The Volvo S80

I never really liked Volvo cars in the past. I grew up with the notion that they are designed by artists who only understands straight lines and 90 degrees. A car void of soul and passion. Which perhaps explains the reason why Volvos are common as hearse cars.

Thankfully, the heads at Volvo had passion, soul and elegance knocked into their skulls. With that, Volvo started producing the S40. A cramped little sedan indeed, but one with soul molded into the design for once. The S40 is a handsome and charming gentleman. One different from the nerdy blockhead of a bookworm it once was.

Yet, the S40 is not what I want to talk about today. What I want to do, is to wax lyrical on the S80. If a well mannered teenager is to the S40, the S80 would be the charming, handsome gentleman in a tuxedo. I absolutely adore the S80. And no, I am not in my 40s, neither am I in my 30s.

In fact, Volvo has managed to win my heart, my 20-some-ish heart with a car that is meant for executives in their late 40s, complete with a bald patch and a beer belly. Do not for once question my taste for cars, for I am still very much in love with cars that has "speed" pasted all over; such as Volkswagen's GTi and Mitubishi's Evolution X. Yet, Volvo has managed to place the S80 into my arms. Amazing.

The 2.5T S80 retails at $138,000. It is a huge sum of money but when you compare it to a Mercedes E class which cost at least 70 grand more, the S80 starts to look like a total bargain.

I would love to own one. And now.

Of marriages, logic and emotions

We were discussing the intricacies of marriage. And like all things in life, there is no clear cut answer on whether marrying or not marrying a person is a better option. It is more of, maybe, perhaps, also can, depending on your priorities in life.

Well, i classify the decision to marry based on the following:

Emotionally : Yes, do get married, if you can find the "best fitting partner" in your life.

Logically: No, especially if you are a guy. The friggin women's charter u idiot! If you are a girl, what scientific proof is there to show that the current person is the best one out there for you?

So it depends, really, on whether you are emotional or logical on the day your other half decides to pop you the question. I won't say it's a 50-50 chance as emotions do not go by sound scientific principles. But if your current special one ever decide to pop you this question, think clearly(i'll come to this later), on whether you are more emotional or more logical. If you can't really decide, then you are logical as you must have done some thinking to reach that state of dilemma. So back off!

However, if you go all emotional and start to tear with happiness(i.e. cannot think clearly), I say, you are screwed if both of you are dead incompatible. So might as well enjoy being screwed - while it lasts.
So there!

This is not a post about cars (WRX vs old WRX)

By now, most of you already know what I have been doing, but if you don't, it doesn't matter. And like the picture, the trees and the grass that was captured along side the cars doesn't really matter. The focus is on the cars. No?

Actually it does matter. The grass and the trees. It matters to the overall composition of the picture. And like the picture, life is exactly like that. You can't have one without another. With out the tress and grass, the photo will look as dull as gray.

And life is colorful and all exciting, sometimes in the wrong way too. For me, life now is all about sacrifices and pain. And these are the "trees and grass" that decorates my life now. I've lost track of the countless times I have to ask myself if what I'm doing is worth it, or the tiredness I felt when I have to fight Jekyll.

I'm quite battered a soul, especially when I had just emerged from another bout of war. I do not know how much more of these battle that I can withstand before my sanity caves in.

But I have to believe in Hyde.

(for those of you who are curious; Yes, the old WRX is faster than the new WRX but the interior is so much better in the new one that you would think the old WRX had their interior manufactured by mountain trolls. The new WRX is more refined, like cappuccino while the old WRX is like kopi-o, totally in your face, with a brutal edge to it - IMHO, give me a GTi anytime)

Dreams

What do you dream?
I dream of Fear. Anxiety. Frustration. Unfairness.

Why do you dream?
Because of where I stand. Because I do not know.

What do you not know?
Myself. I need to know myself. And myself stems from others.

Stems from others?
Yes. I am who I am. Only because of others. Without others, I am not who I am. I need to know from others. This is me. Do you know?

Others do not know. The pain. The sacrifices. The doubts. The worries. The struggle....struggle is never a stranger to me.

And what exactly are you struggling from?
From dreaming.

