Xin nian kuai le once again! This is pyrotechnics captured at The Esplanade. Aesthetic in a kind of scientific manner right?

Ok, I admit it's just poor skills. Anyway chu er has always been reserved for family visits but it's no longer exclusively that this year.

There was a squad outing! Dinner at Fish & Co. followed by a river taxi cruise down Singapore River! The first boat we boarded was the white colour high class one. I think this photo looks convincing enough to deceive that we had a luxury yacht all to ourselves.

The Fullerton Hotel. We were saying someone in us would definitely hold a wedding dinner there. Then realised we were all single still.

Flower power.

Ah Fat was saying something funny.

Xiaowei and I haven't been scandalous for a such a loooong time.

We alighted at Clarke Quay for coffee.

Ok, not just coffee.

We got the lao pok bumboat for our return trip.

There is a military relevance here because the specialist is after the officer.

DHSNPCC NCOS 01/02. Come to think of it, this is the 8th CNY we have spent knowing each other. Almost a decade; many more decades awaiting. :)

Thanks for your cards Valerie Xiaowei Chunkit Zhuanxin Winnie & Jonathan. They fill my corkboard perfectly; they fill my room with festive flavour. :)

Game over. My first 4D ticket, its digits derived from some miraculous occurence at River Hongbao. Edwin and I were hopeful enough to buy the number, and of course, sensible enough to feel nothing about its no-show.

It left me thinking how I would react upon striking.

Pretend nothing happened and sneakily deposit the money? Or sms all about my windfall?

And how I would use the money.

Spend some, save some, give my parents some, donate some, treat some and make myself handsome?

So troublesome striking lottery is. I should be glad that I didn't.

Exasperated with the unflinching routine - adults to complete mahjonging before returning home - after reunion dinner, I headed for a show of I Not Stupid Too alone and spent the countdown moments in the cinema.

It was like a primary school annual speech day ceremony. Gangs of families sauntered in for a post reunion-dinner digestive session and that made me, for the first time, uneasy with my desired solitude during a movie session.

Mindful parents were urging their kids to clear their bowels. Ungrudging ones u-turning to buy nachos which their kids requested for. Calculative ones still working out on whether buying a combo or a-la-carte will make them feel less cheated.

At the end of the movie, I thought they really needn't had watched it. Their kids looked so loved. Those who deserved to be educated by it are probably not watching it anyway; would they even have bothered?

4 years back watching its prequel I remembered being touched, despite its irrelevance to me. Me was an EM1 bastard how would I know about the EM3s kind of irrelevance. They are only useful case studies in my Chinese compositions kind of irrelevance.

4 years later, after relief teaching, after NS, I know how Normal Technical students are, I feel its relevance, I am less touched than skeptical. I felt unconvinced by the convenient generalisation. And I felt unconvinced by the caning scene, because I know there should be a book or cardboard placed on the student's back to protect his spine before caning. And it doesn't necessarily render excruciating yells because in my school the students sashay in ultimate glory after being caned.

Ignorance may give me the bliss of more thorough enjoyment, but defeating it has made me feel more grown up and complete despite not being in the academic realm of life. May it continue to be so.

Xin nian kuai le! :)

CNY Eve 2 years ago was a more convival affair, I mean there is only reunion dinner for me this year. Presenting to you 03S64 & 04S64, the last generations of S64ers from a school called Hwa Chong Junior College.

First Taufik Batisah was crowned Singapore Idol, then the same year Adil Hakeem from Rosyth School topped his cohort in the PSLE, while another top scorer Hamizah created controversy when she initially chose BPGHS over RGS. 2LT Iskandar Abdullah recently beat 26 foreign cadets to clinch the sword of honour at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, and one of the judges in the latest season of America's Next Top Model is fellow Singaporean Ashley Isham.

I remember early last year there was a debate on choosing a role model for the local Malay community - the need of one and if yes, who to choose; all for the aim of inspiring the Malays in Singapore to strive harder and achieve more.

I guess that, and many other things in life, need not be deliberately sought or conceived. Often, time will just make things right, right?

Advertorial

Do you sense the shadow of any prominent blogger in the heading? Haha ok that's not the point. What's important is, I've got an endorsement deal for my 20th birthday! I told the boss of this restaurant I would blog about his new eatery called STONEGRILL and in return my friends and I will get FREE DESSERTS upon our next visit! Can count as endorsement right... I mean, even Mr Brown doesn't get such stuff you know.

