Muse mania

muse is back with a new album Black Holes and Revelations. woohoo! time to rock baby!


Supermassive Black Hole isn't the typical Muse that we've all come to love (or hate). this has a heavy dancy-britpop influence. frontman matt bellamy said that he wanted to try some of the franz ferdinand thing. so here we have it, the result of the experiment. pretty decent too. the video looks like the scenes in an asylum inmate's head. colourful yet creepy at the same time.
<-- listen to this track on my radio!


now this is what i'm talking about! Knights of Cydonia has slightly more of the good old rockin Muse stuff. the kungfu sequences make me chuckle. that guys's quirky stick-on mustache and the fake chop-sock moves are hilarious. and the expression on his face while executing those moves! shaolin bear strike? haha! this video is one of the best i've seen this year. all the story-telling, 70s style. classic kungfu meets wild west meets futuristic robots. all the fake special effects. retro-cool!

"no one's gonna take me alive.
the time has come to make things right!
you and i must fight for our rights,
you and i must fight to survive!"

sprained-ankle-induced movie mania

i decided to perk up my period of 'confinement' at home by watching movies everyday. not on VCD, DVD or youtube. you know where i got them from. *wink*.

dame judi dench was in the running for the best lead actress oscar for her role as mrs henderson. it was a very poignant performance on her part. but this is a so-so show for me.

most critics panned this release but i'm of a different opinion. it's not so bad, really. the ratings don't do the show justice. i felt it was about the same as the original, which of course started out as a b-grade flick. nothing too impressive, but hey, if you've got the hots for sharon stone, what's holding you back?

spike lee's mainstream release packs quite a punch with a strong cast and a solid plot. jodie foster does her turn as a high-flying corporate bitch, denzel washington takes on the all-too-familiar hero-negotiator role, while clive owen plays the seemingly cold and calculating villain. but things aren't as simple as they are. you'll never see the twist coming in this one.

for me, this has gotta be one of the most terrifying films of the year. it's not a horror flick. heck, there isn't even any gore. but i won't spoil it for you. all i can say is that guys will be way more squeamish than girls while watching this. so girls, bring your boyfriends along for the ride, then you'll know why. it's so nasty and twisted (sickening at times too), it's good. no, make that great. ellen page turns from sweet teenage superheroine as kitty in X3 to angry, cunning, sadistic 'honours student' hailey. i'm positively shaken and still feeling a little squeamish as i make this post.

my healing ankle

here's a small update on my recovery, just in case all my caring friends are wondering.
today's the fifth and last day that i've given myself to sit around at home and heal that sprained left ankle. tomorrow, i'll be free to get out and play. but i don't foresee myself jogging and jumping around too much in the next week or so.

it's not so obvious in the picture, but it's still pretty sore and swollen and not too much articulation is possible. at least i can walk with a slight half-limp.

and clarence, it's nice of you to call and ask about my ankle! a true bangkok buddy you are!

fireworks!

i managed to catch bursts of fireworks on saturday night. it's one of the perks of living in my area; you get to enjoy firework displays every weekend leading up to national day.

i tried out the fireworks mode on my ixus 65 and i must say i'm pretty satified with the results. i'm no professional, so i guess this'll make do. it's a pity i didn't manage to catch the other colours. i'm gonna wait for them on national day itself.

BOOM!

this post is really just to display some of the pictures that i'm really happy with. haha.

i love taking close-ups of my collection. i get to see them in great detail. ooh, the ultra-cool electric fist!

at first i was rather disappointed that i couldn't get the best outta my ixus. but now that i've gotten the hang of adjusting the manual function, i'm starting to get impressed. yay!

quote of the day

"it's better to have no life than to have a shitty one. but if you've no life, that pretty much means that yours is a shitty one." - me

this random quote crossed my mind as i slacked my way through the previous few mundane days. it's gonna be mundane unless i make things happen. but with my ankle now in a terribly shaky condition, it looks set to remain this way. at least for the next five days. what a drag. X(

the night cycling excuse of a pigging-out night

it began with dinner at bedok and continued throughout the night. where ever we reached, we pigged out. we ate our hearts out. we conquered.














