..:: 501. The One With Lunch Break ::..

whee... today happy day cos my superior (not the female) drove the few of us to bukit panjang plaza to have cafe cartel. good break from canteen food. had so much fun talking dirty in the car. of cos they didnt expect that from me... had a close to 2 hr lunch break, away frm my boss's nagging.

tml going for red cross again. so excited. feels gd to be in command and sharing my knowledge with youths. they are more receptive than army guys.

..:: 500. The One With the 500th ::..

oh, i hit my 500th post. this week has been a peaceful week, boss on leave. got to leave office before 630pm. tue went to meet my red cross peeps... i was stunned by the 18.50 set meal but it was 1-for-1 so it wasnt that bad after all. ate snails and kept laughing at the snail juice - gravy. I had a trauma eating the bread, there were so much left. but i adored my brownie... went over to coffee club and had some peppermint tea for digestion. had great laughs for the day but the thought of going to work on wed turned me off.

while i was working on some data, i happened to see my fren's name in the database. Sam, u sign on never say... called him and chatted for so long, lots of catching up to do, hence we hit for some sushi... our other 2 buddies already had appointments. we 2 spent another mambo night eating dinner. haiz. unit life is really happening, with events and stuff, office work becomes dreadful.

shall wait for my pix to be uploaded. i guess you all might have seen the 'anything, whatever' commercials. The 'whatever' one damn hilarious. i loved the idea of randomness, buying a drink not knowing what you get, well at least you know whether it is (non)carbonated. u guys should try if you havent. i love it as much as my ipod shuffle.

no more american idol, survivor, amazing race. so bored... without reality shows.

just as i want to go out to buy lunch, it rains! damn.

yeah. i am finally a LTA and its not land transport authority.

P.S: i am quite slow to notice the meaning of 'Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir'

..:: 499. The One With Being Unlucky ::..

My laptop was ok until i brought it back home... is it due to the lack of strong firewall that i had in school? damn. no internet i felt so out of the world. my com crashed. damn it.

anyway no time to even send for repair. no time to even go back school to pay my hostel fees.

been working till 9pm everyday. rushing for project. even when i applied leave officially, got lectured by my boss for 30 mins. apparently, 'for duty, honour, country'. it was my fault la cos i should have applied under my first boss who is a nice guy and agreed that officer on attachment should enjoy their school life as much. but over here, i am supposed to see through a project. and the quote she want us to abide to... you can die but not fall sick. that is the mentality u shld have. there will never be a good time to apply for leave. i thot if i dun travel now, once i start work, it would be even harder. she thot where my core values have gone to... there is a difference between an official staff with appointment and a project officer on attachment. I just wished sometimes they can give us a breather, cut us some slack. I noe out in the real working life, there is no such thing as breather, keep up or lose it. sometimes when i get caught up in such situation, i really have suck it up.

work must always come first. if u think of taking vacation, pple will think u are not committed. when pple dun leave office for lunch and get take away instead, you are 'supposed' to follow, if not what will others think of u? got time to go eat lunch, no time to do work? working in front of the com all the time does not equate to 100% productivity.

i just feel angry that after i have worked as hard, cant i at least get some rest? I just hate it when pple second guess my intention, or worse, make it seem like i am the heartless guy... Now apply leave for school activities become so much harder. female boss is tough nut to crack.

i just came back from work and now eating my dinner... at 11pm. sleeping soon and waking up at 6am. Same shit different day... Gotta keep pushing on...

