What's this white stuff from the sky?

It's snowing!! yeah...how cool is that? ah well, it's time to make breakfast... gonna go romp around town later!

Reflections : what was, what could have been, what is yet to come...

It's one of those surreal days. The moment when you reflect on what has happened in the course of the year...what was, what could have been....what will happen in future. I started 2004 with the intention to FINALLY get FINISHED on my studies (which i managed to do! Praise the Lord!!), to start on a few more projects - namely the anti multilevel marketing one, the sports car feature and various printing/design projects... i've completed the anti MLM book, albeit not printed yet, never made it to the car mod book and did a couple of projects with Edmund (Sim)... but NEVER, EVER had i have had the slightest inkling of an idea that I would be bloody living in England!!

Let's see what happened in the year so far :

January : Sports Extreme Singapore was released, spent most of my time distributing to customers, associates and benefactors....

February : Started working on the other project for Harry, got jobs for other design and marketing projects.

March : School starts, intensive studying for Advertising Management.

April : Had a go at Walton International selling land space in Canada. Hooked up with Edmund to do more marketing/advertising projects, got some deals with sports companies.

May : Spent a lot of time visiting the LTA, URA, HDB to try and clear some traffic summons... started term 2 of school; Social Psychology, Linguistics, Human Mass Comm and Dynamics of Mass Comm.

June : Met Angela on 3rd of June over a meeting with Ski Ventures, met her again soon after for drinks at Mitre Hotel (yeah, the old scruffy thing). Celebrated my birthday at Palawan beach, had a barbeque with Edmund...and a whole bunch of other people.

July : Spent a lot of time in the Courts trying to settle my car parking fines. Exams are due this month.

August : Arranged for a snowboard trip to Melbourne, changed my plans from Falls Creek to Mt. Hotham instead. Started Term 3, with subjects like : Television/Radio production, Journalism, Public Relations and Advertising.

September : Been going to do reservist a lot, Remedial Training, Recalls...blah, blah. Preparing for my London trip... wanted to go to Australia initially, but they don't give out working holiday visas to Singaporeans. The Australian economy is doing real well i suppose, so they've got to control entry of foreigners.

October : Nothing much, clearing exams, projects and preps for my trip.

November : Farewell to South East Asia! Hello Northern Hemisphere!

December : Mad rush with the Syon stint, getting acquinted with London...and here I am in this room in Kroonlan writing a summary of the year!

Merry Christmas to one and all! The year has been kind to me, generally. Late nights of coffee with Eugene, Alvin, Edmund, Yi Qian at random places like Bedok Nrth Coffeeshop, Marine Parade coffeeshop, Toa Payoh coffeeshop...Ah..i miss all these places...Simpang...hougang...Upper Serangoon nasi lemak....mnmmmmm.... prata at jalan kayu!! arrrrgh!!!! it's no point if i get to make them here, it's just not the same atmosphere!! the heat...the noise... the smell of car emissions mixed with the fragrance of your food...mmmmm....

Location check : Belgium, Brussels

Madam, monsiuer...bonjour... met vriendelijke groeten...

It's so weird to be in Eurpe, everything is topsy turvy!! To start with, they drive on the left hand of the vehicle, then there's this strange keyboard that i have to deal with... you know how the traditional keyboard starts on the left with QWERTY ? this stupid keyboard starts with AZERTY... and all the other keys are misplaced...can't find all the bloody punctuations!! Had to change the configuration to US 101 to suit my fingers...

Oh, by the way, some of the people mentioned here will sound strange to my Singaporean pals, but you know who you are you ....you SYON PIKES!!!! I CONT HEEAR YU!!! KEEP MAKING PARTY!! MAKE LONG DISTANT PARTY!!

Anyhow, I'm now in Brussels! After collecting my kash from the waitering job, I moved into a hostel with Martins, then shopped for presents for my cousin and uncle.
then the next morning we were supposed to head to 1st Contact to get our bank accounts set up...but we were late!!! Damn...but just as well, cause we all don't have the relevant documents... so we spent the next 3 hour hanging around Victoria station checking out mobile phones and stuff.

