A Belated Birthday Celebration and Shoppin'!

A pleasant surprise came last Sunday in office as there was a small celebrations for the colleagues that celebrated thier birthdays in May.

It was kinda fun and Boss Alzari bought Secret Recipe cakes from Johore which is ABSOLUTELY mouth watering. Just look at the size of the cakes!!!! The Chocolate Indulgence is absolutely to die for and the CheeseCake was any short of the word...sinful.

okok..fine fine. thats a pizza in my hand...I was hungry ok!??!?!

Its been quite a good birthday this year. On the eve of changing to a new job, starting a new life....and of course, same old resolution last year, no majob worries in my mind.

Went out with his Majesty BB King aka Mario aka Ah Ho last weekend. Basically we just wanted to chill out and do some light shopping - seeing that I need a major change in my wardrobe since I'll be needing more office attires in months to come.

Its been quite a while since I went to shop for clothes. And of course....the same can be said about Ah Ho. The last time the dude bought office clothes was about 3 years ago. Hehe...somewhere about the same time I last bought meself a pair of slacks too.

We started off at Raffles Place where we somehow always ended up at Funan. Cant really stay away from that place. Being Techno Geeks, me and Ah Ho are kinda just drawn to that place. Hehe.

Anyway...after that...we went to PS and then later walked all the way to Bugis. Manage to get a few chinos and shirts from G2000. Hmmmm....seems like the only decent shirts with affordable prices can only be from G2000. Still....with the GSS in full swing.....we werent complaining about the discounts! Heh....for some outlets....if you are willing to wait till 12 midnight...you will enjoy additional 15% off whatever existing discounts that are on-going.

Good deal huh?

In the end....me and Ah Ho settled down at coffee shop along Liang Seah street. Reccomended by Ah Ho...we had the cze-cha...and the food was good!!!!! I took a few pics of the lemon-chicken and stir-fried kailan, but unfortunately I accidentally deleted them from my phone. Sheesh...

Though I manage to save this pic of Hot Plate Tofu.....and its seriously one of my favourite dishes!!!!

For gamers only: Next-Gen

First there was me Xbox. Then there was me PS2.
And all I can say....things will be getting worse. Damn.
Its been a while since I have been reading up on the mad, mad world of gaming. And as too much free time has it.....I decided to check the latest happenings in the gaming industry. 'Nuff said, the best place to start was thing year's E3.
E3 has always been the highlight of gamers every year. This Gaming convention is THE biggest gaming convention on the Western side of the world. It only comes second to the TGS - Tokyo Gaming Show....the land where Nintendo and Sony rule.
However....the more I read and watch videos about this year's E3, the more I realised that Microsoft is really kicking serious butt.
I must admit, the initial titles launched for Xbox360 started out kinda lame. In fact, there wasnt much improvements over the older Xbox titles. Thats what I thought.
In this year's E3....My, my, my. My hands are getting itchy. Titles that are prepped to be launched like Too Human and Lost Planet: Extreme Condition....are too good to be true!!!! Damn the in-game graphics are unbelievable!!! If it promises to deliver such superior graphics and gameplay.....Sony and Nintendo better come up with an answer that will match Microsoft's.

Too Human (Note: Images are in-game and pre-rendered)

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Note: Images are in-game and pre-rendered)

And thats not all, not to let consoles have all the fun.....even PC gaming is seriously heating up. And all I can think off is one word; Crysis. So far the teaser in-game trailer that has been released is just mind-boggling. Its like something you only see in a cutscene of any game.

