The Irony

When you're happy, you wish time would come to a standstill; when you're sad you hope that time would quickly pass and heal all wounds... Yet when you're happy time passes by so fast; when you're sad the going is slow...

***

Anyway, to find out what I was doing in California, you can simply visit my other half's website.

I also bought a Creative Zen Nano Plus. Wah damn long name... they really should simplify the names a bit. More on that next time.

Sigh... The end of another glorious holiday.

Life has been too good this past week. Sigh...

Flying to CALIFORNIAAAA!!!!

Guys, I'm going over to the States to visit my gf. We'll be going snowboarding for 3 days, a bit of eating at various places, and san francisco for a whole day of sightseeing. :D

I'm grinning from ear to ear :D

Won't be updating my blog for at least a week, just so you know.

Disillusioned

Did I mention that as I grew older i got more cynical? Well, I think I just got older again.

There's been some big reorganisation where I work. My boss's boss got placed into some unknown position, the whole department got absorbed into another department, and the head of one of the groups got replaced. We've basically been taken over. From behind.

So the new boss came in today and gave a talk. He started by saying "my main message is one of reassurance. Nothing is going to change. We recognise this is one of the main businesses. We are going to maintain this business. this is my main point i want to make..." and went on for another 5 minutes.

Err.. hello? we're not stupid? we get the point you're trying to make BUT your point doesn't make sense. If nothing is going to change then why the reorganisation?

then another new boss chimed in and tried to reassure us again. he mentioned something about other restructuring was mainly done to fix broken businesses, this is done to further grow the profits.

somehow this sounds vaguely familiar to "its not your fault, its mine..." when a couple breaks up, or to "you're not ugly, you're unique".

And then after they finished speaking, of course there were a few thinly concealed hostile questions. and then the new boss started admitting that there will be seating changes etc, there will be movements, there will be displacements.

Er... didn't you just reassure us nothing is going to change? seems everybody in the room was diplomatic enough not to mention that.

Best of all, one of the managers, one of us who's getting a new boss, said to the new boss, "this may sound banal, but I think I am saying this for all of us, including the management team, that you have our support, 100%"

I left the room feeling disgusted. One, there's this backstabbing at the highest level, for own personal gain, yet veiled as though it is for the "alignment of the bank". Two, this manager has just performed a textbook example of this saying in Chinese "jian4 feng1 shi3 duo4" (change the sail according to the wind) that I don't really know how to say in English. Well, I've never seen it at this level.

My eyes are opening wider.

I'm lucky to be a small fry...

Moral Compass

There was a time when I thought everything was either right or wrong. As I grew up, I learnt that was not the case, and slowly became more jaded and cynical. Nowadays, I just brush aside any consideration of morality, especially when it doesn't concern me.

I think thats a good thing, not judging people. Thing is, I'm wondering if I'll ever judge myself.

I haven't had any moral/ethical issues to deal with, so I wouldn't know. I'm just wondering if something come up, would I be lost?

ahh.. I'm busy, let me continue with my TV.

Weather here...

They say in London, if you don't like the weather, just wait a minute - it will change.

Well, thats not exactly true. You'll usually have to wait a week. Its been sub-zero for the past week, but its getting warmer now, thankfully.

Its weird though... it was sunny last week, but yet so cold. Its raining now, but its much warmer. Given a choice, would you pick sunny but cold or raining but warm (well, i mean warm as in 12 degrees celsius)?

Its a tough choice I think. If I'm indoors, i'd prefer sunny but cold. if i'm outdoors without an umbrella, sunny but cold. if I'm outdoors with an umbrella, raining but warm. if i'm playing soccer, sunny but cold. ah.. i'm crappy eh.

my point is the weather here is weird. I knew it was going to get warmer this week, but I didn't expect it to get wetter as well. *sigh*

Yellow

There's this guy in the office that loves to fool around, joke, and discuss random things. Today he asked me, what does my surname mean? Seriously I didn't think it meant anything, but I told him it meant "Yellow".

He kept laughing away. And basically told everyone around him "Did you know his surname means yellow?" and started laughing again...

I wasn't offended but i don't see what's so funny.. i mean, there are funnier surnames right, like White, Black, or I dunno.. Bush?

For hunn =P

Reading Hunn's blog made me realise how badly I express myself...

1) Coolness of Ipods. I think pple think its cool, which is why they buy it. you think pple think its a good player with good software. i disagree with you there. itunes isn't good software, its chains that bind you to apple. Honestly I've considered getting an ipod, but thinking that i HAVE to use itunes put me off at once. of course not all pple think like me, just my personal opinion.

There are much better players out there, sony, creative, iriver, samsung etc, with longer battery life, larger memory, less restrictions, more functionality (like voice recording, more format playback etc)... yet ipods have the lion's share of the market. they command a higher price with less value. and if it isn't the coolness factor, then why is it that every product that tries to be cool has an "i" attached to the front of it?

2) ah, by "easy" i didn't mean the opposite of difficult. I really meant "unoffending", or to put it another way, "palatable". its easy in the sense that it puts you at ease. you can't find fault with what the other party is saying. it fills in the awkward silences.

3) ah that question was because i was thinking of buying a colleague some breath fresheners...

4) ...

5) Well, you shouldn't reject a colleagues' offer to go for coffee right? ESPECIALLY when she's chio, not to mention there are TWO of them.

hey i'm just joking aight?

6) whatever works for you dude..

Cambridge

I decided to do something more constructive during the weekend, instead of rotting at home watching serials like I did the last weekend. So I went up to cambridge and paid an old friend a visit.

The weather was great. Well actually, the weather looked great, but didn't really feel great. It was sunny, BUT windy and cold. Took a few pictures here and there just to show that "hey, i'm in cambridge again!" but they weren't spectacular.

Walked around the city center with no particular aim in mind. finally after i was like 25 pounds poorer, I decided it was too cold, so I suggested going back to his place and chill (not literally of course, I was cool enough).

he showed me a couple of videos, most notably the euro cup last year where liverpool won the trophy. they were 3-0 down and managed to come back up, miraculously, and won thru a hairs breadth with the penalty shootout. man they were lucky, no wonder SC's so superstitious.

it was nice just hanging out, and recalling all those fond memories of the past. and the best memory, it seems, was the rotterdam cycling trip, where everyone had some sort of accident/near accident that is just hilarious.

and now, picture time:

The back of SC's cute little home


SC's cute little car


We felt like eating stir fried beef hor fun after briefly looking at Hunn's blog. So we decided to get the closest thing to that we could find -> Gyu something Udon (beef stir fried udon).



I had this instead. Looks like, and tastes like beef chow mein.

and finished off with a pint of Asahi beer. pretty nice beer i must say.

pity i didn't take pictures of lunch. it was good too.. mm hmm..

Random thoughts

1. Today on the tube I spotted three people with ipods, because of the characteristic earphones. I wonder, why is it still cool to have ipods when everyone's using it?

2. Its easy to spot couples on their first date. they hardly know each other, so the talk (if any) is very easy (in other words, lame).

3. Will you be upset if someone offers you chewing gum / breath fresheners?

4. I got checked again for my age when I bought a bottle of wine. I told him that I don't have ID. He hesitated a while then said, fine, ok. You look like you're 21. I said, "hey, isn't the legal age for drinking 18?" He shrugged and said I look young. I told him I was 26 but he probably didn't believe me.

5. In the morning at the office I got asked by two quite pretty girls who walked over to my desk, "hey wanna grab a cup of coffee?". I immediately said,



"nah, I'm fine. Thanks" and turned back to my work. I only realised my mistake a few hours later. they'll probably never ask me to join them for coffee again. ah well, good news for my gf.

6. on that note, i'm going to visit her in just about three weeks! *grin*

Respectable occupations

Doctors are probably one of the most respectable jobs out there eh? After all, they save lives... but just a thought: how about ambulance drivers? or firemen? or bomb disposal squads?

That said, if I had a daughter and she gets a boyfriend, I'll probably be most pleased if he's a doctor. It won't be because his occupation involves saving lives, its because doctors are generally smart and caring, and also more pragmatically, he'll earn enough to ensure a comfortable living, he won't get exposed to dangers like fire or bombs, and his bread can never be taken away, since pple will always need doctors.

but i digress...

what makes a respectable job? is it the saving lives part, the contributing to society part? is it the money? is it the security? is it the exclusivity?

i'm trying to justify my job aight?

i'm not saving lives, and I can't really say i'm contributing to society.

maybe i'm just a mercenary...

tagged?

I think the blog community behaves in mysterious ways... I don't usually buy into this chain mail thing, but hey, i guess I'm a blogger too...
Anyway I got "tagged" by AKK so here goes...

4 jobs you've had in your life
- cheap labour for the SAF
- part-time labour for a bar/pub
- full time labour for a bank
- ahh.. caring boyfriend to my girl? eh.. pple only have 3 proper jobs la, bf considered occupation can or not?

