victory is sweet

i knew i was not prepared for this nationals. my fitness level and skills were below par. if i were to win, i needed all my experience, and luck. as it turned out, luck was on my side.

not so on edwin's. he was doing so well, no one expected him to suffer such a serious injury in his finals. when i saw him cry, i knew it wasn't because of the injury. it was because of the pain of loss. he really wanted to win and he deserved to win. my heart went out to him.

sad moments aside though, last nite i won my 7th consecutive nationals gold medal. my final opponent was a girl who took over me after i left the national team. the feeling was fantastic; to win the match right in front of the crtics' eyes. i wanted to prove the critics wrong, and i did.

as yoda would say "sweet, victory is". in the ring, i could see, hear and feel the entire stadium behind me. spectators from all walks; people whom i knew and did not know were all cheering for me. it warmed my heart and filled me with a memory that will never leave me. no words can quite describe how i felt last nite. i was really high and felt like a superstar.

standing on the podium, my joy and pride were hard to hide. and yet, looking at my defeated opponents on the lower steps, i could not help but feel that a competition is a cruel thing. for there to be a winner, inevitably someone has to be the loser.

a perfect ending to my TKD career. a memorable retirement match.


all my 7 national gold medals...time really flies.


i was so excited the whole night that i felt no pain at all, even though i had some bruises here and there. but somehow, the same feeling didn't last till the next day. when i woke up just now, i almost couldn't feel my arms and legs and i felt like i was breaking apart!! haha. this teaches me i have to come back to reality. age is catching up.

special thanks to:
TP, NTU, SAFSA and Sports Team tkd members. i know you guys cheered the loudest :)
DH, for coaching me all these yrs, i'm very happy we won this together
small sir and big sir, who brought me into competitive sparring
bygon, who kept forcing me to do last minute training becos he thinks i am too fat to win
esther, who called back to congragulate me from China
JF, for the photos
everyone else who shouted my name throughout the match

A BIG THANK YOU. *bow*

45th

this year's Nationals are coming, my match will be on the 27th. competition is steep this time with many up and coming young players. some of them pray hard to not meet me in their matches, while some came with the intention of pinning me down. i think it is going to be an exciting competition.

someone just asked me if i feel the pressure to win, and i said No. but in fact the answer is Yes. i know i cannot accept defeat, especially this time. i wonder what will my reaction be if i really lose my match this year. will i be able to accept my defeat graciously? i really cannot tell yet.

i cannot remember since when, i started to keep a record of the competitions that i have been to. this Nationals will be my 45th one. is this a good number to retire? heh...will this Nationals be my 7th consecutive gold? i hope so, but i really don't know.

some tell me that i will win for sure while some speculate that i am over the hill. will i win this year? i'm excited to find out too.

the end or just the beginning?

his funeral was both heartwrenching and heartwarming. more than a hundred of his TKD students, friends and relatives attended. we gave him a very special send off...all of us were clad in TKD uniforms, some of his friends even had trouble searching for their uniforms as they had already left the TKD scene for a very long time. his students put up one last performance. news reporters even came to cover his story.

it has been one whole week of insufficient sleep for me. i stayed over at his wake every night and slept an average of 4-5 hours per day. i wanted to be there for the fact that i knew him for so long, knew his brother, knew his wife, his parents, his cousins, his friends...

i came home quite relieved that his funeral is over. i'm exhausted from all the crying and helping out...i am glad that it has ended.

but is this the end...or is it just the beginning?? life has to go on for the people who are still alive. everyone must learn to move on, it's hard, especially for the family. as friends, we can only do this much to help...they must help themselves and pick themselves up from despair. i just hope that they can stop grieving soon...

my only photo with Ross, taken a few years back.

sudden death

on June 23, i lost a teacher. today, on the last day of July, i lost a beloved friend; Steven my brother. i think this is getting a little too much for me to take...

who could have guessed? one minor surgery, a high fever and 3 days was what it took to take his precious life away.

i was at his wedding dinner just 4 months ago, we were all very happy for him and his new found wife. it was such a joyous occasion. we were feasting and toasting. but now, i am about to attend his wake.

so many things happened in just one night (last night), it was like a roller coaster ride. i was glad i accompanied him during the last moments of his life. i kept calling his name, held his hand and cheer him on. to make him promise not to give up, to keep breathing until his mother has arrived. he kept his promise; he passed on only after all his family members were there to see him one last time. i know it was really hard on him, and i am proud of his determination. brother, once a fighter, always a fighter.

Steven my brother, i will miss you. i will never forget the many interesting conversations we had, the long late night suppers we had...the many many memories we shared.

To All TKD Friends:
Steven Tay's (Ross Tay's) wake will be held from
1 Aug onwards at Blk 118 Toa Payoh Lor 2
cremation on 6 Aug, Sunday.

this is a message from Steven's family:
they hope that all of his friends try to attend his wake as much as they can as Steven likes to be surrounded by many friends and enjoys crowds.

我是潮州人!

it was a 2 hour drive from HK to China. crossing the border was easier than i expected. it's just like going to JB from Singapore.

Guangzhou and Shenzhen are even warmer and much more polluted than HK. and everyone spits on the floor like nobody's business...visiting the public toilet is an adventure each time. if only the people here can be more civilised! oh well, actually it's not up to me to critisize, each country has it's own culture and norms. i'm just not used to it, it doesn't mean that it's not good.

ok, first thing on the agenda: FOOD. food here is cheap and good.

the next day, we got on a cab and told the driver that we want to go to 佛山 (actually it's only EC). despite the driver telling us that there is nothing to do there, EC kept on insisting that she wants to see 佛山, look for 宝芝灵 and traces of 黄飞鸿. win liao lor...i think she watched too much tv.

true enough...佛山 don't have 山, 佛山 also don't have 佛！even more so, don't have 宝芝灵 and 黄飞鸿!! it has become an industrial estate already lah.

so in the end we went to this CCTV film set where they filmed their drama serials such as 环朱格格 and 大宅门 there.

there was a show; a re-creation of scenes of a horse battle in the 三国演义 times. got 张飞，关于，刘备 and company...it's a pity that i don't really know much about the history of China...so don't ask me.

these guys are really skillful horse riders, and i can't help but to feel sorry for them. i mean the weather is sibeh hot and they had to wear all the ancient costumes for the show and perform for tourists like us who don't actually know the history behind the story that they are trying to act and don't really care. i bet they earn very little money from these shows too. sigh!!


