v-day plans

it has been a busy week indeed- i actually felt abit stressed (for once) over not being able to finish my work with a self-imposed level of quality.

yeah, normally i can afford to go out, do what i like and still get my job done decently. but i digress.

anyways i have finally gotten my v-day dinner plans settled! but of course i shall not divulge the location lest my gf gets wind of it. then not fun alr right.

but i was damn surprised to discover that this supposedly ideal place was so damn near to my JC! that time i never knew it existed la.

but then again, i never once contemplated spending more than $10 per meal back in those old days (exceptions like kuishinbo or marina bay buffet aside) in JC. my paltry allowance of $50/week simply din allow for it i guess. so it wasn't entirely surprising too.

anyways, it's a v hard process sourcing for an ideal v-day restaurant, even with easily available information through friends and food blogs and the such. reasons include:

1. the place has good food and ambience but is too expensive even normally (>$100/head)

2. the place has good food and ambience and v affordable ($70/head) but the damn alacarte menu is not available and the v-day meal is exorbitant.

3. the place has good food and ambience and v affordable (alacarte menu available) but the location is so outta the way that there's nth else worth checking out near there.

4. the place has good food and ambience and v affordable (alacarte menu available) and the location is not outta the way but it's fully booked.

yes of course i could cook myself and have a picnic somewhere but it'll be too much of a risk for such an important occasion. what if the food's horrible. what if the location is packed. what if it's raining. what if we get swarmed by insects. what if my hamster finishes my food before i set off.

you get the picture.

well i just want to play it safe to ensure the most wonderful experience possible for my wonderful gf. it is my sacred duty as a wonderful bf, after all. here's to a wonderful meal and a wonderful day on the 14th.

food and the native smurfs

today i realised my blog is full of boring words and sorely lacking in pictures. even as my readers are mostly intellectual, i have decided to insert PICTURES in this current post so as to freshen things up, for you and yours truly as well.

ok anyways i met up with the old friend (almost 2 yrs le) zhu awhile back (yeah i know i blog slow). wanted to bring the jap food fanatic to the place near hall (sakuraya) but realised it'll be too far from anything, so decided to introduce her to the more conveniently located Ichi Tei at sunshine plaza.

bentos are quite value for money and the sashimi decent too (zhu: sakuraya one more fresh). oh and it's near to the NAFA free art gallery so can drop by, pretend to be artsy and impress girls hahaha. i'm jesting.

mixed sashimi set! must try - nishin (herring w roe) sashimi which even SHE hadn't tried b4.

my salmon bento (tried my 2nd choice 2 days b4 so decided on this)

unagi bento (her's) - they make the teriyaki sauce themselves (v nice!)

oh and on the way we checked out the red mango yoghurt chain which we had read in the sunday Lifestyle about. looks nice right!

i kinda felt poor by then but felt like sitting down whilst waiting for Avatar 3D to start (watched the 2D one with friends le) so decided to go to Yakun. i really love eggs alot la (gf should know that fr the JB trip haha).

and we watched the native smurfs battle the mechwarriors in a movie which supposedly advocated some poorly-disguised save-the-forests message and which i am supposed to be more aware of the situation we're facing now in reality. but the reality is that i still dun care much, sadly.

to be very honest, i din really think the movie lived up to the hype or its billing as the top-grossing movie of all time. the character development and plot (which is damn impt to me) was mediocre at best, even though i have to agree that the general idea was believable and well-presented such that it had me immersed in the lush greenery and sights of Pandora for that 3 hrs.

ok i dun think you care much about my alternative opinion. i hoped you enjoyed the movie though.

reversal

ok i guess sometimes people tend to make assumptions after events have transpired, only to realise after awhile that they were simply reacting to their then current state of emotions and thoughts.

today i was having lunch with the clique, without the one member which displays nearly all the attributes i dislike.

