Friday - Met Ruiqi and had a cheapo dinner at McDonalds, Marine Square. Hung around, talked nonsense. Good conversation; cigarette smoke. Bought some cute snacks. Looks like doughnuts with toppings. Delivered them to a surprised someone who was feeling down. Only to find that said person wasn't down because of a healthy dose of South Park!

Sat - The sexy six. Who used to be seven. But one of us was in France. Thus we headed for group therapy, at Group Therapy. Listened to good stories about Cambodia and played with a cute ring. Exposed to different accents, different languages. Planned for outings overseas. Sometimes it's nice to dream. Sometimes we aim for something more realistic, like steamboat on the 25th. Went for a walk... Duxton is a cool place. So is Ann Siang Hill but the Fred Perry was ridiculously expensive. Saw some hidden treasures, a hidden bookstore. Wondered how they made money. Wondered why we'd be back again. Headed to town for truffle fries, but a bad surprise, there were no fries. So we, demoralised, realised that we should continue our YUPPIE lifestyles at DOME, with salads, normal fries and a pot of green tea. Rushed back home and rested, but went out again to meet the cousins at Fish & Co. Disappointed cos we didn't sing Kbox but excited to watch The Adventures of Tintin. Brilliant story; transcends time; magic happened etc etc.

Sun - Brainspoil. Good food. Good stuff all the way. Started with Dim Sum at Toa Payoh, till I was full beyond words. Cycled at East Coast, nice physical activity to burn the fats. Stalked a few nice specimens, well, only one in red. Tired and then disgusted that Mcs did not have milkshake so we had Milo instead. Went past Tanjong Katong - omy the Porteguese Egg Tarts. Smelled brilliant, kidnapped them home and they tasted brilliant too. Hung around, waited till 4, not 4pm, till there were 4 people and we had curry fish head, before playing mahjong. Won a few, lost a couple, won 2 bucks in the end.

Mon - Woke up in the morning... and spammed the McDonalds hotline for breakfast with the family. Spammed good shows, new episodes of Glee, some of Modern Family and most importantly, 2 Broke Girls. Rolling with laughter. Perfect humour. HAHA. Amazing stuff. And that moved on to some aerobics and acrobatics. Which moved on to a gory, gory movie - Drive. Yes Ryan Gosling. But I think gore is not really my thing. Too much shock factor, doesn't really advance the story in my opinion. Has its merits though. Sat in a van, a couple couple. Went for some spicy Thai food, sweat like I was watching porn. Guilty! Cos it tasted good. As good as the beancurd we had after at Old Airport Road. Sinful! But brilliant. Good times, relaxed, happy...

And that's how my weekend went.

The First Weekend

"Powerpack your Friday nights. Step on it and accelerate to the max! Dinner, movies, drinks and clubs. Chiong. Then Sat pace a little, chill and glide on. Then come Sunday, unwind and recharge and sail out on the momentum of the weekend high." Weetz, 2011.



Friday evening kicked off with meeting the interns from my internship at SPF. We met the rest of our department who were prawning with moderate success at Hai Bin! But it didn't really matter, as we sat down and gossiped and caught up with each other. It was fantastic seeing them all again. Made new friends and reconnected with old ones. I was particularly happy that we got along brilliantly despite not seeing each other for a year. Also met my junior from CS and I was glad to know that he was doing well interning there. Heineken, prawns, conversation... a warm fuzzy feeling.

Saturday was spent earning money instead of spending it! Tuition went well though. I see it as nurturing the next generation in my own little way. Poisoning them with my slightly unconventional and un-teacher-like views while explaining how to write a narrative and how to do QA for Chemistry. I've been doing it so long, it's almost effortless in a way.

Sunday. Bridesmaids. After letting it all sink in, maybe it isn't that funny! There's a lot of toilet humour, but female-style, so that's something that I've never seen before! But the rather original script and solid comedy-acting by a stellar cast made it a very enjoyable experience that was worth its weekend ticket price. The inclusion of Hold On at the end was wonderful! I am almost inspired to start tuning in to Class 95!

