Slept at 4am this morning and woke up at 10+! I just couldn't stay in bed any longer after I've woken up...
Planned to do some work from home today and ended up wathcing Great Teacher Onizuka and Gundam 00 on Crunchyroll. Finally got my butt down to start on the 2 reports I'm supposed to do by Monday. Shall touch up a bit tomorrow in the morning....
After that I continued my game in Hellgate London and my Marksman's pretty fun to play considering the different type of weapons she can use (pistols, rifles, sniper rifle) Guardian was just simply boring (sword and shield)...
Took a quick nap again at 4.30 till 7 to recharge myself and woke up just in time for dinner with my sis and my brother in law. On that, my sister and I had a short talk today. I confided in her something and it's been a while since I've done anything like that. Usually I'm afraid she'll laugh at me or laugh it off but it was nice that she gave me some advice and consolation. Am v grateful for that! Thanks Nez!
Off to sleep now. Hopefully. After 1-2 episodes of GTO. It's going to be a long week and nothing to look forward to at all. =(
Sunday, January 13, 2008
=) =(
Went down to YCK for the 2nd time this year... Ended up having mixed emotions when i was over there as well. I must be thinking too much according to some of my friends...
I was happy to see the kids. Really happy. They remind me of the time when one can truly smile with no worries on their mind. And I find myself actually smiling in return. My own true smile in a while. However, there were some things today that triggered unhappy thoughts as well. Shall not give more details lest ppl start guessing and misunderstanding... By the end of the session, I was feeling mentally exhausted and didn't have the energy to chat with other volunteers.
Had a quick dinner with some of the volunteers and quickly headed off to meet Law and GY for pool. Sadly, I didn't play very well and lost quite a number of games.. We caught Vexille at the Cathay and it's definitely one of my favourite movies of the year so far!
Decent storyline (better than AVP2), the 3D animation's superb but could use some touch up here and there and the music was great too! Catch it soon at the Cathay (only showing there if I'm not wrong) before it's too late!
Happy and Sad Jaron
On a short note, a very Big THANKS! to Agnes for sticking beside me when I was down, enduring the whole load of crap from me, giving me countless advice, consoling me, cheering me up, listening to my woes, watching me cry. I'll take care of myself and hope to be a stronger person soon, k?
I was happy to see the kids. Really happy. They remind me of the time when one can truly smile with no worries on their mind. And I find myself actually smiling in return. My own true smile in a while. However, there were some things today that triggered unhappy thoughts as well. Shall not give more details lest ppl start guessing and misunderstanding... By the end of the session, I was feeling mentally exhausted and didn't have the energy to chat with other volunteers.
Had a quick dinner with some of the volunteers and quickly headed off to meet Law and GY for pool. Sadly, I didn't play very well and lost quite a number of games.. We caught Vexille at the Cathay and it's definitely one of my favourite movies of the year so far!
Decent storyline (better than AVP2), the 3D animation's superb but could use some touch up here and there and the music was great too! Catch it soon at the Cathay (only showing there if I'm not wrong) before it's too late!
Happy and Sad Jaron
On a short note, a very Big THANKS! to Agnes for sticking beside me when I was down, enduring the whole load of crap from me, giving me countless advice, consoling me, cheering me up, listening to my woes, watching me cry. I'll take care of myself and hope to be a stronger person soon, k?
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Need to be stronger...
A friend of mine told me a couple of days ago that I need to be more assertive, more confident and be more reliable / dependable. On that, I realise that people around me who are happily married or attached are of that calibre. My brother-in-law's one of them, my 大哥's also one of them as well!
Sad to say, I'm someone who's the opposite! Flighty, irrational, emotional, totally undependable. To change all that will be tough, but I gotta try no matter what. I somehow suspect though, even if I were to change myself, everything else would not have changed at all.
I find myself shying away from happy stuff and stories and feeling more and more attracted to sorrow and loneliness. You feel peace with yourself. You don't have to put on a face for people to see. I've been on 2 trips alone and it was fantastic. Planning my next solo trip to Vietnam or maybe India. Friends out there, do not worry I am not suffering from depression! I used to fear being alone and all, and try to surround myself with friends. Often making a fool of myself and humbling myself to no end, just to win their hearts. Hence the joker was born.
People usually say I'm warm and approachable and stuff like that. But that's not entirely true. My smile's usually a facade. Not to deceive people, but nobody likes a pouting sad face. it ruins the whole atmosphere. So I have to force myself to smile. When I come to the office, when i meet friends, when i return home from work. it's tiring to force myself to smile when there's nothing to smile about actually. I'm a optimist-turned-pessimist, you see. There are some rare times when I actually smile for real. Those rare moments are locked away in my brain somewhere to prevent me from going insane the next moment.
Needed some form of therapy today so I splurged a hundred odd bucks on 2 Final Fantasy VII playarts figurines of Cloud and Aeris. Too abd Tifa is sold out right now but i'll be waiting for the next batch to come in hopefully... If time permits, I'll get some snaps and post them here.
That's enough rambling for today.
P.S it appears that my previous rambling caused some worry, but rest assured, I'm still in 1 piece and to the one who gave me your advice above, i'm not angry with ya. I'm just angry with myself....
Sad to say, I'm someone who's the opposite! Flighty, irrational, emotional, totally undependable. To change all that will be tough, but I gotta try no matter what. I somehow suspect though, even if I were to change myself, everything else would not have changed at all.