I'm pissed

OK, I know this is a little bit off considering the timing, but, perhaps because I am currently sick, which makes me all the more irritated when I re-looked at this 2 video clips





Now, noticed the similarities? I am pissed because this is a down right copying of ideas from the second video! And it has to be on one of our national song some more. It shows that we have no bloody sense of originality and creativity (why wear white and black like the australians?!?!?!? don't we ought to wear white and red????).

And to make it worse, want to imitate also must imitate to the level of grandness right? They have the entire army of Australian National boys and girls choir to film the entire advert spanning so many other countries and all we have are a handful of kids going around the CBD...

I'm outright pissed because they ought to come out with sometime more original for our national song! They (the producers) ought to have more national pride than that!

For those who do not know, the first ad. by Qantas was done back in 1998 while the Home video was done for the 2004 national day parade.

Island of life

I doubt many of you have ever heard of this song, Island of Life, sung by Jon Anderson and composed by Kitaro. I used to like this song because of the tune, the soothing feeling it gave me. But I had never really paid heed to the lyrics back then.

Now, after finding this song on YouTube and hearing it all over again, I realise that this song can be dedicated to a couple that I know. Perfect timing too!

Enjoy!

Island of Life

She sees me
She understands
She helps
With all of my fears
When we stand together for life
Who will hold a child
In her arms

She reaches out
So many friends
Who seek to live this world
When we stand together for life
She will hold a child
In her arms

Chorus:
Without woman
Earth would fade and die
Without woman
Who am I
Who am I
On this Island of Faith
Who am I
On this Island of Life
You are the Sea
You are the Sky
You are the Ocean
I am the Earth
I am the Island of your Love

She listens
Se understands
For those searching for truth
We will stand together for life
We will hold a child
In our arms

Chorus

She sees me
She understands
She helps
With all of my fears
When we stand together for life
She will hold a child
In her arms

Chorus

Dreams are the understanding of life
Dreams are the understanding of love

It's been a while...

I have this entry as "draft" for over a week already. I have so many things that I want to blog about. About happiness, sadness and everything in between.

Yet, every time when I want to begin to write, my thoughts just left me.

Sigh.

A nice dream that faded...

As I awaken gradually from my sleep, I distinctively remembered feeling happy. I must have had a good dream.

But as the realm of dreams ebbed away and the realities of life slowly seeping in, troubles and worries flooded away the happiness I felt.

Perhaps dreams are like sanctuaries, they shield you from the heat of realities when you are feeling down.


On a side note: snow has come to my blog, only if you are using IE, that is.

People do I also Do!

Lets101 Quizzes - blog quizzes

A feeble smile is still a happy smile

I turned out of CTE at Moulmein road only to see a group of 4 crowding around a frail old lady sitting on the road side kerb. The group of people was trying to flag for a cab.

Instinctively, I pulled over (to the detriment of traffic ) thinking that the old lady was injured and needed a lift somewhere (like to the hospital). And so, I was faced with a family of 3 Indians and a middle aged Chinese man trying to communicate with the old lady.

The old lady was clad in pajamas, having nothing with her except a plastic bag that contained a $10 dollar note. I was worried that the old lady might be suffering from dementia and wandered out of home to the detriment of her family members. The fact that she wanted to hail a cab to go to a place which I can't seem to find on the road map or heard before worried me further.

I told the group of people that perhaps calling the police would be the best option. While they attempted to get the police to drop by, I spent a good 5 minute squatting beside the road kerb, braving the onslaught of traffic to find out more from the old lady.

All I could gather was that she was tired from trying to flag a cab and that her hip hurt from a recent operation. But that doesn't matter. Because she was smiling a feeble but genuine smile despite the ordeal. And that made me happy. At least she wasn't in distress.

And so, I left the group to wait for the police to arrive and continued on my way (my car was beginning to hinder traffic)

I hope things will be fine for the old lady. I'm sure it will.

BMW X5 4.8i - A Journey within

I had a small dream once. To be able to drive a BMW. And I achieved that dream today. I drove a top of the line model from BMW. An X5 with a 4.8l v8 engine. And so, you might be thinking, "you lucky chap!". But I beg to differ. I rather have that dream remain just a dream.

This car is for the riches. If it isn't obvious from the snob appeal of the badge, then you might be interested to know that the road tax cost a whopping $12k a year and that the car drinks petrol in gulps.

