The Emancipation of Mimi!

Oh well, my baobei's 21st party has come and gone. Here's my reflections on the event!

For her, I think it was a whirlwind trip of roller-coasting emotions. Up in the heavens one moment, down in the dumps the very next. 

Right from her accidental glance of the birthday blog, confirming and reassuring her doubts that there was indeed some sort of party in the making. I have to add that normally my baobei isn't that particular about how her birthdays are celebrated, but I know deep in her heart she wanted her 21st birthday to be a very special one.

So there she was, eagerly anticipating and counting down of the days to come, even going as far as baking cookies of gratitude for everyone who would attend this supposedly "surprise" birthday party of hers. 

Fast-forward to a day before 23rd August 2008, when I had no choice but to lie. 

"I didn't manage to reserve a place to hold the party for you."

"Not only that, I can't even celebrate your 21st with you alone because my Grandma's birthday falls on the same day! My Mum insists that I join in the family celebration."

Crushing her hopes and listening to her subsequent sobbing wasn't something particularly easy for me to do, but nonetheless my hand, or rather my mouth, was forced. I had to come up with something to keep the party a surprise!

Then, the big day finally arrived. I collaborated with her sisters and they brought her to the scene of the crime. She was literally frozen over with shock, plain and apparent for all to witness. Soon enough, she recovered sufficiently to smile and mingle around with all her friends who came to celebrate the emancipation of mimi and shower her with their well wishes.

Mimi in the state of shock!

All in all, I think it was safe to say that baobei's birthday bash was a great success! It was my virgin experience organising a party like this, but I'm glad that I managed to learn something about event management through practice. 

From concept creation to actual execution, from logistics planning to venue decoration, I've had a hand in all of those. Although it hasn't always been easy (with the transition into University and adjustment to my Hall life), it is all worth it at the end of the day as long as I manage to make her smile!

Some of the beautiful pictures that were taken:

Bearhugz!

Sisters!

34th Generation!

The MMs. (Omg! Even Matthew starts with M!)

First and foremost, a big THANK YOU to M&M (No, not the milk chocolate that melts in your mouth not in your hands. I meant Marco And Mavis!) for coming with me to check the place out!

Following up, I would like to give special thanks to brother RJ who sacrificed precious time to accompany me for decor-shopping!

Next, a big shout-out to Yida, Marco, Sk, Heng and Kenny for their help in putting up all the decorations! I wouldn't be able to do all that on my own... Thank you brothers!

Also I would like to thank each and everyone of my baobei's friends who came down for the party! She made a comment about how she never knew she had so many good and close friends. You guys made her feel loved in a way she has never felt before! Thank you dear friends!

Last but not least, my sincere gratitude to the friendly staff of The Tea Party for making the party possible to begin with! It really was a comfortable place with a warm ambience. They actually serve a wide range of tea (Hence, their name.) and scrumptious pasta too! So be sure to try it the next time you are there!

We had a mini After-Party at Wala Wala after the birthday bash. There were lots of booze and dirty secrets! Well what can I say, don't forget our MAMBO DATE on Wednesday 24th September 2008! Looking forward to it! =D

A toast to everyone!

P.S.: If anyone of you are interested in seeing the scrapbook that I made for Mimi, you can ask her about it, I'm sure she'll be more than happy to show it to you! =P

Checking In... To University Life!

I'm back from Hall Camp!

Well, Jim and I took our leave early because of various stuff that we had on. Even though I'm considerably less occupied than Jim in terms of scheduling conflicts, I figured that I've got quite a few issues at hand that I'd like to settle before officially starting my life in NTU.

Besides there's no reason for me to be there if Jim isn't there right? *insert your gay taunts here*

So anyways, we checked into our hall on Monday afternoon, lugging along big and small packages alike. In case you don't know, we're assigned to Hall 16, AKA THE HALL WITH AIRCON!

I've never been to or seen Hall 16 ever before in my life, but I've been to some of the other halls in NTU. Run-down, dirty, and really really old are just some of the nicer words I can use to describe them.

