..:: 510. The One With NDP Preview ::..

lucky me. i got a pair of NDP tickets from a lucky draw by AC (Plans) from G5. on wed, i broke record by working in the office till 11pm. didnt even know which exit to take, have to call my boss and ask.



the ndp show is definitely better than in kallang. the view, the sea breeze, made the performance even better.



as usual, the parade segment with the troops forming 'ndp 07'... after that 'ns40' to celebrate 40 years of national service.



this year was especially enjoyable as we get to see water effects. from commandos rappelling down the bridge.



there were flames also... water fountain spurting to the rhythm of the music. behind the stage, the water fountain had images too...



of course, the highly anticipated fireworks. this time from the buildings near esplanade too... there were stunts from the police rescue boats, Chinook ...

..:: 509. The One With Impression Mgt..::

wah power just tripped and i was half-way thru my blog. dunno who so blur, dunno the circuit in the house got prob.

anyway my hk posts have to put on hold, i guess not many are going during this period also. too many pictures, hard to load also..

yes, sharon, i will tag with ur grp if i can ever get out of office.
maktsz, girls were of cos inclusive of u, unless u r biologically different that i dunno about.

on fri night, i had a movie date at 10pm. unfortunately, that night my superior asked me to stay back late cos she would go back to the office after her course. everyone had left by 8pm, and we were the only ones still working. i enjoyed working with my superior and even up to that time cos she has been nice to me.

however, i was a little peeved when we had our conversation while making our way out of the camp. she told me that actually the branch head was feeling that i was disengaged from work ever since i returned from the hk trip. i understand where they are coming from. i leave the office at 530pm almost everyday and i used to work till 8pm with the rest.

but they have to understand that, now orientation and school stuff are filling up my schedule, of course i cannot stay so late nowadays and it has nothing to do with my hk trip. my branch head has been unhappy like i mentioned before, of me taking such a long break from work.

the vibe i got from my superior was that i had to work late and to show that i am working hard and rushing for the project. apparently, leaving at 530 was not a norm now even for me as a vacational attachment officer. working long hours does not mean that one is efficient. i left early was also due to being able to complete my work. I know i can do more and contribute but i also have my own commitment.

i felt that there was this underlying msg, 'this is the life of a regular, u have to accept and adapt to it sooner or later'... i know i will be having this kind of lifestyle later, that is why i want to enjoy my 'student-life' as much as i can now. i know there is a lot of work to be done, but i also should have my fair share of time for my school activities. i do not need someone to tell me that work is more important than my school activities, worse, i do not need to see someone's unhappiness over my overseas leave. FYI, i used my no-pay leave also.

i may seem to be the bad player in the team, but if i were a 'full-time' staff, u can find me as one of the best team player u can ever find. just hate it when i have to appear in front of a boss, showing that i am working... work late = work hard? i understand some of them have to sacrifice their family time with their wives and kids, but does that mean i also have to follow suit? so now i must juggle my time and show face in front of my boss, so much for impression management. such old school mentality.

anyway move to something more light-hearted. watched 'invisible target' by nicholas tse, jaycee chan (jackie chan's son and that the camera seemed to just zoom onto his nose) and shawn yue. a must-watch i feel. shant have spoiler here so go watch and have a good laugh. the stunts were more believable than die hard.

besides the movie, had a great supper and it has been very long since i enjoyed a great date. didnt take pic though, wasted cos i pretty jealous of a cute pic taken but i was not inside!

taking dance classes this sun at LA connections. anyone? gonna take 5 classes in one day :)

school starting i cant wait. and sports camp i so wanted to go.

..:: 507. The One With Hongkong Day 5 ::..

before talking about day 5... got some group pix that i found interesting.

being cheeky... it was time for more interesting poses, ok.





my frenz went for july 1 demonstration at wan chai. slept till 11am then went to harbour city shopping... but before that had a great dim sum at dao xiang... a must-go for dim sum... available at various locations... our hk fren, gordon, treated us, so nice of him...



anyway we went for high-class shopping. saw a bag i wanted in dolce and gabbana that was worth HKD 5k. real and full leather... too bad cant take a pic to show.

but we managed to found great discounts... from burberry



gathering to wait for the fireworks... must 'chop' a good place ... it felt great having such great company...



the buildings looked great with all the lazers and lightings... fireworks were so-so. everyone 'wah' at almost every effect. so we joined in.



