4 A's!

somebody, I won't say who, did very well this semester!! Likely to get on Dean's list! CAP went up by .11, woot!

Module Code	Module Title	Grade
JS4209	Selected Topics in Japanese Linguistics	A-
JS4221	Research and Writing in Japanese Studies	A
JS4225	Social Dynamics in Modern Japan	A+
JS4228	Japanese Cities in the Global Economy	A
PC1322	Understanding the Universe	B-

I wish I got these grades when I was in uni... tho it wouldn't have made much of a diff for my career choice... hmm

This year, to save me from tears..

despite the non-xmassy mood, xmas as usual was good. =)
Dinner with the relatives, told Sherm that I had a strong desire to sing the other day and I got my fill last nite with carolling with the family and then Midnite Mass hymns.
Spent 4 hrs with my younger cousins too, it was nice, they're all growing up, easier to talk to em now. Maturing.. And Jeremy got me Liberty Meadows for Xmas!! YAY! Score one for great xmas gifts!
Tho there was no visiting of the Peeris' this year, cos of extra-curricular churchy activities, I got to go home to play my new borrowed from library game cos Sherm got me premium membership for xmas! =)
Sherm came over for lunch, so we had a nice Xmas lunch including mom's new tenant Jack. Then we joined the SG throng out at Woodlands Causeway Point. Sherm was at West Mall early in the morning, thought no one would go out today, I guess cos everyone was sleeping then.. cos it was CROWDED at causeway point... anyway, we got some gifts for dinner this saturday. =D Looking fwd to that!


P.S, this was last week, but deserves some mention: Shermy cooked an excellent piece of salmon, teriyaki and miso glazed, EXCELLENT. DELICIOUS. I LOVED IT! =) kudos to the great chef!

merry xmas to all.

Every year it gets worse and worse. This yr.. I have ZERO xmas cheer. zero mood. mebbe a miracle will occur.

xmas is the best time for those.

Have a good one anyway.

Rorschach

A real haunting character from Alan Moore's Watchmen.. How haunting? I can watch some sick shows without flinching. But I had 1 night where I was unable to sleep cos of Alan Moore's superimposing a certain rorschach ink blot onto a carcass. That image kept me semi-awake that one night. Some weeks later, I suddenly recall this character..

Korea won WKC 2006!

OH MY GOD!!! I was looking for online results of the Men's Team finals for the 13th World Kendo Championships which just ended yesterday. To my shock, JAPAN WASN'T IN THE FINALS!!!! They got knocked out by either Korea or USA, cos Korea is CHAMPS THIS YEAR, and USA are 2nd!!

*shock*

When I was in Glasgow for the 2003 WKC, one of the best matches was the finals of the Men's Team event where Japan met Korea, resulting in a really long extra match that Eiga finally won in a controversial tsuki (well, it wasn't controversial, the reaction from the Korean team was). That they didn't make it to the finals this year must be a slur to the Japanese, and even worse, Korea won it! No wonder I couldn't get the results last nite, the IKF webmasters were either checking and double-checking the results or they had committed seppukku.

USA has always fielded very strong teams, I wonder if the previous team-members (Chinen and Itokazu(?)) from 2003 whom I met in 2001 were also in this year's team.. I'm sure the legendary Yang brothers were..

And where's Canada??

Wow, can't wait for the SG National Team to come back for some commentary! =D

First Post!

Wanted to post this on the 22 Dec, but for some reason its been in draft. Here is my first post at Informa GM. =)

Meidi-ya Shopping Spree!

Bought lunch/dinner for Shermy and her parents today at Din Tai Feng. It was great! Things really perking up on that side, we're both really happy abt it. After that, Shermy's dad brought us to Meidi-ya to use those vouchers that Shermy won frm her July Speech Competition. It was like RICH RICH RICH! haha! We were picking up sashimi, imported japanese food stuffs like it was nothing! Spent a total of $171, Shermy's dad paid the $21 difference so we have $100 more to go at another spree! hehehehe
THANK YOU FOR SASHIMI SHERMYPOO!

More on GST

Got this calculation off the Straits Times. oh the irony..

Who gets hit hardest by GST hike? Impact differs for tax-payers in different income brackets

Is this correct?

Example 1
In 2006, if after rebates etc. your net taxable income is $60,000, the income tax you need to pay is $2,700 (8.75%). If you spend $800 a month on goods and services, the GST paid at 5% will be $480. Total = $3,180 in tax paid.
In 2007, if after rebates etc. your net taxable income is $60,000, the income tax you need to pay is $2,600 (8.50%). If you spend $800 a month on goods and services, the GST paid at 7% will be $672. Total = $3,272 in tax paid.
From $3,180 to $3,272, the effective increase is 2.89%.

Example 2
In 2006, if after rebates etc. your net taxable income is $400,000, the income tax you need to pay is $61,650 (21%). If you spend $4,000 a month on goods and services, the GST paid at 5% will be $2,400. Total = $64,050 in tax paid.
In 2007, if after rebates etc. your net taxable income is $400,000, the income tax you need to pay is $58,700 (20%). If you spend $4,000 a month on goods and services, the GST paid at 7% will be $3,360. Total = $62,060 in tax paid.
From $64,050 to $62,060, the effective decrease is -3.11%.

Example 3
In 2006, if after rebates etc. your net taxable income is $25,000, the income tax you need to pay is $187.50 (3.75%). If you spend $800 a month on goods and services, the GST paid at 5% will be $480. Total = $667.50 in tax paid.
In 2007, if after rebates etc. your net taxable income is $25,000, the income tax you need to pay is $175 (3.5%). If you spend $800 a month on goods and services, the GST paid at 7% will be $672. Total = $847 in tax paid.
From $667.50 to $847, the effective increase is 26.89%.

Animal Rescue

There was drama this morning @ home. I had woken earlier to test my new bus route to work, came home n hopped into bed again. Was awoken by shouting in the house, turned out October, our sorta new big dog, most ill-disciplined one so far, had been run over by a van on one of his not-so-rare "escapes" from the house. Mom was cradling him and one of his hind legs was bleeding profusely. The house floor was polka dotted with blood. I made a tourniquet from cloth n rubberbands and we drove him to the ARVH @ Whampoa (an animal hospital, where Zen was treated).

