see our new Shadow Cabinet...

Finally got around to oil painting again after making a hundred and one excuses for putting it off till “tomorrow” – really felt good just blending and meshing the colours together and plonking them onto the canvas.. it’s so true what this one artist once said – that “the real purpose of painting is not to actually create a painting, but rather to achieve the certain feeling that one gets when painting” .. I know what he means..

busy day at the store… we put up a tiny ad in the papers yesterday for a “Full Time Retail Assistant”. It read: Join the team at a fun and exciting Art store! We are looking for someone eager to serve, friendly and pleasant, responsible, committed and willing to learn. And the response was overwhelming!! Spent almost the whole day either interviewing or picking up phone calls from people responding to the ad.. wow! what did we do right?? Didn’t we all just read in the papers that Singaporeans are still shunning service line jobs despite the downturn? This is the first time we are actually putting personality ahead of knowledge and qualification – and by the end of the day, we were seriously spoilt for choice with the huge number of suitable applicants :) goody goody…

Beadhub is selling this really interesting product called Art Clay which looks and feels and moulds like ordinary air-dried clay but transforms to silver when fired in a kiln! Wow! Pretty impressive but tiny 10g block costs something like $30! There is even a real gold one - can't imagine how much it would cost!

oh no!!! I'm on the very popular dailybread!!! :p

just got feedback that the lesbianic, psychotic women I portrayed for my friend’s cousin’s TP project last month was “really really good!” ….umm … I don’t know… hahaha…

One customer gave me a huge cactus today! Add that to the other “presents” I’ve received so far - which include old jam jars, a commemorative phonecard, an antique lamp shade, a box of Lindt chocolates, and the one that definitely takes the hat – a giant old dried palm frond measuring at least a metre across (!) which got Kai exclaiming “what the f*** is that??” when she saw it being carried into the shop (by this sweet tiny 75-year-old lady) through our shop’s security camera from the office - and you can imagine how much my customers love me!! Hahaha.. durrhh… ok..no shy.. :p Kai gets pretty impressive presents too.. this customer actually got a florist to deliver this giant floral arrangement that completely obscured our security camera's view (!) when we put it in the office and this other old man (her area of customer expertise – mine is old/middle-aged aunties) gave her a tiny expensive-looking Egyptian statue from The Met Shop! They love us!!! :)

Bumped into another old schoolmate Daniel today! Funky (currently blond-haired) guy appeared in the news today (missed it) and will be in the papers tomorrow! Go support his new play 2 Feet Above starting at the Substation from 13 Dec! falalala.. tis the season to bump into old schoolmates.. : p

Horror Story
Read in Today this commentary from this guy on how, as a result of his being “ignorant of the finer workings of the electronic cashless payment system” ended up with a warrant of arrest issued against him and a whopping fine of $600! I almost ended up this way too, remember?!! According to him, he did not realize:

1. That there are two different types of traffic fine payment machines – Nets machines and SAM machines.
2. That there are four different types of traffic fines – from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), the Housing and Development Board (HDB), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Traffic Police.
3. That the SAM machines (which are more common and can be found at every Post office) do not accept fines imposed by the Traffic Police (the fine I got lor!) whilst the Nets machines (which are nowhere to be found) do not accept LTA fines (now I know!)

He only went to the SAMS machine to pay his huge bunch of traffic fines and hence did not realize he had, among the numerous fines, a $70 one issued by Traffic Police (same as mine!!). That was what caused the eventual trauma.. poor guy…

Character Tests

1. Which Lord Of The Rings character are you? (I haven't done this yet 'cos I haven't read the book :p)
2. Pooh-Piglet Psychometric Personality Profiler - Which character from Winnie-The-Pooh are you closest to? (I am a bit of a cross between Eeyore and Pooh.. umm... cute)

Streetdirectory.com's Routing Instructions are amazing!!

Just watched a stunning performance by apparently (ok, I’m ignorant) internationally renowned Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal. Had no idea what to expect (since didn’t know ballet could be in any other form other than Classical.. err.. actually come to think of it, I have watched this other so called “Gothic” ballet before as well… umm) so was suitably impressed. Very energetic, avant-garde style ballet accompanied by a wide repertoire of different music (some of which really don’t sound like Jazz to me). Crowd favourite was definitely the third Act “Sous le rythme, je…” which started with crescendo-ing eerie, thriller-type music and white stage light slowly lightening up bunch of struggling cotton sacks. Music and light then dies down, replaced by odd assortment of traditional/ tribal instrumental music (even a rainstick) played by 5 women sitting on a raised platform. Out emerged (ya, from the sacks) five bare-torsoed (and quite muscular) guys who commenced moving in puppet-like fashion as if controlled by the instruments. Quite mesmerizing... :)

Caught up with an old schoolmate today who popped into my Bras Basah store after spotting me while walking by. We haven’t seen each other for almost 11 years!! It’s interesting just to hear about the different paths each of us have taken since we left school and finding out the classmates that each of us are still in touch with. Convinced that everyone (i.e. in the whole class) is, in one way or other, still in contact with someone else so it might not be that difficult to actually organize a class gathering (i.e. if someone can find the time/effort to do so)! Found out she is also suffering a mild form of “Quarter-life crisis”.. well, who isn’t? : p

Just heard from friend about a new mobile phone cover made to look like a condom! umm…

oh no, oh no!! Instead of saying the right thing or just being a good listening ear, I said THE WRONG THINGS!! doesn't help when you have a confused, blundering friend like me around when you need comfort :( I feel so bad now... I was supposed to be an encouraging friend and instead I sank her spirits and threw her into temporary despair!! :O Fortunately, things have since improved between them.. progress.... :)

just got my Indian visa, my two-in-one jab for both Hep A & B (ouch!) and confirmation that I'm staying at Vagator Beach Resort @ Vagator. Hope they have Internet access there, then I can continue to blog and keep all of you my dear fans informed of my whereabouts.. :p

actually feeling a bit down now that one of my closest friends is suffering relationship woes.. it's terrible not knowing what to say or do to comfort and encourage her.. I guess the usual expectation is that I should just be there to listen and offer a shoulder to cry on.. but still, sometimes, I really wish I have the right thing to say that will bring up her spirits all at once, that she will once again be encouraged and hopeful.. and want to live life fully again, even if things are different now...... but I know that all I can do now is to pray that she will be strong and that things will turn out right somehow...it's hard.... :(

url: hairless guinea pigs.. strange...

