The Silent Scream

Walk The Line

2006-03-28T15:25:00.000+08:00

Like its four previous seasons, Season 5 of American Idol has seen numerous mini-controversies and memorable moments. From Simon almost quitting the show before auditions started in October of 2005, to Katharine McPhee's rumored breakdown during the semifinal round, to accusations of country-bumpkin Kellie Pickler being merely a less-talented Carrie Underwood. The latest in these uphill battles facing AI contenders is the recent bashing of haters in the message board's of rocker Chris Daughtry. Although CD has consistently gotten rave reviews from fans, observers and the judges (yes, even Simon!), he currently is facing huge criticism over his recent performance, an alternative rock-driven version of Johnny Cash's 1950's classic, "I Walk The Line". Apparently, some rock fans have commented CD's version being strikingly similar to a version done by alternative rock group Live in their Greatest Hits album. I personally have heard of Live's version, and it does sound similar to CD's version. So what?

I just hope petty criticism from haters do not hurt CD's chances. He is one who already deserves the title of American Idol, ten weeks away from the season's finale. America, please, for the love of God, don't make another mistake.

IT Show 2006

2006-03-11T22:09:00.000+08:00

Just got back from the IT Show over at Suntec City. I was quite fortunate this time as I got away with just spending $10.50. Usually, when I go to these consumer electronics shows, I end up spending for a new gadget that I did not even know I wanted before I saw it. I just bought three binders for my DVD collection.

What I hate about these IT shows, is the fact that families bring their babies to these extremely crowded exhibitions, using their prams to push people around. These actually use their babies as battering rams to push their way through the crowd ogling at gadgets. You also get a dose of ladies in skimpy outfits giving away flyers and it's so obvious that they know absolutely NOTHING about the products the flyers their giving away are talking about. But hey, I'm not complaining. Poor girls, sweating from the heat of the crowded exhibition hall, feet hurting in those 4 inch boots but they have another thing to worry about, sleazy old men trying to chat them up and get a better glimpse of the goods.

I'm not one to take advantage of this display, but I couldn't help myself. Wish I brought my actual camera.

Dance, Dance

2006-03-08T14:58:00.000+08:00

There's nothing hotter than a group of Asian girls pimpin up the dancefloor, even if it is during a talent show.

Knife

2006-03-08T14:52:00.000+08:00

Better be careful when you mess with hot Asian women. They'll cut you up!

Let It Snow

2006-03-08T14:46:00.000+08:00

I dunno bout you, but I've always hated the tropical weather here in Singapore. Imagine roasting away at 38 degrees Celsius everyday. Somedays..no, make that everyday, I try to imagine myself living in a world of snow. In my opinion, if it gets cold, you could always wear extra layers of clothes. When it's hot, however, no matter how little clothing you have on, you still look like a piece of roasted meat.

Check out what fun living in snow can bring.

When Punk Meets Pipe Bombs

2006-03-08T11:22:00.000+08:00

I came across this news item today. Damn ignorant cops.

FALSE ALARM AT OU
Oops ... This bike wasn’t a pipe bomb
Friday, March 03, 2006
Jim Phillips

ATHENS, Ohio — Ohio University police need to brush up on their obscure folk-punk bands.
An OU officer on patrol saw a bike in a busy area of campus early yesterday that sported a sticker reading, This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb.

Buildings were shut down. The Columbus Division of Fire’s bomb squad drove down to investigate. Authorities used a high-powered water spray on the bike, and then pried it apart with a hydraulic device.

Hours later, police learned that the sticker referred to the Pensacola, Fla., band This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb and had nothing to do with the bike’s contents.

The ordeal not only cost graduate student Patrick K. Hanlin his bike, but also earned him a misdemeanor charge of inducing panic.

The 28-year-old declined to comment yesterday.

The officer found the bike about 5:30 a.m. outside a campus snack shop. Hanlin later identified himself as the owner of the bike — what was left of it, anyway — and explained what the sticker meant.

Despite his cooperation, OU spokesman Jack Jeffery said yesterday afternoon that the student was charged criminally.

At a news conference shortly after the all-clear was announced, Dean of Students Terry Hogan said the sticker was benign. The concern was that it was on a bike.

So if it had been stuck on a telephone pole, none of this would have happened?

"I think that’s probably right," Hogan said.

Fire officials cordoned off a large section of campus and closed down four buildings while they investigated. It took them three hours to determine the bike was not set to explode.

