One down one to go

My housemate Stanley received news on monday that they were gonna send him to Ho Chi Min City, and it was difficult for him as he had to adapt to a new enviroment. I can totally understand, but he'll prob. like it over there as its WAAAAAY more mordern then Hanoi.

Hanoi Oi!

Here in Vietnam, to call to someone you must go 'Toby Oi' its pretty similar to how we would go ' Oi! Toby Ah!' And its not a harsh 'Oi! what the hell are you doing?!'

I've gotten use to the Xe Om (motorbike taxis) and its a pretty quick way to get around but its not as cheap as one would expect, a ride could cost between SGD$1 - SGD$5, well at least its cheaper then the cab. Its pretty liberating to ride around without the helmet with the wind blowing in your hair with the dust and exhaust getting into your lungs, one can get a high simply from breathing the freshly produced fumes. Oh and since the speed which they travel's slow too, bike accidents are rarely fatal and when they are, its usually for really stupid reasons like some young teen hell rider trying to reach 60km/h when everyones doing 20-30km/h.

So Xe May (motorbikes) are essential for the Vietnamese as their livelyhoods depend on it. From transporting goods, to carrying 3-4 passengers. I recently saw a man transporting 5 live pigs on this motorbike, the pigs looked sedated but were also tied up... so imagine this, one on each side, two on the back and one where his feet would have to be.

The people also make out on their motorbikes, the couple would just park by the lake and tongue wrestle. This could take up to 20 minutes and during this time they would not speprate their faces from each other...talk about a kissing contest...it seems that all the Vietnamese are acrobats training for it.

However to me the most sought after skill would be the 'nap 'n ride', after lunch, it is usual for the people to take an hour's nap, the most amazing form of acrobatics would be when the riders rest their feet on the handles and sleep on the seat with their arms crossed. They would be motionless and if you walk close enough, you can hear them snore.

I ll try to add the photos soon!

Friends! Singaporeans! Countrymen! lend me your ears!

Ive been meeting up with many Singaporean here in Vietnam, however Ive always been the youngest in the crowd...wait... well at least Im older then their kids (usually abt 2-6yrs). Everyone's in their 30's & 40's, and everyone's really surprised that I'm here on my own teaching.

Thus far the people have tried to help me settle in, but well im doing fine on my own and things are pretty good except for the bosses who have made things...challenging for me...*sob sob* can die ah!!!

AAAHHH! FINALLY!!!

Well it's been a really really really long time since I've been able to update my blog. It has been insanely hectic the last couple of weeks and its only now that I can take a short breather before I start again.

Ever since Ive returned from China, Ive been bogged down with projects, teaching, examinations, marking and reports. My colleagues were surprised that I could actually do that much work (simply because culturally, the Vietnamese don't work this hard or much. Believe me it's not because they're lazy, it's just that the culture here is to not work more then what you're paid to do)

I told them that the work's not difficult, however the load is very heavy and tedious, to make things worse the deadlines are always so tight (that’s because im always informed about them at the last minute…it’s a Vietnamese thing).

Well at least the exams and markings are over, and the kids are on a 2 week summer holiday, before they start their intensive holiday program (which I'm in-charge of) and that leaves me with time to build on the curriculum and work on the Singapore tour. Urg!

And So How Have Things Been?

I'm immersing myself in Vietnamese culture, quite pleasant. The people aren't exactly polite (especially service staff, they're quite a bunch of arses) but the friends ive made here are totally nice.

Ive met up with Thanh from last year's visit and he brought me down to meet his friend who owns a café-bar near the lake. He's asking me for advice on his business and Ive got a couple of ideas for them. Its great coz I have an outlet for creativity and hey theres no obligation involved. So this sunday we're gonna try a couple of recipes for coffee, its gonna be great.

Ka Fae Sua Dac (Kar Fay Su'ur Dac)

This is an iced honey-rich coffee with condensed milk. It’s the only thing I can order correctly in Vietnam and there's a café that I go to near my work place that makes it the way I like it. Full bodied mildly sweet with a lingering scent of the Arabica bean.

Coffee was introduced as a cash crop in Vietnam, however it's reputation has apparently not taken off. Perhaps its because of the overwhelming supply of coffee from south America and other parts of the world. But hey, that only means that this wonderful product can only be found here in Vietnam! Woo Hoo!

Urg... I know Ive been really busy and havent updated anything yet... I ll try to do so soon...Work is killing me

Agape

Beef Beer Stew

Now here's a really 'Man' dish. It takes a while to prepare but its really worth it ...If you do get down to preparing it do make large quantities of it otherwise its not worth the trouble...its a pretty labour intensive piece of work but WOO HOO is it good....

Beef is really cheap here in Vietnam...I just bought 1kg of beef for about $10...WOO HOO!!! so anyways...no measurements are required just add enough of what you like...