and hor, i realised that i really enjoyed the conversation. no more of those recent laugh-out-loud-at-her-own-jokes-and-rest-chuckle-politely moments, nor those cases where the 2 girls just talked abt stuff where us guys can't grasp shit about.

it was just like b4 she joined the grp. a good conversation with the aim being more of updating and sharing than creating laugh-out-loud moments, the former of which means alot more to me.

i really felt most of my words coming out from my heart (figuratively la) as compared to just saying the right things w/o really caring about what i said. and i sincerely wished to listen to what they had to say too.

i conclude from many prior experiences that i just can't be bothered with superficial conversation (much more than others) should i already have known the person for a considerable time period. i have much better things to do nowadays.

maybe i need to change this aspect b4 i start teaching proper. but then again, I guess it'll be different with colleagues than it will with friends. i should just focus on doing the right thing and refrain from making others feel what others made me feel in the past.

being stuck up

since time immemorial i've always detested those pple who were full of themselves, always cutting into other pple sentences as if it din matter, who felt their point of view triumphed over others.

those people who appeared to be nice to certain chosen people and indifferent or nasty to most others. and whom which it was useless arguing with cos they would only pretend to be hearing and understanding your point of view.

my trusted tennis buddy linky was reminding me of Point 4 of 5 as he felt i really din care about knowing him on the 1st day we met (almost 2yrs le!), and i had to admit it was true - i really trust my 1st impression alot and he din seem like my favoured kind of guy. but turns out he was. haha.

there's a saying that whatever you don't like in other people, you normally have it yourself. i always thought that a load of bullshit. but hor, i think it's true leh, at least for my case and ALL the above points. but not to a very huge extent la! haha.

it's not obvious cos i try to minimise it as much as possible. i'm a very cost-benefit analysis and cause-consequence person by nature so i know these aspects of me can lead to long-term repercussions if not kept under check.

in the past i always attributed my selectiveness to shyness. but over time, i realised i'm not really a shy guy - infact i discovered to my chagrin that i simply cannot be bothered to smile and socialise with people whom i am indifferent towards (STUCK-UP!)

but of course i do the right thing initially, always, cos first impressions count. and also cos it's dumb to be disliked at the start cos it deters potential friendships with mutual acquaintances. normally it works if the person doesn't see me often enough - one can attribute occasional indifference to tiredness and stress.

but the shyness (or quietness) label sure is convenient - afterall how can you blame a person for being quiet and drifting off and talking to only a few pple in a grp when you know he's simply.. shy?

and i realise my group is uncovering me for the person i am. even tho i go for lunches most of the time w them despite preferring to swim or gym or meet other friends for lunch. i'm sure the girls figured out i dun really enjoy conversing much w them cos it's been a long while and it's tiring to maintain appearances la.

and i'm sure they got it when one of them caught me happily and animatedly conversing with another friend when i was being v grumpy and tired-looking prior to that in e grp.

can talk means can talk, cannot means cannot la! but i genuinely enjoy talking to one guy about soccer, hall, gaming, IT stuff and the other guy about badminton, dance, health and teaching in general tho.

it's q evident that they prefer to talk to me one-on-one during lunches abt topics they really care about (as opposed to hearing abt the girls telling 'funny' stories about their recent manicure) cos they are quite willing to enter a solitary bubble of conversation w me.

but i feel it's kinda bad at times to simply ignore the boring stories so i try to steer it back to the grp setting after awhile. and they're more politically correct and sensitive than me so normally they get it really fast. ohwells i dun mind bearing the brunt of the annoyed stares for them.

i dun really care, after all.

workk

ha i decided to blog about my serious stuff to display my studious and intelligent side for once. of which i am sorely lacking in and does not seem to be becoming active anytime soon.

but seriously i'm working alot harder these days, albeit mostly due to the circumstances. sem 2 being only 6 weeks with 4 modules and one exhibition to plan for, i was under no illusion that it was gg to be an easy sem compared to the previous one.

