A new beginning. Thursday 13th February 2014 :)

After a really long absence from the world of literary and musical endeavours, I had finally crept back into my blog.. A new beginning and a new shot at life. Lately I've been delving deeper and deeper into the culinary world of fine dining and simple fares in and around Singapore. A small island state country more unique than Hawaii itself with a mash of individuals and beautiful people as well as the fugly ones in a land mass about the size of rhode island and slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC.


Learn some fun facts about Singapore! Did you know…

1. Singapore consists only of one main island and 63 other tiny islands. Most of these islands are uninhabited.
2. Singapore is among the 20 smallest countries in the world, with a total land area of only 682.7 square kilometres. The USA is about 15,000 times bigger.
3. Apart from Monaco, Singapore is the most densely populated country in the world, with 6,430 people per square kilometre.
4. Singapore became the 117th member of the United Nations on 21 September 1965.
5. Symbolism of the National Flag: Red symbolises universal brotherhood and equality of man while white signifies purity and virtue. The crescent moon represents a young nation on the rise and the five stars signify the ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.
6. The national flower of Singapore, Vanda Miss Joaquim, was first discovered in 1893 by Agnes Joaquim, an Armenian. The orchid is a natural hybrid between V. teres andV. hookeriana.
7. The Merlion, a half-fish, half-lion beast, is a fitting symbol of Singapore. The “Singa” or lion represents the animal that a Sumatran prince saw which resembled a lion, and the fish is a tribute to Singapore’s history as “Temasek”, the ancient sea town.
8. Singlish, a Singaporean patois mixing English with the odd phrase of Chinese, Malay and even Tamil, has two entries – lah and sinseh – in the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary.
9. Although English is the official working language and the most widely used language in Singapore, the national anthem ‘Majulah Singapura‘ is actually sung in Malay.
10. The flying fox, the world’s largest bat with a wingspan of up to 1.5 metres, can be found on Pulau Ubin, one of the islands off mainland Singapore.
11. Singapore is a stopover point for thousands of migratory birds travelling the East Asian Flyway.
12. The world’s first night zoo, The Night Safari, is located in Singapore.
13. Despite being largely urbanised, Singapore is the largest exporter of ornamental fish (25% of the world market).
14. The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in Singapore contains more species of trees than the entire North American continent.
15. The highest natural point in Singapore is Bukit Timah Hill, which is only 164 metres high (Singapore has a very flat terrain).
16. Buildings in Singapore cannot be higher than 280 metres. There are presently three buildings of that height: OUB Centre, UOB Plaza and Republic Plaza.
17. The world’s highest man-made waterfall, standing at 30 metres, is located at the Jurong BirdPark.
18. The largest fountain in the world is located in Singapore at Suntec City. Made of cast bronze, it cost an estimated US$6 million to build in 1997.
19. The buildings of Suntec City have been built in the shape of a palm of a hand symbolising good “feng shui”.
20. In 2003, Singapore’s Changi Airport won the award for “Best Airport Worldwide” for the 16th consecutive year from the UK/Europe edition of the Business Traveller magazine.
21. The Guinness book record for the longest human domino chain was set in Singapore on 30th September 2000. Formed by 9,234 students, it measured 4.2km.
22. The world domino topple record (303,621 men) was set in Singapore on 18th August 2003 by a 24-year-old woman from China.
23. The record for the biggest ever game of pass-the-parcel was set in Singapore on 28 February 1998. It involved 3,918 students removing 2,200 wrappers from a 1.5 x 1.5 x 0.5 m parcel.
24. The record for the most number of people participating in line dancing was set in Singapore in May 2002 with 11,967 dancers.
25. The Great Singapore Duck Race, an annual event that raises funds for charity, set a new world record in 2002 when more than 123,000 toy ducks took to the Singapore River.
26. Russell Lee, a pseudonym for a team of ghost-writers, is the hottest-selling local author in Singapore. His 11 volumes of True Singapore Ghost Stories have sold more than 600,000 copies to date.
27. The fastest selling book of all time in Singapore is Hello Chok Tong, Goodbye Kuan Yew: The Untold Story. Written and drawn by political cartoonist George Nonis, it sold 40,000 copies in two months.
28. The highest grossing movie of all time in Singapore is Titanic, raking in S$6.65 million in 1997.
29. The highest grossing locally made movie of all time is Money No Enough, raking in S$6.02 million in 1998.
30. The first Singaporean film to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival was director Eric Khoo’s 12 Storeys in 1997.
31. British pop violinist Vanessa Mae Nicholson was born in Singapore and moved to England when she was four.
32. More Singaporeans are born in the month of October than any other month of the year.
33. The first population census taken in 1824 revealed that the total population was 10,683. The 2000 census showed that the population of Singapore is 4.2 million.
34. Nearly 9 out of 10 Singaporeans live in public housing flats.
35. The most common Chinese surnames in Singapore are Tan, Lim and Lee.
36. Singapore has more than 3,000 kilometres of roads. Stretched end to end, they can cover the distance from Singapore to Hong Kong.
37. 8 in 10 people in Singapore own cell phones. In fact, telecom companies issue new numbers at the rate of 30,000 to 40,000 per month.
38. Singapore’s best showing in the Olympic Games ever was a silver medal won by weightlifter Tan Howe Liang in Rome in 1960.
39. Swimmer Ang Peng Siong was ranked world number one in the 50m Freestyle in 1982.
40. The Singapore Sling was first served in 1915 at the Long Bar of the Raffles Hotel. The ingredients are gin, Cointreau, cherry brandy, Dom Benedictine, pineapple juice, Grenadine, Angoustura bitters and limes.