I do not think most of us in our lifetime will be able to afford this car. It cost a whopping $383,000. And getting a taste, a tantalizing one at that, only sharpens that fact. Why would I want to be able to experience driving something that I can never be able to afford in my life time? I would definitely be better off not knowing what it feels like, driving this car.

This car sets everything into perspective. That, if you make it "there", the rewards are rather sweet.

Jetta! Jetta!

(picture courtesy of Amery)

If the VW Golf GTi is the wild child, then the VW Jetta 2.0T FSI is a gentlemen's car. It's charming good looks complete with the trademark chrome grille warms the heart of women. Gawd, it is that gentlemanly.


Yet beneath those handsome looks lies a wild child at heart. A 2.0l turbo engine, similar to the GTi's, lurks beneath the bonnet. This engine is mated to VW's awesome DSG transmission which proves to be a very lethal combination if you are a speed junkie. Think of it as a tamed down GTi, complete with a boot, a more comfortable ride and a subtler sounding exhaust.
















Despite all the engineering tweaks, the Jetta brutal edge is not blunted. Leaving the transmission in "S', which by the way, stands for "scream your lungs out" and flooring the accelerator induces both fear and awe at the same time. You fear for your live and at the same time feel awed at all the power that is in your hands (or right foot to be technically correct) . Before you know it, the world passes you by in a blur, the tacho spins towards the red line and your speed is already enough to get you on your way to the moon.

Being a FF, you would expect the Jetta to understeer. But try as I might, I can never get the car to do just that! Even when the front tyres give up and screeches along the bends, the Jetta continues to corner like a stubborn old mule.
















Brakes are progressive and hauls the charging wild beast down without much drama. But what really amazes me is the accelerative prowess of the Jetta. It warps straight to 60km/h from standstill. It is that mind blowing. In the span of the hour that I was driving it, I invented a game to amuse myself with this warp speed ability of the Jetta. I would intentionally be the last to move off the line at traffic lights and believe me when I say the drivers of the other cars were totally awed when i floored the pedal and over took them at 60km/h while they are still changing gears to climb past 30km/h. Yes, it is a childish thing to do but still, it sure is fun looking at their surprised face!

This car is a wolf in sheep clothing. It is a well build, comfortable luxury sedan which transforms into a competent sports sedan at the prod of the accelerator. It is totally awesome. I'm so sold for this car. Period.

I want one!

Mr & Mrs Penguin

I am happy and proud to see my close friend of 9 years getting married. I have never seen her so beautiful before. Maybe it is true. Ladies look their best during their wedding day (and it will all go down hill after that, me thinks *grins*).

May I present to you, the wedding couple





















hee, ok ok. I wasn't the photographer for the day and i was busy carrying the roast pig (and eating it afterwards) and video taping the event that I didn't have time to take much pictures. But anyhow, here is a shot I've taken after the entire event was over.















Beautiful.

Part of everything

I like the warmth of the sun. It makes me feel alive and spirited, soaking in these glowering streaks of gold.

I am part of all things good on this world.

Yet, when the curtain of darkness draws upon this land, and with the cold, lonely winds whispering across my face, I wish I could reach out and tear away at the darkness that conceals the sun.

But.

I am part of all things bad on this world too.

This is the world that I live in.

小汽车

感动这两个字不难写。但是，能让我感动的事件不多。

这个用木做的小汽车... 整整的让我感动了。。。

有真心朋友在身边是幸福的。

谢谢你!

The toilet bowl needs unplugging....

It's strange. In the past few weeks, I can't seem to put down in words, what I want to say, or feel about something. Everything just left me.

I'm currently feeling like a bird without it's wings. Something feels jammed up in my thoughts pipeline. And I know exactly what.

Sometimes, all i need are wings to uplift me. Anything.

I don't understand either but it's me. 100% me.

Cars I've test driven in 2007

A list for my records:

• Mercedes Benz A170
• Mercedes Benz C350
• Nissan 350Z
• Suzuki Swift Sports 1.6 (A)
• Suzuki SX4 (A)
• Suzuki SX4 Sedan (A)
  
• Kia Cerato Variant 2 1.6 (M)
• Land Rover Freelander 3.2 (A)
• Chevrolet Optra 1.6 (A)
• Mitsubishi Lancer EX 1.5(A)
• VW Caddy 1.9 TDi DSG
• VW Jetta 2.0T FSI DSG
  

Cemetry visit and real-time improvision cooking

Today's a hectic day of a Monday. Picked up the Cerato. It's very drivable really. Japanese saloons should shake in their boots and pee in their pants. The Koreans are catching up really fast, and they are only a plastic away (quite literally as i felt the interior plastics were the only thing that stops it from being on par with jap saloons.)

