Orangeous Dailies

Received a Facebook message from my friend, Z, last night:

Chris! Whilst surfing through my friend’s Contact List, I noticed one of his profile pic to be VERY familiar! And it turns out to be YOUR profile pic! Could it possibly be copied? Take a look: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1050306311

I viewed the profile.

Identical looking, but with a different name.

What?! I don’t even know this guy.

[ Update: 020620 ]

Profile has been removed by Facebook.

‎3D2N in Bangkok with Jessie, Michelle, Firdaus, Aldo, Alex and Kelvin.

Despite a state of emergency being declared and curfew being enforced due to the riots, we felt pretty safe there. We stayed at Inn Saladaeng.

From the airport.

The arrival hall was quite empty when we arrived on a Friday morning.

Inn Saladaeng.

Inn Saladaeng.

Inn Saladaeng, minutes away from the nearest train station, was a really cosy place to stay in. We managed to fit 4 people into the room. On really drunk nights, we managed to squeeze five in and still sleep very comfortably. They even had a bar counter downstairs with free sandwiches and snacks!

We visited quite a few places this time round and this was the first time Jessie and I came to Bangkok with such a big group. Good food and good company. The curfew didn’t affect us much because we spent our time drinking and playing card games at night. The shopping malls were very empty now due to the political uncertainty and we did some aggressive bargaining.

We did manage to capture a few shots of the burnt-down Central World.

Central World Destruction.

Central World Destruction.

Central World Destruction.

Central World Destruction.

Even the locals were crowding around to snap photos of the destruction.

Photo album: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sukianto/sets/72157624766990539/

Bangkok.

Be right back on Monday, 310510.

Students in Room 101 are just like machinery. The moving parts need to be oiled frequently to ensure maximum efficiency. The ones which break down are immediately scrapped. No room for mistakes here.

Interview Bits

Do you feel that Room 101 challenges relate to real life experiences?

All: The same way which we work towards our goals in real life. We had to be really careful so that we do not go the wrong way.

The intensity of the challenges allowed us to see the true colours of the people around us. They were not the same people we “saw” when we met for the first time.

Most importantly, we have to remain happy and congratulate ourselves often and enjoy the smaller accomplishments in life.

Contest

Free movie tickets are given out on a weekly-basis.

The question for this episode is: Which body part was thrown out too far by Elizabeth?

To participate, please fill in the online form at http://bit.ly/room101quiz

Spread the word amongst your friends to come have a look at the video, take part in the contests and comment.

Waiting for 45 minutes on the line for someone to pick up isn’t so bad after all. There are worse things to come.

When we tried cancelling our flight two weeks ago due to the political turmoil in Bangkok, we were told to call back again on 24th May.

When we called back again on 24th May (today), we were told that their cancellation policy changes weekly and we were told to call back on 26th May.

By the way, our flight was supposed to be on 28th May. Flight tickets to Ho Chi Minh were already filling up fast, and with all the miscellaneous fees, the ticket prices were ridiculous.

We have no choice now but to go to Bangkok.

We have to re-book Inn Saladaeng which we had cancelled earlier. According to the news, night curfews have been extended for a week, so night shopping is a no-no. We seriously don’t want to get shot. Central Mall has been reduced to ashes. They’re cleaning up all the shit the after the protests. I don’t expect many places to be open.

Honestly, I’m really wondering what the hell on earth we’re supposed to do there. Getting wasted every night in the hotel room?

The lesson is, when you deal with low cost carriers, be prepared for the worst possible service… ever. Haha! We get what we pay for! Just be damn sure that the country you’re going to doesn’t end up in a shit storm. Then again, who knows?

I had an interesting conversation with a security guard today.

Guard: Hey Sir! How are you?

Me: Hey. I’m fine. Wow, you’re working the weekend shift?

Guard: Ya man, what to do? I have a lot of duties to cover this month.

Me: That’s tough.

Guard: This is a lot better than my previous job. That was a lot tougher.

Me: What did you work as?

Guard: Bouncer at XXXX, XXXX, XXXX clubs.

Me: A lot of drunkards to deal with uh?