Marinate the beef overnight and use a light beer..preferably bottled...dont use tiger, or any stouts...anchor was good but a light beer is always the best...I used Bia Ha Noi..a local beer..light and sweet it was really good....

cut up onions into little bits and marinate with the beef (also cut up into nice big chunks), use enough beer to cover the meat, add soya sauce and a tsp of sugar....

the following day fry the pieces of beef over a high flame until they turn brown...the inside doesnt need to be cooked....boil the beer and onion mixture then add the beef...

Gross foamy things will so appear...just skim it off as you see it...its the residue from the beer and beef's blood.

Bring heat down and boil for about an hour, then add tomatoes and carrots....another hour later, add the potatoes...use yellow or red skinned ones....not the white one...coz if u cook them for too long they will turn powdery.... add tomato paste to thicken the mixture and cook for 45 mins to an hour.

Season the stew with pepper and salt only at the end...

















Mood Music

Lifehouse is a really good band and here's a clip featuring a song called 'Spin'

Budget Terminal Illness

Well I had chosen to take Tigerair to Hanoi as it was the cheapest means of getting there. But since March, Tigerair now runs its operations in the *deng deng deng* BUDGET TERMINAL!!!

I was appalled at the initial idea for the budget terminal..I mean WHY??? Whats wrong with T1&T2.. Why do you have to segragate the Budgeters (budget airline patrons) from the normal ones? Why do you put them in what seems like a warehouse? Why isn't there aircon (well there was air conditioning...but for the longest time I had the impression that there wouldnt be) WHY? WHY? WHY?

So my grandad drove me to the terminal and well when I arrived in the Merc, the people sitting outside Han's kept pointing and whispering to themselves....It was pretty obvious that they were talking about the 'rich' kid who was taking a budget flight...I could just imagine their conversation..

Man: Wah! this budget terminal not bad hor? Got Han's somemore..I wonder when Airasia is moving over?

Woman: Yah Lor! So nice right just like a warehouse! and so cheap somemore! Wah I tell you ar! I bought my tickets to vietnam at $8 leh!

Man: Wah so cheap ar? But got tax right! Aiyo stupid tax..luckliy got budget terminal otherwise must pay more hor..I cannot imagining paying another extra $10 just to take the plane from T1 or T2... $10 leh..can buy cirgrettes...

Woman: Yah lor, yah lor! ay! what brand you smoke ah?

Man: The cheapest one lor...Pan Mall...although cigerettes are bad for me but with the savings from the $10, I have enough left over to go see a doctor.

Woman: Yah lor, yah lor! Good hor, lucklily got budget terminal

At that moment Toby pulls up and arrives in his grandad's Merc

Man: Wah Lao eh! look at that! wah got money to drive merc but no money to fly SQ hor...

Woman: Aiyoh Yah lor..So rich still come to budget terminal...So buay pai seh

Man: Yah yah...stupid rich people..dont they know budget terninal is only for people like us?

Anyways... So it was nice to be sent off...

My new home

It was a pleasent flight except that the stewardess had a constant frown on her face. The upon leaving the immigration, Stanley was there with a sign to pick me up (wah so glam..first time leh) and we were off to my new place...Ciputra International City

Yes It was very much a city by itself....It was HUGE! and I lived in their apartments, it's a condo and I live next to the clubhouse...So i had a room to myself and yeah Stanley is also my housemate... It was utterly impressive..I was initially hoping to be staying in a 5 storey shophouse (the type the vietnamese live in) where I can go to the roof and look at the cityscape in the morning and evenings...But well a fully furnished condo with an attached toilet will do too....Oh and theres a good kitchen too!!

Well I'm almost ready!

I've pretty much tried to meet up with everyone possible, and well last night FM and I had dinner at Lerk Thai (wasn't very good but have to lie to myself, because FM had already warned me)...Anyways I have just past my 25th Birthday and I kept really low key cause it was a pretty shitty period (whats new) in my life and I just wanted to have a quite dinner with my closest friends. During the dinner FM suddenly popped a black envelope into my hand and said 'Happy Birthday'

I totally crumbled, I mean I didnt want to make it a big deal and didnt want any presents either...FM however went and got me a voucher from ZARA! I REALLY LOVE ZARA, just that their clothes arent actually affordable. But well this was something I really wanted (not needed yah), so last night we decided to go get me something from there...

I originally wanted a jacket but the damn thing cost $500...well so i decided to settle on a beautiful tie...Woo Hoo! it took a while but the 2 of us managed to agree upon a gold tie...after much disagreement may I add...

Corrine Bailey Rae

With her first very limited edition EP 'Like A Star' entering the UK Top 40 in November 2005 and the first single proper 'Put Your Records On' becoming a Europe-wide smash, the world is at her feet. Added to that a mountain of incredible press articles singing her many praises, magazine front covers, topping the BBC poll of Sound Of 2006’, sold-out tour dates and the kind of radio and TV play that established artists can only dream of, there seems to be no stopping Corinne. The release of her debut album at the end of February 2006 will cement the fact that here is a brand new superstar, one whose voice will be heard for many years to come.

