So close to Elimination

Damn, why non-elimination...~

Darn it...! I was so hopeful that Colin & Christie would get eliminated last night on TAR. It was so maddening to see them arriving at the Pit Stop in last place, but told by Phil that this is the last of the 4 non-elimination legs, and they are still in the Race. ARGGGGHHHHH !!

Seeing Chip & Kim "Yield" them was great. They finally got the taste of being last of the pack & stripped of all their cash & would start the next leg of the Race penniless. I wish they would never recover from the last place finish & get eliminated next week. Hah !

Nearing the End

Non-Elimination to Elimination

The twins got eliminated this week on TAR. It's almost nearing the end of the gruelling race & it must be really heartbreaking to get eliminated at this stage.

Kami & Karli went through a non-elimination leg just 2 weeks ago & managed to pull through using the "womanly gifts" they have; great thinking.

However, now that they are gone; only 4 teams remain. It would definitely be a elimination leg next week, only 1 more team would be eliminated next & the remaining 3 teams would race to the finish. How exciting!

Wednesday better come quickly....

Punctured Tyre + Car Wash

Lan-Cer Car Wash

Phew, what a day! Chrissy's Lan-cer tyre punctured when we went to the carpark to collect the vehicle after our ktv session. Chrissy changed the tyre herself, I was impressed.

The pic was taken when we were at Kovan's Shell station for a car wash.

Jen's B'Day

Piggy_Jen

Hey, that's not what you think you saw.

It's just Jennifer under the "piggy blanket" we got her for her 26th b'day.

Baby Ryston

Baby Ryston

See, another photo of my nephew. Isn't he getting cuter?

Phew....Luckily it's Non-Elimination

Almooooooooooost ~

Geez....Brandon & Nicky almost got eliminated this week on TAR.

They went for the Fast Foward, unaware that they had to shave their heads bald to be able to obtain the right to proceed straight to the Pit Stop. Alas, they finished last but were really glad that this is the 3rd non-elimination leg of the Race.

I was really happy for them, I was really rooting for them to win the Race. Let's hope some other teams run into worse luck than them next week. However, starting the next leg of the Race in India is gonna be a BIG BIG challenge for them. Hopefully, they pull through & come out as winners.

Singapore Idol

Finally...Idol Fever Hits Singapore

I watched Singapore Idol with skepticism on Thursday, not really expecting high standards from the first group of 10 contestants.

True enough, the majority of them were just merely ordinary; the likes of those you hear at karaoke lounges on weekends. None of them really strike me as extremely talented or extraordinary.

Jeassea is a part-time singer, she has a big voice; diva-style. It's natural that she has an edge over the other contestants. David really surprised me, the emotions he put into his performance. Olinda is just another spunky gal with an attitude, i'm liking her already.

Hopefully, the 2nd group next week would surpassed the quality of performances this week. If so, Singapore's ready for the Idol Fever,
COME ON!

Non-Elimination Saves the Twins

Almooost Eliminated....

Twins Kami & Karli were almost eliminated this week on The Amazing Race, thanks to a non-elimination leg that saved their skins from the dreaded fate that all teams feared on the race.

Like the Bowling Mums, they had to handover their accumulated cash from the previous legs & have to start the next leg in Dubai, penniless. It seems like a daunting task. However, if the Bowling Mums managed to pull it off in Egypt; why not the beautiful & witty twins? Hah, I didn't say that, they did.

Incidently, last week's episode of TAR has got to go down in history; thanks to Colin. He simply refused to pay the cab driver in full & the cab driver had to bring him to the police station for a mere US50. Colin was so insistent on his point of view that I laughed so hard that i almost fell off the sofa; when the police officer told him to go sit in jail. Hah!

Obviously, the strongest team seems to be Colin & Christie now. They are just so so competitive. If Colin doesn't land himself in jail in some foreign country, they have a good chance of finishing first.

However, I still adore Brandon & Nicky. Brandon looks a little like Zac & Nicky looks a little like Flo sometimes. You see the connection, they could win; you know?

Peculiar

I woke up at 5 a.m this morning, I wonder why.

These days, everything seems topsy-turvy. The normal routine seems to be messed up & I'm seeing myself doing things the "adnormal" way. Is this a sign of something bad that's going to happen to me or what?

Nothing seems to go right, frequent quarrels with boyfriend; lousy work & colleagues. Hopefully it's just a phase that will pass soon.

We Should be Proud

Pride for Singapore

All Singaporeans should be proud of the 23-year old performance at the Athens Olympics. Though she lost the semi-final, she didn't go out without a fight.

