2007.

Its the last day of 2007. Have fun y'all! Just feeling obligated to put up at least a simple text post here, want to put a mark on this very final day. Ignore me and just let me be.

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The 2008 Resolutions.

At this moment, you must be wondering why do I bother to make new resolutions judging from the "successfulness" of the previous one. Some might feel that its fun to make them, then break them and put together a new list all over again. create a new one. Others might say that having targets to achieve all year round would make life more fulfilling. In actual fact, I'm more towards the latter opinion but just lack the determination to follow-up, which was even worse last time. That is why I place them in my blog because according to a documentary that I came accross before, placing your resolutions where you can see it most often will kinda affect your drive to get them achieved. The list being publicly viewed is also another influence factor. And so, ta-dah, my 2008 resolutions list!

Eat Less, Work Out More and Lose Weight
Because this is one of the worst failure in 2007, I'll definitely be paying much more attention to eating and living healthily and shedding off those layers of fats. A series of important events in the coming months, must lose weight!!!

Save, Save, Save
Since I've already managed to convert Jacklyn, I will now shift back the focus to save more towards myself. For 2008, I will make myself to spend on only what I deem necessary, no additional purchases will be done and this will cover everything from entertainment to clothings to gadgets to junk food to whatever that will come to mind later. The motto would be, Carry less cash and swipe less card.

Do Something Never Done Before
In 2006 I've scaled Mt. Kinabalu for the first time ever. In 2007, it was scuba diving @ Redang, thank GOD for the existence of life jackets since I can't swim. So, what's in lince for 2008? Bungee jumping? Cave exploring? Learn to swim? We shall see...

Career Achievement
Honestly, 2007 was rather bland in terms of career with nothing significant achieved, increments don't really count. So, for 2008, I'll work extra hard and be more dedicated in all career related activities, this means spending less time chatting, surfing blogs and Facebook-ing during working hours!

Certifications
A follow up from 2007 as well. Since I'll be moving back soon (yayness!) and requested not to be relocated to SG that often, I will definitely have more time in KL. Thus, more flexibility in scheduling my time to study and sit for the papers. At least 2 certifications for 2008, its a must!!!

Spending More Time With Family and Friends
Being relocated to SG, I often return to find a growing gap or awkward silence between me with my family as well as close friends and honestly, its quite sad. But things are definitely gonna change in 2008, its a promise. I'm gonna make each and everyone one of you feel bored due to seeing me too often, hahaha. And yes darling, family includes you.

Blog Consistently
This is a must! Rather than the current habit of not blogging for a few days, then update a few posts on the following day. Tak consistent langsung, blergh! Hence this is something that I must achieve for 2008, ganbatte!

And there you have it, my resolutions for the year of 2008. As usual, as time goes by, the list will get updated as something new might just come along. But as for now, I'll be looking forward to crossing the items in the list one after another.

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Home Sweet Home.

It was just yesterday that I first laid eyes on it.

And today I've placed a booking on the biggest purchase in my 24 years of life!! It came all so suddenly, just like the starting point of our plan for marriage. Honestly, these sudden occurences is happening quite frequently lately and its fast becoming a little difficult for me to comprehend. I think its mainly due to ME being the type of person who normally takes much factors into consideration before finally coming to a conclusion or decision. Influence from working as a developer, perhaps. I somehow felt as though I'm losing control of everything, the sense of security and stability in life is slowly lacking. Or maybe its withdrawal symptoms from being pulled out of a safe and comfort zone.

Anyway, let me tell you that this purchase is really, really, really random since we've planned to do it only a few years later, judging from our current financial capabilities. But without realizing it, after a string of unlikely events which just happened yesterday and on this very day itself, we ended up with an official receipt in our hands and much, much poorer. Like how we were looking at unfavourable lots initially, then how a superb lot became available as we got to know that a friend of an individual whom we just met today decided to do a cancellation. At a cheaper price! And also an alternative plan that fitted quite well to a previous constraint. And the encouragement came from our parents (mom was quite apprehensive initially). Anyhow, we've only settled a minor fraction of what's to come and we'll be keeping our fingers crossed. Toes as well.

This is a house. It is quite nice. I like.

This officially marks another new chapter in our life, one that would definitely not be as easy previously planned. Like my parents often tell me, life would not be fulfilling if everything goes on smoothly and its better to struggle when you're still young. To be honest, I'm still a little doubtful over this but since the first step has already been taken, I can only hope that this would not be a decision that I'll not regret for the days to come. I guess I still need some sort of concrete reassurances.

