Monday, January 30, 2006

Day 2...

Today is day 2 of Chinese New Year and i am at home with the google box accompanying me for the night. Expected la, you guys may say since my last post said about me slacking at home to watch the sky.

BUT! The "staying at home to watch the sky" plan didn't materialise. In fact, i only reach home at around 5 plus today and managed to take a nap and watch some tv shows before doing some blogging. Been sleeping very little lately. Let see, i think i only slept for around 14 hours since Chinese New Year eve. Why? Read on. (Note: This is a long post. Please prepare some snacks and drinks and make yourself very comfortable.)

The first day of CNY, we had steamboat for lunch. Oh my, one word, excellent. I especially like the sotong balls with cheese in it. Wow! After lunch, we popped by my father's side first aunt's house to 拜年. It was kind of great to catch up with relatives and renew the bonds cause it is not as if you get to see them everyday. I am also amazed at how time spare no one. You just can't believe how that cousin you saw just last year has aged quite a lot and how kids grow nowadays. One year ago, they are just little kids and now, they look so different. Oh well...

I was quite happy this year as being the last in line among the cousins, the focus would always be on me. Not that i am complaining but it do get kind of sianz year after year. This year, i am saved by my nephew and niece. Woopi! For the first CNY, i wasn't the fcous of attention. All my cousins' attention shifted to my nephew and niece. I am so happy to get away from the limelight and i would not do anything to return back to the limelight.

After my father's side, only my mum and i went over to my mother's second sister-in-law house to 拜年. Being Chinese, we(yes, if you are a Chinese, you are included)have a weak spot for a vice. That vice is none other than gambling. I shall not elaborate here as i am sure you have your fair share of it. Don't tell me you are not tempted to open your hongbaos when you see your cousins playing Blackjack or manjong. That is pure bullshit. But let keep it to the minimum ya? I don't wish to enter any centre that specialise in helping people get rid of gambling addictions and neither do i want to see you there.

I remember i slept at 3 plus in the morning on 初一 and woke up 6 hours laters. Crap. CNY is a period to catch up on some sleep yet i had the shortest duration of sleep ever since the start of 2006. Nevermind, shall compensate tonight. For today, i went over to my mum fourth sister house for lunch. That lunch is the most expensive meal i ever had in my life. Some dishes include

1) Sea cucumber
2) A big fish(From the conversation over lunch, i gathered the fish cost some hundred bucks)
3) Abalone
4) Chicken

and some other stuff. Oh my goodness!

My sixth aunt(my mum youngest sister. My mum is 5th among 6 sisters) joined us for lunch with her family. Um, she has 2 sons and 1 daughter. Compared to other cousins, my siblings are more close to them because of the small age gap. Note i didn't use "I" in the previous sentence as they are around the same age as my siblings, not me. The age gap between me and my siblings range from 11 to 17 years. So ya, got the picture? Oh, another side note is that the oldest cousin we have is now a grandfather. It is a very complicated affair in my mother's side family. Let not talk about it.

As i was saying, they joined us for lunch. Other than the daughter, my sixth aunt's sons are married and each have a child. Oh, you should really meet them. They are young, successful in their career and have a family. But the most important thing is that they each have a very(x100) beautiful wife. My goodness. I can't describe their beauty as i don't have the words. They are simply too beautiful to describe. If only i can take a picture with them...

Anyway this bring me to another point is that i can't help but feel the similarities they have with my brother. The 3 of them are into their prime age, have a beautiful wife(my sister-in-law is also very(x100) beautiful ya?), have a kid, have a car, a stable job and even their sense of dressing is the same. I don't is it them or what but the similarites are too big to be missed. Oh no, if my mum realise all these similarities, the pressure will be on me to match up to them. Shit.

Oh, before i forget, i watched a movie on 初一 . Yes i know i contradict myself again. But hey, i am watching 霍元甲. The ticket price is definitely worth it. Oh, did i tell you that is the first movie i watched in the year of the dog as i watched it at 1.05am? So it kind of means that there isn't a big crowd and i am glad that i kickstart the new year doing one of my favourite activities and i am further glad that the movie is one of the best this year.



As i said before, i am not a movie reviewer. So just my two cents' worth. The movie is excellent not because Jet Li acts very well, the actions in the movie are great(it was kindly of bloody and cruel if you ask me) but rather the spirits it is trying to bring across. The spirit of pride and the spirit of 武术.

When we talk about the spirit of 武术, who would on first thought think that 武术 is for 强身建体 and not for fighting? Martial arts, no matter which country it originated from, is a very mystical thing. It is viewed as a short-cut way to some people to gain power and fame. If you can fight well and be undefeated, you will sure gain the fame and respect and in some way, power. Who dares to challenge you? However, you definitely do not have the spirit of 武术. When a person practising martial arts and have the spirit of 武术 in him, he do not view martial arts as a way to gain fame or power. He view it as a way to help people to live healthier and when engaged in combat, he treat the opponent with respect and not with a 'you must die' attitude. He lead his life with dignity and will not do anything to give the name 武术 a bad name. 霍元甲 is respected throughout the centuries because he lead his life in line with the true spirit of 武术.

