i meet ya here

2010-03-27T23:39:00.000+08:00

this is the life

2010-01-01T13:41:00.001+08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-11-28T19:13:00.004+08:00

Greetings from Sydney!

Hope everyone is doing well in sunny Singapore!
If anyone wants financial news emailed to them just give me a ring and i'll forward you daily reuters/goldman sachs reports. Might be worth your while having a read.

After much thought and consideration about quitting and moving back to Melbourne to get a normal job, i've decided to stay. Winged a couple of interviews and realised that i didn't want to do anything else other than trade.

Making money for a living is an art, not a science, and i think im getting the hang of it. Been doing pretty long hours most days, 9am to 3am, with breaks inbetween every now and then.

Hopefully everything works out well and maybe, just maybe, 2009 was a stepping stone to something far greater.

Am booked to return in January/February, how long for i don't know, but am looking forward to hanging out!

Peace out,
xoxohomolomodomoxoxo

2009-10-25T13:33:00.002+08:00

another year older.
thanks everyone.
it was awesome. as always. (this year was ultra special, i got surprised with a cake coupled with a very "enthusiastic" bunch of choir hahaha)

until next year :)
i am loving my present by the way, one more reason to go shopping!

2009-10-21T20:31:00.001+08:00

HEY ah TIAN,

HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY!

hugs, jen.

2009-10-18T19:31:00.003+08:00

hey guys, thanks for coming to visit me!
and leaving the receipt behind as well for the stuff that you bought.
cross my fingers, i hope that i will be able to have a proper decent meal with you before i head back to aussieland.

just for the rest of you, a quick update.
basically i am back in singapore seeking medical treatment.
1) i have a dislocated right jaw
2) a severe infection on the right side, the stitches from the wisdom tooth came loose and irritated the wound.
only discovered all of these (particularly the dislocated jaw) when i came back and did an X-Ray.

to cut the long story short, i am now in recovery stage. they popped my jaw back and cleared most of the infection. i am still on medication and got to see the doctor regularly. can't eat any solids, strictly on a liquid diet. (which is great cause i can lose some weight- thats what everyone has been telling me)

and here i was thinking it was going to bea quiet year. it turned out to be eventful! not in a good way though.

but still it is great to catch up and see old friends again!

alrighty take care people.
see you when i see you

2009-10-06T00:10:00.002+08:00

It is almost a week since i came back to Jakarta. I really enjoyed the break in Australia. It was very relaxing, I had a really good time just doing nothing, enjoying the cities and hanging out with all of you. Reaching there made me feel the difference between the two countries, after coming back to Jakarta the difference felt even greater. The first few days that I was back, I had strong feelings of going back to Australia and live there.

Thank you to each and everyone of you for coming out and just hanging out. It is too long since we all last come together and just enjoy each others company. Hopefully, that opportunity will come soon.

Next year, during the Hari Raya festive period(I think it is in early September), any takers to a trip to Taiwan? A group trip will be a good thing before some of you settle down. :)

2009-09-28T21:53:00.003+08:00

You know you guys dont give me enough credit for my chinese.
i'm actually pretty good compared to the rest of you.
perhaps i should teach you the ways of the chiinese one

1) That's not right .......................... Sum Ting Wong

2) Are you harboring a fugitive?.......... Hu Yu Hai Ding

3) See me ASAP.............................. Kum Hia Nao

4) Stupid Man ................................ Dum Fuk

5) Small Horse ................................ Tai Ni Po Ni

6) Did you go to the beach? .............. Wai Yu So Tan

7) I bumped into a coffee table .......... Ai Bang Mai Fa Kin Ni

8) I think you need a face lift ............... Chin Tu Fat

9) It's very dark in here .................... Wao So Dim

10) I thought you were on a diet ......... Wai Yu Mun Ching?

11) This is a tow away zone ................ No Pah King

12) Our meeting is scheduled for next week ... Wai Yu Kum Nao?

13) Staying out of sight ..................... Lei Ying Lo

14) He's cleaning his automobile .......... Wa Shing Ka

15) Your body odor is offensive ........... Yu Stin Ki Pu

16) Great ....................................... Fa Kin Su Pa

2009-09-25T09:30:00.000+08:00

see you when i see you~

2009-09-23T09:32:00.006+08:00

"Uniquely Ozzie 1"

balcony

room

Mt Cootha

i woke up thinking that it is evening cause i slept pretty late last night and the sky is orange. so i did a check on my clock, which reads 10.45 'am' (i presume). went to google on it and realised that there's a dust storm sweeping through brisbane and sydney. no wonder the sky is painted in an eerie orange. on a brighter note i gave myself a day off, excuse being: heath hazard condition. that is all for today, hope everyone is working their butt for the dough.

2009-09-19T19:52:00.000+08:00

the indo- dude is in town.

2009-09-16T18:23:00.001+08:00

sunday afternoon, what a beautiful day...
...
..
.

a green car..
...
..
.

what a beautiful day~...
...
..
.

Mate! thats a little under the belt

2009-08-28T06:12:00.008+08:00

hey guys and girl,

i had an awesome adventure in Fiji.

Fijian men are pretty hot, they look like real men!

i was thinking if you put me on an island long enough, not so good looking men will evenutally look terribly hot to me. haha.

there are just too many places in the world to visit!

oh and i am proud to say that i finally did snorkelling for the first time, and it was an eye opener.

the rest of the photos are on facebook.

ciao ciao for now!

2009-08-19T13:44:00.001+08:00

"Probably the only taxi driver in this world with a PhD from Stanford and a proven track record of scientific accomplishments, I have been forced out of my research job at the height of my scientific career, and unable to find another one, for reasons I can only describe as something "uniquely Singapore". As a result, I am driving taxi to make a living and writing these real life stories just to make the dull job a little more interesting. I hope that these stories are interesting to you too." here

2009-08-03T23:58:00.002+08:00

yoyoyo!!! i happen 2 took tis pic while walking back aft lunch...the grp was out jogging @ botanic gardens...i rem mi n wg quite jia liat...haha...coz haven run 4 ages....den we headed 2 adam 2 makan!!!! den chill @ my place...haha...it sure brings gd memories!!! hope we all can gather soon!!!! cheers!!!!

2009-07-26T21:06:00.002+08:00

everyone!

jia you bah!

see what life and the world has to offer.

2009-07-18T10:25:00.001+08:00

Only 2 people in Australia trade the Korean Kospi,
you're looking at the first one =)

2009-07-11T10:01:00.003+08:00

damn, some of the boys in the office joined the http://www.supercarclub.com.au/
shucks i want to join too

2009-06-28T14:53:00.002+08:00

90 million draw this tuesday.

ah ben, ah tian, ah tan and me are going to win it.

simply because
1) i kena bird shit for the first time ever in my life
2) we saw a double rainbow

wish us luck!!

pervert tan. trader in day time, psycho killer in the night

the three stooges we love megan fox! so bloody hot. all our love from canberra!

2009-06-20T20:38:00.000+08:00

where is everyone??

i am too bored

2009-05-31T21:32:00.006+08:00

it is that time of the year again! (for me at least)

EXAMS!

it is turning cold in melbourne. eeks.
i am so not built for the cold.
i was hoping someone could invent some heater thingy that can be fitted into jackets and all.
so i could feel warm and nice all the time.
people always say winter is depressing and i agree
1) the sun sets early.
2) i just want to stay in bed all day cause it is so cold. i don't even want to step out of my room!
3) more importantly, there is a huge electricity bill looking right at you at the end of the month

other than exams, there is nothing much to update.
i have been making friends, mostly girls in fact from all over asia.
sometimes i wonder, what happens to these kind of "friendships" once everyone leaves and returns back to their respective countries.

they say there are tons of singaporeans in melbourne.
maybe due to the nature of my course, or maybe cause i am simply a loner,
so far i have met only a handful of singaporeans,
most of whom, are not very interested in making friends with me.
neither am i lah in them, but i do try to initiate a conversation with them, but they are not very interested.
so which leads me to think, do i SMELL?

okie dokes, going back to studying. wish me luck!

