"I'd let Godzilla step on my head
And I'd let a mummy chase me around and throw me in a dungeon
I'd let space aliens perform an autopsy on me
If I could just be near to you

I'd let Dracula drink my blood
I'd let a zombie eat my arm
I'd let a Frankenstein punch me in the stomach
Just if I could be."

--TFC & Jad Fair, "Near to You"

"I want to be your Superman. I would not be satisfied being your Batman or Aquaman. No. I want the very best." --TFC & Jad Fair, "Cupid"



Took about 4 weeks for my CD-order from Barnes&Noble to arrive, but it's worth the wait. The CDs are 'Words Of Wisdom And Hope' which is a collaboration between Teenage Fanclub and Jad Fair, and 'The Kings Of Disco' (a French import), a 2CD compilation by Dimitri from Paris and Joey Negro.
Jad Fair rambles on and on like a geek who can't carry a tune; it sounds more like a spoken-poetry album, but with Teenage Fanclub in the background, it's pure heaven. What a great album of quirky love songs.
And with a title like The Kings Of Disco, who can resist buying this album? Consisting of rare and obscure disco tunes painstakingly sourced by the 2 DJs (they decided to join forces on this compilation so as to avoid outbidding each other constantly on E-Bay for rare disco records), this is an invaluable addition to my Dimitri CDs!

I followed Choonwei's advice and asked for 'chilli more a bit' when I ordered my usual $3 bowl of Hua Kee wanton mee at Old Airport Rd hawker centre... when I received the bowl, I thought the dollop of chilli over the noodles looked over-generous, and sure enough, the fiery taste overwhelmed the whole experience. Delicious nonetheless, but I'll stick to a normal order the next time so that I can savour the traditional taste better.

Thursday, Jan 20

Had to take my IPPT before my birthday comes, so I booked for Jan 20 at Bedok FCC (Fitness Conditioning Centre) which is located in Bedok Camp II, also home of the Guards. All test stations are now conducted electronically which means cheating is out of the question; I was impressed
Prior training for IPPT was nil, so I was just hoping to pass. What was in my favour however, is that I'm now in Category Y1 (those aged 30 years and above), which means the pass requirements are now slightly lower. In the end, I surprised myself by making Silver! Met Warrant Officer Vincent Yeo at the running track; he was the Chief Instructor during my PTI course (the 57th Batch).

Couldn't sleep at night during 1-2am. Turned on the TV and saw a very old Chinese movie on Ch 8. The middle girl in white dress is Fung Bo Bo:


A noticeably slimmer Lydia Sum:



Switched to Channel Newsasia and hey presto, Bush's inaugural address was being aired live. It was a pretty rousing speech:



Friday, Jan 21 (Hari Raya Haji)

In the words of Boney M: Hurray, hurray, it's a holi holi day!
Rode to Bukit Timah mountain bike trail early in the morning. The downslopes were scary. Fell a few times. Must familiarize myself with the trail more!


We took a short break at that rock-climbing place. I heard an angmoh died here recently from a rock-climbing accident, and that was after he escaped alive from the Asian tsunami.


Athena, an experienced trail-rider. She can put many guys to shame including me. She's a Biology and English teacher too.


Sehsuan in yellow with his pretty new blue Kinesis frame.


A shot of Shahrun's back. Yes, the infamous Shahrun in Togoparts who goes by the nicks of Crashman, Madmonkey, Siput_Babi.


Only did 1 lap of BT and didn't have time to join the guys for lunch cos I had to make it to Ritz Carlton at 2pm. Rode back to Tampines alone, took me one hour; the ride back was not fun - strong midday sun plus strong headwind.
Took a cab to the hotel. It was my first time to the Ritz, a rare opportunity to check out the hotel room and the pool! Room was on the 17th floor, one of the most spacious out of all the hotel-rooms I've seen.

Here's the view from the bath-tub in the huge bathroom; the window is tinted on the outside so no one can see you naked using a telescope out there:




A shot of the room itself:


The view from the hotel-room:




Serene also wore Nike Dunk Los. She got hers in HK.