the first break was outside changi airport. we looked like terrorists on bicycles, all the bombs ticking away in our backpacks. except terrorists aren't much camera whores and definitely don't snap away with expensive digicams. they're more adept at shooting with AK-47s.

the seventh lunar month gives everybody the creeps. here's the first of a few sightings we had. notice the mysterious pair of fingers popping from behind frankie's head. gasp!

well if we really were terrorists, we didn't seem to have a plan.

next stop, changi village. or to be more precise, changi village nasi lemak.
ooh la la.

hell yeah!

the cat with the most blase attitude. she can topple mariah carey from her diva perch with ease.

a mini HCI reunion gathering ensued when some familiar HCI-affiliated faces made their entrance. god knows where they popped out of. the seventh month acting on our tired vision again?

it was all in the heat of the moment. trust me, i'm never this enthusiastic about TPJC.

the two weis putting their most shagged-out faces forward.

EXPO was never this exciting and fun. not even if they hold the sexpo there again.

a stroke of misfortune struck! my ankle, argh! new movie title a la crouching tiger, hidden dragon: fucking pothole, bloody ankle.
ouch ouch ouch. dammit!


whoever recorded this video did a great job. oh wait, who exactly did this? another strange encounter? was someone watching me all along? =O

i don't know who suggested the simpang bedok prata, but it was not bad. gosh, i've never had two suppers in my entire life!

the double ice pack came to my ankle's aid. ooh, chill.

the bridge beside the national indoor stadium is beautiful at night. and that was where our next ghostly sighting occurred.
darren and ziyang couldn't believe their eyes. was lawrence really there? or was he just another figment of our imagination? or was it actually a spiritual replica of him? yikes.

one of those act-cool pics.

weihao rolled down the steps of city hall and he escaped unscathed. humpty dumpty would be proud.

even though he was unhurt, he just lay there like a sitting duck. and like all sitting ducks, he asked for it!


the ONLY pancake ever to happen in front of city hall in its entire history.


act-cool poses aplenty.

the night sky at city hall was eerie.

back at east coast mac's, we were home and dry. and not forgetting to mention taking our morning craps.

this photo looks like one of those classic hongkong film posters.
the three feuding brothers:
- lik sin: the poor envious youngest one decked out only in his favourite worn-out singlet.
- hao xiang: the rich, contented and over-confident eldest son.
- frankie: the one in the middle who hasn't a clue about what's happening but is obviously taking it all very seriously.

the cam whores were caught in action! they were really in their own world. XD

thanks people, it was an excellent trip! although the ankle part was not so excellent. but yeah, i'd do it all over again!

all the fun here!

shopping with clarence

shopping with clarence ends up usually with him buying nothing. even i felt more tempted than him to spend. but oh well, it was nice to meet up with him since the last time we had a meal was ages ago.

i caught a white pigeon on camera! white pigeons are special. i think their shit is of a different shade of green. luminous green, maybe? you'll know when one bombs you.

it's no wonder why clarence is still very much single; if i were a girl i'd be intimidated by what hangs beneath. don't look so surprised, clare.

yeah ziyang came along for the ride as well.

clare and ziyang joined me for yet another of my pre-departure gastronomical expeditions. the ghinko nut beancurd dessert at kiliney kopitiam was fabulous! it's cooling and light at the same time. and to top that, i bought a jar of their renowned kaya. i'm sooo gonna pig out on local delights. in fact, i've more ideas for my 'hit list'. i gotta do satay bee hoon, lor mee and oyster omelette too.

eh clare, we gotta meet one more time before i fly to detroit. probably at zhenhao's bash. and you better wear that 'tadpole' topman tee.

and so the mission begins

yes i've set a personal mission for myself: to eat as much local fare as possible before i leave. i sooooo have to have everything so that my tummy won't have any gastronomical regrets when i fly off to michigan. that means you won't catch me at mcdonald's, kfc or yoshinoya. it's hawker and kopitiam for me from now onwards. SFI cookhouse not included though.