Hogan said the bike was in a fairly high-traffic area of campus, but the buildings affected had not yet opened for business when it was found.

"I think the response was an appropriate one," Hogan said.

OU President Roderick McDavis agreed.
"We don’t take this as a joke," he said.

Sophomore Mike Fisher, who lives in a dorm less than 50 yards from the site of the incident, said students weren’t told what was going on yesterday morning. But he doesn’t blame Hanlin for what happened.

"Honestly, I just think it’s the cops being ignorant and taking things so literally," Fisher said.
Hogan, in a news release, encouraged other OU students and fans of the band not to display the band’s name in a way that could lead to safety concerns.

The band’s name prompted police in Austin, Texas, to detain a woman who had the same sticker on her bike at a peace rally in 2001. She was released after officers verified that the band exists.

What A Feelin'

2006-03-07T15:37:00.000+08:00

I should get to the gym more...

Enjoy!

Hero

2006-03-07T14:20:00.000+08:00

A few weeks ago, I came across this story, of a young, autistic boy becoming an instant celebrity. In this day and age of superstar athletes, it is so comforting to see some young people's dreams come true. It certainly did for Kason McElwain.

Cool eh?

Georgia On My Mind

2006-02-24T22:00:00.000+08:00

I am a Taylor Hicks fan. Yes, I'm not ashamed to admit it. There's something about a white-haired 29-year old that intrigues me. No, it's not because he has the vocal stylings of Joe Cocker (hehe), or the unique mannerisms of Ray Charles, it is because he loves what he does. And best of all, he's pretty darn good at it. He's the exact opposite of what people expect of an American Idol, and that's what's best about him.

Because of the popularity of old soul classics from Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, and the rest of Motown as of late, some bashers might consider him a copycat. A wannabe. A hick, if you will. I don't care. I just hope he does well so the rest of the world can see that even someone who doesn't look like Justin Timberlake can be a star.

Here We Go Again

2006-02-21T09:56:00.000+08:00

(This is a continuation of The Last Stop)

Once again, Singapore has proven once again that their official tourism slogan, "Uniquely Singapore", truly embodies the Singaporean spirit. Aside from the sometimes-unintelligible and rage-inducing elbows you get from old biddies on the subway, Singapore is totally unique.

One thing to note is that Singapore is the only country in the world (to my knowledge), whose General Elections is unscheduled. By unscheduled, it means that the Administration, lovingly called the gahmen, ("Government" with a Singaporean twang, get it? I didn't, at first.) can call for the elections whenever they jolly well want to. Huh? I'm expecting an election to be announced pretty soon, as is the trend in Singapore, just after announcing a budget, which gives away billions of dollars to citizens. Never mind, that the money actually comes from the citizens themselves. I guess the gahmen is already satisfied with the interest they earn on the money of tax-payers.

Another "Uniquely Singapore" moment is the disqualification of supposedly dangerous candidates to incumbent office-holders. Example: Last year, an election was to be held for the presidency of Singapore. Yeah, yeah, all of us know that the position of President is merely a title given away to loyal supporters of the current administration, but please, give us folks a holiday, man! The ONE day that workers have a day off fromm the usual bullshit of work. But of course, as usual, the election, if you can call it that, was cancelled, because of a lack of "suitable" candidates running against the incumbent. Of course, there would be no candidates, you disqualified them all! Grrr...

Just recently, another potential candidate, this time for the GE, was deemed to be bankrupt by the courts when he was ordered to pay astronomical damages to the former Prime Minister and father of the current Prime Minister. This happens merely a few months before the GE. Coincidence or conspiracy? You decide.

Just wondering. Why is it that news from the recent budget is missing one key component. In my opinion, the key component. This is the increase of the GST from the currently expensive 5% to the unreasonable rate of 7%. The media has been noticibly quiet about this piece of "good news". I predict that they will talk it after the elections. After Singaporeans re-vote for the incumbent who will, in no immediate future, be unseated.

Singapore, the only place where the saying "the only constant is change" is meaningless. Uniquely Singapore. Sigh....

Eye of the Tiger

2006-02-10T10:57:00.000+08:00

When I went back to Manila, it coincided with the Return of the King...of Philippine boxing, Manny "The PacMan" Pacquiao. This diminutive fireball, has captured the hearts and minds of the Filipino masses by defeating Eric "El Terrible" Morales in the 10th round during their fight at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Pacquiao's victory was hailed as the triumph of the Filipino. I have a friend who sells sporting equipment, including boxing gloves, punching bags, etc. She mentioned to me that her sales of boxing equipment has doubled since the much-celebrated victory.