I find myself shying away from happy stuff and stories and feeling more and more attracted to sorrow and loneliness. You feel peace with yourself. You don't have to put on a face for people to see. I've been on 2 trips alone and it was fantastic. Planning my next solo trip to Vietnam or maybe India. Friends out there, do not worry I am not suffering from depression! I used to fear being alone and all, and try to surround myself with friends. Often making a fool of myself and humbling myself to no end, just to win their hearts. Hence the joker was born.
People usually say I'm warm and approachable and stuff like that. But that's not entirely true. My smile's usually a facade. Not to deceive people, but nobody likes a pouting sad face. it ruins the whole atmosphere. So I have to force myself to smile. When I come to the office, when i meet friends, when i return home from work. it's tiring to force myself to smile when there's nothing to smile about actually. I'm a optimist-turned-pessimist, you see. There are some rare times when I actually smile for real. Those rare moments are locked away in my brain somewhere to prevent me from going insane the next moment.
Needed some form of therapy today so I splurged a hundred odd bucks on 2 Final Fantasy VII playarts figurines of Cloud and Aeris. Too abd Tifa is sold out right now but i'll be waiting for the next batch to come in hopefully... If time permits, I'll get some snaps and post them here.
That's enough rambling for today.
P.S it appears that my previous rambling caused some worry, but rest assured, I'm still in 1 piece and to the one who gave me your advice above, i'm not angry with ya. I'm just angry with myself....
Monday, January 07, 2008
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Alien Vs Predator vs Legend
2 movies in 1 week is my usual fare these days. It starts with one of us (Law, GY or me) suggesting and the rest to follow along~
I am Legend was much awaited by Law ever he saw the trailer in the cinema while catching another show. He almost tried to persuade us to watch it in Taiwan when it opened but it costs about SGD$17 to watch it there! So you think $9.50 on weekends is expensive huh?
Finally caught it on 2nd of Jan with the guys and it was pretty ok. For some you might be able to identify with Lieutenant Colonel Robert Neville (played by Will Smith) when he's pretty much the last human on Earth, after the world's population was wiped out and transformed to "vampires" (Darkseekers, nocturnal hunters, whatever the show calls it, they're still vampires ^^") Sometimes when you're alone for a looooong time, all you want to hear is another human's voice. Liked the part when he had some mannequins arranged in the DVD shop to enact a day-to-day trip to the DVD shop and it was amusing to see him trying to hit on one of them~
I am Legend was much awaited by Law ever he saw the trailer in the cinema while catching another show. He almost tried to persuade us to watch it in Taiwan when it opened but it costs about SGD$17 to watch it there! So you think $9.50 on weekends is expensive huh?
Finally caught it on 2nd of Jan with the guys and it was pretty ok. For some you might be able to identify with Lieutenant Colonel Robert Neville (played by Will Smith) when he's pretty much the last human on Earth, after the world's population was wiped out and transformed to "vampires" (Darkseekers, nocturnal hunters, whatever the show calls it, they're still vampires ^^") Sometimes when you're alone for a looooong time, all you want to hear is another human's voice. Liked the part when he had some mannequins arranged in the DVD shop to enact a day-to-day trip to the DVD shop and it was amusing to see him trying to hit on one of them~
Read in the papers that Will holed himself up in a NY apartment for 4 weeks to get the experience of being lonely.. I've only achieved 1 week liddat so far overseas.
Overall, the show's not bad but the ending is the anti-climax, which made me go "HUH????"
On the other hand, AVP2 (it's called AVP Requiem or R in the states) is a letdown, totally B-Grade trash and not worth the 9.50 i paid yesterday. Bleah~
Too many characters involved and most of them end up dead. Fight between Alien and Predator not v exciting and clear. Bah~
That's all for now. Awaiting Cloverfield! Trailer got me hooked~
Overall, the show's not bad but the ending is the anti-climax, which made me go "HUH????"
On the other hand, AVP2 (it's called AVP Requiem or R in the states) is a letdown, totally B-Grade trash and not worth the 9.50 i paid yesterday. Bleah~
Too many characters involved and most of them end up dead. Fight between Alien and Predator not v exciting and clear. Bah~
That's all for now. Awaiting Cloverfield! Trailer got me hooked~
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Finally my Taiwan pics...
Hi guys, here's the link to my Taiwan photos! Enjoy~
People I need to thank for making this trip enjoyable for the 3 of us: (in no particular order)
by janzer81
People I need to thank for making this trip enjoyable for the 3 of us: (in no particular order)
- The staff at Taipei Train Station for helping us get tickets for the high speed rail.
- The staff at New Zuoying station for helping us to get to Kaohsiung station
- The kid at 7 eleven shop at Kaohsiung station for showing us the way to our hotel.
- The girl at the visitor's information center at Kaohsiung Station who we bothered on both days asking where we could visit in Kaohsiung and Kenting.
- The nice bus driver giving us directions in Kenting and recommending a nice hot spring to us when we got lost in Kenting.
- Tim and Chi, owners of Amigos Hostel for a wonderful time at Hualien
- People we met while at Amigos Hostel, Evan and Nicolai (Dude!) from America, Mai and Maki from Japan, Xiao Ting from China, Geoffrey from Japan, Alvin and his friend from HK, SY from Malaysia. You guys rock!
