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after a pretty long hiatus, i'm back! yes back from taiwan and now fresh and ready to face the world! haha...many apologies here, but the taiwan entry might have to wait a bit. currently still consolidating photos, but at the moment i guess i'll just put that long entry on hold first. (: summarised into 12 words, it's a fun-filled trip with 4 great friends dabbed with surprises!

finally, on last sunday, the biggest maldives outing in let's say, 2 years? i think so too...christine, ruth, jiacheng, jim, weepin, melvin, zhimin, richard...a grand total of 9 people lar! haha it's been so long since we had something like this. reminiscent feeling. had lunch at KFC and had my first 2 pc meal in 2 years (NDP doesn't count). jim was lamenting about "why we love", and "why we flirt", melvin was dictating the passage with such an accent, while jiacheng was busy being disgusted by me mixing mashed potatoes with crispy chicken. nonetheless, it was pretty funny. just like the old times haha.

i'd say we're an eccentric group. eccentric in a way that we have this chemistry that is seriously weird. a weird taste of humor, a weird style, and just literally weird people. that's a praise. haha. i just still can't understand why we are so dynamic...simply put, we just are. all of us have mixed all our characteristics and somewhat we're almost the same in basics. just drips and drabs of extra intensity of certain characteristics in different people that's all. but they're all, yep, nice people to hang out with, share a drink and laugh over everything that has happened to us. a place to confide in, a place where we say our thoughts. a place formed because of maldives.

monkeys!

okay, so after all that emo-ing, haha...we headed to minds cafe for a gaming session. so we discover that some people have slower reactions, some people have slower psychomotor skills, and some groups just have weird telepathy. there was this game called telepaths, where people form groups, and have to think of words that is related to the word/picture. the number of matching pairs of words will advance you that number of steps. naturally it'll seem like an easy task. but it was so funny when "Rome" was described as "Totti, Milan" and "Blue Jay" was described as "Red Jolin"...haha. totally weird. so after an excruciating amount of laughter, and 3 hours of gaming, we were totally exhausted. i totally laughed my ass off at people doing funny actions (2 counts of "Moo" synced with 3 taps, "what the heck!"), entangled hands and dropping monkeys. seems like all the rest were exhausted too haha.

look at melvin's intensity!

mind's group photo of the 9!

headed on for a little arcade, and then we left for city hall, and after shocking one another with static and seeing people carrying dolls on their hands, we landed up at Hans @ marina. found out who were my fellow tabasco lovers, and wondering if i should get my eardrums changed when i heard what was supposed to be "peach 来的" as "fish saliva". either way, we had a funny talk, where weepin's $20000 idea of being a tai-tai escort etched in everyone's minds, and still, IT IS REALLY WEIRD AND NO, i will not accept $100000 for that! haha...singaporeans sure have weird ideas. weird rumors of 皇帝's in NTU and canoeing in NUS. i wonder if i'll get to be one of the NTU peeps to tell these stories next time. haha. after that, we headed to the esplanade rooftop for further discussion which looking at the beautiful moon. *winks*.

i really miss her though (: wish you were here.

haha through this outing i felt like we got closer, and ya, even though we do have our own quirks and oddities, we oddballs somewhat gel together nicely. like a jigsaw puzzle which background is made up of totally different colors. simply put, a mosaic. happy chaos, don't you think so? i really miss all this...i don't think i'll ever get to enjoy something this good anytime soon, or even anytime. i am willing to drink 10 cups of terra juice if it means for us to go back in time to maldives. i will. (oh for those who don't know, terra juice, a green colour fruitade lookalike, or better known as "terror juice", is something that you'll have a 75% chance of puking with a 5% percentage uncertainty after a 20ml sip) kevin sim and gang. haha. with my dear friends. a trusty phone card. a "how to peel a kiwi" shirt. a ferarri engine snorer. a Lau-ing coconut drinker. our "sleep sitting straight" model. and so much more.

maldives oei!

dough biscuits with the prototype mickey mouses at the right hand side!

