I know this came a little too late, but I can’t help typing this entry out.

Perhaps I’m just updating this little space for the sake of updating it, perhaps not.

Oh well.

To begin with, I really think that it’s getting harder to survive in Singapore.While the preceding sentence/statement might not be very true when we compare ourselves to other countries where taxes are mountain-high, I would very much like to keep everything within the Singapore context because emigrating to another country has never crossed my mind.

With the costs of basic necessities rising by a variable amount from as little as $0.10 to as much as $0.40 (?), I’m sure people have been saying things like “Everything also up, but my pay never go up!”. Well, that’s typical of Singaporeans.

But our government always ensures that there will always be plans for us. There are always the housebrands from NTUC to turn to for the basic necessities. Hah.

As for the setting up of more and more ERP gantries, it was said to “smooth the traffic” in Singapore and to also encourage motorists to plan their routes and to take alternative routes or to even take public transport.

Perhaps this makes perfect sense for people (like me) who don’t (currently) own a personal mode of transport and like smooth traffic flows. However, I still feel for people who have their own various modes of transport.

Somehow, going through an ERP gantry reminds me of playing Daytona USA in the arcade.

The only difference is that when you go through the “gantry” in the arcade game, you get a time extension; while when you go through the ERP gantry, you get a money deduction, as reflected on your IU. Even parking fees are getting expensive, let alone the rising cost of fuel.

In that case, why drive?

But that contradicts the idea of owning a car then. Do people really expect car owners to buy cars and leave them at home as showpieces? I mean, since the car is already bought and you have to pay for the monthly instalments, you might as well just drive it, no?

Selling the car might be an option too, if you don’t mind suffering a loss. So… I understand that owning a car might be more plausible for most Singaporeans, but the price of using a car is far too high to shoulder.

Cars, anyone? I mean the movie. Perhaps I can rent the DVD someday. Hah.

Let’s not forget that our population is greying (or is it not?) because people are not getting married (at a younger age) and of course, not having kids. So… I guess we should tie the knot young and have kids as soon as we can (afford to)?

Of couse, that’d be great if I’m able to do that. But with little or no money, what’s there to talk about getting married? Sure, I can go on with my plans to get hitched before the age of 30. But to face the reality, I guess it’s not quite possible.

In this fast-paced society, we have to be dynamic to keep up with times. A typical Singaporean will often be so soaked up in work that he/she will have little (or no) life outside of work. Not everybody gets cushy office jobs and sits down at the table from 8am to 5pm sharp.

By the time work is done, everybody is almost dead beat. Then the routine repeats itself again and again and again and yes, again.

In my humble opinion, the work-life balance of Singaporeans is pretty much skewed, in general. Of course, some might say it’s all about “time management”. But I’d like to think that not many people can actually have the choice to manage time.

With such a life, I wonder how can one actually find time to date people from the opposite sex?

It’s little wonder that people are getting married at a later age.

Let’s not forget the females, who are more independent and have minds of their own. Some of them are really career-minded too! Perhaps it’s the education system in Singapore which moulded the fairer sex to what and whom they are today.

But there’s nothing wrong, because if eugenics is something to adhere by, then I guess perhaps the equation, “A + A = A+” holds. Or maybe at least an A as the end result.

However, with this adherement, this brings us back into the loop where both genders have minds of their own, and of course, expectations. Pardon my myopic vision, but I can’t see why and how two persons who are just as caught up in their careers get married and have kids.

Even if they do take the first step in getting married, I guess it’s going to be a case of DINK (Dual Income No Kids).

But well, at least a step is taken already, yeah? =\

If all else fails, fret not; for there will always be plans for us!

Get the parents to be the matchmakers, lor.

哪里有香蕉是黄色的？

-Mr.S

When Mr.S told me his tailored shirt consists of yellow and blue stripes, I asked, “Won’t the yellow and blue combi resemble banana in pyjamas?”