- 张纷华小姐，our cab driver who brought us along Hualien.
- Raul, owner of Taiwanmex hostel in Taipei, who lent us coats when the weather became super cold and for driving us to the airport.
- Hui Ting, fellow Singaporean we met at Taiwanmex, who I bought my JR Rail Pass from in Sept last year! Small world!
- Michael from Australia and Rick from America.
- Gillian and Lillian from Malaysia.
- The kind train conductor who helped us get to SongShan station when we boarded the wrong train.
- And to other people that I may have left out!
by janzer81
*SNIFF*
I din really have a good start to 2008 so far. I was down with diarrhoea and fever yesterday and last night.. I was overwhelmed with sorrow with too much thinking, that i cried myself to sleep last night.. It's been a while since i last wept. Last time being the death of a good friend...
Kinda forgot how it feels like to cry... You might be asking me why do I feel sad for me to cry about? My answer: Everything.
Looking back at 2007, it wasn't really a good year for me... I wasn't converted to a permanent staff but got a little pay raise to keep me from jumping ship. I left YCK around CNY despite having helped there for a little over 5 years.. Apparently, I didn't sit well with some which caused me to leave before things became worse. I'm still single after 26 years of coming which worries me that I might end up like my uncles who are living alone. My uncle recently had a close brush with death which made me realise the fragility of life... I'm still unable to see any good in myself after all this while. I'm kinda like the average guy or quote from some "below-average" guy... Short, slightly overweight, skin problem, no driving licence, no car, no $$$. I'm glad that some of my friends out there continue to encourage me to keep my sanity in check. To Valerie, Lawrence, Ash, Agnes & Elaine, a big Thank You for making me feel good about myself from time to time.
However, the no. of ppl who seek to belittle me and bring me down out there are so many and I'm almost losing it...
I ever thought of running away from Singapore and start life anew somewhere. Somewhere where I won't be judged by others for who I truly am. But I just can't leave my family and a few of those I can truly call friends behind. It takes a lot of courage to do so and I'm afraid I can't do that.
I have been known to be too nice to others such that many people take me for granted and seek to exploit me which saddens me more that such people can stoop so low for personal benefit.
Stuff to do in 2008:
a) Get a driving licence
b) Slim down, (can't do much abt height anyway)
Not gotta let ppl look down upon me anymore...
Enough of my tirade, back to sleep now.
Kinda forgot how it feels like to cry... You might be asking me why do I feel sad for me to cry about? My answer: Everything.
Looking back at 2007, it wasn't really a good year for me... I wasn't converted to a permanent staff but got a little pay raise to keep me from jumping ship. I left YCK around CNY despite having helped there for a little over 5 years.. Apparently, I didn't sit well with some which caused me to leave before things became worse. I'm still single after 26 years of coming which worries me that I might end up like my uncles who are living alone. My uncle recently had a close brush with death which made me realise the fragility of life... I'm still unable to see any good in myself after all this while. I'm kinda like the average guy or quote from some "below-average" guy... Short, slightly overweight, skin problem, no driving licence, no car, no $$$. I'm glad that some of my friends out there continue to encourage me to keep my sanity in check. To Valerie, Lawrence, Ash, Agnes & Elaine, a big Thank You for making me feel good about myself from time to time.
However, the no. of ppl who seek to belittle me and bring me down out there are so many and I'm almost losing it...
I ever thought of running away from Singapore and start life anew somewhere. Somewhere where I won't be judged by others for who I truly am. But I just can't leave my family and a few of those I can truly call friends behind. It takes a lot of courage to do so and I'm afraid I can't do that.
I have been known to be too nice to others such that many people take me for granted and seek to exploit me which saddens me more that such people can stoop so low for personal benefit.
Stuff to do in 2008:
a) Get a driving licence
b) Slim down, (can't do much abt height anyway)
Not gotta let ppl look down upon me anymore...
Enough of my tirade, back to sleep now.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Off to Taiwan~
Finally the long wait is over! Am off to Taiwan from today till New Year's eve~ Cya guys when I'm back! *beams*
Sunday, December 16, 2007
I'm going to LONDON!
Hah~ Not the real London in UK but the latest game from Flagship Studios, IAHgames and Hanbitsoft, Hellgate London. The game that took the world like a storm. Thanks to Ivan who got it for me for my birthday!
Talking about birthdays, this year seems different. I usually look forward to my bdae to remind myself that I managed to survive another year without ending up dead, bankrupt or seriously injured. It's always the time of year for me to look back upon the past 1 year and re-examine my life. Made more friends than lost? Made more money than lost? Stuff like that.
Although I usually announce loudly on MSN when my bdae is near but I shan't do it this year though.. In fact, when Ash asked me what I wanted for my bdae, I couldn't give her a straight answer! I always plan out what I want for my birthday present (saving the trouble from lotsa concerned people around me?) but I'm at a loss actually. I got my PSP myself, a trip to Japan and a Liverpool home jersey as well. My sis should be getting the pair of Nike running shoes (Yes, I'm going to start running again) I've been coveting for and apart from those, I've nothing to ask for already? Heh~
Am installing Hellgate right now and going to join my mates in there (Law and GY) as soon as it is done! *beams* It's going to keep me pretty occupied sia... I have Heroes 5: Tribes of the East, 5 books to finish reading as well as Gundam Seed: OMNI vs ZAFT on PSP as well as my Gundam Wing Custom Zero to do up as well. Phew~
Lost in the world of Hellgate London,
Jaron
Talking about birthdays, this year seems different. I usually look forward to my bdae to remind myself that I managed to survive another year without ending up dead, bankrupt or seriously injured. It's always the time of year for me to look back upon the past 1 year and re-examine my life. Made more friends than lost? Made more money than lost? Stuff like that.