Jiawei made it difficult for her opponent, Kim Hyang Mi. Kim had wanted to distract her with her animated shouts & shrieks during the match & constantly stared Jiawei down. But Jiawei kept her composure & steadily built a 3-1 lead over Kim.

Be it nerves or distraction, Jiawei went down to Kim in the last game & lost the semi-final 3-4. It was certainly a heartbreaking moment for Jiawei, as well as the many Singaporeans whom were cheering her on last evening.

Jaiwei may have lost the semi-final, but she still has the bronze-medal match to contend with later this evening. Hopefully, Singaporeans will continue to stand behind her & give her the mental strength & determination to win the bronze medal & bring a Olympic medal for Singapore. That would be the first in the long wait for a medal for the past 44 years.

Go, Jiawei, Go !

TAR - Another Team Eliminated

Competitive Cousins Eliminated

It was another week of roller-coaster on The Amazing Race. The lead changed hands a couple of times & we did see the claws coming out from certain teams.

Indeed, the series had gotten more competitive & teams are getting more unscrupulous & what not. Unfortunately, the cousins were eliminated. They have really surprised a lot of people on the show; given the "never'say-die" attitude and confidence.

Another week of agony, Saturday...Sunday...Monday...Tuesday...WEDNESDAY....YEAH!!

Pity Pity - Injury Spoils the Quest

Knee Injury Forces Brothers to Quit

If you watched this week's episode of TAR, you would know what i meant.

It was painful, literally to see the brothers getting eliminated. They held their heads up high, even when Marshall had to endure the agony of his knee injury. They never once thought about giving up. They are the real troopers!

Bowling mums, Linda & Karen surprised me this week. With no cash, they managed to sell apples for $$ for their cab fare, simply amazing. Maybe I should consider a career in Cairo, selling apples. Hah!

The Race will only get more intense & teams will get more selfish from now on. May the best team wins!

Sights of Singapore

National Day - 09th August 04

It's the nation's birthday in another 9 hours. What amazing progress we have made as a nation for the past year. We got through the frightening SARS & fought it; standing unified as a nation.

There are definitely images that belonged exclusively to Singapore. I was at Bedok interchange's food centre this morning. An elderly & feeble man came up to my table and shoved me 4 packets of tissue, 4 for a dollar. I gave him $1 and took the tissue packs. Also, I saw another elderly man going around the tables to pick up the aluminium drink cans that the diners had finished. I reckon he's collcting them for the meagre cash he's able to get by selling them to recycling companies.

I'm sure these aren't unfamiliar scenes to most Singaporeans; cos i'm sure all of us had the chance to dine at a food centre at one time or another.

Sometimes, i wonder if these elderly folk have a place to stay or the food centres are their place of rest every night. Don't they have children whom can feed & clothe them sufficiently, so that they wouldn't have to peddle tissue packs at food centres at the risk of falling & shoving around by inconsiderate crowd.

Have we done enough for these old folks? Have we imparted the correct morals to our future generations on how to treat the old folks? We are fast becoming a nation with ageing population, are we ready for the challenges; as we celebrate the nation's 39th birthday?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SINGAPORE !!

TAR - First Non-Elimination Leg

No Elimination this week

This week's race was nail-biting. so many events making it one of the most exciting, among the others.

Bowling moms, Linda & Karen survived a scare & avoided elimination; with a bad twist though. Other than the ankle twist they suffered, they had to surrender all their accumulated cash throughout the past weeks & wouldn't be given any for the start of next week's race. How frightening is that!

This week, we also saw a very very different side of Chip. He became "Mr Nice Guy" instantly by helping Brandon pull his stone boulders & even helped his "arch rival", Kami & Karli when they couldn't find the Roadblock. How amazing!

Nonetheless, i was truly impressed with Colin & Christie this week. Not only did they managed to get an earlier flight, they got a flight that reached Cairo easily 12 hours before the others could have arrived in Cairo. IMPRESSIVE !

Can't wait for next week's race, to see how Linda & Karen survive the race without cash; and how Colin & Christie manage their massive lead over the others.

Prince David & James 

Make a Wish! 

Candle-Blowing Ceremony 

Prince David  

David & Princess Agnes

TAR - Fear Factor style

4th Team to go... 

Phew, unknowingly; we have come to the 4th week of The Amazing Race.
 
You can't help but notice that the teams are more scheming & definitely more competitive.  They are strategizing more than the teams in previous series. 
 
