Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Guy flick = soccer + no plot
A couple of days ago, WW smsed me, inviting me to catch the sneaks of a movie called "Real". He had gotten free tickets and 6 of us went today to catch the show. I agreed & went even though i had absolutely no idea what the movie was about, who was in it, and what genre of movie it was. Well, surprises are always fun right?
Anyway, having been working in NUS for the past 2 weeks, i couldn't get off work early enough to meet them for dinner today. So they went ahead into the cinema first and thankfully, after spending $11.10 on cab fare, i was only 5 mins late. When i entered the theatre, the screen was showing a scene of a football game in progress. "Cool", i thought to myself, "they are still showing advertisements! I still made it after all... heh". So i find my friends and plonk myself in my seat and said to CT, "Wah, they still showing advertisement ah?" The reply he gave me wasn't what i expected. CT said, "What advertisement? This IS the movie... start already loh!" -_-
It all came to me instantly.
I was here to watch a soccer movie. On Real Madrid FC specifically. Oh yes... the ultimate guy flick. Just soceer, soceer, soceer and no plot, no moral of the story and not even any nice soundtracks. But well, it was ok. I kinda quite enjoyed watching the close-up dramatic soccer scenes. Watching Beckham, Ronaldo, Raul, Owen, Castello & the rest up-close was pretty cool, esp seeing how they train and work it out on the fields. Powerful man, these guys. They mean serious stuff when they play. And it sure ain't no play, but sheer hard work.
So the next time i get invited to a movie, i will make sure i check out what movie it is all about. But then again, i did enjoy tonight & it was good to talk and be briefly educated about Real Madrid by the guys, although i can't really remember what they told me now... hmm...
Thanks W for the invite!
Anyway, having been working in NUS for the past 2 weeks, i couldn't get off work early enough to meet them for dinner today. So they went ahead into the cinema first and thankfully, after spending $11.10 on cab fare, i was only 5 mins late. When i entered the theatre, the screen was showing a scene of a football game in progress. "Cool", i thought to myself, "they are still showing advertisements! I still made it after all... heh". So i find my friends and plonk myself in my seat and said to CT, "Wah, they still showing advertisement ah?" The reply he gave me wasn't what i expected. CT said, "What advertisement? This IS the movie... start already loh!" -_-
It all came to me instantly.
I was here to watch a soccer movie. On Real Madrid FC specifically. Oh yes... the ultimate guy flick. Just soceer, soceer, soceer and no plot, no moral of the story and not even any nice soundtracks. But well, it was ok. I kinda quite enjoyed watching the close-up dramatic soccer scenes. Watching Beckham, Ronaldo, Raul, Owen, Castello & the rest up-close was pretty cool, esp seeing how they train and work it out on the fields. Powerful man, these guys. They mean serious stuff when they play. And it sure ain't no play, but sheer hard work.
So the next time i get invited to a movie, i will make sure i check out what movie it is all about. But then again, i did enjoy tonight & it was good to talk and be briefly educated about Real Madrid by the guys, although i can't really remember what they told me now... hmm...
Thanks W for the invite!
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Great expectations
I just heard something on class 95 FM that kinda made me stop in my tracks for a moment. Well, some of you perhaps figured this out already, but nonetheless, i felt that it was worded quite well.
"For a relationship to work, you need two halves to make a complete whole. But the two halves themselves must be complete first."
Yeah, it kinda made me reflect on my own condition. Don't really know why, but the past few days, memories of what once-has-been have been coming back to my mind. More of the positive and pleasant memories, but a few bad ones as well. And as my mind took me back to those times, i guess i embarked on a little self-discovery... but i suppose for my own story, the one main thing i have experienced and am still learning to master, is this:
I learnt that one should never expect anything from another person. It will lead to disappointment 9 out of 10 times. Not being cynical here, but the truth is, we often place our secret hopes & desires on our partner, and when they don't meet our standards, he/she "fails" us, even though he/she may not have done anything wrong and might be perfectly wonderful as a person. So the problem lies with our own judgemental self. And for that, i repent and must continue to repent. On the other hand, don't expect that you can change your partner. I once thought i could, with good intentions of course, but i failed miserably and ended up becoming quite disillusioned with him and jaded with certain things.
"For a relationship to work, you need two halves to make a complete whole. But the two halves themselves must be complete first."
