Weekend full of Food!

Finally a weekend to catch up with friends and food. After last saturday tiring excursion at my company's sports carnival, this weekend started with nearly everything planned. Finally completed my root canal treatment for my molars, costing me tonnes of money. Was not as painful as I feared but still, it was still agonising. From then, travelling in the comfort of a Mazda 3, met the gang for lunch at Pek Kio. Been mentioning to the rest of them abt Pek Kio for ages and this was the first time I actually brought them there. Had the wonderful Soon Kee Wan Tan Mee before proceeding to the actual reason behind us meeting, which was to choose flowers for our dear friend's wedding. After that, it was onwards to Chomp Chomp and Ice3 for dinner and dessert.

Sunday started with breakfast with close friends and a surprise call to accompany my friend to purchase a car. He made the plunge and the newly commissioned CPT in the SCDF is the proud owner of a silver Hyundai Getz. Very happy for him.

Super busy weekend with little time for myself! Still catching up on the Economist for the week and have borrowed the latest version of "Random walk down Wall Street". Will take that to Cambodia to read. The week was rounded off with Blackburn triumphing over Arsenal to lift themselves to 5th in the Premier League. Honestly, I would be happy for a top 10 finish. Well done to Mark Hughes and his team of combatants.

Next week, will be entertaining the Bazaz!

Awaiting the F1 season

Was at Borders over the weekend and I spotted a book by Murray Walker, the grand guru of Formula 1 racing. Somehow, the face of Murray Walker brought back all the memories of watching Formula 1 on ITV every alternate Sundays from March to November. I used to curse the Formula 1 qualifying rounds as CD:TV would be shortened to about half an hour. Stuck in my cold room and tele, Formula 1 racing was really one of the weekly habits on top of watching all the other shows.

The voice of Murray Walker shouting "Go, go, go!" when the green lights are turned on was really one of the main reasons of watching F1 on ITV. Was particularly interested in watching the engineering aspect of racing (coming from UCL where some of our more famous alumnis have gone on to become engineers in F1) Those days, Mika Hakkinen were ruling the circuit with Schumacher just finding his mark in Ferrari. Those were also the days when the tour was still limited to the same few cities before circuits in KL, Bahrain, Shanghai, Turkey burst into the scene.

When Murray Walker finall retired in 2002, he was given a momentus farewell after being in the industry for more than 30 years. His voice was sadly missed and somehow I felt that the excitment of the race were not there anymore. Those Sunday afternoons when grocery shopping had to wait till F1 was over were sadly missed. Had a torrid time in the US when I had to wake up at 8 am to catch the races in Europe and even more disappointed when I came back to Singapore. Somehow, no one can replace good old Murray.

So the time has come

Well, we have been preparing for it since Sept last year and it finally happened! The COS season was meant to be the super peak season of work but somehow the process seems less painless than I ever imagined. The "cuts" came in only on Tuesday and somehow due to our preparedness, we were able to churn out the replies quite fast. The process was also well-executed and thus there were very little delay. There were late nights but it was enjoyable with the company and we try to contribute to other portfolios as well. The good news only came late on Friday evening when all the replies were cleared by Minister. The next week will be busy tidying up the speech before the actual speech the following week. Good grief the season is over!

Take Me Out!

Went with a ex-army friend to watch the rocking Scottish band, Franz Ferdinard. Had dinner at No Signboard before adjourning to the Indoor Stadium to enjoy the music. It was a great concert and the band was of great entertainment value (even though we hardly understood the Scottish accent). Some of their great songs such as Take Me Out, The Darkness of Matinee, Do you want to and Walk away. The band even invited the crowd to their hotel for a party after the concert. Dun think the hotel management would be pleased. Was rather disappointed that there was totally no encore after the concert but overall it was a well spent 70 bucks!

I attached my favourite Franz Ferdinard song "Walk Away" lyrics:

I swapped my innocence for pride
Crushed the end within my stride
Said I'm strong now I know that I'm a leaver
I love the sound of you walking away, you walking away
Mascara bleeds a black in tear, oh
And I am cold, yes, I'm cold
But not as cold as you are
I love the sound of you walking away, you walking away
I love the sound of you walking away, walking away, hey hey

Why don't you walk away?
Why don't you walk away?

