Random Convo (II)

Continuing from part I, another random burst of laughter amongst us

---------------------------------------------------------------

ML:"Bro, you wana get a Jack size bed?"

Sam:" Huh?"

ML:" You know, got King size, Queen size... then Jack size lah"

------------------------------------------------------------------------

ML: "You know why the govt budget deficit? Build so many ERP gantries everywhere, but haven't turn on, of course deficit!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------

And for all the geeks in us... Star wars fans or not...

Christmas

Christmas is still roughly a month away and the glittering lights are popping up all over the shopping malls in Singapore. There might be a recession going on right now, but the stalls are still going all out to woo consumers to spend during this festive season. What I truly miss though, is something far far away, on the other side of the globe: the Christmas Markets in UK... especially the one in Manchester!

To my horror and dismay, I don't actually have in my possession any proper photos of the markets to speak of. No talking moose head on top of the wooden shed selling mulled wine and eggnog. (They are very friendly too, offering free cinnamon cookies to accompany your beverages as you warm yourself up).

The best start to visiting the market has always been this drinks shed as you pick from various brews like Mulled Wine (yes I am biased towards this, I am an alchie, so what?!), Eggnog, Hot Chocolate with flavourings like hazelnut or almond, Irish Coffee, etc. etc. You then cosy up in a corner with your friends as you warm up from the freezing temperatures and take in the crowd, smells, lights and fantastic atmosphere. From your excellent vantage point you spot an opening in the snaking queue around the Bratwurst Stall commanding the centre of St. Albert's Square and slip right in to claim some of those huge German Sausages before proceeding to browse through the offerings of the other stalls.

The old stalwarts of Danish Cookies and Chocolate coated fruit on sticks aren't to be missed. However, you don't have to rush there either because they will be there for the rest of the month, ready to gratify your sinful cravings (a mid-day or after school snack perhaps? City is sssssssssoooooooo near to Northern Campus after all) so for now, you are satisfied with just strolling amongst the crowd and checking out the newcomers and their wares. Over the past 3 years there have been delightful additions like giant choux buns, the pungent garlic cheese (I think there was once Brian, Clarence and I all bought a wedge of this back home within a day of each other), paellas were the newcomers 2 years back and hugely popular.

I will gladly admit that I am guilty of frequenting the Christmas Markets in St. Albert's and St. Ann's square way too often. I've even managed to find pick out respectable Xmas gifts from the trinkets stalls more than once. Oh yes, I am definitely a sucker for them. Maybe the Markets cast some sort of enchantment on me with their gay spirits and sprinkled Christmas dust onto me. Yes I am rambling, I know. But honestly, Christmas in Singapore just pales in comparison.

Simple, but effective

Shanghai

The dice is thrown and the roll is set. With the decision made, the clarity that comes along with it is a blessing as I settle down to working for my mom full time. I expect that I will be traveling to Shanghai very often with the inception of this new project and look forward to exploring this city on the rare occasions where I will be free. The clash of the modern city and its rustic surroundings just a few hours drive away is amazing. You could almost imagine you were in Singapore if you remained in the city center. Almost.

Smooth Criminal

Decisions Decisions

I can't believe I am even having this conversation with myself (in my head of course, I am not THAT insane yet) as I mull over my choices yet again. This week saw the confirmation of SIA accepting to sponsor me for pilot training and I should be hearing from them soon when the medical board clears me. However, is this a wise choice? As I went through the first and second round interviews I couldn't help but notice I was the youngest candidate amongst the 60 others and even the interviewers brought this up more than once.

Right now, I am seriously considering working with my mom for a few years and assist her in expanding her business. Yes, it may be a turmoil in the financial world right now, but it is also prime opportunity to make one's own stake in the world.

The pros and cons of the 3 main options left to me now have been weighed and re-weighed again over in my mind. Come Shanghai, when I visit it with my Mom, will be the final factor in my decision making as I experience once again what is it like to be working for (not with, for) my Mom and if I can contribute positively to expanding her businesses.

How Often have You Felt Lost For Words?

"If words are to form a communication, you use them as a tool to communicate to people and it's pointless to intentionally use a word that no-one else knows."

Round 2, FIGHT!

2nd round of interviews for a position as a pilot in Singapore Airlines are on this Friday. Apprehensive as I am about it (believe me, I have heard tonnes of horror stories about the interviews from past applicants) I am still looking forward to it.

