1 Out of 7 Billion

The world is getting smaller everyday but a lifetime is not enough to explore it. My adventure starts in Singapore.

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Farewell 2010 – Personal Highlights for the Year That’s About to End

December 29, 2010

It just seemed like yesterday when I was going around the house to chase away the evil spirits of 2009 and usher in 2010.

File photo : Crossover from 2009 to 2010

I can’t believe the year is about to end.

As each year brings its unique sense of joy and disappointment (based on my experience), I thought I’d recap what I think made this year worth remembering. There are many more runners-up to this list but I need to keep it short and sweet.

In random order:

1) Got an iPhone

Yes, I joined the bandwagon and very happy I did. And I’m also glad I’m not addicted to it and I have remained very sociable!

Credit: Apple (taken from www.zdnet.com.au)

2) Joined Twitter

Julu “sold” the idea of joining this social network site to me earlier in the year. Switching to iPhone made sending tweets easier.

3) Travel

3 Countries, 4 Trips

Manila, Philippines – to attend Jak & Jolina’s wedding and catch up with family and friends

Jak & Jolina together forever

Taken at Krispy Kreme in Manila. It was also the time of Philippine elections during my visit.

Hong Kong, SAR – 2x

May 2010 with my sister -- Last time my sister went to HK was in 1988. She wanted Barbie dolls then. Now it's H&M.

Traveled solo in Nov 2010 - Also met up with HK friends

Shanghai, China – Business trip but managed to catch up with Daryl over dinner on National Day.

DP with his unique undercut hairstyle in August.

4) Church

Sang the Responsorial Psalm for the 1st time — Was nervous but my choirmates were very supportive.

Volunteered as a part-time facilitator in the parish kids’ camp

It’s been ages since I was involved in an activity for kids (I did a bit of volunteer work in early 2009 for kids with learning development needs). It’s great to see and feel the energy and enthusiasm of children — I felt younger at least for one day! Thanks Ben & Eve for inviting me to participate.

Helped organise my choir’s National Day celebration — Everyone had fun (adults & kids alike). My first National Day-related party / gathering.

5) Concerts

James Ingram

Show Luo – 3D concert

Jay Chou

6) Family & Home

Auleine’s timely graduation from her “Early Childhood Development” course — Now she is Teacher Ollie to a few (almost) 2-year old kids! Congratulations!

Sophie’s 1st birthday and dog training several months after

Celebrated Thanksgiving for the 1st time — Yes, we have a lot to be thankful for year in, year out but this is officially our first family Thanksgiving party. We’d like to set this as an additional family tradition every year.

The biggest bird that landed on our dining table in 2010

With Julu, Eugene, and Veria

7) Gastronomic adventures around Singapore

Food trips during weekends — Truly the best time to try new places and gain some calories. This collage doesn’t do justice at all.

Horlicks McFlurry — The best thing that ever happened to McFlurry. McDonald’s people, please bring this back in 2011!

Brunch 78 — 78-meter spread of delights on a Sunday afternoon with free-flowing champagne. Went 2x. Thanks Tina for introducing this fantastic event to me.

1st time was with Karen and Nat

2nd time was with Julu and Karl

8 ) Singapore : Home Truly

Integrated Resorts — I had no direct involvement with their construction nor opening but Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa opening their doors to the public is definitely a boost for Singapore tourism. I went to Marina Bay Sands SkyPark 2-3x this year!

Resorts World Sentosa

Marina Bay Sands

53A — Discovered the band during my rounds and they’re brilliant artists. Will continue to support local talent!

With Sara, Alvin, and Bani -- Taken during one of their roadshows to promote their 1st album "Settle the Kettle"

Moved to a new office (same company) – From 4 locations, we are merged into one office site. Modern facilities and conducive for agile working. Most importantly, closer to home (a few bus stops away).

I tried walking home during the first few weeks (10-minutes). I eventually decided to take the bus home instead and save time. Heh.

Opening of the Circle Line — Well, “half-circle” but this promises to be big by 2011. This is the first MRT line I’ve seen open since I moved to Singapore 4.5 years ago.

My sister and I tried a few stations when the Circle Line opened.

Hope your 2010 was memorable too!

Blazing the Trail: 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore

August 15, 2010

I decided to stay home on Saturday night to catch the opening ceremonies of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) hosted by Singapore.

The Youth Olympics will feature 3,600 athletes aged between 14 and 18 years competing in 200 events across 26 sports. The concept is a dream of International Olympic Committee, president Jacques Rogge, who has advocated the idea since 2001 after winning the IOC presidency.

The story behind the Opening Ceremony illustrates the parallels between Singapore and the Young Olympians – their struggles, hopes and dreams. The show celebrates Singapore’s origins and diversity, and offers a glimpse of the nation’s hopes for the future, drawing on all that Singapore has to offer in terms of art, culture and expertise.