most roads were blocked and we were packed like a can of sardines. we moved like zombies out of the area. wanted to eat steamboat but guess it was just too hot and far away, everyone was hungry... so we landed up at hard rock cafe.



after dinner, we went back to hotel to get changed so the whole gang went up our room which was super small. someone got a shirt put with prawn paste so lots of perfume had to be used.

we went clubbing first, free entry to this 'haha club'...



saw a celebrity but i cant remember what was his name... tasted their flaming lamborghini. quite a mouthful, definitely more than in singapore. cant take all at one sip. the girls looked shocked.



we left the club at about 2am plus where the music actually got better but nevertheless we split into 2 parties and headed for karaoke. it was such a crazy night. non-stop fun. everyone was still alive and we sang songs like 'superstar, friends'... got so hyped up and it was nice listening to the locals singing in cantonese. some songs were like a must-sing... like twins song and 'old love song' :X we all tried belting out tank's love song but as usual struggling... the girls sang very well.

it was 6am and you can see who barely made it :X

..:: 505. The One With Hongkong Day 4 ::..

our wonderful friends volunteered to be our tour guides. first time we got to know ruby's secondary school friend, Maktsz (as requested to change the name). together we went to tai o, in lantau island. some sort of a fishing village but definitely a great experience that you would not get it with a tour agency.

went to the central pier to catch a ferry.



learn some cantonese along the way and got to know each other more. but i fell asleep cos the ride with the breeze, simply good for 'concussing'



some interesting notices on the bus...



better dun ask for direction! you could be fined! haha...



vocabulary kinda limited, dun u think? how about 'beyond' for a change?



take pic to 'bookmark' the places we have travelled and that is our dear ruby who got so confused speaking english and cantonese interchangeably.

took a speedboat ride and saw this unique feature...



see the head, body of a figure?

pink dolphin in the wild. so hard to take a snapshot. they were fast but i guess my fingers were faster? :X



after the village tour, we headed down to causeway bay... went shopping at times square which is like our taka.



managed to find a great restaurant selling MEAT. a must-have 'yuen yang' - coffee plus tea.



and my 8-treasure rice which left everyone envy.. muahaha. i was a good boy and i listened to the auntie's recommendation. here is my reward.



then headed for my friends' university hostel. the chinese uni of hk even had a station for the school. that's how deserted it is...



that's not all, we left the hostel about 2 am plus. waited for taxi and attacked by stealth mosquitos ... strangely the taxis there are cheaper if you make a booking and travel late at night. discount up to 30%... Singapore, we would love to see that here.

we went green box, equivalent to our k-box. but much cheaper... can sing till 6am. and we did, the sky was surprisingly bright and we slept for an hour plus before we embarked on the next day's journey.

yes, we are crazy.

..:: 504. The One With Hongkong Day 3 ::..

could not help but laze on the bed till afternoon. had to link up at stanley market so we took a bus there from TST which was a mistake cos the bus went a big round around HK island and Aberdeen.

At stanley market... place where nothing much to see, just like walking down chinatown in singapore. Next time dun bother going there. so far yet nothing to see. unless u going repulse bay. the beach that is.



then we went to the peak. visited mdm tussaud wax museum. a day of photo taking and playing around with the figurines. had some innovative ways to take pix.

doesnt this pic look real? nicely shot right?



me with the twins. cant differentiate who is gillian, who is charlotte... anyway they looked so shiny like in a night club.



the morning view and night view...





took a cab down to have the famous beef brisket ... at sheung wan and they are really gd...



went to the clubbing scene to have a look... friday night supposed to be very happening. wasted we were not in our best attire so had to give it a miss.

..:: 503. The One With Hong Kong Day 2 ::..

before that must share something interesting. i went for an interview by TAFF - textile and fashion federation for a role in Singapore Fashion Week in Oct. No, i am not there to be model. If i can, i think a lot of pple also can make it ... apparently there are 3 roles i can take up.

first, host. basically you will follow the buyer around, fetch them from airport then remind them of their schedule, which fashion shows are on, bring them around to buy stuff. however, the challenge is you must know local brands which i hardly know. u ask me international brand, CK, D&G, etc, i know and can recognise. Local brands, only know Daniel Yam. Even price range is something a host must know.

second, as a helper. aka 'sai kang' meaning all the chores. but as the executive corrected me, every role is important. helpers do stuff like ushering, help out in guest registration, show prep... something i like to try but definitely not my first choice.

last, as a dresser. i saw the work scope and i got excited.