Although I usually announce loudly on MSN when my bdae is near but I shan't do it this year though.. In fact, when Ash asked me what I wanted for my bdae, I couldn't give her a straight answer! I always plan out what I want for my birthday present (saving the trouble from lotsa concerned people around me?) but I'm at a loss actually. I got my PSP myself, a trip to Japan and a Liverpool home jersey as well. My sis should be getting the pair of Nike running shoes (Yes, I'm going to start running again) I've been coveting for and apart from those, I've nothing to ask for already? Heh~
Am installing Hellgate right now and going to join my mates in there (Law and GY) as soon as it is done! *beams* It's going to keep me pretty occupied sia... I have Heroes 5: Tribes of the East, 5 books to finish reading as well as Gundam Seed: OMNI vs ZAFT on PSP as well as my Gundam Wing Custom Zero to do up as well. Phew~
Lost in the world of Hellgate London,
Jaron
Monday, December 10, 2007
The Golden Hitman
That's 2 shows in 4 days! Caught The Golden Compass on Friday with Ivan, Law and GY. It's not bad and it's actually adapted from a book series ala Harry Potter! Had dinner with Ivan as well on Saturday and went to Kino at Bugis Junction to find the book but ended buying The Legend of Drizzit Part II.
For ppl not in the know, that's fantasy for you and it's part of the Forgotten Realms series + Drizzit's one of my favourite characters in the series!
Then kena psychoed by Law to watch Hitman just now. The trailer for this show in the cinema already set my heart racing for this. I've played the game before (Part I only, din try part II, was there a part III?) and I thoroughly enjoyed the game. How you set up your kill, your weapon of choice (I remember there was a sick looking dagger you could use) and most importantly your escape route! You could barge in guns a blazing (like Law did) or stealth and cunning (like me) now feel like re-playing the game again... Heez
Thinking of getting the free membership for GV, Shaw and Cathay at this rate sia... Almost once a week. Woot~
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Siu Mui~
Had dinner with Alice and Lu Xin at Waraku while Alice's in Singapore right now till Friday! Alice's one of my colleague from HK and she's here for a couple of days for training. So good right, go on overseas trip for training. Nice~ Wish I could do that as well...
Had my favourite Rindo (katsu don with cold soba + udon!) Shiok~ Later Lu Xin had to leave for home so I accompanied Alice to Carrefour to buy some stuff. Guess what she bought? Yakult! According to her, the only type of Yakult you'll find in HK are the original flavour ones (red cap) So she bought 2 X orange and 2 X apple flavour (she said she din like the grape flavour anyway...) and I bought my 2L Meiji milk bottle. Yum~
Later I took a cab back from Carrefour cos my feet still hurts a little (refer to last post) and I waited for almost 50 mins for a cab! It didn't help when most of the cabs that came in were on call. I tried calling almost every single cab company in S'pore and couldn't get one at all. =( Also there was this irritatig couple behind me in queue who kept bumping into me when doing their PDA (Public Display of Affection) and they din sound v sincere when they said "Sorry" Hmm! Go get a room for goodness's sake!
One nice dinner down. Tml's dinner with my team at a Myanmar restaurant with Andreas!
Had my favourite Rindo (katsu don with cold soba + udon!) Shiok~ Later Lu Xin had to leave for home so I accompanied Alice to Carrefour to buy some stuff. Guess what she bought? Yakult! According to her, the only type of Yakult you'll find in HK are the original flavour ones (red cap) So she bought 2 X orange and 2 X apple flavour (she said she din like the grape flavour anyway...) and I bought my 2L Meiji milk bottle. Yum~
Alice, Me and Lu Xin
Siu Mui and Dai Gor
Siu Mui and Dai Gor
Later I took a cab back from Carrefour cos my feet still hurts a little (refer to last post) and I waited for almost 50 mins for a cab! It didn't help when most of the cabs that came in were on call. I tried calling almost every single cab company in S'pore and couldn't get one at all. =( Also there was this irritatig couple behind me in queue who kept bumping into me when doing their PDA (Public Display of Affection) and they din sound v sincere when they said "Sorry" Hmm! Go get a room for goodness's sake!
One nice dinner down. Tml's dinner with my team at a Myanmar restaurant with Andreas!
Sunday, December 02, 2007
JLPT!
Sat for my JLPT2 today at the Japanese Secondary School at Clementi. Didn't help if my foot's injured from wearing that cursed pair of leather shoes for my company's D&D on Friday! So there I was, limping slowly to the school...
The test was pretty difficult! I will be counting my lucky starts if I pass sia.. Haiz.. Anyway, later met up with Ivan cos he wanted to buy a pair of leather shoes for his fren's wedding tml. So I gave him lotsa advice on how to choose a gd pair of leather shoes cos I've chosen pretty bad ones before.. *looks at injured foot* =(
And I managed to get the component cable for PSP and tried it on the TV! Looks great! =)
Now hope I can get well soon in time of my Taiwan trip! Cya!