Turned out there were no broken bones! Amazing. He had wat I term "major abrasions", where chunks of skin on his leg were abraded off, and a major artery in his paw was open (it was spurting blood). They cleaned up his wound and he'll be in surgery soon, should be discharged tonite too. So its not too bad, despite the amount of blood on my clothes, on the house floor, and all over the emergency room in the hospital. He'll just be alone for a while (something he's not used to too, being a little over 1 yr old).

October has always been very ill-disciplined, always stealing food, making use of his size to intimidate and steal, very dependent on the maid being near. His owner, my sis, Gayle, has always talked about wanting to send him to school, but never did. Whenever the gate is ajar, he will rush out, and put up a huge struggle and play catching before finally being herded home. Everyone hopes that this incident will teach him a lesson, and hopefully, he'll change for the better.

Just last night, sister's friends got me to trick her into coming home for her surprise party by saying October was sick and not eating his food. Today she didn't believe her friend when she called to tell her. Incidentally, Zen was put to sleep on 19 Nov 2005, one year to the date. Coincidences? Creepy..


Update: he's back home. Confined to kitchen. With a huge cone over his head to keep him frm biting his bandages.

funny.. I sign my contract with the new workplace, and suddenly I get 2 online replies.. Didn't realise it took them that long to process.. ah well.. WELCOME TO INFORMA GM! Starting on Monday!

Dky rabu Mky muchly!

Shermy is wonderful! First she's more excited than me over my new job. Second, she helped me out by scurrying around picking pants by colours, size and prices, back n forth a gazillion times in order to satiate my pickiness. Thirdly, she thinks of a filler to buy in replacement of the dessert we were supposed to bring to a surprise party tmr. Cos of her, its already in my fridge, no last minute panicking!
And all this just for a badge as reward. Banana badge! hehe

Awesome or what!?

New Job @ Informa GM!

I was job-searching for abt 3 weeks so far. The single envelope snail-mail that I sent out, I got a response for. Went for 2 interviews, everything was positive, going to sign contract tmr. =)

Technical Analyst: The successful technical analyst will provide live intraday technical analysis of the currency, fixed income and commodity markets during Asian time. Candidates must have experience and strong knowledge of technical analysis.

That was all. No degree requirement, no years of experience, nothing. I applied, got called for the interview, had a great chat, din do so well on the first test, but was called back and given guidelines and tadah!

ok, I've a confession to make. Trading was not all I had expected. I had expected money to come easier than it did. It wasn't. I had thought after making increasing returns for a couple of months that it would keep increasing, that I would never lose. I lost. Yes, its unstable. And after 2 years of trying hard, I guess I finally got tired. That's probably part of the reason why I've not been catching up with old friends too. something to do with loss of face I think. Sigh.

So, about the new job.. I'm still gonna be studying charts at Informa Global Markets, I'll be hammering out report after report for each market tht I'm assigned - they said 15. And I'll be working at a pretty good time too - 630am-330pm - I can still go for kendo, and there's no OT, apart from working some public hols. Looking forward to it.

Microsoft has bought over Firefox!

Nah, its a hoax. Check out the FAQ and download instructions =)
Here, Misfire fox.

This information provided by Shermy, reader of Sensible Erection dot com.

Pasta Manna!!

I RECOMMEND THIS TOO!! I came across the Pasta Manna review on ieatishootipost, a food review blog, and suddenly recalled that I'm supposed to go there since... June I think. I was frequenting this cheap and great pasta place when I was based at Joo Chiat, for over 1 year. I rate Pasta Manna over Pastamania still, despite Shermy and my recent encounter with the Woodlands outlet which is not bad too. If u go to Old Airport Rd, or are in the area, DO drop by and get some creamy pasta!

GST to rise to 7%

Read all about it. Thanks to Prit. I say.. Singaporeans had it coming. Who is there to oppose this bill? Only one or two insignificant voices in a sea of white.

It is a whole set of measures which we are taking in order to tilt the playing field in favour of the lower income group, which is what we have to add and tally in the balance, and my purpose is to help the lower income group.

Truly, the government is magnanimous. They only want to increase tax so that the rich pay more for wat they purchase, since they have more $ to spend and so they spend more. The question is, why do we need to increase the tax for? Are our government coffers not already reputated to be quite significant? Why the need to raise tax? Oh because our economy is doing well, we can now afford to tax the people more? ya, we earn more just so we can give more. Thanks a lot. All the sweat I put in for that raise, just so I can offer it in thanksgiving to the Almighty Lee.

New Term!

This I got from Wiki:

Practitioners of kendo are called kendoka (one who practices kendo) or kenshi (swordsman). The latter may also be applied to practitioners of other traditional Japanese sword arts.

Apparently there's a new word - "Kendra". Supposed to mean the above. I think. Guess who's starting it in his recent spate of emails?

The Dinner

So you would think a dinner meeting with Shermaine's parents would turn out something like Meet the Parents.. Well, it went well. I feel SO relieved after 2 years of non-communication. What happened was that there was some misunderstanding resulting in me being a bad hat to the parents. Sherm and I decided to leave it aside and let time heal it over, especially since that time everything was so volatile, where the very mention of my name would make the household explode in argument. Poor Shermy.

Well, Mr Ow spoke to Sherm abt how he's been waiting for me to do something for too long, and that I should have initiative. We set the apptmt, we met, and.. it was all good. =) He's really smart. I've a new role model - believe it! At the end of the evening, we stopped by Shop n Save, Mr Ow secretly bought a pair of Shingo Pears (HUGE Korean pears), and handed it off to me for me to bring home. yay! Sherm noted also that he patted me on the back, haha!

That's a lot of stress off our minds. Poor Shermy had to endure everything alone at home for over a year. She's the strong one here. Proud of Shermaine =)

Hello, I've made the arrangement as planned. See you then. =)

I never thought this was bad. Mebbe its not as polite as it can be, but that it is rude?? Gee.. what happened man..

All cos I missed out the "Hello Mr Who" bit? and used Hello? Hello.. A simple hello now brings rude connotations if not attached to a title of the addressee. "Hello Sir" sounds like mockery. "Hello Uncle Who" is too familiar. "Hello Mr Who" might be good, but considering that I addressed him differently before, he MIGHT pick on that difference. So a simple "Hello" might suffice.