oh and we went shopping too of course...i was at this shop wanting to buy an SD card and was bargaining for a better price with the shopkeeper and he refused to give in lor! then i noticed that he was speaking to his friend in Teochew. i quickly used my very broken Teochew to tell him that "我是潮州人, 我们是自己人.　卖我便宜一点啦!" and he was very surprised (and amused) and eventually sold the SD card to me at a very low price! HAHAHA.....

going back to HK again on wednesday morning. then going home on friday.

more than just shopping

apart from all the shopping and eating in Hong Kong, i actually spent a considerable amount of time visitng the outlying islands that i hadn't got a chance to go to during my previous 6 visits to this country! and i think the time spent was really worthwhile!

i went all the way to Tai O cos i remember watching this HK drama a few years back called: 大澳的天空 starred by actress 陈松柃. anyone remembers??

the scenary at the Tai O fishing village is great! and i guess it's one of the very few places where you can get fresh air in HK.

famous for it's salted fish, shrimp paste and other dried seafood.



on another day i went to the Stanley Market at Hong Kong Island for lunch. nice place to chill.

oh, and JJ happened to be in HK for a handball tournament too. it was held at the Univ of Science & Technology, in Sai Kung. i went down to support them, although expectedly the Singapore team kena thrashed by the China team lah. heh...

the buildings you see are the student's dormitories! so nice right? got all the 山山水水. although the school is also situated at a damn ulu area, but still better than NTU...both ulu and ugly.


next stop...Guangzhou and Shenzhen!

happy birthday to me

My first birthday message... Heh

Jemapela wrote:

Hi Peiqi,

It's your favourite rebel Singaporean who's running amok in Australia. Are you still lost in 800 acres of New Zealand farm land?

Actually, I just wanted to be honest with you about something. My butt crack itches like hell, and to keep my mind off it, I decided to spend just this little bit of time to sweet-talk you into believing that you will look prettier on 20th July. I think it's gonna happen. You gotta have faith.
Remember Peiqi, all cakes are sinfully tasty, so save the leftovers of your birthday cake in the freezer until I come back. (God knows when.)

Sorry for the wicked humour. I was just smoking weed earlier.

Yours shamelessly,
Sir Shameless Jeremy Chua

Peiqi wrote:

Dear Shameless Chua,

I have since found my direction to go back home from NZ farm land...I have come to realise that I had to be back to face the reality - to study and work (internship). I must understand that life is more than just smelling horse shit on a vast grass land.

I have learnt a very, very big piece of grass land is very, very dangerous. It can make me forget all my stress. Which must not happen because I have been stressed my entire life, I grew up on regular dosages of stress. I refuse to let anything take stress away from me just like that! It makes me go cold turkey. Which is why, I do not think I will ever go back to NZ again.

Anyways my internship has ended. Now I am lost again...this time, in the hustle and bustle of the city called Hong Kong. :) Been here since 16th July and will only go back to Singapore end of the month. I think I will be sticking my birthday candles up the arse of a lovely HK style roasted goose. (Wished you were here, so that I can shove the candles up your arse instead) So no leftover cakes for now. Sorry.

Thanks for remembering my birthday. Hope to see you soon :)

ps: i look pretty everyday. not only on 20.07

Regards,
Madame Likes-To-Shove-Things Peiqi Chen.

i got a huge slice of chocolate cake complimentary from Sheraton Hong Kong! and this was the only thing that's left...

sweaty armpits

the weather here is damn hot lah, about 32degrees! but i don't understand leh...somehow i feel that the heat is really unbearable. i mean, afterall i came from a tropical country, and i thought i should be quite accustomed to hot weather already? hmm...

i think the problem lies in...Hong Kong hasn't got enough trees! there are hardly any shady area for me to hide in. half the time i am soaked in my own sweat...yucks! and today i had to stop shopping halfway to come back to the hotel for a shower!

ok, i guess now i have finally found one thing that i can agree with Lee Kuan Yew, that is, his wise decision to plant many many trees along our roads 30 yrs ago.

前人种树, 后人纳凉 you know?

sigh...but this trip a bit sian cos i am down with flu hence feeling groggy all the time. and i really hope the flu has got nothing to do with the many many plates of roast goose i have eaten so far.

sea crash exercise

there was a sea crash exercise at the airport today. the scenario in brief: a flight from Pro Brono Airlines (ficticious) crashed into the sea before it could land at Changi Airport leaving various numbers of passengers dead and injured. the aim of this exercise was to evaluate the responsiveness of the airlines and airport staff...how they react to a disaster and crisis management.

12 interns, including me and those in my office were roped in to play the role of next of kins of the passengers onboard. the officer who briefed us before the exercise gave us very limited background information to our assigned role and told us to 'just use our own discretion and let the creativity flow...'

at first i was thinking...we will surely 笑场 once we see each other acting and make a big joke out of it. either that, or it's going to be 冷场 and then it will be a flop! wah lau eh damn paiseh lah...

but guess what? in the end it turn out that i was wrong...in fact, VERY WRONG! the moment we started acting, everyone became damn serious lah!... all like vying for this year's 红星大奖 like that sia!!

最佳女主角奖 (Best Female Actress)
jo-ni acted as an old lady whose son was on board. she has little information, was devastated, threatened to commit suicide!

"我的儿子啊！把我的儿子还给我！如果我的儿子死了，我也不想活了!"
* cry cry cry cry cry..............*

"你们带我去飞机那边看！ 我一定可以认得我的儿子的!"
* cry cry cry cry cry..............and bangs chest with fists* (槌心肝)

最佳男主角奖 (Best Male Actor)
shawny acted as a rowdy and impatient man, he does not want to listen to apologies. he heard rumours that his uncle is dead and turned violent!

shawny: "you know how i feel or not? now i don't even know if my uncle is dead or alive! and all you can tell me is to wait, wait and wait! ask me if i want to eat sandwiches somemore, like as if i still got appetite like that!"
*kicks chairs violently and at least 4 chairs flew a meter away*

police: "sir, please calm down. if not i will have to put you under arrest"

shawny: "bloody hell! you want to arrest me is it? my uncle is dead and you want to arrest me?! what nonsense is this!....you handcuff me lah! handcuff me!"

then the police LL lor...

