Amigos Para Siempre

NYE 2012 at Minaret Walk

2012-01-02T23:30:00.004+08:00

Those were the best days of our lives.

The Christmas Eve Line

2011-12-24T21:46:00.001+08:00

The sun is shining, the grass is green. The orange and palm trees sway. There's never been such a day, in Beverly Hills, L.A. But it's December the 24th and I'm longing to be up North.
-White Christmas
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld from M1.

How did it all happen?

2011-12-22T23:36:00.003+08:00

As best as I can recall, this was my activity trail in a recent 24hrs of insanity:

6 p.m Intense last one hour of work - Ramming in a strenuous gym workout - Downing sushi and 2 eggs for dinner - Drinks and Tapas at Tippling Club - Getting so fucked up at Overeasy - Hangover Supper (could have qualified as breakfast) at Spize - Didn't go home - Back to work the next day in my bedhead and was all fucked up - Expending my last iota of energy 'concentrating' on Ghost Protocol (this ironically gave me a shot of energy) after work 6 p.m the next day

The best part of it all is that none of this was planned. I merely intended to exercise after work and then go home. Hence the title of this post: How did it all happen? I can't seem to trace the starting point of this havoc. I have a feeling it has got to do with Luke and Terrence though. Mobos.

Whatever it is, such a night is unlikely to happen again in a long while... I hope.

Christmas isn't really Christmas

2011-12-19T20:04:00.003+08:00

Hello people!

Just felt like writing a short entry to say that Christmas (i.e. 25 Dec) isn't really "Christmas" or the birthday of Jesus Christ. Frankly, it is not the birthday of Jesus. I'm not sure why this date was selected, but I'm pretty sure that Jesus was born way before 25 Dec.

When I was in Bethlehem, in the sheperd's fields, where since ages past, the locals there believed that there it was, the place where Jesus was born. At this time of the year, in December, in Bethlehem (also means the House of Bread), there would be snow and it'd be winter. Now the practice in Bethlehem then, was that in winter, all the sheperds would be at home, and their sheep would be indoors in the mangers (or at least in a sheltered place where they can keep warm). If you're wondering what the sheep would be eating, the sheperds would have gathered enough dried grass and shrubs for the sheeps consumption.

Sheperds do not go out in the cold with their sheep to graze, mainly for the fact that the ground would be covered in snow and the sheep wouldn't be able to graze. The time of the year where the sheperds take their sheep out for grazing is mainly in spring & summer. However, we understand from the Bible that at that time where Jesus was born, the weather was still pretty cold, and logically the pastures would not be covered in snow (as the sheeps are able to graze then) so it most probably would be in springtime- summer where Jesus was born (i.e February - May). It is mentioned in the Bible that sheperds who were out in the fields while their sheep were grazing saw the star of David (the star on Israel's flag; 2 opposite triangles superimposed) and they followed it until they found baby Jesus in the manger.

So there you go.. 25 Dec isn't really the exact date where Jesus was born. But the meaning of Christmas, truly is in itself, a day where we learn plenty. It was bad news for Jesus and good news (in more ways than one) for us. As much as Christmas was an emotional day ~2000 years ago, I hope we all feel it in our hearts this year round. Hope peace and joy abide in each of us! =)

And here are some pictures from the night before.. Luke's birthday. What a time!

Check out the future CEO of Brazzers.com

The Gift of Giving

2011-12-18T18:03:00.001+08:00

The presents below the tree are gifts from anonymous people to less fortunate children. It's heartening to see social equity in action.

11.56pm Ruminations

2011-12-15T23:40:00.003+08:00

"No, 'cause I think positive emotion trumps negative emotion every time. We all yearn for reconciliation, for catharsis. We need Robert Fischer to have a positive emotional reaction to all this."
-Dom Cobb, Inception, 2010

It would take a christmas miracle for my christmas wish to come through. Hopefully it does, if not I'll have to keep on holding out till this materializes. Sometimes it ain't really about whether these things are worth the wait - they just must.

I shall conclude with a line of wisdom found within a fortune cookie: good things come to those who wait.

God bless ye merry gentlemen and merry christmas.

The Return

2011-12-13T09:00:00.002+08:00

This post marks my return from Melfuckingbourne and also my return to posting from the blog, from which I have taken a prolonged hiatus..

To sum up the last few weeks for you guys, they have been extremely hectic up to just a few days ago.

This hectic period started with my exam revision (actually months ago), followed by the exams themselves, and then juggling moving out of my apartment (cleaning it up, selling all my furniture, throwing away stuff that no one wanted and packing) with showing my parents around Melbourne and shuttling them back and forth.

Arrival in Singapore actually brought little relief as I had to quickly start putting up Christmas decorations which were already late, as well as complete a tonne of admin stuff for MOH.

Anyway its nice to have time to make an entry again.

In response to El's post and in reverse order for additional impact,

10)Cheers - Rihanna
9) Like a G6 (Far East Movement)
8) Ke$ha - Tik Tok
7) Diddy - Coming Home
6) Club Can't Handle Me - Flo Rida
5) Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO
4) Stereo Hearts - Gym Class Heroes ft. Adam Levine
3) Dynamite - Taio Cruz (Written by Dr. Luke)
2) Rolling in the Deep - Adele
1) 2012 - Jay Sean (HOW IS THIS NOT ON ANYONES LIST ALREADY?!)

*Special mention - Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 (In anticipation of
Malik exhibiting his moves like Jagger during our trip.)

Btw, Justin, there is an easy way to make posts from your iphone.. Lemme know if you don't already use this and I will help you set it up.

-Luke

My Song to Conclude 2011

2011-12-11T21:25:00.001+08:00

There's only one song I really wanna hear to conclude 2011. And I wanna hear it on repeat.

Eye of the Tiger.

Top 10 Songs To Conclude 2011

2011-12-07T21:58:00.002+08:00

OK dudes.. I have no choice but to start this post.. What are your top 10 songs which you'd like to listen to conclude 2011?

