A Day without a Watch on My Left Wrist

30th October 2007, Tuesday

The horoscope column stated that I should rest assured that what I had anticipated for the worse would not be actually true....have to chuck the paranoia aside...

Of course my mind was with the watch yesterday and today Mom offered to help me change the battery which would be the prime suspect for the digital interface to go AWOL, and let's hope with a new battery, the problem will be resolved and deemed the horoscope spot on for me...

I have 3 watches at my disposal and each has it's own specific function... The Edifice for going out usage and one for aesthetic reasons. It had usurped its predecessor the 25 Hour timepiece which was relegated to mere usage for work as the corrosive nature of the reagents I used at work as well as the sweat from gym will wear down the strap and face but it didn't matter much to me.
Finally I have this Casio G Shock which had gone through weal and woes with me since the army days and still functioning well despite the protective layer and strap took the toll of wear and tear.
I still used it for my RT/IPT sessions and of course ICT when a watch a crucial to tell me how long more the torture will last.

By mere coincidence, I had left all 3 watches under the care of Mom who helps me get the batteries replaced and so for the first time in a while, I actually left home without a watch strapped on my wrist...
It is not that timekeeping becomes an issue since 3 fundamental gadgets which I always lugged around with me tells the time, i.e. my mobile phone, NDS Lite & iPod; but somehow I am more accustomed to leering for time with the habitual twitch of my left arm...
In addition the loss of weight is also not something I am used to, perhaps I am such an insecure person which tells why I need to ornate myself with rings, bracelets and chokers in the past etc...

It also had some effect with my workflow as I found out that I had some waiting time in between steps and since I couldn't that the timer (which we deemed "dirty" from the lab environment), my watch is helps me to keep track of when I need to scurry back to the lab domain before it went way overtime...
For today the unreliable clock feature at the right corner of the taskbar of the Windows XP will fulfill this task...

Tomorrow will be back to normal and with my fingers crossed, I maybe donning a fully-functional Casio Edifice by then...

Japanese word of the day: 計時(Timekeeping) Perhaps I should use a sun-dial to keep time like our ancestors...surely wouldn't fail on me except I will need the sun at all time...

& I Still Got the Blues For...........

29th October 2007, Monday

Less than 4 days before flying off to Osaka, I should be all chirpy with anticipation but somehow my heart seems to be weighed down by mixed emotions...somehow I suddenly had the feeling of there's no place like home...my mood seems to be on a pendulum swing this week for sure...

It certainly didn't start off with the right note...Waking up late and getting to work even later definitely affects the mind frame to kick start a working week...
Fortunately the workload has been much reduced as I was tailing to the end of the current project and with my supervisor away to Brisbane for a week of training, our shackles seem to be removed, not that she was really keeping a close eye on what time we report to work as long as we get the work done...

While stuffing down the colossal "bao" for breakfast, I realized that the Casio Edifice watch I bought around 2 years ago seems to have something amiss... The digital timekeeping display as well as the seconds ticker had gone missing while the analog timekeeping hands are still moving...
The first thought of the cause might be an waning battery life which I was adamant that Casio had promised a 10 years battery warranty...
Then I tried the backlight and it works perfectly which gives me the ill-boding feeling that it could be more that the battery...since the missus' watch which I bought at the same time had now officially died off without any apparent reason...
Talk about drop in quality for the renowned digital watch brand...it only lasted me less than 3 years and you do know how affected I can become when my beloved gadgets and everyday tools fail on me without any warning...
The watch is still usable but without the digital interface it just doesn't seems complete and I will need the function of switching to 2 timezone when I am in Japan...what it time for the watch to fail on me...

This really brings me the blues all the way to work, as I kept wondering what could be the cause of the malfunction but to no avail...
Not in a very chatty mood at work as I just wanted it to end as soon as it could...

Got almost everything done over the weekend with the help of my missus with the packing of the luggages... This time round we are bringing a large and a small luggage and since the weather permits, there is no need for thick, insulating winter jackets which will take up quite a lot of space...
However at the end of the packing process, it seems like both luggages are filled to the brim and her idea of buying a large & hardy luggage (as she had targeted since our trip to Akihabara Yodobashi Camera) seems now very feasible.

Got pretty addicted to "FIFA 08" by EA on the NDS...The "Winning Eleven" on the NDS was playable as the Konami flagship has always maintained the quality but the lack of a league as well as commentary and other sound effects make it pretty dull after a while...
I have never been lobbying for EA's long running soccer game, discrediting it as an inferior product in terms of game play compared to WE or Pro Evolution... However for a console platform like NDS, graphics take a backseat but FIFA 08 provides pretty impressive graphics better than WE which my friend EK mentioned looks like ants playing football...And since they possess the license to create all the real-life players
There is commentary by some dweeb who keeps repeating himself but sure better than no commentary at all...some indies music which should be cheaper than radio-friendly tracks used in previous renditions of "FIFA"...
There are plenty of teams, both international & clubs to choose from and the transfer is pretty updated.. except for the presence of Giuly & Belletti in my Barca squad and no Milito.
When I first tried out the game, I found the buttons don't make any sense and surely not the same old "one button" game I was used to all the while with this series...
Then I realize when I tweak to "arcade controller mode" it was much easier though I still have difficulty shackling down opponents before they blazed into my penalty area...
Even at "amateur" I seriously suck and NDS certainly doesn't possess a comfortable chassis especially the "L" & "R" button which are crucial to create magic on the field...
Nevertheless it was still a footballing game on NDS worth commenting and with Wi-Fi function I wonder could we hook up more than 2 players for a game..and with experience of "Virtua Tennis" on PSP, I still think NDS' Wi-Fi beats its Sony counterpart hands down...
With a manager mode in which I need to manage a team for 5 season to gather some prestige points, I feel I have a game for me to indulge in for every 5 - 10 minutes I need to wait in my everyday life style...

Japanese word of the day: 耐久(Durable) What happen to gadgets that can last you for ages? Feel so ripped off at times...

Be Careful Next Time

25th October 2007, Thursday

"Please be careful next time"...
5 simple words which really haunts me at work somehow when my French supervisor said it...
Although my ailing passion for my job is well documented, whenever I was assigned with a task, I will do it with my best, hopefully to impress the superiors but ultimately refrained from making any grave mistakes which could take the sheen off my work and might affect my appraisal...
At the end of the day, it'e the performance bonus and promotion which matters...