最佳女配角 (Best Supporting Female Actress)
goes to ME! hahahaha...buay paiseh
my role was relatively easy to act lah...i was supposed to be a demanding person and wants more information to be revealed and fast. so i kept harrasing the airline ladies like every 5 mins for more info. i was also supposed to stir up the emotions of other next of kins sitting in the room by 加-ing 盐 and 加-ing 醋, to make everyone riot against the airline staff. got quite a bit of 感情戏 involved also. cos must act worried and sad....

in conclusion, the entire acting drama thingy was cool shit!!!!! we enjoyed the whole process so so much! and this was really an awesome way to end my internship lah!!! apparently our acting was so good that alot of the airline staff came to ask us if we belonged to some drama company that the airport outsourced for this operation. hahahaha!!!

cool shit! :)

mentos and coke

friend: "eh...you know if you add mentos to coke, it will explode leh!"
me: "yeah right, you think i born yesterday is it?"

then i found this clip at youtube lah! madness! it's the 'real thing'..


this one is like an ochestrated mentos-coke explosion. heh...


"are you thinking what i'm thinking B1?".....

i am so going to jio-jio all the TP interns at CAAS to go and try out this experiment at the airport carpark tomorrow!!!! hahahahaha......shiokers! just hope we will not be spotted by our supervisors!

what's your feel?

Do you ever feel like breaking down?
Do you ever feel out of place?
Like somehow you just don't belong
And no one understands you?

Do you ever wanna run away?
Do you lock yourself in your room?
With the radio on turned up so loud
That no one hears you screaming

No you don't know what it's like
When nothing feels alright
No you don't know what it's like to be like me...

she's gone...

Miss Peh was my English teacher in sec school. i remember her as an extraordinary teacher with magical powers that can make even the most rebellious ah beng and ah lian (myself inclusive) in my class do her bidding...

she was diagnosed with cancer one year after my graduation. i remember visiting her twice in the hospital in the past 7 years...i was in Poly then. she was really courageous, she never tried to hide her condition from anyone and talked about it openly. i started to think, what will i do if i were her? would i choose to accept reality and make the most out of my remaining life or would i start to dwell and blame everyone else for my condition?

Miss Peh stopped all kinds of treatments about a year ago as her condition wasn't improving. this meant that she was prepared to accept death. her body continued to deteriorate until of recent months, she developed complications such as kidney failure.

she was in great pain a few weeks before her death and was oedematous (swelling). she asked the doctors if she could be euthanised (put to sleep) but that's not allowed in Singapore.

on 19 June 2006, she has finally passed on in the middle of her sleep.

i was at her wake...from the turnout of her ex-students, it's not hard to see why she was loved by all. it was a christian wake...i was crying the whole time while we were singing songs to commemorate her. suddenly i started to wonder....if i was the one to pass away today, how many of my friends will come to my wake? will they cry for me? will they have any good things to reminisce about me? how long will it be after my death that i will be completely forgotten?

we went in to look at her one last time. she looked so different, i almost couldn't recognise her. i guess it's because of the swellings. she was clad in a white gown, with white gloves. it looked like a wedding dress. probably it was her wish to be dressed in a wedding gown since she never had the chance as she was never married?...she looked graceful lying in the white coffin, almost smiling. i know she is now relieved of all the pains and sufferings.

that night gathered many of my old friends whom i haven't met for almost a decade. we sat down and started reminisicing old times. we would never have gotten this chance if not for this occassion. how great can this teacher get? she has done something good for her students even after her death.

i love you Miss Peh. Goodbye.

doncha' ever critisize my honey sausages

i cannot believe i actually managed to survive the tkd training camp last week, being captivated in an enclosed area (bungalow chalet) with so many kids at one time!

i hate kids, they're so damn irritating can?! it's worse when they don't have a cute face to compensate for! i mean if you are quite cute but irritating, i still can tahan a bit lah, but if the face is like KNS and still have bad manners, then i really feel like giving them one tight slap.

kids nowadays...really have bad manners, or should i say no manners at all. don't know what's the meaning of respect. cannot even ask for a favour properly...your parents never teach you how to say 'Please' meh?!...tmd

and they are all damn drama kings/queens lah!! cry non stop over trival matters. of cos i cannot be bothered to coax them. i was hoping that they cry until dehydrated then no energy to kaopeh anymore.

on the last night, we had a bbq and i had to quickly cook the food for the kids cos they are the kings/queens of the house, cannot be starved. the first round of sausages didn't turn out well cos the fire was too big, then one stupid boy had to give his unwanted comment:

stupid boy: "eee the hotdog chao tah one...such a bad cook!"
me: (staring at him sternly) "you say that again!!!"
stupid boy: "that again"

i could feel the urge to rip his mouth apart and throw him down the slope, leave him to die at the beach. you think your answer very funny issit?? and how dare you say i'm a bad cook?!?! i am like so famous for my bbq honey sausages lor...highly requested by all my friends at all bbq functions. this time is just a small mistake! i don't need your stupid comment.

say! say! say!...as hard gay does it. you kids shut up! i hate you! hahahaha!

what was i thinking?!

i've finally resumed normal working hours and went back to my office today and was eager to catch up with the latest ba guas in the office while i was away doing the night shift duty at terminal 1. met JJ (an intern from NUS) along the corridoor and we started ba gua-ing. i learnt from him that two of the staff from his dept have tendered their resignation, one of them was LLih (his internship supervisor).

LLih also happened to be J's (my internship supervisor) good friend at work. although her resignation didn't really come as a surprise to me since i heard she hasn't been happy about the working environment. but i was shocked to hear that today is the last day we'll be seeing her at work cos apparently she has many days of uncleared leave and used it to nett off her 1 month notice...so sudden sia~

then came the time to knock off...and LLih came into our office to say bye to J, i could immediately sense sadness filling the air while they bade each other farewell. i could see J's eyes turning red while LLih walked away with her bags...then at this moment, i just had to say something stupid...

me: "eh J...your eyes so red, don't tell me you going to cry hor...eh don't cry leh don't cry leh...LLih is gone but you still have me!! hahahahaha...."

guess what? after my stupid comment, J's tears started pouring and she cried lah!!! wah lau eh she's like trying hard not to cry in front of me - her chao intern liao and i still have to go and mention the word 'CRY'! three times somemore like machiam scared she didn't hear it the first like like that. piang eh...i'm so dumb lah!!...

i felt so bad and didn't know how to react, so i 三十六计，走为上计...quickly grabbed my bag, ran off as fast as i could and shouted "J bye bye i go home first" from like 100 meters away...i is such a wimp! sometimes i wish god can take my mouth away.

keep walking

johnny walker says: keep walking

and that was exactly what i have been doing, for the entire day at work. i am on a 12 hour shift work for one week, doing some observational studies. it sucks. walking up and down the check-in rows is not an easy task man. damn siong.

and whenever i'm on the graveyard shift from 7pm to 7am, i feel like i'm walking in a mega freezer. sibeh cold lah! and whole airport like so deserted. sian sian sian.

