purple rain...

So im waiting at the bus stop at Newton MRT, and it's been a long day. And it got even longer when i realized that i just missed my bus and have to wait 20min for the next one, which in Singaporean terms, usually means about 1-2 hours of waiting.

But this time was a little different.

A girl walks up right next to me to check the timing of her bus. And for a moment i don't recognize her. The hair is a longer, almost shoulder-length. The clothing is a little different frm wat i remember. The eyes are a little dimmer. But the person is unmistakably someone i know... or don't... or someone i know, only halfway...

"P-Purple fairy??"

She throws me the most incredulous look. "What did you just say?"

"Purple fairy. You're the purple fairy, right?"

I was referring to a play a long long time ago that i was invited to, by someone else, while back in CJC. The play was held at the Alliance Francois (or someting like that), a small but lavish performing arts centre. She was part of a gimmick - part of it was for her to dress as the Purple Fairy (a character in the play) and wander around the crowd before the play started and ask "Have you found it? Have you seen it?"

It meant nothing, except that when the play was all over and everyone had gone home, I was left alone at a bus stop, only to notice a seemingly dejected and wistful-looking purple fairy, sitting at the other end of the bus stop all alone.

And in the lamest of pickup lines, I walk up to her and ask, almost amusedly, "So, you found it yet?" I never asked for her name, who she was, or which class she was in, we just talked. Chatted about nothing and everything - lame stuff and more, until her bus came and she "flew" off (fucking bus was going that fast).

And this time, here we were, at Newton MRT, just a stone's throw from the very place where we first met.

Ironic. Very ironic.

Suddenly, her eyes light up, "Oh my gaaaaaawwwwd... you were at *that* play! That was so long ago!"

Yeah, i was the guy at the bus stop remember?

"Oh really," she said, glancing sideways, "Can't really remember that part."

Didnt matter. Actors in a play dont have to remember their lines, they feel it. They become what they are and the lines flow. They sense the moment and speak as the ambience wills them.

And we talked. About where she was working now. About where I had been to study. What i had studied. What she had studied. And how all of what we learned never applied. How she didnt really act after that anymore. And about how life in general tended to suck.

I remember half way thru, I asked, Hey, so still got your fairy wings?

She laughed, almost hysterically, but never answered me.

And in flash, 20min was over. And this time it was my turn. Bus 124 turned the corner and i just got up, not even bothering to say goodbye. Neither did she.

And as I began to walk towards the stopping bus, I remembered another thing.

I turn around, and call out to her over the roar of the nearly disintegrating bus engine.

Hey! So... have you found it yet?!

She smiles and starts to laugh. I almost begin to think that she wouldnt answer, just like last time.

And i begin to turn away.

But just as i reach for the bus, i hear a call from behind me.

"Yes!"

And for a moment, i can see her with those fairy wings again.

Song of the day is "Romeo and Juliet" by The Killers...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A lovestruck Romeo, sings the streets a serenade
Laying everybody low with a love song that he made
Finds a streetlight, steps out of the shade
Says something like, "You and me, babe, how about it?"...

Juliet says, "Hey, it's Romeo, you nearly gave me a heart attack"
He's underneath the window, she's singing
"Hey, la, my boyfriend's back
You shouldn't come around here, singing up people like that
Anyway, what you gonna do about it?"...

Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start
And I bet, that you exploded in my heart
And I forget, I forget.. the movie song
When you gonna realize, it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?

Come up on different streets, they both were streets of shame
Both dirty, both mean, yes and the dream was just the same
And I dream your dream for you and now your dream is real
How can you look at me, as if I was just another one of your deals?..

Well, you can fall for chains of silver, you can fall for chains of gold
You can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold
You promised me everything, you promised me thick and thin, yeah
Now you just say, "Oh, Romeo, yeah, you know
I used to have a scene with him"...

Juliet, when we made love, you used to cry
I said, "I love you like the stars above, I love you 'till I die"
And there's a place for us, you know the movie song
When you gonna realize, it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?..