it's only the start of the 2nd week and i'm rushing my essays, readings and projects like no-one's business. just done with a trial chemistry microteaching presentation too. it's really like nothing i experienced in NUS.

i guess it's cos i'm really investing more heart and effort into what i'm learning cos it's mostly v relevant to what i'm gg to be doing in 1.5mths time. of course one can go into teaching without 1st gg to NIE, but he/she would have to be innately a talented counsellor/teacher/communicator to be able to do well.

and the different modes of assessment, the teaching pedagogies, the inquiry-based teaching method is way different from anything one can learn even with 5 years experience teaching tuition. without utilising these, one would hit a plateau at a relatively low level even with passion and commitment.

we'll see during practicum whether i actually use what i've learnt. heh.

inconsistence

i checked my history as to how frequent i posted on my blog after zhu commented that it was hard to keep updated cos i have a habit of posting like alot at one go after quite long intervals.

and i realised that i have a rough pattern of posting 2-3 posts every 20 days or so since a few mths back. yeah i'm quite a fan of small statistics such as these haha. ok so this is post 1.

more to come later.

the month of dec

my 1mth vacation (probably my last one as a student) has officially transpired. looking at my schedule, it's really been a packed one, filled with meaningful meetups throughout.

yes, certain meetups are quite meaningless and simply to combat loneliness. hmm but then again they aren't that meaningless for they allow you to appreciate and see just how meaningful your 'meaningful' meetups are.

i was about to printscreen my monthly schedule and put it here to boost my ego since it looks damn happening this year but it's in the lappie - troublesome. and not much point putting it here also la. i'm not such an exhibitionist.

like real la. i'm just lazy.

oh. and this year it was a first for me, not going for dumb countdowns (not inc. private events) on christmas eve and new year's eve. and i was in no way upset by it.

infact i was quite amused and impressed with myself for not succumbing to the cliche of hmm, happily counting down (count down le, so?) or simply the pre-process of cheering/gathering merrily and reminiscing about the past year.

ok, call me boring. but hor, i really think it's pointless. gathering wise, u can gather at any other date, in an atmosphere that is less boisterous and noisy (i prefer not to have to raise my voice to be heard). movies are the dumbest thing u can do on those days but some do it and it's like how ex man.

lastly should you attend a countdown to fruition, prepare to fork out good $ for a cab (if u wait long enough) or squeeze sardine-like in public transport.

i think the only pple who should logically like countdowns are party animals who enjoy the presence of fellow fun-revellers, loud, thumping music as well as the electrifying atmosphere. and couples who think that gg to countdowns is the right thing to do as a couple.

i only know alot of pple go (i used to) for the sake of going (my friends gg too! they say) and being able to tell about it, not that any of my friends are like that, tho. so old le, why bother abt appearances when you could be spending quality time with yourself (hahaha) or others?

of course it helped that most of my group gatherings (or individual dates) fell on all the dates from the 21st to the 1st dec except on 24th, 25th and 31st. apparently enough pple in my grps were attached such as to render most grp gatherings non-applicable. or maybe i have no friends.

also helped that the gf was working or i'll likely have gone for a dumb countdown too. hahaha.

anyways on those days i played tennis, did my work, played games, read books and dinner-ed with friends and family. just like any other damn day.

i seriously dun see the big difference between one day and another such that i have to drastically alter my lifestyle for it. esp dumb countdowns. yes i know i've used that word alot today.

call me old, call me boring. but i stick to my stand that everyone should know what they truly enjoy and live their life around it without being influenced (too much) by surrounding friends, simple hype or simply their perceptions that they have to perpetrate something or else.

if you truly enjoy something, do it. if you dun, don't, unless there're tangible and considerable rewards/benefits from doing so. be happy for the sake of yourself ba. life is that simple and easily enjoyed. most of the time we just complicate matters - just follow your heart i feel.