So you think.. you forgot to treat him like a potential boss.

Too late, all hell has broken loose.

like.. duh..

Climate Change - is used to refer to changes in the Earth's climate

This really happened:
News reporter asks interviewee about the topic above.

Reporter: What do you know about climate change?

Interviewee: err... are you talking about like, what happened in the ice age?

Oh man, what a ditz.



That was me.

For Sale, Renault Kangoo

Less than 3 years old, going for about $20.5k. Fully paid-up, low mileage. Private owner. Pls call 96578793 for more information, or click this link.

Renewed!

Today, I visited a great dentist, recommended by Shermy. I got my "defective" tooth fixed, so now I have a new small tooth! YAY! I can smile confidently again. hehe

Familiar?

Pasta ala Duck! Photos strategically and beautifully taken by Shermaine!

Offer! Only during the winter months will you get a fresh pun with every date you make! Cheap! So whip out your black book now, and start calling for fresh puns!

hiki

a hiki, on the other hand, is to evade (from here), or an attack performed while moving away from an opponent. No, we're not talking about hickie here. We've clarified that hickie and tsuki differ in intention. Likewise, hiki and hickie differ too. They're NOTHING alike.

tsuki

My girlfriend gave me a tsuki yesterday. No, not a hickie. A tsuki. They look similar, only difference is the intention when giving.

A tsuki is a kendo attack to the throat. Imagine a sword piercing thru your throat. Fortunately, the kendo shinai is blunt, with a piece of leather over the tip to not only hold the 4 pieces of bamboo together, but I guess also to cushion the impact of an attack.

Nice solid one Shermy. =)

a silent happy world

it's very hard for people who think they are smart to accept that the person beside them is smarter, especially when the smart people make it seem as tho the not-so-smart are really just blabbering nonsense. you wind up with antagonism and spite. It doesn't matter who the smart one is anymore.

DKY n MKY go to ACM!

Originally posted on 16 Oct 06. Re-updated with pictures. =)

I took my darling out to the Asian Civilizations Museum today, at Empress Place. There's a special exhibition going on there called "Hidden Faces: The Art of Japanese Masks", about Japanese masks involved in Noh & Kyogen. While there, we got to watch a documentary on traditional dances in Japan, with a short focus on Noh & Kyogen, the latter of which is Shermy's personal interest. I finally got to see wat its all about! Get to share another of her interests! hehe.. Also, we got to see my favourite mask which I just realised is NOT of a male demon but a female.. but hey, its still a cool mask; Hannya!


Of course, Shermy got really dolled up today too. MAN.. best part was when she made a senior who used to hit on her do a double-take, all while she was holding my hand! WOOT! hehehe =DDD

While there, I had my eyes opened to cosplayers and J-Rock goth wannabes. There was a festival there held in conjunction with the exhibition, and it happened to occur this day, so lots of the above-mentioned were there. Freaky I tell you.. Sherm's allergic to cosplayers.

The best thing at the matsuri tho, personally, was the tempura stall outside!! For only $1, u get a box or 3-4 pieces of torikaraage, for $0.50, u get 1 prawn tempura, for $1, u get a box of 3 vegetable tempura! WOOT! Tempura heaven, and CHEAP! I spent a total of $7.50 and walked away happy. =D

Rant

Remember my gripe with a certain leader? It's politics as usual here. Bloody hell.

Hence, I will take my committee into autonomy. That would not solve the problem at hand, but it will yield less backstabbing.

The moustache is the source all knowledge!

Click the link. It's a damn funny video of past feedback survey comments of a particular lecturer in NTU.

Chocoto!

New member of Sherm's soft toy et al family! Say hello to Chocoto (chocolate rabbit, a play on the word Chokuto which means straight sword)! He's actually a sling bag, to be carried over the shoulder. Sherm wanted the bear version some months ago, but I objected to it, so now we got the rabbit sling bag, and its even better! =D

Edible food?

Question of inedibility is raised becos Shermaine says when she sees the cute rabbit, she feels bad and loses her appetite cos she actually considered eating such a cute thing.. lol

Tag-board.com seems to be down, so I've removed tags for now. Pls continue to leave msgs in comments, I swear I'll check them more often..

City of Heroes: Good vs Evil 14 day Free Trial

For those of you who want to try out the MMORPG that me and Sherm are playing, here's "City of Heroes: Good vs Evil" 14 day free trial. Doesn't require a credit card! Just click the link, get the trial key, download the game, register and let me noe! I'll join u in game to help u out! =)
The free trial registration lasts till end October, get it soon!

The Deck is going down!

For the Arts alumnus, for your information, the Deck (the Arts canteen) will be closing for some major renovations come November. If you're feeling nostalgic, please do go and order your favourite dish from your favourite stall-owner (some of whom have already changed since our time) and sit at your favourite level of Hell, and remember the stickiness, the stuffiness, the darkness. Then its time to say byebye.

Baby Boy Ethan

For those of you who know Renata sensei, here's her blog of her new-born son Ethan.
She "popped" early this morning! =D

New Local Song

so I dun read other local "famous" blogs. cos I have my dad to send me emails like this.

Random comment

while eating at a food court yesterday, a total stranger (a cleaning auntie clearing up our plates) pointed out to me loudly that Shermaine was a good girl. How did she noe that? Cos she happened to catch her calling her dad on the phone and asking him if she wanted her to buy anything back home...
BUT
I totally agree. =D

Karanguni.com

Check this site out!

is a local online portal supporting free ad postings of almost any nature. Advertising, events, cover stories and shopping coupons will also be available on the site. Karanguni.com is only in its infant stages but it aims to become Singapore's primary trading and exchange portal.
Visitors may freely scan or search the site for virtually any product being posted, while sellers or anyone wishing to put up a posting for an event or cause may simply do a one-step login requiring only an email address.

Let's see Kim's indie website beat Yahoo! And yes, that's Genshi in the Ah Tiong ad!! lol!

