1 Point

+1 :)

Merry Christmas! - Or what's left of it

Counting down the last 1 hr and 11 mins to the end of Christmas (on my watch).

Upon reflecting on this Christmas, it occurred to me that it has been a long time since I last spent Christmas in church. Yes, this church that I go to doesn't have a special Christmas Day service unless the ones that I attended previously. So I guess that is something to worth remembering :D

Another thing about this year's Christmas is that the feeling that people are forgetting the Reason for Season is getting stronger. Well, given the commercial nature of the world that we live in, it is not exactly unexpected. But this year, it just feels... worse? People go around saying Merry Christmas and I ask myself 'Do they know the real reason why you ought to be *merry* during Christmas'? For some they do, for others they don't, the rest couldn't care less.

Oh well, somewhat depressing thoughts towards the end of Christmas. But all in all, t'was a Christmas to remember for another special occasion ;)

And by the way... Merry Christmas!

New Era II

Off the playing field. 'Nuff said.

New Era

Last Sunday, dragged my sorry little self from my cosy home to Expo for church service with my runny nose and all. Muttering all the way 'this had better be worth it, The Big Move eh?' Let's just say that you had to be there to see it.

Max Pavillon it was. Where some of the overseas artists had performed, e.g. 5566 and some. My friend was joking, perhaps one day when you go on stage, you can kneel down and kiss it and tell yourself that Bono (from U2) performed here last night. Haha, I like U2, but *NOT* that much and I don't moonlight as a groupie.

Many years later (if I live that long), I will definitely remember the day FCBC moved to Expo. Not for the simple reason that it was a physical shift, but it was a start of a new era. Naturally, there was a sort of a pre-hype going on before the move. But t'was only on that fateful day when I believed. Many of the seats are empty but I could see the people in the hall, singing their praises and discovering the true meaning of life. Imagine this, 7,000 youths. The energy would just be awesome and mind-boggling.

Another of friends went into a new era of his life. Well, not exactly brand new... more of to the next stage when he asked a certain babe a certain question. But that's not the point. The point was that when he told me who that lucky babe was... let's just say my flabber was never so gasted before (read: flabbergasted). For that moment, I was like '...' and forgot what I was at the ATM machine for *faints*. Anyway, way to go dude... and may our prayers be with you *star wars background theme*

Buffet and Ben & Jerry

Followed two of my friends S & K to a steamboat buffet place near Shaw Towers on Monday. When I got there at about 7.40pm, S & K were first in the queue. So I naturally figured that we should be able to get a seat real soon. But the pessimistic side of me jested with both of them that even though we might be the first in queue, we might not able to get a seat before 8pm. Suffice to say, I really ought to 'clean my mouth' more often. We only got our seats at 7.59pm. Somehow or other, 3 parties popped out of nowhere and planted themselves in all their glory on vacated tables. Taking the cue from the attire of the 3 parties, I told my friend to 'show some skin' to the waiter and perhaps we might get a seat before other people do so. Normally, I am not an overly fussy person when it comes to this kind of thing, but the lack of respect for the queue really put me off and you will never never never find me patronising that place again. Then again, who knows... don't recall cleaning my mouth recently :p

Following which, the 3 of us adjourned to Suntec for a spot of Ben and Jerry ice cream. As we approached the store, we noticed that the shutters were closing. Suddenly, out of the blue, 2 women dashed by us so fast that we almost missed them. Guess what? They were heading for Ben and Jerry too! Such fanatic devotion to the brand. We figured that needn't hurry as they would hold up the shop with their orders while we sauntered over :) Really must thank such devoted fans for the efforts *fist thumps on chest showing respect*

A ruined steamboat buffet dinner saved by 2 fanatic fans of Ben & Jerry. What an excellent way to end the day :)

Things I Want

This post is inspired by a post on 14 October on this blog: http://shups.ipadder.com/

Needless to say, what you read here would be contradictory at times and some, quite hard to accomplish. But like they all say, if you don't dream, what do you have? ;)

I WANT to...
- dive in Indonesia, the Philippines, the Carribbean and Maldives at least once
- take a spin in a F1 Ferrari
- climb the 7 summits
- complete a marathon and a triathlon
- reach out to a certain unreached group and share the Gospel to them
- be one of those producers of the nature documentaries that you see on Animal Planet, National Geographic or Discovery Channel
- take over the World (typical guy hehe :p)
- have the power to move financial markets
- get a skydiving licence
- backpack along the West Coast of USA, stopping by at all the nature parks whilst doing so
- be remembered not for the person I was, but for the lives that have been impacted by my testimony (of course in the positive sense lah!)
- see my kids grow up and make a positive contribution in where they are placed
- see my brother healed
- have my parents enjoying their golden years
- share any of these experience with a significant other
and lastly
- love Him as much as He loves me. :)

14 Day Break

WARNING: It's going to be a boring post. Just a reporting strength kind of entry. You have been WARNED! :)

SERVING THE NATION
Took a 2 week break from work from 4 Oct. Nope, I didn't go overseas. It's commonly known as Reservist. You know, a Singaporean Male's Obligation to the Nation, protecting it from threats etc. etc. etc. I was fortunate that I was posted back to my old branch, doing pretty much the same thing I did during my NS Days. Original boss was on maternity leave and life as a result was somewhat different. Lunch break seems longer and the mood in the office was more slack. Dang... if only she decided to have another kid earlier ;) Took advantage of the 'galnost' to study for CFA and covered quite a fair bit. Looks like passing my level 1 paper this Decemeber is a real possibility. The only major highlight of the 14 Days was that I missed $200 'incentive' for shooting by 1 point and 1 bullet did not fire. Honestly, that's the most expensive 1 point I ever came across and I still feel sore about it when I think about that bullet that didn't go off :(