Yeah, it kinda made me reflect on my own condition. Don't really know why, but the past few days, memories of what once-has-been have been coming back to my mind. More of the positive and pleasant memories, but a few bad ones as well. And as my mind took me back to those times, i guess i embarked on a little self-discovery... but i suppose for my own story, the one main thing i have experienced and am still learning to master, is this:
I learnt that one should never expect anything from another person. It will lead to disappointment 9 out of 10 times. Not being cynical here, but the truth is, we often place our secret hopes & desires on our partner, and when they don't meet our standards, he/she "fails" us, even though he/she may not have done anything wrong and might be perfectly wonderful as a person. So the problem lies with our own judgemental self. And for that, i repent and must continue to repent. On the other hand, don't expect that you can change your partner. I once thought i could, with good intentions of course, but i failed miserably and ended up becoming quite disillusioned with him and jaded with certain things.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
So. Am i fat?
I am so exhausted.
Thursday night attended LADC (LA Dance Connection) class for lyrical jazz.
Friday night went for dance practice for a show item which i'm involved in on 21st Jan, which started at 10pm and lasted till 11pm...
Saturday morning had 3 hour practice of the show item again, followed by more LADC classes - Ballet 1 and Intro to Jazz class.
Tomorrow is Sunday and i'm going for 3 classes at LADC - Broadway jazz, Latin jazz and Contemporary dance.
Monday is trial yoga class at True Yoga.
Tuesday there's dance practice... yet to see if i'm still alive by then.
Tired? Of cos. But i'm mad. I enjoy it. Good exercise. Keeps me fit and helps to lose all the flab. Plus i'm bored. And the main point is, they are mostly free classes - cheapskate you say? yeah perhaps to a certain extent... but then again, grab the opportunity presented mah.
Now suffering from an abrasion on my right foot due to a skid on the floor this morning, causing the skin in that area to be grazed off. And my little toe on my right foot also had some dry blood. Hmm. The mutilation to my feet returns once again. Thigh muscles are aching too and arms feeling a little sore. The price you pay for dancing so much. But the good thing is, i feel lighter. I feel toner and fitter. But my weight still hasn't dropped. It's just kinda freaky to see it still register on that part of the scale after exercising so darn much... and i don't eat a lot either. In fact, been eating quite little. Just last night, i had a single chocolate waffle (those thin kopitiam type) for dinner. And after dance, i didn't eat anything. This morning, i skipped breakfast due to lack of time. Yet my weight doesn't budge. Hmm. Doubt it's weight from muscles though. I still look the same.
I know a lot of people will slap me if i complain to them that i'm fat. Well, ok fine, i'm not fat. BUT, it's true that i'm fatTER. Sheesh, whenever i ask people that question, their eyes always always inadvertently trails down to my arms. Man... i oughta start wearing long-sleeved shirts or something. Previously, pple used to look at my arms cos (and i quote them), it was "really muscular, really toned, got contour one". I'm not bragging nor exaggerating here, cos on the contrary, i was quite embarassed back then by my arms. Made me feel quite self-conscious of them. That was 2-3 years ago. NOW. pple look at my arms cos it's (and i quote them again) "bigger, can see meat finally, nice to squeeze now". Argh. Either way my arms seem to distract pple a lot eh. And to top it off, my mum's latest amusement is to poke fun at my increased mass. Sigh. Oh well, i'm not offended or anything, just that it's weird...
So. Am i fat? heh.
Thursday night attended LADC (LA Dance Connection) class for lyrical jazz.
Friday night went for dance practice for a show item which i'm involved in on 21st Jan, which started at 10pm and lasted till 11pm...
Saturday morning had 3 hour practice of the show item again, followed by more LADC classes - Ballet 1 and Intro to Jazz class.
Tomorrow is Sunday and i'm going for 3 classes at LADC - Broadway jazz, Latin jazz and Contemporary dance.
Monday is trial yoga class at True Yoga.
Tuesday there's dance practice... yet to see if i'm still alive by then.
Tired? Of cos. But i'm mad. I enjoy it. Good exercise. Keeps me fit and helps to lose all the flab. Plus i'm bored. And the main point is, they are mostly free classes - cheapskate you say? yeah perhaps to a certain extent... but then again, grab the opportunity presented mah.
Now suffering from an abrasion on my right foot due to a skid on the floor this morning, causing the skin in that area to be grazed off. And my little toe on my right foot also had some dry blood. Hmm. The mutilation to my feet returns once again. Thigh muscles are aching too and arms feeling a little sore. The price you pay for dancing so much. But the good thing is, i feel lighter. I feel toner and fitter. But my weight still hasn't dropped. It's just kinda freaky to see it still register on that part of the scale after exercising so darn much... and i don't eat a lot either. In fact, been eating quite little. Just last night, i had a single chocolate waffle (those thin kopitiam type) for dinner. And after dance, i didn't eat anything. This morning, i skipped breakfast due to lack of time. Yet my weight doesn't budge. Hmm. Doubt it's weight from muscles though. I still look the same.
