CNY

It's finally CNY..happy times for many..

& i'm just joinng the rank of those who dread cny cos of the qn : when are u getting married? & due to my unemployed status, the 2nd most dreaded qn is 'when are u going to get a job?'

Think it must the the quarter-life crisis or one-third life crisis(depending on how long u live)

Anyway, i have been telling pple ever since i came back i'll decide if i'm going back to UK after CNY..& in the past 2 weeks or so..i did make some decisions..workwise..personal life..

One reason why i kept procrastinating about such important decisions is i'm commitment-phobic..it shouldn't come as a surprise to some of u..in fact, i think it's rather apparent from the fact tat i shy away from anything tat requires on-going commitment(insurance) or contracts of any kind(my mobile line has been contract-free for the past 6 years)

Thanks to all my dear frens who have been supporting me all this while..i foresee the next 6-12 mths will be tough & i hope u'll be there for me as u'll always been..

Interesting facts of life..

1. Fren of mine likes to eat 'neat' food..rejects all 'messy' food..favourite being chicken rice & least favourite being yusheng..

2. Fren of mine got trapped in lift today..suggested she have her da-baoed lunch while waiting for rescue..realised she hasn't got a spoon..morale of the story? Always insist on cutlery while da-baoing..

3. Fren of mine got back with her chu lian after > 10 yrs after a brief encounter..

What would have been..

If everything had gone according to my very original plans a year ago..i would have flown back from UK yesterday..in time for CNY..but plans are plans & plans do change..& so, rather of coming back from UK..i came back from Msia yesterday instead..another successful trip with lotsa fun with my ssc folks..anyway, the pt is..i'm back in Sg from UK for almost 2 mths liao..

Seems like it's about time i wrap up this whole UK thing & shelf it under 'memories-till-i-die'..shall attempt to summarise my life in UK for the past half year or so..

Indeed there were ups & downs over the past half a year..in fact, i would go as far as to say..it was quite a rollercoaster ride of emotions(occupational hazard of working in a theme park), having rather extreme highs & lows..it might not be the case for everyone, but for me..every feeling & emotion seemed to get magnified many times over when i was facing it alone..

C'mon..i would never get so pek chek if i had missed a bus connection in Sg..but in UK, it was enuf for me to kick a lamppost(i really did, seriously)..or be in a really good mood for the whole day just cos i picked up 50pence from the ground..

But one thing i really learnt is tat..there is really such a thing as 'simple happiness'..I dun claim to be a highly stressed executive who worked 20hrs days when i was still working in Sg..as cliched as it sounds..but it's really when u slow down the pace of life..tat's when u start to appreciate the simple things in life..seeing a beautiful sunrise on the way to work..jogging in the park when the weather is perfect..coming home after a long day at work to a bowl of piping hot ktt during winter..eating fresh blueberries when they're in season..

I also have my days of 'chi ku'(literally 'eat bitter'..wat's the english term for it? hardship?)..like when i was travelling alone..& i was trying to save money..there were occasions where i would buy a lettuce which has started to yellow & is gonna expire the next day(& therefore had its price reduced)..i would simply peel off the outer layers & eat the inner layers which would be still relatively fresh..it was a good way to save money since i wouldn't be able to finish it all by myself anyway & it would not be practical to stuff the half-eaten lettuce into an already-bursting backpack..

And more often than not, my choice of meals are dependant on the day's special offer in the supermarket..i even started to eat parsley as a veg cos it's cheap over there(i drew the line at mushrooms though..no matter how cheap & fresh they were)

While this is not the first time i'm travelling alone, it's the longest 'holiday' i had on my own..& i've discovered some inconveniences of travelling alone..my top peeve being visiting the loo..imagine carrying a big backpack & a not-tat-small daypack..and nature calls..this being UK, one should never leave items unattended..the risk of them being stolen is not as great as them being mistaken for bomb parcels..& since i dun fancy lugging them into the toilet cubicle with me, i often have to resort to asking cafe staff to look after my bags for me..

The above scenario sort of repeats inself when u walk into a busy fastfood joint and u have to decide between juggling the food tray in one hand & your daypack in the other or risk having your belongings being blown up to bits..