Singapore Dreaming

I got this in the mail from a fren of mine from church. He's in the advertising biz, and fwded this in support of the local flick, Singapore Dreaming. Here's an appeal from the directors Colin Goh and Woo Yen Yen:

---

ANOTHER PERSONAL APPEAL FROM THE DIRECTORS OF SINGAPORE DREAMING:

Dear Friends,

Have you been saying, “Oh, I’ll watch Singapore Dreaming next week”, or “Oh, I’ll catch Singapore Dreaming when I am ‘free-er’, see-how, see-how, maybe after my golf game this Sunday”, or “Maybe I will ask my friends to go with me when we next meet up for drinks, donno when”?

Well, you MUST see Singapore Dreaming NOW because after THIS WEEKEND, it probably won’t be in the cinemas anymore!

Singapore Dreaming is now entering its third week at the cinemas.

Thank you to all of you who’ve been emailing us to tell us how much you’ve been moved by our humble little indie film, and thanks to those of you who’ve been bringing your entire families, including parents and grandparents, to watch it. Your messages of support and encouragement really keep us going.

We’re doing remarkably well by Singapore indie movie standards. As you know, we’ve been getting absolutely stellar reviews:

"...the best movie this little red dot has produced in a
decade." - Neil Humphreys, TODAY

“Funny, moving, intelligent and true. Singapore Dreaming is the
best Singapore movie I’ve seen.” - Ivan Heng

“one solid movie about Singapore, about families, and about
life in our little island.” - Mr. Brown

“The most authentic and affecting Singaporean film I've ever
watched.” - Alfian Sa’at

“radiantly honest” - Catherine Lim

“它是 我& #35273;&# 24471;最 感& #20154;&# 30340;本 土& #29255;. The most moving Singaporean film
I’ve ever seen.” - Hong Minghua, Lianhe Zaobao

“a terrific film... A must watch for Singaporeans.” -
MovieXclusive. com

“The film guarantees a lot of laughs as well as deeper,
meaningful messages on love, life and relationships.” -
ChannelNewsAsia. com

“...one of Singapore’s best films ever.” - FiRST magazine

“It is life in its reality.” - President S.R. Nathan

Right now, we’ve been lucky enough to make more than other great recent local indie productions like ‘Be With Me’, ‘Love Story’, ‘Perth’ and ‘4.30’ combined. We’re even holding our own fairly well against some foreign films with bigger releases and marketing budgets. Last week, at Golden Village cinemas, we even overtook critically-acclaime d Korean blockbuster ‘The Host’.

So even though we’re not a MediaCorp Raintree or Jack Neo film, people clearly think there’s something special about Singapore Dreaming – BUT IT ISN’T ENOUGH.

Because we still can’t fight against Hollywood, and with Miami Vice and Jacky Chan’s arrival, THIS IS LIKELY TO BE OUR LAST WEEK IN CINEMAS, as we’ll be displaced to make way for the newer foreign films.

The sad truth is also that many Singaporeans are still very biased against Singaporean films. We keep hearing people say they won’t see a Singapore film no matter what. If we want to grow our own film culture rather than just copying other countries, both filmmakers and audiences need to work together and support each other.

From the feedback we’ve been receiving, we are confident that anyone who sees Singapore Dreaming will come out knowing that it’s possible to have a Singapore film that, in the words of our great theatre director Ivan Heng, is “funny, moving, intelligent and true.” But we just need audiences to take that chance and find out for themselves.

So please, if you can, tell all your friends (at least 10!) about Singapore Dreaming, and to catch it THIS WEEKEND. If you have seen it already, see it again with your parents or your children.

IF ENOUGH OF YOU COME AND WATCH IT THIS WEEKEND, MAYBE WE CAN PLAY FOR ANOTHER WEEK!

Don’t worry: those other foreign films, with their heavier marketing budget, will still be around after us.

If you value real Singapore, if you think that local talent is as worth supporting as foreign talent, if you want to see a film that says something about you in a mature and thoughtful way, then we need you to support Singapore Dreaming.

And if you’ve enjoyed our humourous pieces for the past 6 years FOR FREE on http://www.TalkingC ock.com, or came for our FREE SHOW at the Old Parliament House – then why not spare $7 or $9.50 to support Singapore Dreaming?

Local films like ours really value your ticket purchases, unlike foreign films where Singapore is only 1 out of thousands of markets. ‘Miami Vice’ or ‘Little Man’ doesn’t care if Singaporean audiences like their film, because they still have 50 other cities to go to.

But to a Singaporean film like ours, you are EVERYTHING!

Please forward this email to your friends or lists, with a personal recommendation!

Thank you for your support,

Colin Goh and Woo Yen Yen
Directors, Singapore Dreaming

SINGAPORE DREAMING is now in cinemas! Here are other great reviews we have received:

“A compelling flow of stories which you won’t just identify
with. You’ll live them, you’ll dream them.” - Mr. Miyagi

“Every Singaporean will find plenty here to empathise with“ -
The Straits Times

“Just plain brilliant... don't you dare miss this” - A Nutshell
Review

"The acting manages to be both realistic and comical." - Lianhe
Wanbao

“realistic and moving” - Shin Min Daily News

“It has humour and a story that many Singaporeans will
empathise with” - UW magazine

“a terrific film... A must watch for Singaporeans.” -
MovieXclusive. com

“I’ve finally seen a Singapore film that’s genuinely moving.
And I’m not dreaming.” - Hong Minghua, Lianhe ZaoBao

Here are also some unsolicited responses from regular cinemagoers who have seen Singapore Dreaming:

http://tonywlim. multiply. com/reviews/ item/1

http://hitori. blog-city. com/singapore_ dreaming_ 1.htm

http://decayonnet. blogspot. com/2006/ 09/singapore- dreaming. html

http://www.rp. sg/articles/ 20060824001. asp

http://blog. vjc.sg/2006/ 09/18/singapore- dreaming/ #more-576

Singapore Dreaming is a realistic, touching and bitingly funny film that will make you take a closer look at yourself and your family, and what it means to be Singaporean.

The film stars award-winning actors Richard Low, Serene Chen and Lim Yu-Beng, as well as Alice Lim, Dick Su and Yeo Yann Yann in possibly the strongest acting ensemble ever assembled in Singapore film to date. It also features a powerful script by http://www.TalkingC ock.com founders Colin Goh & Woo Yen Yen.

With dialogue in English, Mandarin and Hokkien, it is also subtitled entirely in English and Mandarin.

