Zouk

Aaron (visiting from the US) and I checked out Zouk on Friday night. Haven't been there for a year and though I am beginning to be a convert of Ministry of Sound, I think I'll be heading back to Zouk at some point.

BT was the guest DJ. Didn't know who he was 'til I checked this site. Turns out he is ranked 23 in the world. The place was packed with cool people who contrary to my previous observation (see post below on Double O) know how to dance.

Number of casualties seen: 2 (wondering why their friends really didn't look out after them)

Evidence of alcohol trauma: 1 (the janitor was busy cleaning the stairs)
Number of people who landed on their ass due to the slippery stairs: 2

I remain to be an advocate of responsible, moderate drinking.

Typhoon Milenyo (Philippines)

Very sorry to hear about the destructive typhoon that hit the Philippines, particularly Manila. Hope you guys are keeping safe and staying out of trouble.

The profile name of those who uploaded these on Flickr is in parentheses.

Unusual colors before the storm. (danielliao)

Flying metal sheet (erico06)

Bus pinned down by the billboard. (jiformales)

Gusty winds tear Philippine flag along the bay. (Acermate433)

The New Singapore Idol

Singapore Idol is the 2nd show I've seen from start to finish this year (the other one was Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition). I'm glad my bet, Hady Mirza, won. We have the same vocal style but he has more fans and a much wider vocal range. Not sure if you got that. Haha.

Photo taken from the Singapore Idol website

Now that Singapore Idol is over, I'll try to catch some episodes of the "Amazing Race".

Same Same But Different

Bangkok and Manila clubbing at its finest ... with a lot of second-hand smoke to endure.

Clicking each link below takes you to the relevant set of travel photos in my other webpage.

Bed Supperclub (Bangkok, Thailand) - 2 Sept 06

Embassy (Manila, Philippines) - 23 Sept 06

Big Brother is Watching

I created a new blog today, "Big Brother is Watching". In such space, I will assume the role of Big Brother (cf Big Brother reality TV show).

Drawing inspiration from "Stream of Consciousness", a literary device used by James Joyce, such blog will contain random questions I will ask about the world. Communication will likely be one-way, i.e. I will do all the talking and will not be expecting any reply (though comments are welcome).

And since it's random, it should be fairly easy to type a one-liner whenever I feel like posting a question.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

"Wild" Nights

Night Safari

I started my week with a trip to the Night Safari with colleagues from work. The last time I went there was in 2001, the year when I first visited Singapore en route to the Philippines from Australia. It was amazing how they were able to simulate moonlight in various areas, more thrilling was the fact that the animals really didn't mind that humans were entering their "personal space".

We also caught one of the shows where some trained animals were showcased. I didn't muster enough courage to volunteer for the segment where they called on someone to carry a python on his/her shoulders for a few minutes. There goes my macho-man image! I realise that I do not exist to please strangers. Well I could... if the price is right.

Fr. Goh's talk

I also attended a talk on "Exorcism and Deliverance" by a Catholic Charismatic priest over at Waterloo St. There were about 170 people who attended it. Knowledge is power. Main takeout is that we need to be aware that the evil one exists and that we always should have control of our mind and spirit. Renouncing one's sins and strengthening one's prayer life will surely help battle the evil one.

Singapore Dreaming

I caught "Singapore Dreaming" this weekend. The movie helped me understand various aspects of Singapore's culture (parent's desire to send kids abroad to study, the car as a status symbol, aspiration to move out of government housing to a condo) -- not sure if all these are true though. I feel it didn't have enough production values to be featured in an international filmfest. The ending was rather weird and left me wanting more substance.

Double O

My best night in Singapore was spent at Double O with a few friends. Double O is a bar located at the corner of Unity St and River Valley Road.

Fridays and Saturdays are wild nights -- they played retro (80's) so the place was packed with teens (living off their parent's allowance) and adults in their 20' / early 30's (who were reminiscing their younger years). I can't believe most of the drinks were tagged at S$3 ! We got a table at 9pm since we knew it was going to be a busy night.

I was also amused with what my friends call "synchronized dancing", a phenomenon I only saw here. It's when people dancing on the ledge (or platform) have the same moves as if they had rehearsed it previously. It is similar to literal song interpretation. I was impressed with how much teens knew the lyrics of almost every song that was played. Wonder how much time they spend doing their homework!!

My top 3 hits for the night:
- We Built this City (on Rock and Roll) by Jefferson Starship
- (Together in) Electric Dreams by Human League
- Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley

I guess I should have worn my retro shirt on Sat night instead of Friday!

Shirt from one of my trips to Bangkok; background: other shirts in my closet (there are still a lot in my other room that have not been ironed!)

Weekend in Sing

Just Here

After two weekends of being overseas (Philippines then Thailand), I am spending a relaxing weekend in Singapore.

It's cool to just chill out at home and have the right of first refusal to head out.

My home is back to its orderly state as I spent at least an hour keeping it tidy. And to get rid of all the unwanted clutter, I got myself a paper shredder! I am fairly easy to please sometimes.

My soon-to-be-overused paper shredder ...

I finished the shoot with ten fingers intact.

Blogger Set Up

Done adding the usual items on the sidebar (links, website counter, update subscription box) but lost my profile photo as the software which has a link with Blogger still does not support the beta version.

Back to IKEA

I intentionally did not visit IKEA for a few weeks because I dropped by the store almost everyday from mid-June to mid-July because of my permanent accommodation transfer. I ended the hiatus and added more points to my IKEA Friends card today with my SGD217 purchase.

Farewell Disco Template

A fresh new look for my blog. Work in progress - you will see the final layout in the coming days.