About the spirit of pride, it is something that we Chinese should not forget. Look at how China was insulted in the late 1800s and early 1900s. China is so big, yet no one can stand up to face the 八国联军 . Furthermore, the foreign nations were so 横行霸道 and the way they insulted the Chinese, can you imagine the insult to the pride? I can't, cause it is too great to be imagined. Just when all hopes was lost, the foreign nations went one step further by challenging the Chinese to a martial arts contest. They know the Chinese martial arts are great but being too diverse and with the different schools at loggerheads with each other, they know they could win this easily and deal that one big blow. But 霍元甲 stood up to the challenge and show why Chinese martial arts is so great. He not only return the blow meant for the Chinese but salvage back some pride for the Chinese. The movie is trying to say that every country has its own national pride and when it is being insulted, the people should unite together and stand up to defend its national pride. If a country has no national pride, how do you expect other countries to respect it and its citizens?

In short, this is a wonderful movie and i strongly advise all to see it. A fitting end for Jet Li. Um, but if he don't do action movies anymore, he do what huh?

Rating: 4.5/5

That concludes my first two days of the year of the dog. Am resting a sore throat after consuming so much New Year's goodies. But whenever i think of my two 表嫂 and my sister-in-law, WOW!

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Chinese New Year

Today is Chinese New Year Eve, a day where every Chinese will return home from anywhere, everywhere to have reunion dinner. Before i continue, i want to wish everyone Happy Chinese New Year! 恭喜发财，万事如意，心想事成，年年有余！

Last year reunion dinner was a special one as my family usher in the new year with 2 new members. One is my brother-in-law and the other is my sister-in-law. This year, it is also another special one as my family welcome another 2 new members. No need to say i am sure you guys know that they are my nephew and niece respectively.

What!? What do you mean you don't know? Where were you all this while? Go 面壁思过! Wait, on second thought, since today is CNY eve, let us all be nice. So no need 面壁思过，just a treat at any restuarant will do. Hee.

On a serious note, while everyone is busy preparing for CNY, i... i have no feelings at all. Serious! I mean, the only thing i look forward this CNY is the reunion dinner. After that, the following 3 days to me is just like a public holiday break, just that it is longer. Maybe it is because my mum has not planned for us to go anywhere 拜年 or maybe she is going for a trip on 初三 or maybe my siblings has other plans liao but whatever the reason is, i just don't feel the mood. My plan for the next three days is slack at home, literally. Looking at the sky is the top choice now, unless someone can provide me with another better alternative.

Ar! I know! I could catch a movie! But! I am feeling a bit tight now, especially after paying for the Thailand trip and watching a movie on a public holiday is...
1) Expensive
2) You have to squeeze with the crowd
so i decided to drop the idea.

Oh, one more thing is that this CNY, i have a first time. This year, i am giving out hongbaos! Nope, i didn't get married secretly in some ulu island or whatsoever. But, being an uncle to 2 cute little babies... so 1 packet for my niece and 1 for my nephew. Also, as i am working-i know temporary, but still working right?-1 packet for my mum too. Sort of repaying my debt of gratitude ba.

I think i should just stop typing and plan for the next three days. If only my trip can be brought forward and be like Cruz...

Friday, January 27, 2006

The DAY things happened

Just back from an interview at Bugis for a temporary customer service job. You know, those that you call in and asking them for assistance in a you know way or you call in to ask about some stuff. Yes, i am interviewing to be the voice over at the other end and hope to be of great help to you. Will only know the result after CNY. So... wait lor.

Today lots of stuff happened. (Note: Might be a long post, prepare some snacks and a cup of hot drink.)

This morning was just another typical day' morning. Wake up, blah blah blah and go downstairs to wait for my transport. However, maybe the driver overslept, maybe he thought today was off, maybe he had a quarrel with his wife, maybe his bus broke down, maybe...

No matter what the reason is, my transport did not come.

After calling people who are getting on the transport in the earlier stops and waiting from 天黑到天亮, we conclude that the transport did not come. So what to do? Take cab lor than claim from company.

The main point that strikes me is not the fact that the transport did not come. It is that fact that we humans always take things for granted. It is only when you lost the things than you start to cherish them. Every morning when i arrive at the waiting point, i always expect the transport to arrive. I never thought about the day where it did not arrive. In short, i have take it for granted that it would always arrive. But today is the day where it tells me that the transport is a privilege and not something to take for granted. I should really appreciate the transport for bringing me to the company everyday, although it reach the company at 7am, which is like so early. But hey, early is better than late right?

When the transport never come today, it sort of break my routine. Not that i am complaining but i miss the chance to take a short nap on the bus and of course, missing the precious little time to see CNA Primetime Morning show, which means, i didn't get to see Suzanne Jung. Oh well, as i said, today is the day where a lot of things happened.