Why don't you walk away?
No buildings will fall down
Don't you walk away
No quake will split the ground
Won't you walk away
The sun won't swallow the sky
Won't you walk away?
Statues will not cry

Don't you walk away
Why don't you walk away?
Why don't you walk away?
Why don't you walk away?
Hey

I cannot turn to see those eyes
As apologies may rise
I must be strong and stay an unbeliever
And love the sound of you walking away, you walking away
Mascara bleeds into my eye, oh
And I'm not cold, I am old
At least as old as you are

And as you walk away
Oh, as you walk away

Oh, as you walk away
My headstone crumbles down
As you walk away
The Hollywood winds will howl
As you walk away
The Kremlin's falling
As you walk away
Radio Four is static

As you walk away
Oh, as you walk away
Oh, as you walk away
Oh, as you walk away
Hey

The stab of stiletto
On a silent night
Stalin smiles and Hitler laughs
Churchill claps Mao Tse Tung on the back

The Day I got my first PQ

Well, Wednesday, 15th of Feb was the day I got my first PQ. For those who knows what a PQ is, I am sure you will understand the agony! Well, at least my end of the work is done, so just wait for the bomb to explode!

PS: Will prob receive about 20 "PQ"s by next Wed. Wish me luck!

Superbowl XL

Took leave on Monday morning to catch the annual Superbowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks in my home state of Michigan. The first Superbowl at downtown Detroit in Ford Field was on a blistering cold night but luckily the stadium was indoor. The game was not really that exciting and the controversial calls by the officials did not make it any more exciting. In my opinion, the Seahawks were robbed of a touchdown in the 1st quarter but had that disallowed due to a pass interference foul. The first Steelers touchdown was also a mistake as Roethelisburger did not really cross the line before his knees touched the ground.

The second half was much more exciting with the Pittsburgh jazzing the crowd with a 75 yard touchdown run. They did a sensational trick play with a running back throwing the ball for the next touchdown. The Seahawks fought back but could not overturn the deficit. The Steelers came out winners 21-10 and making them an elite league that had won 5 Superbowls. The others were the 49ers and Cowboys.

Good work for the Steelers and sad to say, we will have to wait till August for football again. The football season ended quite miserable for me especially with the Wolverines losing in the Alamo Bowl. Hopefully they can re-group and re-capture the Big Ten Championship and qualify for the Rose Bowl!

Catching up with old times

Was nice to meet up with some ex-colleagues yesterday at Bishan. Been quite some time since 3 out of 4 of us left my previous organisation and it was good to hear what's happening in the organisation and how some of the people are surviving in there. I do miss my previous work environment. Even though I was working as a lowly NSF, I got to know many people and most of them have stayed as friends ever since. The office culture wasn't fantastic but man I do miss the people. The good thing is that one of my friends paid for the dinner and he insisted that we do not pay him back. His deal is that we should meet soon enough so all of us can take turn to pay for dinner. Excellent idea yandao! Next time someone is proposing Furama Hotel..hehe :-)

Violin Maestro

Had the opportunity to watch an excellent violin concert on Tuesday. Was late for it due to work and only managed to catch the second half of the show. Was rather disappointed to have missed the first half but the second half was superb. It was filled with short but impactful pieces. The 2 violinists are talented and young and show plenty of promises. One of them is only 25 years old and had just completed his Masters! How I wish I was more musically inclined and had the chance to learn music when I was younger. Nevertheless, bring on Franz Ferdinard next week!

Great Weekend

Well, it seems weird that I am writing about my previous weekend when it is already Thursday. It was one of the more fruitful weekend that I really enjoyed myself especially on Saturday. Started the day really early by bringing me mum to Ikea. It was personally my first trip there as well and was really amazed by all the stuff they sell. I was looking for a desk and a bookcase to fit into my tiny space in the bedroom. Did not buy my desired items in the end as I wanted to go back home to measure the exact space I have. Well that's one of the disadvantages of staying in a 3-room flat.