after prawn mee and char kway teow at maxwell yesterday, i had katong marvelicious laksa for lunch today.
for dinner in the evening, i went to ben hong's place. the hong kong street coffee shop is rather famous. i hadn't tried the good stuff on the menu before, so with an open mind, i stepped in.

the bee hoon with fish slices was tasty, but i didn't get the same kick outta it as compared to the holland V XO version. this one had a much weaker hua diao jiu in it instead. but i suspected benH was slightly tipsy after downing his bee hoon.

the before (foreground) and after (background) of the prawn paste fried chicken.

i hadn't played bridge in a long while. engaging in the game after dinner was a fantastic way to relax while letting the digestive juices get to work. we realised that guanming hadn't gone to the toilet the entire day, even after gulping down a carton of soya bean milk, a bowl of laksa, a cup of bubble tea, 2 glasses of barley and plenty of fish bee hoon soup. it's surprising what we term 'humanly possible'.

and so now i'm left with hokkien mee, satay bee hoon and chilli crab. it's a pretty short cravings list, but i'll think of more. suggestions are welcomed.

this is not a commercial

LAXAROL

your best friend when you have difficulty in bowel movement.

your silent lethal weapon against enemies.

LOOK HERE!

this has gotta be the simplest poster that i've created, but it drives the point home. hard. thanks to inspiration and ideas from KK the chicken freestyler himself. and of course thanks to the health promotion board for the original concept.

although my ORD was in march, the joy of freedom still hasn't rubbed off. in fact, i appreciate every single day that i'm not in an army camp.

well, feel free to send this to all your friends in army to rub it in. ORD bliss is a sweet sweet sensation to the privileged ones and a bitter taste to the poor souls in service.

definitely one for the guys

i logged on to msn a few days back and noticed this banner at the bottom of the window.

nike was obviously targeting ladies. just look at the given url. but with subjects like "maria sharapova" and "other beautiful women", i'm sure they would have received more clicks from the guys. i mean, seriously, would they expect ladies to "check out" maria and the other beauties? sounds more of a guy thing to me. honestly, my interest was piqued when i saw the banner. but i didn't click it; i had other more important things to attend to.

GhostRider

i'm marvel-movie-teaser-mad now!

this is GhostRider, starring skinny oldie nicholas cage.

and then there's eva mendes! more reason to catch the show. 15 feb 2007. date noted.

ho ho jo!

i went to catch jo at a singing competition in nanyang polytechnic. the only thing is that i didn't actually watch her sing because i was late. potong pasir is a lot farther from NYP than expected. and i had a hard time looking for the venue. i had to approach three people before i found out where block K was. damn i had bad timing today. well at least she was grateful that i made the long trip down.

McCafe at lido is quite a good place to sit and chill. it's open air, and now that the Gahmen has put up the no-smoking law, the air is much purer.

the many faces of jo. they all carry different expressions. but one thing's for sure: she can't live without her phone. to quote a mariah (her all-time fav singer) song, "can't live, when living is without you..."

being the gentleman i am, i got the drinks. mocha frappe and orange juice. no, please don't mix them.

one picture, three objects; the colourful new wallet from cambodia, the orange juice and the pink bracelet i got for her from bangkok.



jo was hungry. the orange juice was guzzled down in no time. the plastic cup wasn't spared either.

a tale of two phones: a sony-ericsson with a navigational stick that is as responsive as a drunken grandmother; a nokia that dies so frequently it's more unpredictable than a drunken grandmother.



i touched robbie! i can't believe it! oh my god! i'm gonna faint!

study hard jo, i'm behind you all the way! i hope you get into the final round of the singing competition!

spidey 3!

the spiderman 3 trailer is out! in fact it was two weeks ago. but i only just discovered it.

and so here it is.

triple the baddies for the third installment: venom, sandman and hobgoblin. are you marvel fans out there drooling already? i can't wait!

you can get the high definition version from me if you see me online. it's bloody clear.