Yes, though I know the pyjamas actually carries a colour combination of white and blue, the yellow+blue combi still strikes the image of “banana in pyjamas” in my brain. >.<

Uncle, Michael Phelps 现在在游了, 可以开慢一点吗？

-Mr.C

We were on bus 10 towards HarbourFront and Michael Phelps just had to start swimming when Mr.C was a few bus stops away from his destination. Thus he suggested we could say the above line to the bus captain, so that he could finish watching Michael Phelps in action.

How lame can we get. Haha..

***

It’s actually quite nice to know that people who are relatively simple in life and “doesn’t need so much money”, can still be found in today’s Singapore. Perhaps they haven’t been exposed enough to the real world out there, where money is never enough.

Not that I have, but I’m feeling the effects.

The effects of the materialistic world.

I won’t deny that I’m materialistic. In fact, I’m rather materialistic as a male, and I know it.

But there are still times when I really yearn to be more down-to-earth (not that I am not, for now), and be able to sit down and enjoy the simple things in life.

Like now.

Hah.

Wonderful Company

Feeling a little lazy to do a lil’ more editing of the photos, hence the simple border and text will do

Met up with my FUGA mates (again!) and I just can’t seem to get sick of seeing them. It’s been three years since we got to know each other (with the exception of Kang Rui and myself) and I’m very glad that we still remain pretty bonded together despite being from different faculties and departments.

They really rock my socks.

***

First day of school today - Attended the lecture for Malay 1 and it was really fun. Understanding The Universe was pretty boring for the first lecture as the lecturer spent an hour talking to us about the syllabus and ended the lecture right after.

Well, I sure hope things get better!

Had dinner with Chang at VivoCity and went home right after that. That’s the difference between schooling days and holidays.

No time to really walk around, my friend.

Returned from a night jog not long ago, and my knees didn’t act up. I love the final dash which never fails to make me out of breath.

I simply love the feeling of catching my breath.

3rd Aug 2008

Met up with the usual peeps from FUGA in Bugis for a KTV session and boy, it’s really cool! $20 nett for 7 hrs of non-stop singing, and lunch was at only $3++. It’s a pity that some of us were camera-shy. I don’t know why.

So, the non-camera-shy people take photos!

The Geminis

Took quite a number of random (and unglam) shots, and I don’t think it’s really nice to post them up!

Dinner was at Tong Shui Cafe located along Liang Seah St and we went over to Geylang for beancurd @ Yong He Eating House. Wonderful company, great time spent. Period.

04 Aug 2008

Met up with Perry, Guan Ze and Kang Rui in Bugis (again?!?!) because Perry wanted to get his watch from The Bencoolen. In the end, he got a Seiko Criteria as well. I think it’s a pretty model and it looks good on his wrist!

Then we walked around in Sim Lim Square before heading to Ice Monster for desserts.

The Empty One

Yeah, we finished that in less than five minutes while chatting at the same time. We continued to chat about life and what (probably) lies ahead of us, our dreams and blah blah blah.

I guess we felt bad for hogging the table for so long though nobody else were in the shop (oops!). Hence… we decided on a…

Round Two

We had dinner together at Miss Clarity Cafe along Purvis St this time around, and I remember I went there for the first time with Siu Hang. Haha.. how time flies. It’s been almost a year? No?

05 Aug 2008

Went for a swim in Tampines with Perry on Tuesday and decided to have a haircut at Storm since it was a weekday and the salon was relatively empty. Once again, I managed to reject Serene’s “proposal” on what will be good for my hair.

After a Stormy Day

But frankly speaking, I might accept it one day! Despite the fact that I don’t really fancy her pushy sales-talk, I understand it’s natural to want to have more sales volume. Oh, and I really trust her in cutting my hair.

06 Aug 2008

I went to school for my FYP briefing and had a short chat with my professor. He is a very nice man - very fatherly and kind. No airs. Managed to get some readings from him too.. oh well, I’m still a little lazy to start reading them though. Hah.

Then I went over to Marilyn’s place to install some software on her laptop and we had dinner together in West Mall.

07 Aug 2008

Today, I had lunch with Jun Quan, who managed to secure a job already! Titus, Perry and Guan Ze came along too.. I feel happy for Jun Quan as the job market this year doesn’t seem to be as rosy as it was a year back. Nevertheless, to friends of mine who are still in the search of a job: Don’t give up!

