I've pondered, lost sleep, ran this through the whole cognitive process and i've decided to move my blog site to Friendster:
http://bigheadache.blogs.friendster.com/a_big_headache/
Refer to the new site for future comments! :)
Blogspot.com, you're not doing much to retain customers are you?
outz---*
Friday, May 20, 2005
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Only in London.
The craziest things happen in London. You think you're weird? You think you're funny? You think you're loud? You think you're a fashionist? ....there's always someone waiting to out-do you in everyway!
Take last night for example, it was a normal night out to the pub at Acton Town, so we were on the last Tube service home, we thought we made a big bunch of fools of ourselves...acting all touristy, singing loudly...but oh no, in came these 3 American girls. wrong. 2 american girls (I think. but mmmmm....)and 1 american geyser. she out did us by entertaining us with her little tube surfing act! She thought she was getting attention...but no! at the next stop in comes this bloke with a guitar, he sits on the floor, whips out his thang (guitar i mean) and the next thing you know, the whole carriage breaks out into song and dance! i mean, no way! there's no way i can even vaugely imagine this happening on the MRT.... hah! all in the name of fun...and only in London!
Take last night for example, it was a normal night out to the pub at Acton Town, so we were on the last Tube service home, we thought we made a big bunch of fools of ourselves...acting all touristy, singing loudly...but oh no, in came these 3 American girls. wrong. 2 american girls (I think. but mmmmm....)and 1 american geyser. she out did us by entertaining us with her little tube surfing act! She thought she was getting attention...but no! at the next stop in comes this bloke with a guitar, he sits on the floor, whips out his thang (guitar i mean) and the next thing you know, the whole carriage breaks out into song and dance! i mean, no way! there's no way i can even vaugely imagine this happening on the MRT.... hah! all in the name of fun...and only in London!
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Spring is upon us.
One thing bout Britain: the temperature changes like crazy. Take yesterday for example, it was a cool 15degrees....and today? bloody 25 degrees! Think i'm starting to talk like one of them limeys, can't keep a conversation without talking about the weather.
It's 4:14 in the morning now (and yes, the sun is about to rise), and lest you wonder what i'm doing on the INTERNET at this hour, i have got to announce that i've now got INTERNET access at home! Well, lah dee dah! And i'm using the office PC so i don't have to buy my own computer, for the moment.
I must say, things are really getting to look good, i mean, i've never felt happier in my life! Looking back, it's a scant half year ago that i left singapore for this icebox and i've never regretted it since. It was scary at first, no job, no money, no knowledge about this "foreign place", but as always, i'm glad that i've an appetite for risk. Singapore has always taught us to be risk averse, these are one of those teachings that i shun. (Read: risk, not stupidity. i'm sorry to admit that traffic fines equate stupidity. well, c'mon, we've all got our stupid moments eh?)
The american financial markets have been performing good as always, i'm about to get a raise and promotion, my little business is starting to take root to grow again. I've rediscovered the music that i like, i feel a million dollars (you really do feel healthier after staying away from hawker food for a while!), I've got great friends...sigh, think I'm falling in love with Europe. But man, do i miss you people back home... apart from the 3 singaporeans here that i hardly ever meet, i've haven't had any other asian friends at all. I think i'd better start planning to go home for a bit.
The only complaint i've got is the bloody national rail. It's slow, you only have 2 trains per hour (miss it and you're fucked) and i'm spending more money on it than i spend on food.
I was at a comedy club last night! It was one of my housemates birthday... i swear it was a bloody riot! This standup comedian Lee Hurst was a bag of laughs! oh my god, it's a shame that we don't have proper comedy clubs in Singapore it'd be so much fun!
I've been mentioning housemates all the time, i think it's time that i give them a formal introduction:
Pieter de Vries; from Bloomfontein, South Africa
Mohammed Bussaid; from Libya
Ben Young; from Brisbane, Australia
Wylota and Gaddas; from Lithuania, Eastern Europe
James and Sara; from Manchester, England
A very international house i must say. conversations can get pretty interesting!
It was the birthday of Shakespere a week ago and there was free admission to the Globe Theatre, pity i didn't go, was busy doing some work, from work.
Chao.
It's 4:14 in the morning now (and yes, the sun is about to rise), and lest you wonder what i'm doing on the INTERNET at this hour, i have got to announce that i've now got INTERNET access at home! Well, lah dee dah! And i'm using the office PC so i don't have to buy my own computer, for the moment.