4 movies you could watch over and over
- not applicable. haven't had a movie that i can watch over and over.. the max number of times i watched a movie is about 6? and I don't remember the title of the movie.... ah you know, my parents might be reading this.. =P

4 TV shows you love(d) to watch
- The Last Hero. The show with the zhi3 luo2 cha4 (purple claws??)? there, the one where got this sissy with super long purple nails? and a hero that's hairy like a monkey? damn funny la that show.
- CSI.
- CSI Miami. (eh don't call me a copycat)
- 24

4 places you've lived in
- Pasir Ris
- Paya Lebar
- London
- California

4 places you've been on vacation to
- Italy
- Germany
- Switzerland
- Austria

4 places you would rather be
- in the US with my gf
- in Singapore with my mum
- at any nice beach suntanning with a cool alcoholic cocktail nearby
- in the red sea looking at fishes

4 of your favourite foods
- Beef
- Salmon
- Chicken
- Pork
(in various forms)

4 websites you visit daily
- google.co.uk
- news.bbc.co.uk
- gizmodo.com
- inaccuraterecord.blogspot.com - yah la i ego la, problem with that?

4 tagged
- not applicable. I'm a bad boy, this "tag" ends here.

6 minute dinner

Preparation: Go to any supermarket, buy a pack of salad, some baby potatoes and some cooked chicken.



Step 1: Place potatoes in a microwavable bowl and cook at high for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, put salad leaves into another bowl and pour desired dressing


Step 2: Place chicken in oven and heat for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, mix potatoes with olive oil and dried herbs.

Step 3: Put together into a bowl (can possibly reuse one of the above two bowls - save 1 minute on washing)


Voila!

I usually have this, or a variation of this for dinner. Easy peasy, yummy tasty, cheap, nutritious and healthy - relatively.

Amsterdam Trip

Finally, after 5 months of slogging for my company, I got to go overseas on official business. Not exactly official business, since I didn't do any business - I just met a few people, sat down with them and learnt a bit of stuff from them.

But its good anyway, the trip. I had a cab booked from my place to Heathrow airport, paid for of course. I was also booked in business class, though the actual flight time is only about 40mins. And for the first time in a quarter century, enjoyed the airline lounge.

It was weird going into the lounge because it was my first time. I looked for somewhere quiet and sat down and took out my magazine to read. Then my eyes explored a bit and I noticed a counter of tea/coffee/soft drinks/beer/alcohol unattended. Thinking that nothing is free, I assumed the worst and observed for a while. After sufficient circumstantial evidence has been gathered, I concluded that it IS free and helped myself to the tea... and then to the potato chips. haha, and basked in the glory of business class... while reading my magazine.

At Amsterdam, I took a cab to the hotel. The cab cost 35 euros, but heck, i'll claim from my company. When I saw my room, hee, another smile across my face =)



The trip was just for three days, unfortunately. While at the office, I am practically imprisoned, since the visitor pass, which I could only get once a day and in the presence of my host/supervisor there, works like a return ticket -> in and out. ONCE. so breakfast and lunches I had it at the office.

But dinner... heh heh heh...

Dinner can be anything within a budget of 30quid. heh heh heh.

remember the steak I told you about a few entries ago, and told you how I wished I could dine there again?

On the first night, I was hungry and miserable. It was late, and cold, and dark. I thought it was 9pm, which is already quite late, but actually it was 10pm - since Netherlands is 1 hr ahead. I stepped into the first restaurant I found (an italian one), but the waiter told me clinically, "we're closed". I crossed the road, walked down a little further, and came across a chinese restaurant. NAH.

And then, as fate would have it, just next to the chinese restaurant, stood GAUCHO GRILL. my god, i never expected that they had franchises even in holland! it had to be fate. I stepped in and ordered the smallest (225g) medium ribeye steak. mmm hmm..

The second night I wanted something different. searched around online for nice restaurants when the person next to me suggested "Palma", an italian restaurant. sounds good, i'd love pasta. and she said something about "chillis" and spicy and stuff like that. *GROWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWL*

Wasn't so lucky this time. When I got there they were packed and the waitress told me, a little more politely than the waiter at the other restaurant yesterday, "we're full. you'd have to wait half an hour at least".

So I walked down further the road and got into another nice restaurant/bar with a very rustic feel. and I had veal with tuna cream sauce for starters and salmon tagliette for my main. satisfying dude..

The third night, need I think? GAUCHO again, what else. This time I ordered the medium (300g) fillet steak (Bife de Lomo). And asparagus with aioli as sides. *wolf-whistle* the steak was awesome man! sublime... it was thick, juicy, tender and oh-so-D-E-LI-CIOUS. (when I got the bill I realised they gave me a 400g steak instead. hahaha, no wonder why I enjoyed it so much. ah well, company pays for it anyway)


(pardon the picture, I was too much of a hurry to enjoy my steak. I had already eaten like a quarter of it before I realised I should share my joy with you. It's dark and I didn't turn on the flash hence the dark picture. Notice the juice floating around the steak. It all flowed out from the steak man.. )

Tonight, since I had a plane to catch, I had dinner at the airport. Looked around for a nice place to eat, but half of the "eateries" where little stalls that sells sandwiches and orange juice. I decided to get ramen at the noodle shop (very imaginatively called "noodle shop"). it was 14 euros but i only had like 20g of pork. sigh... i'm missing my steak already...

The flight back was atrocious. I had to queue for a long time at the check-in, even though it was supposedly "business class". I guess everyone's business class bah. The queue to board the plane was even longer. I thought since the queue was so long, i'll just sit down and wait till the queue got shorter.. and once past the security checks into the boarding area, there was another queue to scan the boarding pass and actually board the plane. so i sat down again and read my book. i think it was about 45 mins later since i arrived at the gate when the air stewardess called to me and asked if I was boarding the plane.

I got up and walked to her and she said "Mr Wong?"

I then knew I was probably the last person to board, so I panicked a little.

And once she scanned my boarding pass and all was fine and dandy and I was walking up to the bridge, I saw that the bridge, all 150m worth of it, was full of people packed like sardines.

took another 15 minutes before i finally boarded the plane.

and guess what, the plane was so full the cabin compartments were also overflowing. there weren't any space left and i had to sit with my trolley tucked under the seat in front of me. damn, business class? i don't see any difference.

The flights also had no music no tv no games no extras no nothing. well, newspapers and a snack.

the flight back ruined my evening. thankfully the cab from the airport, a nice leather-interior mercedes and a polite old gentlemanly cab driver cheered me up a little.

and i realised my room is still more comfortable than the hotel room.

Last days

Well, not exactly last days la, that sounds really bad...

Jan 7th
I forgot what we did. I think we finally had ramen at the Japanese shop opposite my flat, and caught Narnia the movie at the theatre nearby.

Jan 8th
Dim Sum at Royal China. This was especially fun because one of our friends, Ms Piggy, just got her bonus, which was very substantial. So we poked fun at her and u know, pressurised her into paying for all of us. And she finally gave in. Ah, and I had my Baked Seafood Rice in Portugese sauce, and also the lei sha tang yuan. Should have ordered the lobster fried rice.. haha.

Jan 9th
tis a sad day. I took leave to send her off to heathrow. We travelled by tube to Paddington and then got onto the Heathrow Express. We took a few pictures here and there on the way to the airport.

Went back home after she gone thru the gates, and proceeded to do lots of household chores that I put off, like washing clothes, changing light bulb, unclogging the bathroom sink, buy some groceries etc...

Yup, and thats the end of my superb winter holiday!

I'm Singaporean lahh

I was on the tube back home when I heard that short but oh-so-familiar phrase, from a guy a couple of seats in front of me (the tube was stationary and there weren't many pple, hence my "super-hearing").

His friend, in front of him, laughed and nodded as though she heard that before too. and then she started asking, "so, what's lahh"

I think he gave the standard answer, that its just a matter of expression, that its part of Singlish, a wildly mutilated version of the Queen's Engrish.

But I beg to differ. its a Sentence Ending Particle.

I learnt this in Cantonese about a year ago, while in Stanford. I was given this handout listing all the different sentence ending particles in Cantonese. About 5 of them were the same letter "a" (ah), pronounced differently, another 3/4 were "la" and there were a couple more that I can't recall now. They came with several descriptions of what they were meant for, like "a" with a rising tone meant a question, "lor" with a falling tone meant something like "already" and so on.

I remember the "Ang Mohs" (literally redheads, or whites) would have so much difficulty with that. Why would anyone want to end a sentence with a sentence ending particle? But, ahh, it came all so naturally to me. Once, for an assignment, we had to record a 3 minute speech in Cantonese. For my speech, I was commended by my Canto teacher for the use of the sentence ending particles, even though I used them unconsciously. It wasn't difficult for me, after all, we use that in Singlish.

Because I realised that these sentence ending particles ARE part of Cantonese, I dare say that all the "lahs" and "hor" and other sentence ending particles in Singlish are derivatives of the Chinese dialects spoken in Singapore. They have the same status of verbs, nouns, adjectives etc. hor.

I won't go through the details of all the different sentence ending particles in Singlish - there are enough websites about it already. For more information, please refer to the talkingcock.com - it even contains a comprehensive "Singapore Coxford Dictionary".