(info taken off http://www.corinnebaileyrae.net/)

She'll pretty chill and this is something I really like...heres the live version of her song 'put your records on' Enjoy!!!

Levure Seche de Boulanger: Dry Baker's Yeast

I would usually make bread and roll them out into discs and freeze them. They are pretty useful for BBQ's I mean aren't you tired of the usual loaf of bread bought at the supermarket? This is a pretty impressive feat if you manage to pull it off, grill the bread discs after you have BBQ'd for a while so that there's some oil on the grill.

(oh and I got this recipie off the back of the yeast packet muahahaha)
- 250g Plain Flour
- 1 sachet yeast (11g)
- 1tsp salt
- 6tsp sugar
- 7tsp milk
- 2 eggs
- 50g butter
(all ingredients are to be at room temp)

mix everything together (butter add gradually) and knead until you get a smooth dough...takes a while and some strength...add flour/milk if necessary

Pappadums & Honey

After the BBQ I started packing things back into the cupboards and cripes I forgot to cook the Pappadums and make the crysentemun (cant speel ok) honey drink...Man they totally slipped my mind....

Chicks & Ducks & All my Choir Buddies (to tune of 'The surrey with the fringe on top')

Tonight we had a gathering for some really good friends from the Choir, and well we had a really good time chatting and eating...Hiyah...Really sad to say goodbye leh... But it has been great knowing all of you over the past 2 years. Thanks for providing me with the essentials and don't worry I won't change the 'peach' shirt... You guys really did put effort into picking it out... And thanks Shu Hui...I will use your providence wisely :)

So when it comes to BBQs I usually can single handedly perpare and cook everything...however an area I usually neglect is the fire starting and Joey was giving me a lesson on Arson 101... Ok so just to review what we had for dinner...

- Chicken Wings
- Chicken Breast Fillet
- Grilled Egg Plants
- Garlic Bread
- Garlic pasta with sundried tomato sauce (from the bottle)
- Grilled Veges
- Potato Salad
- Duck with Hua Jiao and Black Pepper
- Dory
- Whole Tuna
- Salad
- Nam Prik Phao (the chili I made)

Hmm..come to think of it..we did have ALOT of food

Ok I shall share about the 4 most popular dishes, the marinade for the wings, garlic butter, potato salad and the chili

Wings

The chicken wings.. well has a really sad story behind it and I only make on occasions when I have friends over...I ll never make it for my own consumption... My grandfather used to fry chicken wings for me and my brother whenever we visited him on the weekends and it was the most memoriable thing about him because he would always take time to prepare it and it was something he cooked solely for my Brother and I...When he died...I remembered saying to myself that I would never have him cook it for me again...So whenever I prepare the marinade, I remember him. He put all his heart into it and I do the same for my friends..so there you go guys...I know it was a little salty but it was something done whole-heartedly...

There's no fixed quantity to the ingredients, however it is important to remember that 'balance' is the key word to it. Don't let any ingredient overpower the marinade, however for this marinade ginger has to have a greater role... I shall leave out 3 ingredients and well keep it secret...because I will personally duplicate it for friends, but this one works pretty well too

- Soya Sauce
- Black Sauce (this acts as a colouring agent, and shows how well marinated the chicken is...its probably has little effect on the taste)
- Young Ginger Juice
- White Pepper
- Hua Tiao Jiu
- Sesame Oil
- 5 spice
- cornstarch (this tenderises the meat however if you add too much it was give the meat a floury texture)
salt
- Pince of salt and sugar

Simple right...but its ultra delicious....

Potato Salad

Use only the following ingredients

- Red skinned young potatoes (nothing else should be used)
- "Best" mayonaise
- toasted blackpepper (read about this in the 'garlic butter' write-up)
- lemon juice
- olive oil
- salt

whats important here is the texture...The potatoes are cooked and MUST be cooled before making the salad... they must be cut into small pieces...I cut a potato in half, then sliced it lon its breadth about 7-8 slices, and I cut it in half and then slice it 4-5 times lengthwise. Honestly it may be troublesome but it makes a difference... ok first put the Mayo, pepper, salt and juice together and mix well, add the potatos one at a time mixing well after each new potato is added (this ensures an even distribution), just after the mixture stiffens...drizzle olive oil and mix it...it should be smooth...

Prik

Prik is thai for chili... this is actually a thai style roasted chili paste.. I didnt have any fish sauce however soya sauce is a good substitute.

