the KL International Airport, waiting for the boarding call for my flight back to Singapore. I have Jason Mraz crooning away in my ears and strumming his guitar, when suddenly, I have a sense of emptiness in me. I wonder why. I had spent almost two weeks back in KL as part of catching up with work here. I had both parents and sister for company almost daily - sitting together for dinner can be simple yet good.

And oh, hi... a cute girl just sat down in front of me. Looks a bit Japanese. Sweet.

Where was I? Oh yea... I do not mind heading back to Singapore though. I've accepted that there is my base now. For how long, I couldn't tell. Not just yet. All I know is that Singapore is more work than life... at least for now. Good thing I still got a group of friends who keep me sane and level.

There's a good reason why I nominated Jeffrey Archer as my favourite author. His latest novel, Prisoner Of Birth was so good that I couldn't put it down for long and I finished it in just under a week. I am contemplating re-read his Kane and Abel. As The Crow Flies remain the only novel that I have read more than once.

There goes the boarding announcement. Looks like a full flight, as this seems like a connecting flight to a few destinations from Changi. Ciao.

Seremban Beef Noodle in Singapore

2008-09-08T10:22:00.004+08:00

Ever since I found out that there's a Seremban Beef Noodle stall in Singapore earlier this year, I've always been meaning to check it out to see if it is as authentic as the one found in Seremban, but for one reason or another, I never made it to Marine Parade Hawker Centre, where the stall is located.

Thus last Saturday, I woke up with a determined feel to make a journey there to sample the noodle. I invited a number of people to join me, but unfortunately, none were able to make it. Undeterred, I decided to venture on my own. I took a SGD 10 cab ride to Marine Parade and walked around before I located the Hawker Centre and finally the store. The queue wasn't that long when I joined, but the stall was operated by a lone man, so it takes a while to get your turn. While waiting at my turn, I chatted a bit with the stall owner and he confirmed it is 'authentic' as the one in the market in Seremban. He chopped the beef and parts and boil them before pouring them in a bowl of noodles. He then flooded the bowl its famous gravy. Here, you are allowed to add your own condiments, so I took extra scoop of peanuts, crunchy vegetable and extra sprinkle sesame. I picked up the tray of noodle, soup and thick chili paste and looked for a seat.

First up, I tasted the soup and yes, it is very similar to the original beef noodle back in Seremban, so it was a good start. Next, the chili also tasted similar, while the noodle tasted very close, but it was wetter than the original for my liking. But it still tasted very good, and I had ordered a large bowl for SGD 5, so I took a while before I finished it all. I'd definitely come back again, and get a few friends to come and sample this.

After that, I went for a short walk in Parkway Parade, where they had the Ferrari F1 replica car on display, in conjunction with the upcoming F1 Grand Prix later this month in Singapore. I checked out Borders there before I decided to head back to Bishan and get a long overdue haircut. The cab ride back also cost me SGD 10.

All in all, I paid SGD 20 for cab ride for a SGD 5 bowl of beef noodle. Is it worth it? You bet it is.

Of books and pasta

2008-08-30T19:41:00.002+08:00

After weeks of hectic work, and more to come, so on Friday I thought I'd leave work early, 6pm that is, and do some shopping down at Orchard. Book shopping at Borders more specifically. My last two books were bought at airports - "Michael Schumacher: The Edge of Greatness" by James Allen in Thailand and "The Appeal" by John Grisham in KLIA.

Met up with Brandon and I quickly looked around. As usual, I'd go looking for books by authors whose works I've picked up previously. I was particularly looking for books by Colin Bateman but unfortunately the few titles that Borders stocked were those that I've already had in my collection. I think I might resort to buying future books from Amazon.

In the end, I picked up 3 books by authors I've not yet read before - "Blind Faith" by Ben Elton, "The Whole Truth" by David Baldacci and non-fiction "Cosa Nostra: A History of Sicilian Mafia" by John Dickie along with "Double Whammy" by Carl Hiaasen and "The Successor" by Stephen Frey.

At the cashier, I also signed up for Borders Preferred Member card which entitles me to 10% discount off books. It cost SGD 20.30 and I sort of recouped half of that value as the 5 books cost me just over SGD 100.

As I had cravings for pasta, we decided to head over to the Borders Bistro for quick dinner. I've been there a few times for coffee, and was never impressed with its service nor efficiency, and it was no different this time round. Service was slack but the shrimp pasta I had was good and the portion was generous. I also get 10% off the bill for the Borders Preferred Member card.

2008-08-07T23:00:00.003+08:00

It finally rained here after over a week of dry but windy days. Unfortunately, it just had to rain on a day that I'm supposed to be playing futsal. Oh well, I'm feeling a bit under the weather so I guess it's good to take a break. Staying home allowed me to catch the Argentina vs Ivory Coast match of the Olympics 2008 men's football competition. The brilliance of Lionel Messi is a pleasure to watch. The diminutive playmaker scored one and made one as Argentina edged an impressive Ivory Coast team 2 - 1.

Talking bout the Olympics, my company allocated every employee in the office a country via a ballot. The countries selected were of course none of the powerhouse, but more of the middle tiers that wins a few medals. For every gold medal the country won, the employee tagged to the country stands to win 2 gold class movie tickets, while a silver medal wins 2 movie tickets and a bronze wins a popcorn/drink combo (I think...). I was assigned to Zimbabwe. I was hoping to get either Spain, Poland or Canada though as these were the stronger teams among the list for the past Olympics. After reviewing Zimbabwe's record, I found that they won a gold in the last Olympics through swimmer Kirsty Coventry. I then found out that she is one of the top swimmers in the world and stands a good chance of winning a gold again at this Olympics. I will do well to keep an eye on the swimming events now. Well, at least I have hope of getting something, but then again, Zimbabwe has a small contingent of 13 athletes, so I can forgot about picking too many tickets (sorry folks, no free movie here...).

Earlier today, I went on the Singapore Flyers (http://www.singaporeflyer.com/) with colleagues and clients. Nothing to shout about, those of you working in high rise office or stays in high rise condo probably gets the same city skyline view or the sea view. The only interesting thing is that I can see the F1 track's layout and the works that are being carried out in preparation for the race comes September.

The Singapore Flyer

Patriotic Singaporean kids waving their national flags

A view from above

The pit building of the F1 track

Another view of the pit building along with the start/finish straight.

Friday night out

2008-08-02T01:04:00.002+08:00

Every once in a while, which is quite regularly, Doreen will send out email or sms suggesting dinner venue for the weekend. I love the adventurous spirit she has when it comes to food, so when I could, I would join her.

This week, she suggested Otto Ristorante, located at the Red Dot Museum Building along Maxwell Road. I met her there along with Chris after work. It is an Italian fine dining restaurant. I ordered Foie Gras for starter and a Duck Breast for main. Chris ordered a pasta for starter and veal for main, while Doreen had two starters - carpaccio and another pasta. I love my foie gras, which was very juicy and literally melted in your mouth. My duck breast was also nicely done, cooked with cranberry sauce, which was very pleasant to taste. The others were also pretty satisfied with their meals, except do note that the chef cooks the pasta al-dente style - which means the pasta is cooked in such that the middle is still slighty hard, chewy style, which is not something I was accustomed to. The bill came to about $300 for 3, so it is not exactly cheap.

After dinner, we walked down the road to check out Breeze at Scarlet Hotel. Scarlet Hotel is a boutique hotel, and Breeze is its rooftop bar. It is a nice place to hang out with friends, but it was not very crowded and we decided to check out another place. Chris has to leave us as he had to finish off his report to his boss. Doreen and I walked further down the street to check out this place called the Screening Room. There are a few rooms in Screening Room where you can rent and screen your own movies, or occasionally, they'll show some art house films. We went upstairs to the rooftop bar called La Terrazza. It was fairly crowded but we managed to get a nice comfy seat after a while and had a few drinks while catching up with each other.

We left at about 12.30 and I was satisfied with a night outing with nice food, nice chill out drinks and nice company.

WHY... SO... little update???

2008-07-27T15:34:00.008+08:00

What has happened over the past month? A lot, and yet, not much to be blogged about.

I've watched plenty of movies over the past month... here's a quick rundown and short reviews of them:

Hellboy II: The Golden Army The action and the fantasy creatures kept me glued to my seat throughout. The bad guy (Prince Nuada) is so cool and I think he could really kick Hellboy's butt... but Hellboy's still the man (sic) with the attitude. Selma Blair still looks interestingly attractive after all these years. Apparently, Guillermo Del Toro (the director) wants a chance to pair up Hellboy with some of the classic monsters like the wolfman and frankenstein in the next installment. We can only wait with bated breath.

Ratings: 3.5 out of 5

The Dark Knight WHY SO SERIOUS...? Seeing Heath Ledger's portrayal of the fearless, psychotic Joker just gives you the chill. Myself, being a Batman fanboy, can't help but declare that Heath Ledger gave the ultimate characterisation of Joker, straight out from the most definitive versions of the comic book. He proved in this movie just why Joker is Batman's biggest threat and villain. Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent transformation into Two-Face is also done very well. It gives Two-Face a reason to go against the establishment. Does Batman plays second fiddle to his nemesis yet again? Well, Heath Ledger definitely upstaged Christian Bale in this, but Christian Bale still pulls off a very dark and moody Batman effectively, showcasing the struggle he has within - between wanting to be Batman and wanting to be normal so he can have the girl he loves.

Credit must also go to the scriptwriter and director for coming up with a matured story and tight control over the flow of the movie.

Classic scenes for me are:

Joker fearlessly challenges Batman to run him down on his Batpod, and Batman has no choice but to swerve and crash.

Joker in a nurse uniform... and uttered a simple "Hi" next to a disfigured Harvey Dent.

My only gripe, I didn't feel Maggie Gyllenhaal was outstanding as Rachel Dawes.

Ratings: 4 of out 5

Hancock It was an enjoyable fare, where you get comedy, action, love and drama ALL in one. What more could you ask for? A superhero who is drunk and smashes thing? Charlize Theron still looking hot even though she plays a housewife? And kid calling Hancock asshole being tossed into the atmosphere? Just enjoy it and don't think too much.

Ratings: 4 of out 5

Kung Fu Panda A very typical loser-turned-hero story. Nicely and smoothly animated, but just doesn't have the 'heart' I feel. Good for the kids no doubt, but Jack Black still shined better in his own body instead of an animated Panda.

Ratings: 3 out of 5

Get Smart It's fairly funny, as I vaguely remember watching Maxwell Smart on the TV when I was young. I must admit there's some resemblance between Steve Carrell and Don Adams but I think Adams were funnier. Anne Hathaway were hot though.

Ratings: 3 out of 5

Wanted What can I say about this? This is THE movie with attitude. It makes you want to stand up and throw your computer off the windows in your office and tell your boss to f*ck off when you're that close to snapping after days of stress in the office.

I actually went and bought the comic before I caught the movie and I must say, except for the main setup, there is no resemblance between the comic and the movie, which is not a bad thing. If you've read the comic, you'd know there's no way they'll greenlight a movie based directly on that. And did I mentioned that Angelina Jolie were smoking hot?

Ratings: 4 out of 5

The Incredible Hulk Being a regular follower of the 80s TV series, I throughly enjoyed this version. Edward Norton's portrayal resembled the Bruce Banner in the TV series - a loner who is always on the run while seeking the cure. To see Lou Ferrigno being given a cameo in this movie is also great. And, oh, having Liv Tyler in there doesn't hurt at all.

Ratings: 3.5 out of 5

21 After watching this movie, it makes me want to go start counting cards in a blackjack game. Of course, it may be easier than it seems. Entertaining fare to see how a group of young MIT students used their talent to rack up big money at the casinos.

Ratings: 3 out of 5

Untraceable I caught this (along with 21, Run Fatboy Run and Sorry If I Love You) during my flights to/from Melbourne. I decided to watch this based on raving reviews by Chern. Well, I was only mildly entertained. While the entire premise is interesting, I felt that the script could have been more high-tech, but sadly it moves to show how helpless the main protagonists are when they are supposed to be some high-tech gurus.

Ratings: 2.5 out of 5

Run Fatboy Run After catching glimpses of reviews about this movie, I decided to tuned in to this one. Set in London, so you can get the typical dry British humour, although it was directed by David Schwimmer (of Friends fame). Simon Pegg excelled as a retail store security guard who decides to compete in a marathon against a rival for the love of his life. There isn't too much depth in it, but watching Dennis persevere in his quest is uplifting.

Ratings: 3 out of 5

Sorry If I Love You (Scusa Ma Ti Chiamo Amore) I was contemplating between this Italian fare and the Chinese epic, The Warlords and I settled for this because I was in the mood for something romantic. This tells of a 37 years old creative director who runs into a 17 years old student and how their relationship blossomed and the ups and downs of their courtship. Well, it's a bit of a teenage movie feel to it (except since it's in a foreign language, you get a bit of art-house feel to it I guess...) but sufficiently expresses how love conquers all no matter what's the circumstances or environment.

Ratings: 3.5 out of 5

==================

Apart from the going to the movies, in the past month, I spent a week in Bangkok mostly for work, extending the weekend, which I went for a few rounds of massages. I also took a tour to a floating market in Bangkok. Not to be confused with the more well-known floating market in Ratchaburi, which is about 2 hours drive out of Bangkok, this smaller floating market is called the Taling Chan Floating Market. It is a popular place with the locals over the weekend, with many of them there enjoying the variety of food. It is about 45 minutes away from Bangkok, via the Chao Phraya River on a long-tailed boat. It was a good getaway from the hustle bustle of the city, as you get to experience the breeze as you ride along the river and canal. Along the way, the tour guide will also brief you on the various buildings and temples along the river.

Some snap shots from the tour:

* a temple along the river * view of a long-tailed boat * view of the boats at the floating market * one of the hawkers peddling food * view of the street market next to the floating market *

My camera's battery ran flat by the time I got to the floating market, otherwise I would have snapped a lot more pictures. I also wish I had more time to sit down and sample the variety of food there. Maybe next time, with a group of friends.

================

I also flew to Melbourne, Australia, for my company's regional sales meeting. I extended my stay there to meet up with Jaime, and she was very kind to offer me a place to stay for the two nights. She also gave me a scarf, which I must say it's one of the best gifst I've got as it really kept me warm through the cold and wet Melbourne winter weekend.

Some snaps from Melbourne:

Give credit where credit is due

2008-07-09T00:38:00.002+08:00

Over the weekend, I've watched two fantastic sportings spectacle. First was the Silverstone F1 Grand Prix where Lewis Hamilton displayed some wonderful driving belying his age to win the race with over a minute margin over his closest challenger Nick Heidfeld. The race was made more entertaining by the number of drivers who lost control of their cars on the slippery track made wet by rain. Ferrari drivers proved to be a bit of a disappointment when Kimi Raikonnen and Felipe Massa only managed 4th and 13th place respectively, with Massa losing control of his car in over five incidences. I got to hand it to Hamilton for managing a spectacular win and land himself back into the Drivers Championship race.

Right after the race, the Wimbledon Tennis Championship match was fought between 5 times defending champion Roger Federer and his nemesis, reigning French Open champion Rafael Nadal. I had predicted that this will be classic match between two players who are the top of their games. However, Nadal raced into a 2 set to nothing lead and Federer looked beaten and his confidence shattered. Late in the 3rd set, rain fell and the match was postponed with Federer still looking shaky. It was unfortunate that it was way past midnight local time and I decided to head off to bed. It is only when I read the news the next morning that I found out Federer managed to clawed back 2 sets and losing out narrowly on the 5th set. I had wanted Federer to win so that he can beat Bjorn Borg's record of 5 consecutive Wimbledon title as well putting him closer to Pete Sampras' 14 Grand Slam title. But kudos to Nadal, who is widely recognised as the best clay court player, who was able to beat the reigning king of grass on his own turf. Federer has exclaimed that this does not signal the start of his downfall and he hopes to add the Olympics gold and the US Open title to his list of titles. I do hope that he'll be able to beat Sampras' total of Grand Slam wins and set his own milestone before he retires. Federer currently has 12 Grand Slam titles.

My first visit to the doctor, as a patient, in SG

2008-06-23T18:20:00.003+08:00

I had slight fever and body aches on Sunday, along with sore throat and a bit of cough. I had thought of sleeping it off, but I still woke up with slight fever and decided to leave work early to pay a visit to the General Practitioner (GP) near by my house. I thought I'd better take precaution as I need to fly to Bangkok tomorrow evening.