The test was pretty difficult! I will be counting my lucky starts if I pass sia.. Haiz.. Anyway, later met up with Ivan cos he wanted to buy a pair of leather shoes for his fren's wedding tml. So I gave him lotsa advice on how to choose a gd pair of leather shoes cos I've chosen pretty bad ones before.. *looks at injured foot* =(
And I managed to get the component cable for PSP and tried it on the TV! Looks great! =)
Now hope I can get well soon in time of my Taiwan trip! Cya!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
The KINGDOM
Caught this movie thanks to my sis's pair of movie tickets for Cathay. She's enjoying herself in Sydney now... Oh well... Couldn't guess anything much from the poster initially, only saw Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Gardner (yeah baby!) holding rifles.
The plot is actually more than what you think. The initial credits were choreographed amazingly. Love the way they manage to compress 70+ years of history about oil + US + Saudi Arabia + terrorism all into a nice 2D package. Simply said, terror strikes right in the heartland of Saudi, blowing up US ppl living there. US too afraid to act, Jamie Foxx and his team of FBI march straight in to set things right and kill the bad guys. =)
A few more movies to catch soon.. Golden Compass, I Am Legend, etc..
This week's going to be pretty busy. AM EXTREMELY busy preparing for my japanese exam this sunday. Don't think I'm going to make it this time... There's too much to study.. Tml's my company D & D and everybody (i think) is going to dress up! Next week my siu mui, Alice, from HK office is coming to SG! And we'll be having a nice farewell dinner with my German colleague, Andreas who's heading off to London and Frankfurt soon. Phew~
That's all for now! Chill~
The plot is actually more than what you think. The initial credits were choreographed amazingly. Love the way they manage to compress 70+ years of history about oil + US + Saudi Arabia + terrorism all into a nice 2D package. Simply said, terror strikes right in the heartland of Saudi, blowing up US ppl living there. US too afraid to act, Jamie Foxx and his team of FBI march straight in to set things right and kill the bad guys. =)
A few more movies to catch soon.. Golden Compass, I Am Legend, etc..
This week's going to be pretty busy. AM EXTREMELY busy preparing for my japanese exam this sunday. Don't think I'm going to make it this time... There's too much to study.. Tml's my company D & D and everybody (i think) is going to dress up! Next week my siu mui, Alice, from HK office is coming to SG! And we'll be having a nice farewell dinner with my German colleague, Andreas who's heading off to London and Frankfurt soon. Phew~
That's all for now! Chill~
Monday, November 26, 2007
HERO!
Today's pretty packed for me~ Went to Changi in the morning for a Japanese cultural quiz at the Japanese School. Ash was the one who told me about the event. It's a 150 MCQ quiz and i think the top prize is a trip to Japan! =)
Arrved 15 mins before registration and I could see some ppl burying their heads in books on culture and history of Japan. I was like "!!!!" It's only a quiz yah, nothing much you can do to prepare you for this. In the end, there were questions like population of Japanese living in Singapore, S'pore's population density is how many times more than Japan. Glad I could answer the questions on anime, food and transportation system in Japan. Heh, pays to visit Japan!
Met Princess at Orchard for a bit of shopping and I bought the Gatsby Moving Rubber styling wax! Gonna learn how to style my hair to the "Out-Of-Bed" Look. ;) Caught Hero later thanks to the pair of free tickets I won at my company's fire drill quiz. Hero's not bad, even if you dun understand Japanese, the English and Chinese subtitles are quite accurate. Kimura Takuya and one of my fav Japanese actresses Takako Matsu are simply great. One of the more memorable characters in the movie was the bartender in their usual watering hole. Cool demeanor, silent but yet very thoughtful in the end. ;) Catch it while you can!
=)
Arrved 15 mins before registration and I could see some ppl burying their heads in books on culture and history of Japan. I was like "!!!!" It's only a quiz yah, nothing much you can do to prepare you for this. In the end, there were questions like population of Japanese living in Singapore, S'pore's population density is how many times more than Japan. Glad I could answer the questions on anime, food and transportation system in Japan. Heh, pays to visit Japan!
Met Princess at Orchard for a bit of shopping and I bought the Gatsby Moving Rubber styling wax! Gonna learn how to style my hair to the "Out-Of-Bed" Look. ;) Caught Hero later thanks to the pair of free tickets I won at my company's fire drill quiz. Hero's not bad, even if you dun understand Japanese, the English and Chinese subtitles are quite accurate. Kimura Takuya and one of my fav Japanese actresses Takako Matsu are simply great. One of the more memorable characters in the movie was the bartender in their usual watering hole. Cool demeanor, silent but yet very thoughtful in the end. ;) Catch it while you can!
=)
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Here comes the bride, all dressed in white!
Just came back from my sis's ROM at Labrador Park. Really nice place but the sky was threatening to rain so the ceremony was held as soon as the JP arrived and had a reception indoors in a private room later.
My sis, finally married, *tears from eyes*~ Aww.. The restaurant there totally sucked. First, no English spoons for the fried rice. Then small plates (which were 1 standard size, according to the manager) but later I saw bigger plates used by the guests eating outside... -_- Then no small spoons for the mango pudding in the shooter glass. The manager insisted eating it like drinking a shooter, but after I asked the manager to show me how, he reluctantly went to get some small spoons for us, much to the relief of the other guests. Took some shots over there and will upload them, with my sis's permission. Stay tuned!