- Oil for frying
- 3 parts Chopped garlic
- 3 parts Chopped shallots
- 3 parts roughly chopped Dried thai (birds eye) red chilies
- 1 part belahchan
- 1/2 - 1 part fish sauce/soya sauce
- 1/2 part sugar

first follow the order it is important

- fry garlic and shallots till golden brown (like the crispy shallots on porriage)
- Clean up the oil..leftover residue will burn and affect the chili
- fry the chili till golden brown
- pound everything with belahchan till it becomes a paste...use leftover oil to work it into the paste
- fry everything over a low flame with sauce and sugar until a ring of oil forms around the chili...its done....remember to use back the same oil from the garlic and shallots to fry chili..this helps to harmonise the flavours

Garlic Butter

the easiest of the lot..

- toast black peppercorns till the pan smokes and a sweet aroma comes out from the peppers...use only the round corns...crushed or powdered pepper can never work...
- Ground pepper with garlic and a pince of salt...
- Beat mixture into a cake of soft butter (SCS Butter only)

thats it... I believe everyone can vouch that these are tried..tested.. and have been given the stamp of approval... Don't panic Adeline...at least you know how to make the garlic butter now woo hoo!!!

Gross-a-ree shopping!!!

The day started at Parkway's Giant Hypermart as the boys wanted me to cook a dinner for them. So its been a while since Ive seen the boys and well they've all grown quite a bit (quite a bit of an idiot actually) and so there was Wei Tat, Sherwin, Shawn, Jackson and James.. Ee Chen came later but its was nice to see them all after such a long time...

So I spent an hour educating them about fruits and vegatables. Man these boys were hopeless (guys I know youre reading this)... I pointed at a round eggplant (auburgine) and the first thing Sherwin said was... 'Oh I know what that is' I raised an eyebrow..surprised and impressed that Sherwin knew what and auburgine was... 'It is the purple thing in the Chicken Fan-Tastic Burger' he replied gleefully... ... ...Just kill me...

Boys! As much as you would like to live in your own little world... They do not put auburgines in hamburgers... Neither is Yam a Water Chestnut...and Neither is Water Chestnut a Chestnut... and neither is Dang Chye related Dang Hoon... *sigh*... Oh and I had Shawn go get a Wong Bok(long chinese cabbage)..He replied...'Who's Wong Bok?'...Wah can die! Then ask them to get young ginger, and before they went I told them that there were 4 types of ginger on sale..Blue Ginger, Yellow Ginger, Old Ginger and Young Ginger... 'Eh Got sign right? got sign right...'

Serves 7

It didnt end there.. In the kitchen I asked the boys to slice shallots...Shawn replied 'Oh I heard of a shallot before...' I mean who has never heard of a shallot? Even I, this Shang4 Deng3 Ren2 (upper class person *chey..*) also know what a shallot is...wah liew....These fellas probably have never helped their mothers at all.. But it was fun having 7 people crammed up in a tiny kitchen and we managed to cook the following dishes...Rice Pot Chicken Rice, Steamed Wong Bok layered with minced pork, Calamari Flowers seasoned with Hua Jiao and Cinnamon, Thai Style Ikan Bilis, Special Centuary Egg Tofu and Kiam Huer (salted fish)...Everything went down really well and it was delicious...however the boys cannot hold their liquor...not a sip...*sigh* they became utterly stupid after tiny sips of Southern Comfort...

The Bed

So after a shot of whiskey, Sherwin was how do I put this...DRUNK! *unbelivable* So the boys decided to take advantage of the situation and strip him on my bed...Things were going well till Jackson jumped on the bed and it broke... Dented right in the centre the boys tried to comfort me by saying that at least now I have a more comfortable sleeping posture...what the hell...bunch of idiots...

My Ah Ma wants you guys to come over and dump the bed frame into the bulky refuse area, you guys have no choice...If you don't move it I will tell your parents....muahahahaha

But I have seen these boys since they were little idiotic 13 year olds, now they are full-fledged 17 year old idiots... So i suppose another idiotic stunt like that is to be expected...sigh...

The 13 Demons

Reading XiaXue's blog about mahjong was quite funny, the person refered to as 'Tim' is actually my brother. But what was more apalling was a comment which was made on the matter.. ive copied it and here it is

liews.. tim also quite dumb to throw the bird when you ting pai already lor.. should have throw all those cards in the begining already. but congrats and good luck in future mahjong games .. hehe..Kai 03.28.06 - 12:17 pm #

Now this Kai person is a total idiot... I mean the 1 & 9 tiles are not useful nearing the end of a mahjong game.. but what the hell type of comment was that? I mean calling my brother dumb is well.. .. .. acceptable.. .. But it seems that in every mahjong game which Kai plays, his kaki's always await the final tile for the '13 demons' and thus throwing the 'one swallow' tile was risky. Wow!!! all hail the Mahjong gods!!!

