Monday, February 26, 2007

Bean's Travel Log

February 23rd

1125 hours
I'm 100km/h on the road to Changi Point. Was looking at the clouds when an image of you and your smile suddenly came to mind. Memories...

1143 hours
Waiting for the Ipoh Hor Fun that I ordered. The last time I had it was 'bout 2 years ago. That was also the last time I saw Genevieve.


Ipoh Hor fun


The stall that's been around for 33 years

1303 hours
Mom took Dad's passport by mistake. Great...

1405 hours
Clear skies, calm sea, fair weather. The ferry's moving outta the terminal right now. Bintan, here I come!

1609 hours
Reached Bintan Lagoon Resort. Waiting in the bus that's gonna take us to our accomodation. Just found out that Bintan has a -1 hour time difference from Singapore.


Our accomodation

2125 hours
Just finished watching the first part of Pearl Harbour on Channel 5. 'Lil high after a bourbon and a couple of screwdrivers.

February 24th

0008 hours
Slacking on the couch right now. Spent most of the afternoon driving around the resort in the buggy. There's nothing much around except the beautiful beach. After dinner, I drove the group to the beach for a stroll.

The skies were clear and the stars were out to do their magic. It felt nice to feel the wind in my face and the warm powdery sand under my feet. I could fall asleep on the beach.

Pictures taken earlier in the day:


Me on the buggy


Zee sandy beach


Road to the sea


10 bucks for a stinky elephant ride


Monkey business - 5 bucks for spectating!


Aspiring to soar

1120 hours
Waiting for the bus to take us to a local market to shop for groceries. 10 hours of sleep doesn't feel enough for a relaxing holiday like this!

1331 hours
Had lunch at Pasar Oleh Oleh. Didn't see anything interesting.


See the link? If yes, amazing, 'cos I don't

1940 hours
Had a lil adventure. Drove the buggy into the driving range (golf) and lost my way. Normal buggies are prohibited to enter the driving range. I drove through 5 holes, and after 45 mins I realised that I was lost. Along the way Derek and I met a local. With his directions we managed to find the way out on to the main road. Driving a buggy on the main road was nothing short of being crazy!

After getting back from Pasar Oleh Oleh, I spent the afternoon swimming and body-boarding. Body-boarding emulates surf-boarding, just that the surfer doesn't stand on the board. After a cool bath I went around taking pictures of the resort and the beach. It was the boredom that led us to drive through the driving range.

Pictures taken today:


A haven in the distance


Scribbled


Poolday


Crashin'


Bean on the rocks


Do you see it?


Beautiful?


From faraway

February 25th

1049 hours
Just woke up from a... Sweet dream. It's nice to to feel loved by someone, but she didn't have a face though. Drank a lot of vodka lime that I made last night, and had difficulty falling asleep.

1252 hours
Back from a tanning session by the poolside. The sun's scorching like a torch today, but I don't seem to have tanned noticeably. More to come later.

1900 hours
After a whole afternoon of tanning, I have darkened by a 'lil at least. After all the hours spent by the poolside, I've been wondering why the skies look so much bluer here. Is it just me, or are the skies really bluer than the ones back home?

2240 hours


February 26th

1130 hours
Another dream. Another heartache.

1315 hours
Lying on the bed, watching MTV. Yawns.

1624 hours
On the bus to the ferry terminal. 1 more bottle to add to my collection. What shall it be: Vodka? Tequila?


Parting shot


1734 hours
How far can you look into the sea? Likewise, how far can you see and plan into your future?

1908 hours
Back. Added a Bacardi Oro and a 42 Below (Kiwi) to my shelf. Gonna need to get another vodka, tequila, and gin soon.

Labels:

Penning my heartfelt thoughts at 11:49 PM

0 comments scribbled

 Direct link to this post

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

One Step Closer


Interview passed, medical test next. It's still a long way to go before I even fly, but it's definitely something to look forward to.

Caught |Ghost Rider| with Yao Wei in the evening and enjoyed another sinful indulgence.


Large 13" Splitzza conquered!