Not forgetting the 'who's-gonna-take-photo-for-me' instances..it's not so bad when u're in crowded areas when u just have to be thick-skinned & ask passerbys..but when u're in some ulu places(& i've been to quite a few) u have no choice but to be 'creative'..i've propped up my camera using trash bins..tree branches..rocks..fences..& wat-have-u..

On the brighter side, i kinda enjoyed the anonymity tat comes along when u're alone in a foreign country..i never had to worry about bumping into people i know..call me anti-social if u like..but sometimes u just wanna be able to do wat u want..wear wat u want..do stupid things tat u'll never do back in ur own country..all without worrying about being spotted by others..

I guess some of these experiences are really once-in-a-lifetime..being a strawberry picker(never again!)..watching military tattoo(dun mind but very expensive)..the 2 good frens i made in the park..seeing the sunrise on the way to work on my birthday while on the line with good frens..all priceless memories..

When u have the time..one really think a lot more..thinking about life..thinking about people-whom-i-thought-meant-a lot-to-me-but-really-wasn't..thinking about people-whom-i-never-realise-meant-so-much-to-me..& of cos..thinking wat to eat for dinner :Þ

And as 'rou ma' as it seems..absence does really make the heart fonder..& of cos, thanks to technology, i dun usually have to go long before receiving a 'how are u doing' email or a 'good morning' sms greeting..but like wat i've been saying..sometimes the best things are those are back-to-basics..the perfect example? The good ole autograph book ..

So do i think if all this half a year had been worth it..u bet..



Some of my previously unpublished photos at http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=tthjh81.67go9old&x=0&y=jicdta

Yes, it was me..

who caught the bridal bouquet..

I figured by next monday, half the world would know about this..so i might as well as just..announce it to the entire world here..

After the happening k³ party for Ms Organics last week..she is now officially Mrs Lui..gong xi gong xi..

The joyous occasion took place this afternoon..with all the obligatory photo taking & all..before it was time to toss the bridal bouquet..we had sort of agreed tat we would let 0.5 have it(as advised by THE Master)..so we all lined up accordingly with 0.5 right in front..but 0.5 being my 0.5 in good & bad times..in health & sickness..opps, getting carried away here..i decided to be nice & offer my moral support by standing next to her..

The sequence went something like this :

Ms Organics..i mean Mrs Lui..with back facing us then tossed the bouquet..wooshh..up it went in the air..did a flip(the flowers, not the person) & fell right in front of me..i had to make a decision within tat split sec : to grab it or to let it fall to the ground..

& i think u knew which option i chose..

Kok Kok Kei! (This entry is esp for you Ms Organics!)

Them folks organised a k³ party for Ms Organics over the weekend..i really gotta take my hat off for her sporting spirit..entertaining us right from the start of dinner to..ahem..the after-dinner activities..Without going into details(mine is a PG site ok), all i can say is..tat night's activities were enough to make the rest(only one is a Mrs) swear off marriage..preferring to elope or cohabitat instead..^o^

Think all of us were quite high tat night..alcohol-induced or otherwise(though Ms Organics might wanna think twice about stepping into the same pub ever again)..& new discoveries about how-pple-behave-when-they're-high were made..such as Ms Organics repeating the same action over & over & over & over again..& how my dear 0.5 like to lance with eyes closed..

Well..all in all, think everybody had a good time..& tat's the whole idea right?

Back at home & in a more sober state..the photo taking session with random strangers reminded me of yet another buried-in-my-silver notebook journal entry(see below)..

2 contrasting entries..

The : ) entry

Monday, 24 Oct 2005

Was on the tube back from work..sitting 2 rows away was this bunch of teenagers..they were snapping away on their camera..dunno wat came over me..i actually walked over & said 'hi guys, would u like me to take a group photo for u?' Just then i noticed one of the girls was wearing the birthday sash, so i said 'it must be your birthday today' 'It is..it's my 16th birthday' One of the friends then said 'Why dun the 2 of u take a picture together?' And so, we did..but wat was more surprising(to myself at least), i actually went on to cajole the frens to sing Carole 'happy birthday' ..right there in the tube..

