Cheryl's Birthday Celebration - April 12, 2006

Celebration of Cheryl's Birthday (April 11) on April 12, 2006



Cheryl's belated birthday celebrations went on rather smoothly, not forgetting the very rewarding bag of goodies flown in from the land of smiles, courtesy of our dear 'Mamanim'. Due to budget constraints and lack of replenishment of useful colourful paper in our wallets, Ramen Ten became a good choice as a place for the celebration.



After the usual photoshoot with the machines' built-in camera every meet-up, we made good use of the studio-like background in the photo-sticker machine booths. Talk about stretching your every dollar.

Wahaha.. After what seemed like more than an hour of our very own customised 'fashion shoot', here's the results:




And a peek at the makings and NG shots...



*Yawn* Look at the time, my clock reports 8:05am now. But no, its not the start of the day, but time for me to sleep. In case you think I'm somewhere in the States where the time's almost a whole round of difference, nah... I'm still stuck here in this sunny (& rainy) island. Watching lots of television programs as usual(Man, i'm doing lots of research to prepare myself for broadcast huh? Wahaha..)

Other than watching television programs (mainly dramas though - Korean & HongKong, that is..), reading some of my favourite author's books, and scanning through the papers before I lost contact with the print media's trend, eating (a little too much), testing my computer's limit by having it running for more than 12 hours a day continuously, criticising certain commercials - both print & broadcast - of their very low standards (probably due to the very low production cost-no excuse, man!), while drooling at the mass of foreign artistes as the pictures, information, and videos-on-demand are but 'a click away'.

If all goes well, school'll start in mid-may. Although some say no news might be good news, I'm starting to get worried at the delay and pestering whoever I can for some progress. Wish me luck!

Last of all, Happy Belated Birthday Cheryl Mummy! You'd been a great mum, really! One thing for sure, you call my name more often than my mum does, cuz she loves calling me an 'idiot' when I do the same. Wahaha.. what a joke. No one will believe this, huh? My family loves calling each other names - bad names. Gee..

Waves hit the shores every now and then
When your name gets washed away by the gushes of water,
it's not time to cry,
but time to write your name bold and clear all over again.
Only this time, with more might and courage.

"A Ja, A Ja, Fighting!"

Til then folks! ;)

Cheers!~

Tanglin Primary(1998) Gathering 2006

Tanglin Primary(1998) Gathering 2006 - April 1, 2006



Cheers to its success! The turnout was better than expected, I was prepared to be able to count the number of people with my ten fingers, but it was a pleasant surprise though. KayXiong even rushed down earlier than us even upon notice at the very last minute. Muahaha..

The six of us, earlier birds(I mean, earlier, not early. Yes, you get the point.) stood in a circle as we waited for some of the rest to arrive. But one of us thought we were too attention-grabbing standing in the middle of the always crowded Orchard MRT control station. So we dispersed to gather food and settled in Burger King at Far East Plaza(indoors, of course), with Shihlin's XXL Chicken Chop and Chirpy's Triple C set meal, complete with drinks from the fast food outlet.

The table gradually grew from a six-seater to a nine-seater as more joined in. Names that were cancelled out on the list 'miraculously' appeared again - welcome aboard once more! Aizat then started pouring the names of Tanglin Primary Class 6A (1998) classmates. The crowd then exclaimed, "He's not only a memory card, he's a hard disk!" This malay guy could even remember our Chinese names besides the English names, even some of us Chinese were ashamed that we'd forgotten some's surnames & Chinese names. Ask yourself now, can you do that? It's 8 freaking years since we'd graduated from primary school!

In just a while, the list of all 34 students of Pri 6A (1998) was completed. Impressive, Aizat! Some reminiscing went on till our stomachs hurt from excessive laughing. Playstation at KayXiong's place, block catching as well as area catching, desert savouring at Shirlene's parents stall - can't miss my favourite ice kachang, trekking along the railway and across to the English houses in search of 'ghosts', and vandalising the playground with whoever-was-here-on-whatever-date and whoever-likes-whoever...etc. Man, those were really the craziest days, young & innocent kids, out just to have all the fun they can take in.

