Orangeous Dailies

A bike messenger chases a skater through the streets of London. Included in the official selection of the Bicycle Film Festival, Filmed by Bike and the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival. By William Prouty.

The camera work is simply awesome!

Iced Gems Biscuits

While Michelle and I were very young, we would always eat biscuits like these. We would first eat the brown part, leaving behind an entire plate full of colorful clumps of icings.

Same goes for Oreos, leaving behind only stacks of white cream.

Then we would take our time and enjoy the so-called nice portions which were left. We were just saving the best for last!

I know I haven’t been blogging since Monday and I’ll be right back with the backdated posts.

I just feel weird. Normally before I create an entry, I’ll have a cigarette. I spend 6 minutes puffing away and thinking about what to write. Now that I don’t have the cigarettes anymore, I feel so fucking slow.

It took me 7 minutes to write this entry.

This is so fucking ridiculous. Argh!

28 month anniversary at Tapas Wine Bistro

Jessie pulled off another surprise dinner. She lured me to Holland Village, claiming to be interested in trying out Monster Mash. She then dragged me into Tapas Wine Bistro, wished me a happy anniversary, and gave her name to the waiter. Kenneth had already reserved a table for us, and he was nice enough to throw in two complimentary glasses of wine!

While we were having dinner, Jessie whipped out two movie tickets for Dark Knight at GV Grand, 9 p.m. I didn’t know she planned this far!

And I realized there was a card sitting on my computer table when I reached home…

Card from Jessie.

Happy 28 month anniversary to you, my lovely girl!

I’ve been alcohol-free for a month now.

Time to start kicking the last demon in the butt…

SMOKING!

This time no nicotine gum, patch or any of that bullshit. Just drinking cranberry juice throughout the day, every 3 hours. to keep my blood sugar from plummeting.

Go read the follow articles if you’re quitting as well…

1) Minimizing common side effects :

http://www.whyquit.com/joel/Joel_01_13_gradual_withdrawal.html

If I can make it for the first 72 hours, my body will completely rid itself of nicotine and things will only get better from then on.

Saw the aftermath of a fatal accident outside Tiong Bahru Road. A champagne-colored Nissan parked at the side of the road with its hazard lights on. Police were there controlling traffic and there was a blue tent near the traffic lights. A group of curious onlookers gathered on the side of the road where the tent was.

Hope the body beneath the tent doesn’t belong to somebody I know.

[ Update : 210708 ]

Straits Times Article – 210708

Jessie and I met up with Jun Wee (aka Acros in InlineKaki forums), for an evening skate. He gave us plenty of tips, guided us along, and patiently waited for us as we made our way from Carpark B1 to the heart of East Coast Park. He brought us to Hvper Skate Shop (right next to 7-11) where the members always met up.

There we met…

1. Rick (aka CrazyGoose)

2. Edmund (aka Frozenstein)

3. Benny, and others… I’m really bad at recalling names, but I clearly remembered their faces. They were all very nice people. And there are tons of people we haven’t met yet, but we will… soon!

Those guys were really humble, very friendly and they gave us really good and honest advice. And we had a good time laughing as well. I’m now wobbling on my right skate due to very weak ankles, and the only prescription they gave was to skate more. Jun Wee told me to try bending low, reducing the number of strokes and balance on one feet at a time.

The guys invited us to skate with them on Sunday. I’m not sure whether Jessie and I are able to catch up with our poor form. We don’t really want to hinder them, so probably we’ll meet them after they’re done.

Jessie improved a lot today. Today I noticed her shifting her weight around the legs. Good job. And her ass is firming up a lot as well after these weeks of skating. Even better job!

I guess a perfect form just takes time, and tons of practice! Once Bernadette completes her assignments this week, the three of us are going to start clocking some serious mileage.

The Primary 2 kid and I were having picture discussion.

Me : Is it alright to swim in the sea during a thunderstorm?

Boy : No! You will get electrocuted!

Me : What else would happen?

*I expected him to talk about high waves and strong currents*

Boy : The fish would go crazy!

Me : Why is that so?

Boy : All the wild fish will swim away so that they will not get electrocuted by the lightning. And they will swim so fast and bang into you.

Me : So what happens next?

Boy : You will injured and die.

Interesting!

One Rochester

Pang, Bernadette, Jessie and I chilled out at One Rochester. It’s basically a huge bungalow converted into a gastro-bar (a pub that sells food).

We managed to get a table, tucked away in a corner of the garden. Pang and I were sweating away because there wasn’t much wind there, but the girls were surprisingly alright. Probably something to do with the thick makeup?

It’s so comfortable here.

Pang just love to touch people at the wrong areas.