..:: 498. The One With Home Sweet Home ::..

feels great to be back home. even more so after i asked my sis to prep my bed, set up wireless so we can all surf online and play dota!

i just need to wake up and food is on the table. no need to go canteen and take away... and i get to enjoy air con. with my dad fetching me to work and back home. how great :)

Sat had volunteer time with red cross, feels good to see all my juniors. i really admire some of them. despite the work load, they still have heavy commitment in red cross. i mean u dun really get credit or recognition for conducting courses, spend your time to attend meetings and coaching secondary school cadets planning. not everyone can and willing to spend such time, all the more travelling to kembangan, such a ulu place.

had some catching up done over dinner. they give me satisfaction knowing that they are still full of passion and drive. One in particular had 'insights' that i am really impressed. he told me his rationale of doing certain things and that made me thought, 'wow, red cross had certainly mould you somebody'. some things you cant learn in school, character building and ability to become a chameleon, it's really important, esp when u are out to work.

some people might think ' i dun have to change in order to please people, they just have to accept who i am'. sometimes u dun have to change who u are, just be more sensitive and know how to handle such people. if it aint broken, dun fix it. avoid pple u cant get along? u cant do it forever though... and when relationship turns sour, it's time to deal with it.

i think i am deviating from my entry... then to think too much into people's reactions and behaviour. anyway came across a word which i am in love at first sight.

Carpe Diem
seize the day; enjoy the present, as opposed to placing all hope in the future.

i feel monday blues coming... i cant wait for school to start, make new frenz, learn new stuff and get to specialise in my fave field, HR.

travelling is really fun. with ur family, ur loved ones or even with ur frenz. cant wait for my hongkong trip in june. so many places i wanna visit and so much food i wanna eat.

P.S: it feels good to have my family watching tv with me, esp soccer cos i too lazy to drag my ass down to the cable tv in my hall recreation rm... but it gets irritating when my sis was happy that chelsea won???

..:: 497. The One With Melinda Doolittle ::..

oh man, she didnt get into that finals? shucks. ms maggie-mee hair got in? beatboxer blake got in? sianz... Maybe being too good becomes predictable. It's all gimmicks making Melinda seemed like she got the highest votes all the way and supporters may get complacent.

And i heard from my sis, renee didnt win america's next top model? damn. why my faves just dont win. let that latino gal, jaslene win. She cant have a proper accent and plus she didnt get selected in cycle 7 then came back again. She got such a 'drag queen' personality.

today thought i had a half day for cohesion day, in the end, being officers, we had cohesion...back in the office. after lunch, had a ride back to camp and continue working :( until 8pm! so fun. during lunch was even more dirty. Topics like erection, must use condom, 'encounters' with gals... were talked about over steamboat. 'steam' ah. I think the guys got cooped up at the office for too long. Shant mention here, if not you think all army guys are horny freaks.

Now i know why my pumbaa frenz always say nothing 'clean' comes out from my mouth. :X

time to slp. had dinner at 10pm while my frenz are at DXO dancing away... tonight tri-uni bash sia. too bad i got work tml. somemore going to meet a colonel... stressed.

now going to sleep. i have less than 1 hr for admin time, its worse than BMT! what the hell!

..:: 496. The One With Mambo-Crave::..

Arghz... i cant stand it! keep having craving to go mambo but tight on budget. must save after my finland trip. somemore gg hongkong soon. Today quite relax cos my fren came back so 2 people working on the project seem easier. Talk cock with another 3 captains in the office was fun! They are like the big brothers teach me tricks and bad things included. lol.

tml half-day. having cohesion day :) yeah. eat steamboat then go national museum... oO

anyway wanna talk about a show, america's next top model. ok may sound weird why i watch the show but i really hope to be involved in a events management company and get to do a runway show. Anyway this season 8, love the catfights as usual but i love Renee. She's a bitch but somehow click with her perhaps her competitiveness and the eagerness to improve and impress. here are some of her pix :) feast on the eyes



shoot a dead scene but she looks so alive with killer looks.



nude pic with ice cream and candy as theme.

but i love the other gal's pic. looks like it can be on vogue.





Shot by tyra banks. for women's magazine. love her 'flamingo' back bend pose.



for mens' magazine, she really knows how to work her figure. and her eye contact with the camera. whoo... hot!

her latest pic... aboriginal aussies theme...