has smoking really been banned?

i don't think so.

check out the fine print at the bottom-left section.

now we can only smoke in eating places. and don't you even dare do it in the toilet. the FBI is watching.

the scouting outing

i met up with my batch of VS scouts yesterday. it was fun to see most of them. and as usual we were all late. whether it was ten minutes or an hour and a half, we kept to our ritual. some things never change. that, and ramesh's flash-at-will middle finger and terence's imaginary samurai sword.

a mess of heads at changing appetites.

i've taken a leaf outta xiufie's blog. here's:
mudpie! and...
brownie!

ramesh aka beast was clearly holding back just for the photograph.

the great mudpie war!

after an hour of just sitting there and drinking so much water that the bathroom trips were fast and furious, we got the waiter to take another group shot of us. we didn't give tips though. we're the worst customers on earth.




jason dropped his hanky. XD

we got bored at marina square. bay beats at esplanade sounded good so we made our way there. plus it's free!
lunarin at their moodiest best. nothing turns me on more than a rock chick in a tube.

the posies were the closing act.

there was a uber-cool art display just around the corner. i snapped away. well, street art is great for pictures.
all burned out.

gang fight! terence's pose is hilarious. he needs his daggers.

if the SMU media department were to see this photo, they'll definitely use it for next year's publicity blitz. jump for SMU! but i think we need more colourful clothes.

enough of lunarin. now it's our turn to be moody.

all the best guys! study hard, play harder and take care. i'll see you all in summer 2007.

frankie's poll result

the poll has concluded. i think i heard frank say, "finally! all that voting has given me blisters."

the 'public' has spoken. the Kaypoh Knights Klan shall stop ribbing frankie about his gay-ness. we would like to thank frank for being so sporting.

the invisible intruder

last thursday evening, just as i was enjoying the godfather game on my PS2, the invisible intruder struck. she caught me completely off-guard.

with her utility belt, she scaled the walls of my apartment building.
phasing through the walls of my humble home, she didn't need to break a single lock.
and wrapped in her invisible cloak, she slipped past everyone undetected and entered my room.

just as she was about to burgle my precious collection of action figures, i was alerted by my sixth sense.

i stopped the biggest burglary in figure-collecting history.

a sign of age

this picture was taken today outside the video shop at far east shopping centre. the posters are so terribly late-80-early-90-ish. back when alex mann was a super big hotshot TVB star. and the wigs and beards in period serials look like they were glued on.

it's also a sign that it's time for me to change the posters in my bedroom too.

it's all gay

no frankie, this post isn't meant to target you. i'm done with playing around with your sexuality. it's getting boring. anyway, we have a (shaky?) truce so let's concentrate on other things.

i went to the heeren shops today and found...no, not one, not two, heck, not even three, but four newurbanmale.com stores. i was absolutely surprised. as surprised as when the normally homo-friendly rachel blurted, "it's all gay", when i told her that i had enjoyed my trip to bangkok in march.

yes i know the shiny happy image is rather contagious. i mean, seriously, who doesn't want to be part of the colourful newurbanmale movement? i, for one, do not, simply because of the prices. you're paying a bit too much for a simple tee with a tongue-in-cheek slogan and coloured linings. or rubber flip-flops that give minimal cushion between your feet and the earth. or supportive underwear that adds boost to you-know-what but serves no-big-purpose. pun intended.

standing in the shop, i wanted to approach the salesman to enquire about his muscles.
"do you all need to be so muscular?"
"are you gay?"
"are you all gay?"
"really?"

it's almost like NewUrbanMale.com is monopolising the shop space at the heeren. now, whenever i think of the heeren, i think of NUM. they should call it the heeNUM shops instead.

then, the next stop was topman at wisma atria, a place where my brother, darren, would be extra careful when he visits.

you see, he got hit on by the same salesman there twice. the first time, i was on-hand to witness the proceedings. he told darren that he had nice shoes and asked for his number so they could, you know, play board games. the second instance was when he visited the store with his girlfriend. he tried on a blazer and the same salesman moved over to adjust his collar. only that there was no collar on the blazer or tee. and his girlfriend just stood there helpless. all that touchy-feely got darren not hot, but certainly bothered.

