Finally Got Our New House Keys : )

Ahhhh, it's been awhile since I posted on this blog, more than 1 mth. Finally collected the keys to our new home on 30 Dec 2006. Had a little delay with getting HDB's approval for deferement of producing cert....

Had an interesting morning taking over the keys, inventory and checking for defects... An, we found a few to start with, but nothing too serious. It felt exciting to finally hold the door keys and open the doors to my own house. We waited about a year since the purchase.

Here's the view of the master bedroom, which overlooks the swimming pool. Good thing is, all our rooms, including the living room, have pool views. What I'm unsure of is, will it get very noisy with our proximity to the pool.... only time can tell. The unit looks sparse currently, lacking the furnishings and interior decoration. Did some cleaning up of the floor and cabinets today..... oooooo, was very tiring.... luckily it's not a very big unit, hehehehe.

Su brought her parents over today to take a look. I'll bring my parents over tomorrow as well. Time to pack my swimming gear, can go swimming tomolo lo.... hehehehe. Hope 2007 will be a great year.

Now Now Where's Our Unit ???

All right, it's not the one at the bottom. That's the one with a fenced up garden. It's the one above it. Yups, the second floor. I guess the finishing touches like painting is being done to the facade. Hope the neighbout on the first floor will do up their garden tastefully and not use it to dry clothes..... Looking out from the second floor, I can easily see their garden.

One good thing about staying on the second floor, I'll feel safe sitting on the cusions an dleaning against the window........ There's a protective awning to catch me if the window gives..... hehe hehehe.... choy choy....

The Pit, The Pavilion & The Pool Chairs

Right, that's me seated on one of those nice pool chairs : ) Weather was pretty good today, light drizzle. Hence no need for the brolly to be opened.



Okie dokie, this is the pavilion and the BBQ pit that's nearest to my unit. Size is about just nice for a small gathering of 10 people. That's dear sitting on the new chairs.

The Quintet 26 Nov 2006

Saw a full page advert in the papers yesterday, the T.O.P. launch of The Quintet. I guess only the bigger units and the penthouses are left for sale. Hehehe, decided to drop by to take some pictures.

Photo taking of the Interior Decor of the showflat is not allowed, so we took picts of the landscaping in the compound instead.

This is a view from the penthouse on the 18-19th floor. Heh heh heh, nope this not my unit, but the showroom. The 40 m pool can be seen, together with the play pool cum jacuzzi. There are 2 pavilions at the end, together with the BBQ pits. Did not manage to capture the children playground and the water feature near the front gate though, as well as the tennis and basketball court.

More features in the next few posts : )

View of Future House Nov 06

Here's the image taken just yesterday. It was raining in the night and we could not go into the compound yet. That's why we're out loitering in the front with 3 security guards looking at us from the inside........ We must look like some weird kukus to them....

There's a simple but nice water feature at the front gate. There's more inside actually, but like I said, we could not get in yet. Hoping to get the keys soon, mabbie in Dec : )

Hmm, cammie is still not stable, esp when using night mode for photo taking. I think my hands are strady enuff, a tripod might help I guess, image is slightly blurred.

View of Future House Sep 06

Dropped by my future house 2 mths back, here's the picture that I took in Sep. It's the rear view of the place, and the central block still has got some scaffolding on it. I think they are still doing up the finishing touches to the landscaping and planting. Playground's not in yet.

Heh heh heh heh, soon I'll be able to swim almost every night in the pool. Beats running as an exercise.

I forgot to bring my pass to office

Shucks..... if there is anything not to forget, that's it. I had to return all the way back home to get my pass and now I am stuck ay home, waiting for the morning peak hour traffic to subside before dragging my ass down to hail a cab to office : )

Simply can't so any work without it..... One day, we'll reach a point where everything we need is compressed into one device, or card.... money, pass, entry keys, car keys, data, bank book, GPS system etc etc..... maybe as a microchip embedded somewhere in the arm.....

Kinda reminds me of a prisoner, just that the cell got bigger to encompass the whole world......