It was 'Cheers!' when they finished the song..& they offered me their beer..still in my possessed state, i took a sip out of the bottle..as it is, i've reached my station & waved goodbye to them..

Hmm..it must be the side effects of working in a theme park.. this behaviour is rather un-ZXL..or at least i cant see myself doing it in Sg..or have the few months of living in an ang moh country taken effects on me??


The : ( entry

Tuesday, 1 Nov 2005

Today is my 2nd visit to the hospital..had a 1.30pm appointment for my ear..arrived at about 1.10pm & got myself registered myself as i sat down to wait..i realised it's the 4th A&E dept in 4 different countries i've stepped in in less than a year..

2pm..still no nurse calling for me..215pm..with no patients being called & the arrival of more patients, the waiting room started to get a bit crowded & me, started to get impatient..

And the longer i waited, the more stupid thoughts ran thru my head..it's been almost 3.5 months since my ear problem started & some 2 months since i've seen doctors for it..but things din seem to get much better..it had never ever taken so long to recover..started to wonder if there's any difference between ang moh ears & asian ears..why do the docs here seem unable to do anything about it?

I tried to keep away such thoughts by playing some games on my mobile..after 10mins of bouncing balls & underwear i had enuf & sought comfort from smsing people back home..

Finally got to see the doctor after somemore waiting..after some peering into my ear, the doctor said 'we need to get the stuff out from our ear..it's preventing the ear drops from getting to the infection'..apparently the stuff refers to a combi of ear wax + pus from infection + debris from all the past ear drops used(somewhat contributing to the choke factor)

To be honest, it was a bit daunting to be lying on the bed and waiting for the doctor to set up the apparatus..i could hear the whirling and sucking sounds..imagine a visit at the dentist and mutiply it by 10x..mainly cos the idea of having some metallic tubes going into the ear is much more alien than polishing teeth..

The syringing began and i could literally hear the rubbish being sucked away..just as i felt my hearing coming back slowly, the doctor stopped the sucking..though i could hear better now, i could feel tat it's still blocked..apparently he could not syringe any further cos it's getting too close to my eardrums & it's too dangerous to proceed any further..

What he said next was almost spine-chilling 'perhaps u should go for a hearing test..just tat make sure it's not affected & there's no permanent damage'..

Booked another appt in 2 weeks' time for a followup..was also told to continue with the ear drops in the meantime..i can only wish myself best of luck..

(Afternote : My ear is back to normal now..thanks for all the concerns)

More on naming contest..

(Quoted from ST, Friday the 13th) - In july last year, the URA spent $40k to find a brand name to sell major developments on Marina Bay & settled for - Marina Bay..

(Quoted from Mama, Thursday the 12th) - Same as the lrt naming competition a few years back lor... It was named Bt Panjang LRT...

U see, i just know my 'Terminal Three' will win me big bucks : ))

Less Miserable

(Another backdated entry )

Wednesday, 9 Nov 2005

Just caught Les Miserables..it's one of those musicals which i've heard for the longest time but never actually watched it..& i must admit while i vaguely knew the story line revolves around some turbulent times, i didn't realise tat the main character is NOT the little girl (blame it on the misleading poster, see below) but this prisoner guy 24601..

Was quite curious to experience the musical scene in London..i've passed by the concert halls & theatres many times before since they're mainly located on the street next to Chinatown(they call it the West End Theatres)..akin to New York's Broadway..had passed up the opportunity when i was in NY couple of years ago so decided i shan't miss it this time round..

I would think catching a musical is very much part of a Londoner's life..somewhat equivalent to a Singaporean catching a movie..take buying tickets for example..i bought mine the day before(i knew of pple who bought tics for SOM waaaaay before the actual performance)

I actually made some effort in dressing up for the occasion..had put on my pair of decent pants(partly cos i couldn't fit into my jeans) & my power jacket..first time i'm wearing it (ever since it was hand delivered by MsK & Meiren)..getting cold these days..it's officially winter liao btw..

And for the first time in my life..i made use of the cloak room(yes, i know they have a cloak room at the lew lian..but how many times has it been really utilised?)

Was quite pleased with my seat..23.75 pounds(got half price promo) for a seat 5th row from the front..not too bad is it..