DSTA award ceremony

it's been almost a week and i've finally gotten down to sourcing and editing all the pics from the DSTA award ceremony. you see, i'm a perfectionist and i always like things done my way. my personal stuff especially. maybe it's a slight compulsion i have.

so here they are, after much hard work. enjoy!

the brightest defence scientists looking their slacking best.

i decided to play with my new canon cam by taking a pic of the chandelier. flip it upside down, and it looks like an elaborate jelly. so said lyn. she must've been super hungry then. or she's naturally greedy. XD

the dance people strike a pose. what up dog?

both ends of the table at dinner.




sometimes i take things a tad too far.

by zhen hao's request, this is the sad-boy-with-no-friends-eating-alone photo.



darren the voyeur snapped away while everyone was changing. he caught me in an unfamiliar ah beng pose. zhen hao must be really proud of me.

victorian scholars! from VJC that is. i'm the only VS scholar. VS ke-mama!

dance people in swanky formal/evening wear. it belied the coolness that we exude in our performances.

munshi mates step out of their soggy sailing shoes and into their dry comfy leather ones.

i sorta cracked a lame joke and my legs went weak. even wei hao had to support me.

the pulsating dance segment! nothing else compares. period.

it was hard having conversations with the minister. quite frankly, we had nothing in common to talk about.

chan kah gek couldn't make it for the ceremony so mr ho came along to join in the fun.

JUMP for the dancers!

the dance homies hamming it up once again for the cameras. we're just camera whores. or not. the camera can't get enough of us.

group pics!

surfing the DSTA gallery at tintedshadow.com took me almost an hour, but i finally got the pics that i wanted. phew.

the first day at holiday inn.

dining etiquette and cooking courses at shatec.

crazy and outdoorsy bunch at OBS.

munshi people! kk's head is damn big.

don't you just love group pics? everyone's in it, smiling and looking like they're having a great time. there's so much positive energy.

and you probably don't recognise the guy at the far end of the photo.

i won't let myself get F-A-T

i haven't jogged in three weeks. or maybe more. gasp. somebody help me.

NO!

i'm determined to help myself. i won't slide down the slippery path downhill. although inertia really hasn't been of much help.

my exercise routine was disrupted by the DSTA activities.

but now it's back to business. tomorrow i will jog. and do push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups and work some weights. i must.

to tell a real from a fake

here's something interesting that i learnt from zhiqiang today: how to tell a genuine ralph lauren polo tee from a fake one.

there're four different indicators.

first, notice the slit at the side of the tee. the rear end should be longer than the front one.

second, feel the material. genuine stuff is soft and comfortable. the fakes speak for themselves.

third, examine the logo. the horse should have four legs embroidered clearly.

fourth, the tag should say "polo by ralph lauren". the fakes just show "polo" and have no size tags.

but i would like to add one more indicator: the person wearing it. some people just don't look like they even know a ralph lauren from a hang ten.
in this case, it's 100% real.

turkish delight

nicholas, zhiqiang and i went to anatolia at far east for a light dinner today. it was a good meet-up, just to chat and catch up. the food was average while the ice cream was sticky as usual.
nothing controversial happened, but they did let out a collective "whoa" when they saw my hair. i have no idea what the commotion was about. but on a sidenote, my mom did say my hair was beng-ish. i'm still like "what?" now. i guess it's cause she's from another generation altogether.

zhiqiang, have an enjoyable and happening three years down under! and most importantly, don't forget to pass. XD

breaking the dan vinci code

there's a minor furore going on at the unofficial DSTA scholars forum site.
supposedly, three meanings are embedded in the picture above. you're not expected to be able to decipher it if you're not in the Kaypoh Knights Klan, so if you do, you're a genius. i can only point out two hidden messages. i'm not too sure about the third.

the babes

ugh. world cup withdrawal symptoms suck. now i can have enough sleep, but there's nothing exciting to look forward to at night. specifically, no more football. it's four more years to the next tournament. i guess we all can start anticipating euro2008 in the meantime.

here's a look back at the babes of the world cup.





check out those toned abs!





she's more than happy to show off her 'balls'.






