June 23, 2008
After almost two years, we finally managed to go visit Pulau Ubin again. Although the number of people have dwindled to only three people…
Finally, we are at the sea, enjoying the sea breeze and the view and fulfilling our wish of revisiting Pulau Ubin.
Look at our happy faces!
At Pulau Ubin itself! You wouldn’t believe the number of people there! We had to literally squeeze our way through the crowd to the bicycle rental shop.
We rented our bicycles, but not more than 15 minutes later, Balan had problems with his bike. Apparently, something is wrong with the gear…
Went through the forest trail and found nothing, but at our first brief rest stop, we found this. Too adorable for words! Jason looks like he is scolding the rabbit, but actually, he was playing with it.
Along the way, we found monkeys! OK, not exactly some major discovery but it is still nice to see animals in their habitat.
We found the legendary shooting spot where TCS (MediaCorp’s old name) shot their ancient drama series! The photograph just doesn’t capture the beauty of it.
A old well! So I have never seen a well upclose before, sue me.
Zoom in photographs just doesn’t do justice to this islet. I have no idea what is the name of this islet but I thought it is beautiful.
The Coastal Broadwalk of Chek Jawa Wetlands. The walkway itself, and the wetlands.
Along the way, there is this metal plates and, as Balan described aptly, makes you feel like you are walking on water.
The White Tree Of Minas Tirith! It was really white and barren, although my skills have done great injustice to it.
Jason and Balan looking down at the sea and talking about nature. I thought it was a rather natural shot.
OK, this is where we climbed an almost three or four storeys high Jejawi Viewing Tower. And I was shaking when I reached the top. Not because of tiredness but rather, I was scared stiff. I’m afraid of heights, you see. But I managed to overcome my fear and took a shot of the vegetation below. Before I had a heart attack when the whole damn tower swayed…
Brave Jason sticking his head out for an artistic shot. Literally. I would rather die than do what he did!
Balan doing a SMU poster shot. And you wouldn’t believe how violently the whole tower shook…I had to stop myself from kissing the ground when we got off the tower. Yes, I’m that afraid.
Looking back now, I’m glad that I went to Pulau Ubin. I get to enjoy the nature and getting close to nature again. I have almost forgot the feeling of the winds against my face until we coast down the rocky forest trails, or the gasping for air as we cycled steep upslope. But most importantly, I enjoy the company of my friends, although there are only two. I guess it’s who you go with that matters most.
Cheers!
June 16, 2008
这本来应该是登在星期六的，但因为太晚回来，在加上有点疲倦，所以到现在放上部落格
昨天和中学同学一起到一间没有听过的餐厅聚会。现在回想起来，我们当中其实大部分的人都不知道怎么去那里。我昨天逛街一整个下午，到傍晚时份，已经有点困了。 我只是在后面瞎跟。而且拍得照片不多，也不好看。
这是自从南华毕业后，我唯一所拍的“全家幅”。那些不知道我们的历史，就算了。
我们的晚餐点了这些菜：
美式菜肴 - 鸡排、沙拉、苏尼、豆
马式菜肴 - 耶浆饭，外加沙拉、荷包蛋
日式菜肴 - 日式烧烤鸡，外加沙拉、海带
看起来很像好好吃，但他们的食物饮料不是太甜，不然就是太咸。但是现在回想，其实是我们误解了吧。民歌餐厅本来是听歌的地方，不是我们聚会吃饭的地方。
虽然晚餐不怎么样，但是我倒还挺享受的。我们在那里看到了LOVE 972 DJ 蔡礼莲，她老公和梁文福。
好多人来捧场哦！那时候的餐厅简直是满堂！
虽然没拍到蔡礼莲的照片，但至少以后可以向别人炫耀，蔡礼莲有为我们唱歌！
January 22, 2008
Tien says: er…
Tien says: you can call the hotline?
