thank you!

thanks to all the folks who've wished me happy birthday! it's been a rather exhausting day (although i've spent my morning and afternoon lazing around at home, my current favorite pastime!)...i'll summarise it here.

wishings, cards, gift opening, tv watching, anime, 梁静茹, yoshi n' concert with ruth, very touching n' emotional, 梁静茹 rocks!, 阿信 rocks!, really tired.

i'll talk more after i come back from batam, so it'll approximately be a 1 day hiatus...photos soon!

*thank you, you, you, you and so many more you's out there!*

pre-and-post

ah just hours away from 梁静茹's concert! i can't wait lar! tomorrow will be a pretty eventful day i assume...but nonetheless, i've had a really enjoyable week. i would say this has been the best week this month so far!


anyway, on boxing day itself, i met up with my two fellow friends at vivocity. or rather, my fellow friend and her sister...haha but i am really thankful for having a friend like her. to be honest, it has been a rollercoaster ride.


well, it's not everyday where you get to compliment your friends right? actually you do, but some people find it harder. anyway, to me, she's someone who has been with me every step of my nj life...i'm not ashamed or embarrassed to say this, but she's someone whom i feel is really special in my heart, a precious friend who has been listening to me lament through sunny or rainy weathers, a person who has never wavered despite me letting her down, and someone who has made me who i am today. it has been 4 years aye? (: i remember the first day on the benches, i remember our conversations, i remember all that has happened. i hope i do still continue to be the friends we are throughout the upcoming years and decades. i thank you again, my dear friend, grace.


anyway, yep we had a mini celebration, rather, a pre birthday celebration. technically haha she was the first one who wished me happy birthday this year (a bit unfair right?), and then after a short teabreak at secret recipe (if you didn't know, there's this 6 bucks offer...look at the dec 10 entry) and then came a few presents! it was totally hilarious to be honest, and i totally wasn't expecting it, but i was pleasantly surprised (look at what they got me initially on my facebook, other photos are up there as well)! haha i know you could tell by my facial expression that i wasn't really impressed (haha but i was thankful! really interesting) but i knew there was something behind this. o wells, after that i think you too were pleasantly surprised by your sis n' i right? (: a post birthday for you! later on, after you guys did some magic, i was, this time, really impressed (there's no photo of this, although it's a really nice artwork). thanks for the hard work and time spent ya? i really appreciate it, from the bottom of my heart! some shopping after that, phototaking by the roof (with a really funny photographer in green lar).


this "bugger", whom we asked to help us take a photo, apparently took my camera about 10 metres away from us and took a photo of us. after close inspection, the two sisters had to laugh, and upon closer inspection, apparently that guy took a photo of 3 of us, and another 3 people. so after the girls laughed, his friends laughed too, and i had to drag the two of them away from that guy in order to save him, and us, the embarrassment! it was hilarious though...should see the photo seriously...but i thank you, for such a candid moment and i apologise if we seemed rude to you haha. it was seriously funny, but i can crop the photo anytime, so no worries (:


well, after that came a round of looking for cheap food, which ended us in the supermarket looking for sushi. 10 bucks for 3 people, not too bad, pretty worth it! after that what happened was that we managed to grab a seat outside facing sentosa, cool sea breeze and everything. summarised : great sushi, night sky, lame games, stupid forfeit (can you believe THEY...notice i emphasize the word "they" haha...made me shout I LOVE SENTOSA!?! in front of the people who were eating and happily enjoying the peace of the night scene until i came), meaningful chat, stupid faces, memorable.


anyway, all i want to say is, thank you both for making it so enjoyable on that day. i really enjoyed it and i really liked the present too! it was the best pre-birthday celebration till date, and i really wished it was on the actual day...but thank you both nonetheless for making such an effort! another collection to my memories!