The film is also the first and only Singapore film to be selected by the prestigious SAN SEBASTIAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, where it is in competition for the Montblanc Screenwriters Award and the Altadis New Directors Award – the world’s largest film festival prize for new directors.

For more reviews, clips and information, please visit: http://www.Singapor eDreaming. com

SEND THIS MESSAGE TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS! TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT SINGAPORE DREAMING! GO SEE THE FILM NOW! THIS IS PROBABLY OUR VERY LAST WEEKEND!

----

Mebbe I'll go watch it this weekend..


EDIT:
My bad, my fren's no longer in advertising.. and I went to catch the flick on Friday. I must say, it's REALLY GOOD! It's so real, hits home and so poignant. It's not singapore satire, or just a local movie trying to make money from gags. It's not a totally abstract film-festival-wannabe film. It's just.. a great movie!
See if you can spot the "Auntie Auntie" beer bottles..

just wanted to share this:
Little Panda Sneeze

2nd Year Anniversary!

Yesterday, Shermaine and I had our 2nd year anniversary. ok.. u must be thinking, didn't they just have their FIRST year anniv?? Well, we came up with that other date because Shermaine felt that our 10 months apart wasn't like a real relationship, cos of the distance and after being together in Singapore, how much more real it has become. So this 2 year anniv is to commemorate when we got together as a couple at first, just as she left for Japan in 2004!

To celebrate this, we had our week-long "holiday" leading up to the day. Its been a long time ya dear? Just the night before last, Sherm whipped up a great Carbonara Pasta (with the self-made baco-bits and asparagus!) for us. It was GREAT! Her method ensured that the pasta tasted of the bacon and home-made sauce, even without tossing. At first taste, I could tell that this was NOT gonna be one dish that would become jerlak halfway-thru eating, SHIOK! And finally, cos of short-term finance issues, last nite we had a nice dinner at Han's (which is serving surprisingly palatable steaks still!).

Thanks Shermaine, for being the best girlfriend any guy can ask for. =D You make every gloomy day become sunshiney again!

Check out "Bentoblox.blogspot.com"

Isn't this tasty looking??

Fireworks Fest Pic

This was taken by Pritpal during the Fireworks Festival. Prit invite both Shermy and I, we went, say between some tripods, and emerged when the time of firing was upon us. Awesome isn't it?

Great Pic

Prize-winning picture taken by my buddy Pritpal Singh. I call it - Voyeur in HDB. hahaha

How different..

Just random news from a financial management master:

Buffett's quiet bliss

Financier Warren Buffett didn't flash wealth this week when he married his constant companion, Astrid Menks. The Buffetts have an unconventional history -- their closeness began years ago with the approval of Buffett's first wife, Susie, who died in 2004. But Buffett and Menks married in a simple, 15-minute ceremony performed by a local judge at his daughter's Omaha house. Afterward, the famously thrifty Buffett and his bride treated the tiny wedding party to dinner at Bonefish Grill, a casual seafood restaurant.

Its just so contrastingly different from us (us being people like us, twenty-somethings) who are looking to our own wedding and how grand we want it to be. Well, he is known to be frugal.. but also cos he's seen life enuff already I suppose. Shermy says its cos he has nothing left to prove.

A Great Leader

A leader who snubs important dignitaries when he visits from far away, cos they had disagreements in the past.

A leader who shouts and screams at his underlings like they owe him a living.. in front of guests.

A leader who makes speeches that diss the very people standing right in front of him.

A leader is not one who replies all on an email, includes a few more names and excludes the person whom he decides to say something bad about. That would be defined as "backstabbing".

A leader who backstabs to hit at his underlings, is not a leader who deserves any semblance of respect at all. We're just caught in a situation where no one else wants to take on his role, and that's why he's still there.

I just want to vent. Nothing I say here will change anything. But i can alwiz vent. Just like how I feel abt the ppl who vote for our government. I can vent, but nothing will change.

Unusual Event: Fireworks!

Thanks to Pritpal, tonite Shermy, Prit and myself waited at Fullerton Bridge from 640pm (Prit got there earlier..) all the way to 9pm to watch.. THE FIREWORKS! WOot! We had a great spot cos our cameramen friends all choped the the front row with their tripods! Shermy and I sat under the tripods for a while, reading out books, then we broke out the bread sushi.. so we all ate. Until now, I din realise we didn't have dinner. The bread sushi kept me frm hunger, wow!

So yea, we waited till 9, there was an announcement and then began the show.. wat a show it was, and we had front-row seats! yay! Poor Shermy got scared during the show tho.. a "smart-people-thing", so poor thing. *holds hand tight tight* Sorry dear, but glad u had a great experience anyway! Will post pics frm Prit n Sherm soon.

Bling!

As promised, here're the rings! =D

the Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift

Great poster, great cars movie (350Z is one of my fave cars!!), lotsa chicks, very cool asian dudes AND.. me n Sherm LOVED the setting (Tokyo!), she even recognized one of the road signs.. hehe
and OK.. after the movie.. I've become a drift-convert. Yes Mike, I noe I nvr tot much of it.. but wow.. its COOL..

-Tokyo Drift Trailer (the first 15 seconds is wat got Shermy to drag me to go.. yes, it really wasn't my idea!)
-What is "drifting"?
-How to drift
-Check out this video! Especially the 2 cars at 2:14mins onwards.. awesome!
-This clip features the 180SX too! another of my faves when I was but a wee lad.. and.. a LEXUS! woot! Soundtrack is a punk'd version of 99 Red Balloons.

Couple bags!?

Have u heard of couple bags?? I got couple rings for Shermy n I; funky little solenoid-looking rings with alternating carbon-fibre on the inside in between steel. very nice! DKYHRTMKY! =) THAT is normal rite?
but identical Deuter backpacks?? hehehe.. well, Shermy had to get a bag to carry her kendo gear (we can't stash everything in my van without my license rite?), so we decided on her bag. While walking around for another bag for me, I realised I really liked her bag, and after some debating and rationalising with Sherm, I got the very same bag for myself.. I dunno if its lame or cute or romantic or wat.. but its a really nice bag! Functional too, and.. it comes with a lifetime seam guarantee! *thumbs up*
Both of us use it for kendo stuff now, and on non-kendo days, the bogu comes off easily ready for other stuff, SHIOK!

