Absolutely SMASHING

Things were beginning to look up. More meetings coming in, more shoots etc. Jas' agreed to do styling for me on a freelance basis which is good cause she's got experience in the clothing line.

CG's asked me about shooting for the spa she works at and to see if I can provide a pan-asian looking model. Everything's almost fine and dandy.

Have you ever realised that owners of some vehicles tailgate without knowing that the car infront of them can obviously out-brake them? Given the fact that I've got pretty decent front discs plus discs all round, this 40-plus year old guy in a Nissan Sunny (A Sunny for Christ's sake!) still decides to follow that bit just too close behind me. He must've been day-dreaming as well cause when a Cab two cars ahead of me decided to brake, the Altis infront of me couldn't stop in time and hit him. I managed to brake in time without touching the Altis but the Sunny behind me slammed right into the ass of my 6 pushing it forward.

The impact was so hard that even though I was literally standing on my brake padal, the car slid forward (this was about a second AFTER I had come to a complete stop) and tapped the rear end of the Altis. Nothing major to the front of my car. Just a dented licence plate (mine's the metal euro-plate) and a couple of scratches on the Altis' bumper.

Still, looking at my rear end, I was totally pissed off. Here's why:



Upon reflection, I think I was so pissed of (and in such a rush) that even though I had all the photographic gear in my car, I didn't take a single photo. Can you beat that!? Argh!!! I guess it was cause I had to be at TTSH by 7.30am and the accident happened along the PIE at about 7.20am.

Sufficed to say, I was so busy the whole day (it was a whole-day event) that I didn't have time to send the car in for the IDAC assesment. It was only yesterday, after the first meeting with CG on doing the "above-the-line" marketing for her company that I managed to steal some time in to get the thing done.

I'm still supposed to go see a doctor but I absolutely haven't got the time. Whiplash, according to Kenneth takes forever to get well.

Frustrations...

Have you ever stood outside a store, acting like you're not waiting for it to open when you actually are, only to find out that when they do open, they don't have exactly what you wanted (and was waiting for them to open to find out)?

Case in point: I was happily thinking that Spiderman 2 (in Code 3) would be readily available @ Gramophone. Boy was I ever WRONG!. Never mind that the idiot little mind of mine didn't bother to think to call them about their opening hours and was there ½ an hour early. Nevermind that even at 11am (the posted opening time) they were still not open; they didn't have what I wanted!!!

Argh!

So it ended up that I had to walk back to HMV to purchase the damn thing. At least this time, their price was more reasonable but I still didn't bother with their service though the cashier was quite friendly.

Jas called me about the fucked up interview she had. Well honey, it's okay. You've already got 2 in the bag with another one up on friday. I wouldn't worry too much about it if I were you.

Narcolepsy

Could I be suffering from narcolepsy? I fall asleep, wake up in strange places, I've no idea how I got there. Ususally, that's the first sign of schizophrenia.
Obviously there's a difference between that and insomnia which I actually do suffer from.

Been picking a couple of add jobs up here n there. Was down @ Orchard to pick up some DVDs and met Jaslyn along the way. I already knew she was there anyway and I didn't bother to call to let her know. Picked up Dodge Ball(from HMV), Meet the Fockers, White Chicks, Ladder 49 & Elektra (from Gramophone). It's a fair bit cheaper at the latter with some DVDs going for S$29 whereas the former's selling them at up to S$35 for the same titles.

So should you decide to buy a DVD or CD, forget about the big players such as HMV and Tower. They overcharge. Go support the underdogs. They're much more willing to help and are more friendly anyways.

I've gotta work on some of my photography. Improve it a little at a time. I can't be taking the same standard all my life can I? I'm still waiting for Jaslyn to have some free time so that we can do some shots. Probably a fashion, lingerie selection. Firstly I've gotta see how comfortable she is with me as well of course.

The third phone bill arrived yesterday. Now I can't make outgoing calls until I pay up. That's fucking irritating but good at the same time cause it then forces me to only accept incoming calls which are free anyways.

I should have call barring activated on the phone. Resists the temptation hah!.

Another one...

"When I die, bury me upside down so the world can KISS MY ASS!"

Star Sign Matches..interesting...

Your Astrological Compatibility -

Pisces
February 19-March 20 Together Pisces find sexual fulfillment and a partner for deep conversations. However, each wants a strong partner which neither can provide for the other.=20

Aquarius
January 21-February 18 Pisces will find worldly Aquarius inspiring-but will begin to wish for someone closer to home. Aquarius's big plans will leave less time for lonely Pisces.

Aries
March 21-April 20 While these two have complimentary personalities in most areas, matters of the heart, especially the sensitive Pisces's heart, can take its toll on this match.

Cancer
June 21-July 21 Sensual and romantic Pisces finds their match in practical, romantic Cancer. You two fit like halves of a whole. Enjoy the bliss you find in each other.

Capricorn
December 21-January 20 Balanced and calm-Pisces finds a partner in stable Capricorn. Sexually comfortable, this union will outlast other, short passionate pairings.

Gemini
May 21-June 20 Pisces will be frustrated with Gemini's need for more-of everything. Sexually, there's heat, but this fades as Gemini searches for a more dominant partner.

Leo
July 22-August 22 Leo purrs with Pisces adoration, but Pisces can feel self conscious under Leo's domineering glare. The dominant Leo can stifle Pisces need to express themselves.

Libra
September 23-October 22 Art and the love of creativity brings these two signs together, but cannot sustain them. Pisces will be frustrated by Libra's free spirited spending and flirtations.

Sagittarius
November 22-December 20 Sag's tactless behavior causes the Fish in this relationship to feel unloved and unnoticed. Bedroom sparks are all that hold this fickle pairing together.

Scorpio
October 23-November 21 Scorpio provides mystery and excitement for emotional Pisces. This union will be a mix of possessiveness, sensual encounters, and a depth of unspoken emotions.

Taurus
April 21-May 20 Artistic tastes match in this creative pairing. Taurus's bold personality provides an anchor for Pisces emotional explorations. A passionate and sensual match.

Virgo
August 23-September 22 Virgo's exacting demands gives Pisces something to strive for. In return, Virgo manages other aspects of life. The sensitive Pisces can lean on the strong Virgo.

Drinks with old buddies

While Sam and me were comparing brain paths, I noticed that women in Singapore were actually getting more and more attractive. It could just be me though. I do find that women lose out when it comes to the choice of men here. No wonder they're looking abroad. Among people I know, how many guys my lady friends would consider cute are there? Well, to be honest, there's practically none. But here's something, at least they've got a good choice when it comes to nice personalities.

Yeah, that's what's always said when someone's not good looking.

Friend : "Is she pretty?"

Me : "She's got a nice personality"

Friend : "Duh"

So there...when someone's not good looking, they're always said to have a nice personality. Here we are, being a so-called mature society, trying to be politically correct. It's like Darren's school. They call it School for Children with 'Special Needs'. But the fact remains that he is suffering from a form of genetic defect. Doesn't matter how politically correct you call it. It's like calling a blind person "visually impaired" or a deaf person "hearing impaired". So what? Fact of the matter is, that person is still either deaf, or blind. Okay, so I'm being totally mean here but hey, I have a mean streak that runs through me once in a while. Who doesn't?

Anyhow, the CNet bunch of ole timers met up over @ Alley Bar last night. It was supposed to be @ Ice Cold Beer but the place was packed full of ang mohs and SPGs hoping to catch a rich expat, get a quick buck and F.O. So we decided to head down to the Alley instead. It's a nice place albeit a little warm since we were sitting outside trying to see if there was any fresh air.

Larry, Sam, Merv, SF and Ariel (SF's missing from the group photo cause he was sitting behind me)...that's the group. Meng couldn't turn up cause he was taking his family to see the fireworks and Kenneth was running a temperature. Jonny got my SMS and replied with a "I'm sorry who is this?" so I guess he's struck off my list Hahaha! LiPing didn't show up either cause she got some big client that wants work done yesterday (as usual). Nick came along but was first to leave cause of a curfew. I hung around for a while, found out that Merv, Larry and me are now all photographers. Man! Talk about competition. Anyhow, maybe I should go talk to Merv a little more see if he's interested in setting up some business partnerships. Afterall, we worked together in CNet so there's no reason we can't work together no more.

I attribute this gathering (after a 5-year haitus) to Yahoo messenger. It's really weird cause if I hadn't installed it, I wouldn't have caught up with my old pals from the good ole days of GSA and CNet. They had the best but they lost it. Well, their loss, not ours. GSA is so crappy now that I don't even bother looking at it anymore.

So it was nice to meet all the folks again. And I also realised that every guy there is over 30. Ariel's the youngest in the group but I won't reveal her age. After the drinks I went on down to QB Qool too look up someone there. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't there but Tin was so I had a drink with her instead. Went driving around and realised that last night must've been the most expensive night for MHA. Police road blocks were all over (I counted 4) from Stevens Rd all the way home to Bt Batok (it's such a crappy name but a nice suburb nonetheless).

Well, this would most likely be one of my longest posts. Guess if you're still reading it, then my writing's got some juice in it. Give some comments...either good or bad...if it's bad, well, I'll still take a look at it nowhow.

Lights, Breakfast and Team Building

Friday was interesting...

Had breakkie with CG over @ ECM and it has been a while (like 3 - 4 months) since we last met up. She looks the same as the last time I saw her...can't say the same for me. Now that I've got this new dorky haircut, everyone's telling me never to do it again. I might consider that.

