world cup world cup world cup!!
*sigh* spain bowed out of the world cup, courtesy of france. major jia lat. czech lost to italy; spain lost to france. the world cup turned a paler shade of pale for me. but no matter, will fully support argentina to thrash the other buggers inside out. argentina rules!!
it's been a roller coaster two weeks with lots of work due to NC 2006 and CommunicAsia and all those event reports, interviews, media coordination etc...add that these are global and high volume events and so many things just go wrong at the same time or conflicting demands happen at the same period. what's new eh?
but besides work - it's the world cup in full swing!! what a great time of the year!! woohoo!! *grin*
in the same 2 week period of catching the world cup at almost every 9pm, 1am, 3am slot, i have gained illumination into certain matters:
1. that i still do not understand how singapore pools works; but i still pour money down them in the hope of hitting that big odds.
2. that i can run through a major global event on 3 hours of sleep daily...only because of the world cup.
3. that i can complete a game inbetween the many two-hour periods between matches.
4. that never to go to a australian-dominated match and cheer for the opposite team. but go italy!! for thrashing the socceroos. even if it had to go down to the 94th minute. maybe ukraine can knock them out? hmm...nah, probably not. they couldn't beat switzeraland in 90mins of match time.
5. that sketches at robertson walk has free flow of juices! the soursop is highly recommended.
6. that non-soccer fans find the late nights impressively silly. *hurhur*
now we are onto the final 8 teams and another 6 more days of late nights! *grin*
spain won!!
spain won ukraine 4-0!!
honestly after watching the match, ukraine's defense couldn't keep up with spain's attacking forwards and mid-field.
go Español!
Parkour - Urban Freestylers
i had the opportunity to catch this UK-based Parkour group filming an ad for Nokia yesterday and this afternoon. for those who don't know, Parkour is an extreme sport with roots in Europe where the emphasis is on "freedom". another term coined to describe Parkour is "urban freestyling".
we decided to do some PR for this group and pitched to the straits times life!, men's health and shape magazine to go down to the shoot location and talk to the EZ, leader/choreographer of this group. EZ is a really cool guy, pretty seasoned pioneer of this sports form and through the interviews, i found out that he is a really pragmatic dude.
EZ used to be a professional boxer before he got married and decided to move into something less dangerous. and this guy is all about safety and common sense and practice. a lot of people have this idea of Parkour groups jumping from building to building (proper term: gap jump), leaping across impossible obstacles and twisting/dancing through urban landscapes. but EZ insisted that the Parkour group developed together as a team and did so through constant practice and more practice. before they even consider doing a jump, they can spend up to a week prior just attempting jumps from basic level to intermediate to difficult level jumps.
he showed an analogy to the men's health journo by giving an example of training to jump from one stair railing to another. the Parkour person would start first by doing standing jumps and slowly move up stair by stair until he/she reaches the actual jump. by then the person would know instinctively, through practice, how and when to jump. really logical.
as a final point, Parkour is not limited to men only and as seen from the photos below are also for women. both genders go through the same type of foundation training as well as the same premise - practice, practice and more practice. photos below are slightly blur and not that well taken cos the girl doing the jumps was too quick.
i travelled 150km within 24 hours...
and made it for nanthini and siva's wedding! it was great - congrats babe! wishin' you lots of joy, good moments and better days ahead for the both of you. spoke to your mum for abit - she is really happy for you, and happy that you are with someone who makes you happy. but i bet you already know that. *grin*
thanks for inviting me - it was really an eye opener. watching the ceremony and all the different ways to bless; even though i didn't really get the language but i reckon i understood most parts. the musc veered between extremes - i liked the drum beats but i don't get the flute thingy.
so i flew more than a 150km today and within 24 hours to attend and manage a nokia event in KL. stayed at the JW Marriott hotel, which by the way, in my humble opinion, didn't fare too well on my grade book. problem #1 - the bathroom flooded after i took a soak in the tub and continued to flood until i had to check out. problem #2 - the window view on my side faced a small swimming pool; and on the other side faced a construction site. problem #3 - they didn't provide free toothpaste.
me and my colleague reached JW Marriott around 11pm wed night after a 45min taxi ride from KLIA. JW is locared along jalan bukit bintang which also happens to be the more upmarket shopping belt. stayed at the ritz carlton about 2 years back when they were still renovating the belt. now, from JW, tourists are connected to 2-3 shopping centres via underpasses i.e. we don't need to ever see the sun again once we check in.
ka soh is open opposite the ritz carlton. irene and i debated about going there when the SG ka soh is 10 mins away from our office. we ended up going to this restaurant called Shook! and charged $100+ for dinner. there is a certain element of fun in a biz trip. and talk about how small the world can be - i arrive at changi airport and step out of the arrival area...and bump into the Boys from Brazil. if you read my previous posts, you would remember that i handled some of the PR around them when they were in singapore at the start of may. well they finished australia and are on their way to mumbai. and i bump straight into them. all the flights in the world and all the timings that we/they could have taken...but we meet in the transit area of changi airport. how's that for small world?