Somehow the doctors in Singapore, or at least in Bishan don't work the normal 9am to 5pm hours. A couple of clinics here were closed after 3.30pm and reopens only later at about 6pm or 7pm. So I had only 1 choice which were still open at about 4pm and I had to wait for over 45 minutes before I get to see the doctor. Mind you, this is private practice. I wonder if I had to wait this long, I might be better off visit the polyclinic or even a general hospital's outpatient clinic. So, after a 45 minutes wait, I went in, described to him my signs, and he just do a quick temperature reading and listen to my lungs. One cool thing is that he has on some touch screen computer to enter my info and for him to enter the medication.

Medicine's not cheap either. For similar illness in Malaysia, I would probably pay about RM 35, and I had to pay SGD 30 here. No wonders the doctors doesn't have to work long hours here in Singapore. So to you all GPs in Malaysia, consider moving to Singapore :P

Random Rants

2008-06-17T21:02:00.005+08:00

I just watched the Boston Celtics blew away the LA Lakers in the Game 6 of the NBA Finals to win the 2008 Championship 4 to 2. I am of course a Lakers fan, but I must admit that the Celtics deserved their title this year. They had the league's best record in regular season, and had seem hungrier of the two teams in the finals this year. I'm also glad that KG (Kevin Garnett) finally won his championship ring. He had moved from the Minnesota Timberwolves to Boston Celtics in the off-season to join Paul Pierce and Ray Allen as one third of the Boston Big Three. And they didn't disappoint, delivering the championship title in their first year together.

I first got a taste of the famed Lakers vs Celtics rivalry and basketball generally was when I played the Lakers vs Celtics basketball game on my 286 computer close to 20 years ago. Before Michael Jordan, there were Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I remember playing with my sister and we'll both fight to use Lakers, as they have the great Kareem's skyhook move, Magic's passing and shot, James Worthy midrange shots, and little Byron Scott shooting 3 pointers with accuracy. Sometimes I'd resort to using Celtics who had their big three then - Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. I think in those days, they do show some NBA games on TV late at night, where I caught glimpse of those players that I 'play' in the computer game. Michael Jordan? Yea, he was in the game, but he wasn't great yet. There's Malone, Stockton, Olajuwon, Barkley, Drexler and many other 'legends' of the 80s and 90s.

It's a bit disappointing that the Lakers lost in this year's final, but they had been a surprise package to have won the western conference final, so well done to Kobe Bryant and the team. Let's hope they return next year with a healthy Andrew Bynum who should help them with interior toughness.

Congratulations again to the Celtics. I hope that the Lakers vs Celtics rivalry will be on again for the new few years.

***

I can't deny it anymore. My waistline is expanding and it is not a pretty sight. Pants bought from one year ago has grown tight but at least I can still squeeze into them. Not exactly a consolation. Back in KL, I used to be able to at least play futsal twice a week, which helped me burnt off some fat, but since I moved to Singapore, my sporting sessions haven't been consistent. Marky invites me to join him and his friend on Monday for futsal, but I have yet to work out a Monday that I'd travel to Turf City to join him. Wilson and his colleagues try to play futsal regularly on Thursday and I'll join when and if I could. Then Khim and gang plays badminton on Sundays in Bishan, which is convenient for me and I try to join up when I can. So there's definitely not lack of opportunities, but just that sometimes I have to travel out of Singapore, and thus I missed many of the sessions. The other problem with these sporting sessions is that you needed more than one person to be able to have proper games, which can be a challenge trying to organise a team to get together. As I am not much of a gym person - I don't quite believe in paying just to use those facilities (although I might change my mind in my later years...) - I decided that I shall go and get a pair of proper running shoes and start running.

And ran I did. But my stamina sucks. I hardly lasted 10 minutes on continuous run/jog. I had to slow to brisk walk, plus the fact I hadn't warmed up properly meant that my shin and calf muscles tensed up and made my legs felt like cement blocks. I managed to still alternate my walk with light jogs and lasted close to one hour before I called time and walked to dinner. At least I had a light dinner - glass noodle with fishball, in soup.

I am still keen for my next run, plus the community park right in front of my apartment is a convenient and peaceful place to run (unlike in KL where you probably have to drive somewhere to have a nice jogging trail with lots of greenery). I hope to build up my stamina, and it'll help me in my futsal too.

***

Juwita Suwito, is a name I've heard plenty of times although I don't quite recall if I've seen her performed. I've definitely haven't seen her live, maybe I caught glimpse of her in some obscure RTM channel some years back. Last Saturday I finally saw Juwita performed live at an event organised by the College of Radiology, Malaysia, in Bangsar Shopping Centre. I admit that she has got very good voice and I've always enjoyed the female singer/songwriter type, some popular like Alanis Morissette, Tori Amos, Carly Simon and some obscure ones like Billie Myers, Paula Cole, Meredith Brooks.

I ended up buying her Live EP - Take Five with Juwita Suwito at Avanti, which is a live recording of her performing 5 songs. Apparently the album is only available at her gigs. She's very friendly and her mom is very supportive too - she manned the sales booth where you can get Juwita's CDs. Her mom asked me if I'd like to get my copy signed and I said why not - and tada - I have my first ever autograph music CD. Having listened to her live and her CD, I am thinking of picking up her two other studio albums. You can also find out where she performs next from her website www.juwitasuwito.com where she lists her upcoming gigs. I suggest you give one of her gigs a try and you might be hooked.

***

Movie: Sex and The City

I initially had reservations about watching this show. After all, I had stopped watching the series after season 3 and had pretty much lost the plot of what the four girls were up to. But I decided to give it a try, after all, I had enjoyed watching the early seasons with my then housemates Chen Chen and Sandy.

I must say, at the risk of sounding gay, that this movie is more enjoyable than the recent Indiana Jones fare. I mean, I felt that I had to drag myself through some parts of Indy, but I felt engaged thorough the entire SATC. At least I didn't get some guy clapping over the appearance of another guy (read my Indy Jones review...) but I think I can hear plenty of girls/women/ladies going wild over a non-character in a movie - the walk-in wardrobe that Mr. Big built for Carrie.

Story wise, it was nothing extra ordinary. It pretty much tells fans of the movie what had happened since the end of the series and of course the progression of Carrie and Mr. Big's relationship. For me, it does provoke some thoughts and feelings when it come the issue of marriage and its meaning (like why am I not married yet... I do wonder... LOL). But ultimately, there's a happy ending for everyone (oops... spoiler?). I don't think there should be any more sequels to SATC. I mean, what would they be showing? The girls living as mothers in the high society of NY? We already have that, you can watch the Nanny's Diaries and figure out where the girls of SATC fits in there.

Ratings: 3.5 out of 5

2008-06-03T23:25:00.002+08:00

While I am still slightly inebriated after a short session with the denizens of Block 153 Bishan Street 11 (Fay, Stan and Lawrence), I think I had better pen down my some of my more rational (?) thoughts for the night.

I had needed a 'destress' session after a day filled with some high-tensioned sales meetings, so I was glad to met up with Fay, Stan and Lawrence for a drink (3 drinks on my count...) after one of the meetings ended late close to 8pm. It was definitely a good time as we just talk and laughs at and with each others. Thanks guys. Great night out.

Among the things we talked about were the political scenes in Malaysia and the 'environment' that we were brought up with - the education system. Having just read Tun Mahathir's recent blog entry with regards to the 'racialism' situation in Malaysia, Stan and I had a debate about the merits of the national-type school and the chinese and indian language based schools in regards to having a more 'united' citizen in the face of the recent race issues that are plaguing Malaysia.

My thoughts are that the education should be revamped and only one type of school should be allowed - a school where the national language is the primary medium, and more importantly, the children of different races are raised and educated side by side, sharing and at the same time competing equally. That said, I still address the importance that the parents be given the option to enroll the child into classes pertaining to his/her mother tongue and origin, particular language and literature. I believed the that's what the Ministry of Education aimed to achieve with it's Sekolah Wawasan thing... I am saying... why give the choice on such a broad scale? Why not 'force' everyone to study and grow in the same environment? And I will not deny that we can't forget our 'roots', thus I'd still offer the flexibility to have subjects that focuses on the literacy and history of our origins. The diversity in cultural heritages and languages are way too precious and unique to this country to be forsaken altogether, but it shouldn't be the cause or excuse for segregation and discriminations.

The Malaysian education system is very outdated. It probably dated back from when Malay, Chinese and Indian educationists set up schools to cater for the population within the 'contained' community - the kampungs, the estates and the new villages. But time has changed, in the modern and metropolitan cities, people of all races are living side by side and if Malaysia truly wants to be a harmonised and united country, I believed that we need to start at the stage where all of us are best influenced and educated - the schools. Have one standardised curriculum for every schools. Make every children enroll into a school that are consist of children of every races, but give them flexibility to attend classes that are relevant to their races. At least in this case, every Malaysian child are growing up together and not segregated while casting suspicious glance over their neighbour. This is possibly the first step in creating a Malaysia that is void of tension caused by the inequality among races... because the race won't be a factor - everyone should be just Malaysian.

Review: Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2008-05-25T14:18:00.002+08:00

I think they should have named the show "Indiana Jones meets ET during Star Wars" or "Indiana Jones and His Close Encounter of the Third Kind".

While not entirely uninteresting, I had expected better, even though I actually went in with little expectations. I guess when you grew up being enthralled by the adventures of Indiana Jones in his three previous movies, you can't help but look forward for another exciting escapade through the jungles and ruins filled with booby-traps and treacherous creatures. I actually enjoyed a National Geographic documentary of a leave-like insect in the Sumatran jungle more than the first hour of this movie. While the movie picked up pace in the second hour, particular during the chase scenes in the jungle, the plot and storyline is just kind of flat. While Harrison Ford still exudes that coolness persona that is Indiana Jones, I think I rather look forward to Brendan Fraser in the next installment of the Mummy (with Jet Li as the villainous mummy) for a real adventure. Shia LeBouf does seems like a good fit for a young Indy Jones (maybe a future role for him, as stated by the producers), he is still far from being a season adventurer. Oh, I heard claps from my side when Shia made his entrance. I turned around to see a GUY clapping excitedly... this is, definitely not right.

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas definitely left their marks there although in pretty much a self-indulged kind of way by putting in elements that they like. No doubt these two are fine film makers, but I think the time has come for them to hang up their 'cameras' and 'thinking hats' as they seem to have ran out of fresh ideas.

Ratings: 2 out of 5

Perhentian Getaway

2008-05-25T13:12:00.002+08:00

I took the opportunity to go for a proper beach holiday during the recent long Wesak Day weekend. It has been years since I was in Terengganu to visit Pulau Redang (twice). I had fond memories of nice white beaches and clear blue seas and enjoyable snorkeling trips exploring the corals and fishes, albeit from the surface.

They say the journey to a destination is half the fun and this is indeed a journey that pretty much took up half of my holiday time. We left Singapore on Thursday afternoon, and after approximately a 18-hour journey via cabs, bus, train and speedboat, my friends and I arrived at D'Lagoon Chalet at Pulau Perhentian Kecil. Take into account the return trip from Sunday till Monday, the traveling definitely took up a bulk of the holiday schedule.

Our accommodation is located on a secluded private beach, so there are less activities as compared to the other resorts nearby. The rooms are really basic and of budget nature, no air-conditioning, no hot water and no luxury beds. We spent most of our days just lounging by the beach to read and play cards. At other times, we'll just put on our snorkeling gears and swim out to recommended snorkeling spots just a short swim away from our beach. We also trekked through jungle trails to reach two other beaches that were nearby (10 and 20 minutes trek respectively to Turtle Beach and Adam & Eve Beach). These two beaches are also pretty isolated and quiet, in fact, on our trip to Adam & Eve Beach, there were only the 3 of us. Again, these beaches are great for snorkeling, as there are nice corals and good collection of fishes just minutes away from the beach. The downside to this, is that the beaches are filled with dead corals that you don't get those smooth white sands and comfortable water to really swim in. I decided that my next trip would be to a beach that is more 'swim-able'.

Among my more memorable moments of the trips were the roti canai brunch we had at Kuala Besut, swimming with giant sea turtles who were merely metres away from you when they swim up to the surface to breathe and me spotting a blacktip reef shark. The company at the trip, Jo, Wilson, Stanley and Pek Bee were also superb throughout the trip.

[Pictures from the trip]

David Cook is American Idol

2008-05-23T16:02:00.003+08:00

Rocker David Cook clinched the American Idol Season 7 when he trumped young David Archuleta in the finals. It was a bit of a surprise as Archuleta did very well in the final, but nevertheless I am glad that David Cook won the title. He certainly showed his mettled and along the way, produced some memorable performances - Hello, Billie Jean, Always Be My Baby, First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, I Don't Want To Miss A Thing and The World I Know.

I must say that YouTube has been a wonderful media for those that wish to watch those performances again. Did you know that there are studio recordings of some of the songs, that you can get off iTunes... but some folks managed to upload those via YouTube so you get to enjoy some of the songs. Do a bit of search and you might find it.

I look forward to David Cook's album, and I hope he gets a hand in the artistic direction and not to be forced to do songs that are not his style. I think David Archuleta's album should do well, although I am not too sure what kind of genre it'll be, as he shined singing a lot of oldies, but I doubt that will do well in the market.

So many things to review... all-in-one-post

2008-05-05T23:20:00.003+08:00

Book: My Favourite Wife by Tony Parsons

Bill Holden, together with his wife and young daughter move to Shanghai in search for a better living, hoping for a faster way to become a partner in the law firm he works in. Living and adapting to a different culture proved to be a challenge for Bill and his family. When an incident occurred that prompts the wife to bring the daughter back to London, Bill finds himself being the type of man he doesn't want to be... a man that seeks solace and company with the one of many pretty young things that the city has to offer. While he tried to rationalise his feelings, and that of his new lover, he struggles to figure out the one that represents the real meaning of love.

I think for those back in the western countries that read this book without having been to this part of the world, they might be captivated and probably enthralled by the mystique and pitfalls the eastern world offers. But for us here, I think while it may be a bit condescending, it probably reflects a possibility in real life. Heck, it probably reflected real life. I felt the ending could have been more dramatic (this is supposedly a drama novel after all).

Ratings: 3 out of 5

Book: The Day Trader by Stephen Frey

Augustus McKnight hits a jackpot on some shares trading and was brought down to earth when his wife demanded a divorce. A day later, the wife is murdered and he is into another windfall, courtesy of the wife's life insurance policy payout. While he struggles to come to term with his wife's death and the events leading to her death, he began to day trade full time and came into acquaintance with a myriad of characters at the trading office. As more information unfolds and more dramas

While I was initially intrigued by the idea of some power play over shares trading, I was left a bit disappointed that it didn't delved too much into the trading part, rather focus on the characters and the build up to the uncovering the mystery of Augustus' wife's death. That said, Stephen Frey still managed to weave an engaging plot and story line that had me finishing this book in about 3 days. The ending is a bit too stretched from plausibility though.

Ratings: 3 out of 5

Movie: Martian Child

Recently widowed David (John Cusack) is a successful science fiction writer on Mars. Dennis is an orphan who thinks he is from Mars. This should be a good match, no? But David isn't convinced he is ready to be a single parent. He had wanted to adopt a child together with his wife, but since his wife is gone, does he really want to go through it? However, after a couple of encounters with the shy and eccentric Dennis, he is determined to help Dennis adapt into a normal life. But will he make it?

That's the general premise of this movie. John Cusack plays his usual character, the blur-but-kind-hearted guy who struggles in his quest but eventually make a breakthrough. I had expected it to be more touching movie, but I felt it was just average. Perhaps a child who thinks he is Martian aren't that 'real' and the struggles just didn't connect to me at least. Still, it does have its moment for a movie about being a parent and dealing with an eccentric kid.

Ratings: 2.5 out of 5

Movie: Iron Man

I can skip the synopsis here, you probably seen enough of the trailers or read enough reviews to know what the story's bout.

Kudos to Marvel Studios for making Iron Man a cool superhero... cooler than Spider-Man in my opinion. Growing up, I was never a big fan of Iron Man comics, but after this show, I'd gladly go catch the next installment of the movie when it comes out. The movie is as much about Tony Stark as it is about Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. performed superbly as the arrogant and driven Tony Stark. Gwyneth Paltrow is a tad disappointing, doing nothing more than just looking good. Even that, I think Leslie Bibb, who plays the reporter that Tony Stark had sex with, looks a lot hotter.