the knee problems

the past 2 months has been a good sports period for me, having acquired a fixed weekly badminton grp and 2 fixed-timing weekly sessions for tennis. and that's not including the sessions w linky/ginny or the impromptu games w random pple.

however despite religiously wearing my kneeguards which slow down the acceleration considerably, the knee cartilage does wear out after repeated impacts on the ground. and to top it off, i weigh a fair bit hence the situation exacerbates.

so i've decided to continue on with my intermediate golf lessons (after getting my PC last mth) which will force me to stop the tennis/tanning sessions on sat morn. which will allow me to socialise with john and new pple and reduce one weekly source of knee-destroying.

knee replacement surgery is out of consideration for now cos it's not THAT bad yet and the success rate's not total, furthermore i would have to walk in crutches for a mth and no sports for at least 3 mths. that, for me, would define a life with no leisure and fun.

maybe i'll go for knee cartilage injection surgery at TTSH. 6mths of relief and the prevention of long-term / old-age injuries. a few hundred bucks a pop but haha i think i can well afford it. i spend like.. 50bucks a mth on glucosamine/chondroitin/msm tablets anyways.

(most) guys are evil

today i was having supper with the bestie. and heard that his most desired affair hadn't been gg v well, even tho it was initially very positive physically and emotionally wise. apparently the girl (who has a bf) suddenly got a conscience, and the very manipulative attempts at coercing and convincing hasn't been gg v well.

amused cos it was his first evident failure in yrs (now he's attempting to impress upon the girl that he values her just as a close friend but yet acting subtly that he can't help but do extra), i nonetheless spoke up in admiration of the girl. dun have to worry abt hurting his feelings since he knows i always say what i feel haha.

so the girl's told my friend that she really thinks he's the ideal lover but she still wants to talk it over and work it out with her bf who's always busy with work and doesn't really satisfy her emotional needs. and wants to remain just close friends with him for the moment and nothing more .

she replies and responds readily to any non-emotional sms or conversation starter and not at all to emotional ones. (e.g of emotional sms: hey missing u; can't help but think of you; really wish i was there with you now, "insert common phrase that all guys use")

i think all girls should be like her. and it's not, btw. i have sufficient guy friends who tell me stories and it seems girls open themselves up to possible emotional cheating by actually responding or even gg out casually and allowing the evil guys a chance to subtly play upon the doubts they have abt their current r/s and how they would supposedly "give you the love and attention you really deserve".

guys are basically manipulative, i feel. the only guys who aren't are those who simply doesn't know how to or doesn't dare to. for me it's the strong personal code of conduct (the new guy friends always laugh at this even when i honestly feel that way, cos i talk a fair bit of rubbish) and a deep belief that karma happens back at you so i dun recall doing ath against my moral values.

therefore i dun believe in other guys wanting to know a girl (out of nowhere) to be simply friends. no doubt he wants more than just being a friend, esp if he looks decent enough to alr have a respectable amt of friends of both sexes.

yes, i know those cases do occur. but it's either because the guy just wants someone to make use of, spend time with or it could be that the girl is of different race or simply aesthetically undesirable.

the last part is especially true for ALL guys but no self-respecting one would readily admit to that. i lie about it too of course. haha! dun tell me u never suspected guys were like that.

and yes, i know that some of those guys actually turn out to be decent friends who no longer try to be touchy or send long smses or ask you about your day as much - or essentially dun hit on you anymore and are generally.. friends.

but that's just cos they gave up as they din seem to be getting anywhere with you or is busy with some other girl (it's his hectic work schedule, he tells you when you ask why he seems more distant and unavailable) currently.

so basically to prevent emotional cheating on the part of the girl: give those guys a chance to be friends but not respond to their emotional smses or offers to individual meetups (unless they're proven harmless) nor share too much of the melancholy part of your r/s - all these gives them evident openings to leverage from unless you're one seasoned veteran yourself.