Tien says: lol
Min says: wha thanks ah..then talk to some gundu1 as well..whahaaha
Tien says: no lah
Tien says: not goondu1
Tien says: muslim from malaysia or singapore
Tien says: from malaysia, you suay
Tien says: from singapore, you better hang up
Min says: lol..kns2 la u..
It’s snippets of conversation like this that makes my day. I could almost hear her talking when I was reading the conversation. Suddenly, I’m glad I still have a friend where we can talk and exchange friendly insults.
Min says: next week i on night shift le leh..
Tien says: lol
Tien says: poor girl
Min says: yeee…
Tien says: what?
Min says: u la. puiz3
Min says: whahaaaha
Tien says: oi, min
Min says: what..
Tien says: i don’t have to work night shift next week
Min says: want to die issit… kns…………
Min says: u’re officially ignored from now..
I missed those secondary school days where we lounge around some bench in school and just talk nonsense. Now, it’s like Day 1: commute, work, commute, home, sleep. Day 2: repeat the process. I miss all my friends in school.
gundu/goondu1: It’s a local slang from Malay, I believe. It means a stupid person.
kns2: It is actually a dialect (Hokkien), “kana sia”, which can roughly be translated to “shit you” or “damn you”.
piuz3: It’s a Min patented invention. It is actually imitating the sound of a person spitting.
December 17, 2007
I feel like I’m a king whenever it’s lunchtime at work. I mean, food at Jurong Entertainment Center is amazing and it makes you wonder if there is an Imperial Chef working part time there. I’ve been there for only the gods know how many times (And myself too, actually) but the food there still taste amazing. This time, it’s “Hot Pans”, where they cooked the food and it is served up in pans, still sizzling and hot, despite the air conditioner. If you don’t believe, take a look.
Sorry for the poor quality. It was taken with a Nokia 5300 music edition camera phone, which, for your information, doesn’t have good camera qualities. That and the fact that people around me are wondering why I am taking pictures of my lunch instead of eating it. But I digress.
Anyway, the proportion they gave me was big. And may I emphasize on the word “big”. BIG. And when I mean big, I mean like this:
And once again, sorry for the poor quality. It was taken with a Nokia 5300 music edition camera phone, which, for your information, doesn’t have good camera qualities. But you guys already anticipate what I’m going to say, don’t you?
Lunch has never taste better before.
*********
I should be crowned the king. Nope, I’m not talking about the recent events in Thailand. No one except me is probably handling two gatherings in a row and still going for the third. So I’m arranging a gathering for my army friends and my secondary school friends. And I am considering going for the third, which is a gathering for my Basic Military Section (BMT) mates. Hey, give me the signal and I could probably do a gathering for my SingTel friends for free. You know, buy three and get one free.
Ok, most of you probably guess that I’m annoyed. Who isn’t? You arranged a gathering and the participants don’t seem to appreciate it. I’m not being egoistic or something. You have to go through the trouble of setting a place where everyone feels comfortable, a time where most people can make it and an eating place that has good food and able to cater to everyone’s taste. And answers from participants are not helping at all.
Such as no answer. So I have no foggiest idea what is going on. Did that person receive my message? Or did he changed his number?
Then there are also the questions. Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t mind questions, but I’m almost at my limits and they are asking questions in a convo such as this:
Tien says: so are you coming for the gathering at vivocity?
jerm says: what time
Tien says: 6pm
I didn’t include the time in? Or this:
Miracle says: eat what?
Tien says: food
Miracle says: what food?
But then again, in retropect, I guess he is sort of annoyed at my flippant answer. So I answered:
Tien says: marche
Tien says: then i’ll turn you guys loose and you can attack whatever food they have
Miracle says: yaya.. then maul the other customers and whoever gets in our way right?
Tien says: i won’t be stopping you
Miracle says: *roll eyes*
Or there will be the “maybe” types, where you have no idea whether or not he or she is going to turn up. Like this:
Tien says: so can you make it for the 23rd dinner?