The day began in a rather sour note when I was all hyped up to proceed with a step of my platform protocols, I realized my reagents are dwindling which shouldn't be the case as there should be some allocated for a project that follows the current one...
I started to get jittery, trying to recall if I could have misplaced them or worse still threw them away unknowingly.. However I had always been vigilant when come to the reagents which cost so much more I wonder I could ever earn in this lifetime...
If I had unfortunately misplaced it, my job would be on the line or worse I may need to pay the company back...
It truly took it's toll on my mood and my groove at work..
After some hasty investigation, I found out that the company might had missed those batch of reagents and I myself had not been alert enough to notice it, perhaps being complacent as the rest of the reagents came in the correct number...
I had been scoffing off His Beautiness for his poor house-keeping but in the end, karma (as Earl loves to put it) had came and haunt me...

The shipment was made exactly 3 months ago and looking at the track records of our vendor (who earnt a truckload from us by the way) would attempt to shrug off any responsibility with their delivery errors...
Fortunately I buzzed their regional manager who said he would help me check it out and if indeed they had missed that out, they would sent it us eventually...
I felt relief for a split second as the probability of that is true would be 50-50...

I duly admitted the mistake to my French supervisor and as expected she was taken aback by the news...
Although eventually she felt its another classic case of "to err is human" (which in my case had been pretty often these days), I was gutted by my inexcusable mistake...

Perhaps it's pride ...perhaps it's ego...I just couldn't forgive myself to not spot the discrepancy in the stock...

Speaking of pride, or more of dignity, our arrogant American boss waltzed into the lab yesterday afternoon and gleefully mentioned to His Beautiness that our ex-colleague, the chronically taciturn KM who recently made headlines in our department for tendering his resignation at his transient teaching stint, citing disillusioned of the school system as the cause of eating up his passion for educating the next generation; would be joining our group once again doing the same duties...

The same duties which he hated to the core due to the routine nature...
However we knew the financial status of his family was bleak and he is the breadwinner, so the choice of rejoining must be money-motivated...

Upon hearing that he would return, the likes of BY (who is always very expressive) started rattling of how pathetic can he get to come back, and she would not want to speak to him if he did came back...

However it was the words of our tactless boss which really make the situation even more awkward...
He mentioned that it is close 100% on his records that his ex-staff who left for greener pastures, would come crawling back with their tails between their legs...If you are well-versed of the meaning, it seems like those to returned to his flagship is without a trace of self-dignity and further supplemented to his well-known biggety & smug nature....

I felt if KM has heard what the contemptuous California-native had said, he would really think twice about coming back...which was exactly the case when XY told him via MSN the same evening, and without a 2nd thought, he rebutted that he had his pride to protect and he would turn down the offer from our bosses...
This sure draws some empathy from us and glad that at least he is dignified enough as a man...
The job market is still buzzing at the moment, he surely would find a good job, at least one with out an insolently tactless boss...
However I personally felt that I may have wrecked his need of a rice bowl and support his family when I encouraged XY to tell him those words...but we did try to seek job opportunities for him to consider...

Once again, our Shitty boss had couldn't said the worst thing, and we all knew at the end of the day, he may not had meant what he said, but somehow I still felt there is some truth in his words...

I like my current job environment and the job nature and of course the pay package, so I would see this buffoonery as no concern of mine unless he really start step on my tail...
I hope to stay here for long (as long as I don't commit more mistakes as mentioned and spoiled my own records) but if I do leave, I would surely not come back again..as I felt I am more of a man than a creature with its tail between its legs...

Japanese word of the day:気転 (tact) I thought even if you are born without it, as you grew up and come in contact with more people, you should learn to be more tactful, but obviously I am wrong

A Sports Fan who Don't Watch Live Sports

23rd October 2007, Tuesday

It had been another exciting weekend in the sporting arena....
Kimi Raikkonen of the Ferrari team grabbed the championship of the Formula One 2007 season from the 3rd placing before the last round under the grasp of the McClaren duo, Fernando Alonso and young upstart, Lewis Hamilton...
Meanwhile over in Stade Denis, Paris, France, South Africa pipped England in the final of the Rugby World Cup 2007 final to shatter the dream of the English of successfully defending their title which they attained in 2003...

Seriously I am more of a soccer/football guy and at this point of my life, have no access to a single bit of live sporting events and just garnered by information through news of all mediums...
Our local free-to-air TV is now completely void of any sporting events less local soccer league or an occasional golfing event or even pool/snooker...
Of course in time of World Cup or Olympics or regional sporting meets like the SEA Games will offer some sports-hungry viewers a glimpse of top athletes in action...
The sports tier offered by Starhub Cable TV at $25 a month is way to costly for me to afford since I find the necessity to watch sports live since the internet provide up-to-date scores or results as instantaneous at zero cost...

A bit of a contradiction would be I actually can't sit through live sports these days, perhaps not even soccer, and think the bite-size highlights on news or magazine shows are good enough to arm me with the facts to chat with my friendly gym instructor, Farul who is a big fan of sports of almost all kind...
I think I am also fascinated by the drama during the sporting event when written in the report by seasoned sports journalist and pundits alike which can bring the dullest sports (i.e. cricket or chess into life)

In balls game, they always said the ball is round and the results can swing anywhere...
The "darkhorses" or "underdogs" are always the best to bring excitement to an otherwise sports monopoly which neutral fans hate to see...
Like in Raikkonen's feat, it was justice to see him getting the awards since McClaren was caught in the wrath of an espionage scandal with Ferrari and the British based team had all sorts of internal squabbles which is shameful...
I think people always want to see justice to be see out in sports but the best part of it has to be the unpredictable nature of it (unless the scores had been rigged)...
We also love to see a crestfallen sports star rising from the ashes like a phoenix to stake their claim in the sporting world...be concerning drug usage, illegal betting, personal life scandal or even life-threatening injuries...

Perhaps my days with the Football Manager game series, I had been pretty into stats much like the Americans with their own professional team sports like basketball, baseball, ice hockey & American football.
I love the way when pundits dig it deep into the archives to reveal stats we would not recall as our brain cells couldn't possibly remember sporting archives of decades away as well as educating the new generation of the tradition...
Stats is also a great way to access the value of a sportsman/ sportswoman as well as their talent...

I think I will continue to do without live sports on TV but will try my best to continue monitor the latest updates in the sporting scene which can sure be a great topic for ice-breaker with strangers (especially guys)...I supposed

Japanese word of the day: スポーツ ~Su-po-tsu~(Sports) I doubt I will ever give a hoot about cricket or boating anytime soon though

Ich liebe Oktoberfest!

22nd October 2007, Monday

Last Friday we had a Oktoberfest cum Halloween party at work in which quite a large population of the staff heeded the calling of the recreational club for free beer, snack and German sausages to commemorate the Oktoberfest to a state that there was barely enough food to nibble on but for yours truly, the keg of Bavarian beer they bought was just a great way to end my working week...
While the movie they were showing in conjunction of Halloween which was round the corner, the very B-grade "Seance" got BY and the other colleagues having their time to be scared, I felt the cheap movie was wasting my time and since there was no more beer and sausages, I went back to work waiting for the time to knock off...