say, today was the class outing, which happened to be an all guys affair. a total of (hmmm lemme count...xianlun, jim, guanwen, sengee, vincent, kenny, shiwei) 8 people (if you think seven, count again, i didn't add me inside did i? haha...and to those who still think seven, *bish*, i know what you're thinking) turned up for this momentous event. after a 2 hour pool game at west coast recreation centre, we headed back to clementi for some "man-to-man" talk and then dispersed for dinner. sadly, i know what you guys have planned, and i do thank you for the effort. but ya, because i just can't celebrate my dinner together with my parents tomorrow, and tomorrow happens to be my parent's anniversary as well, i feel that i have to celebrate with them today. yep hope you understand!


had dinner with my parents, my beloved cousin yisin and his parents. pretty interesting dinner at baystreet 21 at IMM. pricewise, it's not bad. foodwise, not bad. atmosphere wise, so so. service, not too bad. however, i'm pretty strict on western restaurants. i think it's because of some etiquette classes i went for previously back in swiss (cottage) but western restaurants should observe a few things. (yes means they did, no means they didn't)


RULES OF THE TRADE
1. when the customers enter, greet them (yes)

2. the cutlery should be arranged before the customer steps in, and unnecessary utensils should be removed after the customer had ordered (no, it was only arranged after we ordered)

3. where available (which it should be available), the napkin should be placed on the customers lap unless he/she refuses (no availability)

4. menu should be given to every customer, and at the same time, inform the customers on what the restaurant specialises in, and the current offers to allow the customer to make an informed decision (offers not introduced, but menu given)

5. do not give the customer too much time, approximately 3 minutes should be enough, and politely ask them if they are ready to order (order was only taken upon request)

6. take each customers order separately, and when serving, serve each customer what he requested (orders were taken together, where main courses were grouped together and drinks grouped together, and we were asked who ate what when the plate arrived)

7. provide a wine list, where possible (no list provided)

8. service with a smile (a must, yes and no)

9. background music (no...haha this one, for me, ambiance is the most important thing in a dinner, not the food)

10. provide common sauce(s) and condiment(s) (like ketchup, chili, Tabasco, salt, pepper) in appropriate containers, and have a variety of sauces on standby for weird requests (they put the chili and ketchup in packets, like what you'll get at fast food restaurants lar!)

11. desserts should be made, or cut, after the customers had ordered (apparently the desserts were on the serving tray before we even ordered, and were exposed to air. after we ordered, the exposed ones were carried to us...)

12. appropriate cutlery for different food (yes, cake fork for cakes, steak knife for steaks, and the rest are just fine)

13. bread should be served with butter unrequested and should be warm on contact (yes, the bread was toasted/warmed/baked beforehand and was great)

14. be observant to the customer's reaction, and ask them if they have any problems with the food (observance, yes, but asking, no)

15. plate should be cleared (without question! this is a western dining etiquette standard) when the utensils (usually fork and knife) are placed in a V shape (where fork and knife are facing away from the customer, and with fork and knife facing DOWN...but more importantly is the V shape) (this one, no. we were asked. and this means that you are done with your meal, no matter whether the plate is cleared or not)

16. bill should be handed over to the most senior person, or the person who reaches fastest for his wallet (haha...a bit tricky...would say yes)

17. acknowledge the customer after he/she leaves (yes)

18. customer should be asked if they would like to serve their drinks before or after their meal (no)

19. soup should be served together with bread (yes)

20. main course should only be served ONLY after soup has been cleared (no...by right this is to prevent the customer from arranging the soup somewhere else before the main course it put, and so that it is in sequence. it is a NO GO to allow the customer to have his/her soup together with the main course)


i think i might have missed out some points there, but nonetheless a bit disappointing, considering i've been patronising this restaurant for some time but it has not improved. however, i think it's a redeeming factor that their food is good and their prices are competitive...you guys should go visit it sometime as well! had a great chat with all of them, and after that, due to the hike in taxi prices (if you haven't noticed, the meter jumps tat 20 cent intervals now! and somemore the surcharge now has been a 1 buck base and after 7pm, it's 25% surcharge onwards!) we had to take 188 hope, which i did enjoy, chatting with yisin. i love my family! (:


i feel really lucky actually, to be in between such great friends and a great family. to be actually in it is a blessing, and i wonder if i've been a really nice person in the previous life to deserve this. nonetheless, i thank ALL of you for having this relationship with me, it has been a splendid 19 turning 20 years of life, and i've totally enjoyed every bit of this life, through smiles and tears. really. thank you!