just when i said i enjoy going to work i have to kena this arrow...boo hoo! i just hope this week can be over real soon! argh...

hard gay...okaaayy!!!

ilovehardgay ilovehardgay ilovehardgay ilovehardgay ilovehardgay ilovehardgay ilovehardgay ilovehardgay ilovehardgay ilovehardgay

say say say!!!

got problem

i have a problem, a serious one.

you see.. i tossed and turned in bed the other day and had a hard time trying to fall asleep. there's this strange feeling, difficult to describe...

i later realised...it was actually the excitement of going to office the next day that was preventing me from entering my dreamland. recently i felt this irrepressible urge to be productive; to churn out endless excel spreadsheets, to type vigorously on my computer keyboard and not to mention the worst...- i actually enjoy doing it!

now, this is no laughing matter as something must be very seriously wrong with me.

i mean...how can i be looking forward to doing Work?! i am absolutely shameless for allowing myself become a hardworking and useful person! this cannot happen! because it is against my motto in life;- to be an ultimate slacker.

i must put a stop to it and it must be fast. help!

office damn koyak

oh no...my work place is causing me to become very inefficient...and i can just feel myself degenerating by the minute!

i can't imagine myself using a floppy disk drive now, it's something which i have not seen for many many years!! the speed of the computer is so Slow, it's like a nightmare that wouldn't end.

mouse...not optical, screen...not LCD, windows...not XP

help!!

did i say that i am working in the #1 Airport of the world?

Champion Chen vs. Loser Lam

went back to TP again to train with Elam this evening...it was Great. trained TKD from 7 to 830pm. quite happy with my form tonight but still not good enough to win at the Nationals with a bang. gotta condition myself for the competition, cos not only i want to win, i want to win it with style. :P

right after TKD we went to jog round the track, the weather was cool and we took our time. usually after the jog we will play a game of badminton. we were lucky tonight as there was an unoccupied court with proper nets...so we decided to have a showdown!!

the result was so predictable lor...cos no one can beat Champion Chen!! hahahaha! the score was 21-18, quite near lah...but he wouldn't have a chance to come that close if not for the fact that i damn shag liao...

therefore he has to call me Champion Chen for one year and i also thought up a new cool name for him tonight...

edwin lam is now known as LOSER LAM!!! hahaha!

Champion Chen -- [noun]: A perfect combination of beauty and brains 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

lost in transit

man, i am seriously overwhelemed by the facilities we have in our airport! and i regret not checking in early each time i travel to make full use of their services lor!! i mean, although we have one of the cheapest airport tax in the world but still must justify our money spent right?! heh...

it is the third week of my attachment at the airport. i spend most of my time in the transit area and it is no surprise why. there are a few tv lounges with sports, international news, channel 8 and channel U to watch...a movie lounge that plays Star Movies, internet kiosks with high speed broadband where i can download youtube videos online in a swoosh, a cosy sleeping lounge where i can have my afternoon nap, but must use jacket to cover my face in case kena spotted sia...

me and my work partner, also a fellow intern from NTU have been scooting around the transit area and discovering new things each day. just the other day i was having an ultimate x-box boxing game showdown with the TP interns which, of course i won...no one can beat Champion Chen. hahaha!

there's this OSIM sponsored foot massage area somewhere that the other NTU interns like to go, but i will never stick my feet into that thing lor, cos dunno how many thousand people use before liao...damn er xing. anyways, i heard that there is an american pool table somewhere, i guess i'll hunt that down tomorrow and convince the TP interns to play with me. hahaha!

happy mother's day

today is mother's day and i've decided to cook dinner for mum and dad. cheap and good choice! :P better than buying presents for her lah, cos she has everything that she needs and everything that i buy for her will always be not good enough. sigh! and i hate shopping and paying for things that are not going to be mine! HAHA...

panfried porkchops with honey-soy asparagus


spicy garlic prawn pasta


my dad tucked into the salad and shephard's pie before i could take a photo of it! he is damn yau kwee lor! :P

mummy i love you...although i never say this to you. i know you read my blog sometimes, so i hope you see this!

some things i never say but it doesn't mean that i don't care.

s l a c k.....

started my internship yesterday and was introduced to my supervisor; a nice person, easy going, but always busy. she gave me and my partner 2 weeks to work on a project, which, could be done in 2 days?

the department was obviously over-staffed with interns. there are 8 TP and 3 NTU interns there. so what's everyone doing?...nothing...much. but the perm staff there seems to be quite busy leh...dunno why they never delegate the "sai gang" to us.

my supervisor told us..."have you had your breakfast? if not, then go and eat lah...after that go walk around, come back after lunch..." wah lau...this kind of sup where to find?! damn nice lah!...and one look i know she was from poly..which made me like her even more, cos poly students rocks!!

anyways my partner and i, being very obedient subordinates, carried out her orders dilligently. we walked and walked, eat and eat...we ate at jollibeans, canteen, polar cafe, changi kopitiam, burger king, crystal jade...all in one day!

somehow i find my job scope in line with my life motto of being an ultimate slacker. i'm so lucky to have found a job that i like.

my mum is a genius!

me: ma...PAP very lao kui...their rally everytime very little people go only. then worker's party rally like rock concert, damn high lor...

mum: you stupid girl, you never see PAP logo meh? it's a bolt of lightning! nowadays everyday also rain making the field wet and muddy. when lightning strikes a wet and muddy field, you know what that means?...you get electrocuted you know?! of cos nobody dare to go lah!

but hammer is different...won't conduct electricity one...so won't die...

*choked on my milo peng, and laugh until cramp

投我一票
来换钞票
一有钞票
烦恼忘掉
吃喝嫖赌
任你去要
尽情享受
快乐逍遥
大选过后
你就知道！
(in chinese characters)

WP = Wahh...Power!

just came back from the worker's party rally. seeing is indeed believing...the crowd was enormous. the field was in a terrible state due to the rain earlier. many people came after work, in their leather shoes and high heels, but the muddy field did not deter them from getting a closer look at the candidates.

i totally agree on the issues raised by WP on the conflict of interests between government and labour unions and to request for more independence and accountability. i think this is very important, especially when the agency theories and ethics that i've studied for the Accounting II exam was still fresh in my mind! hahaha!

labour unions (ie NTUC union) also PAP controlled...since when you see those stupid labour union leaders speak up for the workers one?? all they do is to help govt persuade workers to accept lower wage, CPF cuts and retrenchment. fuck u understand!

a spot-on quote from Low Thia Kiang about progress package: "the PAP is giving you a drumstick now, but later they will take back one whole chicken."

