The Quit

'The student used to learn the basic things in painting from his master only...such as mixing paint...before they even get to paint'

The art of mixing paint is really into the art of painting itself. Michaelangelo used to spent all his time preparing his paints before he even started. In fact, he spent more time preparing! The knowledge of mixing paint is important in the art in that different paints react to produce different effects on the work. It is even more important to sustain the work as the mixture is exposed to air in time. The art slowly died as paint companies become established and long gone were the heinous preparation of paints. The job was conveniently done by these profitable organisation and soon, certain colours were lost in the art of painting itself in the wake of commercialism. The few wondersome colours that were lost at some time was a betrayal in the art.

The top statement was the advice given to me during my job interview. Like mixing paint can be rudimentary and undesirable where mistakes can lead to making toxic substances, my job was warned to be repetitive and boring from the start. However, I gladly took it because of the prospect to be under one of the masters in the trade.

But I gave up in ten days, got a paycheck that paid less than Mac's. Truth was, this is never the modern times before. It is a fast-changing environment. You can never mix paint for 10 years and still live on to ply your trade. The environment looks at competitive and highly-adaptable persons, not one that can be willing to stay mixing paint for 10 years before they are allowed to progress. Real employers that are at the top of their niche constantly look for the best and throw their best to train and cultivate their own. They move on. They improve. They build up.

I quit.

Sports journalism can be biased...because it just adds to the excitement.

The Devil Wear Prada

Nice movie...I actually like it!

In fact, I empathize very much with the story. I see it as, a group of friends who chose different paths in life. There was a short introduction to them, to which they end declaring,"To which pays the bill" and they toast. The story follows one of her journey -Anne Hathaway plays the character.

She oozes lots of charm, the smart and pretty girl just out of college, got the job every girl wanted as the assistant to the Runway magazine's editor-in-chief. She had the chance to meet the most famous people in the fashion world and get whatever dream job she had wanted after a year. But there's a catch, to which the movie gets its title, that is to work under Meryl Streep's unkind and ruthless character. The movie thrills when Anne Hathaway's character uses her wit to do the impossible 'the devil' tasks on her. It is even more thrilling to see Anne Hathaway in the fabulous set of wardrobe that she dons in every other scene.

The story so follows the unrelenting story of Anne Hathaway's character fighting her way in what she aspires to be. While she is well-rewarded, she starts to get confused after all the transformation she had set out. She starts to see the bigger picture after she had been engulfed and swallowed by the micro-problems that she had to run day-to-day. In the end, she abandoned the job. She chose life. She remembered that her life was not ever involved in the materialistic struggle to success. She took control of her own.

There could be an understated character in the bald, gayish fashion assistant to Meryl Streep's character. He is fabulous in what he does, yet he is humble, his feet firmly rooted to the ground. He offers advice to Anne Hathaway's character, he is her guardian angel in fact! He has, in all his capacity, to be successful, but he is mild, loses out in the power struggle, he follows life. In all this, he is very much likeable!

The movie delivers soft strokes on life with a huge and glamourous theme. It shows very much of New York, and then later of Paris, showing credence in the beauty of these cities, especially with fashion as the theme. There is love, there is glitz, there is meaning in midst of the glam and glitter -what more to ask for? I'm glad I've seen it in Singapore, not while I was in New York. It certainly brings back lots of memories.

The movie is funny.

That's all.

Blogging is for Lamers

Blogging is lame.

I have not started out a blog because it's not only lame but this lameness will take up my time! And I eventually cooked up a lame reason to join the crowd as of my first post:

just like how i do not want to live by regrets by choosing to study in London, I cannot afford to regret not writing about what I'm doing now at FILM School. I had missed the chance to write about the amazing stuff in my first year in London, but I will have the second year, and the third.

So now...I have just have to keep this up.

And why have I thought of such a lame blog address? The three years and beyond? Stop sneering! I have nothing better to do? Three years of what? Lameness? Beyond disgusting!

But. Quoting from Phua Chu Kang, he says he is best in Singapore and JB, some say in Batam. The anonymous guy in Superman at the start of his good old cartoons (if it's not superman then some other funny man lah...) says he's the greatest from the galaxy and beyond. I say, my blog is the best in Singapore, JB, Batam and Beyond! Dun pway, pway, I have laser beam.

