The Bus Is My Other Car.

I forgot that today is a public holiday...

Joel was enticing me with his new-found mugging friends to meet him at National Library. I agreed because it had been quite some time I've went outdoors due to the haze. While I on the bus 10 minutes away from National Libary and calling WeeKeat to tell him that his favourite nygh gals are selling flags in town today, Joel had reached National Library and conveyed a heart-breaking message - both of us had forgotten that the library was closed on public holidays.

With a dash of disappointment, I went to Popular at Bras Basah to look for Prima's Simcity 4 Strategy Guidebook to save my ailing city. High wealth business flocking due to lack of employable sims - when there are good schs, good transport network (commuting time below 60 mins) and last but not least a good mayor. I thought I've did all I could, but I forgot one possible solution - bulldozing some residential buildings, putting more parks to attract high wealth Sims. Doesn't that strike a chord? Hong Kong is losing its expatriates due to pollution...

In the end I couldn't find the book, not at Funan either. En route home I took a close look at the entrance of the Fort Canning underpass which is said to resemble a Chinese ancestral tomb. Ouch... so much for employing advanced engineering techonology to bore a hole through Fort Canning Hill. I doubt that the flora and fauna will improve the entrance's appearance... it'll just make the underpass entrance look like an unkempt ancestral tomb. But I guess time justify everyone's predictions...

The most rewarding part of today's trip was that I managed to took some photos of my old house... And of coz the bah-chor-mee at Bugis Junction. Yummy!

posted by 23degreecelsius @ 11:38 PM 0 Comments

"I'd rather pay than eat this sh*t..."

WeeKeat came to my place today while I went over to his place. I've asked for a damn early off-pass but still found myself walking very fast, so I forced myself to slow down and utilise the five senses to enjoy Singapore as it is. The first thing I sensed was a familiar smell as I crossed the bridge over to Bukit Merah Town Centre. Something smelled like the housing estate of Hong Kong... alas, it came from the upgraded old folks apartment that is just beside the bridge. The smell of dense residential...

After the task was done, I saw a long lost friend - Tan Qian Jin from my sec one class. He was there to update his passport. After a short greeting I walked to Depot Heights shopping centre to eat my favourite claypot laksa. While waiting for the sumptous treat I sms-ed WeeKeat to spite him.

Here goes: "Hi... Are you at my place? I'm eating claypot laksa!"

Shortly after I his reply: "Your cookhouse food sucks... I mean like really suck big time."

So I told him not to complain since the food is free.

And here comes the complaint: "All curry and then oily. I'd rather pay than eat this shit."

I got a bit pissed because the indirect implication is that I have been eating crap, and the fact that I claimed to like cookhouse food means that I love eating shit. @%^$! I got a bit pissed because the indirect implication is that I have been eating crap, and the fact that I claimed to like cookhouse food means that I love eating shit. In my reply I consoled WeeKeat that he was lucky to have curry and rice for his lunch because if he thought that curry and rice is shit, then mee will make him puke. I ever told him that SFI has laksa also, except that the chu1 mi2 fen3 is literally chu1 as in rough... But the standard, considering gravy, side dishes etc, is not bad for mass produced laksa, which isn't quite suited for mass production.

posted by 23degreecelsius @ 11:18 PM 0 Comments

Toy 'R' Us, VivoCity and Haze

Last Friday I did my duty with 3SG Gary Su Jiunn Chiang, my upper-study. That was probably the last time we did duty together... so I felt kinda sad.

I booked out the next day at 8am. After a lunch at Suntec City, I went to Toys 'R' Us with sis, bro-in-law and nieces. Plastic wigs, selling at $24.95 each, were the centre of the limelight but they did not attract buyers. Instead, young men, uncles, ladies and aunties took to wearing the wigs and posing for the Nokia camera. Typical cheapo Singaporean behaviour, but I thought it was a heartwarming scene because for once, I saw genuine laughter from Singaporeans. Certainly it didn't go well with my perceived image of a Singaporean - a person who's ultimately stressed from work and would rather sleep than play during any free time. But at Toys 'R' Us strangers were laughing at one another's cartoon-ic appearance. I didn't know Toys 'R' Us is such a great place to hangout and have fun. Isn't it good to be a kid once again?