okay here's a sidetrack...haha you know me well for this. for wine peeps, please do visit the wine fair at plaza singapura by carrefour...great offers, including sauternes! it happens every year at this period, so please don't miss it! and also, if any one of you is interested in joining me in a sweet wine tasting at bukit batok civil service club on the 25 Jan 08, a total of 4 great wines for $42 with traditional cny snacks, please do let me know! check out the hyperlink for what they're serving! i highly recommend it as sweet wines don't come cheap, and for wine lovers, you'll definitely enjoy it!


that being said, i shall go to sleep and await the concert. (: i know it has been a long post, but if you've read up to here, thank you! to jim, xl, sengee and shiwei, thanks for the presents! i'll open them later...haha got more feeling on the actual day!


*you know, i had this indescribable guilt and sadness after saying those things to you...i'm sorry!*

jingle bell rock!

happy boxing day everyone! haha i didn't even wish you guys merry christmas right? anyway, it sure has been an eventful few days...i'm actually suffocating from all the excitement and hype over christmas!

say, how did you celebrate your christmas? hope it was eventful and fun! besides that, i really do hope that you've enjoyed this season of giving, not just receiving gifts, but giving gifts out as well. it doesn't have to be a materialistic present, it could be in the form of words, it could be just a simple hug, or an appreciation to someone who really deserves it. it's all about letting the people around you know that, in fact, you truly love them! haha not many people do it everyday, so for this one day, please, let them know how you truly appreciate them!

as always (at least for the past 16 years of my existence), i'll get pretty stressed at this point of time. reason being...gifts, gifts, gifts! i remember when i was young and was helping my parents to get gifts for my relatives and cousins. diving through the wide variety of toys that seem both appealing yet expensive, we had to sieve out a few that would become presents to others. it was somewhat simpler before...i remember solely because my cousin and i loved lego toys, and it was rather easy. as we grew older, our tastes still remained the same, but there's this equation that a couple of friends and cousins of mine will agree to.

P = k/A, where P is the number of presents received, k is a constant and A is the age of person receiving the present.

which in simpler terms, the number of presents received is inversely proportional to the age of receiver. haha pretty true don't you think? okay at least that's the situation in my family, but i'm not complaining. i'm really thankful to my senior relatives and parents for organising yearly christmas gatherings, where we have a great dinner together at some relatives' house, catch up with a few drinks, and win presents with a mini bingo game. everyone will be laughing and chatty, and we get to see all our relatives together. the warmth of being in such a family, and us being so closely knit, yet having so different lives, is a sign of what i feel as a successful family. really thankful for that!

after i entered NJ, there was even greater reason to pull my hair out during the end of the year...SOOO many end of year babies lar! and still got christmas, oh my goodness...but nonetheless, even though it seem troublesome for some, i feel it's really a fun experience to find presents. the presents that you will be giving will let the person know how much he/she is loved, and by able to give love through these little gifts is really great! making people happy and knowing that people around them acknowledge them for who they are. giving a gift to someone is a form of expressing your appreciation for their existence, and being thankful to that person. and whether you realise it or not, each and every one of you has someone who treasures your existence, and there are people who are thankful for what you have done to them!

anyway, sunday was my family gathering. it was really fun meeting everyone again, looking at the memories of the vietnam trip, eating curry (waah my mum makes excellent curry...just the right amount of everything!), drinking a couple of wines and playing bingo. monday was celebrating grace's birthday (happy birthday to you again!)...we ended up at waraku (a japanese pasta place) for lunch, and i had sea urchin for the first time! not that it was excellent, but it had a tangible amount of aroma from sea beings, a.k.a very fishy. so ya, well at least i tried! haha ended up at mind's cafe later where we played a few funny games before i left to meet the other grace, my mum! haha~ hope you guys liked the presents and cards! thanks to xl for the clip and shiwei for the mj tile! i'm a 北! anyway, hope you enjoyed it! (btw i'll upload the photos soon, so yep hang in there!)