This Is Very Unlike Me

book-in-hand: desperately searching for a good book
mood: stressed
song: Zutons - Nightmare Part II

To be totally stumped over a decision and not able to sort things out mentally. This is probably one of the most important choices I have had to make in my life so far and yet I am sitting on the fence undecided. Am I scared? Not informed appropriately? I wish there was someone I could talk to about it, but then again that too is very unlike me.

This has to be settled soon, life can't go on in stasis like this.

Forever is Seriously Ill

My body sure does have a taste for flamboyance. Down with some sort of stomach virus and it has totally ravaged my body. Been puking and suffering from diarrhoea. No choice but to go on a liquid diet as I can't hold anything in and I am getting dehydrated.

Worse of all though, are the fever dreams... they all seem so vivid... and so weird.

The World Is A Happier Place

pictures and graphs courtesy of New Scientist

Notice how Singapore has very conspicuously not provided any data to participate in this survey? Either by omission or non-participation, we're in the 'grey' area along with other 'ulu' countries like... Greenland and most of Northern Africa. In fact, the whole of South East Asia has been left out!

Maybe politicians up in the higher echelons of the government service are just too busy lately with the happenings in the region.

Malaysia: Anwar getting sodomised.. err.. sorry, the official word is the other way around: a 60 year old man forced himself on a 23 year old youth in the prime of his life. This seedy old pervert has to be thrown back into jail quickly! BEFORE he has the chance to garner more defectors into his opposition party preferably.

Singapore: According to the rumour mill at www.mrbrown.com the current BMT is all set to undergo a revolution to curb the worrying trend of low birth rates in Singapore. All able bodied young Singaporeans are to do their part for the nation in Basic Mating Training. Don't worry about rising living standards and record breaking inflation rates. The government needs more citizens to suck money from! The government realises that Singaporeans are worried about the ever increasing number of foreigners on our little island, but don't worry as they are just a temporary measure to suck on before the expected baby boom. Which will definitely come by the way, because Singaporeans are always so good in listening to instructions. 真听话！

Alright, hopefully all of those smoke screens thrown at the National Day Rally about how Lee Inc. is really giving back to Singaporeans by installing more ERP gantries and taking more money from them in these times of rising prices is for their own good worked. We need to forget that Temasek Holdings made a PROFIT of 13 BILLION dollars this year using funds provided by normal Singaporeans. Oh, if possible, please forget how the last general elections witnessed the largest showing of support for the opposition parties ever and our Prime Minister lost 1/3 of the votes in his own constituency to a young upstart female politician who no one has ever heard of.

Thailand: More riots. More invocations from the public for the King to step in and take charge of the government. In fact, I think if Thailand doesn't have its usual coup de'tat once in a while, the country might actually be even more unhappy!

With so much to handle, no wonder governments in SEA didn't have time to bother with such triffling surveys. Who cares how happy the people are? Pfft.



----------------
Now playing: Eagles - Hotel California
via FoxyTunes

Goblin Shark

This is one shark I definitely hope I don't bump into when I go diving. It's kind of cute how the Japanese have named it after their mystical creature the Tengu because of its long nose. Anyway, keep those retractable jaws away!

Sam Png is a crybaby

There are certain things that I just can't handle too well. Things like the passing of a family member. Somehow mentioning them brings back memories of my grandparents and my eyes tend to mist up without fail at these situations.

Am I getting soft and letting my guard down again? Not now Sam... always onwards, always better, always stronger. Stay strong.

August Babies

*takes a deep deep breath*

Happy birthday shout outs to Rui Bao, Wan Xin, Mingwei, Aaron Lam, Mr Tan! Whew, imagine singing happy birthday to everyone all together.

Colin's Dead

The tragic story of Colin the stranded baby humpback whale has come to an end with its sad and inevitable death. Repeated attempts to get it adopted by passing pods have failed and as it got weaker by the day, breaking hearts as it tried to suckle on whale-sized yachts, chances of its survival waned. A whale whisperer was even brought in to ease its pain and comfort it. This really was a sad story.

To Glide Effortlessly

photos courtesy of Ong's amazing underwater camera.

Recent Convert

The recent diving trip was a revelation to say the least. Snorkelling and diving are just incomparable. You get to stay underwater only as long as your breath allows when snorkelling and most marine life avoid you when you dive under. Probably because you're making such a din and look like a menacing predator advancing on them.