I have mine below:

1) Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO

2) Clubbed to Death - Rob D

3) Remember the Name - Fort Minor

4) Lose Yourself - Eminem

5) Break your heart - Taio Cruz

6) Without You - David Guetta + Usher

7) Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes

8) The Prayer - Josh Groban

9) Fly me to the Moon - Olivia Ong

10) Le Jazz et Le Gin - Coralie Clement

-El from Is-ra-el

The Best and Worst of Music 2011

2011-12-06T22:45:00.003+08:00

'Stereo hearts' by gym class heroes featuring adam levine is by far my top song among those released this year (note recent amendment for clarification). It only took me 5 seconds to like it and listening to it 5 times on repeat sealed the deal for me. On the opposite end of my spectrum, looping coldplay's 'paradise' 5 times broke the deal and it is my most disliked song of 2011, even though I imagined liking it initially. There is nothing about the song that reminds me of paradise especially since it's meant to be a sombre song, music and lyrics wise. Sometimes irony is meaningful but in this case the title just unnecessarily misleading. Chris Martini should've just taken his cue from the aptly named 'fix you'. This nicely resolves my earlier dilemma (refer to my previous entry) whereby 'Gangstas Paradise' is the clear winner.
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld from M1.

The 8pm retreat

2011-11-30T20:59:00.003+08:00

As it started getting dark, I decided on a whim that I needed to keep my body in shape and counter the debilitating effects of being at the 1/4 mark of 8 exams, so I headed to my usual exercise area 100m away from my house and embarked on my routine of chin ups and parallel bar push-ups while having a delectable assortment of christmas carols piping into my ears from my new iphone 4s, which is my first smart phone. I must say that the experience was somehow very uniquely pleasant, especially when the december weather was at its characteristic best - the lingering smell of rain that has just stopped couple of hours ago and a cool intermittent breeze tickling my damp skin. After my 40 min workout, I felt refreshed but ravenous, so I headed to the nearby indian coffee shop for some fish curry and rice and a teh-o keras, which was also unplanned. Again, my iphone was a source of entertainment as I waited for my food to arrive and read a rather interesting article explaining the reasons behind the Euro's impending collapse. This 1+ hour retreat felt great to break the monotony of an exam routine and I am thankful for having experienced it.

I was just thinking at the end of it all if this would become a more common occurrence once I start work - coming home late and heading for a workout and a late dinner. Minus the spontaneity, christmas carols and good weather of course, since the weather is unpleasantly warm most of the year and the christmas season lasts for a month or 2 at most.

Life Cycle

2011-11-29T22:31:00.003+08:00

So today I was walking back from the MRT station and I thought about how at different times of the year, I would be interested in different things (etc. guitar chords, boating), and would have lost interest in subjects / topics which I initially was fiddling with / particularly interested in (eg. piano, planes, swimming).

I'm not sure if it has to do with the season / weather / stress at work. But somehow, I guess the funny thing is, in one way or another, I'll find myself re-exploring those "part-time hobbies" again.

Does this happen to you too?

-Elvin

2011-11-03T18:57:00.002+08:00

Coldplay's Paradise vs Gangsta's Paradise

Toystory

2011-10-29T14:43:00.003+08:00

Was staring outside the window and then I had this flash of images from Toystory.. somehow I'm not sure how or why, but whenever I think of Toystory I will think of Denham Close..lol..

Anyhow, this pict is for you amigos!

It's so cold that..

2011-10-24T12:25:00.001+08:00

My neck-tie is doubling up as a makeshift scarf
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld from M1.

Rain can be kickass

2011-10-23T21:25:00.002+08:00

Hey guys, just thought I'd share something I discovered a while back..

It has been raining in Singapore pretty frequently these days.. so one day when I returned from work, I just went to youtube to find clips/ videos of rain.. and here's what I found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYw7eJYadco

It's titled rainy mood. Basically it's just the sound of rain during a storm. The beauty of it is, if you play it as the background sound, simultaneously with other music playing.. it's actually freaking awesome! Just try it!

You can try it with this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJJfEfP9JVk&feature=related

Tell me what you think.

-El

Office Politics Made Official

2011-10-19T22:20:00.002+08:00

Just want to mention how royally annoyed I am at pipsqueaks who play politics in the office. Just can't believe these people sometimes. I guess I have to be really good at my stuff to crush all forms of politics that I might encounter.

Epiphany

2011-10-18T09:33:00.002+08:00

Hey peeps,

I guess I owe you all an extremely overdue post / entry after so many seasons. But I assure you this would not be any less than what I would post if I had the time to pen down any thoughts or accounts.

I also owe Luke an apology for delaying and procrastinating like forever to write this so I hope I can keep this up for as long as possible, hopefully not for only 1 entry (in my attempt to hinder the closure of the blog).

So just last month, as you know, I have visited Israel-Palestine (Holy Land) on a pilgrimage with the church. I reaped many benefits from learning more about the land, the history as recorded in the Bible, the art, the culture, but not the ladies (but of course!).

Somehow, while on that trip, I had this strange epiphany of walking closer to God and acquiring this sense of peace and contentment. I mean despite all the walking and heat, and rushing from place to place, I was at peace with myself and you can say, peace with God as well.

One of the evenings when I was watching the sun set at the sea of Galilee (or Kinnereth, or Gennesaret), I looked back retrospectively at how sometimes I got bullied or was laughed at having faith in God and not in myself. Coincidentally, when I was flipping the Bible, my fingers landed on the exact Bible phrase (on the first flip) which comforts those who would experience such a rejection, or circumstance.

From the Gospel of Matthew 5:3-12 (King James Version Bible)

³Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

⁵Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

⁷Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

⁸Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

⁹Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

¹⁰Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

¹²Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Surprisingly, my guide, who is a Palestinian-Christian (he was ostracized for having rejected the Muslim faith), said that there was much similarity in the God worshipped by the Muslims, and the God worshipped by all the Abrahamic faiths. What he doesn't understand is why, across the Torah (Jewish bible), the Quran, and the Bible, nobody actually practised the commandment of "Love thy neighbour as thyself". Well this was a no brainer, if everyone could do that, there wouldn't be any wars or conflict (such as the Israel-Palestinian diaspora).