P.S wk is here in melbourne. yippie i got a friend!
oh and they say, the colour purple is in fashion now. thats why.

2009-05-21T20:02:00.003+08:00

Today i lost the plot.
Smashing my mouse on the table, kicking the table, cursing and swearing profanities, and acted like the world was against me with every step i took. Every other person in the room was doing the same. It seems to help relieve distress and disappointment.
I can now see why people don't last long in this industry, the stress and strain is pretty intense. Even taking a sip of water from my cup made me miss a potential move.
Suddenly it all changes when adrenaline is pumped throughout the body, everything slows down, suddenly you see everything clearer, hear the whispers in the corner, see the market tick by Milli by Milli second, you then feel like the master of the universe.

Some sniff coke to stop the adrenaline, some embrace it.

The aim is to make as much as you can in a day, but when you do, its never enough

2009-05-20T10:20:00.000+08:00

something that you would probably not encounter in singapore~

2009-05-18T21:18:00.001+08:00

Once i get a proper house i shall get a cat! Big big one!

2009-05-17T23:49:00.005+08:00

everyone let me introduce you to the new kid in the block, Mr Kirks.

take that STICKY!!!

cat walk~

is not hard to tell where he got his name from yea

2009-05-16T20:20:00.002+08:00

There must be something in the air at mgs and acjc, they seem to produce girls of a whole different class.

2009-05-15T22:16:00.003+08:00

anything but singaporean...

first my classmates insist that i look like karen mok
and then they say i have a malaysian face
and then they go on to say i have indonesian skin.

seriously...

2009-05-09T15:41:00.002+08:00

im going to be an aunt. so congratulate me (and my morning-sickness-suffering-sister)!

amidst my busy-ness with working with a complete idiot of an "english teacher" who cannot spell 'school' or 'eraser'; has no common sense whatsoever and should seriously reconsider a change of profession; i have been searching for names for my nephew/niece (i've placed my money on a nephew but it's not within my control).

my sister and brother-in-law specifically requested names starting with either an 'A' or a 'J'. any sane suggestions?

sorry jen and andreas, im not going to name my newphew/niece after either of you. >_<

2009-05-04T20:28:00.003+08:00

it is so strange to hear my brother giving me advice.

a 15 year old to a 25 year old.

what is the world turning into i wonder? or rather what is my life turning into?

i hate looking like karen mok.

everyone says i look like her. damn.

P.S this is like one of her better looking pictures. damn.

P.S don't laugh.

2009-05-03T16:13:00.002+08:00

Its been awhile since my last post and since i'm the most active member of this blog, i must post!
Anyways life in Sydney is rather vanilla, same ol same ol everyday. Wake up, go to work, meet tianli for dinner, meet tian li for supper, sleep!

Although i'm still not paid i find myself spending alot of time in the office, i think this week was the record at nearly 100 hours.

I've decided on what market i'm going to specialise in and its going to be the Kospi! Its the SGX equivalent in South Korea. It moves alot, and probably has the most potential for money to be made.

A month has gone by since i first started and i'm starting to get alittle consistency in my trading mannerism. Best day i've had so far is about 1/2 of what i earnt the whole of last year. thats alot.

I want to head up to brisbane sometime sooon, but dont have the time to at the moment, wait for me Mj and Ben! wait for me!!

2009-04-30T19:29:00.001+08:00

well said.. well said...

2009-04-29T12:00:00.005+08:00

hey everyone...

almost 8 years has passed since our first australia trip.

i remembered being very excited and mostly happy during the trip, exploring and seeing australia through a very different set of eyes.

do you guys remember we took a group picture in front of the sydney opera house?

well i went back to the exact same spot, and this time round, there was only me.

i stood there thinking about how much time has passed, how much things have changed, and how some things might never be the same again, where we all are in different parts of the world (most of us are here in aussie), how we are all growing up and finding our footholds in life.

i feel excited for us, yet sad at the same time. cause it feels like we are leaving some "old" part of us behind.

i hope that the future is bright and sparkly for all of us!

and when we are old and grey, we can make another trip back down to take a picture in front of the sydney opera house and the bridge. (this time with everyone)

on a lighter note, i met up with ah tian and ah tan. it is always comforting to know that your friends are always there for you- to pay for meals and all. hahahah. kidding. i am sure you two blokes know what i mean.

Ah tian and his standing tea leaf-symbolises good luck.

you'll love it~

2009-04-24T09:18:00.001+08:00

2009-04-05T20:20:00.001+08:00

What not to do, this is what i do!

2009-04-02T11:31:00.001+08:00

Kelvin tan with his new arm to improve his performance at the workplace!

2009-03-31T20:22:00.004+08:00

This is my life:

Welcome to TT Trader, an interactive platform that links me (the aspiring newbie trader) to the market (the money eating machine).

Basically what it is, is a ladder of price depth. All the bid against the offer prices, and the volume traded at each price.

The office pros, which include my boss and the partners, dont even use a friggin chart to trade, because technical analysis takes time, and by the time you analyse something, the opportunity is gone. Apparently this is sufficient to trade, and they make shitloads, like up to 20k a day sort of thing.

Well outside when people ask what i do i talk it up as if its easy money, but here i'll let you in on the inside scoop, its not.

Its a tough life if you're new, it really is.

My current training stint is 6 months, first 3 months of pure trading and simluation trading (basically this simulator follows the markets exactly). During this period, you have to decide what you want to trade. (Indices like dow, nikkei, sgx; or commodities like oil, gold, water; or currencies/bonds)

After the initial 3 months, if you think you are ready, they pop you on the live market. We are initially allowed a $500 loss on a daily basis. Basically once you've hit the loss limit, you're out for the day, and have to explain your trades to the big boss. $500 is super easy to hit, its the equivalent of the ASX moving just 20 ticks in the opposite direction. (e.g. if it was trading at 3020, and went down to 3000, YOU'RE OUT BITCH) Basically unless you know how to cut your losses fast and manage your emotions and positions, you're fucked.

If you were down $20k last month, you basically have to make it back before you can make any money this month. thats fucked up. on top of that, there are equipment costs, see below.

Whatever profits you make in the next 3 months is the company's if you dont get a contract offer, if you do, you get a 50% split.

If you're successful on the life market, you get a contract. As mentioned, initial split is at 50%, if your account balance has >$50k, the split goes up to 55%, and 60% if it has more than $100k. And so on, highest split is 70%.

Every month we need to pay the company $2500 for equipment charges, news feeds, program charges, internet charges. Yes, we pay the company money, not get paid. Its basically me renting an office space from them, running my own company from that space.

So lets say this month i make $10,000. I take away $2500 for equipment, leaving $7,500. Take away 50% split for myself, thas $3,750. Take away the 30% company tax, thats $2500++. Thats 1/2 of what i was paid as an engineer.

Basically we have to register a trust/company in our name and trade under it. So i need to actually invoice the company to tell them that i need to get paid, and the amount requested will be deducted from the balance.

There are people who make easily 20-30k a month after the first 6 months, but also those who are struggling to survive due to the super duper high costs.

We'll know after 6 months if this is something that i'm good at, and if i can make a living out of it, else it was fun.

2009-03-31T19:38:00.002+08:00

A man walks past our office this afternoon, and goes "Are you guys professional gamers?"
The people in the office were playing Counter-Strike after work.

2009-03-31T08:51:00.004+08:00

Twilight @ Byron bay

2009-03-24T17:43:00.002+08:00

My first day at work:

Wasn't allowed to take pictures of the office, but i found a similar layout on the Internet:

Everyone pretty much has their own desk, with a couple of monitors in front of them showing charts, spreads, live news feeds, its the ultimate nerd fantasy i guess.