This other person had something to say to Kai, much more pleasent but I couldnt give a damn to hold my words back for an idiot like Kai

for those who say why xiaxue can win wif 14 tiles in a 13 yao... please go n ask those people around u who knows mahjong... 13 yao is not u win wif 13 cards... all winning tiles are 14.. >_<> it's not dumb throwing bird when xiaxue ting bai also.. maybe bird was thrown b4 and xiaxue cant win it coz she dun have the other tiles for 13 yao?? *shake head*go xiaxue go~Gene 03.28.06 - 9:13 pm #

Well apparently after getting the 13 demons, XiaXue didnt take any money from my brother or their friends. She had apparently already won $50 and my brother lost $10 (I think)...Well gambling is a vice and dont ever think you can get rich from it... it may work for someone else but live your life honestly and humbly...and work hard for the things you need

The Job (Interview)

Notice how many horror movies have single word titles like The Eye, The Ring, The Maid, The Fog, The Grudge, The Dorm, (and horror of all horrors) The Wig. I now have the priviliage of sharing with you a horror movie called the *deng deng deng!* (mind you its the heart thumping 'deng deng deng' sound) The Job (Interview).

The things you would read on the back of the DVD cover

The Job (interview) the first of a three part horror movie franchise. The Job (interview) is a prequel to The Job (contractual terms), and The Job (the firing). The Job movies follows the epic and tragic story of Tobias, very handsome young man (Played by the multi-talented, award winning Toby) who stumbles upon a job advert for a teaching position in Vietnam. Eagerly motivated by the chance to start on a clean slate after his horrible life experiences in Singapore, Tobias takes up the job offer.

The Story

The movie begins with Tobias working at his father's restaurant. However being the heir of his father's empire, Tobias is met with great jealously from his evil and insecure stepmother. She plots and finally after months of intense brainwashing, finally convinces Tobias' father that Tobias is totally screwed up, ambitious, selfish, useless and disobedient. This led to Tobias' firing and his 'job hunting'

Being scarred by the fact that his father had chosen his wife over his own son, Tobias continues to hold fast to his faith and searches the internet for work. This is when he stumbles on the advert for a teacher position in Vietnam. A few days after his application, he gets news and is called in for an interview.

After the interview, an offer of USD$1050 was offered but it seemed too little for Tobias and he asks for another offer. Several days later (and a pathetic begging email later) he gets a second interview with the Director. Being estactic about the chance to redeem himself Tobias has no idea what's instore for him during the 2nd INTERVIEW!!!!!

At the 2nd interview Tobias meets the director and thats when the spine chilling tale begins...*deng deng deng* The Director is a very eloquent young woman, and Tobias knew that his own eloquency was of no value when used upon (shudder)...THE DIRECTOR!!!... The interview began with the Director lashing at Tobias about his original rejection letter and 'begging' letter which followed. The lashing and the humble explaination took up a good 20mins of the hour long interview.

Tobias was throughly exhausted at the experience and knew his end had come. For once he felt helpless for he was always able to reason his way out of difficult situations but the array of arrows kept piercing him through and through. However the plot changes just as Tobias was about to breathe his last, a glimmer of hope came when the Director made a comment about how the Singaporeans would look Vietnamese. Tobias replied by saying that it was not true and that Singaporean would stick out easily due to their 'robust' figures...(he then looks at his own body)

Laughter filled the room, YES! his fat joke about himself broke the intense atmosphere which was about the overwhelm him. He was saved. The interview then was ressurected and now Tobias has hope for his move to Vietnam.

Some words in closing

This was the most difficult interview I have ever been through, and things didn't look good. However a prayer always helps to keep me focused on why I'm taking up this job in the first place. Im not sure about you..but Ive always kept true to my beliefs and would never lie during an interivew. It hasn't landed me with many jobs, but those who hire me they know that I am as such and will be responsible to them, for I am responsible to myself and I am always very happy working at these places.

OK! Do me a favour!

I just want to know who actually reads my blog. One reason I don't blog often is because it seems that no one reads it, but from conversations with my friends apparently they do and it is surprising sometimes... so just click on the 'comments' link and put down your name, thanks guys!

Another Sleepless Night

It seems that I've had a couple of sleepless nights this week. I keep thinking about Vietnam and whether its possible to salvage the opportunity Ive turned down...

I'm not one who does things solely for its monetary value, but the USD$1,100 offer to teach seemed little and .. i dont know.. Im not sure whether I can help support my mom with that amount.

Ive been searching for reasons to take up the job offer, although I have many reasons why I should NOT take it up from the people around me. One thing for certain is that I want to go, and im not sure if thats reason enough...

Perhaps a good thing about writing is that I can straighten out my thoughts and it dawned upon me that I've never gave a damn about the things people have said about me and the way I live my life. I used to live by Proverbs 3:5-6 and somehow it's been faded into the background of everything thats happened. From my father's rejection to my last cent, its being in the pits again... To trust the Lord with all my heart... seems easy enough and yet I can't do it.