But I digress again...

***********

Jan 6th - Tower of London

L met up with her old long-lost primary school friend in London. She so happened to be touring London, and will be leaving soon, so they had to meet. She wanted to go around London, and L and I haven't been to Tower of London yet, so we decided to go there.

We spent about 4 hours there. For the first hour we joined a tour (free, or more like its included in the price of the ticket) and the tour guide gave us a pretty comprehensive coverage about the history of the Tower of London. Its really quite interesting. And then after the tour we went to look at the various exhibits. I think we spent the most time in the armory, looking at all the kings' armour and weapons. We were also quite fascinated with torture equipment, though I must say, it isn't the largest collection I've seen (there were like only 4/5 different apparatus, not very imaginative, I would think).

There was also this "Crown Jewels" exhibition. Its absolutely fantastic, seeing those HUGE diamonds, sapphires, rubys etc stuck to the different crowns. man, they were HUGE... like the biggest I've ever seen.

Finally we got too hungry (didn't have lunch) and decided to leave for dim sum at Chinatown. So happened that the restaurant we wanted to go to had a happy hour (cheaper dimsum) after 2.30, and we arrived close to 3. So we had a lot of dimsum for only 7 quid a person. Cheap already larh... usually expect to spend 15 per head. It was all pretty nice, except for the xiao long bao (small dragon dumpling) which didn't have a drop of soup in it. Disappointing. That was also when I wanted the "lei sha tang yuan" but didn't know what it was called. I couldn't find it on the menu, and it'll probably be too much of a hassle to describe it as "glutinous rice flour dumpling with sesame seed filling coated with sweetened peanut powder".

After that we headed to spitalfields market. I popped into office because there was apparently some urgent request, while the girls went shopping. and then I met them an hour later and they continued shopping.

Some time later, L's friend had to meet her friend for dinner/play, so we walked her to the tube station and I showed her around Liverpool st station - not like there's much to see..... and then we had dinner at this asian fusion noodle restaurant - but we shared a bowl of noodles cus we were still very full from the late lunch.

*** till the next day ***

Meet the friends day

Jan 5th

This day was packed with meetings with various friends. 1 for breakfast/coffee, 1 for tea/coffee, and 1 for dinner. Also managed to get some time to visit IC. L went to look for her FYP prof (and I went with her), and after that I also went to look for my FYP supervisor (and she came with me). Its nice you know, meeting up with people you'll hardly ever see...

But anyway, the highlight of the day was probably dinner. MUAHAHA.. we had dinner at Belgos, a famous belgian restaurant. Its a very large restaurant, but its always packed, even on weekdays. The food is very good, at very reasonable prices, so i guess thats why its so popular.

I had this pork knuckle thingy with mashed potatoes and some vege. L had half a chicken with some mustard sauce and fries. Look at the picture la, it describes it very well. Our friend had the same thing as me. won't reveal who she is in case she doesn't want to be known... haha, i respect pples privacy wan...



oh the beer was very nice too. how can i forget. they serve like 30 different beers, from light beers to dark beers, from unflavoured to fruity... and there're also beers with 12% alcohol content! I had something called pauwel kwek (don't ask me, i don't have a clue, i chose it only because it had 8% alcohol and is a dark beer) that's served in a very cute container.. almost like some science laboratory apparatus.



yup, and that concludes the day.

Departure of the lightbulb

Jan 4th

Guess who's the lightbulb?

L's bro lor...

Hey I'm joking aight? Honestly, he didn't intentionally try to be "bright", and he's also quite "automatic" if you know what i mean.

but yeah, he had to catch a flight from stansted airport at 4pm or so... initially he wanted to travel down to liverpool st to get the coach from there (since he already bought a return coach ticket), but after some repeated suggestions:

"sure? sure you wanna go down to liverpool st?"

(5 sec later)

"sure? with all these luggage?"

(5 sec later)

"sure? you can just catch a coach outside my flat you know..."

He finally gave in.

Anyway, after he left, hmm.. I can't remember what happened. And I don't have any pictures for the 4th of Jan to jerk my memory... I'm sure we went somewhere for dinner...

AH! I remember, we went to Gaucho Grill. Recommended by friends and also online, it seemed to be the perfect place for steaks.

I was expecting something like Jack's place or Sizzlers kind of standard, but when I stepped into the restaurant, it kinda felt like... a very high class restaurant.

and heh heh heh... the steak was superb.. no, AWESOME.

The waitress came by with a platter of meat. raw meat. then she explained the different cuts of meat: sirloin - which has a little fat on the edge, but very tender; the rump - which is THICK and has very little fat, will be tough if overcooked but tastes great rare/medium; and several others which I forgot. But I didn't really have a problem choosing, I went for the rump, medium rare. mmm mmmmm. L got the sirloin, medium.

There are like 3 sizes to choose from, 225g, 300g and 400g. I got 300g and L got 225g. But the steaks were HUGE still. I remember grinning away while eating my steak. Haha, it was damn good.

sigh... i wanna go back...

Here's a picture of a steak to whet your appetite. Note: the picture is not the actual thing - i got it off the net. i dont know how that steak in the picture tastes like, but the steak i had was marvellous.

Woman in Black

Jan 3

I went to work on Tuesday. I should have just taken leave on that day also la, but I was worried my boss might not be very happy to let me go. Anyway, I didn't do much at work, because it was just after a long break, plus I will be going off the next day.

Left work early at about 6pm and met L and her bro and her bro's friend to watch the play Woman in Black.

There were two things that surprised me:
1. The theatre was really small. Wasn't expecting something so small for a play that's quite popular.

2. There are only 2 actors in the play. That's it! This is the really amazing part, because all the other musicals/shows I've been to has like a whole cast of actors, (well, arguably 2 is a cast too hor - but i mean like there are at least 10 actors/actresses), not including the sound fx guys / band, the conductor, the helpers to clear the stage etc...

This play hor, besides the 2 actors, there was a woman (in black) who did nothing except to appear at the appropriate moment. There's probably one sound fx guy. and probably one guy to close the curtains at the interval. thats it! the whole set is already on the stage - and though the story progresses through different time periods at different places, the set can be reused again and again. damn amazing.

the actors were very good too. Just between the two of them, they played like 6-8 different characters. damn amazing.

I was also impressed that they managed to make the play scary. I mean, how scary can a play get right? obviously the woman in black is just an actress on the stage... but clever lighting and sound, good timing and most importantly the actor's emotions immerses you into the story such that you do feel scared. well, maybe i'm exaggerating a little, but its quite an impressive performance.

***

Ok, its time for my dinner.. just to end off the story, after the play we went to a restaurant at chinatown called "1997" and had "juk" or "zhou" or porridge/congee (whats the difference?) NICE.

ok gtg..

Hunt for Ramen

Jan 2

Over the past few days, we have been thinking of eating ramen, but haven't gotten a chance to have any. So this time we decided to look for the bestest ramen in London.

How to look?

1. Go google and type "ramen london" lor. Obviously that isn't the best way to look for the best ramen.. but then you go and type "best ramen london" and see what it returns.

2. Go londoneating.com and type "ramen". Unfortunately it only returns the name of the restaurants that start with ramen.

3. Look under jap cuisine. Doesn't work to well either, since it can be anything from teppenyaki to sushi belts to proper jap restaurants.

Finally, we decided on Ramen Seto, since there were plenty of reviews on the net and most of them seem pretty good.

It was a small shop, with maybe enough seats for 20. There were a couple of japs in there, so the assumption was that it can't be too bad. It was like a budget ramen restaurant la, don't have fancy deco or music or whatever.

We got the ramen of course. I had chasiew (how do they spell it?) ramen and L had miso ramen. I was still recovering from my food poisoning at that time, and though I did have some appetite at the start, I couldn't finish the ramen. I thought it tasted quite nice - maybe a bit on the salty side and the noodles were a little overdone. L though, once she tasted it, declared that the Ichi Ramen in California was nicer. hmm.. can't really comment since I just recovered.

** and a side story **

Two japanese guys came in about 15 minutes after us and sat right next to us. One of them had a guide book - probably recommended them to come here for jap ramen - or maybe they were just shopping and then chanced onto the restaurant.

They ordered in Japanese, since the waitresses there do look japanese. Unfortunately, the waitress that served them wasn't japanese. The conversation went like this

"a** ..... miso ramen d*** ka?"

"ah, miso ramen, hai.."

"(more japanese)"

"... (silence, incomprehension)"

"whats meat is there?"

"meet? what meet?"

anyway, they finally ordered their food and they probably weren't having high expectations after that. when the food arrived and they tasted it, their response was

"mm.. yokata"

dunno if that yokata means "good" or "i'm relieved", but in any case, they did enjoy the food, judging by their expression and body language.

But it still doesn't compare to Ichi Ramen... I need to find a better ramen restaurant.

Food poisoning

Dec 30th

Again, went to work, and left early.