Labels:

Penning my heartfelt thoughts at 11:32 PM

0 comments scribbled

 Direct link to this post

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Pyg Tear '07


As the years go by, the festive mood for Chinese New Year in me seems to be dying out. This year, my festive mood seems to be at a all-time low. Don't go thinking it's because of some relationship problem or depression. No lor, it's just the sian feeling lar.

Other than the partying and every-other-night booze, it's been awfully boring this year. Went visiting only on the first day of the lunar new year during the day, and left in the evening to join Tedo and Mel at Bugis. Can't remember what we ended up doing but it's pretty dry nonetheless. First half of the second day was spent lying in bed at home while playing Fainaru Fantaji XII. Later in the evening I went to the Yacht Club with my parents only to find it a dead town. Surprisingly, it was very starry that night. Spent half my time there lying on the bench reminiscing the past.

As for today, I hit town with Yao Wei to meet JY and Tedo. Did nothing much as well. After the others left, I walked around aimlessly with Yao Wei. From Dhoby Ghaut we walked to City Hall, Marina Square, and Bugis. Absolut siansation maaan. I didn't satisfy my craving for pizza, but I didn't settle for anything less - we had an ice-cream dinner.


2 guys, 1 Earthquake


The Aftermath

Initially we thought that we might not be able to finish it. Well boolshit, we wiped out everything. And so ends my sian-filled post on the 3rd day of the lunar new year.


Looks like I'm not the only one around feeling sian after all.

Chance is but a game of probability?

Labels:

Penning my heartfelt thoughts at 11:36 PM

0 comments scribbled

 Direct link to this post

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Party @ Bean's Balcony


I've been having too much booze of late. And if it's worth mentioning, it means that it's no paltry amount. Went back to my secondary school yesterday to visit Ms Chong with the usual gang. I overslept and by the time I got there school was over and all the little schoolgirls had been dismissed. It's not like schoolgirls were even part of my topic eh?

After the visit to school I had an extremely long lunch at Pizza Hut. I find myself craving for pizza a lot recently. Even now I'm drooling over the thoughts of having a cheesy lava stuffed crust BBQ Chicken Supreme. Pizza pizza piiiiiza...

After the meal we were looking for a place to hang out at. We wanted to chill out at Settler's Cafe but being a Friday I reckoned that it would be full-house. Our plan deviated to a drinking night, and eventually we decided that where else would be more convenient than Bean's place?

We spent all night playing Liar's Dice (again). Our numbers grew to 10 with the addition of Lian & Nevin, and Wei Ying whose appearance surprised us all. This would probably be one of our last gathering with Judee as she'll be leaving for Australia on the coming Monday. Feeling kinda groggy and I can't think of what to type so I'll let the pictures do the job.


Big red Joan


Judee


Jun Xiong and Say Ee shaking their thang


Enjoying the view from Bean's balcony


Say Ee fattening himself all night


Ling Yang feeling the eeeffects


Wilson doing a pose


Wilson is cute, no?


First man down: Say Ee


Sporting the Loser sign


Wilson was next to throw in the towel


3rd and last man down: Jun Xiong


Casualties of the night: 2 bottles of hard liquor


Not-so-candid video

Halfway through the night Joan started recording clips of Jun Xiong and Ling Yang's state of half-drunkedness. I must have been pretty high too, 'cos I didn't notice her filming. It's pretty funny now when I watch it in a sober state. The crazy things people say and do when they're high.


On the tree

We err, climbed a tree on the way to supper. That's all to what we did, no crazy stunts from me this time.

Labels:

Penning my heartfelt thoughts at 4:26 PM

0 comments scribbled

 Direct link to this post

Friday, February 16, 2007

3GSM World Congress 2007


The 3GSM 2007 held at Barcelona has officially ended. Quite a number of new phones have been announced and show-cased by the leading brands. Strangely though, I don't see any Sony Ericsson* phones yet. Here are some of the new phones that we'll be seeing later in the year.