Cyrsis (Note: Images are in-game and pre-rendered)

Seriously, if ever there's a motivation for me to upgrade my PC again...this game would be it. Its been a long time since I indulged in PC gaming, espcially in the first person genre. Its reminiscent of my old CounterStrik-ing days.
Still, in the end of this next-gen console wars, I still think Sony will reign supreme. No doubt that their demonstrations of the up-coming PS3 is rather dissapointing, but knowing Sony....they always have something up their sleeves. I'm sure they will come out with something that will seriously blow our minds. Till then...I'm saving my hard earn cash and will decide between Xbox360 and the PS3 when its released.
But for the time being....atleast I'm hyped up about God of War 2. Hehe...
Oh yea...and not forgetting Nintendo....Wii is the word. Thats right...the spelling's correct. Pronounced as "We", Wii is a seriously entertaining and innovative piece of gaming device. Its difficult to explain what it can actually do...but all I can say that its great fun if played with a company of friends and family...
Maybe the following video clip can explain better =)

Hey HO!!!!!!! 25 years....RoCk ON!!!!

I'm BACK!!! From a very much deserved holiday back in Penang....and of course, to celebrate my Quarter-Century Birthday =)

Must really say...every visit back is a real blast. Sleep depravation, non-stop meals and good company. Loved every second of it.

And of course, every single time I have to come back to Singapore and leave Penang.....its a damn sombre mood for me. Just imagine my face in the airport waiting to board the plane. Like what a good friend's mom always say....the frown I had is like hanging 5 kg of meat on my mouth (trust me....the hokkien version sounded much more funnier). Hehe.

Anyway, the theme for this holiday back in Penang was .......BENG!!!!!! YEah!!!!! For your info, the music that is playing now is Hey Ho by DJ Nick. Its a remixed version of Missy Elliot's Family Affair.

Seriously...this song is BENG TO THE MAX!!!! I went to a few clubs and they are playing it everywhere!!! Me and my friends got so hooked on to it that we played it in the car everywhere we go. 4 morons in a car shaking their heads to the song....classic.

Anyway, there were also a few surprises this time around. And one of them being....me buying a car!!! Wahahahahaha... Ok fine....it actually didnt go thru, but I was damn close.

I went to see the newly lauched Naza 206...which is the exact replica of Peogeot's 206. The only difference is that its assembled in Malaysia. Still, the most exciting about it, is that the first 1500 units are actually assembled in France! Without thinking too much, I just paid for the booking fee and, boy was I happy.

HOWEVER.........the test car didnt come as it was expected to. So, in the end I didnt had the chance to test drive the car. In the end, I cancelled the booking cos I wasnt about to buy a car which I have test drive yet.

Oh well.....guess there's always next time. And of course, my dream car. The Honda Civic. Hehe.

And moving on......one of the BIGGEST surprised I had.........met up with my very first high school crush!!!!!! Man oh man.....havent seen her for 7 years already. Must admit....she's still as pretty as ever....and happily attached. Haha...atleast we're clear on that.

Last but not least.....the highlight of every trip back to Pg....Da FOOD!!!!!!!! Not surprising, I ate like there's no tomorrow. With almost 100% guarantee that there will be a supper outing every night, I left no prisoners. I took down one hawker stall at a time.

God knows how many years since I ate at Raffe's. Same old place never changes. But one thing I'm glad that didnt change was the awesome Curry. Still as good as I remembered it.

2 of my all time favourite gourmets back in Penang. The one on the left is of cos the Lagendary Tari Burger. One bite of this and its....sheer heaven. And the one on the right.....Chicken Cordon Bleu. The ULTIMATE SIN. Its basically a deep fried chicken stuffed with ham and melted cheese; served with BBQ sauce.

Though, on the last night before I went back. I found a cosy restaurant called Bagan. Its pretty new...but very posh. Basically they have a bar and served fine-dining. Must say I really like the place alot for its atmosphere. The only thing missing was the compulsory foir-gras from its menu. Other than that...it was excellent.

Fine dining for 2 and 2 glasses of wine came to about RM 180. Definately a good deal.

180 Degree turn

Life as I know it....has come to an end.

Believe it or not, I got a job. And I've been so busy for the past few weeks, I didnt have time for anything at all. So much so that I don't really have enough time to accompany my parents who are now in Singapore for a short holiday.

Eventhough I havent officially started work at the new place, I've been literally working 2 jobs at the current point of time. You see, during my off and rest days, I had to go back to the new office to attend seminars and briefings so I can get a feel of wat the company is all about....