On another hand, I caught Stardust, Lust Caution and Beowulf recently and they were entertaining. Stardust is your typical romantic comedy. Claire Danes was not bad as a fallen shooting star but the real star was Robert de Niro as a act-tough-but-actually-a-wussy pirate captain. =) Catch the part where Claire tries to describe what Love is. ;)
Lust, Caution's a period war show but it focuses on the steamy relationship between Wang Jia Chi (Tang Wei) and Yee (Tony Leung). Wang's a spy for the resistance faction who is supposed to assasinate Yee who's working for the Japanese during Japan's occupation of Shanghai. Much hype about the R21 version and I finally realized why Carina Lau, long time gf of Tony Leung, would be flaring mad with him. LOL
Beowulf's an animated action / comedy film but the animation was done pretty well, initially letting me believe that it was acted by human beings. Story's about how a monster slaying hero becomes king but falls prey later to a seducing water demon. (Angelina Jolie!)
My sis, finally married, *tears from eyes*~ Aww.. The restaurant there totally sucked. First, no English spoons for the fried rice. Then small plates (which were 1 standard size, according to the manager) but later I saw bigger plates used by the guests eating outside... -_- Then no small spoons for the mango pudding in the shooter glass. The manager insisted eating it like drinking a shooter, but after I asked the manager to show me how, he reluctantly went to get some small spoons for us, much to the relief of the other guests. Took some shots over there and will upload them, with my sis's permission. Stay tuned!
On another hand, I caught Stardust, Lust Caution and Beowulf recently and they were entertaining. Stardust is your typical romantic comedy. Claire Danes was not bad as a fallen shooting star but the real star was Robert de Niro as a act-tough-but-actually-a-wussy pirate captain. =) Catch the part where Claire tries to describe what Love is. ;)
Lust, Caution's a period war show but it focuses on the steamy relationship between Wang Jia Chi (Tang Wei) and Yee (Tony Leung). Wang's a spy for the resistance faction who is supposed to assasinate Yee who's working for the Japanese during Japan's occupation of Shanghai. Much hype about the R21 version and I finally realized why Carina Lau, long time gf of Tony Leung, would be flaring mad with him. LOL
Beowulf's an animated action / comedy film but the animation was done pretty well, initially letting me believe that it was acted by human beings. Story's about how a monster slaying hero becomes king but falls prey later to a seducing water demon. (Angelina Jolie!)
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Fun-filled weekend!
This post's coming in late but better late than never, eh? I'm just blogging the events in short for now and hopefully I can find some time to upload the pics and paste the links here too..
Basically...
Friday: Halloween Party at Chris's! Kudos to Chris and his missus for organising a great party for both young and old at his place~
Saturday: Wedding dinner for Law's sis followed by a great night of dancing and drinking at Attica~
Sunday: Met up with Kitty for lunch, followed by shopping (collected by G2000 pants and bought a Levi's polo tee on sale) and movie + dinner with Princess~
=)
Basically...
Friday: Halloween Party at Chris's! Kudos to Chris and his missus for organising a great party for both young and old at his place~
Saturday: Wedding dinner for Law's sis followed by a great night of dancing and drinking at Attica~
Sunday: Met up with Kitty for lunch, followed by shopping (collected by G2000 pants and bought a Levi's polo tee on sale) and movie + dinner with Princess~
=)
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
I'm back!
Sorry for the long delay in my posts~ Just back from Japan. Overall the trip was not bad albeit a bit tiring. But it was a good break from work!
Here are some of the highlights of my trip for each place I visited and the ppl I need to thank for making my trip enjoyable!
Hiroshima:
Went to Iwakuni for the first time with my host family! It's a nice, serene town with magnificent mountains. Looks like a scene from a postcard if you ask me. Thanks to my host family for bringing me to eat my favourite okonomiyaki and momiji manju! I bought Blokus for the children and they absolutely loved it! =)
Osaka:
Stayed at Mine's place! Enjoyed a warm reception by his whole family and he brought me around Osaka with Keiichi, who came to Singapore with Mine in September this year. On top of that, Mine and his family and Keiichi gave me lotsa of souvenirs that I had to ask him to help me to mail some back to Singapore for me. :P Thanks for everything!
Places I went to included Osaka Aquarium, Shimsaibashi, OPU (Mine's university), Universal Studios Japan! Yeah~
Kyoto:
First time to Kyoto! During one of the days in Osaka, Mine and Keiichi brought me to Kyoto as well! Went to the famous Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion Temple) and Kiyomizu Temple. A pity it was dark when we reached Kiyomizu that I couldn't take any pictures of it! It was a long trek up a slope to the temple as well though... Will go back to Kyoto next time!
