Newfound Jealousy a Success

Some of my friends always wonder why I like to go to Wala Wala to chill. It's not exactly in town, the drinks are not that cheap, plus you can't dance there.

What it does have is, well, no dress code. I usually go in my shorts and slippers, so much so that Mickey has ended up buying me a few more pairs on one of her recent trips. The most compelling draw of that place is The UnXpected, fronted by my Sis, that plays there.

I remember how I sat with my jaw open as I saw my Sis belt out rock classics hailing from the time I was born. It was so different from what other live bands in Singapore played. Anyone can do a cover of Black Eyed Peas, but to do Janis Joplin's A Little Piece of My Heart?

Her recently ended concert "Newfound Jealousy" was a success. I had to give up a Moscow flight in order to go with Mickey and Mummy but it was well worth it. We took our seats early, sitting right at the 1st row.

From the beginnning you can tell that she was having a good time doing her thing. She did only 3 classy cover songs before going into her own compositions. From where I sat, I could see that the audience were lapping it up too.The highlight was when she invited her guest star artiste Addy Rasidi on stage, Mickey was gushing for he's her favourite from Bar None. They did a song called Walk Away together, and Mickey was still dumbfounded as Addy rushed back to his gig at Bar None. She came back for an encore, turned up the tempo with Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin. I swear if I had some alcohol in me then, I'd be jumping up and down to pump up the audience in the recital hall.

I'm looking forward to her new album, which with any luck should be out by year end. It'll be full of her own compositions, and I believe it'll do well.

There are some though, who thinks she's become a little swell-headed for her own good. All I can say to my Sis is you can't win all of them, just continue with your singing/song writing and most importantly, enjoy what you doing.

The Man on the Beach

He was another face in the crowd, until he came into focus.

Was he a war veteran? Did he had friends or family lost in Iraq? Was he just another bum?

I shot him from a distance. On hindsight I should've went up to him and listened to what he has to say.

He sheds a tear, the weather turns moody as if to sympathize with how he's feeling beneath that tattooed skull.

I turned away, misty-eyed.

Yuuuumm..Seng!

I'm going to another wedding ceremony tomorrow morning. It's a colleague of Mickey's and since she can't attend it, I'm standing in for her. Her other colleagues will be there, and since I've worked with them a few times and found them to be quite nice, I'm looking forward to it.

I cannot recall the first wedding dinner that I attended. I was but a tiny Tiong when my Mum put me in a shirt and pants ensemble, and Dad had the pleasure of brylcream-ing my curly hair down. We then took a bus (cuz Dad was a conductor then, free ride for the whole family mah) to some cheena restaurant to attend some distant relatives' son or daughter wedding dinner. There I was paraded in front of more unknown relatives in between sips of fanta orange and sarsi. The highlight for me was the food. I especially liked sharks' fin back then, probably cuz my parents made sure that I always got a 2nd serving. Sometimes my brother and/or Spunky will come along and we challenge each other by picking up salted peanuts with our chopsticks. Ahh...good times... In my adult life, wedding dinners are more a chance for us to catch up, drink lotsa alcohol, check out the single girls and rush up to the honeymoon suite for more alcohol. I put on my best outfit for the dinner, sometimes overdoing it. Hey, if a friend asks you to attend his/her wedding dinner, the least I could do is to turn up smart right? I was ridiculed once, for going in a suit by one of them jie mei's. I promptly shot back that I don't attend dinners in my office clothes, like hers.

She didn't speak to me the whole evening.

Of course, one can feel like just a spectator amidst all the wining and dining. You sit down at the table and realise that there's no one else you know. Or you've lost touch with them others and find it hard to follow the conversation. You wonder why you agreed to give up a nice flight to London, just so you can hand over a red packet and be anonymous for the rest of the evening. Ah well, win some lose some, I say.

That said, the best wedding dinner I attended was that of my buddy redcocoon. Though I don't remember much of it after the 3rd course of the dinner was served, cuz I was so sloshed by then, I'm honoured that he asked me to MC for the night. But I need to brush up on my Hua Yu la~

No.2, but proud and loud!!

I'd like to congratulate my team in securing the 2nd spot in the recently ended Singpore Dragon Boat Festival.I flew out the next morning for my Hong Kong holiday so am not sure whether the local paper reported on it or not. We had a celebratory dinner the same night, but as many of us had to go to work the next day, we never really partied our hearts out.

The Company is the very ch**by*, don't give us extra day off after race.