I liike this Magnadoodle thing. Very fun.

feeling superb after a 4.6km run just now and not ”blogging till 4am” (alb’s description of my nocturnal weblogging habit) last night.

another enjoyable house-hotting party last night at karen’s place, catching up with RGS lot of friends. Realized all of us have indeed “grown older” after michelle exclaimed that “we are no longer sitting under rotating fans at east coast bbqs and chalet drinking coke, listening to blasting mambo music and talking about breakups and boyfriends” – instead, here we were in karen’s ultra-modernist décor condo, in air-con comfort, eating pasta (karen’s wonderful lasagne), sautéed mushrooms and healthy salad and sipping quality white wine, listening to lounge-y jazz music and talking about marriage and children (and other such “adult” topics).. oh dear! : p

have been going on shopping sprees for trip and have so far acquired a Therm-o-compass (which tells me the temperature and where North is – on a keychain), a Mini Maglite torchlight (which triples up as flood light, spot light or free-standing candle mode – in cool metallic blue), 10 rolls of Fuji Provia slide film, a box of 788 Polaroid film, new Arena swimwear, a pair of slick TYR Champion goggles, and a new compact Goa guide (:p with pictures, you see..)

url #1: soap that grows hair after a few days out of the package... err...
url #2: Remember the annoying paperclip man in Microsoft Word? Check out this downloadable video.. it's really funny! :).. and he's not the only one who feels this way.. read this article too!

was so busy at the shop yesterday I didn't even have a chance to pick up my Visa from the Indian High Commission. Quite a bit of stuff to do before I go..still have one more jab for Hep A (*ouch! :( ) at doc's today, need also to pick up air tickets from agency, buy film (slide? polariod?), pay off my bunch of phone and credit card bills, get M1-roaming facilities, change money (??) and maybe start buying my toiletries and other such stuff.. trying to avoid last-minute panic for a change :p

Travel Checklist
~ Passport (& Visa)
~ Tickets
~ Credit Card
~ International Driving License (just in case)
~ Stationery (Pen & Paper)
~ Notebook (Travel Journal)
~ Luggage Bag
~ Day Pack (for camera, guidebook, water, film, wet tissues and wallet)
~ Sunglasses & Cap
~ Handphone & charger
~ Camera (slr, polariod, lomo (yes! :)) and film
~ Alarm Clock
~ Swiss Army Knife
~ Padlock
~ Money Belt
~ Torch Light (& extra batteries)
~ Light Literature (LOTR!)
~ Guide Book (Rough Guide to India)
~ Panadol
~ Band Aid
~ Antiseptic Cream
~ Insect Repellant
~ Lomotil (anti-diarrhoea tablets - or immodiium)
~ Facial cleanser and moisturizer
~ Lip balm
~ Deodorant
~ Contact Lens & Solution
~ Shampoo & Conditioner
~ Shower Cream
~ Wet Tissues
~ Comb or Brush
~ Toothbrush & Toothpaste
~ Clear Plastic Bags
~ Clothes Line
~ Extra AA Batteries
~ Washing detergent
~ Towel
~ T-shirt & Shorts
~ Disposable Underwear (Jui Sheng)
~ Jeans
~ Dressy thing (just-in-case)
~ Swimwear (just-in-case)
~ Warm Clothing
~ Slippers
~ Walking/Hiking Shoes
~ Socks (at least 2 extra pairs)

was among the first 1,000 people in Singapore to catch Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on the 2nd day it opens! Quite a long show (2 1/2 hours!).. and honestly speaking, a tad bit slow-moving at times but I did really enjoy some of the special effects and the storyline was quite an appeal. I also like the Quidditch (a little like air-borne rugby) game they were playing in the show. It's one of those cannot-miss shows - so anything I say will not change your mind whether or not you are going to see the show anyway .. :)

exams are over and kids are flooding Orchard Rd!! Really feeling the holiday mood now with the Christmas tree up and the crowds thronging the store - busy busy busy... went to get India tourist Visa today ($80! ouch!) and also borrowed another Lonely Planet - Guide to Goa from Library.. I'm ready for my trip! Quite excited and looking forward to white sandy beaches, colonial Portuguese architecture and UNESCO sites at Hampi! :)


Just had yummy Mushroom Cheese Prata at Niggi's The Cheese Prata Shop (next to the equally famous Fong Seng 24hr Nasi Lemak store just outside NUS) with Kai and almost got booked by bunch of police for "obstructing traffic". Had to go up to them and argue with them about how they do not have any reason to book me since the car was not actually parked along any double yellow lines or single white line or such. All they could tell me was that there were "complaints" from residents.. durrhh??? They were trying to walk away until I demanded to know if they had booked me or not. Silly traffic woman then told me she will be submitting my car no. to traffic police and they will send me a warning (i.e. they will book me next time I commit the same offence). So annoying.. how am I supposed to know residents had complained?? ESP??

btw, did you enjoy my Goldfish game?? Try the Turkey Game this time! They are really cute and you try to shoot toast at them! And what an amazing variety of Pocky snacks! Also Tofurkey = Tofu + Turkey

hahaha... this page lists down the strange things people in Hong Kong actually name themselves as collected by the site author through "personal observations, newspapers and magazines, business cards, and email registries" - there is a whole page of them! Imagine yourself being called "Action Kenny".. umm....hahahahah....but then again there really is an Apple Hong, a Noodle Cheng and a Fruit Chan...so...