<-- she's nasty! talk about making a good first impression.

isn't she cute? what a sweetheart.

you do realise that without the WAGS (wives and girlfriends), the english tabloids have nothing much to photograph or gossip about.

forza italia!!!

i'm elated. this is the first time that the team which i supported from the start has won the world cup! haha!

after a bad start and an even worse dive from florent malouda, italia bounced back quick with a towering header from marco materazzi. the header was so majestic and awe-inspiring. it was just poetic justice that the man who was made the scapegoat for conceding the penalty turned in the equaliser for the azzurri.

i was hopeful for the winning goal but it never came. barthez's blushes were prevented by the woodwork and italia were left frustrated.

although fabio grosso smashed home the winning penalty, marco materazzi was undoubtly the man of the night for me. he picked himself up from the penalty incident, banged in the equaliser, got zidane to headbutt him resulting in zizou being sent off, and ultimately buried his penalty kick. marvelous stuff.

FORZA ITALIA!
FORZA AZZURRI!

the guy gathering

the regular guys were here; lawrence, frankie, lik sin, ziyang, zhenhao, cheeching and darren all popped down to my place last night for the world cup final. the time-killer was winning eleven 10 on my PS2. the energizers were chips, chips and more chips. plus some vodka coke and vodka orange (i shan't call it a screwdriver even though it really is. because zhenhao almost started looking for a real screwdriver on my table top.).

thanks guys for coming down. the atmosphere was superb. actually, the atmosphere was better during winning eleven. some of us were already snoozing as the match crawled by. oh, the massive amount of chips we had. all the salt and oil. but it was good while it lasted.

we did it

we went clubbing last night. it was so fun! haha! or maybe it was just me. i haven't clubbed since god-knows-when. you look at the photos and judge for yourself.

alcohol brings people together.

first to brewerkz, then to MoS.

the gang minus ziyang cos, well, somebody had to take the photo.

the trumpeter was outrageous!

the stars of the night: lik sin's playboy shirt, wild monkey ziyang, "kiss my ass" lik sin, shortfart me, fluffy carolyn, bouncing lawrence, ecstatic ying hui, madass-motormouth darren, the two free-drink tickets left behind by the ladies.

a mini adventure started after the ladies left. girls, you should've stayed. although the RnB was crappy for awhile, the decor at 54 was so fun!

we were all having a ball on the swinging egg chair.

a hot chick came up to ziyang to ask for his number. he nearly got a seizure from the shock.

no kidding.

some had early morning munchies while watching the match. as for me, i just fell asleep. i did wake up for the goals though.

to those that didn't turn up/pang seh-ed/had their ez-link card eaten up by their neighbour's dog, all i can say is that you missed a lot. do show up next time to catch some of the action.

and yes, we did pull off the oxymoron: clubbing nerds. woohoo!

all the frolicking!

doctor, won't you help me?

my favourite house track at the moment. it's really cool when producers mix old retro songs (miami sound machine - dr beat) with new ones (mylo - drop the pressure). and i love house. it's an acquired taste.

class 4A 2001

it took five years but it was worth it. it was good. the first official VS class 4A 2001 gathering.

many of us have changed and many more have gone in different directions. forgotten names were brought up and for the short evening, we felt back in school all over again.

warming up.

someone had to do the fanning.

eugene, wee kiat and licheng.

the barbecue was average but the people were awesome. that was what mattered most.

poll of the week

<-- look to the sidebar!

my first blog poll! there's gonna be many more to come for sure, now that i know how to set up one.

this is like singapore idol, but better: vote all you want, and it's free!

lik sin, your request has been fulfilled.

and no frank, your sexuality is in no way determined by a poll on my blog. this is just public opinion. don't sue me, sue lik sin.