Well this was certainly food for thought in my opinion. I admit that I somehow reconciled with my faith once again and felt it strengthened manifold. Which is why I'm really excited to share it here.

I learnt some alphabets of Hebrew whilst there as well, and some aramaic phrases.. i got to say that Arabic sounds really harsh! When they speak, they sound like war is impending and blood needs to be shed (that's the impression, and the atmosphere I felt).

Anyhow, just a quick update that I'm doing fine in PwC. Currently, I'm looking at some Masters in Finance programmes to apply to. I was thinking of building up my knowledge in finance. One of the universities i'm looking at is the University of Lausanne, and University of Geneva. Didn't want to go to a UK university because it's really expensive.

That's about all for me. How are things with you guys?

Gotten/Going Somewhere

2011-09-14T22:17:00.003+08:00

Most of it still remains a mystery but somehow I have made it thus far today.

Cause nothing can capture your heart like a melody can

2011-09-07T20:04:00.001+08:00

Long bus ride home without mp3 player.
If only there were a jukebox here now..
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld from M1.

Gazing at the Sands

2011-09-06T20:07:00.001+08:00

Gymming before my call break at one raffles quay.. And what would make this moment perfect is a triple shot of whiskey.
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld from M1.

Tuesday

2011-08-24T14:16:00.005+08:00

Yesterday somehow felt like a Wednesday in a pseudo happening way. All it takes is a decent dinner, solid dvd in bed and the absence of work to create this midweek magic.
-Kendaman

Appreciating Junk Food.

2011-08-12T16:54:00.003+08:00

Go Wendys.

Charmaine, my 2nd oldest friend.

2011-08-11T13:53:00.013+08:00

I am typing this entry while lounging by the pool during lunchbreak (much emphasis added as I'm not sleeping on the job) with a diet coke in hand. The weather is perfect... there is just enough cloud cover to shield me from the blazing sun and the random drafts of wind unfailingly soothe the heat on my shoulders. And now, I am jumping through the hoops of one illusion to another: from my pseudo beach resort at the fitness first pool to the child I was 20 years ago.

A very old friend happened to board the same bus as me. We reminisced about memories that shaped our respective childhoods. This included playing hide and seek in the Changi Prison compound, dangling upside down from monkey bars, climbing trees, refusing to attend Sunday school and instead playing various games, pretending to be a soldier playing with rifles, stealing golf balls, kicking my first football and making fun of others. Can't believe it but this conversation yesterday proves that my memory of the prison is nothing but vivid. I must say that I'm glad that my life took all the havoc routes at the many crossroads back in the day cause embarking on the alternative turn would not just imply a different path I might have taken, but a different self I would I have been and that would be far from desirable.

The bus ride didn't feel like it lasted for 45 and I didn't feel like 26 either. Maybe this deja vu might happen to the future version of myself - meeting an ole amigo and momentarily indulging in the 'fling of youth' (this is one cool line by luke) we have today. So, we should be grateful for having anything but unspent youth for the present.
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld from M1.

Cool Fact of the Moment

2011-08-10T13:06:00.001+08:00

Can't believe it but Porsche has designed a smoking as well as a shisha pipe. And both are damn style.
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld from M1.

Mid-daydreaming

2011-08-05T11:55:00.006+08:00

Just downed 2 eggs (6 short of Rocky Balboa's standard) and a cup of Ying Yang from my favourite cafe.

I am now rocking out in da office to Mike Posner's 'Cooler Than Me' for a vitality boost. "If I could write your a song to make you fall in love, I would already have you [in] under my [hand] arm..". Not an entirely accurate analogy here, but today the bird in the bush is nicer than the bird in hand.

Vegas, Las fucking Vegas (it's so cool that even the f word deserves lower caps). Screw the many pleasure pits and razzle dazzle, the mere thought of the drive along the freeway from Los Angeles to Vegas has already got me started man. Amigos, this dream is starting to become a reified thought now - I can already feel the wind in my hair. I hope that our December of the 11 will be hypercharged and defined by chasing one too many white castles while riding on imbibed tigers. We shall have our own story to tell, and that would be maneuvered and written by the constant hand of havoc.

And one more thing. In a more ideal yet totally unrealistic world, I wish I could create a profession which would entail being a lawyer, pilot and an action hero all at once. No, I have not considered what to name that job but whatever it might be called, it would put an end to my career dilemma which plagued me for the past few years.

Anyway (yes the abrupt ending was not just intended but forced upon me), it is time to snap out of this afternoon reverie and confrnt my reality which entails research, analysis and churning out of numerous documents just so I can don the suit and tie to go to the Supreme Court.
-Kendaman

Where art thou?

2011-08-04T14:26:00.004+08:00

Amigos,

Why is there a sudden dearth of entries lately? Surely work and/or relationships alone can't sap our enthusiasm for life so easily right? But it ain't too late to recover. It's half time and the score is EveryOtherDamnedShackle 2 - Life 0. What the hell man.

So lets lock and load, and jam in the entries quick.
-Kendaman

The Unknown Song

2011-08-02T23:34:00.003+08:00

It's been over a fortnight and I still haven't figured the name of that havoc 50 Cent song that was blasted at Gramophone!

Blurry lines between weekdays and the weekends

2011-08-01T12:47:00.002+08:00

Been working continuously through the weekend that today feels like a friday. But it is not.
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld from M1.

Lol

2011-06-02T07:56:00.001+08:00

The Unexpected

2011-04-14T23:00:00.001+08:00

Never would I have imagined learning so much from these 20 minutes.

Revamping My Room

2011-04-07T13:57:00.006+08:00

My house has undergone some changes lately and more will be coming in the near future. One aspect of this transformation is my room.

Essentially, we replaced all existing furniture and fittings and gave the room a new coat of paint. While most people would hire contractors to do this job, my dad and I decided to do it ourselves. Of course, we did not make every single alteration, just whatever was practical. Examples include painting the entire room, installation of floating shelves and assembly of furniture.

