First Frankfurt - New York

was very excited about this trip, cos its my first ever frankfurt, New York trip after flying for so long.. a little apprehensive cos my colleagues were all super senior, worried that i cant live up to their expectations but in the end all turn out well. they were all very nice people... Patrick, Candy, Julina were my buddies in Frankfurt when we were in frankfurt cos we went to town to explore and julina was very nice to show me around cos its my first time to frankfurt... frankly speaking, frankfurt has got nothing much, there wasnt really anything much to see unless u travel out of the city. besides that its just eating pasta, pizzas and buying chocolates. i guess everyone is looking forward to new york, frankfurt is something that u had to go through to get to new york i guess. nonetheless, we manage to get some sightseeing down, in the branded shopping street and visiting the old town and new town... i guess the only highlight in frankfurt has to be that we were all caught in very heavy snow.. initially excited, but soon we were cowering for shelter and desperately trying to get out of the blistering cold snow. its the first time ever that i ever saw snow accumulated on my jackets and umbrellas... and thats when the snow war begins, all thanks to julina

in new york, julina brought us to soho area, times square. New York is really a neon lights city, bustling with life and forever packed with people. exactly what we always see on tv, signboards and all... the next morning, we were for american breakfast together before trooping over to 5th avenue, did some shopping but nothing much for me except 2 AnF tshirts. there is nothing much to buy cos of the winter season but AnF gave a very happy environment, warm and cool.. the staff were all friendly and dancey... yes u saw right, they were all dancing, seems like a very friendly environment. on the last day before departure, me and julina did the craziest thing ever, we woke up very early in the morning, to brace the cold winter wind and weather to catch the thanksgiving day parade... lotsa bands and paraders and giant balloons, but in the end it was too cold for us to bear, we had to seek refuge in starbucks for some warm chocolate and food. before exploring a bit more, finding the famous rockerfellar centre and the Empire state building and Chrysler building... that pretty much sums up the entire trip... but i was disappointed because i had so wanted to do more sightseeing to visit the brooklyn bridge, ground zero, world trade centre, financial centre, chinatown, little italy and of course the central park and the statue of liberty... but the weather is simply not permitting... i guess i can only wait till the next time i am back...

Taipei with Tiphany and Anthea

Thams gave me this taipei flt cos he was going for reservist... good buddy... just nice my batchgirl is also in taipei for holiday so after touching down, i immediately got changed and went out to Ximending to meet her and her friend Tiphany, whom she has been trying to introduce to me since some time back. KTV was on the cards, so that was where i found them, to my shock, there were at least 10 people in the room. i had previously expected 5 or so cos Anthea told me that Tiff's girlfriends are coming, but in another corner of the room, another 5-6 guys were there, sitting like big bosses, I thou 26 already, felt like a small kid in their presence...

but soon the warmth of the taiwanese began to show, they began to talk cock, make jokes and were really friendly... tried to chat with us, drink with us, toast us, eat as well... and did i mention they actually dance in the ktv room? wow.. when we left for shihlin night market, tiphany told us that the guys in the rooms are all bosses and they all own their own businesses... okies... i am impressed...

In Shihlin, another of Tiff's friend joined us, its all the usual stuff of shopping and eating, Tiff's a very good host, she insisted in paying for most of the things, until we feel quite bad... by the time we left, the girls got their loot and i got my peanuts candy... so its back to hotel for the night's rest and meeting them for lunch again the next day before i leave for home... decided to meet at ximen and tiff brought us to some local chinese restaurant hidden in one corner of ximen for food and another rooftop open cafe for some drinks and chitchatting session...

it was fun... looking forward to meeting up with them again soon... tiphany's coming to singapore for xmas thou..

oh.. when i was checking out, i saw andy lau at the hotel lobby... he was mobbed!! think there was some music awards ceremony in taipei, cos on the flight back, i noticed some singapore song writers and other colleagues noticed a few radio djs on the flight too... cool..