I must say, things are really getting to look good, i mean, i've never felt happier in my life! Looking back, it's a scant half year ago that i left singapore for this icebox and i've never regretted it since. It was scary at first, no job, no money, no knowledge about this "foreign place", but as always, i'm glad that i've an appetite for risk. Singapore has always taught us to be risk averse, these are one of those teachings that i shun. (Read: risk, not stupidity. i'm sorry to admit that traffic fines equate stupidity. well, c'mon, we've all got our stupid moments eh?)
The american financial markets have been performing good as always, i'm about to get a raise and promotion, my little business is starting to take root to grow again. I've rediscovered the music that i like, i feel a million dollars (you really do feel healthier after staying away from hawker food for a while!), I've got great friends...sigh, think I'm falling in love with Europe. But man, do i miss you people back home... apart from the 3 singaporeans here that i hardly ever meet, i've haven't had any other asian friends at all. I think i'd better start planning to go home for a bit.
The only complaint i've got is the bloody national rail. It's slow, you only have 2 trains per hour (miss it and you're fucked) and i'm spending more money on it than i spend on food.
I was at a comedy club last night! It was one of my housemates birthday... i swear it was a bloody riot! This standup comedian Lee Hurst was a bag of laughs! oh my god, it's a shame that we don't have proper comedy clubs in Singapore it'd be so much fun!
I've been mentioning housemates all the time, i think it's time that i give them a formal introduction:
Pieter de Vries; from Bloomfontein, South Africa
Mohammed Bussaid; from Libya
Ben Young; from Brisbane, Australia
Wylota and Gaddas; from Lithuania, Eastern Europe
James and Sara; from Manchester, England
A very international house i must say. conversations can get pretty interesting!
It was the birthday of Shakespere a week ago and there was free admission to the Globe Theatre, pity i didn't go, was busy doing some work, from work.
Chao.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
ultra sonic flight through interstellar space
been wondering why i haven't made new entries in such a long time?
Well, exciting things are about to happen. very exciting things.
I'll keep it hush hush yet, but let's just say that Maine and Shang Communications will now be known as Maine and Shang MNC Ltd.
Fresh announcements will be made mid-may.
Otherwise, weekends are dotted with sporadic bouts of Italian food, clubs, Birmingham hotels, £1000 bar bills, Picadilly hangabouts, N55 rides, late night kebabs, tube engineering works and women. i'm kidding bout the women.
Well, exciting things are about to happen. very exciting things.
I'll keep it hush hush yet, but let's just say that Maine and Shang Communications will now be known as Maine and Shang MNC Ltd.
Fresh announcements will be made mid-may.
Otherwise, weekends are dotted with sporadic bouts of Italian food, clubs, Birmingham hotels, £1000 bar bills, Picadilly hangabouts, N55 rides, late night kebabs, tube engineering works and women. i'm kidding bout the women.
Monday, April 04, 2005
invitum delidorium ium boredem
..and i was also very busy througout the week. The last week saw me building at corporate video presentation from scratch. From out of a very low tech PC, a 3.2megapixel camera and a pasta-fueled imagination, comes forth the most fantastic video production i have ever made. I'm gonna send this to some of you to shoot your comments. My boss got so excited, he's now in the States to buy a copy of Adobe Premier Pro for me!
I'm heading out to Birmingham again next week, another working trip. Not that it's the most fancy city in England but...anyway...
I'm heading out to Birmingham again next week, another working trip. Not that it's the most fancy city in England but...anyway...
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Hey Boss :
I’ve done the accounts and we’re making profits.
The pantry girl is early and will make you coffee.
The staff are happy and their morale is high.
The customers are satisfied and ready to buy.
Yea…
The pigs are fed and ready to fly.
I've decided again'st going to Scotland, the train ride there was going to be more expensive than i thought, guess Nessie will have to wait then. I am however, going to Bristol. More for the novelty than anything else.
The pantry girl is early and will make you coffee.
The staff are happy and their morale is high.
The customers are satisfied and ready to buy.
Yea…
The pigs are fed and ready to fly.
I've decided again'st going to Scotland, the train ride there was going to be more expensive than i thought, guess Nessie will have to wait then. I am however, going to Bristol. More for the novelty than anything else.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Oh my God by Benjamin Chiang
This is a prelude to an article I’m about to publish, so remember, you read it here first at bigheadache.blogspot.com!! *Please note that it is only a first draft*
Here’s a question: If a branch breaks off a tree and falls to the ground in the middle of the forest, would it make a noise?
