Daily Rants from e Queen Mommy's Land no more...

A year on..

2010-10-31T13:55:00.000+08:00

a year has passed so quickly.

3 days more.

Return of the Killer Fitness Test

2010-06-03T09:47:00.003+08:00

After my arduous 2.4 run on a treadmill last night at varying speeds of between 6-8km/hr clocked at a final 22 mins, I have worked up enough courage to look for my IPPT passing grades:

I have calculated that I will need:

1. to run at a speed of 12km/h (11.7km/h to be precise) to pass my 2.4 run

2. To do 4 pull ups when all I can do now is 5 pushups

3. Jump 207cm when all I have is a lousy knee

4. convince my spare tire that it can manage 31 sit-ups

Only the shuttle run I have some semblance of confidence I can still hit 10.6 sec.

So much blardy effort for the army.

It is done.

2010-02-22T23:54:00.001+08:00

Time to go home dear world

a summary of all parts

2010-02-20T10:47:00.002+08:00

The truth of it all is that I've no love lost if I were to not do architecture one day because that is not what truly defines me.

Sure I like to design and I find it extremely fascinating to see something you imagine manifested. But beyond all the lofty architectural aspirations and desires, I can be a really simple person with very simple needs.

Can you see that?

tickle

2010-02-08T21:53:00.002+08:00

Sadness is like a vacumn that seeps into your heart
and overflows with the tenacity of a waterfall.
you cannot overcome it,
you can only replace it.

with what though?

random moments..

2010-01-15T00:40:00.001+08:00

Leaving the worn suitcase gently behind
A damp coat fresh of mildew n the winter storm
The blast of heat from a rotating coil
A simmer of heat not residing upon my heart.

Prom!

2009-12-04T19:48:00.001+08:00

I believe it's prom night tonight.

sent via my G2 Android kickass phone.

Of Rand n Rants

2009-12-04T19:27:00.001+08:00

According to Mela's quote of Ayn Rand, work defines who one is.

I believe then that the coming week will be truly a defining period in my life.

Before I run to the middle east to scout for abandoned luxury cars in airports that is.

sent via my G2 Android kickass phone.

Alive but only barely.

2009-11-18T02:42:00.001+08:00

Just headed home after a night of extreme OT.

Why do I even bother.

sent via my G2 Android kickass phone.

Remember, remember the kind of September.

2009-11-16T01:26:00.002+08:00

Love goes n comes.. all those bitter sweet moments.

We all try to remember the precious moments we had. But they all hurt.

Another sleepless night. Just a cat named Rhino n a stag called Dalmore.

sent via my G2 Android kickass phone.

When the rain stops...

2009-11-15T01:50:00.001+08:00

Most days are rather melodramatic for me... often I wonder about past n future, realising the present is often lived out in a quick succession of hrs n minutes.

I have a love hate relationship with the monsoon season. Truly. It is with it that sg weather becomes bearable.

It is also with it that my main tennis exercises humiliates itself to nothing.

sent via my G2 Android kickass phone.

Serious passport photos. Or not.

2009-11-15T01:36:00.001+08:00

sent via my G2 Android kickass phone.

2009-11-14T09:50:00.001+08:00

sent via my G2 Android kickass phone.

Lessened

2009-11-14T00:21:00.001+08:00

It's with the realisation of me living day by day that sometimes brings a jolt of awareness to my regimented lifestyle...

Its quite surprising how my life in general has moved in in the past few years. London, Sg, LA, Sg again.the common denominator rather apparent...

I think of London every now n then. I thinking miss living out in a city that fears itself; a city where no 2 weekends are similar. A city where the only constant is spontaneity.

2009-11-14T00:12:00.001+08:00

sent via my G2 Android kickass phone.

2009-11-07T10:31:00.003+08:00

Remember, remember the Third of November.

my rustic dining area

2009-04-10T14:26:00.003+08:00

Dec '07 Chalet

2009-04-04T02:36:00.002+08:00

nostalgic pics

2009-03-25T07:52:00.003+08:00

2009-03-24T06:49:00.001+08:00

just found this while searching for stuff in my email...

De-fur-eD

2009-03-10T06:47:00.001+08:00

a trim over the weekend and he doesn't look so fat now...

It is done!

2009-02-27T10:59:00.004+08:00

An architecture competiton a friend and I did recently for a pavilion in UK...

a STUDio...

2009-02-20T10:18:00.010+08:00

I've sold my trusty old car off. Times are bad and I reckon we can do with sharing 1 car till I find a job.

It was really quite a machine. It brought us to Vegas when we first arrived, survived a crazy but fairly embarressing ride over a road divider, and has never really had any major issues whatsoever despite being a '96 Camry. I wish you well and greater years ahead in the hands of your new, and sometimes rather clueless, owner.

It's been a few months since Yunong and I moved into the new studio..

Right smack in the heart of Koreatown, It's a definite downsize from where we've came from.. but it's also alot more convenient now that the supermarket, the pharmacy and bakery's all in a Korean shopping mall a few mins walk away.

pictures of the new place...

view of the invincible sure-fall-asleep-when-you-sit-down-sofa area

The symbols of the pinnacle of my Wii supremacy

Main (and only unoccupied) living space...

View of our wardrobe & bathroom...

The cat's point of view... and of the storeroom.

Rhino the Furry... and YN's loyal subjects in her shoe kingdom...

A Peranakan Odyssey (re)Imagined

2009-02-05T13:13:00.005+08:00

I have always envisioned a roof over my Peranakan Cultural Centre that I based in Joo Chiat...

and now that I have some time on my hands, I've gotten into it... one of my first few attempts at using Rhino. In this particular case, I'll be using data gathered from Ecotect, coupled with some formal inspirations, and my new sculptural roof will be scripted and ready hopefully soon!

A new symbolic Joo Chiat icon in the making!

*artist impression of the old Joo Chiat Rd frontage

*artist impression of the proposed Joo Chiat Rd frontage. Purely diagrammatic. Roof will not be planar. No no.

Top 10: Cars you thought you couldn't afford

2009-01-08T04:12:00.003+08:00

By Tom Evans and Ian Dickson

January 05 2009

Are you having fun yet? Thought not. The recession is ghastly, but there are some silver linings out there if you are in the market for a new used car.

Retained values are falling sharply as demand vanishes, and the luxury sector has been hurt worst of all; a one-year-old luxury car is worth 20% less today than a one-year-old luxury car this time last year.

Such falls have revealed some very juicy bargains indeed out there. We take a look at some of the best. Got no money? No problem, dreams are free.

GALLERY: 10 used cars you thought you couldn't afford

Aston Martin V8 Vantage - from £38k

While I appreciate £38k may not be exactly accessible, it's still peanuts compared to the £80k+ one of these will cost you new; bearing in mind it is many people's dream car perhaps it is a small price to pay, in this case for a 2006 model. My favourite Aston, I love its compactness, its agility, its equal happiness to be on B-road, track or autobahn.

