Another alumni successfully initiated!

Was gossiping about meng over dinner last nite with the rest..& how we hate arranging appointments with her..we concluded tat it was best for her to date us out rather then the other way around..

Sure enough..just after twink had dropped me home, meng called 'Eh, wanna have supper with me?' Sigh..wat's a chairman gotta do..so i decided to bring her to the usual kopi tiam..where she sort of got initiated thrice..having THREE pratas at one go..of cos, me being still on my 'no-prata-diet' can only give 'eye power'..

Well..till the next initiation ceremony..

Signs that u've been driving the lorry too much..

• Your right arm is sunburnt (if u know how the typical lorry driver drives..u'll know why)
• Your left arm aches from changing gear too much (no thanks to a BIG box which took up the whole of the passenger seat & more, leaving me with 2 inches to maneuver)
• You keep hearing the speed warning beep beep beep in your head (i went up & down the ECP-Lim Chu Kang route no less than 4 times)
• You get into a cab and find the seats very low (& wondering why is there a 'piece of metal' in front of the dashboard)

busy busy busy..

As someone pointed out yest'da, i'm pretty busy for a person who's not holding any 9-5 job (dun worry, i'll always have the time for u :Þ)

While it's technically correct to say that i'm unemployed these days..but the fact is, i'm dividing my time among 3 'jobs'..watever u call them - ou xiang's pa, ra ra-er & of cos being 'serious about cereals'..

& if u consider alumni chairman a 'job'..tat'll make it 4..talking about the alumni..i actually managed to have 2 alumni gatherings in a day on fri..lunching with 5 alumnis & suppering with 3 others..supper would have been an official gathering* if not for meng who was 'on the way' for almost 2 hours before conceding she wouldn't be able to make it down on time..

Anyway, Team SA went for the our 'race training' today..not exactly training lah..more like to familiarise ourselves with the ropes elements..it wasn't tat bad..enjoying most parts(except the part when i slammed against the rockwall) & having quite a bit of fun..well, hopefully, it will still be fun when we have to rope ascend for 4 storeys & not just 'half a storey'..

Conclusion - instructor will drag me & 10 along when on land..10 will pull instructor & me along in water..& i'll be the first to leap off buildings, etc when in the air..& if all else fails, we will try to 'bulldoze' our way thru the challenge stations with our 'arm power'..

Which brings me to the next alumni gathering..it will be on 2 Apr..starting from 6am..to the time Team SA crosses the finishing line..which shouldn't take too looooong...hopefully...

*the quorum for an 'official' alumni gathering has been set at 5 members

Teams SA !

In recognition of the adventurous spirit tat MsK, OSIM & 0.5, collectively known as Team SA(South America), are displaying at the other side of the world..myself, instructor & 10 have decided to reflect this spirit right here in Sg by signing up for the adventure race under the name Team SA..only this time, SA = SSC Alumni

P.S. Considering the fact tat 2 members can't swim & 1 is taking her first cycling lesson tmr..i think we need not just the spirit but lotsa luck as well..

what a busy day..

Spent the whole day entertaining 2 alumni members - instructor & nike, & even hosted dinner at my place..anyway, this was our itinerary for the day :

1200 hrs - Dim sum lunch @ Teahouse (4th alumni member - meng, was absent, as usual)
1330 hrs - Shopping cum recce @ Raffles Place
1530 hrs - Peanut ice-kachang @ Tg Pagar market
1600 hrs - Grocery shopping
1700 hrs - Check email
1800 hrs - Stairs climbing workout
1900 hrs - Prepare dinner
2000 hrs - Dinner cum tv time
2100 hrs - More food & more tv
2330 hrs - Sending alumnis to catch last bus back

Instructor was just commenting..the 3 of us..are like the Singapore counterparts to Team SA..while the 3 in SA are sipping coffee in cafes over there, the 3 in Sg are having ice kachang at hawker centres..while they cook instant noodles in their hostel..we cook pasta at my place..hmm..

Wat's new..

Guess wat..i waited an hour for meng at the bloody hot mrt..
Guess wat..I'm typing this blog from her office..on a sun..
Guess wat..all these are nothing new!

Yes, nothing's changed..

i'm back in meng's office..on a sunday night..

Time check : 8.07pm..though my 'official' hours are : 12 - 6..

p.s. i must be holding the record for visiting the most alumni's new offices(4)..see? i'm not the chairman for nothing..

bird day

Happy Birthday to You..
Happy Birthday to You..
Haaappy Biiiiirrrrthdaaayy to Yooouuuuu..
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Here's wishing my good pal Wei a happy(& hopefully, work-free) birthday!