But from this incident, i am starting to wonder about routine. Many working people have developed a routine i believe. They wake up, blah blah blah, they go out of the house to catch the bus/MRT train, which always happened to arrive at the exact same time everyday, they reach company, they work, they knock off, they catch the bus/MRT which always happened to arrive at the exact same time everyday and they reach home. See, the main point i am driving across is that people have built their routine around something and if that something goes wrong, their routine goes haywire. Yes, that something is the transport we take everyday, be it public's or company's transport. When the company's transport never come or come late, it only affect a small group of people. HOWEVER, when the public's transport never come or come late, imagine the number of people affected. Than imagine the number of companies affected. Than imagine the amount of losses suffered. Wow. Bet you didn't know how a little thing could have such a big effect, right? So i believe that is why people in the public's transport industry take their jobs seriously. Because a little error on their part would snowballed to a big effect on the country. So let us salute them.

*Salute*

Okay, from this morning little incident, i learn some stuffs.
1) Singapore has LOTS of private buses.(On the way to work, i saw at least 20 to 30 buses. While waiting for the cab, i saw at least 20 too.)
2) Appreciate things around you, and i mean every thing.
3) Be thankful that Singapore public's transport is very efficient. Without them, i can't imagine what it would be like.
4) Realise that a lot of things in life are inter-linked. When you play your part, you can see the benefits of your effort.

Point 2 is something really very important. But it will take time to achieve it. Let strive together to achieve it, okay? I know you will say okay de. :)

Oh a side note, while waiting for the cab, a old indian guy in his 50s i guess walk over to our group, tap a co-worker from China on the shoulder and said, "China and India very good!"

Siao ar?

Than he proceed to say the same things to other people and while crossing the road, make a sign which i presume to be a friendly sign to a motorcyclist and clap high 5 with another Indian before disappearing behind the HDB flats.

As i said, today a lot of things happened. How often do you come across a mad man?

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Photos

I got an addiction and i am pretty sure i am not going to kick it.

I hereby announce that i am addicted to blogging.

So does that mean anything? Nope. Just to make an announcement. Haha

Before i continue, refering to the post on Jan 17th, i decided to turn down that promoter job. No particular reason.

Anyway, my niece came over today. Been some time since i last saw my niece and i miss her. She is getting prettier and maybe a little naughtier. In any case, my niece and nephew has made peace and are getting along fine, i presume.

Remember that time i was considering whether to use flickr for hosting my pictures? After some consideration, i decided to... use it. Haha. It is rather good and quite easy to use. Anyway, as my post's title suggest, here are some pictures that took a bit of luck to take. Enjoy!


This is my mum with her grandchildren. Isn't this a sweet picture? Haha.


My nephew Zhi Chao and niece Si En. Aren't they cute? Everyone say with me, "So cute!"


Look out! The future Miss Singapore!


I want food!

Will post more next time. Haha. Can't really take their pictures as they are soooo hyper-active. Did i tell you that they are also very menacing too?

Woohoo! Tomorrow is my pay day. But after paying for my Thailand trip, some debts and my guitar course, i am left with...

$100++!!!

Oh no, how am i suppose to survive on this for next month? Hmmm, let see, bread for one month, walk to MRT station everytime i go out, buy less things...

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Happenings

Just back from a dinner at Surf and Turf at Suntec City with Kang Wei, Wei Chuan and Wei Jie.(Just realised that all three of them had "Wei" in their name. Haha). Our initial plan was to give Ee May-who was woking there-a surprise visit. However, what we didn't know is that she knock off at 6pm and we arrive there at 8pm after our LAN session. Oh what luck. Since we are there, we might as well settle our dinner there. However, Surf and Turf is not your normal food centre. Which means, the prices are rather nice and there is this service charge thing. So we were like thinking should we? Oh heck! At most wash plates lor...

According to Ee May, they have a promotion which states that if you order dishes which is a combination of steak/chicken and seafood, you get 40% off. Woopi! I ordered steak(medium-rare) with salmon. It was quite nice and rather yummy. To let you guys in a secret, this is the first time i have to decide how my steak should be. When i was young, i don't need to worry whether my steak is well-done or medium or whatever. But today, i have to make that decision. I was thinking of medium but the words medium-rare came out. But it was a good choice. Kang Wei and Wei Jie want their steaks to be medium and after trying out, i think i will stick with medium rare. Maybe i should try rare or well-done next time. Hmmm...

Enough about my dinner. My stomach is now working over-time to settle that steak and salmon. Oh no! The amount of fats and carbohydrates i consume today... Next time if you ever see me, do not do not comment about my figure or you risk having your body floating down Singapore River...

Yesterday, i went to attend the 心情溶剂 8th National Chinese Song Writing Competition 2006 at D'Marquee at Downtown East. The guest-of-honour was Mr Chan Soo Sen, Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Education. The guest performer was Yida 黄义达.



Um, it was a nice show and really, you can't help but be impressed by the performers. 10 songs were sung and each have different 曲风。Some of them are okay but there at least 4 which i felt could just be published straight away. I am no reviewer so i can't really express in words about yesterday's show. But my feelings is that i have just attended a wonderful concert and it is heart-warming to see so many musical talents in Singapore. The atmosphere was great, the sound system was better than some concert held not too long ago and really, it was a wonderful night and i am glad to be there and not anywhere else. The songs... although the singers may not be as good as those professionals but they have this 感动度 which you could feel that they are really putting their heart into the song.