I know a lot of people will slap me if i complain to them that i'm fat. Well, ok fine, i'm not fat. BUT, it's true that i'm fatTER. Sheesh, whenever i ask people that question, their eyes always always inadvertently trails down to my arms. Man... i oughta start wearing long-sleeved shirts or something. Previously, pple used to look at my arms cos (and i quote them), it was "really muscular, really toned, got contour one". I'm not bragging nor exaggerating here, cos on the contrary, i was quite embarassed back then by my arms. Made me feel quite self-conscious of them. That was 2-3 years ago. NOW. pple look at my arms cos it's (and i quote them again) "bigger, can see meat finally, nice to squeeze now". Argh. Either way my arms seem to distract pple a lot eh. And to top it off, my mum's latest amusement is to poke fun at my increased mass. Sigh. Oh well, i'm not offended or anything, just that it's weird...
So. Am i fat? heh.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Coincidences
Had a dinner with my JC class last night. Ate at Rice Table at International Building. I quite like Rice Table. The food's pretty decent, quite a wide variety and by the time the waiters dish out the 14 or so food items on your table, you feel pretty overwhelmed by the array of food set before you & it sure gets your appetite going. Anyways, it was a pretty good gathering... at least everyone gotta see most of everyone & update one another on what's gg on in our lives. It's really interesting to see how we all have changed since them grey days back in JC. But it's always funny how we always tend to talk about the same old topics whenever we get together... haha... well those were the good ol' days...
A rather interesting journey home too. Bumped into Tong at the bus stop in town. Somehow, Tong seemed quieter, more toned down & if i were to push it, burdened, even though we only talked for a while at the bus stop. Gg to migrate to Australia so it seems... perhaps for a new life and a new env. All the best Tong! Kinda miss those days when we used to talk and when you were so animated and lively. Hope the zeal and zest comes back to you...
Boarded the bus and spotted Sab! Man, how ironic is that. Been planning since last year to meet up, after not seeing each other for 10 years, but never got down to doing it. But i didn't go over and say hi, partly cos i didn't know what to say, plus i was with friends. Sab still looks the same... hmm but perhaps fatter heh. Saw LL on the next bus that i took. Still looks same as before. But we don't keep in contact anymore.
Somehow, the people i've known from before, haven't really changed that much. Yet, when they see me, they tell me how much i've changed. And i suppose i did. Perhaps that's the reason why i often recognize others first, before they can tell who i am. But when it comes to names, they always get my name first.
A rather interesting journey home too. Bumped into Tong at the bus stop in town. Somehow, Tong seemed quieter, more toned down & if i were to push it, burdened, even though we only talked for a while at the bus stop. Gg to migrate to Australia so it seems... perhaps for a new life and a new env. All the best Tong! Kinda miss those days when we used to talk and when you were so animated and lively. Hope the zeal and zest comes back to you...
Boarded the bus and spotted Sab! Man, how ironic is that. Been planning since last year to meet up, after not seeing each other for 10 years, but never got down to doing it. But i didn't go over and say hi, partly cos i didn't know what to say, plus i was with friends. Sab still looks the same... hmm but perhaps fatter heh. Saw LL on the next bus that i took. Still looks same as before. But we don't keep in contact anymore.
Somehow, the people i've known from before, haven't really changed that much. Yet, when they see me, they tell me how much i've changed. And i suppose i did. Perhaps that's the reason why i often recognize others first, before they can tell who i am. But when it comes to names, they always get my name first.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Get Real! Get Serious!
A few days ago, i happened to catch an episode of Channelnews Asia's "Get Real" program, and as the website (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/programmes/prog_current.htm) states,
The pitch: Get Real! addresses topics close to the hearts of Singaporeans, with each episode focusing on a distinctly "made in Singapore" issue. Now, you know what sets Singapore apart from any other country in the world.
The particular episode that i watched was on the sex industry and child prostitution that has been going on in Batam. Many of these sex workers are tricked into working in these brothels. Having been promised a good job and better life by smooth-talking agents, they find themselves sold to and trapped in sex syndicates. The only way out is to pay off what they "owe" the syndicates. But it is probably as good as no way out, since the price of freedom keeps increasing with the interest rate. There is an estimated 1 million sex workers who are still children, i.e. below 16 years of age. About 600 Singaporean men arrive on Batam's shores every Saturday for sex. Most of these are Chinese men -from teenagers to granddads clutching walking aids - looking for sex partners. "Some men think they are doing a good deed by paying for sex in Batam, that the girls will starve in their villages" quotes a source, and another reveals that "a young sex worker might have slept with a few hundred men by the time she is 15".