I really hope she wins! this wed last episode...

time to sleep. have to wakie early tomorrow for work.

..:: 495. The One With Being a Staff Officer ::..

During cadet days, those who wish to 'slack' would opt to be a staff officer instead of being a platoon commander in an operational unit. I guess it is true when you are a NSF or it applies if you are in a unit.

It is so different when you are in mindef. There is no such thing as 8-6 work schedule. though there is no bunk but you can expect to leave the office around 9pm. Simple briefing that i attended today lasted a few hours. Still trying to think like the senior officers, all the framework and all the contingencies and that one-look-u-know-what-is-missing.

today the branch celebrated one of the senior officer's birthday. despite being his birthday, he did not request to leave early, in the end, he was the last few who went back. really admired his professionalism, i enjoyed working for the major and the captain. they are a joy to work with. it can get crazy in the office where you have a few tasks to complete in such a short time. After the briefing, the to-do list seemed to be longer.

Was glad to stay up with them till 9 cos i think we are all workaholics. i pity their wives and my future wife too. I guess those who are workaholics would love army. But at the end of the busy day, i felt really good to accomplish many things. Though there are many things i can and want to do but none will give me as much fulfillment ...

To those out there who dread NS, please dont. Enjoy the times of brotherhood and catching up, knowing more people. You can see it as connection but not a waste of time. I have seen so much hard work put in to ensure effective and efficient training. I really treasure all the chances i was given to learn and give.

After work, the senior officers 'jio' me to go to the officers' mess to have dinner, drinks and a chat. I felt weird but they sure make it a point to know me. It was great to know lots of colonels and it felt good to be recognised - 'so you are john right?' Seniors asking me to go over their dept to help them and being recognised as one of the nice engineers to work with really boost my morale.

It feels really good to get posted to different areas but you know people everywhere you go. You sure need help from others so knowing more people really helps, especially when they can help you to look out for desirable posts.

strange eh. came back late, the more i worked, the less tired i felt. i felt happy, satisfied :)

tomorrow after work got red cross meeting... hope i can last.

Quote of the day, ' I have not failed, I just found another way that did not work'

lets keep a moment of silence for Alex, and the 2 NSFs...

..:: 494. The One With Deal or No Deal ::..

The Show is exciting only when the briefcase opens. the rest of the show is like yucks. the producers are really good at wasting time by having the host walk to the phone and talking to the 'banker'... why cant they make the conversation heard over the studio? a good show if you have time to waste and love to gloat over the participant's misfortune. it is a combination of taking risk and greed thinking that 250k is so easy to get. One must really know when it is appropriate to stop, just like gambling. all the conversation between the family and the participant -_-, the no deal signs the audience were making looked spastic. and worse, the whole episode all about one guy. Boring!

my friend got good results... so happy :) yet i am nervous about mine. sure better than last sem but it is good enough? i really hope i can double specialise.

china top universities produce millions of graduates but they had a hard time finding jobs. think they will flood over Singapore soon.

just heard over the news... my fren's bf has passed on after a long struggle in coma. haiz stupid cab driver in scotts road.

..:: 493. The One With Being Sick ::..

The once-a-year throat infection is here again. Bad flu, i even had to bring a tissue box to my office. Throat hurts whenever i swallow or cough. Somemore phlegm green in colour. eeks. My nose is red from all the sneezing and tissue paper wipes. What a way to spend weekend, taking medication that causes drowsiness. so i wake up, eat and sleep. still not recovering. what to do? drank tea, ate fruits, please let me recover... tomorrow back to work again... my buddy on leave so i cannot take leave, plus my boss had to give updates to his superior, i hope he wont ask me to present :X my voice sounds terrible.

Something caught my eye:
Global MBA Ranking 2007 by Financial Times

#67- Nanyang Technological University - Nanyang Business School - Singapore
#81 - National University of Singapore - NUS Business School - Singapore

whee :) for the obvious reasons.

i miss school... :(

..:: 492. The One With Finally ::..