haha monday was the start of cny prep for me. my family has this tradition of frying stuff, rather than buying snacks, for chinese new year. and trust me, if we were to sell them, it'll be big money. but no, it's a tradition that we'll keep for ourselves. come ard my house if you wanna try some, you'll never regret it. i can still remember, when i was younger (haha i sound so old) i used to pester my mum to wait for me to go to my grandparent's house before they start the frying, and i still do cherish that. it's a sign of unity for me, in a sense that we are all cooperating in preparing for a new year, a new beginning, and this small preparation is a testimony to our solid bonds thus far. prawn crackers, bak-kut rolls, fish crackers, some dough biscuits...all authentic to the yong family. haha we decided to try some new things this year. as it was the year of the mouse, i decided to attempt to create a "mickey mouse" dough biscuit, which was out of shape the first time, bigger the next, and the third had its ears broken off. so all three prototypes literally failed the QC test in terms of quality, but tastewise they were still equally delicious. made from the heart (: mum's one was big, but had broken ears, and my grandma's version, let's say it just became a lump of fried dough in the end haha. which makes me, the winner! tadaa! my visit to disneyland in hongkong paid off lar! haha! anyway i can envision myself getting fat (again...after taiwan) this chinese new year. too much good food. too much wine upcoming. too much fun too (:

the same frying wok we've been using for the past 20 years, for the same purpose!

well, hafta catch some ZzZzZs now...i don't want to be sleeping in the midst of "hi, i'm calling from...*snores*" and then hearing some screaming at the background. nor will i want to do that while hearing life stories and funny complaints. yep take care you people! stay healthy for CNY!

slow dance *quote*

i thought this was pretty meaningful, so just a thought (: anyway if you think this is great, it's actually a forwarded email, so please, if you want to help, i'll forward it to you so that you can pass it on to others as well! it's called, slow dance.

This is a poem written by a teenager with cancer.
She wants to see how many people get her poem.

This poem was written by a terminally ill young girl in a New York Hospital .

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done!
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say,'Hi'

You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

*end*

jump! for taiwan!

by this time tomorrow, at about 8am, i should be in the air an awaiting a great meal. finally, it has come to today! i can't wait for tomorrow to come lar! flying is such a wonderful experience, don't you think?

after the thorough packing, i realised, hey, i actually doing this! in a sense, this excitement to fly, is quite the motivation for me. it's something that i've dreamt of...my dream is to visit at least half the world in my lifetime. sounds impossible? naah...not by surface areas, but by the total no. of countries at least. now i tink i'm still pretty far from that dream, but i'll work hard towards it ya? (:

anyway, after reading today's the straits times "Home" section, i would like to clarify that matter. even though the person shares the same name, haha, it's not me okay? poor thing tho...it's about a guy who has suffered from autism and was lost in singapore. after a plea on a radio station, they managed to find him with the help of a listener. really touching right? i have dealt with autistic kids before in secondary school, and it requires quite a bit of patience. i've seen them on the buses, touching people's hands. i've seen them on the MRT, looking out and staring blankly. however, when it comes down to humanity, they are still the same as us! i feel that our society has slowly adapting and becoming more accepting of these people than before, which i feel pretty happy about. we all deserve an equal chance to live, and not in the eyes of sarcasm and prejudice.

well, i'll be embarking on this trip with 4 great friends soon. rest assured i will be back safely. and most definitely with new memories and stronger bonds! take care y'all!

saving sanity

actually when i think of the year ahead, it seems like there are a lotta firsts for me. i would say that i haven't experienced the real world yet...i guess i've been really protected for the past 20 years. minus the 2 years back in army which sort of opened my eyes...just a bit.

Firsts for this year
1. Going on an overseas trip with friends, which is self-planned
2. My first real job (working in my grandparent's shop, my uncle's watch shop and SAF doesn't count)
3. Going on an overseas trip with my cousins (most probably and hopefully), self-planned as well

this year, i'm actually hoping for a lotta things. i'm a very demanding person lar haha, so well. the previous 2 years, being stuck there, i guess i haven't had any real time n' much energy to catch up with some of the friends out of army, and sometimes also my family, so i guess 2008 will be a form of reconciliation and also forming stronger bonds with them. more outings, more interactions, and stuff like that. i really miss them actually. hmmm next, i'm looking forward to better health as well. been getting sick really often the previous year, so i'm quite tired of it already. health is indeed a precious commodity that money can't buy. which means i'll have to exercise more (running i guess, my current favorite pastime besides watching anime and travel n' living) and watching what i eat. not a diet, but maybe like healthier food.

which brings me to my next hope, and actually ya, pretty much a desire. i want to learn how to cook! this i'm pretty serious. after watching much of jamie oliver and my mum cooking, i guess i'm inspired to cook. not to be a chef, but just at least able to cook! it feels really good when people enjoy what you cook...i tink my mum knows that feeling really well. haha so o wells shall save this for another time, shall continue to pursue my quest for better wine!

