Pregnant Friday

Friday is here again. This is a pregnant Friday as a lot of expectation is riding on it. After battling the flu bug for the good part of the week, I am really looking forward to the weekend for a well deserved rest. This is really fat hope. I don’t think I will get much rest this weekend as a lot of events happening next week will need our attention this weekend. Next week going to be a touch and go week for us… SO’s mum is visiting in the middle of next week so will need to play driver. Wanted to do a good job to show my appreciation for the many wonderful things she had done for me when I was courting her daughter. For example, her encouragement, hospitality when I visited and stayed overnight but most of all for generosity in letting go her only daughter that had stayed with hers. We are leaving town for Melaka to do our Cheng Meng rite on Friday and probably a shopping spree in KL on Sunday. So next weekend will be one hell of a hectic weekend and we need REST this week to store up energy for such adventure. Most headaches of all, we still haven’t found a renovation contractor that is good in both the price/service department. We had tried a lot of reno shops but none meets our criteria. So, back to square one. Although all these demands are conflicting in nature, I am happy nevertheless. Why? For the simple reason it breaks the monotony of our mundane routine and doing good to people who matter in your life like attending to SO’s mum. I feel stretched but not stressed. That basically sums up my feeling for this Friday and the coming week. Have a good weekend, all you guys out there!!

Sick Building Syndrome

Despite the state i was in, i managed to finish my client report and made it home for dinner with SO. One less angry client tomorrow, i managed a smile as i walked out of the office. As soon as i stepped out of the office, i already felt much much better. My Niagara nose had run its waterfall course. I read somewhere that the poor indoor air quality of office building do affect one's health. Bad air quality could cause Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). Symptoms like teary eyes, running nose and migraine could be the symptom of SBS.

In fact after dinner, i felt as energetic as a Tiger. When i relate the SBS and my pussy cat condition in the office, SO was quick to retort, "Aiyah! It is just your excuses of not wanting to stay in the office and work!" She may have a point, and i concurred. Now i know ......

I am allergic to work, SBS or not!!

Wa Demam liao!

I’m tired and have to sleep soon. My blocked nose is restricting my breathing and I got to try real hard just to stay alive. Ok ok maybe a bit chock tai (exaggerated). But this is true, OK! After numerous attempts to clear my nose, my desk is now littered with my snotty tissue wantons. That makes me feel hungry and sleepy and extremely guilty. I will need to call my client very soon and drop him the bomb that his already delayed project got to delay a few more days. But this is nothing compared to the soon to be missed opportunity of meeting my sei tong (gang) this weekend in Ipoh... ARRGH!!!

Be Hip Buy Original

Film Synopsis Be With Me the new film by Eric Khoo (Mee Pok Man, 12 Storeys) is a tapestry of stories woven around the themes of love, hope and destiny. The characters lead separate lives but are bound by one common desire - to be with their loved one. The protagonists in the movie are fictitious bar one - Theresa Chan, a courageous deaf and blind woman whose life story inspired Be With Me. Named after the colloquial Malay word for "anxiety", it is nonetheless told with great assurance. Fans of her last movie, the interracial romance Sepet (2004) will be pleased by the return of protagonist Orked (Sharifah Amani Al-Yahya) and her kooky clan. But Gubra is different from the lightweight sentiment of Sepet. The director states her intent at the opening, which quotes from the Quran, "In the name of God, the most loving, the most compassionate". Gubra is not just a love story. It is also a meditation on what it means to love, to live and to have faith. Brothers & sisters...dont buy pirated DVD lah, support our movie makers lah. Just bought Kuku's Be With Me but still haven't watched yet lah. Good movies lah these two ...Gabra & Be With Me. Got love, got hope, got destiny... OK!! If you gonna treat yourself to one OKOK two lah DVDs this year, make it Gabra or Be With Me!!

Singapore for Oscar 2

After yesterday casual kacang putih blog about Singapore's Oscar ambition by one STraight Times journey girl Sah Hor Fun, i read about Kuku's movie situation in Page 14 of today ST Life. This one put more than a smile on my face. His latest short movie "No Holiday Work until You Die" is wanted by the Kunt Film Festival and the Ceongjau Internal Film Festival in Korea. That is really a coup, as Kuku is known as an arthouse director whom movies are as deep (read zzz....) as Teh C's blog. BTW, Teh C is one blogger that possesses the "zzz" factor and harbours a HoliBoliwood ambition. Also in the same paper today, Kuku's family had just being enriched by 2.32 billion pound. Tiunaseng corporation, is buying up his family stake in the Squadchart bank. BTW, Tiunaseng corporation is our answer to Boleh's Kazamana corporation across the causeway. I am actually happy by this latest development. With that kind of family wealth, i pray hard hard that Kuku will throw his weight behind Singapore's Oscar ambition. If the angmoh CAN! we also BOLEH! Wait for (TAN) KUKU lah!!

Singapore for Oscar?