Nokia


6610 Navigator

USP (Unique-selling Points):
- 3G
- Integrated GPS
- 2.0 Megapixel camera
- QVGA video capture

Expected launch: TBA (To be advised)


E65

USP:
- Wi-Fi
- 2.0 Megapixel camera

Expected launch: Q1 2007


E90

USP:
- Wi-Fi
- 3.2 Megapixel camera
- FM radio
- QWERTY keyboard

Expected launch: Q2 2007


N77

USP:
- 3G
- 2.0 Megapixel camera

Expected launch: Q2 2007

LG


KE970 a.k.a Shine

USP:
- Mirror reflection when display is off
- Innovative scroll-key navigation
- 2.0 Megapixel camera with Schneider-Kreuznach lens

Expected launch: TBA


KU950

USP:
- World' first UMTS-based HSDPA/DVB-H phone
- Swing display
- VCR functions
- 1.3 Megapixel camera

Expected launch: TBA


KS10

USP:
- HSDPA-enabled
- 2.0 Megapixel camera with autofocus

Expected launch: TBA


KU250

USP:
- 3G
- 1.3 Megapixel camera

Expected launch: TBA

Motorola


K3 (updated version of K1)

USP:
- 3G
- HSDPA-enabled

Expected launch: Q1 2007


L9 (updated version of L7)

USP:
- FM radio
- 2.0 Megapixel camera

Expected launch: Q2 2007


Z8

USP:
- Symbian-based
- 3G
- HSDPA-enabled
- 2.0 Megapixel camera with red eye reduction

Expected launch: Q2 2007


W510

USP:
- 1.3 Megapixel camera

Expected launch: TBA

Samsung


E590

USP:
- 3.0 Megapixel camera with autofocus
- FM radio

Expected launch: TBA


E740

USP:
- 2.0 Megapixel camera
- FM radio

Expected launch: TBA


E830

USP:
- 2.0 Megapixel camera
- FM radio

Expected launch: TBA


E840

USP:
- 2.0 Megapixel camera

Expected launch: TBA


F520

USP:
- Touchscreen
- QWERTY keyboard + MultiTap alphanumeric keypad
- HSDPA-enabled
- 3.0 Megapixel camera

Expected launch: Q3 2007


U100 (Ultra Edition 5.9)

- World's slimmest phone
- 3.0 Megapixel camera
- TV-out port

Expected launch: TBA


U300 (Ultra Edition 9.6)

USP:
- All-metal body
- 3.0 Megapixel camera
- TV-out port

Expected launch: TBA


U600 (Ultra Edition 10.9)

USP:
- 3.2 megapixel camera

Expected launch: TBA


U700 (Ultra Edition 12.1)

USP:
- HSDPA-enabled
- 3.0 Megapixel camera

Expected launch: TBA

As the 3GSM world congress takes off, new models get announced virtually by the hour. Samsung have prepared a handful of interesting handsets and we will start with the new Ultra II lineup. It features two sliders, a clamshell and a bar-shaped handset. According to Samsung all of those feature Optimized Power Usage Solution (OPUS) technology which should aid in extending the battery life by a 10% margin. All of the handset will also feature enhanced music playback capabilities thanks to the digital power amp which is developed by Bang and Olufsen
Quoted by GSMArena.com

A 10% improvement in battery life is still miserable by my standards of Samsung. Seems like most of the Korean-made phones have a short battery lifespan. Maybe one day they will implement nuclear powered batteries XD From the introduced models, Nokia has lost in his fashion department once again. All of the other brands had models that are more fashionable.

Don't know why I'm still keeping up to phones like a techie when I'm probably gonna use an outdated phone when I enlist. Ah well time to catch my sleep and start living a healthy lifestyle!

* Appended: The Sony Ericsson line-up consists of the K810i, W200, W880 accompanied by a few other lower-end phones. All the phones were already announced prior to the 3GSM 2007.

Labels:

Penning my heartfelt thoughts at 3:09 AM

0 comments scribbled

 Direct link to this post

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

The Path To Heaven?


Ah, running out of topics to blog on. Haven't been doing much lately, other than staying home, adding music to my collection and playing games. It feels kinda good for once to forget 'bout having to work during the holidays. It won't be long before I have to get another job though.

Received good news from CMPB today. They called me up to inform me of a scheduled interview sometime next week. I've passed phase 1 of becoming a pilot, and onto the next milestone! Speaking 'bout passing the first phase, I certainly didn't think that I'd pass the test that I took 2 weeks ago.