PAP's triple R manifesto: Renew, Revitalise and Refresh.
i think WP can also have a triple R manifesto:
Remind the ministers of their unfulfilled promises
Release the people of their pains
Reinstate a govt that works for the people and not the $$

doramon: thanks for your contribution, but the fact that you've put on weight still remains ok. :P

the day i nearly choked on my mee pok tah

did you know that...the BASIC SALARY FOR A MINISTER STARTS AT ABOUT SGD100,000 A MONTH?? what these ministers earn in just ONE MONTH exceeds the ANNUAL TAKE HOME salary of 80% of Singapore's income earning population. haven't count bonus leh...

sigh...young lee still dare to say at the mayday speech that PAP stands for Progress And Prosperity. i nearly choked on my fishball mee pok tah at the kopitiam... i think he meant that we people Pay And Pay...then ministers Progress And Prosper.

Source: Asian Wall Street Journal July 10 2000

Singapore President's Basic Salary US$1,483,000 (SGD$2,373,100)per annum vs. USA President US$200,000

Singapore Prime Minister's Basic Salary US$1,100,000 (SGD1,958,000) per annum vs. Australia Prime Minister: US$137,060 and UK Prime Minister: US$170,556

Singapore Minister's Basic: US$655,530 to US$819,124 (SGD1,166,844 to SGD1,458,040) per annum vs. USA Cabinet Secretaries: US$157,000

mediacock news sucks

Worker's Party Rally Crowd
this is what you will not see on the state-controlled mass media. everytime you see the reports on the news, the cameramen will use a narrow angle and never a wide angle to fully portray the actual massive crowd who goes for the opposition rallies. conversely, they will use telephoto lens to shoot the PAP rally crowd, taking pictures through a telephoto lens is like using a telescope or binoculars - it makes everything look larger.


PAP Rally Crowd
HAHA look at this, pathetic! and if you noticed, they got more lights lor...damn kiasu can. They talk so much, also talk about the same old things. anyway if anyone wants to listen to their gospel, can just switch on mediacock news, they got more than enough coverage already!


i think he can go home hug his pillow and cry for daddy's help...


sylvia lim is TP's law lecturer. lau chio. she power, making bold statements in this year's elections. unlike the usual kia-si public servants on PAP's payroll.

...and progre$$ for our nation!

wah lau eh today ATM is sibeh a lot of people lor, and i wonder why...

oh, so..gahmen decided to give us the $$ 2 days in advance. so that we can shop over the weekend and feel very happy about it. then come May 6, hopefully we can recall how happy we were the last weekend and vote...erm, accordingly. hahaha!

i think i'm most likely going to save the $$ to prepare for the after elections fare and price hikes that knn sure will come one.

what's with the accounts?

why can't i simply understand the principles behind accounting?! i cannot imagine i actually went through SIX accounting modules!! (sec 3, sec 4, poly 1, poly 2, ntu 1, ntu 2...) but, i am not shy to say, i still don't know which side is debit and which is credit.

so...when money come in, we debit is it? but why everytime i deposit money into my bank they say it's a credit balance leh?...see, it doesn't make sense.

anyways not important already, i hope today's accounting paper would be the last one i have to see in my entire life!!

it's heavy

sometimes i wake up in the day,
and wish that i was still asleep.

i went to bed on top of the world,
but now the world is on top of me.

i am trying my best,
but it is not working.

can cry...

invigilator: "time is up, please put down your pen and stop writing...remain seated while the invigilators go round to collect your paper."

me: eh eh eh...so how you find the paper?
girl beside me: wah lau not enough time to write leh!!
me: issit? i think ok leh, i finished quite early.
girl beside me: serious?? you damn power lor!!
me: haha no lah...eh btw...what answer did you get for qn 2(d)?
girl beside me: sigh i only did half of it cos i didn't have time for the last qn and it's worth more marks so i went straight to it instead....
me: wat talking you? 2(d) was the last qn liao wat!
girl beside me: err...actually you got read the paper properly or not? still got qn 3 behind.

i turned the page and....to my horror i saw one more question!!!

me: HOLY SHIT FUCKED UP I DIDNT SEE THE BLOODY QN 3!!!
girl beside me: huh?! don't tell me you didn't do at all?! the answers all in the textbook! just have to copy, it's quite a giveaway!
me: thanks ah...

*faint.....

so sad man! to think i was wasting my time twirling my pen away. i even went to the toilet twice lor!! why didn't i suspect anything was wrong when i finished the bloody paper more than 1/2 hour before time's up?!

argh.......
think my honours just flew away. :(

gahmen talk cock, sing song, play mahjong...

Elections Department: Theoretically, it is possible for anyone with access to the ballot papers to identify who cast a particular vote. The link between the ballot paper number and the electoral register through the counterfoil does facilitate tracing from a ballot paper to a voter's identity on the register. [1]

so...if the votes we cast are confidential, then why must print serial numbers on voting slips? can be traced back to IC numbers somemore...damn scary lor! they claim it's for control purposes, ostensibly to prevent fraud. but i think it's cock talk! if they really want to prevent counterfeit votes, can jolly well print watermarks on the slips what! like currencies you know? can put merlion head, or put LKY's face and i don't care. i seriously do not buy their story of VOTING IS SACRED, VOTING IS SECRET. pui!

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong has expressed concern that Hougang and Potong Pasir residents will lose out on upgrading if they do not vote for the People's Action Party. [2]

why?...want upgrading = must vote for the PAP?? don't the residents there pay income taxes like everyone else in Singapore? i bet they do right? so why do the money they pay each year goes into building endless covered walkways for tampines, upgraded bus shelters for bedok, a big ass community center that looks more like a shopping mall for marine parade residents while all the opposition ward got was enough money to paint paint here..but not enough to paint paint there?! damn poor thing.

"I do not want the two constituencies to be left behind, especially Potong Pasir, an old estate. Five years down the road, assuming Chiam do win, there will be no upgrading. [2]

why why why???.....opposition win, then no upgrading...where got such thing one?! you win liao lor!

"After that, we got to ask ourselves whether the estate is worthwhile upgrading. I'm talking about Lorong 8. By then, the estate would be around 35 years old and the lease is only 99 years, so economically, is it worthwhile? [2]

ie: vote for me NOW if you want your lifts to stop at every floor...and not 5 yrs later...cos 5 yrs later..lim bei buay gian liao!!

Residents had mixed feelings about upgrading. "It's 50-50, because if you upgrade, then our rentals will go up as well."