Like any Filipino who has made it into the world stage, Pacquiao received much acclaim and praise from his peers and from the much-despied administration. In true political fashion, the President hosted the boxer at the presidential residence, Malacañang Palace. Hopefully, the PacMan is smart enough to avoid the path taken by former boxers like Onyok Velasco, who,after his silver medal in the 2000 Olympics, faded into obscurity, and once again, in poverty.

In the meantime, the PacMan enjoys his fame, including a hit single(yes, folks, he sings)..."Para Sayo"..which goes...

"Para sayo, ang laban na 'to. Hindi ako susuko..." This fight's for you. I won't give up. How apt.

Only in the Philippines.

Manila

2006-02-09T14:19:00.000+08:00

I just came back from a much-needed respite from Manila, my hometown. Living in Singapore these past few years have definitely dulled my senses, in terms of safety awareness and most of all, in the appreciation of the fairer sex. Not that the ladies here in Singapore all look like dogs, but the sighting of a truly beautiful woman is more prevalent there. There are notable hotties here in Singapore, namely...

However, I can't help but compare them to ladies like these...

This is why I miss home.

Baby I Love Your Way

2006-01-24T11:54:00.000+08:00

Last week I went online and bought independent music CDs from www.cdbaby.com. I checked it out and it offered an extensive selection of music from a wide range of genres. I ended up buying two CDs. The first was an album called Imagine We Were by Tribe of Heaven, which is basically 1990 recordings by Mark Roebuck, formerly of the band called The Deal and his friend, someone named Dave Matthews. This is a steal of an album. For only US$10.97, you will hear Mark and Dave's early recordings, including the song Song That Jane Likes, which is now one of the Dave Matthews Band's classic staples. Another gem is a cover of U2's In God's Country.

Here is a short writeup about the album.

Mark Roebuck, formerly of the 80s power-pop band the Deal, began work on Tribe of Heaven in 1989. He invited then fellow bartender Dave Matthews to assist him in writing and recording a CD-length project. Tribe of Heaven would produce a rich, folk-acoustic sound, woven with dark, sometimes melancholy themes.The Tribe of Heaven project included nine songs, five written by Mark Roebuck alone, three written by Mark Roebuck and Dave Matthews together, and one a cover of U2's "In God's Country." Mark and Dave both sang and played on all songs. Greg Howard added keyboards on "Imagine We Were" and "Half the Time." Mike Rosenski played guitar on "Touch." The recording was done locally in Scottsville, Virginia on 8 track reel to reel at the home studio of Greg Howard during two sessions separated by about 6 months.Tribe of Heaven was informally shopped around in early 1990, but without success. Dave would go on to form Dave Matthews Band the next year and include a Tribe of Heaven song, "The Song that Jane Likes," on the band's first release, Remember Two Things. The Tribe of Heaven project lay dormant for more than a decade until a revival of interest in Mark's various musical projects, and interest from Dave's fans, led to this release.

The second CD I bought was an independent album by a couple of pretty 16 year old girls from Canada. Bonnie McGrew and Kelsey Ngai has since developed a sort of cult following with their crystal-clear vocals and catchy hooks. Emotional tracks fill the album.

Here is a short writeup about the efforts of Opening Axe.

"A recording as sophisticated, classy and hook-filled as'Accidental' comes along so infrequently, we almost want to go door-to-door to tell people about it. This is a brilliant record, and all the more astonishing when one considers that Opening Axe's core singer/songwriters are just 16. Only regular airplay stands between these two and stardom."MARK RHEAUME, CBC RADIO

From 256 entries, OPENING AXE has just been awarded the TOPprize in the 2004 Okanagan Grown Band Competition! Bonnieand Kelsey look forward to their time in the studio with Juno award-winning producer Dave Tyson.Opening Axe released their CD entitled "Accidental"prior to Christmas and response has been overwhelming.The CD overtook big names to be the #1 selling recording in the Shuswap. Scott Ryrie, Manager of CD Plus, sayshe has "never seen anything like it".

The Observer declared "If one were to compare their sound, you might look at Michelle Branch and her acoustic guitar-driven sound with energetic and clear vocals".

The Phoenix's Endrene Shepherd wrote "All of the songs have a poetic prettiness that I believe many songwriters envy. Their guitars are fabulous...undeniably, these are two talented young women...this is a fantastic first effort.