Reflecting upon everything that has happened, things in my life have gone downhill. It all started back when I was 19... After being threatened by my dad with a knife and the constant verbal abuse, I left home... My mom almost died from meliodosis, living off each week with a loaf of bread, having no money, the politics with my hateful classmates, the period of depression, the arguements with my step-mother, being fired by my dad, being jobless for the past 6 weeks, and I'm now in the pits again with my final $50... It seems that there's no end to the troubles

But it all started when I was 19. This was when I became a Christian... and I must say at times I wish I could just die, but I've never reached that point to actually do it. And its true that the Lord will not test me beyond what I can bear. I have grown spiritually and it is Christ who preserves me. This is hope, many are searching for it, and many have believed that they found it.

There are many ways for man to find hope, but theres has only been one way in which hope has found man. In our journey of hope we have gained wisdom, but to me, wisdom is the knowledge of truth. Wisdom through the knowledge of what is not true will lead one away from hope, the truth will set us free.

Dang-nabbit-ingrateful-young'n

Its been a while since I've taken the bus or train during the afternoon congestion period. Usually the bus would be full of students coming home from school. There was an incident where this kid kept shoving and pushing me... sigh I'm not too sure how to describe this but could you remember smelling ...'dusty and musty' from a day's school activities? It's pretty normal but oh man this kid stunk...

Stink Boy

Ever notice how on a scorching hot day you could see the heat rising off the roads... Well i saw something rising off this kid's head and it ain't heat... but thinking back IT IS pretty interesting to able to see 'stink waves'...But it aint pretty, I being 5"11 was towering over this kid and 'stink waves' like 'heat' travel upwards....

Anyways this kid was very rude... and stinky... and musty...and dusty... and oily...yes VERY OILY... And so, as Jason and I were approaching our stop, this kid kept trying to squeeze his way to the door (well I was next to the door) and damnit the bus was crowded...this kid couldn't wait a couple of seconds for the bus to come to a stop...

He then said to me 'Ooi excuse me ah, I want to get off'
I then turned to him (blocking his way) and snapped 'I'm getting off too! So just wait!'

He was surprised! Piece of crud!

Keeping the seats warm: Just for you!

So that was the journey to lunch, on the way back to Jason's place, the bus was packed again and well it was sickening to see that most of the seats were occupied by students. There were a couple of grannys holding their grandkids standing along the aisle but no one gave up their seats to them.

The sight was irksome, if I had a seat I would give it up... whats wrong with these kids?

But what am I saying? How could I be so myopic about the entire situation? Alas a revelation has been presented to me... These kids were doing a public service, protecting the old and weak from the harmful effects of anally transmitted Piles...

I suppose these kids knew that the (bacteria infested) moisture given off from an infected person's anus would possibily be absorbed into the upholstery of the bus seats. And so they have selflessly exposed themselves to Piles to protect the elderly as they sit tirelessly on the precariously moving bus.

The power of positive thinking ROCKS!

The situation looks bleak

The same thing happened on MRT today, it totally sucks that the younger one's arent considerate at all...There were like 8 boys from Anderson, hogging seats when it was obvious that someone else needed it. I mean its ok to take a seat but would it (physically) hurt, to let an elder or pregnant lady have your seat when the situation calls for it?

But then again

When I commute late at night... on the last bus or train... There will be Ah Ma's and Ah Gong's still roaming about.. What the hell?

Fair is foul, and foul is fair

Well its been 25 years and a week since I've conceived... Pretty much like MacDuff in Macbeth, I too was 'not of woman born'... Ok, for those who know Shakesphere, Macbeth was told by the witches that he only needed to fear a man who was not of woman born. To Macbeth's delight that would not have been possible for all man would have to eh..'come out' from a woman...

So here's the twist, as Macduff is about to decapitate Macbeth, he tells him that he was brutally torn out of his dying mother's 'sword opened' womb and thus fits the criteria of the 'not of woman born' thingy...needless to say, that caused Macbeth to run about like a headless chicken *get it? get it?*

And no... I was not brutally torn out of my mother's sword opened womb, my mom had a c-section...

Oh yes! Im a sentimental 'ol bastard

Anyways ever since Ive got a hand phone, I would always journal down the birthday sms's I get and so here's those from this year...

Fengmin 04/03/06, 9.28pm
Oh hey toby!!!! I almost forgot! Happy birthday!! May this special day brings u good health and much happiness through out the year! And all the best with ur job hunting!

Roderick 04/03/06 12.32pm
hey,happy birthday!

Alex 04/03/06 12.13am
happy bdae bro! I still rmb ur bdae k? hee.. so so swt rite?