pro like mad: the wei hao story

the one character who has stood out is teo wei hao. utterly unabashed, completely lame, and totally inane.

his jokes are cold. sometimes to the point of absolute irritation. you just wanna whack him up and tell him to shut up.

his antic are dynamic and rapid. breaking and leaping like gravity has no hold on him. rapping in chinese so rapidly that it makes no sense. sprouting japanese phrases with anime being his pbvious source of inspiration. talking about dota with sheer enthusiasm.

his taglines are classic and unforgettable.
"don't sad, let me hug you." *hug*
"you're not eating, yi ding's my bunkmate."
"ganbate."
"mai la!"
"you know why anot? because-" lame joke ensues.
and the ultimate: "pro like mad."

somebody's gotta write his biography, or film it.

reflections

phew... woohoo! sigh.

three expressions to describe the ambivalence that i felt when the ceremony was over today.

relief that the whole shabang was over. nothing got screwed up. no more dance practice. nothing for me to do on weekdays. i can do whatever i want, whenever i want. i'm FREE. time to start meeting up with pals before i fly.

jubilation. beside the fact that nothing much went wrong, the dance group did good! the initial nerves disappeared after the first chorus. i felt it was the best performance we ever did. it was an unnatural high, possinly to the point of delirium. i enjoyed myself. i don't care if anyone hated it, or didn't understand it. brothers and sisters of the dance group, we did good. no, we did great. thank y'all so much.

slight melancholy. that this will be the last time the entire bunch of scholars 2006 will be together. it's gonna be four years of mugging and roughing it out in the college environment. but if you think about it, whether we like it or otherwise, we're all gonna be together again in a very involuntary setting: work. so brace yourselves. the next four years will probably be the most fun-packed experience, and thereafter, it's work. blah. dang! haha.

honestly speaking, there was a little reluctance in the atmosphere when the human resource department told us that we had to perform and showcase our 'talents'. i felt it. by 'talent', they mean singing, playing music and dancing. so if you can't do either, you're probably 'talent'-less. which is a slightly ridiculous and totally flawed conjecture. because that would have meant that those who are on holiday or not present are narrow-minded nerds. ouch. >_< i would have preferred if they referred to it as an entertainment segment. but oh well, maybe next year.

truth be told, this has been the most fun i've had since JC days (don't even get me started about army. boo!). by this, i refer to the entire DSTA orientation experience, from grooming workshops to the tedious practice sessions for the talent showcase. and of course the friendships that sprouted and existing ones that further strengthened.

last but not the least, it's, oh man, the scandals and speculations! three involving boy-girl relationships (one of which probably holds some truth) and one involving some guy's sexuality (someone who speaks very frankly).

so yeah, what a brilliant experience. my photos will be up tomorrow. or in a few days i guess. i'm so tired right now. enjoy this, this and this in the meantime.

STILL dancing

practice, practice and more practice take us closer to perfection. we're STILL nowhere near perfect though. it's like the more i dance, the worse i feel about my moves and steps. weird. but whatever, tomorrow's the ceremony, and we're gonna give it our biggest bang.

the cool and funky people of the dance group. none of us knew much about dance when we first joined, but look at us now!

it's all about poise and purpose. we're all working towards those two ideals.

bubbles unleashed! the singers decided to make a 'wise' investment in bubble solution. man, a hundred bucks sure can get you a truckload worth of it.

from left: the original chicken freestyler, the white copycat chicken freestyler, and the red copycat chicken freestyler.

the bubbles just kept coming.

the tee that i wore gave me superpowers. i stretched, became invisible, and flew all at once.

the secret to the winning formation. if italy or france are serious about the world cup, they better consult us pronto.

"xiao mei mei, do you want some sweets? uncle has some for you!"
paedophile in the making. XD

and just when i thought my cam had enough action for the day...
the cam whore strikes! help!

for more pics (with or without cam whore), click!

new, new!

white is clean, cool, simple, easy to match, and of course i can carry it off. fun, yet professional-looking when it is required.

oh the gleaming metal! sleek, stylish, powerful and compact. i sound like i got a new magnum revolver. time to shoot!

weirdo

You Are 40% Weird

Normal enough to know that you're weird... But too damn weird to do anything about it!