A new beginning. Thursday 13th February 2014

After a really long absence from the world of literary and musical endeavours, I had finally crept back into my blog.. A new beginning and a new shot at life. Lately I've been delving deeper and deeper into the culinary world of fine dining and simple fares in and around Singapore. A small island state country more unique than Hawaii itself with a mash of individuals and beautiful people as well as the fugly ones in a land mass about the size of rhode island and slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC.

Learn some fun facts about Singapore! Did you know…

1. Singapore consists only of one main island and 63 other tiny islands. Most of these islands are uninhabited.
2. Singapore is among the 20 smallest countries in the world, with a total land area of only 682.7 square kilometres. The USA is about 15,000 times bigger.
3. Apart from Monaco, Singapore is the most densely populated country in the world, with 6,430 people per square kilometre.
4. Singapore became the 117th member of the United Nations on 21 September 1965.
5. Symbolism of the National Flag: Red symbolises universal brotherhood and equality of man while white signifies purity and virtue. The crescent moon represents a young nation on the rise and the five stars signify the ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.
6. The national flower of Singapore, Vanda Miss Joaquim, was first discovered in 1893 by Agnes Joaquim, an Armenian. The orchid is a natural hybrid between V. teres andV. hookeriana.
7. The Merlion, a half-fish, half-lion beast, is a fitting symbol of Singapore. The “Singa” or lion represents the animal that a Sumatran prince saw which resembled a lion, and the fish is a tribute to Singapore’s history as “Temasek”, the ancient sea town.
8. Singlish, a Singaporean patois mixing English with the odd phrase of Chinese, Malay and even Tamil, has two entries – lah and sinseh – in the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary.
9. Although English is the official working language and the most widely used language in Singapore, the national anthem ‘Majulah Singapura‘ is actually sung in Malay.
10. The flying fox, the world’s largest bat with a wingspan of up to 1.5 metres, can be found on Pulau Ubin, one of the islands off mainland Singapore.
11. Singapore is a stopover point for thousands of migratory birds travelling the East Asian Flyway.
12. The world’s first night zoo, The Night Safari, is located in Singapore.
13. Despite being largely urbanised, Singapore is the largest exporter of ornamental fish (25% of the world market).
14. The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in Singapore contains more species of trees than the entire North American continent.
15. The highest natural point in Singapore is Bukit Timah Hill, which is only 164 metres high (Singapore has a very flat terrain).
16. Buildings in Singapore cannot be higher than 280 metres. There are presently three buildings of that height: OUB Centre, UOB Plaza and Republic Plaza.
17. The world’s highest man-made waterfall, standing at 30 metres, is located at theJurong BirdPark.
18. The largest fountain in the world is located in Singapore at Suntec City. Made of cast bronze, it cost an estimated US$6 million to build in 1997.
19. The buildings of Suntec City have been built in the shape of a palm of a hand symbolising good “feng shui”.
20. In 2003, Singapore’s Changi Airport won the award for “Best Airport Worldwide” for the 16th consecutive year from the UK/Europe edition of the Business Travellermagazine.
21. The Guinness book record for the longest human domino chain was set in Singapore on 30th September 2000. Formed by 9,234 students, it measured 4.2km.
22. The world domino topple record (303,621 men) was set in Singapore on 18th August 2003 by a 24-year-old woman from China.
23. The record for the biggest ever game of pass-the-parcel was set in Singapore on 28 February 1998. It involved 3,918 students removing 2,200 wrappers from a 1.5 x 1.5 x 0.5 m parcel.
24. The record for the most number of people participating in line dancing was set in Singapore in May 2002 with 11,967 dancers.
25. The Great Singapore Duck Race, an annual event that raises funds for charity, set a new world record in 2002 when more than 123,000 toy ducks took to the Singapore River.
26. Russell Lee, a pseudonym for a team of ghost-writers, is the hottest-selling local author in Singapore. His 11 volumes of True Singapore Ghost Stories have sold more than 600,000 copies to date.
27. The fastest selling book of all time in Singapore is Hello Chok Tong, Goodbye Kuan Yew: The Untold Story. Written and drawn by political cartoonist George Nonis, it sold 40,000 copies in two months.
28. The highest grossing movie of all time in Singapore is Titanic, raking in S$6.65 million in 1997.
29. The highest grossing locally made movie of all time is Money No Enough, raking in S$6.02 million in 1998.
30. The first Singaporean film to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival was director Eric Khoo’s 12 Storeys in 1997.
31. British pop violinist Vanessa Mae Nicholson was born in Singapore and moved to England when she was four.
32. More Singaporeans are born in the month of October than any other month of the year.
33. The first population census taken in 1824 revealed that the total population was 10,683. The 2000 census showed that the population of Singapore is 4.2 million.
34. Nearly 9 out of 10 Singaporeans live in public housing flats.
35. The most common Chinese surnames in Singapore are Tan, Lim and Lee.
36. Singapore has more than 3,000 kilometres of roads. Stretched end to end, they can cover the distance from Singapore to Hong Kong.
37. 8 in 10 people in Singapore own cell phones. In fact, telecom companies issue new numbers at the rate of 30,000 to 40,000 per month.
38. Singapore’s best showing in the Olympic Games ever was a silver medal won by weightlifter Tan Howe Liang in Rome in 1960.
39. Swimmer Ang Peng Siong was ranked world number one in the 50m Freestyle in 1982.
40. The Singapore Sling was first served in 1915 at the Long Bar of the Raffles Hotel. The ingredients are gin, Cointreau, cherry brandy, Dom Benedictine, pineapple juice, Grenadine, Angoustura bitters and limes.