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BIlly Bombers.

The branch in Jurong Point @ Boon Lay MRT. As loosely quoted from their website, "its a 40s-style American diner boasting comfortable red PVC upholstered seats, chrome fittings, and a personalised jukebox". This would be only the second time I'm dining here. there's already a feeling of limitation in choices for their main course, though not the same could be said for their range of burgers, one which would be a little impossible to finish, even for me, according to E. And I can finish a triple patty Carl's Jr. burger with no problem, imagine that.

E ordered a beer because he's fast becoming an alcoholic, lols. Actually, we were trying to sum the bill up to a particular amount for something which I would be telling later.

I ordered the vanilla milkshake with malt which I regretted immediately after seeing the real thing because this drink alone would be more than enough serving as my lunch. OMG so filling can? *shivers when recalling it*

Potato Salad. Mummy says must eat vegetables. The purplish coloured thing you see is the potato skin. The weird thing is, why the spring onion on top? Fusion ah?

Honey Stung Crispy Golden Chicken. Comes with 4 pieces of chicken, fries, coleslaw, and some mustard sauce, I think. The meat is tender with slight sweetness from the honey but nothing spectecular (I wonder why this is a recommended dish). Not too filling though, which is a good thing.

Sirloin Steak with black pepper sauce. E said it was so-so only.

The bill came to about 60++ inclusive of the service charges as well as the GST, which I find is pretty expensive compared to, perhaps, Cafe Cartel (which btw have bigger portions and more variety). But since we had discount vouchers which were (1) received from lucky draws for Christmas (2) given after every meal, it was much cheaper and that is also the reason we dined here in the first place. Hahaha. The chinese in me is still strong. Anyway, let's have a look at the something which I said I would reveal earlier.

The discount coupons and voucher, these are the quantity although we had already used a few. It just keeps stacking up OMG!

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Resolutions 2007.

Its the time of the year again when you look back at the 2007's resolutions list and declare loudly what has been achieved, and what nots, then justify them to make ourselves feel better. lols. And then come up with a new resolutions list for 2008.

Get another programming certification :: FAIL
The aim was to achieve at least MCSE level this year, was pretty pumped up in the beginning but when projects keep pouring in, the determination faded like mists in the morning. Couldn't even find time to sleep 6 hours a day back then. I guess this gets postponed to the next year yet again.

Improve social skills :: FAIL
Absolute failure like my exam results in Chemistry. Didn't really have a chance to do that though since most of the days in 2007 was spent in Singapore. Facing difficulties in trying to expand my network circle with colleagues due to multiple differences (me being minority one of them), from my side as well as their side. Susah. Instead, I got to know more people thanks to Jacklyn's social circle. O_o"

Improve photography skills :: SO-SO
The initial plan was to get a DSLR and then futher level up (experience + 23,771) but then, something of higher importance kick-started, hence the purchase plan has to be delayed. While I now feel more comfortable taking better pictures in broad daylight, much can still be done for night shots. And portrait. And moving objects.

Improve on bad temper :: SUCCESS
This one, honestly, I'm quite happy about it. Through rigorous and intensive training provided by Jacklyn over all these months, I am now able to resist from snapping off or curse others all the time, especially when driving. Or release the wrath of Hades upon her. *Proud*

Improve programming skills :: HALF-HALF
While the initial aim was to better myself coding for front-end applications (C#, VB.NET. Javascripts, etc), I ended up being pulled into developing and enhancing data migration procedures and scripts. Diverted but still not too bad. When will I finally find the time to create my own super-application!

Join and win more contests :: FAIL
Ignited solely from winning the Convenant contest, a strong determination to WIN was reborn but faded soon after the Sammi Cheng concert because the results did not reflect the amount of effort placed. The once blinding ray of light dimmed soon after, I guess I just don't posses this kind of luck, unlike someone.

Lose Weight (10kg) :: SUPER FAIL
This one really embarassing because I think I gained a kg or two instead. Can't really blame me what since I enjoy eating and there's really not that much to do in SG for a person who can't afford to spend too much for enjoyment. What else but to hunt for good food loh and since the input > output (not shit lah, exercise ah), thus, the weight gain. Forget all the weight gain formulas, come and join me.