This is me in the Cerato variant 2 (means facelift), behind the Cerato Variant R (means ah-beng go-fast car, one and only in Singapore, and some say batam!) and the land Rover (which you can see our editor busy snapping pictures). Took a little spin in the land rover but not enough for me to comment on it (but it sports a 3.2L inline-6, which is the same engine used in the Volvo S80).

The place we had chosen our location was a cemetery and unfortunately for us, the Ah-beng car had a tyre puncture and we were kind of stranded there till around 7.30pm. SHeesh. I never been in a cemetery at such a late hour.

Just another day at the office, I guess.















This was our dinner last saturday. It was supposed to be baked pasta with mozzie cheese and pasta sauce but we ran out of sauce and I had to improvise.....using campbell soup! I tell you, those cans of solid stuffs are really versatile! You can throw them at people you don't like, eat it as a meal, make baked rice out of it and use it as a back-up for pasta sauce. it's can food equivalent of a swiss army knife!

But most importantly, the Campbell soup make the food I cooked look absolutely fabulous in this picture. =p

Mitsubishi Lancer EX 1.5 photo Essay

Okay, these are all the photos that I've taken during the test drive of the Mitsubishi lancer 1.5l 4AT which I have not used for the article (click here (yes the blank) to read the article).














This is me sticking out behind a VW Caddy van that goes at warp speed while wobbling it's ass. Mind you, it's a DSG gear box.














The radio display from the Lancer. It's funny, but the display is not bright enough that you can't see shit all the time.



















The 4AT is a joy to use but it moans when tortured.














Over-exposed shot of the lancer.














The new lancer uses a keyless-go key fob. It comes with a trunk release too. Picture shows the old remote with the new one.




















nice neat rear.

Wide eyed wanderer

If I tell you that I'm not afraid of the future, I must either lying or attempting to get the golden horse award. The truth is, I am afraid.

But I am afraid because i dared to take the first step. And that can't be a bad thing.

In my year stint at my previous company, I've come to learn a lot about myself. I wouldn't say my experiences are all smooth sailing. In fact, most of the memories I had in my previous company can be described as "dark". I had to get out of there before the environment encloses around me and suffocates me to oblivion. I'm only stopping short of saying "I hate that place" but that can only be attributed to my own biasness.

So here I stand. With my face to the wind. And the rain pouring down. I walk. A step at a time. Against all doubts and self doubts. I walk. For the future. For the me I want to be.

I walk.

Winds of Change

The winds of change have been blowing. And my time in this phase of my journey is almost gone. With it, everything I have come to see, to feel, to touch in the past year will be but a distant memory. Some of these memories deserve to be buried with the flowing sands of time. But some, I will keep close to my heart, to be cherished together with the passing of the seasons.

Soon, the winds of change will blow me on a journey towards a new unknown. Like a gentle breeze, it caresses me towards a new direction. Yet, this gentle cocooning wind is but a taste of a storm that is brewing. A storm full of promises, uncertainty and unspoken sacrifices.

Amat victoria curam.

Photo blog

Indoor stadium at night. Decided to take photos before the place gets redeveloped into a water-dunno-what-park which I do not have the least interest in.
















Drove this car. Now i'm craving for the power that this car has to offer. But of course, with great power comes great sacrifices. In this case, the wallet. This car guzzles fuel like nobody's business. 5.2km/L !















Steamed prawn in rice wine. Stir fried honey pork and huang di vegetables. As usual, the prawn is a tad overcooked, the pork is just right and so are the vegetables. And I didn't burnt the wok this time.

Bitter sweet

It's a disquieting chill in my heart. Yet I can’t bring it to myself to say what I feel. Ironically, I was in your position once and I know exactly why you rather be doing what you choose to do. Strangely, I had never considered how the other person will feel back then when I chose what you had chosen.

But I know now.

Words elude me when I realize what I had cause in the past. I can only regret in my heart but not in expression.