So how was the singing? Not too bad..tat's all i can say..cos he-who-can't-sing-to-save-his-life shall not criticise he-who-sings-for-his-living..

Budget Terminal

Yep, tat's the official name of the new..well, budget airport terminal..

The name-the-terminal contest was won by a 15 years old teenager..who was awarded $2000(!) & a mobile phone..for his extremely creative moniker - Budget Terminal

When i first saw the article, my first thought was 'his must be the only contest entry'...but when i read on..no lor, there were 12,000 entries altogether..& 'budget terminal' was the best?!

Hmm..someone let me know if there's a contest for naming the third terminal..i've already thought of a name - Terminal Three

Blame it on the rain..

It would not be exaggerating to say tat it has been raining nonstop for 2 whole days..had planned to hit the gym today but the thought of wet socks & wet shoes put me off the idea..


Ni fa ru xue..qi mei le li bie..wo fen xiang gan dong le shui..jay chou’s mumbling is being accompanied by the pattering of raindrops on the streets..Ahh.. it seems like the perfect backdrop to lounge around at home and muse about life..

I was sitting in front of my pc with a bowl of steaming hot sweet potato soup..was all ready to blog the day away..Alas, I could not log in to my blog page..and so, I did wat any other rational person would do on a cool afternoon like this..take a nap..


Which means..nothing blog-worthy took place today..& so, i shall end my blog here..

ZXL Times Express

I confess i haven't been putting much effort into my blog recently..from releasing unpublished entries to lifting fren's blog entry..machiam taking shortcut..like a bit 'dui bu qi' my 'zhong shi du zhe' out there..hmm, shall attempt to put up a decent blog today..

Blogging had sort of became a habit..the way writing a diary used to be a habit of mine(seriously! for a period of time..n years ago)..so sometimes i'll come across a particular incident or i'd suddenly have some thots & i'll tell myself i'll blog about them..but...u know lah, sloth is 1 of the 7 deadly sins..

Anyway, here are some of the things i had 'thought about blogging' over the past 1 or 2 weeks..shall present the condensed versions..

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Realised a lot of people don't know wat a saucepan is..well, let me tell u wat it is not..it is NOT a frying pan..anyway, to be sure, here's how a saucepan looks like :

Item proudly sponsored by organics(?), osim(!) & twink ^.^

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Was listening to Jay Chou's xiao bang album..dawned on me tat the song i heard over the radio is not 'wu fa ru shui'(can't get to sleep) but 'ni fa ru xue'(hair as white as snow)..

p.s. had planned to comment on some of the songs..but since wei had already done a mini review on the album..maybe i should just 'cut & paste' again?!

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Shitake Mushroom - (adj) used as a claim of exclamation, can be used synonymously with 'shit', 'damn', 'wat the hell', etc..as demonstrated in the penguin cartoon before Wallace & Gromit

Had decided adopt it as my latest catchphrase..SHITAKE MUSHROOM!!

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Yet, another (failed) attempt at dyeing my hair..really dunno if it's the hairdresser(s), the hair dye or the hair..but the general response i got from pple when i asked whether can tell i dye hair is 'got meh? u dye black ah?'

the deer caught in the camera lights..washing the dye(as well as colour) off my hair after the dye job..

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Haha..wat a rojak blog this is..but i quite like it leh..do ya? ^o^

$ave $

Tat will be my new year resolution..to save money..to spend less money..esp unnecessary money..

Realised i've been spending money too freely liao..should really tighten the rein a bit..actually i also do realise tat my savings account had been diminishing ever since i came back(not surprisingly, since there is zero income, only output)

In fact, i think i'm in a worse financial situation than i was when i was in uk..at least i was earning enuf to cover(though just barely)my travel expenses then..

With the help of osim, I'd identified 4 main ways to cut spending :

Less socialising

In case pt 1 fails, less socialising at expensive places (ie. if u want to ask me out for dinner, either u pay or we go hawker centre..or at most, foodcourt)

Less smses..no more 'gd morning/afternoon/evening/nite' or 'ok' smses from me

Less impulse buying (no more walking into a shopping centre with the intention of buying bermudas & ending up with a pair of long pants...or worse, getting a new pair of specs when wat i actually wanted was a pair of trainers!)