Just found this - it is so creepy! I hate it.... :(

just had a vaccination jab for typhoid fever and took a blood sample (my blood refused to flow out of my veins!!) to test if I have natural immunity against hepatitis A. Arm is aching so much now i can hardly type.. :( ... I HATE INJECTIONS!!! ):O Read on the web about this one girl somewhere whose whole arm turned blue when she took a vaccination jab for something - eeks!.... Apparently, according to Sis, there are some people in Australia who are so opposed to mandatory vaccination of children that they have set up a society against that. In Australia, if you don't vaccinate your child, you will be left out of the education system or something like that. But check out this coherent argument given by this certain Australian doctor, Viera Scheibner, against vaccination. She maintains that injecting vaccines throws the body´s own immune defenses out of the game and proves that babies in fact feel tremendous stress when given vaccination jabs.. wow, makes you really think twice about vaccinating yourself.. In fact, check out these many other studies that link social violence and criminal behaviour to childhood vaccinations! But I guess kiasu Singaporeans are not likely to ever say no to a public (free/subsidised) programme like that.. I mean, can you imagine your mother writing to the Ministry of Health and saying no? It's more likely that she would say - "Better go and take. Otherwise next time have to pay!" Apathetic? Or just plain ignorant? I don't know...

can't type anymore.. my arm really hurts..bye bye for now..

Latest Corrections From An Expert Source:
GPS is a navigation system using satellites orbiting the earth and a handheld receiver. The GPS receiver can receive transmitted signals from these satellites. With signals from a minimum of 3 different satellites, the receiver can calculate your exact location on earth.

Knowing your exact location on earth is pretty useless, without a reference waypoint or a map, because it is just a number. With the help of the GPS receiver and a map, you'll able to know your location, in reference to another point. With a map, the location will help you pinpoint your position in a map. It will be useful on your hiking trip to Nepal, when you're lost in the Sahara dessert, or when you lose your direction while driving in M'sia (I think this point is a subtle reference to me but I shall pretend to ignore it :p)

There are many units of measurements for GPS location, just like the different unit of measurements for length. To make things more complicated, earth is not flat. To "flatten" the earth on a table, like a map on the table, you can do it differently. Imagine peeling your orange skin. You can peel it in different ways, and still be able to "flatten" the entire skin on the table. That is exactly how the earth surface is "peeled" out, flatten and mapped.

There are different ways of "flattening" earth for mapping, adopted differently in each countries. These standards are called datums. They are always indicated in accurate maps and atlas.

Why all these information? Because you need to know how the map was created and what unit to use, in order to navigate correctly, base on the map and position collected from GPS.

If you think that's hard, think about your next visit to buy clothes. Size S,M,L,XL is different from store to store. You'll might know that size L of clothes made in Singapore, might mean size S from overseas tailors. Your sleeve lengths might be measured in cm here, but others might use inches. Therefore, you'll need to know the "sizing" and the correct ruler to use ;)

There you have it, an expert's explanation! Cool huh?? :)

Check out alb's new GPS Info Page! err... GPS = Global Positioning System - it's basically a system that helps you (with the help of this bunch of 24 satellites in space - of which you can only see 12 at most at one time since the earth is round and turns and turns.. durrh.. :p) to figure out where you are and where you're going with the help of exact coordinates which you detect with a GPS receiver. This tutorial is quite good for some basic understanding.

alb just tried to give me a crash course on navigation and datums and cassini numbers. All I can remember is, there are many datums out there. A datum is some kind of "model" that is used to match the location of features on the ground to coordinates on the map. Different maps may use different datums to plot the locations of places, hence, if you analyse any map data without knowing the datum, you may end up in an entirely different place (something like trying to find a location but using an entirely wrong scale e.g. cm vs metres). The use of Cassini numbers (e.g. x=28349.0000&y=31545.0000 for Orchard Cineleisure) is just another way of depicting x and y coordinates on a map. He also brought up something about diferent ways (I think, since I am getting confused) on how to flatten the earth. Using an example of an orange, we may choose to slice it North to South and hence lay it out like a flower, with the South Pole as the Centre. We can also just roll it flat out after one North-South slice. How the earth is flattened will affect ...err.. how ... oh dear, i don't remember anymore!!! :( knowledge leaks from my brain like mucus.. I think I need another lesson..

Anyhow, GPS is probably not very useful in Singapore since everyone navigates around Singapore by way of either MRT stations or MRT lines anyway.. I mean, when we are lost, we will probably just ask any nearby auntie or ah pek, "Ex-cue me hor, where is nearest M-Ah-T sta-sen har?". We'll never get lost, all thanks to our efficient and forward thinking Government. More Good Years!

I'm the bubonic plague!

Take the Affliction Test Today!

These two funny chaps just walked by my bras basah store!!! hahaha...

feel like shooting hamsters, pop stars or (more legitimately) Osama bin Laden? Check out this assassins page! It's quite addictive. Or you can just watch hamsters or amoeba dance away... ok ok.. i'm frivolous...

watched a bit of reality tv Fear Factor just now. Eeks! They make people free-fall down 12-storey buildings, eat sheep eyes and hang them upside-down in water!! very disturbing watching people suffering just to win prizes.. this guy was actually flailing his arms in the water in absolute terror! i don't think i'll ever join a race like this (maybe Survivors -haha- or The Amazing Race - fun!! ) just in case they make me take injections or drink Jasmine Green Tea (yucky!! :p)

travel url: a race to row across the atlantic!