For a Good Cause

Click on this link and 4000USD goes to the Singapore Breast Cancer Fund!

ambatchdotcom seocontest

*Disclaimer: this is a recommendation from Cerebrus, anythink u may or may not pick up from it, go find him. Email me for his home address.

Bento Breakfast

my darling made me a bento breakfast on Sunday. She just felt like spoiling me rotten abt 2 days prior to that and planned n executed it all to perfection.
Here're some pics, presenting... Egg & Cheddar Salad Sandwich ala Bento! (dun u think the little hard boiled egg is so adorable??)

Happy 1 Official year in Singapore Anniversary!

Yesterday, Shermaine and I celebrated our ONE YEAR Anniversary together! Discounting the 10mths in Japan, we decided to take the start of our relationship on the day she returned to me. And.. Here we are today! Woot! More years to come! =D

Darling Shermy with her first ever bouquet of roses! =D

Our Anniversary cake chosen by me from Hotel Phoenix (40% discount between 6-7pm every work day!) Delicious!

I thank my darling Shermy for making me such a great boyfriend to her. =D

7 year itch

So yes, I had another brush with "the law", and this time, its taken something away from me that has become such a big part of me, its so hard to believe its gone. My freedom, my liberation, my driving license.

I got caught in a stupid way, doing a stupid thing late in December. LTA got wise very soon, I was called for investigation (in fact, I GAVE myself to them). I appealed by way of compassion and got a rejection. Court was set, there I was today. I prepared a nice speech, I brought my appeal letter. It was all in vain. I got fined S$1200 and all my driving licenses disqualified for 12 months.

Today in retrospect, I've been riding/driving for almost 7 years. That's almost 7 years of non-Public Transport taking I've been doing. That's 7 independent years of being out, doing what I want, and ferrying people around. That's 2 court sessions, multiple fines and several thousands in purchases and repairs. And now.. its back to MRT, bus and walking. Cabs on the occasion I suppose. More time gone down the drain.

What do I do without the van that I've gotten so attached to? Kamoka has been such a boon to my relationship with Shermy. 1 trip of sending shermaine home and back usually took me 1 hour. Today, the trip back from her place took me 1 hour. That's excluding the bus ride and walk home too. What about Kendo equipment? My mobile home has been raided and shutdown. Man. I'm left in the lurch.

So folks, what can we learn from this? NEVER.. NEVER ride/drive without proper vehicle insurance. And NEVER hope for compassion from the law.

Here's a composition I wrote when I had a heavy fine imposed on me (2002):
----


The Joys of Life
(A Rider’s Perspective)

It’s not the big things that define what life is. There’re too few and far between. They come and are soon gone. Be it a sensitive lover, or a wonderful parent. For me, it’s the little things: like a smile meant just for me, my work rewarded by simple thanks, or just… the perfect ride.

It’s in the quick spurts of power (aka pleasure) through the responsiveness of twisting the throttle and getting rewarded by sheer growling power: power that you can control in and out of a beautiful bend. The exhilaration of being close to the ground beneath that just rushes by. The quick flick of the eye to reaffirm the speedo is at a respectable point. Feeling one’s body precariously hanging off the growling, road-devouring beast, all the while almost touching the passing asphalt.

It’s not the showing off, for no one but your machine knows what you’ve been up to. It’s not the ego-boost, for everyone feels he’s better than another. No, it’s just the holistic feeling of being in total control on that excruciatingly perfect lean of any long deep corner - anywhere.

By and by, such moments get reduced. THEY come in and impose odd restrictions and limiters on your machine. They develop new-fangled products to keep you in check. They constantly redefine the imposed system of control. “Lead a mundane life, be a loyal and obedient servant!” You will be fine (not FINED) if you follow these tenets. Clones: is that why they make creativity an essential module for our poor young? And yet they limit you to walking speeds and expect adventurous, risk-taking entrepreneurs? Perhaps they should reconsider this positively (negative) repressive approach.

Our joys get blacked-out and tossed into the past. What about the irresponsible and the criminal? Why shoot-down the lone wolf? His life is his own, is it not? His is not to run with the pack.

They take away the joys of life, and leave us with nothing. Soon, we’ll not only be told how to be courteous, but also how to start smiling again—for soon dreariness shall set in, and the right to one’s happiness… revoked.

When that day comes, I shall look for a sure means of flight. Cut the strings that bind me and carry on flying to my own. I want to keep my little joys always. Fight the power. Don’t let yours get taken away.

---


So now that its been taken away.. do I fly? Nah.. times were different back then. I've got wings already. right shermy? =)

Culinary Expertise deserves mention!

So, I was feeling down the other day. Trades weren't going so well. My darling took an off that day in preparation for her Speech Competition (which is another story, the actual competition). So as it were, out of the blue, Shermy decided she wanted to make me feel better by cooking me something to eat! To appease a man, u gotta go thru his tummy I guess? So she asked me, and after a series of questions, we were gonna do a Salmon Pasta thingy in white cream & garlic sauce (not forgetting to put my fave mushrooms in there). However, in consideration for my parents, we decided on a salmon dish in white cream sauce instead!! OH!!! I was held at bay by busily-cooking sherm, and wat a tough job it was, from the moment the garlic went in.. I was salivating and drooling as much as the dog. Well, both of us were slobbering at the stove watching Shermy cook the salmon dish... I helped of course, cutting the mushrooms, opening the cans, instructing the maid to help..

When we finally started on it during dinner, sigh... heavenly. Did I ever mention Shermaine cooks really well? yea she does =) Wish I had a pic to show for it tho.. but... I'm sure u can imagine by now, a tasty Salmon in White Cream and Garlic sauce with mushrooms (3 types!!). I'm getting hungry again, just thinking abt it... soft sigh.

Shermy @ Office

So, the AIG office that I was in over a year ago now has a new inhabitant.. RB! lol, no .. Sherm's interning for the Regional SE Asia office of AIG now. These are the items that have been causing quite a stir in the office!

The little yellow plush thing, no not the biggest banana ever, is DB or Duckyball. I bought that for Sherm, and he's doing all the work for her now. Stays in the office just to work late too. And in the middle of the nite, amidst the clatter of frantic typing, u can hear a little apologetic voice going "sowwy.. sowwy, I'll get it done soon.. sowwy.."

