The past week...

consists of endless report writing, my first ever Singapore flyer experience, going to Clarke Quay and Mount Faber while working, lots of geek talk over one dinner and my first time lurking in 4 malls in the same day.

For the sanity of those who may or may not stumble upon this blog, I shall omit the report writing part.

Singapore flyer experience:
It was Suk Kwan's birthday. And I had absolutely no reason to miss the celebration because once upon a time she had took the pain(and lots of effort) to tell me when her birthday is.

Pink Wan was the main organizer for the celebration and she suggested Singapore flyer, something different from the usual "dinner & birthday cake" celebration combo(and the fact that the Singapore flyer is having student rate promotion in lieu of their 1st anniversary helped too).

The result:
Night view of Marina Bay. Wish that you're here to see it.

The night view was awesome. Just too bad that 40 minutes was too short. We couldn't get enough of it. Definitely worth the 10 dollars(and maybe a teeny-weeny bit more, but not the usual rate of 30 plus dollars).

Clarke Quay & Mount Faber:
It was a good getaway from the everyday office life(then again I've gone to Cathay Cineleisure and Science Centre during work so I guess it wasn't THAT bad). Oh and it's free and easy too since it's more like an education trip than actual work. It felt like a mobile lecture session, which I miss a little since I didn't have any after I began my internship.

There was one thing that caught my attention though: when we were in Mount Faber, I saw a Johor car passed by us. As we were leaving Mount Faber, I saw that same car parked in the middle of the road and the couple inside were making out. Driving all the way from Johor to Mount Faber to make out... on a weekday morning, looks like they really have plenty of time to spare.

On Friday night I was in my cousin's place for steamboat dinner. And I didn't realize how cute my nephew(because I have no better word and it would be weird to refer to him as my cousin's son) is until my cousin told us about his little phone conversations.

About 1 or 2 weeks ago, my nephew picked up a phone call. It was his first time picking up a phone call so naturally he didn't know what to do. He didn't get any information about the caller(might not have spoken anything too, to the dismay of the caller) so my cousin asked whether the caller was a boy or a girl. To her amusement, my nephew didn't know that too, so she left it at that.

So the second time my nephew picked up a phone call, his immediately asked "Are you a boy or a girl?"

4 shopping malls and a pair of dead feet:
Was in Tampines to try out Manpuku. Manpuku is a Japanese village restaurant and like Shokudo in Raffles City, they give you a card like this:
and then you go around and purchase food using this card. Only when you decide to leave the place then you'll pay the cash.

Tried Moonlight Oku(basically Japanese style pancake), the taste reminded me of takoyaki - a little bit sourish and a small hint of sweetness. After that moved on to Butter Miso Corn Ramen... DON'T ever order that. Just don't.

We then proceeded to try their cakes and parfaits. For the cakes, four words: Too much whip cream. For parfait we picked Matcha Parfait, which in my opinion was nice. Love the green tea flavoured ice cream.

Tried Teadot after about 3 hours of shopping. They serve a wide variety of teas, from the standard ones to the quirky ones. Their staffs were kind enough to throw in recommendations too when we were pondering over which tea to pick. I had Royal Earl Grey Tea, might have been my limited taste bud but it tasted awfully like our beloved Teh Tarik. Might have something to do with the caramel that they've added in.

After that we proceeded to Vivo City and they were having Nissan exhibition there. Halfway through the exhibition they even invited people to perform dance. But any performance pales in comparison to this:
The latest addition in the Nissan Fairlady Series - 370Z!!

Everyone was vying for the chance to sit in the car. When I finally got to sit in the car, I was sitting beside a stranger and suddenly things became awkward. Both of us knew very well that we're just going to be in the car for less than 5 minutes, both of us knew that we were just in there to experience how sitting in the car felt like. And yet the universal law of awkwardness dictates that we should feel awkward sharing a tight space with a stranger even though it's only for less than 5 minutes. Maybe I just don't like sharing space with people whom I don't know.

Finally we went to Chinatown for dinner and dessert before we called it a day.

My limbs became lifeless the moment I reached my room and it remained that way until Monday.

There's no...

such thing as a good timing for telling bad news.

The only difference is whether you are given hints before receiving the bad news.

More often than not, the bomb is dropped on you and you're left clueless and shocked beyond words. At this point, you either let tears take over and cry it all out or you are so angry that you just had to get away before you lose it.

In the end, you'll realize that while you're part of it, it's not about you. Suddenly your feelings do not matter as much anymore... sure, you may get emotional or cry from time to time, but it's no longer about you.

People say...

that you won't know that something is precious to you until it's lost.

That the pain is unbearable when you lose that precious something.

But the pain is already unbearable now.

Stop

Stop over think things.

Stop giving excuses.

Stop procrastinating.

Stop perpetuating those useless negative thoughts.