Dress code was slack, people were more relaxed than usual today because it was a good trading day, one of the people on the floor made 20k today just like that, remembering that it is a good day.

Mostly under 30s, hardly saw any senior people on the floor, most people came to work for an hour or two, did their trades, then left, whilst others were working hard at their desks scalping the markets scraping off some profits.

Today i was fortunate enough to see the lighter part of the trading day, they recently installed CounterStrike on the network, after work everyone turned off their trading stuff and starting playing on the network! like full on 20 on 20!

It was quite tiring trying to give a 110% listening to every word spoken and getting tips from the gurus, tianli can attest to that, i was day dreaming at dinner.

On arrival we were given notes and readings to do, given some praise for making the selection, 500 applicants creamed to 20 people for the intake. A couple of investment bankers, commodity traders, superannuation consultants, brokers. Only 3 engineers! Mostly of them were from Macquaire Bank previously, they decided to quit their back office jobs for something for something more adventurous.

We were put back in our places, often reminded that we still have to earn our contracts with the company, proving that we can make money on a consistent basis, all the stories of getting rich in a day are true, but the day after the markets will give you a big kick up the arse and take all the riches back.

The greatest challenge for a trader is to get the opportunity to trade, now with this opportunity its time to shine. Loving every minute of it

2009-03-23T22:17:00.000+08:00

To the people graduating this year:
www.brightminds.com..sg <- better start applying for work

2009-03-23T21:44:00.002+08:00

i have a love hate relationship with this dog.

P.S ah tan as you can see, sticky is alive and kicking. the hat brings out the colour of her eyes. don't you think so? hahah.

2009-03-22T16:48:00.002+08:00

Sydney is fucking awesome!
spent the last few days studying in the morning and early afternoon, then hitting town and playing board games with friends. I must introduce you guys to the games, damn fun! December..

Having korean housemates is a definate plus. they cook damn good food, are super duper ultra clean, dont make much noise, and know how to have fun. They even showed me a damn cool way to open your beer bottle! omg damn suah ku la

2009-03-19T20:11:00.001+08:00

My housemates have the best jobs in the world.
Interviewing and taking pictures of beautiful people everyday, what a life.

http://www.uniquescott.com/ <--- Scott's website (the photographer)

2009-03-18T14:58:00.002+08:00

Welcome to my new home! View from the corridor to the main door:

There are 2 rooms along the corridor, one is mine, and the other belongs to Chloe (Korean student). View from outside my room to the Living room.

This is the living room! damn cool right, Scott is a photographer 1/2 of the week and collects vintage cameras.

Couch and Fridge??? in living room, abit strange, but it seems to blend in i guess

View from the living room back to the corridor

The kitchen seems clean, this must be where all the kimchi is made. i'm hope someone decides to whip up something delicious soon, korean cravings are knocking on the door:

Then theres the bedroom! Well it still looks barren because i only moved in about an hour ago. Looks pretty decent though, feels alittle like home already

There are another 3 rooms upstairs, they;re doing alittle spring cleaning session so i guess i wont be taking any pictures of dirt

Thats it! home away from home away from home.

2009-03-18T08:44:00.002+08:00

Its strange to feel out of place once again, in a way its a positive to be kept on my toes.
I found a place at hyde park, a 5 bedroom apartment shared with 7 koreans/japs. Its 2 mins walking distance from my house (the equivalent of my house to tharins house), cant get any better than that. For all the future wee hour shifts that i will be having, it sure is comforting to know that i can sprint home to my bed to rest.

2009-03-17T15:12:00.002+08:00

my sunshine~

the view from byron bay, quite a spectacular sight i must say. hope everyone is doing well~

2009-03-10T06:30:00.008+08:00

hello people! hope everyone is doing good.

have not heard from anyone in a while.

i am settling in just fine, school has also started and there are tons of work to do!

crazy, though i only have 3 hours seminars twice a week, there are mountains of papers to look through and an assignment due in a month.

pardon me for sounding like an enthusisatic nerd here, but my tourism course has been really fun, and there are alot of interesting field trips planned out for this semester. will be dropping by sydney and canberra. still thinking if i want to go to fiji island in august.

it was a long weekend in melbourne and this was what i busy with. sadly not studying haha.

i went for the moomba festival (water festival) near kelvin's place, and there was a huge carnival going on with all the rides and games, and fireworks going off at 930pm. i am sure they have this in the other aussie states as well. and then we went to see the bird man rally the next afternoon and it was freaking hilarious. basically these people represent different organisation and they got to dress up in whatever costumes they want, and compete to see who can jump or rather fly the furthest. i think you can't use any motors or something like that. some of them basically just fell into water.

yesterday i went to venus bay for pippies picking!talk about fresh seafood. i had to buy a 6 dollars licence and use my hands to dig into the sand for pippies. pippies are basically like shell fish. i think we turned the beach upside down looking for pippies.it was so much fun when i actually found one, and then another. we are limited to 5 kg per person. working hard for your food, this is really physical manual labor, as we could only use our hands. no spades, no nothing. just a bucket to put in the pippies. i brought the pippies home and kelvin tan fried them up, it was superbly good. no kidding. fresh and the sauce fantastic! yummy yummy. round 2 this evening. eh tianli! beat that. this is as fresh as it gets. haahahah.

2009-03-04T18:19:00.002+08:00

Hello All,

Its been awhile since i updated you on my status, so here goes, im sure most of you know anyway.

Got retrenched at the end of January, and got a 2 month payout + they paid out my annual leave. Basically meaning that i get february and march off whilst still being paid.

Found a job in Sydney as a derivatives trader, and got to move to sydney. Its a 6 month training stint, and if im any good, will be offered a contract on a permanent basis. Financially, this job is not as stable as my previous as there is no base salary, but there is unlimited upside on the amount i can make a month.

So, take care, study hard, finish your fyp with first class honours for the boys, and i'll see you when i see you if i see you

2009-02-16T17:23:00.002+08:00

well, i guess most of you who'd been to my place has notice this big metal container which i collect my $5 notes... and after 2.5yrs of collecting, i have decided to tear open the metal tin can...

And out comes the dough!!! Too bad it ain't $50 dollar bills or $100 bills...

However, it still astonishes ines!!!

Well.. if you guys wanna know how much it is in total.... it's $XXXX.XX! haha... not as much as i expected, but good enough!

Anyway... TIMES ARE BAD! I'd been officially ordered to steamline my spending as my parents are going through a rough patch in financial terms now! NO MORE LOBSTER NOODLE!!! :(

2009-02-04T13:27:00.002+08:00

i think i have posted this before. but i can't find the post.

plant impossible dreams.
look forward to dreams.
cry during movies.
swing as high as you can on a swingset, by moonlight.
cultivate moods.
do it for love.
take lots of naps.
take moonbaths.
giggle with children.
listen to old people.
drive away fear.
play with everything.
entertain your inner child.
build a fort with blankets.
get wet.
hug trees.
write love letters.

i am looking through my past.
in retrospect, life really seems more carefree, more fun, more innocent.
just want to remind myself and all of you not to lose ourselves in the adult working world.
it is just so easy to be swept away by work and our environment.
we should all have the courage and energy of an eighteen year old!
shake those crusty bones people!

gone were those carefree days,
where our innocent minds
viewed the world as a beautiful place.

2009-02-01T00:14:00.002+08:00

i received a call (whilst i was in spore), from my bank.. my aussie credit card had some unauthorised transactions. Damn. It was a new card. I think somebody broke into my mailbox and stole it.

A million things went through my mind. My bank statments, my utilities bils, my letters from different people, private information which i was awaiting for.. all could possibly and likely been taken. Identity theft would my worst nightmare. But what could be worst, they knew i wasn't in town, and might have the blatent guts to break into my apartment and carted off with all my stuff.