And I went to Kulu Kulu with L this time. Had lots of sushi and salmon sashimi. I'm glad she likes sashimi as much as me. I remember a few years ago when we used to go Kulu Kulu maybe once a month (or less frequently) we used to have only one plate of sashimi, and always get more plates of the cheaper kinds of sushi. Now we're not so frugal anymore, can afford TWO plates of sashimi. haha, it wasn't more because we couldn't have so much sashimi anyway. I also had a raw rock oyster...

Went home and watched a movie on my computer, then had an early night.

Dec 31st - New Year's Eve

Woke up late, lazed around, had spaghetti - chinese style, L's specialty and favourite, served with Tiger Chilli sauce - which i bought in singapore and is only found in NTUC apparently. Watched Bleach throughout the day.

Felt a little tired. Went to bed very early, at 1030pm or something. missed the new year celebrations altogether.

Jan 1st - New Year

Couldn't sleep at night. Felt cold, then hot. Sweated a bit even though its cold. I got up in the middle of the night to wear a sweater and track pants on top of my shorts.

Felt bloated, wanted to burb. Got out of bed at about 3am to try to clear my bowels.. . Spent 15 minutes sitting on the toilet boil, but no effect. Burped a few times, felt slightly better. went back to bed.

Woke up again at 7/8am. Went to toilet again. but nothing felt like coming out the normal route. instead, i felt nauseous. gave in to it after a brief fight, and threw up all my stomach contents into the toilet. ah.. 100x better.

Had a glass of milk since I thought it would do well to neutralise the toxins. apparently, according to L and her mom its not such a good idea. don't really know why, but now I know.

I was weak and tired the whole day. Caught a few hours of sleep here and there. L went to Sainsbury to get some medication for me, and she came back with a thermometer, panadol, diarrhea pills and oatmeal. so touched *sigh*.

L wanted to cook porridge for me but I refused. So she cooked spagetti with ikan bilis soup. but i couldn't even finish the little bit that she cooked. she kept it in the fridge for the next day.

Soon after, while I was still sick, we went to M's place for a new year celebration/gathering. M's our friend from IC, and she also invited a few other mutual friends that we know very well. while i was still feeling tired and sick, I pulled myself there as this is a rare chance for L to meet up with them.

L's bro, H also went along. He introduced them to a few drinking games and they had loads of fun. I didn't play of course. I couldn't even take a bite of anything solid - and even water I had problem swallowing because I still felt bloated.

It was fun meeting with them nonetheless. After I got back, I promptly got into bed and fell asleep almost immediately. This time, I didn't wake up until 10am the next day, feeling fresh and well. Sometimes, it really takes illness to make you appreciate good health.

I blame my food poisoning on the oyster.

my doc friends: what kind of bug did I get, given the symptoms?

Dinner for two

Dec 29th

I had to work on that day. The office was again very quiet, and I left early. I would be having a nice dinner with L today. She apparently told her bro "Kor, I'll be having dinner with W tomorrow, so what're your plans?" just yesterday.

Initially the plan was to bring her to Kulu Kulu (brewer st, picadilly circus) - since we found the sushi there to be cheap and good. But then the plan changed because she didn't feel like travelling, so then I thought of bringing L to the Japanese restaurant just outside my flat - she always has a craving for Ramen.

unfortunately the jap restaurant wasn't open, so we had italian instead. mm, the pasta was good. well, she ordered the pasta, i ordered the calzone - but the serving was pretty large and she couldn't finish it, so i had a pretty large portion of the pasta too. plus we had calamari too..




good food eh? i'm suffering from withdrawal symptoms now..

Fulham vs Aston Villa

Dec 28

I worked on this day.

Why didn't I take leave? A lot of people asked me that.. Well, there are a couple of reasons...
1 - L's bro still around ma. I can save my leave for other occasions
2 - The office will be awfully quiet. This is both a good thing and a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. I think its a good thing.
3 - My boss isn't around. Again, this can be a bad thing, but if my boss isn't around, I can leave at 5, and nobody cares.

So, on the 28th, I strolled in to work at 8.30am (usually I arrive at 7.30). Spent some of the time studying for something new that i'm supposed to be doing, half the time talking to my collegues, and the rest of the time doing personal stuff - like surfing porn. yah right, I was just testing if you're reading. i'll probably get fired if i get caught surfing porn on an office pc.

I left work at 5.40pm (again, I usually leave at 7.30). Met L and her bro at Hammersmith tube station and then travelled to Craven Cottage, Fulham Stadium, where we watched a football (soccer) match between Fulham and Aston Villa.

It was freezing.. I think the temp was like 0-2 degrees, and I wasn't properly attired for the cold - since I came from the office and I forgot it would get cold. But anyway...

It was a great match. There were six goals scored in total, Fulham 3 - Aston Villa 3. Fulham took the lead 3 times and Aston Villa equalised 3 times...



- Actually I'm pretty sleepy right now, I think I'll go back to sleep. and just to end this post...

We headed home after the match. We decided to take a bus to the tube station, which wasn't really a good idea, because the bus came late and the hoards of cars leaving the area caused a severe traffic jam. So the usual 10min journey took 40min. But anyhow, we got home anyway...

Grabbed a few packets of instant noodles from a nearby shop and we had that for supper.

I slept soon after as I had to work the next day...

Shopping at Oxford st

Dec 27

We met with Mel and CA for dim sum at Royal China Restaurant. I love Royal China, the dim sum is really superb, and the prices are not all that exorbitant. Really! I especially love the dessert, which was "glutinous rice flour dumpling with black sesame seed filling coated with sweetened ground peanut powder". Its just 4 words in chinese: "lei sha tang yuan" or in cantonese "lei sa tong yun". Damn shiok i tell you. if any of you going to london be sure to try that ok?

Then we went off to Oxford St to shop. Not because we have to buy anything, but rather because we're so close to the shopping street and since its the post-christmas sale, we decided to go and see what's on offer.

L saw this nice pair of pants on offer at GAP... and she didn't really hesitate. haha so unlike her since she'll usually think about it not twice not thrice but rather.. i dunno. haha..

We took some really nice pictures of the lights at Oxford St. (quite funny I tell you.. after dim sum we went to FCUK.. after we came out it was dark already!) Here's one sample pic:


It snowed a little.. really really little, like specks of white falling down for a minute, and then no more.. it got quite cold and because we wanted to save money, we looked around for a newspaper stand to buy "bus savers tickets". unfortunately none were open on the 27th, so in the end L bought a ticket at the bus stop instead. my fingers were frozen by then.

When we got home I whipped up my famous (ok, not really famous, its just that its one of the easier to cook dishes that taste nice) pan-fried salmon ang moh style. She loved it a lot (at least thats what she said) and we watched more naruto through the night...

"I'll go to the gym at least three times a week"

You know, today I realised how many people made that new year resolution - there was like 100% more people in the gym today than on the same day of the week at the same time just one month ago. Nothing explains this phenomenen, except that people probably made a resolution to go the the gym more often.

but i digress...

26 Dec - Boxing Day
On this day, the tube is operating with reduced services, and the famous boxing day sale starts. people started queuing outside Selfridges at like 4am, 4 hours before the store opened.

But we chose to avoid the crowd. L and I together with her bro walked up to Hampstead Heath (a huge park) to walk walk and breathe fresh air and freeze in the cold.

And then we walked to Hampstead and had some famous Hampstead Crepes... Had to queue for like 30 mins ok. Too bad I didn't take a picture of the crepes.

Then we went to the nearby shopping center and bought tickets to see King Kong. The show was damn long la (like 3 hours, what's wrong with peter jackson?) and I found some parts too draggy. but overall it was pretty entertaining.

After that we (its still 3 of us) had dinner at Nando's. Its this chain of restaurants that serve South American grilled/barbequeued chicken, with lots and lots of "peri-peri" sauce. The sauce is mainly made of hot chilli peppers, which give a nice spicy taste. mmm.. love the chicken. we had half a chicken each. mmm salivating already.

when we got home, we caught a few more episodes of Naruto/Bleach before retiring for the night.

My sunshine has left...

Been wondering about my absence? Sorry. See, I've been busy living my life with my gf. She's been here for 15 days - and though it may seem like a long time, its really too short. way too short.

but I really shouldn't complain. its been a terrific 15 days.

Over the last 15 days, I worked only 4 days. And other than those 4 days of work (8 hours on average), I've spent all my other free time with her.

I've gotten addicted to this good life. And now, I need to start getting used again to working hard. Sigh...

Meanwhile, I'll try to recap these past days (though not all at once) to re-live a really memorable winter holiday 2005/6.

25th Dec - Arrival, on Christmas Day

I paced around the house before her arrival, as I didn't know what else I should be doing. The tube doesn't run on Christmas, so I couldn't pick her up from the airport. I had to hire a cab to do that for me. Finally, I got her call (she used the cab driver's phone cus he was lost).

***

She unpacked her stuff and gave me several presents:

• Polo Ralph sweater


• Polo Ralph vest


• Milo


• and several other clothes items I left in the States

We stayed at home the whole day because there was absolutely no public transport that day.

I cooked some simple dishes (soya sauce chicken, sweet peas with baby corn) for the whole household (altogether 5 of us) and we had that while catching up on previous episodes of Naruto.