Once again not that I want to rave about my current workplace and belittle the previous one, but the evidence was so obvious you can't ignore it...

I thought that would be remotely the only supposed celebration I would have for Oktoberfest since I started to adopt a taste for it last birthday...
So on Saturday evening after our time at La Tendo, we dropped by Cold Storage as Fairprice surely wouldn't have German beer on sales and after a thorough consideration, my missus grabbed a Oktoberfest commemorative 4 Erdinger bottle set consisting of 2 Weißbräu & 2 Dunkel as well as 2 wheat glass for us to down the beer with...
My missus didn't held the alcohol for too long and was knocked out of consciousness before she knew it while I wonder if that $28 was well spent...
That's our Oktoberfest experience for you...

Over the weekend, I seemed to be plagued with some bodily ailments such as a sharp pain on my right knee-cap which still bewilders me how I contracted it since it was fine the evening before...
On the way to Toa Payoh HDB clubhouse for our weekly badminton session, my back seems to aggravate a sore which took its toll for the rest of the morning...
While Chan & myself managed to break a curse which carried through with us in which we would never win whenever we teamed up, he also whacked me hard on the rear of my racket-holding hand perhaps we both being over-zealous to win for the shuttle cork.. We had been whooped for the rest of the games after our victory to signify the start of another long term of curse...
However the most niggling body ailment I had been troubled with has to be a couple of long nasal hairs which seems impossible to be plucked out and now tickling my nostrils like crazy...
The missus felt it could be the poor air quality of our room that give rise to the long nasal hair and once again led to her selling me the though to purchase that bulky air purifier sold by her syndicate... No way in hell we are getting that...

Starting to rewatch "Akihabara@Deep" dorama series which I had missed somehow for a while now and that the recent DVD director's cut version out in the market surely helped quenched that desire of mine..much thanks to Chan of course who provided me the golden opportunity to grace this pro-Otaku madcap adventure in the first place...
This time round my missus was pretty captivated by the storyline and we managed to watch 4 episodes straight till pretty late into a Sunday evening before retiring to bed...
I couldn't spot the differences with this Director's cut version with the original TV version but it doesn't matters as the same characters still managed to win me over...
Ishida Ira's works (like "I.W.G.P") focused on some eccentric characterization and out-of-this-world storylines but surprisingly gives a clear reflection of problem faced by the Japan society as well as the various niches in it such as gangsterism in Ikebukuro and shut-in otaku & the akiba-kei culture.

The cast was relative unknowns but over the past year it seems like the @deep crew are now to watched out for...
- Page, the stammering leader of the gang was portrayed by Kazama Shunsuke who was for a long time still the leader of Johnny's Jr and supposedly making his mark in the acting scene rather than singing.. last seen him in a Johnny's New Year Countdown party...
- Box, the graphic designer who had a phobia to real women and obsessed with cleanliness was reprised by none other than Ikuta Toma who is now synonymy to Nakatsu from "Hanazakari no Kimitachi e"; sure has a future ahead of this lad...
- Taiko, the sound man and freeze when exposed to flash lights was played by Hoshino Gen was seen in "Tiger & Dragon" as one of the "Dons"...not as noticeable as Taiko of course
- Akira, the fighting maid is of course by the bosomy Kosaka Yuka, the red hot gravure idol which constantly seen with trading cards and pictorials, cementing her position in the hearts of the Akiba-kei...
- Izm, the wonderkid hacker is yet another pretty gravure idol, Matsushima Hatsune who's lovely face was hidden by that obscure hair and large shades...Not much medium to spot Hatsune-chan again after @Deep
- Daruma, the pig-headed cosplayer who had practised law for a while has comedian Himura Yuuki who is one half of the comedy duo, "Banana-man" was seen engaged in a sleazy bowling game show on late night TV listing when I was in Japan in Feb...still a hot fave among our group
- Nakagomi Takashi, the main antagonist and the director of Digital Capital is of course Kitamura Kazuki who is of course a method actor seen in several doramas reprising a myriad of roles such as the conniving top host Saiya in "Yaoh", the sleazy reporter in "14 Sai no Haha" & Maezono who is similar to Nakagomi in "Densha Otoko Deluxe"...a versatile actor which I shall see in more shows in the future...

Personally I held @Deep with higher regards to Densha Otoko as the latter seems too good to be true and Yamada is too whiny and teary for my liking while I have a think for Akira as the series gone by and was envious of those who got to hang around with her along the way, despite she possess a short tongue which hinder her articulation...
Think I will enjoy this wild adventure again before it last and then keep it safely in my archive vault to savor many times in the future....

Japanese word of the day: ビール ~bi-ru~(Beer) Will surely continue our beer drinking party in Japan...perhaps in Akihabara

Jumbo Jet & Burnt Childhood

18th October 2007, Thursday

The big news in town was the arrival of SIA's first Airbus A380, the world's largest freight aircraft to Changi International Airport from Toulouse, France last evening...
It was revolutionary in the field of passenger airline and airport facilities I supposed to handle such a jumbo jet and the nation took pride that our well-celebrated airline was the first to clinch the airbus and deems it operational by the 25th this month, in it's maiden flight to Sydney...
The airbus was graced by our Prime Minister and the arrival was telecast live on Channel News Asia and surely was the talk of the town

Joe & Petrina of the "Morning Show" of SPH's Radio 91.3 were making a big hoo-haa this morning over the 18 months-delay of the A380 and even playing with BGM of the famous Star Wars tune...
One point that they brought up was that with the luxurious business class seat which can transformed into a full size bed for the most satisfying rest a passenger can get over a long flight...it would be the best for someone like myself who had difficulty getting to sleep on planes... which hinder me from fying to destination of more than 8 hours from Singapore...
Then there was the New Suite which features a queen size bed for couples which Joe & Petrina brought out might means some hanky-panky business since it was a fascination of many to make out at high altittude...

2 evenings ago one of my childhood playground was burnt to ground....
Up until I was in lower Secondary, my godmother had a hawker stall in this hawker center in Ang Mo Kio, selling prawn noodles..
Since Mom was helping out there when before Sis was born as well as my elementary school was around the vicinity, I spent a great deal of my chilhood days there...
I remembered indulging in hide-and-seek at a void deck just above the hawker center with my cousins, having a great time at a swing nearby or having my first ice ball (something like ice kachang but no fillings)...
Suddenly the hawker center was reduced to mere debris as a result of a massive fire which engulfed the big hawker center...
The hawkers, some of whom I might still know were surely affected by the inferno but lost too was part of my childhood memories...so let's hope the place got rejuvenated soon enough...