Nagoya:
First time to Nagoya! Went there to meet up with Hiroko, a friend I got to know during my Hiroshima Homestay Programme on my 1st trip to Japan. It's been 2 years since we last met and she's working in Nagoya for about a month or so. I travelled to the Italian Village near the harbour and met her for dinner together! Wanted to eat the famous Nagoya Miso-katsu and got my chance! Look at the pics and you will know why. It's so marvellicious~ Only regret was that I forgot to pass to her the present I got for her and I got to mail it to her now. >_<
Tokyo:
This was my 3rd time back to Tokyo although I had stayed in different places in the past (Ikebukuro and Shinjuku). This time I stayed in this hostel in Asakusa~ The hostel's pretty nice and clean with friendly staff and fellow hostel mates as well. *Two thumbs up*
Went to Ginza before heading down to Sanno Park Tower to visit my fellow colleagues in Deutsche Bank~ Much awaited for me as it was my first time to another branch office! Thanks to Ohsaki-san, Kyoko and Terumi for bringing me out to a nice izakaya for a absolutely gastronomic feast and a round of drinks later at a nice Okinawa bar!
Other highlights would include my usual trip to Akihabara and on Terumi's recommendation, I ventured into a maid cafe for a look. It felt weird at first when the "maids" there address you as "Master" and they kneel down when they take your order. Too bad no pictures were allowed... Bought 4 electronic dictionaries for 3 of my Japanese class classmates and myself at a deal too! Akiba's the place! =)
Something also happened in Tokyo as well. I was buying my train ticket at Asakusa Station when a pretty Korean girl asked me for help. Apparently she and her mom wanted to get from Asakusa to another station but wasn't sure how to get there. Since my station was along the way, i offered them to show them the way. Soon after we hit it off pretty ok and exchanged emails as well. I've sent her an email when I was back and hope she replies soon~ ;)
Yokohama:
First time there as well and it was a real treat to abuse, i mean, use effectively my Japan Rail Pass for a 15 minute ride from Tokyo to Yokohama. My main purpose in Yokohama? The Raumen Museum (the spelling error was meant to be) As some of you might know, I'm nuts about ramen! It's like going to the Holy Grail of Ramen~
1st floor's souvenir shops and some history exhibits of ramen but when you go down to the basement.. It's an replica of Japan in the 1930s with traditional shophouses, although the shops are modern. The 8 best ramen restaurants have been gathered here by the museum and are plying their ware. You can buy a mini bowl of ramen at abt 550 yen so that you can try other ramen restaurants without blowing up your tummy. I tried 3 bowls in all, from Kumamoto, Hakata and Sapporo and I gotta admit that the Kumamoto's one was the best among the lot! Pity I couldn't try the other 5 cos I was too full! Will definitely go back again for another round!
That's just about all for my Japan trip and the link to my album's below. Take a look and let me know your comments, k? =) (Note: Flickr can only display 200 pics max and I have 383 photos.. -_- while try to find another online album.. meanwhile stay tuned!)
by janzer81
Here are some of the highlights of my trip for each place I visited and the ppl I need to thank for making my trip enjoyable!
Hiroshima:
Went to Iwakuni for the first time with my host family! It's a nice, serene town with magnificent mountains. Looks like a scene from a postcard if you ask me. Thanks to my host family for bringing me to eat my favourite okonomiyaki and momiji manju! I bought Blokus for the children and they absolutely loved it! =)
Osaka:
Stayed at Mine's place! Enjoyed a warm reception by his whole family and he brought me around Osaka with Keiichi, who came to Singapore with Mine in September this year. On top of that, Mine and his family and Keiichi gave me lotsa of souvenirs that I had to ask him to help me to mail some back to Singapore for me. :P Thanks for everything!
Places I went to included Osaka Aquarium, Shimsaibashi, OPU (Mine's university), Universal Studios Japan! Yeah~
Kyoto:
First time to Kyoto! During one of the days in Osaka, Mine and Keiichi brought me to Kyoto as well! Went to the famous Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion Temple) and Kiyomizu Temple. A pity it was dark when we reached Kiyomizu that I couldn't take any pictures of it! It was a long trek up a slope to the temple as well though... Will go back to Kyoto next time!
Nagoya:
First time to Nagoya! Went there to meet up with Hiroko, a friend I got to know during my Hiroshima Homestay Programme on my 1st trip to Japan. It's been 2 years since we last met and she's working in Nagoya for about a month or so. I travelled to the Italian Village near the harbour and met her for dinner together! Wanted to eat the famous Nagoya Miso-katsu and got my chance! Look at the pics and you will know why. It's so marvellicious~ Only regret was that I forgot to pass to her the present I got for her and I got to mail it to her now. >_<
Tokyo:
This was my 3rd time back to Tokyo although I had stayed in different places in the past (Ikebukuro and Shinjuku). This time I stayed in this hostel in Asakusa~ The hostel's pretty nice and clean with friendly staff and fellow hostel mates as well. *Two thumbs up*
Went to Ginza before heading down to Sanno Park Tower to visit my fellow colleagues in Deutsche Bank~ Much awaited for me as it was my first time to another branch office! Thanks to Ohsaki-san, Kyoko and Terumi for bringing me out to a nice izakaya for a absolutely gastronomic feast and a round of drinks later at a nice Okinawa bar!