How I wish I could go back in time through the time tunnel with my camera and capture all those classic moments. How I regret not buying the class photos cuz I thought that $4 I had to pay wasn't worth it - dumb me. Oh well, never mind, the memories are etched in my mind and will be till the day my memory fails me. Fond memories, with love.

The entourage then proceeded to the domestic helpers' favourite Sunday hangout - Lucky Plaza - for some archade-cum-pool.

Delinquents? muahahaha..


Generally, arcade for the girls & Aizat - Classic Car Racing with Daytona and the old-school must-play Flintstone memory game. And pool for the rest of the guys. (Erm..yea..limited activities.) Suggestions anyone?

When the remaining attendees arrived, we raced towards Sanur Indonesian Restaurant at Centrepoint to make it for our reservation for 10 at 7pm (cuz I was being kind to myself and started becoming pessimistic, thus the reservation for 10 for dinner). Thankfully, all that pessimistic bubbles were burst when the crowd came in, our table for 10 was barely spacious for the group of 14 and we had to squeeze a little to make way for the added chairs since the service staff said it was impossible for them to add more tables.

Hungry tigers waiting for their dinner at Sanur Indonesian Restaurant


The dinner went well as small chats went on here and there. We started chatting to those seated around us after the hungry tigers gobbled up their food. I barely touched the plate of Sambal KangKong before it was wiped out - urgh! that's my favourite dish! Ok ok, i admit that's only one of my favourites out of all the dishes ordered. As usual, when you ask everyone what would they like to order, the reply would be, "Anything". Yes, I get the message. So the organising committee took on the job of choosing and ordering our favourite dishes which we thought the rest would like too, along with the help of our malay friend during the ordering.

When the stomachs were finally filled, it was time for some drinks and catching up at The Balcony.

The Balcony


Nope, we didn't get ourselves drunk. Time was better spent with lots of catching up and jokes. I'll not go into details about the topics discussed, it'll never end. The talks went on till a good twelve midnight as our dear Catherine waved everyone goodbye with a "Seeya next year!" attached at the end. Hmmm.. we'll seriously consider that, on one condition - a guaranteed good turnout. In fact, a trip back to Tanglin Halt would be excellent - going down memory lane as we experience the things and activities we all once enjoyed together - simply great huh? Well, we'll see..

It's not easy being the organising committee. We're only glad complaints aren't thrown at us from the very kind attendees, thanks for appreciating our effort. We don't get money from organising these gatherings, you know.

With that, i propose a toast to the very spontaneous participating attendees of the Tanglin Primary (1998) Gathering 2006.

Attendees:
Cheryl, HsuehChing, HuiMin, ChingChing, Alex, Brian, Catherine, JawShyong, PohLeng, Aizat, Richard, Shirlene, KayXiong, HongBoon, Soon Kiat

CHEERS!~


P.S: I had wanted to update my blog more frequently, but due to the photos which proved really hard to shoo in, I leave thoughts and activities hanging in the air. However, the problem is most likely solved with my new precious-moment-capturing companion! Wahaha.. It's still good to depend on yourself, cuz like the nation's belief - No one owes you a living. Yes, although its inevitable to have to rely on others at times, planting your own seeds is always a good idea.


Til Then Folks!~

You know it when it has become a thing of "The Past"

You know it when it has become a thing of "The Past"




"You value our friendship?"

My foot.

I don't even bother to doubt whatever excuse was given. It's obvious - the difference between a reason and an excuse.

Painstakingly organised - well, maybe a little exaggerated, but the time, effort, and tons of sms sent are for real. Why waste our sms? When your efforts aren't appreciated, it sucks.

"Sorry, i don't think i'll be going."

You're sorry? Like seriously? More like just a word you use without much thought. You can go fly your kite for all you want.

It's irritating enough that all of you have thrown away what we considered " a friendship" in the past. Or maybe, i wasn't even a friend to you, all of us are but classmates.

Go and die. Yes, right now.

