Minor Crisis - AVERTED!

There was a crisis in tuition class today.

I was slightly freaked out, but fortunately no one got hurt...at least, not alot lah.

One of my tuition kids did the stupidest thing. He put the cap (you know the one that covers the tiny eraser?) from his mechanical pencil up his nose. And it got stuck! He's a quiet boy, so he did not say anything.

But then I noticed that he was picking his nose, but in a slightly awkward manner. So I asked him to stop and explain what he was doing. He had begun to panic by then, and there a little blood coming out from his nostril. I shouted for him to stop, and press the other side shut, and blow out hard from his nose.

The first blow brought from a slight shower of blood. I was thinking, oh my god...the idiot must have ruptured quite a few capillaries. He whined and said that it was still stuck, and tried to dig again...I had to shout again to ask him to blow his nose again.

I was so relieved to hear the little clink of plastic on the concrete floor. I then reprimanded him for doing such a foolish thing, and of course made an example to the rest of the class. Whew...it may seem like a small thing, but still...whew...

Glad nothing terrible happened.

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Went with Mom to make new spectacles today...SGD$128

Collecting next Monday! So happy! Hahhaa...

Naughty Cakes...

I was walking around with Beth yesterday...and we spotted some terrible things lurking in a seemingly innocent bakery in Takashimaya's basement. Here are the NAUGHTY CAKES!

This is still considered TAME...can't say the same for the next one though...



CREAM STICK...you CANNOT be serious! It's practically vulgar lor...sheesh
(somebody said something about squeezing it, and the cream coming out...I'm not naming names though...hahaha..but I was out with only one person leh..hahah)

I was like...the name, the look, the cream inside...just so OFF can? It's a bakery, not a sex shop lor...but we had a good time laughing lah, and of course, attracted the appropriate stares for our trouble. Hahaha...

I bought new singlet! Cheap cheap cheap! SGD11.40 nia...but not from BKK. From FOX, so I think I will see someone wearing the same thing leh...hahaha, but I don't care. Looks nice right?
(and yes...I just gymmed. Must post flattering pic mah...LOL)

Bangkok was GREEAAAAAAT! (part2)

Ookkokok....time for PART 2!!!

So after the spa day, we were totally relaxed sia...and with smooth faces and bodies we headed back to the hotel. That time it was already 7pm BKK time you know...so it was dinner at KFC, and taxi back to the hotel.

The following day, it was Weekend Market day (I'm not sure about the spelling, but I think it's Chatuchuk Market?)!!! This place is damn big lah...cannot finish walking one, and it so damn bloddy hot, that everyone had perspiration dripping down their thighs...eeesh...gross... But I guess it's all part of the experience. Hahaha....flood you guys with pics of the sights and sounds there now I guess...here goes..

As you can see, there are a lot of interesting sights.
From top:
Clock tower,
supposedly busy street (everyone is inside, trying to escape the heat),
many cute animals for sale..some going for as low as 100baht!,
nice looking, but horrible to eat waffles,
very good pork noodle soup (30baht only!!!),
various finger food (all fried of course),
super deformed Man of Steel & Dark Knight.

We spent a total of two days in the market. The first day was to recce the area, then we compared purchases, then we went back the second day to whack the shops again! It was great fun man...I totally enjoyed myself. Sunday night was our final clubbing night, so we definitely made it count. The club we went to closed at 2am, so that's pretty early for a club, but we still made it work man...I had the most fun on Sunday night. Kudos to all who made it so fun!

Tried taking a picture of the club, but as you can tell, Nokia 6125 doesn't do well in low-light conditions. This was taken from the 3rd floor. Very cool. ^_^

Our final day was spent doing last minute shopping. Some of the friends we met there had not been to Platinum Mall yet, and when we found out, we were suitably stunned, and held our tongues in horror for a good minute or so. Of course, we recovered fairly quickly, and head out to rectify such a dastardy mistake. What did we do? Bring them there lor...hahaha

(We also shopped at MBK, but I neither found anything interesting, nor did I see any good buys. That is why you did not see me mention anything here. )

Big shopping mall...but so-so nia...

So on the last day, an entire ENTOURAGE (I think this is an appropriate word here) trudged down to Platinum Mall for shopping and lunch.

Trudging...

New found friends... (not forgetting the one taking the picture of course)

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the hotel before we leaving for the airport liao...so sad...but it had to end lah, as is such with all good things in life. But I really did enjoy myself, and was glad to be on my way home to my sunny island...