-to help dress models backstage during shows
-to assist show producers in the prep of show collections/shows

but one question from the executive made me realise it was quite out of my league.

are u gay?

then i realised to dress female models, the guys obviously have to be gay. but i mean anyone could have lied just to catch a glimpse backstage? i wanted to see how the backstage and the craziness happening which you wont see on TV. by the way i am not so 'hum sup' to just see the models dress. i am there to learn something though and to know more about local brands.

anyway, the executives will email us regarding our roles for the fashion week. Will be getting their tee, bag, and lots of dining and shopping vouchers and of course allowance.

then talk about the 2 movies i have watched, transformers and die hard 4.0...

i just realised from someone that i have no childhood, cos i dun watch nor play with transformers figurines. but i enjoyed the show for their good plot (better than fantastic four), and the relationship between the transformers and humans. the robots were cute.

die hard 4.0 even better. the action scenes will leave your eyes bedazzled for a while. some unbelievable stunts that looked too good to be true. kept me at the edge of my seat throughout the show. wacky conversations and believable plot.

harry potter on friday better dun disappoint me.

now back to hongkong. 2nd day, we went to disneyland! we had breakfast in a shanghainese restaurant... very nice xiao long bao. so juicy, the bun exploded in my mouth with the gravy. heavenly.



then we had shanghai fried nian gao.



we took a train to disneyland. the drizzling has stopped! aint the train cute?



the entrance which we cam-whored for very long...



my frenz got interviewed by the local tv station on their views of the 10-yr anniversary of handover. lucky we know our current affairs...



wet weather programme. mickey/minnie/donald in rain coats. cute :)



awaiting mickey mouse show - the theme was some award ceremony where they featured almost all the disney characters even hua mulan, beauty and the beast, lilo and stitch... wonderful musical and props.



dinner tried something new not at disneyland. sea urchin!

..:: 502. The One With Hong Kong Day 1 ::..

it's been a month since i blogged. nothing interesting to blog, especially when u worked in the army. i feel like entering a cage every morning i go to work, with all the fence... finally waited for 25th June to come. Spent the night get myself hyped up, packed my stuff and heaved my luggage to my fren's place.

took SQ 866 and reached HK about 4pm. Quickly checked in and ready to explore. my last trip to HK was when i was in sec 3. surprisingly, it was rather easy to navigate in the streets of HK. stayed in Ramada Kowloon which was small! not much place to put our luggages... paid HKD 3500 for 7 nights. could have gotten a better hotel in my opinion.

Hence, this blog served as a tour guide to those who wanna visit HK... bookmark me!

dinner we went to canton road which was near tsim sha tsui (TST), happy valley congee and noodles. service sucks, threw a straw in front of me! but food was ok. just that their prawn dumpling nice. Canton road was opposite harbour city, biggest shopping centre in TST. should have earlier dinner and explore the shopping mall. most shopping malls close around 9-10pm.

we walked around and bumped into a dessert shop. not too bad. worth a try. if u have mango fetish or u are not allergic to mango.



fyi, read from the right.

morning we could not wake up. met my fren's fren and her sister close to 12. had lunch at one of the biggest malls in Sha Tin, New Town Plaza. It's like suntec in singapore. after lunch we went to have a hike up to see the ten thousand buddhas. if u are allergic to mosquito, you might want to give it a miss.





roads are not painted which direction the cars are travelling, so u have to look down and see this...



started to drizzle, so we dried ourselves at the museum... free entry on wed.



i cant help but pose for the camera.



cant help to look stupid either

went to the wishing tree.. or should i say the ailing tree.



cant throw our wishes, so have to hang... and there were a few aunties who were more naggy than my mum. keep asking us to buy this and that. say 'just hang no use, buy incense stick'... we pretend we dont understand cantonese.



at night, we had claypot rice. really yummy. the rice so sweet.



we cant help to get fat. dessert time again.



still not enough, we had gui ling gao. herbal jelly. it was so bitter, i think i gulped down a whole bottle of syrup just to finish the jelly. but good for my complexion, to take more gd shots, it was worth it la.



dont ask me why the cat is there. cats cannot like herbal jelly meh? maybe they use their tails to stir :X