Met the most ridiculous and immature and unprofessional individual i've ever encountered today! Staff from bras basah called us early this morning to tell us that our next door neighbour (this guy called Raymond) from Signcraft had suddenly cut off our electric supply because we had apparently not paid him for the invoice he gave us last week! Background to this is firstly, we actually share a common electricity supply line with our neighbour, though we each have our own meters to calculate how much we each incur per month. For some strange reason, Signcraft had not paid their electricity bills for the past 5 months and hence they had not billed us as well (until we got one single invoice on 10 Nov). In the meantime, they got warning letters from Singapore Power to pay up. Only when they actually got the third and final warning to pay up or get their line cut off by 19th Nov (which is today) did they start chasing us for our part of the payment For the next 5 to 6 days, Raymond started to bug us morning and night even though we explained repeatedly that we could not get our boss to sign the cheque payment at such short notice (being only 5 to 6 days since we got the invoice!) and we would pay him as soon as we could. Without notice, we got our line cut off by him (mind you, it wasn't Singapore Power that cut it off.. Signcraft themselves still had their own electric supply runnning) this morning. When we confronted him in-person immediately after failing to talk sense to him over the phone, we found a shivering, cowardly guy who admitted he was childish and angry. durrhh??? Ridiculous chap continued to refuse to turn on our electric supply and eventually, we had to call in the police (whom he even tried to get to throw us out of his shop - much to their rolling-eyes amusement), the landlord (who gently - so as not to hurt his fragile pride and as if talking to a stubborn child - told him it was wrong of him to do that) and also Singapore Power itself - in front of all of whom he made a public spectacle of himself as he demanded an apology from us for "ignoring" his repeated calls and still continued to think he was right. What a rigmarole that cost us a whole morning of work!

Such people make working a pain.. grr...

Bubblecraft is really funny - it's a Flash movie - quite anti-climactic.. but the tune is rather Euro-trashy so it is actually quite dancy (something you will find on WKRZ91.3FM radio station). It reinforces the suspicion-fact that the net is really quite randomly scattered with the most frivolous time-wasters.. hahaha... which brings to mind ManBeef - for meat-eaters out there.. human meat that is...ummm..

goa in 2 weeks' time!!

was at clarke quay's busker festival just now and chanced upon THE CHALKMASTER! hahaha.. actually, that's really what he calls himself. Toronto-based guy (I think) was drawing (legally) on the tarmac ground using none-other-than Prismacolor Nupastels to raise funds for the Autism Research Centre!! ok.. I think 9 out of 10 of you don't know what Nupastels are.. it's actually the brand of quality chalk pastels brought in by our shop from the US. Really cool. He actually does this at home for a living! Check out the amazing Superman he has done! Spoke to him for a while and promised to support him with a box of pastels if he drops by at our shop tomorrow. He'll be at One Fullerton from Tuesday to draw Spiderman! Go support him.

played Goldfish Catch just now - it's so fun!! you come home to find your evil roommate tossing your beloved goldfishes into the frying pan and you have to save them by catching them and tossing them back into the tank before they fry and go to heaven! hahaha.. the poor creatures even squeak and scream! - but it's really sad when you lose them... I will kill my roommate if she does that to me!! :p The rest of the games at Arcade Vault look fun as well.. will check them out when I can find the time.... Time.. sigh...

watched a superb French movie (after a while, the fact that it is in a foreign tongue doesn't seem to matter anymore - what with the brilliant script, cinematography, fine acting and all) Brotherhood Of The Wolf (Le Pacte des Loups) just now - cinema was so packed we had to sit in the 2nd row from the front - murder mystery-thriller packed with exciting fighting scenes, cool costumes, great plot, excellent cinematography, great bods ... in fact, the show was so engaging we didn't realise it was more than 2 hours long! Go see it - it's worth every cent of the price of the ticket! Funnily enough, some of the best movies I have seen recently have been in a foreign tongue - especially Lagaan - this Hindi-movie I watched at Bedok cinema. It was so long (4 hours to be exact!) that they actually had an intermission to allow people to stretch and visit the washroom!

Just did a quick mental count: I think there are more men (at least the ones I know) reading my blog than women! Oh well.. this is for you guys then :p: The Modern Man teaches other men How To Become a Sex Object in just five easy steps. How can you pass an opportunity like this up??

Helping a dear friend now through a relationship crisis - for the rest of you out there that I am not managing to reach out to: Spank The Monkey in the meantime. Good, clean fun.. don't worry.. and turn on the volume. Nicer with the music.

didn't blog last night - first break in 2 months! Reason: very happening day (and hence very exhausted): As the saying goes: Tired But Happy.. err... cliche.. :p

off-day but still had to go into office and later rush to Telok Kurau Sec (East Coast) to deliver something to the art teacher (they are having their art exams!!) Thereafter, decided to save money (and be a little outrageous) and walk back from Still Road to Bras Basah Complex! Another one of my legendary (meaning: epic, not imaginary) long walks! Actually, it wasn't really that long. I checked it on the street directory later and found that it is actually only 6.6km :p. Walked through the whole of Geylang from Geylang Serai market (where I stopped to say hi to Sarkarsi Said Tzee (local batik painting guru featured on local TV before)), stare at the famous foodie stops and durian stalls, and mingle with the local crowds - passed Kallang area (with its refreshing greenery and river), headed into Arab Street area (where I stopped by to say hi to my friends at Redbox flower shop), before coming to Victoria street and meeting up with Kai at our Bras Basah branch. Hahaha.. other than the sky displaying a constant threat of (and eventually actually) raining, it was quite fun.. See Tour Pictures (use the slideshow feature) - don't miss my b&w pics at the end!

dinner at Marche (very very crowded) before going to Kai's place again to finish silk painting -> Check it out!

finally finished Bridget Jones's Diary on the bus yesterday- Aiyah, still turned out to have fairy-taleish ending in the end... wish the ending was more.. unexpected.. haha..still, enjoyed the "thirty-ish-woman-convinced-she-will-not-get-married-and-hence-by-found-dead-and-half-eaten-by-Alsatian"style writing..starting to read Lord Of The Rings finally. Will probably have to bring it to India with me. Yes! I've booked the tickets and will be leaving in 2 weeks time!!

hey bloggers! something worth doing this Dec 1 >>

just found a really fun online arcade-style game - check it out >> The Way Of The Stick and I can now grow virtual plants on my desktop instead of real plants! Hooray! No more killing of cacti!

paid my traffic fines yesterday.. finally.. am now finally free of stressful debts!! (though lighter on the wallet :( )

They kissed at the museum!! The painting you see in the background is by Singapore-based German artist Heide Sachter currently on display at exhibition Alltaglichkeiten at Societe Generale Gallery, Alliance Francaise until Nov 17.

spent evening trying out silk painting on pre-gutta lined patterned silk cloth from Arty's at Kai's house while watching Chinese 10pm news. Quite fun.. will upload artwork once done. Saw horror news of Primary school boy blinded in one eye when he returned from toilet to classroom and teacher opened door just as he was outside. Door handle (at kid's eye level) jabbed into his eye causing massive blood spillage and subsequently permanent loss of sight in poor kid's right eye. Very scary.. camera zoomed in on blood stains on door handle, entire door, floor and walls - it's really gruesome..almost like a murder scene.. parents are sue-ing school now - apparently school was very unhelpful and refuses to take any responsibility, accusing kid of running into door handle himself.. how irresponsible and unsympathetic..