"While the song "Tragedy" (written about a classmate who was killed in a drinking-driving auto accident) has received the most media attention and airplay, "Are We Alright", "Too Far In"and "Anybody But Me" are not only radio-worthy, they have sparked the interest of an A & R rep at major record labels!

A unique thing about CDBaby is that they give you the choice of getting the CDs shipped with or without the plastic case. You can ship up to 10CDs with the flat rate of US$7 (international shipping) if you choose this option. This is especially good for people like me who has tons of CDs with nowhere to store them. The CDs came nicely bubble-wrapped in a USPS parcel.

When I ordered the CDs, I expected them to arrive around 2 weeks later. But lo and behold, exactly one week after my order, the CDs arrived! That is fast shipping, considering the CDs came from Portland, Oregon and I'm here, all the way in Singapore. And by sheer miracle, the package wasn't tampered by the local post office. Don't get me started on this matter.

Anyway,for everyone out there looking for a good source of independent music which ships quickly and economically, take a gander at CDBaby. I know I will.

The Last Stop

2006-01-20T13:58:00.000+08:00

As I mentioned in my last entry, Singapore is full of idiosyncrasies. There is the practice of leaving a tissue packet on a table in the food court to reserve or "chope" the table. I've literally seen brawls occur when fellow diners don't respect the law of the tissue packet. I honestly haven't even heard of the term "chope" before I came to the Lion-state.

Another funny and sad thing I have noticed is the sheer stupidity of local programming. I do not limit myself to English programmes. The Chinese programmes, which I used to think were better, although having repetitive themes and plots, have turned for the worse. A year ago, there was this TV series that portrayed parts of Singapore as HELL. (I disagree. They shouldn't have limited themselves to City Hall.) When the most popular TV series in the country is about a curly-haired, moled contractor with a extra-long pinky fingernail who wears yellow boots, you know entertainment is at ist all time low. Then they do one better (or worse), they make the show into a stage production.

Lest I be thought of as overly cynical,I do admit I have a favorite. The show is callled "In Parliament". It is a reality show featuring overpaid, underworked government officials in sweaters talking about traffic laws and pet subsidies. And best of all, they know that whatever they say means nothing unless the GODFATHER says it is so. A truly compelling show.

Singapore is truly a unique metropolis. Where in the world will you find the Deputy Prime Minister as Chairman of the largest and ONLY news publisher and the First Lady as the CEO of one of the largest holding companies in the world? Only in Singapore. Uniquely Singapore.

To be continued...

Ride, Cowgirl, Ride

2006-01-19T15:31:00.000+08:00

Living in a country like Singapore, where people feign to be outraged when you say the word FUCK, you kinda get used to not seeing dirty magazines and explicit things on TV or the movies. When even Cosmopolitan is banned, you know you're living in a very sexually repressed society. Moral, but repressed.

And as studies have shown, the more you keep things from people, the more they want to get hold or expereince these things. Sex in the City used to play in HBO with the small note at the bottom: Not available in all territories. This "territories" is actually Singapore. But you know what? I bet that 90% of women here who have heard of Sex in the City have seen it through DVDs, VCDs or digital downloads.

A few years ago, my brother bought a copy of Disclosure on DVD. You know the movie. Michael Douglas gets sexually harrassed by his beautiful, sensual superior, Demi Moore. I played the DVD and lo and behold, the scene that the whole movie is based on, isn't even in there. It's like watching King Kong without the gorilla. It's outright ridiculous.

Anyway, you get used to it. Until I saw this monstrous contraption called the iGallop. It is a: a pathetic attempt to cash in on the success of products starting with the prefix "i" e.g. iPod, iMac, iTrip, etc, b: it is basically a stool with a moving top. I've seen people try it in the roadshows and people look really ridiculous on it. And the kicker is...check this out....

They market this product as a health product, actually, it looks oddly similar to another product with a slightly different purpose.

Go figure. Images of cowgirls....riding....laughing.... having the time of their lives... taking turns...

Just an image: Old 50-year old guy taking turns with his 50-year old wife while salesperson looks on anxiously telling them how they will look better after riding it.

Yuck.