The creative director for both opening & closing ceremonies is theatre director, actor and playwright Ivan Heng, while Cultural Medallion recipient Iskandar Ismail will be in charge of sound and music.

My view of the opening ceremonies? Impressive display of colors and creative use of fire and water. More importantly, it was a great showcase of Singapore’s capability as a modern nation to host an international event of this magnitude.

There are specific aspects of the show that I particularly liked :

Note: Unless otherwise stated, all photos posted courtesy of the Youth Olympic Games website and Singapore Youth Olympic Games photostream in Flickr

1) The use of a reflecting pool (90.5m by 50.1m in length)

2) The use of multimedia and special effects to enhance storytelling

The bigger opponent (appearing as a shadow) is part of the special effects in one of the segments

3) “Walking/running on water effect” before the Olympic flame was lit by Singapore teenage sailor Darren Choy

Photo courtesy of Tim Chong (http://www.flickr.com/photos/oeyvind/4891123181/)

Photo courtesy of AP / Wong Maye

Darren Choy – 2009 Byte CII sailing world champion and gold-medallist at last year’s Asian Youth Games, 2007 South-east Asian Games silver-medallist. His role as final torch bearer was a tightly guarded secret. He even had to rehearse at midnight wearing a cap the weekend before the event.

4) Spiral Olympic flame in a 32 meter cylinder / lighthouse structure which represents Singapore as a port city

Other photos from the Opening Ceremonies

Basic info on YOG which I picked up from The Straits Times (14 August 2010, page A16)

Singapore beat front runner Russia to host the Youth Olympics. One reason Singapore won is that it has never hosted an Olympic event before
204 national Olympic teams will participate in the Youth Olympics
Because Singapore is the first host of the Youth Olympics, the livery of the Singapore 2010 logo will be featured in the ceremonial flag for subsequent handovers between future organisers
The next Youth Olympic Games will be held in Nanjing in 2014. China beat Poland by 5 votes, winning 47 to 42
Before Youth Olympics, there was the World Youth Games. Also organised by the International Olympic Committee, they were discontinued after the inaugural games in Moscow in 1998.

Other info on the YOG:

Medals (Silver, Gold, Bronze)

Lyo, a lion cub, embodies the values of Excellence and Friendship, while Merly, a merlion, personifies the values of Excellence and Respect.

Theme song (“Everyone”, sung by Sean Kingston, Tabitha Nauser, Steve Appleton, Jody Williams, Jessica Mauboy)

My 30-something Birthday

June 6, 2010

Another birthday, another reason to thank the Lord for His abundant blessings.

Last year, I had dinner at a Chinese restaurant with my family before going with them and a few friends to the Pussycat Dolls “Doll Domination” concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

This year, here’s what I did.

720 AM – Mass at St Peter & Paul near the Singapore Art Museum.

I wanted to start my birthday via a thanksgiving mass. Weekday masses start quite early (630 am!) so would consider this one as rather late. Had to wake up at 630am.

915 AM – Medical appointment at Gleneagles Hospital

When I was in Hong Kong, my left eye developed a condition called “subconjunctival hemorrhage” which occurs when a tiny blood vessel breaks underneath the clear surface of the eye (white part, called conjunctiva).

For those who saw me around early June, you would have noticed and asked. It’s when blood is trapped under that white part – may look frightening and painful but it’s non-contagious and harmless. Hmm… some instant medical knowledge for you there!

This appointment is the 3rd one (the 3rd doctor as well though this time a specialist) and as with the 2 other doctors I’ve seen, I was given the same message (Don’t worry, it’s just like a bruise on the skin. You just have to let it heal as it will disappear in 10-14 days. No medication required). At least, I was reassured.

Will spare you the agony of feeling sorry for me so I wont post any eye photo.

Update (as of Sun, 20 June) – The hemorrhage completely disappeared last week!

11ish - Lunch at Chili’s then dessert at Applebee’s

Wanted to have brunch at Friven & Co but that meant waiting another 30 mins for it to open so decided to go elsewhere…. the ever-reliable Chili’s. I’m a fan of American diners so it was ok to pick up extra calories over lunch, at least on my birthday.

Chili's with my mom, Ollie, and Jomike

At Applebee's - Maple Butter Blondie. Ask for the cream to be served separately so you can decide how much to pour on your plate.

With the crew after they sang Happy Birthday and served free dessert

Chili’s (163 Tanglin Road, Ph +65 6733 3317)

Applebee’s (111 Somerset Road, #01-11/12 TripleOne Somerset, Singapore, +65 6735 9671)

300pm – Went to Orchard Midpoint to buy a few boardgames then near Chinatown to pick up my birthday cake. Rested at home.