Unlike many other flash cars, you will get a degree of respect from most other road-users, who know a great looking British-made car when they see one. And you will impress ladies in a more or less limitless way; no wonder the City bankers snapped this up en masse before their particular gravy-train came to a lurching halt. TE

Audi RS4 - £29k

Performance Audis have always had the go, but never the handling to back it up, suffering from a nose heaviness a BMW engineer would commit hara-kiri to cure. And then came the latest RS4, with its new quattro system that can send up to 60% of the torque (rising to 85% in poor grip) to the rear wheels.

This makes it much more agile - and more of an M3 rival - than ever before. For a £50k performance car, the RS4 sold in relatively large numbers, which means there are plenty around now with prices starting at a cool £29k. That's still a lot, but give it six months and that figure will be lower still. ID

BMW 6 Series - £14k

Can we afford a BMW 6 Series? Yes we can! You may have assumed this highly desirable executive coupe was still in silly-land price-wise, but not at all. These cars may have started life at well over £50,000, but you can now step into a leggy 6 from 2003 for £14k.

These will invariably be the 645i, though now unleaded is firmly below a pound-a-litre again (hurray!) maybe you could throw hostage to fortune? Unfortunately the much more sensible 630i six-cylinder cars can't be had for much less than £18k though, and the brilliant 635d is still well out in dreamland at £35k. TE

BMW M3 - £10k

I had to double-check just to make sure this was right, but it is - you can have the previous BMW M3 on your drive from only £10k. That must make this the performance bargain of the century. And while the new M3 has a V8, the six-cylinder screamer fitted to this E46 model makes it more usable day-to-day and more fun more of the time.

If you can afford it go for the CS or CSL models, because they are just divine, but if money is tight you will be more than happy with just a 'normal' M3, with its 338bhp, 155mph top speed and genuine supercar baiting potential. ID

Ferrari 575 Maranello - £46k

The ultimate grand tourer? For the price - in this case £46k - you'd be doing well to find another car that will speed you across countries as effortlessly and graciously as this, and still look a million dollars sitting outside the Fairmont in Monaco.

Now replaced by the 599 GTB, prices for Ferrari's 5.75-litre V12 575 (hence the name) have been spiralling ever since from their peak of £163,200. Other Ferraris can be had for the same price: the sublime 360 for instance - but it screams newly unemployed hedge fund manager. The 575 on the other hand suggests an old-money charm. ID

Jaguar XJ diesel - £13k

Defy all the doomsayers who would like to see this much loved company ground into the dirt so we can only buy German luxury cars in future, and get yourself an XJ. I'm very fond of this car and as long as you get the lovely mesh grille and big 20" alloys (Sepangs look the best - see right), you will get yourself a great-looking car with none of the propping-up-the-19th hole image problems.

Best of all though you will get a sweet twin-turbo V6 diesel which will give you 35mpg if you're careful. This aluminium-built car is light enough to be nimble, and has a quality leather-and-wood interior which you will grow to love, and a superbly comfortable ride.

The only let-down is the Fisher-Price naff graphics on the control system; quibbles aside, you're getting a whole lot of car from 2005, from just £13k. TE

Porsche Cayman - £20k

Ah, "that's far too new to be even vaguely affordable" I hear you say? Wrong; it's been out there for two years or so, and prices have come down to just £20k for an early model. Don't know why - it's an absolutely cracking motor, a mid-engined coupe just perfectly balanced for driving pleasure.

I asked Kyle Fortune (late of this parish) what he thought of it after he first drove it. "Absolutely unbelievably good," was his reply in censored form. Try one out; you will wonder why anyone bothers with the cost of a 911. TE

Range Rover Sport – £18k

In boom times the Range Rover Sport was the car to be seen in. Like the wearing of a Rolex watch, the moderately wealthy took to the RR Sport in their droves - but now that the good times are over, those with big hire purchase repayments and no jobs have had to sell their trophy cars for peanuts.

Range Rover Sport prices are dropping incredibly quickly; £18k will get you a diesel and only £15k will get you into a new-shape Range Rover. The room for negotiation is huge; dealers don't want to take them in part exchange because they can't shift them so you can probably better even these prices. Happy haggling! ID

Volkswagen Golf R32 - £13,500

Meet the thinking man's hot hatch. While most cars of this ilk look like they've been wheeled through a branch of Halfords first, the R32 manages to be both aggressive and at the same time tasteful - especially if you get it in a discreet colour like black.

Of course, with a 3.2 V6 and a four-wheel drive system, this particular Golf can be cajoled along at an immense pace. Sold in relatively low numbers, the R32 cost £25k new but can now be bought used from £13,500. And if you're not bothered about having the latest model, the MK4 R32 can be picked up for £7,000. ID

Volkswagen Touareg - £9k

I've always liked the Touareg, and not just because an old mate has one. I think it's because it's a sensible badge (none of the show-offiness of Audi/BMW/Range Rover), with sensible looks that do not scream "get out of my way" like the Q7 or Range Rover Sport. They also seem to attract more sensible owners, in marked contrast to some of the luxury 4x4s out there.

Well, this level-headed, almost-PC 4x4 can be had for just £9,000, which gets you a 2003 2.5 diesel ; it won't be the fastest car in the world but it will give you 30mpg, big comfortable seats and a swish interior. What's not to like? TE

** As taken from MSN Cars UK

Bed + Cummings = Porn

2008-12-06T05:06:00.002+08:00

With the impending move to a smaller place, I'm looking to selling off stuff in the house that will be redundant.

That means I posted a listing for the spare guestroom bed, complete with mattress and wood slatts onto Criagslist. Within minutes I got replies via email, enquires about the bed per se.

One email particularly stood out.

The sender was Mark. Mark Cummings. cummings4u@something.com
(for his privacy I've changed the domain name)

the phone conversation that ensured went something like this:

"Hey Jeff. I called earlier regarding the bed"

"Yes, Mark right?" (I didnt feel like adding 'cummings' after Mark)

"yea, I was wondering about the bed.. and if you would like to sell it to me cheaper,.. way dirt cheap"

"I could consider, but what's the price you're willing to pay?"

"I'm thinking 40. Truth is, I want the bed for later today, I'll use it and I'll dump it out after tonight so I really want something dirt cheap"

"I see.. how bout if I don't get a better offer then I'll get back to you"

and the rest of the conversation doesn't really matter anymore...

apparently, the economic recession hasn't hit rock-bottom yet, least not for the porn industry...

Oglivy

2008-10-31T07:20:00.003+08:00

vroom.

2008-10-19T11:11:00.003+08:00

A white '96 Toyota Camry 2.2l 2dr Coupe is currently my mode of transportation. It performs, outruns most cars on the road,and I have no clue how fast it does from 0-60.

