The Day I Caught The Holiday

The San Francisco post will be up shortly.

Anyway, just got home from watching "The Holiday", starring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Jack Black. It was a nice, heartwarming holiday movie, perfect for happy couples everywhere. Not so perfect for a bitter, single nerd like me. Couple of ang mohs were making out in the seats beside me.

Imagine that.

PS: My flight has been postponed to 8th January 2007. Will arrive in Singapore on the 10th.

The Day I Toured Old Town Pasadena

There are some great finds in LA if you're not with a tour group. Tour groups = rush rush rush = buy buy buy = commercialized holidaying = no fun. Was visiting the downtown area in the evening and I discovered some "Uniquely US" stuff.



We visited a store selling yoghurt:


You must be thinking, "What's so interesting about yoghurt?" Well, the yoghurt here comes in a large variety of flavours as well as toppings. What's fun about it is that the toppings are mashed into the yoghurt in a manner similar to teppanyaki:


Chop-mash-chop-chop-mash-mash...

Take a look at the selection as well:


It was 5 degrees outside and we were having frozen yoghurt! Craziness! But it was worth it cos the yoghurt's so so good!


Imagine That! I know you want to!
Say "AH...."


Other than yoghurt, there's of course the apples-on-a-stick, which I like to call the "ironic apples". Think "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" and "cardiac arrest". Take a look for yourself:


The world-famous "ironic apples". They've got apples coated in caramel, chocolate fudge, Oreo cookies, white chocolate, sugar sprinkles etc etc. Basically it screams "SIN".

They also have satay in LA!


There are really ALOT of Asians here, which explains the bountiful supply of Asian cuisine here. Feels like I'm back in Singapore. Heh.

After a long (and filling) tour of Old Town Pasadena, Huaxia drove us up to Mount Wilson. When we got to the peak, I had a breath-taking view of the entire LA state!



And the sky was beautifully lit up with stars! No clouds at all! I tried to take a photo of it...



...but failed miserably. Don't blame me. I'm not a professional.

The Day I Saw The Olsens

I woke up at 2 o'clock today. In the afternoon.

Let me break a myth here today.

Myth:
Only American food is cheap and nice here. Asian food is sh*t.

True/False

I've been having quite a lot of Chinese food here and it's comparable to what we've got in Singapore. Just that they come in bigger portions. Speaking of which, burgers are really killing me. If you give me grass vs meatloaf like right now, I'd take grass.

As for the Olsen twins...


Aren't they pretty?

Yesterday

We were at Universal Studios!


If there's one word to describe it, it's "overrated". But I've got some nice photos anyway. Enjoy:


I'm a biker!

The houses of Wisteria Lane (think "Desperate Housewives):

The Day I Returned From Las Vegas

*EDIT: Photos have been successfully uploaded*

Just got back from Vegas! I had a couple of "First Times" there. All I can say is, Vegas is really pretty (all those lights at night!!!) and it is truly Sin City. Just walk around long enough and you'd bump into a few whores. Either that or signboards advertising whore services.

My friends (Huaxia, Sandy and Milo) and I stayed at The Bellagio. It was anything and everything I could ask for. Really.


The Bellagio

First Time (1):
I saw snow falling from the sky! It was freakin -1 degrees last night! Thank God for hot chocolate and cigarettes (they do wonders in winter). I CAN BRAG ABOUT EXPERIENCING MY FIRST SNOWFALL IN VEGAS!!! WOOHOOO!!! Exciting.....

First Time (2):
I've never gambled in my life until this morning. We spent time playing slot machines. It was mindless and boring, but definitely an experience. I didn't win any money though, if that's what you're wondering. No such thing as beginner's luck for me.

First Time (3):
We visited the M&M's World and the Coca Cola store. Pretty interesting for a country bumpkin like me.

It's off to Universal Studios tomorrow!

Before I go, here are some shots:


At the foot of a Christmas tree made of balls!


Magarita from a vase



The world's largest chocolate fondue fountain!


It is really just a cake; Chicken Little is merely an illusion.

And both the fountain and the cake are found at...

The Day I Landed In The US

It's 5 degrees Celsius here. My ass is frozen.

I managed to survive the 16-hour flight and the stringent US Security checks. Just got home from dinner at a chinese restaurant. I still don't understand why their "doggy-bags" are in Chinese-Temple-style boxes. And my fortune cookie makes no sense.

Driving down to Las Vegas tomorrow!

*EDIT*
Photos!


On the plane


Saw this on the plane! My eyes are sooo sharp la!