Force her to save more instead :: ULTIMATE SUCCESS
Initially, the target was for me to save more but halfway through, I found an alternative solution to better our financial stability, for her to save instead. My constant nagging has finally paid off, she has finally gone from credit person to debit person. I'm really proud of you my darling. Now we can finally proceed with our wedding plans, :P.

Less procrastination, more action :: SUCCESS
Do not put off till tomorrow, what you can complete today, this really helped me a lot since I'm quite absent-minded, able to keep track of things better. Not the same can be said in terms of work, because the load seems to have increased tremendously as work done = more work come. *faints*

Propose :: SUCCESS
Jed is engaged! This one cannot put into the list, else ruin all my surprise plans. It has been on my mind since early 2007 but was only able to do so around October, better late than never right? Due to this experience, I have gained tremendous knowledge in buying diamond based jewellery items. So, I'll be more than glad to clarify your doubts and uncertainties on your purchase.

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Merry Christmas 2007.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way... Oh what fun, it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh, YAY! How was your Christmas?

Mine was spent trying to wake Jacklyn up early in the morning, rushing her through her preparations, rushing her through breakfast, rushing her to move faster to Golden Mile else she'll miss her bus, banging my head on the luggage compartment of the bus then being laughed at by her and waving her goodbye, then worrying all the way whether she'll reach home safely as she forgot to bring her handphone.

Proceeded for a movie, then a high tea buffet which covered both my lunch and dinner then headed home to an empty room once again.

Anyway, just wanted to wish everyone a Happy and Merry 2007 Christmas!*pulls crackers and throws confettis*

Part of the heavily lighted Christmas Tree in Takashimaya.

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I Probably Have.

One of the best landlord in the whole of Singapore, because:

(1) They're able to speak in Cantonese, woot!
(2) They help me to extend my clothes out to dry when I sleep-in on Sunday mornings.
(3) They even help me to collect the clothes when I'm out.
(4) I get herbal drinks from them sometimes, totally free of charge, yay!
(5) Totally down-to-earth and really easy to approach
(6) Agreed to charge me less when everywhere else, there's an increase
(7) Bought me mooncakes (cause I bought them some, lols)
(8) Allowed Jacklyn to bunk-in during 4 days - 3 nights trip to Singapore
(9) Even provided us with an extra mattress and pillow which I have yet to return

(10) And just happened recently, for the "Goh Tung Festival" on Saturday, I had these:

There was a knock on my door in the morning and the landlady came bearing the ultimate delicacy for Goh Tung, Tang Yuens (no idea what its called in English, flour dumplings?). And I thought I would go TangYuen-less this year again.

Some were with Black Sesame Fillings.

Others, peanuts bits with sugar. Though the Tang Yuens were good, I was not used to the base being some sort of herbal tea instead of the usual sugar+ginger concoction. It's just, weird. Anyway, should not complain, its a blessing to be able to have them.

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The Tent.

The Tent, Mongolian Fresh Grill and Bar, located in Block D of Clarke Quay. We had a team dinner there on Friday night, fully sponsored by The Company of course hence will definitely go, saying no to free food is a serious crime, must be executed chop-head style. Maybe its just me, but I see no connection at all between Mongolian food and the items that they serve there, except for some spices which bear the name "Mongolian something or something and something". I was expecting more like grilled mutton and bordzig (deep fried pastry), bread and such. And they serve sake and vodka. O_0" Perhaps its due to the restaurant being part Bar.

The Tent in Clarke Quay, you can either dine indoor (to soak in the ambience) or outdoor (to soak in cigarette smoke)

The salad bar. 2nd from left is a pineapple dish they mixed with some unknown sauce but its delicious, yums.

Browsing through their menu initially, I found nothing but alcohol based drinks, which was surprising. I thought they would be serving the same set of food for all customer, grilled meat and flat bread for all, yums. Nevertheless, I requested for a food menu, only to be told by the BDM that its buffet style, fingers pointing inside to the food area. *aaiiihhhhh*

While the variety is nothing to shout about, I find their concept quite interesting, something out of the usual stuff. You start by taking one large bowl and a smaller one on a tray, then proceed to the variety of food items laid out, from rice and noodles, to vegetables, meat and some seafood. Just grab all you want and place them on the larger bowl, you choose what you eat. Next proceed to recipe section where you can either choose to create a new flavour type or go by what they already have. From pepper to curry powder, oyster sauce to olive oil, they have it all, you can probably even mix teriyaki sauce with chopped garlic and cinnamon powder.