I don't know what to make out of all this.
I was really disgusted when one of the interviewees on "Get Real" - some stupid golden-haired ah-seng with the most revolting voice - replied in a heck-care tone, "Does my wife know? Of cos lah! She come with me one!" (This is the point when i temporarily lose all hope in womankind).
Even typing this entry is making me worked up. Feeling quite incensed... not just at the atrocity and sinfulness of this whole situation, but at the fact that deep down we all know that it is impossible to stop it. Let's get real here. Prostitution is the oldest profession in the world and as TS added, stamping down prostitution is the 2nd oldest profession in the world. We can condemn, judge, set laws & impose severe punishments on these sex perverts and pimps, but these can never change the sinfulness and lustfulness of a man's being. It takes more than just legislation & enforcement to save the intrinsic being of mankind from total immorality, depravity & decadence, although i must say... the state of man today is pretty much almost there already.
Get Real! although helps to educate and inform the many sheltered & blessed people of Singapore (including myself) about the stark realities of the island just a stone's throw away from us, i'm afraid that's the best it can do. Sure, it may stir up some controversy, fuel some organizations to pump some money in to help, prompt some NGOs to work harder in cracking down such syndicates, incite some strong emotions of the people... but let's really get real... the sex trade will never stop. How can it? If it has existed for the past 6000 years of human history? You think it can stop right now? Especially when it's probably at its most rampant & intense stage of development?? I'm not advocating sex tourism/trade, neither am i being cynical or pessimisstic. It's really commendable that there are people out there who are trying their best to stop all this, and i'm not saying that we should all just sit back and do nothing. Just that... well... this is real. Ok, i expect some flak for saying all this, but well this is reality.
If you really think about it, the whole consumer-capitalist-materialistic-competitive system is the problem. (Ok, i see more flak coming). Everywhere today, we are bombarded with images & all kinds of paraphernelia associated with physicality, sex, money, wealth, lust and decadent living. Man, you just can't escape it. It's just totally wired into our subconscious that we have become totally immune to it. Everything's ok and acceptable. Safe sex is promoted and we say good, but why should safe sex be promoted in the first place? That in itself is an unspoken permit/allowance for pple to have casual, pre-marital sex in the first place. Read: Yup go along and do yer thing, just dun forget the condom. If we really wanna get real and get serious, forget about promoting safe sex. Promote No sex outside marriage. Yeah, perhaps some will say i'm idealistic & old-fashioned, but who's to care anyway. Well, sex sells. No doubt about it. 8 out of 10 commercials you see today has some inkling of sexual connotation or meaning in them. Then with all your exoticised imaginaries of island destinations and the like, coupled with the ease and cheap cost of mobility & movement today, further supported by the www, you basically have a recipe for lots of good ol' vice.
So as i type this, yet another 600 men are taking the ferry across to Batam. Another few hundred girls are being enslaved to their sex masters. And the bright lights of the brothels burn on relentlessly throughout the night, but unfortunately, there will be no day.
The pitch: Get Real! addresses topics close to the hearts of Singaporeans, with each episode focusing on a distinctly "made in Singapore" issue. Now, you know what sets Singapore apart from any other country in the world.
The particular episode that i watched was on the sex industry and child prostitution that has been going on in Batam. Many of these sex workers are tricked into working in these brothels. Having been promised a good job and better life by smooth-talking agents, they find themselves sold to and trapped in sex syndicates. The only way out is to pay off what they "owe" the syndicates. But it is probably as good as no way out, since the price of freedom keeps increasing with the interest rate. There is an estimated 1 million sex workers who are still children, i.e. below 16 years of age. About 600 Singaporean men arrive on Batam's shores every Saturday for sex. Most of these are Chinese men -from teenagers to granddads clutching walking aids - looking for sex partners. "Some men think they are doing a good deed by paying for sex in Batam, that the girls will starve in their villages" quotes a source, and another reveals that "a young sex worker might have slept with a few hundred men by the time she is 15".
I don't know what to make out of all this.
I was really disgusted when one of the interviewees on "Get Real" - some stupid golden-haired ah-seng with the most revolting voice - replied in a heck-care tone, "Does my wife know? Of cos lah! She come with me one!" (This is the point when i temporarily lose all hope in womankind).