Aliens will be luffing at us....... hahahaha, why are these sorry suckers tagging themselves... : )

My Special Angel - The Teenage Textbook Story

Found an old movie CD, The Teenage Textbook. Decided to watch it again, and be transported back to those teenage days of dreamy lovey dovey romance : ). The movie is so sweet, can't help but reminiscence about those JC days. There a a couple of nice songs in the movie, "Falling In Love", "My Special Angel", "When Things Seem So Wrong" & "No More Tears"

Like the lyrics for My Special Angel, used to fantasize who might this angel be and now I finally know who this song is meant for : )

Took for granted of those days
Thinking nothin' gonna happen in my way
Know I'm wrong and I regret
For the things I did and things I've said
Come back to my life once more
So my aching heart won't hurt no more

You're my special angel, show me the way
It's just that there is no one who can
Ever take your place
So bring me back the days before
There is so many things
You have to learn from us all

I questioned why you left that day
Didn't say goodbye and left your way
A wave is only what you gave
The image will never fade away
I memorized the things you've said
And I'll carry it on until I'm dead

You're my special angel
Show me the way
Those children needs your lovin'
In each and every way
All I want is only you
Take me now take me far away

Tears before my eyes
Hangin' on forever
Shattered dreams go broken
In all through their lives
Words you always said before
Tell me now that you'll leave no more

You're my special angel
Show me the way
It's just that there is no one who can
Ever take your place
Words you always said before
Tell me now, that you'll leave no more

Cause I know that you're the one
i'm waiting for...

Finally Found My Baby Photographs

Phew, after digging around for half a day in the stuffy store room, finally managed to find my baby photographs. It's all yellowish, but I think the scanning software should be able to do the corrections. Now to scan some of them in for the wedding montage.

Looking out from my window, the haze looks bad. My nose tells me the PSI is in excess of 100. The radio just reported 130. Time to don the mask or risk irritation.

My Short Term Wishlist

Hahaha, I'm on leave today.... Somehow Sundays feel different when you know you do not have to step into the office on Monday.... hehehehe. The topic for this post is a wishlist. Well, everyone has one, so I should not do without it too : )

Let's see, here's a list of things that I want and the reasons why I can't have it. Strangely, short term wish lists comprise of mainly or close to 100% non-essential things.

1) A Samsung ultra edition phone. The slim models. I think the slider model suits me.

Reason: Cost aside, my lame company has strict rules that camera phones are not allowed. Hence, no ultra slim phone for me........ sobz....

2) A Heroes of Might & Magic V PC Game.

Reason: I'm a Heros of Might & Magic fan, and I can't get my hands on a cheaper version of the 5th edition of the game..... dang............. The original version is just too ex, $75 bucks for a game..... yes yes yes I'm a cheapo......

3) A Tool Logic SLP Series Knife

Reason: I'm not sure why I need one of these cool niffy, multifunctional blades, but it's sure nice to have one : )

642 Days to End of BOND

Yups yups yups that's right, that's the number of days to go to the end of moi bond. That's about another 20 mths. The next time I take up something with a bond, I'll remind myself to think more than twice..... sheeesh... not that the present job or boss is very bad, but nothing beats having a choice.

Then again, that's the price to pay when one can't afford his education : ). For now, lemme fantasize what I'll do on the day that my bond ends.... hehehe....

Wedding Montage

I've just been tasked with finding all my photos and creating a wedding montage by Dec.... problem is.... I dunno where I kept the photos..... drats.... looks like I have to turn the storeroom inside out to find it. We were thinking if we should outsource the wedding montage, which will prob set us back like maybe $400-$500? That's money we could save... so I think I am doing it using powerpoint : )

Hope it turns out well.... my animation skills are fairly rusty. Used to play around with the Macromedia Flash software, but I think it'll be very time consuming to get it done. Powerpoint sounds less daunting, and I think the newer versions are more powerful in terms of animation functions.... shall find out soon.