After lunch and teabreak at CityLink Mall, I went to VivoCity with my family. Was a big disappointment as only 1 in 10 shops were opened. There wasn't a big bash as I've expected on its first day of business, maybe because of the haze - the PSI hit 150 that day but that's beside the point. Hipsters (hunks and scantily dressed babes), human on wheels (the moving platform with two wheels, something like a skate skooter, that operates according to the centre of gravity concept and costs $5000 a piece. The Americans are using it as a subsitute for driving as it can go up to 50km/h), and 'police marshallers' blowing whistles and holding "Vivocity" banners atop a platform labelled "Vicocity" were gracing the occasion. Although the marshallers looked stupid, I thought I'd do it too if I'm paid $50 a day for this.

In the end my family had to eat near home, because the few restaurants in Vivocity and the many eateries at HabourFront Mall were thronged by the kay-poh Singaporeans, myself included, who turned up to catch a glance VivoCity. Litearally a glance since most shops were not opened yet.

posted by 23degreecelsius @ 1:51 AM 0 Comments

Some artistic shot

posted by 23degreecelsius @ 2:37 PM 0 Comments

Despatch

Went on my first despatch, alone, on Thursday, 28 Sept 06. Set off at 9am. The first stop was ________. The journey probably took about half an hour because the NON air-con LAO POK green van was crawling at 50km/h on BKE and SLE. Upon reaching _______, I saw something that made me excited - tonners from the yesterday on display. The oldest tonner looked the most chio with its two-piece windscreen and fanciful engine grilles.

The second stop was _________ - the place where they filmed Army Daze. We drove past Thomson area en route. The sun had risen and I was having a good 20 minute sauna in the van while the vehicle commander went for despatch.

The next thing I knew was that the van found its way to ____________. Had no idea about the route taken because I was totally unfamiliar with the Eastern part of Singapore. The driver dropped off two fellow passengers. As the driver continued with his journey to the Western part, I was frantically trying several sleeping positions. At one point, I nearly fell off the seat lying down when the driver made an abrupt turn. Finally it came to me that the most comfortable, and the safest position one should adpot on a "road-ler coaster", is a sitting position. I concussed until the next stop.

Had my lunch at ____ with WeeKeat, thankfully, because he brought me to an air-con food court at the other end of ____. Would like to thank WeeKeat for bringing me to the registry too. When I was done and about to exchange the visitor pass for my 11B, three former secondary four classmates coincidentally bumped into one another. WeeKeat was on sentry duty - i.e. the guy who confiscates ICs/11Bs from visitors and issues them pink passes marked with a big capital 'V'. An unsuspecting OCT Julian Ho queued up before WeeKeat's counter and was mumbling to himself in his typical low voice, "Is that WeeKeat?"

To his surprise, I replied from behind, "Yes it is..."

We exchanged greetings and Julian boarded a 'tzeng-ed' (Hokkien term which means modified) black Honda. Aren't officers spoiled nowadays? I muttered a fc*k under my breath (and prespiration) and walked to the mobile sauna.

On to _________. Unfortunately, couldn't meet up with ZiYan aka Prince Depressed.

The most dreadening part of the journey came when the van passed through places close to my heart en route to ________. First was ACJC where a babe crossed the road. I wanted to whistle but thought I'd better not in case I might get charged under chapter 12345 section 6789. I could only ogle at the short blue skirts from my cage. Then the van turned into Commonwealth Ave West, Clementi Rd, Upp Bt Timah Rd... and past my house. That's when I felt slightly shittish - shittish because I could only look at my home like a criminal on a van going to prison; slightly because I wasn't in full battle order on board a tonner going for range.

In a few moments I reached the infamous __________.

Finally I reached my second home. I thanked the driver and wanted to praise him that given his superb driving skills, he would definitely make it big in Hong Kong as a minibus driver. But I saved the compliments for the next despatch.

posted by 23degreecelsius @ 12:08 AM 0 Comments