Brandon & Nicky just showed how true that was on this week's race.  They were originally in a pact with 3 other teams (Colin/Christie, Chip/Kim & Marshall/Lance).  Colin/Christie managed to get the 3 teams bus tickets which departed later but arrived at the destination at the same time.  The time gained gave them time to hop to the travel agent to discuss & get their flight bookings to St. Petersburg, Russia.
 
In the end, Colin & Christie were given the gracious go-ahead from the 3 teams on the earliest flight.  Brandon & Nicky were the smarter team out of the remaining 3 teams & scooted off to the airport earlier to secure them the second earliest flight out to St. Petersburg.
 
However, the 2-pound of cavier at the Roadblock was the bomb.  Colin/Christie & Brandon/Nicole lost their lead at the cavier.  They would never advance if this was Fear Factor, hah!
 
Anyway, was kinda sad to see Bob & Joyce getting eliminated.  They were the slow & steady type whom everyone likes.  Nonethless, they have at least got each other for the rest of their life now.  Sure everyone is glad for them.
  

Ouch ouch

 
Ouch 

Today has got to be one of those painful days.  I missed my aerobics class due to the usual lousy work commitments, was feeling moody the whole day & finally had to suffer the pain of my recent ear piercing.

My left ear lobe was swollen so badly that i had no choice but to remove the earring from the 2-week old pierced hole.  True enough, it had began to swell badly & had pus oozing out from the hole.  It was horrific & painful to watch, according to my younger sister (who happened to have 10 ear piercings; both ears combined) whom helped me to remove the stud; at least i was spared from watching the mildly gruesome scene, phew!

Now, I have another pair of earrings on.  Hopefully, they hold up & i'm able to keep the piercing.  I certainly do not hope to go through the suffering again, it sucked pretty bad.    

TAR - Jim & Marsha Eliminated

Eliminated -- I Love Them !! 

What a shame!  The father & daughter tag team of Jim & Marsha were eliminated this week on Amazing Race.

Marsha was confused at the ticket counter at the airport & got Brandon/Nicole confirmed places on the flight; but missed out hers.  What a pity!!  So much for being nice.

Both Jim & Marsha were great during the 3 weeks they managed to stay in the Race.  Jim survived a terrible gash on his knee in the 1st week & managed to climb up to the 3rd place in the 2nd week, before getting eliminated in this week.

Well, i guess the race goes on for them after the elimination; at least they seem to have known each other better during the race; judging from their parting comments.  Good for them. 

JC's Showcase

Jazzy Jamie  
 
I was at Aquadisiac at Wisma last Fri for Jamie Cullum's exclusive showcase in Asia.  It was simply awesome, i never knew jazz could be so appealing & welcomed by the young.
 
The crowd were mostly youngsters in their mid-20s, though there were groups of older crowd; but i dare say that the younger crowd definitely outnumbered them.  Young Jamie Cullum was so full of energy & friendly, he played the piano with soul & spiced it up with jazz & pop sound; simply irresistable.  It sounded so good that you could almost hear his songs over & over again.
 
The recent success of young jazz artistes like Michael Buble & Diana Krall may have paved the path for Jamie.  However, Jamie made his songs more interesting with an element of pop; probably that's why he's so well-received by both the young & old.
 
Anyway, Jamie's CD is what i have in my discman now..."I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain, what a glorious feeling; i'm happy again"....(JC -- Singin' in the Rain)   

Baby Ryston

Baby Ryston
 
Baby Ryston is my elder brother's first child, ain't he cute?
 
I'm still in denial that my brother is now a dad, he still has that cheeky appearance; time really flies.
 

Pool ; Loop

The "Lion"
 
Recently, I was caught up with watching the World Pool Championship on cable.  I never knew i had an interest in 9-ball pool.  It was certainly interesting.
 
In fact, I had just finished watching the extremely exciting quarter-final between Alex Pagulayan (CAN) & Chao (TPE).  It was certainly nail-biting, I was rooting for Alex.  The young Canadian didn't disappoint, he won the game in the end; just edging the no. 1 seed, Chao by 1 rack.
 
Tomorrow, the 4 semi-finalists would play the the semi & final, almost back-to-back.  Hopefully, the Lion keeps up to his amazing performance & win the title.
 
I'll definitely be watching. 
 

The Amazing Race -- 2nd week

another young team ELIMINATED

It's the 2nd week of The Amazing Race.

As usual, some teams hurry off to a great start & catching up; while some fall behind & never made up for the lost time.