One interesting thing to note was that 2 songs was written under exams stress. The composers shared that their song was composed during the exams period which they feel very stressed and turned to song composing to relax. Wah! Win le lor... exams period still can compose song. 有天份就是有天份。Another thing was that one female contestant won three awards, including being 2nd out of the top 10 finalists, making her the biggest winner. The main point is not the number of awards she won but her name She is called 王乐温. I was reminded of 2 other music composers who are quite famous among the music scene. Both have the same name and it is called 张乐声. It seems like talented music composers have the word 乐 in their name. Maybe i should change my name too.

Hi, 大家好! 我叫卓乐凯!

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Photos

I have to admit my blog has more words than pictures. So i suck at entertaining you guys visually. Sorry lah!

Although i am very grateful to imageshack for hosting my pictures, i am not entirely happy with its service. Been reading some blogs and most of them swear by Flickr for hosting their pictures. Maybe it is time for me to try it out. Hmmm...

Hear this from my mum. An old granny is so sick of offering offerings to the Gods for Chinese New Year that she used rubber offerings(rubber chickens, rubber peaches etc) so she can re-use it every year. Now i wonder how will the Gods feel after eating that rubber chicken...

Money Money

I was just lying around on my bed thinking about some stuffs when the following thought flashed through.

This year is 2006. 2 years later, i will be out of NS and should be moving on to a university. However, calculations show that i have around 5 months of break after NS and before Uni. So maybe i should take this opportunity to go for a private tozan and a trip to China for the Olympics. Which means i need around $3500 to $4000 for the trip. Furthermore, 2009 is another important year and so i am going tozan again. Which means another $2500 to $3000. Than, if i am not wrong, there will be another important event in 2010 and it means another tozan trip. Plus if i made it to Uni, i promised myself to pay one year of school fees and lessened my mum's burden. Adding up all the money, i need at least $22000.

!!!

Oh my goodness! How many i supposed to save up this ridiculous amount of money? Maybe i can:

1) Get a super rich girlfriend and try to 捞 as much money as possible from her folks.
2) Plan a super detailed robbery plan like the one in Ocean's Eleven.
3) Sell part of my organs in the black market.
4) Set up a charity organisation and learn from Mr Durai on how to have a "peanuts" salary.

I prefer to use the 1st way. So right now, to all rich girls out there, i am free, single and available. I don't care what shape and size you come in, but as long as you are rich and need a boyfriend, feel free to flood my inbox!

Friday, January 20, 2006

Funeral

An SMS i received from Pei Ling.

Your dressing at work machiam fight SARS war.
(Edited as i forgot the original)

Now that she said it, i agree. After so many days at work, i have got used to it that i didn't realise anything. But for the sake of the general public, i am not complaining. I mean what if one day i have to have an injection and the needle come from BD? Worse still, it comes from the many that i check everyday? So better not complain and check carefully.

Talking about needles, i face the worst task at work today. Previously, when we check the needles, the defects are rather obvious to the naked eye. Now, the batch of needles we are checking now have defects that are not very obvious but still can be detected if you look carefully. So we have to check v-e-r-y closely and i tell you, it is damn tiring. To add to the misery, there are 25, 000 needles in each bag. Everyone say with me, "What!?"

Anyway, this post is not about my job. Enough about it. This is weekend and let just forget about it. Today i attended a funeral. The funny part is, i don't know the deceased.

"Than what you doing there?"

I was there to accompany my mum la. I don't know what come over me today but normally, i would reject going to any funerals or weddings as i feel that they are her friends, not mine. However, when she ask me to go today, i just go. Maybe it is because

1) She don't know the way.
2) She need help in taking LRT(my mum is rather afraid of it as she feel unsafe riding in a driverless vehicle).
3) The deceased is her kampong neighbour and connected to her eldest sister, who is my da-yi and who i feel very indebted to.

So being the always nice and filial son, i brought my mum safely to her destination. It is only when we reached that i found out that the deceased is the mother of my da-yi daughter's husband. Complicated? Just take it that my mum is attending a friend's funeral. We saw some relatives there and you know, they would just sit around to do some catching up.

I was going to type things about my feelings on funerals but i don't know why words seems to be failling me recently. Maybe next time ba.

Oh, tomorrow i will be attending 心情溶剂 8th National Chinese Song Writing Competition 2006. This is the same competition which Kelly Poon won an award and i also believe it is the one that helps to launch Kaira 龚诗嘉 career. After all, she said she was discovered in a competition.

Excited

I am so excited over this that i must post it now. I found someone who likes Suzanne Jung too! Haha. He is none other than Kei! Haha.

A short note about Kei is that he is the owner of Kellyfornia, a website dedicated specially to Project SuperStar runner-up Kelly Poon. He is currently serving NS and will ORD on 10th April. The link to his blog is on the left. :)

Thursday, January 19, 2006

About the job...