My friends. In case you were wondering, Huaxia is Sandy's boyfriend and Milo is Huaxia's schoolmate.


The house I'm staying at.

The Day Of SYC 2006, Day 3

Just returned from the airport, supposedly to pick up an indonesian journalist. But thanks to a communication breakdown, the journalist went back to the hotle without us.

It's so different being a facilitator and a participant. Participants get tired from fun, while we get tired (and frustrated) from waiting and waiting and waiting.

I miss my bed.

The Day Justin Discovers! - Episode 2

Welcome to an all-new and much delayed episode of "Discover! with Justin". In today's episode, I will take you through the weird and the interesting sights of Singapore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. First up, I arrived at VivoCity, Singapore's largest and newest shopping complex that houses the state of the art cinema, 3 food-courts, an open-air wading pool... oh you get the point. At the jam-packed crowd-favourite Candy Empire, I encountered a boy with a strange dress sense. Here, take a look for yourself:



If you look closely, the left sleeve of his top has been unprofessionally ripped off to reveal his arm. What an interesting way to wear clothes.

Imagine that!



2. We try to be as racially/religiously sensitive as we can, being in a multicultural country and all, but sometimes, irony bites us in our ass and all we can do is look at it and laugh it off. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, take a look at this (taken outside Banquet at VivoCity):


And right opposite the Nasi Bryani stall is...




















































The most non-Halal of non-Halal stalls!

I know it isn't equivalent to bringing non-Halal food into the Halal area, but it's still quite ironic, don't you think?

Imagine that!



3. Hidden within the housing estate of Bedok, behind the hawker centre of the Bedok interchange, lies the famous Bedok curry stall! Try the chicken curry! It's fantabulous!



I bet you can't even Imagine that!

The Day Before My SAT

I'm sick and I have an exam tomorrow. Urgh.

The Day I Get Back From My Class Chalet

Just got home from the class chalet. Tired... Photos shall be put up soon.

I got this from Emmanuel:

J - Everyone loves you.
U - You really like to chill.
S - Easy to fall in love with.
T - You're loyal to those you love.
I - You have a fine ass
N - You are dead sexy.

J - Everyone loves you.
U - You really like to chill.
L - You live to have fun.
I - You have a fine ass
A - You like to curse alot.
N - You are dead sexy.

J - Everyone loves you.
A - You like to curse alot.
P - You are popular with all types of people.

Apparently everyone loves me and I love to curse alot. Try it with your own name!

A- You like to curse alot.
B- You like people.
C- You're wild and crazy.
D- You have one of the best personalities ever.
E- Damn good kisser.
F- People adore you.
G- You never let people tell you what to do.
H- You have a very good personality and looks.
I- You have a fine ass
J- Everyone loves you.
K- You are really silly.
L- You live to have fun.
M- One to have fun.
N- You are dead sexy.
O- You are one of the best in bed.
P- You are popular with all types of people.
Q- You are a hypocrite.
R- Fuckin' Crazy
S- Easy to fall in love with.
T- You're loyal to those you love.
U- You really like to chill.
V- You are not judgmental.
W- You are very broad minded.
X- You never let people tell you what to do.
Y- One of the best damn bf/gf one could ask for.
Z- Always ready

The Day and The Day After The A's Ended

THE A's ARE FINALLY OVER!

About time. Glad that I'm getting my life back. It hasn't really sunken in, y'know, the whole "No more mugging for the next 2 years!" thingy. But I;'m pretty sure it'll sink in soon.

Just got back from Sentosa and am really sunburnt. My poor poor back. Ah well. I want my iPod nano [RED]. Like NOW. Bleargh. Not thinking coherently. My brain's still mushy. Going to sleep. Shall blog more when I get my laptop back. And yes "Discover!" is still on once I actually discover something interesting.

LALALAND HERE I COME.

The Day I Introduce "Kor Lak"

I'm sure many of you like desserts, especially ones with lots of coconut milk. So today,I'll be introducing my favourite Indonesian dessert, Kor Lak. It's basically tapioca with coconut milk and gula melaka. In my own recipe, I added sweet potatoes and bananas to give it a richer and a slightly tangy flavour.



You'll need:
- Water (1L, about 5 cups)
- Freshly grated coconut (600g)
- Gula Melaka (3 cubes)
- Tapioca (1 root, cut into cubes)
- Sweet Potatoes (400g, cut into cubes)
- Banana (300g, cut into cubes)

You should:
(1) Steam the tapioca and sweet potatoes for about 5 minutes.