How Weird Are You?

yup, i'm as weird as i get.

here's a little secret: i used to observe eyebrows a lot while i was in JC2. how they're plucked, shaved, or even left ungroomed (yes, even on girls). sometimes to the point of being anal. so be very conscious of those two patches of hair above your peepers. chances are, i can tell quite a bit about them.

important link

whoa. i got linked from Radio Free Asia for my post on north korea.

check it out.

"Every week, Blog Watch will provide links to blogs that discuss important issues throughout Asia, with emphasis on our broadcast region."

i feel important already.

almost famous

i watched almost famous today and i absolutely love it. it's definitely one for the rock n roll fan.

it follows a music journalist hopeful as he travels across the USA with Stillwater on their almost famous tour '73, tracking the ups, downs and issues of a band on the verge of making it big. apart from sex and drugs, bands in the 70s had to struggle with conflicting egos, financial lures and exploitation by record and management companies.

there're plenty of great quotes too.
"rock and roll is a lifestyle and a way of thinking. it's not about money and popularity, although some money would be nice. it's a voice that says, 'here i am, and fuck you if you can't understand me.'

rock and roll can save the world, all of us together. and the chicks are great.

but what it all comes down to is that thing, the indefinable thing, when people catch something from your music. what i'm talking about is the buzz. and the chicks, the whatever, is the offshoot of the buzz. like when you say you like fever dog, that's the fucking buzz!"

some groupie (or 'band aids' as they call themselves) mantra:
"never take it seriously. if you never take it seriously, you never get hurt. if you never get hurt, you always have fun. and if you ever get lonely, you just go to the record store and visit your friends." rachel, are you listening?

"you gotta take what you can, when you can, while you can, and you gotta do it now. i didn't invent the rainy day, man. i just got the best umbrella." the professional manager tempts the band.

given the chance, i would definitely get back to the hip 70s. check out the stewardesses' uniforms. groovy, baby!

well i've also learnt, from this film, that the essence of rock n roll is not the money, chicks or cool-factor, but the love of the music itself. so it's fair to say musicians hardly get rich.

this has gotta be the best rock n roll film i've ever watched. a true reflection of gritty life on the road, it's simply brilliant. long live rock n roll!

we might be able to pull it off

the biggest oxymoron is just around the corner and could be happening in a club near you soon. think MoS or zouk.

man_ling (gosh, seriously, i still haven't gotten over the 'duckling' joke) and xiufang (or xiufie as she is known to some. how cute.) have suggested that all the DSTA scholars go clubbing together next saturday. i'm all for it. honestly, i haven't clubbed in four months (it's july already) and the itch is becoming slightly naggy. for people like frank, it's time to pop your cherry. your clubbing cherry, that is. i can't believe that frank has never clubbed before. a possible symptom of taking chinese literature? (or clit as used in our msn conversation with darren, lik sin and ziyang. i wonder who started referring to it as clit. i mean, c'mon, the innuendo, hello?)

hopefully, the response will be overwhelming. then we'll overwhelm the club with the biggest, most-overwhelming oxymoron: CLUBBING NERDS.

and you wonder why...

...my left thigh, calves, arms and back are aching. here is pictorial evidence, courtesy of darren (ng, not my brother).

halfway through the practice and wei hao was sweating like a pig and panting like a dog.

the chair routine is punishing. thankfully there's a short break after the segment for us to catch our breath. but weihong's arms always have a mind of their own.

imagine doing the above flip over and over again for 3 hours. oh shit i just felt my thigh cramp. feedback given is that my mini break move looks cool. at least that makes all my aches and minor bruises worth it.

carolyn rocks! because...
she made the moves, and we look awesome doing the routine. the thing is, we're not even fully polished yet. wait till you see da real thang on awards day. yeah! without her, we might have ended up with some boyscout-ish performance. hell no. yuck.

look at all the booty-shaking!