Small talk: Just received a call from my parents vacationing somewhere in Penang... apparently our only point & shoot digicam got lost somewhere along the way... so sad, all the photos taken during earlier part of the trip were all gone... =( also means that i'll need to get a replacement soon... dSLR? becoming seemingly inevitable liao... but now bo $$ ar...

Shoe fetish - i have a long standing history of shoe-affection dating back to my highschool baller days when the Chicago Bulls were still on the 2nd three-peat run. Back then, i recall having at least 4 pair of kicks at any given time; enough to sport a different pair to ball games/practices for an entire week. Over those balling years, i have amassed a sizeable collection of kicks that grew as quick as i wore them out. Typical shelf life for a pair being roughly over 6 months. Most of 'em being Nike's ~ if my memory doesn't fail me, this was my most favorite pair of 'em all:

*this is the retro version, sourced from kicksonfire.com; now it costs a freaking 145~155USD!

Nike Air Penny II ~ spent its first 2 weeks on my display shrine at home, *where i worshiped & admired it! =p, before coming to my senses ~ it's just a goddamm shoe! & decided not to spare it from the daily balling grind & abuse ~ on the rough aphsalt outdoor court. *sayang mah, coz it cost me my dad a freaking 400 bucks a pair, & that was back in '96!*
The soles lasted me a good year before wore them out to the point of busting the exposed air max cushion...
Like my poor shoes, my hoop dreams did not live to see the new millenium *i'm vertically challenged okie..., at least by the game's standard x(* & so my kicks collection has been drastically downsized & obsoleted since.
Now i'm more into comfy kicks for getting around... something like what the SB lineup embodies ~ the cool factor + cutting edge technology... i dig =)
I'm no skateboarder but this one really blows me away...

the unorthodox styling takes a little getting used to on the eyes, but it's really more like an artpiece... it's got intricate detailing unique to each side... when you own a masterpiece like this, you'll have 2nd thoughts about wearing it to go out... But i've got my eyes set on this... ~ after all my current solo pair of kicks is nearing it's lifespan... morphed from a squeeky clean white to kurap-yellowish color

What's so special about it?

from www.nike.com/skateboarding... ~ check this out:

That's not the end of it... i'm going to be needing yet another pair for a dedicated cause... back then, b-balling that gave me feet blisters... now I'm getting it not from the asphalt outdoor court, but from a much different environment ~ the dance floor... to put my best foot forward blister-free! =p

yup, it looks rather plain & boring i know... but it ain't cheap!

my upcoming project...

The week has been great for me, in an upbeat manner & fulfilling way. I had a great time catching up with a good friend of mine, ehon who's back in town for the holidays. I've only known him since his last holiday break which, was only months ago, through a buddy of mine who happens to be his ah-kong... =p
A great lad with impressive personality & unique outlook on life. With all the postive aura that he exudes, he's always a great guy to hang out with... having genuine & positive friends will make a difference especially when you're caught up in the midst of mid-life crisis (i.e frustrations at work, stagnant career, stagnant relationships) like me.. that includes you too mr sexylips...
I'm starting to sound like a senior citizen already... yeap, ehon call's me uncle =D
Man, i should start to hang out more with friends not older than 22 years old, to retard my mental aging process.
All the sick jokes laughters & thoughts shared, has been an enlightening experience.
Sometime in the middle of the week, had also managed to squeeze in a happy hour time slot with jenbebe & co. at one of the latest happening night spot in town, The Core. At 7pm on a wednesday night?? Not much going on, but those poor tax friends on mine just need to unwind after a stressful day's work. Hang on in there guys, peak season's going to be over soon! Of all the people, i've also bumped into a girl who was accidentally involved in my infamous puking fiesta at barzing from years ago... *paiseh*paiseh* Had a good exchange of chit-chats, & i hope that she will no longer address me as the guy who once puked on her.... =p

Photoshop Crash Course

With growing photography craze among my colleagues, i feel it's time for us to start experimenting with photo editing just for the heck of it coz we have deep sense of appreciation for nice photos. After all we're called Photolithography engineers mah... =D *DSLR still on my wishlist though.. *

Ehon was kind enough to impart some of his photography wisdom acquired from his apprenticeship days with the one of the major studios in town, to us... =D
Lesson#1: How to apply virtual SKII ~ specimen A
Before:

After:

Look ma, no pimples! =p

Lesson#2: How to apply virtual anti-ageing ~ Specimen B
Before:

After:

signature eye-bag eliminated, sexy lips pun kena eliminated!! but now you look 25!
*photos published without consent of specimens, no pun intended, pls dun flame me, bradas! =p*

So enough with goofying around, it is breath-taking photo effects like these that we're learning how to create

=)

*Btw, it's still ms. Colina's b'day, so Happy Birthday! again, when are u going to start ur blog ar?

