happy 44th S'pore

well, it's been another year for Singapore since its independence eh?

well, i would say that this year's national day is a whole new experience. apart from the fact that i managed to jump on the stage of the floating platform and enter the command center for the parade, i am in fact for the first time, going on a holiday!

oh, i am no performer for the parade, i was there to cover a NDP-centric story, which is another whole new experience for me in my 20 years of walking the Earth.

these are why my national day this year seems different. haha.

sounding damn kiasu, going overseas is a long-time dream since my last trip to dunno where, dunno when. dots. thus, this long weekend is going to be put to good use! a short getaway at the very least to take my mind off stuff.

~k~

uniquely singapore indeed.

Singapore is definitely unique in its very own ways.

although people get all excited over the array of food we have here, it just seem the same to me everywhere. okies, maybe i am no fan of the hot and stuffy food markets so i don't get to taste these awesome food everyone talks about.

apart from the food, Singapore has...nothing else? seriously, what can you do in Singapore? other than the shopping, which ain't cheap at all and the meant-for-tourists landmarks, Singapore has limited activities for its very own inhabitants.

even shopping is getting tougher as i grow up. being more brand selective and all, growing up has made me realise the ideology behind quality versus money. although there are price tags that differs like heaven and earth, but it comes clear once you try the product out or feel it.

It wasn't till one fateful day when my friend told me that Mango, not the fruit of course, but the fashion line famous for it's "up-tp-70%" sale, has its very own fashion line for men.

although it has been some time there, but i have never noticed or seen it anywhere. intending to hunt it down soon, it occurred to me that guys have really nothing to shop at, what with all the typical topman, zara and celio, which are not relatively cheap, we do not have much to choose from. okies, not including Bugis street as a destination at all.

with all the new malls popping up like some disease, with orchard seeing three new additions, it seems as if Singapore is making a very huge investment to improve expenditure hur? however, a trip down to Iluma, Bugis, kind of sent away all my hopes.

firstly, why are there so many "interesting" shops there? shops like D&C (sound familiar?)? i should not go further, but that was no mistake in spelling, neither was it a mistake i saw even though i was blind. i got confirmation for that alright.

Iluma was a big disappointment. apart from the HUGE cinema they have, it is pretty "empty" i would say. there are authentic nice shops in there, but the bulk of it seems unappealing. to put it crudely, the mall seems like a re-invention of it's neighbour, Bugis Street. just that it's more atas? seriously, the interior of it ain't any better than it's cotton wool concept architecture, which i thought looks kind of cute.

but, Singapore is still my home right? i am still glad that coffee joints are still available everywhere and wireless connection is the bomb. i love Singapore, at least for this.

~k~

once a year: the dad's day.

sad to say, i have to confess first that it is until this year, when i am 20, that i finally realise that i have been taking the wrong day as father's day.

i have always thought that father's day is the second sunday, just like mother's day, but it has always been the third sunday.

how dumb of me eh?

well, as usual, this year's celebration wasn't small. unless you call three tables (that fit an avg of 9 people) a small gathering? haha. not the case for most i guess. aunties, uncles and grandma/dad came along, so it was kinda HUGE.

well, father's day is just another day for economic boom (in a small bit la hur?) to me. but, i still love the food we get to devour: my swensen's ice-cream cake this time round. haha. although it's not that savory, but it was shiok enough la. adding in the fact that the sun seems to be always there, even the night seems humid and damn stuffy.

today was an off-day from teaching piano (hoorays!!) so it was spent carrying out our plans for father's day and also just slacking with my Sims3. oh, i forgot to mention the 2 hours of jamming, with guitar hero. haha. for one who has never played drums and guitar proper, it is quite the good game to test your co-ordination skills?

after 2 months? or so, i would say that routine jobs are really boring, but i do find my internship rather..interesting? haha. i love events man. great fun and excuses to go out of the office! i love working on the go. waha.

kudos to tomorrow! sis first day too!

~k~

murphy's law, as always

just when you don't expect it most, it happens. sounds familiar to everyone i guess? i think i might have posted something similar before, but this time round, it really has brought about a pro-longed cold war.

yups, WWIII (or rather HHW--household war?) broke out within the household just slightly more than a week ago. well, no elaboration so as to not repeat the usual child argues with parents story that goes on everywhere in this world.

today, i witnessed the prowess murphy possessed. sis, who was supposed to start work yesterday, which is also half the reason that spoilt her plan to fly over to Copenhagen, ended up starting only next week.

due to some H1N1 suspecting, her office place was shut down to clarify stuff. her trip could have been possible, but it all had to happen only when it was cancelled.

sigh. when will murphy stop?

sis is the dragon fully transformed now..an insider joke..