Stop fearing.

Just stop...

Because it's absolutely important that I stay positive now. It's time to find the best of myself, accept it, and become better.

Because I realize nothing is permanent, nor will the people around me be around forever. I couldn't appreciate this fact back then, probably still haven't fully appreciate it now, but the weight of the words are starting to have an effect on me.

For all I know, this might even be my last chance.

7 days at a glance

Day 49, 7th April:
Night time is the time I do my laundry...


Day 50, 8th April:
A little greeting from this insect harboring itself at my vanity shelf. I used the word vanity for lack of better word. =P


Day 51, 9th April:
The night before me departing back to Kuala Lumpur. Had a small birthday celebration for Wai Seng, and this was our dessert - Yogurts of some flavours that I have absolutely no clue about + fruit loops + honey stars + some chocolate cereal. Tastes strange... in a good way. =P


Day 52, 10th April:
Spent the WHOLE day just to get back to KL from Singapore. I absolutely didn't expect that there would be so many people going back through Larkin. Arrived at Kranji station at 9am, I was quite confident that I would reach Larkin at around 10am and be at home at about 2pm. Oh how wrong I was... the queue was unbelievably long... so long that the queue could cover the perimeter of the MRT station. Nevermind, I should reach Larkin at about 10.30am the latest.

I was wrong again. The frequency of the bus was so horribly low that I spent a good 45 minutes stuck in the line before I actually boarded the bus. Still, it's just 9.45am, I should still be able to make it to Larkin before 11am.

Little did I know that's just the beginning of the agonizing long wait that I would have to endure just so I could start my journey back to KL from Larkin. What followed was an excruciatingly long wait at Singapore custom just to board the bus, and then got stuck in a traffic jam at the Causeway bridge. By the time I reached the brand new Johor Bahru custom, it was already 12pm! So much for reaching Larkin at 11am. Now I was praying hard that I could at least reach home before the sun set.

JB custom was flooded with people anxious to go to Malaysia - another half an hour burned. At this point, any hope of reaching home before the sun set was virtually destroyed. Nevermind, I wasn't going to turn back at this point now that I've come this far. I reached Larkin at 1pm, had my lunch and boarded the 1.30pm bus. In the end I reached Pudu Raya at 6.30pm. That was how I spent my Friday, all because I've decided to go back last minute. No more last minute rash decision of going back like this... ever!! That said, I must thank my traveling partner who endured the 2 hours painful long wait between Singapore custom and JB custom with me. Thanks, even though you're not reading my blog.

Went to Sunway Pyramid for dinner and they were having figure skating competition. I repeat: TELEPHOTO LENS BADLY NEEDED =(.

While I was at home, I realised that my beloved A350 somewhat kaput-ed. =(

So no camera for me until it is repaired. =((

And no photos for 11th and 12th April. But to make it up... I'll post more photos for 10th April. =P

So what was I doing in Pyramid?
Dinner in Sushi Zanmai!! Spider Temaki hohohohohohohohoho....

I can't get enough of Inari Tuna. Give me Inari Tuna anytime!! Yeah I have a sort of weird taste to like this kind of sushi. =P

Dragon Row and some sushi set that was under promotion. Don't remember the name. Nothing spectacular... edible... can pass...

Capped off the night with playing wireless flash in my room.

Saturday was spent playing with wireless flash as well but the pictures are not with me. I think I'm starting to get addicted to wireless flash. =S

Came back to Singapore on Sunday. A very tiring weekend. And stupid me for not bringing back earphones...

Day 55, 13th April:
Exam nights in NTU. Studious students stroll back after a day of struggling with studies. Taken using my phone. And it's going to be this way until I get back my A350.

Phew... long entry.

Good luck to the exam takers. =P

Obviously Awesome's Sufficient In Showing...

just how breathtaking the concert was, or was it?

Awesome... couldn't even begin to describe it. The elation I felt throughout the concert was so immense that it overwhelmed me... words were beyond me then. Although at the end of the concert, my hearing was compromised for a while(my brother's words came into mind: Why pay so much to inflict permanent minor ear damage on yourself?), my legs were so worn out that I would've crumbled if anyone so much as nudged my knees a little, my throat was burning, my wallet had a big hole in it, I was in cloud nine. And I believed that everyone who was at the concert would have felt the same. Evidence of Don't-Look-Back-In-Anger-Hangover® was apparent as I heard people still singing it out loud even long after the concert had ended.

Without further ado... pictures!! Taken using Jacqueline's camera. =)
Liam and Noel Gallagher - the lead singer and the lead guitarist. The crowd went nuts when Oasis came up the stage.


Gem Archer and Andy Bell - the rhythm guitarist and the bassist. The drummer Chris Sharrock took the stage later.