Today, i came back to sydney. Had a slight hiccup in the airport. They not just searched my bags, but did it in detail. Those serious searches. Shirt by shirt, they took out my stuff. Furthermore, they asked me a million questions, took my waller and phones. Checking if the phones were repored stolen, checking if my credit cards were stolen or cloned. Fuck, they could have told me first, but yet they took it without an explanation. Bastards. How on earth i would know if they didn't clone my credit cards, didn't made 1900 phone calls on the phone.

They asked me idiotic questions, like what i did for a living, and how come i had certain documents with me, and what my parents did for a living... and they still had the cheek to ask if my family was rich and all.. because i could afford a place and get educated overseas. In the end, after rampaging through all my personal belongings, they couldn't do anything anor find anything and subsequently frisked me. Nothing again.

I think they were disappointed they couldn't nail me for bringing in anything illegal or unauthorised. But one thing for sure, i'm glad i was clean, as usual. Felt it was quite discriminating and demeaning proccess. Well, i had the last laugh, and no, not all asians are illiterate and crooked, trying to smuggle something in.

Can't they actually put more officers out on the street, nab those drug dealers, crims and all? Why waste effort and resources like that? Rape, robberies, kidnapping, is happening everyday. All they bother is to catch people who are speeding or not declaring stuff. I seriously believe they got their priorites wrong. Worst still, the public infrastructure is in shambles. Public hospitals are seriously underfunded till even the butcher supplying meat had to stop their supplies cause they ain't getting paid, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Roads are crappy, full of potholes and cracks, maybe not in the lower north where all the politicians and power brokers stay.

Not a word of apology. But at least, i left happy, knowing they wasted their time, their effort.

Reaching home, my mailbox looked fine. Locked and secure. But when i opened it up, no mail inside. That guy must had picked the locked. Damn. I'm considering going to the police to notify them of what happened. But i have to wait till monday, so i can ask the post office, and the guy who come around sending the mail if they have any clue. Yes, monday, because he post office isn't open on weekends.

My car battery died. Going to try and jump start it. Hope it works. If not, i also have to wait till monday before i can call roadside assist, because if i ask them to come in immediaely, they will charge me an extra 150bucks. What a rip off... and such lousy perks as well being with NRMA. I think NSW is seriously screwed up. Thank to government, which can't seem to agree on anything, and wha they agree on would be their pay increaments. Solve those in the government, and solve all these problems.

2009-01-20T19:33:00.002+08:00

i forgot i had an exam on monday for a course i am doing for the company. bloody shit. now i need to pay for it out of my own pocket. bloody shit. bloody shit shit shit

2009-01-18T21:58:00.002+08:00

weddings.

they stir up strange, funny feelings that you never knew you had.

2009-01-17T04:17:00.001+08:00

We're starting to feel the pinch now over here, couple of my friends in the same industry have already been axed. This is not good! Who's gonna pay for my chicken rice!

Dream Catch Me Acoustic

2009-01-16T18:11:00.001+08:00

good to see you guys looking all well and round but do remember to save your liver for me yea. Cheers~

2009-01-15T03:40:00.001+08:00

Some inspiration for all your future cars

2009-01-13T19:37:00.002+08:00

Mornings start off cold, air is always clear, sinus hibernates perpetually
summer rays reflect off the recently awakened skin, it heats up
heat radiates from the clouds, humidity drops
giant clock reads: 5:00 pm 13/01/09, 37.0 degrees celsius

2009-01-13T15:02:00.001+08:00

the rain comes and washes over me.
cleansing me,making me feel pure and untainted again.
my spirits are lifted,even for a while,
i welcome it, bask in it.
the rain sliding down my face, my body,
my clothes soaked throughly,
seeping in, and then out of my shoes,
creating a small pool around me.

the sushine after the rain.
all that is left, is that lingering scent.
my little secret.

oh boy, i do love the smell of rain.

tomorrow is another day,
and i am thristy anyway,
so bring on the rain.

2009-01-10T06:03:00.002+08:00

Can't remember a time when i had a better time than the last 3 weeks in singapore
I've grown to love beer with a little push from tianli's daily red dot requirements, tall people need lots of beer for carbs to go about their daily routine.
This year looks to be an exciting one! unless i get retrenched which will take the shine out of all my plans. ah well.
peace out people, hope you keep all your new year resolutions! i'm having trouble with mine already

2009-01-06T12:17:00.003+08:00

new year at tianli's place. did the usual things-eating,drinking, poker.
fun, fun, fun
excuse the quality of the pictures. i think i need to buy a new camera for the new year.

tianli vs ah xiao.

lao chen in his music video. bubbles sponsored by tharin.

daryl vs andreas. daryl won hands down.

ben you should have stayed longer!

2008-12-29T01:13:00.002+08:00

post christmas party at xl's place.

too much food and too much drinks for some.... shall not mention names.

next up: new year party on the 1st at tianli's place.

more photos, go to facebook.

2008-12-26T00:13:00.002+08:00

i have fallen in love with kung fu fighting man. fighting!!
i think a man who can fight well is hot (ah bengs?)
i think a man who fights on behalf of his fellow countrymen is even hotter( our lovely army boys?)
i think a man who fights well, fights for the welfare of others and respects his wife/gf is the hottest! (so far no candidates)

P.S the above is inspired by the hit movie "ip man"

2008-12-22T13:58:00.002+08:00

Long overdue photos of my 9++++mth old sister's baby!!!

2008-12-22T10:38:00.005+08:00

wk's belated birthday celebration 2008.
after much difficulty, he managed to book us all on sat. went for lunch at ikoi and then
headed to red dot(where else?) for drinks. can i just say that wk is super bad at drinking!
but all in all we had fun,just ike how we always do.

P.S we want to hold a reunion in 2010 jan time. all those people overseas, can u please come back during that time. lets try to make it happen this time round. especially kelvin tan.

2008-12-14T12:30:00.021+08:00

PRESENTING THE LONG-AWAITED TETSUYA'S DINNER PHOTOS!!!!

(This is an exclusive club of restauraunts and resorts... something like the Michelin guide! Tetsuya's obviously has been a long time member..)

(The menu for that night's dinner.. We were only give it at the end of the night, and we had to specially request for it! This changes seasonally to ensure only the best ingredients are used!)

(Pea soup.. in a martini glass.. Wasn't an impressive start, rated 6.5/10)

(OoooOOOOooo.. Smoked ocean trout topped with Avruga Caviar! Absolutely delightful! 8.7/10)

(Leek & Crab Custard. It tastes somethign like char-wa-mushi, however you spell tt jap thing. It's really really well made, think of it like extremely extremely soft tofu which just has no form of it's own. One of the most popular dishes of the table for the night, 8.1/10)

(Scampi, a.k.a Sweet Prawn. In3 different ways. The yellowish liquid in the shot glass in the middle is actually olive oil which is infused with lemon. Scampi is in it and coated when you take it out. Simply delightful, 8.3/10)

(Scampi wrapped with a thin slice of Pancetta. Gives absolute flavour to the sweet meat with that hint of saltiness, a 8.2/10)

(Marinated Scampi with white miso and lemon fruit. AMAZING. You can literally have fireworks going off in your mouth when you eat it. 9.2/10)

(Tetsuya's signature dish. Seared Ocean Trout with Konbu, Daikon seasoned on the top. My personal fravourite. Ocean Trout was chosen as it has a sweeter taste then Salmon. Tetsuya cooked this dish for a skeptical fish farmer who wanted to close down the ocean trout business in Australia, but changed his mind and specialised in Ocean Trout aftr eating it! a 9.8/10))

(Hmmm.. this is something like spanner crab sushi on a bed of avocado puree. Interesting and bold dish. Not really my liking, as i know how i like my crab! 7.4/10)