Although I found it enjoyable and fun enough doing all that stuff, I wouldn't go as far as saying I felt a great sense of satisfaction thereafter. Maybe you should try building something someday, regardless of how simple, to understand what I mean.

I doubt I'd put a picture on the blog but you all are welcome to visit to take a look.

2011-04-06T22:43:00.009+08:00

I was just thinking that the best thing about having twitter is unlike a blog, no title is necessary. In the same vein, if the title of a blog post were to constitute the subject matter of the entry, then no further content would be needed. While having spent the past minute justifying the lack of title for this post, I have wasted an entire paragraph trying to explain away what could have been said in a very short sentence. So thank you for wasting your time reading this as I have typed this without the slightest regard for an economy of words.

Now I'm pondering whether or not I should introduce a title since it feels weird and lacking with none. But does it really matter at all? Because there isn't any point in having a title without a proper point. And at this stage it appears to be too late to introduce my intended point since it is unlikely that will be congruous to what has been written so far. I have jammed myself. Though pointless, at least these sentences are somewhat accidentally coherent, which may be the saving grace of this entry, hopefully. I must say this is why I prefer blogging since such verbosity, notwithstanding how meaningless, cannot be achieved with twitter.
-Signing off with haste, Kenough

Schoooooool's...... out forever!

2011-04-01T21:29:00.002+08:00

It just hit home that today's really my last day of school 1/2 a decade since I started in SMU. Certainly hope that it's not some April Fool's joke. Haha. That's me presenting my final presentation in SMU today in big style, beach style. Woohoo!

Lunchbreak Lounging at One George

2011-03-31T13:25:00.001+08:00

Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld from M1.

What being a bastard means

2011-03-28T23:04:00.000+08:00

Calling a dickhead loser "cool guy" every time he's within earshot in RI.

On Escapism

2011-03-27T23:03:00.006+08:00

You can run to every corner of the Earth and still remain stuck in a corner. And once you get to the end of the Earth, you will end up where you have begun - back at square one, ironically, without having turned back at all.

Now move forward and don't hit fast forward. Just cause you don't wanna to find a way out but a way through.
-Kenough

Friendship

2011-03-27T00:40:00.003+08:00

When you pass someone your thumbdrive and it comes back to you with movies they think you will like.

Before and After

2011-03-22T10:25:00.004+08:00

I don't have a before photo so this will have to do. Photo quality is a bit lousy because its just my phone camera..

Do you know..

2011-03-14T21:35:00.002+08:00

that oscar de la hoya released a cover of the Bee Gee's song 'run to me'? Madness
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld from M1.

Why

2011-03-11T09:28:00.001+08:00

What's up with people who keep pressing lift buttons that are already pressed.

Sent from my iPhone

Whatever fuckever

2011-03-09T18:45:00.001+08:00

Today was a havoc day. I had a chat with one of my team mates, who wanted to convince me that my lunch buddies are bad company. So since she wanted me to commit, she asked if I thought my boss or the one I lunch with is the better boss. I am sure she was expecting the answer to be my boss, since it was the politically correct answer. Then she wanted to say more things after I committed. But I decided to fuck it. So I just said, I cannot answer. So she tried to explain that our boss is indeed better, and claimed that another common friend who had left the bank would say so. To this, I said that this friend was a colleague for her before he became a friend, while for me he was a friend before becoming a colleague, so I definitely know him better. So my team mate said that she can bet her life that he will say our boss is better, so I said, you will give up your life if he says otherwise. To this, she said that she will buy me lunch. I had half a mind to fuck her further by asking if her life was equivalent to a meal, but since I had everything to gain(a free meal) and nothing to lose(since we did not agree on what I have to give her if he indeed says it's my boss who is better, which he won't since he has told me before that my boss sucks).

On this havoc note, I have decided I am not going to be nice to people who do not deserve it. So I have started ignoring mails from this person from another department who thinks she is so high and mighty that she can not answer mails or calls to her, just because she does not feel like answering it. After some thought, I figured out that this dumb bitch needs me alot more than I need her. The only reason I previously needed her is because she processes credit card applications for my team, and I have to ask her why she rejects certain applications. Now, I figured this is not my problem at all. I do not have to meet any sales target at the end of the month, so even if she rejects everything, I don't need to give a flying fuck. The ones who will get fucked are my team mates as they are responsible to ensure the sales targets are met. So actually, I have been cock as I have been trying to push the sales figures by asking this person to kindly accept this and that, and in the process have my mails or calls bot answered. Now, if I get a reject, I just give it back to the customer. End of the month, figures not met, no problemo. With this attitude, I am going to screw with the people who thought they cannot be touched. Now this other person from the other department has asked me for some updates on issues that only I handle. I am going to ignore all the way and eventually say, not my job. It is really not my job, but previously I just did it as I did not want to waste time.

So now, all these morfos can brace themselves for some whatever fuckever attitude from me.

Malik

My last semester and a good weekend

2011-03-07T12:13:00.003+08:00

Waddup amigos. It's so nice to wake up on a monday morning and not have to go to school. I've just completed this ridiculous compulsory half module for law students called Work & Family (that's why it was completed in half a term and I no longer have class on mondays), which tries to teach you how to achieve a work-life balance. For three reasons, I think it's a cocked up irony. Firstly, why do I have to be taught work-life balance when any one in the right mind wants to achieve it and would naturally work towards achieving it; and for those who are mad, teaching them ain't gonna convince them. Secondly, the module requires us to do this irritating interview with a married couple of our choice and worse, transcribe a page worth of notable quotes from the interview and write a paper based on that interview as to how work and home domains' spillovers interact. I don't see why such a useless and tedious exercise should have tipped my current work-life balance towards the 'work' part. Thirdly, I feel that my work-life balance is much more towards the 'life' part now that this stupid module is over.