I read the Straight Times today and smile a little smile. Singapore is gunning for the Oscar!! A good movie starts with a good story. Good story can only come from imaginative and slightly cranky minds. After a few months in bloggerland and glancing through the "Lin Dynasty" saga, I am sure there is a lot of closet writers waiting to see the light. Bl0gger Desiderata invitation to join the Asian Script Writers convention in Singapore was apt in timing and set me thinking. He thinks Asian should seriously consider sending their script to Hollywood for an airing. If i am a betting man, i would not mind to put 10 big 10 small on either entity... one is a blogger on a mission, while the other is a goal getting nation of 4 million.

Friends after big 4!

This guy is 250 years old and dead.

This lady is turning 40 soon and loved by many.

I had passed 40 but still feel not a day older than my ACS days. Why, things had not changed over the last 30 years. Had this eerie feeling like I am stucked in a time capsule. For example, hanging out at the sarabat store playing games together on a weekly basis sharing dvd, songs, stuff we enjoyed yonks ago talking about school days like we left one month ago Through the wonders of technology, we manage to keep in touch; you won’t believe this, on a daily basis. Through blogging, we are also invited to be a witness of their inner thought. Leslie, is one such friend. So much so, that sometimes SO wonder aloud, “After all these years, you guys never get enough of each other mei?” I have this explanation…maybe we are worn down by the mundance daily grind and family commitment, old friends are like our comfort bolster that we will never give up, no matter how appealing other things around us had become!

Cheng Meng Plan

Cheng Meng is coming next week and got to finalise my travelling plan for April. In the past it was just Melaka, lo ma chi (mother) and i. Now, I have to add another 800 km return trip up north with SO in tow. Not that I am complaining but just trying to maximise the trip as to coincide with the mini gathering of former ACSians and some former classmates from MGS. There maybe a thin chance of meeting up with the Ipoh bloggers. I am entertaining that thought, nevertheless. Better not think too much about this as I have the habit of sleep murmuring lately. Niamah, why can’t some bloggers just choose a less name-like nick. Better take precaution, will name my one and only upside-down catfish “Hairlen”. Hairlen when we just got it from the pet shop three years ago

Almost Famous

Friday and i am taking the day off. Big day today as i got an interview with the Straight Times Sunday Life. Need to prepare, man! Straight Times Sunday Life, can you imagine that?!! . They want a story on me, "... the most misunderstood blogger without a fan base." But isn't that an oxymoron? Who want to read a blog that they can't understand? It is not very flattering to receive comment like "...sorry wrong blog. can't understand a word being uttered." Anyway, i will take my 15 minutes of fame. I was quietly running through the trivias they gonna ask me... I don't want to be a misunderstood and boring blogger. an excerpt is included here... STSL: What would you do if you are marooned on an island? SF: Will apply for PR so i can buy an pigeon hole from the mafia of the land STSL: Er... I don't mean Kiasuland SF: Robinson Crusoe's type? STSL: Yes SF: will bring Mr Martin Yan, need cooked food to survive, Mrs Smith, bodyguard for security and other unprintable reasons and Bob the Builder, to build a sampan to escape from the island STSL: What about your wife? SF: Nope. She would not survive a day out here. Anyway, don’t think she will get along with my bodyguard STSL: What if you are only allowed one company? SF: Then I will take along one Mrs Martin Yan the Builder… You get the drift…. As I was waiting for the lift, I hold SO’s hand gently when she suddenly turned to me and said “Dear, what are you doing pulling my hand? It is 3.30 am in the morning!” Oh, my God!! I am dreaming again!! But it was good while it lasted. Who has the address of Bloggers Anonymous?

Meal with a View

“I survived past Wednesday liao!” Just another excuse to have a quiet night out with SO. Wanted a restaurant with a view downtown, but thrifty SO suggested jap fast food and we ended up at the neighbourhood “Feista” at Jurong Point. We were early but still ended up sitting like 3 seats away from the store, in front of the conveyor belt. Not the best of seats but it was near the food preparation place. We had a very clear view of serving chef. Suddenly a lousy seating arrangement became a strategic lookout point. Freshly prepared salmon sushi or soft shell crab just out of the wok…. Not only we were aware what was freshly made, we could also place our order directly to the chef bypassing the waitress with the benefit of a shorter waiting time. The salmon sushi on the belt didn’t look too good but no problem. We just placed our order through the chef when we saw some “sashimi” grade salmon on the chef’s table. We also didn’t waste much time placing our order of soft shell crab handroll when we saw soft shell crab on the chef’s cutting area. We had a good time and made the best of a lousy situation. No restaurant with a view, meal with a view will do fine!!

my special order fatty salmon sushi!!