Out but not out..

Ok..i shall not 'cao keng' & declare today's 'gathering' as an alumni activity..but there were certainly a lot of alumnis from different batches spotted..

Today's briefing was conducted by my ex-colleagues for service providers in the sports industry. The people are more or less the same..albeit many are wearing different hats this time round(including myself). Some have gone on to companies which we used to work with back in our ssc days..some ventured out on their own..while others preferred to take it easy for the time being, floating around the fraternity..

I guess it all boils down to our one common interest - sports or physical activity or exercise (as debated among urs truly, ms chan & ms boey) & tat is why we had all, in one pt of time, decided to work in ssc..i think the pple 'up there' should be comforted by the fact tat of those who left the organisation, many are still involved in the industry..one way or another..& to me, tat's a good thing..

Things i learnt today..

Snails can swim.

Cactus can be eaten raw and is rich in protein.

'I-V-Sing' looks better without makeup.

The gestation period of a cow is the same of tat as a human being - 9 mths.

Goat's milk is alkaline while cow's milk is acidic(at least according to the farmer)

A female goat is known as a doe. (I always thought doe refers to a female deer..u know how the song goes..doe, a deer, a female deer..ray, a drop of golden sun..me..opps, getting a bit carried away here..hmm, dunno why i like to sing so much these days :Þ)

And lastly..why do goats wear bells?

Cos their horns dun work....

wat time is it..

it's diet time..again!

While i seemed to have successfully relegated my xiao pang status(think there are 3 likely candidates to take over this position..but i shall not name names lah)..but my weight had not gone down much..

Had tried to convince myself the weight gain is due to muscle gain..but the gravity-defying body-fats percentage tells me otherwise..& i blame it on the many suppers recently..

It's quite a bad idea to go for supper cos 8 out of 10 times, we'll end up at some prata place..& ordering..wat else but pratas..& prata as we know it..is definitely not healthy..no matter how u look at it or wat u put in it..not even mushroom prata can be considered healthy..wash the prata down with a cuppa teh(with condensed milk) and u gotta run a full marathon to burn off all those calories..

And for every 10 suppers, at least 1 will be in geylang.. just last weekend, i had a bowl of douhua, 2 youtiaos, half a carrot cake, half a cong you bing and 3/4 bowl of mee sua..at ONE sitting..

As for tat 1 last supper..it's usually a treat..reserved for the more special occasions..like Gelare tuesdays :)

So..i've decided to go on a 'no-prata-&-no-you tiao-for-next-2-months' diet..& of cos, at the same time, maintaining my white diet..

Oh..gotta go now, it's time to meet instructor for..ahem..'a late night snack' liao..

Works-in-progress..

Am in serious discussion with 10 now..thinking of the perfect way to collate our databases..& our consolidated name list confirmed our suspicions, we do have more alumnis than current staff..

p.s. For the benefit of those who were not around at the Cheerobics event last week..it was agreed that the alumni club will have its own cheerleaders..

A lorry good time..

Yesterday was my second farewell for instructor..already had one on saturday with the rest of the FIs..

Anyway, last nite was wif HP folks & a couple of alumnis & we had planned to have our fave crab soup..but to our disappointment, the kopi tiam no longer serve the item v_v

Food aside, the highlight of the dinner was of cos, instructor's individualised thank you speech..impressing everyone(except for me) with her memory on the minute details on how she met each of us..down to the event & even the specific conversations! And then, there's the obligatory toast(with the beer leftover from sat)..which ended up with instructor spouting Hoegaarden on Mrs Chua..

We adjourned to the next street for round 2..and had a good time tormenting meng & Ms Nike with the series of 'either or' qns which had been making its round in office in recent times..(ok, i've decided..the initiation ritual into the alumni will include these qns)

Then it was time to go home(or so i thought)..& cos i had a lorry, it was decided(for me) tat i will send everybody home..from hougang to little india to east coast..i must have maximised the mileage for a 24hrs rental..there was even an intention to go star gazing from the back of the lorry..in fact, i think all of us enjoyed the journey so much so tat someone suggested tat we hire a lorry for future outings..more economical & cosy than having several cars mah..haha

So till the next lorry outing..



BBQ by the river under the stars..coupled with an ice cold beer..it's not too bad a way to spend an evening : )

The most successful class gathering ever...