730pm – Birthday Dinner at Nectar (Wangz boutique hotel)

I love boutique hotels and I plan to check out each one of them here in Singapore, or at least try their restaurant/bar.

In my family, I’m the only one gets value for money from buffets so had to go for a la carte. Food at Nectar was good, service was excellent. Also had a quick tour of their guest rooms. Spacious and modern interior. You can even book two adjacent rooms and hold a party over two balconies.

Nectar Restaurant, Wangz Hotel, 31 Outram Road, Singapore (Ph: +65 6595 1383)

930pm – Prince of Persia

I used to play this game when I was younger (hmm, maybe 20 birthdays ago, back when we used floppy disks to install software!!). I am happy that Disney came out with a movie version inspired by the game.

While this movie didn’t have good reviews (Jake Gyllenhaal’s sounding British in a Persian role?), I really liked it — in terms of visual effects, character development, and numerous stunts and parkour.

According to Wikipedia, parkour (PK) is the physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one’s path by adapting one’s movements to the environment. Skills such as jumping and climbing, or the more specific parkour moves are employed.

Here’s a video of parkour stunts so you have an idea of what I CAN’T do. Haha.

Close to midnight – Blowing of birthday cake and more photos

We got these birthday candles from Hong Kong. When lit, each candle emits a different color.

See.. how nice right. I really didnt want to blow them...

... but I eventually did as I wanted to taste the cake.

Made of fresh ingredients (including the cream), really yummy

Also had a lunch celebration with Karl and Julu the next day over at Melt. (Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Singapore 5 Raffles Avenue, Singapore 039797 Tel : +65 6338 0066). It’s awesome to enjoy buffet over countless laughs and sumptuous food. Great to have caught up with them.

With Julu and Karl

Thanks to those who remembered to greet me personally or via mobile/email/Facebook. It was truly an awesome 30-something birthday weekend!

Manila Visit (After 18 months)

May 3, 2010 — 2 Comments

It’s been ages since I visited Manila and I must admit I kinda miss the traffic, malls, food, and my relatives/friends.

The main reason why I booked a trip back was to attend Jak and Jolina’s wedding. It was a lovely celebration over at Fernbrook Gardens in the south. Congratulations and best wishes, Jak & Jolina!

Fernbrook Gardens

Before the wedding march : With Tita Wena, Shep Tanya, and Francis (Photo courtesy of Francis Miranda)

With Bernz and Pauline (Photo courtesy of Bernz B Gonzales)

With Bernz and Carlo (Photo courtesy of Bernz B Gonzales)

Jolina walking down the aisle. Awwww

Jak & Jolina's first dance

The rest of my visit was spent shopping around, eating (especially food I truly miss), catching up with relatives and friends. Here are some photos.

Dinner with Christine, Chi-Chi...

... Raymond, Meno, and Dean

Catch up with Rich at Serendra

Lunch with Nora, Tita Annette, and Seth

Serendra & Bonifacio High Street

As the Philippine national elections were happening shortly, lots of establishments were encouraging people to vote. Krispy Kreme was one of them. I was attracted to the "O" in "Vote" hehe

My sister also visited Manila during that time. She was reunited with her "taho" (soybean with syrup and sago pearls) after many years. Photo taken at Powerplant Mall in Makati.

Greenbelt 5 now fully open. Houses a lot of mid-price and premium brands.

The Jeepney, the most common form of public transportation in the Philippines. I have not ridden it for many years.

Yorkie Turns A Year Older

February 28, 2010

Our dear Yorkshire terrier Sophie turned 1 year old (x7) so we got her a birthday cake from the pet shop.

Happy birthday, Sophie! Don’t bark too much ok! Hehe.

As she could not blow the candle nor slice the cake, we came to her rescue…

"I wish I will be allowed to run around the living room too"

"You can have a slice too but you need to bark as loud as I do. Hehe"

Halloween 2009 in Casual Clothing

November 2, 2009 — 2 Comments

I don’t recall Halloween being so much fun until we had a mini gathering at Ken’s place on Saturday. As he had mentioned in his Facebook message to us closer to the party, it will be “cozy” — and it was.

The sudden downpour on a Halloween night left me competing for a cab around dinner time. For the first time in my not so many years in Singapore, the cab hotline service tested my patience. But that didn’t dampen my party mood. Sadly, I arrived late and delayed Ken, Julu, and Karl’s desire to nourish their bodies with food. (Sorry guys!)

Ken did not fail to impress us as a superb host — from his lovely home, to the Halloween accents, awesome desserts + liquor, and the Halloween MP3′s (which I think scared the hell out of Karl haha) — he really made sure all of us had a great time. Thanks Ken!

That was the roundest pumpkin I've ever seen in recent memory

Yummy - biryani, curry meats, western appetizers and desserts, Japanese skewers

I also bought two (2) boardgames to keep our minds active on a rainy night.