We spent quite a while talking about random topics like graduation trips, office politics, etc etc.. pretty fun. Haha.. too bad Titus had to leave after lunch!

So the remaining four of us walked around in Marina Square where I bought a pair of jeans from Topman. Then we decided to head to Kallang Airport Food Centre for some fondue!

Yes, fondue in a hawker centre. Reasonably priced and it’s pretty good!

The Sweet Stone

Oh, and it began to rain heavily after we entered Broadrick Secondary School for their funfair event. Hah.. and the stalls were already closing. Nevertheless, I didn’t fail to feel old when I look at the kids running about in the school.

It was still raining when we left the school, and I managed to capture this image:

So Sweet Under The Umbrella

No prizes for guessing correctly who’s on the left and who’s on the right.

Ok, this is a pretty long entry.

But I still must say this: I believe in “Clothes Maketh the Man”.

The clothes and accessories need not be really expensive, but it must not look cheap in the first place. One should not wear stuff which kills the formal/professional look of a long-sleeved shirt + dress pants + dress shoes combi.

Please make sure the colour of your belt matches that of your shoes (for guys).

In my humble opinion, I feel any working male decked in formal attire should always have at least three good items:

• A watch
• A leather bag
• A pair of leather (dress) shoes

Of course, the budget for the above mentioned items differs for individuals. But those are stuff which, in my humble opinion again, are worth spending the money on.

Click to enlarge

Though it looks as if I’m gonna have a 4 day week, I’m thinking that it might not happen after all.

Wish me luck in the balloting of tutorials!

Disclaimer: This is not an entry to brag about my gadgets.

My (new) toys

Recently, I’ve been treating myself really well.

Just last month, I got myself a Seiko Criteria with Auto-Relay function because I knew I just had to buy it when I wore it on my wrist. Haha.. it’s just a want, I know.

Even my new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX36 is also a want. I wanted something with the latest technology (like the ultra WA lens at 25mm for a compact camera) and yet is ermm.. compact enough to slip into my pocket if I don’t happen to bring a bag along with me when I go out.

It’s not exactly a backup camera; but another option for me.

On a side note, internship is ending in a few days’ time, and all I can say is that the last few weeks were really fun and sometimes, really slack. But oh well, what can you expect someone who’s going to quit already to do?!

This is really like serving NS - When the ORD mood sets in, that’s it.

I read a blog entry dated some two weeks back from a friend’s blog.

I feel as if I can relate to how he’s feeling right now because I was in a similar situation before, albeit he went through it first.

When things happen for a reason, it’s known as a tem - “action”. This “action”, whatever it is, is a double-edged sword - It can cause hurt, grief and pain, just a name a few. On the other hand, it could also bring about happiness.

Perhaps it’s wrong to assume that happiness comes as a product from the “action” but we never know.

At times, I wish I can be strong.

More often than not, strength is measured not by holding on; but by letting go.

I am in fact very timid.

Click to enlarge

Hah.

It was a rather fun night… though some of the (open) secrets revealed aren’t too exciting (because I kind of expected it).. Oh well, perhaps we can bring the questions to another level on another day.

Nevertheless, it was all in the name of fun and whatever transpired within the room shall remain within the room!

I hope my friend is ok after merlion-ing! I woke up at around 0730hrs this morning with a heavy head. So I went back to sleep and woke up at 0915hrs.

Had breakfast, skipped rope, did calisthenics exercises and had lunch.. sounds boring? Hah. But that’s how I spend my Sunday(s).

Will be meeting Kok Wai and Shikai later; haven’t seen the latter for a long long time.. I think it’s really time for us to meet up!

Had a secondary 4 gathering yesterday at Zihui’s house (as usual), and the usual people turned up! It’s been a very long time since I last saw them due to us having busy schedules. Very soon, in a year’s time or so, I’ll be joining the girls in the workforce!

Time really flies. It just feels like yesterday when I was in year 1.

Simple, yet heartwarming

I wanna thank the organiser: Zihui; and really appreciate the efforts of both Tsz Ming and him for buying the food and of course.. everybody who turned up!