Ratings: 4.5 out of 5

Movie: Over Her Dead Body

Kate (Eva Langoria-Parker) was crushed to death on her wedding day. One year forward, Henry (Paul Rudd), the still grieving husband, agreed to his sister's request to visit psychic Ashley (Lake Bell) in attempt to contact Kate. Over the course of various meetings and psychic readings, Ashley and Henry find themselves falling for each other, and Kate's ghost appeared, figuring that she is supposed to protect Henry from Ashley. And the comedy ensues as Ashley (being quite a psychic, as she's the one only that can see and hear Kate) and Kate battles each others over Henry. Throw in Dan (Jason Biggs) who pretended to be gay so that he gets to be Ashley's best friends just so that he can be close to her.

I think this is another typical run of the mill romantic comedy. While there are enough laughs to last through the show, I don't feel it is very romantic at all. Or maybe it's just me.

Ratings: 2.5 out of 5

Restaurant Review: Vintry, Damansara Heights

2008-05-05T23:03:00.003+08:00

Vintry is located in Damansara Heights, in the middle of the row of shops that is just behind the Victoria Station along the SPRINT highway towards Pusat Bandar Damansara/Bangsar. I've loved this place since Weng introduced this place to me a couple of years back.

The highlights of my visits have always been the good company (my friends, of course), choices of wines (as Vintry is essentially a wine cellar), comfortable seating (I always get the couch area on the ground floor) and its delicious and mouth watering roast pork, done chinese-style (ala siew yoke). I admit I do miss this wine-siew yoke combo when I moved to Singapore. So I was kind of glad that I managed to arrange a night out last Friday at Vintry to catch up with some friends.

The downside to its popularity though, is that the place has gotten so busy, that even though I managed to get a reservation at 7pm, I was 'politely' asked to vacate the couch area at 10pm because the place has been reserved for another group. I was a bit cheesed, as we were just getting into the mood and the wines were just starting to flow. I admit that I was told earlier that my reservation would be from 7 to 10, but I was hoping that there'll be empty seats that we could move on to, but nope, the whole place is packed. Also, the roast pork was all sold out by 10pm, so all the fame has definitely brought the place down a notch.

I was a bit embarrassed that my 'guests' had to leave when we were just getting started, but we just walked over to this outlet a couple of doors away (I didn't really took note of its name, but I shall find out...) that had table for the 7 of us and we end up sharing a big bottle of sake.

Vintry: 3 out of 5 (I just need to remember to book the table for the ENTIRE night the next time!)

Food Review: Yuzu @ Gardens, Midvalley

2008-05-05T22:44:00.003+08:00

One thing I looked forward to when coming to work in Singapore was the choices of fine dining outlets that litters this tiny island. The options are aplenty for sure, but my visits have been far and between, probably due to lack of appropriate company to savour the tastes of these fine outlets.

So, during my recent trip back to KL, I took the opportunity to visit the Yuzu at the new Gardens at Midvalley shopping mall. It is a Japanese restaurant with contemporary layout and design. The menu claims that the food are freshly flown in from Japan itself. The place is very spacious and expansive.

Food wise was nothing to shout about. Two of us had a plate of salmon and tuna sashimi. Salmon was good, tuna was just average. We also had a few maki rolls, but I've definitely had better at "cheaper" restaurants. The highlight was no doubt the King Crab dish, recommended by the captain. We were basically served two legs of a King Crab, grilled with eggs. While it is quite tasty, I don't think it is that special that it warrants such a expensive price. I had enjoyed the chinese-style cooked Sri Lankan crabs as much. Well, the King Crab obviously dwarfed a Sri Lankan crab, but I paid RM 240 for that one pair of legs, I can imagine the whole crab would have cost about RM 2,000? I could have like 20+ Sri Lankan crabs for one King Crab.

Well, while I don't mind paying for good food, the food quality for Yuzu doesn't justify its price. Even if I took away the price of the King Crab legs, I still paid about RM 200+ for sashimis, tofu and a couple of maki rolls. I could get better quality at a fraction of the price at Sugimoto and probably slightly cheaper even at Iketeru at KL Hilton.

Ratings: 2 out of 5

I should have...

2008-04-23T00:19:00.004+08:00

... say hi to Mig Ayesa when I walked past him earlier today at Raffles City. I'm sure he was out taking a stroll off the We Will Rock You musical. It took me a while to place this familiar face, by the time I realised it was Mig, he had just turned the corner and disappeared. He was dressed casually and looks like one of the many tourists around. If I had bumped into him again I'd probably say Hi, congratulate him on good performances, and maybe ask if he'd like to join me for a cup of coffee. If only.

Movie Review: The Forbidden Kingdom

2008-04-22T23:13:00.003+08:00

The pairing of Jet Li and Jackie Chan in The Forbidden Kingdom surely makes this a movie to watch. Unfortunately, many who watched it felt underwhelmed, probably due to a rather heightened expectation. If this movie was produced by the one of the usual Hong Kong companies, say about 10 years ago, I'd would have no doubt it would have been a super hit.

But this is an American production, or rather a Chinese-American joint production, mainly to market to the English speaking countries, as most of the dialouges are in English, even between the two superstar, except for one exchange, where they discussed in Mandarin. It definitely gives a lot more conviction when most of the Chinese casts speaks in Mandarin, rather than being uncomfortable and less than natural.

Having said all that, I still rather enjoyed the show, particularly as I feel that this movie is more of a tribute to the old kungfu movies. I enjoyed that Jackie Chan was showing off his drunken fist moves, as he pretty much got famous in the Drunken Master series. Then there's the Witch with White Hair, which is a definitely throwback to the famous Bridgette Lin character. The there's Little Sparrow who is based on an old Cheng Pei Pei's character. Even the Jade Warlord looks like a young Patrick Tse. Jason Tripitikas' name is derived from the monk in Journey to the West, which Jet Li's Monkey King character is also part of. Although early reports say that this movie is a remake of the Journey of the West, only certain elements are used, and there's no reference of the actual journey, except a few similarities such as the traveling party in both stories are made up of 4 people, and erm, that's about it that I can think of.

While the story might not make much sense (everyone in old China speaking English, just so that Jason could understand), it is still a pretty much enjoyable movie. The fight scenes were nicely choreographed (by Yuen Wo Ping) and the scenery shots were breathtaking, particular a scene which was filmed in the middle of a garden of cherry blossoms, no doubt, thanks to the reknown Peter Pau. Oh, did I mentioned about the much anticipated fight scene between Jacky Chan and Jet Li? It was just great, the fluidity of movement and intensity of the fight was truly engaging. Of course, there was no victor, only a drawn match.

P/S: The two ladies, Li Bing Bing and Liu YiFei are smoking hot!

Ratings: 3 out of 5

Thunder rolling in the yonder

2008-04-19T02:53:00.002+08:00

It is strangely comforting when you just get home after a night out, and you hear thunders signaling the storm is closing in... you know you are home and sheltered and won't be bothered by the specks of rain or hails of the storm when it comes. The flashes of lightning illuminates the night, very late night sky.

It's like, bring it on!

Book Review: Power Play by Joseph Finder

2008-04-16T21:46:00.004+08:00

One of my favourite genre is the corporate thriller - essentially thriller sets in the corporate world. Duh. Joseph Finder is among the writers who specialises in this.

I picked up his latest thriller Power Play just over a week ago. I had started the book pretty slowly, even 'neglecting' it when I was back in KL for about 5 days. I picked it up again when I got back to Singapore 4 days ago. The story actually pick up pace midway through the book and it's one of those thriller that makes you keep turning the pages and I finished the book earlier today.

The story started with a chapter in the middle of the story before it starts back at the beginning. Well, not quite the beginning, as in between, there's flashback stories to when the hero of the book, Jack Landry were younger. I always like stories that isn't 'sequential', with bits of jumping between different times.

It's definitely one of Finder's better book, as I have read a few of them. This one the plot is reigned in quite tightly. I have a feel that this Jack Landry will be a key character for Finder for future books perhaps. A reluctant hero and rebel. Always makes a nice character.

Ratings: 3.5 out of 5

American Idol Top 7

2008-04-16T20:52:00.002+08:00

I only managed to caught bits of the Top 8 show, along with the Idol Gives Back show last week and was quite surprised to learn that Michael Johns was voted out. Perhaps he has gone a bit stale and doesn't quite capture the excitement of the voters, but I think he still has got a good future in singing and I won't be surprised to see him with an album sometime in the future.

I don't think Michael would have done well this week anyhow as they are required to sing Mariah Carey's tunes. Mariah Carey is definitely one of the top diva in the business and her style and music are very unique indeed so it was interesting to see how each of the remaining 7 handles their song choices.

The standout of the night is no doubt David Cook... again. He brilliantly rearranged and performed Always Be My Baby into the style that suited him most. I think this time he definitely made his own arrangement, so that's definitely an extra point. I just hope he keeps it up and it'll be interesting to see him doing his style for the finale song. He got Randy to stand on his feet with an applause, and Paula rightly commented that this version can very well be in a movie soundtrack.

David Archuleta's When You Believe definitely hit the right note. It however really put him as more of a balladeer rather than a versatile performer. I guess his album will definitely sell with the teeny-boppers. Kristy Lee Cook surprisingly performed Forever comfortably and confidently in the country/western style. However, she has that painful expression when she sings and that kind of makes it a little unbearable to watch.

Jason Castro also seemed to have found his niche in his delivery of I Don't Wanna Cry. I don't felt a wow for this performance, but I do recall last week he did very well. I feel that he's also getting slightly boring despite being more confident now. One of my favourites, Brooke White performed Hero solo on the piano. She seemed very tense, as I think she didn't feel too comfortable, or too pressured to try and match the strong Mariah's original vocal. It was definitely not her best performance. She could be really in trouble this week.

Apart from Brooke, Carly Smithson also struggled a bit with Without You. While she managed to showcase a powerful voice, but there seem to be lacking real ooomph in her performance. She and Brooke will probably be in the bottom three along with Syesha. Syesha performed Fantasy, which was definitely a tough song (I remember Mariah's version gave me headache) to do. I feel that she tried to push too hard beyond her ability.

So my vote goes to David Cook, while I bet that Brooke, Carly and Syesha to be in the bottom three.

2008-04-14T20:49:00.005+08:00

Having spent bulk of the week back in KL for work and spending time with family and friends, I arrived back in Singapore late Saturday night. I had initially wanted to go catch a movie at Vivo City from where I got off the coach but unfortunately there were no shows playing within 30 minutes timeframe, so I took a slow ride back on the MRT.

On Sunday I went over to Khim's place for a couple rounds of mahjong. I was no doubt the major "contributor" to the fund as I was unfamiliar with the style of 4 person mahjong, but I still enjoyed it nevertheless. Mike who won the most was kind enough to buy us dinner at Crystal Jade. After that, I met up with Pek Bee and Stanley to catch the Street Kings.

Stan and I enjoy the show although Pek Bee just found it average. I guess it being more of a testosterone driven movie, a guy would probably enjoy it more. I thought Keanu Reeves played his role quite well, and he'd probably do better than Leonardo Di Caprio did in the role in The Departed. Come to think of it, Hugh Laurie would also do well in the role originally played by Anthony Wong in the Infernal Affair, which if I remember correctly was played by Alec Baldwin in The Departed. Bottom line, Street Kings is an intense police drama with a behind the scene look at some of the happenings in and around the missions that the unit undertakes. If you enjoyed The Departed (or the original Infernal Affairs), you should find this a good watch.

Ratings: 4 out of 5

A new age

2008-04-06T22:53:00.007+08:00

Another Sunday comes to a close signaling an end to a rather special weekend for me. A weekend where I officially become old. Well, maybe the term "old" is a bit of an exaggeration, but being 31 years old definitely sets a different expectation among associates, friends and family. When you're in the 20s, you are considered fresh, aggressive and have the whole world in front of you. Well, being in the 30s, things doesn't change much except people expect you to be more well behaved, wiser and more matured in your actions and thoughts. Not that I've been a wild or reckless person, on the contrary I could say.

It's been a rather momentous year since I last celebrated my birthday. I could say that in the beginning, it was pretty uneventful, but towards middle of my 30th year, I started a new job, which resulted in generally a new life and environment in Singapore. Towards the end of that year, I also came out of a relationship, which while it has been good, we both know that our lives and dreams are probably going in different tangents. So you could say that turning 31 also essentially means a new lease of life for me.

As I type this reflective post, I guess the one thing that I felt that I've probably underachieved is that I haven't quite settle down and being a family man. Not that I felt pressured by my parents expectations, but earlier in my life, I would never have thought that I am still unmarried and have no kids at this point in life. I love kids and I do hope to have a couple of them at least. Well, maybe a new environment might help. I'll keep my fingers crossed. In mean time, maybe my sis could get married and give my parents the grandchildren they so crave. I'm all for it. Hahaha. I would probably spoil my nephew/niece rotten. My dad has been unabashed stating his desire for a young one in the family.

I've been pretty fortunate that there are many friends who lives here in Singapore. I could easily look someone up for a meal or movie. That definitely helps in me settling in I'd say, although I do think I am quite a fairly adaptable person. So celebrating my birthday in Singapore wasn't a lonely affair. It kind of started off on Friday, when I met with Wei Khim and Sandy for happy hour at Ice Cold Beer at the Emerald Hill. Well, happy hour prolonged well past midnight as I get to meet some new friends like Eleanor and Jolene. Jolene incidentally shares the same birth date as me and we end up buying shots for everyone. Good thing I didn't get drunk, but slightly tipsy, which did not pose a problem for me to get up early on my birthday, Saturday.

I kind of made a plan of what I wanted to do most on my birthday, and set out doing it, mostly on my own. Being alone and doing things alone is kind of therapeutic, as I only need to care and worry about myself. So I got up and headed out to Plaza Singapura at about 10am, to catch the 11am showing of Cassandra's Dream. While waiting for the movie to start, I managed to shoot some photographs of an event promoting India right at the front of Plaza Sing. The movie itself was good. Cassandra's Dream is written and directed by Woody Allen. It's a tragic story about two brothers played by Ewan MacGregor and Colin Farrell. I actually enjoyed it, and I think if you enjoyed Allen's earlier show like Match Point, you should enjoy this. Allen is great at developing the characters in a short space of time. After the movie, I met up with Chern for lunch at Sushi Tei at Takashimaya as I had intended. I helped myself to healthy servings of sashimis as well as temakis. After that, we went up to Kinokuniya to get some books. I end up buying Power Play (Joseph Finder), The Day Trader (Stephen Frey), My Family Way (Tony Parsons) and Volume 3 & 4 of Lucifer graphic novels. We had cooling drinks before I headed some to get some rest.

Later in the night, I got some of the gang together for dinner in Bishan. Stanley, Brandon, Chern, Pek Bee, Ee Von and Mariean somehow managed to sing me a birthday song, albeit awkwardly. Thanks folks, I got to blow a candle this year. Post dinner, I headed down to Baize at Clarke Quay for some drinks, good music and great company among friends. I enjoyed my fair share of drinks, making sure I don't go over my limit, but somehow Stanley got the brunt of all the toasting that he got drunk and struggled to get home. I hope he and the others still enjoyed the night nevertheless. I got home feeling pretty good, sober... well, slightly tipsy and glad I had a good day as I welcome a new number of my life.

I got up on Sunday with no hangover, which was a very pleasant thing, and I intend to keep it that way for many weekends to come. I joined Mariean, Pek Bee and Brandon for a quick brunch before I head down to the Cathay to catch another movie. Hmmm, consecutive movies that I am watching alone. I definitely could get used to this. This time I watched Bucket List, starring screen legends Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. The movie was just average, if it wasn't for the acting of the two stars, I would have probably fell asleep 15 minutes into the show.

And now here I am trying to blog on my weekend, so that next year I can look back on this again and hopefully bring a smile to my face. It's been a pretty good sporting week too. I did 3 days of sports the past week - 2 days of futsal and I just played badminton earlier today. Liverpool did well to hold Arsenal to draws in both the Champions League and Premier League. Ferrari did a 1-2 at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The Lakers clinched a playoff berth. And I can now go off and watch which team going to meet Portsmouth in the FA Cup final.

Oh, the only drawback of celebrating my birthday here in Singapore is that I don't get to bring my mom, dad and sis out for a nice dinner. I hope to do that when I get back to KL in a couple of weeks time.

Till then, good bye and good night.

2008-04-02T00:57:00.002+08:00

Falling Slowly

by Glen Hansard And Marketa Irglova

I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now

Falling slowly
Eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me
And erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing along

****

Nice tune. Recommended listening. 2008 Oscar Best Original Song winner. From the movie Once.