The COMPASS Test consisted of 3 parts. The first part is arguably the most taxing one. I was tested on eye-hand coordination as well as hand-leg coordination. I could describe how the tests were like, but it'd be kinda boring - like most tests are anyway. The second part of the test was more visual, and it tested on my ability to... visualise. Damn this is getting boring already.

So anyway I figured out that only the elites become pilots, and hence their motto 'Above All'. I don't know if I can consider myself one of them, but from what I see, it's a long way to becoming a pilot.

The PATH to becoming a pilot

COMPASS Test
v
Pilot Interview
v
BMT
v
OCS
v
Overseas Pilot Training

So as you can see, it's no easy feat to become a pilot. Should I pass the pilot interview, I will have to qualify for OCS during my BMT. Even after qualifying for OCS and passing out, I'll have to pass the overseas training (most probably in Australia I heard). Any failure along the way would be goodbye, pilot.

Labels:

Penning my heartfelt thoughts at 3:59 AM

0 comments scribbled

 Direct link to this post

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Booze And Dice


Had a long yester-day hanging out and having fun with friends. Spent the afternoon in town with HanZ, Irddy and X running around doing stupid things and laughing our asses off over it. I walked around the National Museum looking around suspiciously before dropping my big black bag and running away. That cracked us up a bit but there weren't many people around otherwise it might have a greater impact.

After running around a bit, we headed to Swee Lee to check out our equipment. HanZ is getting himself a new electric axe soon. I've gonna have to wait for a long time before investing in a kit 'cos they don't come cheap.


$2870 kit by Pearl without crashes and throne


$1260 kit by Premier without throne


$1150 kit by Premier without crashes and throne

A basic set of add-on Sabian crashes will set me back by $400, no shit. That's the amount I'm gonna have to pay if Tedo's old kit is still in playable condition, otherwise I might as well get a new Pearl kit for $800. Investment or liability?

After going separate ways, I headed to Judee's farewell chalet. Judee's leaving for Oz on the 19th for further education. It'd be nice to visit Oz again in the near future. That reminds me of a Pulau Redang Star Cruise that I've been planning. Seems like it's not happening due to my partners' lack of funds.

Spent all night playing Liar's Dice and drinking. It's been a long time since I've had so much, and after a dozen shots I puked like a bloody fountain. Almost all of the players ended up puking at one point or another, after finishing 2 bottles of hard liquor. It was crazy but fun.

There was this group of girls a couple of units down daring each other to come over to ask for us favours. We were a sporting bunch, and after a few trips it wasn't much of a challenge to them anymore. There was this particular girl who looked really sweet. If I wasn't so inebriated I would have asked her for her contact, since I had already gone over to chat with them several times. Well, that's that.


After a night long of drinking

Labels:

Penning my heartfelt thoughts at 4:19 PM

0 comments scribbled

 Direct link to this post

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Thoughts


I'm finally free from the chains of tertiary education, yet at the same time a strange wave of oblivion is crashing onto me. Just weeks ago I was worrying about surviving the remaining school days, and now I'm finally here. Spent the past few nights thinking a bit on the past three years.

It's never about the destination point, but the journey that makes it worthwhile. I knew that concept, but yet I blindly strayed from it. I thought that since I had no passion for my course of studies, I could just try to wriggle my way to the finishing point. Well I accomplished that, but I realised too late that I've lost out on the essence of time.

I've always told myself that I could never be the best, and because I believed in that, I never became the best in anything. I liked being good in things, but I never really excelled in anything. I was never the best, but I never settled for being the worst too, therefore I was neither here nor there.

I noticed the people around me trying to prove that they're the better, or even possibly being the best. To me it never really mattered, because wherever you go there's bound to be someone better. Often I wondered why some of them had such a competitive nature in them. For every winner, there's a loser, and I can deal with losing.

I'm no angel, but I'd avoid conflicts as much as possible. Sometimes it's hard to keep everyone happy, and it sure a chore trying to maintain peace. They say that everyone has to fight for their own happiness. That's probably why it has been eluding me. Perhaps I should really start fighting for my beliefs.