Bloggers Anonymous

I think I have a severe bout of BA…blogging addiction. I have not dreamt for a long time. But recently I started to have dreams about things that I blogged. It is not actually things I blogged but bits and pieces in a jumbled up rojak from blogging, bloggers, reality, worries carried over from the day before. For example, this morning…I dreamt my house was on fire… It was a very huge fire that has reached the white heat stage. With so much smog and yelling around, my mind went totally blank. The only thing that mattered then, was to find my favourite book “MY ALL” by the author, Helen. Before I managed to find the book, my house collapsed on me and jolted me out from dreamland….. Actually, “My All” was one of my many haunts in bloggerland. Someone should start a self-help BA (Bloggers Anonymous) for those with BA.

Discount

Maybe i am a newbie in business, but there are some practices in the business world that really doesn't make sense, beside spending times over mission statements. During lunch today, i received a call from a prospective client, one Executive Director of a construction company, asking for a discount of $200 over a $3,000 job. I am not surprise if someone asks for a bigger amount but $200 over a project that cost over a SGD million? My part is only $3,000, how much can you save? I won't waste too much clicking time over this issue. But i will sure sleep over it tonite and ask my secretary to consider asking for those $0.10 discount that we had neglected so much in the past. For the record, my client got his discount and i can upgrade my lunch to Da Paolo tomorrow. Da Paolo is a western restaurant in Holland V that serves pricey Italian food in a serving size that will only appeal to those strictly on diet.

My Mission Statement

“Kiss and say “I love U” every day at least once to the Significant One” My mission statement doesn’t help me make more money. It doesn’t even make sense. But I’ve never seen a mission statement that met either of those tests. At least I keep the SO happy and assured that I will start the day on the right side of the bed.

There is a Chinese saying, “Gar Woh Man Si Heng” which means Prosperity starts with keeping Harmony at Home. So, having a happy home is half the battle won in this dog-eat-dog world of business. If i ask for a grading of 100, what grade would you give my mission statement? I would like to hear yours too, if you have one!!

Well of Knowledge

When i was a kiddie, papa already sowed the importance of knowledge and continuous learning into my young mind. One fine day, he told me, "fei chai, do you know that wealth and knowledge go to the one with knowledge?" Papa words, as usual, were always above my understanding. So, I asked, "Papa, where can I get this knowledge thingy?"

That little conversation started my life-long love affair with books and libraries. The Tun Razak Library in Ipoh then, was brand new and seen as the THE place to hang out. As a member, I had spent many an afternoon there, both studying and doing other ECA activities. Beside Enid Blyton, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys etc, there were a lot of Ah Hua, Ah Mei, Ah Lian and seniors there that started me on my route to the acquisition of the other all-important certificate. In the age of pre-Internet and Dummies books, many "social" skill was picked up in Tun Razak. I learned that i could send a signal to a party of interest by arriving SUPER early to chop a place for the two of us. That signal could be reinforced with some logistic services thrown in like offering to send that party of interest home after library hours, in my trusty 50 cc Honda cub. Never mind that she lived in Menglembu (North) and me Kg Bercham (South).

The Tun Razak experience had built a foundation had got me through SPM, STPM and NUS... with the ROM certificate coming only two years ago. It seems all those social skill learned in Tun Razak never worked or is it my poor execution... i really dont know. I still got to know my significant one through the old fashion way - friend introduction....and the help from technology. As we 700 km away, we were like Hank & Ryan in "You Got Mail". We were email/yahoo friends for like an eternity before we finally met. I had no visual of her at all during that period and the only impression was "Meg" in that movie. We finally met in Ipoh after three months and my first impulse was to bring her to "Tun Razak". Better sense got hold of me and we ended up in DR Park before adjourning to dinner at Indulgence, Ipoh.

Well, the rest like they say is "history!" With the youngs nowadays and their internet lifestyle, Papa's script and the Tun Razak experiences would be best left on the shelf. Never mind, i can still afford the time to write a new one. Let me google this first and see what we have... "dating in the internet age"

Dinner with Brocolli

Hei! I can't have dinner at the same table with this woman - Broccoli Barbara. BB is the co-owner of the Bond franchise. I don't care even if it means throwing away the chance of a pair of premier tickets to the lastest Bond flick - Casino Royale. Anyway, JB is a tired theme that is running on bottom of the barrel materials. More of this later. I am not alone, Snr Bush shared my dislike of this woman too... " Bush banned Broccoli from the White House and Air Force One: "I'm President of the United States, and I'm not going to see any more Broccoli! (abstract from...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._W._Bush - 151k ) After my limited research on the net, this woman is everything that i despised...lack of respect for elder, cronyism, hold grudges, lack of ideas, bad taste!!

disrespect for elder...

it is drastic to kick out Brosnan just like that! can't she do a old spy new spy swap like the original "Casino Royale" of 1967? She can take a leaf of Kiasuland in this instant. Kiasuland is paying a respectable elder a cool 2 mil a year just to look after money that nobody is sure exactly where and how much. The last elder asked and the gahmen took two years to get back to him. The answer was that the gahmen was not sure and still counting. Dont quote me ok? Still need to cari makan (scavenge for scrub) in Kiasuland.

cronyism...