Indeed, the weekend has been a rather restful one, at least relative to all the other preceding weekends. In a fleeting span of 8 weeks, I have completed 3 research papers, 4 midterm exams, and 2 presentations. This is the worst bashing SMU has dealt me so far, and I see that it has saved the best for last. Of course it's partly due to my double degree programme that I've about 30% more work than the rest, but still, I don't see why 70% of what I'm doing is even warranted for making me a competent lawyer. But anyway, it's really nice to savour a sat evening with no work on your mind, have a sumptuous dinner of hawker fare, watch a good film, sleep for 9 hours, wake up and take a leisurely drive to Brewerkz (the one near indoor stadium, overlooking Kallang river) to have a lazy sunday brunch consisting of burger, cheddar, crispy bacon, fries that have this damn shiok crisp-crunch on the outside and mush on the inside, and to top it off with a delectable bread pudding drenched in cream sauce and some whisky caramel drizzled around it. Oh yeah, and read the Sunday Times while waiting for your food to come. Perfectomundo.

Jam packed

2011-03-04T08:16:00.000+08:00

Jam packed in the train, but I dont give a flying fuck cos it's Friday baby!!!

Sent from da iPhone

What Have You Done

2011-03-03T09:21:00.002+08:00

Malik.. This is for you..

Late night post from the office

2011-03-02T21:12:00.004+08:00

One of the most bastard people that I've met to date is my landlord for the academic year 2008 - 2009 in Bristol. He would take advantage of every opportunity to make his tenants pay for all sorts of improvements to his property even when it came to something cheap like a cupboard knob.

Essentially, he has only one trick up his sleeve. This is executed in 3 simple steps: attribute all physical deterioration (including existing and present fair wear and tear) to the tenants, deduct from security deposit and hope that he won't be sued. Normally, most who have had the misfortune of leasing his property would be stuck in a corner with little or no resort. But I decided not to let him have his cake and eat it.

While I should not mention in public how my housemates and I royally fucked him over, I shall mention one instance where I slammed him in front of a few people for entertainment.

It happened one day when I was going home and the locksmiths were replacing the lock on my front door. As this was the umpteenth time that a replacement was needed, the landlord became visibly unhappy at having to always bear such costs. In frustration, the landlord lashed out at me, blaming me for the times where he had to change the lock because the door constantly 'slammed'. He also insisted that I pay for the cost of the new lock. This was too retarded for my liking.

I then gave him a piece of my mind. It was all the more better this happened in front of a few people, namely the agent and locksmiths. Here are the main things said to him:

a. How did he know that the door was constantly 'slammed' and that it was me (since he blamed me) who caused this situation? I repeated asked him in front of everyone whether he had a CCTV at the door and whether he had seen me open and close the door before.

b. That it was not the manner of which the door was opened or closed, but his constant mistake of purchasing such a cheap and weak lock that led to these situations.

c. That instead of insisting that the tenants pay for the lock, he should in addition to paying for it, compensate us for putting us at various risks when we were locked in the flat these few times.

d. In the event he charges us, I would not pay my rent and/or call the environmental council to inspect the rat infested property to prevent it from being rented out.

The landlord was obviously unhappy after the conversation. But what to do? He just had to suck it up because he deserves it for his pathetic and insulting attempt at cheating and slamming me.

While I would generally consider it unwise to hantam someone unless it is a last resort, I am glad that some people have given me the opportunity to do so by putting me in such a situation. This is because slamming someone , even without an iota of vindictiveness, may be rather entertaining especially when there is a crowd. When will the next chance present itself? I don't know but I will surely relish it when it comes hahahahha.

Free zinger

2011-03-02T21:09:00.000+08:00

Slippery floors at kfc = free zinger meal + scolding
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld from M1.

Manual labour is terok

2011-02-28T19:28:00.001+08:00

Painting window panes, let alone an entire room is no stroll in the parc.
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld from M1.

Journey

2011-02-28T17:57:00.003+08:00

I went on an epic journey with Malik involving a whore who got a DUI, a
dong that was gobbled, feet that went jogging and of course a cute woman who wanted to rax on a podium. Fortunately, we had liquor and rye.

Another

2011-02-28T14:41:00.000+08:00

Parking ticket. Muthafucka.

Sent from my iPhone

2011-02-25T22:10:00.002+08:00

'Fireflies' is still a damn nice song even though its heyday has passed.

Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld from M1.

Barely enough space to look at my phone and type this

2011-02-23T18:41:00.001+08:00

On the train home doing the proletariat squeeze with the many others here.
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld from M1.

The Farewell

2011-02-22T20:40:00.003+08:00

Brutus:

Forever, and forever, farewell, Cassius! 
If we do meet again, why, we shall smile; 
If not, why then this parting was well made.
Cassius:

Forever and forever farewell, Brutus! 
If we do meet again, we'll smile indeed; 
If not, 'tis true this parting was well made.

DB Bistro Moderne

2011-02-20T20:08:00.000+08:00

Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld from M1.

Out with the old

2011-02-19T15:17:00.000+08:00

2011-02-18T22:31:00.002+08:00

'..when I park cars I don't pay for the meter'
-chiddy bang in mgmt 'kids' remix

While it is likely that he's a rich mofo who has a chauffeur to make the payment, it would be havoc if he just were a pure classic bastard who refuses to pay for parking.
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld from M1.

Blogging from my bed

2011-02-18T21:44:00.001+08:00

I think it'll be a good idea to let this post blur the lines between a blog and twitter since I don't have the latter.

My update therefore is: just kicking back, chilling and staring into blank space.

And welcome, albeit slightly late, to the world of one line posts!
-Kenough
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld from M1.

Undelivered

2011-02-18T12:01:00.000+08:00

Looks like Odin used to live in my apartment.

Patience

2011-02-18T11:58:00.001+08:00

Patience is not a virtue. Thinking that it is just helps to console
those who cannot get instant gratification.

Sent from my iPhone

The next few weeks

2011-02-08T15:06:00.001+08:00

The end of the holidays really felt fucked up. Kenneth aptly described
them to have passed fleetingly..

Fortunately, there are quite a few things that I'm looking forward to
doing in the next few weeks.. Among them are:

1) Doing some hardkore weights
2) Catching up on TV series
3) Researching and most likely purchasing a tablet. (you guys should
check out the motorola xoom - it's the one I'm most likely to get)

Hopefully these things will make another semester of extreme
performance studying more enjoyable.