(2) Make coconut milk from the grated coconut by putting the grated coconut into a filtering bag and add water.

(3) Boil the coconut milk.

(4) Add gula melaka after coconut milk boils.

(5) Add steamed tapioca, sweet potatoes and banana cubes.

And voila, you've got your sweet dessert. If you want your kor lak to be sweeter, just add in more gula melaka. Can be served chilled or warm.

Enjoy! :)

The Day I Talk About Racial Hatred

In view of the recent racial attack in the UK and an open display of racism on ANTM, I have decided to postpone my latest episode of "Discover!". So let's talk about racism today.

Race
Definition: The distinguishing of one population of an animal species (e.g. humans) from another of the same subspecies.

Racism is bred out of one of Man's very basic instinct: fear. In the words of Yoda, "Fear leads to anger; Anger leads to hate; Hate leads to suffering" These words have never been more relevant. Why would people have the fear of different races in the first place? The answer lies in upbringing.

I'm sure many of you Chinese kids in Singapore have experienced your mothers or grandmothers telling you "The ah-bu-neh-neh (Hokkien slang for an Indian man) will take you away if you don't stop crying!" or something along those lines when you were much younger. When you're a kid, the only influence you get is from your parents and care-takers, so it is inevitable that they'd plant seeds of racial fear by their wrong choices of expression.

What I'm trying to say is, racism is a vicious cycle. It happens when children are told to fear and in turn, hate people who are different from them. It's a problem that starts from young and can be addressed if we wanted to.

Other than the genes that determine our differences in physical appearances, we are all the same human beings. Unless we're willing to put aside our differences and embrace what we have in common, our world will continue being plagued with the unnecessary hatred.


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

PS - For those who're wondering what happened during ANTM on Wed, Jaeda faced an incredibly racist Spanish male model during their first filming of a commercial in Spain. She had to kiss him for the shoot and this is what happened before the filming began:



Poor Jaeda.

The Day After Geog Paper 2

Let's see what papers are done:

- GP 1 & 2
- Econs 1,2 & 3
- Geog 1 & 2
- A Math 1 & 2
- Lit 1

And what we've got left:
- Lit 2 & 8
...and I'LL BE FREE!!!

Thank God it's an unseen paper tomorrow. Which means no need to cram tonight! YEEEEHAW!!! Yes I know I've been losing it with my random chants lately but I DON'T CARE THE A'S ARE FINALLY REACHING AN END! Screw yooouuuu non-Lit people who've already ended your A's! *jealousy pangs* Don't rub it in...

Next up, more of "Discover! with Justin"!

The Day After Econs Paper 3

We had our Econs essay paper today (on top of my a math this morning. Phew...). The questions that came out were along the same lines as last year's paper. Meaning that one question requires more than just the knowledge of one topic. On the bright side, at least I didn't try spotting questions, so the paper wasn't that bad. Quite confident bout my questions 4 and 5, but I'm not so sure bout question 3 though.

5 more papers to go and I'm a free man!

*chants*
Hoogachagahoogahoogahoogachaga...

The Day I Talk About A Mother's Love

How do you know when your Mum loves you? Is it when she sacrifices her time to be with you? Or is it when she makes you your favourite foods? Well, it's all that and more. You know that she really loves you when she makes Wanton Mee (云吞面) and the wanton (云吞) is the size of a curry puff. And I'm not kidding. Here, take a look for yourself:



I call it "death by dinner". That's how much my mum loves me.

I just realised that a week from now, I'll be (almost) a free man! ~beats at chest and bellows like the Hulk~ It's CRUNCH TIME!!! YEEEEEAAAAAAARRRRRRGH!!!

People taking The A's, Ganbatte!

The Day I Panic

Time is running short. When is rubber-time when you really need it? 8 papers in 5 days next week. Can I do it? I hope so, cos I don't like the other alternative.

Panic panic panic...

The Day I Talk About Kim of ANTM

Remember Kim from ANTM Cycle 5?

I thought she just looked androgynous, but to my horror, I discovered that she's actually a man in disguise to infiltrate the Top Model House!



Here's Kim as a girl...


...and here's Kim SHAVING her mustache! *gasps*

Anyway, here's today's recording. Just right click and click on "Save Target As" and you've got a brand new mp3! Enjoy!

Leave Right Now

The Day I Talk About Break-Up Clichés

In my life, I've experienced getting dumped quite a number of times. Each time, it involves the other party trying to tell me that (1) they've found someone new or (2) they wanna go back to their ex-boyfriend or (3) that they just don't have "the feelings" for me.