INDISPENSIBLE?
On other fronts, life in the office went on without me. Had some phone calls (not surprising) and some scares in the emails. Almost everything was well except I wonder why must people wait for me to come back before they can start working? I look at the nature of that work and I realise that they don't need me there to get started! Sheesh, and they wonder why everyone is fighting fire all the time at my workplace. *grumble*

RED DONE IT AGAIN! RIGHT...
In England, Liverpool laboured to beat a 10-man Blackburn at Anfield by a goal to nothing. Apart from that, they contrived to miss a number of glit-edged chances that would have made the win more satisfying. Of course, win by 1 goal also 3 points, win by 4 goals (like what Chelsea) did also 3 points. But, interestingly, Pool only score 1 goal from open play (against Chelsea) this season and that actually came from a deflection from a corner kick. Masters of set pieces? I somewhat think that's not going to win them much this season. Oh yes, before I forget. Peter Crouch is just a !@#$% waste of time and money!!!

BASKETBALL
Swinging back to the work scene. Some of us at my place of work formed a team to compete in a basketball tournament and lost our first match with a close score of 65-20. You mean that's not close? Well, considering the quality of the opposition and if all our near misses went into the basket, we might have actually won the game! And pigs would fly as well :)

TIS THE SEASON
On Friday, met up with some secondary school friends for a game of pool and two of them brought their Empress Dowagers. (Read: Fiancee) Needless to say, there were a lot of good-natured teasing and usual lovey-dovey scenes going on. Towards the end, there was a remark made that struck a chord within me. All of us have moved on to another phase of our lives. It is kind of sobering and nostalgic at the same time. This was further reinforced by the joyous occasion today as we accompanied our *brudder* down to a quaint little church to recce the place for his wedding. On a related note, the place looks quite impressive with good ambience and facilities. For the amount of money he paid for the rental, I'd say that it's a steal. Haiz, how time flies when you look back and how time crawls when you look forward ;)

3 weeks and counting

Yup, 3 weeks and counting. That's how long my big boss has been in a black mood. Everything is wrong and nothing is up to her expectation. Innocent parties get blasted and bystanders get dragged into the maw. Woe is the person who has to clear a contentious piece of work with her. You will end up getting love letters (if you're lucky) and hairdryer treatement (if you're unlucky).

But of course, there are always the evergreens; People who can do no wrong and always come out smelling like a bed of roses. If they're in your branch, good for you, you can use them as a shield against her wrath. However, if a 'blacklisted' person is in your branch, sighz. My utmost condolences to you.

Me? I just hope to pass through this month alive. When my big boss makes a passing remark, my small boss jumps sky high and lands on me. Sigh, what to do? Have to jump together lor. Totally hate it and find it unproductive. These are the times when you realise you need the humility and the presence of the HS just to get through the next hour.

MBIT Test - Is it real?

Your #1 Match: ISTJ

The Duty Fulfiller You are responsible, reliable, and hardworking - you get the job done. You prefer productive hobbies, like woodworking or knittings. Quiet and serious, you are well prepared for whatever life hands you. Conservative and down-to-earth, you hardly ever do anything crazy. You would make a great business executive, accountant, or lawyer.

Your #2 Match: ESTJ

The Guardian You're a natural leader and quick, logical decision maker. Goals are important in your life, and you take many steps to acheive them. You enjoy interacting with others, mostly through work related activities. Your high energy level means you are great at getting things done! You would make a great teacher, judge, or police detective.

What's Your Personality Type?

Retro Games

Taking forever to load this page to start blogging.

Been nagged at by another friend to update my blog. The next person who does that is so going to be... I put it down after I decide what to do with him/her :p

Retro games, that's the in thing in my life nowadays. Stumbled across this website with all these old games for download. So I went on a rampage to relive those old days when the graphics were clunky and the sound was tacky. Wolf3D, Colonisation, Civilisation, Simcity and even UFO Enemy Unknown. *blissful look* Then I was reminded how addictive they were and hence, my current station in life. *haiz*

On that topic, my friend observed that it is interesting that although the graphics and sound was crap, I still went back to play them. He probably would play them too. He concluded by saying that although graphics and sound are important, the critical thing is the gameplay and game concept. That is where they scored well.

Unfortunately, a lot of these games run on DOS mode. That was before the era of Windows in case you are wondering what DOS is :p So some of them have problems in WinXP. I'm still trying to figure them out, but then again I better not lest I get carried away by them again. :)

Small World

Got nagged at by a friend to update my blog. And I thought that nagging was a mothers-only domain. *bleah*

You've probably heard this before, but I'm telling you again, it's a small world after all. So far, there were only 2 people who were con... oops, I meant enticed into joining my quaint little workplace. Surprise surprise, both of them ran into a friend of mine who knows them. And one of them was spotted with another girl. Alone. *evil laughter* When grilled, he was just evasive over her identity.

Now there's a thought, would you be embarrassed if you were caught with a member of an opposite sex? Alone ;)

40 Days

Today went to Expo for a time of prayer after work. It was the beginning of the annual 40 days of prayer and fasting by the churches under the Love Singapore Network.