(Barramundi, the australian version of Sea Bass. Without a doubt, a very nice and 'clean dish'. Something to clear your pallets. 8.8/10)

(YUM YUM! First real MEAT course of the night! Spatchcock. It's a small bird, westerner style of our pigeon meant or kampung chicken. I don't know where to begin, but once you sink your teeth into it, you'll be anazed how juicy and tender the meat is! Bursting with flavour! 8.4/10)

(HOHOHO... This is Wagyu. Interestingly, the Wagyu is sliced thinly, and then rolled up. This allows is to be extremely tender and 'unique'. A very interesting way to serve it. Furthermore, the hint of lime and dash of wasabi provided it gives it a very 'asian' taste. 9.2/10)

(Somethign i guess only 'westerners' would like. Plain words---GREEN BEANS AND CHEESE. YUCK YUCK YUCK! 5.9/10)

(This dish is one of a kind. A first!! Those little cubes in the right side? It's BREAD! how creative and intriguing it is! Bottom the yellow thing is like.. some form of 'condensed milk, souffle style and taste? Left is beeroot sorbet! A must try and iconic dish which embraces local produce! 7.8/10)

(Youv'e gotta try it to comment on it! Personally, a 8.1/10)

(DEATH BY CHOCOLATE! AND YES, THIS IS WHERE IT MEANS WHAT IT SAYS! obviously the best choc desert i've had... 9.4/10)

(I think it's a macchiato... look how unique the cup is! 8.8/10)

(Fellas, don't be fooled by this teapot... it's made in JAPAN! From a very famous place which makes quality teapots. It's like 'blued steel', except it's made till it is black! Super heavy, maybe 3kg even when it's empty. Cost a whooping 400AUD just for it! i had gemicha, and no, it's not those cheap packet kind.. 9.2/10)

(Petit fours.. haha.. YUM YUM! 9.7/10)

AND WHAT A SURPRISE! TETSUYA IN PERSON!!! He's really nice and friendly! Can't wait till my next trip over!

2008-12-06T09:55:00.002+08:00

Hi all~~~

If you think Jen's dinner was impressive, watch this blog and within the next 24hrs i'd post what i had last night... and a hint, the restauraunt starts with a T...

2008-11-30T20:14:00.011+08:00

i had the most expensive meal in my life. 200 aussie dollars! at this restaurant in sydney called rockpool. it is one of the top 50 best resturants in the world. we tried the 9 course tasting menu.

i am not sure if there is going to be another one. if so, i am betting it is going to be a long long time away. here are the pictures. the food was really good.

1) sterline caviar on prawn toast

ortiz 'gran reserva' salted anchovy with tomato confit on toast

yellowfin tuna with ginger, soy and yuzu jelly

2) mussel and saffron broth with garlic cream

3) marron and various tomato flavoured salad" confit, dried and jelly" with gazpacho

4) seared scallop with stir fried southern calamari , smoked bacon and squid ink noodles

5) pan fried bar rockcod with cabbage, clams, serrano ham, tea smoked potato and herb butter sauce

6) seared quail and "60 degree" quail egg with pork and prawn pastry, red curry sauce

7) slow cooked rangers valley 300 day grain fed beef short rib with chinese braised shitake mushrooms and spring onion cake

8) vanilla cream cup with strawberries and rosewater granita

9) date tart

i don't think i am cut out for fine dining. i am just an average girl, who most probably fit best in like average places hahah. i was already dying after 1 and a half hours. the whole meal took 3 hours.i kept fidgeting around, stretching my legs, etc... but i am going to take it as a learning experience.so next time not so country bumpkin.

P.S thanks tianli and ines for bringing me there

2008-11-30T18:06:00.002+08:00

Well, its official. the world is crashing and burning, wotcha gonna do huh?
i say live life a day at a time and do all the things you want to do before extremist militants make you a millipede.
now, who's still up for that end of year trip to tim bak 2? or my easter trip up to port douglas/barrier reef.
i'll be in singapore from the 19th of Dec to the 9th of Jan, hope to catch you old farts then, before you fade away.

till then, peace out, stay safe but not too safe, and most definitely, not dull

2008-11-20T12:37:00.002+08:00

Daryl Daryl happy 25th birthday!

hope that life will be as smooth and sweet as a strawberry smoothie. lame right?!

sorry i did not bring my hp so i am unable to msg you. ha.

hugs,
jen

2008-11-17T15:14:00.003+08:00

Guys i found some discs containing these.hilarious. sorry ah i could not resist not posting these old skool pictures. i think tharin is the only one who looks the same man. and well lao chen is a popular guy i must say. and tianli, who the hell is that girl? i have no idea what that picture is doing in my camera. HA. i think she is your uni friend right, we met her at starbucks hol village. kelvin picture is just there cause it is just there. haha.

bye i am going for a vacation til december.

2008-11-16T12:28:00.002+08:00

it never fails to make me cringe when i see old men put their car key into their ears and start digging. especially when they're speaking to me. in times like that i find myself trying very hard not to make my face into a sour ball when my shoulders tense up and i start hunching. i then also make a mental note never to touch their hands or their car key. or any of their keys. or any of their stuff that can fit into their ear canal.

p.s: congratulations, jen. you will soon be free from bondage.

2008-11-12T14:18:00.002+08:00

men and woman are u all busy with exams and work?

just to shout it out, that i am finally going for my last flight. To Perth. i know very not exciting destination. but who cares.it is my LAST flight. that is what is more important. you guys definitely got to celebrate with me when your exams are over. no more excuses. i am feeling very excited though and for a while, i am not too worried about my future. yet. i shall go on my holidays first, and reap the benefits of singlehood. ha.

SQ stuff all packed into one bag. my god, 2 years of flying all in a single bag. all the stupid course materials. gross.i wonder how i sat through all of that.

bags packed.
memories trashed.
quit my job.
passport checked.
ticket checked.
camera checked.

this lady is ready to move on.

until then my fellow men and woman,
ciao ciao.

P.S you know when i have nothing to do,i like to read our past blog entries. very funny. i never knew i used to be so emo. haha. abit the gross.but i see myself growing up through this blog which is pretty cool.

2008-11-03T16:22:00.003+08:00

thats why Singaporeans are one of my least favourite passengers

recently on my flight to madras,
there were a bunch of Singaporean men who came on board.

Me: excuse me may i know whose bag this is?
Singaporean man: oh it is mine
Me : sir is it alright if i shift your bag into another compartment cause this one is too full
Singaporean man: ok no problem

so just as i was about to shift his bag, this senior stewardess came over and told me to ask the man to help me since it was quite heavy and she did not want me to hurt my back

Senior stewardess: Sir is this your bag?
Singaporean man: Yes
Senior Stewardess: Sir can you help us to shift your bag into the other compartment?
Singaporean man: But the bag is not very heavy what

seriously i was stunned. and then he continued

Singaporean man: why must it be my bag

seriously what the fuck man. haha. i cannot believe it.

P.S eh ah xiao u know jamie's shop is no longer at far east. i wonder where it went?

Be Water My Friend

2008-10-31T22:50:00.001+08:00

2008-10-29T10:31:00.002+08:00

i always wondered how some people can spend their whole entire day online.
i can't do that for nuts.
normally when i go online, i'll check my mail, read some blogs and thats it. all completed within like seconds hahah. and then after that i am staring at the same blank screen. i know i know there are like movies and stuff online to watch, but somehow i am just not very intersted at this point. i think i am the kind that enjoys watching stuff comfortably on my tv at home.

ok so the most exciting thing that i have been trying to do for now, is to change the parting of my hair... i know how EXCITING and BIMBOTIC i am. what to do, stewardess mah.

the good thing is that i got work today. the bad news is that it is to india, and that it is like my last few flights. i feel very happy to be finally quitting. relieved in fact.though working has not dampen my passion for travelling. but then again,seriously, who doesn't like going on a holiday right. i will be taking many many breaks soon, can't wait to eat, drink, party, enjoy life abit more. and of course my dear friends, all in moderation, all in moderation.

signing out. plenty of hugs to myself.

