Midnight Karaoke Owls

Midnight Karaoke Owls

Like the hungry ghosts on the last week of freedom before the gates close, we decided to be night owls sing to our heart's content before we return to our books in a week or so.

Like i mentioned in an earlier post, i would pick Partyworld KTV over another cuz of the significant price difference. We invited quite a number of people, but most didnt want to come or had things on, so in the end, only Huimin n Yongyik, Cheryl, and I went for it. The initial plan to go to a pub got thrown and the plan for karaoke was drawn.


But wait! Before entering the KTV, we had to meet at Cold Storage to get some drinks and titbits for our usual 'smuggling'. Because we have two water barrels-Me and Cher, and 4 titbit-munchers, and things wouldnt be cheap in there, we knew two small bowls of crackers and 4 cups of drinks definitely wouldn't be enough for us.

Thus, two more packets of Twisties and two 1.5 Litres of Pokka Green Tea( Ah ma's must-drink), was 'smuggled' in. Oh, and in case the people at Partyworld get suspicious with two big green Cold Storage plastic bags, we hid the two giant bottles of Green Tea in Cheryl's nicer plastic bag. If that's not enough, we got Cher to get a nice Takashimaya paper bag from a cashier and wrapped the two packets of Twisties in Cher's jacket.

Talk about being cheapskate. Well, that's us for you...

Very soon, all of us warmed-up our voices and started roaring away, oops, i mean, singing melodiously away.. ;)

See.. so engrossed..Eh, dont mind Cher, she likes to do funny poses, mostly not on purpose...



Superstar..


Very dark.. but if i lighten anymore, Cher'll dissappear.. I told Cher on the bus that she looked like a traditional Jap-like ghost with super straight black hair and white blouse.. Hehe..


The model couple sings a duet..


Heehee...














Cher's must-sing Jay Chou's song..


As you know, sometimes when others are singing a medley and having their own mini concerts, you tend to get bored and will find something to do...and Min decided to imitate er, someone...

Original Version 1..


Original Version 2..


Edited Version 3..


(Min will kill me...haha..)

4 hours past really quickly, the bill came and everyone teared our wallets. A whooping $90..but still it's must lower than their competitor...


Having strained our voices for 4 whole hours, we needed something soothing to the throat. Since Swensens was just beside and still open for business, it was the best choices. But before we went in, Min called Chubang and tricked him here, saying because he stood us up for karaoke and that we paid for his KTV share, he had to come over to return us the money.

He told us to wait for 'a while', but we were sure we waited more than 'a while'. Early bird Min was about to fall asleep when the Mambo-king turned Army-boy appeared, bringing along a bunch of friends who wore caps, like him. A whole group of guys with caps tells you it's weekend...

When he finally arrived, the four of us pointed our camera phone at him and spurred him to take of his cap.. So here's a glimpse..not very clear though...


And it's ice-cream time!




I got the rest to pose since i had nothing better to do and would fall asleep real soon if i didnt find something to do as they chat about people i havent even heard of their names.

Oops, not ready yet.. and Chubang looks like a middle-aged trying to read the newspaper...(dont kill me..)


There..ready for a picture..


How could i not take this couple..But there was an 'extra' behind..


So i got yy to raise his hand higher to block out the extra.. There...


Don't they look like they're in their own world?


A toilet visit cannot be missed after meals, and especially after we downed two 1.5 litres of Green Tea earlier.

Min said this photo doesnt show her rebonded hair, she we took another...



Finally, it was home-sweet-home time at 4am. We took probably the last Night Rider bus and almost fell asleep on the way. I swear, apart from the cars and taxis on the road, we were the only human beings walking around the whole area. Cher quickly hopped onto a taxi and i walked quickly home, careful not to disturb the neighbourhood with my heels.

When i finally reached home, i couldnt get to sleep, like always, cuz once i lie down, things that happen throughout the entire day would go through my mind. In the end, since sunlight would break soon, i sat by the window and took the following shots from night to daylight.

Ooh..that's me, waiting for The Sun to rise...


The sky gradually brightens...












A common sight in the skies of Jurong by airplanes flyng by...


Basking in the sun...


So day came, and i still didnt manage to get to Dreamland... In the afternoon, Mum, Bro and I went to the Clementi Temple to pray and have free vegeterian food. My eyes were half opened the whole day, but that didnt stop me from going...