I can't do the talk, like the talk on the TV
And I can't do a love song, like the way it's meant to be
I can't do everything, but I'd do anything for you
I can't do anything except be in love with you...

And all I do is miss you and the way we used to be
All I do is keep the beat, and the bad company
And all I do is kiss you, through the bars of a Rhyme
Juliet, I'd do the stars with you any time...

Juliet, when we made love, you used to cry
I said, "I love you like the stars above, I'll love you 'till I die"
There's a place for us, you know the movie song
When you gonna realize, it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?..

A lovestruck Romeo, sings the streets of serenade
Laying everybody low with a love song that he made
Find a convenient streetlight, and steps out of the shade
He says something like, "You and me, babe -how about it?"..

i got soul but im not a soldier...

It's been a while since i've been tested like this. And now i realize that im not up to it.

I remember blazing hot afternoons where i'd be on a tennis court blasting balls like no tomorrow, sweating bullets and guts and more, running like a white guy in a horror flick...

... And i could do it from 2pm to 6pm. No prob.

Saturday came and i prepped with the usual ritual. 2 eggs in the morning with cereal and extra milk. Light stretching. Go to work, and be in the office at 9am. Work until 130pm. Have a light lunch, usually just a piece of bread and some milo. Meet up with zs at 3pm. And then we'd try to kill each other on the court, and anyone else who would be with us.

This saturday, I was a mess. Couldnt run, couldnt move well, couldnt concentrate, couldnt do a lot of things. It was the heat. The smoldering sun. The same sun that had beat down on me at a time that seemed like aeons ago. I am not the player that i used to be. And it sucked to feel that way.

Anyway, i just got back from a MacD dinner at NUS and it was punctuated with us having dinner right next to this couple who were discussing the recent number of breakups that they've heard about. What? Is this the time of year when pple breakup?? Is it the weather? Or those pesky MayFlies that spawn during the summer? Probably. Those things are nasty and have only a few hours to live, so they just spawn, do lots of fucking and then die. Not a good metaphor for a relationship.

Well, they girl was going on about how her friend couldnt concentrate bcos her bf broke with her and she was probably gg to fail her exams. And for a second, they were considering skipping exams as a solution to the problem.

I used to be in that seat.

And this was not too long ago either. There was a time when a breakup would RUIN a person, turn him/her to mush and an utter blob of nothingness. Shrivel up with a grape in an oven. A time when talking about a relationship was about connection and chemistry and appeal and making romantic smses and all. Now the conversation seems to fall to only a few Q&As.

Got money?

Got looks?

Can get anot?

And that would be the end of discussion.

But looking back and comparing, im amazed at how LITTLE it actually mattered. So he broke up with you. Tell u something, dear, in a few years, u'll be out there doing stuff, working, having responsibilities crashing down on you, money will be coming in. You'll be able to buy just about anything you want, you'll be free. And ALL men will want you.

Same to the guys. You'll be in positions of power (yes, the workplace is STILL sexist and racist), and making decisions that will rock. You'll get high watching your financial figures. You'll have money and be able to spend it on anything. You'll have that car - easy. And ALL the women will want you.

And im serious.

And the crap that you're going thru NOW, you'll be laughing about how it didnt matter at all LATER. Trust me on that...

In the meantime, it's more training for me. I still need to recapture the glory days. The goal is still the same - 10 aces per match.

Im such a parody...

Song of the day is "All These Things That I've Done" by the Killers...

fearless female wtf...

wat makes a person totally fearless??

Well, they TRIED to figure that out on class 95. It was more HILARITY than actual fear factor stuff. Eating fried scorpion?? PUHHHH-leeeeez... Shave a QUARTER of your hair??? CHEY...

Lemme tell what i would dare them ALL to do to prove that they are totally fearless.

Simple.

Kill someone and admit to it, and laugh just before you get hanged. And finally - you must be COMPLETELY sane through it all. And the killing must be done in the GROSSEST fashion. Like cutting open a guy's head with a rusty spoon, cutting off all his fingers and replacing them with his toes, braid his pubic hair, break ALL of his joints, and stick nails underneath each and every one of his nails - ALL this, while the person is still alive.