It's a pity to see another young team getting eliminated again. Donny & Alison were first at pit-stop last week. What a change of events & turn-around!! They made several time-wasting mistakes & weren't able to get back to where they started from.

Also, the cousins & the twin sisters are getting on my nerves now...hope they go soon. Ok, another week of anticipation, till next Wednesday.

The Amazing Race - Awesome

Dennis & Erika : Eliminated First 

The season premiere of The Amazing Race 5 was simply awesome! I watched the whole 90mins of it twice! Once on AXN on cable & another time on Mediacorp Channel 5, it was simply too good to be missed & extremely pulsating to watch it twice.

For this time, there were only 11 teams of 2, instead of the usual 12 teams of 2. Wonder if 1 team backed out or they couldn't get enough applicants (not likely). Anyway, if I ever get the chance to go to the States, I would do anything to get myself in TAR. It must be th best thing it would have happened to me IF I'm successful during the selection process.

I'm so excited that I don't even know what I'm talking about, hahaha!!

Unfortunately, it has to be one of the younger teams whom was eliminated first. Dennis & Erika are such eye candy to start with & they lost because they were too nice to let every other team get their taxi first; you can't be nice on TAR, it would cause your demise.

Nonetheless, I'm so looking forward to next week's show....can't wait.

Are We Really That Great ?

I'm not sure if you realised, our habitat is getting worse. The environmental damage & abuse of our already limited natural sources of engery is ongoing everyday, God knows how long we can keep it going.

With global warming & the waning of our energy sources, experts & scientists have predicted that the end is nearing and could happen within this century or the next.

Indeed, we are are still taking things easy. No sign of worrying or scrabbling among us as yet. Of course, that's understandable. The population of Singapore is so sheltered under the "great wing" of protection under the ruling party, PAP. It's no wonder, they are not at all worried or having the jitters yet, until PAP says so.

If we look at how the major blackout last week left almost 3/4 of Singapore in complete darkness, it just shows how vulnerable our small island is. Anyone harbouring the thought of dealing Singapore with a blow to the economy & internationally can just strategise to bring the natural gas supply from Indonesia to a halt & disrupt the water supply from Malaysia. There, we would be without electricity & water. The 2 most fundamentals of our daily essentials.

To think that we have always professed ourselves to be the business/economy hub of South East Asia & a cosmopolitian country. What would we be if we are without the sources of energy & water from neighbouring countries.

Probably it's time for us to ponder upon instead of being just being contented with being the "best" in the region.

The Little Kid in Me

Merciless time wait for no man, how true & realistic can this statment be.

Try as i might, I can no longer pretend to be young. I'm already in my mid-20s, soon the dreaded "30" wil come and go; without me even noticing it.

However, there would always be a little part of me that refuses to grow up. I would always wished that I'm still a child and be freed from the annoying and vexing problems of adulthood, don't you too?

I have just finished reading "Harry Potter : The Prisoner of Azkaban" yesterday. I've never expected to be so absorbed in the story like a little kid. I started on it & I simply can't wait to finish the book. I thought this kinda excitement was only reserved for kids 1/2 my age. However, I have to admit that J.K. Rowling is a damn good author.

Well, it's grow-up time. I gotta go & scan through the classifieds, hopefully there would be a few suitable job openings I can try applying for.

Ciao for now!

Idealogy vs Reality

It's the beginning of another boring week again.

Yesterday has got to be one of my lowest point in life. I was feeling so lousy at work and worthless. I wanted to leave the job so so much, you can't imagine. I felt like i was strangled by the politics in office & the hatred of my lady boss towards me. She was just god-damned biased towards those she favoured (whom don't deserve) and deprived me of the impartiality she should be showcasing.

I had wanted so badly to tender my resignation yesterday. I had the letter all typed out & kept it in my bag. I was hesitant to hand it out as I have alot to think about before i really really decide to quit my job. The financial strain would be drastic, i have my installment loans, insurance, bills to worry about. I'm not without a care in the world that i can just quit & be free from the clutches of that bitchy boss.

Anyway, alot of times; we are often cornered by the facets of reality. Ideally, we should be pursuing a career aligned with our interest. Realistically, it's often not the case; many of us are stuck in jobs we hate and can't wait to escape from.

There aren't many people i know whom are able to invest all their time and life in their area of interest & still able to make it their job. More often than not, they usually have to forgo/sacrifice their material comforts and risk social acceptance.

That's reality for you, both you and I go through it & ended up as victims of reality vs idealogy.