Me and Pang

Jessie and I

Jessie bought a new camera, so the two girls started cam whoring.

They never run out of poses.

A pint of beer costs $15. I bought a Rainforest mocktail for $14 (ouch! that’s pricey for a mocktail). This day marked 3 weeks of alcohol-free life for me.

Cheers! I was probably stunned by the flash.

Address

No 1 Rochester Park

Singapore 139212

http://www.onerochester.com

Bont Jet – My first pair of inline speed skates

So I switched from recreational skates to a pair of entry level race boots, the Bont Jet (4X100mm). Just like trading in an old car for a brand new Ferrari.

I had to re-learn most of the things I used to do on a recreational skate, since the frames were much longer now and there was no more cuff support. I stumbled around for the first half hour like a total idiot. What happened afterward could only be described as… highly addictive.

The sudden increase in speed. The wind blowing past my face. As I pushed harder and harder with each stride, I was excited, yet extremely fearful of falling. Because of improper technique, I could only go that fast.

The new skates opened new doors to learning. With the increased flexibility, I can now experiment with new stuff such as skating on the outside edges without any restrictions, bending low and extending my pushing leg as far out as I can.

Because as much as I value my hair, I value life. In support of the children who lose their hair in their fight for life/health, I’ll lose mine too. – Shelly

I’m dedicating this post to Shelly and her family. It was remarkable enough that Shelly went bald, losing all those years of precious hair, in the name of charity. It was even more amazing that the entire family followed suit.

Read her post here : http://shellylives.wordpress.com/2008/07/06/hairless/

Jessie and I were so touched by what they did that we decided to donate! Go read the post, go watch the video, and tell me if you feel the same way too!

Two weeks ago… Dad was away on a week long business trip, and Mum played host to two of her friends from Sydney. They had just completed a tour round Europe, and their final stopover was in Singapore. So they stayed over for a period of four days. Mum slept in Michelle’s room, leaving the master bedroom to the both of them. One of them, Selina, her childhood friend, worked as a midwife and lawyer back in Sydney.

I was trying desperately to finish my Financial Accounting project, while the three of them were relaxing on the sofa, watching TV. Then mum came into my room.

Mum : My junior nurses asked me to join them at Clinic? Is that place very nice?

Me : Expensive. And I think you’ve seen enough of operating tables and wheelchairs.

Mum : Ok. I told them I won’t be free till later on.

Me : Will they be at Clinic the whole night? I can drop you later.

Mum : They will be at… *checks her handphone*… Ohh-Bar or something?

Me : I’ll drop you there. It’s at Mohammed Sultan. I think I know where.

Mum : Is the place very noisy?

Me : I have only been to Dbl-O. I think O-Bar is a winebar or something, right next to Dbl-O. Quiet chill-out place just like Indochine. *shit, I was totally wrong*

Mum : Good, I don’t want to go somewhere rowdy and noisy. I’ll let them know that we’ll be there at 11 p.m.

So the three of them got dressed, thinking there was a dress code or something. And I drove them down. I haven’t been to that Mohammed Sultan stretch for a long long time and I was surprised to find the street mostly empty on a Wednesday night.

We stopped outside Dbl-O. All the young punks with skinny jeans were crowding around the entrance, smoking away. Mum and her friends refused to get out of the car.

Mum : Oh no. I don’t dare to get out of the car. All the gangsters outside! This place is so rowdy.

Me : I think O-bar should be a quieter place. Why don’t you get your friend to come out and bring you all in?

Mum : Ok, I’ll call her.

*moments later, one of her junior nurses appeared, frantically waving at the car*

Mum : There she is! We better go.

I went home, continued to work on my project. At 2 a.m in the morning, the three of them came back. I could hear them giggling from far away. Mum was holding a half-finished bottle of Jim Beam. The three were slightly high I could tell… and smell.

Mum : Boy! You bluffed me. That place is so noisy! All teenagers around! We were so embarrassed! We were like the oldest people there!

Me : Oh, I thought it was a wine bar or something… nevermind. Wow, you all finished half the bottle!

Mum : We went for the free-flow first, then I didn’t want them to queue up to get the drinks, so I asked them if they wanted a bottle instead. I gave them a treat since they were really nice people!

Me : Then what about the Jim Beam? Why didn’t you give it to them?

Mum : They don’t want it. Tell you what, I’ll give you a treat tonight. Go keep the bottle in your room.

Me : Erm… *recalls the horrible tragedy when I was drunk*… I don’t want it. I’ll go put it in the kitchen.

Selina : Christopher!

Me : Yes?

Selina : Do you know what your mum did?

Me : No.

Selina : She boogied on the dance floor.

Me : What! She’s 55 this year!