Hunn (my gf's bro) gave us some party crackers and we "cracked" them open. I got a very nice and practical gift - a shoehorn. She got a toy - it provided some fun for like 30 seconds, after which we got back to Naruto. =)

We had an early night because she was a little jet-lagged. I slept with a smile on my face.

Changed my profile...

It once read "working as a no-lifer". I've changed that because I realise I do have a life, in fact, and even though I work 12hr weekdays - 60hrs a week, I have 2 full days off.

And compared to a housemate of mine, who works like 15-18 hours a day - and sometimes on weekends, I am very lucky indeed.

And I'm liking my job more and more...

And my gf's coming over.. what "no-lifer"... so loser... :D

Christmas Eve's Eve

I'm getting the festival mood.. the office was so lively and happy (even though its half empty) and everyone was having fun chit-chatting. By 12 noon, only a quarter of the office were left. I left early too!

Quickly did some grocery shopping because all shops and restaurants will be closed on the 25th and 26th. I don't want to starve, and seriously, when I mean all shops/restaurants are closed, its really a total shutdown.

And then my girlfriend is coming over!! HOORAY! thats possibly the happiest thing happening in my life right now. another day and a half.. comeon comeon comeon.. *wait eagerly in chair for time to pass faster*

i'm a happy man today :D

What did I do during the weekend?

1. Eat
2. Sleep
3. Watch serials
4. Play computer games
5. Stay indoors

Its just too cold to go out. And I'm too lazy.

Will update again. take care.

Speaking Mandarin part 2

I take back my words. I can't speak Mandarin.

Simple colloquial Mandarin is ok. not a problem. but when it comes to words like er.. risk management, capital protection, quantitative analysis, leverage, derivatives, securities, trading platform etc... WAH.

I take back my words... I should really brush up on my Mandarin...

Speaking Mandarin

I'm so glad I can speak a little Mandarin, no mattter how half-past-six (meaning sub-standard).

Thats because, in a week, a couple of senior executives from China are going to come down to visit our capabilities - and I've been invited to join some others in bringing them to dinner - just on the basis of being able to speak Mandarin. MUAHAHA.. I'm expecting very expensive Chinese food. MUAHAHHAAHAHA

I'm glad Lee Kwan Yew made us learn Chinese.

How was your weekend?

I usually get this question on Mondays. *bleah*.. monday is the most hated day of my week.

And I also don't know how to answer. I hate open ended questions. I've been cultivated, from young, when my parents ask me "How are you?" I'll always answer "I'm fine". I don't know how else to answer.

So when people ask me "How was your weekend?" I usually say "oh, its fine". haha. stupid hor?

Sometimes I try to add a bit of stuff in like "oh, it was great! I slept a lot!". and the other person would laugh. Very funny meh?

I also dunno how else I spend my weekend... mostly sleeping, lazing around, watching DVDs/CDs, eating, surfing internet etc...

And that brings me back to the "How're you?" greeting that pple (usually Americans, or so I found) like to use. Its not really a question like "How are you?" you know, its used more like "Good morning/afternoon" (depending on time of day) or like "Hey ya". I always found it weird when I hear people go like this:

"Hey how're you?"

"How're you? I'd like a soda with fries please."

Ah DUH? If I was greeted it'll probably be:

"Hey how're you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. I'd like a soda with fries please."

Ok, now, that might be viewed as being not very nice, because I didn't ask the other person "how're you". But at least I'm not ignoring the question right?? Right??

Sigh, pple, next time please use good morning/afternoon or something like that instead of asking "how're you" when you have no intention whatsoever about learning how's the person doing 'kay?

Bitch update

The bitch came to look for me today.

She came to me asking "Why is it the fees are charged this way, off the index value rather than the certificate value ...." and continued for another 30 seconds.

All the while she was speaking, I was nodding my head.

I attempted to explain to her...

But then she went on again.

And then I said, "You know, the way the fees were charged was not my decision, it was XX and XX" (the names of a few higher ups).

And guess what?



She said "Okie" and left! Just like that! Wow! Don't even need any explanations already!! My goodness. I know exactly how to handle that bitch already. :D

The only way to go is up...

I think I'm pretty optimistic.

After that severe screw-up, I tell myself that it can only get better from here. And its true, its getting better.

For one, the bitch doesn't bother me anymore. I guess thats cause the product has been launched and she (and I) don't give a damn about it anymore.

And then just last night my manager brought our team out for dinner. The food wasn't fantastic, but it was still an enjoyable evening. We took a cab from the office to the restaurant, and then we took cabs separately back home. I was considering taking the tube, actually, before he announced to us "go take a cab home. you can claim for it tomorrow". OK boss, whatever you say boss. =)

And then today one of the higher-ups called me into his office to talk to me. I was wondering if it was going to be a proper lecturing session, since he opened with the sentence "About the incident about a week ago, I hadn't really had a chance to talk to you about it..." Well, I was quite prepared for the worst actually, so it kinda surprised me that he actually told me that it is a misunderstanding and that I shouldn't take it personally. yeah whatever dude.. i've gotten over it.

yup, and so today the sky began to clear and the sun is shining through the dark clouds. I don't mean it literally, because as you know its winter and its actually getting darker, colder, and gloomier. I mean I feel lighter, like a load has been lifted off my chest (wah damn cliche la.. anybody can express the same thing just as well?)

i'm fine folks. don't worry about me.

Bitch

There's this bitch at work. No I don't mean the female dog if you're thinking that I'm trying to be funny.

She bloody picks on me all the time! ALL THE TIME!

Give me a break man! bloody bitch.

Screwed up big time

I screwed up at work, a couple of days ago.

Well, it wasn't entirely my fault - it was language and interpretation. When someone says "Three days after Monday". What do you think? Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday! How about "Three business days after Saturday". ok, thats Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday! Simple as ABC right?

WRONG.

I was told "Three business days after the start of the month". Right.. so starting on the 2nd, I counted three business days. so if the first was a Monday, it would be Thursday, and if the first was a Saturday, it would be Wednesday. Right?

What they actually wanted was "First THREE business days of the month". NABEH. If you dont see the different go and write out the days on a piece of paper. I think I explained it to a thousand people a thousand times.

And there's more. I was told "Invest two business days before Friday". wah this wan damn subtle man. Sounds easy right? Invest on wednesday lor! So I used the closing price on wednesday.

KNN...

They meant to "Invest for TWO whole business days before Friday". So that means I should have used the closing price on Tuesday.



This whole screw-up blew way out of proportion because a lot of higher-ups were involved. Even the external press was involved. Of course the higher-ups will lose face if suddenly there was a gaping hole because of one lowly underpaid worker.

There was a flurry of activity on that day. All but one of the higher-ups involved were not in the office, but everyone communicated by phone and the conclusion was that I screwed up.

I was really thinking.. what would it be like if I was fired not even 3 months into the job?

Luckily my boss was very supportive and understood exactly where the mistake was coming from and how anybody could have made it. But my direct supervisor, really a collegue, bloody turned his back on me! KNN... CCB... (pardon my language - its a code word so people who don't know me won't understand me).

Next time I must learn to cover my ass a little better. DAMN.

My new computer...

I haven't showed you guys my new computer yet right? Well, thats because I took many pictures of the assembly process - and because there were so many pictures, everytime I wanted to post it up, I got put off.

But finally, I've gathered enough energy and determination to post (most of) the pictures.


My new computer case. Chio?


Side view showing the window + fan.


This is my motherboard - DFI Lanparty NF4 Ultra. I know it probably won't make sense to the bulk of my blog readers, but i'm pretty proud of this board, as you might have guessed. The yellow and orange parts supposedly glow in UV light, but I didn't install any UV lights in my case.


This is the CPU, the component that costs the most. Its an AMD 64 X2 (dual core) 3800+. can't remember the exact specs but its FAST. "hayai" - in japanese..


So then, after placing the CPU onto the motherboard, spread a little thermal paste on it. Kinda fun spreading the stuff.. like making crepes..


After installation of the heatsink + fan. The whole heatsink is copper - which supposedly conducts heat much better.


My memory cards - Corsair XMS2. It is pretty decent, cause I can overclock it to 2.3.3.6 timings at 230 Mhz FSB (i.e, 460 MHz), 15% faster than what it was intended for (400Mhz).


The motherboard inside the case with my graphics card installed. The graphics card is a Powercolor ATI 700 board, with dual DVI out. Not spectacular, I like it cus it doesn't have fans.

So, I'm quite happy with my computer because I managed to overclock the CPU by another 15% (2Mhz to 2.3Mhz), without upping the voltage. So its a cool running dude - at peak processing the temperature only runs up to about 45 degrees... and otherwise its at 36 degrees. So damn amazing.

On the other hand, I spent almost 900 quid on it.. so it better be good. =)

The bestest free dinner in my life...

A couple of days ago, this company that my company is working with, or more like we were hiring their services... a small group of representatives came down to London. Of course they didn't just come down to London just to see us la, they had other business to do. But they invited us for dinner.