My Dad once asked me when we started organising the inaugural Tanglin Primary 6A'1998 Gathering, "How long do you think this gathering thing would last?"

"Hmmm.. i think as long as possible. Quite optimistic about it."

Yes, i just slapped myself. Real hard. It hurts, badly. You won't know how swollen the wound is.

I told myself time and again, not to bother with those who don't deserve. We stopped inviting those who'd rejected the invitation throughout the years. Why continue persisting since they insist on not coming? I told myself, not to give a damn to those who give excuses. I told myself I'm silly to get upset. I told myself they're simply not worth it. I told myself countless time. But I just cant help it. We're angry, year by year, it never fails to occur. No matter how hard I try to extinguish the fire within, the flame never dies.

Dishearted. That's the word.

The flame is dying. For real this time. When it proves pointless to carry on. It's time to give up.

Perhaps we'll completely give up organising after this round.

I won't be taken aback if this happens one day, in the near future.

"Friends no more?"

"Sure, we weren't friends in the first place anyway."

"Great. So it ends here. I won't wish you luck for your future endeavours. Just remember, don't don a red garment when you run out of it. Bye, forever."


Once lost, they can no longer be retrieved.







But I'm still glad there'll be coloured ones to replace these. Whether 5 or 6 attendees, you know I appreciate your attendence. With love.

Til Then..

HuiMin's Advanced Birthday Celebration at Table 108 - March 4, 2006

HuiMin's Advanced Birthday Celebration at Table 108 - March 4, 2006

Great food at the dinner table, with the duck dipped in various sauces and the Phat Thai winning favour. Colourful drinks ended the meal on a sweet(and bitter) note as the glasses emptied sip after sip. Only Ching couldn't finish her Long Island tea and complaint about getting all hot - literally. Lots of photo-taking, as usual. Wahaha..







Once again, Happy 20th Birthday Mamanim!

CHEERS!~ ;)

Til Then Folks!~

Fly me to the moon

Fly me to the moon

Everyone's either overseas enjoying the greener grass over on the other side or counting down to the day of departure. And here I am, stuck in the sunny (and rainy) island, polluting the Jurong canal as i drool with envy. Nah, I don't have to fly to the moon, there's no shopping there (kidding), somewhere else is enough.

No time. That's why i'm stuck here.
No companion. That's why i'm stuck here.
No money. That's why i'm stuck here. (Actually i could do something about this.. If only...)
No mutual desire to travel overseas. That's why i'm stuck here.

I'm desperate enough to want to go travelling alone. I guess it would be a whole new experience travelling alone, although it'll be rather boring after some time. Excited enough, i flipped through the pages of the thin blue book. I blinked at the figures with the greatest anticipation, but all the book did, was to stare blankly at me - literally.

Any sponsors? Thailand would be great. Ok, ok, Genting is good enough too. Fine, that's my limit - KL. Sure...I don't mind the resort at Malacca too. Yes, yes, a cruise would be great, erm, maybe a little better ones, at least a night or two on board? Urgh!!!! This is frustrating.. I want my holidays overseas please?!?!?

*Stamp feet on the wooden floor as the chubby fingers push away the tears*

When it comes to a point where it seems pointless, it's time to give up and look ahead.

Oh well, i'm sure Sentosa's not too bad too.

Sentosa anyone?

Til then folks!

I have only Japanese green tea to toast. Cheers, to whatever makes you happy!

Officially...

March 3, 2006 - The date marks the official end of our internship. I thought leaving the place would be hard, but i guess the high turnover rate in the media made leaving much simpler and people are so used to it that they don't really feel for it anymore (or so it seems). I still miss the pantry, probably the most well-equipped pantry with a stove, conventional oven, microwave oven, toaster, two coffee-makers - of which the kind & friendly auntie makes coffee with every morning for the office-goers, a refridgerator always packed with food & drinks, and a rather wide variety of instant drinks up for selection. I'd started packing more than a week before the last day of work, but it seems i'd left too many things at the office over time that even a little a day still left me lugging a bag full of belongings home. In case anyone's wondering, nope, they didn't offer to extend my stay as they already have plans to employ a full-time feature writer with experience. Don't ask me about my final grade. I can only say I'm not satisfied, for a simple reason - humans are never satisfied. (Ya, right!)