Selina : Exactly, we all dragged her to the dance floor, and got her to dance!

Me : Did she enjoy it?

Selina : Absolutely! She had lots of fun! I haven’t seen her like this since we were teenagers! Your mum was always going to clubs and discos, sneaking out of the house at night. We called for a cab just now, and do you know what the taxi driver said to us?

Me : No, go on.

Selina : That place is for teenagers! And I said to him… we’re still young… at heart!

*the three of them started laughing*

I just can’t imagine my 55-year-old Mum gyrating away on the dance floor!

Dad : Coming to showroom? We are all at this… erm… Dakota showroom. You coming?

Me : Can’t. I’m going to East Coast.

Dad : Nevermind.

Half an hour later, I received a phone call from Dad, saying that he had bought a 3-bedroom unit on the 17th floor, Block 5. The 5% down payment already handed to the agent. And I didn’t even know what Dakota Residences looked like until I saw the catalog at home. The condo will be completed before 2011.

And you would say… Wow, that’s great. No, sorry, I think that’s fucked up decision making.

At least for Changi Rise, he asked everyone what their opinion was. We made trips many different showrooms during the weekends. We did a lot of comparison, lots and lots of catalogs sitting around on my dining table. We sat down, discussed about what we liked, and didn’t like.

But this time round, according to Michelle who tagged along, they viewed the show room, then decided to buy it on the spot! Even she was surprised how fast the decision was made.

Let me tell you why I think this is a stupid decision…

The proposed plan is this :

1) We’re currently staying in Spottiswoode Apt. We have to move out by December this year, due to en-bloc.

2) Changi Rise is being rented out, tenant will leave in early December, so that we have enough time to renovate the house and move in. A lot of money is spent on renovation this time.

Then they decide to buy Dakota, and move in when it’s done in 2011. Since we’re only living there for a few years, then renting it out subsequently, why the fuck bother renovate Changi Rise?!

We don’t grow money on fucking trees and I pray that the old man didn’t just make a shitty decision.

[Update : 080708]

Courtesy of Dad

I asked my sis, Michelle to help me get this book from Kino :

Speed on Skates – Barry Publow

I tried the drills with my current pair of K2 Velocity (4 X 78mm – HAHAHAHA), and there were no balance issues. Then I started to wonder how those drills would feel like on a pair of decent race skates. Being high up above on 4 X 100mm wheels, low cut boots without any ankle support. Yes… different.

I spent the last few days reading through skate reviews. I visited a skate shop, and the guys there kept on recommending customs. I’m new to the sport, I don’t need customs… yet! All I need is a pair of stock skates!

So I went back online again, and the people there were talking about Bont. Their cheapest entry level race skate was the Bont Jet. Reviews were good, pictures were good. And I made up my mind…

Bont Jet – Entry level race skate

SGD 719. Carbon composite Base. Microfiber liner. Microadjustable buckle. Hand made 1 piece all carbon. Super Mold Technology. EVA innersole. Heat moldable tongue. TPU toe protector. Lace cover. Aluminium S-frame. Bont ABEC 7 racing bearing. 100mm Hyper Stripe Wheels 85A.

I can’t wait till next Friday!

The NEW Daylight Robbery

Courtesy of Mark Wong.

Last Saturday, Jessie organized a martini party in her room. I didn’t drink a drop, and I didn’t need alcohol to join in the fun! Jessie made me lots of mocktails.

Cosy corner.

Pang, the bartender.

(From left) Elgene, Pang, me, Jessie and Bernadette

Thanks Bernadette for the bottle of Chivas!

Last Saturday…

She said we would be having dinner at Pariss International Seafood Buffet @ Marina Square, because she had some discount vouchers. When asked to produce those vouchers, she kept grinning and said it was with her mum.

Then she said she needed to collect some clothes she ordered from UOB building.

Then she asked me to park at Parliament House, so we could walk there.

Then she told me, after lots of questioning, that we would be having dinner at Indochine instead.

Then, while walking past Indochine, she told me to NOT to go in. She needed to collect her clothes before the shop closes.

Then she dragged me across the bridge.

Then while giggling and tugging me at the same time, she wished me a happy anniversary and dragged me into…

Fullerton Hotel!

She had booked a table for two, weeks ago, at Town Restaurant @ Fullerton Hotel.

Dinner was absolutely fantastic. It was a seafood buffet, even though the black pepper crabs lost out to Jumbo‘s, the desserts made up for it. I gorged myself silly with Oreo cheesecakes! And we ate so much oysters, we would probably be sex god and goddess in our next life!

Jessie and I at Town Restaurant.

Thank you my girl. And happy happy 27th month anniversary to you too. I love you to bits!