"You only have yourself to answer to at the end of the day"

I only saw the true meaning of this as I got older.

Sometimes I wish I had a universal all encompassing 'Guidebook to life' so to speak. To clearly state which career options, relationship decisions, family planning options are best for me. Heck, I think I'd be happy if I just sat in a chair all day and have someone instruct me on what I should wear, eat, drink, do, think, feel.

The journey of life is truly a lonely one.

Turn away from this village of sin!

The montmartre sequence from Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge played out in my head as I thrawled the alleys of 'Walking Street', when work brought us to Pattaya for 3 days last week.

As Christian's father wisely warned "Turn away from this village of sin!"
Bright lights, creatures of the underworld.

The coolness of the evenings, sea breeze and sun soaked smell on skin was tainted by the raw smells drifting out from meat joints flanking majority of the alleyways on the main beach strip. A welcomed 2 hour walk on the beach on the last night, after the madness of work, allowed a colleague and I time to bask in the atmosphere of the place.

I suggested we walk the walk along 'Walking Street'.
Red lights, girls, pot-bellied middle aged caucasian men.

The meat factory.

Surreal was when we neared the middle of the neverending alley.
A man methodically turing the handle on the end of a metal stake that made its way down the middle of an entire pig. Skin crackling, raw and red. On either side, girls griding to hip hop, arms in air, nubile bodies, soft flesh, eyes glassy, expression fixed. "Mister Mister! You want good time?"

And then again, the smell of meat.

A big reshuffle and changing of roles over the last month has resulted in some office injustice.

It is audacious that some are being marginalized by foreigners in our very own country.

As some would say, "Kaninah! Chao Ang Moh!"

I have to agree with them this time.

Cat Show Redux

When I was in my first year of university, I had big plans.
I sat in for advance calculus classes and made it in time for 8am lectures.
I did my research and was adamant that I would make a switch to BSc (Medical Science) in my 2nd year, and at the end of the 3 year stint, make it to Grad Med.

That lasted all of 2 weeks.
You see, there was the Singapore Society, a new relationship, new friends and places to explore, plus the fact that I was an immature, ungrateful, spoilt and petulant child that didn’t know better.

During my 3 year extended holiday, I would however, look longingly at fellow unimates who made it to the Golden Key International Honour Society, something I promised myself I would aim for during those first 2 weeks. Invitations to which were only extended to students who were in the top 15 percentile of their cohort. I knew I was underachieving, but I was having too much fun to care.

So, it was a huge surprise when I received a package containing an invitation letter to and information about Golden Key 2 weeks ago, informing me that I belonged to the top 15 percentile of my cohort for the recent degree. It has been 2 weeks and I have yet to send in my acceptance. I think part of me still cannot believe that I acutally deserve this prestige. It is all too surreal.

I recounted this to Lump and he said:
"When I was a poor student in melbourne, going for film festival after film festival, watching XXX's (local director) films, and longing for the day that I could make films of that calibre, I would have never in my wildest imagination think that one day I would have the opportunity to play advisor to this person".

As wiseman say: "In a land with no snow, the Jamaican bobsled team dreamt of winning the olympics, and they went and got it."

If you want it bad enough, you can do just about anything.
The question is...how badly do you want it?

Anyone been to Taipei before?
Where to go, what to see, what to do.

Any recommendations are very warmly welcomed.

Venereal Facial Delight

Low and behold! The only souvenir I brought back from Seoul is the friendly Herpes virus, more accurately, oral herpes (most probably thanks to HSV-1) aka bastard cold sore. The feel and look of which has a tendency to incite me to equate my facial lips to lips...elsewhere. Comon! It's a variant of the genital one for crying out loud! I feel disgusting.

Lesson: Bring lip balm and start smearing the thick gunk from the time you board plane till after you bid a second goodbye to some of our not-so-friendly ah lians in blue (sometimes green or red) sarong kebayas (Gill, you is not be included in this group!).

It might have been the stress of work, or, what I would like to attribute to: having to share the same breathing space with my soon-to-be ex manager, the arrogant english pervert who frequents $25USD per night Cambodian whores, who if I am not mistaken, was sporting some fashionable herpes pals of his own on his lower chin, no doubt from putting his lips to herpes infected lips...elsewhere.

Geez I hate cold sores!

New Friends

Oyster Boy


The Boy with Nails in his Eyes


Perfect fit in the ever growing hoard of oddities.

Thank you Mom

"Thank you Mom for being such a good role model of what a supportive wife should be'. This brought tears to my eyes when an ex-colleague gave her impromptu speech at her wedding a week ago.

Tonight, everyone stared and watched as a man suffering from hemiplegia, no doubt having suffered from stroke, tried his best to navigate between the hawker centre tables, inching his way forward, cane in hand, body almost at a right angle, able side dragging his body along, looking for a seat wide enough for him to slide onto. I turned to my mother wanting to ask her if we should go over and help, but she was gone, already making her way to him.

"Uncle, you sit. Would you like me to help you order your food?"
"Mmmmuurgh.."

He had lost his ability to speak.
He had to gesticulate

He points to the Chwee Kwey stall.
"Chwee Kwey? Ok. How many you want?"
He holds up 3 fingers
"3 Chwee Kwey? You want chilli?"
He sticks out his thumb. Good.

"Thank you Mom, you have been my role model from whom I have learnt what having compassion truly means."

My Mus(e)ic

What I would give to go here.

If only just to see the premier of Heima.

Then again, anywhere's better than here right now.
How was your weekend?
Mine was too bloody short.