So there I was receeing for a good place to dine along East Coast Road when I stumbled upon this place. Was scrutinising the menu when this Jagjit Singh guy, oops I mean Restaurant Manager Mr Singh came out and did further elaborations on the menu and the restaurant. He even invited me for a visit.

Nice ambience eh. Very Japanese furnishings. You know those East Coast shophouses normally are three storeys high. This is its second storey. Impressed by the setting and his sincerity, I kindly made a reservation. Of course that's not all. You have to know why is it called STONEGRILL.

Because you take your pick of food and you grill them on these don't-know-what stones. See the plate beside the stone? It's Seafood Combo, consisting two slices of dory fish, two scallops, two prawns and four mussels. Don't look down on that piece of stone! It's an expat mind you, all the way from Australia and is heated to 400 degree Celsius before being served.

Splat! There goes the first prawn. The whole cooking process is D.I.Y like Seoul Garden but it isn't like Seoul Garden because you don't need to oil-stir-mix-fry and neither do you need to risk being splotched by splattering oil or raw meat juice.

Flip the prawn when one side is done. Ok duh. Then continue adding what's left of your raw dinner. So what's so great about cooking on stones besides its virtue of novelty? First it doesn't render your food oily. Second the nutrients and flavour of the food are preserved intact by this cooking method. Plus there is little chance you will overcook because the waitors and waitresses there will advise you on the time needed and cooking procedures when each dish is served.

So instead of having one set individually, you may consider like us to pool our food and stones together and have a table barbeque session, a more authentic one than Seoul Garden even! Of course there are other choices like beef tenderloin and chicken if you aren't exactly an avid seafood fan.

Oh and guess what. For that night we had the whole 2nd storey to ourselves! The restaurant was just into its 3rd day of operation and hasn't started publicity yet. And you are honoured to be engaging in its first attempt right now! Look at our dining setting, generously spacious.

Presenting to you Mr Jagjit Singh, sandwiched between the red ang pow and the Xmas tree. You've got to admire his entrepreneurial spirit. A NUS Engineering graduate, he ditched his stable rice bowl of an engineer to open this restaurant and went through so many sleepless nights to set this Australian-style-Japanese-setting restaurant up. A casual exchange with him made the birthday boy very inspired you know.

Presenting to you the birthday boy. Poor thing, brownie as cake and fork as candle. Good also lah, two big candles is quite a discomforting sight.

A very big thank you to those who abused your keypads for greetings: Manman Shaowei Xueting Jieying Peiyin Wanling Jiamin Jonathan Xinyee Xianglong Huiqing Bingyi Keyang Weimin Tzeshuen Tracy Wenwei Yihui Minghui Huichuan Yirong Valerie Yinngai Yenghian Jiansheng Juncheng Weiling Huaijie Weibiao Xinlian Wenlong Lionel

Thanks for the book Soonkiat and Xueting.

Thanks for the tie Xinhe.

Thanks for the shirt Hengyu and Quanrui.

Thanks for the book Muifong and Timothy.

Thanks for the chocolates Wenhui.

Thanks for the shirt Huiwei and Weiqi.

Thanks for the mini vacuum cleaner (is there another name for it?) Weiling.

Thanks for the shirt Bingyi and Jonathan.

Thanks for the CD Jiansheng.

Thanks for the angpows and colognes uncles and aunties. Sorry for wearing smelly No.4s to family gatherings and hence compelling you all for the latter gift.

Thanks for the inspiration Mr Jagjit Singh.

And special thanks to the 5 of you who spent my birthday with me.

I will lead a fulfilling 20 not to disappoint you all. :)

Sorry if you are sick of this, let me get perfectly perfunctory just for once? And do visit STONEGRILL!