In any case, after breakkie, I sped back to Mandai for a quick meeting. Since ALC made me "Creative Manager", I've been tasked to come up with team building concepts. At least I lived up to my title and came up with a smack on suggestion. It's got something to do with water balloons and sand castles. I won't elaborate further cause someone might steal this idea.

After the quick 45 minute brain-storming session, I went on downtown to help LP get a digital camera from Andrea over @ Cathay Photo. I must say, he looked pretty sick and had a pretty bad running nose. She bought the Minolta Z30 (or something like that) and got loads of freebies as well as 2 Canon dye sub prints. 512 SD Card is given away free along with a camera case and 2500mAh Sanyo AA rechargables with charger. It was a pretty good deal I must say. That camera is quite feature packed.

Dang..this look like one of my few "today I did this n that" blogs...I've been consciously trying to avoid doing it but somehow or other, if I don't write it down, my mind will be a blank anyway.

Oh well...Spent most of yesterday (saturday) over at HG getting the StreetGlow lightning and undercar kit done up. The trunk of the car looks absolutely smashing now. Was at YD earlier and almost every car that went past mine slowed down to catch a closer look at the trunk. Might post some pictures up here when I'm not so lazy. Was supposed to shoot at KRGH today but those buggers got the wrong month! It's actually scheduled for 6 Sept! Gawd...the difference between 8 and 9 is 1!!! Get it right!

Well, that's about all that happened. Will probably head on to bed now so wish everyone a pleasent morning/evening/day.

Penis Envy & Buttheads

What do those two have in common? They go hand in hand! Buttheads have a penis envy problem. Yes. That's what makes them buttheads in the first place. In any case, I've been bumping into loads of buttheads on the roads these couple of days...2 of them were Volvos too...geez...Anyway, back to the "Penis Envy" bit - I think they feel the need to make up for something which is sorely lacking in size and that would be their over-whelmingly small penises. That's probably why they become buttheads in the first place right?

I guess the marketers at Volvo have done their jobs cause these two morons were decidedly driving as though their Volvos were really high performance cars. C'mon...Just because you've got a 5 pot engine that's blown (light pressure mind you), doesn't mean that you own the FUCKING ROAD!

Well, glad I got that off my hairless (yes you heard right) chest. Unfortunately, SY never wants to hear any stories I have to tell of my experiences on the road. Somehow or other, she suspects that I'd be susceptible to road rage...well, make a wild guess why.

T's been calling me asking me to head down to QB. I'd love to go but to be honest, the place isn't all that fantastic. It's the company of JT and T that makes it at least palatable. There are certain kinds of men that seem to think that women are cheap. Of course there are some that would do whatever's necessary to attain their material 'wants' but honestly, if they keep thinking that, the only chance of them getting laid is if they paid for it. Oh well...the more clueless they are, the more saintly I seem anyways.

But I ain't no saint...that's a fact :P

Somewhere Over The Rainbow...

D's going to attend Rainbow School for Special kids. It's nice to know that there's support out there and not everything is business business more business.

There's another screening to attend in September but most likely, he'll be in the Jan 06 intake. They've also got prep classes for how to handle kids with special needs for parents and their siblings!

In any case, I volunteered to help out with the photography whenever they have outings that they'd like to put photos up. It's the least I can do...afterall, society's giving out a helping hand, I should give something in retrurn. It's only fair.

Had a quick porta session @ Thumper tonight. By the time I was done, I couldn't wait to get out of there. I needed a drive somewhere...anywhere for a quick fix and mind banging. It helped a fair bit that I met 'Precious' as well. She's exactly what I expected...spunky, lively, cool and chic (passe word but I still like it).

We spoke for a good few hours...she insisting on not having supper to maintaint (or reduce) her figure...I don't see anything wrong with it but then again, I've yet to meet a girl who's perfectly happy with her weight.

So it's the beginning of a new day...my new wristwatch just chimed 4am and my eyelids are beginning to feel heavy. Think I might be coming down with something. What, exactly, I do not know but it sure feels like something.

Apology...

I guess I owe the Babs an apology. I've been kinda strong headed about my relationship lately and she's been putting up with all the crap that I've been chucking out.

She is an idealist. Like I used to be. Somehow, somewhere along the line, I lost faith. I hope that she never does. It's quite shattering when it happens. In any case, I'd hate to loose a good friend like the babs over an issue which I'll have to take responsibility and solve myself. I guess it's just part of growing up.

Babs, if you're reading this, I'm sorry. I was in a disturbed mental state. More likely than not, it's temporary insanity brought about by emotional depression. Hah! Like as if this is the first time...yeah right!

So if you'll find a soft-spot in that warm little heart of yours to forgive me, I'd much appreciate it.

Mental Case...

I've dug myself into an emtional pit and I don't think I'm ever getting out. I've wasted my life away. Not achieving anything.

I'm too impulsive some would say. But yet, after being taken for rides yet again and again, I'm still a sucker for it. Why? I guess I have to realise sooner or later that I gotta start living for me. Not according to what someone else perceives how I should be living.

Emotional detachment. Yeah. That'll be the way to go.

Think I'm also mentally unstable at the moment.

Emotional Bank....

Love has deposits and withdrawals...debits and credits. That's what love is like according to someone whom I once thought would think that love is unconditional.

It's interesting to note that both N and I find that in some instances, the libidos tend to reduce with age. Yeah we had a long talk about it last night...and I always thought that women in their 30s were at their sexual peaks...

Aparently not. It's a biological phenomenon I tell ya.

Yeah, of course there are those who will argue that there are marriage vows to be made. But have you ever thought about it? Marriage vows NEVER EVER have this sentence "Will you take this man/woman to be your one and only mate till death do you part?" no. Instead, it goes, "Do you (blah blah name), take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, through good times and bad, till death do you part".

From http://reference.com -

mar·riage
Pronunciation: 'mar-ij
Function: noun
1 : the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a legal, consensual, and contractual relationship recognized and sanctioned by and dissolvable only by law —see also DIVORCE
2 : the ceremony containing certain legal formalities by which a marriage relationship is created

Wow...it's interesting that Marriage is nothing but a "legal, consensual, and contractual relationship recognized and sanctioned by and dissolvable only by law"

Well, for those to believe that marriage is a sanctity of true love, it's just gonna shatter your thoughts that it's only a legal term and yes, it can be either dissolved or nullified. In all fairness, it takes two hands to clap as they always say.

If one doesn't feel the love, one looks elsewhere for it. Where does the blame lie? Both parties. Plain and simple. It's cause and effect and nobody escapes from it. Why do I say that, if love is felt whenever, whereever, then there is no need to look elsewhere for it.

Words of Crapdom

Death is the only certainty in life.

Pain

The pain of boredom is unbearable.

Men cont'd

Men have this infantile, fundamental desire to feel needed, better at everything than anyone else (be it other men or women) and some even feel the need to be popular.

Yeah, I've taken a long hard look in the mirror. Perhaps I'm over-generalizing and stereotyping. Perhaps not. Some would outwardly show their needs and desires while others hide behind a mask.

openness is not a strong point among Asians. We tend to be more private. Imagine a scenario where you meet someone for the first time. If the person is Australian or American (Caucasian or one brought up with "western" values), he/she has a tendency to be much more open with himself/herself.

The internet is a great place for Asians. It gives us the chance to break the ice, be more open and even more daring without really revealing who we are. After all, on the internet, I can be a Superman for all I care and nobody would really know.

The draw back of the internet is that people tend to take chats and things said online too seriously. C'mon...To me, it's just another media and up to the discresion of the reader whether or not to take it seriously. Of course, when it's serious news, such as a bombings in London or an aftermath of a disaster, it's serious news and a great place to gather volunteers in disaster aid.

But then again, there are always those that would abuse the medium. Imagine having a live feed (not live feed as in food but a live broadcast feed) on your website. Basically, you can be the owner of a form of media (something like a television channel). Isn't that powerful? Of course, if your content is crappy, then no one will ever think of coming to view your website.

In any case, men no matter how effeminate they may be are still clueless when it comes to women. Period.

Black n White

2 Cars with the same number plates? A truly unique experience. Today we took delivery of the new 9-5. Specs wise, it's got slightly more push than the previous one. Also, it's got a 5 speed tranny compared to the old 4 speeder.

They've also thrown in more 'freebies' such as auto dimming rear-view mirror, electric folding wind mirrors, cruise control, bluetooth hands-free, HID headlamps etc etc...I guess there's more bang for your buck these days.

Considering the fact that the 9-5 is about 20,000 more than the M6 (at the time I bought the M6), it's got heaps more stuff built into it. The tree outside the house has also been chopped down. Boy it sure is sunny without the shade provided by that 25 year-old tree. But then again, now I won't have to worry about parking my cars by the sidewalk anymore...no more bat pooh and tree sap stained paintwork.

I collected my new V3 today. The black one. It's got 1 additional feature which is the video camera compared to the silver one that has it missing. I guess they didn't really bother to add it in the later series silver phones cause there might be some people who'll complain that they paid premium for it but lacked that feature.

Anyhow, RT's my new guru and he's supposed to give me pep talks ever so often. The guy's been in for 3 months and he's already made a hefty five-figure sum...dang I'm missing out. I just gotta try harder I guess but it ain't easy.

After the Genting trip, I feel so ripped off by NSC. I'll spare the details but sufficed to say, next time I'll have to be more careful when dealing with her. Gosh!

Peanuts! Get your peanuts!!!!