Therefore, I guess it was acceptable for me to go "OMG WE HIT THE JACKPOT!" when I first laid eyes on our new home. My initial impression was a healthy mix of awe and thankfulness if you ask me. From the outside, our hall looks clean and modern, much like some sort of condominium block.

16C, that's our block!

So after signing a few documents and collecting our keys (which happen to come in the form of CARDS, isn't that like UBER-COOL?), we began the arduous journey to get to our room on the 3rd floor of Block 16C. Not that it was a really difficult task to get there, given the fact of the existence of a certain mechanical wonder called the LIFT.

Our keycards! One for the gate, one for our room!

We got to our room, and boy, did it lived up to expectations. It's really very spacious in there, and there was a lot of room to move about. Jim and I were even contemplating to rearrange the beds into a L-shape so that we can set up a mahjong table right in the center of the room. Exciting prospect isn't it?

Welcome to our room!

Also, the study table is super long and wide! I think it isn't a problem to fit 3 or even 4 muggers there. So the next time you need a place to study in NTU, and there isn't proper comfortable place to mug, you are welcomed to look for us in our room! (Please note that you should knock before barging in, wouldn't want you to see anything that you don't want to see. Hiak hiak.)

The Palace of Wisdom!

The beds are super-comfy to sleep on! I probably got the best sleep ever in the 2 nights that I spent there. (Ok I know that it is theoretically impossible to get the best sleep two times in a row, but hey, King-Koil beds do miracles. Ask jim!)

My bed!

Jim's bed!

Geez, I really should stop raving about how good the place is. So let me just leave you with some more photos that I took randomly...

A photo I took from the link-bridge.

The wonderful view that greets us from out of the window!

Our gigantic wardrobe!

The freakn Sun in the Universe that is our room.

In case the Air-Conditioner breaks down.

P.S. The place looks so clean because my baobei came over to help us tidy up the room! Thank you baobei! What would I do without you? <3

Sanity in Insanity?

Whoa, I just caught The Dark Knight with baobei and we both agreed the movie's a total head-trip! No doubt, this movie gave me a fresh introspect into humans in general.

I will not be elaborating on the actual plot so you can read on with the peace of mind that whatever is written below will not spoil your movie experience.

I gotta say, aside from the usual big-bangs and catastrophic clashes, it's one helluva captivating show that's packed with intelligent dialogue. The interaction between Batman and Joker alone more than justified the ticket price for me. The more you ponder upon their banter, the more you will realise just how smart and ironic the story actually is.

After watching the movie, I can safely conclude that the main antagonist (The Joker, in his fullest deepest darkest glory) seemed to have only one genuine aim in his intricately-complicated mind, and that is to prove that each and every human is just as crazy as he is. That people can never truly follow a moral code of conduct or live by the rules. That everyone bends and breaks when they are pushed to some point. That in reality, the law and order that mankind tries so hard to achieve is nothing but a big fat hypocritical lie.

What I find most scary is that I can actually empathize with the Joker. At first, I thought he was just some lunatic who went around killing people just because it was funny to him. But as the movie progressed, he started to turn my world upside down. His ideologies slowly sank into my mind and I began to understand just where he was coming from.

So the question is, just how far does one have to be pushed before moral codes do not matter anymore? Apparently, it's not too far given Singapore's context. Boarding passengers who completely block off the exit of the MRT just so they can be the first to enter, albeit with some pushing and shoving all at the alighting passengers' expense. People who act like a mighty lion but when faced with someone of a higher status, his/her attitude does an instant 180 and he/she suddenly turned into a submissive little mouse. Families who are financially stable lying about their state, just so they can get hold of funds intended to assist the needy. These are just to name some of the few cases that I can grab off the top of my head.

I really would like to think that most people are good-hearted and morally-upright, like how I used to. However, these recent episodes have led me to believe otherwise. The Joker might just be much more sane than anyone of us. Pretty ironic huh?

On a side note, Heath Ledger's Joker was epic. It was an INSANE performance, you gotta give him MAD props (Haha... I just couldn't resist). In my opinion, he wasn't just merely portraying the character, he became The Joker. To be honest, with all the hype built up from his death, this final act of his was one of the main reasons why I wanted to watch The Dark Knight so badly. Not surprisingly, his performance exceeded all expectations. It was certainly a fitting curtain-call for such a fine actor. If anything, it only made me regret even more that such an immense talent had to pass at such a young age.