Love is...

according to Avenue Q, there is a thin thin line separating love and friendship... and there is something about spending time and wasting time... which i cannot remember also...

i was jogging just now... i think i saw what love is... it was just after a heavy downpour... was finishing my jog when i saw this grandmother with her granddaughter at a flooded playground playing catching... its all the more striking cos the girl was squealing and running everywhere, climbing up and down to escape from the grandmother. the grandmother was kinda struggling to keep up... and climbing up and down for her especially on a wet and slippery playground isnt an easy chore... i really admire her love for her granddaughter... these are things which one will only see people from the older generation doing, such is LOVE... In modern day context, what i can picture is the child being trapped at home esp after rain, if they ever said they wanted to go to the playground, they are sure to get scolded big time by their mother. they cant even smell the playground, not to say be there...

ruoyan suddenly msged me out of the blue yesterday, after 2 years of ignoring me. i thot she din wanna be friends with me. she suddenly said, i sorted out my thinking already, i am really sorry, do u still want me as a friend? im like kinda stunned, i thot she msged the wrong person when i saw her msg popping up.. well, i had a good time teasing her about it, but all is fine now... we are friends again.. we'll see... i wonder what took her so long...

a certain friend of mine, i thot i like her... but she cant seemed to let go of her previous r/s. deep down, she knows its over, but she just likes digging her own grave, finding out about the guy and set her mind crazy thinking about absurd things... finding trouble for herself... neither here nor there, troubled yet sober.. i think i was like that when i was out of love, always looking for things, digging a hole to bury myself deeper... vicious cycle, knowing that you have to get out of it but yet u like to wallow deeper.. but now i am really out of it, i look back and think that its silly, why dun they come to their senses... but i guess when i am in the same shit again... i will be the one wallowing and not coming to senses...

we have been spending a lot of time together recently, the few of us... going overseas, eating, shopping, movies all...really enjoy the company... just that sometimes i feel very left out of the conversation because of my job nature, sometimes, when they talk about what they are dealing with and office work, i can only listen because i never experienced it before... is it sour grapes? i dunno, maybe... could be also because i am yearning to work in a more fixed setting where i wun miss out so much... flying around does have its perks but it means u give up a lot too... like gatherings you cant attend, weddings of buddies, soccer games u keep missing.. working when people are sleeping... just to name a few... a short get away trip is planned, originally, its few of us going, but now they wanna go ahead and go earlier... actually its a good idea cos they wun waste the weekend... but i was sore i guess, jealous and feeling uneasy? i dunno why, it came over me when they suggested it, honestly, i wasnt keen on the idea of travelling alone, not if i am on a single person holiday trip where i plan for everything myself... but now its all eating up into their time, the wait can be irritating... i suggested to her that maybe they shud go ahead without me.. cos partly i feel bad if they have to miss the weekend of the trip because of me, then, what if i cant find them there.. its gonna be another waiting game and wasting time... just exclude me from the plans, i rather stay in singapore if thats the case.. makes things easier... they can enjoy themselves, no waiting... and no weird feelings from me if i am not there... why am i feeling this way?? there are times when i send her home, i feel like just spending time with her, but words wun come out, each time i see her so tired... i just couldnt bear to take up anymore of her rest time. dun think she is ready yet, she mentioned it before... i can only just silently wait and show concern secretly.. maybe i have fallen for her.. that seems the only logical reason so far... sigh..

of Missed soccer, last min KTV, Lunch at Gunther's, shopping and Avenue Q

was suppose to go for futsal with patrick's gang on wed night, so the plan was to meet thams and patrick. watched "Choke"... er... its a movie with a messy plot... its about sex anyway, sex always sells... somehow...

the heavy rain cancelled the soccer session, super disappointed... but we ended up playing PS3 at tham's house until someone suggested KTV... everyone gian.. den ok... its decided den... jioed Ling and Kerson... so we had a fantastic time singing from 11 to 5am.. damn crazy shit, nonstop and good fun... tried to cheered a certain someone up cos she just broke up... sigh... we ended up playing dice and had lotsa forfeits drinking beer until the beer was finished den came the killer forfeits, each loser has to down half a giant glass of green tea... it was very daunting as we get damn bloated and toilet is always the top of our mind... luckily drinks are free flow, so we had a fun time trying to kill each other... Kerson had it worst, think he drank a minimum of 5 huge glasses in total, den patrick and Ling were close 2nd after him.. i was lucky to have only 2.. thams is thereabouts too... toilet had the best business that night after the KTV machine... hahaha...