Although i said i hate waking up at 5.30am everyday to go to work, i have gradually get used to it. Come on, after 18 days, who would not? My determination to find another job weaken as time is running out. I will be reporting for NS on 7th April and that means the new company can only have me for 10 weeks, provided that i can find a new job within three days, pass the interview with flying colous and report for work next monday. But, which company would want to employ a person who can only work for 2 months? Haiz.

Besides, the current job provide free transport, the supervisors are good, my colleagues are damn funny and i have time to go anywhere after work and i am always early for my Taiko duty and weekly friday chanting session.

Talking about my colleagues, i have 8 of them. But we are divided into 2 camps. Inevitable mah. Anyway, i was close to one camp(A) and all of them are guys and waiting for "O" Level results. The other camp(B) consist of 2 guys 2 girls, also waiting for results.

As i was saying, i was close to A. They are okay la, typical teenagers lor. However, what is so special about them is that during lunchtime, the main topic of discussion is... porn. No you did not read wrongly. Yes, porn as in pornographic. Don't ask me but everytime they always manage to link it to porn. Luckily, the content are still okay although everytime we would end up laughing like lunatics. Now i am thinking whether am i okay as i would miss lunchtime during work. Hmmm...

Oh, because my transport would reach the factory at a nice timing of 7am, i always have 30 minutes to spare before work. Wanted to take a nap but 30 minutes? So no choice lor, stone in the canteen and look like some corpse. The other alternative is to catch up on current affairs by watching CNA which is always shown on the canteen's tv. I used to treat CNA as a "backup" channel, ie, i only watch it when i am damn bored. However recently i love one of its programme, Primetime Morning, which is shown from 6.30am to 9.30am. Now the content don't interest me but rather, the news presenter attract me attention. Want to know who is so attractive to attract me?

She is none other than... Suzanne Jung. I know nuts about her, seriously. But she is so beautiful that really, i can't find anyone in this whole wide world that can match her beauty, other than Lin Chiling. No kidding! Her beauty is really beyond words. So... to find out how beautiful she is, tune in to CNA every weekday morning and you are sure to catch her on air. Now to let me indulge in my fantasies...

That should be all, i think. Will post interesting details about the job next time, if there is.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Dilemma

I once mentioned before i want to change jobs. Hmmm, i got a job offer now and the job only last from 10th Feb to 16th Feb. It is a promoter job promoting a brand of fragrance. Working hours is retail hours, which means start work at either 9am or 10am. Pay is very attractive. I did not hear properly but it is at least 6 per hour, plus commission. And on 17th, if nothing happened, i should be jetting off to Thailand and will be back on the 20th.

Now, all may seems okay BUT, i do not know whether i should quit my current job or take 8 days leave. See, if i quit my job, i will be a 无业游民 after the assignment. However, taking 8 days leave don't look very nice too. Dilemma. Big one.

On a brighter note, today Lee Teng is again first in the professional ranking for Superhost! Woohoo! Now to just squeeze in one more SMS vote...

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Crowds

I only realised today that we really have 4 million people on this island.

While buying some simple storage items from IKEA, i got a huge shock. I have never seen so many people gathered at one place before. Serious. It is not as if IKEA is having a BIG sale or what but imagine hardly having any space to walk and risk your foot being knocked head-on with trolleys that are full of stuffs. Luckily i was agile enough to navigate through the store safely and avoiding some near injuries to my precious foot.

*smile proudly*

I quickly travel to the corner where all the storage items are displayed, get what i want and...
guess what, i queued a total of 10 minutes at the check-out counter, despite the fact that there are 18 check-out counters.

I told myself one thing. NEVER step into IKEA on a sunday, NEVER.
This is possibly one resolution that i will keep throughout my life. Haha

But the story do not end here. I don't know whether it is because it is a sunday or the rain has kept people indoors too long but for the first time, i saw the coffeeshops and the market in my area so full of people that again, one could hardly walk. I have never experience this before, not even on a sunday. I remember there are 2 stalls in the market selling sliced fish bee hoon. Guess what, one of them have already closed while the other one has to turn customers away and the time is only 6 plus ya? Imagine the amount of people when the one that has to turn customers away is the one that isn't so nice in terms of food quality. I bet the boss must have been very happy as on a normal day, at 8 plus, there are still quite a reasonable amount of fish left...

Actually, there are a lot of things i wanted to write for this entry, but somehow words fail me this time and i shall conclude here. Besides, i have to wake up 5.30am tomorrow. *Yawns*

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Lazy

I think i mentioned before that i will be doing two movie reviews, namely Schindler's List and Chronicles of Narnia. I decided not to do it le... out of pure laziness.

Anyway, my short comments on the movies...

Schindler's List is something that comes along once in a while. Schindler's List is in a league of its own and hardly any movie can join it, save for some like King Kong. Some who barely make it to the league include Se7en and 12 monkeys(surprisingly, they both are released in 1995). They show the people what is called a real movie and what distinguish them from mindless love and action flicks that have been flooding the cinemas. These movies can withstand the test of time and people generations later will still talk about them and had nothing but praises for them. Do catch it if you can. But do be prepared.