~k~

the day 'Konrad Foo' goes online

well, it is not literally the day i start using the internet, but it's the day my name appears on the internet. or rather, my whole full name being on the world wide web.

never in my life was i able to search for something or someone called 'Konrad Foo' and yield potential and credible results. however, after joining CBS interactive, for my internship, my name miraculously appeared on the internet?!

although not miraculously since they were stories published by me (with lots of help and words of advice from my editors and colleagues). It is just the fact that i am 'searchable' now.

am i basking in the lime light? haha. pada-da-da-da. i'm lovin' it. dots. i am kinda scared of it though, but on a side note, who the hell knows me? i'm just oh-that-Konrad-with-the-byline still (byline is the term used when you are the author of the story posted).

well, will i be fired by saying this?

although i have never taken a liking to the journalistic world, i would say this internship so far has made some changes in that mindset. despite starting to like it, but i don't see my self in this line in future. haha. another potential termination reason?

but today's experience at the IT trade show is an eye-opener. a true eye-opener.

so far so good. no bad remarks at the very least. hoping that this post wouldn't bring any unwanted calls from my lecturer or editor though.

tomorrow will be the second day at the show! shutterbug i will be.

pada-da-da-da. i'm lovin' it. (will i violate copyright laws with this? i want to eat fries still...)

~k~
just to be irritating, but this is the second post from my Macbook! dots. ;P

come back post...again...

where do i begin?

To tell the story of how great a love can be

The sweet love story that is older than the sea The simple truth about the love she brings to me Where do I start...

i seriously have no idea where to begin...

haha. how boring of me eh?

so much has happened since the last post! "Friday flings", internship stories, on-campus session for SIP, GSS, PC show (ending tomorrow), shopping days, money spent (lots of it) and of course my proud announcement:

my very own...

well, by right, i should not be that happy since i actually got myself the old model of an Apple macbook. If you didn't know, Apple has recently changed its line of macbooks. Instead of keeping the still-rather-new aluminium macbooks, they decided to change all of them to macbook pros. the line of higher end macbooks which use to be 15 to 17 inches in the past.

However, i was never a fan of the new macbook as i didn't like their shift away from the well-known white-ish macbooks they are known for. thus explains my decision to get this macbook instead. furthermore, it was cheaper and although not as powerful as the new macbooks, but it's good enough for me.

well, this macbook purchase is actually the latest news, literally just on Thursday?! PC show la... it would be pandemic if someone was to report having swine flu there. HAHA. touch wood eh?

seriously, it is uber crowded with humans. escalators were spoilt too. first-hand experience somemore.

amazingly, i have the money to spend during this spending spree of the year! what with GSS and PC show. how can one not spend right? if it's not on both it would definitely be either one?!

GSS wasn't as impressive, neither was the PC show that good. but, GSS still made me buy new stuff for my wardrobe mostly. Pedro shoes, jeans, shirts but sadly not alot. haha.

Taka was having some toy sale and my god-like gundam mobile suit was there! on sale! a usual price of 600 bucks was cut to 400 bucks! how cool is that right?! but too bad, my macbook had priority...but i'm glad with it!

sigh, some good buy among the not-so-worth-it ones.

anyways, don't expect a short come back post like before this time round! i have a never-ending supply of saliva...sounds a little gross though..

well, remember my adoration of coffee? it has just been promoted to the level of obsession. i am now addicted to coffee, i would daresay.

I am sooooooo (and the 'O's never ends) addicted to that caffeine-filled drink. everyday at list two cups of it? like 275 ml ind of cup? but i'm loving it. haha. 1. it keeps me awake, or rather wake me up from my concussion-like state in the morning. 2. it refreshes my brain when in need of ideas and ways to write my news article at work. 3. the intoxicating smell is just GOOD!

haha. tat's how obsessed i am now.

as for my usual "Friday flings" with my buddies from school, it has been going well but sad to say one's gone to the army, one's troubled while the rest are just shagged. maybe we need a meet-up every Friday instead? Guo's house is...as great as ever. (refer to my 31st floor dream post...)

back to my "touching" of the new macbook. can't get enough of it you know? the beginning excitement one have for everything new? haha. maybe it's just me. i wanted to use the word "molestation", but it sounds really wrong with no doubts nor second thoughts..