christmas lightings at the esplanade were pretty interesting, and after dinner at thai express (which had a festive menu during festive periods, which was actually a 1/8 downsized version of their original menu) which was pretty much choice-less, and an overly-spicy tomyum soup, we landed up watching some of the live concerts...mostly singing christmas songs and other tunes, but ya, wished i could've stayed longer to watch firestruck (did i spell it correctly?), a singapore band. heard they're nt bad actually, judging from the screams from the audience haha...went home and had a major five alive session with my two dear cousins, where singapore sling was used as a forfeit (haha the premix tastes more like the "singapore cough syrup") and then a 3 hour long monopoly session which was totally hilarious. upon reaching 3am our body clocks just switched off and then an early morning today, having my first KFC lunch breakfast. imagine 2 pc meal for breakfast...eeks! met up with the guys later to discuss the itinerary for the taipei/hk trip, watching red line (hot cars and hot chics, but somewhat seems like that was expected from this kinda show...so so ba), and playing mahjong! i can't wait till next month lar!

anyway, i'll upload the photos later on in the day, so please do hope that i find my camera haha. have a merry christmas if you haven't already and enjoy boxing day!

12 pains of christmas!

yawn...it's been a pretty tiring day, and i guess after i finish this, it'll be off to dreamland once again. but i'm glad today happened though.

woke up with a fever this morning, and apparently the alarm clock didn't wake me up. didn't feel really well after a two hour struggle to grasp with consciousness, but fortunately, i still managed to wake up. maybe it wasn't a fever, but i just felt really hot and sweaty, and just a pretty bad feeling in the bones. you know there are days you just don't feel like getting up? and not that i stayed up late the previous night, busy editing the vacation video (which oh, i finally finished after fighting with windows movie maker and cinemaforge) and then fine tuning the little parts. i mean, it's not the first time i was doing it, so it wasn't that hard, except this time i guess my computer was really tired too, so it was pretty sluggish. anyhow, i slowly recovered, well enough for lunch but still pretty tired...at least i was able to still teach after a panadol or two.

met some of my friends at marina later for dinner. was pretty interesting, i met one of the smu peeps over there too! i'm really sorry i forgot your name (and somehow i still can't figure it now, does it start with an 'm' or 'h'...) [edit 221207,2207 : ah i remember your name already, mingyun!] but ya, was nice meeting up with you! it has been really long since i've seen any of you (other than jacq, candice, cheryl, nessa, felix, eugene, loo kit, huiwen...did i miss anyone out?)...really glad you're doing well gal! after the trip to marina, which we ended up at shilin (hmmm...the real one soon i guess) and got ourselves xxl chicken for dinner. window shopping and headaches. that place really brings back memories. i can still remember some bugger (really dunno who, do you know, jacq? haha) shouting my name close to 10m away from burger king...really funny incident. i can remember having dinner with you guys after our training sessions at the seating gallery. phew, many things to remember eh? memories...anyhow, i achieved my aim today at marina. pretty tired now, but walking with you was a pretty refreshing experience. *somehow even though i knew, i said i didn't, but we know it, don't we?* we should do it again soon ya? (:

after that i went to the esplanade for old time's sake, and happened to notice this live performance going on. it was by agapella (combination of accapella and agape) and this group, sugoi nia! their harmonising, their voices, and the hilarity of certain lyrics enthralled me. especially when they were singing the 12 pains of christmas (setting up the christmas three, setting up christmas lights, sending christmas e-cards, exchanging office gifts, 5 months of bills, baking a turkey, queuing at the cashier, fighting for taxis, traffic jams, a few days to the new year, and lousy christmas songs...i think i miss out two, but it was hilarious)...their expressions, the variety of situations and dynamics of the group, in chaotic synchonicity. all it all, it was great!