Then i got on the EuroStar, the long and massive trans European train service. Got a little of England on the way...then i remembered what Jo said about England... "there is England...and then there is London..." yeah, i think so too.... If England is the beautiful country farm...then London is the blood soaked abotoire. You don't see many English people in London, just a messy array of people from so many different countries and cultures. I used to think that Singapore was multi-racial, I don't think so any more after being here. I guess this is it, places like London, New York and Tokyo are gigantamungus cities that people arrive in droves to eake out a living. Which is perhaps what i'm trying to do as well....

So when the train arrived at the Bruxxels Midi station, i caught a cab to head down to Kroonlan, Hoeilart, my cousin's place...

Today is Christmas eve, i finally geet to spend Christmas in a cold European country!! I'll just wait for my Christmas dinner tonight, see what i'll get...ha...

I've got access to a computer for this week, will update soon then! Yagalotni...(that's Russian for "i'm hungry")...gotta go find food...

We make party!

Oh no, oh no!! My stint at Syon Park is drawing to an end!! Although i'll be glad to be rid of enduring kegs of beer, chairs and glasses on my back, i think it'll be kinda sad to split from this happy bunch of people i worked with, especially when you know that you'll probably never run into these friends ever again in your life... ah well, only fate can tell!!

Anything eventful last night? Let's see.... a guy fainted and smashed into the bar and blacked out a bit, there was a fight, a woman got so drunk she scant made it out of the door... same old, same old...
Sometimes i think i'm a little hard of hearing, this bloke came up to me and asked me to "pour some Coke in it"...and i heard it as "pour some coconut"....blah...and when I served someone a glass of vodka, he asked me for "the same again"....and i heard "a San Miguel", and bloody served him a bottle...ah well, at least big laughs = tips...haha...

I'll be going to Belgium next week! I had the EuroStar (international train from U.K to Europe) tickets booked this morning. Can't wait to see my european cousin and uncle!!

Oh, and here's a bad joke to end it all off :

What milk do invisible cats drink?

....evaporated milk...

Cheers!

Cheers!

...and then I got a job! The Tube ticket to the Debden Station really cost me (11 quid, day travel) but at least i landed meself a job! I'll be starting on the 5th of January, and I'll be posted to Germany (or some other European Union nation) by February for a couple of weeks. I can't believe it! Now i'm an auditor! Geez, talk about a completely irrelevant line of work -and not to mention my very professional handling of numbers-, but if things are fine, i'll be promoted to area manager by summer!

What's more, this leaves me time to go visit my cousin in Belgium this coming Christmas! Yay!!

So after the interview, I took a walk down Oxford Circus, whilst waiting for a friend. A very unsuccessful walk indeed, cause i ended up buying a scarf, 3 pairs of socks (to replace my MISSING SOCKS - who the fuck would want to steal socks man?), a couple of christmas cards and a 2005 planner. But not before I had a pathetic dinner of a...how should we say, lame attempt of curry chicken rice, and it bloody cost me 4 quid for it! Geez, i'm never gonna trust chinese takeaways anymore ever again!

Back to my slave camp tomorrow! Update you folks again! Hope I manage to brave the cold and turn up alive come Monday!

On a cold and frosty morning...

Another fantastically muscle tearing week. Moving chairs in and out of the marquee, rolling 4ft, 5ft and 6ft tables all over the floor and serving pissed drunk party people. How exciting. Last night however was absolutly charming, drinking games all the way till 9am in the morning! ...and I learnt one thing, red wine, white wine, barcadi breezers, black current, Strong Bow and beer do not taste proper at all, not in one cup at least. The Aussies have a funny song they sing when they make you down a pint, I can't really remember how it starts but it goes something like: "Here's to (name) he's true blue, he's a piss pot through and through, he's a bastard so they say... tried to go to heaven but he went the other way... he's going (ben: and here's when you start downing the drink) DOWN! DOWN! DOWN! DOWN!" Heh, heh....