anyway, apparently i'm experiencing an equal feel of series of unfortunate events on my side. yesterday while i was carrying some furniture, my precious barcardi bottle broke! ahhh! 1 full litre of premium rum...haiz~ now my liquor room truly smells of sour rum...and apparently i can't get rid of the smell as of yet. this means my wishlist has just been increased...get a better cupboard to store my collection! i still feel that it's rather scary that my collection is...haha...must say pretty humongous. if anyone feels like having a drink you can always pop by my house, you're always welcome!

happens that the furniture that i was shifting was also something precious...something that i find is rather indispensable in any chinese family's house. something that retains our culture and the true spirit of competition, something that has transcended many generations, and something that makes us truly chinese. it's hidden powers, able to summon green dragons and the gates of heavens is truly a remarkable sight...if you haven't guessed it yet, it's mahjong! haha...my precious mahjong table! i guess it's been used many times since the previous encounter with my fellow mahjong mates, and today we've inducted a new member into this mahjong circle. apparently my neighbour upstairs, felicia (n' yep she's from nj as well) happened to have this craving for tiles, so o wells, i guess there's only one solution to it! called xianlun over for a short match and then on to tuition. seems like everyone's starting school soon. sadly the ntu peeps will be commencing their second semester upcoming monday. i see my days numbered...in another 7 months...but i guess it'll be exciting, desho?

after that was a short dinner session with grace, joyce, n' shiwei. haha apparently i managed to stun them shortly with a sec 2 maths question that left them scratching heads for a while, but haha of course they managed to solve it. i think we'd look like total fools if we didn't...but nonetheless we still did. after that was a long bus ride back home. it's fun to take 190 sometimes, you can catch the orchard crowd, and there are always people talking about things that might interest you, or some things that you don't know yet. gossips here n' gossips there...haha that's if i don't fall asleep of course. which happens up to 90% of the time when i do get a seat. weird people, placing laundry hooks on the chair handles to hang their bags/plastic bags. loud music. people from different countries and cultures. also gives me time to see what's the latest fashion nowadays and then maybe learn a bit here and there. i'm pretty much a fashion disaster i guess (:

speaking of plastic bags, i still thing the recyclable bags are not working out. even with all the cost incentives nowadays at major supermarkets, it's still rare to see people carrying stuff like that out. haha i wouldn't say i'm ashamed cuz i'm one of them as well. convenience i guess. maybe singapore's implementation is not as harsh as some other countries. i know either austria/germany/spain is charging people for plastic bags. it might hurt, but i guess that's the only way to trigger off this reduction of usage of plastic bags. we do know the harm of excessive use of plastic bags, but we just simply don't care. sadly. i think i must start changing my habits too. we, of all people, living on a fragile earth, are causing more problems for her. all this incessant chatter about saving the earth and reduction of energy usage sounds pretty big, but after all, we, the basic blocks, are not even doing a single bit to reduce, yet, continue to splurge our money on excessive energy and material usage. let's work together to save the environment ya? (:

well, today i was supposed to have some activity...but apparently my tuitee's sick, so i guess i shall just stay home for today, hope the weather stays as it is and then might catch a run later. hopefully. hopefully.

hope.

is a really interesting and important word.

phew.

anyway, to all anime music listeners, i have great news for you! if you haven't found out yet, there's this free online internet radio. Animenfo Radio! what you have to do is to download the .m3u playlist (dun worry it's virus free...feel free to scan it if you want) on the listen tab after you enter the main page, and then you can listen to jap/english anime related music all day! and what's more, you can even request for songs and listen to them played on that channel! the website also allows you to see what's playing, what's been played, what's coming up, forums and also the album arts of the songs that are playing. check it out at the hyperlink above.

well gtg...catching a cold now...no idea why too, but the weather nowadays has been really cold hasn't it? shall catch a catnap before moving on. stay healthy y'all!

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Now playing: Hirano Aya & Katou Emiri & Fukuhara Kaori & Endou Aya - Motteke! Sailor Fuku
via FoxyTunes

another new year...

it seems like at this point of time, it's somewhat routine that i start to feel a bit xian...i mean year after year it seems that at this point of time, one of a few of these things happen...