that being said...haha...i shall take a rest now. with the materials ready, i can start preparing the real cards. (please...PLEASE...don't send me any christmas e-Cards...thank you)

今天是情人节

yays! i had so many things settled in the past week, the euphoria's getting into me. but nonetheless, a big hole in my pocket too. looks like i'll be flying off again, and another concert (you know which one i'm talking about)

well, it's close to the end of the year, so definitely at this point of time, many are making their new year resolutions. what i've fulfilled in the past year, has now come to an end. looking back, there are just so many great moments that happened. after being posted to my new unit, i would say i've made a couple of interesting people and along the way, forged some beautiful friendships. thanks to qingzhen, shengyang, yenshong, junxiang and yuhang for making some of the most beautiful and happy moments back there, i couldn't have done it without you. all our late night suppers, all the smiles, all the laughter. we did a hell back there didn't we? haha...i must say you've added a spark in me and i'll never forget that. also going out to alvin, benson, bao en, kevin, jed, kailong, hoeyee, dexter for sticking together through thick and thin. to the batch that's still inside, hang in there, you'll be out like the rest of us. and to my fellow subordinates (and the new understudy), hang in there ya? it'll be over soon. and trust me, i wouldn't forget you. as the slogan goes, "tough times don't last, tough men do!"

next, the people, the very friends who have been supporting me throughout this period, inspiring me, wishing me luck. thank you for being the person who has been encouraging me all this while, listening to me whine about this and that, and although i know you'll still be asking if this space exists (that will make the 8th time, and i think it might be the last time), thank you for simply being there when i needed a helping hand, a listening ear, and for being such a wonderful friend. to the maldives group, ruth, christine, jiali, zhimin, jiacheng, weepin, thanks for all the hilarious moments, concerts and kbox outings. i guess i still have a funny side because of you guys. to my fellow classmates, jim, xianlun, shiwei, sengee, look at where our friendship has brought us! haha...we've supported each other along the way, and now another chapter is about to begin, but let us celebrate for what we've accomplished, as friends, over the past year. it would've been so different without you guys. to the SMUggers (haha), jacq, nessa, eugene, felix, cheryl, candice, cindy, though short, but this year was made even more special because of your participation, your friendship and your enthusiasm!

lastly, but most importantly, my family, who has been supporting me all the way, a group of people whom i know, whether through good times or bad, will always be behind me, wishing me luck, spurring me on. i know there were moments this year that i had made you angry, mad, done some foolish things, and i apologize. yet, you've never given up on me, and silently stood behind me, as you always will. i cannot guarantee i wouldn't make mistakes again, so please help me along the way, but to my parents, believe in me, and i'll make you proud. to yisin and zhiyeu, our time has just begun, but yisin, it might be tough now, but just hang in there aye? a bit longer and you'll be out like both of us. our mahjong and liquor sessions have just begun!

new year resolutions for next year.
1. find a job (not necessarily a high paying one, but something that's fun and yea, interesting, like selling wine full time, or should i just bring my guitar out to the streets)
2. find more friends (that's that)
3. to find out more about this word called "love", and to give that to others in return (doesn't have to be like boy-girl, but learn more about what does it truly mean to love a person)
4. to catch up with my present friends
5. learn more about the world around me, and visit more countries (preferably a third world as well, i want to see the world! my dream is to travel half the world)
6. to be a better, more forgiving and accepting person
7. more confidence in myself, and finding out more about myself
8. to enjoy uni for what it is
9. to find out what it means to "live for a reason", and to find that accurate reason
10. to enjoy life

yep that's all for now...here's cheers to taiwan and liang jing ru! and finally, cheers to life!

chills with a capital C

*shivers* it's getting pretty cold around here in aye? especially when it's raining almost every single conceivable timing. somehow it feels like raining is in line with our TV timeslots...i could clearly remember it raining just before ellen and it stopped for a while when ellen ended. looks like the people up there watch TV too...