And then I did something that I've never done before. I went to sing karaoke. Alone! The feeling of being one with music and lyrics, of the entire body being an instrument - incredible! 2 hours, uninterrupted. I was partly inspired when listening to Jolin's discography the other day and I realised how much I missed singing and how Chinese lyrics could express emotions and thoughts in an incredibly beautiful way. So I spent the evening alone but connected! Connected to a world of composers, lyricists, singers. A solo concert for an audience of one - myself!

And that's how I spent the first weekend upon starting work.

I'm so going to regret sleeping late just to write this entry.

Fuck Yeah Jason Khor

Yesterday was incredible. I spent an entire day at work, before 2 hours of badminton with my colleagues. Admittedly I'm not fantastic, but it was a lot of fun. I was flooded with endorphins after that. It was an incredible high. I must play more often.

After that it was Filament 2010. Surprisingly I liked the documentaries better than the narratives. A New Hope was an exploration into two Thai women's lives coping with HIV. I was really moved by their honesty and their strength to live. It made me miss Thailand and I thought of the times that I've spent there. It is probably the country that I've stayed longest at, cumulatively. I also enjoyed the rather startling docu about elderly and sex. We learned about how it was to be like, going through the last stages of life and their views on life, love and death.

A small group of us went for supper at Kopitiam before trooping down to brotzeit, this German beer place at Raffles City. It seems that we always gravitate to that place whenever we're in the vicinity. The iPhones came in useful and we took a few photos.

Okay. They all tried to get me drunk and they succeeded. I am a bit embarrassed, not very proud of this. But I was a fun drunk. And I blame DJ for ordering the second glass. Only he and I had a second round. And I said things I never thought would come out of my mouth. And I laughed at Nessie's unfunny things. And Qiqi was busy turning my photos into Neoprints.

I can't remember all the shit I've said but I called DJ "a magic trick gone wrong" because he had two taller glasses of beer and it didn't seem to have any effect on him while I was er, well I got quite high. Stanley also mentioned that I said I was "walking straighter than normal" and "waiting for the train to come before we leave".

I am sure I said "change" and not "train" dammit.

In short they were all mean and even updated their facebook status with shit like that. They call this event FUCK YEAH JASON KHOR. I obviously do not approve but I was very very happy last night. And they were happy about this. Win-win.



















According to them I also start speaking in rhymes, singing, speaking loudly, scolding vulgarities and also they bullied me so I gave them the middle finger(s).

Next time I REFUSE to have more than one glass. It will not happen again (in the near future).

More good years ahead.

Could Never Let Go

Sky Garden

Had the awesome chicken rice that I missed so badly at Lucky Plaza. Got a $40 hair-cut at Hair Profile. I feel like a pageant contestant again. Met the gang and we hung out at Sky Garden and had dinner at Glutton's Bay. Ros used her spanking new DSLR. We had the craziest discussions. It is last time the 7 of us will gather this year. I'm sad.

You Want Camwhore I'll Give You

Next year will be the 10th year that we've known each other. 23 years on earth is long enough to make me realise this friendship is rare and special.

We went for zhi char at the coffee shop near my house before heading to Gelare, which was having their waffles-on-half-price day. It was so freaking crowded we decided to have dessert at Starbucks instead. Ash paid for everything, making the two of us feel guilty yet again. Being a nurse is a tough job. I'm glad that she's found another nursing job with slightly better working conditions.

It was a no-holds-barred question-and-answer session. We caught up on what we'd missed for the past 8 months or so. It felt good to get really different perspectives from the ones that I'm used to, from people who grew up with me, yet see the world differently.

We talked relationships. Cut them open and analysed them and became enlightened. Sharing and throwing questions to have them answered is a great comfort. Problems seem to shrink and not seem as bothersome.