Truth be told, I wasn't too keen on going. Expo is just at the other side of the world and at the end of nowhere. Also, been running on fumes for this whole week, tired from all the nonsense that go on in work. But I figured, there's no point hanging around in office longer than required, I have nothing to do in the evening, may as well do something productive and pray for the nations. Wasn't as easy as I thought it could be.

To keep it short, my mind wasn't fully focused while prayer, kept thinking about work and was struggling to stay awake. It didn't help much when I heard 'strategising' during one of the speeches by one of the speakers, it just-so-reminded-me-of-work *urrggh*

Then I saw the clip about East Timor. It struck me that the situation there is somewhat like Singapore 40 years back, worse in some ways. But the point is that it could have been us 40 years ago, but we were blessed and Singapore prospered. Now, this is a chance for the Christian Community to influence the destiny of a new-born nation and it is close to us. Basically that got me dusting off the cobwebs of slumber and started praying for real about the nation.

Like I said, may as well do something productive on a Friday evening like this ;)

Initial D

There are 2 main attractions in Initial D.
1. The Cars
2. Anthony Wong
'What? No Jay Chou!' some of you might say. Well, the fact of life is that Jay Chou isn't exactly everything. If you get my drift. (No pun intended) :p

Cars were slurpy I must say. The Toyota AE86 is quite 'misleading'. Of all the cars in that show, it looks the least like a racing car. You would think that it is a normal street car. But in the movie, it just kicks butt. Of course, credit must go to the FC, Skyline and Evo. After all, you need more than one car to have a race :)

Anthony Wong was just fantastic in Initial D. I liked him in the Infernal Affairs trilogy, but now I admire him for his acting after Initial D. He absolutely makes his character stand out in the show with his killer one-liners, dialogue and antics. If anything, you should just marvel at his style when he talks about the potential outcome of the races. I won't say more here, you will just have to watch the movie for yourself.

Watch the show I say. But leave your brain outside the theatre before you go in. After all, you won't be needing it much. And yes, please go watch with your mates. Babes just have no place in the theatre when you're watching the show :)

Sunrise in Singapore

Never did believe that you could get this kind of Sunrise over Singapore eh? :)

What Star Wars Character Are You?

Figures... I've always liked to play those nausea-inducing star fighter games like Xwing and TIE Fighter
Take the quiz: "What Star Wars Character Are You?"

Wedge Antilles
You are the most famous fighter pilot around

Funny

Is there a difference between being funny and being crappy?

That thought came to my mind on one of those hot nights (temperature hot, not that kind of *hot*) that has been going on for a while. The answer came almost immediately, of course there is. Otherwise the two words won't exist. Okay, that's besides the point. The point is that you can be funny without being crappy, e.g. Mr Bean is funny but definitely not crappy, and you can be crappy and not funny e.g. refer to the *hot* joke at the beginning of this paragraph. That prompted me to wonder whether I'm more crappy than funny. After all, somehow being funny sounds more 'tasteful' or 'atas' as some of my friends would put it as compared to being crappy. Crap too much and people might take you less seriously.

As you can see at my tagboard, I've been asked to blog about Liverpool's CL Victory over AC Milan and how I feel about it. Well... 'I feel good'! Yea yea yea... but it's time to move on and look to the future. No sense in dwelling in the past right? To Whitemoon -> Satisfied? :p

Summer Blockbusters to watch:
Mr and Mrs Smith -> Good stuff, not much plot but the jokes are funny (not crappy!). Plus the so called hype about their screen chemistry is really true.
Batman Begins -> After the horrigible portrayal of the caped crusader by Val Kilmer and George Clooney (nipple marks on batsuit???), Christian Bale finally shows Batman for who he really is. And the best part is that he signed an option for two more Batman shows after this. One thought, one day, his cape is not going to work and it's going to be a looonnnngggg fall.
Star Wars Episode III -> 'Nuff said. :)
Madagascar -> If you watch this, please enjoy the penguins, they're good stuff. Without them, the show would have absolutely, positive tanked big time. *Those penguins are psychotic!*

Shows not to watch
Elektra -> A show you would recommend to your enemies. Yea, I know that it happened a long time ago, but I'm still scarred. (Refer to January archives)

Secrets - Something you tell one person at a time

Ambled to town to watch Madagascar with some friends. It's a funny show, with the right company I'd say it will be worth the price of the tickets paid. But not exactly a good idea to watch the show on your own alone.

Star Wars Episode III opened with the heightened fanfare and anticipation. After all, it'll probably be the last time a star wars movie is shown on big screen closing 28 years of history since the release of A New Hope back in 1977. Personally, I felt the best part of the show was at the end where they did the bridging to Episode IV (A New Hope). The soundtrack and the finality of the moment got me moved. Can't remember the last time I was ever that touched in a movie. I shan't reveal more as I understand that there are readers who did not watch the show and I'll just leave it up to them to discover it for themselves.