About Chronicles of Narnia, well, everyone knows that the only thing that sells other than sex is fantasy. I remember my GP lessons with my GP tutor and we were discussing about fantasy and why it sells. One reason i could recall is that it provide an escape from reality. Reality is cruel and everyone knows that. So we like any thing that can bring us out of it, even though it may be temporary. That is why over the years, we saw a lot of fantasy movies. Stars Wars, Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia is the latest in line. The above mentioned movies are those that really captures the imagination of people and bring them to another level beyond any imagination. This is what makes them so largely successful.

Chronicles of Narnia is a purely kiddish fantasy. I mean, there are no big twists here and there. The plot is straightforward and fairly easy to understand. However, i am quite disturbed when my friend told me beneath this simple plot lies a deep Christian meaning. I prefer not to know it and indulge myself in the fantasy that the movie has to offer. Sometimes, ignorance is a bliss. Haha

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Rain Rain

Rain rain and more rain. It is not the first time that Singapore experience all-day rain... but, as Jia Hui and Pei Fen said over the air just now while changing shift, it is as if December had little rain because the Rain God decided to keep all his rain and pour it over Singapore in one shot over these few days. Furthermore, the weather station said that Rain God enlisted his best friend, Wind God, to release more wind onto Singapore so there will be more rain. Cool.

Not that i am complaining but... instead of taking this EXCELLENT opportunity to laze around at home and sleep like there is no tomorrow, i am at WORK! Sianz half. I mean, everytime i look at the rain, how i wish i could fly out of my workplace and onto my bed, cover up well and just sleep. Haiz, the good old days of holidays...minus the extra lessons and homework. I want sleep!!!

But given a choice, i would rather sit down in LT5 of my alma mater and listen to any lecture. Seriously, after enjoying ultimate freedom for a little more than 7 weeks, i do miss school. Students may say i am mad and they would love to exchange their position with me but... hey, grab any working adults in the street and i bet they will say they rather return to school. Work is not that glamourous as it seems.

I will always remember the rush for lessons, the calculations we take so we will arrive one minute before the teacher's usual arrival time in class. Not forgetting trying out new stuffs and the inevitable crush for the opposite sex. Arh, the growing years and the good old days of school...

Anyway, had this interesting conversation with my elder sis. My mum, she, my nephew and niece and brother and sis-in-law was doing some shopping at IMM. While walking around, we pass by this indoor playground for kids. My elder sis was saying, "When Zhi Chao(nephew) and Si En(niece) are bigger, you will bring them here and watch over them while me and your sis-in-law do our shopping, okay?"

Wah, thanks huh!

Anyway, since it is still raining, i better grab this chance to catch some beauty sleep...

Monday, January 09, 2006

Changing jobs...

I seriously need to change job. Really. It is not that this current job is bad... BUT, waking up at 5 plus in the morning seriously isn't something that i enjoy. Even though it has been around one week le, i still have not adapt myself to sleep early. I still sleep at 12 plus and wake up at 5 plus, which translate to around 4 hours plus of sleep everyday... and that sux! I love sleep, and nowadays is the perfect weather to sleep through one whole day, especially when it has been raining these few days. Without sleep, i risk sleeping on the job, which is a big no-no and i seems to lose myself. Today, i was walking through my neighbourhood shops and normally i would take my time to walk around. However, today, i just rush to the shops, get the things mum wants and buzz home. I feel so sianz... so lifeless... haiz.

Furthermore, the job is damn sianz. No kidding! Checking needles is easy and there is no need to think or do any physical activities but... it makes me feel very dull and there is no challenge at all. I feel like a walking corpse. Report to work, do work, eat during lunch time, continue doing work and go home. I want to break this cycle and get some challenge. I am one who like to meet new challenges and not just do the same thing again and again and again...

I am going to find other jobs and it must be one that don't need me to wake up at 5 plus in the morning. Haiz.

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Hmmm... was reading through my god-brother blog's archives when i chanced across this test. So i tried it out and...


You are Form 9, Vampire: The Undying.

"And The Vampire was all that remained on the blood drowned creation. She attempted to regrow life from the dead. But as she was about to give the breath of life, she was consumed in the flame of The Phoenix and the cycle began again."

Some examples of the Vampire Form are Hades (Greek) and Isis (Egyptian).
The Vampire is associated with the concept of death, the number 9, and the element of fire.
Her sign is the eclipsed moon.

As a member of Form 9, you are a very realistic individual. You may be a little idealistic, but you are very grounded and down to earth. You realize that not everything lasts, but you savor every minute of the good times. While you may sometimes find yourself lonely, you have strong ties with people that will never be broken. Vampires are the best friends to have because they are sensible.


Which Mythological Form Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Die...

I am looking for the instant way to die other than jumping off from a building. I suggested Taiwan 101 but Wei Xing said Petronas Towers at KL better. Nearer mah. But so far, taking sleeping pills seems to be another great alternative as i will die sleeping, my favourite.

Today, i make a BIG mess of myself at the 谁抢走我的麦克风 competition. Miserable, terrible, flop, rubbish, a total loser... please add to the list ya? I have prepared a speech... but... some of the contestants in front of me was so great... so excellent... my mind went blank... totally blank. One was so great that Cruz said that if he ever be a DJ, he would be a threat. Haiz.