~k~

Car trips in the mornings.

every morning, dad would fetch me and mum either to Tampines MRT or we will follow him to Vivo to catch the train.

Why Vivo? cause dad's working at our oh-quite-famous Sentosa. the IR that is in the midst of sand and columns. mum and me wil hop on the train there and follow the purple (North-East) line to Dhoby, where we will change to the red (North-South) line.

okies, enough explanation. boring shit.

it took me real long to get back here and blog. been kinda busy and also restrained to do such mundane and useless stuff (to the company) while at work. reaching home after work means SLEEP!

one thing that cannot change during this 6 months would definitely be my sleeping ability. i am SO deprived of sleep. seriously, waking up every day at 7 (snoozes till 7 20 usually) is a killer!

although i am getting more used to this lifestyle now, it is still a torture to wake up and bathe with my eyes close. i actually bruised myself. (walked into the door frame of the toilet) how stupid?!

anyways life has been like..a dying person's heartbeat. haha. yea, monotonous and beeping only once in a (long) while. not that i have nothing to do, but i would say that the routine 9-5 30 life is getting to me..

will i fail intern because of this?......i certainly hope not. i did not flame or scold or complain or anything did i? about the company?

actually i am contented with what i have, as in internship. never am i contented with what i have..haha..materialistic me eh?

anyways, i only have one goal for this internship! my brand new Macbook White! i am going to snag that gizmo when the price is cheapest! IT fair is here soon!

IT IT IT IT IT IT..everything around me is IT! IT news, IT business, IT developments. tsk tsk. i might come to hat it one day.

also, i got myself an iPhone! or rather, i owe my dad for it. i was using the original US iPhone (i won't get caught will i?) but i recently got the white one! woots!

kkz. short one here. got more stuff to share tmr. some really stupid stuff i came across online from a friend.

kudos to all in this economy! all hail the almighty $$$$$$!!

~k~

First Friday Fortnight Fhing

haha. im just bent on making all four words start with "f".

before internship started, the "chestnuts" (our hangout, chill, talk rubbish and good pals bunch) decided to have a fortnight meeting every friday so as to perk ourselves and have something to look forward too, or so that's what i think? haha.

Yesterday was the first! and we had it going well. everyone was happy to see one another, share our first week experiences and happenings. Jared's one was hilarious, i mean really hilarious.

fish&co was our menu for dinner and we all ate till out stomachs showed. is this considered exaggeration? but mine did show anyways, might be due to the fact that i'm too thin at the width ..dots..

as usual, we wondered the streets of dhoby ghuat, somerset and orchard aimlessly. luckily, we chose to chill at Cine's (cineleisure) Xin Wang Cafe (a hong kong cafe that serve HUGE toats). we ordered more food despite the lingering food within from fish&co. i loved my "yuan yang/ying yong (spelled by them)" or it's simply coffee + tea. i ordered my all-time fav: kaya butter toast. one word: BIG

the whole night was filled with chattering and laughing, how free eh? but we all know it only happens fortnightly on that friday which will come soon..

how not to look forward to it right? furthermore, i can't swim anymore..random..sigh..

"the male chicken. isn't that rooster? simply call it cock. isn't cock, cockerel? aiya, cock can already la." a gist of what we talk at work? haha.


~k~

Internship: Introduction day

First day at work! it was a total new experience for me because...i've been put into the editorial team for ZDNet Asia. Amazing isn't it?

Well, i've always hoped for a marketing position or related stuff, but i'm finding fun at my current work place. I have a really fun and liberal team. No stress, ok la, a bit stress here and there when you need to come up with story ideas and such.

what else can i ask for? thanks Ms Tan!

~k~

31st floor dream.

it was amazing to see such a residency exists in Singapore. it must have been a hotel plan gone wrong. definitely.

how can a condo be built to resemble a hotel that much. although the small units are really tiny as compared to others, but the amenities there are whoopy superb. with a private resort on the 7th floor, a Sky terrace and clubhouse on the 31st floor, it is everything one can ask for.

do i sound like i'm marketing it? wth.