Yeap, that MIGHT sway my vote.

Anyway, im beginning to think that i might have a career ELSEWARE - maybe show-biz?

This is the fucking 4th time that someone's told me that i looked like Zhou Chuan Xiong - WHOEVER the hell he is. Apparently he sang ONE song - all the 4 people remember him for that one song, so that's uber LAME. The song if called HUANG HUN (sunset), and my mom played it for me on the radio - and it is SAPPY to the core. Fuck that shit.

Just logged onto WWE after almost an eternity away from it - Triple-H is WWE Champion. Hell yeah. And Federer just lost to Stanislas Wawrinka - fuck that shit. I think i said before that i'd stop watching tennis when Fed turns to shit. Think it's time i made good on that promise.

And Jailani was RIGHT. ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY RIGHT. The babes in Marina Bay only show up in the MORNING. Why??? Bcos women can't do anything except admin work it seems. And im beginning to think that it's true. And it's not bcos im sexist or wat - it's frm 100% observation. Put a woman in a meeting and she will NOT be able to get anything done. It's a "Hmm... maybe" here and "Oh well, perhaps" there. Totally nothing solid.

Now put a MAN in a meeting and he will holler and scream, bitch and whine and curse at everyone until he gets his shit done. Which is uber cool. Dont have to waste time like the woman as she tries to find middle ground. The man is like an animal - kill or be killed. I WANT THIS, he says, and the meeting's over, in like what? 15min tops?

But back to the topic - the hot women in MBS only show up early in the morning. And yes, almost all of them are SECRETARIES. It's stereotype nite and im not even trying. Hahahahaha... with an odd one or two of them being SAFETY OFFICERS. LOL!!!!! Safety officers????? Hahahahhaa!!!

"Don't forget to wear your helmets and drink plenty of water k???"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

Scooted around MBS for most of the day today, while my PM was reeling from his weeklong headache which left him virtually half a day slow. HONESTLY, it was me doing most of the work and running most of the show. DAMNIT HTU, where the hell are you? I cant take this shit anymore. Anymore demands frm Darren and i SWEAR one day i will crack a linder over his balding head.

Then i'll load his corpse onto a truck and send it crashing into the hotel towers which will collapse and push the entire casino into the freaking marina bay. AWESOME.

Saturday is my working day this week, so forgive me if im a little more venomous than usual.

Song of the day is "Africa" by Toto... bcos that's wat it feels like here on-site - HOT LIKE MUTHAFUCKIN AFRICA. Goddamnit... i feel like just jumping into the bay...

another invasion...

So im sitting in the office, the container office, and it's hell everywhere. 3M is in full swing (Monday Morning Madness) and im right in the middle of it, making me the 4M (Monday Morning Madness Middle).

Suddenly it's deadly quiet. An odd and eerie noise has penetrated the bustle and rustle of papers and the clanking of morning coffee mugs.

It's the sound of styrofoam being scratched at.

But there's no styrofoam in the office. WTF? Everyone stops working and starts glancing around. It's coming from me. Right ABOVE me.

And looking up, i see that in the corner of the container office, right above me, there's a small hole, about the size of an apple, which the container contractor has affectionately plugged up with styrofoam. And that piece is shaking, scratched away quickly by something.

But Uncle is quick as always. "BIRDS."

And just as he says so, the styrofoam gives way and falls to the ground about a foot from me. And just as predicted, a bird is standing at the hole, obviously surprised that he has found some unlikely treasure.

Now in order to get to this hole, the bird first had to squeeze into a small hole OUTSIDE the container, and then reach this hole (so this means the container is sorta double layered, if u can imagine what im describing). Anyway, the point of this is to show that the bird has NO ESCAPE once he's dug his way through.