Correction (with apology) : p
excellent pasta at Wednesday's house party was not seafood fettucini - it was chicken basil - apologies to the cook who was greatly distressed by everyone's lack of memory and is hence (mistakenly) assuming dish was not memorable - we assure otherwise :)

the world's longest tongue.. eeeeeawwww......

am left with only five Singapore 1 cent coins in my wallet..(actually, would have been left with even less but strange car park payment counter woman at Orchard Plaza wanted to take my Malaysian 10 sen coin instead of my whole bunch of Singapore 1 cent coins so gave it to her instead.. duh??) hooray! managed to survive for two whole days without borrowing a single cent from anyone even though i lost my ATM card on Monday! Will go in and get another one tomorrow and then.. err.. pay the traffic fine i still owe LTA.. daddy just got issued a letter asking him to turn up in court if he doesn't pay by 11 Dec!! :O mum is really angry with me now.. :( i'm so irresponsible... :(

had a super sumptuous home-cooked dinner just now at friend's house party.. house parties are a lot of fun if the company is good and the food is nice. The host was an excellent cook and we stuffed our faces with curry chicken (and French baguette and prata), pitta bread (with yummy dip made up of cream cheese, thai chilli and olive & sesame oil), salad (amazing dressing of garlic-ginger, black pepper, olive oil, soy sauce and sesame oil), mushroom tarts (filling of fresh shiitake mushroom, oyster sauce, sesame oil and olive oil?) plus excellent seafood fettucini cooked up by alb and sushi from Sakae Sushi (I think). gone are my plans to detox..

check out new lomo pics i've uploaded. Kai also made me this cute turtle rock thing with our best-selling Marabu Funliner Puff-Paints (haha.. subtle advertising.. :P).. this one is still drying.. i'll upload another pic once I've puffed them up tomorrow morning.. :) i think they will kiss!

Arts Central's Blue Planet is the most amazing documentary I've ever seen!!! I've just caught Episode 2 on "The Deep" (filmed some 4000m below sea level near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) and they featured all these really weird-looking creatures that could easily have stepped out of a sci-fi movie! Some were transparent, some had antennae.. there was even an octopus with flappy dumbo wings, sea cucumbers that could swim around, and all these shrimps giving off blinking ultra-cool blue lights (called bio-luminous)!! I don't know about you, but I'm definitely going to catch as many episodes as I can. :)

was arguing during dinner with alb on where the position of the human stomach is (relative to the heart and lungs and rib cage) and suddenly realised my knowledge on human anatomy is zilch! In fact, I even forgot entirely about the existence of intestines and the bladder and was rather convinced our organs are stacked up one on top of the other, with no overlaps.. Did a quick search of the net just now and am bursting with an information overload now - just stick to this portal if you need answers like me. If you want to feel like you are in Med School, check out Gray’s Anatomy of the Human Body!! Wah.. so ambitious!! : p

ahhhh!! : O I've lost my POSB ATM card!! Yet another blunder from yesterday - discovered only 20 mins ago! Started imagining someone drawing money out of my account even though i don't actually leave any records of it anywhere (and it is also not my birthday, his birthday, my dog's birthday, my car no., my parent's wedding anniversary etc etc - you know what I mean lah..) - anyway, just checked with the bank, no more transactions since the $950 cash deposit I put in yesterday before I accidentally left the card in the Auto-Cash Deposit Machine. Phew!

Actually, thinking about it, I think this is an evil (but cleverly disguised to avoid legal implications) ploy by DBS/POSB in order to cause people to lose their ATM cards so that they can earn from the $3 replacement fee.. Let me explain.. You see, all the POSB/DBS ATMs always have the "$1000 Fast Cash Withdrawal" touch-screen button placed way-too-close next to the "Other Amounts" button. So inevitably, we will always (due to parallax error) accidentally select it instead of the latter, ending up with like 10 times the amount of money we need. We will then by forced to trot over to the cash deposit machine to put it all back (which was what I did yesterday) and, for some unexplicable reason, this machine works differently. It doesn't prompt you to take back your ATM card after the transaction. You will then, if you are as confused as me, frequently forget to collect it. This is how they end up earning $3 from you! For replacing the card! (They don't make ATM machines work like that because there will then be too many complaints.. so they only do it for the cash deposit machines)..

Wicked hor?? hhmph!

hooray for weblogging! Other than Blogger, there are other sites that allow you to start your own online diary - check them out: livejournal weblogger It's really easy.. believe me..

woke up still with a bad tummyache. alb suspects it might be stomach flu - food just isn't being digested.. which explains my constipation, my giddiness (lack of sugar) and fatigue..

i've started keeping a Neopet... reckon since I'm online so much, I'm probably better off keeping a virtual pet than a real pet :p .. in fact, i just remembered.. I haven't watered my cacti for a while..hope they're still alive... how embarrassing..

check out the bizarre experiments people do with their microwave ovens!! A grape actually ignites!!

another plane has crashed in New York!! What the **** is happening!!?? this is terrible!!! and osama has suddenly admitted to sept 11 events! oh no oh no oh no!!!!