And we camwhored. You all say I camwhore what right and I'm sick of having denying it. Camwhore then camwhore lah!

Post Exams

Tis the Season

So I was at the airport on Thursday and Friday to get people to download Digital Conceirge, which is essentially a handphone application which tells you where to go for shopping and food and that kind of stuff. It just so happens that the tourism board was having some kind of talk so there was a booth set up. It seems that the tour guides and all are very excited about this service so it was easy stuff. It was intense at times and relaxing at others.



On the bright side I got to enjoy the Christmas decorations and the wide open indoor spaces of the airport. Ooh, and I almost lost my wallet when I left it on the tray at BK where I was having my Double Mushroom Swiss. I went back about 2 hours later and luckily enough they kept it for me and it wasn't taken away by some random person. The staff there was really nice and even asked me to check its contents before leaving. I was too relieved that I found it to bother whether the money was there. I did withdraw 100 bucks that day though!

On Friday I worked only for 2 hours before going back to hall to rest.

I met David at City Hall at night for dinner. We ate at the foodcourt at Marina because I'm fucking broke.



And the view of the city skyline was good. It's probably the only reason why I would want to sit outdoors! David and I caught up on each others' lives. We ate till it turned dark, discussing his lifestyle in Australia, how the people were like, how studying there was like etc. etc. I think we might organise a class BBQ or something of that sort... just that we've got to think of other activities to go along with it.



I like the lights on the trees (although such blatant wastage of electricity contributes to global warming). It looks like the trees are wearing extra long dangly ear jewellery!

Being as broke as I was, we ended up going to 7-11 for a drink. It turns out that the things there were as disgustingly priced and we ended up buying Pocardi Sweat fir the simple reason that it was going at two for $2! Yeah, I'm quite repulsed at how I'm scrimping on the cents and depriving myself of a good Coke when I'm out but.... that's just how being broke (and not rich) is.



After enjoying our drink at the counter, we made our way to Shihlin in anticipation of eating the chicken cutlet! We hunted for it high and low, having seen it while walking to 7-11, but loosing it because the place was so huge! When we finally reached, they told us that some fan was spoilt and they couldn't make it for us.

They might've as well closed the shop!

So, tired of walking around the place (and not having the mood to see things that I cannot buy due to my current poorness), we made our way to Swensons where the both of us shared a Topless 5.



This combination's good despite lacking in variety of colour! Can't remember all the flavours, but next time you could probably try getting all the flavours which are brown!

Blading

I went blading for the first time in my life at East Coast on Monday with Fukang.

He knew how to blade and obviously, being my first time, I didn't.

The thing I realised was that how much the experience was a metaphor for our friendship of almost 7 years. He gave me support when I was about to fall, helped me up when I was down and he waited patiently while I was trailing behind. After we graduated from secondary school, we must've met each other about 10 times, but everytime we do, it's as if time had stood still.

He's not smiling because he was having a fever that day. Or maybe he thinks the serious look works for him.

I was pretty much drenched in sweat within the first 10 minutes I was on roller-blades. Probably out of nervousness and the intense struggle of keeping my balance.

It was thrilling. Despite my discomfort I gave it my best shot. There was blood. But I've grown. I'm no longer the person hiding in the corner. It's not something to boast about but I feel that I'm more confident in my own skin, willing to try new things and I'm more afraid of not having attempted than facing failure.

It was just a simple blading session at East Coast but I've gained so much.

When was the last time you tried something for the first time?

P/S: I've just listened to Stranger for the 150 millionth time and I'm about to throw up but for some reason I can't stop. It's satanic.

3

It's amazing how, in the space of a day, I came into contact with 3 of my best friends. We bonded very well in the institutions that we went to, and how much things have changed since then!