Well, it was an excellent shopping trip. Maybe next time, I will actually try to do some sightseeing. I think the most non-shopping things I did here was the spa, and praying to the 四面佛 (four-faced Buddha). I did not take any pictures of the Buddha, cos I guess I just feel weird taking pictures like that, like not supposed to take like that you know?

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Now, let me present the MISCELLANEOUS PICS section. Here you will see random pics from the trip, most out of point, but nice nonetheless. ^_^

In Thailand, the 'Golden Arches' are truly GOLD!
Not the cheap, plasticky yellow stuff you see elsewhere.

Everyone who is tourist will have a similar picture. Bert, Marcus and myself insisted that as tourists, we had our tourist rights, and hence, it was totally ok for us to do such tourist-esque things! Sawadee khrub!

Very chao ah beng hor? But I tell you, after 3-4 hours of shopping, you'll be surprised the amount of comfort this position offers tired legs. Haha...we then understood why Ah Bengs love this position. It really is damn SHIOK! And damn Singaporean lah... LOL



As opposed to squatting, there is always just blatant sleeping.
Whatever works man, whatever works...

Pretty lights for your room?
But of course, you risk making it look like a red-light district.

Dorothy! We've reached the Emerald City! Let's go see the Wizard of Oz!

Somebody's deprived...

Wrath of God: Destroy all creatures in play. They cannot be regenerated.

Yes, someone brought MINI MAHJONG! We had to try it out lah...
I think I still owe somebody 12baht...hahaha...

beautiful...don't you think...
first night in BKK...

A rainbow...so lucky...
last day in BKK...

I will definitely go to Bangkok again if I get the chance! Totally enjoyed myself there. So happy. School's going to start soon...can't wait to see all my friends (both old and new) again! Yay!!! Exciting!

PS: Here are some heartfelt thanks to some of the people who impacted me on this trip

BJ - You know I was so apprenhensive about going on this trip with someone I totally did not know. But I totally enjoyed your company throughout! I had a lot of fun! Seeya in school man! Cheers!

PB - I am glad that we went of this trip together. Thanks for asking me, and organising it. ^_^

Vi - thanks. ^_^

Aeron, Lionel and Dan - it was super fun meeting you guys. I had a blast man. Totally enjoyed your company. And Dan, you dance like an animal...heh... See you all in school. Remember, if you need help, we're here for you (at least I definitely am lah...hahaha)

Mish - it was so good seeing you during the trip. Thank you for showing us around when you could, and being such great company. The guys loved you of course...hahaha

Marcus and Bert - glad we went on this trip together. getting reacquainted was important...been too long already. Catch up again soon! ^_^

Bangkok was GREEAAAAAAT! (part1)

I came back from the land of a thousand smiles on Monday evening! I had a blaast!!! Here is the trip in three simple steps:

1. SHOP
2. EAT
3. CLUB

(just rinse and repeat everyday can liao... ^_^)

Now I give you the long version ok?

So we set off for Bangkok via TigerAir...it wasn't too bad lah, still tolerable. Just take it as a super long bus ride lor...then not so bad already. I played Magic on the plane with Vincent, PB had his Heroes of Might and Magic 5 and Commander In Chief, Bert had a book, and I think Marcus and Bing Jia either watched or slept.

I really do not like our budget airport...it looks damn flimsy lah. Jun (Vincent's friend) who sent us off at the airport said that it looked like if any plane flew too close to the roof, it would take the top off...hahaha

Check out the roof...looks flimsy right? Like galvanised zinc lor...
Like queuing for the bus in a an interchange right? Not cool at all lor...it so did not generate the 'this-is-exciting-that-i-am-going-overseas-via-plane' feeling...I guess the budget terminal just sorta kills that excitement.

And they did even have all the ATMs for the major banks there lor...I had to take the shuttle bus all the way back to T2 to draw money from the ATM there...sheesh. Anyway, we touched down in BKK safely, and took a cab to our hotel.

This was our hotel, the PJ Watergate Hotel. I remember seeing it from the tiny alley, and thinking it was one of them sleazy type establishments, but when we turned into the driveway, and saw how big it was, and well-lit and actually looked clean and safe, we all breathed easy. Hahaha...for 5 nights, plus buffet breakfast (as seen above) thrown in, all for SGD120, really not bad sia... ^_^

So Mish was there already, so she insisted that I meet her for dinner...and I had to drag all the guys along as well...we went to Suan Lom Night Bazaar for dinner and some light shopping. It was really great to see Mish there...so happy! She actually got ulterior motive wor...she dumped 3kg worth of skirts with me lor..cos she ran out of space...DISGUSTING GIRL! Grrr...but I made her treat me yesterday already, so that's okay.