So onto the title, secrets. Had a little conversation with a friend online and was told that she had two blogs. My first thought, now why would anyone have two blogs? But of course, with some cow sense, that's quite explainable. So then I asked for the URL, you know, normal human curiousity: friend tells you that he/she has a blog (in this case two blogs), you would like to know the URL so you could read it. Then, I was told the other is a top secret blog which no one knows the URL because the stuff there is rather personal. So I'm like, right. Of course, everyone's entitled to their privacy, I'm cool. Then I thought, if there're things you don't want people to read, wouldn't you NOT even put it online/on paper at all? After all, unless technology improves, no one is able to extract information from your head without your knowledge. (There are exceptions to this case, but I'm just generalising here). Which leads to the question, why do people confide their secrets/inner-most thoughts/fetishes(!) to paper/blogs? Or even worse, to fellow humans! From observation, I find the best way to kill a secret is to tell someone 'Hey, I got a secret to share, but you must promise not to tell anyone...' Sounds familar? Been there, on the giving and receiving end.

Well, I'm not saying that my friend is weird/crazy or anything. But if you examine this from a purely logical perspective, then you have to admit that it isn't the best thing to do. After all, the internet is definitely not a safe place to keep secret stuffs. But as we all know, the human being is a strange and mysterious thing. Capable of the greatest good, and yet the utmost evil. Capable of startling insights, and yet the most atrocious mistakes.

There'll be a day when you will wish you had done little evil to do greater good.
- Sybilla, Kingdom of Heaven

That's my IQ.. right

The Classic IQ Test

Benjamin, your IQ Score is 135

Benjamin, your IQ score is significantly above average. Congratulations! You have a wide range of exceptional skills which are much stronger than those of the average population. You are also skilled at answering the types of questions that are asked in a classic IQ test. The test analyses your strengths and weaknesses based on your mathematical, linguistic, visual-spatial and logical skills. Even though you have high scores in all of those areas, we are able to analyse your results to discover the areas in which you have the strongest abilities.

You've got a very experiential way of learning and a strong mathematical mind. You're able to whittle even the most complex situation down to comprehensible component parts. In short, you have mastered the art and science of precision. That's what makes you a Precision Processor.

For you, life is a series of equations. Your brain is naturally predisposed to intense mathematical acuity, and your understanding of numerical problems is unparalleled. It's second nature for you to cut to the heart of an issue, so that you can discover quick solutions to problems while others get bogged down in unnecessary details. One precision processor that comes to mind is the Greek philosopher-mathematician, Pythagoras. Pythagoras had a mind for numbers and, as such, could come up with previously unknown theories like his method for calculating the sides of a right triangle (a2+b2=c2). You too, can use numbers to translate aspects of the world around you -- something that doesn't come easily to everyone. Your quick mathematical mind will allow you to communicate a variety of ideas to other people, so don't keep it to yourself.

Pythagoras? Do I feel old or what?

Try the URL at http://uk.tickle.com

On Course

Off on course next week. Some Six Sigma thingy which was pioneered by GM a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Guess you can tell that the Star Wars fever is really getting to me.

People say that I'm lucky to be on course and all. Away from the the hustle and bustle of office. But where I work... hah! Going on course is like taking a 2nd full time job. Of course, going on course doesn't mean that you do not do any work, but still it can't be that your output has to be the same right? Right... somebody might come and say "Look at the Chinese from China! They're so hardworking and if you don't buck up, they'll come and overtake us." Well fine, so that's what they are. That's your excuse for working me like a slave? I thought 'no one is indispensible' and that 'the office should survive even if you are not around?' Yea right!

Okay, looks like I'm ranting quite a lot. Just blowing off some steam. Perhaps the week might turn out better than expected.

You make your choices, take your chances, prepare for the worst and hope for the best

What the?

Strolling along the road and this phrase came to my mind
'Realm of Unconscious Incompetence'
Yup, that's how my previous boss described the new officers when they first started work. What does it mean? Basically, it means that you're *dumb*, but you don't know it because you're too new. Hence unconscious incompetence.
Apparently there are four stages to this. The first being unconscious incompetence, which I have explained. The second stage is conscious incompetence. That's when you have been around long enough to know that you are dumb! Probably after countless scoldings and 'counselling' sessions with your boss. Next, you move to conscious competence. This is where you get good, but you have to make an effort to be good. That's conscious. Finally, the nirvana, the enlightenment, the mother of all stages, UNCONSCIOUS COMPETENCE. This is where you're 'there', the cream of the crop, the best of the best, yadda yadda. You're so good that you don't have to think, you just do good. That's where some people at my work place think they are at when actually, they're just merely unconsciously incompetent ;)

Civil Service Lingo

Ever wondered about the jargon used in Civil Service? Some of you might know something from your NS Days. Now, there's more to that, but I caution against using them too often. Especially in front of me *frown*

Expedite
- To hurry. Normally used when your boss is not happy at the speed you are doing your work.
- e.g. I need this submission done, could you please expedite?
- Can be used in other forms, e.g. Please proceed in an expeditious manner.

Operationalise
- Just a 'bigger' sounding word for implement
- e.g. Now that you have this framework, could you provide some proposals on how you intend to operationalise it in an expeditious manner?

Dovetail
- To flow into. I can't quite explain this, perhaps if some of you have better ideas, do not hesitate to let me know in an expeditious manner ;)
- e.g. This activity dovetails nicely into our framework that we are currently operationalising as it fits all the objectives, pls proceed in an expeditious manner

Incentivise
- To encourage. You won't find this word in the oxford dictionary, believe me
- e.g. The framework that we are currently operationalising should have the effect of incentivising our target audience to respond in an expeditious manner

Sensitise
- To be made aware of. You won't find this word in the dictionary as well
- e.g. We need to sensitise our subordinates on the urgency of the situation so that they can operationalise the framework in an expeditious manner

The ultimate killer paragraph. I got this from my colleague sometime back. I almost died when I heard this.
>>>
Yoz, our bosses are sensitised to the fact that we're not completing our project in an expeditious manner. Now, they are in the process of operationalising a framework to incentivise us to do so, I heard that it is because this project will dovetail nicely into the current initiatives being undertaken by HQ
>>>

I'll add on more as and when I come across. Perhaps I'll do a Singlish Dictionary equivalent of civil service speak when I have amassed enough of the phrase. Now, to operationalise it to dovetail into...

Casi-Yes

After all that has been said, after all that has been done and after all that has been promised.

Finally, the dust settled as the year long saga of deciding whether Singapore should build a casino drew to a close. The answer was a resounding NO! After all, since we're already deciding to build one, why not build two at the same time? Save the debate and tons of proposals that have to be put up if we want to build a second one?

Good decision or not, I say you take your pick, live with your choices and hope for the best whilst preparing for the worst

Shopping

Went with a two friends to shop for dive gear today. Both of them bought the same items: Wetsuit, Booties, Fins and a bag to carry them all. I joined in the spirit of buying by getting myself a dive computer and marine casing for my digicam. Cost me an arm, a leg and a finger thrown in for a good measure. Which is much for than the finger my friends paid for their gear. Looks like it's going to be a steady diet of wheatgrass and sky juice for the next two weeks or so.

Pool drew with Spurs 2-2 and Bolton won their match. For the moment, the table order is 4th - Bolton, 5th Everton, 6th Pool. Another friend and I (both of us Pool fans) were talking that it will be such delicious irony if Pool wins Champions League and Everton finishes 4th, implication being that Everton will not be able to qualify for CL as they would have and go to UEFA Cup instead. Now looking at the table, I wonder whether it'll be the Bolton fans who would have the last laugh. Bolton might end up qualifying for CL if Pool chooses to crash out in the semis and poor old Everton goes into UEFA. Pool? Just another season of inconsistency in the Premier League.

Motivation

Ever had those times where you don't feel like doing work?
"Haha, of course! How about everytime?"
Seriously, we are not talking about your run of the mill laziness here. It is more than that actually. Where you just sit down, stare at the laptop screen and wonder,"Why do I do this?" And you just don't feel rewarded, appreciated and you wonder whether what you do really adds value to the organisation. Well, I don't have a family to support, my parents are still working, no debts to pay off, 'Praise God' you say. I also say too. But that means that my source of motivation will have to be from elsewhere and not as a result of circumstances. As it should be anyway.
I am hoping that this is a phase that has been brought about by other events. Probably it is. But it does bring to light that I am not an emotionless robot after all and I do have feelings. I bet some of the people who know me would be laughing now. Him? Emotions? Call New Paper, I see a pig flying! Make that a herd of them!
Detractors aside, it's time to dust myself and get cracking. One can only be in this state so long before needing to move on. After all, I have Him who is greater than that's in the world within me, time to be victorious and face the world again :)

Coffee!!!

One cannot, must not, shall not underestimate the power of a good cup of coffee. (!)

It can make a difference between life and death. Sleepiness and wakefulness. A cup can perk up your day, chase away the cobwebs of a Z-monster, make the air smell fresher, the colours more vibrant, birds sound sweeter... wait, cut the last three, that's when two lovebirds meet.

The Ya Kun branch near my workplace had a change of the kopi uncle. With that, the afternoons at work became slower, draggier and monotonous. The new uncle's kopi just didn't match up to the old one. Where the old one was rich in aroma, taste and texture, the new one was bland, weak and downright watery. 'Give me kopi or give me death!' my mind screamed. Came one day, my heart leapt for joy. My feet became lighter and workdays were meaningful: The Kopi Uncle was back. Never again, will I take the arcane skills of kopi making for granted and will always, and always remember to be thankful that he's around :)

Bashing Through the Crowd

IT fair came and went over the weekend. If you thought that the GSS or Christmas Crowd was bad, you haven't seen the IT fair crowd. It was just totally, utterly, completely out of this world. And I was dumb enough to go there twice in the same day. Guess those curvy gadgets really got to me.

On a related note, I finally bought a digicam. Something which I've been toying about since Jan. Nope, it wasn't from the IT fair, the crowd just put me off. It was the following day when I went to Mustafa to check out ear phones. Then I stumbled across their digicam section. They were selling them at a cheaper price than the IT fair. We're not talking about $5 - 10 differential. Rather to the tune of $50 cheaper! So I found myself sauntering out of the place with a brand new Sony W5. Not a T3, coz I wanted to save the money to get a marine casing. Why do you think I need a digicam for? Take humans on land? You got to be crazy, you leech off other people who do so. Going to take photos of me, myself and I together with the underwater creatures on my next dive trip. At least, now people would see and believe that Great White that got away. Heh heh... kidding ;) Just a tiny reef shark for now.

HP died on me. 2 weeks ago it took a bungee off the table without a rope. Never jio me somemore! Since then, it was never the same again and it succumbed to its internal injuries this afternoon. With TLC, I brought it to the Nokia Care Centre at Wheelock Place where I waited for 1 freaking hour (!) for a 5 min service.

Thankfully, the phone is still under warranty, after the purchase of the digicam, I'll be eating grass for the next month or so. Don't think I can stomach (pardon the pun) the thought of eating grass for another month due to the cost of HP repairs

Oscars - Pural of The Grouch in Sesame Street

The Oscars came and went last Monday. Being the movie buff that I am, I do keep track of nominees for the major categories - Best Movie, Best Director, Best Actor/Actress and Best Supporting Actor/Actress.

Kinda expected Aviator to win the Best Movie and Best Director part. Coz I do seem to notice, normally films of 'epic' portions win these two categories. LOTR readily comes to mind. There is this theory that such films require a huge cast and lots of extras, this generates jobs and lubricates the economy. Therefore, the panel will have to 'thank' them for this good deed and give them the award. Coincidence? I don't know. I would believe that truly good films get rewarded.

Have watched the shows that won awards in the above mentioned categories. I would say that the panels got most of the awards right. (Not like my opinions matter much anyway!) Jamie Foxx truly deserved his award. He played the part of Ray Charles well, right down to the piano skills. This includes the portrayal of the emotions and the bearing of Ray Charles. Looking at the Best Actress Nominees, it would seem that Hillary Swank is the shoo-in for her boxer role in Million Dollar Baby.

Best Supporting Roles by definition, you don't see much of the actors/actress. Kinda hard to figure whether they deserve it. But, you do see a lot of Cate Blanchett in the Aviator and she does remind you straight away of Katherine Hepburn. I suppose that helps a lot if people look at your work and it reminds them of the real (reel?) person that you're doing. For Morgan Freeman's role in Million Dollar Baby, you could say that he did a good job in adding value and depth to the film. I am neutral on that, it could go to anyone.

Now for the Best Movie: 4 out of the 5 nominees are films based on real life events. Significant? Perhaps. After all, movies about people are meaningful, assuming you pull it off. Gives viewers a context to relate to and better appreciate the message in the film. Downside? Perhaps it can get predictable? Given that you know what's going happen. After all, it's history isn't?

Million Dollar Baby won I think because it does not merely narrate history like Aviator. It is commendable in its attempt to breathe life into the book that it was based on. Of course, this is what I think and I'm not always right. :-) But for the best director, I think they got it way off. Clint Eastwood? Hey, he has won a lot and while Million Dollar Baby is a good show, I thought that it was time Martin Scorsese got something. Looking at his history of nominations gives a new meaning to the phrase 'If at first you don't succeed, try and try again'. You would that the award panel has something against him. And it is not like Aviator is a bad attempt at directing.

Having said all that, I must say that the movies this year were quite good. To think that prior to the Incredibles (refer to my earlier blog), I had almost given up on Tinseltown.

"Now that we're here, it's so far away, all the struggle we thought was in vain"

It's Been Awhile

It's been awhile since I posted an entry here and so much has happened since. Not that I will blog everything here, but just to let people know that I'm still alive and kicking

CNY was more subdued than usual. Not as rowdy as before. Older cousins having kids, so can't stay up all night like before. Younger ones... let's just say that they are really really really *young* There are some who are overseas pursuing their studies so therefore they are not around adding to the doom and gloom. Okay, just kidding on that doom and gloom part. Wonder if that's what comes with growing up. You get more busy, less time for building up relationships, therefore the contacts fall into disrepair, and you get a subdued new year.

Work is getting insane. Wearing so many different hats that I'm not too sure sometimes what I'm hired for. We're not talking about different projects here, but different portfolios altogether. Tried talking to my predecessor, but unfortunately he had the same problems too. Spoke to my supervisors, they're not too helpful too. So far I'm coping. Barely. But I don't have the time to do my supposed core work effectively. Must bring it up soon before the situation gets untenable.

I've noticed that nowadays I find it difficult to think of topics to talk about. You know, small talk. Inane chit chat. Things you do to pass time between people. The little sentence that breaks the ice. Somehow it just revolves around the same stuff. Work, work, work and more work. Why do people talk about work all the time? Sure, work occupies a large part of our time, but izzit the end? Or the means to an end? I don't watch TV, so can't exchange ideas on the latest shows. Govt stuff? Nah, that's related to my work and I'm not too hot about that. Sports. Well, with Chelsea bulldozing their way through the league what's there to talk about.

Okay. Think I have proven to most people that I'm alive and this blog is still active. Though the condition of the owner isn't too optimal at the moment. Got to do some serious business with Him soon. Like I said, it's been awhile...

Finding Neverland - Where Everything is Possible when You Believe

Finding Neverland is a show of how the play Peter Pan came to be. Well, it was 'inspired by true events' so I presumed that the script writer had a little leeway on how he wanted to present it.

The show begins with the opening night of a play by Mr Barrie, but it was not exactly a success and the critics did not take too kindly to it. Searching for inspiration, he strolls to the Kensington Park with his St. Bernard where he meets a widow, Ms Llewelyn Davis and her 4 boys and befriends them.

Together, Barrie and the 4 boys created fantasy worlds of Pirates, Indians and Kings out of their daily activites. He kept notes of the activities they had and soon a play began to take shape. As the play on the paper translated into rehearsals, the actors and his sponsor were skeptical and wondered what he was up to. Then came the ultimate request: 25 seats around the theatre are to kept empty. The Sponsor was baffled. But of course, there was a plan, and those empty seats were integral to the play's resounding opening night.

I won't re-tell the whole story in this blog. What I must say is that Johnny Depp did a very good job of protraying the playwright. The acting was top notch, especially the 4 boys' and the storyline was engaging.

Anytime better than Elektra (duh!). A must show to catch. But a word of warning, if you need hot chicks and action to keep you engaged, this may not be your cup of tea. If you can enjoy Aviator and The Pianist, then you might want to swing by this show.

Elektra - A Movie You Recommend to Your Enemies

I've decided to make my blogging activities more meaningful.

As some of you know, I watch a lot of movies. If you didn't know, I'm telling for a fact that I do. A fortnight without a movie puts me into withdrawal symptoms. A month without a movie... hmm, let's just say I can't remember that happening for a long long time

So, maybe I shall start off a mini series of reviews of movies that I watch. Firstly, it should help crystalise my thoughts on the shows for future records (like anyone would want to know) and also, to warn others of shows that they should avoid like the plague. This should be more useful than the first reason *lol*

Elektra.

As you can guess from the title of the blog, it's not exactly a show that impressed me much.

Though Jennifer Garner did live up to her reputation of good looks, but sometimes when the script is bad, it'll take more than good looks to salvage the situation.

The soundtrack of the movie is quite good also. Somewhat reminds me of 'Hero' from the Spiderman Movie.

The tattoo-ed guy was awesome, especially the scenes where the animals manifest from his body to act as his spies or killing mahcines.

The CGI effects were passable, at least they didn't look imposed on the screen and if you weren't thinking, they could pass for real.

The fight choreography was just downright dumb. The bad guy was basically kicking Elektra's butt and then succumbs to a simple move by Elektra. Not exactly real. And the sequences were just... normal.

Plot... what plot? 'nuff said.

So that's Elektra for you. Pardon my pitiful attempt at a movie review. Perhaps after more practice, I'll get better at this ;)

P.S. if you had watched Elektra already, my deepest condolences to you

Musings

Tonight's Service was pretty interesting.

There was an announcement that after CNY, the SP was going to commence a series of messages entitled 'Our Lord of the Rings'. They generally revolve around the issue of marriage like how to start, how to maintain, what to avoid and how-to-live-happily-ever-after. I thought to myself, that's good timing. Probably all the singles would have been bugged to death over their status when visiting relatives that at least some would come to church to find the answers. Excellent idea. Then I thought, do I really want to listen to this? I am somewhat adverse to this topic. Product of bad experience resulting in a healthy (unhealthy rather) degree of cynicism. Plus the landscape seems rather empty of girls that I can click with (perhaps none of them want to click with me to start with resulting in this perception *lol*), therefore leading more skepticism on this issue.

Now onto the sermon. Interestingly, it's on Lamentations 3:22-23 and there was this point about God's neverending steadfast love and mercy which are new every morning. The speaker went on to elaborate that we should let old baggages go and start on a clean slate and realise the full benefit and potential of His gift. It stuck me. Maybe it's pretty obvious on hindsight but I thought it was a revelation. I really ought to let it all go, the bad experience, the trauma, the fear, the missteps and the regrets. Retain the lessons but let everything else go. Somehow, somewhere, I'd suppose that I never did let everything go. I've been running away from this issue and its peripherals , never really facing it upfront and dealing with them all. Oh well, guess the buck stops here and I'll just have to get rid of the excess weight. Maybe sell them to the karang guni man, may as well make a profit of this affair. Riiiggghhhttt... that's a pretty cold joke.

Now about the series of messages? Let's just say I'll see how many relatives bug me with singlehood and I'll decide whether to go or not ;)

Business as Usual

Soton 2 Pool 0

Yup that was the scoreline at halftime and the scoreline at fulltime. After the mid-week defeat to Burnsley in the FA Cup, Pool have conspired to crash to another defeat in the EPL. Granted they lost both games away but WHEN YOU ARE CLUB WITH AN ILLUSTRIOUS HISTORY LIKE POOL, THERE IS NO EXCUSE!!!!! YOU DO NOT LOSE TO SUCH TEAMS UNDER SUCH HORRIGIBLE CIRCUMSTANCES!!!!!

Ahh... feeling much better already *wide smile*

Home is Where the Heart is

Home Again.
Yes, the real home where I spent 17 years of my life before I left to stay in Singapore. Had half a mind to spend Friday and Saturday back home. So when some friends wanted to visit JB on the same period, I thought why not? I'll just tag along, show them around and go back home after that.
So... morning found 4 of us making our way to contribute to the economy of JB and take advantage of the favourable exchange rate. Well, we had a good time. Hung around, talked a little, ate a lot and basically had a good time. Tampoi Fish was as good as ever. Roads were as pot-holed (spelling?) and driving was a challenge ;)
Tomorrow, going back in to Singapore to test drive some cars. Mom's getting a new one, pity it's for her and not for me *lol* But still, should be some fun.
Cheerios and Happy Holidays to all!

Liverpool 0 Man Utd 1

Man Utd deserved to win and Liverpool deserved to lose

Now for the record, I'm a Liverpool fan and I've been supporting them since 1989. That's a long time back actually. But last Saturday's performance was really testing my loyalty big time.

So back to the match... Man Utd were just the better team! Their passes were better, their movement was better and they were just more inventive! Pool? They huffed and they puffed and they peng san-ed from angina (cheem word for heart attack). They couldn't string 3 passes together, their final ball was lacking and worst of all, their most threatening shot came from a defender! Jamie Carragher! *pengz* Of all the people in the world, Jamie Carragher had the best shot! Not Baros, not Morientes or even Gerrard. That's the state of the team that ruled the 70s and 80s. I told Singapore played better during the Tiger Cup Finals the following day.

Haiz, right. Got this load of exasperation off my chest. They jolly well take a good look at themselves, their tactics, their commitment and start living up to the name.

Something I Wish I Knew Earlier

Something that I should have taken seriously.
Something that I should have known.
Though old fashioned it might sound.

Wonder if it's going to be a mistake posting it here... well here goes

>>>
Do you know you have asked for the costliest thing
Ever made by the Hand above?
A woman's heart, and a woman's life -
And a woman's wonderful love

Doyou know you have asked for this priceless thing
As a child might ask for a toy?
Demanding what others have died to win,
With a reckless dash of a boy.

You have written my lesson of duty out,
Manlike, you have questioned me.
Now stand at the bars of my woman's soul
Until I shall question thee.

You require your mutton shall always be hot,
Your socks and your shirt be whole;
I require your heart be true as God's stars
And as pure as His heaven your soul.

You require a cook for your mutton and beef,
I require a far greater thingl
A seamstress you're wanting for socks and shirts -
I look for a man and a king.

A king for the beautiful realm called Home,
And a man that his Maker, God,
Shall look upon as He did on the first
And say: "It is very good."

I am fair and young, but the rose may fade
From this soft young cheek one day;
Will you love me then 'mid the falling leaves,
As you did 'mong the blossoms of May?

Is your heart an ocean so strong and true,
I may launch my all on its tide?
A loving woman finds heaven or hell
On the day she is made a bride.

I require all things that are grand and true,
All things that a man should be;
If you give this all, I would stake my life
To be all you demand of me.

If you cannot be this, a laundress and cook
You can hire and little to pay;
But a woman's heart and a woman's life
Are not to be won that way

A Woman's Question by Lena Lathrop
>>>

Indonesia 1 Singapore 3

Yup. That's the final score. Singapore beat Indonesia 3 goals to 1. Believe it, it happened...

Watched the match live with a group of friends at Marine Parade, the sentiment on the ground was that Indonesia's going to win. Even when Singapore took the lead in the 2nd min (deflected shot), we thought that it would be temporary. And we thought we were going to be right. Indonesia were just *fast*. Pass and move, pass and move, one-two plays. It surely was going to be a matter of time before they carved up Singapore's defence. They had 2 good chances, one hitting the woodwork before spinning out, the other denied by a brave block at the edge of the box by the Singapore keeper. 'That's it, at the rate the Indonesians are going, it might be 1,000,000 - 1 at full time'

But no... Singapore scored again in the 36th min. The Indonesian keeper made a good save from a shot, but the rebound went to a Singaporean player who tucked the shot into the net. I was flabbergasted. Wait, the whole group of us were like 'what? 0-2? What the?' Nice to know that we thought 'highly' of the national team.

In the 2nd half, an Indonesian player got sent off. The funny thing was that before he got the marching orders, a Singapore player was all over him. Pulling his jersey, his shorts and got a piece of his socks too, then there was a punch. *bish* Early shower, tataz.

So... 11 vs 10. Looking for Singapore. We were beginning to believe that perhaps, just maybe Singapore could get something out of this match. Then it became 0-3. 0-3??? Never in our mind we thought we could see this scoreline for this match. Finally in the last min, Indonesia pulled one back via a deflected shot. 1-3. And all of us went 'that's it. Singapore is going to have a tough fight in the 2nd leg a week later'.

Funny, in any other context, a 1-3 advantage to take back home would be a good result. But somehow we acted as though it's the end. Defeat, kaput, finished. Bye bye Singapore. Is that how we viewed the team? Inconsistent in performance? Prone to overconfidence? Or is it a symptom of a deeper malice that's in the Singaporean mentality if not Chinese culture?

Sigh, so much for a relaxing weekend

Irrelevant Topic

HAPPY 2005!!! Thought this would be the first fitting words that I'll say on my first blog of 2005

Now, on to the irrelevant topic =)

About a week ago, was watching Ocean 12 with my colleagues, some movie event organised by the staff welfare committee. $1.50 at Suntec. I thought why not? $1.50, even if the movie sucks (it didn't suck but I thought Ocean 11 was better), it shouldn't be a big waste. So Tuesday found my friend and I at Suntec waiting for the show to start.

My friend wasn't feeling exactly sociable at that time so I left on my own interacting with the colleagues and their guest. It so turns out that everyone brought a member of the opposite sex as their guest, be it their spouse or *significant* other. And me? I brought a fellow guy friend! So that got me wondering...

1. Don't bring a member of the opposite sex during this kind of event, unless you don't mind the countless questions on whether she's your girlfriend.

2. If as a guy, you bring another guy friend along, make sure the whole world knows that you're a typical male with carnal desires of the normal kind. After all, you won't want to find invitations to certain events that you simply do not want to go... you get my drift.

3. Pls, don't watch a movie with your significant other! The time out for both of you is the time where you interact and get to know each other better. That means communicating, talking, bonding, etc. Movie-watching is anti-social and besides, it's rude to talk in the cinema when everyone else is concentrating on the show. Making-out in the back row doesn't count too.

Sigh, movie watching with colleagues can be just so enlightening