Birds Love to Shit on the Move

Yups that's right, birds love to do that. Just had an experience at the kopitiam table this morning. It flew from it's perch on the roof, dive bombed the table like one of those Jap kamikaze pilots and off it went..... narrowly missed my cup of kopi...... The damage, a trial of watery looking stuff on the table, something that looked like 2 pieces of fruit seed on my bag and a small patch of shit.......

I wonder how it feels like to shit or pee on the move.... esp when you're in the air..... do you get a high or a rush.... too bad we have to stay put when doing our business..... it'll be fun to move around : ) Heh heh heh

My Dream Car

Ok.... I've got to face it.... after trying to convince myself for months that I dun have a need to have a car.... This babe still comes to mind now and then. Perhaps not now, perhaps just a little while later......

My Experience with 2 Blind Men

Here's something I never experienced before, one of those things that caught me off guard completely. Happened about a month back.

Knocked off work, alighted at Clementi MRT station. There was this pair of blind men who alighted as well. They were trying to make their way down the escalator to the bus stop. Since no one was helping them, I brought them down to the bus interchange and to the Bus 284 queue. It was empty initially. I offered to accompany them since they would not be able to see the number of the bus that is approaching the berth.

10 minutes later, a long queue had since formed and without warning, one of the blind guy nudged is way out of the queue. His blind partner followed along. Puzzled, I asked them where they were going to but did not get a reply.... afraid that they might get into an accident, I followed them out of the queue.

The next thing I knew, the first blind guy unzipped his pants and started peeing on the spot...... Gee... for that 5 seconds or so, I was quite stunned....... din know how to react. He relieved himself right in the middle of a bus interchange and at the queue. Feeling quite embarassed and still unable to stop him.... I just stood there waiting. Could feel the blood rushing to my face as everyone was looking at him and me.

Luckily, the bus came along and gave me a chance to divert the attention and get them on the bus. Pretty interesting experience though......

The Irritating Haze is Back

Arrrrggg..... I found out last Sat that I am allergic to PM10 (read Particulate Matter 10)..... yesh it's the smokey stuff you find in the haze. Gave me a runny nose for the whole day......

Good thing is, I've got a mask on standby, one in office and one at home, just in case the PSI goes beyond a hundred again.

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Work sucks..... I find myself dragging my feet to work these few weeks...... Not sure why. Not as energetic as I was 2 years ago. It's probably the load, makes me feel like butter spread over too much bread..... hahaha sounds familiar?? I stole that phrase from "Lord of the Rings".

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I'm getting fatter.... hope the coming RT (Remedial Training) in Nov and Dec will do me some good.....

What Have We Done So Far For Our Wedding Prep

Ah, it's been a while since I've update the blog. Been super busy with work and giving tuition. At least we've started the stone rolling for marriage prep next year :).

A tally of what's done
1) Identified ID company, scope of work work & signed contract with the company
2) Decided on wedding venue and signed contract with the Hotel
3) Settled the bridal package

Phew...... that's a cool couple of thousands paid up..... getting married is an expensive event in Singapore. To whoever is reading and is not yet married, remember to save early.

Now, we have to find a Justice of Peace, a photographer for the actual day and figure out the decorations at the ROM venue.

Bintan Tripz - ATV Rides

Ah, that's me & moi fiancee on the ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles). Commonly called quad bikes. Imagine riding a motorcycle, except it has 4 wheels, moves at a slower speed but can move across pretty rough terrain.

Rental rates are S$50 for an hour of guided tour. Looks steep, but trust me, it's worth every cent, especially if you are a first timer to this activity.

Our trip on the ATVs took us along the beach coastline of Bintan, then riding cross country through jungle tracks and fairly rugged terrain around the estate.

Heh heh heh, we almost bumped ourselves into a small river by accident.... phew.... luckily these ATVs travel at a fairly slow speed.