Cleaning out the closet ~ i'm very particular about the settings of the surroundings i'm in. My room, interior of my car, my work cube & even my PC windows layout; i would always meticulously keep them neat, tidy & clutter-free at all times. Despite having every single piece of furniture, fixtures & stuffs in my room already well dusted, organized & aligned accurately right down to the last micrometer, i still find myself repeating the ritual over & over again when there's really no apparent need; as if engaging in this compulsions would somehow clean up the closet of my mind & rid it of all anxiety...

Ha, is this manifestation of OCD? ~ *Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder... hmm, maybe, to a certain degree but in a mild manner. During one of the recent bouts of these symptoms, i took time to appreciate my small lineup of Gunpla & figurines with my newfound & improved photography skills =p

those box-arts are too attractive to throw away...

my 1st ever kit ~ HG Neon Genesis Evangelion EVA-oo Prototype

my most elaborate & expensive kit to date ~ MG Strike Freedom Gundam, Full Burst Mode

MG Strike I.W.S.P ~ universally appealing design + impressive articulation

my 1st villain kit ~ HG Legend Gundam; i just dig kits with huge backpacks

Otaku House loot from my recent Singapore trip

L-R: Ichigo Kurosaki & Matsumoto Rangiku from Bleach; Wang Liu-Mei from Mobile Suit Gundam 00; Misato Katsuragi from Neon Genesis Evangelion

my fascination for miniature stuffs is just taking off...

Go home at 5:30pm sharp! ~ a forwarded mail; i couldn't help but agree with this. My fellow rat-racers, please read on...

Mail sent by Narayan Murthy to all Infosys staff: It ' s half past 8 in the office but the lights are still on... PCs still running, coffee machines still buzzing... And who ' s at work? Most of them ??? Take a closer look... All or most specimens are ?? Something male species of the human race... Look closer... again all or most of them are bachelors... And why are they sitting late? Working hard? No way!!! Any guesses??? Let ' s ask one of them... Here ' s what he says.... "What ' s there 2 do after going home...Here we get to surf, AC, phone, food, coffee that is why I am working late...Importantly no bossssssss!!!!!!!!!!!" This is the scene in most research centers and software companies and other off-shore offices. Bachelors "Time-passing" during late hours in the office just bcoz they say they ' ve nothing else to do... Now what r the consequences... "Working" (for the record only) late hours soon becomes part of the institute or company culture. With bosses more than eager to provide support to those "working" late in the form of taxi vouchers, food vouchers and of course good feedback, (oh, he ' s a hard worker... goes home only to change..!!). They aren ' t helping things too... To hell with bosses who don ' t understand the difference between "sitting" late and "working" late!!! Very soon, the boss start expecting all employees to put in extra working hours. So, My dear Bachelors let me tell you, life changes when u get married and start having a family... office is no longer a priority, family is... and That ' s when the problem starts... b ' coz u start having commitments at home too. For your boss, the earlier "hardworking" guy suddenly seems to become a "early leaver" even if u leave an hour after regular time... after doing the same amount of work. People leaving on time after doing their tasks for the day are labelled as work-shirkers... Girls who thankfully always (its changing nowadays... though) leave on time are labelled as "not up to it".. All the while, the bachelors pat their own backs and carry on "working" not realizing that they r spoiling the work culture at their own place and never realize that they would have to regret at one point of time.. So what ' s the moral of the story?? * Very clear, LEAVE ON TIME!!! * Never put in extra time " unless really needed " * Don ' t stay back unnecessarily and spoil your company work culture which will in turn cause inconvenience to you and your colleagues. There are hundred other things to do in the evening.. Learn music... Learn a foreign language... Try a sport... TT, cricket......... Importantly,get a girl friend or boy friend, take him/her around town... * And for heaven ' s sake, net cafe rates have dropped to an all-time low (plus, no fire-walls) and try cooking for a change. Take a tip from the Smirnoff ad: *"Life ' s calling, where are you??"* Please pass on this message to all those colleagues and please do it before leaving time, don ' t stay back till midnight to forward this!!! IT ' S A TYPICAL INDIAN MENTALITY THAT WORKING FOR LONG HOURS MEANS VERY HARD WORKING & 100% COMMITMENT ETC. PEOPLE WHO REGULARLY SIT LATE IN THE OFFICE DON ' T KNOW TO MANAGE THEIR TIME. SIMPLE ! Regards, NARAYAN MURTHY.

and i wonder why i still can't get a gf...