so i had to rush home to catch some sleep cos i am meeting joanna for lunch at Gunther's... Candice pulled out as Tom got injured in Shanghai and she had to rush back, so its a romantic lunch for 2.. Gunther's is listed as the No. 4 restaurant in the Best Restaurants in Asia. So i had pretty high expectations for it... i was pleasantly surprised by their high level of hospitality, cos it was raining, so when we stepped in and got to out seats, they served us towels to dry ourselves den gave us hot towels to freshen up... super score points... den the waiters were very attentive... and the food is super yummy too... foie gras and mushroom cappuccino for appetizers and i had lamb for main course and joanna had seafood pasta... wihch was really good.. deserts were a little disappointing thou, Ember scored much better in terms of deserts cos their deserts is just so nice... the nice ambience and settings made up for it and the chef came out to talk to us and asked us how was the food and all... not often you get that... so yup... fantastic experience... Garibaldi and Egis next...

after that was suppose to be either ktv or shopping... in the end it was shopping...spent the entire afternoon shopping in town... before heading down to Esplanade for Avenue Q.... I must give it 2 thumbs up, more thumbs if i have... the settings is nice, jokes are funny and innovative.. slapstick and rude some times but its good... some of the issues mentioned inside actually came quite true and reflective of us... like whats our purpose in life? the things that get us down, haunt us FOR NOW, will come to pass... love issues, different people you meet in life, Schanfeude or something... which means gaining happiness out of seeing others in misery... gay issues, racism, sex, wishing to turn back time to schooling days, how people wallow in self pity, internet porn... all in one, composed and turned into a musical with real people and cartoon characters... music is really catchy and funny... my fave character is the tracky monster who is a porn addict who eventually donates 10 million dollars to help build a school for monsters and help fulfill Kate's dream... complex right? lotsa hidden subplots inside, u gotta watch to understand... huazai's fave is the ga rod and nicky... joanna likes tracky too.. haha... if i cud, i wudnt mind watching again... if its not so ex...

HK tmr.. tiring... looking forward to saturday actually.. can play tennis... and soccer on sunday.. thou i had pretty much wished to be called up for long flt... cash is king now...

Dinner @ Manutama Ramen, Central and Lunch with Dionne after 2 years...

It was rather random and impromptu...

Joanna just msg me and asked if i am free for dinner... which i said i am since i had nothing on... so me, her, candice and huazai decided to meet up for impromptu dinner, Manutama Ramen was suggested and all i had to do was to agree and follow them since i am hardly in singapore, i'm more like a tourist than anything else to my home country if u ask me...

So Central it is... i met Candice first and the first thing was we stared at each other in disbelief cos we were both wearing grey and white striped polo tees... its the korean style "qing lu zhuang" damn funny!!! luckily she had a jacket to cover up... but since we were the earliest, we decided to walk around a bit to find the restaurant. Our clothings certainly put us in certain limelight... quite paiseh actually... just hoping the other 2 wudnt spot it... but Ramen there was really good, tasty and not too ex for very good food standard...

impromptu was it when joanna suggested watching Avenue Q on thurs when i am around. funny thing is that i din watch it when i had the chance to in London so many times... on the contrary, i am going to watch it back in singapore. and 1-3 dec was decided for a short getaway to bangkok... coming saturday is reserved for tennis and hairy crabs... and thurs is lunch at Gunther's and Avenue Q.. and next sat is going to be go kart at jb and seafood too... super eventful... but super hole in the pocket too... considering the shitty roster that i got... sigh... but i love their company...

Next day was lunch with Dionne, last saw her 2 years ago... so we were just catching up... its good to meet up with old friends, friends whom u really miss and haven seen for a long time... think she is doing well... but maybe its the rigours of the working life, that seemed to have took some shine off her as well... pleasantly surprised that she ended up with Sixian... good for them, they always look good together and seemed to complement each other since the first day i met them, i guess fate has played a trick on them, coming together only after so long... but at least they are at the final destination now... a happy ending i guess :)

Europe's Largest Waterfall - Rheinfalls (Zurich)

I was always gonna go for sightseeing in zurich, because there is just too much to see... My mind was set on Rheingfalls this time round after seeing so much from thams and carina's photos... den the hotel staff threw up Jungfraouch and that made me stop to think for a moment cos abby dont mind going too... sigh.. couldnt decide at first but in the end, settled for Rheinfalls partly because it hasnt really snowed yet so, the view might not be as nice... i will visit the next time.

the trip was made early in the morning, not too far off, just a tram ride to the train station to take a 40 mins train to Schaffhausen and from there its a 10 mins bus ride... all too easy... the view is really beautiful with all the leaves of the trees turning yellow and red... its those picturesque views that you will see only in postcards, but we are there now!!