And the following are Shermy's lunches, all prepared by her! Talented isn't she?
Bento 1
Bento 2
Bento 3

Merry Xmas!!!! AGAIN!

Another perfect 100 pts from Nikkei today! WOOT WOOT! Biggest trading day EVER! That's it man..

New DXQ Record

I took 100 points off the Nikkei today! Biggest ever! woohoo!!

X3: The Last Stand? the Last. Period.

Just back from X-men 3: The Last Stand

Ok, from the very title itself, I already thought to myself that it sounded kinda iffy. a little off, noe wat I mean? Well, it turned out the title wasn't the only thing iffy about the movie. To sum it up, X3 is the WORST of the X-men series of movies. The WORST! The only thing worth watching it for would be some of the action sequences, and the parts that would be remembered more for its comedic effect than anything else.

The storyline, oh the storyline.. of all the multiple multiverses and multiple timelines that are in existence, they had to create one of their own.. one that SUCKED so bad. A motivating factor that can tear mutants into 2 factions that in my opinion, doesn't even seem that much of a big issue, and *gasp* the death of.... Professor X??? the "nerfing" of Magneto???

Even the obligatory feral Wolverine scene didn't seem as exciting as the ones that came before. I dunno.. What were the directors and producers thinking? They got tired of the X-men and wanted to kill all enthusiasm for it so they never have to make another one? There can surely be no more X4 after this.. they killed and nerfed EVERYONE significant!!

The good parts:
-When Angel took off his restraining leathers and unfurled his wings in a super gay pose.
-When Wolvie went up against a Spines Scrapper (for the CoH players out there)!
-When it was observed that Xavier got himself into a position that could get a good close-up view of Jean's cleavage on the pretext of "getting into her mind".
-When Beast let off a "Oh my stars and garters!"
-Iceman finally got the full-ice look.
-Everytime Wolvie calls Beast "furball", and their comedic banter
-When Juggernaut gives himself a headache (I think he was the coolest in this flick tho. Colossus looked great in X2, and crap in X3..)

Bah.. apart from the above. I'd advise u not to watch it if u were thinking of it. Rent the DVDs of the previous 2 if u have an X-men craving. Give this a total miss. It's that bad. It really is.

Mr & Mrs Wong Chih Hsien!

before I forget, let me put down here now an announcement, that my good kendo buddy and friend Wong Chih Hsien got married on 14 May 2006. It was a grand wedding and there were 3 tables for the Kendo people. Shermaine and I were emcees for the evening. I was really proud to be given the opportunity to help my friend in such an occasion! And Sherm by my side helping with the mandarin delivery. =)

Pictures to follow!

Here's a rare shot of the groom in his civvies, practicing his speech. =)




Fendy and Nora!

NUS Kendo Alumni & Shermy



say cheese!!

Wife (to-be)-beater

I gave Shermy a baluku yesterday. We were wrestling, and she decided to tickle me. low blow. I was rolled up in my bedcover and couldn't get out. Struggled like hell. guess what happened? I got my upper body free and somehow planted my elbow in her forehead in my panic! So yea, the gal with the iron head who gives out headbutts for fun, got a bruise on her forehead, above her left eye. A little bit lower and I mite've knocked her eyeball deep into her eyesocket! Anyway, I immediately made an icepack and tried to soothe the bruise with it. Thank god for her fringe, we've got a wedding to attend tmr!! =/

Are you a Daxpert?

dax·pert Pronunciation Key (dekspûrt)
n.

1. A person with a high degree of skill in or knowledge of Dax.
2.
a. The highest grade that can be achieved in Daxology.
b. A person who has achieved this grade.

Example: D - "I'm watching my ex-favourite movie on tv now". S (replying via sms without checking tv or guide) - "Is the movie Starship Troopers?"


Only one person has qualified for the title thus far, and that's Shermaine!! =)

Your Vote Is Secret

Is utter crap. There's a serial number on your voting ticket, and 4 people to register you. 1 to Verify it is you. 1 to issue the voting ticket to you. 2 others you will never know what they're there for. As you get your ticket, they shout your number to the other 2 for god noes what. It is entirely possible to trace back who you voted for. Another notch in the Elections Department I guess.

the 27th Birthday gift

My darling gave me the best birthday present ever! She secretly sent a detailed email to Mr K in Japan (her benefactor) with instructions to purchase a very specific Shinai from that bogu shop in Waseda. Her letter gave exact dimensions, feel and use description! And dear Mr K brought it there to purchase on Shermy's behalf. The shinai was ferried to Singapore thru Korea and other parts of Asia as it was hand-delivered by Mr K. Sherm was delighted beyond words! I dunno how she managed to contain herself and only present the gift to me on the 18th itself. With it came 2 beautiful leather tsubas that were new even in Japan itself. Mr K said it was a "present" from the bogu shop, so we have no idea if the nice bogu-shop lady in Japan gave it to us since Shermy knew her personally, or if Mr K bought it for us.
It was a simple birthday indeed, but I treasure my baby all the more for the great effort that went into getting a shinai that I wanted. =)
359 days more till my next birthday... and counting... ;)

My 2nd favourite rear end

Heroes of Upper Pierce Reservoir

Sherm and I have decided to get healthy since our Kendo attendance has been dropping. We've been taking morning brisk walks and the occasional jog (*whispers* I'm teaching her how to, despite all her energy, she really can't run 2.4 at all!). Today we introduced doing suburi into our regime. Ya, we only did 300, but its a start. Eventual goal - 1000 a day.

So.. on our way back to the van one particular day, Sherm's amazing eyes spotted a beached turtle (or terrapin) in the gutter of Upper Pierce Reservoir. This was along the long stretch of tarmac, the gutter wasn't wet like a normal drain, and the sun was burning down harshly on everything, and I was shielding Sherm (*whispers* she burns easily too). The poor turtle was curled up trying to tahan the heat till the evening or mebbe the rain. We took pity on it and Sherm picked it up. "His shell's HOT!" and indeed it was. I took over, climbed down the rocky side and placed the hapless turtle on a rock just above the water's surface. Very soon after, the fella popped out and hurtled into the water, into the depths very quickly.