- Luke

Sent from my iPhone

The first of many

2011-02-04T09:56:00.001+08:00

My first blog entry in a long time. But don't fret my frens, things r gonna change with my iPhone

Sent from my iPhone

Summer love

2010-12-03T12:06:00.000+08:00

Braving the heat of summer.

Top notch risotto

2010-11-30T19:12:00.006+08:00

This is by far the best mushroom risotto I've ever eaten. Apart from tasting well as a dish, the ingredients, namely the carnaroli rice and shrooms, were really flavourful on their own. This dish has different kinds of shrooms too, unlike most which only contain the button variety.

Damn damn good. And it's only slightly more expensive than most places. Yet the quality is significantly better.

For the record, I did not pull a dine&dash/chew&screw this time. haha
-Kenough

Sex party

2010-11-27T11:21:00.000+08:00

Advertising material for the state election. Hahaha.

Spreading the yuletide cheer from Kem(bang)an

2010-11-24T16:42:00.000+08:00

Toothbrush

2010-11-18T13:42:00.001+08:00

If you look closely, you will see a sticker on each toothbrush that
says not for use. Why do they have to put this there?!? Has someone
actually tried to brush their teeth with a display toothbrush in the
middle of a department store???

All massage techniques

2010-11-17T12:10:00.000+08:00

This is one havoc style brochure.. All massage techniques including 4
hand massage and "non surgical facial" hahaha.

More Christmas

2010-11-16T13:30:00.000+08:00

Pics of decorations around my apartment building.. I'm coming home soon..

Sad case

2010-11-10T10:23:00.000+08:00

Poor ferrari

Poster

2010-11-07T16:49:00.000+08:00

Thought this poster is quite funny somehow..

Tap

2010-11-06T22:11:00.000+08:00

This is one big time tap that Singapore airlines has installed on their A380s.

Christmas, Christmas time is near.

2010-10-29T14:11:00.000+08:00

Sent from my Samsung Captivate(tm) on AT&T

Rural

2010-10-15T11:27:00.000+08:00

Finished. 84%. Time to fuck off from here.

Sent from my Samsung Captivate(tm) on AT&T

Lol

2010-10-11T15:58:00.000+08:00

Sent from my Samsung Captivate(tm) on AT&T

Another blast from the past

2010-10-07T15:51:00.001+08:00

Rural style.

Sent from my Samsung Captivate(tm) on AT&T

2010-10-02T05:23:00.000+08:00

There's gonna be a new flight route from Singapore to Sao Paolo (kaka's first club) via Barcelona from next March onwards!

Fields of Gold

2010-09-29T18:34:00.001+08:00

Sent from Samsung Galaxy S

Pictures from rural

2010-09-29T18:33:00.001+08:00

Got some pics for you guys.. In order they are..

A VCR at the hostel.. Closeup of table at hostel.. Hotel I ended up staying at...

Shocking that VCRs still exist..

Sent from Samsung Galaxy S

Formula 1

2010-09-25T00:51:00.000+08:00

Earphones

2010-09-24T16:50:00.000+08:00

Yesterday while I was at the gym, something cock up happened. The small rubber earpiece of my earphone got unattached and I couldn't find it.. I went searching for replacements today but it seems like no electronics store in melbourne thinks that it's a good idea to sell such a thing.. I ended up having to buy a cheap pair of earphones just to take the rubber earpieces for my current pair.. Anyway here's some pics to remind you guys that Christmas is coming.. I bought one of these boxes last year I think.. Maybe will get one soon..

2010-09-23T07:53:00.000+08:00

Why does the rate of brain development decrease after our formative years? Is there a way to counter that? Or is it too late?
-Kenough

Rural Posting

2010-09-13T16:37:00.000+08:00

Some good news, guys.. I have gotten one of the nearest rural postings possible, meaning that I will be able to go home everyday.. Only a 90 minute drive. If you want to read up on where I am going, you can check this out. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seymour,_Victoria

Toblerone

2010-09-12T17:38:00.000+08:00

Like.

Sent from Samsung Galaxy S

Root canal

2010-09-09T18:55:00.000+08:00

Sent from Samsung Galaxy S

IMG00140-20100908-1841.jpg

2010-09-08T16:42:00.001+08:00

If I had a fucking pair of scissors to cut cable ties, I would not have needed to buy this pair.
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Toffee

2010-09-06T14:05:00.000+08:00

Does no one like toffee anymore? I can't remember the last time I saw any in a supermarket shelf in either Singapore or Australia.. I wanttttt...

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Lost but not found

2010-09-05T07:45:00.000+08:00

I left my black tie in a cab yesterday. Not that I have many, but it was definitely my favourite one. Now, apart from having to buy a new tie, I'd probably have to settle for a less aesthetically pleasing replacement. What to do man.
-Kenough

TheAmigos OST (Online Scrabble Tournament)

2010-09-02T07:00:00.000+08:00

Hola Amigos, shall we have a game of scrabble sometime soon? Please indicate your interest, if any, on the tagboard and state when it would be the most appropriate (gmt +8, not central european time) to play.

Apart from having a free for all royal rumble style battle, we may alternatively have a hell in a cell tag team match. In the event that the teams are too imbalanced, for instance if 2 powerpacked players happen to be on the same side, handicap, in terms of points, may be allocated to the weaker duo.

Most importantly, no limit betting is permitted - anything, tangible or not, may be wagered and since the nature of each bet is unrestricted, everyone is encouraged to bet creatively. Furthermore, I intend to incorporate gaming aspects such as handicap and insurance into this betting system to add an interesting slant to this tournament. So, at the end of the day, the champion may not necessarily be the last man standing but the winner who takes it all when it comes to betting!
-Kenough

Derivations from an Affogato

2010-09-01T02:45:00.000+08:00

Whenever one uses the term 'bittersweet', he is probably describing a pleasant encounter which has been tainted by sadness or perhaps something bad. This figurative meaning, I venture, has been derived from culinary experiences by people of the past. I believe that most people are inclined to agree that bitter is bad and sweet is good, notwithstanding that some may choose to differ. As such, this oxymoron presupposes 'bitter' and 'sweet' to be diametrically opposed notions, in a positive and negative sense.