In the beginning, they were playing mostly songs from their new album - The Shock Of Lightning. The crowd wasn't that familiar with their newer songs so it took a while for us to warm up.

And then they played Wonderwall. Everything was set loose as the familiar tune kicked in. The very scene of the whole stadium singing as a whole along with Liam sent shivers down my spine. To watch it in video is one thing, to be there experiencing it is another whole new level. From time to time as they played the familiar tunes - Morning Glory, Lyla, The Importance of Being Idle... the crowd serenaded along. But none could compare to Wonderwall... until Liam left the stage and Noel took over the stage as lead singer, and sang:
Don't Look Back In Anger!! In Jacqueline's words: The crowd went ballistic!! Everyone sang at the top of their very own voices. Noel could just stop singing and we would not miss the beat at all, and he actually stopped at the end and let the crowd take over the final few lines before he sang them!!


We managed to find time to camwhore a bit in between too. =P


They ended their gig with I Am The Walrus... Liam walked over to our side and stood there after he finished singing while letting Chris work the crowd with his highly energetic drumworks. Chris' final climatic drumworks marked the end of the concert, leaving the crowd wanting more.

Bloody awesome concert!! And that's an understatement.

Before I conclude this entry, here's the accoustic version of Don't Look Back In Anger, wonderfully done by Noel:

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Day 47, 5th April:
Someone felt compelled to cover Liam's crotch area while I was taking the photo.

Day 48, 6th April:
Aftermath of Oasis concert - my bleeding wallet and having to resort to instant noodles for meals. =P

Oasis

Can't wait!!! =D
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Day 46, 4th April:
A youth percussion band - Strikeforce performing for Easter Celebration. It's a whole load of fun watching them perform, the fact that the music they play had a distinctive samba feel to it made it all the more playful and cheeky. Suk Kwan told me that they've performed in last year's NDP, which I happened to watch. Too bad I won't get to watch them perform in NDP this year.

Lame

De Zien - says:
*u sound like u have something to say to me

Anthony says:
*nope
*i dun:P

De Zien - says:
*lame

Anthony says:
*well
*i learn from the master

De Zien - says:
*X doesn't lame ppl that way

Anthony says:
*no, he doesnt

De Zien - says:
*indeed
*so saying that u learn from the master is evidently inaccurate
*because the master doesn't do it that way

Anthony says:
*well
*the master i learnt from isnt X

De Zien - says:
*then?
*no Y doesn't do that either

Anthony says:
*he does it better than either of them

De Zien - says:
*oooh?
*then i must shake his hand
*and salute to him
*pray tell
*who is this lame meister

Anthony says:
*he is not easily seen
*you need special tooks
*tools

De Zien - says:
*like?

Anthony says:
*a mirror

De Zien - says:
*gosh it IS very hard
*how am i supposed to shake his hand and salute to him WHILE i'm holding the mirror?

Anthony says:
*he's doesn't do handshakes

De Zien - says:
*he doesn't?
*what a haughty fellow
*i dun wanna see him liao
*hmmpf

Anthony says:
*lol
*enough laaaaaaaaaaaaa
**faint*


Some names have been changed to preserve their identity and subsequently, their reputation. I know mine has been ruined long long time ago. =P
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Day 45, 3rd April:
A small little gift... and I gobbled up most of them in the short span of 10 minutes. Now the only things left are a packet of instant noodle, a packet of milo 3-in-1 and a packet of coffee powder. Thanks for the gift!

April's Fool...

passed by uneventfully.

The rain complemented this gloomy period...
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Day 43, 1st April:
It was raining... but the mood couldn't have been better for some Jazz tunes (yes it's slowly turning into an addiction now). Shame that the room itself didn't have the atmosphere that matched the Jazz tunes so I have to settle with this photo instead. It was taken after the rain stopped, droplets freshly deposited on the leaves, the only evidence left of the rain.


Day 44, 2nd April:
I was emo-ing and wanted to slit my wrist but was too stupid to realize I WASN'T slitting my wrist... Got cut while I was frantically keeping my laundry right before the rain got heavy. I think the only way I won't get such silly injuries is to not move at all for the rest of my life. Ouch!!

A few...

observations I have made:
1) Mosquitoes love me a lot
2) The girls who catch my attention on MRT usually alight at Clementi
3) The older a woman is, the more likely is the woman to wear translucent clothing with spaghetti straps
4) I love jazz genre songs, especially those sang by amorously soothing voices. (Youtube Stacey Kent - So Nice if you want to know what I mean)

Brace for a very long one here...
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Day 33, 22nd March:
Fooling around in Patrick's room and ended up being a model for his wireless flash experiment. Credits to Patrick for this nicely taken photo.


Day 34, 23rd March:
A gun!! Nah, it's just a ray gun that is used to measure the temperature of a spot that you can't reach. This is one of the instruments that we used for our project at work. (Yeah, we were that bored at work that we took pictures of our instruments.)