The reason I'm blogging this is because I've just watched Jeremy Clarkson's supercar showdown.

It has clearly got me thinking about my dream car.

Not to get me wrong, I love my camry. I think it easily outperforms its age, simple to mantain, and is still quite a looker considering its time. But I've just seen how a certain car performs, driven by The Stick and Clarkson himself.. and I have to say for a supercar, I've die to have it.

Audi R8 4.2 Quattro

Fuck.I need to have 120k right this minute. Anyone like to bail me out on this one?

Inter-Architectural Office Soccer Match

2008-10-11T06:46:00.002+08:00

9th October saw the first ever Gensler soccer team play in a match.

It was organised with the intention of possibly making this a league in the future between architectural offices here on the west coast.

Much success!

Woha's Nat. Stadium Station

2008-10-09T07:03:00.003+08:00

Suddenly remembered this when I was researching for some stuff online and so complied the images that I took off Woha's website..

I remembered I liked it when I first saw it, as part of the Potshots series.

You say hello, we say goodbuy.

2008-10-05T13:34:00.001+08:00

"live your life" advert!

2008-10-05T13:25:00.002+08:00

An Adaptable & Responsive Art Gallery

2008-07-25T02:18:00.005+08:00

A recent competition in London saw a few of us gather together and create a gallery that not only moves along the River Thames, but it responds representatively to the specific artwork that is exhibited along the museums of the river.

We had fun. We hope you did too.

A bit of everything

2008-06-25T15:08:00.005+08:00

a long way from home... as always...

It's been such a long time since I've really written anything... a far cry to the early mornings of pensive recollections I've spent in London, sitting before my trusty Dell laptop on a misty English morning, with a fresh cup of coffee in hand.

Frankly, sometimes my head is so full of random things that I can't even begin to focus.. and on some days, a total wipeout. A friend ZT recently commented that she had a discussion with Q on how architecture has dimmed the mind... or rather, to rephrase it gently, it has significantly diminished some of the apparent 'sharpness of mind' that she remembered having in the days of say, junior college. This was being compared to, for arguement's sake, if she were to have taken up engineering instead, would she have bene much sharper now; on the very forefront of grey matter clarity?

I have taken quite some thought to it, and I must now beg to differ...

Taking cue from, obviously, a very personal viewpoint, I feel that it depends on what sort of an architect one is 'destined' to be. To note, I do not code it as 'an undeniable will of God' sort of destiny, but rather the sort where the environment and oneself comes into play...

The last 6 months here on the angelic sunny west coast has been anything but los...

Pun aside, coming in proximity with new emerging trends in architecture here before my eyes, has been a most enriching and rewarding sort of experience. Having been 'groomed' as a modernist in architecture; I can surely that has certainly been a most well-laid foundation one can say NUS has given me. But now I feel there are more to buildings than just straight edges... There are more to Concepts than just Context... and there is certainly much much more to architecture than just architecture alone. This, I foresee, will also be its eventual downfall.

Sowing the architectural seeds of fantastic ideas shall bear fruit only when the common men willingly waters the soil.

I firmly believe in the power of the individual to affect changes in society. Undeniably for me, this stems from my Soka Gakkai background. I have never blogged about my religious faith so far but it has always been a natural source of inspiration, having a good solid 10 years of faith. I have to confess I am not the most diligent of people when it comes to maintaining a consistent practice, but I sure have no doubt in the fundamentals of this wonderful layman organisation.

the oneness of man and environment.. the power of one over the environment...

A man named Daisaku Ikeda has always reminded me of the fact that one on one dialogue is the most important aspect of life, and that the individual holds the immeasurable potential to bring forth great changes in society, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem at first. Truthfully it sounds like a pretty obnoxious statement... But when you think about it, it all makes sense.

Trudging to work with the mindset that it's gonna be such a tiring and sad day, carrying the burden of a frown and giving colleagues the distant stare would surely be as bad a start to a day anyone can clearly imagine, if not more so for the people around you. Now imagine vise versa. The impact on the design scene would run parallel...

an awareness to appreciate design & heritage must be present at all levels in society... then, and only then, will Singapore and Singaporeans alike truely move ahead into the 21st century.

image source: we conserve, you conserve

The Shape Shifter

2008-06-12T04:55:00.001+08:00

Odie and Garfield

2008-05-07T12:47:00.003+08:00

Building the cat house on a lazy sunday afternoon

2008-05-07T12:35:00.003+08:00

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

2008-04-11T12:44:00.003+08:00

1 0 3 1 2 0 (prerequisites)
SS WE EA MR IAQ ID
14 5 17 13 15 5 (credits)

Sustainable Sites

Prerequisite 1: ESC - Erosion Sedimentary Control plan
SS 1 - Site Selection
SS 2 - DDCC Development Density & Community Connectivity
SS 3 - Brownfield SIte
SS 4 - Alternative Transportation
4.1 - Public Transport Vicinity
4.2 - Bike Storage / Showers
4.3 - Low Emitting / Fuel Efficient
4.4 - Min Req. Parking / Carpool
SS 5 - Site Developement
5.1 - Protect / Restore Habitats
5.2 - Maximise Open Spaces
SS 6 - Stormwater
6.1 - Quantity
6.2 - Quality
SS 7 - Heat Island effect
7.1 - non roof
7.2 - roof
SS 8 - Light Pollution Reduction

... fuck, i really fucking hate memorising things for exams...

the living room wall lives again...

2008-03-03T15:36:00.003+08:00

I decided the wall was too bland.

Period.

Apartment-ness

2008-02-25T04:58:00.003+08:00

Sporting News 01

2008-02-25T04:09:00.001+08:00

you've been tagged

2008-02-25T03:58:00.002+08:00

Step Up 2 My Living Room

2008-02-09T06:36:00.000+08:00

"Hey baby... Bring it on down..."

That resonating line comes from a DDR (dance dance revolution) song titled Paranoia... a game that I remember vididly, not in the least due to the fact of ah lians dancing barefooted in video arcades all over the island of Singapore, but more so because I actually played it in the sanctuary of the public-proof watertight walls of my dear friend Norman.

It was during the very precise nauseating days of National Service and the 9-5 hours that N and I had that led us to consider the sudden possibilty of doing something even more meaningful in our lives, other than the usual swearing-cum-Counterstriking incidents, frantic games of table tennis, an occasional bout of tennis, bits of swimming, loads of snookering and some alcohol indulgences, we felt that we were always on the extreme verge of cutting edge technology; forerunners in simple entertainment...

Henceforth the evenings of thunderous dance music and jolly jumprope-like hopping begun...