Do give these quads a try if you get a chance to.... unfortunately, I can't get one of these and ride them in the parks in Singapore..... it'll be FUN : )

Bintan Tripz - Massages

Heh heh heh, I'm back from my Bintan Tripz.... stayed in the same hotel / resort as the last trip, but tried many different activities. Tried one of the Asmara Spa packages the last time round, it cost a bomb.....

We gave the traditional Indonesian massage a try this time round, at Pasar Ole Ole. The place is called Kitamani I think, it's a massage palour cum eatery. Anyway, the whole of Ole Ole is super small, can't miss it. S$62 bought an executive package, about 70 minutes of full body massage and a nice cream hairwash. The female massuers were quite good, having sufficient strength.

First time having my very short hair creamed by some avacado mixture and steamed.... I thought they were doing to cook my head in the steamer.... There's even this hair tonic that they sprayed on my head... gee.. do I look like I need some hair regrowth??

For the ladies, I'll recommend that you tell the massuers to use less strength, else you might get a bruise......

Ok, the verdict:

Asmara Spa gets the thumbs up for the garden pavilion environment. Massages are average though. Mind you, the setting comes at a stiff price (S$143).

Pasar Ole Ole massage gets the thumbs up for being a great value for $$$ package(S$62). The massage room setting is acceptable and the massuers are great.

The Most Noble Part of a Building

A question just popped into my head........ "What is the most noble part of a building"... Yes, noble's the word. While this may seem like a perfectly boring question to others, for my friends who are civil engineers, it might provoke some thoughts.

If you ask me, the most noble part is well..... not the facade, not the architecture, not the interior design, not the superstructure........... It's none other than the foundation.........

Now, why is it noble??

1) It bears the whole weight of the building, its decor and its occupants

2) It is underground, buried by or surrounded by tonnes of earth, mud and shit

3) Because it is underground, it is not glamourous and it cannot be seen (some might argue that the glam part and the cannot be seen part is a chicken and egg question... but, you get my point..)

4) Because it is underground, not glam and cannot be seen, it is very very easily forgotten

5) It is the most fundamental building block

Now, ask yourself, if you were the foundation, are carrying a darn heavy weight, but have to be surrounded by lots of shit, earth and mud for your whole life, the weight is not doing anything except pushing you deeper into the shit, earth and mud, no one remembers or appreciates what you are doing........

If you'll ask me, I think the foundation deserves a couple of nobel prizes.....

Moi 2nd Anniversary at Work

Heh heh heh heh, I'm a 2 year old worker at moi current workplace..... 2 more years to go before my bond ends..... That's the price to pay when you're poor and when you sign 4 years of your life for a free tertiary education. But, beggers cannot be choosers or complainers : )

Perhaps it's time to decide if I want to stay in the current workplace for life..... or if I want a job change. I suspect that I'll choose the latter option..... After all, who wants to be tied to a single job for a lifetime...... can get quite boring......

Preparing for Our Wedding : )

Hmmm... just got a couple of dates for my wedding next year, now to get some quotations and visit a couple of hotels to find out which is THE place. Looks like will be busy running around these few weeks doing that.....

The tough part is..... it's pretty hard to do an apple for apple comparison between hotels..... Each has its own perks and menu..... and the guestlist... have not done any planning yet. Hope about 20 to 25 tables will do the trick : )

Dang... IPPT coming.... going to fail again, as usual.... then do 2 months of RT.........

The Opening Poem of Romance of The Three Kingdoms

On and on the Great River Rolls, Racing East.
Of Proud and Gallant Heros Its White Tops Leaves no Trace,
As Right and Wrong, Pride and Fall Turn All At Once Unreal.
Yet Ever the Green Hills Stay
To Blaze in the West Waning Day.

Fishers and Woodsmen Comb the River Isles.
White-Crowned, They've Seen Enough of Spring and Autumn Tide
To Make Good Company Over the Wine Jar
Where Many a Famed Event
Provides Their Merriment.

Yeah!!!! Got Moi Bonus : )

Finally!!! The bonus for tha last year is here...... Not anything spectacular, but enough for a good meal : )

Now to contemplate what to achieve for the coming 12 mths at work.....