Even typing this entry is making me worked up. Feeling quite incensed... not just at the atrocity and sinfulness of this whole situation, but at the fact that deep down we all know that it is impossible to stop it. Let's get real here. Prostitution is the oldest profession in the world and as TS added, stamping down prostitution is the 2nd oldest profession in the world. We can condemn, judge, set laws & impose severe punishments on these sex perverts and pimps, but these can never change the sinfulness and lustfulness of a man's being. It takes more than just legislation & enforcement to save the intrinsic being of mankind from total immorality, depravity & decadence, although i must say... the state of man today is pretty much almost there already.
Get Real! although helps to educate and inform the many sheltered & blessed people of Singapore (including myself) about the stark realities of the island just a stone's throw away from us, i'm afraid that's the best it can do. Sure, it may stir up some controversy, fuel some organizations to pump some money in to help, prompt some NGOs to work harder in cracking down such syndicates, incite some strong emotions of the people... but let's really get real... the sex trade will never stop. How can it? If it has existed for the past 6000 years of human history? You think it can stop right now? Especially when it's probably at its most rampant & intense stage of development?? I'm not advocating sex tourism/trade, neither am i being cynical or pessimisstic. It's really commendable that there are people out there who are trying their best to stop all this, and i'm not saying that we should all just sit back and do nothing. Just that... well... this is real. Ok, i expect some flak for saying all this, but well this is reality.
If you really think about it, the whole consumer-capitalist-materialistic-competitive system is the problem. (Ok, i see more flak coming). Everywhere today, we are bombarded with images & all kinds of paraphernelia associated with physicality, sex, money, wealth, lust and decadent living. Man, you just can't escape it. It's just totally wired into our subconscious that we have become totally immune to it. Everything's ok and acceptable. Safe sex is promoted and we say good, but why should safe sex be promoted in the first place? That in itself is an unspoken permit/allowance for pple to have casual, pre-marital sex in the first place. Read: Yup go along and do yer thing, just dun forget the condom. If we really wanna get real and get serious, forget about promoting safe sex. Promote No sex outside marriage. Yeah, perhaps some will say i'm idealistic & old-fashioned, but who's to care anyway. Well, sex sells. No doubt about it. 8 out of 10 commercials you see today has some inkling of sexual connotation or meaning in them. Then with all your exoticised imaginaries of island destinations and the like, coupled with the ease and cheap cost of mobility & movement today, further supported by the www, you basically have a recipe for lots of good ol' vice.
So as i type this, yet another 600 men are taking the ferry across to Batam. Another few hundred girls are being enslaved to their sex masters. And the bright lights of the brothels burn on relentlessly throughout the night, but unfortunately, there will be no day.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Hill street is at uh... ah... erm...
I have become the ultimate tourist in my own country. Yesterday, i had to bring around a visitor from New Zealand for a day tour of Singapore. Plan's simple. Just take him out to lunch, walk around the major historic sites and landmarks along the Singapore River for some educational and supposedly informative introduction to our homeland, then to town to soak in the rich, colourful, fast-paced, vibrant and 'happening' vibes of downtown life (read: materialistic, gaudy, overcrowded, noisy and chaotic), before finally ending up in Chinatown for a dose of uh, cultural and festive infusion (wadever)... voila... piece of cake mah...
YEAH RIGHT.
At the end of the 5 hours, i was exhausted, partly drenched, had a small cut on one of my toes, blisters, totally soaked through flip-flops, a sore shoulder, a even more sore throat, and basically a not so pleasant mood.
Lunch was fine - ate at the foodcourt at Raffles City and good thing that he really enjoyed the noodles. Gave him a piece of my keropok as well, but he didn't want to try my Nasi Briyani. Even the walk to the Parliament House, down along Boat Quay was cool. He was really impressed with the multi-cultural concentration of all the restaurants, pubs and shops there. Some good shots were taken and i was actually enjoying it myself. haha. Another good move was when i brought him into the Fullerton Hotel. There happened to be a live trio on the violin, viola and cello... really nice. Anyway, i always liked stepping into the Fullerton. Beautiful place. Our next stop at the Victoria Memorial Hall proved to be a lil' bummer for me... cos i was explaining about Sir Stamford Raffles to him, but realized that the only thing i knew was the "He founded Singapore in 1819". Fulstop. And then i went on saying, "And did you know there are 2 statues of Sir Stamford Raffles? One's black, as you see here at Victoria Memorial Hall, and the other one's white, which is situated at... uh... *scratch head*... ah... *clears throat*... (in a really small voice)... somewhere else. OK MOVING ALONG NOW..."
