My last post for 3 weeks.

Cyaz!

Here's a quick update before I continue with my packing. Yes, the big day is tomorrow and I am still busy packing. Well, at least I have already prepared everything, stockpiled all my stuff at one corner and my backpack is just waiting to be loaded.

Yesterday was Perd's birthday, so we all went to this place called Esmirada for dinner. It was a nice place for dinner, with candles and expensive food. Yes, expensive food again. I am now broke from having expensive food for the past 3 nights. And the entire restaurant was lit by candles and very, very small lights right at the top of the very, very high ceiling. So, I was almost walking around blind. Conserving electricity on the pretext of creating a comfortable environment. One point to highlight during the dinner was this very warped novelty that they have which is to break their saucers. During the course of the dinner, they started to play this very funny song, and the waiters started bringing out saucers and dropped them on the floor. They also passed some to the diners and we followed suit. So, Rashmi had one and she dropped it, but surprisingly it didn't break. Naturally, the next one she had, she threw it downwards. It was a powerful throw because I was sitting across the table and the pieces of the porcelain actually reached my legs. Suddenly, someone, I am assuming is the manager, came up to her and said in a disapproving manner "If you throw your plate I am not going to give you anymore plates. You might hurt somebody". For a moment, Rashmi was stunned. That was just about the rudest thing a manager could say to a paying customer. You only give out threats like this to kids, not to a bunch of working adults. So, that little incident spoilt her day. That aside, the tiramisu there is really nice. And Perd was given a free tiramisu since it was his birthday. He sure enjoyed his dinner with anna-ther person...

With this new blogger bar at the top, ANYONE can find my blog by random. Damn, means I will have more strangers reading my secrets. I guess I will have to kill more people then. Back off, strangers!

Had dinner at Marche today. Was supposed to be at NYDC, but then the oven broke down so we walked over to Heeren instead. And a long walk it was. Almost starved to death on my way there. Had the salmon sashimi followed by a pizza. So that put me 20 bucks poorer.

Headed over to HJ's place nearby to watch Singapore Idol. Finally had a chance to watch at least one episode of this show because I missed the last few episodes. And I can't believe the Lemon Tree Guy actually had the balls to put up that stupid act. What Daniel Lee said was true... Singapore Idol is not about getting the best singer in Singapore. That's only the perk of the show. The main objective of this show is to showcase Singapore's dumbest people performing dumb things. It has to be true because people like him can get to this stage while people like Oli can't. But maybe this is the only way that Mediacorp can come up with the dough to pay for the Idol franchise. That's my theory.

Before I forget, a piece of good news: the resignation of our hall manager! Yeah!!! But this happened way too late. It should have happened last year. Or two years ago. Heck, she shouldn't have even come to our hall! I wonder if she is expecting a farewell formal dinner, like the one we had for Steven Tan. For her sake, I hope there isn't, because it sure isn't going to be nice.

Also, Val's new BMW 318 totally rocks! Feels so much better than her old Volvo. But I still don't mind a Volvo. Sigh, she should have donated that to me.

The whole place gets very quiet in the day, with all three people gone to work. Leaving me all alone. Boo hoo. But it's good too in a way. I get to do my laundry, play PS2, blast my music loudly, and rush out of the bathroom in all my glory to grab my towel from my cupboard without worrying that one of the three will get a free peep show. Anyway, here are some pictures from my home.

And there seems to be something weird about blogger. I can't seem to post any pictures although I'm very sure my codes are correct. Was going to post some photos from home, but never mind then.

Also, was just reminded that I will be camping in the jungles during the Hungry Ghost Festival. Argh! Another mental challenge I have to prepare myself for when I go take a leak in some bushes.

Alright, here's a checklist of what I have in preparation of this Friday.

1. 2 cans of insect repellent
2. shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap
3. ziplock bags
4. nail clippers
5. mosquito bite ointment
6. sunblock lotion (SPF 30, no less...)
7. washing detergent for my clothes
8. powder
9. lighter
10. ropes
11. mosquito coils
12. cotton buds
13. sleeping bag
14. inflatable pillow
15. poncho
16. baby wipes

And the usual stuff like clothes, cap, track bottoms, etc.

Am I missing out on anything. Hurry let me know!!