Photograph

2006-01-17T17:03:00.000+08:00

Due to the advent of technology, the quality of pictures taken by the consumer have improved dramatically in the past few years. I remember when I was in elementary when photos taken by Polaroids seem to be the accepted means of capturing "Kodak" moment. Such an irony, isn't it. High school saw point and shoot cameras. When I was in college, I took up a photography course where the first photo we took was with an old can with a hole punched through it. This was called a Pinhole camera. Our teacher told us to photograph something we thought was interesting. I took a photo of the men's room.

Hey, give me a break, ok? Out of 40 people in the class, only 6 of us were guys and even in the six, two weren't in the usual persuasion, if you know what I mean. I thought, why not give 80 percent of the class a chance to see what goes behind the doors of the men's room. I decided to change the mental image of some women that the men's room is always a: occupied by people writing lewd messages on the walls and b: guys jacking off to an encounter with the hot girl in class

These days, pictures are taken in digital form where 90% of pictures never even get printed. Phones are equipped with 3 megapixel cameras WITH video recording. But what i don't get is, why is it that as the quality(pixels-wise) of pictures gets better, the worse the quality (visually) has become.

Everyone seem to have this one picture taken from above her head then she's looking at the camera while her face is at a 45% angle from the frame. WHY IS THAT? C'mon admit it. You've seen it in friendster,myspace, hipstir, sms.ac, blogs, and all those personal website. Maybe you even have one. I look stupid in these kind of shots. If I wanna look stupid in a picture, I'll wear a chicken suit.

In the meantime, I'll just continue to look at other people's pictures. Then go do my business (not in the men's room, though.)

New York, New York (delayed blog)

2006-01-13T14:37:00.000+08:00

Nov 7. 3am. Still recovering from a gurelling day at Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios AND CityWalk, we wake up early to prepare for our 6.40am flight out of Orlando International Airport to Chicago's O'Hare Airport. As usual, my Dad was the first one to wake up,taking a shower at around 2.30 am. Anyhoo, we reached the airport at around 4.30am, 30 minutes befor the gates opened. NO WAY we were gonna miss this flight. Fast forward to around 9:30am CST. Remember, Chicago is 1 hour behind Orlando and New York. On my watch it was 10.30am which told me that our flight was about to leave in 3 minutes. And the worst thing was, the traffic in O'Hare's runways was so bad, we only were able to get off the plane aound 9.45am Orlando time,the time of my watch. Thank god for different timezones, because when we got to our departure gate we still had 15 minutes to spare. We got off in Gate 24 and our departure gate was Gate 65. So you can imagine us running through the airport. 41 gates in 10 minutes. A personal best for me.

Nov 7. 1pm. We land at LaGuardia Airport. as we were waiting for a cab (the recommended mode of transport from LaGuardia), a fight ensues between the can dispatcher and a cab driver. Ah...New York. I'm home. We stayed at the Belleclaire Hotel, located on the corner of West 77th St and Broadway. Quite decent and very accessible to the subway. A marked imrovement from previous visits where we stayed in Queens, Edison,NJ, and Jersey City.

The next few days were spent spending money aka shopping. Visits to Century 21, Macy's, Woodbury Commons and Filene's Basement netted me a whole luggageful of clothes, shoes, etc.

Nov 12. We leave NY and fly back to Singapore. Back to work. Sigh.

It's A Small World (delayed blog)

2006-01-04T11:29:00.000+08:00

Nov. 1. We fly from Las Vegas to Denver on Ted. I think airline owners should be less egotistic in nameing their companies. Question: "How did you travel from LA to Vegas?" Answer: "Well, I rode Ted on the way over." Denver International is a marvel of an airport. It is, apparently, the 10th busiest airport in the world. So that means, a hella lot of people ride Ted over there, nyuk nyuk! From Denver, we fly over to Orlando, Florida, Land of Mickey. We reach Orlando at 6pm EST. We moseyed on over to the Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista. Where we ended the day with overprized pizza.

Nov. 2. MGM Studios. We hurried over to the The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™ for our early morning wake-up. Nothing like a 12-storey drop from a old, decrepid hotel to perk you up in the morning. Any sci-fi fan should take Star Tours - the ultimate Star Wars™ thrill ride . There is nothing like taking a space transporter piloted by an R2 unit. Another great attraction is the Lights, Motors, Action!™ Extreme Stunt Show where stuntmen in stunt cars perform great feats live in front of you. I liked it especially because of the extremely hot Asian American host (I have a distinct liking for Asian Americans). Of course, the stunts aren't something to scoff at, either. Other great attractions include Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - Play It! , "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" Movie Set Adventure , Muppet Vision 3-D , Indiana Jones ™ Epic Stunt Spectacular, Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour , and of of course, the Fantasmic show around 7pm. It is a water fountain show built around the storeyline of Fantasia with Mickey (of course) as the leading man. It's like the all-star game of DisneyWorld where you see all the major Disney Characters: Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Aladdin, Mulan, Belle and the Beast, Pocahontas, Simba, Pumba & Timone, Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.