There were actually 13 of us yesterday! (ok, so we played cheat a little..)

It was the assistant class monitress's joyous occasion..Congrats! She held her church wedding at Chijmes yesterday & it became sort of a class gathering for 4/1..it was a simple but stylish ceremony(guests were encouraged to turn up in black ensemble)..but for most of us, the highlight was the buffet lunch..heh..wat else?

The usual gang of the 7 or 8 of us started 'interogating' the rest for their 'non-appearances' for previous gatherings..& we managed to get a few 'ok, i'll be there for the next gathering..' promises..When a group of people with a shared past come together, conversation naturally tend to revolve around reminiscing the 'good ole days'..and of cos, there was wei & i..fighting for the 'coveted' last placing in the class..'i was second-last..were u the last or was it the other around??'

I dunno wat prompted us..but the topic turned to the class's seating arrangement..so engrossed were we in trying to figure out who's seating where..we were almost the last guests to clear the church..it's no easy feat..considering it was some 12 years ago..& there was some confusion over the sec 3's seating arrangement vs the sec 4's one..

Anyway..we managed to piece together about 75% for now..let's see how long we'll take to get the 'model answer'..if at all..

The most successful class gathering ever...

There were actually 13 of us yesterday! (ok, so we played cheat a little..)

It was the assistant class monitress's joyous occasion..Congrats! She held her church wedding at Chijmes yesterday & it became sort of a class gathering for 4/1..it was a simple but stylish ceremony(guests were encouraged to turn up in black ensemble)..but for most of us, the highlight was the buffet lunch..heh..wat else?

The usual gang of the 7 or 8 of us started 'interogating' the rest for their 'non-appearances' for previous gatherings..& we managed to get a few 'ok, i'll be there for the next gathering..' promises..When a group of people with a shared past come together, conversation naturally tend to revolve around reminiscing the 'good ole days'..and of cos, there was wei & i..fighting for the 'coveted' last placing in the class..'i was second-last..were u the last or was it the other around??'

I dunno wat prompted us..but the topic turned to the class's seating arrangement..so engrossed were we in trying to figure out who's seating where..we were almost the last guests to clear the church..it's no easy feat..considering it was some 12 years ago..& there was some confusion over the sec 3's seating arrangement vs the sec 4's one..

Anyway..we managed to piece together about 75% for now..let's see how long we'll take to get the 'model answer'..if at all..

I'm always thirsty..

..not for Caipirinha..but for knowledge *ahem* ..which explains why i must read the newspaper on a daily basis..who can forget the £1.50 newspaper i bought over in London..

Here're some interesting stuff i found out from the papers recently..

There's a 'Name The Shopping Mall' Contest going on now..and going by recent trends..i think 'The Shopping Mall' stands a good chance of winning the $8,888 prize money..

*************************************************************************************************************************************************

ST (28 Feb) - The 42-year-old Geylang Serai Market will serve residents for the last time today. It will be shut down tomorrow for demolition and its replacement will be built at a new and larger site in Changi Road..



Hmm..shall i trust the papers or shall i trust the person who lives next block to the market..who insisted the market is not closed..?

Team SA's blogs added!

As requested..i've added the links to Team SA's blogs..namely - MsK, OSIM & 0.5..

Happy blogging(for them) & happy reading(for everyone else)!

p.s. For the benefit of my non-colleague frens..Team SA is made up of 3 ex-colleagues who are now on the adventure of their lives in South America!

want to know why ksm cmi..?

Lifted from 0.5's blog (which explains the typo errors :Þ) :

'Tried the Caiphirins, a traditinal brazillian drink. it tsed like pure vodka with fresh lime juice.. it was good but really strong. KSM CMI after a while... starting saying her head is heavy blah blah and she was the first to fall asleep again...'

Lifted from the newspapers :

The carnival in Rio de Janerio has just ended, but the samba lives on the in the form on Caipirinha - Brazil's national cocktail.. From the land that gave us the samba, Pele and Ronaldinho comes yet another sizzling export. Caipirinha(pronounced kai-pee-reen-yah) is a Brazilian cocktail that is considered to be the country's signature drink.

it is made from lime, sugar and cachaca(pronounced ka-sha-sa), a popular alcoholic beverage in Brazil that is distilled from fermented sugarcane juice and has an alcohol content of 38 to 51 per cent(!!!)

Is it any wonder 'KSM CMI after a while..'?

New message board!

<--- See the message board on the left?