WIsh me luck..

Bring me home..country road..

An entry salvaged from my little silver notebook..another low point during my TP days..

Monday, 17th October 2005

I had gotten off work at 5.20pm today..but somehow i had missed the 530 staff shuttle to the train station..i absolutely hate it when i miss it by 2 secs..where u actually see it driving away...

Anyway, the SOP for closing is..we shut our rides at 5..do a bit of cleaning..then wait for everybody to gather..this can take anything from 5 -15 mins..then the team leader will tok some kok..when i would be just standing around & rolling eyes..hearing 'well done team, i think we've done a great job today' for the first 2 times can be quite motivating..but after hearing it for the nth time..well, it just blends into the background noise..

By the time the debrief is done, it's usually around 520ish..i will then have to make a mad dash for the staff bus..remember it takes me 7 mins to walk from my ride area to the main entrance..& since i need to pick up my lunchbox from the canteen & get my stuff from my locker..it takes a minimum of 10mins to get out of the park.. this is provided i jog..since i can't briskwalk..

And today is one of those days when the debrief took a bit longer..

Some might ask..wat's the big deal about tat 1 or 2 mins difference..yea, i wouldn't mind if i'm driving back or i have a straight bus back but remember..i have to make 3 connections before i reach home..missing the 530 bus means i have to take the 6 bus means i'll miss the 608 train means i have to take the 642 train means i will miss the express tube back to my place..ok..i'm ranting again...i'll shuddup..

Anyway, cos i forgot to buy my weekly ticket today, i decided to take the bus back..its 3 pounds vs 12 pounds(if i take the train/tube combi)..i'm a poor egg remember? I've taken the bus on previous occasions too..& it takes about 2.15 hrs on a good day..just slightly longer than wat the train/tube would have been..

I was on the 2nd leg of my bus journey..when the bus turned into this one-lane road where we could see police cars in front..after remaining stationary for about 15mins, the bus driver hopped off to take a closer look..apparently, he did not see much cos he din know any better when he got back on..

The passengers were also starting to get impatient by now..some were suggesting alternative routes & a few others simply got off the bus..the bus driver spoke into his walkie talkie(all bus drivers have one) & then he announced he's going to take another route to the terminal..

I decided to stay on the bus..even though i had no idea where the terminal is(i usually drop off halfway to change bus)..& guess wat? The terminal was just a bus stop in the middle of nowhere..tried to ask the bus driver but he had no idea how i can get home from there..i dun really blame him..it's really quite a distance from my place..

So, there i was..cold & hungry..standing in the middle of an unknown district..it's only like 7.45pm but the streets were really dark & quiet..there's no way i could ask for directions too as it's more of a residential district & there were no shops where i can pop in & ask..taxi is out of the qn(this is not sg lor, u dun just flag a cab on the road..u call for one..& they only serve in their individual district) boh bian..i just walked along streets a bit..

Walked for about 10mins before i came to a bus stop..some of the bus numbers looked familiar..thought i saw them somewhere before..decided to wait for one..the bus stop was the kind with only a pole & no shelter..the wind blew & i shivered..i was only wearing a sweater..had left my coat in my locker as i din think i would need it since the buses are heated..

Finally a bus came along & i asked the driver about directions..he told me to get another bus which could take me to another place where i can change to another bus..hmm..not an ideal solution but seems like the only one then..

Continued waiting in the cold..more thoughts of 'zi gei lor lei sui'.. : ((

The next bus appeared & i hopped on..confirmed the directions & sat down in the toasty bus..the nice driver alerted me when it was time for me to alight..turned out tat i had to walk across the junction to catch the connecting bus..brr...it's really cold tonight..

When i got to the bus stop..i realised it's along my usual bus route..how comforting to know i was on the right track! Another 15mins of waiting before the bus appeared..but this time i was too happy to see the familar bus to be bothered by the waiting time liao..

By the time i reached home..it was already 920pm..the time i took to get home today..4 bloody long hrs...just imagine, instructor can complete a marathon in this time liao!