Yes, we hear you before we see you. Rheinfalls is also the largest waterfall in Europe. actually it wasnt really that big and wide, but i guess the ability to allow one to get up really close to it and almsot being part of it more than makes up for it. not many people can say that they are in the middle or at the foot of a waterfall afterall. took many pictures anyway, from different angles, different views and there is this little castle at the top of the hilltop, called Laufen. weather was really freezing early in the morning, we were ill-equipped cos the day before wasnt that bad.. but gradually as the sun rises, it became better...

Chief was telling me that i shud visit Interlaken next time cos its a series of 3 lakes each separated by waterfalls... sounds pretty cool to me... i shall put that down in my priority list together with jungfraouch and grindelwald.. more of zurich please.. i dun mind :)

Do I have what it takes??

was having lunch with Joanna, Candice and Huazai at TCC in Raffles place area... was just a simple lunch but several topics came up, like were they very bitchy when dealing with their subordinates... Joanna mentioned that she often scold her clerks and even the very mild Candice ever scolded someone till she cried...

den we were talking about the trip, tennis session and the taiwan trip next month. on the way back after lunch, Joanna was saying that she is wishing that she wished she isnt working in the CBD area. I had always thought its everyone's wish to work in the CBD area, a place to see and be seen. Some sort of status issue, like a high flyer, earning big bucks... I always thought so and secretly, i also want to be working there... but now after working at my current place for a year plus, i felt like i degenerated, become stupider, less intelligent, less drive. Do i still have what it takes to work in such a competitive society and arena?

I dun want to be consigned to a small little place called the skies, travelling around the world earning that measly few thousand dollars which everyone calls it a dream job. Maybe they are right... i wouldnt know... but i am just not contented with such. I want my own business, i cant wait to get it started and rolling... next year is coming, bond is ending and i am going to be free to move soon. I wanna start thinking and planning for the future... Thams suggested trying to be a pilot, but i dont think thats really my cup of tea unless i am driven to no choice... I want to break free from this current mundane-ness... Its time to wake up... really...

fun week on leave

had a good time on leave this week.. originally wanted to go HK and look for Yibo and take a break, but the financial crisis meant belt-tightening... the trip was cancelled last min and probably cos i feel like staying in singapore to rest and catch up.

met huazai, joanna and junzhi to go JB last sat, ended up coming back like 2 am, tired but lotsa fun... seafood, supper, shopping, nonsensing... next 2 days was mainly at home lazing, except being out for meals and catching up with different friends...

the impromptu plan was to go bangkok or hk with joanna cos she felt like taking a breather out of singapore, alas when everything was more or less settled, she couldnt get leave on thurs, that has to be scrapped too... too bad...

went for a job on wed, did some statics too.. was seeing stars after that, gone was my fitness and stamina, it was a far cry from what i used to be... and i was aching all over... the side effects of working and being lazy... something must be done, especially urgent when IPPT is coming up... i gotta start exercising to get back to what i was... now i'm just fat and fair.. disgusting.. i miss diving too...

thurs was soccer at tampiness with patrick and gang... super fun, ages since i played soccer, so all the more its enjoyable... scored a wonder goal, took the ball on the turn, flicked the ball up and volleyed the ball at the same time into the bottom corner at halfcourt, everyone's jaw dropped.. haha... damn amazing..

friday, joanna took leave, we went out for catchup with candice, had a fantastic lunch at Ember restaurant, good rich food.. den headed to town for movies, watch max payne... it sucks.. den met huazai for dinner den we watched saw 5, gruesome... but definitely better than max payne... after that we headed for drinks at Blooie, hanged out there till 3plus, sent everyone home and got home myself at 4plus... next day was gathering at candice house... watched a movie, 10 promises to you... about an owner's 10 promises to her dog called socks... very touching, i teared... after that was dinner at chinatown, wanted to eat hairy crab but couldnt get a table cos we din make prior reservations, ended up having hawker food before heading back to candice's place for Mj till 3plus and got home and slept at 5plus... before waking up for soccer at 7plus... that pretty up sums up the week of leave.. fun fun fun...

planning to go taipei with with in dec... hopefully i get a good roster which i can tag along, but in any case.. me and joanna are going over to shanghai to find candice in april next year... cant wait...