Sounds like a soap opera? Well believe it or not, my life actually loves to play out clichés. So today, I shall share with you heart-breakers out there my Top 5 Break-Up Lines (I've never said them but I've received them).

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

[5] "It's not you, it's me."
In other words, you're trying to tell your (former)significant other that you don't love him/her anymore while trying to make it look like you've put the blame on yourself. It's a more tactful way of saying "I don't like you", but it doesn't make you less of a bitch.

[4] Don't say anything. Just "mysteriously" disappear.
Avoid the break-up completely and just disappear from the life of your (former)significant other. Become literally un-contactable. The initial phase may be tough because your significant other may seek you out from your friends and family while you're in hiding. The most irresponsible of break-up tactics, doing this would make you a MAJOR-BITCH.

[3] "I need to give my ex a chance."
What you're trying to say is: "I don't love you enough to let my ex be an ex." Meaning that you shouldn't have let the poor guy/girl on in the first place. This is also irresponsible and irreversible. Don't even think of trying to rekindle a friendship with your (former)significant other, at least not for a long while. You'll definitely earn a spot in the MAJOR-FUCKING-BITCH column on the Christmas list (which means NO PRESENTS for you!).

[2] "You're not my type; I've tried to hint you about it before but you never caught my hints, so I had to drop the bomb!"
This is what a ruthless heart-breaker would say. Trust me, there are actually some bitches out there who would make people fall in love with them, and then say this to get rid of their (former)significant others. It's fast, it's painful, and it makes you an all-new enemy. This is usually said in desperation, and is only used when he/she has either fallen for someone new or is just plainly a cruel and insensitive asshole.

Either way, forgiveness is not in question. If you try to rekindle a friendship, you're most likely going to get burned. Then again, karma works in mysterious ways. Maybe you'd get run over by a car before you could even try. So, don't try.

[1] "I'm in love with (insert same-gender here)."
You're just saying that you've turned gay. Which is absolutely fine, except that you'll be totally crushing the heart of the guy/girl who loves you. Not your fault though; At least you've come to terms with your sexual orientation and you're not leading the poor guy/girl on anymore.


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

And those are my most memorable break-up lines for you. When you're desperate to dump your boyfriend or girlfriend, these may come in handy. Cheers!


Footnote:
For those who are wondering what the hell I'm doing blogging during my A's, the answer is simple: Blogging is de-stressing.

The Day I Talk About Brainless Discoveries

Welcome to an all new episode of "Justin Discovers!" In today's episode, we'll learn about some of the world's most amazing stuff that Justin and (presumably) you have never seen before!

First up, we have something that hails from the land of the sashimis and teriyakis. That's right, it's from Japan!



You see those little thingies at the centre of the biscuits? Those are actually flower petals! Amazing! Flower petals on a cookie!

Imagine that!

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

Next up, we return to our local shores. This interesting fascinating beverage can be found at Coffee Bean outlets islandwide.



Look at how science has aided Man in having healthier lifestyles! With our technological advancements, we've actually been able to produce water that's actually Fat Free!

Imagine that!

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

And finally, we turn our attention to Ngee Ann City.



The management never ceases to surprise us year after year! It's the once-a-year-four-storeys-tall Christmas tree! Absolutely jaw-droppingly beautiful, looking just like it does every other year!

Imagine that!

The Day I Uploaded Some Songs

Here are a couple of cover songs that I've done (a'capella) and it's finally available for you guys to download! Just right click on the link to save and you're good to go! :)

Mary Says

The Way You Look At Me

The Day I Slept Really Early

OMG I FELL ASLEEP AT 9.30 LAST NIGHT AND I JUST WOKE UP!!!

The Day I Talk Dirrrrrty

Have you experienced this?

Ever noticed that some guys like to pee in cubicles even though there are urinals available in the public toilet, and they do so in the name of "wanting more privacy", but they actually make a mess out of the simplest thing Man can do?

Ever had a stomach churning so badly that you'll need a good crap but when you get into the toilet cubicle, the toilet bowl's gross with wet pee on the ass-support rim and it's emanating a foul, pungent odour at the same time?

Well, that's because for most guys, they don't have much toilet courtesy. Just today, I encountered one such person as I was having a bad stomach and dying to sit my ass down on the toilet bowl. But before I could do that, I had a rude shock as the toilet bowl looked like a scene out of Alien. It was after spending 5 minutes of cleaning up after the guy before me that I could finally take a shit.