Just out of curiosity, how many Singapore households have an annual income above S$50,000 or $100,000. A ballpark figure would suffice. To say that a S$600,000 per annum income is peanuts given that the person who has been paid this amount brings in to an organization hundreds of millions of dollars is not incorrect. However, to say it in defence of the CEO of a charitable organization whose sole income is through the donations of 2 out of 3 citizens of this country is laughable and only a person who is narrow minded and lacks any feelings of responsiblity towards the donors would say it.

That said, Mrs Goh Cheok Tong, wife of former Singapore Prime Minister Goh Cheok Tong mentioned that in comparison to the hundreds of millions of dollars that he (Mr Durai, CEO of the National Kidney Foundation) has brought in to the foundation through donations, his annual pay package of between $500,000 and $600,000 is peanuts.

In light of what she has said, it seems to me that if a person earning $600,000 is peanuts to her, what is someone earning $25,000 or even $50,000 annually? Trash? If to the wife of our former Prime Minister now Senior Minister, and former leader of the governing political party of Singapore, $600,000 is peanuts, I for one, certainly do not hope that for the rest of the majority of our population that earns under $100,000 per year, are not considered monkeys. Afterall, as the old saying (and I believe most people are familiar with it) goes, "Pay peanuts get monkeys".

If I were her press secretary, I'd resign just about now. The amount of damage control he/she has to do would definitely warrant a drastic pay raise (so that he/she doesn't behave like a monkey). The political ramifications towards that statement will be severe. I'd question our government this.

"Are Singaporeans so affluent that a prominent person who is linked to the government can claim that an annual income of $600,000 is "peanuts"? The complacency and insult that comes with that statement to all of us is simply too harsh to put into words. How can ANYONE let alone the wife of our Senior Minister say such a thing?"

If you're saying that in defence of a person who is known to have openly lied under oath in the court of law, you're making a mockery out of our legal and judicial system and obviously stating the fact that there are people "above the law" in this country.

I believe that an investigation into the misleading and misuse of publicly obtained funds through donations and charity events is in order and that Mr Durai has committed perjury in the highest order. Should I say more or would further floodgates of litigation be opened? Am I considered defaming anyone with this post? I do not have any intention of doing so and it should not be taken as such. However, the public nature of this case, along with the comments that have been made provides me with the conclusion that publicly donated funds have been misused and like most of the other Singaporeans who have donated before to the NKF, would like to see how every single cent is spent in order to decide to contribute in future.

Men & Women

Russell Peters said in one of his stand ups that "Indians(Asian Indians that is) cannot live without a bargain and Chinese cannot give a bargain" well, it might hold true for the two cultures but the point in quoting that is this:

WOMEN CANNOT GET INTO A RELATIONSHIP WITHOUT COMMITMENTS AND MEN CANNOT GIVE COMMITMENTS.

A woman would simply say "how can you call it a relationship if there are no commitments?" - True but it's still what men want. Plain and simple.

From the beginning of time, nature has had it such that women can more or less only have 1 child at a time (with the exception of a few that can plop out twins or more). So what does nature do? Nature allows the male human (homo sapien) to mate with more than one female in order to procreate itself faster. Or so us guys would love to think.

It's not as simple as blaming everything on our basic instinct or Id. Since we've developed into a so-called intelligent species, there's this wonderful (to women that is) thing that psychologists love to call Superego. It's the part of us that give us our moral values. The part that tells us that cheating on our soul-mates is wrong. The part that tells us that taking away the life of another human being is wrong. The part that controls us. The balance between the two is the Ego.

Unfortunately, most of the time, when it comes to sex and relationships, in men, our Id takes over. I've heard & read countless girls mention "I would love to settle down with a man who's got a stable job, good character, faithfulness, is good looking blah blah blah. Well, unfortunately, when someone like that pops up, usually, there's more than one woman eyeing him.

Women hold themselves to higher moral values than men do. Granted that there are naturally some men who hold themselves to these high moral values as well but they're as rare as sighting an aurora borealis at low lattitudes and when you do see one, it's an amazing sight. Even to men (well, we find it more incredible than amazing).

Lets not kid ourselves. Moral values in the last 30 years has taken a dip much like a bear market. Women, with new found confidence and independence are beginning to behave this way as well. To be honest, if the two partys want the same thing (most probably fun between the sheets for a night or so), let it be it. As men, we always realize that even though we might take our soul-mates for granted, a high percentage of the time, we're just out for some gratification and reward for that thing between our legs. If ever someone invented some other form of gratification that feels as good to us, he or she has struck gold.

So, to my female friends reading this, don't be so hard on men. It happens and there's little that you can do about it (unless you take some drastic action like that Bobbit character). Being married and being denied sex after marriage by the spouse is equal, if not worse than chemical castration. Trust me, I know.

Another late night entry

Ever wondered where the turning point in your life is? I've given it some thought and from what I recall, there are two turning points in my life. The first was when I was about 10 or 11. Miss Yip, my scout teacher denied me the chance to lead as a cadet scout just because during the promotion day, I suffered severe diarrhea and had to head home.

I never questioned her but she promoted a junior over me. I wasn't sour at the fact that I wasn't made second six but it disappointed me that I had to forgo leadership due to something that was beyond my control. Somehow, that made me feel to this day that I have little control over my life.

Which brings me to reason why I enjoy driving so much. Why? Simply because I feel that I'm in control. The destination is determined by me, the route is determined by me and the speed and control of the vehicle is determined by me. Mom once asked me why I enjoyed driving so much. Well, I guess now that I've thought about it for more than 15 years, this is the reason.

My second turning point was when I was retrenched from CNetAsia as GameSpotAsia's Webmaster. My life started going downhill from there. Not financially but rather it affected my self esteem and confidence. Somehow or other, now, I seem to lack confidence in whatever I do always apprehensive of the fact that whatever I can do, someone else can do it better. Of course it's a fact but then, I feel the need to prove myself to myself.

It's ironical but especially in photography, I've always felt that I've got a long way to go. There are encouraging times as well but somehow, I've always felt the need to compare myself to others out there. To see if I can even reach their levels and capability. I've always wanted the best yet I feel that I can never do my best. As the ACS motto goes, "The Best is Yet to Be" and this is definitely affecting me.

I guess instead of keeping up at night thinking of death and what it brings, I should contemplate on how I can live and make my life useful. Find the meaning of "Why I am born", "Why am I here" and "What is my purpose in life". It definitely can't just be to procreate. I have a purpose. I just haven't found out what it is yet. I have a place in this universe. In this consciousness. It's mind boggling and downright disheartening to know that I've yet to discover my purpose and what I want after all these years.

I've lived for the moment before. Seized the day in the past. Often, seizing the day means regretting something later. I've learned to live without regret since it's usually a waste of time. So's gloating by the way. Perhaps I should just concentrate on work.

I feel so alone in this world. Like nobody understands. I'm trying to explain to my loved ones what's going on but the words don't seem to be coming out right. I write here looking for solace and welcome any should it come. I just hope that soon, I will discover it for I don't seem to be able to handle it much longer. Am I a chronic silent depressive? I don't know although I hope that I'm not. Am I whining about my life and how pathetic it is contrary to my previous posts? Perhaps I am, perhaps I'm not. I'm self contradictory I suppose. My what I decide to put down on this page solely depends on my thoughts of the moment.

This might serve as a reminder in the future should I find myself and my purpose what I went through to find it.

14 March...but it's not today :P

Your Birthdate: March 14

With a birthday on the 14th of the month (5 energy) you are inclined to work well with people and enjoy them. You are talented and versatile, very good at presenting ideas, and you are also very good at organization and systematizing. You may have a tendency to get itchy feet at times and need change and travel. You tend to be very progressive, imaginative and adaptable. Your mind is quick, clever and analytical. A restlessness in your nature may make you a bit impatient and easily bored with routine, and rebel against it. You have a tendency to shirk responsibility.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

New found friends...

Mainey has a new guy in her life!!!!! I'm completely devastated!!! Not that I ever met up to her standards, expectations and mentality but then again, it's still devastating nonetheless.

Hehehe...I'm just putting this down to irk her anyways. She claims to be smart...I don't doubt it but smarter than me? Dream on girl! Anyway, I've been communicating with a couple of new found friends. It's nice to know that once in a while you have a listening ear especially when you're being ignored elsewhere (i.e. Home).

To be fair, I haven't been all that fantastic myself. Oftentimes I've realized that I can be rather childish. Well, what can I say? Old habits die hard. Anyhow...that's how I look now. Gosh I can do with a massive haircut. Maybe army 4x2 would be good for me...like the other picture.

No idea what to do...lol...except that I don't wanna end up looking like a geek. Which has happened before. I even had a leather pocket protector. Gosh..just like those mission controllers but of course they adamantly deny owning one.

News just occurred to me that SASCA's sound challenge is for SQ (Sound Quality) and not SPL (Sound Pressure Level). If I do go for SQ, that means my setup will have to change completely. Thomas will have to be back in town to check out the system. Hope he comes back soon. I've got my trip up north this thursday. I'm still a little apprehensive about it cause it's going to take me 4 days to do something that's worth only 1 day. Argh...the dilemma!

Cleaning day...

I've finally managed to spare some time to do some cleaning up. Gosh, it's been a while. Managed to get a snapshot of home after doing the cleaning up. Could I life be better? I'd say it could but honestly, I'm not really complaining. Well, once in a while maybe.

I don't know why but I'm still totally unimpressed with the XBox. I guess I'm a tough nut to crack. But I'm totally impressed with the PSP cause wow! In such a small package! The graphics are just mind boggling.