instead gush (not too much of course) abt how happy u are with the bf - afterall if he truly wants to be ur friend he must want to hear how happy you are and want to know more. that's really the tell-tale sign. guys who want more than friendship show visible discomfort and awkwardness at the mere mention of the girls' other half.

and it may seem like i'm blowing my own trumpet but i think i'm one of the few i know who simply enjoys the process of a genuine, trusting, sharing conversation and nice meal - nothing more than that. maybe i just wasn't cut out to be more than that.

maybe it's cos i'm happily attached now or that i'm just simple-minded haha.

i'm back!

hello i'm back from a long hiatus! yess i know i should update more frequently but the opportunity cost really got alot higher after hols started. afterall, would you rather blog than go out w the gf/friends, tennis/badminton or simply basking in the world of Xbox360? ha!

hmm ok shall update on the entire prev week. since i'm here anyways and don't know when i'll be back again. i've this this habit of writing down the events (and the pple they entail) in my monthly schedule so i remember quite well heh.

sunday: went to meet 2 tampines pple in my journey to the east. first jud to pass her a spare cam memory card b4 she flew the next day, then glad for dinner at cityhall and some decent jazz performance (free! she said) at the esplanade. it was really a horrible mrt day - lakeside to tampines, tampines to cityhall, cityhall to tampines and then back to lakeside.

monday: hmm i played DragonAge:Origins (best fantasy RPG ever! i always tell my friends) till like 7am then went to sleep, waking up a good 10hrs later to rush to holl vill to meet angel (haaaa late again!). as a sidenote, i really quite like thai express - the tomyam soup, the grilled seafood platter and the soft-shelled crab.

tuesday: k-box with the guys (like finally, a grp outing w them). as usual i was happily singing oldies (eng and chinese) that nearly everyone din hear b4. and oh.. christmas songs! then tennis w new pple (intro-ed by alan) - they din go for proper coaching but been playing for ard 5 yrs, and were really quite a decent challenge. new, skilled tennis/badminton kakis are always welcome :)

wed: date with the beloved gf. checked out the art galleries at mt sophia whilst trying out my new Lumix-ZS3. my 1st compact point-and-shoot cam! then celebrated her sublime uni results at tao's (fine-dining for the typical student). then watched couples retreat at the cathay.

loved the movie alot! even tho the gf din appear to be amused by certain crude words and gestures as well as the occasional sexual / pop culture reference. thought it was the funniest show i watched this entire 2009 (quite on par w the hangover). yes yes gf i know u think the proposal is the best.

thurs: badminton with bert, gary and junli. it was a really good 2hrs doubles game, albeit it wasn't really as tiring as usual. likely cos bert was really quite outstanding at covering the backcourt and forcing errors alot. as usual i got him to 'fang shui' - so the opponents'd think it's a good, even match and continue joining next time. v hard to find pple ard my mid-level standard la! same for tennis also haha.

fri: shopping at queensway w linky. one of the few (ok, two) guys who can stand my shopping.went an hr earlier to check out the models and prices so it's not too unbearable for him. got my apac badminton shoes (w power cushioning) which supposedly has the same functions as the yonex (overpriced!) ones but was 3 times cheaper at 55bucks.

OH btw i did a taste test on the laksa and chicken curry of the seemingly 2 identical stalls selling both in queensway. and it was obvious that each one specialised in one dish. for best laksa: the newer stall with the orange tables. for best chicken curry: the one with brown tables.

sat (finishing!): tennis with rick, jerry, linky and 2 other working adults. great game, those new kakis offered. then the gf for storm warriors 2 at cwp.

worst movie of the century! haaaaaa. ok almost. esp considering i left my brain outside the theatre and tried not to have too high an expectation given the decent prequel. i din like the weak story development and the convenient loopholes in it. the subpar CGI at times was annoying too.

ok i'm tired! i'm sure you must be too :)