Had lunch at this Jap restaurant, Kuriya at Shaw Centre. Was nice but a bit expensive. Anyway, I met a new friend there as well :-) The highlight of the day was hanging out at my colleague's place in the evening. Went to his place in a ulu part of Singapore but it was worth it. We tucked into a nice dinner of KFC and home-made sushi. Spent the evening watching Dogma, a movie banned in Singapore due to its content of taking the mick out of christianity. We remained chatting till nearly 3am before we started to leave.

PS: Btw, my colleague had to stand by living room the next day for his wife. Poor guy :-(

Blackburn has done it!

Well is Man U on a decline or what! Blackburn Rovers, the team I supported for the past 12 years have beaten them home and away for the first time in 75 years. A win in Old Trafford early in the season have cemented Blackburn's position as a tough team to beat in the Premier League. A win in Ewood Park last Wednesday was the last coffin in the nail to prove that Man U is no longer the force to be reckoned with.

A Ferdinard's mess-up was the gravest mistake for young David Bentley to become the first player to score a hat-trick against Man U since 1992. Blackburn has been known as the "bad-boy" team with players such as Dickov, Bellamy, Tugay, Neill and of course Savage. Teamed up with speedy players such as Pederson and Bentley, Blackburn would do well to push for a European place this season. Mark Hughes have brought in his team and has done well for his first Premier League job.

For all Blackburn fans (not too many left), keep on supporting the team.

Welcoming the Year of the Dog

It's been a tough year of the chicken. So many things happened so quickly and today is the first day of the dog already. Started welcoming the year of the dog on Thursday with a traditional 10 course lunch at Lao Beijing. It was meant as a farewell lunch for my colleague but it turned out to be a Chinese New Year Dinner with the yu sheng as the first course. The food was fantastic especially the Wuxi Spare ribs and the hot and spicy soup. We were so stuffed after the lunch that we only limped back to office at about 3pm. It also turned out to be the most expensive lunch for most of us. Costing a grand total of $44 per person, it was really expensive but rather worth it!

Luckily on Friday, we had a free lunch from the office. Consisting of the yu sheng again, the buffet was a great welcome after our Lao Beijing's escapade. Got to talk to some of the office colleagues as well without the hustle and bustle of work. Great bonding session!

Chinese New Year have always been a rather muted affair for me since I came back from overseas. It's good to catch up on a good break and just relax and read. I have gotten 2 excellent books: Freakonomics and The World is Flat. In fact, Freakonomics was so good that I finished it in a week. To all avid readers, it is really worth the read. Understanding things like why did the crime rates suddenly dropped in the 1990s, what do teachers and sumo wrestlers have in common, what are the traits of a ku klux klan member, etc, etc. Just started on The World is Flat and it's quite an intriguing read so far. Will update more soon!

Svengate

Sven, Sven, Sven. The song sung by a couple of jokers to commerate Sven-Goran Eriksson appointment as England's coach in Feb 2001 (In fact, I think the song charted at No 8 in the British Chart). So what has Sven gone wrong to force him to step down 2 years early from his contract? Has Sven not learned from his predeccesors (read Glenn Hoddle, Terry Venables) who had been forced out of the job due to their big mouth?

Technically, Sven may have been one of the most successful England coach ever. With wealth of experience from Italy, he was widely touted as the saviour to the England team after their humilating exit in Euro 2000 and losing 1-0 to the Germans in the last game at Wembly. He did well thrashing Spain 4-0 in his first game on the 28th of Feb 2001. His best victory must definitely be the 5-1 thrashing of Germany in Munich and managed to scrapped to World Cup 2002 by a last minute goal by David Beckham. Thereafter, results have been successful but not entirely spectacular.

One of the greatest complain of the England job is that most people are capable of picking the almost the same squad Sven is picking but why pay him millions to do that? The second main complain was that he is Swedish. For the birhtplace of football to employ a foreigner as coach, it is totally unacceptable to most Brits. The third and main complain is Sven's personal life. It all started with Ulrika Johnson. Ulrika who? Well she is a famous host in UK and somehow the papers started linking them together. The public accepted Sven and then came the secretary story. Sven allegedly had sexual contacts with a secretary in the FA. Still the public was tolerant. The last straw was when he fell for the oldest trick in the book. Dispicable but yet greatly welcome by the public, the fake sheikh act had enticed tons of people ranging from royalty to celebrities to dig up any dirt. So Sven's position became untenable and thus adios after the World Cup.