Christmas is coming as well! Now for the big decisions: to spend time with friends here in England, or join my cousin in Belgium? Ah well, whatever, it all depends on the interview that i'm going for tomorrow, travelling all the way to Zone 6... this is going to cost me.

Back to work

Looking at this skycam image of the ECP, i suddenly realize how far I am from home. *sigh*... suddenly all that heat and humidity is not such a bad thing after all!

0735hrs East Coast Parkway 

Midnite Madness at Trafalgar. 

Oh my aching.....

...and then I got a job! Now i'm performing event work for a month, for marquee dinner and dance parties. Really good pay, free accomodation, free food, you're so busy everyday you won't get a chance to spend the money. Heaps of Australians and Kiwis, there's a Latvian guy, a Russian guy (karkanistan?), two Polish girls, a South African girl and there's me! The anomalic Singaporean!

It's all good really, I'm living in Eastern London now, at this place known as Syon Park (British Rail, Zone 4, Victoria line > Vauxhall), with beautiful sceanry. My surroundings are decorated with landscapes I have only encountered in travel magazines. A clear, glassy lake for trout fishing, a large open green field with geese and peacocks, a small castle. Even the blue sky glows with a different tinge of blue! It's all so post-cardish!!

The people here are incredibly friendly, a walk through the cold paths could bring you a couple of "hellos"and "good mornings" from the ever so approchable residents! I'd like to see some of these happening in Singapore! Ha. My very own neighbour has scant more than 2 words to say to me when I see him in the lift!

Until then...I'd like to go back to go back to my routine day dreaming again....

Ozzy Osbourne's House gets robbed - BBC

The last 2 days was an eye opener. And my eyes were not the only things that were opened... you see, i got to see a professional pickpocket in action! How exciting! The bastard ran down the stairs of the tube and intentionly bumped into my friend. Next thing we know, his bag was opened... at least the chap didn't keep his wallet there!

Then there was a security threat on the underground. Rather exciting too. Only bummer was trains had to be delayed - again - .

Then I was in this place called Camden Town. And this dude was like.... "...pssst, mate...want some cannabis mate?"Ain't that so cool? And drugs are retailed like bloody kachang putih at the mamak stall!! Not that i'd want to buy any though....

Yeah, you think City Hall MRT is crowded? Then you ought to see Victoria Street Station at peak hours. It can be SOOO overrun by people, the train controls have to close up the gates to prevent anymore from going into the station!! And you see hordes of people at the gate entrances waiting to get in!!

I'd be travelling again soon, my work is bringing me slightly to the edge of London, so stay tuned for another exciting episode of....er...of....bah, nevermind.

Rain, rain everyday...

The rain in London is weird. It's not like, woosh downpour... or splat, splat, big drops... it's kinda like a mist... so you feel semi dry/wet, kind of like someone spraying a fine mist all over your person.

The Underground (trains) is so hard to figure out. And expensive. Rather than setting the prices based on distance, the prices are set by stations. So imagine a train ride from Bedok to City Hall is the same price as from Bugis to City Hall.

I got a dorm room today, sharing it with a Paris chick and a guy from South Africa. Not bad really... considering I get free breakfast and I get to buy a big dinner at 3 pounds! And bloody beer at 1 pound!

I'm so tired. jet lag is beginning to kick in. I keep waking up in the night and I feel soooo weary in the day.... help.

1224hrs +0GMT U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell resigns

You think the stuff in London is expensive? You haven't bought something from Kuala Lumpur International Airport yet. To say that the goods at KLIA is slightly overpriced, is like saying America suffered a slight disturbance during September 11th. My breakfast of toast, egg and bacon cost me $14 blood Singapore dollars. Internet access is at $10 per one hour block. Fragrance and brand name goods? Too many figures in the price for me to remember. Ugh.