I went out with one of them for lunch at Raffles Place just before going to work. He always manages to tick me off by being later than me no matter how late I am, but that being the norm, has allowed me to get so used to it that after a mere 30 seconds I'm able to let it pass! Having lunch almost weekly is part of our effort to stay in touch. Of course we're planning something crazy - something along the lines of night cycling - but we're pretty sane in general. We looked around at some of the Fossil bags that were on display at their roadshow before having some juice at Boost. It was a great deal because he still had one-for-one coupons! I'm grateful for his company because although it certainly isn't as exciting as meeting once in a long time, the frequency makes sure we don't miss out on what's going on in each others' lives.

I was supposed to meet with this other friend who is leaving for Australia tomorrow for 10 months. We were supposed to meet after I finished work. However he SMS-ed to tell me that he was caught up by something and would only be able to meet me at 1130. I was relieved that I could squeeze time out for a shower and a short rest before meeting him. I popped in the DVD of the OC to entertain myself till it was about time to leave the house. Halfway through though, he called and told me that he couldn't make it. He was speaking in hushed tones and I couldn't really make out what he was saying but the gist was that he couldn't make it. I pretended that I wasn't bothered but my mind was thinking otherwise.

I'm the kind of guy who's selfish and afraid of rejection, especially when it comes to requesting for others' company. People ask me out, and I accept or decline. It has always been the case. I would rarely put myself up for rejection. I was still in disbelief as I wondered what to do with the DVD I bought during my lunch break which was supposed to double as a birthday cum going-away present.

Shortly after the show ended, I received a call from another friend, whom I haven't been in touch with. The frequency that we meet up is terribly erratic. Since we've graduated from which was about 5 years ago, there were a couple of years I didn't hear from him and all, and other times when we would go out in a group. He asked if he was being a bastard by calling when he needed someone to talk to, to which I replied that he wasn't, and I haven't gotten in touch with him either. The most ironic thing was that he felt I was the one who knws him best when all those years ago I actually took offense when he said no one understood him.

We talked about the usual kind of stuff - girls, money, job, future plans - all very briefly for about 30 minutes, and ended the conversation with promises to meet up soon for a real chat.

It's funny how people who were close once managed to make such a huge impact on a simple day, and how different they each turned out from the seeds of friendship.

Triple Treat

Here I am, once again with a remote control. And that can only mean one thing. K Box!!! Today Zhenhui, Shuming and I had a hell of a time at KBox singing. It was cool this time round, as every other time. I find that for me, it's money well spent although this time I had to pay for Shuming's because I was bloody late. I have no idea why I was as late as I was, luckily I had Zhenhui to be late with me! Haha...

Sang more S.H.E. and Jay Chou songs this time round as compared to other times. Also, it seems that there's an endless choice of songs to choose from because the singing list this time was totally different from the previous times! Zhenhui improved a lot that we thought he had been practising at home or something. Shuming was as good as the last time we went. The three of us haven't went out together since a year ago, and this gathering was nothing short of the crazy fun that we always have when we get together.

After K Lunch, we went to eat at Burger King. The queue was bloody long! I ate mushroom swiss double and it tasted great! Anyway, we had tonnes to talk about. Did I mention that the strawberry pie we shared tasted sinfully good too? Haha! We've decided to meet again next month, either on the 6th or the 20th, and we're going to be having a movie marathon at Zhenhui's house! Titles include Constantine, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Butterfly Effect and a Chinese movie. I really can't wait for that time to come. Exciting.

Also, we had a lot of fun taking photos. Aren't cameras such a guilty pleasure...



When there's three people, it always ends up like so. Then, we decided to try to self take the three of us together and that turned out to be quite a challenge.



That caused quite a commotion in BK. Well, maybe not. But we were hell noisy just trying our best to fit the 3 faces in and by luck, we found a good angle and everything just fell into place!



Okay, so the photograph was a bit bright. Shuming has a better versh of it in her phone, and I'll find some way to get her to send it to me. Oh well, it was a super fun day with the two of them around, and I sure am looking forward to our movie marathon!

You guys were great! Thanks for everything!