my head is spinning wildly, i feel nauseous and constipated and i've actually lost my appetite. In fact, I've been fumbling and stumbling over stuff since morning. I've even taken to feeling like Mr Blobby for some absurd reason...except that I'm not pink and I don't have yellow spots (that's unless I fall sick tomorrow and suddenly develop rashes.. TOUCH WOOD!) Since i took a slight wrong turning this morning and missed entering the CBD during the no-ERP-window-period by a mere half-a-minute (damn!), I've knocked over a full cup of coffee onto the shop cashier countertop, overturned a container of powdered detergent onto my bathroom floor, (almost) dropped a plateful of leftover food after dinner, and dropped countless things for no rhymn or reason today... :( this is most unsettling... my sister has just advised me to go and see the doctor.. gulp! I hope this is merely just fatigue-related and not anything more serious...sigh.. what's happening? :(

on a slight high now cos good friend Lynn from London just called me this morning! We spoke and bantered for almost an hour - catching up. Realised how nice it is to have someone of the same wavelength to chat with on almost anything - really missed that since she left :)

a second day of gastronomic indulgence is beginning to take its toil on me. Had one-pair-of-chopsticks rating Joo Chiat Bak Kut Teh for lunch and ordered additional side dishes of pig's trotters, salted veg and dough fritters. By the end of the meal, I was so stuffed that I could hardly walk.. still I staggered to nearby minimalist decor Awfully Chocolate - The Cake Shop - thinking I could stare at the chocolate cakes in the window (even if I don't eat them) - of which there was none - very Zen-like decor.. you are supposed to, I guess, imagine the cakes? :p Anyhow, ended up driving to another Makansutra-recommended stall at 86 East Coast Rd (Katong Village) for Teh Tarik.. I am becoming a glutton.. Desperatedly drinking plain water and Jap Green Tea trying to speed up digestion now and still feel the greasiness.. contemplating switching to a full fruit-and-vege detox diet for the next two days...

went for two games of bowling (the first time in a blue moon) at Katong bowl after that - too hot for any outdoor sports - and bowled embarrassingly badly.. :p Bowling is really hard.. you are supposed to spin the ball or something and when it reaches the end of the lane, it is supposed to turn back by itself cos the lane is (I think) rougher or something like that.. don't know.. can't figure out.. but I did manage to get a strike and a couple of spares! Not bad, huh? ;-)

alb & I went for a treasure hunt with his GPS device today after he discovered this online thing called GeoCache. This is basically a game where anyone registered can provide some coordinates - which can be anywhere in the world - for other GPS device owners and when you find the location with your GPS device, there is supposed to be a "prize" there (unless someone has already removed it). The first was in Botanical Gardens (which was already in darkness by the time we were there) and the other was along Sixth Avenue (which was even darker when we got there)..couldn't find anything and he sprained and cut his anke tripping over some steps.. our first GeoCache failure.. we are shattered...

am reading Bridget Jones's Diary now and infusing my head with new and unsavoury vocabulary (such as emotional f***wittage)... but the book is hilarious! I'm putting aside Lord Of The Rings and Head Strong to indulge in it for a while.. haha...

had the most amazing Mexican food at Margarita's just now. Turned out it's actually my friend Matthew's sister's restaurant.. check out the rave reviews! Dinner turned out to be an educational lesson on Mexican food as well. If you have ever suspected that tacos, nachos, quesadillas, chimichangas, enchiladas, tortillas, burritos, fajitas and whatever were actually somewhat similar, you're right! According to Matthew, these flour-rish pancakes are either made of corn or wheat.. running down the list, the basic ones are tortillas(corn) and burritos(wheat). If you fry tortillas you get nachos. If you fry burritos you get chimichangas. Cook tortillas lightly in a red chile sauce and roll it around meat or cheese and cook it in more sauce, and you have an enchilada. Quesadillas are tortillas filled with chilli and cheese and other stuff and pinched like curry puffs before they are fried. Fold tortillas over any sort of food and you get tacos. Let tortillas get slightly stale and cut them into strips. Fry them and serve them in any one of several kinds of sauce, and you have chilaquiles. Let them go even more stale and then fry them crisp and you get tortilla chips! Wow! If you do try the restaurant, be sure to order their Premium Margaritas, Lobster Quesadillas, Sauteed Mushrooms and definitely their out-of-the-world Tiramisu.. yum!!!

finally went for both a gym-run (only 15mins though) and swim (another half hour) yesterday morning after not exercising for like.. weeks.. ok, i exaggerate.. still it felt good to get my atrophied muscles (again I exaggerate) working again..haha... spent part of the afternoon doing a Stained-Glass Christmas Card Making workshop for Foochow Methodist Church and then rushed back for another stained-glass session for Estee Lauder (as part of their solid perfumes exhibition) at Centrepoint.

Matthew planted this new thought in my head about doing long-term volunteer work in another country. Developmental work in like Ghana or Nepal or some other third-world country for between 18 to 24 months or something like that. Actually, it isn't really a new thought - I've toyed with that idea before, it's just that if I do it, it would definitely be the most courageous thing I will do at this stage of my life.. to give up the fast-paced corporate rat-race to do something meaningful and life-changing... it's a thought.. actually, to be honest.. it is a very tempting thought....

just discovered this interesting wildlife artist called Charley Harper who creates artwork depicting "unique aspects of his wildlife subjects through highly stylized geometric reductions" - he actually draws his pictures with a ruler, French curve, set square, protractors etc! It's so cool! Harper says, "When I look at a wildlife or nature subject, I don't see feathers, fur, scapulars or tail coverts — none of that. I see exciting shapes, color combinations, patterns, textures, fascinating behavior and endless possibilities for making interesting pictures. I regard the picture as an ecosystem in which all the elements are interrelated, interdependent, perfectly balanced, without trimming or unutilized parts; and herein lies the lure of painting: in a world of chaos, the picture is one small rectangle in which the artist can create an ordered universe."

bought a book by MindMap guy Tony Buzan at Kinokuniya last night cos he happened to be there for a talk-cum-autograph session - I'm quite a sucker for autographed books - I already have 6 in my collection - including Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder and The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje! It's this new book (Head Strong) that shares ways in which we can develop our mind/body connection and hence unleash our untapped potential.. Just thought I'll read it and find out what its all about..

spoke to boss in the afternoon and found that I wasn't actually angry with him anymore - maybe it was also becos he was no longer speaking in an unreasonable tone and was in one of his calmer, discussive moods. He actually agreed to (without hesitation) cover part of my handphone bills for all the calls I've been getting from companies and schools.