I need a haircut! People are gonna start calling me either Sasquatch or the abominable snowman! Gosh. You know, a good thriller's only as good as the supporting soundtrack and motion picture score. Can you imagine watching a movie where there's only dialogue and no background music? Kinda sucky eh?

Yeah...well...I guess that's what my weekend's filled with. Oh I still love and respect the amount of effort put into the Singapore Science Centre. Even after all these years, it still brings back memories of me when I was about 9, going there with my granddad who's since passed on. I still have that photo we took with the Mercedes 280SE buried somewhere.

Ah...the nostalgia. I'm such a nostalgic guy...

Whiners...

Okay...I've read quite a few blogs and found that many a time, the authors are complaining or whining about their lives and how miserable they are etc etc... It's interesting cause I suppose that could be the best way to generate self pity. It's most effective especially for women.

The usual "I hate my life", "I hate my job", "I hate not having enough money" entries. If you read enough of these, you'd think that it's the same person writing all these entries. C'mon! Obviously we're too pampered and spoiled and selfish. Everyone's concerned about their own little problems, their own little world. I guess the fault lies partially in the lack of social skills that people are getting from being on the internet all the time.

The might have "netiquette" but lack social etiquette. Oh well.

Last night was an event for UE. It started late so I ended leaving late as well. Maritus Mandarin definitely has one of the lamer carparks...it's 1) Narrow, 2) Expensive (Parking there from 5.30pm to about 12.30am was $7.00) and 3) Difficult to get out of.

I must take my hat off to the CEO of UE. They do give back to the community by donating to Metta School and MINDS. They also had some kids from both organizations perform. The MINDS kids were most impressive. All of them suffers from some form of intellectual disability or other. Yet, they were always smiling, happy to perform and ever so excited.

Oh and by the way, for those out there who are whining about their pathetic lives etc, there are many people worse off.

DL & SL

DL needs instruction but learns how to pose quickly. I took pictures of these two cousins today to see what I could come up with. DL was pretty sporting and more adventurous. SL tends to be a little more reserved but knows that she can do more poses on the fly. I guess it kinda reflects the different personalities the two sisters have.

I'll be entering the auto sound challenge in august. Hopefully, everything on the car will work properly. I've just spent half the day in a food shoot for NUSS and the other half @ Hong Guan discussing the sponsorships and my role in the competition. Looks like I'll be going for SPL comps (man I need bigger subs..) A pair of 15's would suffice nicely along with a 2000watt power amp each.

In any case, looks like there'll be more work to do on the set of wheels...

Magazine shoot...

Indonesian food, when prepared right, is absolutely delicious. Beef rendang that "melts in your mouth" and sambal sotong that's seasoned and cooked just right. The advantages of working with food & beverage magazines is that I sometimes get to taste the food as well.

Every restaurant owner is proud of his/her own unique dish. They're also very very protective of their recipes. Well, of course right? Afterall, it's their "ricebowl". While I was photographing for "Halal Food & Beverage" magazine, I also got to taste some Indonesian food during lunch yesterday. It's a pity that I had already eaten just an hour before cause the food spread looked fantastic.

Photo is taken by me and used with the kind permission of Halal Food & Beverage quarterly magazine.

Luck rubs off...

People with 'good luck' particularly in business often have the ability of making their luck rub off onto your own. Don't ask me why. The minute I said that I'd work with EL, I've been getting in more photography jobs as well. It sure looks like it's beginning to come together.

Although I'd much prefer being able to shoot for the sake of art, due to economic reasons, I have little choice but to go commercial as well. To those who are stubbornly fixated on the fact that I'm selling out my principles, it's not happening. I'm just doing what I need to do to survive. Somehow, I will find the time for fine arts as well. But just not now.

It's easier to convince people about fine arts with hand-drawn artwork rather than with photography but it's still a form of art nonetheless. I was thinking to myself, how many photographers in Singapore are actually trained in fine arts? Of course having that piece of academic paper doesn't account for ability but there's still training involved nonetheless.

Among most of my friends and course mates, I believe that I'm the only one that's practicing photography. But then again, there aren't that many people who Majored in Media Studies and Minored in Photomedia anyways. Most of them were Australians. The people that I knew minored in other fields such as Advertising, Marketing and/or PR.

The only problem I'm facing now, is finding models for next to nothing. That's the difficult part. Well, if any of you guys and gals are out there reading this, drop me a note if you don't mind volunteering. Naturally, I'd provide you with a soft copy of the photographs as well. :)

Opinions...

Everyone has their own opinions. Be it a major social issue or something personal, it's still an opinion. Humans are diversified creatures. I can only imagine the time when we will move out of our own home planet Earth on to other worlds, opinions will only differ more.

Even in a culture, there are sub-cultures.

Will it ever end? I guess it only will when it trickles down to the individual. That's why individuality is so important. Imagine humans as a beehive society. We would all feel robotized. Even as it is, living in one country, we're already getting bored, needing to find interesting places to see, things to do etc. I suppose that's why the least sought after jobs are those that are repetitive and provide little avenues of change.

We are constantly building new things, taking photos, trying to look at things from a different angle (literally) just to get a fresh perspective. Why? Because we're bored too easily. Perhaps when the entire human race realizes that, will the time come where one human being will learn to appreciate and accept the opinion of another. Perhaps only then will wars stop and violence in society will come to an end.

That would be utopia where everyone's opinions are accepted. I decided to write on this because of the recent hub-bub on a Singaporean girl who decided to post her nude photos in her blogsite. For those of you who are in Singapore, well, she's already made the news so there's no need to elaborate on that. As it is, she' getting people into heated debates over the issue in many of our local forums and online chats.

It reminds me of the time when Annabel Cheong, the famous locally born and bred pornstar who made it big in USA. The sensation caused was amazing. People were talking about her for weeks after an article about her was published in the local newspapers. But what has happened now? Yes people still know who she is but she's no longer the talk of the town.

I guess I've made my point in that humans will be interested in something for only a short while. After that, it becomes boring. Variety is the spice of life isn't it?

One of the better days...

It's been a productive day. Although I spent most of it in the office over at Mandai, I'd consider this one of my better days. It was only marred slightly by a small disagreement with SY early in the morning but was soon settled (within 10 minutes).

In any case, KL came in today to return some equipment and I felt that we had a good chat regarding the direction our company is taking. I'd say this is one meeting that's been waiting to happen for a while now. At least some things are cleared between us and I think that it's important for us as partners to show support for one another. This way, at least the company has a direction to follow.

Naturally, there will be disagreements but at least upon hearing each other's reasons, they can be ironed out. Nobody said that going into business was easy. Anyway, later in the evening I had no choice but to replace the battery on the 6. It was really going flat and well, it beats being stuck somewhere because the car won't crank up. Worse would be if I have an engagement and the car dies on me. That's actually my ultimate nightmare.

Met NH in the evening and we saw this girl driving a really cool Mini. Apparently, she just purchased it off someone and took delivery today so she was showing it off to her friends which I guess were from SMC (Singapore Mitsubishi Club). Oh...before we met the guys, she parked the car and left without engaging the parking brakes. NH and I were standing next to my car when we suddenly realized that her car was slowly sliding further back into the lot. Good thing the ground was sloping towards the curb and not the other way round. I wouldn't want to be there to watch her reaction should the opposite happen.

Anyway, they were pretty nice people. Who said that Singaporeans weren't a friendly lot? When Singaporeans with a common passion came together, fast friends are made. Even though we didn't get the names of the guys that were viewing her car, we stood there and chit chat with each other; after all, there's no reason not to.

Well, that's about all that's happened today. My only wish is that everyday is a day like today. After all, it's been a pretty good one so far.

X&Y

Coldplay's new album X&Y...just borrowed it off NH. I'll definitely be getting one myself along with their previous two albums. The music's just so melodic! The chorus gives me goose bumps! Trying to figure out if I can link the song somehow.

Spent much of today watching a guy called Ah Ann polish my ride. I must say that he's pretty detailed and took 3 hours with my car. He has already spent 3 hours doing NH's car before that.

I guess today is a day of doing nothing. Not very productive. However, I did realize that I have to reduce the influence of people on me. It's giving me a negative effect and that can't be good.

Strangely, Coldplay and U2 have certain songs that sound similar and have a similar effect on me when I listen to it. An example would be U2's Electrical Storm. Very similar kinds of melodies.

I have to remind myself of two things that I'm supposed to do the coming week.

1) Drop by Gramophone to buy Coldplay's albums and
2) Get a new battery for the car the current one's beginning to show signs of wearing out.

Well. It's close to dinner now. Hope there's something good coming out from the kitchen.

Conversations with NH...

"There are some people that are lucky as well as ruthless; they will also make use of the luck of others for their benefit. AY and AO are such examples. Ed, Jailbird Jon and Angie are examples of people that are always down and out, are perpetually having bad luck and have a knack for either making people around them unlucky or depressed. You on the other hand, are the type that takes steps back wards until you live in the shadows of society."

Am I really that sort? Gosh, I'd never had known if he didn't mention it to me. Upon doing some self-reflection, I think he might have hit the nail right on the head. Put the pickle in the barrel. Perhaps I'd do well and go far in a strict hierarchal organization where the punishment for insubordination is severe. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. Life is full of perhapses.

To be honest, I'd tried that during National Service and I didn't enjoy it one single bit.

Surprisingly, today, being a saturday has been a relatively productive day. It started out with me heading to HG in the morning with the intention of checking if Sandy's ordered the strobes and lightning SGs. However, upon reaching HG, I completely forgot about it and went on to install the Napolex Temperature sensor and tune one of the sub-woofers in the trunk of the car.