Other highlights would include my usual trip to Akihabara and on Terumi's recommendation, I ventured into a maid cafe for a look. It felt weird at first when the "maids" there address you as "Master" and they kneel down when they take your order. Too bad no pictures were allowed... Bought 4 electronic dictionaries for 3 of my Japanese class classmates and myself at a deal too! Akiba's the place! =)
Something also happened in Tokyo as well. I was buying my train ticket at Asakusa Station when a pretty Korean girl asked me for help. Apparently she and her mom wanted to get from Asakusa to another station but wasn't sure how to get there. Since my station was along the way, i offered them to show them the way. Soon after we hit it off pretty ok and exchanged emails as well. I've sent her an email when I was back and hope she replies soon~ ;)
Yokohama:
First time there as well and it was a real treat to abuse, i mean, use effectively my Japan Rail Pass for a 15 minute ride from Tokyo to Yokohama. My main purpose in Yokohama? The Raumen Museum (the spelling error was meant to be) As some of you might know, I'm nuts about ramen! It's like going to the Holy Grail of Ramen~
1st floor's souvenir shops and some history exhibits of ramen but when you go down to the basement.. It's an replica of Japan in the 1930s with traditional shophouses, although the shops are modern. The 8 best ramen restaurants have been gathered here by the museum and are plying their ware. You can buy a mini bowl of ramen at abt 550 yen so that you can try other ramen restaurants without blowing up your tummy. I tried 3 bowls in all, from Kumamoto, Hakata and Sapporo and I gotta admit that the Kumamoto's one was the best among the lot! Pity I couldn't try the other 5 cos I was too full! Will definitely go back again for another round!
That's just about all for my Japan trip and the link to my album's below. Take a look and let me know your comments, k? =) (Note: Flickr can only display 200 pics max and I have 383 photos.. -_- while try to find another online album.. meanwhile stay tuned!)
by janzer81
Monday, October 01, 2007
PECS
I just coined the term above which mean Providing Extra Crappy Service , that is the opposite of GEMS (Go the Extra Mile for Service).
Last Sunday, my sister and JB brought our families to this restaurant at Suntec Convention Centre Level 3. No names allowed but let's just call it PRP restaurant. (Smart ppl should be able to find out which one...)
We had the a la carte buffet which costs about $32.80+++ per pax and there was the free Mini Buddha jumps over the wall and the Crispy Skin Duck as well. There were 12 of us so we ordered quite a number of dishes at a time. The dishes were served surprisingly fast, in fact too fast, with the nasty waiter hurrying us to clear up plates so that he could serve up the next dish. Coupled with the irksome "后面烧，来" (Careful, something hot behind!" even when serving cold drinks, salmon sashimi, the mood was pretty dampened but some of us managed to poke fun at that to lighten things up.
When quizzed at the speed of serving of the dishes, the waiter replied "Here is buffet one, our chef cook already then serve loh, standard one." Even the assistant manager quipped "Maybe next time you can order fewer dishes at a time so that they won't be served also fast.." Even as we made some way for the waiter to serve the dishes, he would find the narrowest of places to squeeze in. -_- The restaurant was hardly far from full house... and it wasn't the case that we were sitting at a small table with not much space for the dishes...
I was like WTF! Cook already means must serve immediately meh! Still want guests to order at the pace you set? And with waiters hurrying us to finish up the food? Not the kind of service I would expect from a restaurant. Did i mention it was named one of Singapore's 50 best restaurants by Tatler? Shocking.
The only thing that saved its skin was the food which was not bad. Too bad it was a meeting for both families else I would be happily snapping pics away at the food le.. So be warned if you're going to PRP next time, either
1. Order in "moderation" as suggested by the assistant manager
2. Order the dishes. One. By. One.
3. Call along someone who can "sapu" (clear) dishes pretty fast cos after all, "buffet mah, standard one"
4. Join up more tables to accomodate the rushing pace of delivery.
Cheers to good food anyway~
Last Sunday, my sister and JB brought our families to this restaurant at Suntec Convention Centre Level 3. No names allowed but let's just call it PRP restaurant. (Smart ppl should be able to find out which one...)
We had the a la carte buffet which costs about $32.80+++ per pax and there was the free Mini Buddha jumps over the wall and the Crispy Skin Duck as well. There were 12 of us so we ordered quite a number of dishes at a time. The dishes were served surprisingly fast, in fact too fast, with the nasty waiter hurrying us to clear up plates so that he could serve up the next dish. Coupled with the irksome "后面烧，来" (Careful, something hot behind!" even when serving cold drinks, salmon sashimi, the mood was pretty dampened but some of us managed to poke fun at that to lighten things up.
When quizzed at the speed of serving of the dishes, the waiter replied "Here is buffet one, our chef cook already then serve loh, standard one." Even the assistant manager quipped "Maybe next time you can order fewer dishes at a time so that they won't be served also fast.." Even as we made some way for the waiter to serve the dishes, he would find the narrowest of places to squeeze in. -_- The restaurant was hardly far from full house... and it wasn't the case that we were sitting at a small table with not much space for the dishes...
I was like WTF! Cook already means must serve immediately meh! Still want guests to order at the pace you set? And with waiters hurrying us to finish up the food? Not the kind of service I would expect from a restaurant. Did i mention it was named one of Singapore's 50 best restaurants by Tatler? Shocking.
The only thing that saved its skin was the food which was not bad. Too bad it was a meeting for both families else I would be happily snapping pics away at the food le.. So be warned if you're going to PRP next time, either
1. Order in "moderation" as suggested by the assistant manager
2. Order the dishes. One. By. One.
3. Call along someone who can "sapu" (clear) dishes pretty fast cos after all, "buffet mah, standard one"
4. Join up more tables to accomodate the rushing pace of delivery.
Cheers to good food anyway~
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