SM Goh in response: "While rent may go up, businesses will also increase and customers too will welcome the move" [2]

yah right...i bet by the time they finish upgrading the area, making it look nice nice like the rest of the country...a big ass NTUC will find its way there, setting up their business, selling food, electronics, pots n' pans to cheapo tee shirts...basically sell anything and everything...forcing small mama shops and minimarts out of business lor!! i already can foresee that! KNS!

sources:
[1]
www.elections.gov.sg/secrecy.htm
[2]
www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/199982/1/.html

ps: if one day i kena caught and thrown into the jail by the govt...oh or kena sued until bankrupt (heng i don't have $$)...please tell all your 子子孙孙 that 我是为人民牺牲的！ must set up Courage Fund for me ok?...oh yah, talking about Courage Fund...now that SARS is over...where is the MONEY?! see lah...ask us to donate donate, then now money where?

google video & youtube

shit! i'm absolutely hooked on online video streaming! why is it that everytime when my exams are near, distractions will start to come!! argh! i'm watching HK dramas on google video...and the funniest thing is, all the videos that are uploaded there are dubbed in Vietnamese! hahaha...damn strange lor...and i managed to understand the story cos there's chinese subtitles.

then there's also a whole lot of very nice documentary shows that i managed to find...it's almost 6am now and i'm still watching the videos!

cannot lah...i need to focus!~ :(

eh, my new boyfriend

let me introduce my new boyfriend! i love him so much and i simply cannot live without him. i wish we can be together forever and ever and that he never leaves me...pleassse....

IVP 2006 We are the Champions

NTU TKD was the overall champion for this year's IVP...again. heh. but TP team did their school proud too, coming in 2nd. i am so happy for them!! 8 cool gold medals! just 2 short of NTU. impressive.

This Raven, he is like my puke bucket...i will complain to him about my sufferings in NTC and of course curse and swear about the people i hate all the time. haha... he is a damn cool guy lor, everytime offer me cool advices which, very often i fail to heed. :P

*blush*...so old already still participating in IVP. my first IVP was 6 yrs ago? i was still representing TP then, gosh, how time flies! now that IVP is over, i look forward to the Nationals. i want to win! after that...can retire!

some are good old friends...some are new found friends...

our group is so damn big! it is so ironic that i am part of them now. i still remember how i used to laugh at their long-winded team cheers. HAHA....but i must say that NTU TKD is definitely one of the most disciplined and determined bunch of school athletes! (altho some very yaya-papaya but ok lah...other people also say i yaya so i guess i belong to their gang?!)

ivp celebration dinner

vegetarian wannabe

having heard so many interesting stories about EC's colleagues from India, i finally got to meet them today. Amit and Manu came from India to work on a project in Singapore, Amit is a vegetarian (by choice) and Manu only goes on vegetarian meals for two days in a week. we brought them to the Original Cheese Prata Shop at Fong Seng this afternoon, i felt quite weird going there in the day though, cos for all the times i've been there it was never earlier than mid-night!

the conversation we had mainly surrounded the topic of being a vegetarian. Amit thinks that it's quite difficult to be a strict vegetarian in Singapore as vegetarian food is not really readily available all the time, unlike in India where vegetarian food comes in a whole lot of variety and they're every where you go. i was telling him how i tried to turn full-vegetarian once some years back only to give up after 3 months. that was the furthest i went, but till now i still maintain that i will not eat meat for at least 1-2 days of a week.

i was pretty interested to know why Amit had decided to turn vegetarian, especially since it was by choice, and not by birth or religion. in the end, i found out that he turned vegetarian four years ago when he saw a chicken cry.... hmm, although it wasn't quite an answer i was expecting, but i didn't think it was very funny. ( i know for many people, they would have lauged out loudly and thinks Amit is a lame ass man)

seriously, i salute him, for his discipline and determination to stay vegetarian for so long. people who knows me well enough will probably know the reason why i tried to become a vegetarian was because i saw how the animals had to suffer in order for humans to have the delicacies they want. i really really hope i have the strength and the same discipline as Amit to turn a full-veg one day.

i'm out of my mind, pls leave a msg.

stupid people makes me sick.
stupid people who acts smart, makes me sick.
stupid people who thinks they are smarter than me, makes me sick.
stupid people are everywhere in NTU.
therefore, NTU makes me sick.

cheat me

auntie, why you cheat my money?
you know, 10 dollars very important to me...

auntie, why you cheat my feelings?
just when i start to have faith in charity...

why of all people, you must come to me?

you say until so convincing,
i hear until so happy,
i gave you my trust,
and yet you betray me!

you told me to donate to These Abled Hands,
and told me how my humble 10 dollars can help them,
when bloody hell!
the money i donated, wasn't actually going to their abled hands,
instead, it went to YOUR inethical hands!

not funny at all

M and i have been friends for 11 years, we've gone through so much shit together and basically grew from fucked up teenagers to fucked up adults. we had breakfast this morning, caught up with each other's lives. mine was pretty much the same, hers had more ups and downs, in a sense. we walked together to the hospital after eating, she was going for her psychiatric session.

i could see the scars on her hand, i know she cuts herself. it can be hard to understand why people cut themselves on purpose. cutting is what experts call an unhealthy coping mechanism. i cannot comprehend her actions, claiming that it transfers her emotional pain to a physical one. but i realise you don't need to understand everything, or more likely, she doesn't want me to understand her in the first place...in case i start judging.

she is clearly suicidal.

i know, cos we've been talking about it for a long time. she told me she applied to join the Police Force, and i asked her why? her reply was shocking, she wants to get hold of a gun so that she could kill herself. i laughed, but in my heart, i didn't think it was funny at all cos i know she wasn't exactly joking. i told her in a cheeky tone, there are many ways to die, you don't need to die at gunpoint, but she said she has a fetish for it. i tried to convince myself i heard wrongly.

while walking to the hospital, she said: "my days are numbered..." i knew she was implying that she is going to kill herself, just don't know when. i reacted nonchalantly to her statement. i said: "so i should cherish my time with you now yeah?"

i bade her goodbye at the hospital's door step and i started to wonder if this will be my last time seeing her.

i turned around, tears dropped as i walked away.

super cock up!

i cannot believe it...i cocked up big time at the PA interview today! this is the bloody first time i walked out from an interview...feeling like i could almost slap myself!!! argh...

know what? everything went on well initially; i managed to get into a cab...found the right office and arrived 15 mins before my scheduled time. i was feeling fresh and excited and had all the 'model answers' to the standard interview questions in my head...ready to shoot back when they fire me me with their questions.

then i was told to wait...cos the person interviewing me is in the middle of a conference call...and i didnt expect the wait to be ONE HOUR!! by the time she was ready to speak to me, in my heart i was already ready to leave!

i lost all my focus during the long wait, and became really restless. finally when i got to my interview, i wasn't even thinking anymore! damn it. and they asked really silly questions...like: "if you were to use an animal to describe yourself, what would it be and why?..." i was like...HAR??

then i gave silly answers.

excuse me, i want to complain

i had a terrible flight last year when i was flying home from Auckland after the end of my Aussie/Kiwi trip. basically it took me 16 hours, 3 different aircrafts and 2 airports before i finally arrived in Changi! hence, i decided that the first thing i have got to do, apart from removing my shoes the moment i arrived home was to WRITE A COMPLAIN LETTER.

excerpts of my complain letter to qantas:

Lack of Transparency
It was never presented to me at any time that I had to make a stopover in Bali, Indonesia, after the transit in Sydney......