Doesn't this man look like her squeeze? Got husband and wife look mah!! SURE got something on, one!!

Hold grudges...

Father broccoli didnt get the right to Casino Royale in 1967, who went to one "Charles Feldman". Now the Broccolis are doing a new "Casino Royale", just to get even.

Lack of ideas...

Man, she tried to inject a taste of exotic Asian, youth appeal, East-West conflict but all ended with rojak results. The franchise is holding up based on the momentum of a group of die-hard and I am sure , fast greying fans base...

• Goldeneyes (1995)

In her debut as co-producer, she displayed her feminine activist facade by installing " Judi Dench as M who describes Bond as a "sexist, misogynist dinosaur. A relic of the Cold War." It is to Judi's credit that she had done a good job since!!

• Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

a very lame excuse using the potential China-UK conflict to send 007 on another mission...and casting Dato M. Yeoh as an ass-kicking vase. High profile but lousy role. No wonder Dato M has yet to get another main stream English movie. Lee Ang's Tiger show is not a mainstream English movie, ok? It won the best foreign language movie in the Oscar, get it?

• The World is Not Enough (1999)

This is a movie with a $$ message, if you look beyond the fireworks - OIL is Everything!! If after watching this movie, you went out to buy some oil shares you will be a very happy person now. Good movie but how many working class cinema goerS like ME would catch it?

• Die Another Day (2002)

Asian (in this movie, North Korean) was installed as the new villain. Ouch... after Fu Manchu, now we have Kenneth Tsang as the new face of a misunderstood father... Looked like Tsang was in the wrong movie and the wrong role. Had to resort to a scene of wave surfing to attract the young generation.

Bad TasteThis is my guy! He will have my "license to kill". The player, yeah, a real proven lady man!

If casting a fellow that appeared haggard and looked like a two-timing tennis player is gonna bring a contemporary edge to the Bond's role, HEI!! Broccoli, you better get your head examined. I like to know what was she trying to tell us in the "old" Bond... BROSNAN's Bond was like the kind of sensitive new age guy who was not a womaniser... someone you would like to bring home to show mama. Another old dinosaur to be discarded like "M"?

This guy looks more like rushing to a dinner after a tennis game...without taking his bath first!!

B. Broccoli's Profile

Barbara Broccoli Barbara Broccoli (born June 18, 1960) is the daughter of the famous James Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli. Broccoli majored in motion picture and television communications at Loyola University prior to working in the casting and production departments at EON Productions, the production company responsible for every official James Bond film ever produced. Currently she co-produces Bond films with her stepbrother Michael G. Wilson. James Bond Franchise Barbara Broccoli got her start in the James Bond franchise as an assistant director on the movie Octopussy. In 1987 she worked her way up to become an associate producer on the film The Living Daylights. She is most notable, however, for being a producer of the Pierce Brosnan Bond films. Following a suggestion that the new M for GoldenEye should be a woman, Broccoli cast Judi Dench. This arguably risky move has proved very successful, allowing new character traits of the Bond character to be explored. Dench's character tells Bond "I think you're a sexist, misogynist dinosaur. A relic of the Cold War.

If you ask me... Miss Broccoli, this is your guy..............

he is suave.....with a pair of most expressive eyes in this part of the world

a proven lady man .................

got experience some more......in this genre

most of all, he is funny.... the missing ingredient in your tired formula!!

Needs and Wants

Friday is here again. After making predictions of what I wanted to do for the last two weeks and never achieved it, it suddenly dawned on me that marriage life is no longer about what I want to do but what I need to do…. For example... I want to sleep until 10 am tomorrow morning but I need to wake up early to meet the designer for our apt renovation. I want to play tennis in the late morning but I need to perform driver duty to the significant one. Reason same as above. I want to watch movies and shop for CDs in the afternoon after the designer’s meeting but I need to go to buy fruit from our favourite stalls in Tanjong Pagar and do the renovation budget thereafter. I wanted to stay single but I need to get married to continue the family line …. hahaha not this one. I do WanT to get married and share my life with that one Significant One. I NeeD to keep this entry short because I WanT to knock off early from work today to celebrate the birthday of the Significant One tonite. It would be good to hear from fellow bloggers how you balance your NeeDs and WanTs!!

Writing - a dying skill?

Have to skipped tennis today as a few work datelines are looming and how I wish I am not human… but an octopussy with 8 arms and hands. I am in the business where my productivity, in a way, is determined by how fast I think and click on the keyboard. I am always grateful that I was an ACSian from Ipoh. ACS seemed to be the only school in Ipoh then to offer typing class. Unfortunately the class was abolished after the retirement of the typing teacher. Those were pre-computer days and typing was probably considered a low-level skill that was not a pre-requisite to a successful career. We were lucky to be the last few cohorts before the class was abolished. I wonder whether schools offer typing class now? If not, where do youngsters nowadays pick up typing skill? Typing is such an important skill in this world of electronic mail and word processing, it will be interesting to know where do people pick up this cannot-do-without skill from? So, if you meet an Ipoh ACSians circa 83 or earlier and he claims he can’t type to save his life… you know you can’t trust this guy.

