Roger Out..

Sadly, for the second time in a row..i have to say that..

Still a little upset about the results..shall blog more about it after i finish mourning..

'Life's short..i'll take all the joy i can..'

~ Anna from Pinoy Sunday

2 Fat Men

Was out with twink(noo, the blog title is not referring to us) at the famous bak chor mee place..and of cos i ordered..the prawn mee..Ok, that's so not the point.

We then walked down the stretch, past a pub, eyed that the tv screen was on Mio, showing some not-exciting-at-all football games..and i did what i had to do - pushed twink to the pub staff and got her to convince them to change channel to Wimbledon..

It worked and we wasted no time in 'choping' the table right in front of the tv screen(we realised, only much later, that we had taken a table for 6 pax) The next 3 hours were spent staring at the screen, listening to commentary via twink's iphone(see, i'm starting to be partial towards smartphones) while knocking back a couple of beers..

Life's not too bad..

n.b. 2 Fat Men was the name of the pub we were at; decent food(according to reviews), good selection of beer and best of all, nett prices. Hmm..now that We2 and someone have been struck off the list for 'wimbledon hosting rights', this place seems like a good alternative..

Wimbledon

After the French Open..came the somewhat anti-climax Sg Open..and now, Wimbledon season is upon us..

Let me see..where shall i catch the games? Anyone offering? Wei? We2? Someone?

Hmm..when will i get to catch Wimbledon live at..well, Wimbledon?

The Last Train

Met up with WeWe and Pizza for dinner at KTM the other day..Gosh, was the place crowded..

I guess everyone is there for 'one last look'(fyi, KTM will be no-more come 1 Jul)..u know they're here not just for the beehoon goreng(0.5's fave) or mee soto(the other 0.5's fave) when every other person is holding a camera in their hands and snapping away..

My recent memories of KTM: supper with ssc folks..supper with cycling folks..supper with ys/rq..u get the picture..oh, and once, catching the world cup(albeit on a very snowy screen) with someone..

Sad to say..my somewhat fuzzy recollection of my experience actually onboard the train is not-too-flattering(uncomfortable seats, unpredictable schedules, etc). To be fair, i've not taken the train for eons and recent anecdotal talk seemed to indicate some improvements over the years..

So despite the train station being a mere 5 mins walk away, it was never really in my consideration as a mode of transport up north. Though I like the idea of having it at my backyard(literally), just as people like having a gym/pool in the condo, never mind that they don't ever use them..

I did make an attempt some 2 months back to catch the train to Danga Bay..but someone had checked the outdated schedule and when we were the ticket counter, we realised the earlier train left 4 hours ago and the next train is not for the next 5 hours..

More than once, friends have asked me this question : Can i hear the train from my place? My answer? I cannot say for sure(i could have been imagining things for all i know), but i thought i could hear the trains while lying on my bed at night when i was younger, much younger of cos..

I guess in a way, trains have that old-world romance to them..y'know..the classic scene where a person runs after the train as it pulls out of the station..where his/her loved one, face and palms pressed against the window, looks back..often with tears flowing down the cheeks. I had actually witnessed first-hand, quite a few of such scenes overseas, not as drama of cos, but heart-rending nonetheless. Running after a plane(not quite realistic) or a taxi(too common an ocurrence to have any significance) just doesn't have the effect..

So..go on..catch the train for one more time..while you still can..
The crowd looking on as the night train prepares for its departure (the train is somewhere in the middle of the photo..sorry for the lousy pic - taken with my lao kok phone)

Puke-on-demand

I dunno whether to be impressed or disgusted with myself..

For some reason i was feeling a little unwell earlier in the day..dunno is it cos of wat i ate..or how much i ate..or just generally unwell..

As i was waiting for my student, i started to feel the urge to puke..i tried to suppress it and actually lay down inside my van to see if i can get the urge to 'go away'..at one point, my hair even stood on ends(it usually means something serious for me)

Shortly after, my student turned up..and i forced myself to be a bit more perky(wat to do - 6 yrs old boy with 'issues')..survived the first 20mins..then the boy needed a toilet break. Mom took him..and during this 5 mins break, i actually allowed the urge to surface and 2 moments later, i puked..big time..