After that, NH called and asked if I was available for a meeting regarding photography for yet another magazine that he was handling. The meeting turned out pretty good and things that were mentioned were as expected. In any case, I had a late lunch with NH @ Holland V before the meeting and I must say, that place is populated by more and more sweet and relatively attractive looking ladies (although for some of them, I'd refer to as girls instead). I also noticed that the hemline of skirts are going higher and higher again. Much like the 60s when micro-miniskirts were the fad of the day.

It's either that minis are making a comeback, or I'm beginning to hallucinate more leg than usual. Who knows. Whatever the reason, it's eye candy for me so I definitely don't mind. NH also managed to convince PD to attend a shoot conducted by me on the coming Sunday @ the studio. How he did it, I have no idea. What I do know is that PD is a little out of proportion. She's kinda lengthy and perhaps a little gangly and her face is on the rather round side. I guess it'll be up to me to figure out her best angles.

I read about a blog written by a Singaporean girl in the Straits Times today. I went to check it out but noticed that the site gets all the hits because it's got saucy details of her a) sex life and b) supposedly nude pictures of her which she removed after her parents objected to it. I still think that Asian society is a little closed to accept that sex is not necessarily a taboo subject and that an object of beauty is to be admired. After all, don't we spend much of our time looking for things that look good in the first place? The human body is an object of beauty and the best part is that no two bodies are the same. It's not to say that I will gawk at pornography but if the photos are well taken in a non-vulgar yet erotic way, I definitely will enjoy it and so will a majority of the people out there.

Anyway, towards the end of the day, I took the Jag out for a spin and ended up meeting Joey, Eric & gang @ Yishun Dam. I must say that the recent fad in automotive under-body lighting has caught me by surprise. A consolation is that none of the numerous vehicles with under-body lights that I saw today have the colour that's on my car. Unfortunately, I did see one at MacDonald's on Marc's birthday though.

Well, I think this is one of the longer entries that I've written. Thanks for taking the time to read it. It'd be great if some people comment on it but honestly, I don't think I get as many hits as the girls do anyway.

That Nostalgic Feeling...

How many guys out there know how to give in? It's rather strange but as a person gets older and perhaps more mature, giving in becomes almost second nature. Not always though cause I think it all depends on who you're giving in to. I could be considered pretty spoilt I suppose. Having a childhood where I got many things that I wanted; particularly toys and destroyed them almost immediately.

I remember the times when I used to enjoy building model kits. Glueing all the little pieces together to form a ship, plane, tank or car. Once completed, one could play with them too. The details on these models were really fine and that could be one of the reasons I enjoyed them so much.

I realised that as I grew older, my toys became more and more expensive to the stage where I start to consider cars as toys. I suppose there's some things that don't change.

It's amazing to what end credit card companies will go to keep your account. After calling one of the banks to terminate my card, they offered me all sorts of bells and whistles just to get me to keep the card. Not that I intend to use it anyway. I finally convinced them that termination was what I wanted. The lady on the other end sounded so sad...almost like she was about to break into tears.

If there's anything that I can't stand is a girl breaking down sobbing to me. I will simply just melt into a puddle of goo and usually give in to whatever demands they have. I guess I'm just not ruthless enough (unlike some other people).

Oh well...just a recap...I dropped by Balaclava for a short while on Wednesday night. The band was as good as always especially when the girl was singing. The bald dude that plays the bass, however, well that's another story altogether. He tried singing U2's One and to me, it was the ultimate disaster. He totally lacks the emotion in the voice to sound convincing. Almost like he was mumbling instead. Oh well, at least the girl sang most of the songs...and the beer was 1 for 1 so it's not all that bad. Hahaha!

Somethings work and some just don't...

Have you ever had an experience where something works, then you fix something else completely unrelated and the original thing stops working?

Well, the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" sure does make sense now...dammit. What can I say...now, it's going to be one hassle after another. The Streetglow transformer has a habit of burning up...similar to what used to happen to the ballasts of my HID lights. Gawd...if it ain't one electrical item, it's another.

I do suspect, however that the powerjet used @ snow-wash is the guilty one...but then again, it's supposed to be waterproofed! Damn damn damn! There was a huge meetup tonight @ Turf City. Unfortunately, I was there only for a short while...had to head back to the studio to get the gear for tomorrow's shoot in JB prepped. Gawd...if only we could just afford another set for M'sia...that'll save me so much hassle of lugging the gear in. I wonder what can I say should the customs dude stop me. That's been bugging me all day today.

I'm smoking a ridiculous number of cigarettes as well. It comes with living alone. Somehow or other, just to stay awake, I smoke...gawd...Philip Morris is a happy man...I've finally managed to upgrade my laptop harddrive to 80 gigs...at least I don't have to worry about it running out of space in the middle of a porta anymore...for the time being that is.

I haven't heard from Germaine in quite a while...I wonder what she's up to. She still owes me a bumch of DVDs of which X-Men 2 I want back real bad to watch the opening scene again. It's really well done and mighty impressive. Oh well, Germs, if you're reading this, lemme know when I can get it back from you! You don't return my calls anymore!!! :P Hahaha...now it's gone public. Oh well. C'est La Vie as the song goes...

What the fuck is going on...

The steady rhythmic rattling of rain drop hitting the terracotta roofs woke me up this morning. I was in a semi dazed state as I got up and closed the shutters to prevent the rain from coming in. It is 6.45am. A little too early for me to start my day. Unfortunately, once I wake up I can't seem to sleep anymore.

It's a fine rainy morning. The balcony's door's open letting some spray from the rain damp my face. It feels good. I'm still semi-laying in bed while writing this and it's already 10am. I've been surfing the web and checking my emails for the past 3 hours. God...sometimes I wonder where does the time go.

I guess I'll be taking half the day off. I still have to head down to EL to get Andrea's PC online. It should be as simple as plugging in the network cable but then again, I should be there cause she doesn't know what a network port looks like.

I've been going nostalgic again, hence this song on my blog page. Nothing much has happened to me lately to write about. Last night we did a shoot @ Hyatt though. For a wine producer. To bad I can't remember the name of the company. The lady in charge of marketing kept asking us if we wanted a drink but drinking on the job with an empty stomach ain't such a good idea.

Anyway, yesterday's porta must've been one of the least printed portas I've ever done. We'll just have to see how it goes when I head in to JB on saturday...

Work, Play, Sleep, Eat...and of course

This has been a weekend of events I must say...

First thing you might notice is the upbeat, up tempo, cheerful music that's accompanying this site. Well, you can put the blame of that to my cousin Shi-Ian who's in town for the weekend.

Anyway, it started as a normal Saturday morning except that while most people were in bed enjoying their slumbers, I was lugging about 40kilos of photographic/computer equipment up the blasted escalators over at Shaw Centre...

Anyway, it was a pretty uneventful "porta" corner which actually may not really be worth doing (the amount of trouble far outweighed the rewards - monetarily speaking of course). Anyway, after slogging with 3-35 year olds getting them to pose right, smile etc etc...I packed up and lugged the damn equipment back to the car.

After dropping off the equipment @ Mandai, I popped by TransEurokars & Stuttgart Auto to see if any buddies were there. Unfortunately, there was some road trip going on and Bernard was busy as a bee so I decided to head on home.

Later found out that dearest cousin Shi-Ian was in town and decided to pop in to mom's to see what she's up to. I must say that she's bloomed beautifully. Anyway, went to catch Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy @ WestMall and it was a blast of a movie...laffed quite a few times too!

After that just headed home & to BED~~~!!! GLORIOUS BED!!!

Today...well...lunch was at Turf City (dim sum) and as usual, having dim sum means overeating on my part. Anyway, headed over to sis' house @ Chancery and watched Lara "check out my boobs" Croft in the latest Tomb Raider DVD on the plasma tv.

Dinner was great and consisted of authentic home-made creamy mushroom soup (yeap...none of that canned soup crap). Finished up by yakking with Alec for a while, checked out this song which according to Shi-Ian is THE song of the moment due to some dude lip-sync-ing to it on his webcam over the internet. It's called Numa Numa (or something like that) and it's quite funny to watch too.

Episode III

Star Wars Episode 3...nice nice movie. Yes, George Lucas has finally come up with an episode better than 5 - The Empire Strikes Back. Ep 5 was my longtime favourite but 3 tops it off...at least now, I can relate episode 4 - 6 better. The thing is however, that Lucas really has to work on his dialogues...they seem to be written for primary school kids...but the plot is a little too overwhelming for the kiddos...it's a little violent as well with limbs being chopped off. It certainly seems as if Lucas has this thing for chopping things into two...from torsos to arms to hands and legs and finally heads.


Anyway, if you remember in Episode 6, Leia replied to Luke's question of meeting her mother, her "real" mother as "She died when I was very young...she was beautiful, but sad..." So, if Padme died during childbirth, how would Leia remember her mother and Luke, being born first of the twins, not have known her? Afterall, technically, he spent more time outside her than she did...

In any case, the special effects of Ep 3 beat Ep 1 hands down...at least the driods look more realistic this time round. And of course, I was surpised at Anakin Skywalker's simple mind as well...He of all people should know that death is part of life...but I suppose, I'm being overly critical here.

Anyway, the StreetGlows are glowing again after a replacement step-up inverter was provided...and now, I'm finally really happy with the car's looks...thought there's still room for "some" improvement...I'll leave that for another time.