There had been some pretty interesting Chinese variety program on local TV..one of which known as "Say it if You Dare", featuring Mark Lee & Jeff Wang globe-trotting around, much like a travelogue program with a twist as they had to pick up local languages to have full conversation with the locals, accomplishing tasks they set for themselves and generally making a fool out of themselves...
Previous episodes see them lingering the streets of Seoul, as well as at both sides of the Myanmar-Thailand border...
Last evening see them flying to Japan, my furusato... (shamelessly mentioned that to Yuu-kun the other day when he asked me why I visit Japan so many times)
Beside getting into laughing fits for the difficulties the hosts faced to converse in Japanese, the places they traveled such as Ameyayokocho in Ueno, Tokyo, Koiwai Farm in Morioka, Iwate and having a great deal of fun with Wanko Soba... sure brings back great memories, and it couldn't come in a more suitable time with the Kansai-Kanto trip to come in a fortnight's time... Excitement is in the air...just need to get my final itinerary up and hope I can sleep like a baby on my JAL flight as I would on a suite of the Airbus A380...

Japanese word of the day: 運動場 (Playground) *With the Melody of Madonna's "This Used to be my Playground"... ~This used to be my playground...This used to be where I wet my pants...~

Marriage Life 1 Year on...

16th October 2007, Tuesday

Last year this day me and my new bride were basking in the sun of Koh Samui, Thailand...Till this day still fiind it a bit too costly for a beach resort so close to home...

Anyway the 300 odd days of us staying under the same roof together with my folks and sister had been a pretty smooth transition for my wife...The warmth of a family unit which she had yearned for before our marriage especially with his father's infidelity was fittingly been signed, sealed and delivered...
However living together also signals the "cramping of style" and the constraint of space at times... Not that she minds, 'cos she is not frequently at home...
The honeymoon period might has eluded us but we had grown to to tolerate each other differences much more..
There are definitely petty tiffs and me being the unreasonable husband went all rabid about her always had to attend to her side-lines and neglecting me at times but I was doing likewise when she was at home and myself glued to the computer..

Over the past years, there had been more ups than downs and let's hope it persist; which fundamentally justify my decision of settling down when others may deemed rather premature...

I do wish she would be able to ditch her current employment status for sure...
Her crappy company has been a wedge within our relationship at times with them unbashfully calling her in the middle of the night or during outings to stifle our merry time together...
Her mood tends to be governed by her job at times and to resolve this, the best way is to remove the root by just quitting...
However our current financial status means that I am not capable to supporting the family with my measly pay package, so her income is crucial to sustain our lifestyle especially her own...
So ultimately in the next year, I am hoping she would reap the rewards of her endless devotion to the sideline and allow her to go full time in it...

As for kids...seriously neither of us are prepared to be parents as yet...though we aren't getting younger soon...
The prerequisite for having a child into our lives would be her quitting her job I supposed and financially we are able to support another mouth in the family...
Therefore our families who had been pretty anxious about having a toddler to brighten up their lives just have to wait a wee bit longer...

Finally I feel I sure wouldn't be a nominee let alone winning the "Husband of the Year" award anytime soon...
While friends surrounding us seem to project a "wonderful husband" persona, somehow yours truly just fails to live up to the bill...
I have always been a very self-centered person, selfish if you have to be crass...so it takes a long shot for me to actually put someone else at a higher priority than myself which I need to correct if we are going to have children eventually...perhaps by a natural hormonal trigger I would change my mindset once I become a father...
I haven't been too sensitive to my wife's cause...she needs support for her sidelines and at time a lending ear, I had been accommodating and tried to lend her as much faith as I could but still fell short I think...
To amplify the situation I am remotely a romantic soul, and almost losing my self-belief to be an abled driver, thus she had to drive herself though I am sure all wives wanted their husbands to be their 24-7 chauffeur...
Which is why I really have to buck up to be half a husband she had anticipated when she said yes to my lackluster proposal 2 years ago...

I had been an avid reader of the horoscope column in MyPaper, the freely-distributed Chinese papers from SPH...
Although I have always been skeptical about how true the forecast is, but it's better to not take any chances...as they said "宁可信其友，不可信其无"...
Since His Beautiness share my same zodiac signs (unfortunately...) I always found it very true to his cause rather than myself...
However yesterday's column stated that the mid of this month signals a turn of luck for Scorpio, so have to take any unfortunate series of events with a pinch of salt and not lament over it...
This surely didn't spells well with the trip so near and I had been in full anticipation of it...
My regular work doesn't seems too smoothly yesterday and I dropped my Motorola Razr V3i, and perhaps now couldn't send out any SMS...I've still yet to prove that
However back at home, had a unsavory squabble with the princess of the household again as once again she bluntly hits bullseye on my Achilles tendon...
It was over such trivial matter like some body shampoo... I had accidentally took out her refill pack from the same spot Dad would keep it...before she started proclaiming me to keep my hands off since I had not "put in any contribution in this household stuff"
It is true alright that I still leech my folks over body shampoo and what not, but that was just a sweeping statement I loathe to listen to, especially from my family...
It is the same usual "you should pay more since you earn so much more" shit I get frequently as well...
Seriously if I am earning 3 or 4 times my current pay, rest assured I would ensure my wife and old folks can lay off from working now....
Then again she seems to be oblivious about the monthly house loan payment for this flat as well as utilities bill (and internet bill)

Knowing her nature, she would be relentless about she being right that I am being rude or unreasonable (I just barely raised my voice in displeasure saying that I didn't know it was her to begin with), she wouldn't budge to quell the matters nor will I condescend to treat this matter as another of her usual theatrical pique...

To not jeopardize the trip, I think we shall resume this cold war till god knows when...
With our in-born volatile nature, there is always a risk of us falling out during the trip as well so I had warned my missus and perhaps her beau to be ready to be mediator anytime soon...

This morning just continued the trend to make my mood even more wretched...
It was already 10 past 7 when I barely became conscious enough after a late turn-in and scurried to wash up, not noticing the missus had extend the towel liner and my forehead wasn't too robust enough to go against stainless steel, thus my morning was welcomes by a painful jab which really piss me off...fortunately I had a gracious wife to keep me in check of my temperament which would really ruin my day or perhaps my week...

Anyway today's horoscope column stated "I shouldn't butt into my colleagues' personal lives, as it wouldn't do me any good''.. hmm I am wondering which colleague I have the audacity to butt into

Japanese word of the day: 占い(Fortune-telling) Maybe I will be ready to be a father when the horoscope column instruct me to be one

I've Got High Chance to be a Serial Killer

15th October 2007, Monday

Last year this day I was in the process of being congratulated for my big day at Cheng Du restaurant...
Fast forward a year later, married life has it's ups and downs and both of us are still very much in the process of mastering the art of a blissful matrimony yet keeping the flame alive...
No lavish celebration in store for this very day due to both budget constraint as well as being Monday the missus had to attend her weekly session for her sidelines...We surely would make it up in Japan...

