Life's like tat..

Popped by a cosy little viet eatery in bugis area the other day..one of those places which have magazines for patrons to pass time..was flipping through one of the mags when my eyes fell on something very familiar-looking :




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Was walking to my van at my carpark when i heard 'excuse me' ..there were these 2 ladies who have been washing a car opp my van. The following conversation took place(in mandarin cos they're er..chinese)

The ever-helpful ZXL : Yes, can i help?

Car-washing ladies : Can u help to drive this car to the car-washing bay? (which is 2 lots away) It's very squeezy here and too dark to wash the car..i dunno how to drive and am just helping a friend to wash the car..

The amused ZXL : Err..ok..but what about after you washed the car? I'm going off in a while..

Car-washing ladies : Then we'll just leave the car there!

The 'summon-expert' ZXL : But u can't park there, u'll kena summon!

Car-washing ladies : Then we'll just get someone else to park the car when we're done washing!

The even-more-amused ZXL : er..ok lor..

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Met junior after the looooongest time..4, 5 years? Still look the same i must say(both me and her) Filled each other in on the past few years of our lives over a 'drink-forever-also-haven-finish' banana milkshake last week..

Her life has been..in a way, very 'predictable'..which was exactly how i imagined it to be..graduate from uni with an accountancy degree..work in a big 4..be an accountant..

My life..is..in her words..'wahh..so exciting hor! Travel, work in theme park, setting up own company'..(yes, as well as trying to make ends on a measly pay each month)

On a whim, we decided to go cycling..at 830pm on a sat nite(as if i didn't have enough of cycling)..one thing tat didn't change after all these years - we still do the stupid-est, boliao-est things when we're together..

Junior went on to lament that her life is so boring as compared to mine and her brother's(he who gave up a high-flying finance career to be a counsellor/teacher) She wanted to do something else..something different..something tat's 'jaw-dropping'..indeed, in the 15 years i know her, she's never done anything really jaw-dropping..And then, she casually mentioned: 'i wanna open a yong tau foo stall'

Wow! Indeed..to hear tat coming from her is jaw-dropping enough..of cos, immediately i tried to convince her how i can be her best yong tau foo seller..having accumulated years of experience as a yong tau foo-eater..

So..the next time u see me helping out at a yong tau foo stall..contain ur jaw..

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Was lunching the other day with a colleague at a hawker centre..when my colleague spotted a fren and started chatting away..while i continued chomping away on my fishball noodles..when i felt a pinch on my arms *ouch* i looked up to see my long-time-no-see uni fren..who happened to be the wife of the fren..so 'qiao'..

Haven seen her in years too..still look very much like the hello kitty(the cat with no mouth) fan she was back then..although she has since switched allegiance to miffy(the rabbit with a 'X' for a mouth)..

Seems like this is the season for finding back long lost frens..

Things I've done/experienced since the last update :

• Buttache for the 2 ang mohs i played host to, who spent the past 12 months cycling from UK to Singapore

• Heartache when i hear a Sec 1 NT student pointing out to me ITE and saying that's where she'll end up in 5 years' time cos she doesn't think she'll be able to go anywhere else(what is wrong with the sch system here?)

• Heart stopped for 2 secs when i realised a student had fallen into a drain..together with her bike(thank goodness she only suffered minor abrasions)

• Called for ambulance after witnessing a cyclist(and her pillion rider) somersauting over a kerb onto the middle of the road(separate incident from above)

• Quarrelled with a bus driver who kept insisting on calling the police, just cos my van is a little bit in his way(related to above incident)

• Signed on a mobile phone contract(i've always been contract-less ever since my first contract expired n years ago)

Soo exciting hor..my life..

Ketcho blog..(cont'd)

Attended Jeff Chang's concert last weekend, for those who know me long enuf, i'm a fan of him..for the longest time..

Before i rave about his voice..let me kao beh about the venue first..It was the 6th concert of his that i've attended, all of which were held at SIS previously..this was the first time it was held at the bird-dun-lay-egg-exhibition hall-diguised-as-a-concert hall..

I had paid good money, some $130 of it(which was the second most ex)..and i expect a decent seat with a decent view, complete with decent sound system..turned out the seat was the kind of chair that you find at a chinese restaurant(and i'm not talking about tung loks), no arm rest, not much cushioning..and the seats were on level ground, which meant all i can see most of the time is the head directly in front of me! And the sound system is just of acceptable standard..Oh, and did i mention i spent 15mins queuing to get in the carpark and another 15mins trying to park? In the end, i just parked at an empty spot, which wasn't even a lot, mind you..I'm still upset 2 weeks later..

