My First 手足 Bus Sighting

It's really weird that after a month since the first sighting of the Kinship (手足) bus mentioned here, and after the show ended several weeks ago, I saw it only today. It's service 197. Saw it outside Clarke Quay MRT station. I was wondering what's this advertisement with a jumble of pictures that looked really 乱, until I saw Elvin's face. But still, I stupidly wondered what's Elvin's face doing on a double-decker bus ... haha ...

Offline

       Off line
       Off sight
       On my mind
       Go away ... please.

Aku Anak Malaysia

Sudah begitu lama saya tidak merakamkan isi hati dalam bahasa tanahairku tercinta. Hari ini, sempena hari kemerdekaan Malaysia yang ke-50, saya bertekad melafazkan ucapan SELAMAT HARI JADI MALAYSIA! dalam Bahasa Malaysia, walaupun kemahiran bahasa saya sudah agak luput kerana ianya jarang digunakan dalam komunikasi harian saya di Singapura selama sebelas tahun.

50 tahun sudah berlalu sejak detik pengisytiharan kemerdekaan oleh mendiang Tunku Abdul Rahman di Padang Pahlawan, Melaka (negeri kelahiran saya). Hari ini, padang bersejarah itu sudah tiada lagi; di tapaknya berdiri Dataran Pahlawan, sebuah kompleks membeli-belah yang melambangkan kemaraan negeri Melaka dan negara Malaysia ke arah pemodenan dan ekonomi dunia.

Dalam masa 50 tahun ini, rakyat jelata telah menikmati suasana keamanan dan kemakmuran. Tanpa usaha semua pihak, mahupun kerajaan atau rakyat, negara kita tidak mungkin dapat berdiri di pentas dunia sebagai ahli terhormat masyarakat dunia, suara kita tidak mungkin diberi pandangan ataupun perhatian sewajarnya.

Sebagai anak Malaysia, saya amat bangga dengan pencapaian negaraku tercinta setakat 50 tahun ini. Tanpa sebarang keraguan, saya pasti Malaysia dapat mencapai apa jua cita-cita ke arah Wawasan 2020. Maka, tidak memadai jika saya kata bahawa hari kebangsaan kita juga melambangkan hari kebanggaan Malaysia sebagai satu nusa dan bangsa.

Selamat Hari Kebangsaan Malaysia. Semoga keamanan dan kemakmuran sentiasa di sisimu dalam tahun-tahun selanjutnya.

爱: 其实很简单

Laika Meteorite

       Sputnik spunk
       dodges the stars
       skates the Milky Way
       ad infinitum.

RaiN

       Rain comes sweeping
       afternoon sun
       into hiding
       Nap for a while.

The End

Sudden haiku inspiration (^.^)

       No more waiting
       Less of pining
       This is it: the end.

Crepe Party @ Rodolphe's ...

... a fortnight ago ...

Inaniel, Rodolphe's kid. He's so hyper! Poor thing, daddy wouldn't let him in on any of the Wii games despite the lil un's repeated attempts to launch himself into one of the deadly battles we were having ...

Like this one. Wei Eng and Rodolphe were pitting their Wii strength against each other in a virtually violent boxing match.

Guess who's the winner?

Goodbye Mr. Wind-Up Bird

When I returned Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle to the library today, I was overcome with a strange twinge of sadness. After all, I've had the 607-page book in my safekeeping since 14 July (hehe ... after one renewal and two days overdue).

It's a very weird story that conjures up a myriad emotions - hilarious at some points, reflective at others; it can be nose-wrinklingly disgusting or downright repulsive. Between Kafka On The Shore and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, I cannot decide which I enjoy more as both tease my imagination into a delectable surreal world that I enjoy taking temporary refuge in.

What I find most interesting in The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle are the magnificent chapters on WWII, a period in history that I've always been fascinated with. Although true to Murakami style, one may not be quite sure when the facts end and when the imagination begins, I am convinced of certain war scenes that have been portrayed in this book, the Japanese's role and their perspective on this pointless war and that these seemingly barbaric soldiers who terrorised the Chinese from Mongolia to Singapore were very much the victims themselves against the equally (if not more) ruthless Russians.

Of course, there are the usual 'magic' lines like the one that got me today: Have you ever seen the shadow of a tear?"

云吞幻想

Remember when I was little, Mom would sometimes bring my sister and I out for a treat in the afternoon. It was almost always wanton noodles（云吞面）. Very delicious ones at this little shop along a street whose name I can scarcely remember now, but it's off Jalan Banda Kaba. We didn't have the chance to eat out very often because my parents were very careful with household expenditure, my dad being the only breadwinner.

We would always ask for the soup version. The wanton balls were fragrant and delicious, the noodles springy and the hot soup lined our throats with an aftertaste of anchiovy sweetness, unlike today's MSG-laden broth. After we finished, we would always ta pao two packs for dad and grandma. The dry version. Otherwise, the noodles would turn soggy by the time we reached home, a 15-minute walk away.