Anyway remember John Doe reprised by Kevin Spacey in the film "Se7en"?
The David Fincher serial killer movie always will be a favorite of mine for the ever-rainy goth-inspired city as well as Brad Pitt's inadequate acting back then...
But John Doe's usage of the "7 Deadly Sins" to torture his victims (based on their association with their respective sin) and his meticulous writing of his "bible", chronicling his life religiously and his setting of a shrine in his apartment makes me wonder if my own obsession with my collectibles can draw parallel...
Of course I am happily married and no specific angst towards mankind or the society, but my habitual eye for the most intricate attention with my figurines and how to present them in my webpage surely might propel me into a tendency to be a serial killer since many otakus had been stereotyped as potential to be one (i.e. Figure Moe Zoku which is spawned from the infamous Miyazaki Tsutomu)

Anyway I spent a good deal of my Sunday basically scanning catalogues and packaging boxes of my figurine series to be used for reviews on the webpages...
To others it's perhaps a complete waste of precious time, but to yours truly, as long as I don't cause any disturbances or harm to anyone, I find it really calms me...I'm just weird...
Class 95 was broadcasting non-stop 1980s music which really got me grooving with the flow and the cloudy sky surely make it a perfect afternoon to just laze at home...
To top off a great Sunday, I caught some sitcoms and 2 comedies which coincidentally has the name "Chuck" and starring hot Hollywood actress of this decade both with the first names "Jennifer"...
It was the former (Biel) gives indication why she is constantly ranked in the sexiest women in the scene while the latter (Alba) is still my cup of tea...
There was a strong homosexual theme in the 1st movie which follows the trend from last Sunday and with that ominous entity at work, the gayness sure is suffocating...

Another satisfying weekend was completed with the trip almost in the bag with the collection of the air tickets and the lodging vouchers as well as the final round of money exchange since recently the rate has been back in favour of our dollar compared to the yen...
We had a great time practising "Win, Lose or Draw" in the shop which can be harder than it seems on the surface meanwhile I think I did Ferris a big, big favour by agreeing to be the emcee for his wedding banquet...let's hope I don't suffer from cold feet by then...

The week was completed with more figurines which damaged the bank account and continues to jack the tendency of me becoming a serial killer soon...just kidding...

Japanese word of the day: キラー(killer) I rather waste my brain cells as well as precious time on my figurines than committing homicide

Going Astray

12th October 2007, Friday

If I am to become a parent, what would be the most worrying factor for my children?
Perhaps in present day society in Singapore, the inability to compete in the suffocating job market which ultimately boils down to the paper qualification one possess...
However there are so many pristine examples of people carving a name for themselves in various fields without even holding a degree..but then it's the old days...

But the most worrying issue for parents when the child is progressively growing up would be their tendency to be led astray...
It is always argued that one's discipline begins at home but it is a 2-edge sword, if you spare the rod and spoil the child or you became a fearful dictator while the child grooms to be rebellious
However aside from parenting, I still think there are some aspect in our genes that govern our tendency to go astray

Recently my youngest uncle from the father side buzzed Dad for help regarding the fact that his only daughter was been barred to school till the year-end examinations...
Surely it drew worries to a hapless father who is uneducated and baffled in how to solve the problem...
However for every consequence, there must be a cause and it seems like my 14-year old cousin has been into bad company and was caught sniffing glues in school (twice I heard)
Always raring to try new things, she had dabbled into cigarettes and even Ecstasy pills...
This is surely hell freezes over or kingdom come for her doting parents to discover that their precious little musume has now proliferated into such problem teenager...
My uncle has been very nice to me when I was young, so this unfortunate piece of news sort of affected me and makes me wonder how we could help him out...

My cousin doesn't appears to be those rebellious type or out to create havoc...
It's just that she is in the precarious stage of being easily influenced by the people she mixed with as well as seemingly curious to try out every single thing her twisted fiends..I mean friends cajoled her into...
Last I heard from Sis when she talked to her last evening was that she wants her parents to not ground her and let her join her friends for clubbing...
Clubbing is not a bad thing, just that she is still too young for it and perhaps going our with older Cambodian men doesn't seems like the best prospect...

Being the only child who was born when my uncle was at the wrong side of 40 surely means the world to him and my auntie who now camped outside her room at 24 hours basis to prevent her from escaping the boundaries of the house...
It's not the best measure and I think they might need professional counselors to guide her to see the light, even then at 14 she is still not matured enough I supposed...
Let's just hope things will work out eventually and hopefully she would not had a wretchedly woeful ending...

As for Mom, her best solution is to bring my uncle to seek religious help, perhaps some miraculous assistance from deity can make my cousin turns a new leaf...
Well it might sounds dubious for someone as skeptical as myself, but it is a good avenue for them to rely on in a time of helplessness...

My parents are traditional people with old folks thinking such as one have to get married and bear children at the right age, children have to show filial piety to their parents (such as giving them monthly alowance) etc...
So if one becomes homosexual, it would be classified as going astray to them...

So I believe His Beautiness at work would be tagged blasphemous to my folks...maybe to his as well, which is why he seems all secretive about it...
Well like an episode of "Seinfeld" when a reporter from New York University Journal assumed that Jerry and George are "soul mates", the notion which was repeatedly mention, "not that there is anything wrong with it"...His Beautiness' sexual orientation is his own business but his ability to manipulate the bosses at work is another whole new matter...

It's the time of the year when we were being assessed for half a year of performance and to Beautiness , it's the ideal opportunity to whine about how his workload had quadrupled overtime and he had no time for paperwork (aka surfing for his stock market, chatting with his gay clique, whatever)
He was always not pleased that some personnel from a neighboring group can actually sit around and do nothing all day, a role he previously upheld...
So he brought the issue to immediate attention of our French supervisor and supposedly received the green lights to be warrant himself free from any lab-based chores (the main reason he had wanted to leave for greener pastures previously), so that he could be workstation bound, focusing on his paperworks...getting ample paper cuts and a chronic case of cystic thrombosis along the way perhaps

Meanwhile the same gullible (perhaps blinded by his "beauty" or some black voodoo magic) supervisor spent a great deal of the day interviewing new candidates to help alleviate his burden...just makes my blood boil just typing this...

To me this case with His Beautiness surely should be the ultimate case of "going astray"...there sure is no way back...