Just as i was wiping my mouth, my student came back. And i continued with the session as if nothing happened.

When the session was up, and i was done sending them off(with a smile no less), i threw up again.

Done puking, i drove myself back home.

Pattern more than badminton

Here i am..watching badminton..where players stretch, leap, dive..for a cock..i feel tired just by watching..

Yes, yours truly is rather tired too..having played tennis and table tennis consecutively, for 3 consecutive days..haven't been playing so 'intensively' for a while.. Now my right shoulder is feeling damn sore(even sore-er than the i-give-up-treating-it left shoulder) from all the whacking of balls..big ball and small ball..and the legs, oh the lactic acid buildup from chasing balls and children..and of cos cycling(tats my regular job)..BUT i like it..haha..i'm even 2 shades darker now(din get so dark from work..)

In the middle of typing this, i got distracted by a cry or rather, a yelp..a player stared, somewhat disbelievingly, at her racket..as though the racket had done something wrong(rather than the player holding it)

Think i've mentioned it in some previous entry..the raw emotions on the athletes' faces..to me, tat's the attraction of watching sports live in acton..A pump of fist in the air when a smash lands right on the line..the look of exasperation when the cock just tips over the net into the wrong side of the court..the determined face when facing 5 match points down..The expressions are just so genuine, so spontaneuos..

I may not be playing sports at an elite level..but I do think doing sports is one of the rare times when i can get rather expressive(running being an exception since i'm usually too breathless to talk during a run) Talking to myself, talking to my racket..i'm guilty as charged..

MCQ

Recently, I did a few things that shocked myself..

Things that people who know me well enough would be surprised to hear about..Without going into detail..u know, like a MCQ :

Qn. Which of the following would ZXL NOT do?

A) aaaaa

B) bbbbb

C) ccccc

D) ddddd

Ask 10 of my frens(ok, maybe 5..not sure if i have 10 frens who know me 'well enough'), and i think they would probably ALL answer 'B'(hey, i would answer 'B' myself)

Then, 2 moments later, i went to do 'B'..

Since i'm 'free' at work now..i managed to tidy up some blog rantings..so here goes..

I had asked a friend out the other day..with the intention of 'cheering' her up..given that she confided in me recently that she's quite troubled over some family matters..

Of cos, during this period i have whined to the entire world that i'm not feeling 'good'(too stressed, too busy, too tired, blah blah) and this friend thought that i needed to unwind and destress a bit.and so was nice enough to accept my jio-ing..

So in the end, i thought i was cheering her..and she thought she was cheering me..while i brought her one CD to try cheer her up, she brought me THREE CDs to cheer me up..

I guess this is wat happens when 2 people with similar traits cross paths..

Working away from work..

Been doing a bit of moonlighting these days..so-called moonlighting cos it's not my 'regular' job(though my regular job is sometimes not that regular..)

So why do i do it? Several reasons:
1. Interest. I've always been kaypoh in sports-stuff. Front-end, back-end, competitive, non-competitive..u name it, i'd most probably have done it before.

2. Staying updated with the industry..latest developments, technologies, who's who..

3. It actually allows me a break..physically..technically it's not a deskbound job but it's definitely not as strenuous as running after children-gone-wild

4. It pays. Tat goes without saying, for most people. But money usually isn't the biggest motivator for me..but well-meaning friends have been advising/nagging at me to take $$ a bit more seriously..So yes, it pays reasonable(ie. not fantastic, but cannot complain to MOM yet)

ZXL blogging-while-on-the-job

6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..

After quite a few 'the world is really small hor' moments during last Sat's dinner, this newspaper article struck really close to heart..And the last 2 paragraphs echoed exactly how i felt during my vagabond days in UK..

..While Singaporeans moan constantly about overcrowding and a city that seems to be bursting at the seams, a population of 5 millions is still tiny. The consequence is that the denizens of our little island don't just live by the poverbial 6 degrees of separation, but by 5, 4, or even 3.

The upside of playing the 6 degrees of separation game is that in 2 minutes, you've struck up something - or someone - in common with the other person. She can't be that bad if she knows a friend of mine, you tell yourself.