10 years down the road, I now walk solemnly into my living room and pick up the 2 pieces of what becomes cutting edge gaming for the 2nd time... a Wiimote and a Nunchuk, 2 things of which embodies the free spirit of hand-eye coordination that is sometimes sorely lacking in alot of individuals...

and 10 years down the road, a game that was made by Konami, has been remixed n remodelled for the Wii set... a game that brings back memories of boys-to-men moments of staking our lives on the slippery dance mat of treachery that threatens to consume the sanity of humankind...

yes the DDR is back... with possibly more insanely-frantic dance moves and crazy hand movements to go with it...

I'm so gonna get it.

seeing red

2008-02-09T06:30:00.000+08:00

not so much of getting it all auspicious and festive...

more like adding a touch of life into the otherwise, dull and listless kitchen.

Viola!

nit nats

2007-11-05T16:58:00.000+08:00

This is a new online shop I've just created...

Where I doodle some designs and put 'em up for sale.

Feel free to come by. Take a look. Buy Alot.

http://www.cafepress.com/jartefacts

A little morning exercise

2007-11-05T10:33:00.000+08:00

The mighty finger of god directed me to a security tentage setup just outside the forbidding stone walls of the US Embassy here. Finger of the security guard that is....

Now picture this scenario on a drizzling and wet Monday morning, where there are some rows of wooden tuckshop-style benches for the people to sit and await their turn for a miserable US visa. I didn't pay too much attention to signages or whateva of that sort as I conveniently sat down on an empty spot between this well-dressed and banker looking Indian chap, and a not-so-well-dressed-but-passable Indian lady.

I can't say this for everyone but I'm usually very much aware of my surroundings, even though I may actually seem to be pretty darn serious about dripping off the rainwater from my umbrella and velcro-ing it neatly.

It is commonly fairly intimating, or vaguely irritating, when one stares, but I could tell that everyone along the bench was covertly staring at me. Every single one of them yes. After some discreet investigation of my own, I realised that there's actually a queue. A proper queue where good adhering citizens line up for their turn, despite all of us having a prearranged appointment time.

However at this particular moment of indecisiveness on my part, an auntie and her fairly adult son came along and plonked down beside me. One can only imagine the heartwrenching turmoil and utter helplessness of our poor citizens further down the bench... most probably feeling unjust, but simply not doing anything much about it.

Don't misunderstand me. I have good manners and will move to the back of the line almost immediately if not for this brief arrival of freshmen...

You must understand that firstly, it's a rainy day and all the other vacant benches were not taken, for a good enough reason that they are wet. Secondly, there's like a totally dry bench at the start of the queue... virgin and untouched by the sacred bottoms of visiting Singaporeans in their quest of bluer skies and greener pastures... So the people at the front of the queue that came earlier than me are just simply idiots.

The best part of my morning then fitted into the picture...

"You. Yes you. What tum is gor interwwiew one? Just now forget ask." asked the security guard. "7.45am" I said.
"Oh then go into the security check la.. dunnid wait. The other people here are all later one." he exclaimed loudly.

Fantastic. Sometimes being kiasu doesn't quite equate to getting you anywhere faster.

Wii're so happy

2007-11-04T16:39:00.000+08:00

Due to an unfortunate visit to my dear friend Aloy in New York a few weeks ago, I have been sucked and entrapped into playing with a vibrating white thing in my hand..

No my lovely comrades, it's not what you think it is. It's just Wii.

I must give some credit to my good friend, Norman, as well, for he first got me started. But it wasn't until I slept with Wii that night in NY that we developed a deeper degree of inseparable understanding.

It was a one-night stand I must admit… But it rocked the very foundations of my existence. This is something I’ve been saving all these past 27 years for… Yes, all S$650 worth of it.

On a lighter note, my wonderful friends and I have had just about a most brilliant field day yesterday playing some badminton, watching a Stewie exclusive DVD over some pizza, and waving our hands frantically trying to strangle the other who has a Wii console in their hands..

Rock on after I’m off fellas...

Deconstructivism

2007-10-09T13:01:00.000+08:00

a digital painting i did after watching a dvd of Christian Lorenz Scheurer.

LAP(a)D

2007-08-30T13:52:00.000+08:00

the house!

it's not fantastic but it's cosy enough!

2007-08-30T13:19:00.000+08:00

made a short aki
tour drive around
LA city...

Rafael Moneo's
"Cathedral for the
Lady of the Angels"

&

Frank Lloyd Wright's
"Ennis House".

There are also more
photos inside my webshots!

LA-ed series 01

2007-08-07T02:27:00.000+08:00

2007-06-21T08:20:00.001+08:00

round and round we go

2007-06-21T00:08:00.000+08:00

it's sometimes pretty strange how things in one's life often are kinda related.. connected in little ways that you don't often realise till it kicks ya in the head...

My dad decided to get himself on a plane to Beijing this morning. Yep, he just decided last night, packed and left...

nah, I'm f**king around with you.. sheesh. He didn't do it on the spur of the moment.. such impulsiveness are a biblical privilege of the young and reckless. But he did go to China yes.. largely to settle an outstanding equation of title deed on an apartment we have there... and naturally, to also whack some fibrecore balls around lush green acres of land.

so that leaves me once again with 6 days of having a vehicle to drive myself around...

I figured i should jolly well take a short run this very morning... afterall the recent bouts of drinking, sluggishness, 3-day abstinence of ciggies... and especially after the evident showing of a dreaded anatomy simply named, the tummy. God, it's evil in the purest form... sending my well-worn and much beloved fcuk jeans into the unholy depths of my cupboard, threatening to joyously burst and spill forth out of my every existence.

To be honest, i've not felt so refreshed heading into the office today since my first day. I highly recommend morning exercises...

anyway, I decided to park my car along Conaught Drive, right next to the padang and the S'pore Recreation Club, and i promptly left for work. It was not till lunch that I happily 'skipped' along back to my car... largely to renew my parking coupons as well as to see if my car was till intact, having parked it carelessly right beaneath huge raintrees that probably housed more than a dirty generation of little black grelims, otherwise known as mynahs and crows.

As I was sitting solemly reading my suspense thriller of a novel, stood the Old Supreme Court and City Hall buildings... something of such splendour and visual power that I had to allow myself to linger on them a second longer. It was also my current project.

you know, it made me think about you and your terrorist ex-date just at that moment, strangely.. gee

hydrogenically frozen

2007-05-22T14:07:00.000+08:00

deep freeze + ice-cubes + popsicles

what does all this have in common?

DP. otherwise more sunjectively known as my workplace.

period.

potshots

2007-05-08T10:51:00.000+08:00

i never fail to feel a slight tinge of pity and sadness everytime i go pass certain buildings, especially those in Bedok...

most of the buildings in which fragments of my childhood were spent are heading for the gallows; one of which is a seemingly a vacant and despairing tiled cinema boarded up to the brim, one in which i have watched countless movies as a kid, remembering the auntie behind the counter writing my seat number in bold with a red chinagraph pencil and tearing it at its seams, the indian kajumputeh uncle who would be flustered whenever he gets too busy, the musky smelling seats which somehow had a strangely alluring quality, the fat Chinese usher who would have to deal with 2 people having the same seat number..

somehow the newer cinemas... are just lacking in something. Don't u think?

the cow and i figured it's time to go take some pictures of the one building that's due for demolition soon... before it's really gone. I remember many memories of the stadium actually.. i've did a army half marathon, been seated in countless national day celebrations, helped out with the preparations during my army days, heard a few ghost stories here and there from friends...

i see it's nostalgia moments for me right now...