Japanese word of the day: 道に迷いなさい(Going Astray)My version of going astray at the age of 14 perhaps would be the usage of the word "fuck"...

Lovely Frenz X'mas Party 2007

10th October 2007, Wednesday

This year's X'mas eve falls on a Monday... Sure a great way to beat the Monday blues but I wonder will I be on leave by then as a long streak of leave since Hari Raya Haji the Thursday before till after the New Year looks tempting, just need to check on my remaining leave status after the impending Japan trip...

Meanwhile the likes of my missus, Ferris or even people from La Tendo most probably have to contemplate with work commitments before getting psyched up for the party at EK's place, a carbon copy venue of last year's proceedings...
However with the list of games we had came out with over dinner on Saturday should keep the adrenaline pumping or enough to keep everyone awake till the wee hours of the morning of yuletide

Using napkins for meal and a soluble marker, Chan wrote down 12 "1"s & "2"s for those present to make the random pick of luck to see the team they are allocated to...
Last year "Shining Skulls (My team)" was partially repeated with the likes of Yanhui, Karen & Miyano joining myself for Team 1 or Red Team (as I like to call it)...However this team will be led by the vivacious Vincent as Miyano found her dream comes true to team up with her hubby.
The last member of the sextet was none other than Ferris who seems to be beaming with luck and should be a valuable member...

The White Team of course will be led by the Tay brothers of Reedy & EK together with Mr Chan as a strong back-up, together the trio possess immense potential in games.
The line up was completed with Bryan who might have a good showing this year and "the spouses"... Ferris' bride-to-be, Annalisa and my missus

Overall I felt the teams are well matched and for once 3 couples were split in different teams and for the likes of us married couples, the probability of getting at least the prize should be 100%...heehee
This year we have agreed to use Kinokuniya vouchers as the kitty to spur us on for the clash as like last year...

There was an emphasis on team-work to accumulate as many points as possible while last year it was very much for personal glory despite the first game of charade...
There was no game of pure luck like the last time, so every single points will be a reward of toil and effort contributed by each member...

Last year's charade was very well-received, and this year we decided to choose it's cousin "Win. Lose or Draw" or Pictionary from which we will have to make use of our artistic talent and imagination to allow the fellow member to nail the correct answers...
The former is fun on itself but this one sure will blow the roof off especially with what absurd caricatures everyone will try to come out with under the intense pressure...
While in charade, famous people or fictitious characters are hard to act out, in WLoD it should work out just nice...
Beside the above-mentioned category, movie titles are still a hot favorite from last year but idioms might not get a rousing reception this time round.. perhaps song titles...
A sanction was imposed for the questions to be well-recognised by at least 90% of the participants, so no more ridiculously difficult questions from Miyano this year...even she is in my team

The other games are "Wii Sports" & "Mario Kart DS" are chosen to the fact that we are blessed with the respective game consoles and surely save us plenty of time and effort for other games which may be half as enjoyable (last year the whole mood was smothered after the charade as other games failed to sustain it)
However the ground is not level here as the Lim couple surely has an edge for Wii Sports since they owed the Wii while EK has been way too good in the Mario Kart arena (among us)
Personally I feel I will hold the tail-end of the Kart race, fortunately like F1 racing points will be rewarded for all placings...so if EK grab the podium placing for No. 1 as long as the other 3 of my team mates settled for 2nd to 4th placing, even I am last we should accumulate a higher overall scores...

All in all, things are rosy and can be rosier (ooh yeah..reminds me of Luna Sea)... Fantastic games galore, good (vegetarian) food to whet our appetites, guaranteed good company from the gang, gift exchanges...what more can you ask for...
Just hope that everyone has enough energy to endure through the long silent (more like boisterous) night...

Now I just need to figure out what's the ideal gift for my secret present-receiver...surely he wouldn't want the same "gadget" he/she got last year...oops am I giving too much away?

Japanese word of the day: (Draw) Hope I didn't focus too much to perfect my pictures during the game...

Don't catch "My Name is Earl" Ep. 2 if You are Homophobic

8th October 2007, Monday

A good 4 weeks left before flying off to Kansai...while my young sibling and her beau getting all honey-coated with excitement, hoping for a full experience the full Japanese sight & sound as well as the cool autumn especially with our sunny island just tweak its thermostat abit too much over the weekend as even nights were so humid and sleeping without air conditioning is inhumane...
As for myself, I just commit myself fully to complete my current project at home while at the personal front, I am glad to pick up the groove to update more on my webpage which I recently renewed for the 3rd year....

The weekend was pleasantly enjoyable... a full day out with the La Tendo clique on Saturday which began with the weekly badminton session which had been hogging my Sundays so it was a pleasant change back to Saturday...
It also marks the return of Vincent and Ferris to the badminton courts after individual commitments leading to their sabbatical from the game...
To the shop, it had been a busy afternoon with customers streaming in for the new shipment and unanimously fixated with the question of where the new shop will be located and when exactly is the move, which got EK slightly irritated for repeatedly replying the FAQ though it is still part of his duty to spread the word...
The "Moving Out Sales" (not "Closing Down" which one customer mistakenly mentioned which led me to an involuntary sniggering fit) also mean the need to clear some of the mountain of old stocks which with those spare hands available that day surely helped them out.
The main event of the day would be the group dinner which commemorates Tay-chan's birthday as well as drawing lots for the gift exchange for the X'mas party...
Due to my recent weariness for overpriced vegetarian food, I suggested to EK to find a good place where both delectable vegetarian and non vegetarian cuisines can be served, and he came out with the cozy open-air hawker center beside Allson Hotel, a stone throw from the shop...

We were supposed to sing the birthday song in advance to Miyano as well with her tanjoubi days away; but the choice of the food court was deemed a bit "low-class" for her...
In the candid & frank manner she is well-known for, almost no one really gave a hoot for her persistent proclamation though by the end of the dinner which everyone just bought some food to share in a potluck manner surely changed her mind that the place though without the ambiance of a 5-star eatery, is far from being "low-class" as our taste buds could verify...

There was a wide screen LCD TV telecasting the EPL game between Man Utd & Wigan at that time which caught the attention of most of us especially those were mesmerized by the WCCF game...
It was scoreless by halftime when we got there but the goal tally kept increasing while food was continually served on our table...with the Red Devils finally finding their scoring boots for a 4 goals wallop of the hapless Lactics for the first EPL game this season when they score more than 2 goals...
While savoring the spicy sting ray, satay & grilled chiken wings, we started brainstorming for our 2nd Lovely Frenz X'mas party after the success of the previous one...I shall go into more detail perhaps some other day...

My missus perhaps got a bit indigestion after the hearty (though the cholesterol level surely not doing much good to our hearts) on the way back as Chan, Karen and ourselves continued to rattle on how much fun the "Win, Lose or Draw" (our new charade this year) is gonna turn out to be...

