No. 4 & 5

I'm now officially unemployed since work ended last tuesday, but with all the public holidays and Chinese New Year festivities, it really feels like total holidays now. With this newfound abandon, it was time to pierce my ears again! Being dissatisfied with my previous 3 due to previous reasons, I decided to get my lobe and tragus pierced again, and this time right.

With the only supporter of my piercing escapades left, planned to go today to Far East Plaza with Xin Ning to get it done, since she did a tragus pierce there before. Before that though, she was looking for a AIDS test kit, which was really funny, as we walked into the clinic and burst out laughing nonstop. The other people waiting for consultation must have been wondering what sort of sickos these 2 were, doing something like that. After getting over with the previous uncontrollable laughter, we went up to the counter and Xin Ning found it really hard to get what she wanted across, like "Umm, I'm looking for the.. (scrambles to notebook to find the name) oral test.." then I added "Yeah the AIDS kit". I wonder what it seemed like to the receptionists then. Anyway, they didn't have it available, like a consultation for the doctor had to be arranged.

Going to Far East Plaza, the shop that she did it before was missing of the auntie who did it for her, with a really young-ish girl manning the shop. Neither of us wanted to get our tragus possibly destroyed by her so after asking around 77th street, Primitive ($65 for a needle pierce, REALLY OUCH!!), we finally found a shop at B1 that would do it for us with a piercing gun. Being the gentleman I was, I let Xin Ning go first. I had quite alot of faith in the girl doing it, because she had multiple ear piercings herself, including a tragus one. Even if she had no idea how to operate the gun, knowing that she may have some sympathy left for us crazy people was mildly comforting. She was TOTALLY steady; she was even going to do it with Xin Ning standing up like 20s after we enquired. Couldn't help but ask if Xin Ning wanted a seat (because I definitely would) and everyone burst out laughing. Talked quite alot of rubbish with the girl there until I realised it was my turn. It went much smoother than my previous one, without most of that blunt force feeling. Irked me that before my lobe piercing, as she readied the gun, one of the customers asked if they had idunnowhat in black. I was ready to pay for him to be pierced while I talk to the girl nonstop. Thank goodness, in all her steadiness, she didn't reply him, did the piercing then turn around cooly and said "No, we don't" (YOU GO GIRL!).

Ate cakes from Sun Moulin outside Isetan like some tramps along the way from MRT to Isetan Scotts. This weird guy was sitting beside me mumbling to himself while we were eating.

Met Fuyong who accompanied me before Xin Ning was free, and just walked around alot as he was hunting for bags and slim jeans.

Hope the piercing(s) this time turn out well! *crosses fingers and toes*

Last Day of Work

Almost 2 months have come and gone really quickly, well not so quickly if I recount the many times my eyes struggled to overcome the forces of nature and staring at the watch, in disbelief that time could pass so slowly. But it has gone all the same. It's been really interesting at work, like learning how much one could come to hate eating at foodcourts, how the rush of adrenaline is at 6pm. Anyway, it's been a great bunch of people that I've worked with, even the people from office next door whom we lunch with.

Decided to get cakes today for my own farewell from Sun Moulin below Isetan Scotts. The cakes there are OISHII!~ Everyone at work agreed with me too. The green tea cake, which is supposedly their speciality, and which I didn't try, seriously looked like carpet grass or a golf course. So I must try that next time and the tiramisu and the fruit tart and the egg tart and the curry bun and the melon pan and the WHOLE SHOP!

Actually, my last day of work was meant to be tomorrow, but the cakes were so good that my manager decided that I didn't need to work tomorrow. My colleagues got me a Cross pen with my name engraved it and a card they wrote well wishes and stuff on (THANKS EVERYONE!). It's been really great working with you guys!

Christmas Came Late

Today was a rock awesome day. To all those who know I was working, sorry for bitching so much about work, cause my uncle paid me today! whoohoo. Now I feel kinda bad :(

After work met Vincent and Xin Ning at Frujch, cause we were gonna catch Sweeney and Todd. Almost didn't happen cause I kept giving Vincent wrong information like when it's gonna release and all. Oh well, I'm biting my tongue again because of my previous post that Hollywood movies all suck. Because this one was pretty damn good. The blood was like freely flowing, I think Tim got a good deal with ICI Delux on unsold red paint. In case you guys are worried about my vampiric tendencies, THE MUSIC AND SINGING AND PLOT AND ACTORS WERE ALL DAMN GOOD ALSO LAH. Because Vincent was such a dear and went yesterday to get tickets for us, we got the most awesome seats at Cathay, which is like 3rd row back right smack middle. But I hugged Vincent already at the escalator on the way up. Xin Ning had like an unfinished project so it was a little selfish cause we had fun and she probably had this niggling feeling. She saved my life on the MRT though. I wasn't holding anything and talking rubbish and suddenly lost my balance and nearly crashed on the bewildered people sitting down. They were pushing me like making sure I don't flatten them to pancake and Xin Ning pulled me, before laughing uncontrollably.