Nov. 3. Epcot Centre. No biggie. Still the same Epcot. There is a new ride, though, the best, I mean the BEST ride I've ever been on. Mission:Earth. Lemme put it this way. If you've ever imagined how it would be like to go to space but are afraid of heights, this is THE ride for you. Test Track is great. This is where you are supposedly testing out a new car for General Motors. The highlight, in my opinion, is the car showroom just outside the ride (I love the Hummer.) We ended the day with the amazing fireworks show over Lake Buena Vista. Now I feel the Magic of Disney. Another cool ride is Soarin'™, this ride takes you on a virtual tour fo the California coastline. the experience is so realistic. Disney has even rated it as the number 1 attraction in Walt DisneyWorld. IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth is a wonder of a lightshow. It is, in my opinion, the best lightshow out there where you don't have to a remote area just to see it.

Nov 4. AM: Animal Kingdom. We ran from the gate to Kali River Rapids® . We rode it 3 times. We would have ridden it more if time permitted, but we were supposed to go on the Kilimanjaro Safaris®. A ride that is a must-see is the ride Dinosaur. It is quite scary in a Jurassic Park sort of way.

Nov 4. PM: Magic Kingdom. Nothing new. We rode Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad then caught a performance of Cinderellabrationin front of Cinderella's castle. The show was ok, but a little childish for me. A ride I always enjoy is Pirates of the Caribbean. But we're in DisneyWorld, so who cares?

Nov 5.AM:Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure. We wake up early to catch the free shuttle to the Islands of Adventure. When we got there, we immediately rushed to the Marvel Superhero Land, where rides like the Dr Doom's Revenge, and the Incredible Hulk, the Ride awaited us. Unfortunately, the inner chicken in me reigned supreme as I couldn't see myself surviving these two rides. A ride I wasn't gonna miss was the Spiderman ride. Just like Spiderman, it was Amazing. Donning the yellow 3D glasses, we swung through the heart of New York City battling baddies like the Green Goblin, Hydroman, Sandman, the Scorpion, the Lizard, Electro and other nasties. Of course, the comic geek in me stood out as I was amazed at the enormous amount of merchandise at the store outside the ride. After battling baddies and saving the world for the forces of evil, we moseyed over to the Toon Land, we rode Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges, where you may get wet and most probably get drenched. They weren't kidding. We came in dry like a martini and came out like real bilge-rats! A must-ride. But remember to bring towels, as Universal is making a killing on selling you 15$ towels just outside the ride. After a quick stroll through the rest of the park, we took lunch outside The Lost Continent The Dueling Dragons ride is a monster of a ride where two dragons (rollercoasters) representing Fire and Ice battle each other in a duel to the death. We caught the Eight Voyage of Sinbad show, quite cool.

Nov 6. PM After lunch, we moved over to the Universal Studios. A little bit different from the one in L.A. Great attractions include Back to the Future The Ride, Twister...Ride It Out, Revenge of the Mummy The Ride and Shrek 4-D. The best or most enjoyable attraction is Fear Factor Live. This live show is a recreation of the famous TV shows where people eat bugs and spiders, jump buildings, crash cars, all for money (or as they call, the honor of becoming Fear Factor Champion). This show brings the show to you LIVE and some of the audience are selected to be the contestants! Imagine the possibility of eating a worm shake.Yummy.

Nov 6. After Dark. After a long weary day at Universal Studios Orlando, we dropped by Universal CityWalk. It's a nightspot where you have everything from Jimmy Buffett’s®; Margaritaville®, a Hard Rock Cafe®, a NASCAR Cafe™ to an NBA City Restaurant. Nightlife attractions include Bob Marley - A Tribute to Freedom™, Hard Rock Live®, the grooveSM, CityJazz® and a Pat O’Brien’s®. We reach the hotel around 11pma and prepared for an early 3am departure to the airport on our way to the Big Apple, New York City.