依依不舍。悟觉自己已经很久没有这种舍不得离开，心中还渴求缠绵的感觉。

上一次成功地把自己陷入这种心境，是在观赏<<傲慢与偏见>>这部改自于JANE AUSTEN 名著的电影后。故事里的男女主角虽来自迥然不同的出生背景，在初次见面时还互相鄙视，但最终因发现彼此性格有着共同的倔强与好胜心而坠入爱河。

落幕后，心里引发了一种莫名的冲动去观赏它多一遍。可能是因太久没有被电影画面打动了吧。但更可能是为了要满足一颗贪图现实生活不存在的浪漫温暖的寂寞心灵。嗨。

年幼时的精力充沛让我在每一次旅行回返的途中都怀着一种因不愿接受事实而产生的沉重与压迫感。

学生时期的热情投入让我在卸任职位时百感交集，为了不可能再用同一种方式与友人共度时光的事实而感伤。

但这都是历史。

最近几次出国，可能是因自助的性质，加上负起了成年人的责任，返途时明显地少了对于时间过得太快的不理智埋怨。

告别了学生生涯，来到了国民服役。这个生活阶段会有什么让人依依不舍呢？很难吧，人大多都怀抱自由，排斥纪律，谁会眷念一个与他理想相反的环境呢？

你上一次感到依依不舍的时候又是几时呢？

(我为这草率的结尾向读者道歉。)

Of course life in Hwa Chong wasn't that bad, there existed significant moments as well but unfortunately, largely of adversities and hence unworthy of nostalgic reminiscence. Still, happy instances did occur and were captured, like...

attending Geography lectures by a kind and forgiving (didn't single me out for dozing off almost everytime mah) Mrs Chua who eventually left for MJC,
having fun during Physics periods at the class bench with fellow droppers of that loathsome subject,
feasting at the Chinese High canteen with the rest of our school in a unanimous boycotting attempt of the nauseating Hwa Chong food,

and strolling back to school just in time for dreadful lessons.

I was en route to East Coast for dinner when I decided to drop at Kg Arang, to begin a nostalgic stroll around the estate and to Dunman High.

Bypassing the hawker centre, I remembered the tze char dinner I had with my squadmates after NP one January Saturday before I walked to Indoor Stadium for Sun Yanzi's Start Concert. 4 years later, yesterday, she held her 2nd concert which I missed.

I saw the stall selling 80 cents ice kachang. Its economical consideration and promised fulfilment for the thirsty mouths slacking on a hardware purchasing trip on a sweltering Friday afternoon.

I saw the ATM which I had a love-hate relationship with, adoring its convenience for my instant gratification yet abhorring the same for testing, and wrecking my financial discipline.

I saw the Dunman High hostel security guard, probably a different one, who rejected our pleas for a shortcut back to school. And recalled the indignance of being subjugated by an external member over us, sons and daughters of the school.

I trailed the circumference of the fence, beginning from the basketball courts, the vivid image of the victorious glee I exclaimed upon my first successful 3 pointer on the last PE lesson in Sec 4.

The monkey bar. Where boys challenged their masculinity below the rungs and girls shared their darkest secrets above them, alternatively I must add.

The suicide window. The low wall. Obstacles with juvenile memories encapsulated in them, bereft of any pain or perils they embody on military premises.

The uplifted spongy platform of the pull-up bar, and the rumoured paranormal behaviour of the casuarina tree beside.

The desolate field. Unaccustomed to its inactivity, I triggered a remembrance of how it could be populated.

I don't know why but memories flood back the most passionately when I appreciate the school in solitude. Perhaps the removed burden of interaction permits a more wholesome recovery of the significant moments, and hence the urge for transposing the brimming sentimentality into words here.

Never mind the rich nostalgia making the seafood dinner bland, I live tonight content recalling the classic 4 years in Dunman High, and temporarily relegate the boring pieces of reality back into the attic of my mind. :)

This is, regrettably, another stay-home weekend with no social activities planned. And that isn't a subtle, shameless plea for company by the way, I did reject invitations but that is not the point.

For some people who are habituated to activity-filled weekends, an occasional empty slot in the calender is usually not received thankfully as an opportunity for respite, but rather, accepted dreadfully like a King card when one already has 15 points in Blackjack.

Especially for NSFs. It is not wrong to idle at home and to occupy oneself with food and books. They are, after all, sources of entertainment. Discipline to seal my wallet or even complete chapters over a weekend is something to be proud of, I feel, and is sadly what I lack.

But when Monday arrives, it does with a smattering of grudge. Weekday also can eat and read what, why waste my weekend like that? A self-motivated person, however, will never feel such imbalance and can get into momentum effortlessly.