Finally i can smell friday coming. been a long and tiring week. strangely today i felt good. maybe i am working alone so i dun have much time to slack and feel tired.

Finally, just as i mentioned about christopher lee, his trial is finally over, but not quite yet. still must appeal -_-. 4 weeks jail good enough... still wan to lighten or worse get away with drink driving?

Flipped through the newspapers, Singapore is the 2nd most competitive country. i can feel it :)

imitation is the best form of flattery but not for one of the china's amusement park. had to close down cos they copied disneyland. suay.

oh no, david gill, chief executive of Man U 'extremely sad and disappointed' with Malaysia's hospitality... come Singapore la.

went for lunch with the big shots in my office, all the major and captains... we moved like a convoy to the canteen. the higher ranks in front, i the only 2lt at the back. lol. but it was great talking to them as we ate. but the smoke break was not as enjoyable cos i dun smoke!

having throat infection... sian. see doctor tml. sorry for all the random entries.

P.S: arghz... NBS has internship with Hewitt Associates, a HR services firm... haiz. wasted. anyway lakisha was eliminated. doolittle, hope u go to the final 2! with blake

..:: 491. The One With Promotion ::..

yeah. getting promoted in june 1. more $ and no more 2lt...

very tired from work, guess from all the travelling and today had morning PT. had to rush and take cab :(

it is strange that people actually take 'pity' of those celebrities who committed crime. just like paris hilton, instead of talking about her crime, the media talked about her being able to choose her own 'cell'. money can really do wonders, buy your own space in jail... so they provide massage?

another one is christopher lee... sounds like people should pity how much he went through for hit-and-run trial? weird.

..:: 490. The One With Monday Blues ::..

went to the office and met my boss finally. he was a very nice guy, got me a lot of stuff for me to read, even one book of his, blue ocean strategy. browsing through the files, so much terms and structures to remember. there is so much planning going on. meetings run from morning till afternoon... i am lucky not to be asked to sit in yet.

so happy my credits came in, got myself a new pair of sports shoes. my boss is really nice, keep asking me to leave early lol. i feel sad for them though cos they seemed to be single and still working OT. a lot of documents to send, meetings to attend, follow-up to do... especially when orders came down from like the chief.

my boss was like asking me to enjoy my sch life, dun stay so late in the office. If i ever need to leave early just let him know. wah, so much better than my previous boss. the sian part is i have to run in the morning... arghz. hopefully can shower, if not the office sure stink like hell.

i have 2 projects on hands :X waiting to be briefed, my slacking days are over soon :(

Working sucks. I rather study. 2 more days to payday.

..:: 489. The One With Weekends ::..

don't beat me up for this entry. working really sucks but i guess the pay sure made it up. it sucks because i need to wake up real early like 6 in order to make it in camp by 8am. This is the only job that needs you to run/gym every tue and fri at 730am. shucks this reminds me that i have to bring my uniform cover... though i have to wake up early, i guess it is good to build up fitness after a few months of inactivity. i dun grow fat, i just lose muscles and that is sad for me.

working 8-6 really shrinks my social life. going back my hostel feeling tired from the travelling and how to exercise after work? no motivation. feels so alone in the hostel, where everyone is back at home. I could go back but i have to consider spending more time travelling which tires me even more.

my saturday seems to be spent in front of my tv... watching jacky wu's variety shows and downloading shows from my school server. slept like half my day away. now resorting to watch aviva open on ch 5... the duo choong/lee match is exciting. but i dun understand why would people pay to sit all the way at the back. Maybe they are as bored as me, so there to be immersed into the atmosphere. i rather stay at home, at least can watch close-up.

cant wait for my pay to come and i have to pay for hostel and phone bills. need to save for my hk trip... i feel tired because:

1. my biological clock have not adjusted to post-exam mode?
2. the fact i have to work?
3. i have not been exercising?
4. i am feeling sick?
5. i have not been shopping?
6. i have no life?

american idol: i guess it would be a kelly-justin showdown so final 2 i hope to see melinda-blake. please dun give me lakisha (fantasia-wannabe) or jordin (diana degarmo-like), though she's young and has potential but her hair reminds me of what i was eating during exam period for supper. so predictable. melinda is different, always give masterclass performance so i dunno why people say melinda's predictable? you mean she has to suck (reads: performance-wise) in order to be interesting? she's versatile for sure.