Noodles and rice, then vegetables.

A closer look at the vegetables/plants section. Shitake mushrooms, dried tofu and corns were available as well. There's a cooling mechanism to keep the food items fresh.

Meat and seafood section. Squids, prawns, fish, lamb, chicken, beef, mussels, clams. Quite limited I would say.

This is the final phase of the "you choose and create what you eat" concept in the Tent. Hanging on the top would be some recipes that they have prepared which you can follow, or else, just whip up something new and extraordinary.

The food will then be cooked accordingly, from what I can see, its just like teppanyaki, the exception being everything grilled together in one shot. Your masterpiece will then be delivered to your seat and you can begin munching, good or bad, it was selected entirely by you and no one but you, no complains here. You can go for as many rounds as you want, perhaps you can even perfect your secret grilled chicken recipe along the way. If interested, The Tent is located at #01-02, Block 3D, Clarke Quay, River Valley Road, reachable @ +65 6339 0200. Just head to the middle of Clarke Quay and you'll see the restaurant at one of the blocks, since its a corner lot. I'm not really sure about the price per person, inclusive of GST and service charges, the bill amounted to about 390 for 7 of us, that's around 55 per person.

The cooking area, prisoners of culinary, ahahha. okay, not funny.

My masterpiece, Seafood Fried Noodle with chicken meat and shitake mushroom, a little spicy. Turns out pretty good. As it was quite dark, I had to use the light my k700i's flash for this picture.

Overall, I would conclude that if I'm ever heading back here for a meal again, it would be its concept rather than the spread that's making me return. Also, only if its a free meal. 55 SGD could probably get me a dinner with a wider spread and more exquisite food. This one is more like a one time thingy.

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Jacklyn Tan is Coming to Town.

You better work out!(1) You better not try!(2) You better fork out!(3) I'm telling you why. Jacklyn Tan is Coming to Town...

Yay-ness! The long awaited day is finally just around the corner! Jacklyn will be reaching the shores of Singapore tomorrow, late afternoon. I'll have company 24 hours a day until Christmas itself, just thinking about it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling, such a wonderful thought. I think I'll have her clean my room and do my laundry for the few days that she'll be here as well *grins*.

Maybe a full-course Christmas Dinner but then again, that's quite impossible. Those close to her will know why, ahaha.

*Continues thinking of happy thoughts. Not in the mood to work at all*

(1) To be able to walk long durations in shopping complexes
(2) To stop her from shopping, at all
(3) More money from the ATM, more! more!

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Dinner is Served.

What I had for dinner, on the left, Okonomiyaki with Ham, on the right, Spicy Chicken.

These items were bought from make-shift stalls just beside Yew Tee MRT station, some sort like our pasar malam but much cleaner and more organized, maklumlah, Singapore kan? Anyway, these make-shift stalls are normally rotated between a few MRT stations (from self observation that its always the same stalls, not supported by any proof), lasts about 2-3 weeks on every stop. Items sold are not exactly cheap but its a breather from the usual food court stuff. From keropok lekors to Ramlee burgers (tak sedap), fried chicken to fried beehoon, takoyakis, grilled chicken wings, coconut drinks, steamed peanuts, and so on, mostly are of heavy snacking category rather than actual meals. I wanted to snap pictures of the environment the other day as well, but it was raining + super crowded, so, maybe next time.

Couldn't finish the Okonomiyaki because it was way too jelak, as you can see for yourself, its pretty thick = lots of flour. Not very nice, sigh, I miss the Okonomiyaki stall in Low Yat Plaza, must make a trip there the next time I return to KL. The spicy chicken was, well, spicy, like S-P-I-C-Y! I saw that dude sprinkling chilli powder onto the chicken as though it was free of charge, seriously. o_O"

Shouldn't complain that much since I paid only 2.50 for the Okonomiyaki and 3 for the chicken. If you're there, do give the coconut drink a try, sedaps.

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Rainy Days.

Rainy Days. Image curi-curi taken from the client's office on the 15th Floor of One Marina Boulevard. A bit fail cause my intention was to have a better focus of the raining outside as well.

p/s: On a totally unrelated note, my USB-MicroSD adapter has malfunctioned which means that I won't be able to download new games for my DS unless I get a replacement OMG!!! That's so sad okay? Perhaps I should try using the SD card adapter. Hhhmmm...