Yes you say? How would you know? Were you there to hear it?
It’s true enough it is common sense to assume whenever a heavy object hits the ground, it should make a noise. However, there could be other factors on hand causing it to not to. Maybe a trampoline was under the tree. Maybe twenty men were on hand to cushion the impact of the fall. Even if you find the branch on the ground, it is not a conclusive evidence of what has occurred before.
Science and evidence can be a fallible method of proving something. Evidence can be tailored, and a whole event can be setup to convince the bystander to take to the side of whoever can sustain more “proof”. How many individuals have had a sentence passed on them just because they were unable of proving them innocent? Is science and media a fair system of judgement?
On the 8th of August 2000, the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim was convicted of sodomising his driver. To cut a long story short, he was later acquitted in 2004 after the court decided on his innocence. 4 years in prison for nothing?
The media now sheds so much attention on the reclusive Michael Jackson. Do you think he was guilty of what he was charged with, or perhaps he is merely a victim of conspiracy?
If one was not there personally to see something happen, it is merely hearsay. Scientific evidence is merely an aid for sustaining beliefs. Scientific evidence is biased to what the perpetrator wants you to believe.
Let’s look further into this fact. In fact, let’s look several billion years into the past.
Scientists say that billions and billions of years ago, a dot exploded from nothingness and expanded to form the universe. Billions of years later, gas clouds cooled to form solid rock. Millions of years thereafter, a fish crawled out of a pond and another couple of million years later, he evolved into modern man.
How would these scientists know? Were they there to see it happen? In fact, is scientific proof even available? It’s been a couple billion years now, any form of evidence would already have been erased. Wouldn’t it then merely be a theory when one insists the Big Bang and the Evolution of Species was how mankind came onto this planet?
Some of you may argue to say scientific tools like carbon dating and the discovery of pre- homosapien fossils are the fundamental proof that such events have indeed occurred in history.
If you believe that, you are a victim of media and you have never been further from the truth. Edward de Bono has preached that “Perception is real, even if it is not reality…” and indeed evolution has had the unfair advantage. Would it be right to say that the larger the numbers who believe in a theory, the larger the number of books, articles, television programmes and magazines would be written in support of that theory?
Whenever someone tells me that “If you think God exists, then show me the proof!”, I always tell them that no matter what evidence I show you, you would merely brush it off and counter attack it with some other theory. A perfectly legitimate case of evidence show would then degenerate into nothing more than a debate. With the winner being the one who speaks the loudest.
If you think no solid, scientific proof exists to ascertain the world did not arrive via evolution, then you have not been reading in the right places. In fact, you may not even want to know that such evidence does indeed exist. In fact, if it were not in the Bible, scientists would have no problem in believing that a global flood indeed has happened. Science has no problem accepting that all mankind could be traced to one source in Africa, yet they refuse to believe Adam and Eve were the first man and the first woman.
There is so much material available regarding the error of carbon dating, that dinosaurs and man did live together at the same time, how all the different species of man turned out to be a scientific fluke, yet material like this is not as common as those propagating evolution! You cannot say that it is not science, because it is. You cannot say that these are all unproven theories, because they are. Creation is not given enough attention because the world doesn’t want to believe in it. If you really wanted to learn, you would be surprised to know that research and science has PROVEN that evolution is not a theory and the world was indeed a result of creation.
So the next time you want me to show you proof that God exists… well… I can show Him to you, but then I’d have to kill you.
Here’s a question: If a branch breaks off a tree and falls to the ground in the middle of the forest, would it make a noise?
Yes you say? How would you know? Were you there to hear it?
It’s true enough it is common sense to assume whenever a heavy object hits the ground, it should make a noise. However, there could be other factors on hand causing it to not to. Maybe a trampoline was under the tree. Maybe twenty men were on hand to cushion the impact of the fall. Even if you find the branch on the ground, it is not a conclusive evidence of what has occurred before.
Science and evidence can be a fallible method of proving something. Evidence can be tailored, and a whole event can be setup to convince the bystander to take to the side of whoever can sustain more “proof”. How many individuals have had a sentence passed on them just because they were unable of proving them innocent? Is science and media a fair system of judgement?
