Run Nose Run.

Got home much earlier from work. First, 'cos there wasn't much to do to begin with. Second, 'cos I'm down with a flu/cold. Damn it. Don't like it at all. And it looks like I got to make up the hours on Saturday. Sigh~ But according to my colleague, there shouldn't be much to do on Saturday. Well, hopefully anyway.

And, off to rest now. Don't feel that bad actually. But better be safe than sorry what with CNY just approaching.

Sidenote

I'd realised that 3 months of my life went missing. Year is 2011. Month: May, June & July. How depressing. It'd only meant that I was too busy to even keep up with my blog. Also explains why I find it so difficult to get back to blogging. 3 months hiatus is too long.

Also, finished reading My Sister's Keeper. Utterly depressing book. Since I'd watched the movie, the book was kind of shocking. Touching & depressing. I'm not surprised if people actually were depressed for a while after finishing that book.

Come to think about... Who did I watched the movie with again...? Hmm...

And did I ever mention, Regina's face is epic-ness in the collated photo.

3 days in construction.

Maybe it's time for me to get a keyboard sheet for my MacBook. Although it doesn't feel quite as comfortable typing on it, but it would certainly save me the hassle of cleaning my keyboard every now & then.

So, now that I'm back in Singapore, quite a number of activities have took place. Not quite as hectic as last year, good & bad in a way, but still enjoyable the same.

First shot of the day for the car trip went on with my brother. 211211.

First destination: xiao gui ling.

A view of the cliff face.

Lunch destination at Bukit Timah Hawker Center. Good food. Good view.

A feel of the old school.

After lunch, walking back to the car. Spotted this little creature long lost with Singapore's advance.

Colbar Eating House. Since pre-WWII. Closed for renovations.

Opposite was an Italian restaurant. The only alternative in the vicinity. Talk about monopoly.

The place. Actually, it's rather nice.

Spotted an old school water tower while walking around Essex Estate.

Found a way up, but got fed to a battalion of mosquitoes.

Next stop: The old French Embassy.


View of the Embassy.

Main entrance.

Covered in moss/algae.

Backyard.

Another staircase, from the side of the embassy.

Small plant, big house.

That's about it for the car trip. Had bak kut teh for dinner after everything & headed over to salted caramel for ice cream. Mm...

Next series of photos were the P.Ubin trip went on with Joseph. 231211. Reached Changi Village at an extremely unearthly hour. So early/late that the third genders were still around. Seems like a tough life they lead.

Just so to show how early it was. Planking. Flagging. I shall call this standing.

Kitty cat at ferry terminal.

First boat in.

Time check once again. Damn it's early.

Stupid things stupid people do with their stupid friends.

Actually saw wild boars resting peacefully. Guess there's an advantage to being early.

About the only reason why P.Ubin is returnable. Scenery.



What better way to end cycling on P.Ubin other than having a coconut? Since 2002.

Then, there was this ODAC meetup session, happening on the same day itself, at night. Good times they were.

Seriously, wait staff should be trained in basic photography. Can't even get the picture centered. Pfft.

There was also another dinner I had with Joseph. At Chomp Chomp, Serangoon Gardens. Ate till our fill. I think people were staring at us though, thinking this 2 guys must been starved for 3 days, 3 nights.

And yes, the whole table of plates/mugs belonged to us. Now, that's what I call having a good o' hawker center meal.

271111. Probably one of the most exciting & promising day in Singapore. Istana Woodneuk. Basically, hd to trek through thick vegetation. The distance wasn't exactly far, but there's a slope, and well, thick vegetation. Not recommended for the unprepared.

First stage. Woodlands.

Second stage. Vegetated slope.

Third stage. Thick vegetation.

Bashing is required. Specs lead the way!

My oldest of friends. Game on for anything with me, be it jumping off a cliff or bashing through crazy vegetation.




Istana Woodneuk.