Viva Las Vegas (delayed blog)

2005-12-12T13:51:00.000+08:00

Oct.30. We leave Changi Airport at 8:00 am on United. As I enter the Boeing 747-400 I was pleasantly surprised by the size of Economy or Cattle Class seats. It was marked Economy Plus. At first I thought, hmmm, is this the airline industry's way of insulting people of.... larger density? Anyway, I nicely nestled into my comfy aisle seat and drift off to sleep. The 4.5 -hour ride to Narita, Tokyo went quite fast. Maybe it was because I just dead-asleep the whole flight, except of course, when the obligatory lunch and snack were served (I hate airline food).

There was almost no lay-over time in Tokyo as our flight was scheduled so close to each other. Unfortunately, due to the tardiness of some asshole, the flight was delayed 30 minutes. This was bad enough. However, things got worse when we landed at LAX. The line in immigration took 1.5 hours, and baggage took another 30 mins. The worst thing is, in order to transfer from the international terminal to the domestic terminal, AIRPORT SECURITY. I know millions have writted about airport security and their incompetence, but I think they are doing their job well. You must be one heckuva determined terrorist to attempt to get through the 300-lb. woman the guy in front called, the "scariest pat-down artist in the West Coast" I think you should make it the Northern Hemisphere. Long story short, we missed our plane by 20 mins.

Thank God for nice airline personnel like JOY of UA (Big shout out to you!) who understood our dilemma, we were booked on the next flight out to Vegas, 1 hour later.

So, we landed in Vegas at around 2pm. Checked in the hotel at 3pm, in the buffet line at 4. The buffet known as the "best buffet in Las Vegas" . It was hella good, considering it cost $29.95 + Tax.

By 7pm I was in the casino, hoping to win some shopping dough for the next few days. Alas, fate wasn't kind when I lost around $3o. This sucked even more since I was already up $20 just an hour before.

Oct 31. We leave the hotel at around 9am, walked along the Strip and stopped by the Barbary Coast, to grab some bfast at Burger King. I had some Turbo coffee to wake me up. And wow, when they say turbo, THEY MEAN TURBO!

After that we then moseyed over to the Fashion Show Mall, where mecca awaited. An Apple store. I enter inside, and find myself wanting to buy everything on display. I then reminded myself, that a: I already have an ipod and an imac, and b: funds were running low*. So, I ended up buying an Agent 18 case for my 40gb iPod and as well as a Power Support protection kit for my screen and click-wheel. After having lunch at CPK, (Peking Duck Pizza), we crossed the street over to Wynn Hotel and Casino. After an hour or two playing (lost another $20) , we then went over to the Venetian to have dinner. Although having Italian food at the Venetian was tempting, the major deterrent was the price and fact b*. Dad decidedto call it a day and Mom decided to call it the beginning of a night at the Casino. So my bro-in-law, my sis, and I continued our journey along the strip finally ending up at New York, New York. We went in search of the magical donut, Krispy Kreme. When we got there, we were greeted by a dark stall with a KK employee packing up. I almost cried right there. Seriously. When you've waited one year and travelled 10,000 miles to taste the best-tasting baked goodie in the world (bar n0ne), you feel as if life has lost its meaning.

When hope was almost lost, we were reminded that just across the street, in Excalibur, there was another KK stall. We ran like the wind over to Excalibur. We were greeted by the sight of an open Krispy Kreme stall with the now-famous light, flashing "Hot Now" . I ended up eating a dozen original glazed donuts on the spot. The next morning started at 3am, preparing to fly out to Orlando, Florida. To be continued...

Another One Bites the Dust

2005-10-13T16:30:00.000+08:00

One thing about technology, is that one or two months after you buy the "latest" gadget, Apple just goes along and gives it a MAJOR update! An inbuilt webcam, a faster processor, a more powerful video card, a remote control, a new home theatre software, and a new Mighty Mouse! And, it comes in a one-two punch! A new video iPod! And the worst thing for me is, they did not increase the price! GRRR...I guess I'll just have to rationalize why I'm still happy with my iMac and iPod. I genuinely am, but naturally, gearlust will eventually set in and be my undoing.

God, give me strength to resist temptation.

I Want My MTV

2005-10-05T09:36:00.000+08:00

Whenever I turn on my TV, I automatically switch the channel to Ch.20. MTV Asia, Southeast Asia's sorry excuse for music entertainment. Even if I was part of this company a couple years ago, and I don't mind going back, I still think the programming...the musical programming sucks. The thing is, a few years ago, I bet not a lot of people would agree with me. However, because of dwindling viewership, they brought in shows produced from abroad, or more specifically, the US and the UK. But what happened is that people (I use this term very liberally)now see how shitty the programming Asia produces compared to their Western counterparts.