Dad joined us after his The New Paper Big walk and after a minor minor shopping..it was time to go home and return to my bed with open arms...

Til Then Folks.. ChEeRs!!~ ;)

Another shopping trip...

Another Shopping Trip

Like a weekly routine, Min and I met up once again for a weekly dose of 'shopping'.

This time, it isnt the common stretch of Orchard road but the the place where you have to keep an eye for good deals--Bugis.

After strolling around in Bugis Junction and combing almost all the shops in the air-conditioned shopping mall and satisfying my crave for ice-cream, we decided it was time to comb Bugis village--the place to get good, and maybe cheap deals.

They revamped the place a little and added more room-sized shops to the already packed place. Once I step foot in there, I nearly thought i was in the famous Chatuchak Market, except they didnt sell animals there and things are not as cheap.

Although things might not be dirt cheap, you can still source for things that are sold at a higher suck-blood price at air-conditioned shopping malls where all they do is to re-package it and give a better feel when the product itself is exactly the same. You might want to talk about the quality, but, yes, dont expect too much from a cheap deal, sometimes quality just comes with price.

However if you dont mind, these things can still last you for a decent period of time.

I'm the kind who doesnt mind, cuz i dont use things for too long a period anyway. So there i was, scavaging for cheap and good stuff.

Heaven doesnt let down determined shoppers. I found the sequined sash I wanted to buy at a mere $6.90 where shops outside sold for at least $12, some sell up to $19.90! I looked up Yahoo Auctions, and the cheapest one was selling for $10, another $15.90. Haha... The sense of satisfaction is great!


Now that the place has added tons more shops, I'm a little lost. I cant really remember which alley had i walked or not walked. So the both of us swivelled in and out of each lane, trying hard to remember which we had walked and which we hadnt.

Not that I'm trying to condemn the place, but too many shops confuse me, and we end up not buying much cuz we had too many choices. The shops are all cluttered together. Yes, 'clutter' is the word. When there's a clutter, an average shopper usually is deprived of the ability to spot stuff, or at least, i'm deprived.

Thereafter, we felt it was time to be embraced cool fresh air again, and soon we dragged our hald-tired feets and sped to OG. Min bought a few tops and we remained fascinated by some things for some time before i realised it wasnt early anymore.

Having read articles on flea markets in Singapore, I decided to check one out, the one at Sungei Road. But i didnt know how to get there, so i called my Dad for directions.

Dad made me call back 5 minutes later while he checked the directory despite being terribly busy at work. I thought he might need more time, so i called back 15 minutes later instead.

"It's near Sim Lim Square and Tower" He said.

Fortunately Min knew how to get there and brought me out of OG. There it was, just a stone's throw away from OG. There, dumb me was rather surprised cuz i've never been there. Haha...

Together, we walked wrong routes and crossed countless traffic lights, ok, not that exaggerating. Luckily Min had sharp eyes to kill and spotted some umbrellas across the road and with some effort, we made it there.

For your information, it's called the Thieves Market simply because in the past, thieves came here to sell their stolen stuff, simply as that.

If you're the kind who cannot stand the smell of your 5 year-old pillow stained with your saliva, you can forget about going there. Oh, and i have to mention there's heavy smoke around cuz many of the 'uncles and aunties' were smoking.

Determined to find my Er Hu(a chinese instrument), we walked through all the lanes and endured the smell and crowd.

Most of the vendors were old ladies/men or middle-aged people who sold 2nd-hand things, the number of youngsters like us only managed to pull down the average age by only a year or two so we were a rather rare sight there.

Looking at the things they sell, i started to wonder 'would anyone ever wana buy those things?". Well, you never know...

In the end, sadly, i couldnt find the Er Hu, and didnt find anything that i really wanted to buy. I saw a few rather real-looking Louis Vuitton handbags though.

Here's some pictures of the Thieves Market, courtesy of http://www.getforme.com.






When we were at the cross-road, a Chinese-national cycled past and asked us(or rather just Min) "Where are you going?" with that i-wana-eat-u-up look. We stared back hard at him til he cycled away. Bas***d!

We were only too glad to walk back into the fully air-conditioned OG. And i bought a pair of sandals on offer which i've eyed for some time but never considered buying. Hmm...

A whole day of shopping, shopping, and nothing but shopping is tiring, but nothing can beat the kind of satisfaction that shopping offers. Soon it was dinner time and we settled for Katong Laksa just outside OG.