Was approached by an insurance agent yesterday at the MRT station. Again, I look too young for my age. It is starting to get a bit irritating, but yet, a bit flattering. In 10 years time, I hope everyone will be telling me that! So, now let me see, I have 3 people that I can contact if I want to get insurance. So, who shall it be... too lazy to think about it now. Also, a little bit skeptical about the younger insurance agents because they might not be very experienced about the suitable plans that I should be taking, given the nature of my job. So, I shall probably go for the oldest of the 3... who is VERY old.

Today I came back and found the dustbin in the kitchen overflowing with crap, my towel STILL hanging outside the window after 2 weeks, shit marks in my toiletbowl, and some dirt crap on my toilet floor. So, the first thing I did after coming back to my flat is... clean my toilet. Next time I go off for a long period of time, I am going to lock my door.

Gonna be a short one, because you'll never know when the connection will suddenly be cut. Worse still, windows update is downloading data now, which is slowing my connection to a crawl.

Went to take my graduation studio photo today. Was at the same studio that my mum took... almost 30 years ago. Haha. And it is the same photographer. Old guy, but experienced. And I forgot to bring the scroll to the studio, so I had to use their red scroll. The blood-red colour is a bit striking, but it's better than nothing. After taking the photos, I also forgot to bring back my gown hanger. Sigh. Gotta go grab it before I go back to Singapore tomorrow.

Oh yeah, I'm going back to Singapore tomorrow.

Just read an email that my friend sent to me from another guy who went to OBS before. I have a lot more stuff to get such as insect repellent, mosquito coils, batteries, gloves, etc. Although I'm quie nervous and scared of it, I'm actually looking forward to it at the same time. Maybe I won't be so enthusiastic by the end of the first week there. Haha. Also wondering whether I should bring my handphone there with my digi prepaid SIM card. First problem is that the sim card will have to be reloaded while I am there. Second is I am afraid that MONKEYS will actually steal my handphone from the dorms. Yes, they know how to open latches, open doors, and search through bags. They are quite smart.

BLOODY HELL! My goddamn tmnet connection disconnected me while my post was being published. I'm really getting sick of tmnet. They charge a lot, keep getting more people to subscribe with their "Klik" ad (wtf is klik? Is it even in DBP?) and they don't do anything to improve the bandwidth. How typical of Malaysia. Number one thing I hate about Malaysia is that they only know how to suck in money, fill up someone-up-there's pockets, and have virtually no maintainence. Just look at public telephones in Malaysia. The other day at 1 Utama, I saw four public phones outside the public toilet (now don't let me get started with public toilets), and I decided to have a spot check on them. Not surprisingly, all four of them were not working. Also, look at the trees that are always being planted under the "Kempen Tanam Pokok". They get some bigshot to plant them with lots of news coverage. But what they don't cover is the fact that they don't take care of the trees, and before you know it, the plants die thanks to the hot weather. Moving on, let's check out the flash floods that are constantly hitting downtown KL. Speaks for itself, I don't know what to say about it. Imagine a "modern" city with Petronas Towers and KL Tower with flash floods, squatter areas and clogged monsoon drains. Maybe the scene in Entrapment which created so much controversy wasn't very accurate, but still, the essence was there. Moving on to the water cuts. With so much rainfall, not to mention flash floods, you might figure that we shouldn't be encountering any problems with water. But lo and behold! Surprise surprise! We have water shortages still! And the water is still brown! No wonder we're still a third world country.

Maybe not so much blame should be shouldered by the government. The people play an important role in giving me this crap picture of my country. Take a look at the "Tanah Kerajaan. Dilarang membuang sampah. Denda 1 gazillion ringgit". "basically says no throwing rubbish". one would expect people to be so petrified that they won't dare throw even a cigarette butt at the area. But then, what we get are mountains of rubbish and more rubbish! Not just in the area, but right under the signboard! So much for law enforcement. Moving on to bribery. Ask anybody and 99% of them would have bribed before. Either for running a red light, speeding, getting driving license, or even getting through customs. Maybe it isn't good for the government, because they are missing out on millions of dollars worth of fines. But when you think about it, it actually makes the system more efficient. For example, before the implementation of the national network for the traffic cops, if you got a traffic ticket in Perlis (had to think of some remote place, can't be Ipoh cos of jsheng, or Kuantan cos of dazehead, hehe), you have to go to the police station in Perlis to settle the summon. Stupid right? But, if you bribe the cop, you settle it there and then. On the spot. You are happy, the policeman is more than happy. So, nothing wrong with the system! Of course, this problem started due to the lousy, I mean really lousy, basic salary of policemen. I heard it is around RM800 a month. How is anybody going to survive on that salary? Furthermore, if the policeman is married with kids, I think the children will starve to death before hitting age 5.