2008-10-28T21:04:00.002+08:00

people i am so happy with myself.

my laptop has been unable to connect to the internet for about close to 8 months now
and i have been surviving and fighting with my bro over the desktop... haha.now no
longer need to do that cause after i made an effort to call and solve the problem.
so now i can surf the internet whenever and wherever i want. Ta Da.

i feel like i have won first place in something. haha. very happy and very easily contented.

2008-10-27T16:19:00.004+08:00

I'm really, really, really glad that people are starting to blog once again! *tumbs up*

Jen, so sorry!!! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!! WOOOHOOO!!! 1 TOWER FROM ME OKAY?
So, if you win the best post, you'd get 1+1=2 towers! wow.... talk about getting high! hehe...

Well, for me, i've personally been swamped with assignments and work... and you know what sucks the most? having CHINA groupmates who can't speak english, or understand english at all! (not even the questions for the assignments) urgh... it's frustrating... seems like CHINA graduates ain't that good as what we all used to think. They haven't even done a financial report analysis at all... my, it's like asking a car mechanic who says he don't know how to do an engine oil change!

My, my... but of course, there are some good ones, those which come from the top schools in china of course... i guess each place has it's own batch of rotten apples. And you know what? The assignment is like 3000 words and they think it's sufficient. Please, 3000 is damn little for a 'serious' and 'masters' assignment. Arssholes...

Anyway, some bastard scratchd my car! I guess he didn't know how to park his car then he just went all the way in and really scratched my front bumper up real bad... ASSHOLE.. and i still don't know who it is.

Oh well, i'll let you guys know more about what's happening to me, but i'm seriously quite 'tied' up now, both emotionally, financially, psychologically, physically and all the 'llys' you can think off! hope i'll 'recover' soon!

2008-10-27T13:54:00.002+08:00

Jay chou has a new album.
i seriously think he has an ego problem

i am taking boredom to a whole new level. wheeeeee...

2008-10-26T13:43:00.002+08:00

two nights ago i went for shabu shabu with a whole bunch of friends. shabu shabu is what we call steam boat but with delicious japanese beef. i think i might have eaten three plates of beef by myself just cuz they were so damn good. after close to two hours of all-you-can-stuff-your-face, we went to a sleazy looking karaoke place that smelled as good as it looked. but it was all fun because my friends tend to do stupid things when they have alcohol dancing in their systems.

and today i have done nothing else except watch csi new york and eat junk. i love lazy sundays. especially when the dark clouds loom and the winds howl.

oh just an update on my transportation to and from work. my principal has so kindly offered to pick me up every morning and send me home after work. so until i get my cast removed on november 4th, i don't have to taxi to work. yay for kind japanese people.

p.s it was very nice hearing your voices when i called on jen's birthday night. :)
p.p.s jen, if i win the tower of beer, i will give it to you because im such a good friend.

2008-10-25T19:10:00.002+08:00

seriously, what the hell is safe to consume?

julie's biscuits and certain kong guan biscuits were recalled from shelves.

i am going organic man.

P.S tian li i am seriously aiming for that tower of beer. so you better keep your word. plus the fact no birthday wishes from you. very disappointed lei.
oh tian li, would u be back from christmas? i am thinking of organising a christmas party! so hopefully you will be able to be in town.

P.P.S ben you are late! so you own me a treat man when you return. you know when it comes
to these kinda things, i can always remember.

ok signing out. good luck for the exams guys!

2008-10-25T14:18:00.005+08:00

Hello people from the bloggggggg :) Its been sometime since I last posted something! Ohh and as usual I posted again only after I changed my car in Brisbane...haha....managed to sell my mini for AUD$30K so I used the cash to buy this cosmic blue (looks purplish under the lights) mazda 3 MPS....loads of power and torque to the front wheels...2.3litres of turbo power....massive roller coaster fun....does 0-100km/h in 6secs flat without the need to rev to the heavens like my dc5R. The amazing thing about this car is that the car's ECU controls the turbo boost depending on which gear u're on to maintain traction....it does 80-120km/h faster than a 911 carrera which is sexy hahaha...the photos above are courtesy of mj who used his camera to good effect

Just to update people about what is happening with my life....I have two exam papers on the 6th and 15th Nov before I finish this semester. I am also doing summer semester come 24th Nov to the 1st week of Feb....will miss CNY in 2009 :( I will have one final semester from end Feb in 2009 to Early June 2009 before I graduate from my masters in International Econs & Finance. Fingers crossed....haha....So whoever wants to come for my grad next year pls plan yr leave/holiday :)

Good Luck to the guys in university locally and in australia with the coming exams. Damn studying is still da besttttt.....no one can disagree with that. Peace out guys. OhH and happy belated bday Jen!!~

2008-10-23T02:35:00.002+08:00

i love taxi uncles.

somehow it is so easy to talk to them cause you know you never see them again.

the taxi uncle wished me a good life. and i felt like kissing him cause he just made my night. haha.

very lucky taxi driver i must say.

2008-10-21T00:39:00.001+08:00

HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY TIAN LI!

MAY UR LIFE ALWAYS BE FILLED WITH TENDER LOVING CARE. HAHA.

I HOPE I CAN COME DOWN FOR A VISIT SOON!

P.S HEY AH XIAO, THAT SUXS MAN. ALOT OF $$$$$ GONE.

2008-10-20T16:53:00.003+08:00

i need to vent as well.

i just found out today from my accountant that i won't be reimbursed for the daily taxi fares to and from work. so that means the 4000yen i pay every day to get to school and back home comes out of my own tiny pocket. and that works out to be close to 100,000yen by the time i actually am able to get my blasted cast off and take the damn bus. i can use that 100,000yen to buy a friggin return air ticket back to singapore and still have change left over to eat fifty plates of chicken rice.

im angry. very very angry.

2008-10-18T19:04:00.002+08:00

just to whine,

i am having a really bad headache,which i think results from the very bad pillows at this horrible zurich hotel. i can't even turn my head fully right, cause doing so would cause me to yelp in pain.

the people at this hotel are really racist and rude to asians. i don't understand why on earth are we being discriminated against.

oh i heard from a crew saying that one reason why they treat us badly is because the company pays them like minimum. so no choice they have to make us wait like 2 hours to give us the worst rooms, and no freebies of any sort. all thanks to the company who keeps trying to cut cost on our end.

i can't really state my company's name cause in the recent circular, they warn us against blogging about anything negative, and that they are keeping close tabs. how frightening, i must say.

signing out to go rest for a while,

jen

2008-10-17T02:06:00.002+08:00

Bankers are such a hypocritical bunch.

During good times, they shake your hand, earn their pay, snare a commission.

During tough times, they lose your money. Complain 'bout it, they say your'e ungrateful for the good times, and they're just doing their job.

But the thing, isn't their job to earn us money, protect our investments? Why should we thank them, pay them commission ?

Damn bankers, overglorified bunch of suited pencil pushers.

2008-10-15T12:36:00.003+08:00

This blog is seriously getting very very FEW contributions, and usually from the same old few people (thumbs up to them!!)

I think we should seriously be more 'pro-active' in blogging! Considering almost half of us are overseas!

We should have a vote on who's blog is the most interesting/unique/enriching/entertaining every 6 mths! then, that person would get 1 'tower' of beer for free from the rest of us! isn't tt a good way to entice us to blog?

come on, do your bit! blog away!!! don't be a reader only, be PROACTIVE contributing to the greater good for the whole 'community'! Have we ended up in such a stale, boring period of our lives?