so here i am after covering the 150 km within a day - and what have i learnt from today? lesson #1 - don't check into the boarding area of KLIA without some form of reading material or entertainment. they only have HARRODS in that damn space...along with some organic hotdog kiosk. yes organic hotdogs...what will they think of next. lesson #2 - little india or serangoon road has 4 temples (that's what the taxi driver say). lesson #3 - don't carry small scissors in toiletry bags within your hand held luggage. it scares the airport people who scan your luggage. lesson #4 - KLIA train to KLCC is 30 minutes faster than taking the DAMN taxi and expressway. arrive in KL early in the day vs. late at night.
random thoughts
interesting fact #1 - 2006 is the year I spent the least at PC Show. a grand princely sum of $19.90 for an Xbox game "Demonstone".
singapore drivers still do not look at their blind spot when changing lanes; neither do they signal.
that youtube has the coolest shit and funniest videos - go check out the "comedy central" series. go to
youtube.com, type 'comedy central' under the search function, press enter, download.
interesting fact #2 - i like nasi padang as well as naan and curry.
evon, no lar, it wasn't a proposal as my dear girl has so nicely replied you. i really do not fancy hanging upside down by my finger nails. will update everyone if something fortunate results from and happens...
i sometimes harbour the brief wish that work should be apolitical and colleagues must be sensitive to the dynamics of the workplace...then after awhile, i just laugh it off.
everyone has a story everyday. the sum of all these stories work up to a day and many days work up to a person's life. the interesting part is when the stories overlap and that's when it's called a relationship.
i notice that people like to waste efforts on what can be seen and measured. that they cannot distinguish between "good work" and "work-for-show". this is of cos with respect to my job. cmon, what else were you thinking it could even be about?
interesting fact #3 - i definitely do not like mosquito bites that occur on the flesh between the toes.
Integrated-Resort Job Opportunities (taken from min's blog - good jokes should be shared)
Since the IR has been approved, the underworld is looking for recruits.
We are now seeking members to fulfill a tender for the casino. Please fill in the application form below and mail to:
Mr. Chao Ah Heng
Membership Officer
Chap Sar Tiam Pte Ltd
69 Geylang Lorong 69
Singapore 216971
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
1. NRIC No.: _________________
2. Surname: __________________
3. First name: (please X)
[ ] Johnson
[ ] Benson
[ ] Samson
[ ] Hamson
[ ] Janson
[ ] Other: _________________ (if not ending in -son? please explain why)
4. Chinese Name: Ah __________(if not beginning with Ah? please explain why)
5. Age: [ ] Under 35 [ ] Lau Beng
6. Sex: [ ] M [ ] F [ ] at Geylang
7. Length of Last Fingernail: ________ (cm)
8. Ability to squat for:
[ ] 1 hour
[ ] 2 hours[ ]
more than 2 hours (wah, steady!)
9. Hairstyle:
[ ] Spiky
[ ] Dyed with streaks of blond
[ ] Dyed with streaks of red
[ ] Two strands dangling in front of eyes
[ ] Kana mop like that
[ ] Perm (please state which saloon in JB you went)____________________
10. Tattoo of:
[ ] Tiger
[ ] Dragon
[ ] Snake
[ ] Eagle
11. Work experience: (please X all that apply)
[ ] KTV Lounge Bouncer
[ ] Snooker Hall Attendant
[ ] Unlicensed Contractor
[ ] Freelance debt collector
[ ] Unlicensed bookie
[ ] Dispute Resolution and Settlement Professional
[ ] Unemployed
12. Spouse's Name: _________________________
2nd Spouse's Name: _________________________
3rd Spouse's Name: (the one in Batam, that one)________________________
Lover's Name: _________________________
2nd Lover's Name: (Lorong 69, that pooi-pooi one)_________________________
13. Number of children living in household: ____
Number of children living in foster care: ____
Number of children that are actually yours: ____
14. Mother's Name: _________________________ (If not sure, leave blank)
15. Father's Name: _________________________ (If not sure, leave blank)
16. Education: (Circle how many years it took you to finish primary school)8 9 10 11 12
17. Ability to swear: (please X all that apply)
[ ] Hokkien
[ ] English
[ ] Malay
[ ] Tamil
[ ] Cantonese
[ ] rude hand gestures
18. Service performed in previous secret society:
[ ] Leadership/Tua Tao
[ ] Junior management/Suay Tao
[ ] Physical activities/Hooting
[ ] Dispute Resolution and settlement/Cham Siong
[ ] Lookout/Kuah Chui