Let me just end this entry with one last irony. I read from Wikipedia that to prepare for the role as The Joker, Heath Ledger isolated himself by living alone in a hotel room for a whole month. Throughout this time, he tried to get into The Joker's psychology and kept a diary on how The Joker might think or feel. In a seperate interview which he did after filming has concluded, Heath Ledger commented that his role in The Dark Knight had caused sleeping problems, that his body was exhausted but his mind was still going. The official story on his death was that he overdosed on common prescriptions that are used to deal with insomnia, anxiety and depression.

Maybe, JUST MAYBE, Heath Ledger delved too deep into the twisted mindset of The Joker and it took its toll on him... and eventually his life too.

101 Ways To Be An Idiot: Chapter 7

So I was heading home after a long and hard day at work. As I walked towards Yew Tee MRT Station, I plugged in my Silver iPod and start blasting some rock'n music to de-stress.

I gotta say that when I listen to music, especially those that I like, I get transformed into the coolest person on this planet. I jam, rock, head-bang to the co-ordinated sounds at no end. I practically immerse and drown myself in my world of music.

Arrived at the platform and I looked up at the LCD Panel Display. 8 Minutes. "Cool bananas.", I thought to myself. See, told you I'm the coolest person on this planet... FOR ABOUT 8 MINUTES.

Until I noticed the train coming from the distance.

Until I stepped forward closer to The Yellow Line.

Until I RAISED MY FREAKN HAND AND FLAGGED FOR THE FREAKN MRT.

That's just pure freakn genius.

Don't ask me why I did it. I DON'T KNOW.

You know the old saying that goes, "Music makes you forget your worries." Seems like it throws your common sense straight out the window too.

So the next time you plug in that evil music-playing-device, just remember to be very very very careful.

Just another chapter in... 101 Ways To Be An Idiot.

Mac Attack!

I'm sure a lot of you would've known by now that I recently bought myself a MacBook...

My Precious...

Well, I wouldn't say it's a good idea to buy a MacBook right now because if tech-rumours are to be believed, Apple will be announcing the release of revamped MacBook designs sometime later on this year. (Damn you Jim! You just had to tell me right after I bought my MacBook isn't it?! Grrr. )

In any way, I'm not regretting my decision to get my MacBook early. My reasons being that:

1) Being a Microsoft Windows user for my entire life, I need to allow myself some leeway to learn how to be effective in Mac OS X, which is the operating system for Apple computers. Figured it'd be total blasphemy to own a Mac and not know how to use it to its maximum capabilities.

2) It got to a point where it became just too difficult for me to resist its uber-coolness anymore longer. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't breathe, couldn't live. I...MUST...BUY...IT... Okok... I'll admit this is not such a valid reason. But hey, everyone's inner child need to be satisfied sometimes.

I know I maybe quite the sensational reporter. However, I'm not really exaggerating when I say that the MacBook is a laptop that blends technology with design oh-so-seamlessly. (Seriously, I mean it.) You can tell that the guys over at Apple really went out of their way to place emphasis on the style and cool-factor. The best part about it all is that the MacBook is not only pretty to look at on the outside, the interior packs quite a punch too.

Alright, for now I'm going to highlight 3 personal discoveries that makes the MacBook stand out from the other laptops for me.

The first ever thing that really impressed me was when I first set up the MacBook. While connecting the power supply, I was pleasantly surprised to find that both the end of the power cable and the power port of the MacBook was magnetic! Meaning that you just have to place the end of the power cable somewhere near the port and *POOF* it will magically connect all on its own. This was just one of the examples of their user-oriented approach.