On the other hand, does the development and advancement of word processing slowly and surely pushing the skill of writing into oblivion? I have friends who swear by their word processing machines that they can't live without it. Writing is too slow to follow their train of thought, they argued.... and lack the flexibility of rearanging their thoughts at a click of the mouse. I, for one, don't think i will have a business venture, if i have to type (using a typewriter)or write my reports. Maybe it is a sign of time. As our life become more complicated and the pace of life become faster, manpower (read hand writing/typing) is giving way to machine (read computer). As our need (of a writing instrument) reflects our lifestyle, it is not unnatural to slowly give up something that had spent so much time and effort in learning. Even at the expense of something as personal and as beautiful as a person handwriting.

some interesting links on computers, typewriters and history of writing....

http://members.aol.com/typebar/collectible/typewriter.htm

http://www.hitmill.com/computers/history/index.html

http://www.historian.net/hxwrite.htm

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bltypewriter.htm

Dinner Invitations

Money woes aside, i am positively and absolutely think i am gonna end this week with a bang. My fairy godmother Helen had given me the power to deal and wheel in a parallel universe filled with stars, celeb etc... I was given three no-hold-bar dinner tickets to date the hottest stars in Hollywood...**sob, sob...** I cant possibly do justice to such a gift with just one entry. So **sob, sob...** will do three instead. First i need to get my dinner guests list up first... Hot on my lists are... Barbara Broccoli ...protest! protest! Daniel Craig sucks! Stephen Chow, Jackie Chan, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott... famous directors come together to to do a movie... i have the pau jiak (sure fire) formula Sam & Carrie from "Friends" fame...just the company i need to relax after the first two HOT dinner engagements Thank you, Helen my fairy godmother **sob, sob...**!!

Who Do You Work For?

When I was young, I almost hated it when my papa went to work every morning. I would cried and cried …. and papa would carry me in his arm trying to sooth me. When I was old enough to talk, I asked papa why he had to work everyday. What he said on that fateful day had really set my life anchor. He told me he needed to work and he was doing it for me. So, at the back of my mind I knew then that papa had to go to work because of me…. and I never cried since. But for the last 40 years I have no family to pass the words of wisdom and the life anchor that my papa had given me. I drifted and was starting to query my very own existence. Papa worked for me, I work for whom? If I didn't get married, why do I need to work or rather work so hard for? I have nobody to work for beside the selfish motives of keeping my comfortable lifestyle!! I sometimes pray to God for answers. And I think God heard me when He asked me this question….. Why work for Cash? Cash who? Pat Cash or Johnny Cash? Both Cashes are suppose to be funny and entertaining. Since Singapore has no Cash whatsoever, no wonder my life feel so miserable. The face on the note doesn't look very happy, either. If you look carefully, it actually looks like Al Capone, the mafia. Dont believe? I got proof... Here is the picture of the real Capone.

Oopps wrong picture. This guy is no crook. He is just trying to build a crooked bridge from Malaysia to Singapore.

Here it is!! Without trying too hard, isn't there some resemblance?

In Singapore, the guys with serious cash without any doubt are the merry bunch below. Nobody would argue with me that most, if not all, of us at some points in our life have worked for them or contributed to their family kitty. As usual, those disagree can post a comment!!

Sir John Bond (HSBC)

Wee Cho Yaw (UOB)

Jackson Tai (DBS)

Monday Blue

Someone sent me this picture, supposedly to perk up my Monday. It was tongue in cheek, really but when you look at it carefully, it is actually very zen-ny…. If you substitute fuel with all pleasure-seeking activities, the equation still holds true. So, we need money to have pleasure, to be happy… It is like a reminder that we have to work hard to be happy… it is a cliché really. Since I was born without even a tooth, not to mention silver spoon, life is nothing but a grind. A cari makan journey to the West, where it all will ends. So, instead of cheering me up, it is like a grim reminder… I don’t know whether I am just being cynical or the Monday blue is bogging me down. Either way, it doesn’t matter now as the day had ended …. I survived another Monday! Yeah!! cari makan = looking for food

Singapore kiasuism

When government talks about an ageing population and the need to plan for the handicap and the aged, I take my hat off to their vision. When I see project on lift upgrading to every floor (yes, in Singapore lift don’t stop at every floor in public flat. It was a short-sighted cost saving measure of the past. A genuine mistake no doubt as the government would like to reassure us), construction of lift in MRT stations, etc I applaud their commitment. Talk is cheap but it is difficult to argue with a government that backed its words with action plan. When the government talked about building ramps in public housing estate, it is a very bold statement considering 80% of Singaporean lives in HDB flat and a very welcome one indeed. I don’t know whether it is common in Malaysia but in Singapore we often see senior citizens being wheeled around by their children or maids in shopping centers, hawker centers etc. As a caregiver to my late father, it was no easy task pushing a wheel chair through a neighbourhood full of kerbs and steps. A small ramp is hardly noticeable to the able bodied but it is a highway to a freedom that we take for granted. An unassisted visit to the neighbourhood barber, coffee shop, bank teller machine etc put the “Quality” back into the life of these group of people. Indeed on a personal level, I look forward to these handicap-friendly measures, as my mother who is pushing 90 will definitely need a wheel chair to move around in a few years time.