Thank goodness no much people were there. Special thanks go out to Wei Xing for your wonderful support. I deeply appreciate it and really, you made me special today. Thanks so much! Oh, accept it la. I really arrived in Jurong East 2 minutes earlier than you. Haha

Right now i should be nursing my wound. I don't know when i will climb up and challenge myself again.

Friday, January 06, 2006

Stress...

Okay, i reached another milestone today. Finished checking 25000 needles today - with some help from my collegues - which bring the grand total to 43000. But, i received another bag today and the quantity is 18000.... haiz.

Okey, let me elaborate a bit on my job. The first 18000 needles i checked are for loose shields. This is where i suffer lots of injuries. You know, before the doc give you an injection, they will take the needle out from something? That something is called a shield. The next 25000 needles are to check for cracks in the shield. The worst i came across was a shield that was... totally disfigured. The next 18000 needles are to be checked for white spots. I don't know how to say but, ya, check for white spots. Oh, i just found out that among my collegues, i have one of the lowest efficiency. Sobz sobz sobz. I mean, in terms of speed, i lost to a female collegue. Now i am so damn fucked up stress.

ENOUGH about jobs. Today, while buying dinner, i got a new realisation. In this world, you must be the best in whatever you do or else you will be kicked out. Why i say this is because while waiting for my order to be processed, i overheard a customer talking to the aunty who is selling drinks. He asked for a can of root beer which is of the brand Mug, but aunty only has A&W root beer float. So he asked for Sprite, but aunty only has Sprite Ice, which he stressed he don't want. Than he asked for a Pokka Green Tea. But aunty only has Heaven and Earth Green Tea. Sianz half, he went away. This tells me that there are all kinds of customers. If you can't be the best, you will in a way lose some customers. Imagine one day lose 5 customers, 1 week 35 customers and one month... wow... imagine the money you lost...

Went out for dinner with Kiat Gu, Wei Jie and Wei Yang yesterday. The dinner was a sudden decision as my original plan was to go to Bugis Street to buy clothes for the competition tomorrow. But end up i went to PC for evening gongyo and in the end, went for dinner with them. We talked a lot, mostly guys stuff. (Note: Guys stuff). Can't tell you the content but one interesting topic was on army. Remember some time ago, three robbers took a boat to escape from Malaysia after a robbery and ended up in Pulau Tekong? My first reaction was, STUPID! If they are not caught, that IS a miracle. I guess they know nuts about Singapore as most Singaporeans would know Tekong is where we train boys to become men. My goodness! Of SO many islands Singapore have - 64, including the BIG mainland - you guys choose Tekong!? Haiz.

Anyway, Kiat Gu was having his BMT at Tekong when the incident happened. (Note: He has completed his traning on rifles, which means, EVERYONE on the island can fire a gun.) He told us how they combed the island and found the three robbers. But, the team responsible for locating the exact location of the robbers was a elite force of the army. Nahz, not the Commandos or the Guards. The name of the team was... i can't spell it out here cause i do not know the spelling. But heard that their training was more hellish than Commandos and they are people who have no family. They are in short loners. Heard they are also Vietnameses who may have originated from Vietcong. Will try to find out more. Interesting.

Aargh!!! Tomorrow is the day! Tomorrow is the 谁抢走我的麦克风 competition! Right now, i have not prepared my self-introduction speech and performance! Die! Um, let see, what shall i say? I don't want to lose this chance of fulfilling my dream of being a part-time Y.E.S 933FM DJ, but right now, my mind is... BLANK!!! Shit.

Oh, from Cruz blog, the following extract was taken.

P/S:
We'’ll be having a DJ Hunt 谁抢走我的麦克风 at Junction 8 from 10am tomorrow. Last heard on our morning show…

志勇：如果你很想当933DJ，你一定到来喔！呃！我是评审之一。

振荣：你一定要自己的风格，不要学志勇。

灵芝：志勇wannabes, 请注意。

振荣：你学他, 他一定把你踢出局。

灵芝：对。一山不可藏两个志勇。

志勇：我没有话说。

I love this line a lot!

灵芝：对。一山不可藏两个志勇。

I guess i should stop typing and go and prepare my speech le.

Hi, 我叫卓溢凯。今年18岁...

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Um... i reach a milestone yesterday. Nahz, not in life but at work.

I finished checking 18,000 needles yesterday! Woopi! But not without some wounds here and there. All will be fine... i guess. Anyway, the happiness was short-lived. Today, i got to check 25,000 needles. -.-"

Oh, i just realised one BIG flaw in my blog. If you are reading my blog using IE Explorer, the font for my title, "All About Kaiz..." is... terribly ugly. And i mean, really really ugly. My blog is best viewed with Mozilla Firefox and at 1024x768. Do make the change ya?

Oh, one last thing, i am planning to take part in "Y.E.S 93.3FM DJ选拔赛: 谁抢走我的麦克风?". it will be held at Bishan J8 on 7th Jan, 2006 from 10am. Do support me ya? I know you will. :)

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Updates

Okay, this one will be rather short.