On the 8th of August 2000, the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim was convicted of sodomising his driver. To cut a long story short, he was later acquitted in 2004 after the court decided on his innocence. 4 years in prison for nothing?
The media now sheds so much attention on the reclusive Michael Jackson. Do you think he was guilty of what he was charged with, or perhaps he is merely a victim of conspiracy?
If one was not there personally to see something happen, it is merely hearsay. Scientific evidence is merely an aid for sustaining beliefs. Scientific evidence is biased to what the perpetrator wants you to believe.
Let’s look further into this fact. In fact, let’s look several billion years into the past.
Scientists say that billions and billions of years ago, a dot exploded from nothingness and expanded to form the universe. Billions of years later, gas clouds cooled to form solid rock. Millions of years thereafter, a fish crawled out of a pond and another couple of million years later, he evolved into modern man.
How would these scientists know? Were they there to see it happen? In fact, is scientific proof even available? It’s been a couple billion years now, any form of evidence would already have been erased. Wouldn’t it then merely be a theory when one insists the Big Bang and the Evolution of Species was how mankind came onto this planet?
Some of you may argue to say scientific tools like carbon dating and the discovery of pre- homosapien fossils are the fundamental proof that such events have indeed occurred in history.
If you believe that, you are a victim of media and you have never been further from the truth. Edward de Bono has preached that “Perception is real, even if it is not reality…” and indeed evolution has had the unfair advantage. Would it be right to say that the larger the numbers who believe in a theory, the larger the number of books, articles, television programmes and magazines would be written in support of that theory?
Whenever someone tells me that “If you think God exists, then show me the proof!”, I always tell them that no matter what evidence I show you, you would merely brush it off and counter attack it with some other theory. A perfectly legitimate case of evidence show would then degenerate into nothing more than a debate. With the winner being the one who speaks the loudest.
If you think no solid, scientific proof exists to ascertain the world did not arrive via evolution, then you have not been reading in the right places. In fact, you may not even want to know that such evidence does indeed exist. In fact, if it were not in the Bible, scientists would have no problem in believing that a global flood indeed has happened. Science has no problem accepting that all mankind could be traced to one source in Africa, yet they refuse to believe Adam and Eve were the first man and the first woman.
There is so much material available regarding the error of carbon dating, that dinosaurs and man did live together at the same time, how all the different species of man turned out to be a scientific fluke, yet material like this is not as common as those propagating evolution! You cannot say that it is not science, because it is. You cannot say that these are all unproven theories, because they are. Creation is not given enough attention because the world doesn’t want to believe in it. If you really wanted to learn, you would be surprised to know that research and science has PROVEN that evolution is not a theory and the world was indeed a result of creation.
So the next time you want me to show you proof that God exists… well… I can show Him to you, but then I’d have to kill you.
Monday, March 14, 2005
Motivation...such an aggravation...
The impossible has happend: I got my car stolen!!
but hey, don't feel sorry for me, feel sorry for the thief! I've been trying to get rid of that thing all along and he's done me a big favour! I mean, it'll cost me money to try to get the thing scrapped, now all i have to do is to report the car as stolen...pity i didn't have insurance on the thing though.
There's a Singapore Food Festival going on in Coven Garden this weekend!! Damn, home cooked food away from home...how bout that? I'm not going to miss this for the world...
but hey, don't feel sorry for me, feel sorry for the thief! I've been trying to get rid of that thing all along and he's done me a big favour! I mean, it'll cost me money to try to get the thing scrapped, now all i have to do is to report the car as stolen...pity i didn't have insurance on the thing though.
There's a Singapore Food Festival going on in Coven Garden this weekend!! Damn, home cooked food away from home...how bout that? I'm not going to miss this for the world...
Monday, February 28, 2005
You are unique. Just like everyone else.
I've been re-sharpening my skills in integrated marketing, over the past 2 weeks i've consumed more information than your average university geek. i now have THE plan to launch a full scale awarness campaign for the brand i'm managing all over Europa. I'd love to divulge some of this, but hey, some of my secrets will remain my secrets...
One thing though, it is a sorrowful thing that almost every part of our lives are capitalised through and through. Everything has been done, every path has been tread. Every thought and idea that you conceive, you can be sure that somewhere, some marketeer has done some planning to make sure that he makes money out of what you want to do.