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Asian Idol.

I. Seriously. Cannot. Believe. It. The fact that Hady Mirza won the first ever Asian Idol, of all the other contestants. This dude must have the lady luck stuck to him everytime he sings. Back then, in Singapore Idol Season 2, I was totally rooting for Jonathan Leong but then, he won instead. Nevermind. And now for Asian Idol, him again! I could have sworn that the moment the result was announced, I hear the name Jaclyn Victor loud and clear. But when my eyes set upon the idiot box and saw him kneeling down, the wall of support crumbled and shattered into particles of dusts.

There goes my SMSes. FYI, to maintain a level playing ground for all the contestants, each of the SMS for voting requires the sender to include 2 candidates. I sent in a few, distributing my additional votes to Mike from Indonesia, because I felt he was quite good and Vy from Vietnam, because she's pretty, hahaha. Most probably because compared to one family which sent in about 700 dollars worth of SMSes (it costs 0.60 per sms, that's about 1160++ smses), mine becomes totally insignificant, sigh. And that's only one single family.

Truth to be told, Jaclyn Victor is of one class above the other contestants. I know I am in no position to be giving such comments, music not being my forte or profession. Its like Mariah Carey competing with me in a singing competition, no fight gone case one loh. Maybe that's a little too much, let me tone it down to, uhrm, competing with Jen Ni (ei, when go singK again?). In this case I also hands down no fight confirm gone case. I think you get my point, that the result was totally disappointing for me and this is why most of the time, I benci winner that's determined by SMS votings. Sigh.

Let bygones be bygones.

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Adrian.

You know that blogger dude Adrian (also known as Jehutyz, nama yang pelik kan)? Beware of his presence in Facebook as he has just found a new hobby, and that is, buying off your pets in the Friends for Sale application. Don't believe me? May I present to you, solid and ultimate proof of his action:

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

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2069.

Dearest Jacklyn, it has been a great 2069 days being together with you. Here's to many more days to come, love you always. For this time, I would like to request you to stop requesting for kids. Thank you.

p/s: Anticipating the day you'll finally be here. Please don't hit me then for the above statement yah? HeeHeeHee.

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the ginger-bread man

This is a story of the ginger-bread man. In a land not so far away not so long ago, on a day clouded by heavy downpour and thunderstorms, the ginger-bread man emerged from a huge green box. Shocked by the unfamiliar surroundings, the ginger-bread man started running; ran and ran with all his might he did, but to no avail, there was no escape. Too exhausted to move on, the ginger-bread man hid himself in a dark, narrow space, away from all that was too foreign for him to comprehend.

The Ginger-Bread Man.

As time passes, accompanied by nothing but darkness and silence, the ginger-bread man couldn't stop wondering what would eventually happen to him since escaping is not one of the possible options. Moments later, the ginger-bread man fell into a deep sleep and when he awakens, he was in a totally different environment, one that is surrounded by structures of amazing height and size, nothing he had ever seen before. Strange objects with wheels were moving about in great speed, giants that overshadows him were everywhere, going about. The ginger-bread man tried soughting help from the many people but none answered his plea and he was left alone and helpless all over again.

All of a sudden, the ginger-bread man felt himself being lifted up and as he turned around, he noticed that a grogeous young lady has gently picked him from the grounds... To be continued.

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Again?

Ever since this incident, sometimes, just out of a sudden, I feel as though the ground beneath me is shaking slightly, similar to a really minor tremor. Its as though the sensitivity of my senses for these situations have heightened tremendously. Or perhaps its a sign that I'm evoluting towards a greater being ala Heroes?!?!?! *stares at self via mirror in amazement* I choose to believe.

All the team members of the project I am currently working in have been shifted to the board room at the client's office. Quite crowded in here, with 5 running PCs and 3 running notebooks, and when everyone started talking, inclusive of the clients, it gets so bloody noisy as if jumbo planes is taking off continuously, driving me crazy. Earphones + loud music is not helping at all. I foresee no peace and quiet for the many, many days to come.

I wanna watch Enchanted! I wanna watch Warlords! I wanna watch I am Legend! I wanna watch Hitman! I wanna watch The Kingdom! But tomorrow need to work. Fortunately, I managed to find some time for The Golden Compass last week, but ending yang potong stim since I didn't know there's supposed to be sequels, as accoring to the books.