But at least, this time, the burden is all mine. For that, I am glad.

Whirlwind

Procrastinating is not my usual style of doing things. Yet for the past 2 weeks, I have continuously held back on posting a blog entry. I already have the general idea of what I want to say, but I just didn't have the right frame of mind to sit down and pen down (in this case, type down) the whisperings in my heart.

And at this point, i'm worn out. I just want to rest in preparation for the next phase of my journey through time. But it seems, there is no rest for the wicked.

I just hate unknowns. Pessimism and fear of unknowns are a good combination for curing sleepyness, me thinks.

Pot pies

Pot pies. I love pot pies. Even though Kenny Roger serves good and resonably priced delicious pot pies with chunks of tender chicken, nothing beats having a traditional home made pot pie. And not to mention the fun of rolling out the pot pie. All in the comfort of your own home. The satisfaction in rolling out a pot pie and actually seeing it on the plate is priceless. What's more with seeing 2 pot pies and sharing the joy with the one you love.

But what exactly is a pot pie? By Google's definition, a pot pie contains meat stew or vegetable stew baked in a tasty outer crust. And my favourite ones? Chicken stew pot pies! The ones I rolled out are medium size as the larger the pies, the harder is it to roll it out. And you will have trouble maintaining the tender meat stew within. I've also found that by placing a cherry or corn nibblets on the top of the pot pie help enhance the "deliciousity" of the pies (and also to mask the areas where you over baked it whahha)

Spend a quiet weekend rolling out a pot pie or two with you love ones and I assure you, it's great and delicious fun!

apple kiwi steak

Kiwi and apple sauce. Gives the well-done beef (was suppose to be medium but guess I over did it. hee ) a sourish sweet taste. Not fantastic but still passable by my standards. Well, at least I didnt burnt down the kitchen

Fragility

A word is meaningless on it's own. Without meaning, a word is no different from a jumble of letters. An expression of doodles. What makes a word meaningful is the association of an attached symbolic representation to it. Simple as it sounds, it isn't. The symbolic representation of a word can take on a wide spectrum and varying degrees of meanings depending on how the word is used. At times, a word extended relationship with its neighboring words is paramount too.

It is simply complicated. Know what I mean?

One interesting aspect of English words which I particularly adore is the attachment of emotive representatives to it. Sadly, I feel that English words, though versatile, can never be as linguistically flexible as the usage of Chinese words in describing basic human emotions. Nonetheless, keeping that in mind, I shall attempt to articulate in writing, the meaning of fragility as it means to me.

What do you see when you read the word “fragile”? Do you envision a delicate glass breaking? Or do you feel weakness in the word? Words, like I have mentioned, takes on different meanings with different forms of use. It takes on yet another dimension of meaning depending on the human involved in constructing the particular sentence. For example;

A wailing girl screamed “You broke my heart” verses He muttered quietly “You broke my heart”

Though unspoken in the second scenario, the exact sentence gives the reader the impression that the guy experiences a more profound hurt compared to the girl. Now, do you understand why I said emotive representations of words are interesting?

So, what exactly does fragility means to me?

A lack of belief. That is my symbolic attachment of the word fragility. If you do not believe in yourself, you are susceptible to uncertainty of yourself which leads to other complications such as feeling inferior to others. Analogically speaking, believing in yourself is like your skin. Once breeched, you are open to nasty viruses which may cause harm to you and make you weak. But that doesn’t mean you should shun being fragile altogether. Sometimes, feeling fragile makes us realize the fundamentals of being a human being. That no matter how capable we all are; we still need the emotional support. Some may require more than others but we, as humans, do need that occasional pillar of support.

And during the receivership of support, it makes one feel comforted, akin to being in your mother’s womb, metaphorically speaking. It cocoons you in a gentle yet protective manner, shielding you from the harsh realities of the world. Fleeting it may be, but it provides the necessary oasis to the tired traveler in this journey of life before embarking on his/her next phase.

And there is nothing fragile in acknowledging and receiving support. Only fools thinks otherwise.

Lunch Breakie (from crap work)

hungry. Don't feel like eating. Since everyone is doing the quiz, i also wanna do cos fun mahz... (i got 5 mins to do cos I suddenly feel like eating)

EMOTIONS.

1. are you missing someone right now?
No.