today was a time for the usual christmas tradition, and that is enjoying the sparkling lights at orchard road at night! sadly, i was pretty disappointed. maybe it's because i have been watching the evolution of these lights for the past few years, and if i didn't remember wrongly, the evolution has been rather stagnant these recent years. i mean, yea white christmas, but it's a tad too white ya? i really miss the times where they had the traditional colours like red and green, with golden stars and nice enormous christmas trees. which kinda makes me wonder what it'd be like to celebrate christmas in a country that truly snows, wouldn't that be interesting? especially when you see some movies or dramas that show children running around, throwing snowballs, instead of holding snowglobles, which currently is our only alternative. i don't even consider you-know-where to be even close, even though it does generate a certain freezy temperature. haiz~ but anyway, i guess it's a tradition that my family enjoys every year. it feels pretty warm when you stroll down orchard with your close ones and then smile to each other while enjoying the sights and sounds of christmas. that being said...

i can't wait lar for christmas lar!

haha...will try to post some photos up soon, a tad tired now. sidetracking, i just had a new addition to my toilet, a $9 contraption that makes every audiophile's toilet experience more worthwhile. a pair of battery powered speakers! haha...at least i can comfortably listen to my iPod in the gents without using my headphones...i know it sounds kinda yucky, but trust me, visiting the toilet now has become a totally different experience. of course i wash my hands please, so don't worry, cleanliness is not compromised, and i guess it does make the prospect of karaoking in the toilet more appealing. *yays!* yep, gotta run, see ya next time!

*please do get well soon, both of you! and for the other you who is sadly grumbling away for not being able to go to the concert because you're sick...haha you take care too ya?*

teardrops on windows

it seems like an ailing earth, doesn't it? there has just been too many tears to go around, and it seems that it wouldn't end soon.

well, not to say i'm depressed or anything, but i guess this weather has sort of affected my emotions. i like rainy days sometimes, but somehow it reminds me of some previous events. i still could remember it was a rainy day, do you? *breathes* that was faintly 5 years ago, but i'll remember the rainy days because of you. though we're at totally different points of our lives, and i wonder if you still remember that day, it was a bittersweet day.

haha don't worry...ore-wa daijoubu! it's just a reminiscent feeling. fragmented memories. partially tainted i guess. but nonetheless, i'm fine! the past week has been recuperation, or should i say, rehab? haha in the end i didn't have to go for any massage, my feet just recovered slowly just like that. in 3 days that is. the first 2 days going out were by means of limping and hopping. cursing at broken escalators and feeling the blessed feeling of elevators. it was sooo bad to the extent that wearing the "finisher of 42.195km" T-shirt would be a total irony when you can't really walk. but it has been a happy week, hasn't it, my merry friends? monday was spent shopping around PS and realising that birthday presents are hard to find, and did you know? secret recipe has this tea-time special of $6 for a cake and a cup of coffee/flavored tea/ice lemon tea. was quite the refreshing experience. and i'll keep the duck in a cup idea for someone else. haha i know i'm not making any sense, but yep you know what i'm talking about, right? (:

tuesday...what did i do on tuesday again? my memory's acting up against me again...to be honest i really can't remember. really what happened...(background: hey, anyone knows what happened on tuesday?)

*silence*

OHHHHHH!!! now i remember!! waah really need some memory recap. okay one thing about my blog is that, yep i wouldn't erase my thought process, so ya...it's a bit weird lar, but never mind that okay? (:

anyway, i remember that there was this Man U (which we won, of course) match on tuesday morning, so was watching with my cousin and dad that morning, really sleepy after that, went for a macdonald's breafast and then back to sleep. which nearly landed me late for tuition. waah...and then after tuition i went cycling with my tuitee! it was actually quite fun to be cycling after such a long time, a breather in fact. phew...i remembered! (i bet you're thinking i'm crazy right...)

wednesday was to guanyinmiao with my cousins. it's really horrible during the rainy season, don't you think? wearing jeans and such...it's quite irritating. nonetheless, the meetup at orchard with jiali n' ruth was really interesting. i haven't met you for ages! ah! and you're looking more cheerful than usual...and yes, you're looking great! after a small japanese dinner, all 3 of us bought 1 item each...1xpacket of cookies, 1xkorean sausage and 1xocha ice cream. meeting familiar faces. enjoying the orchard lightings. and an enchanted experience! (which leaves me the question of who's going to finish my duet...haha!)

thursday, the job interview, for those who knew, yep. sadly i turned it down. my much awaited job! sighs. friday, on the contrary, ended on a high. my second wine tasting session with Just Wine, and for this round, they were tasting Ice Wines! yes i know, i'm wining (notice it's without the H), but on the whole, the wine representative was great. generally, there are 3 ways to make sweet wines.