Wow. They brought us to this posh restaurant, those kind that I've only ever seen on TV and never ever stepped inside before. The place was quite big, the ceiling very high, the chairs heavy and comfy.

To start off, the waitress recommended a "white truffle martini". Ooh man, its not Martini at all, it tastes like pure vodka (what brand I cannot tell la) serverd in a Martini glass. With an empty stomach, I was starting to feel tipsy just after finishing like a third of the glass. But I had to finish it soon because everybody else finished their starting drink already - beer, what do you think?

After that they served a complimentary "broth". or soup. whatever, it was this pinkish creamy liquid served in a huge plate with a tiny depression in the middle about the diameter of a tennis ball. I managed to get three spoonfuls of that stuff. haha, tastes like prawn/lobster soup. no idea what it is.

After that the wine came. It was a light white wine, I think chardonnay. Oh, I wasn't drunk yet at that time. So still could manage some conversation with the hosts.

And then my starter came, hot foie gras. Eh, I never ever had foie gras before ok, I wasn't even sure how to pronounce it. luckily the guy next to me ordered it too, and quite loudly, so I just copied the way he said it. "foe-gra". i think thats how its pronounced. It was sooooooo sinful. It tastes much like duck fat, very soft, very tasty, and also with that oily, fatty texture of duck fat. and also with the sweetish roasted flavour of duck fat. Except of course its not duck fat. It was served together with a side salad. which was nice because otherwise the oil dripping from the sides would just overpower me...

While I was enjoying my duck fat taste-alike, the waiter asked if I'd like to switch wine from white to red after the starter. sure, I said. And after I had finished with the dish, I downed the glass of white wine.

That was a mistake.

Soon after, my main course arrived. I had ordered loin of venison (with a lot of other trailing words at the end I don't remember). The waiter said "Just to let you know, the venison is served medium rare." Cool, I had never had medium rare before, and if a posh restaurant only serves the venison medium rare, it had to be pretty confident that medium rare is very good. So I said "yup, sounds great!".

When my dish arrived, I wasn't disappointed. Though the loin seems pretty small, it was nice and thick and juicy and yummy. Marvelous. Totally awesome. Ahh, I'm getting hungry just thinking of it.

While I was having it, the world was spinning a bit. There were still people talking to me and joking together about stuff with me. I had to maintain appearances and so talked as best I could and laughed/ made comments as appropriately as I could, under the heavy influence of alcohol. But I don't know if you guys experienced it before.. you know you're drunk. you're high. but you have to act as though you're not drunk. you're suddenly so "self aware" - not sure if this is contradictory, since you're suppossedly drunk, but you feel as though the noise around you beginning to rise in volume, yet you can't make out what others are saying. you inspect others people's faces to see if they recognise that your eyes are beginning to "stone". ah well, thats what I did, while I was still happily enjoying my medium rare piece of venison - and having little sips of the red wine, which smells so good.

After the main course, I wanted to go to the toilet. The guy on the right of me left first. So I said to the guy on the left of me that I would go too. I stood up, slowly, while pushing the heavy chair out. Turned around and realised that I wouldn't be able to keep up any apperance at all the moment I let go of the chair that I was holding on to. I will definitely be walking tipsy turvy to the toilet. So then I sat down immediately and told that guy "maybe I'll go later."

haha, so paiseh, luckily he didn't notice (or at least I think he didn't notice).

Then they served another complimentary dessert, which was some caramel pumpkin mash in a shot glass that looks like a test-tube. was interesting la, but didn't really like it.

And then my dessert came. It was this nice chocolate cake that has chocolate fudge oozing out when you cut into it (the kind that they serve at bakerzinn), served with pistachio ice-cream. yummy.

and they just kept ordering bottles of this dessert wine. I don't know what its called la, but its a light sparkling white wine (not champagne) with very low alcoholic content and tastes so fruity its like grape juice, not wine. But its nice. mmmm...

And the best thing of all, I didn't have to pay a cent (or pence). =D

My birthday cake(s)

My lovely housemates bought these two cakes for me two days before my birthday. Small la, but its the thought that counts rite?

Ugly warts on my hand

I had ugly warts on my hand. There were two on my thumb, one on my last finger, and one on the back of my hand, near the middle finger. Its so ugly, and worse still, it can possibly spread to other parts of the body and to other people.




I wanted to do surgery/ liquid nitrogen treatment in Singapore, but the National Skin Center is so slow at processing appointments, by the time I saw the doc it was like a day before I had to leave. So he prescribed me Verrymal, a salicylic acid (with some other stuff) solution that you apply externally.

It wasn't fun I tell you. First, the solution dries up and becomes white in colour, just attracting further attention to the warts on your hand. Second, you need to peel the previous layer off before you apply the next layer - and sometimes its so difficult (and sometimes painful) to peel. Third, sometimes when you peel it off, you cause damage to the skin, resulting in bleeding and infection.

And because I've tried cutting the warts away - to no effect, since they always grow back, this time I had to make sure that it is gone before I stop the application of the solution. But how do I know when to stop? it isn't in the instructions.. so I continue application even after the wart is gone, even after there is no skin on the spot, and even after there is somewhat of a depression in that spot.

And finally, six weeks later, I've stopped applying the solution - and let my wounds heal.

Another six weeks later, this is the result.



The warts are gone (I hope), and all that's left is a little bit of dry skin that will hopefully drop off in a couple of days.

Nice posters in the National Library of Singapore

A poster in the National Library of Singapore.


Eh, wah lao. this is the library la.. please be considerate can?

Making of green tea ice-cream

Its finally a weekend (ah well, actually its friday night) so I have the chance to blog. And since I got my brand new computer, I don't really have any excuses not to post some pictures.

Back in Stanford, after I had graduated, I spent like 6 weeks there before I came back. Back then I didn't have much to do, so I was very much like a house-husband. And I experimented with making ice-cream.

L's flatmate had like one whole bagful of green tea powder, which can be used to make "pao pao cha", also known as "tapioca tea" in the US (yah i know, weird names). So anyway, I used that powder to make the green tea icecream. its very simple really, as these pictures will suggest.


First, mix the green tea powder with water. Next, whip it, while grinning happily


Place the whipped stuff into the freezer. Wait for 15 minutes. Take it out and whip it again. It should get thicker and thicker, like so...


Repeat the procedure of taking the green stuff out of the freezer, whipping it, and then putting it back into the freezer for 15 minutes, until it becomes like so..


The finished product.


Scoop out a spoonful of the green stuff and feed it to any willing party.

Time...

How time flies by.. Its been slightly more than 2 months since I started work. I've started adapting already, knowing more about what I'm supposed to know, what I'm supposed to do, and what I'm NOT supposed to do. I'm feeling more confident, getting more responsibilities, and getting to know more people around the office.

I've made mistakes. Not exactly major mistakes, but mistakes nonetheless. Mistakes that I shouldn't have made had I been more careful and meticulous. but then again, that isn't my trait. thankfully Manager didn't scold me. He just pointed his finger at me in the shape of a gun and "shot" me. haha. ah well...

i've settled into a routine, more or less. Leave the house at exactly 7.03, plus minus 3 minutes. Reach the tube in 10 minutes. The train will arrive in between 0-6 minutes. I'll arrive at work at 7.43, plus minus 5 minutes.

I'll leave my desk at around 7.30, plus minus 15 minutes. I'll then go to the gym and workout. Been trying to trim my tummy.. haha, problem la. the fat around there so stubborn, refuse to go away. see, girls have it easier, when they put on weight, it distributes throughout the body. when guys put on weight, it goes straight to the belly. haiz.

And then usually I'll catch the tube back at 8.40. For some reason though, the train was late today. by half an hour. damnit. waste my precious time. very very very precious you know, considering that I sleep at 11.. if I reach home at 9.30, I only have one and a half hour of personal time. do the doctors in singapore have it harder?

haiz. not that I'm complaining la, but when the train gets late by half an hour, it really pisses me off. it just rubs on me that i have so little time to spare.

and then in the blink of the eye (ah damn cliche siah) its been two months already. i am left without a shadow of a doubt (since I am at it) that a few years will pass by very quickly.

don't even have time for reflection.

The bloody tube

I waited almost an hour for the tube today. The announcement was "There are minor delays on the Circle, District, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan lines due to an earlier signalling failure at Paddington."

"minor delays" my foot.

Quote of the day

Mutton is what lamb becomes after their first birthday. Somehow we have a prejudice against old sheep but not old cows.

The tube.

what do you think when I say tube? Do u think of a long rubber hose? or plastic?

or do you think of the london underground (or metro, or MRT, or subway, depending on which city you're in)?

anyway, i actually mean the london underground. yup, the one that got bombed on july 7th. Why is it that terrorists like to plan things on these easy-to-remember dates? eh watch out, the next bomb will happen on 11-11. hmm.. why not 7-11? cus then 7-11 will get free publicity issit? or may 24-7. oh, but then in the US it'll become 7-24. haha.. haiz. I'm deteriorating...

back to the point. i just saw a couple kissing.. no smooching.. no, i believe the word is "snogging" (go check the dictionary), in plain sight while they were waiting for the train. and just yesterday I saw another couple snogging away too, inside the tube. and the day before that, I saw another couple, not just snogging, but the guy was groping and squeezing his girlfriend's butt. And they were standing like right in the center of the platform.