Dinner was only 100baht (SGD$4.30), and we all shared different dishes, so that was a blast. The guys all agreed that Mish was a doll, and that she was really entertaining...LOL. Well, she is quite the charmer. ^_^ I bought my first purchase for the trip! A pair of resort-ish feel bermudas! 300baht (SGD$12.70)! Not bad at all... ^_^

Second day was Platinum Mall straight away!

Fashion Mall...what more could you ask for?

So Mish mentioned that you could take forever to finish going through the mall, but that was because it had mostly girls stuff. Fortunately for us guys (6 of us in total), it was easier to sail through the shops, cutting our shopping time by around half, I think.

All the happy people...this is the after effects of retail therapy! LOL...

By the end of Day 2 - 9 TOPS!
(Still got some slippers not shown here)

I was trying my best to stretch the baht that Mom gave me...but in the end, that amount only lasted till the end of the third day...hahaha. More on that later. ^_^ We went clubbing at night...VERY VERY FUN, and so affordable too! 200baht(SGD$8.40) for cover, inclusive of 2 drinks somemore wor!

The next day, we went to Kao Shan for abit of jalan-jalan...fairly interesting lah, but nothing spectacular. According to Mish, we should've gone at night...and that would've been where we would've seen all the interesting sights and sounds of that backpackers' paradise. ^_^ So after lunch, Vincent and I decided to embark on our spa adventure! Mish recommended Chan's Spa, but the map she drew us did not do justice to the actual location.

What looked like a tiny road, was actually a main EXPRESSWAY can? So Vince and I thought we could walk there, but we ended up crossing the main expressway, and over the Chao Phraya River!

This is us crossing the expressway, and over looking the gigantic river! ^_^ It was quite exciting...heh

So in the end, we couldn't find the place, and tried to hail a cab. Guess what? We managed to get a 黑车 (Black Car, meaning dishonest/shady cab). The bugger looked so honest, and even put up a huge show of trying to locate Chan's Spa for us. In the end, he drove us to some deserted place, and tried to get us to go into this disgusting place with neon lights. It was called Spa Luna...ugh..take us for fools lor...I just gave him 4obaht for his 'trouble' and left the bugger. In the end, I called Mish, and reconfirmed the location, and finally found the place. It wasn't too bad...we reached the place at 2pm, and the packages we took cost us 2100baht (SGD$88.90) each. 3hr spa treatment, plus 1 hr deep cleansing facial! Woot!

I was massaged with oil, steamed in a steam room (it was more like a steam box lah...), scrubbed all over, and finally bubbled in a nice bath. After all that, we were served excellent tea, and had a super long facial! Haha...damn shiok sia... In all honesty, I did feel like a piece of meat. Rubbed with oil, steamed with lemongrass (there was a minty smell all the time, Vince said it was eucalyptus), and seasoned with salts...LOL. By the time we were out, it was dinnertime, and time to head back to the hotel. ^_^

Who needs toilet signs, when u have cool statues like these?

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okok, i listen to hongxuan...do it in parts...better...too tiring to try to complete the whole thing...

Bangkok here I come...

Leaving tomorrow evening...will be back on the 24th (Monday) at midnight-ish kinda time. Hope I have fun...

think less, play more... ^_^

miss you...

*muacks* -(to Ting, dunno why u 'muacks' me anyway, but 'muacks' you back always...hahaha)

repeat telecast...

我以为好了，其实根本没好。。。
历史重演，讨厌死了。

kenna again...so do lor...

FAVOURITES
Colour - I've learnt that my mood changes my fav colour...so depends on the current 'phase'.
Food - Siao bo...ask a Singaporean to choose a FAVOURITE food?!?! LOL
Song - Currently...Kiss Goodbye, LEE HOM!!!
Movie - Don't have lah...got too many liao.
Sport - racquet sports! tennis/badminton/table-tennis, but strangely, not squash.
Day - Friday, like weekend, but not weeked...cool...
Ice Cream - Cookies and Cream
TV show - I watch TV until my degree is 600/700, u say leh...