And sadly enough I do not belong to the above species. I require the guilty pleasures of the weekend to be convinced to start the week decent, and similarly, the passionate anticipation of it to tide over early-week blues.

So the significance of a weekend is not just in itself, but its ulterior bearing on the human mind on the other 5 days.

And I am still spending my weekend at home!?!?!?

But this week should be ok though, it's 8 to 5 but it's the last one before I resume my RP schedule with my shift.

Whatever, just enjoy your weekend!

Watching Dasmond Koh (Xu Zhen Rong) host Condo & The City just now got me thinking.

5 years back, he left 93.3FM to venture into TV despite being one of the best loved DJs around who effortlessly made clean sweeps at whatever Radio Awards.

It takes more than courage to leave one's career at its apogee. You have to relinquish whatever you have gained, explain to your loved ones your decision when you are probably still quite lost in your prioritising, and return to your humblest self to be able to start from scratch on the right track.

Victory may be sweet, but there is more to life than winning.

2005, Dasmond Koh didn't even make it into the list of Top Ten Male Artistes in the Star Awards.

But I guess to him and like-minded people, the award would be the last thing to gauge how right was his decision to cross over then.

Should he have stayed in 93.3FM, what would he have gained? More experience in doing radio programmes, routine productions and interviews. He may have been just as popular now, but he would not be doing justice to himself. He has more talent waiting to be uncovered, after some polishing that is.

Looking at his above average hosting style now, I think his decision has paid off well. But whether it does or not doesn't really matter.

It is his zest for new experience, confidence of risk-taking and willingness to let go of victory which I admire, and aspire to possess.

It is important in life to be inspired and motivated every now and then, and I am glad the TV did it for me tonight.

He wouldn't be a stranger to most Tampines residents. Every now and then I see him squatting precariously right beside the tarmac road (between MRT and TM) peddling packets of tissue paper.

The 1st time I saw him I am sure I felt pity for him, you know, like he's visually impaired and still making a living in such a risky manner. Helpful pedestrians offered to bring him and his goods to a safer spot, probably unsuspectingly assuming that he was blind and he didn't know what a perilous position he was in.

The 2nd time I saw him at the same spot my pity for him evaporated. I felt cheated, not of my money (I didn't buy anything from him), but of my sympathy. He was simply being tactical by choosing to peddle at the strategic spot. It was nothing but a shrewd strategy to elicit sympathy from passers-by. "Oh he is putting his life at risk to make a living, think I should buy from him" kind of sympathy.

Rings a bell? Charity show stunts - more danger, more donations. This chap was probably applying the same logic, just that I guess it wouldn't work too well for him. Show viewers call to donate without putting themselves at any risk or disadvantage. Here to buy tissue one has to risk being knocked down by a car and being cursed by fellow pedestrians for obstructing their way. Even if one is not buying, it is only irritating to find one's path blocked by some unnecessary feature and in this case, that man.

A mean entry I know, even less objectively written than xiaxue's on handicapped toilets. I sincerely hope he would remain safe should he stay there, or better still, relocate. I may just buy tissue to show my appreciation for him being more considerate by relocating, not only for pedestrians, but for himself as well.

Oh well, that may be his Strategy No.2 and I have fallen for it even before he practises it. Guess I am thinking too much.

Selamat Hari Raya!!! An irrelevant greeting to begin a relevant entry to you and me, let's get into the festive mood for Chinese New Year!

Those creatures perched on the display are dogs by the way, a bit blur right. Let's take a clearer photo of them from a nearby bridge!

Forget it. What a flopped attempt.
Wihout fail every CNY, the infamous queue at Lim Chee Guan Bak Kua.
The Turkish ice cream seller makes a surprise appearance at Lucky Chinatown! Last saw him at the weekend high-class pasam malam beside Indoor Stadium.
A healthy crowd during this period, enough to forge the festive atmosphere yet insufficient for random groping to take place.
Recycled year after year, not sian meh.
A shot of our reflections, no not on a gold tael, on the bum of a big fat fortune cat!

Maybe you are dying to see how we really look like. Regretting already right? Haha.

It was only late last year I developed a new interest in life - to search for things. And when I mean search, one should already have what he wants in mind and is prepared to commit, and possibly exhaust himself by scouring every single available opportunity.