Obviously, I have a tendency towards the "Dark Side" of The Force since my streetglows are Red...LOL

The Raw Power of Mother Nature

Do they look scary or what!? Like the sky's about to fall on the building. Yeap, that's the view I get from my place. Low clouds (probably 500feet or below), lightning flashes and thunder rumbling in the distance.

It hasn't quite started raining yet thought the sky definitely looks threatening enough. The wind is howling through the gaps in my windows, doors etc and boy it sure sounds eerie. The rag and bones man is still blaring his horn though. I admire that. They seem to think that people have used items for sale everyday. I broke my previous record and read 3 Dan Brown books in a week. They were, Digital Fortress, Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code. The last one being a real popular book the past few months or so. The interesting thing about his books are that they cover pretty much everything that happens within a 24 hour period.

Also, with the last book, The Da Vinci Code, he tends to blur the line between fact and fiction. I suppose that's what's making it so enticing. A mixture of fact and fiction.

Anyways, that's about all that I've been up to the past couple of weeks. That and mucking around with "Cold Cathode" lights for my car's interior over the weekend. Now, the car's emitting a blue glow from the inside. Kinda cool. Perhaps when my StreetGlow transformer arrives, on a clear night, I'll take a picture of it.

StreetGlow GLOWS!

Yeap...
New addition to the set of wheels...StreetGlow Undercar Neon Kit. Now my "BengMobile" is almost complete. What's left you ask? Well, to me, it's still a work in progress.
Items that have yet to be done:
1) GT Wing (preferably C-West or Veilside) Carbon Fibre of course
2) Vinyls (2-3 layer custom graphics)
3) Pearlescent paintjob
4) Decals
5) Exhaust
I guess you could say that once I have these 5 items installed or done, the work-in-progress would be complete. For now, I'm just as happy with the amazing streetglow that I've got on. Already I've been asked by several people where I got it done. The amazing thing is that, the neon undercar kit IS confirmed water proof...I just drove over a freaking deep (knee deep) huge puddle of water (and trust me, the streetglows were completely submerged) and they're still glowing strong!
Well...let see what will go in next...

Advocatus Diaboli

The devil's advocate. That's what I've been called. Do I adopt a position that I don't believe in just for the sake of the argument? Perhaps. I'm sure Nick would agree with that one though. Sometimes, I love playing the devil's advocate...just for the fun of it.

If anything though, Nick's archilles' heel in an argument is his short temper. He starts blowing off too soon and that spoils the fun of arguing (I would put it down as debating).

I've been having a bone to pick for the past week. What can I say, I suppose it all stemmed from talking behind people's back. It'd be nice if we could bury the hatchet but I think that some people do hold grudges. I, for one, do not so whenever you're ready to talk, I'm all ears.

Here's one thing though. I believe in cogitationis poenam nemo patitur -nobody should be punished for his/her thoughts. Unless he acts out the thought, then it would be malice aforethought; in which case, can be prosecuted.

In any case, I'm ready to hear when you're ready to speak.

ImageExpo...

Nice piece of software maximizing the use of bluetooth.

The images are the actual screen captures of the screen on my Nokia 6260...pretty cool. Now I know why I love Bluetooth so much!

Only problem is, the software that does it costs about 99 euros!...bloody expensive. I still haven't decided if I'm gonna get it but it's kinda cool.

oh well...

After receiving the $500 voucher from SingTel, I decided to head on down to Hello! SingTel @ OUB to purchase a handset. After much deliberation, I decided on a Nokia 6260.

Pros and Cons of the phone:

1) It's a clamshell (I love clamshells)
2) It's got Symbian OS (allows for PDA like applications to be installed)
3) It's got MMC card support
4) It's got Bluetooth
5) It's quite nice (design-wise)

Cons:

1) It's a Nokia
2) It's a Nokia
3) It's a Nokia
4) Lousy build quality (the flip part is not nice and fitting but can be rocked back n forth)
5) It's $498 - for $100 more, I can get another V3 but I refuse to spend anything beyond the voucher given.
6) The Navigation keys are too far up on the flip
7) It's a Nokia

Sufficed to say, I was pretty happy with the phone. It's a good mobile office tool with applications such as QuickWord and QuickPoint (they allow me to view MS Word and MS Powerpoint documents and presentations respectively).

There's also a head of available software for the Symbian OS, for example, Agile Messenger.

I didn't use the phone until I reached home at about 10.30pm last night. So I followed the instructions and plugged in the phone for it's first charge. Everything was working fine...up till then.

Fast forward to this morning, I went to NUSS for the photo shoot of kids at KRGH. Everything was still fine and dandy and the phone worked, well like a phone should.

I decided then to go down to Wheelock Place to send mom's Nokia 2100 in for repairs (since the "1" key on the keypad was no longer responding). After having to wait from 1.13pm to 2.25pm, I was served (I almost spouted a new goatee during the hour plus long wait).

Sufficed to say, the CSO mentioned that the spare parts for the 2100 were not in stock (this coming from Nokia themselves? REALLY?) and that it would be a 1-2 week wait. Fine...afterall, mom's got the Sony Ericsson to play with so she's content for the moment. So I let them keep the phone.

Meanwhile, I asked about the 6260's bluetooth functionality and whether or not it supports bluetooth internet connectivity through a PC that's on the internet. The CSO said that it shouldn't be a problem so I'll give it a try again when i get back,

However, during the 1 hour plus long wait for the CSO to attend to me, I received a file called Caribe. I dutifully installed it (since I was in the Nokia Service Centre). The CSO took a look at it and mentioned that the phone has to be sent in for re-formatting (that includes the MMC). He says that Caribe's a software that chews up memory AND battery power (in other words, a virus).

I was appalled. After all, I was at the Nokia Service Centre and I barely had the phone for a full 24 hours. What choice did I have? Gawd. The least that Nokia Service Centres could do is to post a warning that anyone receiving files via bluetooth while in their Service Centres (or anywhere else for that matter), should avoid the list of virus like files.

And I thought that really brilliant people worked at Nokia...I guess no I know that anywhere but its main office at Alexandra are manned and managed by idiots. By posting a simple list, they'd save themselves a crap load of unnecessary formatting of phones and memory cards. I guess, it everything worked too well for them, they'd be shaking their legs and obviously, the executives won't want that to happen.

So now, I'm at mom's place, minus the 6260. they said that it'll take 2 hours to reformat and reset the phone + memory card. Hmm...are they still using 9200baud rate RS-232 Serial cables? Does it really need to take 2 hours for a re-format? I've re-formatted my 160GB HDD in under 15 minutes and that's a low-level format too. Geez...anyway, I'll be heading back there in an hour or so.

So that's my experience with Nokia after a 2 year hiatus. Time to seriously boycott the brand.

Motorola V3 still rocks compared to the lemon of a Nokia 6260...and it's only $100 more.

Another shoot

7.40am saw me driving down the PIE today. "This is not how I wanna celebrate my next birthdays", I thought to myself. Waking up at 6am after sleeping at 3am is not the best way to catch me in a good mood in the mornings.

What I found irritating was the fact that people, while driving on an expressway, find that they're required to tap their brakes ever so often. Can't they control their cars properly with the accelerator? Anyway, I was at Raffles Marina before the stipulated time in the morning.

It's interesting how I found out that women (at least alot of them), can't keep things to themselves. They have this inner need to share anything that's been said among friends. It happens irregardless if you're a guy friend of hers or a girl. They just have this inner desire to talk.

Of course, however, everybody talks. It's just that guys usually need lots of either coercing or torture to speak. In any case, if you don't want anything you said to a girl repeated, don't say it. Funny thing is, I already know this but somehow or other, sometimes, I feel the need to share somethings just to take the temperature a little (it's a good gauge).

In any case, I'm enjoying the 3rd and 4th season of The West Wing. I've yet to watch any other television series that's more cerebral than this.

Just a slight disagreement...

This is from the online source at (http://app.mewr.gov.sg/press.asp?id=CDS2136)

(Disclaimer : This is not an article targeted against the Singapore Government but rather an argument against a policy that the Singapore Government is considering.)

My responses to the quotes that I'll put here are my own. Although I am a smoker, I laud the NEA and HPB's effort in reviewing the list of public places in which the smoking ban should be extended with certain exceptions.

The exceptions stem from parts of the statement by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, at the Committee of Supply Debate 2005, 8 March 2005, 2.45 PM

Lets start then...

"... protect non-smokers against the harmful effects of second-hand smoke." which is followed by "My Ministry also plans to extend the ban on smoking to entertainment outlets such as pubs, bars, discos, nightclubs and KTV lounges. In the case of entertainment outlets, it is difficult for patrons to avoid second-hand smoke as these are enclosed areas with limited air circulation..."

Honestly speaking, if a non-smoker decides to go to a pub, bar, disco, nightclub or KTV lounge knowing fully well that it will be patronised by smokers and thus they will inadvertently inhale second-hand smoke and thus increase their risk of heart and lung disease, it is his/her decision to make.

Are non-smokers unable to make their own decisions when it comes to patronising these places?

If non-smokers argue that these places which do not allow smoking do not exist. then my suggestion, instead of a simple (lack of thought solution such as a) blanket prohibition/ban, the government give tax breaks to give incentives to pub, bar, disco, nightclub and KTV lounges to go smoke free.

Then, smokers and non-smokers can decide and have the FREEDOM to CHOOSE which of these places to patronise. Giving partial tax incentives for those that have smoking and non-smoking sections that are isolated from one another is another suggestion (for the wishy washy people out there).