..:: 488. The One With 1st Day at Mindef ::..

embarrassed. that pretty much summed up how i felt at the end of the day. i was almost killed by boredom and later embarrassment. first, i had to report at 8am and so i did. waited at the lounge with another guy and we practically read all the newspapers there and did nothing for the whole day. Our bosses werent in the office and the staff was busy 'fighting fire'. I am involved in something rather challenging, or rather i am assigned to a department that has very high security cos i handling documents and info that is higher than confidential which of course i cannot reveal anything here. So far i have only touched restricted and seen confidential.

I know you may think, so what's the big deal... i was the most junior officer there though. walked around the office, at least a captain, if not would be major, ltc or colonel. I am definitely going to learn more from this attachment, build connections and strangely i am working with rather high-profile officers, who were once sword(merit/honour) holders. What is worse, even the clerk there who is just a corporal is a PSC scholar o_O... so now u see how small i felt.

here comes the unpleasant part. i was coming back from lunch and there was this guard who stopped me and told me:

'sir, i have to write your name down. Your hair is too long'

i looked at him, frowned, cos i cut my hair before i came in... i pointed at my hair,

'you mean this is considered long' in a rather stern voice, almost sounding like dont mess with me.

he then claimed it was my sideburns that were too long. so a gungho corporal embarassing an officer. that is something new... not that i am throwing my weights but i was pissed cos of 2 things.

First, one of the officer with me was surprised by his action cos my sideburns were not shaved but they were not long...

Second, the 'psc' clerk told me the guard 'is like that, always so gungho, catching people'

Also, in the morning while walking with my friend into the camp, he told me a guard stopped my friend's friend for long hair. He was lucky to have his boss with him so when the guard told my friend's friend the same thing about booking him and writing a letter to his superior, his boss turned to the guard and said,

'so what you want to write to me about?'

At first i felt amused but when i experienced the 'trauma' myself, i understood why the boss acted in that way. The guard was such an ass. If you tighten security then i would say good job, but go around catching long hair which was not long in the first place... My friend's friend and I were only 2LT so i guess we are quite an easy target. I bet i go to the canteen i saw people with sideburns longer than mine.

why am i so mad? cos my boss havent even met me and the first thing he would get is the letter and it doesnt speak very well of me, right? damn pissed. now i have to explain to him on mon, hopefully he is understanding enough. To think i have to ask my boss for offs and leave for school events and personal stuff, i cannot imagine how much harder it would be. hopefully, he sees it as a trival matter, if not later he give me extras duty, that would pretty much sucked.

once you get into university, it is very hard to shave off that sideburns. Cant we keep the sideburns and be neat? Does it really affect the professional image the army is projecting? I guess i have to suck thumb and shave my sideburns like i used to do. i have to pay to eat at the canteen cos there is no cookhouse? darn. transport there already burning my pocket. i know i am earning a substantial amount but if you can save on meals, why not?

you can see my first day was not pleasant. bah.

went to catch spidey 3 with my sister. bumped into steven. admired his coloured hair and he maybe going to aust to study medicine. wish him good luck! the doctor who clubs. spidey 3 was the best i felt... though some felt otherwise. minus the audience - some guys think it was funny to laugh loudly at commercials, while one guy beside me was commenting aloud when the lin junjie's mtv-like commercial played, 'wah now play chinese mtv, cannot play trailers?' wah i felt like asking to shut the f up.