Ok, enough rambling for today.

Back to the topic of what I did today, don't expect a long explanation. In fact, I am just going to list them out in point form:

1. Went Ikea
2. Bought stand lamp
3. Went to pet shop

*Simmering down now* I hate tmnet. HATE HATE HATE!

Nothing much to blog about yesterday, so I gave yesterday a miss. Went to run yesterday, but then... so what, right? Haha.

Went to Ikea today. Yes, yes... you must be thinking "Again??" I was also thinking "Again??" when I went in. But my mum wanted to get a stand lamp for the living room because it is too dark to do any reading there. So we got one. And while I was there, I decided to pay a visit to the pet shop there. The puppies there are reallllllly cute. On the other hand, the snakes, tortoises and iguanas weren't.

Seems like I am not getting any responses for my announcement. Or rather, my mum's announcement. Oh well... moving on then. Speaking of moving on, bye bye Owen!! Haha! And Vieira stays! Yeahhh!!!

Here is an indirect announcement from my mum: looking for a suitable wife-to-be for me. Preferably someone who can do household work, and works for the government or a stat board. Must also be able to bear children so that she can have little kids running around and entertain her when she is older. But she won't be taking care of the kids fulltime. She has had enough of taking care of me. That's it. Anybody who is able to fulfill the above criteria can contact me.

Back to what happened today. Went to 1 Utama... again! I'm starting to get a bit sick of that place. Yesterday, my mum needed to look around for a pair of sandals. Today she went to get it. So while she went walking around, I was looking through the new MPH store. Spent a lot of time flicking through the interior designing books. A lot of nice ideas, but not practical for my home. Too much rubbish everywhere. In the living room, you have books strewn all over the tables. Everytime I clear it, they will be back the next time I come home. So I have given up on that. Also, I can't decorate my bedroom because it has become an ad hoc store room. Another bad habit my parents have is that they always store redundant things. For example, the last holidays, I purposely set up 3 nice chairs to replace to old, falling-apart rattan chairs in the tv lounge. So now they have nice comfortable chairs. But what do they do with the old, falling-apart rattan chairs? They put it at the corner next to my bedroom door. They put between their door and my sister's bedroom door, and put the laundry basket on it. Oh yes, and next to the laundry basket is the spoilt 15 year old TV, and the spoilt 14 year old XT computer and CGA monitor. Apart from those rubbish, there is the old, rusting 13 year old bicycle of mine at the back which is about to fall apart. Wanted to throw it away, but was stopped from doing so because it is very useful in hanging rags and mops. Such a sad ending for my Lerun. So that's the problem with too much space: rubbish everywhere.

Watched The Amazing Race just a while back. And Colin & Christie and the midget team are back at it again. The more I see the midget and her partner, the more I want to whoop their candy ass. And the preview shows the both of them at it again. Haha. Should be a fun episode next week.

Got my thumb drive since I wanted to cash in on the cheap prices these days.

Went over to 1 Utama again, and found a shop that kind of folded. The shutters were closed and there was a notice saying that the tenants didn't pay rent for four months, giving a grand total of RM42,000++ owed. That is more than 10k a month! The shop sells the ah beng kind of clothes. No wonder they folded. With these crazy rents, I wonder how a lot of shops can survive. Looking around, I noticed that almost all the clothes shops had sales. These sales seem to be year-long sales. Also found some nice Converse shoes in a boutique, that are significantly cheaper than in Singapore. Maybe I'll get one next year... or sometime thereabouts.

Had dinner at Fish and Co with my mum, and we ordered the platter for two. Learnt my lesson not to eat the Swordfish collar... or else it will take me forever to finish. Even with the platter, I had to take most of it and at the end of it, I was stuffed! Had to walk around for an hour to get myself comfortable again. I don't think I will go hungry tonight.

Going to go for my run tomorrow evening again. Sigh... will this never end??