Delicatessen: Miramar Ala Carte Buffet

Watched Band of Brothers? This was 4 good army pals in a buffet.

We made a strong entrance with our alleged presence but was put to this tiny table with four chairs. I felt I've been put in the wrong table and so I called the waiter over and told him for a change, and at the same time to boast of the Western education I've received to be comparably outspoken since I had only met them once after being back.

"We need a bigger table so as to hold up the number of plates"

"Oh, that's not a problem. You can order slowly, then there will be space" said the scrawny waiter.

I tried more than this but was bound to fail because he could leave the table and condemn us to this puny little weeny table, our thighs almost rubbing each others' at each corner... ...

The food came as our massive campaign to bring down the restaurant started. It was a good start. We cleared the plates before new ones came. And we were left wandering why the food came so slowly... ...

Ultimately, our capacity died down. This is a disappointment and I have to be embarassed to say this, but for reason of entertainment and too much free time, I mention this. More plates came, and the waiters purposefully made the effort to squeeze in new plates as the previous plates could not be cleared. The meal was then ended with 4 different dishes of crab...with one member claiming that he doesnt eat crab!

The band of brothers ordered a regroup and a ceasefire was called up.

"See lah. The table so small, now cannot even put in the new plates. And why the 4 ppl beside us get a bigger table?!" I said.

"Because they are better than us what...look at them! They've started before us and they're still eating so much! They deserve the table lah...."

"Wah you just now say until you can eat so much to the waiter...ask for big big table some more...now we are having such a difficult time...lose face lor..."

We were dwindling but we were still strong for dessert.

"3 of each," I said, "For the ones that have not come, you can stop the order if they have not been prepared...And make sure you do that. We will not eat them when the dessert comes."

The waitress went back to check and gave us the assurance that those orders have been forgotten.

I was relieved for a minute, then the scrawny waiter came back from behind me.

"There's still one more Ah!" He examined the order sheet a few times before crossing the last of the few uncrossed.

And he brought over a plate of carrot cake of the largest size.

"Wah so small ah!" I exclaimed.

___

The food was very much pretencious by the way but the menu was extensive and fanciful.

Delicatessen: Minced Pork Noodle (Ba Cho Mee)

Bedok Block 85 VS Chinatown streetside

Bedok 85's is souped! To my surprise! I suppose the better store is closed and was warned that this one is salty. But it's still good. I've finally tried it!

Chinatown's is a great example of a good Ba Cho Mee in Singapore. Served dry, well-tossed in a hint of the base soup and the great-tasting ingredients that conjure the taste.

The Delicatessen Series is Launched!

Delicatessen: Chicken Rice @ Upper Thompson Road

I decided to quit my job after 10 days of passitivity (passive activity). So, my colleagues decided to bring me for a final lunch. They drove all the way to Upper Thompson for a car polish, and to the other famous chicken rice restaurant.

The treat came promptly. The chicken is yellower for its prized recipe and it's delectable. The rice is great too. Simply gratifying!

The stall says low fat and cholesterol (it's chicken is of the wild...mountain chicken it so claims to serve). But the sauce is mostly fat and cholesterol! My two hilarious colleagues started daring each other to try it. And they did; slurped at it. The crisp and sharp sound with vacuum sucking in the oil against the tongue, and the oral cavity was a treat, an enchanted moment of ecstasy!

Drive and drive, we cruised back for work. They made the most funny jokes for the day. Vic then flicking his mp3 to this 'retro' techno sound that was hynotizing everyone down to boredom for 5 seconds. Then Ir, his other stand-up, started rapping in the 'Mai-Hum, mai-hum, mai-hum' from the Mr Brown show.

... ...

Alternative Chicken Rice: Margaret Drive, Chatterbox, Pow Sing@ Serangoon Gardens

Delicatessen: Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre

Tiong Bahru hails a neighbourhood of tremendous heritage that has been kept up to this day, bits and parts of it that has not only coexisted with the development, but lived and breathed together. A man (a doctor he is, but I do not remember his name) wants to establish this place in Singapore as a UNESCO site. It's not a surprise if you think through it. Tiong Bahru can never be as brilliant as Taj Mahal but this man says some many UNESCO sites are established for its cultural space.