Take for example, MTV's request shows. In Asia, we have MTV Most Wanted, now known as MTV Pop. In the UK and the US, we have MTV Total Request Live (TRL). I know, I know, MTV UK's TRL sucks as well, but at least, you get to see real artists performing live on the show. Whereas here, in jolly-ol' Asia, you have two people regurgitating information about the latest (2 weeks at least) gossip and lame info about artists. Only in Asia where groups named Rooster (what kind of crazy-assed name is that?) are featured as Artist of the Month or Buzz-worthy artist.

I wish they had MTV2 or VH1. Then maybe I'll change my opinion. Maybe.

Die Denise. Die. Please....

A Movie Script Ending

2005-09-29T09:35:00.000+08:00

I've been neglecting this blog for the past couple of weeks. I've been busy with this girl I met. As usual, this is my lame way of saying I've been too caught up in work and my new iMac. Things have been so crazy at the office. I just met the biggest asshole in the world (or, in the office). This overgrown turd just joined the company a month before. But now, he's acting like he's the world's best thing since sliced bread. I just wanted to unleash a can of whoop-ass on this guy.

I've also been spending a lot of time in front of my computer watching DVD's. No, not THAT kind. I finished the whole 4th season of 24 and the whole first season of LOST. I've realised that these two shows have some things in common. First of all, both male lead character is named JACK. Jack Bauer for 24 and Jack Sheppard. Both characters are good in their jobs. Bauer, a counter-terrorist field agent, and Sheppard, a doctor. Both are stuck in places where dangers abound (Bauer-LA, Sheppard-the Island). And of course, they both have the qualities of a modern-day saint.

Both shows also feature nubile female characters. Ladies so beautiful, that they capture your imagination and make you wish that you were with them, even if their lives is always in constant danger. (Kim Bauer and Michelle Dessler for 24, Kate Austen and Shannon Rutherford, shown below.)

So I hope all you folks understand why I've been uhhh...tied up. hehe.

Again I Go Unnoticed

2005-09-13T13:51:00.000+08:00

I think everyone will agree with me when I say that it is so difficult to get yourself noticed. Whether it be your boss, potential employers, or the woman of your dreams, you will have to shamelessly parade yourself in front of them just to get their attention. Even then, you may not even get their focus on you long enough.

For a while I've been trying to get noticed. So far, I've gotten....nothing, zilch, nada. I've gotten a few calls, a few nice messages, but still, nothing. I only hope that more developments will follow soon. Very soon. Damn mind games.

There comes a time in everyone's lives when you question yourself. You ask yourself: Am I worthy? Why would someone want you?

I hope the answer will come soon. Im tired waiting.

She Don't Use Jelly

2005-09-10T11:27:00.000+08:00

Lemme tell you about this friend of mine. When people meet her for the first time, people have the same impression of her. Inside, they think, "That girl looks so bitchy." She doesn't dissapoint.

However, beneath that tough exterior is a woman who sheds tears when a friend suffers, or sweats bullets when confronted by conflict. She is an enigma.

I enjoy being with her because I can just be myself. I can be bitching about work, about women, and about her, to her face, and she'll just take it in stride saying, "You're such an idiot."

Her name reminds me of a talking donkey in an old Disney movie, her looks, she looks like a Jinx. Her hair, often imitated but never duplicated.

Go figure.

Smooth

2005-09-09T11:46:00.000+08:00

It's been awhile since I last ranted here. Maybe it's because things have been going well at work. NOT. Maybe it's because I won a hundred million bucks in the lottery. I wish.

Could it be that my lovelife has finally taken off? Somewhat?

And who, you may ask, is this new muse in my life, the reason why I wake up in the morning, go to work and look forward to quitting time? I met her last Saturday night, very unexpectedly, I saw her just sitting there, very unassuming, confident, and oh, so beautiful. I told myslef, I had to be with her. But I was so shy and didn;t know how to approach her. Finally, I found the courage to ask her out. She looks good, has nice, supple skin, has the right curves at the right places, never nags, always improves herself, very skillful, not moody, and best of all, she is very user-friendly.

I sleep beside her at night, dreaming how she feels like, listening to her ever-soft purr...

OK, OK, get a grip. (slaps myself)