CURRENTS
Mood - see --> (side bar)
Taste - Ice cream
Clothes - underwear and t-shirt (what?! I'm at home lah..cannot relax ah? LOL)
Desktop - Hmmm...u come my house and see better...say already paiseh (Hokkien for embarrassed)
Toenail Colour - Flesh colour lor
Time - 1333hrs
Annoyance - not at the moment, pretty calm-ish at the moment.
Thoughts - Thailand trip coming...so excited!

FIRST
Best Friend - Charles
Crush - Umm...don't tell you. =P
Movie - should be some Disney flick bah?
Lie - Not sure what it was, but it was made to my Momma
Music - the jingly things with bells that I used during music class in Primary school. I preferred the triangle though

LAST
Cigarette - My grand pappy has a hole in his throat...I do not smoke...period.
Drink - Vitasoy Soy Milk
Car Ride - I don't think a taxi is counted, so it has to be Amos' car, leaving from chalet in the East.
Crush - This one also cannot tell you...but most probably not there already. Heehee
Phone Call - Jian Ming
CD - Now is the era of MP3, and illegal downloading...what CDs? Sheesh...

HAVE YOU EVER
Dated a best friend - Nope
Broken the law - Got...
Been Arrested - No lah.
Skinny Dipped - In my dreams lor, once...lol
Kissed someone I dunno - No lah...I only kiss people I know..at least that's what I say now lah..hahaha

lightbulb - *T/D-ing*

I was in the MRT when I had this realisation. I was just thinking about Spencer and The Hive, and as thought processes go, I started to think about my Wing Commander when I was in OCS. Specifically, I was thinking I would still greet him 'Sir' if I ever saw him. Then I was thinking what I would say to him if he asked me to not call him that.

I would say, "but Sir, I know, love and respect you in that context mah..." I realised that this would be the same reply I would give my CO (from when I was in unit).

Then I realised that I should not have gotten so annoyed at my friends in NUS, who knew me from Guards. Cos' like me, they only know me in that context mah...no other...so naturally, they would refer/relate to me in that manner. They know no other way...lol...

Jialat sia, I took so long to reach this realisation...slow sia...

I am a Singaporean...

Everyone (i.e. XW and Kel) is doing this because of the series of podcasts from the Mr Brown show. So being a true blue Signaporean, I would not be normal if I did not jump on the bandwagon, and do the exact same thing. Copycat lor... So here goes...

I am a Singaporean.

I have two homes, one in Yishun, and one in Depot Road. I live with my grandparents (actually, grandparent, Popo passed away already) during school days, and go back to my own home in Yishun during the weekends. Because I live with my grandparents, I know how to speak my dialect, which is Hainanese. And I am damn proud that I can, cos' very few young people can speak their own dialect nowadays.

I am pure Hainanese (100%!), and my mother has always told me that Hainanese men have BAD TEMPERS. I guess I have been socialised to believe that, and I really do have a bad temper when I choose it to be so. And though I know the receipe for Hainanese chicken rice, I have not actually made any before. I do, however, bake excellent brownies (no, not the instant mix kind...)

I studied in a Christian/Catholic environment my entire life until university. That means, De La Salle School, St. Joseph's Instituition and St. Andrew's Junior College. I am comfortable in mass, and I totally enjoy Praise and Worship. However, I secretly hate all the over zealous ones who tell me 'I will go to hell', or 'I will not be saved' if I do not believe. I really resent them for that mindset.

I've always been lucky to live near my place of study/work, and I could always walk, cycle, or take a bus for the whole journey of only ONE BUS STOP, to get home. My friends hated me for that, and I loved to torment them.

I had two years of my life taken away from me, but I decided in BMT that the best way to get back (more or less) the most from them was to become an officer, and that I did. I enjoyed the monthly 'salary' and I have never regretted my decision. National Service did leave me with many happy memories, and I am glad for all the friends I have made there. I was the one who planned the duty roster for all my fellow officers, and it felt good having such power over them.

I used to say to them, "Whether you hate me, or love me, you have to LOVE me anyways! So...TOO BAD! ^_^"

I've made some interesting financial choices in my life, and not all of them are sound. But I have resolved to settle them by myself, and not ask my mother for help. I am proud of the fact that I pay my own bills (read: mobile, broadband, insurance premiums), though it can be tough sometimes. I realised that $150 per month as allowance is really low. I thought it was a reasonable amount to ask of my mother. I am glad that I have survived so far. The recent months of June and July have been trying times for me, as I have premiums to pay. As such, I have sacrificed time with my friends (cannot go out for movies, meals, coffee and clubbing), and though I feel a little lousy about it, I understand that it was my decision, and thus I have to be responsible for it.