Yet, the aforementioned assumption may not be necessarily true. Indulging in an affogato for the first time ever made me perceive this term in an entirely new light.

When deconstructed, this Italiano creation is a juxtaposition of bitter espresso to sweet vanilla ice cream, straddling a middle ground between a dessert and an after meal hot drink. To start, I tasted them individually in their separate cups and concluded that these were flavourful and enjoyable in their own right. Thereafter, I doused the ice cream with espresso and waited for the former to dissolve into the latter. The concoction turned out to be perfecto in a unique style way - each distinctive ingredient mystically complemented the other in terms of taste, texture and temperature.

From my observations above, I have made these deductions:

1) Since I am capable of enjoying both the bitter and sweet ingredients individually, it does not necessarily imply that these have a mutually exclusive relationship in terms of being positive and negative.

2) Even when these ingredients were combined, it led to the creation of an enhanced product.

These deductions go to show that even though something may contain bitter and sweet tasting elements, it does not necessarily have to be partly bad as the term bittersweet implies. On the contrary, my experience has shown that it can be totally positive one. Therefore, if I am correct in suggesting that the figurative meaning of this oxymoron is derived from the literal interpretations of 'bitter' and 'sweet', then the term 'bittersweet' cannot be logically consistent as a metaphor since it fails to cover all valid scenarios.
-Kenough

The Blacker the Berry the Sweeter the Juice

2010-09-01T01:06:00.000+08:00

Earlier today, I decided to attend my legal drafting class without any reading material, notepad and a pen. Instead, I took all notes with my blackberry which is mightier than the pen and by extension the sword. I, with the benefit of hindsight now, should have typed this using my blackberry during class to emphasize how useful this mobile device is compared to the insipid and redundant lesson I was forced to endure.
-Kenough

Super Freakonomics

2010-08-31T21:19:00.000+08:00

Hey guys! Hope this doesn't surprise you. I'm gonna pen one entry here before anticipating Ken's slamming and perhaps a share of that from Malf (think Malik & Gandalf.. minus the mouse-keyboard-slamming). :)

Before I actually begin, make sure you have some good 5 minutes to read on.

Well, I've been reading lots of books on the train to work cus the train gets ridiculously crowded from Admiralty all the f*cking way to Raffles Place in the morning... Yes.. it's all the f*cking way and it's not funny. If I am feeling more positive about the situation I'd probably try to imagine it as clubbing without music.. but -10 times the joy derived from clubbing.

So yeah I've read books like the Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson and he writes it really well to provide noobs like me a very good idea of the evolution of money; the undercover economist by Tim Harford explains very well some principles of economics and now.. I'm on my third book, Super Freakonomics which well, just uses econs to explain other things which are quite interesting.

By now, I'm pretty sure you have already heard of these books (or at least 1 of them) or have chanced upon them while exiting the bookstores. Currently I'm on this chapter about prostitution and why prostitutes don't really earn as much as in the past. They reason it with the rising trend in premarital sex. So people become less likely to pay for sex in that sense. Well, so far it has caught my attention and I bit the bait to continue with the reading. I really would like to take this opportunity to share this book with you guys, knowing that you guys are probably the only few friends I have who appreciate books.

In case you're wondering what the f*ck i'm doing now, I've started my job (which ain't no kick at

the moment) at PwC. I'm filing expatriate taxes for those mother-f*ckers in banking and finance and other industries who earn insane amounts and their annual taxes actually triple what I can earn 5 years. It's just their TAXES. So one colleague of mine just told me not think of it as just numbers.

There are 2 very stark observations I made in the office.. 1) The office is severely gender imbalanced and 2) f*ckloads of foreigners.

Let's touch on point 1 (and yes.. this is the beginning of my ranting).. why the f*ck does HR hire so many girls? There are currently like 8 asian males in my office and 3 Brits. The total headcount is slightly above 50. Seriously WHAT THE F*CK is going on...

Point 2: f*ckloads of foreigners... since now you know that there are 8 asian males.. out of this 8, 3 are Singaporeans and out of this 3.. 1 indian and 2 chinese. The rest of the asian males.. are from Malaysia and 1 from Sri Lanka.

The next thing to know is that there are f*ckloads of Malaysians and Indonesians.. it's really crazy.. it got me thinking.. where have all the Singaporeans gone? Are we that rare today?

So anyways.. before I end this entry.. just wanted to let you guys know that I've submitted my resume to a French bank by the name of Credit Agricole.. it's not big in Singapore, but it is quite popular in France. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

-El from Hell and not even Hell wants you Ken.

Pakistan flood

2010-08-31T16:59:00.001+08:00

What up guys.. When I was buying something on ebay, I was asked at checkout whether I wanted to make a donation to the Pakistan flood victims. I read up a bit about it and it seems that the amount of aid the people have received is very low compared to what is normally received for such disasters and what is needed.

Maybe it's because people think it is a nation breeding terrorists and hungry for nuclear power etc etc. I don't think it matters at all. The people dying aren't the ones making the nuclear bombs.

Anyway if you guys wanna donate, they accept paypal and credit cards, the link is here http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/pakistan-flood/

I'm sure even $1 can help someone. Ken and I were discussing that Christmas is coming. It's not too early to get in a good deed or two. Maybe it will lead to some big time presents =)

Last day of winter

2010-08-31T16:09:00.001+08:00

Finally.

Practical Law Course Update

2010-08-30T21:36:00.000+08:00

Like todays negotiation class, I found advocacy last Saturday to be a rather unnatural and awkward experience. Dealing with a mock case generally inhibited me from making inspired and havoc lines. However, I decided to make a change on the spur of the moment while making my arguments to the court. This situation would be elaborated below.