Instinctively, i grab a nearby umbrella (yes an umbrella) and hurl it at the bird (this comes from watching Troy). My aim is true. LoLz (i always wanted to say that). And it strikes the bird dead on. In fact, it's so ACCURATE, that it knocks the bird completely out of the container, leaving the umbrella lodged in the hole surrounded by a hollywood-style cloud of feathers.

I make my way outside and peer to the ground. Sure enough, i had killed it. The bird lay there with a look of absolute WTF-ness on its face, dead as a dodo.

My PM was standing right behind me. He patted me on the back and spoke those most cryptic words, "There will be more."

ANYWAY, it was a pretty SCREWED-UP birthday.

Started Thursday morning with moving most of the heavy stuff from the old circuit road apartment to balestier, and breaking for lunch and going for tennis. Then dad's car breaks down, IN SINGAPORE, no less, leaving mom stranded in singapore. And then after a brilliant dinner at Carnivore, Vivo City, zs gets all pussy-like and has to puke his guts out at pw's place and collapse on pw's spare sofa bed, leaving us mahjong-less.

GREAT.

Then i play a lousy day of tennis. Utterly novel. Fucking shit.

And im VERY VERY slow. I just found out about this guy, a mobile phone salesmen named Paul Potts, and i laughed and cried my ass off from watching his original audition session, which brought the entire hall to its feet after opening his butt ugly mouth and coming up with a near perfect opera rendition, all the while almost crying himself. Touching, and funny as hell.

As always, i will keep you posted on the number of birds i eventually kill.

song of the day is "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables...

an art and habit...

The perfect kaya toast is trully a work of art.

The slab of butter must be of shape such that when positioned in the middle of the toast, it is close to the edge of the bread such that the butter can be tasted on the first bite, and yet, when it melts, it doesn't immediately drip out the sides and onto the hand.

The kaya is applied evenly thoughout the toast, and of calculated distance such that it does not drown out the buttery taste with its sweetness, and yet is sufficient enough such that it is not entirely forgotten.

The ideal amount of crispiness must be gained whilst still retaining some form of softness in the slice of bread. It must be such that when bitten into, the outside will crunch and flake off, yet the slice does not entirely disintegrate into the mouth, or shower the surroundings with bread crumbs like a firework display.

This kind of ideal crispness can only be achieved through thorough experimentation with one's toaster and knowing what kind of bread you are toasting. Wholemeal, white, softgrain, milk, walnut, chocolate chip, all kinds of bread loaves must be taken into account and will influence the intensity settings of the toaster and the length of toasting.

And tonight, while i was studying and analyzing the results of my experimentation, my cousin walked into the kitchen.

"He he, you burnt your toast."

Women. They will never appreciate the art of the kaya toast.

That said, i will officially move into my cousin's (my HAWT cousin's) place tomorrow.

So far, so good, the place is in decent condition, there's a swimming pool, and there's a prata shop JUST outside, and 10m further down is a Cheers with a DBS ATM, so great. It's pretty self sufficient.

This is urban living. Waking up to the sound of hokkien vulgarities and the honking of cars.

We'll see how it goes.

Song of the day is "Stuck with Each Other" by Shontelle featuring Akon...

mutha-f*ka!!!

Right at 630pm, just as i was about to call it an early day and get home while the sun is still up, my fucking PM dropped another bomb.

Needed some shit from me for his meeting tml. And the best part is that he was moaning and whining about this meeting for the ENTIRE day, and throughout this all, it had never occurred to him to tell me in advance so that i could prepare it??

Fucking moron. U think pple live only for ur this job ah?

Pple have to go home, do laundry, clean place, move stuff le, not like YOU who have no life, no family, probably no balls either. The last thing i need is for you to use the pretense of "i am sacrificing also" to justify ur shit. FIRSTLY, u assume that ALL of us want to "sacrifice" for your incompetence. SECONDLY, just bcos u r pampered at home, doesnt mean that we are pampered too, so we NEED to get back early bcos we have families, or siblings that need taking care off, unlike YOU, u retired old fuck.

song of the day is "Hotel California" by Eagles...