"Project Work"

Followed Brian after church to his friend, Dean's house as they had a project to complete and to play Monster Hunter 2. While waiting for the last project mate to come, we quested and ran around abit on MH2. The 2 of them have played a much longer time and they're much more skilled than I. After more than an hour, the last project mate Kelvin came. Dean got a mahjong table for them to discuss the project while I sat aside to continue playing. 5 minutes into their discussion it seemed like none of them really had an idea of what to do and started calling other people and listened to this online lecture that basically said nothing. A few calls later Brian found someone from another group who did it already and who could send it to him tonight. So basically, their project ended in ~ 10 minutes and the real work began...

2nd time I played mahjong in my life and the 3 of them really seemed to know what was going on while I was just fumbling along. They knew like all the combos and what having this tile and that meant. I guess it's good to start young otherwise when you're 60 and have to play this to fit in the senior citizen's circle it's not so nice to be laughed at, then. 6 o'clock and everyone was leaving after an eventful day doing project. Kelvin rode his motorbike and I was really interested to try riding on one since I haven't. Rode pillion without a helmet for like 50m around the carpark but it was pretty thrilling. Wonder what it's like to ride at 80km/h down the expressway...

2 violins

Very nice of Bridget to invite me to her place today to play violin together. If we got the job though it would have been in really different circumstances, and probably I'd be shitting my pants because it would mean the assignment is tomorrow. Anyhow, a part of me is glad another quartet got the job so we could just play for fun today. And fun we had. First up was the Bach's concerto for 2 violin, which I exasperated my previous 2 teachers with, with my awful, non existent sense of rhythm and my reluctance to count, which makes it really difficult to follow. After much struggling and restarting, we decided to go quite alot slower and it got better. After that it was trying pieces from the book I got the other day which was for 2 violins. I think all of the pieces are from suzuki but it's really different playing it with another violin. Again I gave Bridget the hard parts to play and we covered the Humoresque, Minuet and Waltz.

She had a young student over. After his lesson we performed for him. But he didn't clap. So I'm gonna kill myself :( He can really talk though, at bullet speed too. After the lesson he asked Bridget if she could play the guitar and whether she could teach him, before remarking that was his favourite instrument (Telling your violin teacher that the guitar is your favourite instrument, go figure!). Before I got going we played Canon in D which was arranged for a quartet but I think it sounded rather nice. So that brings up the songs that we can play for weddings/funerals/anything to 4 and a half! (half because the Bach isn't really there yet)

No. 2

After church today, went to Xin Ning's mom's shop to get my 2nd piercing. Kinda stressed cuz I think I'd prefer going to get my piercing done alone, and Xin Ning and Shiqi came with me. Her mom is really funny, was almost nagging at me before/during/after especially when I wanted to pierce tragus/cartilage, which she does not do, then it was about the piercing like how to take care of it, remove it, yada yada. Great to have a place nearby where I think I'd do my 3rd lobe (LEFT LOBE LAH!) piercing at.

Met Brian at west mall later, who was entrusted with the task (and 2 dunno how much limit credit cards and a blank check) of paying up his sis' wedding dinner bill. Xin Ning wanted to catch Warlords too. Really nice show, at least I feel it's worth the ticket, since I don't watch movies much. After that basically talk cock and eat at Al Ameen. Super nice to hang out with both of them. Would have been great if Kiat was there too. But I think he'd have a continuation of the onslaught at lunch from Brian. Schedules kinda clashed abit. Bleah.

Saturday at Home

Seems like I plunged head-on into Diablo II again. Worked on my sorceress for half of yesterday and a great part of today and finally got my full gear. Couldn't have been done without the kindness of the guy who rushed LazyFatAss and I the other time, and a whole lot of good luck.

I guess when I'm bored of it I'd look right back and think to myself why I had spent these hours playing D2 instead of putting it to something more productive. Perhaps, working is a good thing after all, so my time spent on D2 will be limited. But then again, I feel that I don't always have to look out for the long term; if something could make me happy for a time, no matter its transience, it could still be worth it.

Recovering from an extremely sore shoulder and twisted left knee/ankle after badminton with Kiat, John and Nelson at Kiat's club again. It's the result of not playing for one year and suddenly going at it for more than an hour. Now my body feels like its broken and time is the only way to mend it. Anyhow, it was really fun. Takes me back.