the movie full of touching moments and action scenes were great, feels like watching marvel vs capcom double duels. so noble for harry to sacrifice for his friend... even when we are desperate or in distress, we still can make the right choice. (rephrased)

like for me, i didnt punch or curse that guard :)

..:: 487. The One With Comparison ::..

talking about comparison, i am best at juxtaposing and complaining. first being a self-critic, i have the tendency to compare almost everything. i remembered in jc times, i was busy comparing life in hwa chong and in anderson, how i miss the culture, frenz, teachers in hwa chong... until my tutor told me i should stop comparing and life would be better for me...

then in army, i compare myself with my peers. i guess the competitive me made comparison a source of motivation for me. apparently, i received less bonus than my friend. I was quick to conclude that i sucked and after my one year of what-i-thought-i-did-well turned out to be a reality that smacked me hard. Now i have to force myself to think that the result is not important, what is more important is what i have achieved.

Being a human was supposed to be easy but expectations and comparisons have definitely made it harder. For me, being skinny is not what i wanted, i choose to eat a lot but i cannot help it if i cant grow fat. Girls tell me, guys look better if they are fit, i was like 'duh'. If only i have the mass to start with? 'Fat -> burn to muscles' is easy. 'Thin -> grow mass -> grow muscles' apparently is harder. Now even male singers not only have to worry about their vocals, they had to 'out-fit' others, if you have the chest, u flaunt it. if you have the abs, u show it in your album cover. it's fact of life i guess, sex sells. are these physical appearances beginning to overshadow character, ability? i guess quite a lousy example to cite cos being a celebrity, one is expected to have a whole package.

i just hate it when reports compare album sales. so what he yeow sun had sales that topped the charts and stefanie sun became 2nd? arent they both singaporeans? after all, yanzi still won best female in 金曲奖 :X

another comparison: SMU vs NTU. I have frenz in SMU who didnt really quite enjoy life there. The 'portrayed' outspoken students and the high involvement in class participation... SMU produces articulate students and stuff... they made it sound like NTU dont. i mean during interviews, if they choose articulate applicants, how hard is it for the school to train them? 12000 salary is like perhaps 1 or 2 graduates. the average could be so much lower. i am still proud of NBS, a well-known business school ... i had a fren who was conducting interviews and came across graduates applying for this finance job in her company. She screened through and mostly were (unsurprisingly) from the 3 universities. As expected SMU graduates came out to be articulate, but to my surprise, she told me when she questioned some about their knowledge and industry-related stuff, they werent as outstanding as those from NUS, NTU. I was happy to hear that but then it is what she told me, perhaps she knew i was from NBS.

dunno why i get so defensive over such stuff... anyway, going to collect my new passport and attend an exhibition. i dont like holidays :( i missed attending classes, meeting my frenz... i hate to work but i love the money.

Hongkong, here i come.

..:: 486. The One With 燕姿签唱会 yanzi autograph session ::..

it was at central mall... and crazy me went there during exam period. the session was scheduled to start at 3 but i had to be there at 1pm and i was already at the 3rd section away from the stage. i guess the die-hard fans really came in the morning. it was a bright and sunny SUN afternoon, i was amidst the crowd studying for my IT paper. i took a glance and about 1/2 was AT (ah tiongs, a term used by NTU students on people frm china) i know its really bad to give nicks but hey when u are part of the culture u just have to suck it up.