Today, no matter what 'treat' I have, no matter how sumptuous the meal is, it will never beat the wanton noodles that we used to have back in those days. Yet, strangely, I no longer fancy these noodles. Only the lingering memories remain.

The Gwen Stefani Charm

Last night, Gwen Stefani rocked the Indoor Stadium. I had been so sleepy the whole day and actually even dreaded that I had to go to the concert but there's no way I'd give up on that $150 ticket. So I went ... a little late though cuz Pauline and Fauzie were already there. Ready to rock.

The show didn't start till about 8.45 pm. But once it kicked into gear, there ain't no stoppin'. The gear change got higher and higher ... I was truly amazed at the level of energy Gwen had. She must be 35? Or more? Even the slower tracks kept the beat up, and most of our bodies swaying (though some of the audience chose to sit. It's unbelievable - and very amusing - how some people didn't seem like they were there for the concert - men came in suits and women in long dresses - like they were attending the opera at the Esplanade)

I was more familiar with the songs from L.A.M.B. so I enjoyed those performances more. The top 3 tracks had to be Hollaback Girl, The Sweet Escape and What You Waiting For. Everyone was on their feet!!

Well, that was until she decided to give the audience at the back a treat. She came off the stage, ran to a platform near the back and told us to sing Cool with her. Yep, the one with the kick-ass video. Then without any warning, she jumped off that mini-stage and dashed up the aisle into the audience right at the back! She sang part of Cool there ...

Pauline, Fauzie and I were damn envious. I was thinking, how come we never had such luck. The next thing we knew, Gwen was dashing down that aisle onto the floor and up OUR AISLE!!! We were seated in the third row after the first gate. She dashed up to that gate, climbed on the ledge and used that as her stage. I think we were all stunned for a second (at least I believe I was) so there was delayed reaction but soon enough, everyone was clamouring to the ledge. The security were huge and rough but we couldn't really fault them cuz Gwen's safety was their paramount concern. Even I was afraid she might accidentally slip off the ledge but that girl was way cool for that!

I managed to secure a position directly beneath her (so that explains the low angle shots ... hehe). I still remember talking with Pauline before the show, both of us wondering which had been the concert at which we got closest to the performer.

Me: "I had Row 6 from the stage during the NSYNC concert in El Paso but I was seated to the left of the stage, which was so huge that the action in the middle of it seemed so far away. Maybe the Linkin Park concert in KL when we were in the mosh pit."

Pauline: "Yeah, maybe but I can't remember anything about who I saw onstage ..." Indeed, all we remember was coming out of Stadium Merdeka drenched in sweat, with loud ringing ears ... hehe ...

So there! We finally had a show where we were just inches from the performer. We were so close that we even got to touch her! Ha ha ... all that teeny-bopper in us ran amok last night. I'm still heady from that experience ... (~.~)

We were really lucky to have that chance. When Pauline was booking the tickets, somehow the system wouldn't let her through, and everytime she refreshed, we were several seats further back. If that had not happened, we would have been seated one gate further up and missed all these upclose-and-personal Gwen Stefani moments. Truly God bless.

Cute Discovery

Cute rite? Stumbled upon this website in my research work ... Got lots of cute monkey and piggie GIF icons. By rite they can be used for MSN, and for some, they do. For others, they appear too small in the MSN window. But still cute to look at. Cheers me up juz a lil :)

She Ain't No Hollaback Girl!

Gwen Stefani rox!
And we got lucky ... very lucky v(~.~)v ... story tomorrow!

爱: Bedazzled!

Haha ... What a sunshine shot! I'm sooooooooo grinning <(=_=)>

August 12, 4 Years On ...

It's the fourth anniversary of my grandma's passing - at 1.30 pm four years ago, I received news to that one single event that affected me greatly. Till today, I wish we had taken the trouble to visit her on that National Day weekend. If only we knew that would be the last time we would ever see her. And we let that one last chance slip away. Never ever procrastinate. If there's something I must do, I'll have to do it immediately and never think tomorrow will turn out just the way I anticipate it to.

Reading Chevy's blog about her grandpa's funeral and how the entire family had the chance to gather, it's reminiscent of my own grandma's wake and funeral. In fact, it was also a peacemaking event. See, my mom had a misunderstanding with one of my aunts and had not been on speaking terms for years. As kids, that bout of silence between the adults also kept my cousin and I apart. Grandma's funeral brought us back together, putting my mom and aunt back on speaking terms and my cousin and I are now much closer that we could have imagined years ago.

Four years on, today, she's still dearly missed.

Today, some funny and fun things happened too. We went out to Compasspoint on an idle Sunday afternoon shopping trip. We were shocked to find lots of those incense papers flying around on the road. Perhaps some bundles had slipped off the lorry ferrying them off to some incense vendors as demand rises for the Hungry Ghost month (I later found out that it begins tomorrow, which coincidentally is also the 13th ... stay off the streets when night falls tomorrow folks ...)