"You were once happy" Yao Wei said. Yeah, I was once very happy. Though those days are but gone, it doesn't mean that I'm unhappy now. I'm still happy, but not as happy as in the past. A different kind of joy and happiness though. Sometimes I miss those times so much, but when I think 'bout it, I feel nothing but disappointment.

Sometimes I really can't fathom how people can be so selfish and mercenery. When you enjoy someone else's aid and kindness, it would be nice to pass it on. After all, what comes around goes around. I wouldn't take things for granted, but I can't say the same for others.

With the official end of school, I should be in an upbeat mood. But somehow, this post feels rather wretched. The negative feelings within me are stirring, and I don't like that 'cos it makes me feel mean. And when I feel mean, I feel horrible. I need to run a full body anti-virus cleanup to get rid of this crappy feeling.

Labels:

Penning my heartfelt thoughts at 5:38 AM

0 comments scribbled

 Direct link to this post

Friday, February 09, 2007

Change


Finally my new skin is up. I wanted a clean and simple layout, so this is what I've come up with. Perhaps you're already finding it familiar. Well ponder no more. Here's the answer to where I got the concept from.

Blatant plagiarism? I think not. Done as it it, I don't quite consider it complete. Expect slight changes over the next few days.

Labels:

Penning my heartfelt thoughts at 2:04 AM

0 comments scribbled

 Direct link to this post

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

New Cybershot Phones


Love your K800i but wished that it was slimmer? Enter the K810i.

More info at Gizmodo.

P.S: A big thanks to the 200-odd people who helped me with my survey! Greatly appreciated :D

Labels:

Penning my heartfelt thoughts at 8:49 PM

0 comments scribbled

 Direct link to this post

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Knocked Up


Ben: Do you want to do doggy-style?

Allison: No, I do not want you to fuck me like a dog

Ben: It's doggy-STYLE. It's it's it's it's just a style

Labels:

Penning my heartfelt thoughts at 10:41 AM

0 comments scribbled

 Direct link to this post

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Request for Help


I need help from anyone who can help me fill up a really simple survey. Each survey contains 10 multiple-choice questions, and they should take no more than 3 minutes of your time. So if you're reading this, PLEASE reach into your hearts and do me this favour =P

And if you could go one step further to help me, refer a friend to do it too! I assure you that I am NOT earning money from this as it is actually part of an assignment that I'm currently on.

Violence VS. Sex Part 1

Violence VS. Sex Part 2

Labels:

Penning my heartfelt thoughts at 4:03 PM

0 comments scribbled

 Direct link to this post

Friday, February 02, 2007

V'Day's Treats


Strawberry Pink Chocolate & Fire KRZR

This pink is way much sweeter than the bright neon pink that is available in Singapore. If you noticed, the touch interface is actually different from the local sets - this is because this LG Chocolate is NOT the KG800. It's the LG Chocolate model in the U.S.

The Fire KRZR looks way cooler though. Sorry LG, but Motorola scores this time.

Labels:

Penning my heartfelt thoughts at 2:28 PM

0 comments scribbled

 Direct link to this post

Thursday, February 01, 2007

More Colours


Looks like Nintendo fans will be delighted with the Wii's coloured siblings soon. Given a choice, I'd probably want to get a Wii + either a 360 or PS3. But alas I can't afford such a luxury so I have to decide on either the Wii or the PS3.

- Source from GameDrift

And because the new coloured nanos are so pretty, I just can't help but to post more pictures of 'em.






The RSAF COMPASS Test lasted 5 hours, no shit. RSAF didn't bullshit when they said 5 hours. I did want to blog more 'bout the COMPASS Test, but right now it's kinda pointless to even talk 'bout it so I shall leave it for a later date.


Sony Ericsson W880

Not too long ago news on Sony Ericsson's new W880 was leaked. Seems that it's kinda official now (though not yet launched). According to online sources, the phone is scheduled to be launched in a week's time, but not anywhere near Singapore yet (Sweden it seems). As opposed to what my promoter-friend thought (4mm), the W880 will be Sony Ericsson's slimmest phone (I think?) at 9.4mm.




It's available in silver and black, and it should be coming Singapore's way pretty soon.

Labels:

Penning my heartfelt thoughts at 9:21 PM

0 comments scribbled

 Direct link to this post