In view of the recent horrifying Bali bombings and global terrorist threats, I have been very cautious with the choice of destinations I travel to. I have made a very personal conscious decision to avoid entering the country of Indonesia, and least to say Bali. (fact is: i've always wanted to go Bali...) On New Year’s Day, however, I was made to enter Bali without prior consent, and without a choice.

I travelled alone, and thus was left to my own in the airport at Bali for almost two hours, waiting to re-board the aircraft. It was a nervous and traumatic experience. (fact is: i was having a neck and shoulder massage, ate nasi goreng with satays and bought a sarong there...) Moreover, my travel insurance only covered me in two countries as I had no prior knowledge of having to enter any other country. This meant I would not have been protected if I had met with any mishaps in Bali. If such vital information had been presented to me during the booking of the ticket, I would definitely have not purchased this ticket. (fact is: boh bian, i'd still buy the ticket cos it was the cheapest liao...)

Poor Customer Service
On 3rd January 9:50 am, I contacted your office for customer service assistance. I explained my experience, and was what can only be described as rebuked by a grumpy, rude and uncaring staff...... and promptly hung up on me before I could get her name. (this part is true though! 他妈的, that 印度婆 scolded me on the phone lor! XYZ!)

I trust you will look into this matter, and provide me with a satisfactory response, as well as reasonable compensation. (ie: give me some freebies or i will keep bugging you)________________________________________________________________

i think if i submit this as my biz comm letter writing assignment, sure damn A+ one lor. haha... so if anyone needs to write a complain letter of a similar fashion can use mine k?

in the end, qantas wrote back to me...basically to say sorry, and promised to ask their customer service officers to wake up their ideas. they also included a $200 travel voucher for me to use when purchasing my next air ticket with them. although not alot but it's still money right??

hmm...which country should i go this time?...Bali sounds good to me!

just time...

the visit to NN's house that night was both interesting and strange.

first, there was a group of NN's current batch TP students - whom i've never met. it was their last day of school and they had their FYP presentation earlier. seeing them somehow reminded me of my own FYP presentation. all the sights and sounds of that day came back to mind. we were almost totally clueless about our project (since it wasn't really done by us) but managed to pull the wool over the lecturers. (or did we not?) time flies indeed, 4 years have passed.

then there were her kids, the last time i saw them was 3 years ago? i remembered how a baby girl was so tiny in her mother's arms. now she's grown so tall that i am hardly convinced she's only a 3 year old. her name is Frada, which i thought was quite amusing. i immediately can imagine myself calling her RADAR RADAR non stop to piss her off if i were her classmate. oh i forgot that her mum has a funny name herself too, which, i never fail to constantly make fun of.

then there was IV, i was pleasantly surprised that she'd go there with me. afterall the misunderstanding some years back cost us our friendship, setting us apart. we hardly kept in contact after, only to see each other during our poly class gatherings...which, were rare occasions anyway. we used to be such close friends in school, with so much to talk about. it would've been so good if we kept it that way. the conversations we had that night seemed to have propelled us back to the time before we fell out with each other and i enjoyed every moment of it...i don't know what she thinks of it now, but i will cherish this re-found friendship in the best way i can.

so much time has passed and so many things have happened.......but everything feels like it was just yesterday.

CNY blah blahs...

i cannot believe how busy i was throughout the chinese new year! endless projects and presentations to prepare for! adding to my agony was some irresponsible project mates who just so cannot be bothered. sigh, guess it's retribution, i free rided too much during poly days, so now kena free ride back lah. heh.

but chinese new year wasn't without fun! i was alone (cos pa and ma went for a holiday) and i invited lots of friends home to chill out.

i was really thankful...that my poly mates came. we hardly get together, usually only once a year. and i'm glad for this year's quota, it happened in my house. :) they told me that it was really hard to imagine that i can cook, and the food was edible and actually NICE. you guys just have to get over the fact that i am Champion Chen in many aspects in life :P:P...

it was interesting that despite being 24 years old already, we all still spoke to each other like as if we were still 18, 19! heh. still childish..in a way, and i really like that. the only difference was perhaps, some topics of discussion revolved around jobs, salaries and which car you own...

oh, then came tkd friends on another day...then came secondary school friends...it was really fun to host all my good old friends in my house.

my sec school mates! too bad i didn't get to take any photos with my poly mates this time :(

there's something about bus 179

when the pain hit me, I could only let out a yelp. i was lost in my own thoughts, and so had only a delayed, stunted reaction to my pinkie toe being stepped on. we were in a long tight queue, shuffling along to board bus 179.

there must be at least 6-700 young aspiring undergraduates queuing for the bus this morning. having been struck suddenly by how many of us there were, i wondered: "will we all get on the bus? we obviously won’t all get onto this bus – in fact, most of us won’t get onto a bus as quickly as we want. what if we run out of buses?"

i see NIE students in the same queue. why are they here? don't they already have their own designated buses? aren't they supposed to take bus 199? The System had already planned it all out for them, why don’t they just follow the rules? why do they have to compete with me in my queue? as unhappy as i was, i realised there was nothing to be done, because what i have, they have it too. afterall, to the bus captain, one EZlink card does not look too different to the other.

on the bus, some were contented to be able to secure a seat quickly on the lower deck. others charge for the stairs, hoping to find a seat at the top. invariably, some of them will be disappointed to find that, after scrambling to climb up, there are yet others who are already seated comfortably up there. the 'climbers' look enviously and forlornly at them, as they realise the 'chair-people' are likely to stay in their seats till the very last stop. they wonder what the 'chair-people' did better to deserve a seat upstairs, but suspect they simply had advantage of time. still, some were persistent, and patiently hope for someone to leave their seat.

this whole cycle repeats itself seemingly perpetually. no matter how many students rush onto a bus, more will always come to take their place. queuing, waiting, for their turn to get on a bus. if you miss your bus, you just have to queue again.

rheumatism

my rheumatism is acting up again, thanks to the rainy weather. for some reason, my condition was exceptionally bad today. hmm...maybe because i was carrying a heavy bag to school? mum always say to me: "now you so young like that already, next time old already how?" ...i also don't know leh...

i suspect i'll probably won't be able to walk when i'm 50 years old, considering that i have to stop and sit down every 15 minutes when shopping at orchard road and that i cannot stand in one position for more than 10 minutes without feeling my back breaking. sigh.

i desperately need some sleep tonight but my knees and ankles are killing me! argh...i feel so old already. sigh.

if only i could turn back time...