It's officially the start of a span of happy holidays for me. It might end shortly after, it all depends. If the local university in jurong town doesn't get back to me (they most probably won't), i'm more or less set on distant learning to get my degree from the Oklahoma City University through a not-for-profit(self-proclaimed) private institution. All it takes is two years to get a recognised degree. It's pretty disappointing that while local polytechnics are striving to change the perception of polytechnics as an 'alternative' route into a 'choice' route, the local universities are still considerably conversative in accepting diploma holders unless they soar high in grades. On the other hand, foreign universities recognise local polytechnic diplomas and treat them with due respect on a higher level - a level which diploma holders deserve. While failure of such respect is eminently missing in the local education scene, efforts are made to rectify the public perception, albeit slow in progress. As the saying goes, "Even if all doors are closed, there'll be a window left open for you." As long as you perserve, somehow the road ahead will open up for you when the time is ripe. Walk ahead, and the beam of light ahead will bring you to your destination.

I'm heading where i've always wanted to go. Glad that i'm pursuing something i've held onto since god knows when.

Happy holidays ahead.. and my calender is packed with fun-filled activities to date. Love the luxury of being able to lie in bed til a good 2pm without much worries. I've set an aim for myself to finish reading three detective stories within the allowed time frame for borrowing. We'll see if i'm disciplined enough to do just that. Meanwhile, some preparations undergoing for insights into my seemingly ideal future job. We'll see, too.

Money has been escaping from the pitiful account without turning back. I'll have to curb my desire to splurge to stop my wallet from bleeding profusely. But that'll mean a holiday with no life. No no no, not gonna let that happen. I told myself it's time to stop procrastinating. Yes, stop procrastinating HsuehChing! STOP, you idiot! Sometimes you just have to resort to scolding yourself to stop that crazy mind up there that does not function exactly the way you want it to.

Tanglin Primary School Gathering 2006 is finally undergoing the planning stage. I'm glad the initial response has been so-far-so-good. But we're all prepared for the worst, aren't we, my darling V3? Muahahah... If the time comes, i'll just sing along the lines of "Let it be..Let it be..Let it be..Let it be.."

Til then folks! Take gooooood care!

Cheers!~ ;)

Time creeps pass..

Update: Fiona Ng
Photos: Fiona Ng & Co.

It's been more than a month since the previous update. Being busy with internship is but an excuse to not update cuz no matter how hectic internship is, there's a line between personal time and work time. Gee..

A lot had happened, but i'm glad to say the recent events have not only been pleasant, but better and greater than expected most of the time. So much so that i'm afraid of any preceding storms hiding behind the facade of the beautiful scenery. Or perhaps, i'm juz letting my mind wander a little too far off, i always do.

Enough of typing.. i've been facing the Mac OS 9.2 at work and typing away without much inspiration the whole day. When the clock struck 6pm, it felt as if it was only lunch time. Gee..

I'll now hand over the time to the photos.. Enjoy!~

Lunar New Year 2006




De'Lites - SB Achievers' Function cum Farewell Assembly 2006


Photo Opportunity with the guy whom i'd admire during the primary school days - Thomas Ong


Mum's birthday 2006 - A simple affair..


More to come...

Oh yes, and the March issue of Eat! magazine I've been contributing to, is out in stores NOW! Grab a copy at only $2.50 today! Available at all 7-11, major bookstores and magazine stalls! Hurry! While Stocks lasts! wahaha.. Thanks!

Enjoy life people.. one more week to mark the end of our polytechnic lives, to wave our Diplomas and some to looking forward to replacing with a Degree. Life is good, and will only be better.

Til then folks..

Cheers! ;)

The Double "Yu" Birthday Celebration
~ January 13, 2006 ~

The celebration saw new faces as well as the usual old ones like mine. Several common ones couldn't make it, like Hj who was caught was with deadlines, so am I, but i made it anyway.