Love to travel? You've got STA, thousands of airlines, youth hostels and adventure tour agencies hot on your heels. Love to party? You've got pubs, beers, wines and clubs devising some "fun" thing to part you with your money. Love extreme sports? You've got snowboard distributors, clothing and equipment manufacturers trying to convince you that their product offers the best in quality and protection. Wanna be an anti-capitalist? You've got white label brands that are merely a branch of a mainstream brand that is marketing to you without you even knowing it.
Privacy is a thing of the past. You mentality is being deconstructed by someone, somewhere all the time.
Honesty is a relic of a time long past. Presentation and packaging is the now. Don't believe me? Look at your girl/boyfriend, see how well he/she has sold him/herself to you...
The person that i'm not, is the person that I am.
One thing though, it is a sorrowful thing that almost every part of our lives are capitalised through and through. Everything has been done, every path has been tread. Every thought and idea that you conceive, you can be sure that somewhere, some marketeer has done some planning to make sure that he makes money out of what you want to do.
Love to travel? You've got STA, thousands of airlines, youth hostels and adventure tour agencies hot on your heels. Love to party? You've got pubs, beers, wines and clubs devising some "fun" thing to part you with your money. Love extreme sports? You've got snowboard distributors, clothing and equipment manufacturers trying to convince you that their product offers the best in quality and protection. Wanna be an anti-capitalist? You've got white label brands that are merely a branch of a mainstream brand that is marketing to you without you even knowing it.
Privacy is a thing of the past. You mentality is being deconstructed by someone, somewhere all the time.
Honesty is a relic of a time long past. Presentation and packaging is the now. Don't believe me? Look at your girl/boyfriend, see how well he/she has sold him/herself to you...
The person that i'm not, is the person that I am.
Friday, February 25, 2005
Wheee!!!
Snowing heaps again! I've been skiing my way to the office! heheheh...snow and ice everywhere and everything's white!! damn, where's the camera when you need one?
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
There's no such band as The Monkees!! They don't exist!!
Heavy snow showers are reported all over England, especially Essex where I live! We've got about 8cm of snowfall last night! Which is all well and good, except for the fact that it's an arse to try to walk to work in the slushy snow/ice mix. The squirrels don't seem to mind it though... heheheheh....
There's a snow boarding event in Austria in March that some of you guys would be so jealous if i told you i was going. It's a music gig cum snowboarding freestyle competition/display for a week! I may want to visit it for the week end, it's only about $200 from where I am...now if i could just get my hands on a snowboard set... check it out, it's at: www.snowbomb.com or www.snowbombing.com
And then there's the U2 Europe tour! I'm thinking of either Manchester or Brussels, although Brussels would be a better idea cause i can stay with my cousin for a bit.
Other than all that, the week has been pretty good. Getting settled down at work, learning as much as I can about the products and trying to pull together an aggressive marketing plan that's poised to take Europe by storm. If i can pull that off...heh,heh... my name WILL go down in history!
But for now, I gotta deal with this hunger developing in the darkest recesses of my stomach.
Cheers.
There's a snow boarding event in Austria in March that some of you guys would be so jealous if i told you i was going. It's a music gig cum snowboarding freestyle competition/display for a week! I may want to visit it for the week end, it's only about $200 from where I am...now if i could just get my hands on a snowboard set... check it out, it's at: www.snowbomb.com or www.snowbombing.com
And then there's the U2 Europe tour! I'm thinking of either Manchester or Brussels, although Brussels would be a better idea cause i can stay with my cousin for a bit.
Other than all that, the week has been pretty good. Getting settled down at work, learning as much as I can about the products and trying to pull together an aggressive marketing plan that's poised to take Europe by storm. If i can pull that off...heh,heh... my name WILL go down in history!
But for now, I gotta deal with this hunger developing in the darkest recesses of my stomach.
Cheers.
Friday, February 18, 2005
Sneaking a note from work.
I get my own laptop! No more dodgy computers at the library with dubious people, i get internet services at the comfort of my desk!
I got sick last night, a mild fever, and i've got myself to blame. I haven't been wearing proper clothes since i've started work, and i haven't come to acknowledge the fact that you cannot wear just a shirt and tie and a jacket, i got frozen to death while waiting over 20 mins at the station for the trains. It's not just a little cold... it's bloody painful! I feel a lot better today after a good sleep and Panadols.
Alright, really shouldn't be here any longer, gotta get back to work!