Lethargic lethargic lethargic......

Feel super lethargic manz..... I think the only thing that can perk me up is moi bonus letter....... dang.....I thought it would be distributed out today..... looks like that hope is fading fast......

So it'll be tomorrow.....

Vietnamese Coffee

A good friend brought back some coffee from Vietnam today, and a distiller. The other interesting news he brought is, Vietnam's reputation for coffee seems to have surpassed the Brazilian beans.... I recalled this particular type of coffee called the Weasel. They made the animal eat coffee beans... or was it the berry.... let the beans ferment in the intestine and when it comes out as shit..... they harvest it.... The coffee has a nice taste, just forget the images of a shitting weasel.....

Now.... when will they surpass the Brazalian babes......

The Irony of Being a Civil Engineer

It's 6.35 pm in the office.... the air con has stopped... the air is stale and the lights will go off soon..... In the semi-stale air, interesting thoughts materialize in the mind..... perhaps due to a lack of oxygen........

Anyway, as a civil engineer. you'll build buildings for ppl. Lets say you were engaged to design and build this really cool and posh condo in an uptown district in the city. The irony of it is, even if you are the designer, chances are the paycheck you draw is so meagre, you probably can't afford to stay in the very building you designed......

Does working life suck?? Well, you bet...... it's a huge 10000 liter vacuum cleaner : )

The Starfish Story.... My View

So the answer is......

There are 1 million starfishes on the shore. If the stubborn starfish keeps coming back, how do you differentiate it from the rest??... Considering that they are all starfishes....... Chances are if it's lucky, then it'll be picked up again and thrown into the sea. If it's unlucky, then it'll make a nice dried specimen then....

DUH.....!!!!

Air Con in My Office is Kuku....

It's raining outside..... and I'm freezing moi ass off inside the office...... Silly thermostat's damaged.... colder in the front wing than the back wing......

My collegue floated an idea today that the front wing is colder becos all the bosses are seated at the front wing..... and being fat ppl, they need a lower temperature.....

The Starfish Story (Redux)

The Starfish Story

As the old man walked the beach at dawn, he noticed a boy ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea. Finally catching up with the boy, he asked why he was doing this.......

Sounds familiar ??? Of course it does, it's MOE's propaganda to attract more people to the teaching profession. Hehehehe, we all know the answer to the above, the boy tells the old man that if the starfish was left in the morning sun, it would die. The old man would then ask again, saying that there are millions of starfish, how can his (the boy's) effort make any difference....

Of course, the boy would then look at the starfish in his hand, throw it into the sea, and tell the old man "It makes a difference to this one"....... OKOK... Cut cut cut.....

Now for moi question.... what if the starfish that the boy threw into the sea, came back to the shore again, and again, and again.... Would it be fair to the other starfishes if the boy continued to focus all this efforts into throwing that particular starfish into the sea??

Answers, or rather, my views in the next post.

Dan Brown Books

Ah, finally finished the third of Dan Brown's books.... Have so far, read Da Vince Code, Angels & Demons and Digital Fortress. All are good books, but Angels & Demons is the best and he most tragic........

No wonder this guy got complained by others..... I can't really differentiate fact from fiction,considering they are all entwined together...... but then again, that's cos I dun have a good knowledge of the Vantican etc etc....

One thing is for sure.... if there are more movies based on his books, I'M WATCHING !!! : )

Moi First Post

Ah, finally got this blog set up and running.... nebber tried one of these before.... till a friend, a certain Ms IT recommended it. Why am I blogging ??? Cos I've nothing better to do at 12 am at night... heh heh.....

Monday blues never fails to set in on a Sunday night..... after working for about 2 years, it feels tiring to return to the workplace on a Monday morning.... Can't wait for the next 2 weeks to be over, then I'll have a nice rest over at Bintan for a couple of days. Nice place to rest and relax, just a little expensive since it's rather commercialized.

Looks like the Z monster is catching up on me, time to hit the sack.....