The hawker centre is an exemplication to my opinion. Climbing up a hard flight of stairs, the place is nothing of the old. Its stalls are new, high ceilings, lots of fans, lots of space. Many of its stalls are rated 'A' for hygiene as well. The food stores, the people is the essence...

Pig's organ soup (Thi-U Huang Giam Cai). Tasty and absolutely. Lots of zest and effort in the ingredients. The old man collects the orders. The aunties collect the money. The younger man cooks. Very friendly stall...the old man gives me time to consider my order and explains to me the serving. "Man man lai" he says, as the queue piles up...

Lor Mee with fried Stingray. Another delight. The Lor Mee is delicious and the stingray makes it greater.

Fried Ice-Cream. This is the only place that I know sells. The dish is a legend, and exotic in the sense that something frozen can be fried over, and to savour in the ice-cream that is still frozen as you tug in. But they have run out of ice-cream and I was to miss it after spending my childhood years thinking of eating it again! "The group of kids this morning finished the ice-cream" The young Malay girl explains though her empty stall (as compared to the bustling hawker centre) had no evidence of that. I could only leave in disappointment!

Delicatessen: Boat Quay Duck Rice

It's famous, apparently.

This is my first lunch with my colleagues and they say they will have to bring me here. And so we bypassed the many food stalls straddled along the interjection of roads by my workplace under the blazing Singapore sun in shirt and tie.

Not to my amazement, the place was already packed with fellow crease-free, tie-strangling working class and the likes. There was no table...

Then, to my amazement, we decided to go to the neighbouring Kiliney, that of which straddles along the same maze of food stalls round my workplace and we had to settle by this one, and we have also waited some time for the duck rice!

The duck rice was never to be missed eventually. I decided to pack it back to my office and the fragrance of the black duck sauce was to linger around until work stopped pouring in at the end of the day.

At the end and at the end of the day, I ate. The rice was cold, wrapped in the good old brown paper that preserves the food. The duck rice was heavenly, as was the sauce. A delight!

Alternative duck rice: Off South Buona Vista Road, after the 99 turns.

The Croc Hunter

I logged to msn and got the first ever surprise from it. I see turtle emoticons in front of a dozen of my friends' nicks.


-huifang- says:
it's a tribute to steve irwin mah
JX says:
hAHA...KK
JX says:
shouldnt it be a croc?
-huifang- says:
haha..that part im not sure also!


JX says:
hey what's this turtle abt??
JX says:
how come so many ppl have
bAt!gOl-wInNiG eLeVeN gOd says:
croc hunter die ma
bAt!gOl-wInNiG eLeVeN gOd says:
ppl put to show respec
JX says:
issit the one who's got his own documentary?
JX says:
the australian guy?
bAt!gOl-wInNiG eLeVeN gOd says:
ya
JX says:
how he die?
JX says:
then shouldt be turtle wad
bAt!gOl-wInNiG eLeVeN gOd says:
stingray sting him
JX says:
haha
JX says:
how come so many put this turtle sia
bAt!gOl-wInNiG eLeVeN gOd says:
form of respect la
JX says:
ok.....
JX says:
so why turtle?
bAt!gOl-wInNiG eLeVeN gOd says:
mayb it's the oni reptile avail in the emoticons ba

samuel says:
dunno hahaha
samuel says:
cos that's no croc in msn?

oh well...here's the reason for the turtles appearing in front of ppl's names on msn...

Steve Irwin-crocodile hunter d today on the 4th of September, on the Batt Reef, near cairns. As a sign of respect for the Australian tural icon, please place a turtle ( tu ) at the start of ur msn name, and forward t s message on to others pls sp ..

But I'm still not convinced about the turtle and I asked Gerald...


JX says:
why not croc?
crusader says:
coz there isnt a croc
crusader says:
dun ask me lame stuff...hah
JX says:
but he's the croc hunter
crusader says:
he's an avid environmentalist...
crusader says:
he's not just about crocs
crusader says:
he filmed turtle documentaries too u know
JX says:
but he's the croc hunter
crusader says:
he's known as the croc hunter bcoz tat was the title of his 1st docu...

... ...

I do not know Steve Irwin. I am not his fan on TV. I doubt my friends are. But there is a mass tribute for Steve 'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin. I pay my tribute too and my condolescences...