Yes, we did a good thing that day. And we were proud. =)

Electric Kisses

Ok this is strange to post here, but the other day, Shermy and I kissed, and it was ELECTRIC!

Suffice to say, we were in the van for abt half an hour, the air-con was on and when we leant in to kiss before leaving, we got zapped! we tried again, and again we were shocked. It was funny cos how many times have u heard or read about someone's kiss being electric? well, static electricity sure gave my shermy baby a shock!

We countered it immediately by opening the door and turning off the air-con n engine. Shiok! Have you ever kissed and felt that your kisses were electrifying!? hehe

I just quit..

I just withdrew from the National Training Squad. Singapore will be fielding a great team regardless, and I'll try to support them in anyway possible.

Feel really bad cos lotsa ppl are asking me to reconsider.. even the ones i didn't think would bat an eyelid. I just hope they understand that the team is still strong without me. I will surely contribute in some other way, even if I'm not a player.

And to Suresh, you really ARE a good captain and a marvelous player! I still strongly support you and wish u and the team all the best! I will go for thursday practices and make sure u guys have a heck of a time in keiko with me until u guys exceed me by leaps n bounds n I'm useless that way =)

Sherm's Birthday n New Developments

Shermy celebrated her birthday on the 23 February! I bought her a chocolate cake quite last minute, and we had it at 4pm! =) She then had her birthday kakarigeiko at NUS later that evening. No, I'm impartial, SHE gets KKGK too! hehe


This evening, there was sweat in my armpits as I met up with Shermy's mom. The first meeting since 2 CNYs ago. The first since all the furor about her n me getting together started. I saw it as the first step towards an end that looks good! I'm surprised even that her mother initiated the whole meeting. Me? I was scared as hell to meet either of them cos of their animosity towards me. Even if she didn't come away today liking me any better, the fact that she accepted and wanted to meet up is the only way things can get better.

So.. Pray for me! =)

Valentine's Day!

Last year's V-day went by silently. almost sadly. But this year, Shermaine was with me! and.. we had a picnic out by Labrador Park. I picked her up from class, then we went to get a salad (which I didn't noe how to make, being a meat-eater..), and brought her to Cafe le Duck. There I whipped out the layout, opened the cooler, and took out the piece-de-resistance - Pasta ala Quah! Mmm mmm.. it DID look good, even tho it was over an hour cool, and the garnishing didn't look fresh anymore.


My darling squealed in delight at what I had prepared! hehe.. how satisfying. We exchanged pressies, then commenced the makan. We spent a couple of hours there, with the back door of the van opened out. 2 cars away was a Mazda 3 Hatch with its backdoor open as well, and the couple there were having a mini-BBQ. It was great fun watching the other couples stroll by and inquisitively peek at our van, with Shermy happily giving them toothy grins.
And as Shermy would gladly tell her friends, I brought the food, she brought... mosquito coil! hehe.. which is a fabulous thing! no mozzie stings at all the whole evening! =)
We reminisced at how previous V-days seemed so vindictive and evil. It is evil to non-couples unless u stay in and block out the commercial world out there. I think I used to blog abt how I hate V-day. This year with Shermy here, I have forgotten tht evil and moved on to a happier place. =)

Chinese Lunar New Year

A time when all the relatives get together and visit each other. Give out red packets of money, exchange oranges. According to ChannelNewsAsia's Today in Asia program, it's "all about money!"

Well, this year, Shermy was introduced to some of the aunties in the Lee side of the family who have not met her yet. Everyone approved! =) There ya go! And u noe how when we were young we alwiz joked abt the gf being the next wife etc... I got that this year. =P

Well, good introduction, as Sherm said. The rest of the story's yet to unfold.. =)

City of Heroes, as a couple - Part II

So yea, it's been over a month since Sherm and I started CoH. Since then, she's decided to work up one particular toon which she loves, and I too, simply cos he's just so adorable! Sherm had the idea of putting together a little dog with a mean punch, cos there're just WAY too many run-of-the-mill heroes running around, my toons included. So making use of what CoH offers, she actually managed to make a really convincing dog! And she's gotten comments about it too, from ppl who can see and appreciate her effort. Presenting - Hemingway!


We've also created a pair of German Super-Soldiers called Adolph and Bardolph. The twin concept was Shermy's again, and the build of 2 controllers with similar skills was mine. Somehow we made them soldiers cos Sherm loves the German army uniform, and tadah! Gay Toons..


Jay Kay and Hemingway love taking pics, this is one such pic, where Hemingway persuaded a War Wolf to pose and smile for the camera-man, Jay. =)


K, warning to the Christians, the following pics may offend your senses, please do not lambast me with anti-blasphemous comments..
Jay Kay conducting his demonic orchestra


Bone Horror alongside a crucified Pumpkin Fir Bolg

8th Singapore Youth Kendo Tournament

Finally, the 8th Singapore Youth Kendo Tournament 2006 is over! All the stress in planning that my dearest Shermy had been experiencing is finally gone! And it was a good one! And the best thing about the Tourney was that the NUSKK teams did so well! Second and joint-Third for both Men's and Ladies' teams! All defeated by the senior players from the SKC. What got me really happy was seeing them play their best when it was needed.

My dear Shermy was so worried abt all the weak players, and hardly worried about the one she had to worry abt. So strange. She started analysing one of her opponents, why that gal made it to almost joint-third placing, who she defeated etc.. even tho we knew she was an NYP beginner.. I was flabbergasted! but ah well, she confidently won 2 points in a short time. So no need to get worried MAH!!

The worst part for me was when I was called up for shimpan duty, and Elton n Hasebe sensei turned to ask me if I wanted to be the chief shimpan for tht match, I looked at them and said "these are my boys! If i had the choice, i wouldn't even want to be doing shimpan duty!" to which they understood immediately and Elton was made the Chushin. But what a match it was! When they beat the NYP A team to get into the Finals! I was so glad that they realised finally that a draw is also a win in a team match! I was shuddering with joy when Zibin managed to win his match putting them 1 game ahead of NYP A, and leaving Derrick to finish comfortably with a draw against Jobi, a known giant-killer.

The event ended with some of us sitting around after the clean-up chatting about the days events and all that we saw and did. What a nice feeling that was. =)

A pic to commemorate the event: