Tuesday, May 31, 2005

If you want something...


Arrowed to present birthday card to the SM
Jerusalem, Israel
05.05


Slightly over a month ago, I started the process of getting something that I didn't think I could get.

But now it seems like it could be mine.

I just have to be patient.

Lesson: If you want it, go out there, take charge and grab it. The best things that have happened to me happened this way.

ST's Hong Kong correspondent arrested

BEIJING, May 31 (Reuters) -
A Hong Kong-based reporter for Singapore's Straits Times newspaper is under investigation in China for spying, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
"Ching (Cheong) admitted that in recent years he engaged in intelligence gathering activities on the mainland on instructions from foreign intelligence agencies and accepted huge amounts of spying fees," the ministry said in a statement.

We are awaiting more details...

Monday, May 30, 2005

Meet my alter ego...

...Reverend Sugartastic.

Coz we like to preach.

So here she wonders: What do you girls put up with boys who are gross and their tricks? Why?

Do not worry; the Reverend will only appear when she hears of ridiculous and unbelievably dumb incidents which could have been avoided by simply exercising a bit of common sense. Do not ask - she does not have any to dispense if the people involved do not have some to begin with. She needs to keep hers coz the mine of common sense is being plundered.

In the meantime, she'll be shopping coz a deeva needs good shoes.

Sunday, May 29, 2005

Weird music in the background while I type this...

current clothing: pink tee and khakis
current mood: hungry
current taste: butterscotch candy
current hair: hanging loose
current annoyance: being in the office for an unnecessary amount of time on a sunday
current smell: butterscotch candy
current thing you ought to be doing: eating dinner
current jewelry: blue earrings
current book: the rough guide to new york city
current favourite refreshment: water
current worry: work stuff
current longing: to leave the building
current music: Zero 7's When It Falls
current wish: to get my ass moving again
current lyric in your head: "This love has taken its toll"
current makeup (if you're a girl!): mascara and blush
current undergarments: bra and girl boy shorts
current regret: none, really
current desktop picture: sunflowers
current plans for tonight/weekend: to go home to a home-cooked meal
current cuss word du jour: f**kwit
current disappointment: work stuff
current amusement: my puppy, Whiskey
current IM/person: Jaci
current love: ...
current obsession: collecting recipes
current avoidance: boys
current favorite book: poems by Pablo Neruda
current favorite movie: eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

***

1. This will be a point-form posting.
2. I think I may have found the perfect blend of dependency and non-neediness, something which doesn't cramp my style, which gives me a healthier, stronger sense of myself. I think that is a good thing.
3. I think love is truly utterly blind (not talking about me). Erm...
4. Revenge of the Sith is the most entertaining of the first three episodes, but nothing beats A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.
5. I am such a Star Wars nerd.
6. The party at Ken's was quite fun.
7. I need a hair cut.
8. I need to fix my nails.
9. I need to remember to do some things.
10. I want to leave the office now!

Two big reasons why this Middle Eastern trip rocked


New pals - CP and PY

Jerusalem, Israel
May 18 2005

Saturday, May 28, 2005

Mr Ho...

Last night, I saw Stanley Ho.

And I simply couldn't stop staring.

To those who don't know, Mr Ho is merely the guy who runs almost all the casinos in Macau. He owns the place. 4 in 10 Macanese work for the man.

What was Mr Ho doing in Singapore on a Friday night, drinking a beer at Cafe Iguana???

If this was Hong Kong, the paparazzi would have been all over it.


So besides having wonderful company with me while I sampled three different margaritas, I had Stanley Ho at the next table.

It's an interesting way to end the week, during which I felt like I was in someone else's body, being hustled from one assignment to another, one place to another. I didn't have time to stop and think and evaluate and breathe and consider. I was simply doing, doing, doing...and hanging on to my dear life in the meantime.

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Oh, Padme...



Anakin Skywalker
Watch out for your temper...it could get you into trouble the way it did Anakin. You have enormous potential to be a great Jedi, but stress has made the dark side seem that much more inviting...

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

This is the Middle East


And I am going back 05.05

Monday, May 23, 2005

Homeward bound

It has been a truly amazing 10 days.

I saw, I learned, I laughed and I met a couple of really great people whom I am happy to call more than colleagues.

But there are people to see, things to catch up on, work to be done, and loved ones to hug and hold.

Plus I miss fish-ball noodles.

So...see you guys in a few hours.

Thursday, May 19, 2005

The Land of God

Seeing some of the most revered sites on earth in less than 3 hours is quite a jolt to the system.

This is the centre of three of the world's main faiths and the land fought over in the longest and most intractable dispute in recent history.

The Muslims are here because Muhammad was here. On Mount Moriah, they built The Dome of the Rock over the stone from which the Last Messenger ascended to Heaven.

The Christians are here because Jesus walked on the city's cobblestones, healed the blind and the crippled and carried a cross to his death through its streets.

The Jews are here because it is The Promised Land, and they are not going anywhere because they haven't had a nation to call their own for almost 2000 years before 1948.

And having seen the hill where Abraham built an altar to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, the garden where Jesus prayed and wept and asked to be delivered from pain, and the remaining Wall of Solomon's Temple, I now know why people are willing to fight and die for it.

10 per cent of the population still wear 15th century Jewish gear proudly. And the Israelis leave as a living museum exhibit armoured vehicles which carried supplies to their army in Jerusalem as they fought their numerous Arab neighbours in 1948.

For the ordinary Israeli who does not care about religion or statehood - though I am not sure if there is such a person; almost every car I saw carried a flag of the nation - Israel is the Dead Sea, The Mediterranean, gorgeous hills, lush fields, sunflowers and jaffa oranges.

Israel is a people who went into exile and is now back.

I hope they stay a while.

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

The Rose-Red City

Every once in a long, long while, just when you begin to think that nothing has the power to impress or excite you any more, something comes along to remind you that being blown away actually feels pretty damned good.

I felt it today; coz it was way, way more spectacular, way, way bigger, way, way more stunning than I had imagined.

The stones I walked on had been trodden by the Romans, the Egyptians and the Nabataeans, trader-craftsmen who literally carved the city into the mountains about 2000 years ago.

Walking 1,200 metres through the ancient main entrance, or As-Siq, one is flanked by cliffs of pink, orange, ochre and yellow that rise up to 80 metres.

And up till 1986, humans were inhabiting the caves which existed alongside tombs for kings of old, a hill top used to perform sacrificial rites, and a theatre - yes, carved into solid rock, too - which can hold 7,000.

It's hard to imagine people living in such harsh, dry terrain, but the Nabateans and their descendants managed more-than-fine, and for a while, Petra flourished because of the silk, spice and other goods that were exchanged between China, India and the Mediterranean. It was in the middle of it all.

Grateful for their fortunes, the Nabateans built temples for their kings and gods, some of which managed to survive the many earthquakes that inflict the area.

Yes, these are opulent.

But there is nothing that is as famous as the Al-Khazneh, or Treasury, which is - perhaps not happily - known to most as "The Gate" in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.

Take it from me, the best photograph has nothing on the real thing.

Monday, May 16, 2005

Playground of the wealthy

It's ostentatious, it's unbelievably rich, and it's proud to be Dubai.

Like Shanghai, the city is up and coming, and arguably overtaking many cities in many ways.

This is the place where they are building the world's largest mall, tallest building, biggest theme park and man-made islets to sell as homes.

People, women, wear whatever they like because they are allowed to do so.

You may not be comfortable with all that display of wealth, but you just have to give it to them.

And as someone quipped, ""They pump their money from the ground and it's black.''

A bubble? Maybe. But these people are leaving the worrying to those without any gumption.

Me? I'm just enjoying the party.

Next stop: Amman, Jordan

Sunday, May 15, 2005

First stop: Abu Dhabi

For a taste of what's truly East meets West, look at Abu Dhabi.

Gucci, Porsche and Nokia exist alongside burkhas, daily public prayers and some of the grandest mosques you'll see anywhere.

Road signs and those of Pizza Hut are in Arabic, and some of the richest people in the world live and play here.

Religion and tradition are trying to hold the people together while the rest of the kingdom speeds towards modernisation, and it's a delicate balance because the rulers know that the only way they can survive among hostile neighbours is to reform the nation.

And nothing speaks more about this tension than the women of the land, who seem to fall into two camps: those who choose to hide their faces and ankles behind black veils, and those who flaunt whatever possessions and assets Allah has given them.

Which is the face of the Arab woman?

This morning, the media entourage went to visit the tomb of Sheikh Zayed, regarded as the man who founded the modern United Arab Emirates by bring seven small kingdoms together just over 34 years ago. Abu Dhabi is building a Grand Mosque just next to his remains.

The women among us were hustled out of the vehicle and told to wear a headscarf, take off our shoes and surrender our cameras. We, apparently, had to be separated from the men at the holy site and were not allowed near the tomb. We observed the ritual behind a veil in a tent.

Strangely enough, that gave me an idea of what it might be like to live in a sheikh's harem in the Arabic World. A woman is in that world but never really a part of it. And religion and theology trumps all else.

I wonder how long the place could stay the way it is before being taken over by faceless malls and buildings.

For now, swanky shiny office towers and million-dollar mansions speak for themselves and are a witness to the achievements of the Emirates, which have tolerated the Saudis' seizing of the fattest and best land in the Gulf.

It's quite a sight.

Friday, May 13, 2005

Head scarves, Converses and security checks

Singapore - Abu Dhabi - Dubai - Amman - Jordan - Petra - xxxx - xxxx - xxxx - back

Alright, this is it, folks.


I'm heading to the Middle East tonight for a week of what D said would likely be a "life-changing" experience. I don't know about that, but I'm definitely excited, especially about the second half of the journey.

I'll try to do this whenever I can.

Update - special special thanks to Jo who went to great lengths to get me shoes and head scarves so that I wouldn't be pelted with stones. Thanks, girl!!

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

On top of the world

Listening to: Almost Famous soundtrack

I'm exhausted from a long day at work. I need a shower badly. And tomorrow will be another tough one.


But I don't think I've felt this happy in a long, long time.


I'm starting to feel that maybe, just maybe, things are slowly falling into place for me here.

As I told HM, it's impossible to achieve anything enduring or worthwhile if I keep moving and changing, just for the thrill of experiencing something new.

Perhaps that's something I've gotta learn - that in order to get to the good stuff at the core, tough patches are a must?

I don't know. I'm blabbering.

I just know that I'm really happy, thinking about it makes me smile and I want to shout about it from the top of the building.

It makes me wanna work harder, get my act together, and be a better person. And every time I'm reminded that I've got a lifetime to get this right, it makes me think that maybe we're on to something here.

2005 could well turn out to be the best year of my life, and it can only get better.

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Singapore government agency backs off suing student over comments

I realise I am rather late on the case, but my view since Day 1 is that this is a fucking dumb and stupid thing that shouldn't have started in the first place. Since when does a person have to be held responsible - and then apologise - for what he writes in his personal journal? What difference does it make that it's on the Web and available to anybody who stumbles upon it?

The real discussion shouldn't be about what he wrote or what the punishment should be, if any. It's the very scary and very real prospect that someone may get sued or arrested because of what he or she writes on a personal web site.

The real world invades the cyber one.

SINGAPORE (AP) -
A Singapore government agency said on Tuesday it will not sue a Singaporean student in the United States after he shut down his personal Web site and apologized for comments he had posted on it about the agency.
Singapore's Agency of Science, Technology and Research, or A*STAR, threatened to sue University of Illinois student Chen Jiahao over comments about the agency that Chen has posted on his Web log or blog, a personal online journal.
It was not immediately clear whether the agency had threatened to sue Chen in the United States or in Singapore.
Chen's blog, which he said formerly had hundreds of postings, on Tuesday contained only his apology for "distress and embarrassment caused to them by these statements".
He had said in another Singapore-based Internet journal last week that he was not sure which postings the agency found defamatory.
He acknowledged, however, that he had criticized the agency's scholarship policies and had mentioned the name of its chairman, Philip Yeo.
Chen said Yeo "had demanded that I remove all posts which mentioned either him or A*STAR".
"I am disappointed and discouraged that Mr. Yeo had not attempted to correct any possible misconceptions that I may have had over the interpretation of publicly available information, deciding instead to threaten to sue me for defamation," Chen said.
"I cannot say that such actions have promoted the cause of getting young Singaporeans to speak out."
On Tuesday, A*STAR spokeswoman Yeo Wen Qing said the agency was not "taking issue with the criticism".
"We are looking at something more serious … targeting statements that were untrue," she said, without elaborating.
Singapore often draws international criticism for its tight regulation of political activity and the media. The country's leaders have a history of successfully suing opposition politicians and foreign journalists for defamation.
The leaders argue that they have the right to sue anyone making false statements against them.
International media rights groups Reporters San Frontiers and the Committee to Protect Journalists have expressed concern over the lawsuit threat against Chen.
"Such intimidation could make the country's blogs as timid and obedient as the traditional media", Reporters San Frontiers said on its Web site.

When it rains, it pours

Yeap, it's been pissing down heavily the past couple of weeks and everybody's training plans are thwarted.

Yeap, I will be spending a week in the Middle East starting this weekend with a senior official and am trying to arrange a side trip for a personal pilgrimage.

Yeap, I'm being inundated by messages of significance which I'm replaying in my head.

I hope this works out.

Sunday, May 08, 2005

A glorious weekend


Mother's Day 05.05

This is one of those weekends that I wish would never end.

Friday wasn't exactly the most productive day; I was supposed to finish the banking feature, but I only managed to write one story - about the prez's funeral which went on the front page on Saturday. After that, Kevin managed to convince me to get drinks with the colls coz he was going back to Australia the next day and I hadn't been out with them in a long while. Ended up at Tango's, not the most ideal spot, for drinks but still had a good laugh with interns Josephine and Liza, Eddie and his beautiful wifey Linda, Quak who's now with a bank, Daniel and Kevin.

Saturday started with a trek to Chinatown to eat frog's legs and fish porridge at Keong Siak Street. Ok, I only had the porridge coz I can't stand the idea of my meal having been skinned alive before they face a fiery death. nuh-uh. But the company was so fantastic the hot kopitiam didn't matter.

Then we went to watch Kingdom of Heaven. Alright, Orlando Bloom and Eva Green were damned hot and the movie was rather entertaining but I think that was about it. My expectations were too high, I reckon. I mean, it's a movie about the Crusades!!! And it's got Ridley Scott!

The family then went to a teppanyaki restaurant to celebrate Mother's Day and we bought a pressie for mom, which fortunately, she loooooooved. It was a last-minute purchase too! ha.

Sunday was spent with the family. Mom cooked her signature Hakka-style duck and pork and we stuffed ourselves silly. She cooks only once a week so that's really precious.

And I got Toto. I think this name is going to stick coz Andy and I have taken to calling the puppy that. I'm already frazzled from cleaning up his poo and pee, and this is only the first day. But every time he gives me that look...awwwwwwww....

CONTINUED

Met Jo for a quick beer at Gardens where we giggled over silly dog names like Mortimer, Balthazar...she agreed Tots could work. D dropped by and brought treats and a toy for Tots. (I can go on and on and gush and gush but at this point, D will remain D coz this is too precious to broadcast. I don't want this to go pear-shaped. I really don't.)

And now I am tired and need to go to bed.

Sweet dreams...

My puppy!


Say hi!!!! 05.05

Say hello to the newest member of the family!

He's 3 months old, likes to chew on things and is oh-so-adorable.

Yeap, we finally went and bought a puppy after months of merely saying we would, and the decision on which to bring home was easy coz this little rascal just stole our hearts.

Even mom's. She had protested right up to the second we stepped out of the house. You should see her now.

The pup's still getting used to the place, but he'll be scampering around soon enough. heh.

That's him, sitting at my door. Check out the tiny tennis ball and bone in the background. So cute!

Drats. I've turned into one of them mothers who can't stop going "coochie, coochie" and talking about their babies.

It took a dog to bring out the maternal instinct in me.

Friday, May 06, 2005

Stalkers stop here

Henrietta Mole said I should be careful with my blogging - and blog - in case someone does a google on me and reads things that may screw me in any way.

So I've changed my blog name. I hope that will prevent people from mousing around.

Colleagues

Right.

The consensus seems to be that I shouldn't live with a co-worker - even if he's not really a co-worker as he works for another paper - coz it will be too weird. It'll be funny to see a colleague (and landlord) in a "domestic" capacity, I suppose. But I have never been bothered by such things. I've never seen him in a work situation so I don't think I'll freak out seeing him in the kitchen or den or wherever feeding the cats.

That said, it's always good not to have work complicated by other arrangements, like dating a colleague, for example. I've done it and it sucked big time.