1. school is finally starting
2. i haven't finished holiday homework
3. back to the piles of work in that sad office
4. hangover

well, for this year, it happens that none of these things have happened, so it was a tad refreshing. and after the many years of publicized countdown parties on TV, and all the fireworks, it pretty much seems like a norm for me. i just can't seem to feel much of the hype (or fears) as of past times. then it's at this point of time when you start asking yourself, ahhh, am i finally growing old?!?

even though i just turned 20, i feel like i'm totally numb of all the festivities. haha i guess it's because i've been drowned in freedom for the past 2 months plus and enjoying a tad too much. overseas in vietnam, then i just came back from batam...literally earning peanuts from teaching tuition but i guess that's fine as long as i'm getting some income, and yep, meeting up with friends n' exercising. sounds like a pretty good life right? you bet it is...haha although there have been instances i've been too lazy to walk out of the house for breakfast that i had instant noodle and biscuit breakfasts every now and then.

but i've had enough! it's time for me to get myself a life! so i've decided...that i'll...go taiwan to complete the enjoyment package! haha yep after taiwan i think i'll find a decent job to feed my humble self and to treat my parents. and to fuel a lot of my other desires lar. saving money for a new cellphone (i know some of you out there must be saying, "finally you're getting a new phone!"), so on and so forth. lotsa things to buy for this little man ya? anyway, if any of you happen to have any lobangs please do let me know!

a couple of days back was 梁静茹's concert, which i went with ruth. waah for the first time i saw so many people wearing red clothes at the same time...reason being that it was 梁静茹's request for people coming to her concert to wear red! haha so being sporty people, we went to the concert in red...wearing something i haven't wore in some time, but nonetheless, red. so after a quick dinner at yoshi we headed down to kallang for a digestive walk to indoor stadium. actually i was really grateful that i went with you, i really haven't gotten the chance to talk to you in a long time, and i totally enjoyed it! anyway, it was pretty weird that the crowd entering the concert were ranging from age 5-60. i'm serious. i saw kids sitting at the front row with $158 seats and many older people. was totally expecting to see a larger group of younger people and getting high, but the fanclub was surprisingly small and barely noticeable. so o wells, after the hall darkened (which was immediately followed by screams of 梁静茹，我爱你! and 我爱梁静茹! which, if you do happen to understand mandarin, it means the same thing) and everyone got a tad excited, she finally appeared!

ruth n' i, after a few failed shots! but totally enjoying ourselves!

of course what followed were her splendid performances. basically her performances entails a couple of key elements...1. elaborate costume, 2. great background effects, 3. facial expressions, and 4. a very powerful yet emotion-full voice! haha...she actually sang a lotta songs lor! if i can remember everything...崇拜，分手快乐，我喜欢，思路，瘦瘦的，一对一，可惜不是你，暖暖，亲亲，小手拉大手，勇气 [finale song, which really moved me to tears, when she was in tears too!]，为我好，爱你不是两三天，宁夏，C'est La Vie，会呼吸的痛，给未来的自己，原来你也唱过我的歌，Fly Away，第三者，一夜长大，无条件为你，燕尾蝶，听不到，孤单北半球，知足，拥抱 [which she sang with 阿信! although i felt that he came only for 2 songs, that and 温柔(还我自由版)...a bit bo hua to be exact...wished he sang more tho! but this means i've seen him twice in singapore this year! woohoo!]，红豆，最想环球的世界 and a lot of other songs which i can't remember off hand now, but tt's pretty a lot already right? haha! actually i nearly teared on a couple of occasions...anyway here are some photos from the concert proper.

Fish singing C'est La Vie!

ah! this voice! when 阿信 started singing 拥抱!

梁静茹 and 阿信 in duet!

梁静茹 singing 原来你也唱过我的歌! really touching!

overall, the concert was really worth it. her lyrics and voice touched my heart, and it was a concert filled with so much emotion, visual surprises and also symphony for the ears. she's also very funny during these concerts, trying to interact with the fans as much as possible, cracking jokes with her malaysian/singlish accent...really a great sense of humor n' style! although it would have been made better with a "high-er" crowd, i still think it was really an eye/ear/heart opener that i'll definitely, without a doubt, long to watch her next concert here! thanks a million for watching the concert with me too!

anyway, on the very next day, i left for batam with my family n' cousins. coming back from a concert would somewhat have a tiring effect on you...even though it might not be as high as 五月天's, but nonetheless it was really an eye/ear/heart opener! so without knowing what i was in for, i was dragged into a fastcraft (haha...not the tekong lar, whatcha thinking?) and 45 mins later landed my ass in batam. actually, at the immigration, i felt really proud to be a singaporean. why? it's because they have this automated gantry system which requires only your thumb and passport for clearance. 20 seconds the most. and after clearing, you can give a smirk to others who have no choice but to queue for about 5 minutes for clearance. haha shiok right? yeah being a singaporean rocks!