Now, who says londoners are terrified of taking the tube?

another interesting thing happened later in the tube. This young punk, dressed in drab casual clothing came up to me and flashed an identity card at me. Vaguely it looked like some London Underground kinda pass. He identified himself as a ticket inspector and wanted to check my pass. My initial thought was like, "what? really? he's joking right?".

but then after that, i saw standing behind him, acting nonchalant and as though he didn't know the punk, was a guy dressed in the Underground uniform. Oh, then it hit me, that punk is really a ticket inspector, trying to catch people red handed. macham like plain clothes policeman.

Now, what if bus inspectors also wore plain clothes?

Blady spam comments

I hate them. From now on, only registered members of blogger gets to leave comments. (not that I have many pple outside of blogger reading my blog la)

Relaxing weekend

My weekend wasn't exactly fruitful. I spent the whole saturday (10am to 10pm) playing Playstation 2. Damn waste time man.. i feel so guilty after that. But it was fun - and I didn't have any other plans...

So on sunday, I decided I was going to be more constructive. I went to the gym and used the:
- cycling machines
- running machines
- weights machines
- free weights
- floor mats
- swimming pool
- jacuzzi
- sauna
- shower
in that order. I know it seems as though I'm listing the facilities at the gym.. well, I'm not, I just wanted to make full use of the gym, and a lot of spare time. And I only get to use this particular gym on weekends, AND its not all that great hor.. For one, the pool is 17m long, and the jacuzzi can fit 3 max.

And then after that, I came back home and played playstion again, until 10pm when I decided I should go get some sleep.

Boring weekend, but relaxing nonetheless.

Now what did I do today?

1. Went in to office early, as usual. R, the no-lifer who had finished his masters, was in another country at the moment, so when I got into the office, only M, my manager, was there. I didn't greet him cus he was busy with his emails already.

2. I bought cereal and milk from the cafe and ate them while I figured out what I was supposed to do for the day.

3. Did a little bit of stuff here and there, nothing too urgent, nothing too serious, until I smelt something very nice coming from the table next to me. Turned and saw my neighbour eating Cornish Pasty. Ah! lunchtime! I decided to be nice and asked my collegues whether they wanted to grab some lunch. 'Sure!' they all said. So lalalala, we went down to a nearby market and bought pies for lunch. 6 pounds mind u... i won't have that everyday.

4. Went back to office, then did a bit more stuff here and there. Before I knew it, it was 7 and M actually left first! wow! unfortunately I was in the middle of something and decided to finish it first.

5. After I finished whatever I was doing, it was already 7.30. Then I went to the gym and ran. then I showered and came back home, hungry and tired.

6. My housemates mum is staying with us now. She cooked dinner and left some for me. I reached home at about 9 and ate like a pig. Caught a bit of soccer on TV - England 2, Poland 1. Nice goal, the last one.

7. Now I'm going to sleep like a pig.

Later folks!

More Pictures

This is what you see the moment you enter the front door. A dining table (which we seldom use), a clothes rack (that is perpetually used), and further down, XP's room. To the left of XP's door is the door to another room where my other housemates are living. and to the left of the picture (just behind the chairs) is the living room. my room is on the other side (behind you).



Two televisions and two playstation 2 in the living room. talk about overkill...



And this is my untidy bedside table. I don't use it for anything other than to put my wallet, hp, coins and keys... can't believe i spent like 30 quid on it. duh..

Pictures..

This is my untidy table. It's actually not too bad already. It'll get worse, I tell you.



My bed! I'm so proud of it, because its so beautiful and so nice. I bought a mattress from IKEA that costs 200 pounds (can you believe it?), bedspread that costs 11, duvet that costs 15, duvet/pillow cover set for 24, pillows for 12, another goose feather pillow for 9... the total cost of my bed comes up to about 270 pounds. Money well spent I believe, since I spend 7 hours a day in bed.

Oh, and the little cute bear, with a very un-imaginative name - "bear-bear"... I don't have to say who its from right?


These are my cufflinks I got from NEXT. Pretty cute huh?

I'll post more pictures soon. Take care!

Had another routine day in the office today. Nothing special to report, but just thought that it'll be nice to update this blog more frequently. maybe next time I can post pictures... but i'm currently too lazy right now.

Spent the whole day doing something really uninteresting. Nothing much to talk about. I think the most exciting thing that happened today was: I pee-ed in a urinal that wasn't draining well. You can picture it: white urinal, yellowish stream of liquid, collecting in the urinal, not draining, hear the stream of liquid splash into the collecting "puddle".. ahh... so interesting. =)

After work I went to the gym again. My third time there. Getting to like it. Its not crowded and people aren't that well-built. kinda less intimidating you know. Like when u go to those "fish-tank" kind of gyms, such as california fitness, everyone there like eat steriods or something.

I think I lost 500 calories. there was this calorie counter on the treadmill (I was going to say "running machine"), but the last time I checked was at 3 minutes - 120 calories.

And then I made up my loss by eating Burger King. =P

Ahhh... the internet...

Yes.. ooh yes..

I've got internet at home now. so right now i'm at home typing away on a laptop I borrowed from XP. i'm gonna buy a computer soon. as soon as i get the time to surf around for the bestest value for money option.

It took me some time to get used to the idea of the internet again. i forgot why i used so much time in the past. WHAT did I surf? hahaha..

Work has been kind to me so far. Getting to do more and more interesting stuff, and I get lots of freedom to do what I feel I need to do. Its great that my manager thinks I'm smart. ahhahaa.. he introduced me to a few people already, and he always adds in a comment like "he's got a very strong quantitative background". cool eh?

then today he asked me to look at some complicated stuff so that I can make sense of it and see if its correct. wow. loverley. but enough work stuff. i'm worried that revealing too much may reveal my identity, while not revealing enough stuff probably makes u guys wonder WHAT THE HELL AM I TALKING ABOUT?

So, on to a different topic. Today I finally got my gym membership. well, not exactly, cus though the gym membership starts on the 1st of the month, I won't get the receipt until the 15th. But apparently I can start using the gym.

And thus I'm proud to say, today I went to the gym! Finally. I'll definitely be going on a regular basis. pay money already dun go abit wasted right?

funny, why do I think that way even after learning "decision analysis" and "sunk cost theory". hahaha.. the human mind works in mysterious ways...

and today I was reading some tips for investment managers/traders. There was this one point I take offense with. It was something like "Good investment managers, like good gamblers playing poker, know when to identify a winning streak." WTF?

Anyone who did stats, or has enough common sense will know that each game has absolutely no effect on the next. It doesnt mean that after you've lost 12 times, the next game you'll have a higher chance of winning. N-O.

And while its not exactly the same with stocks/funds, the trends of funds are virtually impossible to predict.

that particular successful investment manager must have been a pretty lucky gambler...

i'm tired. i need sleep...

My first...

Payslip. Muahaha! ~Happy as a bird~ Damn shiok I tell you. I went down to the ATM on the day the money is supposed to come in. Then I checked my balance and couldn't wipe the grin off my face. Only thing is they bloody taxed me a damn lot extra. I'm gonna get my money back, I will...

Beer session with collegues. You know, I've always heard accounts from so many people that the culture in London is that people always go for drinks after work. Or during lunch. Or at any time. And I believed them, because everywhere I look, I see pubs, and a lot of people in ties and suits holding a pint of beer. But curiously, NOBODY in my team ever went for a beer. NOBODY ever asked, "Wanna grab a pint?".

So one fine day, at 7pm, after the Manager, M, has left, British Boy (BB) came over and started making some small talk. He was all ready to go, with his jacket on, and his bag slung over his shoulder. Then after 30 seconds, he asked, "Wanna grab a pint?"

*STRUCK LOTTERY* Finally! Someone has asked me out for a beer!

It was quite fun actually. We talked about all sorts of things, work-related and personal-life-related. And I found out that two of my collegues (out of 3) smokes. hmm..

Yup, thats it. My weekly update. =)

Quick Entry

This has gotta be quick because I only have left 15 mins on the clock.

I can't believe it, time passed so fast. I was just reading thru the few blogs I regularly visit, and then suddenly its been 45 mins.

Its so nice to read blogs of people you know, find out how they're doing and so on. I know, a call is probably better to keep in touch. its more personal and all that yeah. but i'm not the calls kinda guy. i dunno, somehow i don't pick up the phone and call a friend and start chatting. i know some guys do, but not me. so i'm thankful for blogs.

so any of you have started a blog let me know kay?

AKK got featured in Straits Times. I learnt about that from L. Wow.

Was expecting her to write about it excitedly in her blog, but nope, no mention. hmm..

Anyway, congrats!

***

Life for me has been pretty normal so far. (meaning: boring)

Weekdays pass in a flurry. Really fast. It feels like just yesterday, I was sitting her typing furiously at blogger.