2. are you happy?
No.

3. are you talking to anyone right now?
No.

4. are you bored?
No.

5. are you german?
No.

6. are you irish?
No.

7. are you chinese?
Chinese chinese or just chinese?

8. are you asian?
yes

9. are your parents still married?
does it matter?

TEN FAVORITES.

1. televison show: None at the moment

2. flower: Rose (cos can make bundung, better with carnation milk)

3. color: anything as long as it is not loud

4. sport: Dying (we do that all the time, every minute, every second)

5. mall: got food?

6. music: emotionally sad ones are good

7. food:Anything except garlic....mmm or is it pudding?

8. season: Autumn!!!!

9. animal: Anyhting that taste yummy

10. subject: fragility

FACTS.

1. hometown: castle

2. hair color: black

3.perfume: wtf is that?!?

4. hair style: freestyle

5. eye color:brown

6. shoe size: can't fit into any shoe

7. mood: now; hungry. All the time; misery

8. skin color: many colors, got yellow, got black, got red

9. available?: No unless you are a yummy pastry and/or desserts

10. lefty/righty: dunno la. both hands can use for diff things wat!

TEN THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE.

1. have you ever been in love? mmmm....define love?

2. do you believe in love? used to be 100%, now maybe 80% cos pies are painful

3. why did your last relationship fail? relationships never fail one...the correct term is upgrade!

4. have you ever been heartbroken? heartbroken? Never. Cos moi heart is powder already.

5. have you ever broken someone's heart? No one tell me I did so no bah...

6. have you ever fallen for one of your friends? duhz...how can u fall for a stranger? You must at least know the person first what! dumb question.

7. have you ever liked someone but never told them? yeah of cos...i like all pretty girls...if tell everyone of them, my cheek will be swollen the size of earth.

8. are you afraid of commitment? Si mi lai aeh?

9. has someone ever held your hand? since the day i was born

10. have you ever had a secret admirer? why don't you tell me?

TEN THINGS: THIS OR THAT.

1. love or lust: love

2. hard liquor or beer: Orange juice

3. night or day: dusk

4. one night stands or relationships: relationship

5. television or internet: internet la...

6. pepsi or coke: Anything la....

7. wild night out or romantic night: how about rainy nights with a nice cup of earl grey?

8. colored pictures or black and white pictures: Both are yummy

9. phone or in person: phone. so can slam the phone

10. friendster or myspace?MSN can notz?

TEN HAVE Y0U EVER's.

1. have you ever been caught sneaking out? I don't need to sneak out.

2. have you ever kissed someone you dont love? yucks!

3. have you ever done something you regret? duhz...might as well as "do you breathe?"

4. have you ever bungee jumped? no

5. have you ever been on a houseboat?no

6. have you ever finished an entire jaw breaker? expensive la... mentos can notz

7. have you ever wanted someone so badly it hurts? so many to look at where got time to choose?!?

9. have you ever danced in the rain? is it fun?

10. have you ever kissed anyone? yes

A call from afar....

Touched.

For your willingness to help.

For your kind gesture of calling me even though you are in London.

I never realise I can be happy just by hearing your voice. But I am.

It's people like you that make me feel that there is still some good left on this Earth worth living for.

From the bottom of my heart, bro, I thank you.

War of life

The bullets thudded into the wall behind me, sending showers of chipped wood all over the place where I am hiding.

"Godammit" I cursed silently as another curtain of bullets rained down on us, sending even more debris flying. "Sir! We got to get out of here! we are sitting ducks out here!" screamed Doug, my second-in-command.

I took a moment to digest the situation. The pain-in-the-ass machine gun position, a 7.76mm caliber General purpose machine gun 150 yards out is flinging bullets at a rate of 750 rounds a minute on us. Unprotected, the tapered and twisted tip of the lead head, traveling close to 80% the speed of sound is enough to kill any one of us, searing, twisting and disgorging any internal organs the bullet comes into contact to.

"Doug! The GPMG have gotta reload any second! Use that window of opportunity and get me a grenade down his position!" I looked beside me, Jake and Peter was furiously trying to hide as much of themselves behind another tree. "Jake! Pete! Once the grenade goes, both me and Doug will provide covering fire. Try to gain distance to their position for a clean shot!" I shouted.