And oh yeah...those of you who are wondering. No, I'm not in Customer Service anymore (Thank God!). But I'm finally doing something which I have always wanted to so. And everytime I hear my title being read out....my heart skips a beat. I'm a Marketing Executive. =)

Doenst that sound nice? Haha. I'll be working for a Wealth Management/Business school that is located in Parview Square (yeeeehaaa!!!! finally I'll rejoin society again!!). Generally, the organisation specialises in Options Trading. Its a way of investment that promises great returns if done properly. In man ways, I havent fully grasp the whole Idea of Options Trading yet, but trust me....I've been reading everything I can about it.

Anyway, its a big step for me. I have ZERO experience in this field, yet, the Manager who interviewed me told me; if I'm willing to learn, they are willing to teach. And the best part? I'm not taking a pay cut and I get to travel!!!!!! Hahhaa...

But I'm sure it will be stressful once I start. I was at one of their seminars the other day. I saw a uniquely designed flyer that was designed by their current Marketing Department. I really like the creativity of the flyer and I expressed my interest of the design to one of the managers. She told me....."Its nice right? Well, we're expecting more from you. The HR manager (who interviewed me) have spoken highly of you. We hope you dont let us down".

Well, you can guess how much sleep I got after hearing that.

Still, to be honest, I considered myself lucky to land a job like this. No doubt that I dont have any experience at all in Marketing...but its a start. Its a stepping stone. It is only now I consider this to be the true start to my career.

When I tendered the other day in office....the feeling was so surreal. I couldnt believe I was actually resigning. I know I have always bitched, complain and whine about leaving the job, but I never really thought that it would actually happened.

On one hand, I was relieved. I was happy that soon I'll never have to utter those god-forsaken lines, "Welcome to __. How may I help you?" .....Words that I have so religiously recite for the past 3 years. It was soon to be over.

But on the other hand.....I was feeling very sad. I was leaving the few friends that I know in Singapore. Colleagues that I have come to trust and confide in. Friends that I've come to cherish. And BYES that I have bonded with....haha.

Though, I guess its a part of life. And also part of my career growth. I have overstayed my time in my current company.

No matter how much doubts and fears I have about my new job; the rush and the excitement is unbelievable.

;)

Hehe...

soon...

Blogging about something else?

Crashing Service Level, never-ending complain calls, long day. Seems like a perfect recipe for a really bad that.

That was the atmosphere at work 2 days ago.

I seriously had a bad day at work. Things doenst seemt to be going well and I took a total 144 calls. Every call was a complain and for the first time in 2 and half years, I was physically drained out. No matter how bad my day was, it was always stressful mentally, but never physically.

Though, the only respite I had from all that, is the 2 days off back to back on Sunday and Monday. And now here I am..... though I had a call from office yesterday asking me to go back for OT.

After what I been thru on Saturday......the answer was obvious. My sanity was more important than money.

Took the time today to catch up some blogs that I frequent. One thing that really hit me is that people actually have a life. Reading up on what people were up to during the weekends and their exploits really gives me a rush. And in some small way, I'm a little envious of them. Of course, a small part of me wants to live the life they have. Blogging about getting drunk, partying; and dare I say....getting laid.

Unfortunately, all those aspirations were for naught. What can I say about my weekends? Or my off days? Spent the whole day watching TV? Watching CSI? Well, lets just put things into perspective. I woke up today at 11am. Nothing left to do, I watched Ultraman.

Yeah. You heard me. Was wacthing Ultraman Nexus the movie. And thats about all I can say about my day. Another mundane life. And no, I didnt wake up late cos I was partying, getting drunk or getting laid. I was watching Commander and Chief.

As much as I would like to blog about how wild my weekends were, reality sets and and all you have is a geek with his computer. And also before anyone wanna lecture me about...."maybe you should go out, get a a life...bla bla bla".....don't start. I've been there. I seriously hate it when people do that. You'll never know until you been in my shoes.

Its funny isnt it? Myabe some of you are right. Rather than reading other people's blog and wishin I had the same life they have, maybe I should starting making my own life.