Anyhow, the flight to Heathrow was breathtaking. The ubiquitous mountain, the scarlet hue stained clouds, the brown lumpy deserts, the meandering rivers (i just love that word; meandering...oooh, it's like verbal orgasm), the mountains with berets of snow, the war ravished Iraq, i'm kidding about the last one. I was just so lucky to get a row of unoccupied seats, so i managed to spend most of my travel time reclining buddha style!

Heathrow was complete chaos. The Tube (the underground station) was another story altogether. The first Londener to greet me was this stinking, drunk bloke who was having his bloody stinking dinner 2 inches from my elbow. "Wow", I thought, what a perfect lasting impression!

So I had this friend see, her name's Kay, go seek her out in my friendster list, she had me on non-stop action from the minute I put my poor aching feet on the cold stony ground.
Trust me, she and her friends are absolutely insane. No, absolutely narky would be a more suitable word! And there I was, right in the middle of London city with two mad, laughing hyenas (which very soon included me) and nobody seemed to pay any attention! Amazing.

Now, I'm jet lagged, more tired than a lazy hog and feeling completely zonked. I need my sleep. Now. Otherwise I think I might just dro...zZzzZz

18th October 2004 21:58hrs GMT (Man dies from cholera – Singapore)

Fate can bring your life crashing to the ground. Fate can flood you with tears overwhelming. Fate can absolutely consume all that’s left of you. So what do you do when reality sours up? Cry? Run? Surrender? Sigh? Kill yourself? No need to. I’ve learnt that no matter what evil life can serve you; missing the bus, loosing something, you fall ill, your loved ones fall ill, getting arrested, being thrown into prison, being poisoned, being served a bankruptcy notice, loosing a loved one… nothing should be cause to bring your life to a complete halt. Sure, sputter and wince a little bit, but never completely halt everything. I’ve been looking through my belongings while packing up the house and I’ve come across artifacts, photos and letters from the past. I get a heart wrenching reminder of the people I met through time. People who loved me, people who hated me and the people who said that they could not live without me. Some are still around, some… who knows? And I’m only…what? 25 years old?! I’d hate to imagine what its like to be 40. But we’ll find out pretty soon eh?

“Everyday, it’s getting closer, going faster than a roller coaster… love like yours will surely come my way!” – Don McLean

21st September 2004 1100hrs GMT (American hostage murdered in Iraq)

No news yet, the lady at the Embassy told me to call back at 4pm

21st September 2004 1605hrs GMT
Darn! The lines are down at the Embassy! Must have been the lightning! Argh… keep trying… keep trying…

21st September 2004 1630hrs GMT
That’s it. After a half hour of redials later, I called up the higher office of the Consulate…and…guess what? (dRuM rOLL) My application is processed! Bwahahahah!!! This is it, Phase 1 is through and now my plans need to be set in motion. Need to get a job to occupy my time (and earn more kash for the voyage), need to rent out the rooms, need to set up payment channels for my bills… one more month baby! Just one more month!

20th September 2004 1636pm GMT (Media Corporation merges with Singapore Press Holdings)

(I have since had an "update" of political views, please go to www.fivestarsandamoon.com for further reading) 

First things first. Before I update you about the visa application, I want to give my own 2 cents worth about this stupid merger between MediaCorp and SPH. Does anyone really believe that an ad-filled tabloid like Streats be making a loss of S$5million a year? Look at all those medias, do you really think that they’ll allow making even S$2million loss go through? Can you guys recall a (now defunct) daily tabloid loosely named “Project Eyeball”? She never made it through the first 4 months of printing, do you think these guys would let a paper make a loss of S$5million every year for 4 years?
I mean, come on… not enough market for two media giants? Then why, for my grandma’s sakes, did they say that there is “enough business for all” when they deregulated the media industry?!?!