It's already December, holidays are coming. There's the Raya break (20th Dec), then Christmas break (25th Dec), then the New Year break (1st Jan). Ah, I truly need some time off from work, even the PM is taking about 2 weeks break to head back to India. This is the difference between a high level officer and a low ranking slave, my request for long leaves often get rejected due to the criticality of the project, enough said. Seems like for me, the project is always in a critical state. Sigh.

Following the Korean series Witch Yoo Hee currently, quite engaging. The only complain is that it has been dubbed in mandarin, although the lip-synching's quite accurate, it just lacks the 'umph'. Similar to watching anime dubbed in English, or Doraemon/Naruto dubbed in Malay which is just extremely annoying and horrible.

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Wan Chai Hong Kong Tea Room.

I swear I blogged about this one before but I just can't seem to find that bloody post no matter how hard I try OMG why lah! *screams* Located on the 3rd floor of IMM in Jurong East, as the name states quite clearly, its one of the outlets that serves HK style food and beverages. Had dinner there last Saturday since we wanted chinese food and it has one of the fastest moving queues, though long. I tell you, this place is always fully packed, no matter during lunch or dinner, weekday or weekend, beh tahan. Nvm that, since I was craving for its cheese baked rice anyway, tolerable.

The array of desserts available. I nearly ordered but decided against it at the last minute after remembering the portion of its serving.

Iced Milk Tea, got ice-cream, super sedap but a bit expensive.

Deep fried dumplings, crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside.

A close-up of the dumplings. I felt that it would have been better if there were more filling, more sense of fulfillment. yums.

Cheese and Ham toast. The thing is, we were actually expecting something else, mana tau become totally opposite. Just so-so, nothing superb, crunchy summore.

The soup that comes with my favourite dish. Ah, its been quite sometime since I last tasted home-cooked like chinese soups. *tears forming on eyes* Our guess was, its pumpkin soup.

My all time favourite Cheese Baked Mushroom Chicken Rice! I've tried the other cheese baked dishes before but nothing is comparable to this, not even coming close. Double yums. Especially the burst of flavour the moment I sink my teeth into the cheese coated drumstick. fuh...

All the above for around 13 dollars per person, not that expensive right? Should splurge a little once in a while on food right? *trying to justify action* Patut lah the resolution to cut down on weight tak jadi-jadi. A lesson learnt from doing this post is not to blog about food, especially sedap stuffs, when you're hungry.

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Cats and Dogs.

That's the indicator of how much and not forgetting, frequent its been raining here in Singapore; perhaps I should add in some monkeys, donkeys and elephants into it as well. In the morning, I awaken to a drizzle, which is good only if its the weekend else its the unwillingly dragging self out of bed again situation. I'm so bad at it that I snoozed my alarm about 5-6 times before finally getting up, that's about 45-54 minutes wasted. Don't ask me why I do that, I don't know. Maybe its the ring-tone.

The weather can get pretty fickle in the afternoon. At one moment, its bright and sunny all the way, no reason to lug the umbrella along and the next thing you know, its a downpour, leaving you stuck in the food court for a good half an hour or so. Weather No Loves Me. Else, its the brave the rain, get a meal, whole body wet, no big deal. Deliveries? Out of the question since it'll be science fiction coming true before you get anything due to the rain, again.

Come evening, light drizzle with cool breeze, accompanied with the street lights on an empty street, quite a romantic setting. So much better if the drizzle is replaced by snowflakes. Isn't it cool if it snows once in a while in Singapore, right? Since nearly everything is concrete and there's not much agricultural activities around, wouldn't deal much damage. Can still import water from Malaysia as well. Moreover, so small, no issues in managing any form of aftermath that might arise due to the snow. So thoughtful of me right? *continues day-dreaming*

Night? Thunderstorm! Rare case but it does happen, a glimpse of the lightning caught, splendid and magnificent, on the skies beyond. That aside, I get this theory that dark clouds follow me wherever I go since its impossible to get caught in the rain like all day long, all week long. So sien lah, makes me moody and gloomy all day long. That's all about the weather from Jed in SG, stay tuned for future reports.

Rain, rain go away, come again another day... Sigh. I was planning to find an image of a child some sort of like shooing away dark clouds but to no avail. So nvm loh.

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Blank.