A rocking and roaring weekend

2008-04-01T23:05:00.004+08:00

It has been a pretty interesting weekend for me. It started on Friday, with a visit to Powerhouse at the St. James Powerstation to catch a Comedy Camp presentation. The Comedy Camp is a series of shows by stand-up comedians. This was my first live stand-up comedy show. The first act was this Hawaii/Thai call Sean Felipe. He's not too bad, but I guess his jokes are relatively mild, and more suited for American audiences. The second act was by Broadway Beng, a Singaporean comedian who is unique in his presentation as he incorporate songs ala broadway style into his act. His joke are also pretty much in Hokkien, and caters mostly for the locals. But he definitely garnered more laughs that Sean Felipe.

From there, I proceeded to Clarke Quay to check out Baize. The place was highly recommended by Doreen as she was there a couple of weeks back. The resident band plays really good selection of alternative rock and rock music. I was told that the lead singer and a guitarist were absent that day, but the remaining members still managed to rock the night away. I think I was jumping and screaming to the songs too, till my voice got hoarse. Oh well, it's always good to let loose sometimes.

Saturday was essentially a chill out day and recuperate from Friday's night out as well as recharge for Sunday.

Sunday is of course when I went for the We Will Rock You musical. It's a musical based on 26 of Queen's hits. It is simply superb. You can't help but wonder if those songs were actually written for this musical, and not the other way around. It was indeed memorable, and I intend to catch it again in the future perhaps. The lead for this show was Mig Ayesa, the finalist of Rockstar: INXS, a reference that was in the show too.

After the show, Eu Jin and I hurried towards the Padang nearby to try and catch Mika Hakinnen in action. McLaren Mercedes and Johnnie Walker were having some event and they got Mika into an F1 car again and drove up and down a straight road a couple of times. I must admit this is the first time I'm experiencing the sight and sound of an F1 car live!

The weekend ended with Liverpool beating Everton courtesy of a goal from Fernando Torres. Go Torres! Now to take down the Gunners!

Movies Post

2008-03-26T21:35:00.003+08:00

The trailer for Street Kings was just shown on TV. Interesting. Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker and Hugh Laurie in it. A gritty police - crime drama. I like. Wonder when it'll show.

I watched Be Kind Review last weekend. The Jack Black comedy, directed by acclaimed director Michael Gondry is a relatively fun watch. It kind of pokes fun at the high budgeted movies that are laden with CGI and special effects as Jack Black and Mos Def shoot their own versions of famous movies such as Ghostbusters, Robocop and Rush Hour 2 after they accidentally erased off the contents of the VHS in a video store.

I hope to catch the Bucket List this weekend, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, about two old men who decides to do a list of things before they 'kick the bucket'. Horton would be an interesting watch too I guess.

American Idol Top 10

2008-03-26T21:20:00.003+08:00

I think more and more people who follows this series this year would agree that the talents on show are among the best in years, if not ever.

Having just witnessed the Top 10 performances earlier tonight, David Cook's performance in particularly really stood out. His rearrangement of Michael Jackson's classic Billie Jean into a rock tune was simply brilliant. He also did superbly when he performed Lionel Richie's Hello earlier in the series. He definitely is emerging to be among the top contender in the show, but I am a bit concerned that he might just have 'peaked' too early in the show, considering there are still about 8 weeks to go.

Other notable performances this week were Brooke White's Every Breath You Take, Michael Johns' Queen classic We Will Rock You and Carly Smithson's Total Eclipse of the Heart. Brooke was at her best at the piano solo, and started the song well, but her performance was somehow drowned out by the band. Michael's energetic We Will Rock You echoed his earlier Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody's performance. If he didn't win this, he can probably join the cast of the musical We Will Rock You, which incidentally, I'll be watching this Sunday! Woohoo. Carly's performance was comparable to the original Bonnie Tyler's power but the judges felt it was only average.

I'm looking forward for next week's episode for more memorable performances.

P/S: Okay, I just learn that David Cook's rendition of Billie Jean wasn't original. It was done by Chris Cornell before. But he still did well, however, my single vote would have gone to Brooke White in this case!

2008-03-20T19:18:00.001+08:00

Earlier in the day, I had wanted to have something fancy for dinner like maybe a nice juicy steak with a glass of red wine in a nice posh restaurant.

What am I having now?

McDonalds @ ECP. Ha!

Lego Series video games

2008-03-07T00:08:00.003+08:00

I'm beginning to enjoy the Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga game that I got when I bought the Wii. It's gameplay maybe simplistic, but it is fun nevertheless. Several stages requires a little bit of brainworks to solve in order to proceed but generally it is all a hack-and-gather fest. The cute animation adds to the charm of the game. A "normal" drawn character would be quite boring. I am also enjoying the opportunity to 'relive' the whole Star Wars saga, with the added fun of being part of the saga as it unfolds.

Once I'm done with this, I might just go the Lego Indiana Jones and also the upcoming Lego Batman games.

Performing my citizen duty...

2008-03-06T23:45:00.002+08:00

I'll be heading back to Seremban tomorrow evening to partake in Saturday morning's General Election. It'll be my first time, as I've only got myself registered late last year. I felt that the timing is about right, as I don't think I know too much nor care too much back then to make an informed vote.

I've not made up my mind on who I'll be voting for yet. I am not adversed to either party and I see points (and counterpoints) brought up by both sides through stories in the local press, the internet and also the Singapore press, which I felt presented a less biased view and more rational analysis of the situation with both the BN and opposition parties.

There's no argument on who has the right or wrong view in politics, so I don't go around trying convince people that my views are right, I just merely point them out as my own if asked, but ultimately, I still haven't made a decision on who gets my vote yet. I'll probably make up my mind when I'm in the voting booth. I wonder how much time I get to ponder over before I'm bundled out? Ha ha.

Old Changi Hospital

2008-03-06T23:26:00.002+08:00

I went to Changi Village for dinner tonight and after dinner, Desiree drove us past the Old Changi Hospital, which was reputedly haunted. Somehow I was intrigued by the building, partly as I am working with hospitals and I didn't know that Changi Hospital had an older building until Des told me on our way to dinner. Watching the building from a distance at night does gives you an eerie sense. It's a wonder why they haven't tore the building down, but I think it'll be cool to convert that to some sort of tourist attraction, like what they did to this old hospital in New Zealand, which was featured in the Amazing Race Asia 2, of course minus those stupid ghosts and ghouls that were made up. Should keep it real, if you get what I mean.

The Singapore Paranormal Investigation has an entry on the OGH here.

American Idol Season 7... so far

2008-03-06T23:12:00.002+08:00

This season's American Idol has served up some memorable performances, which has only injected a breath of fresh air into the competition that hasn't had a memorable winner in the past few seasons. Past two seasons' finalists Jordin Sparks, Blake Lewis, Taylor Hicks and Katherine McPhee are hardly burning up the charts. In fact it is Chris Daughtry and his band that have chalked up some success for the franchise.

But thus far this year, we've witnessed some really good performances. The few that were etched in my mind were Michael Johns' rendition of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, David Archuleta's John Lennon classic Imagine, David Cook's Hello, originally by Lionel Richie and Brooke White's Love is a Battlefield, originally by Pat Benatar.

So far, the guys have proved to be performing better, and it should be interesting next week onwards when the final 12 takes on the stage. I look forward for my weekly dose of AI again.

Wheeee... I got my Wii, or rather, we got our Wii

2008-03-03T12:01:00.004+08:00

Oh, and I think I neglected to post that I finally got my Wii in Singapore. PB and I decided to share and get us a unit of Wii with 2 sets of controller and some free games for about SGD 800.

Wii's definitely a cool platform for friends to play together. It was hilarious watching Jo and Wilson deck it out virtually on Wii Boxing. You should see the seriousness and professionalism of Lawrence and Mariean when they go head to head on Wii Bowling. You get to see our local Barry Bond as Lawrence keep hitting home-runs off pitches by Calvin in Wii Baseball. And you can see the calmness of Stanley versus the excitement of PB in a game of Wii Tennis.

Wii is truly enjoyable in a multiplayers environment due to its interactivity and motion intensive gameplay.

The week that has been...

2008-03-03T11:41:00.002+08:00

Ah, this is a new week to look forward to. But what can I look forward to? Hmmm, maybe I can look back what I've done last week.

It was probably the week that I've been out the most for drinks at night. It started on Tuesday night when after dinner, I went down to Pump Room with PB, Stan and Calvin to join Mariean for a drink as she had to finish off her opened bottle of Malibu. I only had a couple of drinks and we left bout 10pm as the place was pretty quiet and the band only starts at 10.45pm.

Tommy was down for work, and I wanted to do Happy Hour with him at Balaclava on Thursday but I got caught up with some last minute work that I could only met him bout 9pm. We did meet up and had 2 jugs of beers while talking bout old times, relationship and general craps.

Feeling restless on Friday, Stan, Calvin and I decide to check out Double O at Mohd. Sultan as none of us had been there for ages. We paid SGD 20 each for cover and headed upstairs. The place was surprisingly quiet for a Friday night at almost 11 and got us wondering. I played 2 games of pool with Calvin (1st game I played brilliantly while 2nd game I played like crap) and we each had a bottle of those bottled vodka drinks. We decided to leave that place and head to Butterfactory nearby, but I had to go take a leak before leaving and I somehow stumbled upon the real party place in Double O, which was located towards the back of the lounge that we had been.

The crowd in there wasn't too bad, and were playing some retro dance music so we decided to hang out at the bar and ordered a jug of brandy coke. When the bartender told us the price was SGD 12, I think we were caught with our mouth wide open in disbelieve. I think we asked the bartender to repeat 3 times before we 'reluctantly' handed over the cash. I remembered the place as having cheap drinks but I didn't expect it to be this cheap. Immediately we ordered 2 more jugs, so that makes it one jug for each. Halfway through though, I had a hunger pang (as I only had extremely light dinner) and decided to venture down the road for some bak kut teh. Stan and Calvin decided to hang on at the bar. I don't know if it was from the hunger, but the BKT actually tasted good, even though this was the peppery soup variety.

On Saturday, Daniel invited me to join him and his friend Cindy, who was down for the weekend from KL, for tapas at Clarke Quay which I readily agreed as it is not often that I get to try on tapas in Singapore. The tapas at Tapas Tree definitely tasted better than those I had at the Esplanade a couple of months back. We then ventured to Pump Room for some live music and a few pints. A few pints end up to 5 pints for each of us boys but we were still relatively sober as we clambered to the taxi stand. Okay, maybe clambered was a bit of exaggeration as we were perfectly fine.

Apart from the drinkings, the weekend passed relatively quiet, as most of the Bishan gang were away and EV was busy with her work, while PB was busy catching up on her Chinese serials over at Stan's. I spent some time playing with Lego Stars War the Complete Trilogy on the Wii as well as Football Manager 2008 on my laptop.

Hmm... so what's for this week?

It's not right...

2008-02-29T15:06:00.002+08:00

I went out to Subway at Junction 8 to grab my lunch and on my way back, walking past the basketball court, I observed briefly this group of primary kids playing basketball. One particular boy was dribbling the ball when a friend came up and bumped into him, causing his plastic eye glasses to fall on the ground. His friend apologized as he picked up his glasses, but instead of acknowledging the apology, he burst into expletives "You f**kers! You motherf**kers!!". I was quite shocked frankly. This boy is no more than 8 years old, alright, maybe 10 years old max and he uttered words that are coarser than what I would normally say in the heat of a moment.

I hope I'm not being a hypocrite here, I am no saint, and I shoot out my shares of expletives at times, but to hear it from a 8-10 year old boy, that is a bit too much. Kids still need to learn respect for their friends and their elders. You can swear all you want when you're older. Just do it right or you might get hurt.

Hokkien Mee - KL Style in SG

2008-02-27T22:44:00.002+08:00

The dark sauced KL style Hokkien mee is another food rarity here in Singapore. So, after scouring around some foodie blogs in Singapore, I identified the Big Eater Seafood restaurant, located in Jalan Pari Burong in Bedok, as one that looks most promising.

I managed to 'recruit' a few fellow Malaysians to join me in trying out to see how 'authentic' it is. Wilson, Joanna, Fay, Calvin and Stanley joined me after work earlier today.

We had asparagus with scallop, french beans, tofu, claypot chicken in wine, pork ribs and 2 servings of the hokkien mee. We had to order a second serving after the first one was finished in less than 30 seconds. The serving wasn't very big and it was enough to go round bowl for each of us so we ordered a second round. The taste was quite authentic, slightly less salty than what you'd get in KL. It also contains fried pork lard, which is always a bonus. On top of that, they also have very authentic belacan, which is perfect to go with the hokkien mee. The total damage was about SGD 120, including 4 bottles of beer, a bit pricey.

For those that like this particular style, I'd recommend you to give it a go. I'd probably go again one day when I have my cravings here in Singapore.

My valentine's present to self...

2008-02-13T23:54:00.004+08:00

Panasonic DMC-FZ18.

18x optical zoom.

8 mega pixel.

SGD 700, with 2 GB SD Card, Camera Bag, OEM battery, lens protector (filter) and screen protector.

CNY back in MY

2008-02-13T23:16:00.002+08:00

I just had the longest break from work for years when I went on leave from the 5th of February to the 12th in conjuction with the Lunar New Year.

I took the opportunity to head back to my hometown in Seremban to spend the New Year with my parents and sis.

I flew back on the recently started Air Asia Singapore - KL sector, at SGD 270 for the return ticket, which isn't too bad considering that MAS and SIA charge about SGD 440.

One of the things to look forward to on this trip back was undoubtedly the food. First item I had back for lunch was the delicious Seremban Beef Noodle at the wet market in town. This followed by home cooked meal by my mom for dinner. Of course, in between I had to take bites of the different varities of cookies my mom made.

The next day, we headed out for some squid meehon (yau yee mai fan) for breakfast. For lunch I had one of favourite mamak rojak (pasembur) from a stall that has been around since my school days. This was followed by the traditional reunion dinner at the Fook Chow restaurant. It was a 8 or 10 course dinner (I lost count). The more memorable dishes were the abalone yee sang (my dad requested for abalone instead of the usual salmon or jellyfish), the de-shelled marmite prawns and the roasted suckling pig.

The first day of new year was a quiet affair as my family isn't big and we don't have that many close relatives. Mom cooked fishball noodle in soy sauce for lunch, which was delicious as usual. Mom again cooked up some delicious dishes for dinner.

On the 2nd day, Mom cooked up my favourite Mee Fun Koh (Pan Mee) for lunch. Dinner was at home as well before Harrie, Sharm and Bernard popped by for some drinks and chats.

On the 3rd day, we went up to my place in KL where I met up with PC for a cup of coffee. Later that night, my family and a few other relatives met up in Kuchai Lama for another round of loh sanh and dinner. We finished 4 bottles of wine before proceeding back to my place for some brandy.

On the 4th day, I headed out for the TC Group lunch at the Pantai Seafood in Kg. Kayu Ara. It was good to meet up with the gang as I had another round of loh sang and a satisfying meal. We then proceeded to Chin Heng's house for some CNY festivities (gambling). This went on till late evening when I hopped over to Weng's house for a visit and more gambling. In the end, I endedup back at Chin Heng's place for some pizza dinner and more gamblings! Of course, we also watched Man City beat Man Utd 2-1.

On the 5th day, I was due to fly back to Singapore in the late evening. In the morning I went up to my lawyer's office to sign some documents before driving my parents out in search of food. My first choice was the XO fish head noodle in Kuchai Lama, which I think my dad would have enjoyed, but unfortunately they remain closed for the new year. My second option was my favourite chicken noodle in SEA Park PJ. So we drove all the way there only to find that it was closed too. I almost decided to just head to IKEA for lunch, since my mom wanted to check out some stuffs there, when I drove near the Mee Sua Tow restaurant is SS2. I was half anticipating it to be closed but to our pleasant surprise, it was open! Finally, a place for good food.

Overall, this has been a tummy-satisfying trip back, with a good mix of home cooked food and some favourite food out. Of course, the food doesn't detract from the fact that it has been a nice time to spent with my parents as well as catching up with friends for some merriment and laughter.

The barber and the baker

2008-02-04T00:51:00.000+08:00

Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street, is the incarnation of a naive Benjamin Barker, who was wrongly imprisoned for 15 years, by the villainous Judge Turpin, who had his eyes set on Barker's beautiful wife, Lucy.

Upon his return to the streets of London, he visited his old landlady, Mrs. Lovett, who revealed to him the unfortunate fate of his wife and young daughter. This sets off a revengeful monster whose seeks out the Judge. Along the way, they came up with a sinister plot to slice the throats of unsuspecting clients and dumping them to the bakery below, while waiting for the judge to show up and offers his throat for Todd.