So what is next for England? Will they appoint an English manager? I sincerely hope so and maybe gambling on young talents such as Stuart Pearce may revived the squad. Nevertheless, I am still supporting England for the World Cup.

PS: Never really like Eriksson! For one, he walked away from Blackburn when he had already promised to leave Lazio for Blackburn. Bleah!

Bring on Superbowl

Ok, the whole of USA is now probably gearing up for the biggest TV event of the year, SUPERBOWL XL. The event when people starts learning Roman numerals and when the whole nation stopped in track (had a horrible experience in USA in 2003 when the plumber refused to come after the end of the game. Btw, the Bucs won that year).

Superbowl XL will be staged in my so-called home state of Michigan. In fact, Detroit have been preparing for the Superbowl since 2002 with the new stadium for the crappy Lions. So what are we expecting in Superbowl XL since wardrobe malfunctioned was banned in 2004. Last year was the conservative Paul McCartney, so not too sure who it will be this time.

Let's talk about the main game itself. It will be an interesting matchup between

VS

Pittsburgh Steelers have always been the powerful house winning 4 consecutive Superbowls in the 70s and managed to go 13 games unbeaten last season with their rookie quarterback of Ben Roethelisburger. This season they have broken all records by being the first team ever to win three road games to reach Superbowl.

The Seahawks have been the perennial team doing well in the regular season but falling at the first hurdle in the last few seasons. With Shaun Alexander being the top rusher in the country this time, it is encouraging that the Seahawks are finally proven their worth.

Ok, so both teams that have overcome the odds to reach the 40th Superbowl. Let's place our bets now. Mine is on the Steelers!

End of the Dynasty

Well, the New England Patriots are finally beaten! 10 consecutive victories in playoff games stretching all the way back to 2000 have finally been ended by the Denver Broncos. Somehow the Patriots were the their usual self during the whole season. They were not consistent with their form and even lost to lowly opposition. The team is practically the same as that that won the last 2 Superbowls, so why the indifference season?

Well the main reason could be that teams no longer are afraid to play in Foxboro Field (New England home ground). Teams are also better prepared for the Patriots and Tom Brady's way of passing. Teams like the Broncos are defence minded and thus stand a better chance against the attack-minded Patriots.

So, what is next for the Patriots? Well for a start, they will have a higher pick in the next NFL draft but the core team must remain intact. How the Patriots play will largely depend on Brady's form and also some of the old timers like Vrabel, Branch, etc.

I am actually contemplating taking leave for Superbowl on the 6th of Feb. The two divisional playoff seems intriguing with the Steelers playing the Broncos and the Panthers playing the Seahawks. Dream final: Broncos and Seahawks in Detroit, Michigan.

Charlie bites the dust!

Charles Kennedy, the well-respected leader of the Liberal Democrats have bitten the dust. Firstly I felt sad by the circumstances that he had to resign. He had took over the leadership in 1999 from Lord Paddy Ashdown and steered the Lib Dems (traditionally the pitiful third party in UK) to a respectable alternative to the current Conservative opposition. His smooth Scottish accent and alternative thinking had lead people in Britain to believe that there is a real alternative to the current Labour and Tory parties.

His key policies were to tax the higher income earners up to 40% and use that amount to fund public projects. Sounds reasonable at the very least but somehow he promised a lot from that extra tax income. He was also famous for not supporting Britain's entry into the Iraq war and had always felt that tuition fees should be scrapped altogether. These are some real initiatives but getting 60 seats in the parliament is not going to be a huge influence on the 659 seats in the British Parliament.

Charlie Kennedy was not afraid to appear on slapstick shows like Have I got news for you to make a fool of himself and have a laugh at himself. The way he resigned due to his confession of alcoholism was uncalled for and I was really surprised that his front beach team ditched him. I am particularly disappointed by Sir Menzies Campbell and Simon Hughes who were Kennedy's key sidekicks but alas maybe the desire for leadership was too much to give up.