it was rather dreadful. you would expect to sit and wait, so i dont understand why the hell would a gal (sadly an AT) wear such a tight and short skirt. Of all things, she had to go sleeveless and she sat with both her legs on one side. her sweaty and sticky fleshy arm had to stick to my skin! i tried to shift away from her which proved to be 'fatal'. she got more space and decided to take picture of her friend who was beside her. Obviously she had to lean back ONTO me so her fren wouldnt have a bloody zoom up on her face. i swear i could have scissors and cut her hair. After my 1/3 (yes 2 more to go) ordeal, another AT in front was reading her sms and occasionally lean back and flip her hair. I was so glad i brought a hard cover book, it was really handy, i shifted front to block the gal and my left to block another, wah so fun -_-

when we stood up, all started to squeeze to the front. there was this AT couple beside me. The gal had went through the barricade and squeezed between me and her bf. at first i couldnt exactly see her, cos she didnt fall into my level of sight. i looked down and saw her 'playing' with her bf, teasing away. she kept nudging me and i wanted to pull her hair or chant some sutra. Why are people so insensitive, unaware of their actions? all didnt even bother to say sorry.

i was so glad i could see what was happening on the stage, poor girls. i feel sorry for u girls. i think they could only take head shots, i could actually offer them help but guess not.

ended at 5pm and wanted to sit down and rest but i guess going home to shower would be the wise choice.

btw yanzi's new album, against the light 逆光 is really nice. think her best album. i loved almost all the songs inside.

2 more days before going back to army. hopefully i get to touch ndp stuff and get free tickets. lol.

..:: 485. The One With Vacation ::..

havent blog for so long... didnt want to feel guilty cos i always spend lots of time blogging and not on studying. the moment i came back from finland, i felt like i was caught in a whirlwind. everything started piling and projects after projects...

just had my last paper. was quite relieved i didnt freak out for my accounting paper and it was rather do-able. my IT paper was quite bad, expected enterprise resource system to come out but i didnt memorise enough the features... had mental block and didnt elaborate as much. haiz. my biz law, i misread a 10m question. hopefully i can still get my A :( FM was rather easy but as usual finance not my cup of tea, expecting a B.

cant wait for new academic year to start, i wanna specialise human resource! but in the meantime, shall party. having 2 birthday parties to attend.

download tv programs in school super fast. shows like grey anatomy, CSI, ANTM, heroes, etc. i can finally pack my books. my room is so messy... really hope i can get a single room.

my hair is back to black and short :( ready to go back army.

..:: 484. The One With Adventures in Finland ::..

wanna say hi to my family... after the cny i really missed them alot... cos they are the closest people you can ever be with and they will stand by you and believe in you no matter what. that is not like some friends whom i thought are cool to hang out but stab you behind your back and spreading rumours. whatever basis they are on, i mean true friends would be concerned and wouldnt have their tongues wagging and i guess everyone is entitled to be sinful in the new year so i guess i shall forgive.

anyway thanks for those who are concerned and i am really a nice person for those who know me so appreciate that trust and i do have my career to worry about.

ok back to my adventures, before i indulge in my own world, i have to say i am pretty pissed with all the pressing matters... accounting project, fm quiz, biz law essay assignment, how come last sem i had so much tasks but i enjoyed all of them? Just checked my edveNTUre and saw the new IT project that we had to do on VISTA, a 3000-word essay???

after my trip to finland, i would appreciate singapore's 7% GST better... here 22% is crazy man. i missed the taxi rides in singapore and if i am going to stay for long, i would be bankrupt cos the food here is so ex! 1 euro is about 2 S$. so throughout the entries, go figure.

when i exited the airport, i was shocked by the temperature. -20 degrees, i have never been to a cold country let alone see snow. so my face felt like it was pressed against an iceberg. took a bus to central railway station to catch a tram back to hotel. the bus ride was 3.60 (S$ 7.20), there was just the beginning.

paid for this helsinki card which entitled you to unlimited bus and tram rides and free entry to places of interests. 50 euro for 3 days. then i went to this pizza buffet at FORUM, a local shopping centre. 7.50 euro and i just love buffets though not much variety.



then checked in at 2pm where i was desperate for internet access cos i need to send presentation to my group, but singapore time was like 8pm and i think i pissed them badly :( so sorry. i could only check in at 2pm :(



amazed by the lift, have to pull open the door, unlike singapore's automatic sliding doors. stayed in a hostel which was sufficient in its amenities plus it is cheap! so cold that i had to wear abt 5-6 layers.