This is a dark musical directed by the master of all things dark - Tim Burton, with his favourite actor, Johnny Depp in the lead role (they've collaborated previously 6 times).

Ratings: 4 out of 5.

p/s: I lost my train of thought as I was writing this, thus it may be a very abrupt review.

Walking in the rain...

2008-02-03T23:49:00.000+08:00

His pace quickens as droplets of the rain hits his naked skin;

His head bowed, eyes averting gazes, as he steps closer towards his destination;

His heart pumps, drumming out the surrounding sound out of his ears;

His mind... alas, blank... making his eyes blind to the obvious.

1st Feb 2008 - Important discovery day

2008-02-01T15:54:00.000+08:00

On this day, the 1st of February 2008, I made a very important discovery.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I discovered that there is a branch of my favourite Seremban Beef Noodle store in Singapore!!!

http://www.sbestfood.com/mrwongsbn

O M G

I'm so excited. Well, I'll be going back to Seremban next week, but knowing that I can get this here in Singapore brings a pleasant feel to the heart (or tummy rather...)

Woo hoo!

Capello's first squad

2008-02-01T00:39:00.000+08:00

After the debacle of Steve McLaren's England team, many English football fans hope for a rebuilding under new manager, Italian Fabio Capello.

Capello has just named his provisional squad of 30 players. Here's the list taken off http://www.soccernet.com/ :

Carson (Aston Villa), James (Portsmouth), Kirkland (Wigan); Bridge (Chelsea), Brown (Manchester United), A Cole (Chelsea), C Davies (Aston Villa), Ferdinand (Manchester United) G Johnson (Portsmouth), King (Tottenham), Lescott (Everton), Richards (Manchester City), Shorey (Reading), Upson (West Ham), Woodgate (Tottenham); Barry (Aston Villa), Bentley (Blackburn), Carrick (Manchester United), J Cole (Chelsea), Downing (Middlesbrough), Gerrard (Liverpool), Hargreaves (Manchester United), Jenas (Tottenham), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Young (Aston Villa); Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Crouch (Liverpool), Heskey (Wigan), Owen (Newcastle), Rooney (Manchester United).

These are generally the same pool of players that McLaren chose from during his reign. So how will Capello fare with this bunch? One note of interest: Arsenal doesn't have a single player represented in this squad. That surely must say something about the standard of football in England.

Well, based on current form, I'd pick these to be my starting eleven:
Carson; Richards, Lescott, Ferdinand, King; Bentley, J Cole, Hargreaves, Gerrard; Agbonlahor, Rooney.

Also announced were the Under 21 team:
Hart (Man City), Heaton (Man Utd), Lewis (Peterborough), Gardner (Villa), Mancienne (Chelsea), Mattock (Leicester), Onuoha (Man City), Shawcross (Stoke), Taylor (Newcastle), Wheater (Middlesbrough), Cattermole (Middlesbrough), Huddlestone (Tottenham), Johnson (Middlesbrough), Lennon (Tottenham), Milner (Newcastle), Muamba (Birmingham), Noble, (West Ham), O'Hara (Tottenham), Surman (Southampton), Jerome (Birmingham), Moore (Aston Villa), Vaughan (Everton), Walcott (Arsenal).

Not too many household names there, is there? From the list, only maybe Hart.Noble, Lennon and Milner could probably step into the senior squad. But then again, the are many other seniors playing in the same position as them. Other notable names like Taylor, Huddlestone, Moore, Vaughan and Walcott definitely need more playing time to gain experience to progress, but most of them are used sparingly at their clubs (except for Taylor, but Newcastle's defense has been a shamble thus far...).

I think English FA need to impose new rules regarding the foreigners in the league. While it is fun to watch all the big name players from every place playing week in and week out, but if you're an England supporter, you'd be concern that England will continue to lose out in the making the cuts to the major tournaments if the English players are not getting enough exposure to play at the highest level that the EPL offers.

body aching...

2008-01-28T22:43:00.000+08:00

It was a real sporting week for me last week. I played 2 hours of futsal on Tuesday at the SAFRA at Tampines. Then on Thursday I also played futsal along the East Coast Park, albeit for only about 15 minutes as I arrived late. Then on Sunday, I played badminton after many years and I could really feel the muscles aching in my right arm (from the strokes and smashes) and my right thigh (from the stretches while trying to reach for drop shots).

Pain makes you feel alive, although constant pain might leave you yearning for some normalcy.

Tagged

2008-01-07T23:14:00.000+08:00

Ah Jo tagged me. So I must do this, musn't I?

Here goes:

Remember to mention the person who tagged you.
Pick the month of your birth.
Bold the 5-10 things that most apply to you.
Underline out everything that doesn’t apply to you.
Place the list of all the months under a cut.
Tag 6 people from your friends list to do the same.

This is my birthday month:
APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. ~~Attractive and affectionate to oneself~~. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. ~~Brave and fearless.~~ Adventurous Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

The rest of the months.
JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.

FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.

APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.

JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.

DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

Don't quite get the point of this, except maybe to let others know me better?
And thus, I tag:

Good weekend

2008-01-06T21:54:00.000+08:00

Went out partying at Clarke Quay to celebrate Fay's birthday on Friday night. Had a good time, laughing, dancing and drinking. Got Fay drunk. Haha.

Woke up on Saturday with hangover. Recovered in time in the afternoon to go play futsal for the very first time in Singapore. Totally enjoyed it. Need to do it regularly, if I don't have to travel. More suited for futsal than field football.

Played Risk after dinner at 153. Got 'betrayed' by supposed ally. Got eliminated. Don't like the feeling, but let's play Scrabble next time. Need to go buy Scrabble board.

Woke up on Sunday and had dim sum brunch at Junction 8. Pretty good. Will be the place to go for dim sum fix in future. Drove to Sentosa in the late afternoon with the Bishan gang. Cycled for the first time in years! Enjoyed it a lot. Sentosa cycling trails just enough for 1 hour of cycling.

Went to Cafe Del Mar for dinner. Very good food, surprisingly, for a place better known for its partying. Went to chill out by the beach chairs and beds at Cafe Del Mar. Very cooling and relaxing lying by the beach, watching the sky turn grey and dark, sea breeze blowing over you, with the latest Cafe Del Mar tunes thumping away. Perfect chill out session, almost... if I can have a beer, please.

A good weekend, probably not enough of rest, but let's bring on the new week!

Why so serious?

2007-12-21T10:35:00.000+08:00

I just watched the new trailer for Dark Knight, the new Batman movie, due to be released next year and I am ABSOLUTELY thrilled!

Christopher Nolan will direct this sequel and Christian Bale returns as the dark knight. Joining him from Batman Begins are Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman. Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal join this stellar cast as Joker, Two Face and Rachel Dawes respectively (Kathy Holmes decided to drop out due to "schedule conflict").

Batman has always been my favourite comic character and I thoroughly enjoyed Chris Nolan's Batman Begins, which returned Batman to its darker roots.

The big news about this movie is obviously the casting of Heath Ledger as the Joker, Batman's arch nemesis. In the 1989 Batman movie, the Joker was popularly portrayed by Jack Nicholson, and many felt that was the definitive Joker. Those will be big shoes for Heath Ledger to step into, and no doubt the producers, writers and director were all aware of how difficult it will be to cast another Joker after Nicholson's performance. From what I've seen in the trailer, I think it is a challenge that the team relished and they probably have risen to the occasion. The Joker's design this time round reflects a younger Joker, who is just rising up the criminal hierarchy in Gotham City. The Joker looks like a grunge rocker, with messy hair and clown make-ups, unlike the 'refined' Joker of Jack Nicholson.

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman is a perfect cast I must say. He has the good looks and charm as the rich-playboyish Bruce Wayne. Of the previous actors, I will say only Val Kilmer has the looks as Bruce Wayne, while both Michael Keaton and George Clooney lacked the clean-cut good look charm required. On the flip side, Bale is also able to carry off a brooding and grumpy Batman, with Keaton in the similar vein. Kilmer is just too clean for Batman, while Clooney... well, he's just a joke as Batman.

I am pretty sure the Dark Knight will be a good watch, but I hope the franchise won't go downhill again after they introduced (or rather, re-introduced) Joker. There are plenty of other enemies in the Bat-villain gallery that are worthy of a spot alongside Batman. I would like to see more of the Scarecrow (which I think might be appearing in Dark Knight, as Cillian Murphy is listed as a cast member), Two Face (I am not sure to what extend he'll appear in this film, as Aaron Eckhart will be playing Harvey Dent, probably in his days as a DA, pre-Two Face), Killer Croc (will be an interesting character if the storywriter can weave a story of his struggle between humanity and the beast within), Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman was pretty good as the green lady, although the script was a joke) and Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer-type, not the Halle Berry-type). The introduction of Robin is also inevitable, but I prefer to hold it off until maybe the 4th or 5th installment (if this franchise last that long...).

The Jack Nicholson's Joker definitely overshadowed Michael Keaton's Batman in 1989, will Heath Ledger's Joker do the same to Christian Bale's Batman in 2008's Dark Knight?

P/S: "Why So Serious?" is the tagline for this movie.

CKT OD in SG

2007-12-19T18:14:00.000+08:00

Translation... Char Kuey Teow Overdose in Singapore. I've had had Char Kuey Teows for 3 days in a row now in Singapore.

It started on Monday night when I brought Stan, Chern and Jin to Penang Kitchen at Coronation Road, where Doreen brought me a few weeks back, to sample the Penang-styled dishes. Of course we had to order the CKT, besides servings of loh bak, rojak, assam laksa and prawn mee. The taste of the CKT is pretty close to what Penangites would like (Eu Jin had to order an additional plate of CKT for himself) but I noted that it is missing the cockles.

The yesterday, I met Fay, Lawrence and Stan at the Food Centre at the Old Airport Road after doing a quick 'research' where about to find some good food over the internet. There, we ordered pork satay, chicken wings, grilled stingray, wanton noodle, popiah, rojak and of course CKT. Although this CKT has cockles, but by the time I sat down and ate the CKT, it was kind of cold and tasted a bit too salty.

Then earlier today, at lunch, I had to go and order a plate of CKT again in Parkway Parade. Why? Because the stall advertised that the CKT comes with cockles, and from the look of it, it seems pretty similar to what I'd get back home. So I just had to try. The taste is right for me (the darker kind) and the cockles were pretty fresh.

Overall, I felt I liked the one at Parkway Parade the best, because of its taste, and texture which is closer to what you'd get back in KL. Something still missing though... fried pork lard in CKT! If I see a stall that sells that tomorrow, I think I'd ordered one... or maybe not. The other famous CKT stall that I had was the one at Bedok South.

Notorious JKT traffic

2007-12-07T17:28:00.000+08:00

I don't think there's ever going to be a stop to the endless complaints about the terribly, horribly bad traffic in Jakarta. With the recent regular occurences of flash floods, the traffic in Jakarta has gone from bad to worse everytime it rained.

Since I've got here on Tuesday, I think I've spent more time in a car in the traffic than I have in an office. Today I got it the worst, when I got stuck in traffic for about 3 hours, for a trip that on a clear traffic, takes no more than 20 minutes!

Do you think I can get the company to pay for my helicopter trips between meetings. I know people who are doing that!

Cow's Brain

2007-12-05T22:16:00.001+08:00

Darn. I had a whole piece of cow brain this afternoon without knowing
what it was then. When I first bit into it, I knew it was too soft to
be any kind of meat I've had before but I didn't want to ask my guest
so I just continue to chowed it down with rice. Only later during
dinner, which I suggested a safe choice of japanese, did I asked my
Indonesian host what was it that I had earlier.

"Cow's otak", was the reply. At least I didn't have the urge to throw
up. It didn't taste that bad, just a matter of getting used to its
texture and slightly perculiar taste.

Book Review: Next by Michael Crichton

2007-12-03T20:48:00.000+08:00

It is realistically scary and enthralling having read through this book that presents what biotechnology and genetic engineering could do for our future. Michael Crichton managed to present facts and interesting developments in these fields by weaving in facts in between a few story lines that eventually came together at the end.

Patenting of genes, transgenic animals, genetic engineering and testings are the common threads in this book. A bounty hunter, a lawyer, an investor, a biotech company CEO, a foul-mouthed orang utan, a talking chimp and a parrot that does arithmetics are some of the characters presented and make this an interesting read.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Movie Review: Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

2007-12-03T20:36:00.000+08:00

I hadn't read any review or even blurps about this movie, so I wasn't sure what to expect, except, maybe something like Willy Wonka's.

Dustin Hoffman plays a quirky 243-year old magical store owner who decides that time has come for him to leave, and to pass on the ownership of the store to Natalie Portman (who looks quite good with a boyish haircut).

The story builds up nicely, letting you connect with Mr. Magorium, Mahoney, Mutant and Eric, before it comes to end in a bit of a rush, as if the director suddenly realised that he is running out of time and wants to bring the movie to a conclusion.

Overall, it is an enjoyable fantasy movie, not as enjoyable as Stardust.

Ratings: 3 out of 5

Ramly's @ SG

2007-12-03T20:12:00.001+08:00

I've always wondered if one can get a bite of the delicious Ramly's burger here in Singapore. A few weeks ago I found out that you can, when I was in Bedok, near the interchange, where plenty of hawker stalls were setup and there were a few that sold the burger. I didn't grab one then as I was headed to my boss' place for food.

Thus, I was pleasantly surprised today when I saw a Ramly's burger stall in Bishan, where a hawkers fair is ongoing. Even though I just had my dinner, I felt that my tummy wouldn't mind a taste of that burger. So I joined a growing queue and asked for a "ayam special" burger, but the guy just looked a little bewildered and uttered "chicken".

Having just chowed down the burger, washed down with a glass of Coke Light, I can attest that there is a difference in taste between the burgers in Malaysia and Singapore. I think fundamentally, the method of preparation makes a lot of difference even though the meat patty and general ingredient are the same.

In Malaysia, you see the stall operator patiently and meticulously cook the meat, slicing it into half ensuring the meat are well cooked. He then would sprinkle in the seasoning (pepper) and sauces (worchester, soy) onto the patty, to add that extra taste and zest. After that, he would crack open and spread an egg over the hot plate, if you ordered a "special", and the place the cooked patty and add more spices to the mix before wrapping it with the egg and placing it on the hot bun. When you bite into that burger, you can just feel the juice (although it may be a tad too oily) flowing and savour the labour of the stall operator.

In Singapore though, it is a bit of a mass production system. I think the lack of these stalls plus the popularity of these burgers, always made the Ramly's burger stalls in Singapore one of the more crowded and busier ones among the many hawkers around. The meat are pre-cooked earlier on, and upon getting orders, the stall operator would crack open a few eggs together before spreading them across the whole hot plate. He then would place about 5 of the patties over the eggs and add on a slice of cheese, some mayonnaise, black pepper sauce and chili sauce before wrapping them up with the cooked eggs. He'll then split them and place them over the bun and wrap them up and hand them over to you.

I guess a Ramly's burger that is prepared "personally" taste a lot better.

Super virgo

2007-11-30T14:19:00.001+08:00

I never realised how big a cruise ship really is until I am now a
couple of hundred meters away from the Super Star Virgo, which is
docked at the Singapore's Harbourfront.

I'm here waiting for the Aeroline coach for my trip back to KL. No
coach in sight yet although I'm due to depart in 10 minutes time.

Weekends in Singapore

2007-11-28T12:03:00.000+08:00

What do you on the weekends in Singapore? That's the question many of us working in Singapore without our families are often asked.

For one weekend, I actually did something touristy and went to Chinatown. Fay and Chern accompanied me. We met up in Bishan to grab lunch before boarding a direct bus to Chinatown. The bus journey takes about 45 minutes or so, and it was raining heavily as the bus rolled out of the Bishan Interchange. It was a pleasant ride, unlike the usual hot and sticky bus ride I was used to back in Seremban & KL.

We alighted at Chinatown Point and I "borrowed" Fay's new Canon 400D and snapped away. I don't think I'd get the hang of a pro SLR. I just like to point and shoot, but I'd like a camera with a superzoom function. As we walked along Chinatown, there were massage parlours and I was tempted to grab a quick one, as my neck had been stiff, I wonder if it was from too much headbanging at the recent Linkin Park concert, which was great by the way. The girls managed to convinced me to go for the massage while they scooted off to a saloon nearby to get their manicures and pedicures. I took a 30 minutes package of foot, neck and shoulder massage which for SGD 22, wasn't too bad.