Leon 03/03/06 11.06pm
Happy Birthday tob. And many more. Later

and the msn greetings

Lorraine:
Happy bday Toby! Continue to walk faithfully in ways Pleasing to God & may u walk closer to him as u u grow a yr older..blessed b'day

Jaques
happy belated birthday

Gao
happy birthday

Nifal
well..HAPPY belated BDAE ~!!!all the best on ur future endeavours

Shao
belateed happy bday on the 4th march

So thanks everyone, thanks for the coffee David, and thanks for the voucher FM, its been a tough couple of months and well thanks!

And I pray that God will continue to guide you in truth and wisdom...

Agape

Blogs... Why read them?

Well for the longest time I've always wondered if my friends were 'bo liao' enough to read my blog, and to my surprise they do. I mean I personally wouldn't spend the time to read about another person's life and thoughts cause they dont really matter to me (lest they be my friends)

But anyways, today being the longest day in my life gives me tons to write about and well I kinda get why people read blogs... sometimes its just damn funny so lets begin.

The SQ Idel

After being bugged by my aunt (and bribed with a free meal) I shamefully applied for a position as an air steward with SIA. As it was an walk in, I thought that if I went early I would miss the crowd, but oh stupid stupid me... kiasu singaporeans were already queuing from 830 (the interviews started at 9) and the entire ballroom was already full as I stepped out of the lift. There were easily 300 applicants before me and man it looked like the queue from the singapore idle competition.

3.5 hours and 4 books of the bible later, it was my turn to enter the interview room. 12 of us were in there and were given the opportunity to give a short introduction and I was perhaps one of the most eloquent speakers but well to keep the story short... I didnt get the job... damn I must lose more weight... damn you fats!

Well it wasn't a total loss... I did have a good laugh...During the interview a guy had this to say about himself...
' I like water sports, thats why I'm so tan, and sporty....(he later goes on by saying) I should be a steward because I used to be an engineer and T3 was my big project .. ya thats why I should be a steward'... That really made my day, oh and I laughed out loud...bad move

The Brokeback mountain

Since Feng Min was at work, I met up with her and we spent the whole day together, so on impulse we decided to watch the critically acclaimed Borkeback mountain...sigh... it was critical alright...

During the entire movie the 2 china girls next to me were talking as the movie played...Feng Min (FM) suggested that it was because one of the girls needed a translation, only thing......it had chinese subtitles... Well anyways the movie was really slow but the cinematography was really good, story was weak and poorly played out (ooh damn i'm a critic)

There were many moments when I went *ahh..ah..ah..ahh...ahrgh...what the hell...* mainly the sudden 'drop your pants lets have sex in the tent' scene and the 'violent kissing witnessed by wife' scene...man was i traumatised...

So after the movie as FM and I were decending the escalator, 2 men (very affeminate men) were talking about Heath Ledger being an Auzzie and that being Australian was why he sounded like Crocodile Dundee... What the hell....

Green Socks and Leopard print shoes

We had dinner at Long Johns and FM pointed out that her 12 o'clock had a couple that didnt talk or meet eye to eye, so as I turned, I saw a pair of greensocks (with heart motiffs) and leopard print shoes and man they were ugly and thats not all.. they belonged to the dude... What the hell...

We then went up to Sembawang Music to look for a CD by the Perishers, well the sales person wasnt helpful at all...FM was looking at a jazz CD and he was trying to sell it and here was what he said... 'yah this compilation has 2 volumes, but volume 2 is better because..ah it is better....' what the hell?

Scissors, paper, stoned! (SPS)

This was a situation I faced on my hour long bus journey home... A family boards the bus and so there was the dad, mom, brother, sister and maid. The father decided to play scissors, paper, stone with his kids and everytime his daughter wins, she screams with delight.. for the first 5 minutes, it was cute, 10mins later irritating and 5 minutes after that I wanted to break their fingers... I mean how can an adult and a child play SPS for over 20mins, the bus ride became insanely unbearable.

The other passengers were equally irritated but held their tongues (prob because we were all young) but then an uncle from infront came to the back and asked the father to keep quiet...

'Mister ah, can you please keep quiet please?'

The SPS playing piece of shit then replies 'Hah what har? can you speak up? I cant hear you'

'Mister please keep quiet la, you are disturbing everyone on the bus. If your childeren are playing and making noise then I have nothing to say. But you are an adult and you are making so much noise...'

The SPS playing piece of shit then replies 'Sorry har... I can't hear you can you speak up har?'

Wah it was damn irritating, his mannerisms and voice were ultra irritating! man...some people are just born pieces of shit... I pity the kids cause they're gonna grow up in their father's image...the poor little pieces of shit....

Fish & Co sucks!

I mean you may disagree but honestly the dinner we had was terrible, it smelled worse then a wet market. Hmm actually I like the wet market smell, it is the smell of fresh produce with a hint of blood... whereas FAC just smelled of putrid fish.