Within this two days, i watched the Chronicles of Narnia. It is a very nice movie and definitely can match Harry Potter in terms of magical and fantasy terms. Of course, it is not a match for the mighty Lord Of The Rings. So within a period of one month, i watched three fanatastic movies. King Kong, Schindler's List and Chronicles of Narnia.

King Kong was excellent.
Chronicles of Narnia was fantastic.
Schindler's List is the best movie ever created.

Today i went for the Superhost live telecast. Lee Teng is top in professional ranking. Really enjoyed his performance. Today's theme was reporting entertainment news and boy, he was damn funny yet he deliver a logical story. Cheers to his performance. Oh, he is 4th in popularity ranking, which means he is cleared to the next round. Woohoo!

Will do 2 movie reviews on Schindler's List and Chronicles of Narnia soon.

Now it is time for bed. *Yawns*

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Sick

Blardy hell, i am sick and alone in the house. My family took the courtesy of leaving mt alone in the house. Thanks huh. Nope, there will be no Home Alone 4.

I got a splitting headache and it is making me wanting to go to the nearest police station, grab a gun and...
Thanks goodness i have no work tomorrow or else i will just die like a person who is having an acupuncture session. I am stuck in my house and i am too weak to go anywhere. Bored, tired, sick, i resort to watching...

NO! Not porn you pervert!

I watched Schindler's List. Think LOTR and King Kong is long, this movie is 195 minutes long, which translate to 3 hours and 15 mintues. Thank goodness I am watching a DVD where i could pause it. Surprisingly, my headache only work up after the movie. Do i need to say thanks?

Shall not do a review here. Bloody headache. But can only say, if this movie is not given 11/10 for ratings, NO movie deserve anything in the rating.

Just type this entry to tell everyone, i am SICK! If only i have someone who has the face of Reese Witherspoon and the body of Angeline Jolie to feed me medicine and put me to bed......

After Graduation Night

Okay, there is actually a part two to my graduation night.

The ending of graduation night was marked with a video clip that shows all the Civics Tutors(CTs) giving their students well-wishes and pictures of our school compounds. The pictures bring back lots of memories, like how i use to loiter around the walkway when i am bored, the benches where i would mug like mad for exams, the canteen where i am so sick of because of the food. Imgaine only having a little variety for lunch for two years. But thinking back, i miss the food(some only la) and the price. Damm, why must outside food be so expensive?

Following the video clip was a performance by our school band. No no, not that band. A band that has guitarists and drummer. However, most people rather go outside and hang around in the area outside the ballroom, taking last minutes pictures and giving last hugs. Ya, i was one of them and really, i wish the night would never end and i don't need to say goodbye. But, good things never last.

On a brighter note, as the night is still young, i went with some friends to... Zouk!
Woohoo! Finally able to step into Zouk. Remember i once said before which lucky club would get my first clubbing experience? That lucky club is none other than Zouk! Cool!

Um, i am sure i do not need to tell you about the layout of Zouk cause i am not sure too. It is confusing. Very. Anyway, we went to the Phuture section of Zouk. The dance floor there was great even though it is only the size of the penalty box in a soccer field. The DJ was great too and i enjoyed myself very very much! Dancing and grooving away to the music makes me feel very happy, relax, high and it free me from my troubles for a while. Now i understand why people go clubbing often. I believe it is to get away from reality for a while and just relax and unwind. Tried some new drinks too. Tequila 7-Up and and Vodka Coke. Vodka reminds me of the drink i had at the pub(look for the post which is titled Pub). Tequila was nicer as it don't burn the throat so bad. Shall stick with Tequila from now on.

At around 3 plus am, my body can't take it, especially my legs. 2 hours plus plus of dancing and squeezing in a place full of people isn't doing my body any favour. So i bid goodbye to my friends who are still dancing(where they get the energy from?) and made my way home.

At the bus-stop, i saw someone. He is none other than...

Derrick Hoh Wei Jian

Wah! Was really surprised that i saw him. Nahz, i didn't get his autograph or took any pictures. It happened too fast. I saw two strangers(a male and a female) sitting down at the bench next to mine's. After a while, they got up and my eyes followed them. I mean, the bus is not here yet, so, curious to see what they were going to do. They than approached a taxi(there was a LONG quese outside Zouk) and i saw Derrick approaching them. When i saw him, i was thinking, "Hmm, this guy look so much like Derrick. The hair, the face and the mole... WAIT, it IS Derrick." I was about to get up when he entered the cab with his two friends and sped off. Hmm, nevermind la. I am not a great fan of him. If it was Princess Kelly, i would have just kill myself.

I reach home at around 4 plus am. After some settling down, i hit my dear bed at 5am and slept until 5pm. Too tired and i am sure i had a hangover. My head was damm heavy and my throat was definitely not well. But heck la. After all, i just went to Zouk, one of the famous clubs in Singapore.

Okay, my clock shows 0424 now. Which means 4 hours and 24 minutes have passed in year 2006. Happy New Year guys! May your new year be full of blessings and happiness!