Still, I am always proud to see the runners up medal hanging next to my bed. I am especially impressed with many of my team members, some of whom came with family in tow as a show of support. I myself had Mummy dearest (that's Aunty Mary to the rest of you) and Mickey cheering me on while I paddled my heart out alongside my 9 other crew on that boat. I have never won anything in a competitive sport since leaving secondary school (study no high mah...) so this medal means something to me.

We are now diving back into training for the upcoming River Regatta in Nov. I am sure that we all will have the additional impetus to go all out in this, a shorter race.


Well done AirCrew Dragon Boat Club, be proud and loud!!

Walk the Mouse

Mickey always wonders why I like to sit in one corner of the hall and click away the afternoon on my PC. Well, below are a few places I like to browse..

MrBrownShow - Damn farrny this one
Miyagi.sg - His partner in crime
Beautiful Amnesia - Great read, greater pics
Spunkymonkee - My talented Sis
Sex, Lies and Radiohead - Her band's blog
A Singapore Gooner - Hardcore Arsenal fan
Dare to Dream - Another one
Journey of Redcocoon - My pal, writes well, though infrequently
Tomorrow.sg - For gleaning over till I find something worth reading
AFC Singapore - Arsenal supporters in Sg
Arseblog - This guy knows his Arsenal
Flickr - To post my photos
Cathay Cineleisure - Cuz I don't like to queue for tix, and this has the best halls in town

There's probably more that I haven't mentioned, as I usually click on the links on these pages to read even more blogs, reviews, articles and what have you's.

Ahtiong is the very "eng"...

Hot days; Warm smiles; Cool cats.

So I am back from my holiday in Hong Kong. Whoever says they go to Hong Kong to relax obviously have not been there during the Summer Sale. I was so harried after a day out that all I can do after washing off the sweat and grime off me is to crash onto bed, missing the goals from the 2 World Cup semi-finals.

Dang who'd thought that a Singapore boy like me would be afraid of the heat in Hong Kong. After dodging into countless malls to enjoy some aircon then I realised that, 1. I am not in my beachwear with a Singha in either hands, 2. I am carrying bags of shopping climbing up and down the shopping malls.

Not that I didn't enjoy it though. I let loose my inner shopaholic, darting in and outta stores like I was in a trance. Of course there are frequent stops to top up fuel by way of delicious local fare such as wanton noodles (with real shrimp!) the size of ping pong balls, roast pork with a glass of iced honey lemon, and of course dessert at Hui Lau Shan!

I had more than a dozen T-shirts, 3 pairs of sneakers, a free pass to Disneyland Hong Kong after 5 days of shopping and eating and shopping and eating and shopping...some sight-seeing, then shopping and eating and... you get the idea.

What struck me most this trip was how warm and friendly the service is here in Hong Kong. Where it used to be surly and lacking in the past, they now go all out to please you. I took the effort to commend them and said that Singapore can learn a lesson or two from them here. I kid you not, even the small eateries practise saying "welcome", "thank you", "please come again". They've given me inspiration to do more for my customers when I go back on flight.

Now if there's anywhere that says cool and hip in Asia, it is Hong Kong. I spend reasonable amounts of time checking out what people wear while they are out, and I can tell you they are not shy to make a statement. The best part is one doesn't have to pay big money to look happening; many of the top fashions and styles around the world are quickly adapted and made affordable to anyone on the street. This is not to say that they don't splurge on items that they have a liking for, namely Gucci bags of all shapes and sizes (yes, even the men are considered cool to sling a Gucci across the shoulders) . We could take a leaf outta their book and be more brave when it comes to experimenting with fashion.

Of course we made trips to teahouses, The Peak for the night scenery, Big Buddha at Lantau Island, Victoria Harbour, Wong Tai Sin Temple and Disneyland Hong Kong. I tried my hand out at photgraphy and the results? Well you'd just have to click on the Flickr Badge on the right, and please leave comments about my amateur attempt hor.

K time to go lie flat on bed. Till next time Hong Kong, our paths shall cross again.

Briefly ...

England is out..thanks to Rooney getting hot-headed and red-carded.

France is in... Thierry Henry toe poked his way into the semi-final.

My team achieved runners-up position this Singapore Dragon Boat Festival, in only our 2nd attempt since we started last year.

I'm heading to Hong Kong with Mickey to shop, and eat, and shop, and eat, and shop , and shop, and shop....

Be good in the meantime k?