2007-04-19T14:18:00.000+08:00

Thesis Project Sketches

a feely feely project

2007-04-19T14:00:00.000+08:00

hey guys..

it's been a long while since i've posted..
submissions and final presentation went well enough i reckon.

and galore.. some of my sketches/renderings of the spatial qualities within my project.
i had a great time doing this.. hope u guys like it too.
It's titled The Peranakan Connection.

enjoy.

outta juice

2007-03-09T17:01:00.000+08:00

i refuse to be defeated by a thesis project...

it's almost THAT easy to give up now... save the encouraging words of people around me from time to time keeping my sanity alive and well. Thank you all near & far... u don't realise how much i need it to forge on ahead in the month ahead.

in the meantime.. i'll keep on going with my fingers crossed.

inklings

2007-02-06T02:50:00.000+08:00

it's been many a winks since i've last posted anything..

and due to the constant mental drain that's perpetually boggling me (yes, it's the thesis), i have very little mood left to blog my thinkings about stuff lately. If i do, it might be something really architectural.

and i'm not all too convinced i should do just that.

However, some inklings of architecture on this blog previously has led me in contact with Tony, who runs a backpackers' inn named Betelbox in Joo Chiat.. & that has in turn gotten me more in the know about the social issues and the real problems that the area is facing now..

In case i've failed to mention, my thesis revolves around Joo Chiat. What is it about? What are some problems? Is anything being done? We should first see what the residents have to say then..

http://www.myjoochiat.com/

A short writeup of my initial reactions and proposal was posted onto the webpage, which is a community project initiated by the Save Joo Chiat workgroup. The energies of these residents have truely amazed me.

Take some time for a peek.. i'm sure it'll be worth every second.

Joom

2007-01-10T13:05:00.000+08:00

absolutely and ridiculously hilarious...

die laughing fellows

2007-01-05T16:52:00.000+08:00

a little celebration for jess at sentosa!
----------------------
been busy caught up with many things of late...
so much that i've forgotten to blog. my apologies indeed.
-----------------------

of late i have decided to stop smoking, mainly due to a major bout of tonsilities
which left me for dead just during my final crit last semester...

i was literally lying in bed with a raging fever of 40 degress and a body racked with
aches and pangs of pain in my joints. Although i doubt it was really directly due to
smoking but nevertheless, it was way enough to deter me from picking up a fag after
for fear of aggrevating my raw throat again..

so yes i have now officially stopped smoking since november 20 or so... i do recount
having just a casual stick or 2 in the midst of this timeframe but i must stress that it was
hardly continuous nor much of a pleasure when i did puff again.

congratulate me please people, i think it's worth a breather...

On hindsight i no longer feel blardy tired in the mid-afternoon and definitely more
energetic for the whole day.. this entails a jump in productivity!.. sometimes. hee...

The craziest thing is that i've STILL been falling sick ever since i 've stopped smoking!
fuck shit.. i hope it's part of my body's detox-from-no-smoking agenda.

It better be.

2006-12-01T00:56:00.000+08:00

this reminds me of a very old cartoon... the Return of the Killer Tomatoes!

2006-12-01T00:55:00.000+08:00

Dec '06

a peek

2006-11-30T23:34:00.000+08:00

Drew these schematic design sections of my site in Joo Chiat, traced it in photoshop and montaged some of my programs into it… had quite a fun time doing it!

Architecture can be so torturous yet fun sometimes...

2006-11-21T14:58:00.000+08:00

It’s gonna be a diligent and assiduous week ahead as my thesis prep submission draws froth so please excuse my impending absence for a awhile…

The occasional pics/montges/youtube-vidz might still flow though..

Ciao.

p.s. can someone intelligent tell me why my blog refuses to archive my entries month by month... It is greatly disturbing to load especially when the connection’s not speedy enough for my liking.

Fly away

2006-11-17T11:34:00.000+08:00

An online flyer that I did for my Soka Choir Concert that’s heading up end of Dec, on Xmas Eve itself! Pending approval… but I think it’ll do!

Cheers to the Folly for his inspiration on this one!

Dr Lawrence E. Carter

2006-11-14T09:49:00.000+08:00

confessions

2006-11-09T01:36:00.000+08:00

Due to the glaring lack of posts over the last month, it has come to my attention that i am indeed procrastinating about blogging anything and this greatly disturbs me. Henceforth, here I go again!!!

Because i usually feel better after i write...

The past month had been significantly dramatic… with loads of unexpected twists and turns, albeit most, if not all, were for the better I reckon. =)

It’s wonderfully strange how sometimes u watch your life unfold surreally before you and, at the end of it all, you stand back and ponder in silence how things could have possibly turned out this way…

A friend once commented that I am the sort of person that will probably only date a girl if I know her enough. Meaning it’s very and highly unlikely I get together with someone I’ve barely known for less than a year. (Which isn’t a benchmark length of time either, to be honest).

Well, looking back & judging from track record of sorts, yep she’s right and so it’s probably true…

All these talk is leading up to the fact that I’ve been seeing someone that I’d known for quite a while now. The strange and unexplainable times when you light up and smile when u think of someone… that feeling… was lost for a while but I’ve kinda found it once more with her. =)

I remember those times in Ansan that we used to sit in the common lounge and talk about many things, about problems that we were going through, guzzling beers and taking silly shots… friends we were just then.

The lovely ways that fate adjoins the destinies of us both…

anew

2006-09-27T10:47:00.000+08:00

“He had no itch to dig for glories, deep in the dust that time has laid”

Aleksandr Pushkin
1799-1837

Many a times, I have often questioned myself repeatedly why I chose architecture in the first place…

The relentless nights of pacing the corridors, torturous sleepovers in the deafening silence of the
whitewashed studios, procuring much sarcasm when credit could jolly well be due instead… we must pretty much be all lowly-paid sado-masochists in this profession.

But somehow… I love it, and to be honest, I don’t reckon I would have had it any other way.

---------- ---------- ----------

I would sincerely like to thank the following people: some of whom have touched my life in your little ways, some I could not have possibly ever done without, others who have helped me along this arduous journey…

Mrs Chan Yew Lih - for your sincere guidance and warm encouragements throughout my spectacular journey of self-pursuit, or indulgence, given such short notice.

Mr Low Boon Liang – for your open-mindedness in our email conversations while I was overseas, and honest recommendations on my interests when I was back.