Singapore is not well endowed like its neighbours. We need all able bodies as well as those not so “abled’ to power the economy. Hence, it is a move in the right direction to make Singapore more handicap-friendly. The handicaps are leading a more normal life now and are more mobile. No hot statistic to prove my point but my observation of a couple crossing the road last week in a pair of wheel chairs tell me that Singapore is kiasu, in this case, in the right direction. kiasu = scare to lose

Brokeback Mountain vs Love Story

Will try to catch BB Mountain in the cinema as well as the classic "LOVE STORY" on dvd this weekend. With so much raves about BB i actually feel guilty to have nothing to say. Homo vs Hetero. Thank you Lee Ang for giving us this "study" of the other side. The love genre will never be the same again!!

Golf Trip to JB

It is never a trip of complete pleasure when going on a golf trip during the weekday across the Causeway. It is always pleasure mixed with pressure. The thought of getting caught in a traffic jam that last as long as your golf game is never far from the mind. Pressure also come in the form of client calling in to remind you that he need that report by this Christmas, or worse, he need it yesterday. The bad press on the violent crime in Johor recently didn’t help either… All these added up, I actually feel guilty resting a productive day chasing a little white ball in the middle of nowhere. Isn’t it ironical that I go through all this troubles, just because I wanted a day off to escape the mundane of daily grind?!! The fact remain that a few stolen moments in a backdrop of great landscape and greenery and the company of a few good buddies do wonder for the mind. It is also a good opportunity to renew our bonds with friends that we don’t meet socially or professionally. Today game is one such moment. Cheeze was my buddy from university. He was and still a guy with big personality and love for the Arts. He used to buy tickets in advance and invite his friends to art performances. Art performances were cheap then and a typical Hong Kong gig like Alan Tam can be had for $10. At one Singapore Symphony Orchestra concert he actually bought 20 tickets in advance for his friends. I didn’t go for that one as I was in Malaysia. He ended up in the good company of 17 ladies for the evening and sold away the 2 unused tickets at the concert venue. What I admired about him is that he had no ulterior motive in his action as he dated and fancied none of them. Pure friendship. Period. It was a good trip today as we managed to come back in one piece and on time. The only blot on a good day was some silly marketing company calling up asking for a few seconds of my time as I was lining up for a killer putt. Some good holes earlier had put me in a good mood, so I generously gave him 3 seconds as that’s all I needed to say “Not interested” and hang up. I missed my putt!! @#$%^!! JB is literally littered with hundred of eateries that serves good food at affordable prices. It is almost like an unwritten rule that a golf outing will end, not at the 18th hole but at a good makan (eating) place in JB. Dinner was a surprise experience today. It was not at the usual town eateries but at a kelong restaurant by the seaside at Tanjung Kabung. It does not have the commercial trapping nor the romantic ambience of “The Sampan” in Melaka. The seafood could not get any fresher than here as the fish were actually kept in pents in the sea. Dinner was a mix of veggie, steamed fish, fried egg and mussel downed with fresh coconut juice and chrysanthemum tea. For RM80, it was an experience that everyone and anyone can afford. The only catch is, the place is rather out of the way and not that easy to find. It was tucked away at an ulu corner of Pasir Gudang in JB behind the Tanjung Puteri Golf Course. All in all it was a good “holiday” in the hospitality of our northern neighbour. Good food, good company, affordable golf… great combination that will relax the most tired of mind. Did I talk about pressure? Not a hint of it around after we had finished our dinner. That’s the reasons we are coming back again and again despite the incidental inconvenience with a golfing outing in JB.

Me No Blind!!

A young relative who work in Balikpapan think he is so clever, he gave me this challenge. He sent me an email with the pic above and the caption below. Suppose to test my observation skill.

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Thought you might appreciate the subtlety of this ad, done by a Brazilian ad agency, for a lubricating gel (K-Y equivalent) targeting the Frenchmarket. They were trying to come up with an ad that is not offensive or tasteless.The picture looks completely innocent until you notice the details...Apparently, it has created quite a buzz in Europe.