Guard: Yes. People can be very friendly with you at the entrance. They smile, shake your hand… happy happy. Then 30 minutes later, they cannot recognize you.

Me: Wow, that’s fast.

Guard: Drunk already! I got stabbed 13 times you know. 13 times man.

Me: Shit! That is bad!

Guard: 2 weeks in hospital. My little boy was crying non-stop. My wife was really worried.

Me: This place is a lot better right?

Guard: Yes, my wife told me that earning less is alright. As long as she doesn’t have to worry whether I will come home alive every morning.

Me: That’s good for you man. Happy to hear that.

Happy 25th birthday my dear Jessie!

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We had dinner at Ma Maison Restaurant.

Ma Maison Restaurant.

Making Jessie put on some temporary tattoos.

That’s a huge candle.

Jessie and her birthday cake.

Jessie cutting her cake.

(From left) Firdaus, me, Jessie, Chee Nin, Michelle, Hui Ching, Sylwyn, Wen Jie, Aldo and Kelvin.

Followed by drinks at Brewerkz.

Cheers to the birthday girl.

(From left) Wen Jie, Aldo, Me, Jessie, Chee Nin, Kelvin, Firdaus, Hui Ching, Michelle and Sylwyn.

When we left Brewerkz, everyone took out their sprays from their bag and emptied them over Jessie.

Spraying Jessie with party string.

Videos: Blowing Out The Candles and Party String Spray

Photo album: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sukianto/sets/72157624187034054

Related: Jessie’s 25th Birthday

Blowing Out The Candles

Jessie’s 25th birthday celebration at Ma Maison @ The Central. She’s blowing out a huge candle on her cake.

Party String Spray

Jessie, the birthday girl, gets sprayed with lots of party string.

I drove past Spottiswoode Apartments out of curiosity. I wanted to see how things have changed since we moved out in March this year.

Tearing down the place.

Michelle and I grew up there.

Michelle and I standing near the playground.

Jessie turned to me and asked, “Nostalgic uh?”

I don’t know why, but I felt really sad as we drove off.

Constructed by Gabbie.

This architectural wonder was captured by Michelle right after Gabbie pooped.

The new feature reduces Google phone users’ cell phone costs while providing them with unobtrusive, personalized ads delivered in a friendly whisper.

Carlos.

Sometimes, Carlos can be really insensitive.

The remaining students are now caught up in a… sticky situation.

Interview Bits

What motivated you to join Room 101?

All: Room 101 is fun, basically because it is very creative and has not been done before. We’re looking for an adventure, which is why we joined.

Moreover, the concept of online reality shows are picking up, further propagated by the likes of clicknetwork.tv and Munkysuperstar Pictures.

Marissa: It’s just like VBS.tv.

Sean & Jason: As performing artistes, the nature of our job requires a lot of exposure, which is why we joined. We are just marketing ourselves!

Ethan: I took this as a personal challenge. I believe I can do it.

Contest

Free movie tickets are given out on a weekly-basis.

The question for this episode is: Sandwiches can go from plain boring to the insane. This week’s episode has got WHO in a sandwich between two girls?

To participate, please fill in the online form at http://bit.ly/room101quiz.

Spread the word amongst your friends to come have a look at the video, take part in the contests and comment.

Self-laminating Cards.

Repeat after me:

1. I understand that it costs $4+ for 4 pieces and is available at most stationery shops.

2. I will never use these to laminate any important documents.

3. I understand that I need a lot of skill and precision to avoid creases, and risk ruining the original documents.

4. I will head to a printing shop should the need arise to laminate important documents.

Thank you.

Bangkok descends into chaos, once again.

This is extremely frustrating for the seven of us, who were supposed to go there some two weeks from now. We were extremely happy when the chaos seemed to die down a while ago. We looked forward to the massive bargains as stallholders began to recoup their losses. Then all of a sudden the situation worsened.

The flights available on Jetstar from 28 to 30 May to other locations are mostly fully booked. We have to meet up tonight to reach a consensus on a new location… and start calling their hot-line number. The online reviews I’ve read about low cost carriers poorly handling such cancellations don’t seem to help our situation either.