Read half of SMLee's memoirs this morning. Nothing much on Singapore, but a lot on his younger days. I noticed that a lot of the important people in Singapore's political scene were his old friends. I wonder if any of my friends now or before will become some famous person. Readers, don't disappoint me...

While I was reading, I noticed that the lightings in my house is really bad. All the words just appeared blur to me. I really need to improve the lightings, like adding some stand lamps and table lamps. If I don't do it, nothing will be done. Nothing ever gets done around here...

Boredom is starting to settle in. Actually, it started a few days ago but I think it is starting to get severe soon. Proof? What should I do tomorrow? Hmmm.... ok, all you working and studying people, you can put down your weapons now. I take back what I just said...

Nothing much to say. Had two early mornings... yesterday woke up at 630AM because I was FORCED to go for a run by my mum. Maybe I shouldn't have told her about the 10km runs. Then this morning woke up at 7AM to send the new car for servicing. For an extra RM3000, the new Waja comes equipped with passenger airbags, newer Good Year NCT5 tyres instead of NCT3, and 18" sports rims instead of 17". Not so sure about the last point, but the new Wajas have better sports rims. Not bad for an extra RM3,000, which works out to about S$1,400.

Heard that RAM chips, harddisks and thumb drives prices have plummeted since the PC Fair. According to WL, a 256 MB Kingston thumb drive is now only RM110+. Now that is cheap. I better get one while I can now.

And Arsenal outguns Manure in the charity shield! Cesc was playing well, and so was van Persie. New exciting, young players coming through the ranks to replace the old legs of Parlour, Wiltord, Keown, Kanu and v. Bronckhorst. Pennant looks good too after spending a season trying to avoid relegation in Leeds.

After some advice from a casualty, I have tried removing all traces of my future employers from my blog. Hope I have been thorough enough. Nonetheless, I will keep all my rambling and ranting about my job to myself or in verbal only, and not on this blog. This will be my personal blog. Hmmmm, but since I am spending 5 days a week at work, what can I blog about??? I gotta find a life!!

Went downtown to KL to get my bus ticket back to Singapore. So it'll be next Sunday. Decided check out Petaling Street in the meantime. Bought F 9/11 and The Terminal DVDs from there. Not real of course. But who cares anyway. The whole time I was there I was on the lookout for snatch thieves and the sort of crooks that you will find around town. Even when my I got an sms, I was quite hestitant to take out my phone. I think I should downgrade to a 3310 when I'm back in KL. My whole life I have been taught to be on my toes for 1) kidnappers when I was a kid; 2) pickpockets when I'm in KL or JB; 3) roadbullies when I'm driving alone after going out with friends; 4) gangs/robbers/thugs when I'm in JB. Note: All in Malaysia. Oh, how 6 years in Singapore has changed me. In Singapore, everyone is flashing money and handphones and PDAs that I just fade into the background, like an insignificant target. But now that I'm back in Malaysia, it's back to normal again.

Oh my mum is just not meant to use a computer. I have taught her numerous times how to draw diagrams on MS Word, but she just doesn't get it. I have taught her many, many times how to change the balance to all left so that she can listen to her korean shows in mandarin, but she always forgets. She doesn't know how to get on to the internet. I have set up an email address for her, taught her how to use it, even got her an icq account. But all redundant now. She is just not meant for computers. Somebody knows where to get a typewriter?

Family friends just came up from Singapore for the weekend. Means good food for the weekend while we entertain them. Will be having seafood at Subang near the old airport. Surprisingly, when we used to go there when I was a kid, it seemed like a really long journey there. Now, it feels like it's just around the corner. Hope I get to drive the Waja tomorrow. Weee.... automatic car. Easy peasy.

Went to get a haircut today. Finally feel better. Was supposed to get a new printer but mum said she doesn't need it now. So, I felt a bit lazy upgrading the RAM as well. Since nobody is complaining, then I won't bother. If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Works well in this case.

Went for the run today. Ran two rounds and totally died after that. Enough of torture for my body!!! Just a few more weeks. Actually, only two more weeks till OBS. How time flies... and I'm not really having fun also. Hope the three weeks there will pass as fast as the last three did.