Well, now that Kennedy has stepped aside, the most likely leader would be Sir Menzies Campbell. He was the foreign spokesperson for the Lim Dems and has been widely regarded as a father figure in the party. Some young blood such as Lembit Opik should have a run as well since the next election is only due in 2010.

Busy Start to the New Year

Well, I thought it would be a relaxing start to the New Year. I have been religiously checking my email even while I was away from work for the past 2 weeks, but I was totally overwhelmed by the work that came in when I first stepped into office on Tuesday. The first few shocks were manpower changes which really occurred out of the blue. Was really quite disappointed and sad abt the changes but I guess I have to make full use of whatever opportunities available.

Well I am excited about the new areas that I will be venturing into and hope to make the best out of the new year. Will try not to complain too much in the upcoming year as well :-)

PS: Have signed up for the next 10 sessions of yoga too...hope that will help me relax.

Quiet Countdown

Well, end of 2005 and in comes 2006. Spend a quiet evening at Eilyn's place to countdown to the new year. Even though I was still recovering from my operation, I had a good time. Was nice to meet my JC classmates, and I attached the group picture. Hopefully next year will have a quiet countdown too instead of the usual hustle and bustle!

Wisdom Tooth Agony

Been delaying my wisdom tooth extraction for the longest of times and I finally took the opportunity to pluck it yesterday. It was not as painful as I would have imagined and luckily the teeth were extracted completely. Mouth a bit swallowed and feeling a bit feverish. Really hope to recover by next week. Many thanks for the best wishes :-)

Back from Korea

After a week of silence, I am finally back in Singapore after my 6 days trip to Korea. It was actually my first tour group outing and I must say it was not as packed and bad as I thought. We toured most of touristy stuff in Korea such as the sites for filming Korean dramas, hot springs, Everland, Lotte World, etc. Some of my favourite included the hot springs which was relaxing and also the skiing. Though the skiing was for a short 3 hours, I would definitely come back again to try out the slopes. Maybe snowboard the next time.

My highlight of the trip was meeting my friend from Michigan. Initially we were supposed to meet on a Saturday for the whole day but my friend had a meeting in the morning. We changed our appointment to Friday night and had a nice dinner of BBQ pork ribs. We had a nice drive ard Seoul before adjourning to a super market. It was nice meeting a friend after 2.5 years. He even gave me a Hyundai calendar and some ginseng tea.

The food in Korea was excellent and I must say we were exposed to different kinds of food during our tour ranging from different types of steamboats to BBQ and also to bimbinbob (Missed those days in umich when we would eat Korean food near the b-school).

For our trip, we also had 2 free days in Bangkok. It was my first trip (amazing!) to Thailand and really enjoy the shopping. It was fun bargaining to get the best price and definitely would come back more often to shop for more.

Overall, a relaxed holiday! Oh before I forgot, the photos of the trip can be viewed at http://cheewing.multiply.com/photos/album/13

Lunches for the week

It's been unprecedented. I actually ate in the canteen more than once for the week since I started working. Not that our canteen food is not nice, in fact, I really enjoy our canteen food. My favourite has always been the vegetarian food..miss those days with my ex-colleague when both of us will be queueing for the same stall. Been trying out the new yong tau foo stall and I must say they are quite good. I still missed the previous stall-owner who will meticulously ask you whether you needed shallots/spring onions and pepper in your yong tau foo but the new stall is pretty decent and excellent pricing as well.

Actually somehow eating in the canteen can be boring especially when you have been working for long and sometimes you might even have someone unfavourable sitting with you. So that's why we tend to avoid the canteen. Went to try my PS's favourite Bak chor mee in Toa Payoh (For those interested, it is Blk 85, Toa Payoh Lor 2) on Monday and had lunch yesterday at Food Republic at Wisma.

Today was quite a bonus as finally our boss is back from overseas. We went to Margaret Drive for the famous chicken rice and pot stickers. Excellent food with great company too. Let see where we eat next week.