Next, the lively interface of the Mac OS X will blow you away. It's so different from the dead and rigid Windows that we are grew so accustomed to. With the Mac OS X, you will see icons jumping up and down vying for your attention, the dock (known as taskbar in Windows) scrolls and magnifies icons that you hoover over, and with just a press on the keyboard you will be given a neat overview of all your open windows for your viewing pleasure, just to name some of the cool functionalities packed into Apple's OS of choice. You probably may think to yourself, "Oh come on, that's just some fanciful crap. I don't need that." All I can say is that you have to try it for yourself. You'll realise how much more enjoyable it makes to your computing experience.

Lastly, the MacBook is in-built with a Sudden-Motion-Sensor. The primary purpose of this sensor is to detect any sudden movement (or drops for that matter) and prepare the relatively fragile hard disk for impact. In other words, it's a data protection system. It doesn't just stop at that, this motion-sensing capabilities can also be leveraged by applications such as iAlertU which is a free security program for your MacBook. Ok let me give you a scenario, say you are at Mcdonald's and you want to buy an Extra Value Meal. You are alone and you can't possibly lug your MacBook with you all the way to the counter. What do you do? Have no fear, you just have to arm your MacBook with iAlertU and leave it at its place. Anyone who tries to move the laptop (shakes) will trigger off a maximum volume alarm and iSight (MacBook's in-built webcam) will even take a snapshot of the would-be thief. Pretty cool huh. From what I read, you can even play games using the motion sensor technology on your MacBook! (I'm so gonna try that out soon.)

Therefore you see, all these nitty-gritty stuff will not be possible if the design team didn't have the end-user in mind. It's exactly this drive to satisfy all of our little whims and needs that allows Apple to create a laptop that stands out from other brands.

So I say there's a whole new world out there! Throw all your restrictions and inhibitions into the wind, and just ride the Apple wave man. You won't regret it. Ever.

Why do I sound like I'm getting aroused. I should probably stop here, I'm beginning to picture my future self as a salesperson in the Apple Store.

P.S: He was also the sole reason why I haven't been posting as actively, was playing around with him too much... Argh! His ruining my life...

My Most Exciting Day At Work Ever.

Ok, I would like to start off this entry by first confessing that I dislike cockroaches. Not afraid, scared, terrified or whatever. How can I, such a manly man, be afraid of such a small thing right? There's absolutely no truth in rumours that I'm scared of cockroaches. No truth at all I tell you.

I just don't like these creepy crawlies and I want to stay way away from them. There's just something about their dark exoskeleton, glistening wings, long flexible feelers, and prickly legs that sends shivers down my spine.

Throughout my 22 years, Mommy was the one who protected me against these detestable pests. Whenever I come across a cockroach, I would run to her like a little boy and tell her where I last saw the creature. (Most of the time, this happened in the dead of the night. Poor Mommy... I'm sorry!)

Mommy would grab hold of a plastic bag, flip it inside out, and put it over her right hand, much like a glove. Next, she would track down the unfortunate fellow using her vast knowledge of their species' behavioural traits and with one fell swoop of her hand, catch the cockroach before proceeding to tie the plastic bag up in a knot and disposing of it. Her each and every movement reeked of awesomeness.

Anyways this morning, innocent me was sitting in the office doing my work as usual when suddenly I heard a shriek, "Eee! Got cockroach!" My very first reaction was to let out a similar shrill and jump up upon my seat. But I was supposed to be calm and composed, so I somehow managed to suppress myself enough from acting like a little girl. If that wasn't scary enough, the next thing I heard was the real shocker, "Scotty! Come and catch the cockroach!"

OH NOES. Your ever-reliable friendly neighbour superhero was being called into action. I was this close to ripping my clothes into shreds to reveal my superhero costume... until I remembered I'm not wearing any underneath.

Blame it all on my luck being the only man in the office! I was left with little choice but to reply with a meek, "Ok, no problem." Images of Mommy in action during her cockroach hunts super-sped through my head. I was trying to emulate how she did it through memory power alone.

I reached for the plastic in my sling bag and wore it like a Cockroach Hunter's Glove. At this point in time, my female colleagues had already evacuated to the other side of the office. Which was good for me because they wouldn't be close enough to see my trembling.

I crept carefully towards the scene of the crime, and slowly opened the cupboard where the roach was last seen. I was really cautious not to make any sudden movements for fear that the cockroach would fly straight into my face, or worse, into my mouth. That's really a prospect I did not want to explore.