I got sick last night, a mild fever, and i've got myself to blame. I haven't been wearing proper clothes since i've started work, and i haven't come to acknowledge the fact that you cannot wear just a shirt and tie and a jacket, i got frozen to death while waiting over 20 mins at the station for the trains. It's not just a little cold... it's bloody painful! I feel a lot better today after a good sleep and Panadols.
Alright, really shouldn't be here any longer, gotta get back to work!
Friday, February 11, 2005
YESS!!!! I GOT THE JOB!!!!
I've finally got myself into that MarComm role in the ink product company!! Why am i so excited? Well, let's see :
1.) I get to build a relationship with all (well, most of) the media houses in England, thus creating oppertunities for myself in future media positions.
2.) I get to write/publish articles and press releases on a regular basis, thus building a portfolio for my future career in professional journalism.
3.) If i can get good promotional publicity for this company here and in the Far East, I will have got a powerful model to show in my C.V.
4.) I could get a work permit for another 2 years, thus leading to a Resident visa!
yes! yes! yes! yes! yes!
So the journey to work may be a little far (Woodford > Stratford > Barking > National Rail, Westham > National Rail, Rainham = 1 1/2 hrs), but it'll be well worth it, furthermore, if (i dare) drive my car, it's only a half hour away.
So far everything has been falling into place, as according to my game-plan. And.... je suis apprendre parlez le Francais !!! Yes! I'm also taking a course in French! Comment cava? ...tres bien!
Until then....au revoir messiures-dames!!
1.) I get to build a relationship with all (well, most of) the media houses in England, thus creating oppertunities for myself in future media positions.
2.) I get to write/publish articles and press releases on a regular basis, thus building a portfolio for my future career in professional journalism.
3.) If i can get good promotional publicity for this company here and in the Far East, I will have got a powerful model to show in my C.V.
4.) I could get a work permit for another 2 years, thus leading to a Resident visa!
yes! yes! yes! yes! yes!
So the journey to work may be a little far (Woodford > Stratford > Barking > National Rail, Westham > National Rail, Rainham = 1 1/2 hrs), but it'll be well worth it, furthermore, if (i dare) drive my car, it's only a half hour away.
So far everything has been falling into place, as according to my game-plan. And.... je suis apprendre parlez le Francais !!! Yes! I'm also taking a course in French! Comment cava? ...tres bien!
Until then....au revoir messiures-dames!!
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Chinese New Year : 0900hrs, Leytonstone Library
So this is the Lunar New Year eh? It sure don't feel like it, i've only seen one advertisment in the tube stations announcing that there's gonna be an event at Leicester Square, but apart from that, nothing! At least i got a phone call from Dad at 3am this morning telling me that everyone has come over to visit. Yeah, that's right. Have fun when i'm not around. Bleah. Looks like no red packets for me! You guys back home may feel free to transact the money directly into my account! I can do a virtual "pai nian" via the internet! heheheheheh....
We had a barbeque a couple of nights ago. Guess we must be the only freaks having a barbeque right in the middle of winter! It was so cold we needed two fires going, one for the food, and the other for the heat! We had to raid the whole neighbourhood for discarded pieces of furniture to burn... and i made a pretty mean steak! Not me really, it was my housemate, Mr. Pieter Vieres who did most of the cooking...
I've applied for a role in Public Relations for an ink-refill company, i hope it'll pull through, for now, i've managed to impress them with my portfolio and communications plan for what i can do for them. I gotta keep my fingers crossed, with any luck, I should be hearing from them again at the end of the week.
Ah well, as the Cockneys would say : See ya later, alligator!
We had a barbeque a couple of nights ago. Guess we must be the only freaks having a barbeque right in the middle of winter! It was so cold we needed two fires going, one for the food, and the other for the heat! We had to raid the whole neighbourhood for discarded pieces of furniture to burn... and i made a pretty mean steak! Not me really, it was my housemate, Mr. Pieter Vieres who did most of the cooking...
I've applied for a role in Public Relations for an ink-refill company, i hope it'll pull through, for now, i've managed to impress them with my portfolio and communications plan for what i can do for them. I gotta keep my fingers crossed, with any luck, I should be hearing from them again at the end of the week.
Ah well, as the Cockneys would say : See ya later, alligator!
Monday, February 07, 2005
Winters. Cold. Brrr.
3 more days to the Lunar New Year!! Bah! Humbug! heh, heh.... guess i'll have to miss out on those little red packets of joy this year...sigh, no windfall for me i guess... and i'll miss out on that fab delicous reunion dinner too. I remembered that I was over at Hui's place last year for r. dinner round 2, i guess this year i'll just buy a packet of cheap mackerel and a cabbage and make myself a sad story of a Yu Sheng. I may pop by Leicester Square to check out the Chinese New Year celebrations here, but i'm sure that it'll be nothing like the ones back home.
Anyway, i've been thinking hard... i now have several options available to me after my visa for the U.K expires.
1.) Get a work permit to extend my stay (and thereafter becoming resident)
2.) Migrate to Belgium and becoming a member of the E.E.C (and live on in Britain)
3.) Move on to Canada
4.) Move on to the U.S of A
5.) Go back to Singapore and raise a family (jEaH....RIGHT!!)
Decisions, decisions....and i'm now on the hunt for the job that puts me in the line that i really desire to be in *whoops, better not let my boss hear bout this...heheheh....*
Edmund (Sim) just bought himself a car, i'm glad that my friends are doing well back home, it's like one of those things... you're here cold and wondering what the hell you're doing freezing your ass off in the Far West, while your friends are crafting careers and making big bucks. Ah well, to each his own. I'm not any worse off and i am having the time of my life... now the only thing that's missing is that elusive girlfriend that we all seek for...where could she be hiding? In the towering cities of England? Or in the green country side of Ireland....perhaps i'll find her fishing around the Lochs of Scotland... Or maybe, just maybe... she may be there in the Lion City after all...
*ahem* excuse me, Feb 14th is coming up, all that marketing happening out there is just driving me nuts....
anyway...till again...
Anyway, i've been thinking hard... i now have several options available to me after my visa for the U.K expires.
1.) Get a work permit to extend my stay (and thereafter becoming resident)
2.) Migrate to Belgium and becoming a member of the E.E.C (and live on in Britain)
3.) Move on to Canada
4.) Move on to the U.S of A
5.) Go back to Singapore and raise a family (jEaH....RIGHT!!)
Decisions, decisions....and i'm now on the hunt for the job that puts me in the line that i really desire to be in *whoops, better not let my boss hear bout this...heheheh....*
Edmund (Sim) just bought himself a car, i'm glad that my friends are doing well back home, it's like one of those things... you're here cold and wondering what the hell you're doing freezing your ass off in the Far West, while your friends are crafting careers and making big bucks. Ah well, to each his own. I'm not any worse off and i am having the time of my life... now the only thing that's missing is that elusive girlfriend that we all seek for...where could she be hiding? In the towering cities of England? Or in the green country side of Ireland....perhaps i'll find her fishing around the Lochs of Scotland... Or maybe, just maybe... she may be there in the Lion City after all...
*ahem* excuse me, Feb 14th is coming up, all that marketing happening out there is just driving me nuts....
anyway...till again...
Friday, January 28, 2005
Moind the gap between the train and the platform.
*Blows the dust off the blog*
It's been so long since the updates, and you know why? I've been working 14hour days everyday....with only a couple of hours sleep in between. It's scary walking home at night after I knock off, so i went to get a car...yes...that's right, i'm now the unhappy owner of a Ford Fiesta 1992 model. It's a wreck, it's fit for the junk yard and i'm afraid of taking it on public roads. The fuel injector's jammed, the water pipe's burst and it won't move from halt without heavy accelerating. It has side mirrors missing and it's blue. But nevertheless, it's my car!! haha, not to worry, i've got my eyes set on a Mazda MX5 now!! It's only about a thousand quid....but ah well...
I was doing stock checks at an American military base last week, and boy, these guys are paranoid, about everything. Raise your handphone as if you were about to take a picture and get ready to be arrested for spying. Park your car outside the camp, and you might as well dress up as bin laden.
I'm learning how to cook too! At least now i know how to properly handle my ingredients and how to use strange spices like...like...well...strange spices...heheheh...
Okiedo, times up, gotta run, update later y'all!!
It's been so long since the updates, and you know why? I've been working 14hour days everyday....with only a couple of hours sleep in between. It's scary walking home at night after I knock off, so i went to get a car...yes...that's right, i'm now the unhappy owner of a Ford Fiesta 1992 model. It's a wreck, it's fit for the junk yard and i'm afraid of taking it on public roads. The fuel injector's jammed, the water pipe's burst and it won't move from halt without heavy accelerating. It has side mirrors missing and it's blue. But nevertheless, it's my car!! haha, not to worry, i've got my eyes set on a Mazda MX5 now!! It's only about a thousand quid....but ah well...