Just another 20 days to go and I have yet to purchase the ticket to return to KL, I'm placing myself in a very dangerous situation. I wonder what happens if its a total sold-out situation. Currently too lazy to head all the way down to Golden Mile Complex to get them. Tomorrow, perhaps. Or the day after tomorrow. Oh, heard that two budget airlines are awarded rights to operate flights on the SG-KL route, Tiger Air and Jetstar Asia, with AirAsia coming into the picture pretty soon as well. Wow, perhaps I would be able to afford flights back to KL next time?

And I am currently going through a very difficult situation, having to crack my head to come up with a solution, of what I should have for dinner later.

Changes are being made to the project plan once again. Its so flexible that one minute I could be heading north and a minute later, to south. Everything feels so, fragile, like a heavy load being balanced on a narrow column that might give way anytime. Sheesh. Also, the area behind me, the two PMs are sitting, is fast becoming a common chat area for the management level peeps and once they gathered is when the nightmare begins. Because they're really, really so, so loud that it shatters my train of thoughts each and everytime, especially the laughings.

Ah, when will I be finally able to find some peace and tranquility?

BTW, the performance show for Asian Idol is tomorrow night this weekend (sorry my bad, terlepas wrong information), our very own Jaclyn Victor is in it! woots! Hope she wins! Lazy to put link lah, sendiri go Google lah.

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Dinner.

Fancy knowing what I normally have for dinner? Well, if departing from the Jurong East office, most of the time E & I would dine in the food court inside JEC. There's one dish that I really look forward to having there which is the Bangkok Chicken from the Thai stall, most probably caused by the fact that 90% of the time, its already sold out when I got there. I frequent that stall so much (and end of disappointed) that the owner is now able to recognize me. So, the moment she saw me, there'll be a automated response of either 'No More' or 'Today's Your Lucky Day'. Last night was a lucky night as my order was the final serving, or so that was what I thought.

The Bangkok Chicken set, comes with a bowl of Tom Yam soup and a Fried Tofu with sweet & spicy sauce.

As you can see not so clearly from the picture, its a full drumstick. As I was trying to seperate the thigh from the drumstick (easier to consume), my spoon slipped and sent the whole piece of chicken sliding off the plate, at first down on my thigh (coincidentally, no pun intended). I thought I would be able to balance it for a slip second and as my hand reached for it, I watched helplessly at the deliciously aromatic piece of drumstick slide and landed on the floor with a thud. I. WAS. TOTALLY. DEVASTATED. How could this happen lah OMG so sad can? I picked up the damage, placed it in front of me and stared at it for the longest time ever. Of course not to eat lah, Singapore lah, cannot simply throw things, later kena summon how? Therefore, I was left with only tom yam, tofu and white rice for dinner.

Then later when I told Jacklyn about the incident through phone, she laughed at me. Dah lah tak console me, laugh non-stop summore, what kind of girlfriend is this lah.

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Pictures of You.

Some pictures that might have or might not have been posted up, all images courtesy of mr.Pop because I was too busy layan-ing everyone hence the lack of chances to whoop out my camera. Also that Kel Li keep on hitting me, even though the camera is equipped with anti-shake, it wasn't able to withstand the aftermath of her earth-shattering punches and slaps on the user, yours truly. These was taken during the surprise birthday party for Jacklyn yang tak jadi on the 23rd of November at Izzi KL.

Beauty Jacklyn and the Beast Jed. rawr?

I know you see this picture already, but long time never take pictures with the guys mah, so have to put. Its the Sei Tai Tin Wong (Four Heavenly Kings) Andy Jed, Leon Wai, Jacky Hoong, Aaron Pop. Aihhh, why my name most uncompatible one?

Auntie June, Birthday Jacklyn, Lady Catheryn and Alicia Keys (I think).

Additionally, you can check out more images from the following:

Adrian's Post on Jacklyn's Bday (scroll to bottom)
Kel Li's Post 1 and Post 2 on Jacklyn's Bday (warning, self pic +++++)
Smashpop's Post on Jacklyn's Bday
Cheryl's Post on Jacklyn's Bday (kedekut)
Jen Ni's Post on Jacklyn's Bday (also kedekut)

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Peekaboo! I see you!

It all started when I happen to chance upon a surveillance camera inside the lift I was taking. Somehow it got me thinking for a moment, how much of myself is actually being exposed to others through surveillance systems on a daily basis, not that I have anything to hide though. What I'm trying to say is, sometimes you do a little undergarments adjustment, or some gold-digging, or some butt scratching after taking precautions not to be noticed, don't you think there's a slim chance that a surveillance camera is around you somewhere, capturing every moment? Yah, I do think of lame and useless stuff sometimes, most probably fuelled by extreme boredom when travelling alone. The point of this introduction is, I started counting.