1. leave them on the vines for a longer time so that their sweetness is increased naturally. (generally sweet whites like moscato)
2. noble rot (botrytis bacteria) (botrytis semillion from peter lehmann)
3. freezing the grape on vines below -8degrees celcius (this is the judging temperature for true ice wine, anything above that doesn't qualify to be named ice wine) and then soft-pressing to get the concentrated sugar juice out without crushing the ice. (ice wine...inniskilin/ancient vidal)

i actually learnt a lot...like how it was made, what's the difference, where it's made and stuff like that. however, the most important part was the tasting of course! okay here goes.

River Breeze White Lambrusco (75cl) (about 20 SGD)
-has a very floral opening, sweet, great balance and light. little length. value for money.

Ancient Vidal Ice Wine (37.5cl) (about 60 SGD)
-strong scents of honey, very fruity, pineapples, medium length, medium bodied. sweetness overtook acidity but wine felt smooth.

Inniskillin Ice Wine (37.5cl) (about 120 SGD)
-immediate nose of honey and caramel, has excellent balance between sweetness and acidity, a wide myriad of flavors (my tastebuds aren't that great yet, but trust me, it was wonderful! serious!), long length and solid body.

River Breeze Red Lambrusco (75cl) (about 20 SGD)
-to be honest, this felt like a normal red wine at first, maybe because of the intense sweetness of the previous wines and even after water, so it might be a bit biased. grapes, scents of tobacco, first take was a bit frizzy, medium bodied, medium length, closer to dry than sweet.

Four Emus Rose (75cl) (about 30 SGD)
-as expected of rose, it was a bit sparkling, refreshing and had floral scents, nice aftertaste.

yep there goes for the wine portion. one the whole (to be really honest) i drank i think about 1/3 inniskillin (40 bucks), 1/3 ancient toast (30 bucks), 1/3 white lambrusco (about 7 bucks), 1/5 red lambrusco (4 bucks) and 1/5 rose (6 bucks). and considering this a free wine tasting session where i joined the club for 20 bucks for one year, and i drank about close to 90 bucks of wine at that instant, it sure was worth it! haha...if there's anyone who wants to drink ice wine with me, feel free to let me know ya? (:

and then sunday was jim's birthday! once again, happy birthday! kboxing was really fun with 4 guys literally screaming and silence when the door opened. haha. weird guys. i happened to meet dennis there as well, shocked to see me, but surprised that he's still in while i'm out haha. and then a short mj session with my grandma and relatives...a bit paiseh to win them when they were the ones who taught me haha. after which came a trip to vivocity to scout for another job where i met guanwen and gang, who happens to be still in while i'm out already. haiz, for those people still "in", gambate! you'll be "out" like me, and so many other people ya?

okay. it has been rather distorted, but haha i'm slightly drained from all these days. understand that it took me quite long to post something up again. was surfing some other blogs and i noticed an emo-ish presence in one of them...haiz you cheer up ya? tsk tsk...till next time, stay away from drugs (eh?!?) and take care! ja~

here's an interesting question, how do round dice come about? (bought this from "the better toy store" at taka...if i'm not wrong that's what the shop is called)

*hmmm what i said today was weird right? daijoubu? there's this term called BFF...haha i rarely use it, but to be honest, i hope so!*

running from reality

back! i know i have been ignoring this space since sometime back, but i'm finally here after a week back from vietnam! waah i'm starting to enjoy these holidays!