2008-10-10T16:29:00.002+08:00

just because this blog seems to be dying a slow death, heres a short update on my life in an attempt to revive it!

so i fractured the end of my shin bone, nearer to my ankle, a week and a half ago at work. so im casted up and walking with crutches, which is a huge pain in the arse. especially when ive to hop down my apartment building's stairs one by one and hoping i dont fall and snap my neck in the process. showering is another pain; having to wrap my casted foot with a towel and then wrapping and tying three or four layers of plastic bags just to prevent water from seeping into the cast. i dont want to end up with a mouldy leg. and taxi-ing to and from work is making me yenless; but japan has brilliant work accident insurance coverage. just wished it doesnt take such a bloody long time. just gimme my money, damnit.

so anyway, im looking forward to walking properly, with shoes and all, in 5weeks' time. just in time to meet ayufan. he's lucky he doesnt have to carry an invalid around osaka.

hope you all are healthy! see you all soon!

2008-09-16T22:20:00.007+08:00

hey boys and gals, how are you busy people been doing? here are some safe for viewing pics that will navigate you as to what i've been up too since i vanished mysteriously out of sight.

my housemates brought me to this mountain retreat for a day of chilling out and bbq. Not before some of them throughly cleared their stomach after an inital d style roller coastal ride to our destination. but well we did brought alot of food, so why waste it right?

this is ipswich, is not a football club but an ex asylum converted into an institution for higher learning... how appropiate. for everything it lacks (crowds, edible canteen food, life) it more than makes up with ample computers and study area(not that i'm fighting for)... n..... erm.... ooohh... clean and quiet toilets. AaAaaargh~

the ekka show is a public holiday in brisbane, is like acjc fun-o-rama multiply by 20?..nope 30.. thats the amount spent by the chin gang on drinks, 1x green yoshi, 1x winney the pooh, 1x angry bull, 1x mushroom head(mario) and some 'magazines'. And is not over yet, don't even think about leaving, not before you catch the fun filled night programs they have to offer : dogs marching, polo, V8 super cars, motocross , 'jumping jack' monster truck and FIREWORKS!

*Nota Bene: less is not more, not when you have to sit for 2 hrs in an open field at 10 degree celsius. trust me, the two blokes above can testify!

the river fest a symbolic annual fireworks display that marks the transition from winter to spring.. OoooOO..so many girls

this is fresh off the oven i tell you, my man C.K (not featured) the mastermind and also head chief, organised and almost single handly dish out some of the local favourites for us, all in the name of peace, love and mooncake festival. we have hainanese chIiiIicken (bOooneless), shao rou, vege in Ooyster sauce, soup and lust but not least chIiiiken rice. WICKED! there's so much love in his art the thought of it makes my mouth water. but come to think about it, i haven't pay him back money...

Oook now that you have a drive thru to my life in oz so far, i think is only fair that i've a drive thru to yours as well yeah. i promise no honk,no finger.

**P.S : thanks for sending me off i appreciate it but you all still owe me money for popeye chicken. Love~

2008-09-03T15:01:00.004+08:00

just a very small portion of the 300 odd photos that xiao ling and me took while we were in paris. but it is such a chore to put it all together, plus my PC skills are really bad. but all in all, it was good to see ah xiao again. though paris is suppose to be the city for honeymoon-goers, supposedly all the love, it is not as bad going with your best friend as well, with a different kind of love.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY XL, in advance.

2008-07-31T01:41:00.002+08:00

the rest of the world is asleep, except me.

i can't believe that my friends have no idea what tour de france is! this defeats the whole entire purpose of me trying to show off that i managed to see the ending of it, and the fact that the winning team was staying in the same hotel as i was. DAMN. and here i was thinking how FORTUNATE and LUCKY i was.

ok, the loser me is going back to watch SCRUBS.

2008-07-21T20:27:00.002+08:00

i just wanted to share my joy and excitement by announcing that i am now an ex-metal mouth!

my teeth are dancing with glee and i haven't been able to stop licking them.

goodbye braces; you have fulfilled your purpose in (my) life and i am eternally grateful.

2008-06-05T22:57:00.009+08:00

With this post ends a two+ year hiatus from online blogging. By one reason or another I have been putting off posting on this blog and most of it stems from laziness but I did promise Tianli I would post pictures of OZ OZ OZ oi oi oi online.

*Not So Brief History*

Ok for the benefit of people who I havent talked to in a while, I got out of army around CNY amidst two weeks of complete binge drinking. I say this with all seriousness that not one day for 2 solid weeks did I not have at least one glass of alcohol. Needless to say my body started to tell me I am gettting old and I had to start detoxing before I seriously injure myself. And cos there was still some serious drinking to be done in Australia so I had to give myself a break

After that and lots of late nights with lots of poker, I was off to Australia with my army buddies Ryan, Chris and Leon in Perth. Ryan's friend Hansel, who hasn't worked one day in his life and plays professional poker for a living joined us too. Our purpose was to go attend a rock festival headlined by Incubus, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Sao Sin among other acts although TRJA didn't show in the end.

Ryan has two sisters who study in perth now and his mom lives there to take care of them while they're in school so we crashed at his place to save money. It was hilarious having 5 guys crash in one room since we didnt want to be slobs sleeping in the living room and all.

The rock festival was fun and we toasted ourselves for 9 hours in the baking sun cos you were allowed one entry and one exit only and it was in a footie oval. Thank god for SPF55 sunblock which i was super adament on putting. Poor ang mohs were burnt to a crisp after that man. Other than that Perth really turned out quite fun cos Ryan and his friends could show us around really well, we ate good food and the view from his place was magnificent since it was right on Swan River. We also clubbed which wasnt half bad and i karaoked for the first time in my life and probably last and also got a different high for the first time but didnt quite like it cos i was spazzin out.

Ryan made me carry a freakin mattress for him; grown men in one room; View from Ryan's balcony; I bought a porsche while I was there (barbegallo speedway); Submarine museum; Asian westlife; One and only karaoke in my life;Touch rugby on the beach ; Some TLC w/ Chris Cooling down under showers at the concert;I ncubus baby!; Little Creatures Brewery; Random Aussie Flag; Me doing pushups after being on the losing team for soccer; Showing Chris some love; We're all verrryy verryyy haaaaaapppy :P

After perth i hopped on a plane to ben's ginomous house in Brizzy and played some golf on my own, burnt his Mini's clutch a little, managed to freakishly lose his car keys and watch a car on the lawn with all four tires up in the sky and won some money at the poker dome winning a mini tournament! Power la! As usual ben and tian spared no expense for food and entertainment and i enjoyed myself as much as anyone can in Brizzy (come on its quite boring there)

Ben's Car; Facade of his house; Indoor Swimming Pool; His frickin room which is basically its own duplex; Shitty but beautiful golf course; UQ; EFTPOS sounds super crude to me; Yatala yummy pie; Token surfer's paradise; The car jus wanted it's belly scratched!; Gamblers turned sidewalk prossies after losing all their money (kidding); Me and a roo;Good steak with ben and Tian; night sky where we saw a damn brightshooting star..would have been romantic if i wasnt with two guys; Ferrari in 'paris'

A quick flight to melbourne to see kelvin and finally meet up wit kelly. we stayed at kell's friends house and luckily too cos the moment we stepped into kelvins house the both of us were hacking and sneezing and gasping for dear life cos of the dust and stinky's fur. That dog is hyper as they come man and she hits you like a mack truck too when she's excited. I got a good tour of melbourne, the city and the uni and caught up wit kelvin which was good and went to mornington for some wine and R&R and lost money to Crown then it was off to Sydney.