...journos have a tendency to date other journos coz
1. it takes a certain type of person to do what we do and it's therefore easy to be drawn to each other
2. we can so understand the choices the other makes and things he does
3. there's something about a news room that makes people wanna - erm, as one colleague put it - hump each other.
4. we see each other in a confined space all the time
5. we're just horny fools

On a (funny) note, a colleague from another paper messaged me via the office system the other day and told me he stumbled upon this blog. I was a little mortified, naturally, coz no one other than friends is supposed to be reading this. I got over it in 2 seconds, however, because it's bound to happen and I should just chill out.

In any case, it's Friday (yayyyy!!!) and I have a nice weekend planned, and before going to the office today, I'm going to try to get tickets to Vietnam and shop for a Mother's Day gift and collect my ipod from the service guys.

Also, I'm going to United Arab Emirates and Jordan for 7 days next weekend.


Whoopeeeee-do!!!!!


Have a good weekend, everyone!

Thursday, May 05, 2005

Jac saved my day

What a tiring, tedious day.

Excuse me, but I just had to say that.

I scampered to the Istana in the rain and was barred at the gate coz I went to the wrong gate and couldn't get a cab to go to the other gate in time to make it for the briefing on the president's funeral and got there half an hour late and was so bloody embarrassed when I walked into a room with 20 people but thank God no one really bothered but I still felt sheepish and thought that the briefing was a waste of a perfectly good day and I had to go back to the office, yes, in the rain, and had to go to another silly event at 8pm but thank God I had good company and it was short but there was no story and now I am back at the office.

On the other hand, it was sooooooooo nice to see Jac again after so long. We've made a pact to celebrate our birthdays together in September. Heh. That's something to look forward to.

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Pandan Valley room available

Facilities
swimming pool, wading pool, gymnasium, tennis courts, squash courts, clubhouse, playground, putting green, BBQ area, retail outlets, 24-hour security, covered carpark

Nearest MRT stations
Dover - 0.92 km away
Clementi - 1.58 km away
Buona Vista - 1.87 km away


Nearest shopping malls
Clementi Arcade - 1.31 km away
Holland Village Shopping Centre - 1.31 km away
Bukit Timah Plaza - 2.09 km away


Landlord has 2 cats.

Going for a song.

How can I say no??!?

Is this cute or what?!


I can paint mine pink!

Listening to: Jack Johnson...On and On

P.S. I can imagine the space being used as the store for my yoga mats, tennis rackets and balls, rollerblades...and a big soft throw I can sleep on. And the weekend road trips I can go on....

Yay!!!

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

I wanna strangle them


Divaaaa-ine 05.05

She was hot but the crowd was dead.

She was trying to camp it up and rouse the audience but they just sat there with their stony faces. Her doing a cheesy but really funny Marilyn Monroe routine didn't even induce as much as a smile from anyone. I think the chairs had more life in them.

They didn't know the tunes (Telephone Song, How Insensitive.....erm, I feel like an old fart). And that makes me wonder why they were there at all.

What is it about Singaporeans that make us so...whatever the opposite of spontaneous is!!? Do we feel we need to seek permission to have fun???

Monday, May 02, 2005

A change

Ok, I spent half the day being a geekoid but I've got...
...a new font, new colours, and a new radio blog.

W'dya think??

Sunday, May 01, 2005

One-for-one drinks are baaaad


At Thumper last night 04.05

Thumper
Romper
Rubber
Stamper
Stomper
Crumpler

Ok, I'm still drunk.

The neighbour gets all the cool stuff

As if I don't go to KL enough already...

REMOTE-CONTROL CAR RACING TRACK PLANNED FOR SHAH ALAM

SHAH ALAM, May 1 (Bernama) - The City Coucil will build a remote-control car racing track at the Shah Alam Sports Complex soon.

Deputy Datuk Bandar Za'ba Che Rus said the RM200,000 track to be built beside the go-kart circuit would be among steps being taken to upgrade the complex.

"We want to make the sports complex a regional primary facility centre that will offer sports, recreational and community facilities," he told Bernama.

The track should be completed by next year, he added.

The facilities at the track would include an exhibition kiosk, spare parts workshop, shelter and seats for spectators, besides toilets, cafe and stalls.

The City Council planned to organise remote-control car racing at the track to popularise the activity.

Za'ba also said there were plans to build an endurance sports park near the sports complex.

"It is still at the proposal stage," he said.