Although my eyes are "low fah" , uncle here is no stupid you know!! uncle here eat more salt than you eat rice, walk more bridge than you walk road... Wah liao, trying to test me!! One look i already know. The gal is looking for her boyfriend or husband or gigolo lah. That poor fella must had felled into the longkang or canal something. Quite obvious slipped on the slippery KY on the pavement !! Must be true lah as this is a KY ad, right? The gal must be waiting for him to surface from the water. Poor gal!

Next time wanna test uncle, try something got more brain one lah!! Anyway, dont worry, keep them coming. Uncle, although lau liao, but can still take challenge or a joke or two.

Anyone not agree, pls indicate in the comment column. Best comment win one week supply of KY or equivalent.

My Neighbourhood

As a house-proud owner, i was annoyed by this piece of crappy notice pasted on my front gate. The handwritten note shows some sincerity of the prospective buyer but if you really are a serious buyer, Mr Wong, get a decent housing agent. Try the Yellowpages. The bloody Yellowpages was not invented as a substitute for pang sai jua or kacang putih wrapper. I called up that number after dinner, just to have a closure on my anger. The teleconversation went like this: ..... SF: How much are you offering for my property, Mr Wong? Wong: $5,000 above valuation SF: How much is your valuation? Wong: $320,000 SF: So you are offering $325,000 lah, Mr Wong Wong: Yup SF: Thats too low, how about 20% above evaluation Mr Wong: Thats too ex. SF: But didnt you say you like my area, its environment and the friendly people. Actually, what do u mean by that? Wong: Oh! I like the beach ...

SF: Oh sure! we have great beach parties here every weekend and my house is at the high level. Can see Batam on a good day!

Wong: I think the neighbourhood is great. The people are really friendly.

SF: You can say that. There are a lot of characters living in this neighbourhood. Do you have kid Mr Wong?

Wong: Yup. two fast growing teenagers who always talk non-stop on the phone.

SF: With the Tammy fiasco, i think it is comforting to you if i tell you that this place is so safe, anytime a mobile phone is lost, the police will waste no time in looking into it.

Wong: Thats sound great, man!

SF: So, do you still think the price is unreasonable?

Wong: No lah. actually it is out of the quantum covered by my bank.

SF: (murmuring) @#$%^!!

SF: Mr Wong, take it from me. Either get a more generous banker or pick a neighbourhood that fits the size of your pocket!

Am i too nasty to Wong? Take a look at my neighbourhood and you be the judge!!

View from my master bedroom...

Weekend parties that i talked about...

My neighbour on the right, Helen the blogger. sometimes moonlight as stand-in in Hollywood. Goes by the artist name of Helen Hunt...

My left neighbour, a silai who has a daughter that like to sing in the toilet. Now a big time singer in Hollywood...

and last but not least, the security is top class. you cant get any safer than this!!!

Dont you wish your neighbourhood is as nice as this?

pang sai jua = shit paper

kacang putih = white nut

Final Destination 3, I like!!

After the slow pacing and thinking movie “The Crimson River” on Saturday, watching Final Destination 3 on Sunday was really a welcome change. It is the “tonik” movie that I need to perk me up for Monday. I can imagine absolutely nothing more gratifying than watching some perfect ang moh ah bengs, ah lians with perfect breasts or massive biceps succumb to the gruesomely violent, and yet goofy at times, shock of Death. Nothing else in the horror genre can compare to the pure, unadulterated simplicity of this Destination installment. James Wong, who took a break from the second installment, is back in his element in this third installment. Call me shallow, but I actually like this movie. No character development, philosophical pretension, unnecessary plots to deviate away from the balance equation of a good formula. Death, has never been as crowd pleasing as it is in any of the Final Destination films. I don’t see any reason why the series couldn’t extend indefinitely. It’s a one-trick movie to be sure but, my God, it’s a great trick. I left the cinema feeling guilty pleasure. Death should not be so entertaining, but that's what this movie is all about. Ang moh = red hair Ah beng = male teenager Ah lian = female teenager

Going French

Too lazy to catch a movie in town as I was stressed out by work in the office today. Maybe will go tomorrow. As a result, i had a bad case of "Oscar Fever" withdrawal symptom earlier in the evening. As i could not stand the itch anymore, i reached for my "mopiko" - my "rojak" collection of vintage (old lah actually) movies collection and pick one of the movies that i had watched long time ago and had totally forgotten its story line.

It is a French movie dubbed in English - The Crimson Rivers starring Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel. Anyone heard of it? If you like the American's Seven and Serial of the Lamb, you will like this French offering. I like the movie for two simple reasons - Jean Reno, the only French actor I recognize & like (beside Alain Deloine) and the serial killer genre with its CSI-like forensic scenes minus the bad creative lighting. This is one good movie for a slow Saturday evening. If you have nothing on Sunday and are sick of watching re-run CSI Supreme Weekend, it is worth you while to try out The Crimson Rivers.