Are Singaporean non-smokers that helpless from the effects of tobacco smoke in the eyes of the Government? Do Singaporean non-smokers lack the ability to decide what they want that they need such "spoon-feeding" laws to take effect and make the decision for them?

If so, why not an outright ban on the sale and import of cigarettes altogether? The Singapore Government has already banned items such as chewing gum for even more trivial and less health related issues why not extend it to include tobacco products.

On a broader issue of banning smoking is places such as pubs, discos, nightclubs and KTV lounges, the Government is not solving the issue of getting people to quit smoking but rather to bring smoking (and to a certain extent, alcoholism) into private property (namely, their own homes) thus increasing the chances of breeding another generation of smokers. People would no longer go to pubs, discos, nightclubs and KTV lounges and simply stay at home to smoke since there's no chance of breaking the prohibition.

I know that people who make the decisions will not read this and in all likelihood, this is an argument would probably fall on deaf ears. But it was fun penning it and putting it down anyways.

Perhaps, if I went to Hong Lim Park and yelled at the top of my cigarette smoke filled lungs, I might feel better about it at the end of the day and invite someone from either the NEA or HPB to take notice...

NOT!

the benefits of growing older...

1) I feel more secure about myself
2) I have more control over my actions
3) I am a little better read than before
4) I am no longer as clueless
5) I don't need diapers when I sleep
6) I can sleep whenever I want
7) I can drive
8) I can afford finer things in life
9) I have the freedom of choice (most of the time at least)
10) I can start forgetting things and use the excuse "I'm getting old"

It's not so bad afterall...although I do realise that I'm growing hair where I don't want. Kinda weird.

Women see me in a different light as well. I can act childish and immature in front of childish and immature people and still get away with it (since I'd be "one of them") or I can act learned, wise and distinguished and spout rubbish and if I sound convincing enough, the gullible will believe whatever I say.

I speak with more reason nowadays although I do occasionally still spout nonsense.

Men, I've noticed, would go through great lengths to gain the attention of a woman. Well, I'd leave the gory details out but sufficed to say, that I've known many and still know of some that have gone through heaps of trouble only to be rejected point blank. If she doesn't like you, take the hint and move on! Vice versa for women.

The babs and morons...(no relation)

She's always got that smile. one that never fails to cheer me up. No doubt it sometimes makes me wish I was a 29 year-old caucasian dude that rides a cool bike. Well, some guys have all the luck (ala Rod Stewart's song - now I know why he sang it).

I was on my way home when the most idiotic/inconsiderate driver I've met on the roads so far ruined a somewhat serene drive. PIE was closed beyond Bt Batok East ave 3 so everyone had to get out there. It was a dual carriage exit and I was on the right lane, making a right turn. The lane to my left was also a right-turn lane, with a slip road that went to the left further back as usual.

So this RAV 4, goes on my lane. He's the first car at the lights, and everyone behind and to the left of him is making a right turn. The moron, decides that right is not the way he wants to go but hey, lets not signal early...lets wait till the lights turn green. Even after the lights turn green, I waited for a full 5 seconds for him to move off (still no signal given). I give him a polite honk to remind him that everyone's waiting to move off. What happens? The moron decides that he wants to turn left and signals (only after the initial honk)...no one on his left is giving way to him but he insists on holding me (and everyone else behind) up.

Taxis sound their honks and I join in the cacophony of loud blaring. But still, the moron waits. Damn dude, haven't you heard of a U-Turn? Or is gas too expensive for you to make one?

I brand people like this into either one of two categories (or both).

1) Complete and utter MORON
2) Totally inconsiderate with a one track mind

In all likely hood, this dude belongs to both categories. Finally, when the road is clear, he proceeds to make and illegal (4 demerit point) left turn. Wouldn't it be simpler if he just made an illegal u-turn later? It amounts to almost the same bloody thing after all. I suppose, it takes all sorts to drive (morons included).

Somethings going on with the expressways today. Almost everyone that I was on had some type of construction (road closure) or other. In any case, I picked up the babs from work and we proceeded to Changi Airport for dinner/supper. She was her usual bubbly self and was absolutely a darl to be with.
Too bad she'd never see me as a potential anything (other than good friend). I suppose, it's best left that way anyhow. We're comfortable the way we are and would most likely end up as lifelong friends.

Anyhow, she's got a full life ahead of her and I sincerely wish her well in her studies and work. :) I must say that she does have the most interesting stories to tell from work. One of which was this guys whispering to her asking for help in seeking books with penis enlargement instructions...yup...yet another clueless dude in this land.

HAHAHA!

A tragedy...

As I sit here and ponder over my previous actions, words and thoughts that I might have let loose in IRC, one thing keeps coming hauntingly back.

That fact that IRC is dominated by gossip loving, nothing to dos. I realised that I had almost stooped to that level but somehow, managed to pull myself out of it before it become out of hand.

People are often susceptible to gossip and some are even naive enough to believe it if the story gets repeated enough by as many people.

A good quote would be from Capt Ronald Spiers of Easy Company, 506 PIR, 101st Airborne Div. If a good story gets repeated often enough by enough people, it is believable. Tertius had a rumour about him that he lopped off the heads of Carthaginian slaves and that he was the baddest and meanest warrior about. He never disputed it (for firstly, it would be an attempt at futility and secondly, he might have seen the benefits of it circulating and scaring the shit out of his enemies.)

I suppose there would be little or no point in disputing gossip particularly in a place with as little consequence to my life as IRC. If people choose to believe in those rumours and gossip, then it's best to let them believe in it. After all, it's of no consequence to me. I find that the only way to avoid such gossip is to avoid IRC like the plague. I suppose it was a waste of time and bandwidth anyways.

The only good thing about having been on IRC is that I've managed to pick out some good friends that take me for what I am, irregardless of what they've read about me in there. For that, I am appreciative and I'll always treasure that friendship.

Perhaps in time to come, I would have changed my mind but I doubt so. In any case, I'd expect to have more time to concentrate on work, getting jobs in and improving my social life instead of sitting in front of my computer chatting with people whom I can't put faces to.

Photography 101

PRODUCT SHOOTING 101...

Always make sure that your client KNOWS what he wants before starting the shoot.

I've got lotsa experience with products but when it comes to clients, they think they know best.

Fine...lets shoot it at the angle they want. Forget my experience and expertise and lets just go with what you want. After all, I'm being paid right? WRONG!!!

At the end of the day, they still go back to the angle which I shot the bloody product at so what the heck!? A pure waste of time. What should've been a simple 1 hour shoot ended up taking 5 hours....why? Simply because they didn't know what they wanted and I ended up shooting 4 slightly different angles of the same product showing different sides.

Next comes lighting..."oh can you light the front but not the back?" "Oh the reflective surface...I need to see the text engraved in it" With the lighting specifications you gave? I think NOT!

Anyway, K came in to help out and even he ended up feeling frustrated (although that's nothing new) heh...

Harmless...

I've had this problem since my teenage years regarding women...

What happens, when they play hard to get? Is there a point to it? The guy has admitted that he likes her and would like to see her more than just socially. She however, decides to like him as well but wants to take more time before committing herself into a relationship.

The guy would think, "heck, she likes him enough, what is she waiting for?"

Well, guys (if there are any out there that wants to read this), here's what's on their minds (according to some close female friends that I have).

1) Does he really like me?
2) What if he's just lusting after me?
3) Should I see how persistent persistent he is?
4) Is he the right guy for me?

To be honest, it's hard to answer those questions without taking the dive into a relationship. However, taking the plunge and opening up one's heart isn't so easy. The girl, first and foremost, doesn't want to get hurt emotionally. What do guys do then? Switch to another girl? Well, there are those that are notorious flirts (I can't 100% deny that I'm not) but there are also those that are genuine. Well, the genuine ones will remain true and hold steady - for a period of time. After all, there's only so long that one is willing to wait to obtain something. If it takes too long, then he might not think that she is the right one ( after all, if she does like him enough, she'd be prepared to move along).

It's a very difficult thing to fathom. Emotions, relationship, love. To date, I've yet to get a satisfactory definition of love because, it's one of the hardest to decipher. Something that comes close to it would be, having a sense of security, warmth, happiness and trust in one person is definitive enough. Of course, there's also physical intimacy involved but to women, I believe it's less important than to men (I could be so wrong of course, but, that's what I've been led to believe so far.)

So women who read this, if you agree or disagree, please, enlighten me a little and speak your minds.

Thanks. :)

What's behind the dream?

I don't suppose I'd find an answer to them but I remember this particular dream which I had last night (or rather this morning) vividly.

I had some chronic debilitating back problem which resulted in the amputation of both my legs above the knee. But due to unforeseen circumstances, the doctors gave me a month to live.

I had two schools of thought on that (a thought within a dream is unique and this is more or less the first time it's happened to me).

Firstly, that no matter what happened, if I thought and believed that I did in fact have 30 days to live, when those 30 days are up, I'd die for sure. On the other hand, if I convinced myself that I would continue to live irregardless of what the doctor said, I would actually live past the critical 30-day dateline.

The dream (which I could control to a certain extent), visualised my plight into me being tenant of an apartment served with a 30 day eviction notice (by the way, the dream was in living colour.) If I did not leave within those 30 days, Pierce Brosnan (I'm a big fan of his) would move in.

Anyway, sufficed to say, I refused to live as a cripple and decided that I would go about doing my daily routine with a pair of prosthetic legs. Apart from being slower in running (which I was blamed for something or other - that I couldn't remember what for), I was as normal as anyone else.