It all started with the release of Chen Qi Zhen's album (yes, it's her again) and the corollary rekindled passion for her. The utmost desire to get and know more of her, and sadly there are just so few avenues to do so.

She has to date 4 albums and 2 compilations and to rightfully declare oneself as an avid fan, I suppose a reasonable yardstick would be to possess at least her 4 albums. Lacking from my collection is her 1st album and for all the urge to materialise my support for her, purchasing it would seem the most direct approach.

I didn't think the search would be difficult. Just pop into any music stores, go to the Regional Pop catalogues, pick the Female Artistes shelves and zoom in on names starting with "C".

Understandably it would be far-fetched to expect an album released 7 years ago to be stocked everywhere, but I have seen older albums on the racks before and hence I was pretty confident about the search.

But I seem to have neglected the point that she was a newcomer then and probably not many copies have been imported.

My islandwide patronage at various music stores became futile, none of the shops I went to even had her 3rd album.

It's a positive sign. People are buying her albums. I do know how to self-console at times.

Then I regretted. For the so many times chancing upon that album for the past years. And for the equal number of times feeling miserly and procrastinating the purchase.

The whole process may be fruitless, but still it was an interesting experience, something worth doing to kill time. Besides it's free! Unless Lady Luck's siding you and you end up with a purchase.

I then extended my searching adventure to books. To look for books which I have read about in other books. Like how I read about John Fowles in The Economist obituary and eventually found and bought The French Lieutenant's Woman.

The same for VCDs. The desperate hunt for Love Revolution, how I happened to realise Cash Convertors may be a good source and how xh eventually got it at the AMK outlet.

Maybe it's because I haven't tried hard enough to consider alternative choices. The books and CDs I used to buy were mostly bestsellers, and more often than not, they were smacked right in front of my face on the shelves. Buying clothes has always a standard affair of walking into different shops, browsing through the variety and purchasing the most favoured. It has never been one of having an initial concept then patronising all the shops to hunt for the particular design.

I have been so accustomed to a lifestyle of convenience that I have all while long unknowingly disregarded the pleasure in finding things.

Is it the same for love? I risk sounding desperate here. I know what I want, yet love is not, at least by my definition, such a crude affair whereby you plan where or how to find it. "Finding love" is such a paradox because I see no love in it.

That aside, I shall meanwhile continue to look for the album.

So much about driving. In the army I realise a trend, in no way discriminatory, that 'A' Level holders are the least acquainted with motorcycles, and the relevant license Class 2.

In my social circle, my friends flock to driving lessons, get their Class 3 license, take out their detailed blueprint for the next decade and mark out somewhere in the timeline the date due for a car purchase.

But it's a different picture in the army. I see people talking about Class 2, riding their bikes to camp and holding the stubborn helmets of theirs around. It was only then the idea of bike-riding became a possibility in my mind, not an iota of it has ever struck me before, even in the driving centre.

I am writing this because of a conversation I had with my driver groupmate, a school drop-out (and a proud one at that). He asked me what qualities of a guy would attract a girl. Being a dork in this field I answered the obvious. "Good looking, rich, faithful."

"Besides that? Must have a bike to drive her around! Then cool mah, can show off to her friends she has a boyfriend who rides." He supplemented my all-too-correct answers.

My first thought upon what he said, I think you guessed it, was "Why bike? Not car meh?"

Then I thought about my female friends and started some baseless prediction of who would prefer a boyfriend who rides rather than drives. I parochially concluded that JC girls would view bike-riding less a ravishing than risky experience. (Please clarify on the tagboard if I am wrong.)

Or maybe to them having a boyfriend who rides is definitely cool, but to have a husband who does the same would be a different thing altogether.

I won't think it's so much a social status thing here. It's the safety concern which puts the idea of travelling on a motorcycle off from our minds. And for me especially, my mum's father died in a motorcycle accident, long before I was born though.

Think about it, a motorcycle definitely makes a more romantic mode of transportation than a car. There lingers the classic image of the pillion rider girlfriend wrapping her arms around her rider boyfriend, who tries hard to concentrate on riding whilst enjoying her embrace. Occasionally the girl will then hush some secrets into the guy's left ear and the guy will turn his head back to give a loving nod. Oh I forgot there are supposed to be helmets, but heck, it's always something like that.