Dr Wong Yunn Chii – it was a brief, but fruitful, conversation we shared when I had to borrow some of your books for reference. The directions you suggested me to look towards then were, on hindsight, most appropriate now.

The Khow – for all the constant little nudges in the right directions, nonsensical ramblings in the wee hours of the morning and more important, being a true friend.

Ms Zheng – was definitely most heartwarming and fuzzy to pick up long-distance calls during the last days of this mad writing-frenzy season.

Ikeda Sensei – for without your guidance and your family, I might not be where I am today.

Last, but not least, I would like to thank my parents, of which without them, I seriously doubt how one can remain sane and be supported, and get me through 6 freaking years of school fees. Thank you and I love you very much, even though this was never actually verbalized.

and the rest, well, I’m terribly convinced you know who you might just be. Thank you all.

They live, they speak, they breathe what love inspires,
Warm from the soul, and faithful to its fires,
The virgin's wish without her fears impart,
Excuse the blush, and pour out all the heart,

How often hope, despair, resent, regret,
Conceal, disdain--do all things but forget.
But let Heav'n seize it, all at once 'tis fir'd;
Not touch'd, but rapt; not waken'd, but inspir'd!

Alexander Pope
1688 - 1744

2006-09-11T14:16:00.000+08:00

Taken in Le Corb's Swiss Foundation Apartments

2006-09-09T22:36:00.000+08:00

a montage i did when i was bored doing dissertation

1-4-1

2006-08-20T18:06:00.000+08:00

yes that's absolutely right...

2 months of calenders for you geeks out there..

how absolutely delightful it must be...

the tablets are really hilarious.

but i love evil penguins too... or evil anything.

like Pinky & the Brain...

the apparent replacement of such mind-orgasmic children's cartoons with silly halfwit Telly Tubbies is the sole reason why children are going mad and growing up to murder their parents with ice-picks and switchblades.

ok, i'm making this up.

*for the uninitiated, please be enlightened.*

of walls, drylining and blockwork...

2006-08-15T02:39:00.000+08:00

many a times, i have often wondered how i have turned out so... numb...

some of my friends could be the deliriously cheery sort, those that you meet and the 1st impression is easily imagining how the mom probably had high fever during her pregnancy..

some are just way subdued beyond the point of having emotions or opinions...

i'm worrying and have always been worried about this paticular aspect.. the intrinsic nature inherent in me of not being very expressive... maybe not even to loved ones.

somehow, i think i've told my mom somewhere along the line that the guys in the family are just not very expressive isn't it... or maybe i'm just generalising things here. To be honest, she's the only one who's really doing any much talking around the house... trying to talk more to her from time to time makes it all the more sadder in some aspects... i feel like i'm edgin to make up for time lost.

it is most difficult thing is finding someone whom i feel i can really talk to... without restraints or worrying what he or she might think of you... without judging where i have came from, what i have been through... this has nothing to do with self-confidence, not the least bit.

This primarily deals with a comfortable level of common trust and an unbiased receptive-ness i perceive on my end...

Reaching out to people is neither tedious nor difficult for me at all...

Opening up is.

stars

2006-08-13T15:09:00.000+08:00

a friend Khow sent me this link in an email...

Have came across abstracts of this interview before but this is somewhat the fuller version.

David Marshall's advocate for humanity reminds me of a great man i know myself.. Daisaku Ikeda... for a slightly unbiased view, here it is.

Brilliant stuff.

Read and remember folks.
time to grow up.

a moment in time

2006-08-12T03:00:00.000+08:00

it's a difficult moment in time for me...

a time to gather many thoughts...

a time to think through certain ideas...

a time to read and digest...

lemme finish off my dissertation and i'll be back.

i'll hang in there... for the moment... have some faith.

raindrops

2006-08-01T00:22:00.000+08:00

it's particularly strange, the amount of attention, pride and maternal love we attribute to our cars... for something that will never love you back

walking out from my house along e main siglap road, i saw this yellow cab barely brush the left back bumper of a light blue Kia Pregio van... naturally they pulled over and got out to 'evalute damage and discuss'...

Human 1 speaking on behalf of blue Pregio:
"eh, got slight dent here you see you see.. how like that? company van leh!"
Human 2 speaking on behalf of yellow Cab:
"brudder, i barely kissed your ass leh, which angle you see the dent from? i dun see anything wat!"

---------------------

have been spending inordinate amounts of time sitting in the Starbucks joint of Siglap these days,

deep in conscious thought and often starting self-conversations... discourses with myself on my dissertation...

if one sits at a joint long enough too, for this matter at starbucks, one would probably enjoy the fruitful entertainments of everyday life... people from all walks of life can be fairly amusing sometimes really...

there were a couple of guys sitting around, sipping lattes and chatting.. all whom seems in their late-twenties..
*Hokkien dialogue*
man w/o laptop: "Li hor, dua seng li ah... tid tid kua laptop zuo kang..."
man with laptop: "diam la,.. photoshop 8 la.. li buay hiau eh la..."
(u ah, big business ah,keep workin on laptop / shuddap la, it's photoshop 8, you dun noe one la)

---------------------------

20% of a place = approximately 20% of smokers in singapore

hence the statistical figures i found from the web about the number of smoking adults ranging from 18-65 in age here on this sunny island.

which now results in the astronomically absurd phenomena of nicotine-infested homosapiens standing on the sidewalks of cafes and restaurants puffing away... wait till the foreign media gets wind of this new juicy side of our 'Uniquely Singapore' quirk... another ridicule to add to the chewing gum ban.

i so love singapore...

2006-07-29T12:46:00.000+08:00

pretty pls?

that thing

2006-07-29T11:46:00.001+08:00

Waisem, a colleague, the architect who was always looking out for me, is probabaly getting married.

yes, as you can see from the picture, i doubt she really said no either. lol.

Marriage is such a huge thing in life... met up with a friend S, for a couple of drinks the previous night and we chatted about life, hers and mine.. In the space of a year i was in london, she got married and had twins. Nothing much seemed to have changed for me though...

Having 'determination' issues with my dissertation... although it started off being something i felt quite abit for, however it now slowly feels like i'm doing it for the sake of it.. which in any matter is usually rather undesirable...

i wonder how much longer i can last as a student really... i need some real work.

2006-07-26T16:44:00.000+08:00

Aug 06

2006-07-26T16:43:00.000+08:00

July 06

good things come in pairs

2006-07-26T16:30:00.000+08:00

yes people i know July is almost up.

but since i've no goddammed scanners at home,
the camera's the best shot i've got at this.

i like the August one though!

光辉岁月

2006-07-21T12:26:00.000+08:00

was packing up the room after i came home from london in a bid to tidy up the mess, sort out my stuff and organise everything properly...

came across some memories and i thought i'll share them with all of you...