The Prime Minister quoted that this merger was “inevitable”, I think so too. Except that I feel that this is to make media regulation, censorship and control a lot easier for the MITA. So that the daily mush can be fed to Singaporeans… you know, the same old stuff about the world being a dangerous place, Singapore is the safest there ever is… life is so comfortable here, you shouldn’t be going anywhere else…blah, blah, blah…
Look at the headlines: Singaporean gets shot in Johor Bahru, Singaporean drowns in Thailand, Disaster all over the world….and the Home pages? CNB successfully nabs drug lord at borders. Wild python caught and turned over to the zoo.
Yes, all this news is real, but you can tailor the truth can’t you? I can tell you all the good things that I’ve done in my resume and sweep all the ugly facts under the rug.
Oh well, just my own thoughts… DO NOT quote me, I’m just free expressing. Lest I get hunted by the Internal Security Department. Ha, ha…c’mon guys! I love Singapore!!

Ok, back to the visa… I applied it… what, last Friday? So now I’m expected to wait. Today I’ve got a call from the British Consulate, asking for proof of my income and finances, I gave them what they wanted and I’m back in the waiting game again…

Keep tuned guys! News is waiting yet….

17th September 2004 1751pm GMT (Hurricane Ivan wrecks havoc all over America)

I’ve been thinking (yes, I’m actually quite capable of that you bloody bastard), why should my finances grow slowly when I can work while I’m traveling? I can’t work in Australia (Singapore does not have an agreement for a working holiday with our good ‘ol mates down-under), I sure can’t survive on Asian currencies (well, Japan and Malaysia is good…but language is going to be a huge barrier), America won’t accept a tourist-convert-to-work-permit sort of visa. Guess only the United Kingdoms bears a halo of hope. Before I get all excited and planning on which city I’m going to be working in, let’s try for the visa first eh?

Stay tuned for the exciting visa approval…

10th September 2004 03:05am GMT (Australian Embassy attacked by terrorists in Jarkata)

Some people ask me: do I really hate Singapore that much to want to leave it so eagerly? Right… let’s put some things straight: I don’t hate the country, I know that our odd ball policies are all geared toward the sake of national progress (banning of chewing gum and all) and I love all my friends who are here. What I don’t particularly enjoy is the simple culture that we practice, the work-till-you-drop and life-is-all-about-material-gains-idea. I suck at speaking our local languages and I can see my future being reduced to Sundays with the family and a busy work week throughout. Someone once told me that life is about strolling through hilly terrain. For the first 40 years of your life, you climb up-hill, things are more difficult, you slog harder but you make your moolah. But after that, you walk easily down-hill, you retire on your savings, finally take your break and go traveling, or buy that Ferrari, or whatever.

Dude, this is not the kind of life I’m very much excited about. Why walk around hilly terrain when you can zoom about in a moped?

September 06th 2004. 21:13 GMT (US Markets closed for Labor Day)

A big green grin

…and that’s how I chose to begin this blog! With a big green grin! (That is not to say that I have been accumulating algae on my teeth.) Yup, I want this to start with cheers and smiles with a hint of lemon. But that’s not the reason why though. I guess each major decision for escapism requires some form of dire emotional distress. In my case, it is the rift and eventual decay of human emotions, a deterioration from agape to ludos and then to a mere laconic friendship.

 This brand new blog is going to be my documentation about finding out what the world really is about! I want to be out there, to see God’s creations. To see Man’s creations! To experience the different political systems and cultures of people everywhere. I want to learn, learn, learn and learn! Too long have I been living on an island and restricted to what the myopic media feeds me with. I want the real deal!
I am about to embark on what few Singaporeans would do. To take a few years off and go globe trotting. I’ll probably work, study and have fun internationally. It can be dangerous, it will be exciting, but nevertheless, it will be an experience that not many people will enjoy.

My date of departure is not exactly fixed yet though, but it’s going to be some time in December. That should give me some good time to clean things up and prepare. So much to do… get a new passport (my old one is really hideous), get a military exit permit (darned national service), fix up the finances… blah, blah, blah… not very many things to do, but they still need attention! Some of my closer friends must be wondering about what I’m going to do about my publishing business when I’m abroad, well, fret not guys! I’ll still be writing and printing via my correspondent back home!

“Au revoir” awaits all my friends here in sunny Singapore!