I had to show to the Court that the husband in question exerted undue influence on his wife to sign a guarantee. Given that we were not provided with any evidence on that issue nor could we cross examine anyone, most people were unable to convincingly persuade the Court to believe their story. So when it came to my turn, I suddenly got inspired, abandoned my script halfway and told the Judge that "it is not uncommon for a husband in any marriage to have an emotional hold on his wife.. and therefore I urge your honour to consider the possibility that unfair pressure could have been applied". The mock judge seemed receptive and laughed quietly in amusement as opposed to mocking cynicism. I was contemporaneously intrigued at how one sentence alone could have affected his opinion or demeanour at least.

Although such thrills are trivial in the grand scheme of things, these provide me, in part, with the sustenance to develop and advance my litigation career. I truly look forward to being a litigator because unlike most jobs, it is adversarial and there are so many real time challenges which I must overcome. Plus, these challenges are dynamic - I would have to constantly deal with different facts and people. Just ruminating about it makes me genuinely enthralled. While adapting to these challenges (which is far from easy) is a major aspect of practice, I also hope to be a vehicle of change and one day contribute to the evolution of litigation and the law. Influencing and conquering the hearts and minds of those in the legal domain would provide me with the ultimate career satisfaction. This is because I am not prepared to die without leaving my footprints on society in general or at the minimum, this strata of society which I will soon be intimately involved in. This coincides with my ideal that our generation should create history by being the hallmark of progress and have its unique defining traits.

Having defined my idea of success, I shall start studying for my Bar exams which is a proximate checkpoint in my lifelong project. I really want to do something useful in/with my life as there're few things that I have attempted to do properly. Failure, in the short and long term, cannot be an option at all.
-Kenough

Home visit

2010-08-20T21:13:00.000+08:00

Blog has been suffering from some underactivity lately.. You all should stop being such lazy bastards... Especially the mailman who makes the fewest entries by far. Anyway I thought I would just share an experience I had today with you all...

I had a lesson today which involved me going to a patient's house with a social worker to observe how their home and personal ability/disability was assessed for future action by other government subsidized social services. An example would be if an old person was falling down in the bathroom often, rails along the bathroom walls might be offered to reduce the chance of severe injury..

The main thing I took away from this experience though was that it can be quite shocking how people live. As I entered the house, I was immediately greeted with spiderwebs on the walls that looked like they could have accumulated over months to years. There was an able bodied 50 plus year old living in the house with his two parents whom he cared for.. The house was an absolute mess. For some reason there were at least 6-8 full loaves of bread on the kitchen counter. The furniture was all really old and dirty with unidentifiable bits of grime scattered about. In general the entire house was extremely messy and dirty. Boxes of medication were everywhere. A piece of paper was taped to the wall with green tape to write phone numbers on.

In short, it felt really fucked up being in there and I just wanted to get out. It is surprising that people can tolerate being in a place like that 24/7.

Woke up early

2010-08-06T07:06:00.001+08:00

Woke up early, showered early, changed early, took tram in opposite direction, reached late.
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A day in the life of Kenough (idea of title stolen from el bulli)

2010-07-12T00:45:00.000+08:00

I did 3 new things today. They were not contrived and instead spontaneous.

1) Ate Nasi Padang. I had it with chicken and fried egg. It was extremely good.

2) Cooked a snack as opposed to a proper meal to eat. I stir fried penne with chopped spinach and garlic in olive oil. Afterward, I baked the penne while they were spread on a baking tray. A healthy substitute for most snacks such as potato chips and it did indeed make me happy.

3) Ran from botanic gardens to siglap for dinner. Although I brought no emergency cab money with me, I had faith that I would somehow get there and true enough I made it. The journey involved running without being 100% confident of directions. From botanics, I just aimed for and ran on benjamin sheares bridge. Subsequently, I blasted in the general direction of the east. I got abit lost for a while as I have never been to, let alone negotiate through the Tanjong Rhu area before. Furthermore, I had to run on some off road grassy terrain for a while. The plan however was back on track swiftly. After more running, I felt compelled to take a pit stop by illegally entering SSC which was along the way. It wasn't that difficult to behave as though one was a club member seeking to re-enter the premise haha. To push things, I decided to ask a bartender for a glass of ice cold water which I promptly downed. From then on, directions were simple and I made a beeline to my intended destination where we had a 5kg fish (malik note this, it was a garoupa) among other dishes.

The end.
-kenough

Guys, just a quick update on the China situation...

2010-07-09T19:13:00.000+08:00

It's been a rather interesting experience so far, and I must say that I've encountered new situations and challenges.
1. My appallingly lousy chinese has made daily communication with people a challenging task, be it PRC colleagues, the agent of my apartment, waiters, sales people, etc.
2. I've been feeling rather repressed when those situations arise cos I can't express myself proeprly, so to those ppl, I probably appear rather dull. Sometimes, to avoid ppl thinking I'm mildly retarded, I qualify by saying that I'm not local.
3. Office work has been very challenging. Although it's an international firm that I'm working for, there're often correspondences that involve chinese parties. So, I've been compelled to do some translation work which, unsurprisingly, I really suck at. Imagine translating legal documents and technical legal and shipping jargon when I can't even read my fucking secondary school textbooks properly.
4. The lack of family and friends for company has resulted in me having about half my meals alone, and spending idle/chill time alone mostly. I've been getting used to it, and although it can really suck eating alone, I tend to have more time and space to think, appreciate the present, its activities and its surrounding occurrences, as well as do whatever I feel like doing without considering the accomodation of others. There is a certain valuable freedom in this that I particulary enjoy, when most situations are situations that involve just myself and inanimate objects - it's man vs wild where you don't have to give a flying fuck about other things. But of course, that privilege can only satisfy me this far - the company of others, doing things together, shared experiences, and the relationships enjoyed still can't be trumped. But for now, all's kool.

From Shanghai with love.

For Juston

2010-07-01T18:25:00.000+08:00

Hahaha you are not mad after all..
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Exams

2010-06-30T07:22:00.001+08:00

Just finished one of the most stressful exams ever.. No idea how it went but I'm glad it's over. Time to fuck off from here.
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