We chat and ate and the laksa was swallowed in no time. We were about to leave when Min bolted up with a surprised and excited look on her face. Initially, i thought she saw some scandalous couple in her lecture but it turned out that she shouted, "GuoHai!"

He happened to have just gotten off work from Sim Lim and was speeding home with his long legs. We got him to have a seat and the 3 of us sat there and chatted til the cows came home. We talked about the present, the past, about everyone we knew. All i can sayis, gossips and rumours are never classified as boring topics.

But time was a constraint, so it was time to make our way home.

The mrt took forever to arrive, and since it's been a year since we last met, i decided to take a photo of the 3 of us. Who knows when we'll meet again?


On the mrt, we continud talking, and for unknown reasons, our conversation was brought to the topic of 'ghosts'. Geez... Before GuoHai alighted, we made him promise to come for our 'excursion'to the pub and drag along some others next saturday.

Hopefully the 'excursion' next week would take shape. "'Bball Gang'!(what a name..haha..), you people hear me???"

Right...

Til Then Folks.. ChEeRs!~ ;)

I've been a good girl these few days...No, actually, i've always been...Hahaha...

Daddy has been in Australia for 3 days now.

Thanks to the advancement of technology nowdays, we're able to save tons of money by contacting each other through the great Internet, and the MSN giant for coming out with MSN Messenger, enabling us to chit-chat 'live' without boundaries, unlike expensive IDD calls.

This is what i call the "world without borders". Even when your hundreds or thousands of kilometres apart, what it takes is a few clicks of your dead mouse to contact people all around the world.

These few days, i've been taking care of the family(i think..). Nothing bad happened(Choy! not like i wish there'll be..) and i thank heaven for that.

Yesterday i cooked spaghetti, a spaghetti i call "Creamy Mushrooms".


My Mum said, "Hmmm..very nice!"

My Bro praised that it tasted nicer than Pastamania's Al Funghi.

Woo... i almost flew to Sydney...

Anyway, tonight's the last night Daddy would be in Sydney. By tomorrow night, he'll reach Singapore safe and sound.

And i've asked him to treat himself to a good "Ang Mo" dinner since it's the last night there. And i've also asked him to take any single thing that can be taken, this includes his room toilet, bed, tv, street scene from his window, other buildings, and of course, people.

"Seow!", was the only thing he replied.

Then i said again, "Take see whether got handsome guys and pretty women a not."

"Ok, i will take handsome Ang Mo guys for my daughther" He replied.

Hahaha...

Thinking of whether to give him a surprise at the airport or not, but my bro's having his last 2 papers (Social studies and health education) on Friday, so the surprise might not execueted after all...

Looking forward to macademia nuts chocolates and keychains and photos and miscellenous stuff Daddy will bring back form Australia...Hee...

Anyway, rotting at home is not boring for me, in fact, i've never considered holidays as being boring, nope.

Armed with my Tv set connectd to the SCV cable desktop box, a few good reads, my bed and aircon, and some friends who ask me out for shopping, i'm enjoying my holidays even if i havent have a lot of money to throw with me. And yup, i'm still jobless and plan to continue being jobless for this hloiday til i get a tuition assignment.

Til then folks... ;)

Happy Mothers' Day!

Happy Mother's Day Mum!

Mother's Day, a day where Mothers all around the world are thanked by their children for their effort since the day they were borned.

Every year, i crack my brains as to what i should buy for my mum. In fact, it's not the gift, but the effort that you really made to make your mum a little happier.

However, this year, i couldnt make up my mind as to what i should give her or what i should do. In the end, the day came too fast and i ended up with nothing except for a "Siao eh, Happy Mother's Day!"

Yes, you heard right, i said, "Siao Eh"(Crazy Fellow).

In my household, it's a common thing to call each other "idiot" or "crazy fellow". Of course, there is still the traditional "mummy/Daddy" being heard most of the time.

Yesterday, we celebrated Mother's Day in advance with Grandma and Grandpa at Clementi, the one Winz brought us to have "Cook-fry(in Hokkien)", that is, you order several dishes and eat them with rice.

Before the dishes came, it started to drizzle, so all of us carried our respective drinks and plate and settled indoors.

The food came pretty fast and soon all of us were gobbling down our food...

Mum and Bro...


Grandpa and Grandma...


Dad and I...