Some of them have already got their annual leave approved a long long time ago. I don’t think they can make amendments to it. This means that we can’t come back on the 31st, a Monday night, where flights are cheaper and available.

This is getting really messy.

[Update: 2330H]

We’re considering changing our flight to Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City. Honestly, we don’t know anything much about this place, other than a Vietnamese friend’s recommendation that it is better than Hanoi. According to Jetstar, we can’t change anything till 24th May, which is 4 days before our flight.

Apparently, lots of Singaporeans go over to Bangkok to tailor their business coats. On the first day you arrive, the measurements will be recorded. A few days later (on your final day), the completed coat will be delivered to your hotel room. It’s a lot cheaper than getting one made in Singapore.

I asked my friend, Jaydee, for tailor recommendations but he advised against it. The quality of coats is starting to drop. Tailors have started to use cheap and poor quality material to make the coats.

They get away scot free. You don’t notice the poor workmanship until you arrive back home.

A soldier came to a fork in the road and saw a lady standing there. Out of breath, he asked, “Please!!!! May I hide under your skirt for a few minutes? I’ll explain why later.”

The lady agreed.

A moment later, two Military Police came running along and asked, “Miss, have you seen a soldier running by here?”

The lady replied, “He went that way.”

After the MPs disappeared, the soldier crawled out from under her skirt and said, “I can’t thank you enough, but you see, I didn’t want to go to ATEC .”

The lady said, “I think I can fully understand your fear.”

The soldier added suggestively, “I hope you don’t think that I am rude or impertinent, but you have a great pair of legs!”

The lady replied with a shy and sexy grin, “If you had looked a little higher, you would have seen a great pair of balls too … I didn’t want to go to ATEC either.”

Source: 40 Stripes.

Celebrated Gabriel’s 24th birthday at Bobby’s @ Cuppage.

(Seated) Gabriel. (Standing, from left) Wenjie, Clarisse, Amelia, Jessie and I.

Gabriel and his birthday cake.

Gabriel posing with his presents.

Gabriel posing with his presents.

Gabriel’s balloon present.

The 12 students are put through a real test of concentration.

Contest

Free movie tickets are given out on a weekly-basis.

The question for this episode is: Name the person who wanted to say “eff you!” to the head banging guys.

To participate, please fill in the online form at http://bit.ly/room101quiz. The official site is at: http://www.room101.tv.

Spread the word amongst your friends to come have a look at the video, take part in the contests and comment.

Room 101 Concept

Each week, a bunch of unsuspecting students are stuffed into Room 101. They do their best to complete exams, bombarded with distractions, obstacles and other miscellaneous oddities.

After every exam, the student with the poorest results is sent home by Ms Saucy Skirt, Room 101′s teacher extraordinaire. As the weeks and exams race by, the class steadily shrinks. And each week, those clever little devils who are left, increase their chances of winning the grand prize – an action adventure holiday for themselves and a buddy, down under.

Room 101 is a creation of PSB Academy. At PSB, they know that life out in the world can be tough. That’s why they provide a challenging learning environment for their students. Sort of like a real world simulator. Just like Room 101. And like Room 101, when students graduate from PSB Academy, they’re ready for anything.

Why Orangeous?

The PSB Academy marketing chanced upon Orangeous and rang me up. I took up the offer to write for this marketing campaign.

Yes. I am a student of PSB Academy. Heh!

No. That is not the main reason why I joined this campaign. I got the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes and conduct weekly interviews with all 12 contestants. It was pretty interesting because these people act and talk the same way offline and online. Suffice to say, they don’t put up a fake front during filming. They are 100% natural, with no preservatives added.

The participants.

(From left) Me, Victoria, Janice, Jason and Elizabeth.

Sean giving his opinion.

(From left) Me, Victoria, Janice, Natasha, Elizabeth and Sean.

I get to do what I like the most, blogging. I get an invaluable gauge of how good the reach of Orangeous is. I only see tons of page hits, and very few comments. It’s time for you (yes, you) to identify yourself and say something!

There are weekly contests as well with free movie tickets to be given away. So you go and decide whether you want to take part.