Mention a couple in a car and I can only picture both of them staring expressionlessly at the windscreen, listening to whatever music is played. A car cannot offer opportunities for romance when it is in motion, unlike a motorcycle. Only when it is stationary the thigh-stroking will start followed by whatever hanky-pankies.

Back to army, there are actually hell riders I heard of who make money from racing on their motorbikes. It's refreshing to know that people my age actually earn money like that and I am not being sarcastic here. 9 months into army what have I learnt most would probably be all these - details of lifestyles of people from different backgrounds.

And I suddenly realise this entry is kind of xiaxue-ish. Darn.

In residual lethargy from night cycling, I finally got over and done with the driving test. "Rough handling." The testor said before returning me the score sheet, one finally devoid of red ink. "You want me to be gentle when driving meh?" I ridiculed in silence. Then I realised in my panic-stricken state I forgot "smooth" was actually the appropriate antonym.

Undeniably it's a good start for 2006. So much for the December doldrums failing the tests has brought me. Now I move onto another phase of NS life, an 8 to 5 schedule for the month at Maintenance Line. What am I going to do with the free nights? Jog? Supper? Exercise? Movie? Work? Blog? TV? Read?

No combination of the above options will be perfect but that doesn't mean I shouldn't plan. And planning should be a much simpler task for a poor man because he just needs to do what is free!

Exercise and be healthy! Read and be knowledgeable! Costless and constructive.

Eat supper and get fat! Watch movie and get broke! Exorbitant and extravagant.

The pros and cons are apparent enough. Let pragmatism get hold of you, then naturally you will be geared towards making sensible choices. You need self-discipline. You need replenishing sources of motivation. You know what's good and what's not, so just do what's good and ignore what's not. At the end of the day, you will definitely not regret. Really.

End of self-addressing. So inspiring yet so contradictory, because my resolution was to be more rash this year, not more sensible.

I have just unknowingly fallen into my own trap. Darn.

Quotes from pop artistes usually end up, sadly, being the subject of amusement and not acknowledgement. But Sun Yanzi's resolution for 2006 was inspiring. "To be more rash and less sensible". I didn't type that wrongly. Spontaneity may be risky, but the outcomes it brings forth is more often than not unpredictably worthwhile. Sometimes it just makes no sense to have too much sense in being politically correct, to only execute calculated moves.

A night cycling expedition on New Year's Day has its significance for me. It was my first, and it was a spontaneous decision made online only that afternoon in the spirit of squadmateship. And perhaps it marks my desired spirit of living 2006, pardon for being a shameless copycat, "to be more rash and less sensible".

With the starting point at East Coast how can we not pay our alma mater a visit?

There is something humble in its grandeur. Perhaps it's just nostalgia.

Tanjong Rhu suspension bridge leading to Singapore Indoor Stadium. (Warning: night shots taken are of unguaranteed quality!)

View along Marina Promenade, yeah, I am only expecting you to recognise The Fullerton.

2315 hrs, Pit Stop 1 at Lau Pa Sat.

From Lau Pa Sat we went down Robinson Rd, Anson Rd, Keppel Rd and Kg Bahru Rd to reach the foot of Mt Faber.

At the top of Mt Faber, after a treacherous uphill journey. But it paid off with the breathtaking view and the speedy descent afterwards.

From Mt Faber, bypassing Lower Delta Rd, Jalan Bukit Merah, North Bridge Rd, we reached Clarke Quay. Crazy Horse Cabaret! Alas, it's 3a.m. and possibly too late to catch them. To make do with...

Presenting to you The Crazy Metal Horse Cabaret!

We cycled the length of Singapore River to reach Kim Seng Rd and proceeded down Irwell Bank Rd and Paterson Rd to reach this famous junction.

Perhaps night cyclists appreciate the 24hr Swensens at Crown Prince Hotel best. Who can resist an Earthquake after such mileage?

Down Orchard Rd, Bras Basah Rd, Beach Rd and Ophir Rd, we reached yet another vertical challenge at Benjamin Sheares Bridge.

Where we had our finale breakfast, East Coast outlet. Like my eyes, open 24 hours. Dead beat man. But worth it nonetheless. :)