The location is mighty interesting & exciting. Unfortunately, a call had to come through. I understood the importance of the call. But it still ruined the trip for me ultimately. Couldn't focus on matters at hand, couldn't concentrate on subject matter, getting annoyed & irritated. What should one do in such a situation. On one hand, it's an important call. On the other hand, you're at a location where you might never step foot in again. And even if you do, the feeling will definitely be different. What should one actually do. Thinking back once again, the annoyance comes back.

To sum up Istana Woodneuk. Amazing. And well, the photos basically reflect my experience there.

Blu Jaz

Rachel Oh Rui Ying. 12 years of friendship. That's older than my nieces. Added up. Talk about growing up.

After the Istana, brother headed off to dance. What a sight he must be when he entered the studio. Me & Rachel headed home to shower & freshen up before moving out again. Took a walk down Haji Lane, and trek around the vicinity for a while. Spotted the kampung house on the third floor along the way. Makes me wonder, if its even an approved construction since it looks mighty dodgy to me.

Blu Jaz was for dinner. Nice environment. Like how they used plants to enclose the area, makes you feel in another place, despite it being next to a rather busy road.

060112. Eventful day. 4E2 class gathering. I love that comfortable feeling of being able to talk with friends, even though we hadn't met up for a long long time.

What other than good company with fun, joy & laughter could make my night? Random question was entertaining while it lasted. All the weird questions popping out. And even weirder responses. Should have another gathering some other time.

Actually, come to think about it now, 2 years later, it would be 10 years since we got together as a class. Damn. That's long. It's about time I dig up all the old photos & start sharing them already. Those who are reading this, please contribute if you have any. Hahaha. A little something of the people who went.

Yu Ting. Ian. Sharon. Yiching. Lulu. Siewhoon. Sylvonne. Ting Xuan. Regina. Delin. Valerie.

Headed to the airport after that. Disturb my brother before he flies off to Hong Kong.

And have been working for the past week. Another 2 more weeks to go & it's CNY. I believe I'm not the only one, but CNY was a big hooha when I was a kid. I remembered getting all too excited about CNY. But with the passing of time, it gets more & more mundane, even a chore at times. How sad. The only perk of CNY for me nowadays is to use it as an excuse for meeting up with friends, or taking a break from work. And of course, to see my dear cousins & relatives whom I only see once a year.

Besides the listed above activities, there were a few others. Like going ice-skating with the cousins & a K-session after that. There was also the clubbing night with my ODAC mates, though I headed home early & was more in the mood of people watching than doing anything else. There's also a couple of meet up with Joseph & AikHong, as well as with having coffee with Valerie, Yu Ting & Lulu and a dessert supper with the 3 of them plus Siewhoon. There was also the FYP interview for Audrey. And how could I possibly forget the lunch date with Kristelle? Now, that's a friend I haven't met in ages as well.

Looks like I had an eventful return this year as well. Just not as packed as the year before. It's better this way. Gives me a breather & do some other stuff.

Moving on, I think I've come to understand myself a bit more. Just a little tad bit. And I don't know to be confused or to be depress or disappointed or happy. I'd never known I could possibly be in a dilemma as to what to feel. It's quite straightforward for me at most times. What would you do? How would you feel?

Sometimes, I'm finding it pointless to rant away like that. I know I won't remember what the hell I'm referring to or even talking about, without typing a slightest bit of detail down. But if I do, things become too obvious & people will start knowing about it, when you don't want that to happen at all. But to feel better, you just have to rant it out somewhere. That's what I learned through blogging. It's quite annoying.

On one hand, you have a diary, where it's nearly indestructible. On the other hand, it's an open diary, such that you cannot liberally 'pen' down whatever you like. Bugger. And I don't trust literally penned diary as well. It's too easy for people to pick it up & start browsing at leisure. Ever experienced it in front of me too. Maybe I should do something like the anime Fullmetal Alchemist. Write everything down in a code only I could possibly understand. Hmm... Maybe I should start considering that.

Time to end this post & finally move on.