.me & my elder brother Nobel - Princess of Wales house
.my Catholic High friends from sec 1-2 - Duchess Rd house
.me, Nobel and my younger brother Joel - New Zealand
.my first soka group of friends - Telok Blangah Soka Centre
.friends from TJC - Taka Civic Plaza
.Hwa Chong classmates, taken at our prom night - Orchard Hotel
.3SG Jeffrey Ang - Selarang Camp, Changi

requiem of a dream

2006-07-16T20:38:00.000+08:00

i think the mysteries of the universe are only meant to be told and unreveiled only at its own pace, time and space...

took a short vacation to the island of koh samui... had fun, alot happened, yet i felt nothing has changed nor will change...

a state of absolute denial we have been in...

after weaving stories for so long, it's time to pen the ending... afterall, i think it's only appropriate to lay the old demons to rest.

for good... for good it shall be.

if you're reading this, thank you for all e terrific times... it has been an incredible journey and i wouldn't have missed it for the world.

fatigue

2006-07-08T13:52:00.000+08:00

been constantly feeling abit on the lerthagic and tired side of life these few days... maybe because of tennis and swimming perhaps..

or maybe it's just smoking.

just a thought... if sleeping pills were invented to make one sleep... why aint there any drugs called "slept pills" to make me feel like i've slept?... be all refreshed and ready to take on the world once more...

i think it'll be a instant success...

or maybe it's just called steriods for short.

of curry favors and moonlit rivers

2006-07-08T03:42:00.000+08:00

i know when i'm back in singapore when i start walking onto the streets and bump into people so much that it kinda makes me feel creepy... like a freakish sort of being stalked actually...

been meeting up with friends and catching up with them lately... and it's on this topic that i feel 'pressured' that i'm not attached... thinking about it, i've spent 8 years of my life devoted to 2 relationships... that roughly equates to a staggering (average) revelation that my first TWO-THIRDs of my life growing up and ONE-THIRDth of my existence involved in relationships.

right.

many things in life we regret i must say...

have not actually started the grey matter to dwell about dissertation... i'm trying to be focused... but some things are life are not as simple as u would like them to be...

had a really good, but short-lived, tennis game this afternoon with a friend YN... i reckon she hasn't been exercising at all this past year i've been away and it was relatively noticeable from her exhaustion at the end of an hour odd of hardcourt tennis...

i do suppose it's all for the better since i shouldn't push the knee too much as it's probably just healing from the sprain i have had to endure after a similar but very much shorter-lived street soccer experience...

it was then decided to have a coffee at coffeebean 6th avenue for a breather... where i met an old friend from Catholic High.. whom i ironically met last night and who works at the same building of the coffee bean outlet...

i do think now that he's probably spreading rumours of me being with my tennis khaki, being an item and all...

the silly mindsets of people..

had a most lovely dinner with Mela and her pasture after a year of absence...

yep you 2 belong together... definitely, we think... i will remember that date till then, dun you worry.

hugs

2 cats

2006-07-03T04:30:00.000+08:00

decided on a last minute spontaneous trip to kl.

booked the coach tickets, got my ass to golden mile and left.

reached.

maybe i should have stayed home in the spore instead...

pots of barley

2006-06-19T18:26:00.000+08:00

the start of the a return hasn't been all eventful really...

well it kicked off well actually when i came home on friday afternoon,
went home & stepped into a room which i have never seen before.

My room.

those who know me sufficiently enough will know i move houses like bees
flock from a stalk to another...

'with a fair bit of decoration n imagination, this would be quite cosy', i thought to myself.
so began a bit of the unpacking business but as fate would have it, i found myself in Cineleisure watching Argentina vs Serbia with my friends a few hours later...

The next few days were quite upbeat, mainly with me sleeping late and waking up to go shopping in Orchard due to the presence of the Great Singapore Sale... what a life... such difficult times. hee.

Sunday however, was a totally sorry story.

An early morning soccer session was a nightmare when all went wrong... sprinted down the sideline and tried to keep in the ball. A 'snap' like the crackling of the knuckles and i went down onto the tarmac floor... with my knee in sudden weakness.

yes, a bad sprain.

i feel like a cripple now, not being able to walk around my house properly without leaning onto something.

not exactly the best way to celebrate coming home is it.

Paris!

2006-06-08T14:47:00.000+08:00

hey guys,

sorry to have delayed the Parisian photos for so long..
hee just didnt quite get down to uploading them..
nevertheless, here you go!

e science of breakfast

2006-05-31T15:04:00.000+08:00

i was never much of a breakfast person... thou' in the past, i still get 'forcefed' despite attempts of telling that to my mom.

Ever since i can remember, she has been rather obsessed with the idea of cleanliness... often cleaning up the living room, wiping the furniture after our guests have left and probably loadings of little things i have never realised. It used to irritate me quite a fair bit, knowing that she would seize every opportunity to preserve the house in it's pristine condition.

yes, of course it's all comfortable and nice to have a clean house and all... but i do think it's overdoing it when she asks your friends to go wash their hands just as they step through the door...

i think i've inherited some of this 'clean' streak in me after all these years...

no, i probably wouldn't install those clinical mist-spray disinfecting unit at my door... but i do have my own little quirks, likes and habits of my own... like wiping the stove each time i use it and it looks filthy, vacumning and wiping my room floor ever so frequently, tidying up the garden when it looks obsolutely disgruntled and overgrown and more... or maybe i could just be house proud.

These days ever since i've came to London, i have been eating breakfast...

a usual mix of Marks & Spencers Deliciously Nutty Crunch cereals and an inviting cup of nescafe. Eating breakfast has largely to do with the fact that i do get hungry at abot 10am in the office if i fail to catch one... that's also were Milo 3-in-1 packets come in, thanks to friends of my flatmate who brought some over for her... hence i get to drink it too.

and sometimes in the quiet moments of the morning when i'm sitting at my desk with coffee and cereals, i think of my mom... how she used to keep trying to get me to consume breakfast despite my miserable attempts of conveying my apparent lack of appetite in the mornings.

i also realise that life can be ever so fragile and many things in my life have been done, or worse, not done with some regret...

appreciating my mom for what she has done and what she had to give up over the years for the family... yet probably bickering and arguing with her at every other given opportunity in the past... looking back, she has given her 3 children so much... a warm and stable home, the one religion to hold on to, all her time and energies...

mothers are such mysterious creatures...

you are a fantastic mother. and i will always love you. =)

June!

2006-05-31T00:44:00.000+08:00

2006-05-25T07:40:00.001+08:00

Stolen from Mela:

I AM: the Supreme Ruler of the Universe.

I WANT: a trip to the Maldives... really.

I WISH: i could end my (tentative) misery and know where i'm headed for studies.

I HATE: people staring at me... usually makes me stare back accusingly.

I MISS: milky.