~k~

Internship. NYDC. Sentosa. fortunately not Discovery Centre.

many things have happened along the weeks since the last post. my internship briefing, hangout after that, sentosa outing and the mid-night movie.

well, intern would start soon, like the 13 of April. in a week time and i'll be stuck with a routine daily 9 - 5.30 job. how fun is that?! however, i do like my workplace, not sure about the company but Centrepoint is a rather good place. CBS interactive is where i'll be going to. i am quite happy to be posted there, furthermore it is a tech-savvy company. can't wait for all the gadgets and stuff to come.

the group of us went out after the briefing for some chill and makan session. it was funny, stupid and really entertaining. imagine touring the market place in Paragon?! we were all addicted to the meat and cheese section. Salmon! haha.

my favourite that day was Da Paola Gastronoma. that place was awesome. the desserts were tempting me so much, but the price just kept me at bay. the pizza even made us devise a 'fool-proof' plan to steal some pieces of it......

we went to chill at NYDC after that too. it was the funniest part of the day. stupid quotes were thrown here and there. my slice of tiramisu mudpie topped it all off. pure satisfaction i would say.

then, on 30th March, it was the long awaited Sentosa day! and dear Celia even came up with the schedule and plan for the entire day. how amazing and suited for her industry?! i shall talk about it in another post. since i have photos to post too. overall, it was tiring but the fun-est day this year, up to now. haha.

as for the discovery centre, i thank whoever, whatever that allowed me to skip the chance to travel to Jurong. so luckily, Discovery Centre would not be added into the 'places-i've-been-to-this -year' list. long story there too. haha. another time.

anyways, Happy April Fools!

"i enjoyed him when i was in year 2 already." does it sound weird to you? especially from another guy.

~k~

The old-school games.

i am a The Sims fan! however, i did not invest much in the Sims 2 because i felt that it wasn't really worth it? furthermore, it was so expensive.


i bought it early, which resulted in a higher price as compared to a later date. to speak the truth i have not enjoyed a proper game of my Sims 2 yet. blame it on a poor computer that i have. my laptop can host the game, but some incompatibility with the operating system seems to cock up the whole game.

sigh.

Sims 3 is coming out, so i will just have to wait for it. I am really going to wait for the price to drop this time. anyways i will be busy with my intern and school stuff as well.

i feel so satisfied typing away on my iMac. talk bout craziness? i am just happy and really satisfied. although i still want my MacBook?! haha.

tomorrow will be another rolly-polly day at the music school.

nights in advance to all.

~k~

Apple. not the fruit.

dad bought a freaking iMac! although i would love to get a MacBook instead, but getting this new addition is worth it all.

although this i Mac is not only for me, but i figure that mostly only me and only me knows how to use a Mac better than the rest? my family are aliens to the Mac system.

well, i have always dreamt of getting a MacBook since i started poly. say it's the stylistic looks, unique design and the overall appeal of it?
of course many different brands are putting up a tough fight against Apple. there are rather nice ones out there too, but the Macs just set themselves apart?

well, i got an iMac now, so i shall save up for my MacBook! my main goal for my intern. haha. how interesting eh? i'm going intern for the sake of my MacBook!

i did this rubbish editing on a picture of the new iMac:



i love my new iMac! and Dad is being super super nice. Thanks again Dad!

~k~

MBA. Polka dots. Pink tie. Horns.

Naughty or Nice?

the theme for our MediaBiz Awards 09.

everything went well and not to be proud or complacent, but i loved my awards' design! although it was kinda copied from Heineken, i still tried my best to design it!

our awards design:

it is missing the CMM logo though. not sure if i'm allowed to post it here since not everyone had a copy of it. but anyways what do you think bout it?

the title is all related to MBA. that is because i wore a black with white polka-dots shirt, pink tie and a pair of devil's horn. so i guess you know which side i fell under?

anyways, the awards thing was really fun and of course we enjoyed putting everything up for the seniors. time flies and it would be us next. i wonder how it would be that time. another year from now.

right now let's just focus on the time before internship starts? sigh. 6 months of routine days are coming. i need something that does not require a routine and daily working hours?!

well, internship would mean financial income too! so..i am planning to save up to get my very own MacBook!

call me a spendthrift.

~k~

tagboard mayhem

well, my poor tagboard failed to appear on my screen today.

i have no idea what happened nor how to save it. therefore, i decided to go tagboard-less for a few days while i search for another substitute?

well, MBA is around the corner and i have yet to complete my design for the awards. guess i should get down to my work eh? my holidays ain't started yet i guess. exams are all finally over and down with.

however, i have a feeling or rather i know i will be failing something. so i am all prepared for my supp paper.

well, short post here. i am developing an urge for old-school games..