On another note, I caught Nobody Knows at Cineleisure a while ago, a Japanese film about an irresponsible young mother who abandons her 4 children (from 4 different fathers) to fend for themselves in a tiny rented apartment in Tokyo. It's based on a true story. Won't reveal any spoilers here, but the film left me feeling depressed even after it was over. Other films make you sad during some parts but don't have a lasting effect like this one... I fully recommend it. As I've said, any film that can affect your emotions like that is good; sadly, I can't say this for most of the special effects-laden Hollywood crap out there.

The youngest child in the film loved Apollo chocolates. Apollo chocolates featured prominently in the film. I was curious to know how they taste like, so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they are by Meiji and are sold in NUS Co-op. I love their packaging and their taste! I have taken the last one out of the box as I'm typing this :(



Note the different cartoons at the top of both boxes.


No prizes for guessing that each chocolate is shaped like the Apollo space module, hence their name!

It's the Saturday after Hari Raya Haji, the sun is out and shining with a vengeance, which is better cos some clothes are drying by the window.
Lush 99.5 is on the radio now, and I just heard that the station has turned into a 24hr one. Bless 'em, Lush is the best thing to have happened on $ingapore radio. I hope they will not go the way of Passion 99.5 who died an early death due to lack of money from advertisers who think all Singaporeans love listening to radio stations who play insipid music for the masses and to DJs who banter on and on like they love the sound of their own voices so much. Get this: every tune on Lush 99.5 is a joy, I keep hearing something new; I'm even considering getting a clock-radio for my bedside table since the radio is worth listening to now.
The other 2 stations I consider worth a listen are Symphony 92.4 and Love 97.2 (yes, the Mandarin one that plays lao ge). Really, old Chinese songs are fun to listen to, campy and kitschy!

I had uploaded some old pics into my server which I wanted to share but didn't have the time to post here, so here goes, in random order:

First, a tv-shot of the Olsen twins! Yes, Kate and Mary Olsen have grown up. That's Hollywood for you. Of course, I liked them much better when they were young.


This cloud-photo was taken outside my flat. See the ominous looking pillar of clouds? Reminds me of a nuclear explosion.


I'm currently reading this seminal book for book-lovers, which I should have done a long long time ago. I purchased it in a bookshop in Kathmandu. I love it because it is all about road-trips and experiencing Life, something every typical anal, ignorant, repressed Singaporean should read.


Some pics from the 'Fungi and Viruses' workshop I attended (refer to an earlier post below). The model of DNA at the DNA Learning Centre which greets visitors when they enter:


The huge chart that maps out the sequence of the Human Genome Project; lots and lots of data here!


We innoculated soya beans with fungi to make Tempeh. Note the fungi growth after a night of incubation:


We used common party snacks to make a passable model of the famous T4 bacteriophage. Resembles an alien space module doesn't it?


A sample of a species of fungus. This is what the Chinese call lingzhi, it's expensive stuff. No wonder some auntie-teachers didn't waste any time grabbing 'em when the lecturer said we could take some samples home.


Met David Leong at the course; he did Microbiology with me in NUS:


What ulu part of $ingapore is this? Got so much jungle one. Well, this is NIE/NTU for you, situated in a faraway part of the island that everyone hates travelling to.


On another note, here are some pics from the graduation party for the cohort of 2004 who will be leaving my school. These girls really took the effort to adhere to the theme of the night - Retro!


The guys were more conservative...


But these were not (Boon Xiang, Hong Guan and Song Lim)...


My usual suspects for my digicam - the trio of Tabitha, Clara and Sabrina. I have been their Form Teacher for 3 years in a row. Clara's catwoman glasses was a nice touch.


And as usual, the best shot for last. Needs no caption...

Kelvin Lau spins tunes as DJ Shady Record Get your dj name @ Quiz Me

Kelvin Lau was a Saucy Cook in a past life. Discover your past lives @ Quiz Me