Yong Chiang — an expensive paper plane…. says: eh
Yong Chiang — an expensive paper plane…. says: where and for wat ?
Tien says: christmas gathering
Tien says: long time no see mah
Yong Chiang — an expensive paper plane…. says: shld be can
Yong Chiang — an expensive paper plane…. says: shld be nothing on
I always welcome a straight “Yes” or “No”, but “maybe” makes me want to gnaw on my shirt and chew on my shoes. Ok, that was a little extreme, but you get the idea.
I’m surprised that I’m still preservering in this nonsense…
March 28, 2007
Peeking out shyly
Another day is here
But how much promise
Can it give today?
English Version:
It has been a long time since I last blogged, I believed. I’ve been gleefully taking a lot of pictures, but I think there is something wrong with my internet access at home. But at least I manage to upload a few new pictures.
I’m still new to all this photo-taking and I’m definitely not too sure about the finer details of it. Do feel free to give comments on how I fare, although the reason why I took pictures is because I like giving short descriptive messages to the pictures I took. For me, it would make the picture more complete, although everyone is constantly saying picture speaks a thousand words and what I am doing seems to contradict it…
Anyway, nothing much happened in my life at the moment. After the saga where my father was warded into hospital, he was discharged and finally, everything seems to be back to normal. If you don’t pay attention to the fight my sister and grandmother had. And no, I’m not going to elaborate on that. Some things are meant to be shared, yes, but this is definitely not one of those.
Work is still normal, where Zhi Huai and I are discussing the difference between working for StarHub and SingTel. It’s only now then I know that StarHub actually offers ten to fourteen dollars as some work allowance, but that is because you have to work through the night. Over at SingTel, although you are also working shifts, your working hours will never be earlier than eight thirty in the morning or later than eight in the evening. And there is definitely no overnight work. The only similarity Zhi Huai and I can find is that we are both being screamed by random customers…
And like I was telling Min, we seriously need to sync our working hours. Since we are both working shifts, there are very high chances where I’ll be working and she is resting, or vice versa. So it would be very difficult for us to come out and meet. I have a feeling that our talking-nonsense-and-slacking-for-no-reason-under-the-pretense-of-meeting-up-for-old-times-sake gathering has taken an abrupt and premature end.
By the way, food for thought. I come across a quote which I thought worth sharing, also it’s probably too common: A mind once broaden rarely returns to it’s former confines.
中文版：
相信大家都认为，感觉上我好像好久没有写我的网上日记了。我最近拍了很多照片但是因为家里电脑的互联网有些问题，所以只上载了几张照片而已。
这些拍照的技巧对我来说，简直是新花样来的，所以照片感觉上如果没什么特别的话，可别见怪。有什么意见的话不如提出来，因为我之所以会拍照，完全只是想简单的描述一下照片里的内容罢了。虽然每个人都会说：“画意能值万言” ，但是我还是觉得一张图片加上了描述的语言，会比较有内容。这么一说，又好像有一点矛盾。
无论无何，我生活中其实没什么太大的变化，如果不算我爸进出医院的话。除了我姐和我婆婆之间的“战斗” 以外，一切其实都很平静。想都别想，我绝对不会透露到底发生什么事的。有些东西是该分享的，但这绝对不是其中之一。
值班还是如同，但我和ZHI HUAI有讨论SINGTEL和STARHUB的区别。我现在才知道原来STARHUB有给十块到十四块的工作福利，但那也是因为得做通宵。但在SINGTEL，你的工作时间一定是不会早过八点半或迟过晚上八点的。而且绝对不需要值通宵班。我们俩人唯一的共同点就是会被客户骂。。。。。。
对了，就像我跟MIN所说的，我们得开始对一对我们俩人的工作时间表。我们要见面的话很难，因为我们的工作时间表很有可能会向冲，不是她做工而我休息，不然就是我做工她休息。我有一种预感我们的休闲与己废话聊天会合时间突然的提早结束了。
对了，有句话虽然是很普遍，但还是想跟你们分享：“人一旦接触到新事物，不会回到原来的细想范围。”
February 3, 2007
Graduation (Friends Forever)
And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives
Where we’re gonna be when we turn 25
I keep thinking times will never change
Keep on thinking things will always be the same
But when we leave this year we won’t be coming back
No more hanging out cause we’re on a different track
And if you got something that you need to say
You better say it right now cause you don’t have another day
Cause we’re moving on and we can’t slow down
These memories are playing like a film without sound
And I keep thinking of that night in June
I didn’t know much of love
But it came too soon
And there was me and you
And then we got real blue
Stay at home talking on the telephone
We would get so excited and we’d get so scared
Laughing at ourselves thinking life’s not fair
And this is how it feels
[1] - As we go on
We remember
All the times we
Had together
And as our lives change
Come Whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever
So if we get the big jobs
And we make the big money
When we look back now
Will our jokes still be funny?