Sunday was a great day to just slack within the comfort of the room as an afternoon shower surely alleviate the heat shrouding the island a little...
Did some chores and some updating some issues as well as catching some sitcoms such as "The Office" of course as well as another NBC sitcom which I am growing to savour alot is "My Name is Earl"...
While I missed most of the run on local TV, I had been catching as many episodes on the cable channel, Starworld... The initial deep redneck accent (especially Joy) might turns one of, but seriously it is becoming one of the most mad-cap comedy ever as the karma-believing Earl tries to undo his past accumulation of bad deeds.
I missed Season 2 which sees Earl been imprisoned for what his ex-wife Joy had done & Season 3 began with him struggling in the prison..
However it did offered him a chance to correct one mistake in the premiere episode and struck of the list...
In episode 2, he was summoned by the prison warden (a rather incompetent one who was assigned the post against his will by his mayor wife); who requested Earl to sooth the tension between the "black" gang and the "hispanic" gang who engaged in fights forever...
It turned out that the leaders of the respective gangs, Jamal & Hector grew feelings for each other during confinement together and became an item...
Their explicit display of affections (including kissing and flirting) can be really hilarious but nauseating as well for homophobic viewers...Earl's solution for them to reconcile didn't help matters eother...
Nevertheless it was just too funny to be missed...will continue catching Earl's misadventure in the cell...

Also managed to catch the latest installment of "Music Station" which is a 3 hour special (taking away the CMs left around 2 and a half hours) where Tamori and Mariko counts down "100 songs that make you smile" and "100 songs that make you cry"...
It was a great mixture of J-pop songs from the last 4 decades or so and surely brought a lot of memories as I hummed along most of them while the missus kept anticipating the likes of NEWS and SMAP to be featured in the list while bemoaning how come Otsuka Ai got like plenty of songs in as well...(perhaps her presence in the show helps a lot)
At the end of it, it was such a great way to commemorate the late Sakai Izumi for Zard's "Makenaide" to be No.1 of the former list and fittingly enough Utada Hikaru's "Flavor of Life" clinched the spot for the latter ranking...
Ultimately old-time bands like B'z (in the midst of their 20th anniversary celebration) & Mr Children still rocks and for sure attained the evergreen status in the J-pop scene...

Japanese word of the day: 負けないで~ma-ke-na-i-de~(Don't Give up) Zard's bestselling song but also inspire many people in the past and present to never give up even you are 2 gay gang leaders in the prison but deeply in love

Crimson Bombs Let Loose!!

4th October 2007, Thursday

Last evening, an old Secondary School friend whom I had not been contacting for a few years now gave me a buzz...
Usually it comes with a motive when someone so adrift decided to contact you...
If he/she is an insurance agent..sorry financial planner now or perhaps like my missus who is dabbling with her sideline, it should be for soliciting their business which I would almost certain to refrain from picking up...oh wait I will bar the number in fact...
Of course we could not take away that option of that old acquaintance just purely to meet you up, to catch up old times and ultimately coaxed you into buying a life insurance plan...damn!
Then there is the "hey I am getting married, so I would like to invite you to my banquet/ceremony" since I am in that age group where the local paradigm deemed ripen enough to get hitched...
That's what exactly happened to this dear friend who I had the pleasure to be in the same class for 4 years in Secondary, and one of the closer chums, even though I didn't actually thought of inviting him for my own wedding a year back..my bad
Upon clarification of the date of the wedding, it seems to fall on 17th November, a day shy of Ferris' big day...
So there you have it...2 wedding ceremonies to attend back to back which can only mean damage control to be imposed soon to the wallet...as the crimson bombs comes showering from the sky out of the sudden...Because of the trip, I couldn't attend Cheryl's solemnization if not it would be triple whammy for me...

Although it always ache to have to part with your hard-earn cash as monetary congratulatory gifts for the blissful ones, perhaps when we look at the bright side, at least you are worthy enough for someone to invite for this important occasions...
Despite adopting that hermit's unsociable nature intermittently, I still like the idea to be thought of when come to invitation...and surely not for hard-selling insurance policies...

Speaking of our dear Mr Ferris' wedding mid next month, it seems like he was cooped up with all the preparations as we had yet to seen him on regular basis for badmintons for a month or so now...
Recently received an e-mail addressed to me, EK and Chan to rope in as the "brothers"...
It had writings on the wall for a while now but he wasn't too keen to delved much into the details till like days to the atcual day, it seems like his butt is finally burnt to sense the urgency...
We love Ferris for his easy-going nature though he can be too complacent and conceited at times.. then again aren't we all the same which is why birds of the same feathers flock together...
Sometime I feel he should really pay extra attention to the things he spent on...
Think until very recently that he finally nailed a deal for a bridal sedan while he seems to need an emcee for his banquet and his prime choice was Chan...
Are we talking about the same engimatic Chan everyone grown accustomed to? Seriously it is not the best option even Chan knows it that he couldn't step into that role which is critical at times to sooth the crowd of disinterested guests waiting impatiently for the dinner to begin... The latter already said he would not be free to attend if he was to take up the emcee role...

Anyway days ago, I mentioned about the call for the clerk in my army unit which ruined my day... Apparently it was early warning as the SAF 100 was neatly deposited for me to acknowledge...
So for the 2nd year in a row Kao Hsiung beckons..and I was very close to write that deferment letter till realizing quite a number of regular comrades are going as well...
It is sucky to spend a week or so in that gut-wrenching hellhole you called a mess, but at least you have people to bear it wih you...
Too bad that funny senior had his swansong this April, if not it would at least be a bit entertaining...
Hope my obligation would warrant me off that overseas stint for next few years or so...if better never again...

Lastly the Singapore French Festival organized by Alliance Francaise Singapur comes at the right time when my interest in French films got perked up recently as mentioned...
The 9 days program looks to spoil of choices for the eclectic collection of French films from various eras and some ladened with notable awards surely can quenched my sudden thirst in such movies
I mean I am not into really arty-farty affairs but films with quirky storyline which at least in not pro-States as the Hollywood has been projecting and recycling which I am so sick of...
As Foo said.." It's good to jsut pick one and pleasantly surprised by what the film has to offer".. Generally the lack of anticipation leads to unexpected rewards reaped from this experimentation...
However I doubt I can watch all of it at one go...perhaps a couple with Foo showing interest as well..and the Sistic ticketing is a pain..fortunately ticket price is still acceptable...
Fortunately there are a couple of French at work (including my supervisor) whom I can inquire from when there's a need...

Japanese word of the day:損傷 (Damages) Year-ends tends to be the most damaging for the pockets...