Now I know where my procrastination gene came from... my mom. Was supposed to get a haircut today while my mum gets her somewhere else. Then she decided she was too lazy. Next, supposed to go for a run, then she decided to go tomorrow instead. I wonder what else will we postpone...

And my 2 CDs with LP and Avril that I put in the car are missing! Imagine my horror when I played the CD and what I heard was some Chinese opera song. Yes... replaced by my mum's definition of music. And the best part is that she doesn't know where she put the CDs! Argh!!! My dad commented that we spend half of our time awake searching for things. How true... So, no CDs, but I managed to find a Norah Jones CD which I guess is better than a Chinese opera CD.

I was happily watching NYPD Blue just now, when the ad came on. And there was this Astro advertisement which showed a mix of Star Wars, Kill Bill, Matrix, LOTR, and... the ring!! For a moment I thought it was the English version, so not that bad. Didn't show the face right? But apparently this was the Japanese version. So when they showed a black/white sadako, I didn't really bother much until they showed her face close up! Damn, my toes curled up and I bet every strand of hair on my body stood up. Every strand... Thinking of it still gives me the chills. Now I can imagine why so many people got freaked out while watching the movie in cinema.

Another episode of The Amazing Race, and once again, I feel irritated by the midget and her partner.

Also, another trip home, and another trip to Ikea. And, another cupboard to set up. The carpenter at work... but tomorrow, the computer technician will reveal himself. Time to get a new printer and new RAM. This PIII is running, I mean, crawling on 128 MB RAM. Should have bought a used one from Singapore Yahoo! Auctions. Didn't know that there isn't a Malaysia Yahoo! Auctions.

Ahhh... enjoying the fast flowing packets and bits of information through my cable wires. Also means that the internet is surprisingly fast today. Incidentally, two of my flatmates are not in. I guess Ris is innocent.

Will be going back to KL this afternoon. See you in 1 1/2 weeks!

The weather today was real great! Rained the whole night and my room felt like the aircond was on. And no, it wasn't on. Really. Had to really drag myself out of bed.

Was talking to my parents last night, and even up to now, my parents are still trying to convince me to consider other options for my career. Sigh. Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore because I have sent in my acceptance letter back to them. So yeah, another 3 weeks and I'll be at OBS, trying to survive the next 3 weeks. I wonder how will I survive 3 weeks without civilization. Not only no internet (horrors), but also no heated water, some days without showers, shitholes (literally)... looks like fun days lie ahead.

My phone price has dropped by 140 dollars from the price I bought it for. That is about a drop of about 50%. Luckily, I can console myself by the fact that my other phone option has dropped down to almost the price of two novels. However, it's still a good phone. In fact, both are good phones. Both have the executive look. But mine is still the best. Haha.

Finally was well enough to go for a run this evening. The last time I went for a run was one week ago! I'm such a slacker. But managed to clock in a better time this round... 2 rounds for 17:48. Not bad yeh? Of course, don't have to rub in the fact that it is only 3.4 km instead of the 6 km which I thought it was before last week. Still, an improvement of 2+ minutes. Nonetheless, I have to be whipped into shape soon. Hmmm I wonder how those guys in E Company did 6 miles uphill and downhill in 25 minutes. Madness...

Looks like we are not going to stay in this flat beyond one year. Too many complications such as me going overseas, Ris also going overseas, Long wanting to buy a flat with his brother... Such a waste because this is a really nice place and the price is good too. Although the location here can be a bit of a problem because it is a bit too far away from town. Maybe the next place I will want to stay would be Toa Payoh, AMK, Novena, or somewhere in the east... for obvious reasons.

And yes... my current book is lasting longer than The Kid. I think I will finish it on my bus ride back home.

Got my ticket to go back home tomorrow at 4pm. And getting lazy to exercise. But don't worry, my mom will whip me into shape with all the running back home!

My two flatmates have gone to bed already. All set for first day of work tomorrow...

As for me, another day of bumming. Yeah baby yeah!

My runny nose is still around. Bugging me like bawls.

Got a pair of NB shoes. Sigh. I'm really spending a lot on this OBS crap. It better be worth it. Also, heard stories from the horse's mouth about OBS. A lot of running and canoeing. Sigh. I hope I survive it. Also got a sleeping bag for 10 bucks after 50% off. Now that's value for money.

I haven't run for a week! I'm out of shape!!!