The Road of Never-Ending Learning

I'm now sitting in the classroom of my Macromedia Dreamweaver (MMDW) lesson. Today's the last lesson of this level, i'm so happy & relieved to have reached where i am now.

I have learnt alot from this class & have definitely reaped rewards from it. Hopefully, the newly acquired skill would help me in getting a cushy job & enhancing the chances of me snagging a job in the media industry...haha! (can't wait for that to happen, man!)

I also have to say thanks to my friend, Lian. She was the one whom encouraged me to take up this course with her. We have been close since we finished our Adv Dip classes with MDIS last year. I'm both grateful & thankful to have a friend like her for motivation & guidance.

I guess all of us pick up new skills & techniques everyday, the world's revolving everyday; it doesn't stop & waits for you to catch up. Life is indeed short, make use of what you have & do what you want. Legally, of course.

Don't let yourself down, be true & not deprive yourself of what you wanna achieve in life; regrets are wasteful.

Do You Ever Wonder?

Times passes by so quickly, do you ever wonder what will happen tomorrow?

Life's so unpredictable, everything gets thrown at you for no rhyme or reason. Sometimes, i do wonder about the happenings in the world & how it would affect me or the community.

Yet, life can be so simple and we can make it through without much effort. However, not that many of us are that fortunate. We go to school in the rigid study environment, autocratic parents, pressure to excel & sometimes; inferiority sets in.

I remembered my ambitions when i was young, i aspired to be a doctor when i was in primary school. The thought of wearing a crisp white robe & being able to save lifes all felt so great at that time. Then came secondary school, the aspiration changed directions. I wanted to be a journalist/reporter, though i was rather strong in my languages, the education system then didn't allow you to enrol into an educational institute based on your language merits alone; you needed Maths/Science & Humanities. I'm hopeless in those subjects, barely passed during the Biggie Os! There's goes the aspiration again...

In the end, i settled for an engineering course; which i still find unbelievable when i think about it now. Which idiot would opt to study to be an engineer when they are hopelessly aimless with Maths & Science? I'm that IDIOT! As expected, my grades weren't that great; i gave it all up with a year left; another moronic move!

Then came worklife at the Social University, with only an 'O' level education to boast about at that time; i settled for a retail job. The hours were long & the pay was pathetic. But i was happy, with my other colleagues, we would sometimes get together for supper after we closed the shop at night. Those were the carefree days, no exams or tests to cram for & no pressure to excel, just make sure & pray hard that I do not offend a customer.

A year or so went by, I started feeling inadequate. I saw an ex-classmate of mine from the polytechnic while i was working. I suddenly felt so ashamed of myself, i wanted to hide & wished i was invisible. But alas, she saw me & i avoided eye contact with her. She didn't say a word when she saw me, but i knew that she definitely recognised me. Was she too ashamed to be associated with me? I wonder...

Now, with a quarter of the century gone; I'm proud to say that i have been able to fulfill some of the aspirations i harboured during my younger days. I have managed to attain higher education on the area of my interest, Mass Communications. Armed with the higher qualifications, i've begun looking for a job that will consume & exploit my interest in the industry. But, the big break hasn't arrive yet; at least for me.

Who says life is so predictable & all planned out for you by the Man up there? It is what you make out of life that matters the most. I forgot where/whom i heard the below phrase from, but i find it real meaningful & tries to live by it.

"You Only Live Once, Make it Worthwhile"

Survey (???)

I promised Loony to put this on my Blog to see what he thinks about me....


[1] Who are you?
[2] Are we friends?
[3] When and how did we meet?
[4] How have I affected you?
[5] What do you think of me?
[6] What's the fondest memory you have of me?
[7] How long do you think we will be friends?
[8] Do you love me?
[9] Have I ever hurt you?
[10] Would you kiss me?
[11] Would you hug me?
[12] Are we close?
[13] Emotionally, what stands out?
[14] Do you wish I was cooler?
[15] On a scale of 1-10, how nice am I?
[16] Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.
[17] Am I loveable?
[18] How long have you known me?
[19] Describe me in one word.
[20] What was your first impression?
[21] Do you still think that way about me now?
[22] What do you think my weakness is?
[23] Do you think I'll get married?
[24] What makes me happy?
[25] What makes me sad?
[26] What reminds you of me?
[27] Whats something you would change about me?
[29] How well do you know me?
[30] Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?
[31] Do you think I could kill someone?
[32] Are you going to put this on your online journal and see what I say about you?
[33] What's something you love about me?