One of my friends said this, "Wah, why you like 大人(adult) like that?" In my heart, I whispered to myself, "Then you want to be 小孩(child) for how long?"

I hope all my friends understand this too.

I enjoy eating fried bee hoon with porridge. I think it is shiok. And no, you are not allowed to think otherwise, cos' I think that you eating French fries with a MacDonald's sundae is just as disgusting. ^_^

I have very little general knowledge, and sometimes I feel silly next to my friends who have a CAP of more than 4.5. But I know that I have different things to offer, and I am glad that I do.

I am not concerned about the political state of affairs in my country at all (I really did not care about the GE), but I do love it for other reasons. Because this was where I played 'block catching' and also watched the bubbles I blew, swirl away out of the windows from my 11th floor in my cosy, windy HDB flat. This is where I met all my friends, and enemies, and they have made me who I am today.

No matter what I may say, think or do...I know that my heart will always be here in this sunny, island nation (maybe it's the NE talking, but I seriously doubt it.).

我的家, 收藏，
我的欢喜悲伤。。。

Cardcaptor Sakura crazy...

I know I watched this series a long long time ago. But my love for mahou shoujo (Japanese for 'magic girl') anime will never change I guess. I've been watching, and re-watching certain episodes, and just relishing in the magic of, and the love story, between Sakura and Shaoran (of course, in the Mandarin dubbed version, they are known as 小樱 and 小郎(I hope I chose the correct Chinese characters. Haha...)


This is the famous card catching duo, and the guardian beast, Keroberos (also don't know whether spelt correct or not). These are of course, the Clow Cards, and the elemental cards are my favourite! Here are all four of them!


Here are some of the other cards I like as well...



The Light and Dark cards are sister cards. And the horrendously pink thing in the middle is a special card that was created by Sakura. I have no idea why the animators chose PINK...totally uncool, but I guess I got over the whole thing eventually. Hahaha...pink is SOOO not nice lah...yeesh...


Yeah, I love Cardcaptor Sakura, and though it is fluffy more often than not, I still dig any anime that has mahou shoujos and magic/special powers/special abilities...without these, all there is left is a good storyline, and not everyone can produce that. Lol...

So busy...but excited!

Aiyah, I've been so busy lately...plus a bit lazy to blog and all that lor...anyway, I just did my Module Preference exercise. Hopefully, I will be able to get most of them pre-allocated, then I will have less of a headache during the bidding period. Heehee...


Here's what I hope I will be able to get for next semester:

EL2151 - Social Variation in English (this one BO PIAN, cos' it's compulsory)
EL3202 - Phonetics and Phonology (last semester got a B for EL2102..cos' of stupid small class size and bell curve...grrr....should be A lor! This time, back with a vengeance!)
EL3203 - Semantics and Pragmatics (Matt says this is quite fun, and I read the description should be ok bah...go go go!)
NM1101E - New Media and Society (clear off my last exposure module lor...then will be closer to completing requirements)

Any Breadth/x-fac GEM - I intend to SU this one already...so too bad! Wanna pull up my CAP!

Hope that everything will be smooth sailing during the bidding period, and coming semester.

Anyway, my Thailand trip is drawing nearer and nearer! 19th July! So exciting! Really can't wait man...so happy! =)

Oh, that day I was walking around town with Vincent, and guess what we saw...this was one picture I simply HAD to take...

This is really too 夸张(Chinese for overly exaggerated) already lor! I mean, the parents must have really fucked up so badly, that their kid turned out so ill-behaved that they had to keep him on a leash to prevent him from running amuck. Absolutely hilarious, and yet, sadly disconcerting...talk about damaging a child man.

This one is slightly better adjusted? Singapore's Youngest Drummer(or Busker was the actualy wording I think)! 7 years old only I think...quite talented, but he seemed slightly zoned out. Maybe geniuses are all like that at work...they just ZONE out...and ZEN...or at least, seemingly so.

Well, nothing much has changed for me I guess...still working, struggling with my $$$ issues, teaching tuition (I love traumatising kids...hahaha), and playing Magic! Can't wait for school to start, then I can see everyone again, and all my juniors who will be joining me in NUS this coming semester! So excited man! Woot!