Suddenly, the shooting ceases. This is the moment. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Doug rising from his cover, stretched his body backwards and fling the grenade across the field. I counted mentally, One-thousand, Two-thousand, Three-thou... A boom erupted further up ahead of us. "Covering Fire!!" I immediately pop up from my hiding place and squeezed a few rounds from my M16A1 Rifle in the general direction of the machine gun position. Hopefully, this would cause the enemy to duck and buy me a safe passage for Jake and Pete who were currently in transition.

The GMPG came back to life, spewing out it's deadly bullets, slamming into Jake and Pete who nearly made it to safety. But never will now. All time stood still. I remembered the time, the first time I saw Jake and Pete, both brimming with energy and hope. Both eager to contribute to this God forsaken war. Yet those energies and youthful hope, now spent and rotting in this bloody battlefield seems wrong to me. It seems, energy and hope is not enough. You need a fair bit of luck too.

"Doug! Doug!" I shouted across to the right of me. Silence. I turned and looked. I didn't even know when he got hit. But I didn't care. It didn't matter anymore. Life isn't fair. It simply isn't.

Suddenly I felt alone, trapped behind a tree as relentless hails of bullets in this cold and unforgiving place rained down. I felt like giving up. There isn't a point in fighting so hard for gains so uncertain. I want my life back. A life which I cannot return to anymore.

I unloaded the magazine, checked the rounds and slammed it into my rifle. I chambered a round into the barrel and steeled my nerves.

I shot out of my hiding place and dashed forward, gun ablazing.....

Relationships

A steaming hot cup of peach tea.

Soft music wafting from my speakers.

My head ached. News I heard today draws back memories of a past. A past saturated with emotions. Of pain. Of hate. Most importantly, of love succumbing to possessiveness.

This, for which I have no answers. I do not comprehen the logic, or the lack of, when emotions robs you of your sanity and compels you to react in ways deem unfathomable by most people. I wonder, how does it feel, to be overcome by raw brutal emotions that enslaves your mind.

I am clueless.

Kukup - an hour's drive that turns back the clock 40 years....

After picking up 2 of my other friends, we went on our merry way towards the Tuas checkpoint via the PIE. But since there is this rule that says Singapore cars are required to have at least 3/4 tank full before crossing the border, I had to stop over at a petrol kiosk first. I like this 3/4 rule, me thinks it's an act of thoughfulness of the government to remind us that Malaysia is big and so we must have enough fuel to last us lest we get lost. Singapore boleh!
















Ok, this picture was taken at the malaysian's checkpoint. We learnt from today's trip that we shouldn't forget to do/bring the following before crossing the border:
> immigration cards
> pens to fill up the immigration cards
> changing of currency ( I can't believed he forgot to change currency lohz...)
> top up cash card to pay for the Singapore Toll fees

As you can see, we were supposed to stop at the booth but because we didn't have immigration cards, we had to stop beside the lanes and hunt for cards, fill them up and walked over to give them the card. It was a pretty hilarious sight. Seriously, crossing the border had never been so farnie before.















This picture was taken after we left the N-S highway at Geland Patah exit travelling towards Pontian Kechil. I tell you, certain sections of the road have so much potholes that paying exorbitant road tax back in Singapore starts to make a hell lot of sense.
















This picture was taken after passing Pontian Kechil towards kukup. I'm amazed by the complexity of the road




















Kukup is so small that there is only one main road leading into it, with shophouses and houses on stilts adorning both sides of it. I have only one word for it. Rustic. Better than watching Back to the future.




















Cupbarn. I always knew I can use matchsticks to make cupbarn.



















Sunset over the smelly river.















We parked...just right outside the money changer! So that solves the problem of not having the correct currency. The place we stopped at is called High King Seafood restaurant. I had chosen this place because some bloke on the internet said the food was cheap and "not too bad". I also reckon since the person still lives to type out her recommendations, the food should be relatively safe to eat.
















Sunset over Pulau Kukup. Taken using my N70 handphone...if only I had a better camera....



















Hokai you greedy readers...here is the highlight of the trip....we ordered:
> fried squids RM12
> chilli mussels RM10 (no kidding)
> Grouper, steamed RM42
> Prawns, Chillied RM20

In total, with drinks, the bill came up to RM110 and that took us to about 9pm. Being the typical me, I got lost on the way back somewhere around Pontian Kechil in the dark. Fortunately for us, we realised we weren't lost but merely unsettled as the place looked different in the dark. All in all, the trip took up 232km and we crossed the border at around 10pm.