making waves on our fastcraft

we were quickly transported to KTM resort upon arrival, and this resort is not any ordinary resort. it's a seaside resort that has a myriad of facilities. a swimming pool (which in my opinion in not fit for humans, but nonetheless there were still people swimming inside so o well...), a spa facing the sea, a great restaurant with great food n' a great view, 3 snooker tables, 1 karaoke room (really big...almost the size of K1 in KBox clementi), a fishing pond which is linked to the sea, a temple, bicycle rental, mahjong rental etc etc. what's more, our accommodation were in wooden villas, each comprising one main hall and two bed rooms. the main hall has cooking stoves and water boilers for your comfort, and the two bedrooms are both equipped with water heated toilets and a TV that can tune into singapore channels! aircon included of course. what's more, there's even a balcony and a backyard, with a table and some armchairs outside. not too bad ya?

seaside view from the restaurant! (:

so directly after checking in, and settling our baggage, me and my adventurous cousin decided to head on to the spa with my fellow "spa relatives" (haha their popular for going to spas and massages every country they go, but yes, they only go to the straight ones of course)...after deliberation on the package, we decided to go with a foot scrub and a full body massage for $38. pretty okay...and after a short crabstick and chicken nugget teabreak, we headed into unknown territories. for me it was my virgin spa experience, while for my cousin, it was his second javanese spa, but the previous singaporean "javanese" massage left him screaming throughout, so we were a bit skeptical. nonetheless, we headed into the massage room as brave men, coming out as totally relaxed boys. i would say the foot scrub was pretty itchy, and both of us were controlling our laughter. after that came the full body, which was really soothing...except that i was laughing and giggling throughout the whole of the experience. waah really itchy leh! was trying to enjoy it while laughing it off...and apparently my cousin felt that it was so comfortable that he slept halfway. haha...but well, i felt really relieved and 爽 after that. my aches (esp on my neck) were gone and i felt really light. should go try someday if you haven't, but make sure those people provide you with the real thing, not the simulated one that will leave you in pain haha...

the spa!!!

seaside huts overlooking the fishing pond

what followed was us playing snooker, and then a great seafood dinner with tomyam and a lot of, ya, seafood lar. thereafter was a karaoke session which my cousin's mum went totally wild, and a few singing talents emerged. haha...it's really fun when the whole family knows the lyrics to the song and we sing together! a really family like feeling lar...i think i'll miss it someday, but currently i'm cherishing it! with me n' my cousin going around with the mic and all 3 of us getting high and dancing, i guess it was something that i really enjoyed! after that was a mj session which lasted till 3am, but before that, some of the other peeps were lighting up fireworks, so it was pretty much a sight. you don't get to see fireworks so close up in singapore, nor do you get to light them. i've done it once in china, but i'm dying to do it again! the exhilaration when you hear the "boom!" of the fireworks and the colorful lights really touches your heart...i love fireworks!

the next day, after breakfast, was a city tour. yep the typical ones, handicraft shops, cultural shows (oo...eating glass and burning charcoal, how cultural is that), then temples, and apparel shopping. well, a surprise was waiting for me at the polo store there...the things are so cheap lar! i mean i got a polo PINK (yes, PINK! haha my first pink shirt!) tee at $20...it's original btw. but that's not the surprise...i happened to meet fenella there! my long lost maldivian! haha kidding lar, but it's been a while since i've seen her, and apparently she recognised me before i recognised her. shucks! haha nonetheless we caught up a bit and yep, must say it was refreshing seeing you there! hope you enjoyed the trip!

reached mainland at about 7.30...again laughing at the people queuing at the immigration counter haha. altho back at the batam immigration, one of the immigration officers taught my precious mahjong set was a contraband item...sighs...how could they? but i kept it anyway (: reached home at about 8.30, with time to spare, so after dinner at home (yep, instant noodles!) i waited for my two dear overnight cousins (yisin n' jack) for our regular board game/five alive with singapore sling/countdown session! however, after a few games i think i was a bit tired...and ended up sleeping at 2am after the countdown. it was interesting tho, with us trying sake and funny stuff...i think i'll miss moments like these. jack's starting uni liao, n' yisin will be slogging out in army, which only leaves public holidays and weekends, if his CSM is kind enough to let him off from guard duty that is. but we've been through at least 5 years of this kinda stuff, so ya, i'm not worrying, we will DEFINITELY meet again soon. (:

tools of the trade for Five Alive, Singapore Sling Edition

so yep, happy new year everyone! lastly, wishing all you readers a happy and outstanding new year, filled with joy n' surprises! most importantly, stay healthy and happy! and may all your wishes n' dreams come true! i'm seeing 08 as a lucky year ahead, beceause 8 is a lucky number! ... haha...yep anyway, all the best ya? optimism everyone!