Tuesday, October 09, 2012

Had a really good weekend










Had a really great one, spending quality time with people who mattered :)

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Started my Saturday usual at the street soccer court. Great work out but haven't been able to find my form in recent weeks. Hmm. Think I need a cooler head and greater stamina, haha.

After a refreshing shower, I convinced my parents to walk to the nearby neighbourhood shops for lunch and grocery shopping. I also purchased an affordable utility plastic-framed spectacles for exercising, sports, and maybe for the odd change of accessory. The afternoon was a great time spent with them as we chatted about everything from cheap 佛手瓜 and how cockles should be cooked, to reminiscing the gorgeous food at Ipoh (just realised the topics all revolve around food o_O). Whilst on our way back, it started to pour cats and dogs and we laughed at our helpless selves, as my parents did their best to shuffle their feet 50m to the nearest shelter. Later, I attempted to frighten my mom by hiding behind a corner but ended up outwitted by her! Haha so funny. :)

Got woken up groggily at about 6.20pm, urged by mom to head out for dinner. This time, my brother joined us to the nearby zi char place my mom recommends. The food much exceeded expectations, the fried sambal tapioca leaves was tasty, curry fish head yummy, japanese marinated ribs mouth-watering and fried french beans with small shrimps fragrant. Many other patrons ordered san lou hor fun and fried rice that kept our eyes busy. Definitely heading back there again! Took a slow stroll home and told my mom it's being a long time since we did so, reminded me of when we were younger and we would walk back to old abode from Simei using that darned winding overhead bridge...

Saturdays are never complete without glueing our eyes to the football matches at night! Went over to Busy Roy's and joined by my girlfriend and Huiwen, we gathered in the cosy living room, savouring Busy Roy's new attempt at 'longan beer' but which probably turned out to taste more like dark brew, but still a thumbs up! Keep the concoctions going bro! Arsenal came back from behind to win 3-1 with West Ham, good win against a tricky opponent.

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For Sunday lunch I brought my dad and siblings to The Vines at Novena, was just here last week with NZ peeps and the food was so good and affordable I think my family would love it! Besides, the restaurant is closing end of the month (due to some lease ending/en-bloc thingy) and if not now, then when? I love the ribeye steak I had last week, the meat is imported from NZ and done exactly medium rare, the way I requested, not any bit under or over done. This time, my dad feasted on the prime rib, my sis tenderloin steak and my bro the humble fish and chips, and we shared half dozen of escargot in tasty olive oil and oxtail stew which was done to perfection. AWEEESOME they were, happily satisfied and full we were, we decided we should return soon to try the other 101 items in their menu!

Sent my sis to Serangoon for her violin lessons and I hurried down to Tampines East CC for blood donation. I was the last donor for the day (they said I don't get a prize for being the last). Hastily filled in the form and proceeded to have my left arm poked. For a moment I was worried I'll suffer from blood pressure loss and faint due to the heavy meal I just had (recall: medical examination after heavy buffet lunch) but henggggg ah this time the process went smooth.

Rushed home to shower and all before heading out to MBS for dress-up date with girlfriend! We're going to AVENUE Q! :D

Grabbed dinner at MBS food court (wah piang has to be the most extravagant hawker food in Singapore) before heading into the Grand Theatre, excited and looking forward to an entertaining musical! We got prime seats and were just metres away from the stage!

The set was lovely, reminscent of a recognisable NYC street and subway entrance. The show started on a high with 'The Avenue Q Theme' and catchy tune 'It Sucks To Be Me'. The singers actually matched their puppets' movements and the lyrics with appropriately exaggerated facial expressions and bodily stances, brilliant! Some parts were funny and I admit there were a few which I think subtitles would have helped haha. Love 'Everyone's A Little Bit Racist' and 'Special' by Lucy (the slut), the latter mesmerizing the audience with her powerful and raspy vocals! My other favourites are 'Purpose', 'For Now' and 'The Money Song'. There was a part in the latter during which the singers dashed down and engaged with the audience, haha entertaining! Overall, I'd say I enjoyed the musical for the songs and acting, but the story was abit too BGR for my liking haha.



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Monday blues kicked in late Sunday but glad Monday went by well.... having audit the rest of the week, hope it goes all well! *fingers crossed.