Objective :: To count the number of surveillance cameras
Coverage :: From client's site to home, via MRT (Raffles to Yew Tee)

And the Result :: Lost count at the Jurong East MRT station. Just kidding. It was around 20-22 but I might have missed out a few, that makes it an average of 2 cameras for each 15-20 metres of walking (since the rest of the distance is spent travelling on the train). Scary huh? So, the next time you're planning to do something in public, better think twice. I know I would but perhaps this will only be applicable in Singapore.

Oh, other than that, I also notice that 8 out of 10 Singaporean ladies (or just in the CBD) highlights/dyes their hair, its either copper, maroon, bronze, burgundy, brown or something similar. Pretty hard to come accross ladies with natural black hair anymore. No Jen, it was not due to your new hair as I noticed this yesterday, ahahha.

And this is random but I am so going to buy Point Blanc's Straight to the Point when I'm back in KL. Thanks to brother Adrian for poisoning me. Amen.

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Tired.

Of work. In projects, its pretty common to have a period of time where everyone is required to work extra hard into late nights rushing for some impossible deadlines. Perhaps on the weekends as well. But when these periods are being prolonged for the longest time ever, one would definitely feel drained, of the enthusiasm and energy that once seemed bottomless, as though it has been squeezed till the last drop. And thats what's happening to me as of current time...

Things are slowly degrading from bad to worse, as if working late at the client site is not enough, still need to head back to office at late night for some Knowledge Transfer session. Yah, I know I should be grateful for the knowledge but then at times (all the time actually), its just too freaking tiring, I can feel my mental strength crumbling into pieces after 14-15 hours of torture a day. Hence, my dinner time has been forcefully delayed to around 10pm directly causing me to lead an upmost unhealthy lifestyle of late lunch and late dinner. Confirm will die faster.

A miracle did happen today, my Ah Tau actually belanja-ed us some chicken puffs. What's so magical you might ask. Let me tell you, for the longest time ever that I've been working under him, there was never once that he treated us to anything even when we head out for makan together. NEVER! Even myself, as stingy as I can be, have treated my junior programmers a simple lunch or Starbucks whenever possible, a small form of encouragement. And in my previous employment, other than my PM, my senior also got treat me makan before leh. Sigh. Now, you tell me, its a miracle right? Or perhaps he felt sorry for us because the client's Head provided dinner (actual food) for those who OT-ed for some data entry tasks today.

That's work but lately, it has really got me wondering, why am I actually devoting so much of my life to work. Is it the heavy sense of responsibility? Or am I craving for more knowledge? Or am I trying to achieve material gains? Or maybe its because I cannot see a direction in my career that I'm just pouring all I possibly could? I think I need help.

If my parents see this, they're bound to say, something like so young already felt tired with work, how to go through the many more years to come? Just look at us lah, work so hard for so long to bring you up, yadah yadah. lols.

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Sweet Chat.

The Loyalty card. The good thing is that, you can already redeem something after 3 stamps. Nice right?

It's located in Mid-Valley, on Level 2 if not mistaken. Being MV, I would certainly advise you to begin the search by looking for a directory rather than searching for the shop firsthand, like I did, aimlessly. Went there for some snacks, as it was highly recommended by Jacklyn, because brunch was taken at the wrong-est hour. Items on the menu mainly consisted of snacks as well as desserts, nothing particularly heavy here. What we had was:

Some Ham & Cheese on toast thingy, served with nachos. The nachos are quite good.

So called Durian Pancakes. Totally different from what I had in mind, even though I've seen the image before ordering. For me, its just like durian paste wrapped in a thin layer of flour? But since I've not taken durian for a long time and it was chilled, all is forgiven.

Her dessert, BoBoChaCha. Not bad, thick in texture and ample of munchies to keep you busy but too much would proved to be too 'jelak' to handle.

Mine, Grass Jelly with Sea Coconut. If I sell this stuff at their price, confirm reach in no time. Anyway, so-so only, too sweet for my liking.

My conclusion, I felt that the stuff are a little on the pricy side and living up to its name, everything is just a tad bit too sweet. Or maybe its just me. Still, its quite a good place to hang around to catch up since its located at the far corner, away from the hustling and bustling of shoppers.

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