H asked me (again) when do i want to meet the President of the Karate Federation. apparently they (the Karate people) have been asking him quite a few times if i'm interested to join their national team although i cannot understand why they think i may be good enough to represent them in the 2007 Bangkok SEA Games. i don't mind picking up the sport from scratch...but being a national athlete all over again requires some serious consideration. the amount of time and effort i'd have to put in...the discipline, stamina, concentration, energy...argh, i really don't know.

perhaps i'm just trying to find excuses, because i know that TKD is still my number one passion and nothing can replace it. i went for my 3rd dan grading over the weekend, it was tiring and nerve wrecking, nevertheless very enjoyable. my sparring partners were mostly guys and i think i did well against them. i was watching my competition videos in my room and it made me so depressed, cos i know i'm still good and i've what it takes to continue competing internationally...but somehow i had given up on the chance to do so.

i was really tired...tired of all the other things that came with the sport.

if only i was more principled. if only i had a stronger mind. if only i had perservered. i'm sure i can make history (in a small way) one day. now it's too late. (or not?) if only i could turn back time...i wonder if the ending would still be the same? guess i'll never know now.

people try to put you down, because they know that you are good. the only person who can tell you, you are not good enough is yourself.

You are beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring you down
You are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring you down
Don't you bring me down today...

si beh sian

i am finally back...and i'm feeling si beh sian. sigh. feeling damn depressed, don't really know why. school has already started today, but i overslept (what's new)...so went to JB in the afternoon to lend my support to Malaysia's pirated DVD trade.

excerpts from MSN chat:

qix si beh sian says:
ruoying...how? i si beh sian

ruoying~done! says:
KNS! you had more than a month of holiday leh!

qix si beh sian says:
still...i si beh sian
i want to go back to NZ and become a retired teenager

ruoying~done! says:
...we are not teenagers anymore. get your age right...

qix si beh sian says:
I KNOW! let me fantasize!! you just broke my dream
i don't want to talk to you liao

maybe cos now i'm broke and fat, so kena depression. and the weather here...si beh hot, made my depression worse. fortunately, not everything is bad here...at least i get to see ah siao. but he's making me worried, cos he grew fatter again. he's 7.4kg now, he gained 0.7kg since i left Singapore. mum said the cat was quite happy that i wasn't around to bother him, so he ate alot. after hearing this, i si beh sian again. anyways...i better make him go on a diet, don't want to see him die of heart attack next time. sigh......

ok, i better go now. cos i need to d w e l l . SI BEH SIAN AH!!!.... :O(

horse riding

what a great way to end my New Zealand trip! sis and i went horse riding today - something EC and i wanted to do when we were in Australia last month, but hadn't got a chance.

the horse that i'm riding on is cheetah, he's 9 years old. cheetah took a dump immediately after i sat on him, i assume that's the horses' way of welcoming people. heh.

sis' horse is called randy. he has a really beautiful brown coat.

i remember the last time i ever sat on a horse, sorry, it was a pony - was when i was 4 years old at Mandai Zoo. the zoo keeper brought me round and round a tiny fenced up area. damn lame. this one's totally different, i get to ride the horse and control it on my own, around an 800 acres piece of farm property! how cool is that?

piha beach

it's my 2nd last day in New Zealand, sure i'll miss this place. but i miss ah siao too...i found an ah siao-lookalike! although it was more interested in his nap than in me. :(

today we took a drive down to piha beach, it was cool. the amount of space and nature this country has, makes me green with envy. if only i grew up in this country, with heaps of fresh air and land.


champion chen left her traces on the ground for her worshippers.

home in 3 days

almost time to go home. i miss my ah siao...and sambal sotong. sucks to be on a 0630 flight on new years day! (which means check in at 0430?!) damn it. i envision my lonely self loitering the sydney airport - awaiting my connecting flight - with only the humidity and lethargic heat of the late singapore afternoon sun to reward me for a long day of travel. i will join the taxi queue, moving forward 7cm at a time, until i get to tell an unlucky taxi uncle who has been queueing himself for the last 3 hours, that i'm going to Tampines. his look of dread and 'sian' will make my already slightly melancholic day marginally more dramatically sian.

such thoughts could easily cause a normal person seizures, and i probably should be at the A&E by now... if not for the email from SY. she said the TP gang is picking me up from the airport, then taking me to a seafood feast to celebrate my return. it was at this moment, i became so convinced that i've made the right friends!....that is until i continued to read on. it comes with a price:- they want me to bring krispy kreme back for them, and she happily typed out their orders. i counted and counted...counted three times, and realise that we're talking about 50 doughnuts here. hmm...now, when did i start thinking again that the whole lonely cab ride thing sounds like a nice idea?

their orders are SO complicated that the krispy kreme lady at the counter is going to stare at me right through the hole in the silly doughnut and curse under her breath: 'stupid asian, never tasted doughnuts before in your life is it?!' guess the seafood feast the TP gang promised me shall be my only consolation...

my first ang moh christmas

christmas to them is very much like chinese new year to us. everyone starts stocking up food the day before cos all the shops and restaurants would be closed on christmas day. on christmas day, the entire family gathers in the house with lots of food and wine. the kiddies got up early in the morning to open their presents.

tiana is brother B's niece. sweet as she looks, but has a weird temper.

keanu is tiana's elder brother, an expert in PS2.

the feast begins after saying grace. christmas lunch was full of ham, turkey, beef steaks, salads, bread, cheese, crackers, fruits, puddings, trifles, cakes, wine, champagne and more wine.

this is the trifle that brother B made, it's like a custardy-spongecake-pudding thingy. although it's too sweet for my own good but...yummy.


the oldies chilling at the yard making small talk after lunch.

the kids and their uncles playing PS2.

really happy to be here this christmas, especially it's been years since i last spent christmas with sis. so how was your christmas, my friends? tell me all about it! heard it was raining heavily back home on christmas eve...