Flashback: Exactly one year ago, I was (bloodily) injured by a shattered glass door at Specialist Shopping Centre and had to be stretchered by ambulance (quite embarrassingly, through the busy Christmas crowds) to SGH for an operation where I got four stitches to sew up a deep gash on my ankle. Took me almost a month to recover properly. Eek!

C R E A T E - A - F A R T - Play it and then send it as a e-mail to those you don't like..

sky is grey and hazy and teetering on the brink of a heavy downpour.. Bring your brollies!! Got to go off and eat breakfast - there's nothing at home to eat than Gardenia Bread in its various forms - I think we have at least four different types at home (apparently to cater to all tastes) but I don't like Bread from Gardenia! I only like Breadtalk!

Chant
Breadtalk!
Breadtalk!
Breadtalk!
Breadtalk!

url: Support the Center For Missing And Exploited Socks

really heavy traffic on blogger tonight! only managed to blog now.. phew! have been trying for more than an hour!

i continue to be in a daze today. Not very effective at work in this state, I assure you. Forgot to blog yesterday the little collision i had (against this bright-yellow-sure-cannot-miss-one-barrier in the Orchard Point carpark) that dented the front right bit of my car and cracked part of the right signal light. Initially I thought it was the same side that my brother had damaged in an earlier accident - turned out to be the exact opposite side instead so now I have two damaged signal lights and not one! To be honest, this spaciness is really starting to affect my judgement in driving - I even had trouble reverse parking just now - something i used to be able to do in seconds! Have been advised to keep off the wheel until I recover...

kai wrote me a really long (actually it was two-page but with her tiny and neat handwriting, it looked really long ) letter.. very touching.. Guess we really haven't been communcating enough and she didn't even know how to start talking to me about my stress at work (and her stress about my stress!). I think I have been quite selfish and honestly have been thinking of myself so far - whether I want to stay on in this job, for how much longer, what are my options, how much I want to commit myself blah blah blah.. I know she is going to find it hard to cope especially if I leave suddenly.. even now, ever since I've become "lifeless and colourless" (in her own colourful words), I've become quite ineffective at work (in my opinion..) I think I owe it to her (and to myself I suppose) to sort out my state of mind now..

heard a song on the car radio tonight and actually started to miss someone...sigh.. i'm so sentimental :p

cheerful url #1: The Bill Mayer Website - so cute!! Check out the monsters!
cheerful url #2: Talkingcock.com - Singapore's Premier Satirical Humour Website - had me in stitches in seconds! Note especially the ludicrous names of the writers and people interviewed.. e.g. Hong Kan GRC MP Colonel (NS) Uppgradum s/o Onlifdeyvotfommy

feeling totally unmotivated in my work today. Just did what I had to do and decided against doing anything extra, so I actually let some of the stuff in the shop run out without taking the extra effort to go buy some more.. in particular the white ceramic tiles that the shop has been depending on me all this while to buy from Eunos and transport back.. having that bo-chup feeling and it sure doesn't feel good at the end of the day but I think I should start making some priorities in my work and not feel oblige to take on everything and to serve everyone (the boss, the customers, my staff, etc etc) all the time. It's that feeling.. you know what I mean?

didn't manage to paint much last night so didn't manage to sell anything today at the Carnival :( but check out our colourful display! Pretty cool huh?

Centrepoint is using Powerpuff girls for its Christmas decorations this year!! So cute!! Check it out >> Saving The World Before Bedtime!

url: The Monroe Institute and Hemi-sync - "The greatest illusion is that man has limitations." - Robert A. Monroe Expand your mind......

on mc today for a nasty attack of tummy-ache.. i think my once-every-two-months mc spell is back.. :( its probably my gastric manifesting itself in my normal life even if I try to eat normally..oohh.... throbbing...

spent most of today painting frantically for tomorrow's Craft Carnival at Aspen Heights. Did a couple of stained-glass Christmas cards, painted a couple of mirrors, and came up with this really cool Doodle Art pieces - my first attempt at abstract painting!! I really like them! Didn't know my doodling could lead to something like that.. I could be famous! Don't feel like selling them now.. they are.. too nice.. maybe I should accept commission work and replicate them if someone wants them.. Artists don't sell their first works, right? :p

so do i feel OK now?? no, of course NOT! i'm feeling really frustrated!! in fact, i'm boiling inside and totally exasperated!! i woke up early today, ate breakfast, read the papers and got to work 15 mins early (*the first time in God knows how long!) - a great start to a day! I did everything like clockwork and fulfilled (i think) all the obligations that I promised for the day (sent out the quotations i promised, made the required phone calls, did the planning i needed to do, typed and sent off letters that needed sending, ordered stuff that needed ordering, served customers that had made prior arrangements to meet me, spoke to more prospective clients.. ALL IN ALL A GOOD DAY'S WORK..) and then what did i get at the end of a day?? An earful of scolding from my boss for something that wasn't even totally my fault! Something that was already agreed with and approved by him in the past! Worst still, he harped on about how it wasn't worthwhile doing some of the sales that we were currently doing and blah blah blah... urrgghhhh!!!! It's not that I really need heartfelt appreciation from anyone for the work I'm doing (after all, I do enjoy what I do).. it's just that.. its really frustrating when my judgement is constantly being questioned and someone harps on and on about something that is already in the past.. sheesh... *sigh* argh.. i don't want to talk about it anymore...