day 2 started with audio city tour, where they drove us around and we just had to put on earphones... went to the senate square and saw this...



the whole lake was frozen!



went to the olympic stadium tower. climb like siao and the sight up there was worth it but freezing, my ears and nose almost dropped!





visited the national museum, it was rather big, from looking at stones, till fashion, education, etc.
i am glad i didnt have to study history in finland.



then went to a cafe where i got to try the famous napoleon cake. the filling tasted like wheat and oats but sweet with crispy crust on top. the cake itself is like 4 euros. had salmon salad for like 8 euros.



had a 3-course expensive dinner which cost about 120+ sing.
reindeer carpaccio hauhala goose liver
broiled white fish served with a lapland potato and crayfish pastry and sauce
white chocolate pastry served with cloudberry soup



took a 15 minute ferry ride from Helsinki market square to Suomenlinna, freezing cold, my nose felt like it was dropping off, especially so when i forgot my scarf.



came back in the afternoon, went to finnish parliament which was bigger than local one and i was intrigued by the electronic voting system... visited the post museum then another university museum, trying to make full use of the helsinki travel card.



took a train ride to rovanemi which is about 8 hrs. went to santa claus village which was so much fun - husky ride, snowmobile ride, photo with santa claus.







went to the igloo hotel and for the first night, i saw the northern light and stayed in a traditional snow igloo. it was super cold and i had to run around before tucking into the sleeping bag. second night, i stayed at a glass igloo where i can see the sky and stars... the staff vacuumed the snow so i can always have the perfect view...







my virgin experience in skiing and sledge rides was unforgettable... visited Tampere University of Technology... nice school, think the buildings look better than NTU but just smaller campus.

i miss Finland...

..:: 483. The One With My Best Birthday Gift ::..

eh. to be politically correct, i love all the gifts that i have received. cos somehow all were according to my taste. so thanks so much.

thanks shannen for the cute card and the vouchers to my fave esprit.
jj's mum for buying me a blue shirt from esprit.
my sis for the boxers
my sis for pizza
my mum and dad for $
samuel for the gift which i haven opened yet
and my fren for the big big cake? lol.

oh ya not forgeting those who sent their well-wishes... too many to list down but thanks alot, you guys have made my day by remembering my birthday

at about 1815, doorbell rang...



wah so big box. i was stunned but pleasantly surprised...

then i quickly opened and 'wow'



cant help but take a poser pic of it.

celebrated with my family which apparently too small to conquer the cake.



for the first time in 1 yr, i spent the most number of days at home during cny. lol.

my sister treated us to pizza :)



tml finland! cant wait. i haf a key to unlock all impossibilities :)

..:: 482. The One With I'm 21! ::..

wheeeeeee... welcome myself to the adulthood. as the accounting equation goes:

asset = liability + owner's equity.

i have increase in liability but no increase in asset. I guess in a way i have less money to give my parents cos i will most probably spend it on my other half? lol.

caught the first episode of amazing race-all stars, woke up at 9am specially to watch the live telecast. cos i am a rob-and-amber supporter. so sad john vito and jill got eliminated :( they were a great couple too. lessons learnt in this episode:

1. later flights do not mean later arrival time.
2. if unsure of the place, ask a person to drive and guide u there. do not depend on verbal directions

this yr ang pow not bad eh. maybe 21st bday plus going overseas... cny getting boring each year. cos my relatives getting lesser and lesser. last time visit cos there are senior relatives like grandma and stuff but now somehow the circle has shrunk.

cant wait to have dinner with my family. parents gonna cook and ordering pizza :P and receiving a mystery surprise gift :)

happy birthday to myself!!! :P wheeeeeeee...........

P.S: oh did u know britney spears shaved her head? now she's botak. bad hair day :X or no hair?