Instead of drawing on paper with clues on cards, you use whiteboard markers on the Pictionary Man and a few other objects. The mystery word is displayed electronically at the foot of the P-Man.

Ken's artistic impression of "Little Red Riding Hood". We were teammates and I blurted, "The Exorcist" Haha

"Eye Exam" by Julu. Quite clever huh.

For this game, two teams compete at the same time within 90 secs to get as many "letters" along such A-Z strip to their side by naming a person/item based on the category. Julu and Karl did well on "class subjects" ; Ken and I did well on "int'l hotel chains". Hmm, there goes the age difference.

Play the above boardgames + a few others next time you visit my place. But until then, Google these — they are very entertaining.

Other camwhoring photos, quality check done by Julu, the MBA camwhoring grad.

Ken, Karl, Julu's aerial shot

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Julu and Karl bullying Ken. Such ungrateful guests! :p

Ken and I and a 20+ year old man in a secondary school boy body.

Later that night, we stumbled upon Ben, Duncan, Jeremy, and other friends in their costumes.

I was telling Eugene and Veria, two friends I had lunch with earlier on Saturday, that I can’t stay up beyond 3am anymore. That’s why I couldn’t believe why I managed to last until 5am. Well, Halloween only happens once a year so I’m glad it was truly worth remembering… and I didn’t need to dress up so much for it.

Happy Birthday Singapore!

August 2, 2009 — 4 Comments

Singapore turns 44 on Sunday, 9 August. Since the holiday falls on a Sunday, there won’t be school/work on Mon, 10 August. Long weekend!

A few weeks ago, I downloaded the first photo (see below) and used it as my Mac wallpaper. Consider me nationalistic even if I’m not a Singapore citizen.

The theme/slogan for this year is “Come Together : Reaching Out, Reaching Up” .

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I also like this year’s theme song “What Do You See” , English version sung by Electrico, a local band.

You can download the video and MP3′s (including Chinese version) at http://www.ndp.org.sg

I moved to Singapore in 2006 and the theme song then was ”My Island Home“, sung by Kaira Gong. Believe it or not, I know the lyrics by heart !

The weekend prior to the actual National Day Parade, an NDP Preview Show is held. I was very lucky to have seen the NDP 2006 preview show especially since tickets are not sold (only raffled off or if one can get invites through a participant).

It was an important event as it convinced me that Singapore will be my new and permanent home.

Before I end this entry, let me share with you a very popular NDP song (1998) — “Home” sung by Kit Chan. I first heard it on Singapore Idol some time ago when Kit Chan was a guest there. Have since become familiar with it, I guess since I consider it as my personal theme song while in Singapore…

See the video (with lyrics)

BBQ in the East

June 14, 2009

Cedric hosted our choir BBQ over at his awesome place in the east. A good number were able to join the party which ran for about 6 hrs (ended shortly after midnight). Truly a great opportunity to relax and bond with friends after a busy week.

Cedric’s place has a large pool and it’s a shame that I still haven’t developed confidence in deep water. I should really try swimming or at least some form of physical movement in the pool (ha) for the 2nd half of the year.

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Happy Birthday to Me

June 4, 2009

Another birthday has gone by and I feel truly blessed a lot of people remembered. Received calls, SMS, emails and Facebook wall posts/messages.

The celebration started shortly after midnight/ crossover to June 4. I arrived home with mom and Auleine surprising me with a birthday cake and balloons upon entering the house. Whoa, have never held balloons in a long time (not that I had been hoping to all this time). For age confidentiality reasons, I am only publishing the photo with the balloons. The birthday cake had big and small candles. :p

Happy Birthday to me!

Spent 4 June on one day leave from work and went running around town the whole day before heading to Kallang …

1) for dinner with the family (Dad was busy celebrating my birthday while overseas; he also kept calling or asking mom for my whereabouts !) …

Thai and Teochew menu

Cereal prawns - one of my fave Singapore dishes

Thai Village (5 Stadium Walk, #01-50 Leisure Park Kallang; Ph 6440 2292)

Link : http://www.thaivillagerestaurant.com.sg/

2) The Pussycat Dolls — Doll Domination World Tour in Singapore

Watching this show fulfills my promise post-SingFest in August 2008 that I will catch their full-length concert should they visit Singapore again. Learned about their world tour via Sistic and booked seats immediately.

Show ran for 1.5 hours. Just right though I expected it to have a much longer encore. Stage was simple — they made up for it by using most of it during the night.

One doll was missing (forgot who as I only recognise Nicole, the lead singer) due to a fractured rib (ouch) and her absence was noticeable because there seemed to be space for another person while they danced on stage. Talk about being there in spirit!

Photos