Will we still remember everything we learned in school?
Still be trying to break every single rule
Will little brainy Bobby be the stockbroker man?
Can Heather find a job that won’t interfere with her tan?
I keep, I keep thinking that it’s not goodbye
Keep on thinking it’s a time to fly
And this is how it feels
[Repeat 1]
La, la, la, la:
Yeah, yeah, yeah
La, la, la, la:
We will still be friends forever
Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?
Can we survive it out there?
Can we make it somehow?
I guess I thought that this would never end
And suddenly it’s like we’re women and men
Will the past be a shadow that will follow us ’round?
Will these memories fade when I leave this town
I keep, I keep thinking that it’s not goodbye
Keep on thinking it’s a time to fly
[Repeat 1 (3x)]
*********
English Version:
Yo, this song suddenly just came to me when I was thinking about how to go to my friend’s birthday gathering. Funny how true all these seems to be only when we graduate. Anyway, haven’t seen some of them for a long time already. I wonder how much they have change. And I’ll try not to be too gloat too much about the fact that I’m going to ORD next week while they still have about one year and three months more to go. We all live a long way from our birthday boy’s house. After all, gnawing on your liver is not something you want to do in the public…
中文版:
嗨，我在想如何去我朋友家时，不知为何，这首歌突然浮显在我脑海里。觉得很奇怪，因为在读书时都不会想到这首歌的真正含义。对了，好旧没看到那些家伙了，不知道他们现在如何。我也会尽量不要在他们面前炫耀，他们还有整整的一年三个月才退伍，而我却在下个礼拜就可以退伍的事啦。从寿星公的家到我们自己的家，路途遥远吗。在怎么说，咬牙切齿，在众人面前怀着怨恨的眼神，会有损男子气概吗。。。。。。
December 20, 2006
Three days, a sore arm, a callused hand and a few colour pens later, I finally finished 51 Christmas Cards and ready to send them out…Looks like I finally managed to beat the time and send them out in time…Whew, that’s a close shave…
October 29, 2006
Today has been a day of mundane stuff. After the overseas training trip, it seems a little anti-climax that I have to go back to doing all the mundane stuff of life, like cleaning my room, washing of clothes, packing of clothes, washing of groundsheet and fieldpack and stuff as such…
Nothing much accomplished today, except I met up with Jun Liang again to pass him something. *shrugs* Not everyday is an exciting day…So how’s YOUR day?
August 31, 2006
Nope, no pictures. At least, no pictures at the moment. My sister is too lazy to transfer from her computer to mine, so let’s deal with it at the moment. There is something wrong with the pictures though, since a majority of the pictures came out blurred. “It’s got to do with the lighting. It’s too strong…” My sister’s words, not mine. Professionals like Rayts are welcomed to comment on the pictures the moment I got my hands on it. Until then, sorry, you guys have to wait.