The disparity in amount of marine life you come into contact with when diving is just amazing. As you glide along effortlessly underwater, it is like you have entered an alternate world and the fishes treat you as part of it. Was motionless as I watched a giant jellyfish float eerily by and then couldn't help but smile as a parrotfish kept nibbling on my fins. There was a shark circling a school of large bumphead fish while its cousin the stingray and blue-spotted ray skirted along the sea bed. Clown fish families amongst the sea anemone swan about in distress as the dive instructor fanned at their stringy homes. Not forgetting the yellow polka dot box fish, fearsome looking moray eel and large barracuda, shy sea turtle and multitude of colourful corals on the sea bed.

Divers Away!!!!

Really excited about the diving trip to Tioman I am leaving for tonight. Will we get to see turtles chomping on jellyfish?

Hungry Ghost Festival

Ah Gong, Ah Ma, Zhong Tai is finally back from the U.K. after completing his studies. I've brought my certificate today and you can look at it later when I burn it together with your money. I know it's in English, but I've written your names in Chinese on the back of it so that you know it's meant for you. Ah Gong knows our surname "Png" in English and you can see it on the front.

Thank you for watching over me the past 3 years. I'm sorry for being away from home so often the previous 8 years and didn't spend much time with you in your final years. Please forgive my failure to serve you and repay the kindness and love you gave in bringing me up as a child. I'm back, Zhong Tai is home. Job hunting has been alright, but I haven't accepted any offers yet because I want to try my hand at applying to be a pilot. You know how much I like planes, even as a young boy back in Lor. Ah Soo.

Take care Ah Gong, Ah Ma. We all miss you.


Translated from Hokkien thus the awkward structuring at times. I can just imagine my Grandpa sighing and asking why does a Teochew boy speak Hokkien and Cantonese but not his mother dialect? :P

Lucky

They don't know how long it takes
Waiting for a love like this
Every time we say goodbye
I wish we had one more kiss
I'll wait for you I promise you, I will

And so I'm sailing, through the sea
To an island where we'll meet
You'll hear the music, feel the air
I'll put a flower in your hair

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend...
Lucky to be coming home again.

This Tree-Shrew Could Outdrink All of You

From BBC:

This little mammal is apparently the most alchie one amongst us all primates. Enjoying its beer every evening, it consumes enough alcohol to put 36% of the human population to shame under the table.

So, this lucky little critter sleeps the whole day and then spends his waking hours in perpetual stupor as he goes drinking from fruit to fruit like how we go on pub crawls and suffers no ill effects for it! How lucky.

"Humans may even preserve a relic of the shrews' love of alcohol that has lasted through millions of years of evolution."

So that's why I like beer too eh?

Childhood Memories

Can you pick out which one used to your favourite or favouriteS?

Last Day In Manchester

Fittingly, my last dinner in Manchester was in the cosy setting of Room Manchester Restaurant. I've come to really like the friendly service and good, but affordable food served here. Maybe friends have even come to associate the place with me!

My last day in Manchester was surprisingly beautiful. The sun was out the whole day and the temperature pleasantly cool. To top it all off, we saw this rainbow from our table side window during dinner. You can barely see it... but it is there.

I don't mean to be melodramatic, but it is as if Manchester was saying goodbye to me and reminding me that there is always something good and beautiful in life. Just pay a little more attention and put in a bit more effort, it will all be worth while when you do see that rainbow that was there all along, waiting for you to discover it.

Goodbye Manchester. Fare you well. Thank you for the memories.


----------------
Now playing: 似曾相识 - David Tao
via FoxyTunes

Sashimi!

Sashimi!, originally uploaded by Png83.

Teochew Porridge

Teochew Porridge, originally uploaded by Png83.

Over The Seas

book-in-hand: searching
mood: boxed up

3 years all packed into 4 boxes. That is 3 years of me drifting over the seas now. Life kind of takes on a weird perspective when it can all be packed neatly into small boxes. If I wanted to, I could throw all those 4 boxes away and start anew again in Singapore.

24 hours to lift off.

Sunny came home to her favourite room
Sunny sat down in the kitchen
She opened a book and a box of tools
Sunny came home with a mission



----------------
Now playing: Shawn Colvin - Sunny Came Home
via FoxyTunes

Graduation

With the end of this phase of my life, of course pictures have to be taken to commemorate graduating. Really glad to be done and am looking forward to starting on my career. More photos are on facebook and flickr and it was a beautiful day with smiles all around.