So we headed to Merlion Park. I wonder why every tourist get so fascinated by a half lion half fish thingamajig that spits. But it was here that i discovered a tourist shop which i never knew existed before. And so the local becomes the tourist again. By now, i was pretty tired, feet aching, brain tired from all the juicing it had to go through to extract all the bits & pieces of distorted Singaporean history that i had to struggle to fit together to present a rather unconvincing commentary.
And because i couldn't really figure out what was the best way to go to Orchard from the Merlion park, we flagged a cab. Not that it was ex anyway. $5 ONLY mah. And he paid. haha. Anyway, gg to town on a Saturday will be the biggest regret in the year 2006 for me. It's @#^@~!%^ crowded. Bad time there. Even he got tired. So embarassing. Some more got stranded cos of the @$#^%@!^ rain. Yeah, that's the part where i got partly drenched. And to make things worse, we got sardined into the tunnel of doom - the one at Wisma Atria leading to Taka. Let's see, the average amount of space between each human being in there was approximately 5cm. -_-'''
Chinatown. Basically, i had to explain why on earth our Chinatown doesn't exactly represent anything very Chinese, and why it looks so darn modern - My feeble response was, "er, sorry but this is Singapore, everything is modern and erm, if you're looking for anything authentic and traditional, you're barking up the wrong tree dude." Ok, something along those lines. So by this time, it was already 6pm and we had walked enough mileage to earn us Shell points for the day. You can be sure i was so happy to finally send him back to Swissotel and wave good-bye. Even though i was invited to dinner in the hotel, i kindly declined, giving a lie that i had to go home for dinner. And then, i was outta there...
I guess at the end of a longggg day, the only thing i wanted was to get food fast, easy and grab something that i could do while lazing at home. Solution: Fast food and a few DVDs. It was a restful and enjoyable night. Yup, i'm easily contented...
As for Hill street, well being the kind of person i am who always attracts the wrong attention, another tourist came up to me and asked me, "X-quese mui, doo yu knoww vhere iz Hill streez?" Poor tourist. What could i do? I am a tourist myself in my own country. So i sadly shake my head and said, "I'm sorry, but i don't know where myself..."
YEAH RIGHT.
At the end of the 5 hours, i was exhausted, partly drenched, had a small cut on one of my toes, blisters, totally soaked through flip-flops, a sore shoulder, a even more sore throat, and basically a not so pleasant mood.
Lunch was fine - ate at the foodcourt at Raffles City and good thing that he really enjoyed the noodles. Gave him a piece of my keropok as well, but he didn't want to try my Nasi Briyani. Even the walk to the Parliament House, down along Boat Quay was cool. He was really impressed with the multi-cultural concentration of all the restaurants, pubs and shops there. Some good shots were taken and i was actually enjoying it myself. haha. Another good move was when i brought him into the Fullerton Hotel. There happened to be a live trio on the violin, viola and cello... really nice. Anyway, i always liked stepping into the Fullerton. Beautiful place. Our next stop at the Victoria Memorial Hall proved to be a lil' bummer for me... cos i was explaining about Sir Stamford Raffles to him, but realized that the only thing i knew was the "He founded Singapore in 1819". Fulstop. And then i went on saying, "And did you know there are 2 statues of Sir Stamford Raffles? One's black, as you see here at Victoria Memorial Hall, and the other one's white, which is situated at... uh... *scratch head*... ah... *clears throat*... (in a really small voice)... somewhere else. OK MOVING ALONG NOW..."
So we headed to Merlion Park. I wonder why every tourist get so fascinated by a half lion half fish thingamajig that spits. But it was here that i discovered a tourist shop which i never knew existed before. And so the local becomes the tourist again. By now, i was pretty tired, feet aching, brain tired from all the juicing it had to go through to extract all the bits & pieces of distorted Singaporean history that i had to struggle to fit together to present a rather unconvincing commentary.
And because i couldn't really figure out what was the best way to go to Orchard from the Merlion park, we flagged a cab. Not that it was ex anyway. $5 ONLY mah. And he paid. haha. Anyway, gg to town on a Saturday will be the biggest regret in the year 2006 for me. It's @#^@~!%^ crowded. Bad time there. Even he got tired. So embarassing. Some more got stranded cos of the @$#^%@!^ rain. Yeah, that's the part where i got partly drenched. And to make things worse, we got sardined into the tunnel of doom - the one at Wisma Atria leading to Taka. Let's see, the average amount of space between each human being in there was approximately 5cm. -_-'''
Chinatown. Basically, i had to explain why on earth our Chinatown doesn't exactly represent anything very Chinese, and why it looks so darn modern - My feeble response was, "er, sorry but this is Singapore, everything is modern and erm, if you're looking for anything authentic and traditional, you're barking up the wrong tree dude." Ok, something along those lines. So by this time, it was already 6pm and we had walked enough mileage to earn us Shell points for the day. You can be sure i was so happy to finally send him back to Swissotel and wave good-bye. Even though i was invited to dinner in the hotel, i kindly declined, giving a lie that i had to go home for dinner. And then, i was outta there...