Day 35, 24th March:
The overexposed fish cake. Had lunch at Race Course Road and saw this fish cake at the stall, which smells really really scrumptiously nice. Bought one and ate it... oily to the very core but who cares? It's nice!!


Day 36, 25th March:
MAE Exam Welfare package. Needless to say that's when we would take as many goodie bags as possible from the leftovers. This time we have quite a few nice and handy items in our bags. =D


Day 37, 26th March:
A new member in our arsenal of instrument for our project. Lux-meter they call it, and it's used to measure the light intensity of wherever you are. Not so fun though if you're outdoor and the sun intensity is rising and falling like a wave.


Day 38, 27th March:
Note the time in the picture. Rubbing it in while I still can. Pretty self-explanatory. Anthony probably wanted to strangle me at that point, and possibly at many other moments too throughout this semester. =P


Day 39, 28th March:
Earth Hour! And we were at Jurong Point hanging out. A queer little programming error resulted in the line shown at the display above. Nonetheless it amused the mechatronics geeks who were present. =P


Day 40, 29th March:
Ate a few pieces of Royce chocolate which Patrick helped me to buy while he was in Suntec. Very very good, probably one of the best chocolates I've ever tasted. But I'm having sore throat now. =(


Day 41, 30th March:
More drawings to look at and get confused. Still not as bad as the previous ones I had so I guess I shouldn't be complaining.


Day 42, 31st March:
Which brings me to this... currently chugging down the pastiles and the lozenges to soothe my throat. And I'm still spitting blood.


And tomorrow is April's Fool Day. Happy April's Fool Day?

A long looooong day...

Yesterday has been a very long long day. I was out of my room since 10am.

First I was in SMU to have a discussion for an event. The event had to be brought forward due to some unforeseen circumstances but it's no issue for me because I will be around during that period anyway.

It was enlightening to hear a few members talk and I think I'll really like it working with them.

After that was lunch at Tanjung Pagar. It was a very very long lunch, so long that I left the place at 5pm.

Which brings me to MAD - Malaysian Alumni Dinner. It's the first ever held by Malaysians in NTU, initiated by MSA and AMCISA. I was there to help with photo taking:
The emcees.


Cute girl welcoming the guests.


Photographer A Patrick the photographer.


Photographer with Nikon D300.


The receptionists.


Giving speech as...

the crowd listened intently.


Of course there were performances:
Siew Ping the pianist of the day. The pieces performed were Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel(oh sooooooooo cliched) and River Flows In You by Yiruma.


Choir which puts up a very wonderful performance. Love their Malaysian Medley.


The I-have-no-idea-what-instrument-they're-playing trio.


The management committee put up a dance performance to cap off the night.

It has been quite an experience for me to be a photographer of the event. Thanks Patrick for inviting me. =)
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Day 32, 21st March:
The I-am-Bobby-Leong story.

I was holding this name card when one of the committee members, Yan Xin, walked over. Upon seeing me holding the card, she scrutinized me and then asked, "Is the name card yours?"

I decided to have some fun with her and said, "Yes indeed... you're looking at Bobby Leong now."

She looked at me in disbelief for a while, unable to believe that the person standing in front of her was a wedding photojournalist(of course, I am not Bobby Leong anyway). She then said, "If you're Bobby, then you must have more name card... can I have one?"

Cue random bullshit which involved me saying that I only have one left and had to resort to taking the photo of my name card in case people want to get more details about me(and I showed her the photo!). Naturally she didn't believe, but from then on I became Bobby Leong. =P

Ouch!

Day 31, 20th March:
I suspect mosquitoes like to attack me in packs... while I'm sleeping and defenseless!!
-------------------------------------------
I don't see it happening now
I don't see it happening in the future
I want to walk away
And you won't miss me at all
It's probably time to move on
It's time to say goodbye.

I shudder...

at the way some people let the law and procedures cripple themselves so much that logic is beyond them.
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Day 29, 18th March
My Industrial Attachment is bringing me to places and this is my latest adventure. =D

Yes, they're paying me to walk around in a mall the whole day.

Day 30, 19th March
Buying shirt in Jurong Point. Patrick presented us a unique pose when we asked him to take a photo in that shirt. Alas, that's not the shirt that was bought.

Still, a good laugh is never overrated. =)

At some point...

you realize that you have no one whom you can truly confide in.

When you realize that you hesitate a lot because you feel that you'll be a burden to them.

When you try to talk with them but found nothing to say to them.

Sometimes it's so lonely...
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Day 27, 16th March:

The book I've picked up recently. Should be enough to last me about 1 or 2 months given how busy I am lately.

Day 28, 17th March:

The only purple among all the whites... is it the odd one out or is it shining above the rest? Taken right outside my room... probably swept away by now.