There are some grisly images. Make sure juniors are not around when you are tuning in.

mopiko - common brand of soothing balm for external use

rojak - oh moh salad with lots of crutched peanuts topping

oh moh - dark hair that grow on the human body

Movies Weekend

Oscar fever is here! and TGIF!! So many movies to watch and so little time. Quick glance through the papers today, three of the oscars fav like B. Mountain, Munich, & Crash are showing in town. And together with the ang moh pontianak movie (Underworld) & 444 movie (Final Destination 3) showing, we are spoilt for choices this weekend. I already know my choice for this weekend, it is the same one as the significant one. Hope you guys will have a great time this weekend and maybe we can compare "movie" notes next week. ang moh = red hair pontianak = vampire 444 = die die die

Tanjung Rambutan Stud Farm

Tanjung Rambutan in the outskirt of Ipoh is famous for its rumah sakit gila (mental hospital) and hot spring. So, when your Bolehland colleagues are telling you, mockingly "Are you from Tanjung Rambutan?" it is a sign your idea sucks big time and a good signal to look for alternative lunch partners. TR also has a lesser known attraction, that was started as a brainchild of the late Tengku Abdul Rahman. It is the Tanjung Rambutan Stud Farm. An avid patron of the Sport of Kings, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj, Malaysia's first Premier believed that the breeding of Thoroughbreds was possible in the tropics. So the wheels were promptly set in motion, which led to the establishment of the National Stud Farm in 1969 by the Malaysian Totalisator Board. From its humble beginnings as an experimental project, the National Stud Farm has since staged 27 successful auction sales of over 900 Thoroughbreds. The Farm has come a long way in its development and many of the sale graduates have been successful on the local race circuit, beginning with C'est La Vie, Tote Buster, Tuneful Melody, Joel and Tres Bien. To date, graduates of the Farm have earned their owners no less than RM20 million in prize money.

Well, this is a retired race horse heaven. After spending half their life running in a circle, it is a reward for the good one to settle down to do something more exciting like running in circle in a stud farm.

Of the 3 attractions, at TR, i had only visited the stud farm. Ya.. i was the one in bell bottom. Look, so retro now!! In the pic we were given a short discourse on the "Art of Karma Sutra in the HOrse World". The railings, where the man was leaning on are to keep Miss Ma still when Mr Ma is doing its businesss. Notice the small wooden door on the lower right? It is closed during the course of mating to prevent an unhappy Miss Ma from showing her displeasure by raising her third... or fourth leg. Not very romantic, right? Too bad, we didnt notice any action during our visit. I cant remember whether we did anything more interesting than this. Not a very touristy attraction, this stud farm. Recommended for someone who really want to watch some real horsing around. Miss Ma = mare Mr Ma = sire

Hot Chicks of 2006

My list ...ahem Little Chicken suppose to make Disney laugh all the way to the bank. It bombed so bad, nobody is laughing KFC "heaty" chick that sent one Colonel laughing all the way to the bank Bird Flu femme fatale that make you lembek (soft) at the knees without taking her clothes (feather...?) off NYP Tammy the One who started a national debate on value of modern youngsters and change the way we "look" at lost handphone Evelyn Lee (who?) the cover girl of the "Tammy" pirated CDs in Bolehland. collateral damage from the NYP Tammy fallout Dr Rosemary Tan the entrepreneur who "a week after giving birth to her 2nd child,... was on a plane overseas to talk shop". Dr Tan is the Boss of Veredus, among the first in the world to sell the bird flu H5N1 detection kit commercially. Singapore Boleh!? Helen the blogger one silai (housewife) from Ipoh who diu deals her way into the hearts of many bloggers with her big personality and mak toh tak (no hold bar) blog. silai man sui!! (housewives of the world unite!) Note No chicks were harmed in the compilation of tis list. Dont worry abt the chikcs at KFC, they are already dead, anyway! All opinion expressed are mine. No insurance cover here so dont think of suing me if you dont like my list. Pls feedback, comment, advise, consult as you like. Criticism is not welcome, constructive or otherwise. The list is not exhaustive and subject to change without any further notice.

How your order a cup of hot water in Singapore?

I have a bit of problem getting a cup of plain hot water this morning at a fast food joint in the West. What happened was i ordered a breakfast meal and asked for a cup of hot water, instead of the usual tea/coffee. The counter girl told me that i couldn't exchange my coffee/tea entitlement to a cup of plain hot water. Coffee, Tea or nothing? Hei! this is rare knowledge and totally illogical and absurd. I didnt know whether to feel angry or to laugh. Not wanting to hold up the Q, I ordered a cup of teh kosong without teh/sugar. I walked away from the counter smiling, this girl had made my day. I got my cup of plain hot water, naturally. I didnt know whether the counter girl action was intentional or a tease on this uncle with the "blur" look. Whatever it is, Singapore service industry, i think we have along way to go.

Please Scroll Down

 

Today's entry "Where is Block No: 4? is accidentally published as a 22 Feb entry as i used a draft that was created on that date. So, please scroll down. Sorry for the inconvenience.