I've really got to count my time. 12 hrs of work, 1 hr of travelling. 1 hr dinner, 30mins talk with gf. i need about 7 and a half hours of sleep, so that leaves me 1hr 30mins of spare time. NICE.

its no wonder time passes so fast.



so, chatting with my gf on a weekday, invariably I learn more about what happens to her than I tell her what happens to me. but what can happen to me? i go to work, greet whoever's there (usually only the manager and another no lifer-the one that's doing his masters), take off my jacket and drape it over the chair. log on to my computer, sit down, take out all the previous days files/paper (not a lot) onto the table and start looking for things to do.

in between, go toilet break, water break, coffee/tea/chocolate break. maybe about 2 times before lunch. lunch is simple... go out and buy a sandwich, a pastry or something. or there's a deli inside the building, in the same floor as I, just 2mins away. lunch usually costs 3 quid now...

bring lunch back to desk. sit down and repeat cycle of work-toiletbreak-waterbreak.

7.30 soon arrives. look up and see about half of the people gone. so I too get up, tell my manager that I'm going off and off I go.

There, 12 hrs of a day gone.

ah.. 1 min left to blog..

Love you guys!!

Finally...

Finally its a weekend. Finally I get a chance to use the internet. Finally, I'm updating my blog.

Its not that there isn't internet in the office. But its so open, I am even cautious to check my gmail, let alone type a blog entry. yes, there's supposed to be a one hour lunch break. but everybody buys lunch back to their desk to eat and continue doing their work.

and in case you didn't know, i start work before most establishments are open, and get off work after most establishments are closed (except restaurants, pubs and discos.. usually they open till quite late). so in that case, internet cafes are out.

and, i still don't have a computer, NOR internet, at my flat.

Finally, though, its a weekend, and I have some spare time to catch up on my blog. haha..

Work has been pretty ok for me I suppose. I am enjoying what I am doing right now - working with Excel and VBA. haha, its great that I like programming.

But just yesterday, I was suddenly, with 1 minute notice, asked to attend a presentation. Ok, I grabbed my jacket and went up with the rest of my team. I thought it was like a monthly update on the progress of the department. It started off like so, until 3 minutes into the presentation, the global head announced that my manager will take on the role of Head of something something, and will be reporting to him directly. I was like "huh?"

He's so young lor. I think he's only like 37 at MOST. he looks more like 33. and now he's one of the management team. wah damn power.

I knew there were implications, but i didn't really understood them yet.

After the presentation, the team went back to our desks. M had to settle some other tasks, so he wasn't around. Then the most senior guy on the team (who i think joined for 6 months), O, told us what might happen.

1. Since M is taking on a new role, he'll be moving out.
2. Somebody else will take his place
3. He will be new.
4. Therefore, nobody will be taking care of us.

WTF? I just joined lor. Worse still, he said something like we may not be doing what we originally signed up for.

Well, I guess its cool that I just joined anyway. Cus then I'm fresh and new and untainted, and can adapt easily to any new situations. hahaahaha. I'm just trying to be optimistic.

Anyway, M finally had a chance to talk to us and assured us that hey, nothing has changed. don't worry, i'll still be here. Now, go back and do your stuff.

OK BOSS.. *

* Just joing, I don't actually say that. Everybody calls everybody else by their first name. So you don't really know who's senior who's junior. hahaha.. I love that.

In singapore, I know a particular government agency (or is it a stat board) where everybody calls the chairman, "Chairman".

Eg. "Chairman says this", or "Yeah, Chairman is a..." or "Hi Chairman!". Wow, sounds to me exactly like Mao Zedong was running the agency.

-----------

And I recall a certain conversation I had with a group of Malaysians. I knew them thru XP.

A malaysian girl was saying that she had to force her sis to study, and would beat her if she doesn't follow her instructions.

I said that beating wouldn't help right? It'll just cause more conflict and hatred and weaken the relationship between the two.

Then she said, "We're from a Chinese family. Its OK".

hurh? then XP said, "Yeah, If I have children, I'll beat them to relieve stress. I'll store up the stress until they do something wrong, and then I'll beat the hell out of them!"

.......

parents, or would-be-parents, please do not do this at home.

Children, please call a helpline if you're abused in this manner.



I just went to argos and bought a shoe rack. you know what happens when you have 2 girls -> there will be at least 20 pairs of shoes.

ok, i need to get back home and do some big business. otherwise the entire internet cafe would be cleared out by my poison gas. =)

My First Days of Work

I don't know where to start. I think I'll continue from the previous post.

After that internet cafe session, I started seriously missing my darling. But then I didn't have a calling card, and calling her using my Pay-as-you-talk mobile phone is prohibitively expensive. Think in pounds a minute.

So I decided to SMS, which costs 24p, btw. That is about 75 Singapore cents. I sent about 4/5 SMS that day. Anyway, soon after, L called. =)

There isn't internet at my place. Probably take another month to set up. That's ok, because I still don't have a computer. And according to Human Resource, I can only buy the computer using my benefits package on 1st January. WTF.

On Wednesday, I still hadn't started work. So I walked around and bought more stuff. A laundry basket, a tumbler to place in the washroom, a towel, and other misc stuff. Still need to get lots of other stuff, like a wastepaper basket, and a nice firm bed. Yeah, the bed they provided is damn light and soft. Unbelievable I tell you... you'll never suspect a spring mattress could be so light, and so soft.

And xp, my housemate, told me of a nice deal. 99p to wash and iron a shirt. COOL!! Now I don't even need to iron my own shirts. Assuming i wear a shirt for 2 days, 5 pounds can last me 2 weeks! WAHAHAHA. I just dumped 6 shirts to that launderette.

I had to sleep early that day, because I had to report to work by 7.30 the following morning, and therefore had to wake at 5.45.

WOW.

I had never woken up so early in my life.

I'm exaggerating of course. Back in JC i used to wake up at that time. but thats out of point.

Anyway I reported to work, asked for my manager, M. He showed me to my desk, introduced me to a few people (most weren't there yet), and left me to my own devices. Well, basically he pointed to an empty desk and told me that the guy that sits there, B, is also pretty new, so he can show me around. Gee, thanks!

The rest of the day I spent familiarising myself with Lotus Notes, which is very similar to Outlook. But I hate it. I prefer my Thunderbird. Gimme my Thunderbird anytime!

Oh, and they use IE. WHY? Firefox is like a hundred times better.

Then after that I spent hours reading up on the various products they have developed. WOW. I have just an inkling as to how those products work.

Finally, as the hours passed, people started leaving. By 7.40pm, there were just 3 other people left in the team of 8. So I thought, since M and another person is apparently a "no-lifer" - according to a source, I might as well go too! So I went up to M and asked if I could go.

He said, "What? So early?"

.... Awkward Silence ...

Was he joking?

Finally, he said, "Ok, since you're new, I shall let you off."

*phew*

BTW, I should probably tell you, the offices are "super-open" concept. you know its like a school canteen with benches laid out? Yeah, each person is assigned a desk, arranged in rows. M sits right in the middle of the row - I guess so that he can manage/supervise better. haha.

I was initially told to take a seat at the desk at the corner. Which suited me just fine. But I was actually assigned a seat diagonally behind M. I didn't feel like moving, so I sat there for the whole of thursday. I moved eventually, for reasons that I shall say later... in the next paragraph... Because its so important.

At the previous desk I was using 2x17inch LCD screens. yeah baby!

But I moved because the new desk had 2x19 inch LCD screens! YEAAAAAH BABY!

On Friday, my second day of work, I was assigned a task. A "project" they said. Which I didn't really think was that challenging. But it was satisfying. Its basically creating an Excel spreadsheet and working MAGIC with it. hahaha.. I'm joking of course. It isn't magic. Its my superior programming. Yah right.

it was pretty fun. And I spent the whole day with it. I know, I'm probably wasting my time - but hey, there isn't anything else to do!

its a friday, so M left at 7-ish. The other no-lifer - because he was doing his Masters thesis in addition to his full-time work was of course still there. So eventually I left at 730. Yayy..

Except that I didn't finish the spreadsheet, so maybe.. maybe.. maybe I might get a slight chiding on Monday.

My housemates are all out, partying or something. Cause I came home late, I missed them. And I'm too lazy to call them, besides, its quite expensive.

do you know how expensive it is? my god, i forgot! i bought lunch on thursday. it was a jerk chicken pie, with mash potatoes and peas, and it costs SIX freekin pounds! and i bought it at a "market" somemore. Today I bought Kebab for Three freekin pounds. And I just had roast duck rice for FOUR freekin pounds.

Back to the story. My housemates weren't in, so I came out and had dinner, and walked a bit further down to an internet cafe so that I could update u with my life. See, so thoughtful? Even though I am so tired?

But then again, there isn't anything to do at home. the TV shows sucks. big time. Maybe we should get cable. Maybe I should get a computer.

Sigh. I miss my darling...

*Point to note: This entry was written in half an hour with minimal editing/ thought processing. I'm tired, my eyes ache, and I think I'm going home to rest. So don't complain about it being incoherent or has numerous spelling errors.