I guess at the end of a longggg day, the only thing i wanted was to get food fast, easy and grab something that i could do while lazing at home. Solution: Fast food and a few DVDs. It was a restful and enjoyable night. Yup, i'm easily contented...
As for Hill street, well being the kind of person i am who always attracts the wrong attention, another tourist came up to me and asked me, "X-quese mui, doo yu knoww vhere iz Hill streez?" Poor tourist. What could i do? I am a tourist myself in my own country. So i sadly shake my head and said, "I'm sorry, but i don't know where myself..."
Friday, January 06, 2006
The Beaumont - part one
I believe it's French, cos when you pronounce the word, it goes something like "the bour-mont"... Tucked carefully behind a row of shophouses situated across the PUB building at Somerset, this French vanilla coloured building holds its own charm and beauty, which sad to say, many so called "modern" and "up-class living" condos & apartments don't seem to quite hold.
The little road that curves around the building to the carpark basement. A view of shophouses juxtaposed with the buildings of today in the background. The quaint little path through a thicket of green shurbs and overhanging willow trees to the little side gate. The buttons in the lift which still remain the same even after two decades. The chocolate brown tiled floored corridor. The steps leading up to the good ol' grill and sturdy door, affixed with a S-shaped bronze handle. And when you step into the studio apartment, the first thing that comes to mind is... SPACE. Ah yes... the one thing that I have been so deprived of.
My aunt's just gotten back ownership of her studio apartment after having leased it out to a couple. And now, she's gonna move back and i must say for some inexplicable reason, i feel really excited about the whole thing. Memories of the times I've spent there years ago still fresh in my mind. It has always been a special unique place in my heart. :)
To be continued...
The little road that curves around the building to the carpark basement. A view of shophouses juxtaposed with the buildings of today in the background. The quaint little path through a thicket of green shurbs and overhanging willow trees to the little side gate. The buttons in the lift which still remain the same even after two decades. The chocolate brown tiled floored corridor. The steps leading up to the good ol' grill and sturdy door, affixed with a S-shaped bronze handle. And when you step into the studio apartment, the first thing that comes to mind is... SPACE. Ah yes... the one thing that I have been so deprived of.
My aunt's just gotten back ownership of her studio apartment after having leased it out to a couple. And now, she's gonna move back and i must say for some inexplicable reason, i feel really excited about the whole thing. Memories of the times I've spent there years ago still fresh in my mind. It has always been a special unique place in my heart. :)
To be continued...
S P A C E
I think i must have walked an extra mile today after all the zig-zagging, twisting, turning and "siam-ing" from the hordes of people in town. I don't believe i could have walked in a straight path without being bumped, pushed, elbowed, touched, squashed, squeezed, stepped on or shoved by some other human being. Now let's see... today is a Thursday, and it was mid-day, meaning that most people should be either i) at work ii) in school iii) at home preparing dinner for those who are engaged in i) and ii). So why was it so crowded? I think after pondering fervently on this question for a good 20 seconds, i've come up with a few answers why the streets of town are always flooded:
1) Those who are supposed to be working are happily "eating snake"... chiak zua ah... (read: loafing on the job... @^$#!)
2) Those who are supposed to be schooling are happily "zao-ing" classes... "pong-tang" ah... (read: playing truant)
3) People in Singapore have gotten way fatter... yes lah, that includes me... sheesh...
4) The sidewalks and corridors in the shopping centres are far too narrow (thanks to the sky-high rents, shops nowadays try to extend their shop front as far as possible onto the walking corridors...)
5) There just is no place else to go besides town.
6) Stupid tourists.
7) The unemployed.
8) Students who just wanna hang out in town so that they can be seen in their really erm, cool uniforms.
9) How can i forget the tai-tais... eating, drinking & shopping in style and with all decadence & extravagance...
10) Last but not least, all the bummers who are neither working nor studying nor touring Singapore.... yup people like me :P
*yawn* Ok, time for me to hit the sack. It's gonna be another long day for me in town again tomorrow...
1) Those who are supposed to be working are happily "eating snake"... chiak zua ah... (read: loafing on the job... @^$#!)