~k~

closed-circuit television

does this look like anything to you?

yep, the all-known CCTV.

don't ask me how it appeared on the bed instead of the ceiling or wall. neither do you want to know it's origins. dots.

it came from somewhere called CCHMS. go find that out on your own.

Bro brought it home one day and he seemed rather proud of his new collectible. did i ever mentioned about bro's interesting habit? well, he is just like a typical Garang-Guni. He collects almost everything he thinks is interesting.

other than this CCTV, the previous addition was a card that we got from the Singapore Flyer.

it wasn't the admission card nor any normal card. it was an indicator card for the pictures that the Singapore Flyer staff took for us. you know those photo shoots they do for you? but you have to end up paying lots of money just for them in the end.

so, this is Bro aka the Garang-Guni.

"i'm a busy boy, even the vice principle needs to book appointment with me." Bro said when Mm asked about Meet-the-parents-session.

~k~

Ava did a rolly polly.

scenario: Student rocking back and forth on the piano chair.

me: hey, you better be careful, don't fall.
Ava: i won't.
SHe falls next and the piano chair actually managed to end up with four legs sticking up into the air. She quickly stood up and started laughing?!
me: are you injured?
Ava: no, that was fun! i did a rolly polly! can we try that again?

i have interesting students eh? how fun can that be? dots.

anyways, i have no idea what's a rolly polly too. she simply said it was the 'rolling' kind of fall or whatever. it was tickling funny. i was glad that she was my second last student or else i would be laughing all day.

~k~

Bugis endangered.

boring day at home yesterday. should have studied but i obviously chose not to.

however, something really out of the blue occurred: an interesting message from my friend. i ended up with several of the same message though. i don't know if the content is allowed here, but i guess it should be alright. i would not want to get caught for false statements?!

the message simply reads:

do not go to Bugis for the next few days as terrorists might plan a bomb around that area. this message is forwarded by an army friend. They claim to be on 24 hours standby and there are many policemen there.

being the ignorant kind towards such messages, i decided to respond to it for the very first time. i was so bored i forwarded the message to some contacts. apparently after i did that, duplicate copies were sent to me from other friends. is this how service providers make money? dots.

i was at Bugis yesterday, but no sight of policemen nor any suspicious looking item/people. maybe i was just too blind to see it eh? what would a terrorist look like anyway? i keep harbouring the Osama-look-alike as a terrorist. that seems to be the only picture to fit the bill.

anyways, i was kinda amused when i received news of the arrest of the guy who started the 'Bugis' message. haha.

bravery is the word here?

~k~

Smoking.

shisha.

well, not a cig. but a tower that emits smoke? lets you puff on some flavoured stuff. walawalawala.

okies. it was me and Celia's first while Sis was like a pro. it was funny how hard i tried to get bubbles in the water and also to puff out smoke. at least i did it better than Celia? haha. she got better at it though.

it was a typical day, but funny things made it worthwhile.

Celia was really lucky to escape the flying scraps of food , which landed right in front of her feet. that was really funny. the awkward pausing action to stop and calm yourself while you think of another route to take. it was hilarious, but good thing that it did not land on your feet.

maybe the cats might have come after you instead? if the scraps actually fell on your feet? haha.

then there was this uncle (selling drinks) who was kinda 'deaf'. he brought us our drinks and when we wanted to pay, he just stood about a metre away staring out. our numerous attempts to call him fell on deaf ears. so, i decided to just continue with my drink and let him wait. evil me once again.

Sis came later and this same uncle got very interested in her band-like bangles. he kept pointing and looking at her while we were eating. it was totally freaking uneasy and Sis was on the verge of squashing him.luckily he manage to stay unscathed. dots.

it was shisha time after that. quite an experience.

no photos since sis has not uploaded them nor sent them.

another time den.

~k~

Pictures Galore.

Now you see my magic carpet?! dots..

it was a mistake that i bought it. shall not remind myself of the stupidity.

the black board you see is proudly done up by me! sad to say, it was my first time drilling holes in the wall. it was fun. haha. no stray thoughts i hope so...nvm.

well, i'm not in any of the pics. haha. dad and mum are just hilarious at times.

i have got to freaking teach tomorrow! random. sigh.

~k~