There my nemesis was, perched upon the side of the cupboard with her feelers twitching around as if she was issuing a "Come Get Some" challenge to me. How do I know it's a her? Because right at the end of her big fat ass was a case of eggs, wherein lies millions of cockroach babies. I knew I had to destroy her to save the world. I stared at her and she stared back, this stand-off lasted a few minutes. (Partly, because I was still mustering courage to make a move.)

While I was still bogged down with hesitance, Queen Cockroach made her first move. She started dashing towards the nearest exit at an amazingly high speed. Luckily, I was able to match that and I managed to block her route. I launched my own counter-attack and tried to grab her with my gloved hand. I'm quite sure I got her in my grasp, but somehow she squirmed out and jumped into a roll of tape.

Luckily, my eyes were following her each and every movement. I instinctively covered the top of the roll of tape with my hand and then wrapped the plastic bag around it. Now, I faced yet another problem...

HOW AM I GOING TO GET THE ROLL OF TAPE OUT AND MAKE SURE THE QUEEN COCKROACH DOESN'T COME JUMPING OUT TOO?

The only way I could think of was to hold her with my fingers while the other hand remove the tape from bag. It's pretty disgusting to have a cockroach struggling between your fingers, all the while making the irritating plastic bag sounds. *Shudders*

After I successfully removed the roll of tape, I re-secured the plastic bag and dump it into the bin outside. (Figured it would be quite stupid to torture myself by dumping it into the rubbish bin in the office and hear that non-stop plastic bag noise. *Shudders again*)

So that concludes my most exciting day at work to date. I'm a blooded cockroach-hunter now... Just don't ask me to do it again. Thanks.

101 Ways To Be An Idiot: Chapter 6

So a few days ago I woke up late and left my house in a mad rush, literally running late for work.

As I was half-sprinting towards the bus-stop, I could vaguely hear the familiar roaring of bus service 145's engine. (Yes, I'm so finely tuned to my neighbourhood that I can differentiate the bus services just by listening to the engine alone.)

To my extreme horror, the sound was getting fainter which only meant that the bus was leaving the bus-stop.

Natural instincts injected a fresh dose of adrenaline through my legs as I powered my way forward.

Sadly, even though I managed to smash the World Record for the event "100m Bus-Stop Sprint", I was rewarded with a sight of probably the only butt in the world which I hate to see, THE BUTT OF MY BUS.

"Bus-ket!" (I know it's lame, but I couldn't help it.)

And thus I began my lonely wait for the next bus in the very empty bus-stop.

Seriously, waiting for the bus at a bus-stop devoid of the working crowd at 8.30am on a normal weekday makes you feel like an ultra-loser.

Five minutes passed, there was no sign of the bus.

Ten minutes passed, the bus hasn't came yet but more and more people began to stream into the bus-stop.

Fifteen minutes passed, still no sign of the bus but the bus-stop was once again populated with life.

The bus finally made its grand appearance on the 20th minute of my wait.

Apparently, I was one of the first few to have noticed that the bus.

Being the kiasu Singaporean that I am, I plotted and schemed to put myself at the front of the pack.

Oh, how proud was I when I somehow managed to attain the coveted position.

Next I sank my hand into my pocket, ready to whip out my trusty EZ-Link card.

To my extreme horror *insert paramount sense of déjà vu here* ...

MY EZ-LINK WASN'T IN MY POCKET!

I desperately dug around my pocket but all I could feel were MY BALLS.

I LEFT THE CARD ON MY TABLE BACK AT HOME OMFG!

Imagine my embarassment when I had to squeeze and claw my way out of the crowd behind me and head back home for my EZ-Link card.

Bah, why didn't I checked for my EZ-Link card throughout the whole 20 minutes while I was waiting for the bus?!

I could have went home and get back like 5 times and STILL make it in time for the bus.

I ended up having to take a cab down to my workplace.

This whole episode wasted 20 minutes of my life, and $7.50 of my hard-earned money.

Just another chapter in... 101 Ways To Be An Idiot.