i guess the enthusiasm contained prior to the trip was...i dunno, almost none? usually before a flight i just can't get to sleep easily, however this time proved otherwise. maybe i'm used to traveling, i'm not too sure myself too, but it's a good thing that i have a good rest before the flight! actually, i really want to fly more after this trip, because of the DFS in the restricted area! there are just so many things to shop as such reduced prices, and so many new things to see which you wouldn't see out in shopping centres! there's just so many things to do lar! besides that, i was flying with SIA, and even though it wasn't the A380, luxury and enjoyment is guaranteed. except the fact that they checked my passport when i asked for a cup of VSOP...haha i guess some things haven't changed, have they? other than that, movies and some games kept me busy for the whole of the 3 hours flight.
vietnam isn't one of the most technological or developed countries, however, simply put, it's a developing country that requires a lot of help to evolve into a world class market. it sure has a long way to go, but it makes up as a tourist attraction with it's cluster of islands, greenery and natural landscape. shopping wise, it's definitely not advisable at the moment, unless you do have a good grasp of their native language. it's not easy to buy something which the price isn't written, or if you don't even know how to ask and understand what they are telling you. the people there are generally very friendly and are willing to help, only if you can try to speak their language. it's this barrier that's not easy to break, so basics will help out in many ways. in a sense there is a rich culture, but the people there are generally not well off. for example, the usual salary for a normal working person is USD100, which really isn't a lot (it's about 1.5 million dong over there, where 1 USD is about 15000 dong). most of them own motorcycles, it's a miracle that we could cross their roads without being harmed. and their telephone and electricity lines hang high above your heads, a tad dangerous, but apparently no one gets injury. however, the sight of their beautiful natural landscape through a day-tour on Halong Bay really opens your eyes. it's just so serene with so many islands around and it's really a sight that one will be forever etched in my mind. their limestone caves, and Guilin-like hills are a sign of preservation, while the remaining french churches are signs of their past, where they were ruled by the French. one way or another, it's a very asian country with temples, statues of historical figures of their past and a very basic style of life. on the whole, it has a rich culture and definitely refreshing sight to the usual city areas that we dwell in.
today was the Standard Chartered Marathon...by no means was it an easy feat. painful it was, and long definitely! but standing proud, i still managed to finish it! with my running partner yenshong, we ran till 26km and "died" there for a moment before we picked our own paces. nonetheless, we completed it in the end! it was an interesting run tho, seeing many familiar faces from OCS/EOCC/BMT/classmates and weird labels. every running could write whatever they wanted on the back with an issued card to inspire the runner behind them. there was this couple that were running together, the male's wrote "i run because my wife wants me to", and the female's wrote "liar'! haha hilarious lar, others like "i run so that i can impress my future mother-in-law", "to get a present for my wife's birthday (today)", but there were more like "you're looking at my greatest competitor", "seek, strive, excel (it's the engineer motto)", and "it's my dream to complete" were also seen. there were also runners that surprised and inspired me. amidst all the weird hairdos and dressings, there was a runner who ran really fast pushing a wheelchair with (i think) his wife, and also a runner that had a rope tied to a blind person behind him, and they were doing really well too! there was also this japanese runner wearing traditional japanese clothes and a wooden hat, with his back saying that he has completed 304 marathons and he had quite a bit of white hair...still running fast! waah...also, meeting shengyang with 1 x can of deep heat really pushed us further. bros for life! haha...as usual, the kenyans and ethopians won somehow with their blazing timing of 2hrs+ while noobs like me took close to 6hrs. haha, even so, i'm proud to say that i've soaked up the marathon spirit and have completed 42.195km! i dunno when will be the next to put myself thru this torture haha...i shall have to endure the pain for the next few days...sighs. haha o wells i really enjoyed it!

okay time to go job hunting...and mugging for taiwan, can someone who went there help please? haha! also if anyone is STILL INTERESTED in going for 梁静茹's concert, i'll be really happy! please please?!? haha i'll see you guys next time!

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Now playing: Shimokawa Mikuni - Sore Ga, Ai Deshou
via FoxyTunes