I FEAR: responsibilty... i think i really secretly do.

I HEAR: voices in my sleep sometimes. scary yes.. afraid? hardly.

I WONDER: if i will ever look my age.

I REGRET: many many things in my life... however regretting doesn't make anything right.

I AM NOT: a small boy. i'm 26 but an online test says i'm, psychologically, actually 40.

I SING: and sing and sing and sing...

I CRY: in theatres when it gets all 'feel-ly'... why not.

I AM NOT ALWAYS: nice. I prefer to be honest yet tactful, direct but polite.

I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: i like to cook... it's really quite therapeutic to come home after work and think of nothing but just chop up vegetables and marinate meat.

I WRITE: lengthy essays in my head but tend to throw them away.

I CONFUSE: people quite alot by mumbling and thinking/saying incoherent things. i happen to just think that way.

I NEED: a little more discipline, yet a slower pace, in my life at present.

I SHOULD: quit and sleep more. My dark rings are a true testament.

I START: talking to myself when i'm alone. It's honestly a most enjoyable experience really. I was in a cubicle once in Korea, obviously talking to myself and not realising there was someone else around. I heard him zip up in fair haste, mutter something in korean and briskly walked out. I believed it might have been something in the "he must be mad" category.

I FINISH: 2 pints usually in the same time my good friend Shumin has only gone through 1.

I LOVE: watching far-fetched/fantasy movies like LOTR, Narnia or Big Fish because it transports me to somewhere far far away...

I REMEMBER: alot of things in my head... but usually i tend to push them all right to the back to make way for the new. So do forgive me... i have goldfish memory, according to Mela.

the guy 7 hrs behind..

2006-05-03T14:33:00.000+08:00

isn't it ironic how we used to be much younger in our secondary days, and wished we were a little older?

everyone probably has had that moment in life.. wondering when exactly is it that we consider ourselves 'grownups'... i think being 26 is just about as good a turning point in life as the day one realises girls are actually rather attractive. ( prior to that, girls were just girls. period )

not looking anywhere near 26 certainly doesn't help matters too especially when it comes to the cashier giving you the glance over and asking for your id when alcohol is involved.. i think the worse part is when the puny mortal realises i'm 26.. it's difficult not knowing whether to be sorry for myself or for the guy behind the counter who has to decide everyone's age... ok fine, only the selected few then. hmpf.

anyway, i think i should work out a little... build some tangible mass... acquire some inkling of a physical frame.... yeah right.

the flashback about growing up is largely attributed to a dear old friend Mela who's getting engaged... she nudged me when i awoke this morning, with a terrible flu and sorethroat, into checking out her latest blog entry where all was foretold.

Mela was the primary 4 friend who used to make minature plasticine pizzas in class together with me and had an allegedly bad impression of my mom... and probably still thinks she suffers from obsessive cleaning disorder or something along that line...

yes dear old you... may all the love in this world warm your marriage for the fabulous years ahead.

shooting stars

2006-05-02T17:58:00.000+08:00

some friends came over.

we decided a photoshoot was in order.

eyeliner on & it was done.

see it.

4 the month of May

2006-05-02T17:38:00.000+08:00

haha i think this is a real laugh!

2006-04-19T18:34:00.000+08:00

just back from a long weekend road trip with a good friend of mine, S.

headed to quite a few places in the midlands over 4 days.. mainly cambridge, manchester, lake district national park, liverpool, some unpronouncable northern wales towns, birmingham and oxford...

do check out the pics here.

da da de da

2006-04-12T15:12:00.000+08:00

there's nothing more tantalising than sipping a glass of 15 year old single malt in one hand and listening to great jazz... live.

had been eyeing a certain jazz group for some time now... the San Francisco Jazz Collective or SFJC for short... the interesting and special element of their music is that there's that abundance of material, both the re-imagined old and new... and from some of the best jazz musicians on the scene now too.

so what better way to end off a hard day's work than to sit back and bask in the rythmic dance of chords and instruments...

to be honest, there were particular moments in time when i was so into the music that the audience around me seemed to fade away.. yes i really did enjoy myself last night.

It has been a while since i last went for a jazz concert... but i do remember one that i went for in the Esplanade with a couple of friends called the Shanghai Jazz Concert or something... it was mixture of both vocal and instrumental but what really stood out was an occasional pair of dancers fleeting gracefully to the music, and the vocalist having a rest on the side table while having a drink and fag...lol

Particular moments did stand out more last night.. especially when Joshua Redman and Miguel Zenon had a playful and heated exchange between the tenor & alto saxaphones that really got the crowd jiving in their seats... when Bobby Hutcherson worked his magic on the vibraphone... and a bass solo by Matt Penman that was simply amazing...

all in all, despite the grey and rainy skies in this part of the world, it was certainly far from gloom in the Barbican Centre concert hall last night...

on a totally new different topic, all thanks to the sharp eyes of my flatmate Y who spotted an ad in the papers, we headed off to Bilbarough Street... where a Ted Baker sample sale was happening! hee... it was in a small town hall kind of building called Camden Centre.

one thing i reckon i rather fancy about the English is that they usually don't take themselves too seriously... there's always a tinge of humour injected into every daily aspect of life, be it work or play...

and it was clearly reflected when we looked at our receipts for our purchases:

Top up

2006-04-08T00:43:00.000+08:00

i have generally not been writing much i know.. but i kind of work that way..
will start ranting properly when i feel like it.. =)

the 27th of March was my project's topping up ceremony.. where all of us were herded onto the rooftop of the building site to commemorate the completion of reaching the highest structural level within the project!

haha so there was a reception with juice n such, a speech amidst freezing spring winds, alot of walking up site ladders, everyone signing on a beam, taking group photos, yada yada.. was good really. i've left my mark on British soil now.. haha.. wheee..

2006-03-28T16:39:00.000+08:00

April is round the corner guys... Happy Easter! or those who do celebrate it anyway...

can't wait for you guys to head on over! *you know who*

2006-03-26T10:24:00.000+08:00

a recent pic of me at a friend's birthday party, and the other, at my own! hee well, small affair really with just a few people....

mine was at this club called The End, on a wednesday Drum 'n' Bass session... great music, i had real fun!

just tot u guys might wanna know...

e dutch lady sings

2006-03-15T01:03:00.000+08:00

Amsterdam has always been a rather long awaited one for me...simply because of what the trip used to hold, what it holds for me now and in the near future...

i dare say it was a well deserved weekend down to amsterdam and it was a simply fantastic trip..

it was a place where serenity floated in the air, yet the city was charged with an unspoken energy that threatened to break a smile upon faces ( with no apparent reference to magic mushrooms )

was such a great trip that i stepped back upon English soil feeling honestly refreshed and crucially energised to face up to reality once again...

some of the snaps along the way, both from my own collection and Yvette, my housemate who was with me for the trip... take a peek here.

enjoy.