So I've decided to give some constructive comments on such unacceptable behaviour today.




Toilet Cubicle Courtesy 101:
(1) Remove the ass-support before you pee

If the ass-support is down...



... then pull it up before you aim.



(2) If you forget step (1)...

... this is going to happen. Cos most of the time, you're not exactly the top-notch marksman.



So don't forget to do this.



(3) It's not that hard to keep the toilet bowl spick-and-span




(4) Oh yes, and don't forget to flush.


To all public-toilet users:

Please keep in mind that the toilet does not belong to you, so please refrain from leaving your excretion and your pee, in part or in whole, on/in the toilet bowls. It's very unhygienic and incredibly disgusting. At the same time, it reflects very badly on your character and upbringing. And if you have a bad aim, please do remember to clean up after yourself. It's the least you could do to help keep the toilet clean for the next user.

Thank you.

The Day I Laugh My Ass Off

WARNING:
NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED



I know I didn't have to put myself through this, but the ending's truly priceless.

The Day Of The First A Level Paper

I never knew that the proper acronym AO level was "Alternative Ordinary" level. Always thought it was supposed to be like "Advanced Ordinary" level or "Almost Obsolete" or something. Well, we learn something new everyday eh? Speaking of learning something new everyday, I also learnt that I've definitely screwed up my GP paper. At least I think I did.

Rant of the DayPaper 2 was a disaster. I didn't have enough time to finish my AQ! I only had 2 arguments how on Earth am I supposed to pass AQ with only 2 arguments?!?!?
End Of Rant

I need to kill something and eat it.

The Day Before The First A Level Paper

It's 10 hours before the GP paper that will either make or break me. And I seriously hope it's the former. I'm feeling quite unnerved right now, but I know I'll be able to do it if I focus. So I gotta get my act together and be composed.

It was nice to have received an encouraging sms from a senior whom I haven't seen and heard from in 3 years this evening.

All the best to everybody who's losing it from the stress and intensity of the A level preperation. Focus. Breathe. Concentrate. And do your best.

It's the final lap.

The Day We Celebrated Grandma's Birthday

My grandma's officially to world's happiest woman today. She just turned a ripe old 81 and we had a mini celebration over at my paternal grandparents' place just awhile ago. Even though she's suffering from dementia, we could feel her happiness and an almost child-like innocence by just watching her smile.


Grandma and Grandpa. They look so happy, don't they?

Sometimes, it really does seem that we'd be better off being oblivious to the world. Life is much less complicated.

It's All Saints' Day tomorrow, so to my Catholic friends, please remember to go for mass. Also, in 2 days time, we'll be sitting our first A level paper.

It'll be over soon. Just hang in there.

The Day That Wasn't Productive

My day's been wasted. Completely wasted.
Did 2 Econs MCQ papers, some Atmo practise questions and read through GP notes.
This can't carry on...

Unproductivity = Waste of time = Fail A's

Aaaaargh!!!

The Day I Froze My Ass Off

The Coffee Bean outlet at Serangoon Gardens is officially the country's coldest coffee and tea joint. I swear, if it gets any colder we'd breathe steam in there. I stupidly forgot to bring my sweater there today. Was there alone the whole day (well, almost). Shaun popped by after his lunch to kacheow me.


Note: The photos of yours truly were candid and taken by Shaun. Which explains the poor (blur) quality of the pictures. Shaun looks hilarious in his oversized jersey! Haha!

Finally finished studying Atmo & Climate for Geog! Surprisingly it's not as difficult as it seemed to be. I hope to be able to tie up all the loose ends for Physical Geog by tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Random Rants:

- Had to turn down 2 Halloween party invites!
- Gotta pay the stupid seller on eBay by next week.
- I want a Siberian Husky (but my house isn't big enough)!!!
- Couldn't go to VivoCity with my parents tonight. Sigh.

The Day Of Revision At Cafes And Christmas Trees

Went to the Hemisphere Cafe located on the 3rd floor of the OG @ Orchard to do some revision with Andre. The ambience was cosy and the drinks were affordable. Not a bad place to study. As I was on my way home, I strolled into Ngee Ann City for awhile. There, right smack in the middle of the front entrance, was the "Work In Progress" 4-storey tall Christmas tree.


The Not-Yet-Ready Christmas Tree

Then it hit me that I won't be home this Christmas. It'll be the first Christmas that my family (as in my parents and I) is spending apart.