A comical introduction to the D1GP. An excerpt from a Hot Version VCD i've had for quite a while, but never really made out much of it coz it's purely in japanese with chinese subs only. Stumbled upon this splendidly translated version on youtube. Damn funny that ending tag, "Although this car is 100% street legal, it won't score us any chicks" ~ that, i could definitely relate to. & oh yeah, to participate in the Street Legal D1GP, you car needs to have a functioning car audio system too. Now what the heck has an audio system got to do with motorsports??

Trip damages ~



SGD7.03 for the pack of imported low-fat chips i couldn't resist ^_^


& over RM200++ in calls over a 5-day period of roaming. I must have somehow forgotten that i was out of the country then... ~ & yes, my line got barred *_*""

my favourite-est shot of the trip

~ a night view of Toa Payoh skyline from the 10th floor of a HDB flat;

Settings: ISO 80, aperture ~ F2.8, shutter speed ~ 6s (felt like an eternity just to take the shot), with flash & perched on a standstill at the edge of the veranda (luckily did not encounter strong gush of wind that will likely blow my camera off & send it tumbling, crashing down 10 storeys to the ground) =p

~ & its day time equivalent shot;
Settings: ISO 80, aperture ~ F7.0, shutter speed ~ 1/180 without flash
Okies, the camera was in auto mode all along. I'm still a noob at this; just experimenting & trying to figure out the suitable settings to use when taking shots. It's a good thing that its got shot settings recall mode for the photos taken. *All photos of this trip was taken using a point-and-shoot Samsung L100 digicam. What's next ~ investing in a entry level dSLR? =D

~ a prelude to this coming weekend's WRMF...

anyone going? it's happening at right about now...
me no party kakis to go with =(

Singapore Trip ~ 05~07/07/08

From the 3rd day onwards, it's all about enjoying good food, yum cha-ing, & having a good time catching up with relatives, cousins & old friends alike. After all, it's been almost half-a-decade since my last visit. My mom & sis tagged along on this trip also, & had been staying with my aunt since day one; they've always welcomed us to stay with them whenever we drop by for a visit ~ really grateful for that, else i'll definitely be emptying my piggy bank just to stay another night or two. Hotel prices are yikes!-like steep at the moment with the Singapore great sale going on. Accommodation aside, on one-to-one basis , the living cost is actually quite reasonable & comparable with back home. It's just that there more places & more stuffs to spend your $$ on here. Public transport system is also a gazillion times much more efficient & conveniently accessible, only dreameable back home. That too, is affordable, unless you intend to buy & run your own car.

The closest i got to Sentosa:

Dian Xiao Er @ Vivocity ~ famous for their herbal roasted duck

with aunts, cousins & chek kong
catching up with some x-colleagues at Bugis Junction

2nd consecutive Japanese feast for the night ~ with Julian, Lester, Eugene & co.

It's become a mini Kuchingnites gathering in Singapore. All of us have worked for the same company at one time or another, & now they're (ones that left) also working in the same company over there. How ironic... Nevertheless, we had a great yum-cha session =)

Ah kong too, dropped by just to say hi, on the way home ~ good to see you, buddy!
*as usual, he insists on having his Tu Shen request ~ censored la*

3rd appointment of the night ~ September! An ex-ex-colleague of mine during my Agilent internship days from nearly half-a-decade ago. Great to catch up with you again. Hey, you haven't changed at all! =)

Along with 2 expatriate friends, Michiko & Asami, one of whom happens to be a freelance writer. Cool =)
It's been nice meeting you guys, though it was quite a brief meet up at McD, before we had to run after the last train near midnight to make it home. Ha, that was quite an experience ~ "It's 11:45pm, you can start running to the MRT station, coz the last train will depart in 2 minutes time". Well, I did made it back to my aunt's place in approximately 21 minutes =p

The big city life is like a global melting pot where you get to meet people from all walks of life, from diverse cultures & with interesting backgrounds, to learn from, exchange & draw inspiration. This is the aspect that appeals to me most.

Changi's new T3 ~ so squeky clean & green

Sis had to leave a day earlier...

Toa Payoh, Lorong 1 Chicken Rice ~ even the neighborhood kopitiam is packed to the brim well past lunch hour. There is no place to dine without having to queue up, except at home lar.

my cousin, Donald's ride. I dig that aggressive & muscular look. Not a WRX, just 1.6 AWD variant though, but sharing that same boxer layout. Quite a fuel guzzler that returns 8 - 9 km to the litre. The real deal WRX STi would definitely be one heck of a drinker!


@ Suntec City


Yup, I've been an uncle for quite awhile now =p

Debra & Marissa ~ ^_^

& Bree, the most recent addition =)
That about wraps up my trip for this time round ~ it's been a great one! =)