bought a black spiral-bound sketch book and have begun doodling.. it's amazingly therapeutic.. i'll upload some of my artwork once I've built up a little collection :)

some sites for great music downloads (not Napster, silly):
- Morphius Audio Club
- Audio Galaxy

so the PAP trounces home with more than three quarters of the votes and 82 out of 84 seats. Hands up all those who expected it. Hands down those who thought the opposition could get at least one more seat this time. Hands at the side for those who haven't given it a thought and have just gone "oh, ok" this morning when you took a glance at the headlines. Aiyoh! So apathetic! Was surprised (and also slightly annoyed) to hear a close friend of mine actually say she thought I was really lucky not to have to vote.. I wish I DID have a chance to vote! .. are Singaporeans really so apathetic? The right to vote is the only priviledge we get as citizens! So sad only so few of us did eventually vote (only 1 out of 12 of us at a lunch table yesterday actually got to vote due to the large number of walkovers..little wonder the apathy).

finally got to watch the highly-acclaimed Korean movie "Joint Security Area today at far-flung Eastshore cinema. Apparently, even North Korean President Kim Jong-II has seen it before. Quite a moving show and thought-provoking and at the same time shot beautifully.. finally, a movie worth watching :)

watched movie and relaxed and didn't realize I was actually supposed to go to work today! Thanks to my dearest colleague Kai for standing in.. You're The Best! :)

got fined $10 for letting my parking coupon expire for about an hour...

I will put enough parking coupons next time
I will put enough parking coupons next time
I will put enough parking coupons next time
I will put enough parking coupons next time
I will put enough parking coupons next time


url: Cheese Wars - A calcium-rich web cartoon

weddingboxx is finally officially opened! All couples making wedding preparations please take note! no ribbon cutting or lion dancing but we did drill and screw in the plastic sign for their office and go for a simple groupie lunch at the Travel cafe along Prinsep Steet. Food was quite ok but that place is definitely not the kind of place where I would go and plan my trip.. i mean, they don't even allow you to browse their maps! and they need to have more coffee table books and travel brochures and internet sites and so on to inspire the lazy, procrastinating backpack traveller. oh well.. i guess i should go set up my own version one day..

Went to see Singapore Watercolour Society's 32nd Annual Exhibition at Mita building. Actually it was more for us to show that we support the many artists from the society who come and buy our Winsor & Newton Artist Watercolours.. : p Some of the works were not bad but some were definitely more of an Emperor's New Clothes kind of challenge to our taste.. haha... Kai and I paused at this picture of a watermelon and stared and stared and stared and finally (holding our belly of laughs) quickly walked away before we offended the artist responsible for the work.. hahahaha... Dropped in at Soobin Art Gallery and gawked at the bizarre contemporary Chinese works at the current exhibition "Boys & Girls".. very disturbing and quite political.. there was this huge sculpture with a Goliath man literally growing out of another huge man's pelvis area.. I think it was meant to depict the two brains of a person (the sexual and the intellectual) or something like that? don't know.. umm...

ended day shopping for Cds and bought Bjork's Vespertine (finally! :) ) and John Coltrane's Kulu Se Mama .. am enjoying them now..nice :)

the panadol menstrual site is way cool!! :)

wanted to go for an SDP rally today at Lavender but was dragged off to a movie marathon instead. Sigh.. have to wait another five years before I can see another one.. it's like.. waiting for a comet sighting... haha :) I exaggerate...

caught The Musketeer and The One back to back. First show was a letdown. The storyline was confusing, the cinematography was low-budget and the show was so slow-moving that I almost fell asleep. Don't go and watch hor.. really not worth it lah! The action scenes were quite funny though cos they are cheoreographed by this Chinese guy (Xin-Xin Xiong) who also did the fighting scenes for Once Upon A Time In China.. so it is a really weird blend of Chinese kungfu and Western fencing style fighting, complete with superhuman leaps, swordfights and lots of fancy legwork.. very funny.. The One had Jet Li and cool special effects but other than that nothing much else really. Very Matrix-like and the concept of "parallel universes" where someone similar/identical to you exists is something we have all long suspected.. i suppose you can go see it if you like this sort of thing....

just discovered that this strange artist who comes to our shop often and scares our staff silly with his action of "pounding his groin" (in the words of my staff) actually has the Tourette Syndrome.. umm.. read it in the papers today..umm.. guess we should all have been more understanding.. they actually thought he was lecherous.. :(

otherwise, day was ok though it started quite badly with scolding from boss for not managing the new sales exec properly. quite frustrating cos am already working my butt off.. But I guess he has a point.. I mean, maybe I really am too caught up with too much work that should really either be done by someone else or not taken on at all.. don't know.. it's hard..

url: How Does The Magna Doodle Work? (you know lah.. the thing you used to play as a kid?)

another rush-around day but more in control of things so am less stressed now... also managed to go for a short run at MacRitchie (in almost total darkness) so adrenalin is up and pumping.. :)

time to stop being so self-absorbed and observe stuff around me... umm.. election campaigns have taken an unusual turn and instead of rallying, all the parties involved in the ugly Saturday incident at Jurong GRC are now studying legal issues regarding defamations and apologies..and we all learn that there is a difference between political and legal apologies... lalalala.. Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word... hahaha...now I can't help but say (from what little experience I have in all things political), the SDP has really come up with such a poor attacking strategy this time round ("shooting themselves in the foot, as they say...).. its not like we have a flaw-less government.. what with all the intolerance of alternative views, censorship, fines on everything, heavy clampdowns on eager-verbal-beavers etc that everyone knows about (and which provide easy targets for the opposition), why do they have to attack the integrity of a government that is known (almost universally) for being corrupt-free? sigh...

changed some more of my Shell Escape Points (300 points!! that's $300 worth of petrol!) for a plush massager.. check it out >> it's the sleepy cow on top.. haha... with such modern tools (i.e. lava lamp to invoke calmness and distraction, plush massager for soft comfort and relief; and electric toothbrush for.. err.. haha..whatever..) , one doesn't need other-halves anymore, right? :p

url: Why Do People Fall In Love? (this can be handy for all you out there planning marriages soon..)