2) Those who are supposed to be schooling are happily "zao-ing" classes... "pong-tang" ah... (read: playing truant)
3) People in Singapore have gotten way fatter... yes lah, that includes me... sheesh...
4) The sidewalks and corridors in the shopping centres are far too narrow (thanks to the sky-high rents, shops nowadays try to extend their shop front as far as possible onto the walking corridors...)
5) There just is no place else to go besides town.
6) Stupid tourists.
7) The unemployed.
8) Students who just wanna hang out in town so that they can be seen in their really erm, cool uniforms.
9) How can i forget the tai-tais... eating, drinking & shopping in style and with all decadence & extravagance...
10) Last but not least, all the bummers who are neither working nor studying nor touring Singapore.... yup people like me :P
*yawn* Ok, time for me to hit the sack. It's gonna be another long day for me in town again tomorrow...
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Raindrops ain't gonna drop on my head
Is it the monsoon season now? Is our good ol' neighbouring country engaging in lotsa cloud seeding activities or something? Man, it just keeps raining every single day. And it's so not funny cos I haven't seen a single bright, hot, sunny day ever since i got back from NZ. Yeah well it's cooler no doubt, but weather's been quite a spoiler, especially over the New Year period.
But if you think about it, you don't really need umbrellas here in Singapore. Thanks to our wonderful gah-men (read: government), we have all these pretty little walkways planted over almost every pathway and bridge, so that you can practically journey from home to destination and back again without being caught in the rain. Plus there's the underground passes too. Now this is really one thing i truly appreciate about home... the ease and comfort of mobility. And speaking about mobility, where else can you find public transport as efficient and cheap as here? Trust me, you can't. I think i've traveled enough to safely say that Singapore's public transport system is world-class, although the price of cars and the cost for road tax, ERP, COE & all that mumbo-jumbo is altogether another story...
Guess you win some, you lose some eh.
But if you think about it, you don't really need umbrellas here in Singapore. Thanks to our wonderful gah-men (read: government), we have all these pretty little walkways planted over almost every pathway and bridge, so that you can practically journey from home to destination and back again without being caught in the rain. Plus there's the underground passes too. Now this is really one thing i truly appreciate about home... the ease and comfort of mobility. And speaking about mobility, where else can you find public transport as efficient and cheap as here? Trust me, you can't. I think i've traveled enough to safely say that Singapore's public transport system is world-class, although the price of cars and the cost for road tax, ERP, COE & all that mumbo-jumbo is altogether another story...
Guess you win some, you lose some eh.
Monday, January 02, 2006
Bigger is... better?
This is truly an unprecedented moment in my life. For some unknown reason, i've managed to put on enough weight to sufficiently qualify me to be able to donate blood for the FIRST time in my life (erm, not that i'm going to donate blood or anything), piled on enough "flesh", "meat", whatever, to be able to convert my once-baggy jeans and tops into tight pants & baby-tees, and for once in my life, have people telling me that i am bigger/fatter/chubbier/meatier/flabbier (@$#?*&#).
Man, i can't write on. Depressing topic. I'm not overweight or obese (HAH, i'll really like to see that happen to me), but gone are the days of the lean, toned, slim me. Ah yes, narcissism is at work here i know, but considering the fact that i've been a lean, mean vindaloo machine for the past 20-odd years of my life, this unprecedented state of things is kinda throwing me off a little. Ok, maybe more than a little. I've already cleared out half of my wardrobe with loads of clothes that just don't agree with my body anymore and have attempted to "diet", although it kinda flopped so far. OH WELL.
Going back to the land of sheep early Feb and won't be back till Dec... so let's do the maths. If in 6 months, i could have put on 6 kg, i really wonder what will happen in 12 months... i shudder at the thought... I guess self-control is what i need. As for now, i shall try to get my lil' diet going again and get those running shoes and swimming togs out...
Man, i can't write on. Depressing topic. I'm not overweight or obese (HAH, i'll really like to see that happen to me), but gone are the days of the lean, toned, slim me. Ah yes, narcissism is at work here i know, but considering the fact that i've been a lean, mean vindaloo machine for the past 20-odd years of my life, this unprecedented state of things is kinda throwing me off a little. Ok, maybe more than a little. I've already cleared out half of my wardrobe with loads of clothes that just don't agree with my body anymore and have attempted to "diet", although it kinda flopped so far. OH WELL.
Going back to the land of sheep early Feb and won't be back till Dec... so let's do the maths. If in 6 months, i could have put on 6 kg, i really wonder what will happen in 12 months... i shudder at the thought... I guess self-control is what i need. As for now, i shall try to get my lil' diet going again and get those running shoes and swimming togs out...
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]