Monday, October 01, 2012

Key takeaways

Had the privilege to attend a really inspiring talk this afternoon, by a very confident, assuring and far-sighted individual who delivered his speech simple, well-paced and in a calming manner. His ideas were straightforward, easy to remember and apply and most importantly, they were impactful and inspirational. Many were awed and bought over by his calm and steady delivery, his key messages seemed to ingrain in our hearts instantaneously. With a clear vision and bright future envisioned, I sincerely hope this will forge a stronger team striving towards greater achievements because "only with a crisis do we learn - there is no better way to create a better opportunity".

And my key takeaways:

The 3 levels of sure-ness:

Be Sure - for self
Ensure - for the organization
Assure - for customers and public perception

How to achieve our goals:
  • Service
  • Unity
  • Responsibility
  • Excellence
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Random pic:

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Thursday, September 20, 2012

A short September getaway

After numerous times of coming home to finish up the leftovers and rice left till cold...

Received a whatsapp from my mom one fine evening:



























That was it!

I decided I owed my family some quality time.

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And off we headed!!



To cooling weather, fresh oxygen and welcoming fragrance of tea and scones.


To be continued....


Friday, September 07, 2012

I was browsing through my photos and I realised it's less than 2 months since I returned from the land of beautiful scenery and endless discoveries.

I miss sitting in a car and gazing into picturesque views like these, I would wind down and lean out of the window, the chilly winter winds drowning my screams of sheer emancipation.


Yeah I know my posts been very emo and keep bringing up about New Zealand yada yada, but it is really THAT supercalifragilisticexpealidocious-ly awesome.

Monday, September 03, 2012

My weekend (Sep 1-2)

A worry-free weekend is so cherished because you do things you love and which makes you happy, carefree and yearning for another one just like it.

Started my Saturday late but on a good note because mom made delicious chicken porridge with fried beehoon. Flipped the papers and managed to squeeze in a power snooze on the cool marble tiles of the dining area (yes, I love lying on the floor) before departing for Maju Camp for a yearly affair - half of Singaporean men's feared IPPT.

This year, I had delayed my training due to the NZ trip, and it wasn't as strict a maintenance regime as previous years as due to frequent coming home late, I couldn't quite find the time to run twice weekly. To add on, I wasn't cutting down on my diet. Surprisingly, I found that I recovered my fitness quickly but despite that, I still entered Maju Camp with a stomach-ful of butterflies. It happens everytime, equivalent to stepping into an exam hall. Sheesh, I hate this feeling.

4 static stations cleared with quite the ease but the final 2.4km run was my Archilles' heel. 6 rounds in the multi-storey carpark but on my 3rd I started to get bored and unmotivated, haha. But I pushed on and distracted myself by thinking about anything that flashed into my mind. Soon I was in my final lap and came in a good time to qualify for a Silver! Happy :D

Went over to my girlfriend's and rested my exerted body watching footy and Ip Man 2.

I set my alarm to 9.25am for Sunday, planned to wake up early, get a Singaporean breakfast like wanton noodles with kopi but lazybones me decided to snooze and only woke up 3 hours later :( ahhhh kinda disappointed to have wasted the good hours away, but I hope to be able to accomplish that next week. Had lunch outside with mom and bro and went to 3 different supermarkets to grab groceries - YES, Prime, then NTUC. Haha, mom knows best where to get what kind of ingredients because the freshness, price and variety differs.

Had a great family dinner then gathered at the couch with girlfriend, Jx and his girlfriend to watch Arsenal beat Liverpool at Anfield 2-0. Both sides played well but it was Arsenal's two big signings, Podolski and Carzorla whose deft touches and decisive shooting that made the difference.

It's now 1.42am with work beckoning in no more than 7 hours but I'm still not eager to go to bed, wanting the weekend to last a bit longer, any minute helps. The weekend has been brilliant and I hope to extend it but the reality is a 5 day work week and only 2 days off. Though I must count my blessings mine is not a 5.5 work week and this weekend has been peaceful (thanks thanks thanks!), humans are innately greedy and never contented, aren't we?

Looking forward to my next (short) trip, Cameron Highlands two weeks later. 9-hours drive is gonna be a bore and torture but I hope to be able to cherish every moment of it, it's a rare opportunity to spend real quality time with my parents and girlfriend.

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How do you know you're not liking what you do? When you have to drag your feet to go to work. Have a great week ahead, people.

Cheers.

What is my superpower?

The ability to get kids to warm up to me very easily.  I think I can make them stop crying too!