Anyway..when the concert started, when his first notes floated across the hall..all freyed nerves were soothed..and i was transported back some 10 years ago..when he was THE pop star of the moment, when his songs can be heard on the radio every now & then..

But..when i caught the first glimpse of him(rem i can only see the head in front of me?), my jaws dropped slightly..tat was a err..erm, interesting hairstyle..

Nevertheless, he was always one to deliver 'ting jue' rather than 'shi jue'..and soon again, i was lost in his ballads..

Life, 17th Mar 2008

Jeff Chang's artful ways

'What followed was not your typical Chinese pop concert. As Chang delivered his love ballads, masterpieces from canonical Western art were shown, from Bottiecelli's The Birth of Venus down to Edvard Munch's The Scream.

Still, all of the staging and production would have been for nought if Chang had not delivered as a singer.

And deliver he did as the prince of ballads dug into hig big bag of hits and pulled out one familiar favourite after another, including Bie Pa Wo Shang Xin and Ai Ru Chao Shui.

Apart from a moment or two of strain, he showed excellent control over his pristine tenor pipes over the 2.5 hours show.

His heyday might have been in the 1990s but he still has his fans. The 7000 capacity crowd comprised those in their 20s and 30s(yep, i think i fit the 'profile')

He might not have the most electrifying stage presence and he might not have the slick dance moves, but he nevertheless fashioned an entertainming show from the unlikely combination of Chinese pop and high art.

You could also read the presentation as Chang making a case for his songs as art. Before each number, the title was displayed and the composer and lyricist duly credited.

You might not agree, but there's no denying that the crooner has accumulated an impressive body of well-loved classics over two decades.

And that's no small achievement.'

Ketchup Blog..

Time to catch up..on my sleep..my life..oh, and my blog too..

Had a pretty packed week: day rides, nite rides, recces, meetings, courses..if i were to get paid for every hour i 'worked', i'd have earned enough for a month in this week alone..but alas, i'm a self-employed which does not enjoy such 'luxuries'..

Think my weariness showed on my face when a colleague remarked 'u look very tired hor?'

Took 2 days to recover from an overnight event..think age is coming up on me too..

H B Wei!

As per past 2 years' tradition..i shall wish my long-time pal, Wei happy birthday thru my blog..so..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAL!

Still on the topic Passion vs Money..

Met a sch mate(more specifically, brother of a fren) recently..First time we met ever since leaving school some 10 years ago..

He was of the 'model student' calibre..good in studies, good in sports. Was expecting him to be a high-flyer by now(coming from a family of accountants - the sister is currently working as one, as expected). From our chat, it turned out that he did start out doing auditing for a couple of years and switched to finance for a year but found that he didn't 'see the point' and found his well-paying job 'meaning-less'.

He went on to a VWO to do youth development work(which is how we met) and was much happier there and slowly he found his 'calling' - to be a teacher and has since signed on to be a teacher - enrolling in NIE this coming July..

Another supporting case for my 'Declining Scale' theory..

It's been quite a long while since i really sat down and blocked..wtf, i mean blogged..think i really got a writer's block..after the knock..(i kok my head yest, damn pain siah!)

After reading the article on introverts..i can safely say, yes I belong to the 'strong, silent' type..Maybe tat explains the lack of blogs these days..i think by thinking, not talking nor blogging..and so the thoughts remained in my head..

Had kopi(or teh for me - which explains why i'm still so alert at 1055pm) with 2 frens today. She, of my age and recently quit her job and he, graduating in 4 months' time and starting his search for his first job.

Which is more important in one's job? Passion or Money? And we came out with 2 theories, ceteris paribus(i never thot i'll ever use this term again since i left sch!)

The 50-50 theory : Equal weightage to both; Passion so that you won't dread working and hopefully you can stay long(dare i say life-long?) in the job? Money so that you can pay off watever debts(sch loans!) and save lotsa money and hopefully retire early so that you can pursue your passion?

In other words, no conclusion, go toss coin

The declining scale theory : Start with 90% money 10% passion(too cruel to do a job with 0% passion)..then with every job change, lower the percentage for money and up the percentage for passion.

In other words, quit after 5-6 years when the % for money decreases, not necessarily replaced by passion but a new factor 'xian-ness'(as suggested by anecdotal evidence)

Not exactly scientific..but definitely relevant..