The downside is that it can all go the other way. In an ideal world, everyone should get to begin on a clean slate. But on a few occasions, after going through the rigmarole of who-knows-whom and from-where, i've often made snap judgments about what 'type' the other party is.

"Oh, she's part of 'that' crowd'," i've caught myself thinking. "Not really my cup of tea then."

And what if you have a few skeletons in your closet?

The dozens of associations that link Singaporeans together in some way give us away too freely. Even thousands of miles away from home, you can't escape who you are, who you used to date or the mistakes when you were a freewheeling teenager.

Eventually, at a house party of chicken rice and Tiger beer, someone will catch your eye and say 'Hey, weren't you the one who..' before launching into an embarassing tell-all about the time you lost your bikini top at Zoukout.

Suddenly you realise: Yah man, Singapore is really that small. No doubt, having an intricate network of social relations is a boon. Perhaps that is why we feel a great sense of community towards fellow Singaporeans when we meet them on our travels. But the grapevine that comes with it? I'm not so sure.

People often ask me why I love London. In this respect, I love the anonymity of being in a big city, where i can lunch alone in a park without bumping into someone i know. I love that human interaction is more unpredictable, that i get to meet people outside my usual circle of friends.

I love that because many people here have come far and wide and from varying backgrounds, no one has a clue - or gives a damn - about who you once were..

(Edited by ZXL; Source: Sunday Lifestyle, 12th July, by a Singaporean journalist based in London)

Cheers..

..to 20 years of friendship with my pals Wei and TPH..

Wasn't exactly that successful at my hibernation attempt..with someone's birthday and quite a few work obligations..and of cos meeting up with good ole pals..

Wei, TPH and i had met for dinner..at a somewhat-quite-appropriate venue..not far from our alma mater and stone's throw from our first 'restaurant date' eons ago..

Besides quality catching up on each other's lives..it was yet another dinner with lotsa revelations(had one some weeks back)..and my, were they revelations on the other side of the court..Yes, drinks were involved again(dinner is never complete without drinks with TPH around..) But i'm sure it wasn't the drinks..All i can say is, i'm glad for pals like them..

Wei has no qualms telling me that she was tempted to take a cab down to my place(since she doesn't drive) and give me one tight slap when she found out that i was slacking in my life(okok, i'll stand in a corner and pull my ear >.<)

And as for TPH..despite not meeting her as much, she is not shy to exclaim 'how can u do tat..? we've been friends for sooo many years..!'

Yes yes..i never doubted our 20 years of friendship..

French Open

Just finished watching the match..still feeling a bit of the 'haiz...' Oh well, at least i totally lost myself in the game during tat few hours i was glued to WeWe's 42-inch screen(thanks WeWe!)

I must have asked the half the world who is watching the game where(and unabashedly inviting myself over) I had spent the past 2 nites trying to catch the matches online but staring at a 13.3 inch screen with a 5-sec lag is certainly not motivating to stay up till 2am. We even walked into a pub on Fri, asking if they could switch channels(oh c'mon, they were showing CNA!)

I probably used up half my month's sms quota msging updates and comments to everyone and anyone who happened to just msg me, whether or not it was related to the game..i even replied fish's sms on her exam stress with 'i'm feeling very stressed for federer too' :p

Anyway..like i mentioned in my previous entry..and just like the results of the match..it's 'Roger Out' for now..

Hibernation..

Again..i think i have had too much human contact lately..too much with people-not-so-important and too little with people whom i'd much prefer to spend time with..

I knew i reached the tipping point when i had a run-in with a random stranger(of cos i thought he was super guai lan and unreasonable), and i totally lost it and argued with him until my colleagues had to pull us apart(think they were worried that it might escalate into a fight) Thank goodness, a cat and a fish helped to calm me down after that..

***************
The rain today did me some good..all 4 lessons got washed out..hurts the pocket(but heck, never really motivated by $ anyway) Oh well, at least it also gave me the opportunity to spend time with me and me alone..

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

This is it..i'm going into hibernation...right after i finish the French Open..Wei> U're with me on this ya?

My emotional chart for the past 1 week..fluctuations between highs and lows..

Oh well, there's always French Open to look forward to..it's like the most exciting Semis ever lah!