But it was quite a fun day, although we didn’t really do much. But doing nothing much is pretty fun once in a while. We (And by we, I mean me, Jason, Balan, David, Eugene, Edmund and Robbin) went there early so we thought we might as well utilise the time to start fire and cook something to eat. Growing boys need food, you know. Ahem…
Of course, we need some entertainment. So we played “Open Numbers”. PS’s favorite game. Although he is not around to join in the fun. Hahaha. The final forfeit? A homemade drink of Chrysanthumun (I just realised I can’t spell this word without checking…), Coke, Lemon Tea and, with courtesy to my bright idea and Balan’s bold action, Thailand sweet and sour chilli. The result? Balan get to drink it. Talk about retribution…
We also got to explore a lot about digital camera. Balan bought one this very morning, you see, so we were “helping” him to familiarise the functions of the camera. We also took quite a number of group pictures, although I was a little sad when I realised I forgot to take photos personally with each and everyone present at the chalet. It was one of those rare chances when we were all in civilian and present at one place. I only managed to shag a group photo and “persuaded” a few to take photos with me…
The ending to the day was a little anti-climax though. Thanks to Balan (again…), we walked fifteen minutes, during which we were feeling very sorry for ourselves, before we got to flag down cabs. But all in all, it was quite a fun day. A break from all those haunting barricades, you see…
August 12, 2006
Like our bubbly and ever optimist, Jason, would say, “Hey, peeps!”. Yea, I know, I haven’t been blogging as much as I did in the past. I’m at the part of my studies where I don’t want to write. I just want to read. I mean, I do think a lot, but whenever I sit in front of the computer, my mind suddenly turn blank. I can think a lot when I’m walking, running, playing piano, playing computer games, watching television and all those stuff, but the moment I sit down, I simply can’t write. I call this “Post Activities Writing Moment Disorder”…Scientists should invent something that attach wires to our brains and record our thoughts down, so we are able to review them when we need it…What a great invention it would be.
Anyway, back to more mundane stuff. Today has been a day of accomplishments. I went to the Library Book Sale this morning, with Jason and Balan, to take a look at, as you can guess, books. There was a fair amount of excitment in the air. At least it is for me, since the rest of the people seems more interested at looking for books.
I saw a lot of books, books that I read, books which I saw before but did not fancy. In fact, I was able to pick up a substantial amount of books, all ranging from children series like “Finnegan Zwake”, to “Mediators”, to “The Horrors of 21st century”, to even “Buffy” and “Angel” series. I mean, come on, I’ve been book hunting since I was like what, twelve? But in the end, I returned them all to the book holders.
“That’s it! He has finally went bonkers!”…No, actually, I’m not. I enjoy hunting for books. I mean, actually those books were old. Old as in not the condition but the way they are written. Besides, those books that I picked up are books which I read before, and I did not know if I say this before, but I could remember the stories almost as soon as I saw them. For me, there’s no point owning them.
Not only that, those books are not in very good condition. I like my books new. I took care of them and I make sure they stay as close to their original condition when I bought them, no matter how many times I read or flip through them. I don’t know if all book lovers take such good care of their books, but I am definitely one of those who can’t stand people who waste books away.
Anyway, while Jason and Balan were happily queueing up to pay for their buys, I rushed down to Red Cross just in time to get my certificate before they closed. I figure out that after months of procrastinating, it’s time to get it before something really comes up and I can’t get it. I remember our own training when I saw the new trainees handling the manakin, trying to do their CPR…
I think today is probably one of those rare days where I went out with my friends for almost one whole day, doing some mundane stuff together and bonding. I mean, now when I go out with my friends, it always celebrating someone’s birthday, instead of sitting around and talking about the past, talking about us, talking about what is happening and what is going to happen. I used to do it with Jun Liang, talking about almost anything under the sun, but now, he’s busy, I’m busy…Heck, we don’t even talk to each other on the phone anymore…Can’t do. Got to bother him one of these days.
Anyway, I just realised this rant is starting to get a little long (and moody as well, in fact)…See ya guys around!
PS: I bought myself a new bag. Yay me!