These are the dishes we ordered, or rather, i ordered...

Sambal KangKong


"San Lao Hor Fun"


Mango salad prawns


Herbal Chicken!


Vietnam Pork Ribs..Yummy, the meat was really tender, unlike most pork ribs..


We ordered this Tofu dish when the person came back, telling us there's no "Radish Tofu"..


All of us were satisfied with the dinner and ended up with fully filled tummies..

After dinner, we went grocery shopping at Clementi NTUC and bought the necessary stuff for the whole week.

Today, the whole family was frantically doing the final packing for Dad for his flight tonight, or rather, this morning, at 0000hrs.

It has been 11 years since Dad was last sent by his company abroad, that's a whole 2 years before my brother was born.

I recall the last time, he sent Mum and I to Grandma's house before he left for Japan the next morning.

When i woke up, i cried.

"Where's Daddy?" I asked Mum.

"Daddy go abroad for a few days, when he come back then he fetch us home ok?" Mum replied.

But i just couldnt stop crying cuz the little girl missed her Daddy already.

11 years have crept past, Daddy is sent to Australia for a few days. Thankfully it's just a few days and not a few months...

Dad hugged everyone of us, even BearBear, and left, waving goodbye to us as he dragged his luggage along.

Several minutes later, we missed him already. Now that sounds a little dramatic, but it's true...To ease his longing for home a little, the three of us took a photo and did a voice recording with my phone and made use of technology to send an MMS to dad.

Now, the responsibility of taking care of the family has fallen majorly on me cuz Mum tends to get panicky at times.

Things will be alright, i assured myself.

In a matter of hours, Dad will be in Sydney, cracking his brains for work, and me, i'll be taking care of the family, hopefully.. ;)

Til then folks.. ;)

Karaoke MayDay

Karaoke MayDay

MayDay, a day brought forward since centuries ago as a day to allow workers all around the world to have a rest after working like Donkeys all throughout the year.

This day, we decided to spend our day working out our voices at the Karaoke.

All of us woke up at 10am(probably one of the earliest days) and started washing up and getting ready.

We reached Lot 1 before 11am and realised many more reached even earlier.

Like packs of wolves rushing for food, everyone rushed to the gate once it was lifted to start the day. Except this pack of wolves has manners and knows the significance of queing up.

Once it once my turn, the receptionist told me that we only had 11am to 1pm, that's a whole hour shorter than the previous 3 hour span and we have to pay the same amount as before! And the arrangement of the rooms in Kbox doesn't help. Each room has a door with a large glass panel and a large slab of glass on the on thw window, allowing everyone passing by a view of whatever you're doing inside, so you wount have a chance to get crazy in there or pairs of eyes will be popping in.

1pm came too fast, we waddled out of the room rather reluctantly and shopped around the mall thereafter. With my mere allowance, i bought a little present for an approaching birthday and treated my bro to a cup of ice cream. Geez..

"La la la..."


Besides the lunch provided in the package, my bro's only interest was the drink...


And mum and dad posed..


After some walking, and walking, and some eating, we didnt know what else to do next and it was only 1:30pm.

Brainstorming session started, but we still couldnt decide on where to go next.

Only one idea popped up--> To continue exercising our vocals.

This time, no more KBox for us, instead we decided to try out Partyworld, which was recognised as many as being cheaper with better sound systems and rooms.

So off we set off, to Clementi's Partyworld...

Upon entry, the place looked drasticaly different from Kbox and gave a more high end look with gold-coloured handles and marble flooring.


Their TVs were obviously bigger, sound system better, and the rooms defintely had more privacy, unlike Kbox. This is one big plus point.

In Kbox, we wouldnt shake around or go crazy cuz liked i mentioned above, there wasnt much of a privacy, whereas in Partyworld, each corridor had only a few rooms, and the glasses on the doors were considered opaque. There was much privacy to talk about because only people from the other 2 rooms would walk out occasionally and the opaque glass panel blocked most of the room out of view.

Even the membership cards were significantly different...



According to common belief, Kbox's songs are more updated but Partyworld has a wider variety of songs but is cheaper. I realised Partyworld had rather updated songs too besides a wide variety and a lower price!

So if the next time i wana exercise my vocals, Partyworld would be my first choice!

All in all, we sang really loudly and enjoyed ourselves, throwing our arms in the air and even enjoying the children songs.

Geez...

Til then folks.. ;)