Remaking Yishun

2nd October 2007, Tuesday

Went to the "Remaking Our Heartland" exhibition by HDB yesterday by the Yishun MRT station, after being urged by Dad to check out what renovation the authorities has in store for our block...

By mere coincidence I got hold of my in-laws who were there like many inquisitive residents of our northen-based town to check out this roving exhibitions which HDB had taken much effort to rig up over last weekend...

While it seems like almost all the flats in the town would undergo the "Home Improvement Programme" which includes optional items like toilet renovations, iron grills for apartments, revamped rubbish chutes which we the citizens had to foot a "much-subsidized (need strong verification)" fees as well as items like rejuvenated piping or mending of cracked ceiling which at some places are long overdue...
Of course for my block which houses like thousands of households yet have a measly total of 3 elevators will surely need more of the mechanical tool to ascend to our respective levels...

There is also the "Neighborhood Renewal Programme" which basically just spice up the place with our hard-earn CPF money and yearly taxes..Nuff said..
A way for the government to beautify the heartlands which basically possess an attraction to compliment the Integrated resorts, Orchard Road, Sentosa and Mandai Zoo
Seriously it doesn't really do much to most of us heartlanders (suddenly I am thinking of Vincent Ng) except curbing the new facilities to be vandalized by those unruly brats during school holidays...
The more immediate issue at hand in my neighborhood is perhaps reducing the population of crows and other critters as well as educating people to not litter like they do daily from what I had witnessed every morning as I strolled to the MRT station...

However with the forthcoming Khoo Teck Puat Hospital a stone-throw from my home, plans were coined to revamp the entire Yishun Central area to include an unnamed institute (I believe should be anew polytechnic or university) which cuts diagonally across the Central as well as the latest fad in most established "hub neighborhoods", an air conditioned bus interchange cum shopping mall...yawn...seriously that's the best they could do?
There was also the construction of a new linkage to the Central Expressway which hovers across the Seletar Reservior area (which previously was pushed as a site for Disneyland in Singapore).
From the look at it, it basically only helps to facilitate traffic coming in from the SLE on weekends or peak hours rather than speeding up the journey to town....

It's been a decade since moving to Yishun, and seriously I don't see the need to venture around the neighborhood which is why I would look baffled if you ask me a specific location in the town...
But the blueprints for making this place a hub of the north certainly breaths life into a dying town and I always welcome a hike in our property value...

Japanese word of the day: 復興させなさい (Revive) They can revive or rejuvenate as much as they want, as long as don't ask me to pay an extra penny...

Visiting a Host Club?

1st October 2007, Monday

Counting down 30 days to our Japan autumn trip, however ominous signs were showing as a moderate earthquake hits Kanagawa prefecture, just south of Tokyo...
This also put the world's first early earthquake warning system into good use...although I do pray vehemently that we wouldn't be requiring the usage of that when we are there in a month's time....

Caught a winter 2005, TBS dorama, "Yaoh(夜王)" with the missus over the weekends...
Based a manga series (with rather lukewarm reception outside Japan supposedly), it chronicled the trial & tribulations of a fresh Sapporo-based host Ryosuke (Japan's answer to gigolo) who strives to attain the No. 1 position from the watchful eyes of the incumbent, Seiya (not saint though).
It depicts the unscrupulous means human beings would contemplate to achieve something as well as the discreet "dog-eat-dog" world of "host" in the most vibrant spot for legalized prostitution, Kabukicho.
However Ryosuke, who was hand-picked by the benefactor of their club, "Romeo", a fashion designer, Remi, always maintained the idealistic measure to scale to the top; it is to realize the dreams of all women (clients) instead of hard soliciting for money which most of his compatriots would be famous for.
His adamant way manage to win many followers, rivals and customers alike...
Tokio's drummer, Matsuoka Masahiro plays the protagonist Ryosuke while Kitamura Kazuki, last seen as that maniac villain in "Akihabara@Deep" had a credible role as the sultry and conniving Seiya... We were mainly bemused by this character, Jin (portrayed by Sato Jiro) which provided most of the comedic elements and resembles uncannily to our dear friend, Chan...
The dorama did gave an insight to the world of host bars which you might not see unless you have enough money to splurge on Hennessy or Dom Perignon like the ladies in the show; and the storyline was rather gripping to keep us through till the end...
It also enlightens us with the fact that we are actually entering the nest of host bars in both Kansai (Dotonbori) and Kanto (Shinjuku) for the upcoming trip by mere coincidence...
Perhaps we could dropby a host bar when we are there for a first hand experience, perhaps sapping most of our spending money...seems like guys are allowed as customers as well...
Even for a heterosexual man, I must stamp my approval on the fact that a majority of professional hosts are quite pleasing for the eyes, the first feature that will allure the willing lady clients...
Nah...I'll stick with my maid cafes...heehee

From the urban jungles of Shinjuku, my Sunday night was nullified by the romantic Paris in the movie "Paris, je t'aime"...
The collection of short stories of love between various individual in the city of love really sells the famous European city as if the Effiel Tower and Truimph de Arc don't sell it enough...
While some of the snippets are rather too artsy for my preference (i.e. Christopher Doyle's Porte de Choisy which really makes no sense), others like the Cohen brothers' Tuileries which features Steve Buschemi having a fright at the Tuileries station in his virgin trip in Paris, Sylvain Chomet's Tour Effiel about romance between mimes and Oliver Schmitz's Place des fetes.
After "Hors de prix", "T4xi" & "La Doublure", and earlier exposure to Jean-Pierre Jeunet's films (which feature my favorite French actress, Audrey Tatou) as well as other films I couldn't remember the titles, I must say I am starting to get a staunch liking to quirky French films and hope to catch more of these soon...

Last but not least...ladies & gentlemen, my favorite sitcoms of all time definitely and indefinitely "The Office"...
Season 4 begins last week in the States and it ignited in a bang..literally...
Michael now with a wretched life with now-unemployed girlfriend, he doesn't love, Jen (his former boss), he accidentally knocked down Meredith. the office supplier relations...
Meanwhile Jim & Pam finally hooked up but still kept the entire office in the dark despite Kevin's persistant probing and Dwight killed Angela's frail sick cat which put their relationship on the rocks...
The manager then organized a 5km run for the good cause of curing rabies thinking that Meredith might had contracted it, hoping to break the curse surrounding the office as he had postulated...
Man the 1 hour season premiere was spectacular and tickled my funny bone as of the previous 3 seasons and got me hungry for more...
With "Heroes" & "The Office" back, life just got much more beautiful with anticipation every work week...

Japanese word of the day: ホスト ~ho-su-to~(Host) If Jin can be a top host in Japan, I think I could carve a niche in that ecletic market...