After I was done, I found the girls were still stuck at the saloon so I decided to venture on my own armed with Fay's camera. There were definitely some good photo opportunities, but I was lamenting about the lack of real zoom functionality, as Fay's camera is only equipped with a standard kit lens. If I complained anymore, I think she'd barred me from touching her camera.

Before leaving Chinatown, I went and got myself a new 3-player mahjong set. Now, there'll be more things to do at home on weekends, and sure enough, I went over to Stanley's place later that night for a few rounds of Mahjong with Calvin and Eu Jin.

The last weekend was even more hectic for me. On Friday after work, I went and bought a mahjong table from a furniture shop in the neighbourhood, and I had to hoist that table back on foot all the way back to my house. Later that evening, I hosted Desiree, her sister and Alex at my place for some sake drinking and mahjong session, which lasted till almost 5am. We played the 4-player mahjong game using a set brought by Mariean, which was so tiny that we played a very quiet game. It was my first time playing the 4-player variation and I didn't quite like it, as it was quite slow and wasn't as exciting as the 3-player variation.

I woke up the next day and met with Daniel at Novena for lunch and bought a pair of football boots and shin guard. We went to Turf City to play field football, which can be considered a first for me! We joined Edwin and his team, which came equipped with jerseys, for a friendly match, complete with a referee. I started as a sub, which suited me fine as I don't think I have the stamina, and sure enough I don't! I went in and after about 10 minutes of running up and down, I was panting hard and had to be substituted. I think I'm just going to be a sub that goes in for 5 to 10 minutes each time, to let the regular players take a breather.

That evening, the Bishan gang met up and went to Ang Mo Kio for the famous seafood and crabs. It was a fun occasion, as there were 11 of us, and we had a hearty meal. We went back, and Eu Jin, Mariean and Calvin came over to play mahjong with Pek Bee. I was too tired and decide to hit the bed early, as the next day I'll have to help Stanley, Fay and Lawrence move house.

The whole of Sunday was spent helping the guys move to their new place, and by the time we finished, I was well spent. I now begin to think that weekends tend to be more hectic than weekdays, and I really need to find time to really rest and recharge. But I'm not complaining too much now as I am enjoying myself.

Blogging made easy

2007-11-19T15:01:00.001+08:00

Hey hey. I can now blog anywhere, anytime using my blackberry. Pretty cool eh? But then again, one still need to have the drive or desire to keep the blog alive, but undoubtedly this made it easier for me to pen down thoughts and annecdotes that I'd like to share.

Keep tuning in.

Authentic Penang Cuisine in Singapore

2007-11-19T14:54:00.001+08:00

After 2 months in Singapore, I got this craving for some good Penang fares - the Char Kuey Teows, the Assam Laksas and the Loh Baks so when Doreen suggested we meet up for dinner and she knows a place in Singapore that offers the authentic Penang food, I jumped at the chance.

I met up with Doreen and Kathy at Novena, before taking a cab towards Coronation Plaza along Bukit Timah Road. After alighting, we took a short walk to this row of shophouses that is right next to the plaza. At the far end, is a one-lot restaurant called Penang Kitchen. According to the girls, this place is normally packed, but we were lucky that night it was pretty quiet, probably due to the Deepavali holidays where many Singaporeans (and other people alike) might be out of town. The place isn't very big, probably can fit about 20 pax only at any one time, so you can expect waiting time if you get there during its peak hours.

On the menu were list of popular Penang fares and we ordered a Char Kuey Teow, Prawn Mee, Assam Laksa and a Loh Bak to share. The Prawn Mee didn't appeal to me much, it's a bit too creamy and I wasn't a big fan of Prawn Mee anyway. But I must recommend the Char Kuey Teow and Assam Laksa. These are quite good to what you get back in Malaysia and Penang. The Char Kuey Teow can be spicier, but it's probably tuned for the Singaporean taste but the Assam Laksa is quite authentic. After a few chats with other fellow Malaysians, it seems that Assam Laksa is a rarity in Singapore, which I did notice that you can't get this in any of the numerous food courts in Singapore.

Located along the same row are two other restaurants that Doreen and Kathy recommend - The Curry Wok and Thai Noodle House. I look forward to try these out in the near future.

The address to Penang Kitchen:
5 Coronation Road,
#01-05 Coronation Arcade,
Singapore 269406

Stardust

2007-11-11T22:06:00.000+08:00

An adventure. A fairy tale. A love story. That's what I can summarize up for the movie Stardust.

When I first read the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess, I don't think the love story part occurred to me very much, but after watching the film adaptation of the story, it struck me what a strong message it sent about love, the simplicity of it, and the meaning of being together and giving up your heart (almost literally) to the one you loved.

Stardust is a story about young Tristan (Charlie Cox) who ventures into the magical land to retrieve a fallen star to prove his love to Victoria (Siena Miller). After finding the star (Claire Danes), Tristan's adventure begin, and he encounters a witch (Michelle Pfeiffer), a pirate (Robert De Niro) and various other characters in the magical land of Stormhold.

One interesting exchange between Tristan and Yvaine, the star, questions the concept of unconditional love, and the need to prove how one feels. Further on, Yvaine explains her understanding of love, in its simplicity and completeness.

Somehow the message of love stood out so strongly in this movie for me, it's like going back to basics on the meaning of love and how to love.

Ok, enough with the sappy lovey-dovey part. The movie itself is a good 2-hour journey into the magical land and creatures, so even if you're not sold on it being a love story, you'd still enjoy a solid adventure and fairy tale story.

Definitely one of the better movie of the year (I may be biased as a fan of Neil Gaiman).

2007-11-09T00:03:00.000+08:00

Dreams. Do we have control over our dreams, or do the dreams control us? Dreams can be so tiring. So real. The thin line between dream and reality may just be a blur. Is there a line at all?Dreams. A flash of the past? Or a preview of the future? Or merely a tangent of the current?Dreams. Excites you? Frightens you? Ultimately dreams could define you. Dreams. It fades away with the rise of our conciousness. So, who says dreams aren't real, especially if we are not concious? What are dreams made of? Subconcious thoughts or vivid imagination?

*These are just thoughts about dreams that have been running inside my head for a few weeks, partly inspired when I was reading Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things and partly by a pretty vivid and terrifying dream, although I can't quite recall it now. Perhaps it is better for it to be a figment of my imagination than for it to be a foreword.

Random updates

2007-11-08T23:19:00.000+08:00

I'm feeling guilty for not been blogging so long that I dragged myself off my comfy couch and pick up my laptop and start to type some updates with my life here in Singapore.

It's been over a month now that I've moved down to Singapore. In that time, I've been back to KL only twice, the most recent being just last weekend to attend Ee Lain's wedding, which was nice, as I get to meet up with some of my college mates again.

During the same time, I've had friends from KL who have came for various reasons, latest being Carmen who was in town for some company function. I met up with her over lunch today, and accompanied her while she hunted for some accessories to get. Weng and Elaine have also been down on separate occasions and it has been good to have caught up with them here.

Ah, yes, I've gotten myself a blackberry. Some consider it a bane to have a device that made you contactable all the time, but there are some that are practically addicted to it. Well, I enjoyed the convenience of accessing my emails on the go, and it allows me to write my email while I'm in the train, which is a great way to get some work done. I've also downloaded an application that allows me to connect to MSN and Yahoo, so it helps me keep in touch with many of my friends who are online anyway. To pay about USD 20.00 for this software is well worth it. Those that wants it, can check out www.beejive.com

I finally had my first book shopping here in Singapore. After saying bye to Carmen earlier, I headed over to Kinokuniya to see what's good to pick up. I am still kinda reading Neil Gaiman's Fragile Pieces, but I am struggling to finish it. I ended up picking up Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain (I had enjoyed his Kitchen Confidential), Michael Crichton's Next, Nick Hornby's High Fidelity (some lad lit once in a while to break the usual thriller reads) and 2 graphic novels - Arkham Asylum (a Batman's story) and Lucifer (spin-off of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series). I also bumped into Joanne and her hubby Anton, and they kindly lend me their membership card so that I can get about 10% off my purchases. Total damage? Less than SGD 100 for 5 books. Well worth it I must say. I would need to practice some self-control here, otherwise I would have problem storing those books or moving them later on.

It's been a rather muted Deepavali celebration here in Singapore. I only saw a family in their traditional costumes when I was out today. Apart from it being a public holiday, the celebrations in Singapore is pretty isolated. This made me miss going over to Harrie's place for some rocking chapati and curry!

Well, just another day to go for work tomorrow before the weekend comes again. I just gotta figure out what to do this weekend. I should be going to the movies to watch Stardust. I've been waiting to watch that, and most of everyone who have watched it praised it.

Alright, that's all for some brief updates while I go back to read my newly purchased Batman graphic novel, with Air Supply playing in the background. G'night all.

One month anniversary

2007-10-17T19:15:00.000+08:00

Ah, I finally got a bit of time and drive as well to sit down and start blogging. It's officially a month now that I've came to Singapore and started working here.

I've settled in nicely into a HDB unit in Bishan, a neighbourhood that is about 5 stations away from Orchard, so it is pretty central. Unfortunately, my office is located in Changi, on the far east side of this island, and it takes me about 15 to 20 minutes cab ride to work, costing about SGD15 to SGD20 per trip, inclusive of all the morning surcharges. A "normal" ride, without surcharges, just purely on the meter, should cost me about SGD10 per trip. Good thing that I do not have to report myself to office daily. Many times I'd head off to meetings in around different hospitals in the island, which is more accessible to my place here in Bishan.

If I were in the office for the day, I would normally take the MRT back home after work. That normally takes an hour, which wasn't too bad, considering I had to change trains twice. It wasn't uncomfortable or stressful, compared to one-hour driving on the road in the KL traffic jam. Off peak hours (about 7pm plus), I could easily get a seat or a nice standing spot in the train and I could catch up on my reading. Good thing I don't get motion sickness when I read in the train, as I do in a car or bus. Next, perhaps to get an Ipod and listen to music or maybe a PSP to play? Ah... don't get too carried away. I'm supposed to be saving some money here, since I am not getting any EPF or CPF as I am on contract here for 2 years.

The HDB flat I rented, is about 800+ sqf, and comes with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen. It is not very big, but it is nicely furnished by the owner. The MRT station is about 5 minutes walk away, as is the Junction 8 shopping mall. There are also plenty of food to eat in the vicinity and there's even a library, which I have yet to visit. Of course, this unit doesn't come cheap. My housemates and I had to fork out SGD1,850 per month for this place, and that is excluding any utilities and other bills. For that price, I could be staying in a nice condo in Mont Kiara, KL.

I got two housemates, Pek Bee (PB) and Ee Von (EV). PB just started a new job in Singapore too, and lucky her got sent to Italy for 10 days of training. EV also recently transferred down to Singapore and I managed to convince her to move in with us. Since EV's the only one that got a valid Employment Pass (EP), she helped us to get our broadband and cable, both from Starhub, since they are the only one that offers a proper football channel.

Another good thing about Bishan is that many of the friends I know in Singapore are staying here. Desiree, whom I know years ago through Barb; Wei Khim, my former boss' high school mate, and his wife Sandy also stays here. Khim works with ESPN and a cool guy to hang out with. A bunch of Malaysians - Fay, Stanley, Eu Jin and Lawrence are staying nearby in Bishan as well. Then there's Doreen, my high school mate, that stays in Novena, about 2 MRT stops away, and Simon, a friend of Khim who stays in Ang Mo Kio, merely a MRT stop away. Plus there are friends of Stanley who stays around, I guess it won't be difficult to find activities partners (or makan kaki for that matter).

As of today, I finally got confirmation that my EP has been approved by the Ministry of Manpower. So no longer do I have to worry that I may not be granted the chance to work here, not that I worry too much about this really... . Now, I've gotta go get the EP, open up bank account, as well as getting my permanent mobile phone number.

High end roti...

2007-09-19T23:11:00.000+08:00

I just had dinner with 2 of my colleagues, a Belgian and an Australian at one of the food outlet in St. James' Power Station. Imagine a Roti Prata (Singapore's equivalent to Malaysia's Roti Canai) that costs a whooping SGD 6.00 (inclusive of a piece of curry chicken). Well, at least I'm not paying for it :P

Starting out in Singapore...

2007-09-16T23:20:00.000+08:00

As this Sunday draws to an end, and tomorrow marks my first day in a new job, in a new country. With everything coming into the picture thick and fast, it's definitely was a bit of a rush packing off and moving down to Singapore.

I had initially to travel down to Singapore on Thursday, the 12th, but on Tuesday, I got a request from my new bosses to attend a training in Singapore on Wednesday and Thursday. So I had to rush and get my medical check up done (which now I heard might be useless as I might need to go through another medical check here in Singapore), and change my coach ticket from Thursday to Wednesday morning.

Early Wednesday morning, PC picked me up from my place and head down to Corus Hotel in Jalan Ampang to board the coach. The coach left at about 9am, and the trip was pretty uneventful (they showed Into The Blue on the TV, so at least I get Jessica Alba in bikinis to accompany me throughout the journey), and I arrived at Harbourfront Centre in Singapore at about 3pm. I took a cab and went to straight to the Agfa's office near Singapore Expo in Changi. I attended the training throughout the afternoon and then my boss dropped me off at the Park Royal Hotel at Kitchener Road where I'm staying for the week. After a quick refresh, I joined my bosses, colleagues and a few clients for a 8 course chinese dinner at the Singapore's Recreation Club in town. News of the Indonesian reverberates throughout the dinner. After that, I just had to go back to the hotel and crash.

The next morning, I woke up, got dressed and was planning to go a floor up to the executive lounge for breakfast when I saw my bathroom door starting to swing. I also noticed that the clothes hanging in the closet also started to swing. Then I felt myself starting to sway in the room, which made you feel like you're sick and woozy. I figured must be more quakes or aftershock from the Indonesian earthquake, so I decided to skip breakfast and get out of the hotel and head to office early. Sure enough, I found out later that another big earthquake has struck Indonesia again.

I basically spent the whole day in office getting my notebook set up before arranging to meet Fay and Evelynn in town. Fay had an event in Chijmes, so I agreed to head there for some bites and drinks. I picked out the Hog's Breath Cafe, as I had it before when I was in Perth. Since Fay wasn't joining me for dinner and Evelynn was caught up at work, I decided to go ahead and order a serving of their Prime Ribs. I actually ordered a smaller portion (200gm instead the standard 300gm). I almost literally melted when I had that, it was soooooo good. Nice, juicy, and tender. Its barbeque sauce was delicious. I totally enjoyed having dinner on my own without any companion. I didn't mind a bit. Fay and Evelynn eventually joined me and we had some chats and drinks before heading off.

I woke up on Friday morning to go to the Ministry of Manpower's office to meet up with the employment agency's agent that was supposed to help me get my Employment Pass. I don't know why this agent was so clueless as I practically wasted the morning there. We were told that we couldn't do my submission of application there, but had to do it in the SingPost offices. She apologised profusely and went off to get the submission done, while I headed back to the hotel to start researching on getting my accommodation sorted. At about 2pm, I felt hungry and decided to explore what to eat around the hotel. My hotel is located in the Serangoon area, which is pretty much the Little India in Singapore. There were plenty of Indian restaurants, but I didn't fancy Indian food then, so I walked further until I saw a couple of Chinese coffeeshop. I sat down and ordered a plate of fried kuey teow. It came in generous portion, but it was pretty tasteless, even after I've asked for it the be fried with extra chilli. After that I went back to hotel and took a nap.

Later that night, I took the MRT to Ang Mo Kio to meet up with Stanley and friends. We went to this restaurant which must be pretty famous as people were queuing for seats and we were told we would have to wait for an hour before we get our food served. We persevered and was rewarded with a great meal of giant crabs (5 HUGE ones), nestum prawns, nyonya fish, pork ribs, 2 servings of vege and tofu. All for SGD 380, for 11 people, which I think was value for money (of course I'm not converting back to Malaysian Ringgit...). Since it was Stanley's birthday, we headed back to his place in Bishan, for some more drinks and card games. I left about 1.30am and took a cab back. My winnings from the card game were the exact amount I had to pay for the cab fare.