So it's also possible that some over-zealous residents had offered the incense paper a little too early (usually, some of these incense paper will be burnt on the night before the beginning of the Hungry Ghost month as a sort of bribe to the dark forces so they do not disturb members of the family). Now, as I'm typing this post and as the clock is approaching 12 midnight, it's raining outside, with resounding thunder and howling wind. Quite eerie, if you ask me.

I've also hardly had any bus inspector hop on the bus and check my ez-link card but today, I had two. Either it's due to the bus route that I was on (both passing through Geylang) or there's been an increase in cases of passengers cheating on bus fare which called for such checks or ... for whatever reason that only God may know.

Luke, Wei Eng and I spent a delightful evening at Rodolphe's place, a nice condo apartment on Lor 27. He will be starting work in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam next month. That's super duper news for he really deserves this break after taking so much s**t from the old company. That was a brave and brilliant call on his part. Better still, he's getting an irresistible expatriate package!

So we finally met cute Inaniel. Indeed, he's such a little imp but very cute ... he he ... especially when he tried so hard to be a part of the Wii games we were playing. Larissa, Rodolphe's wife, was lovely too. She made crepe, with Nutella, Skippy, homemade jams, banana pieces, chocolate ... yummy!

Well, so that's my Sunday. Ugh ... not looking forward to a new work week but oh well, I should always be thankful for having a job and stability (to a certain degree) in my life. Happy Hungry Ghost Festival - hope to go see 881 one of these days :)

And it's the Gwen Stefani concert on Tuesday! Yippie yi yay!

Bon Anniversaire Singapour v(^.^)v

It's my 11th year on this island-state. Hmmm ... although more frequently than not I dream of wandering the world, and lament the moment of return to Singapore, and the arrival hall of Changi Airport becomes my endroit détesté, I must admit unwavering affection for this little dot on the great big map.

Here I've spent one-third of my short life, but the most productive years of 'em all.

新加坡, 生日快乐!

爱: 24/7

... so cute!!! He he ...


... and Happy Birthday JC ...

Bits from the Beats

The weekend was a blast. Well, Friday and Saturday that is, cuz I hibernate on Sundays. Baybeats this year happened at two venues which were quite far apart - one at the usual open area near the Esplanade "hawker centre" called Nokia Powerhouse, and the other just below the Nicholl flyover (I think that's what it's called) called the Nokia Arena. Yes, you've guessed it, the Nokia N-Series had a grand presence at Baybeats 07. They even had a Nokia Music Mobile bus! All refurbished inside to resemble a lounge where the performers chilled with the fans as they signed autographs. Lots of freebies were given away too, though we didn't bother to get any. We were there only for the music.

Most of the acts didn't disappoint. The first gig on Friday for us was a young Singaporean band, a first-timer at Baybeats called Stentorian with a lead vocalist as charismatic as Justin Timberlake. And the music was good to boot too! The next artiste was Azmyl Yunor and his band. This KL dude was hilarious, his music had a country rock flavour and really, really good! Then, we moved over to the Nokia Arena where Filipino band Caracal was playing. That didn't impress us much so we returned to the Powerhouse, only to find French band Utopium another mediocre band which was actually better off sans vocals. The highlight of the evening was of course, Plainsunset. The crowd went wild! There was a lot of body surfing that night which kept the security real busy ... hehe ... but we enjoyed ourselves tremendously even with ears ringing well into the next day.

Poor Pauline couldn't make it for Saturday's cuz she had a wedding to attend. Well, she certainly didn't miss much. Probably just Filipino band Urbandub which was just ... AWESOME.

The Esplanade Park was very, very crowded - with not just music maniacs like us, but also families which were camping out hoping to catch a glimpse of the NDP rehearsal. At least there were the chopper and fighter jet performances, although I'm sure many had to go home disappointed because they must have come for the fireworks which never appeared. Guess they have to organise another picnic come Thursday ...

:: Baybeats 07 on Imagestation ::

P.S.: Coincidentally, this is also my 100th post on this blog (~.0)v

Bringing JC Back!

Haha ... my boyband crush - JC Chasez of NSYNC (or formerly known as NSYNC)! He is so under-appreciated ... sigh ...

JC on VH1's Driven ...



JC's Mouseketeering days ...

JC performing Now and Forever on the Mickey Mouse Club ...

Baybeats 07 This Weekend!

Hehe ... looks like August is off to a good start! At least after I find out (or rather, being reminded) that Baybeats happens this weekend and not next, like I'd thought.

Be ready to jam the weekend away at BAYBEATS 07 (2 to 5 Aug)!



Then, on Aug 14, there's the Gwen Stefani concert! Geez ... I'd better buck up on my "homework"; certainly don't wanna hang around the concert hall not knowing a single string of lyrics to sing along!

And hopefully, a couple of other plans turn out well too. Then, August would be a blast. HAPPY AUGUST everyone!