Fun!

Highlights of Cameron highlands

Back from a 2 day trip to the Cameron highlands. Good place to hide from reality of work and the sweltering heat of Singapore. All in all, love the cool weather of the highlands abeit some difficulties that the cold introduced. (eg. hot water is a MUST when bathing)

I've highlighted places that I've felt worth going to should you decide to escape to Cameron for a holiday. Also, anyone keen on being a PR on Cameron highlands can message me. We can grow strawberries and live a happy life ever after on the strawberries.... Ok, just kidding. You cannot live on strawberries alone. We need to grow some vegetables and rear some chicken as well. =p

Cactus Valley, Brinchang



















Cactus galore! rows and rows, levels and levels of cactuses and other attractive flowers awaits you at this place for only RM4 per person.















Hibiscus is one of their mainstay flowers. Come to think about it, Hibiscus is one of the mainstay flowers all over Cameron's nurseries.















Pretty Daisies!


Sunrise from the highest point in Cameron, Gunung Brinchang















Any peeps looking at this picture better appreciate this picture. In order to have this picture taken, I had to wake up at 530am, braved a freezing 15 deg cel. cold morning air , entrust my life to a guide whom I only met a day before (and pray he doesn't drive us off a cliff or something) and risked having my nose freezing off from the high winds. So, better appreciate this picture.


Mossy Forest, Gunung Brinchang















Mossy forest is a forest known for it's moss (duh!). The tour guide proudly explained to us that the mossy forest resembles forest scenes from LOTR . Anyhow, the mossy forest trail takes only around an hour or less to trek, if you are quick footed. But trust me, the trail that the guide took us was far from easy. But fun. The picture you see here is taken from Mossy forest, looking at part of the Titiwangsa range.


BOH tea plantation, Sungei Palas















Yes.... your yummy tea that you are drinking now comes from here. While drinking your yummy BOH tea, stop for a while to appreciate the fact that you have muscular workers working in the hot sun sweating it off while shearing the tea leaves and collecting them (together with their salty sweat) so that you can have your cuppa tea! Best of all, they are only paid 20 cents RM per KG of tea leaves. Drink heartly you slave driver!



















Scenary taken at Sungei Palas visitor center. The cafe serves very yummy and fluffy cakes to compliment your order of tea.


Rose Center, Kea Farm region



















I think roses are only good for 2 things. To rip off guys during Valentine's day and to make yummy bandung.















Flies are everywhere. We even had a buzzing fly that followed us through the jungle paths from Tanah Rata to brinchang town.


EQ strawberry farm, beside Equatorial hotel



















These strawberries are sweet! Because we plucked 'em under the hot sun. By the time you are reading this, the strawberries are already long eaten. They do not last long in our weather.

NOC day out and a commencement!

It has been quite sometime since the last NOC gathering. After meeting all of the at NOC, the six of us trugged to Bali Seafood village for dinner (beside Villa bali)















The restaurant menu. They have quite a number of standard items plus selections of their very own signature dish. Guaranteed to satisfy most people's preferrences.



















Sereen and Angel smiling away....















KK and jianhui after a hard day's work (yeahhhhh right.... jianhui yes, KK, definitely not =p)















The first dish that came to us is chilli kang kong! For all honestly, this is the best chilli kang kong I have ever eaten!
















This is a unique dish. The bossy recommended this prawn dish to us. stir fried prawns with pumpkin juice! Very yummy...with a unique taste..definitely a must try...but Sereen said it is the most expensive dish that we ordered. (S$20 bucks)















The prawn paste chicky is normal tasting only.















The hotplate tofu is too salty for my liking. This is probably the least nicest dish that we had ordered. And I dunno where the tofu is.















This is the best dish that we have ordered for the day! Yum Yum! It's some braised pork with yummy sauce. Very tender and sweet! I got to try this again the next time I go back again. Which I definitely will.















This picture was taken at UCC. Daniel graduated today and the five of us went to support him (actually we are there to eat the food hee hee) and this picture was taken at the spot where we gathered a year ago too at my commencement....how time flies....sigh....