On Saturday, I had breakfast at the lounge before heading out to Novena Square to meet up with Stanley and Pek Bee. We scoured through the classifieds in the newspaper and made numerous calls setting up appointments to have a look at the flats that were available for rent. The first unit we visited was located at the Lower Delta Road, which was pretty close to town. Unfortunately, the interior was a bit old and rundown, and we didn't felt very comfortable. It was a 3 bedroom flat, but the owner will lock one of the rooms, so essentially, 2 dedrooms will be available. The asking price was for SGD 1,700, so obviously we weren't very keen. We then took a cab to Toa Payoh to check out our next unit. When we went to have a look at the place, there were almost 20 other people checking out the same unit, so then we realised how competitive the market were. This unit had 3 bedrooms available, and was quite completely furnish, but the asking price was for SGD 2,000.

Next up was a unit in Tampines, which had 2 bedrooms for rent. The owner was asking SGD 1,400, which was within our budget, plus the place was very nicely decorated and furnished. We felt quite comfortable in there. The only drawback was the unit is not too near to MRT station and it would take a long time to travel from Tampines down to town, where Pek Bee works, although Tampines would be pretty near to my office is. We then went and looked at another unit also in Tampines. This unit was a corner unit, and was renovated very nicely, with very vibrant interior deco and timber flooring. Unfortunately, there was a catch. The owner of this unit was going through a divorce, and thus can only commit 6 months of lease as he will need to sell off the house upon completion of his divorce proceedings. Although asking only for SGD 1,400 (2 bedrooms), we weren't quite comfortable with such a short lease. We then went back to Toa Payoh to look at another unit that was located very close to the Bradell MRT station. Unfortunately, it was a very old design flat, and the place was poorly furnished. It was going for SGD 1,850 (2 bedrooms), so we immediately struck it off our list.

We took a quick break back at Stanley's place, before taking a cab to Bedok to look at a couple more units. The first unit in Bedok was a very poorly maintained and old unit, and would probably go for SGD 1,300 (2 bedrooms), but we weren't too interested as there'll be a lot of work to make it a comfortable living unit. We finally went and check out the last unit of the day, also in Bedok. It was a 3 bedroom flat, mostly furnished, although the place was quite messy. But it was only going for about SGD 1,800, so if Pek Bee and I could find another housemate, it would definitely be within our budget. So, at the end of the day, after travelling and viewing 7 different units, we've decided that the 2nd Bedok unit were definitely the top of our shortlist, with the 1st Tampines unit second.

Early Sunday morning, I took the MRT to Bishan then a cab to Stanley's place to meet Pek Bee to have a look at this unit in Bishan that I've arranged. I learned from Pek Bee that she hasn't slept the whole night, as after I left them yesterday, Stanley and Pek Bee had joined some of Stanley's friends for a gathering and they only got back 7am that morning. So we quickly went to the Bishan unit to meet the agent. We were the only one having a look at the place that morning, so we could take our time checking out the place. While the unit wasn't big, it had 3 bedrooms available. The place was nicely decorated and furnished. It was pretty much ready for moving in after some sweeping and mopping. Both Pek Bee and I felt good about the place, and it was only 5 minutes away from the Bishan MRT and Junction 8 shopping mall. It was going for SGD 2,000, and we were both pretty excited and wanted the place if we could afford it. At the end of the day, Pek Bee and I managed to negotiate the rental down to SGD 1,850 for 2 years. Although a bit heavy for both of us now, we are now seeking a third tenant to share the place with us, but at least we found a nice place. Plus, there are many friends who stay in Bishan area.

So, now I'm back in my hotel room, just had my briyani dinner, which I bought off a stall in one of the shops nearby. The whole area around my hotel is swarmed with many Indian nationalities who favours this area as their weekend hang out spot. One of my new colleague had told me that the place would be "swarmed" but I didn't quite believed him until I saw it on my own this weekend. It does feel a bit weird, feels like I'm walking through the streets in India.

Tomorrow, my work officially begins here in Singapore, so I'm off to do some reading and then catch up on my sleep after a hectic week.

Lion City... here I come...

2007-08-29T16:35:00.000+08:00

About 5 years ago, I was almost “transferred” to work in Singapore during my time with my previous employer. I was supposed to work under this Australian VP of Sales based out of the Singapore office. I was doing some work in New Zealand, when I woke up one morning and was told that the VP had a fallout with the CEO and had left the company and I was told that the plan for me to move down would have to be on hold. Not too long after that, I decided to leave the company and join a new company.

Finally, 2 weeks ago, I was contacted by the Singaporean GM of this company and asked to meet up for interview, if I am keen to explore on this opportunity to work in Singapore. So I agreed and met up with her and her colleague.

This will officially be my 3^rd job while that was officially my 6^th interview in my whole career. I think I interviewed more people than I’ve attended job interviews myself. I remembered I attended 3 job interviews when I graduated with a diploma from college over 10 years ago. I had 2 offers out of the 3 interviews I attended. A few years into the job, I was contacted by a headhunter to attend an interview with a newly setup JV company between a Malaysian public listed company and an Indian IT company. I met the CEO and the chairman of the company, but I was later informed that I was a little too young for the job. I was about 24 then I think. I then had interview with the CEO of my current company (last day tomorrow…) over beers and I accepted the job to join his young company. So I’ve been with this company since. 5 and ½ year into the job, I now decided to bid farewell and explore this new opportunity in Singapore.

I had a follow up interview with another visiting manager from Singapore, and in under a week, an offer was tabled. I had reviewed that and decided that the offer was sufficient (not great, but enough) for me to start off in Singapore. The new company is kind enough to put me up in a temporary accommodation for a few months while I settle down and find a place of my own there. With the booming property market in Singapore, rentals have been on the rise, and it is definitely the biggest headache in finding an affordable and comfortable place to stay. Good thing that I have my friends in Singapore whom I should be able to call on for advice and assistance.

Although the decision to move down was fairly quick, but I did had a hard thought about leaving the company and colleagues at this point, but I guess I had to place my personal interest and objectives first in my consideration. Once my friends got news of the move, I get a lot of congratulatory and encouragement. Initially, it didn’t sink in as being too exciting, but I guess it’ll be pretty fun.

I guess the new post will come from the Lion City as I strive to keep this blog alive, unlike some friends’ blog who almost dying a slow death since their moves to Singapore :P

Alfie

2007-08-23T23:48:00.001+08:00

Lazy now. Incoherent? Improper sentences to follow...

Just watched Alfie. Swagger of Jude Law. Cockney. Player. Commitment-phobic. Familiar? When he is ready, one has found another, one was not into him. Familiar?

Quote at end of movie: What have I got? Really? Some money in my pocket, some nice threads, fancy car at my disposal, and I'm single. Yeah... unattached, free as a bird... I don't depend on nobody and nobody depends on me... My life's my own. But I don't have peace of mind. And if you don't have that, you've got nothing. So... what's the answer? That's what I keep asking myself. What's it all about? You know what I mean?

Take note. Nice show. You know you're old when you can relate to the protagonist in this kind of movie. Okay. Time to hit the bed.

Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence

2007-08-23T18:03:00.000+08:00

Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence

You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well.
An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly.
You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view.
A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary.

You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

Congrats to Vig & Sue Leen...

2007-08-01T17:01:00.000+08:00

... on the arrival of their new bundle of joy!

It's a small small world (again)...

2007-08-01T11:54:00.000+08:00

I just found out that Chin Teik and my cousin Danny are close friends from Uni, when I browse through Facebook and found a picture of Danny's wife Michelle in CT's list of friends...

Stardust premiered....

2007-07-31T23:54:00.000+08:00

The movie Stardust, based on the graphic novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman finally had its Hollywood premier. According to GSC website, we'll have to wait till November before we can watch it in the cinema... Why the delay???!!! Argh....

Laughter...

2007-07-23T23:30:00.000+08:00

... is a sign of happiness.

I was just flipping through some old photo albums and I'm amazed at how much I laughed in those pictures. I can't help but smile and think back all the memories, friends and acquantainces I've made over the years.

I want to be laughing a lot more for a long time to come.

Cultural KL?

2007-07-19T11:11:00.000+08:00

I was having morning coffee with a business associate when he commented that KL doesn't have cultural elements to attract tourists. It got me thinking, where in KL can you bring a foreign visitor or friend to sample a taste of Malaysian culture? Hmmm... I shall ponder and perhaps do a bit of research on this.

Liverpool FC - You'll Never Walk Alone

2007-07-06T09:43:00.000+08:00

When the news of Fernando Torres signing for Liverpool FC (LFC) is finally confirmed, I was pleased albeit cautious. Torres is a much sought after striker, and at 23, already proven to be a world class player with many more years to come. But will he be Liverpool's saviour? Will he be Rafa Benitez's finishing piece of his jigsaw?

I doubt Torres alone will be able to turn the club around and win the top prize in English football, a title that had eluded LFC since 1989/1990, when Ian Rush led the club to the old First Division title. But by stepping into the No. 9 shirts worn previously by Anfield legends Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler, Torres will be the catalyst to LFC improving on their position in the league. While I am not expecting LFC to win the league this year, I hope they'll close the gap to Manchester United in terms of points difference. I admit United remains the favourite to retain the title they won last season. LFC might be able to match and probably overtake Chelsea to finish second, while Arsenal might struggle a little with a younger team, but I expect them to still finish in the top 5. Tottenham will probably challenge Arsenal for a spot in the Champions League.

While I am a self-professed LFC fan, I actually followed Manchester United when I first started following English football. Yes, the eternal rivals of LFC. But back then, I was really fascinated by United's lineup and style of play - Cantona, Hughes, McClair, Giggs, Sharpe, Kanchelskis, Robson, Ince, Keane, Pallister, Bruce, Irwin, Parker and Schemeichel - were collective one of the best units ever to have played for MUFC in my opinion. Later on, when the Fergie Fledglings - the Neville brothers, Butt, Scholes and Beckham - arise, they became a bit too commercialised and I lost interest.

At the same time, the LFC players, with a core of British players, caught my interest again. The Spice Boys, so named due to their off-the-pitch exploits, were one of the more exciting teams in the Premier League then. James, Redknapp, McAteer, McManaman, Fowler and the hot youngster Owen made me switch my allegiance to LFC permanently. I enjoyed their games and LFC style of play, particular that of Jamie Redknapp, who was a cool & calm player and was able to provide pin-point passes. And it is in my destiny to follow LFC, since I was named after an Anfield legend - Kenny Dalglish, who as a player, and later as a manager, led LFC to multiple trophies in the 80s, and firmly establish LFC as the ultimate English club.

My dad told me he was contemplating between Kenny and Kevin, after Kevin Keegan, another Anfield hero. I think he finally decided on Kenny as Dalglish was the new star replacing the aging Keegan. I don't think my dad was and is a big Liverpool supporter. I think he was more into Leeds during the Don Revie era and now it's more of Manchester United or Chelsea, whichever have more glamourous player.

Season 2007/2008 should be an intriguing season for LFC. As I mentioned, I doubt they'll win the EPL, but they'll be up there and probably enter the late stages of the European Champions League again, as Rafa Benitez has proved to be a wily tactician when it comes to knock-out competitions in the continent. His ability to analyse and put out a team that is well suited to neutralise the opposition threat is one of LFC's greatest assets in recent times. The midfield core of Gerrard, Mascherano, Sissoko and Alonso will be important to provide the link between defense and attack. Torres and Kuyt, along with Crouch will have to combine well and stay fit to provide a credible threat to opponents. However, with those 3, I feel there is a significant lack of pace in attack, which I hope Rafa will address by adding one or two world class wingers. The current crop of wingers in Pennant, Gonzalez and Kewell just don't strike fear into opposite fullbacks. Carragher and Agger should continue to mature as defensive partners. They have shown great ability over the last season. However, I do not think Liverpool has too many backups for these two, with Hyppia aging, and the youngsters still raw, and thus, it is important that these two central defenders stay fit throughout the season. Finnan, Arbeola and Riise will perform sufficient defensive duties with the occasional foray upfront to support the attack, particular Riise and his venomous left foot. Goalkeeper Reina will have to be more consistent and cut down on his errors and occasional lapse of concentration and he'll prove to be a hard man to beat.

That said, I'll be waiting for the new EPL season to kick off come August and hopefully a few more class additions to the club before the season starts.

America's Cup: Alinghi retains title

2007-07-04T10:26:00.000+08:00

After a valiant effort over 10 days by Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ), the team that I supports, to dethrone Alinghi and recapture the America's Cup, ETNZ finally succumbed yesterday. Alinghi beat ETNZ by just 1 seconds in the 7th race of the series, effectively winning the Cup by 5 - 2. Alinghi had won the 1st race before ETNZ won the next two to lead 2-1. But Alinghi got their acts together and won the next 4 races, including the dramatic 7th race to win 5-2. Looks like the Kiwis will have to wait for the next season to try and recapture the cup again. Ironically, most of Alinghi's sailors are Kiwis, led by their skipper, Brad Butterworth.

Movie Review: Transformers

2007-07-03T09:25:00.000+08:00

From the opening credit, where you hear the familiar "transforming" sounds as they roll out the introductions, you can feel the chill tingle down your spine.

The human actors did just fine since they are not the star of the show. Shia LeBouf as Sam Witwicky did well to provide some light moments as well as the protagonist in moving the story along.

It is the animations that are mind blowing. I can't remember watching a show with slews of CGI and not thinking that these are CGIs at all. Partly because I'm so engrossed in the show, it somehow seems so believable that the robots are part of the scenes, as in they are real. The transformation of these robots from their mechanical to robotics forms are so fluid and smooth and totally cool.

The show lasted more than 2 hours but at the end, I felt like it was too short! I didn't want it to end, I wanted to see more of the robots! But fear not, they've already announced that there'll be
a sequel scheduled for release in 2009!

Ratings: 5 out of 5

Club Med Cherating... Partie Deux

2007-06-18T20:07:00.000+08:00

Friday 15th June 2007
AM

I woke up early at about 7am with plans to head to the Pantai Beach, for kayaking and sailing. Pantai Beach is located south, about 20 minutes walk away from the main resort. This beach is located on a cove, thus less susceptible to high waves, making it safer and more ideal for water sports.
*sunrise
After breakfast, we took a "train" from the resort to the Pantai Beach. Mike, Paul and I were the first to reach and we waited for the GOs to get the catamarans ready, but we were told later that the wind was not favourable for any sailing, and we could sign up for the sailing trip later in the afternoon. We signed up and decided to go kayaking, which, by then, the others have finished their breakfast and joined up. We ended up kayaking for over an hour, truly getting into the hot sun and getting suntanned/sunburned.
* the train...
After getting tired of kayaking, we headed back to the beach to play some beach volleyball. A group of Taiwanese decided they wanted to play, so we organised a friendly match, which we won pretty easily.
* the kayaks & catamarans
By about 12, we headed back to the resort for lunch. When we got back, the GOs and GMs were busy dancing and prancing about around the pool so some of us decided to join in. They then had a pool volleyball game and a few of us joined in the fun before we finally headed into the restaurant for lunch.

After lunch, I was just lounging about near the bar and caught some catnaps.
* lounging with a book and a glass of wine
We headed back to Pantai Beach at about 3pm to see if we could get some sailing done. Unfortunately, the wind didn't pick up and we spent over an hour by the beach just doing nothing (except maybe check out some girls in bikinis...)
We went back to the resort and I headed back to change into sport shoes to try on some of the sport activities. I first head over to the trapeze arena, and climbed up and stood on a narrow platform with one of the GOs. It was pretty scary the moment you reach out with both hands to grab hold of the trapeze bar, but after that it was quite alright. I was supposed to lift my legs and hang upside down but again I failed to do that. Sigh... I need more work out on my abs (read... cut down the tummy!).
* the flying wonder... NOT
After the trapeze, I decided to try on some roller-blading. I've never roller-skate, roller-blade or ice-skate before. so this was definitely a first for me. I struggle to go round the rink twice before I finally give up. I was too afraid to fall on my back, so I guess the next time I decide to try this, I better be wearing some padding for my butt.
* roller blading... not quite rolling
I decided to do something I'm more familiar with and decide to shoot some hoops with the basketball. After a while, one of the GOs decided to organise a volleyball match between some of the French GOs and GMs against us. So it's the French vs. Malaysian. Most of the guys played regularly I presumed and they showed good control too, while most of us haven't played much since school days! Vig, Mike, Daniel, Jason, Paul and I got on the court and did what we could. We didn't too bad as we lost the match 2 - 1. I think we do have a good team. Later I learned from Vig that one of the GOs used to play for the France national team! No wonder my arms now are bruised with blue-black spots from receiving the ball. We played till about 7.30pm before we went back to shower and head for dinner.
* some court action
After dinner, the GOs presented a show with Moroccan theme. It got a bit boring for me and I left halfway to hit the bar for some drinks.
After the show, we continued to party, dance and drink before I called it a night at about 12 after a long day filled with activities.