I was doing stock checks at an American military base last week, and boy, these guys are paranoid, about everything. Raise your handphone as if you were about to take a picture and get ready to be arrested for spying. Park your car outside the camp, and you might as well dress up as bin laden.
I'm learning how to cook too! At least now i know how to properly handle my ingredients and how to use strange spices like...like...well...strange spices...heheheh...
Okiedo, times up, gotta run, update later y'all!!
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
New year. New everything. Bah humbug.
News about the tsunami everywhere... sometimes, when there is too much media coverage on any topic, it has this numbing effect on a person. 10 people die, it's tragic, 10 000 people die, it's a disaster...but now, it's 150000 swept off into the deep blue, it seems like no more than a statistic to me. I'm not cold or evil or anything, but apart from giving money (and you can't help but wonder if these people on the streets collecting money are genuine or not), what more can you do? I just thank God that I do not know anyone personally from these places. And I still find it amazing that Singapore didn't even feel the ground shake even though we're right smack in the middle of this chaos! Ah well, exciting things like this never happen in the city of cleen and green....
...and I started the New Year!! A good chance to start everything on a clean slate. Everyone's doing New Year's resoloutions, i'll join the crowd and start one too! Here goes:
- Take up an advanced course in communications
- Learn French
- Learn to bloody cook...decently.
- Cancel all subscriptions to UK FHM. I'm kidding. Or am I?
That's on top of advancing my job and finally move into a studio apartment by the end of the year.
See, that's another exciting thing. If i manage to get myself a work permit, and live here for 4 years, I can apply for an "Indefinate leave to stay" visa. That's legalese for Permanent Resident!! Now isn't that just dandy! This ice box could just become home for me! Ah well...
How did I spend New Year's eve? Like 8 million other people, I marched myself right into the middle of Trafalgar Square. Bloody nightmare, must make mental note never to go there ever again. Not on New Year's eve at least. Every street out there is crammed packed shoulder-to-shoulder, wall-to-wall with people!! And the public roads are all closed for people to squeeze themselves in!! Man, should taken some pictures to post up here!!
And I finally got a place to stay as well, I'm living on Woodford Green now (Zone 4 on the Central Line), nice little room, pathetic shower, shared kitchen... it's a nice place, but not somewhere that i'd stay for too long... ah...money, money, money... it'd be nice to have more of those £££ so that i can move to somewhere a little nicer...
Cold, dark and lonely....urgh...I long for some of Palawan Beach!! ...or Majorca!! ...beach...any beach....must have beach now...must...
...and I started the New Year!! A good chance to start everything on a clean slate. Everyone's doing New Year's resoloutions, i'll join the crowd and start one too! Here goes:
- Take up an advanced course in communications
- Learn French
- Learn to bloody cook...decently.
- Cancel all subscriptions to UK FHM. I'm kidding. Or am I?
That's on top of advancing my job and finally move into a studio apartment by the end of the year.
See, that's another exciting thing. If i manage to get myself a work permit, and live here for 4 years, I can apply for an "Indefinate leave to stay" visa. That's legalese for Permanent Resident!! Now isn't that just dandy! This ice box could just become home for me! Ah well...
How did I spend New Year's eve? Like 8 million other people, I marched myself right into the middle of Trafalgar Square. Bloody nightmare, must make mental note never to go there ever again. Not on New Year's eve at least. Every street out there is crammed packed shoulder-to-shoulder, wall-to-wall with people!! And the public roads are all closed for people to squeeze themselves in!! Man, should taken some pictures to post up here!!
And I finally got a place to stay as well, I'm living on Woodford Green now (Zone 4 on the Central Line), nice little room, pathetic shower, shared kitchen... it's a nice place, but not somewhere that i'd stay for too long... ah...money, money, money... it'd be nice to have more of those £££ so that i can move to somewhere a little nicer...
Cold, dark and lonely....urgh...I long for some of Palawan Beach!! ...or Majorca!! ...beach...any beach....must have beach now...must...
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
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!
Saturday, December 25, 2004
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....
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....
Friday, December 24, 2004
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...
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...
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