Yes..i've just installed it..for the convenience of anyone who wants to leave any message for anyone..i'm generally ok with watever topics u might wanna talk about..but pls refrain from putting up personal ads!

Happy messaging!

welcome to the club!

As the acting alumni chairman..i'd successfully initated 2 new members formally into the club today - 10 & eggy! *applause pls*

Unlike a initiation ritual i went recently(which involved raw eggs..whole), it was a fairly simple ceremony - eating prata at the very same kopi tiam..anyway, we decided tat this kopi tiam makes for quite a good gathering spot since it's 24hrs.. thus able to accomodate our supper timings..& also, it's within a 2 mins walk to a massage place(very popular activity among alumnis & alumnis-to-be)

Over iced milos & pratas..the 2 of them confessed to be suffering from 'office withdrawal symptoms'..apparently they still cant accept the fact tat they r no longer required to report at the office which seemed more like home on so many occasions over the past 5 or 6 years..both had celebrated their last day together..and immediately the day after, they had smsed each other for comfort & support..10 got it so bad she actually went back to office today..

So, it was proposed tat a counselling session be arranged for future new members..& both had kindly offered to be the counsellors & after a 'trial' session, i'd appointed them with immediate effect..though i would recommend members to go to 10 as first choice(chairman will act as backup)

Being the conscientious members, we'd drawn up the list of current alumnis..& gasp! it came up to almost 30..& these are people we all know first degree, ie. know them personally..not just 'heard' of this ex-officer while flipping thru the blue files..

The next task on hand is to settle on a means of communication..internet groups? forums? club blog for members? Any suggestions anyone?

I've still haven't recover lor..

& yet..i've done things tat i'm not supposed to do when i'm still sick..

1. Went for OJT..which meant i woke up at 630 so tat i can reach sentosa by 730..which also meant tat i was out under the hot sun from 9 to 12..which no doubt contributed to my on-off-on again fever..

2. Had curry rice for lunch..again..boh bian..was starving as usual after the programme & it was the only choice..

3. Went for sinful dinner-cum-supper..also a bit boh bian..shall elaborate in a separate blog..

Yes..i know..i should have treated my body a bit better..i did all the above(all in 1 day somemore) fully aware tat they're going to jeopardise any chances of a quick recovery..but sometimes humans are just like tat..ming zhi gu fan..

In any case, i've still not reached the 'can't drag myself out of bed' stage..yet..still at the 'annoying everyone ard me with my endless coughing & sniffing' stage..

Hmm..a string of smses just now convinced me tat i should take better care of myself..not for my sake..but for the sake of my frens out there..

4d

I mentioned i went out for dinner-cum-supper last nite..& it was sort of boh bian..why so? cos my fren rq had just came back from US..maybe 'came back' is not the correct word..cos she's actually in Sg for a business trip..

The funny thing is, cos she's hired directly under the US office..she's considered an 'expat' when she's in Sg, ie. food & transport expenses covered(?!) ..& she's only here for a week(with a 4 day shanghai biz trip squeezed in) so we had to grab the one & only opportunity to catch up with her last nite..& even then, we ended up meeting at 9ish for dinner(no thanks to ys who was trapped in a meeting)

Rq, together with ys(also known as the person i made cry when i refused to write in her autograph book eons again) & ml(also known as Mrs Nepal) are whom i consider the 'higher-fliers' among my closer frens..To have a 'full attendance' gathering of the 4 of us is like trying to strike consolation prize in 4D..meaning possible lah, but must try many many times..best if can try every week for both sat & sun..& there will be >1 occasion where u 'just miss by 1 number to dio prize'..just like someone will inevitably have some last minute urgent work to settle every time we arrange for a meetup..

And everytime after meeting them, without fail, i will go home thinking about my life..& how different it is from theirs..theirs are the typical success stories..enviable positions in MNCs..earning a handsome salary..career paths all nicely laid out in front of them(or so it seems to me)..
Of cos, they will also be complaining about irresponsible colleagues(bless me, but I hardly complain about my colleagues..bosses are a separate category altogether..) or lamenting about the lack of time to do things like sports, go backpacking for a month..

And everytime, I would conclude tat while I’m genuinely happy with their success(& no doubt, they’d worked really hard for it)..i’m relatively satisfied with my lifestyle too..poor as I am(haven seen a ‘credit' entry in my bank acc for the loooongest time)

I guess tat's the way (my)life is..& seriously..i'm glad for it..

p.s. Actually, I received a superior boost of motivation recently..but for the time being, I shall keep it within me..