So we chosed Lao BeiJing restaurant, or rather, the birthday girl picked this place out of the 13 restaurants list i provided. Moveover, my fellow colleague recommended the place, and when she says it's good, i suppose it must be good.



Good decor for the mood. Somehow the place reminded me of the days where the 30 (or so) of us went to Beijing for a cultural immersion tour. The trip was great, but i believed it would be even better for me if i've made my presence felt more immensely. I think i have this big problem, of hiding away in a corner cuz that's where I'm most comfortable without my facade. It takes truly sincere individuals to convince that pair of hands of mine to remove the layers gradually. Corners and people I know i'm truly comfortable and feel secure with are my comfort zones, but to be able to survive in the 'treacherous' world and to enjoy life better, pulling myself out of the corner is something that requires immediate actions. Perhaps i just feel inferior due to the larger surface area i occupy, constantly concerned about others' view of me too much for my own good.

Work-wise, it's been great and real fun. People envy my job, to eat and write. Sure, it's enjoyable, and definitely it feels great to taste good food -- free. On the other hand, i might be given chances to try out other areas as well.

Anyway, it's time to plan my life ahead as time ticks pass every second. Graduation draws close, in fact, a little too close. Though i'm dying to graduate, i'm thrown into what seems like a confusion as well. Haven't been able to put my thoughts into appropriate words. I admit i'm bad at expressing myself, am pretty sure people around me know that. I'm constantly at a lost for words. Perhaps those communication classes aren't that redundant afterall. I desperately need more confidence. Praise me more please? Or is anyone selling confidence at a reasonable price? Call me at 1800-confidence-wanted. Gee...

Time to read more books-- constructive books.

Been thinking a lot about life lately, so much that i'm beginning to lose touch with the world. Unfortunately, those thoughts about life has failed to make me love shopping less. All those dramas portraying characters dealing with the unpredictables and uncontrollables instil new values of life in me. When scenes of the dramas happen in life, it seems so unreal. I try deluding myself it's not real, but i have to face it. It is real, afterall. Life, it's extremely fragile. It's not by choice, when destiny decides to play a trick on your life, you won't even get a chance to say 'Goodbye'. You can choose what to do in your life journey, but you can't direct exactly how it'll turn out. It'll be good to tkae things as it is and cherish whatever's given. I can't read people's thoughts, but i try to be sensitive to these feelings. Sometimes i wonder if it's necessary to do so since similar treatments are not returned as frequently as they are given out. Oh well...why bother about thinking that much in fact? Like the Chinese saying goes, the boat will naturally adjust itself to proper state when it reaches the harbour. So we'll just let it be for now...

I believe all good souls will eventually rise to heaven for peace and bliss. It'll be regardless of religion, race, nationality, and everything else that divides human beings.

By the way, my main motive here, is to publish these photos taken during the Double "Yu" birthdays Celebration but I guess i digressed a tad too much.. Gee..

Here goes..

Photos courtesy of Yutang's camera..





















That's all folks, for now..

Cheers to a brighter day ahead! ;)

CHing Belated Birthday Celebration cum V4 Christmas Gift Exchange - 30 Dec 2005

ChingChing Belated Birthday Celebration cum V4 Christmas Gift Exchange - 30 Dec 2005



When V4 gets together, it's just hours and hours of fun, joy, and laughter, topped with some craziness.

As comfortable as we are with each other, the adventurous side of us brings us to new places people of the norm doesn't go to. Separately, we might just show a hint of madness. But when combined, it's a huge bunch of uncontrollable madness. We do rather crazy things. It didn't matter that a few foreigners at the same place enjoying their night swim took occassional glances at us. Somehow, i felt they laughed at our 'foolishness'. However, if we don't do crazy things, it's not V4.

Thinking of ourselves as models for Min's camera, we posed, posed, posed, and posed for it til time silently went by...

















Happy Birthday Sis!








Til Then Folks!~ Cheers!~ ;)