Just as the dream was getting good (I was getting intimate with Catherine Zeta-Jones), some idiot decided that it was time to go to work and sounded his car alarm in the carpark downstairs. The sound from the alarm chirp reverberated between my apartment block and the one opposite until it found its way into my bedroom (in which I left the windows opened) and into my ears and woke me up most ungraciously.

I looked at my watch and noticed that the minute hand was about to reach the ¾ mark on the hour past 7am. Damn I thought to myself, I'm not gonna get anymore sleep since I had to get ready for work by 8am.

Today's shoots were pretty uneventful. It started with shooting kids of NUS graduates having a tennis workshop. That was followed by an undergrad vs grad games.

That was when disaster struck. My 10D, for some reason or other, decided that it was time for a shutter replacement and chose to self-destruct the shutter just after shooting approximately 20 shots during the tennis match.

I had to rush back to get the 1Ds (since I didn't really want to lug the heavy thing around. After that, it was porta at Amara Hotel. I had to use the A80 to complete the porta but I think shooting with that little bugger was way better than with the 10D (for porta),

Proceeded on to WC Macs for dinner with Nick and then boom...here I am jotting down what must be the most vivid dream I've had in recent history.

Well, I'm about to knock off to try to figure out if I can continue with the dream since a story that's been interrupted before it ends irritates me to no end.

Pub Crawling...

2:50am...

Just arrived home after pub crawling. Was at Mdm Wongs, Balaclava & Vintage. Wasn't too bad discounting the poorly dressed girls that were there. I did notice some femme fatales though.

3:30am...

Still up...chatting on both MSN and IRC...gawd...I miss the IRC days.

Mazda lovers united

Sunday was a day where Mazda Club Singapore had a really huge and successful meetup. It was held at Marina Square and Mazda owners from all over Singapore showed up. Sufficed to say, it was a huge success with a final count of over 130 cars.

Some were familiar faces and others were new. However, everyone got to mingle and talked mostly about cars, our jobs, families etc. There were some missing faces though, most prominently, Ah Hawk, XuBeiBei and Cuddlezzz were noticably absent.

It was an afternoon of showing off each car's latest mods, checking out ICE systems and just plain, good 'ole group photos. HotStuff magazine finally showed up to include this meetup in their forthcoming magazine. It was gracious of them but I'm really curious as to whether or not each model of Mazda will get it's spot in the press.

It was rather humid which led to me sweating profusely and I conveniently forgot to bring my cameras along knowing that someone or other from the club will be taking some photos as well.

Anyway, I met a few people, including darkfairie and femi. Femi's got this really lovable and adorable quality about her that's quite irresistable. DarkFairie on the other hand, had this fierce look which sorta said "don't mess with me" hahaha...I hope she never gets to read this :P

Yesterday was event shoot @ Neptune. Fortunately, they didn't allow photography during the caberet show which gave me time to actually sit back n relax a little. Robert (the entertainer/magician/comedien) must've been pretty annoyed at me for firing the flash directly at him (I usually either bounce of stofen the flash) because the stage was rather large and dark.

Spent a good hour kneeling/squatting while taking photos for the awards and lucky draw. It's a miracle that I can still walk today.

A can of Coke...

Sipping a can of Coke in the middle of the night can have therapeutic effects. But then again, it could just be me. It's been incredibly sunny these past few days. Ever since I got back from KL.

The trip was at least to say, rather fruitful. I found out what A was talking about when he mentioned the franchise business, I also got up to speed on some of the new products as well as how our products fared.

The economic conference was full of oldish people dressed in suits etc. It was supposed to be a "lounge suit" event in any case. I also found out that if I held my breath and sucked in my stomach hard enough, I could still squeeze myself into my suit/pants (see picture).

Yeap...that's me in the grey suit...along with A posing at the event. There's supposed to be another one in June. That's gonna be the Economic Conference between M'sia and China. I'll definitely look foreward to that one cause the PM should be there (it'll also give me the chance to try out my new suit).

Well, it looks like I might be getting my 4x4 afterall...but that'll happen when I stay in KL more often. I'm hoping to make some friends there. As it is, I managed to get to know some people already and so far, they're all pretty friendly. Lets see if I'll make somemore when I live there on a more semi-permanent basis.

I let the Cat stretch it's legs a little and indulged in some harmless acceleration on the way back. It seemed pretty eager to go and was pretty effortless in hitting speeds which allowed me to overtake many a car on the N-S Highway back. Good to know that when I'm doing that, I don't have passengers that keep reminding me of the limits there.

Well, that's about all that's happening for now. KH is waking up...I think because of the smell of burning luncheon meat.

Two weeks...

It's been barely 2 weeks and I've already broken 2 of my New Year's resolutions...oh well, if we had to make resolutions, it's obvious that we're never serious about them.

Been going to HotPrint everyday of this week so far. Weird that although we seem to be getting jobs, the money ain't comin' in. Ah well, gotta have a look at our books pretty soon. Don't know why but so far, I can't even support my car on a monthly basis.

It's a good thing that I've got the Triple-O thing going. And on top of that, perhaps an opportunity to make some moolah on the side managing events as well.

Will be headed to KL on saturday and prolly won't be back till tuesday. Good thing I'm driving up. That way, I can enjoy cruising on the freeway for a couple of hours. I gotta remember to see if my lounge suit still fits...last I tried, all my tailor-made pants are quite a squeeze for me to get my pot-belly into nowadays. Yes, even incredibly skinny people can have pot-bellies. As long as it's not Pork Bellies...

I just realised that for me, 12am-3am working seems to be the most productive. The same number of hours but 12 o'clock difference and you'd see my productivity plummet. No idea why but I do suspect that it's because no one tends to call me past 11.30pm at night.

Recently, however, I've been feeling tired even at 11am! That in itself is pretty amazing for me especially. Ah well...

Another late night post...

I've been pretty lazy to blog recently. I wonder why. Is it because nothing's happening to me at the moment? Perhaps.

There's something to be said about staying up late at night though. When all's quiet and you hear the occasional chit chat coming from people on their way home, the occasional tap of high heels as the weary return as well.

It's really quiet at 4am in the morning. Only the night owls are still online chatting. It's amazing how difficult it is to chat with someone and arrange for a coffee meetup. I suppose there are some that are more open and relaxed than others.

IRC is a place where people tend to let loose and perhaps go wild a little. Once in a while, you'd chat up with a girl that would wanna meet up with you even though it's an unearthly hour of the day/night.

It's nice but sometimes, you tend to wonder what they're after. Weird ain't it? Here I am commenting about these things, the same things that I do on occasion. Oh well. I'll be headed to bed soon. Just thought I'd put some of the things on my mind on paper - or rather on the web...hahaha

Goodnight everyone!

Welcome to 2005

My New Year's Resolutions...

1) I will learn to say 'No'
2) I will be more tolerant towards idiots on the road
3) I will not submit to the temptation to speed

Yeap. Those are my resolutions. Hard to believe that 2004 ended already. And it pretty much ended badly for a lot of people. Yes, the Boxing Day earthquake and resulting Tsunami. I feel really bad for the people who've lost friends, relatives, homes and livelyhoods due to this disaster. However, on the flipside, we've never seen the world come together like this before in previous disasters. Perhaps it's about time mankind realised that we're merely tenants on our planet.

It will probably take a disaster of even greater preportions before governments realise that we don't need wars to kill many people and bring misery to thousands and even millions more. Nature has a way of doing it already. But of course, ideologies and beliefs differ and with this differential, there will always be conflict.

Anyway, to everyone out there who's read this, I hope you all have a Safe, Prosperous and Happy 2005.

By Popular Demand...

At the request of several of my so-called "blog fans", I've decided once again to resume my daily (or at least alternate daily) updates of this page with my rants.
I've been addicted to 3 things lately (among my many other addictions). First, Zuma. What is it you might ask. Well, in a nutshell, it's an arcade game that's pretty cute. You can download it for free from http://www.popcap.com and it's pretty addictive and fun. I've managed to get to level 5-4 for now and that seems to be my limit.

Second is Text Twist. It's a PDA game (which makes it all the more addictive cause I've got my PDA with me most of the time now) and it's something like scrabble. Do a google search for it cause I can't for the life of me remember where I got it from.

The last is of course HalfLife 2 and Counter-Strike:Source. An excellent (if I may say so myself) first-person shooter (FPS) which you can either play solo (Halflife) or online with other people (Counter-Strike:Source). The latter comes packaged with the former when you buy it and yes, you need the original since it has to be authenticated online. Forget about just buying it to play solo or offline cause it'll be too much a hassle to do so. Also, you'll be needing a pretty decent broadband internet connection cause the game updates are massive (i.e. over 100MB) etc.

As it is, it already took me more than a couple of hours to download the latest updates and to get the game authenticated online.

Now what have I been up to lately. No idea. The past couple of weeks have been pretty much a daze of running around taking photos of events so much so that I've lost count and can't really remember which ones I went to and which ones I handed over to others to do. I do remember, however, one that I did for Acer. Somehow, that one just sticks in my mind for some reason.

Anyway, I also got a free Creative MuvoFM MP3 player for sticking with Singtel's broadband. Talk about loyalty rewards. They should've given me the iPod Mini cause that's what I really wanted :P Anyway, it's better than nothing and holds 256MB of music/data and works like a thumbdrive so I'm okay with that. Anyway, just enjoying the festive season (although not enjoying getting stuck in traffic @ Orchard Road although that can be fun too cause I be blasting me stereo there HAHAHA!

*EDIT* Oh yeah...and in the past two months of my not updating this blog, my hair's grown back (more or less to its usual mess).