Saturday 16th June 2007
AM

I woke up at about 8am and went for breakfast. The breakfast fare's about the same as the day before.
After breakfast, the boys decide to try out bocce, a game quite similar to lawn bowl. Check out the explaination here on wikipedia...
After 2 matches, we headed back to room to pack and prepare to check out.
We just lounged about by the pool and bar enjoying drinks and crackers before lunch.
After lunch, we finally bade farewell to the friendly GOs at 1.30pm and boarded the bus heading back to KL.
We finally arrive back to our office at about 6.30pm.
*giving GO Han the claws

Would I go back to Club Med? I don't mind if we're going in a big group and all of us are into the sports and activities there. I may also consider signing up as a GO for a break from work (when I can afford to take a break from work, that is...)

My Club Med experience... (Partie Une)

2007-06-17T23:09:00.000+08:00

I've heard much about having a great time at a Club Med resort from friends and the Internet. I finally had the chance to visit Club Med Cherating courtesy of my company-sponsored 3 days 2 nights holiday for the whole company.

Here's a brief rundown of the activities & happenings during my stay in the Club Med.

Thursday, 14th June 2007
AM

* getting ready to board the bus and start the journey
Departed from office in a chartered bus at about 8.30am.
Crawled through the morning traffic for over an hour before hitting the Karak Highway heading towards Kuantan
Reach Cherating at about 12-ish and the tour guide brought us to a batik "factory" to get some batik crafts for souvenir.
* a pakcik busy imprinting batik in a batik factory near Cherating
After almost an hour there, headed to a restaurant nearby for lunch. The food there was good, with its specialty being a dish where the shell of the crab is stuffed with bits of crab meat & eggs and deep fried with a layer of thin skin. Don't quite know how to explain, but it was delicious
.* some of delicious dishes served at lunch

Took another 30 minutes or so ride before we finally reach Club Med Cherating. We were warmly greeted by a group of Guest Officers (GOs) consisting of Indonesian, Japanese, Malaysian and French nationalities
* getting welcomed and short briefing by the GOs

We were escorted to the reception area for a short briefing before being led to our rooms. Our rooms were about 5 minutes walk from the reception area. The porters will send your luggages to your room so you don't have to drag your bags on your own.
After a brief rest in the our small but adequate rooms, the guys decided to head over to the pool for a cool dip in the hot weather.
Swam and lounged about in the pool for about an hour before we went looking for other activities. We ventured to the sports zone for some trapeze and bungy bounce.
I went on to try the bungy bounce, which you were essentially jumping on a trampoline while being supported by elastic strings to help propel and also keep you in position. It looked easy as some participants did forward and backward flips, but while I managed to do the forward flips, the backward flips required a lot more of effort which I couldn't quite muster.
*bungy bouncing
We then headed over to the beach nearby to check out the sea and we couldn't resist the calling and jumped into the sea and playing with the slight surf waves. Only later were we told it was dangerous ("not very safe") to swim in the sea along the beach there, as indicated by a black flag somewhere along the beach, due to some strong currents.
A few of us then went and play table tennis until dinner time.
The dinner's buffet spread was quite amazing. There were Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Malay, Indian, Grill Bar and lots of dessert and fruits for you to choose from. It was a hearty dinner of course.
I went back to room to shower after dinner before joining the festivities along the bar, which served free flow of drinks, both alcoholic & non-alcoholic. Needless to say, most of the boys have already started with the alcohols since afternoon. :) Walter started on his personal crusade to try ALL the different cocktails on the menu!
*our favourite hangout spot
The night was filled with dance & festivities as the GOs hosted and encouraged the Guest Members (GMs) to dance and sing. There was a lion dance show for the Asia-themed night. By 11pm, most of the crowds have retired to their rooms, while some of us continued to hang about by the bar for more drinks and mingling with the GOs.
I finally head to bed at about 2am, after the bar closed at 1am and a few of us lounged by the pool, which was opened 24 hours.

To be continued in "partie deux"...

Sailing... I am sailing...

2007-05-30T16:45:00.000+08:00

I'm sure not many among Malaysians are aware of the Louis Vuitton Cup, apart from the fact that it carries the name of the prestigious fashion brand.

The LV Cup is one of the most prestigious sailing competitions, in which the winner will challenge the defending champion of the America's Cup, which itself is the the top competition of the sailing world.

I first got to know about this competition when I was in Auckland, New Zealand, with a colleague (ex-colleague now) Mr. John Showell. Originating from the UK, he had settled down with his wife and daughter in NZ and as with many Aucklanders, simply loves to sail. Auckland, is also known as the City of Sails as it has more yacht per capita than any other cities in the world. Over dinners with friends, John would be sharing sailing stories with friends and also talk about the upcoming America's Cup competition.

If I remembered correctly, I was there sometime between 2001 & 2002, where Team New Zealand had won the 2000 America's Cup and is looking to defend the cup again in 2003. One afternoon, John brought me to the Viaduct Basin, which was a hive of activities as the teams are all preparing for the LV Cup in 2003 set up their base and test runs there. Seeing the big ships and sails definitely blew me away. I wish I had the chance to go sailing out in the open sea. Maybe one day.

This year, the LV Cup and America's Cup are being held in Valencia, Spain. Team Alinghi, a Swiss team, who had defeated Team NZ in 2003, has chosen Valencia as their home base. It was quite a surprise back in 2003 for Team Alinghi to beat Team NZ as Switzerland is a country with no coast line! But then again, majority of Team Alinghi's member were from Team NZ who won the title back in 2000, including its skipper, Russell Coutts, quite a legend in the world of sailing.

As of today, Team NZ (Emirates Team New Zealand) has made it to the finals of the LV Cup, and will be up against Italian team Luna Rossa Challenge, who had surprisingly defeated another favourite, at least in my book, Team BMW Oracle Racing from USA. The final of the LV Cup is scheduled to start June 1st, and I'm hoping to see Team NZ wins and go on to challenge Team Alinghi for a rematch of the America's Cup, scheduled to start on June 23rd.

Links:
The Official Website of the 32nd America's Cup
The Official Website of Emirates Team New Zealand
Wikipedia's entry on the America's Cup
Wikipedia's entry on the Louis Vuitton Cup

2007-05-25T00:54:00.000+08:00

I'm watching the repeat of the American Idol Final Show on tv...

... Sanjaya sucks... he really can't sing.

... Melinda should have won... she was able to match the veteran BeBe and CeCe Winans in vocals...

... Taylor Hicks is still cool... :) If he can get a good producer and song writer to get some good songs, he can be as good as Rod Stewart

... Carrie Underwood's I'll Stand by You is haunting... and she's hot in her short black dress

... Bette Midler looks younger than I remember...

... Jordin deserves her win over Blake

Darn... I have nothing to blog about that I have to blog about what I'm watching on TV... :P

Weekend Rambling

2007-05-20T22:24:00.000+08:00

I visited Singapore for the second time in two weeks. It has definitely been a while since I last made regular trips, however, I do not see myself heading there anytime too soon next.

I can really tell that I have really aged and mellowed when I was yawning and didn't quite had a good time on a night out on Friday at Clarke Quay. With Harrie in town, it was hard not to be heading out to "party", and Doreen was kind enough to bring us around. Coincidentally, Su Ann was also in town. Funny to think that the 4 of us high-school mates from Seremban found the opportunity to catch up with each other down in Singapore.

I, in fact enjoyed my morning coffee session with Desiree. Catching up with each other over a nice cup of Java Arabica brew at The Coffee Club in the Funan IT Mall, which was right next to the hotel I was staying in.

I left Singapore on Saturday to return in time to head to Chin Heng's house to watch the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester United, which, turned out to be a bore fest after all the hype in the build up for a match between the top 2 teams in England. Harrie rightly said it, what's the big deal in fighting for the domestic title, when the European Cup is the cream of the crop... A dramatic match should be in store this week between Milan and Liverpool at Athens. Go Reds! YNWA!

I spent about 9 hours in One Utama today. I met up with PC for lunch at Delicious, before she heads off to organize her company's annual dinner. I then decided to catch Spider-Man 3 alone, as almost everyone has already watched it. It was quite easy to get a good seat when you're watching alone. :) What irritated me was that the show was supposed to start at 2.30pm, but all the trailers and advertisements lasted a full 30 minutes! I don't remember waiting that long for a movie to start. The movie actual itself wasn't anything to shout about. It was cool to see Peter Parker showing his dark side. Bryce Dallas Howard (Gwen Stacy) definitely looks better than Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson). In the comics, Gwen was Peter's first love, until she was killed by one of the many incarnations of the Goblin... I can't remember which one.

After that, I managed to get Weng and Anna to come by to One Utama for dinner. But since I still had some time to kill, I went to Giant to pick up some grocery. It's been a while since I last pushed a trolley along those aisle... and yes, the green Nescafes were on my shopping list. :)

I just realized I am a shopaholic too. I'm a book shopaholic. I almost can't stop myself from purchasing something everytime I stepped into either Borders, MPH or Kinokuniya. I was trying hard not to walk into MPH today, knowing well I'd want to pick up a book or two since I've finished all 3 books I bought just over a month back. But with time to kill, and nowhere to go, I had to step in. And sure enough, I end up buying Kitchen Confidential (Anthony Bourdain), Robbo: My Autobiography (Bryan Robson) and a Spider-Man: Blue graphic novel.

And now, here I am... just dumping my thoughts onto this blog... and with that, have a good night and a good week ahead... I think I shall start with the Spidey graphic novel, since I just watched Spidey movie today and something less heavy.

crossroads

2007-05-15T16:10:00.000+08:00

Being at a crossroad, means you are presented with choices. How difficult it is for you to pick one of the choices depends on you knowing where you want to go, and where each road leads to. But most of the time, there aren't clear signs telling you where the roads will end up. All you can do is try and look as far up the road, and hope to find tell-tale signs that let you know that this is the most probable road. But most importantly, you need to know where you want to go, otherwise, all the right signs in the world will not be able to lead you down the path of happiness and contentment.

Don't drink and drive...?

2007-05-15T14:39:00.000+08:00

I just figured out a superb way to beat that saying... just go and buy a big tub of Rum & Raisins ice cream... and eat it while driving... haha...

I did just that last Friday after work, when after dinner with Harrie & Sharm, I decided to get a cup of Rum & Raisins ice cream from Baskin Robbins in One Utama. I didn't even care about the heavy traffic getting out of Bandar Utama as I was happily enjoying my ice cream in the car. The traffic light can stay red for as long as it wants, but as long as I have my ice cream, I'm content.

So, for those that are about to leave office and join the maddening jam, go grab a tub of ice cream, and enjoy yourself while others are stressed out caught in the traffic!

Singapore

2007-05-15T14:23:00.000+08:00

I was in Singapore for a couple of days last week to replace my boss as a speaker at a strategic healthcare conference. It's been years since I last did a public presentation at a seminar or conference. If you ask me to present to a small group of high level executives pitching sales or project progress, I can do that fine, but there's still a thing about presenting to a more general public, and especially in a group that has real experts and veterans of the healthcare industry. So, naturally, the butterflies in my stomach wrecked havoc. But I guess I did alright, considering I presented my boss' slides with some modifications.

Apart from that, the highlight of the trip was a nice dinner at Nanjya Monjya Waterfront at the Waterfront Plaza, next to the Grand Capthorne Waterfront Hotel that I stayed in. It's a nice japanese restaurant that served teppanyaki style dishes. I had some sort of japanese pancake, and cow tongues (I wasn't too sure, but it was thinly sliced, and wasn't yucky at all) "grilled" on the teppanyaki hot plate. And I washed it all down with a nice big glass of shochu mixed with lemon lime bitter.

I'll be heading down to Singapore again in a couple of days. I haven't been down there this often since I left my previous company 5 years ago. Back then, I've even traveled there weekly for a couple of months.

Random Quotes

2007-04-28T00:35:00.000+08:00

Only one among us knows whether it's the truth or otherwise.

I do not have the courage, energy nor focus to deal with this matter in this moment in time.

Most importantly I know how I feel and what is my perception of trust, sincerity and the path towards happiness.

One that lies to self, will never be able to be truthful to others.

Trust is to be earned.

Upcoming movies

2007-04-24T23:05:00.000+08:00

I had some time to kill in the office today so I hopped on the apple.com trailer website and checked out some up-coming movies. Here are some that I'd be checking out on the big screen when they open.

Spider-Man 3
- Spidey vs Venom AND Green Goblin AND Sandman. To see the goody Spidey struggles with his own darker inner self and battle among his toughest villains... it should... sorry, it will be a BLAST!

Evans Almighty
- Modern Noah's Ark story, from the team who brought us Bruce Almighty. Expect some good laughs

Stardust
- A movie based on the comic & novel by Neil Gaiman. A reason enough for me to watch. Having Claire Danes in it... definitely a top bonus. Add in Michelle Pfeiffer & Robert De Niro, and all these make this a not-to-be-missed movie!

Ocean 13
- George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia AND Al Pacino. How can you not want to watch this?

Martian Child
- John Cusack plays a single guy who adopts an eccentric boy who thinks he's an alien. John tries to help the kid adapts and grows into the society. Should be a touching movie. Joan Cusack and Amanda Peet co-stars.

Live Free or Die Hard
- Bruce Willis returns (in the same mould as Stallone's Rocky Balboa & Harrison Ford's soon to be release Indiana Jones) to create more havoc and mayhem, while trying to save his country again. This time, he has his daughter to save. Hope they'll show more of Maggie Q here than they did in Mission: Impossible.

Lonely Hearts
- A film-noir styled movie starring John Travolta, Jared Leto and Salma Hayek. I always has a thing for film-noir style movies and comics. Jared Leto and Salma Hayek are on a crime-spree and John Travolta's detective is obsessed in catching them.

The Nanny Diaries
- Scarlett Johansson as the Nanny... Mom... can I get a Nanny please???

Fracture
- Anthony Hopkins plays a brilliant man who is accused of killing his wife, but manipulates the young district attorney and the cops. Looks like a similar cat & mouse game to the ones he played with Jodie Foster, Julianne Moore and Edward Norton in the Hannibal series.

Some interesting quotes as I was browsing the trailers:

"I wish there's a cookbook for life."
"It's the recipes you that you create yourself that are the best"
~ Quotes from "No Reservations", upcoming movie starring Catherine Zeta Jones

"The hardest part about losing love... is finding your way back"
~ Land of Women, upcoming movie starring Adam Brody, Kristen Stewart and Meg Ryan

Book Review: How To Be Good

2007-04-23T18:38:00.000+08:00

How To Be Good by Nick Hornby

There are tonnes of "chic lits" in the market. Sometimes, it's hard to find books that tells the life stories from a guy's point of view. Well, you can argue you can just pick up a autobiography, but it's just different. So I came across a review that says that Nick Hornby is among the lead authors in this field. I've, of course, also already bought and read all of Tony Parsons works. So I picked up How To Be Good (the other option I had was About a Boy, which I believe was already made into a movie starring Hugh Grant and Toni Collette) hoping that it'll be as interesting as some of Parsons books.

To my horror, the book's protagonist is actually a married woman. Oh well, I don't normally put down a book, so I decided to plough ahead with the book which tells the story of how a married doctor, Katie, deals with her husband and family. The husband is a small time newspaper columnist who is a very bitter and angry person. This has driven Katie to cheat on one of her trips. Still dealing with her guilt and wanting a divorce, the husband suddenly become a changed man, after an encounter with an eccentric spiritual healer. He becomes very accommodating, extremely kind and charitable, to the stage where he gives away his children's toys and start taking in homeless kids to stay. Katie is now even more confused as she tries to deal with the change and also trying to find flaw in her husband's arguments of doing good where they can.

As this is not a thriller or anything, there isn't quite a lengthy or complicated storyline. It focuses on the thoughts and feeling of the main character, and how she struggles, first to cope with her guilt and failing marriage, and later, to accept the change of her husband and his noble intentions (which sometimes can be way beyond logics, but hard to argue against). It took me longer than I usual would to finish this book, partly because there's no "page-turner" situations to compel me to keep reading. Ultimately, I did finish this book, but doesn't quite get the satisfaction of finishing a book. However, I might still give Nick Hornby another go.

Ratings: 2.5 out of 5

2007-04-18T01:08:00.000+08:00

P/P/S: As I reflect on the words of Boston (after hearing it continuously for the 10th time), it got me thinking. Everyone has a past that they wish they can leave behind and forget about. Everyone wants to go to Boston somehow, but perhaps the Boston or Spain that you seek lies within you?