My chauffeur and bodyguard at the airport; Kelvin likes steel bull balls; Berrin's house; Desert/Cake shop; Stinky(Sticky) and the super dusty house; Shop till ya drop!; wah the guy could do weird things wit a guitar and the girl too wit the chinese guitar(forgot its name); BBQ with head chef kelly tan; cute sticky shot; Fireworks at a carnival; Candyfloss; Dim Sum the next day; The dog that will not let you into the compound if you don say hi to it when you first get there; A cute lodging B&B style in mornington Mornington; wine; Noice view mayte; Us!;Thats a hedgehog that bundled off the track when it saw us coming during our nature walk Dinner at The Rocks

Again we stayed wit another of kell's frens cos it was closer to city center and i still got to hang wit tian and ben who made the trip down for the abalone porridge and lobster noodles. Syd by far is the most happening city and beautiful too. Bondi, harbour bridge, syd uni, shopping, tian's house all that was really quite fun and its a good place to go and work no doubt. We had a good ass BBQ wit yaoyou and badangdang and some poker at tianli's house which was arguably one of the best meals yet and i donated money to the treasury too heh! The argyle and lowenbrau were quite good too and the chicas are waay good looking. Aussie girls have this cleavage fetish and I'm sure as hell not complaining.

Beautiful bridge near Argyle; The germans got it right man.. boobs and beer!; Hahhhhburrr bridge and the opera house; The greenery across the harbour bridge to the rich man's area which is beautiful; Thats a whole tree full of bats at a golf course; Cute chicks; I like Bong Bong!; Coffee is good for you; Breakfast is a hotdog!; I is good photographer; Us!

University of Sydney; Some really good coffee place apparantly, forgot the name heh!; Fish market; Visit the aquarium after the fish market food hehehh; He lost a tooth; Us at a ribs restaurant on bondi; Bondi!; We like to take walks; Some posh ass place where the stars go to be seen..forgot the name too; Cool rock features; She looks like shes in a green screen studio; Scenic shot; Fried mars bars to replace the calories lost from walking; I want an aston martin!
The argyle..nice place; If you look closely theres a box suspended in mid air wit the DJ in it; The Bday girl who got a chanel bag; I like frowers k; More walking!; REAALLY good ass hot chocolate where you heat up the little pieces by dropping them in milk heated by a tea light; A bad place for a lotus to park...under a tar conveyer machine; The famous Lobster noodles!; Ben loves his abalone porridge; Mexican restaurant; More hot chocolate; Carols place with a kick ass view; Creepy ass reporter on tv...makes me want to read the papers instead; Yaoyou kickin back at Tianli's; GREAT bbq by tianli with badang dang present; Token cigars....yeeaaa...yao you even da bao the cigar home!

So after that adventure was all done it was back to reality. Job searching really sucks and it really hit me hard how suddenly uncertain my life has become. Its the first time I have no direction whatsoever and anything i do can influence the rest of my life. Gone are the days I know my schedule from one week to the next man. I was really down for a few weeks and it was affecting me alot and my dad figured that it would be good to take my mind off it and work for his subsidiary for a bit which i now reluctantly say it was a good idea but obviously i would have rather slacked more.

I had actively started my job search since before leaving the army and in four months I had a grand total of 5 interviews after mounds and mounds of applications but finally i landed one with ST Kinetics. So as of 9th june 2008... a whole new chapter of my life began and it is my turn to make an impact on the world around me and prove to myself above all else that I can make it good on my own.

The job basically is like goin back to army since STK does lots of military work being almost the sole provider of new products, maintenance, repair and overhaul of military vehicles, weapons and ammunition for the SAF and other military organisations around the world. This entails me having to subject myself to security clearance again and again have to use a cameraless phone but at least i have a job and one that i thought i could never find in singapore. I am going to be dealing with military vehicles as a design engineer so its really exciting but for now Im not sure i can reveal alot so I'll tread on the safe side ya?

Ok so thats basically it, this is a damn long post man! shiok 2 years worth of blogging purged in one outing. Snaps for me!!!

2008-06-02T17:09:00.002+08:00

some pics i took from our trip to HCM, i know is nothing much but atleast is a prove of ' been there done that' logic.. besides whatever happens in HCM stays in HCM.. right dreas!

2008-05-12T15:46:00.002+08:00

yo kel...so fast plannin for yr end trip...UK or Japan..sounds gd...both r UP places..haha..haf 2 start saving..hee...but i cant cfm man...final yr in uni got FYP n stuff..afraid dec holidae BURNT! haha...haf 2 c how it goes...it has been 3 mths in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam...life's nt bad...slow pace..relac...can ask andreas n mj...haha..reali happie n glad they came down 4 holidae n find mi...diet in vietnam pretty healthy...vietnamese eat alot of veggies...haha..tats y u c most of their ladies' figures r pretty gd...haha..will be returnin hm soon..in abt 2 mth plus time...guess i will miss tis place..how's everybody? hope u all r doin fine...take care!

2008-05-11T16:21:00.002+08:00

Hey guys, anyone up for an end of year trip up to UK or Japan? (Around December)
Just want to get a feel for who is interested

2008-05-10T17:08:00.001+08:00

2008-04-21T19:27:00.003+08:00

i guess you guys know what this is... and it's only the head!!!

my new toy... Audemars Piguet, against the view from my place...

2008-04-16T12:46:00.003+08:00

how is everyone?

i just returned from milan- because milan is really boring so my friend and i took a 3 hrs train ride up to florence! can i just let you guys know that florence is beautiful as well. very different from venice. florence has huge cathedrals, and surrounded by many old buildings. very rustic kind of feeling. of course i had my fair share of pastas and gelatos! how not to, especially gelatos since at every corner you see a cafe selling them. i climbed up 414 steps to reach the top of the cathedral, and from there, you get to see the entire florence. a magnificent view. like they say, no pain, no gain. and after that i made my way across this old bridge which has been there since world war one, and further on to a garden called "boboli gardens". all in all, it was a very good day trip up to florence. next up, i got manchester! my first time there, so looking forward that flight. see you guys soon!

2008-04-10T20:25:00.002+08:00

This is going to take a while to read, sorry.

A friend of mine, let's call him Joe, went back to the states during the two week spring vacation to attend his younger sister's wedding. He came back this week telling me he was getting married.

Okay the crazy bit comes in now. He is getting married to a girl he dated once 4 years ago and 4years later coincidentally bumped into her at a restaurant while he was back in his hometown. And for the next one and a half week they were inseparable. At the end of the week and a half, they announced to their family and friends that they were getting married. She has already chosen a date and looked at bridal gowns.

My first words to him when i heard the news was "Shit, what the hell?! Are you serious? You went home for two weeks and you're getting married to a girl you just happened to run into?!"

So i know that any tom dick harry lucy jane mary can get married in six seconds in Vegas. If you were under the influence of alcohol, drugs or britney, i'd understand. i guess i wasn't expecting a friend who lives far away from Vegas to do the same in barely two weeks.

So i asked him how he knew this was it, that this is the girl for him and he gave the annoying answer movies give. He replied, "When it is it, you just know, you know?" (i don't know, that's why i'm asking. stooopid.) But as he was filling in the details of the week and a half about the girl he's going to marry, he was beaming. And you really can't nitpick at someone who is beaming like that. Neither can you get them to make sense. So i told him that i was happy for him. And i am. As insane as the entire story sounds to me, which friend doesn't want their friend to be happy, right?

Now, i know jen and i wont be able to pull off something like that. As jen says, she's too rational. And i agree. As much as i am a nutcase, i, too, cannot bring myself to skip the whole dating part and get married pronto. Aside from any weird and/or disgusting habits, fetishes or smells the person might have which might seriously gross me out, i need time to vouch for that person's character.

But that thought also set me thinking on a different thread: How much time is enough then to know someone? Someone might have spent years getting to know a person before deciding to marry and discover to their horror that the person they married is a living Jekyll and Hyde. As they say, marriage is more like a beginning rather than an end since it is a very long process. That said, it means that a couple has the rest of their lives to get to know each other till they both grow prune-like and wither. So are those who marry at lightning speed after the initial meeting any less rational than those who don't?