Billy who sat next to me ordered oysters and WOOOO did it smell bad, judging from the colour and firmness of the dead molluscs, Billy's gonna have a bad case of the runs. Well it wasn't a total bummer... well not totally... It was quite a surprise to meet Olivia and Gazali, they were going to sing. After Kelvin came and had his dinner, we headed down to the Lot Stop and Barrel for drinks.




As Man Whore was flying off the next morning, he left Nana behind to do the packing (Kunye, if youre reading this know that youre not a man) ahahahaha! So this being the only time we've all been together in over a year, we had our annual 'family portrait'

IQ Tests

I was reading the comics of Dilbert.com when suddenly a pop-up from tickle.com came up and well being jobless and all I decided to humilate myself by taking an IQ test and here were the results...

Congratulations, Toby!
Your IQ score is 126

This number is based on a scientific formula that compares how many questions you answered correctly on the Classic IQ Test relative to others. Your Intellectual Type is Precision Processor. This means you're exceptionally good at discovering quick solutions to problems, especially ones that involve math or logic. You're also resourceful and able to think on your feet.

Ok the being able to solve logical problems I buy but not the math bit... Hmm but honestly its not an accurate test, Eh Han once told me that the average score for the IQ test is 100 and most people hover about that number, any higher and you would be a genius... Therefore since I've scored a 126, this test is bogus!

Something old

I found an old blog which I had originally used when I first started writing. The posts were very upsetting as they were things I wrote about during my depression. None of which is worth mentioning but heres a post which meant alot. Idris wrote it and now that his blog site has been deleted here's something for us to remember Alfie by...

Thursday, April 14th, 2005
10:33 pm
Unsaid words: Words of Idris on Alfie's passing

Seems like yesterday we were brought into the Academy..I couldn't resist the sterotype look of a typical beng that you had and thought you were just one of 'those' people. But alas, my judgement was proved wrong. You were nothing close to that. In fact, you were an intelligent young man. A promising one at that.

I still remember all the good and bad times we had. I also remember you ranting about not being in OCT everytime you see their squad march by. Yeah.. you also proved alot of people wrong when you became the best trainee both academically and physically. Heh.. Those were days. Remember the time we wrestled? Yeah it was sheer barbaric fun but you fell and got pissed and then came charging at me.. haha! It was funny how we found comfort in these cheap thrills during our 6 months of torture in the Academy.

We went through thick and thin during those days in Tracom. We shared everything from toiletries to memories. We created plenty of those too..I hate myself for not remembering and cherishing our days together. Yeah we did not share much about our private lives but there was indeed a bond between all of us the "Holland Village" guys. We were more than squadmates.. We are brothers.

It was only recently that we had our renunion dinner. I dont usually remember dates but I'll never forget, 18th March. And I certainly wont forget today, April 14th. As usual, only 5 of us, the "Holland Village" guys, out of the whole squad turned up for the renunion dinner. You guys talked and crapped as I sat there laughing and listening to all your conversations. We all thought that it was just another renunion dinner and there was more to come.. I remember us discussing about bringing our kids and wives along next time but...Little did we know that another renunion was close by and it would be our last with you...

I dont know why, but I was emotionless when I saw you lying there. Not moving.. or breathing.. I waited for the moment when you would open your eyes, sit up, scare the shit out of everyone, laugh and tell us that it was all just a sadistic belated April Fool's joke. heh..

Needless to say, that never happened. What was I thinking..!You were really gone... !! But you're only 20.. !!How could this be!!?? Why you?!! I couldnt cry.. Honestly, I wanted to.. so bad that it hurts inside..

But I just couldnt let it out. Not even when you were being burried.. I dont know why.. I cant explain it..To go like that.. Not even a goodbye..Why now? Why do the tears come now as I write this?! Its been a long time since i cried.. I know you wont be reading this but I just want you to know that I regret not telling you how much of a friend, and a brother you have been to all of us during our last renunion.

It was a painful experience for all of us.. God loves you alot I guess..Rest in peace my dear friend, Alfie..

Zam Zam Zam Zam

The guys and I had an impromptu (is that how I spell it?) dinner appointment, I guess the joblessness was getting to me. So the evening started with Fattah, D'cruz and I having milkshakes at Mos Burger, Fattah had his shirt on inside out for a really long time till i noticed it...damn embarassing hahahaha..... After Idris' arrival we headed off to ZamZam for dinner.

ZamZam has been around for a really long time and it's pretty well known for its food, so we had a large order of chicken murtabak and mutton bryani...honestly its was no big deal...the man who served us on the other hand was extremely rude but hey it was nice of him to only charge us $16 for the entire meal which would have probably cost $20++ (and yes there is a typo on the picture)

So after our late dinner, we headed back to Bugis junction for CS... I've not played CS for 5 years and it all seemed so foreign to me but it didn't matter, I still sucked... Then again it was good fun, being with my NS buds. Reminicing the great times we had at the Police Academy really brought tears into our eyes especially now that Alfian is no longer around. Life has to go on...