Another Chance - Lyrics by Me

I'm playing back the melody you hummed , because you couldn't whistle
The motion of your tears , passes through the air at the moment you
lightly touched my arm.

The sun is bright, and i turned my eyes away from your signal ,
because I've been alone. The stars are too wide..
Give me another chance.

When our hearts overlap , it will rise like a color pattern with a feeling
this natural , there's no way it can be mistaken when i look at it from the
gap in my memories , it vanishes that pattern.. No matter how far we're
separated , there's no reason for you to give up

No matter how much you push me away, I can't hide it..
Now, throwing away my pride , I'll beg you.
When i awake from dreaming , if you're there for me
Oh , i need nothing more

Even the weakness hidden which i understand for the first time ,
if we can be together , I'll become strong. Give me another chance.

I'm searching for you , my dear , in the circle shape pattern.
Inside the endless maze, i want to come a little closer to you.
In this daily battle, i can't convey it, no matter how tightly you held me
i have no way to reach you..

When our hearts overlap , it will rise like a color pattern with a feeling
this natural , there's no way it can be mistaken when i look at it from the
gap in my memories , it vanishes - that pattern. No matter how far we're
separated , there's no reason for you to give up. * ( I still need you )...

Sunday , July 24 , 2011 09.13 am

Sunday morning ;
awoke to the sound ruffling of papers bags , plastics and voices heard all
around me. in my room alone in the darkness , teased by the morning
breeze and dews dance about as i shutter my eyes between the window
and my space. it was 0630 am in the morning and I've never felt like
before.. i felt strangely good. Positive even. Or was it the hormones.
LOL.

sitting at the edge of my bed , head looking forward , towards even ,
to the window and taking in the cold and refreshing air felt different.
i was even contemplating by myself about how blessed i am today ,
to be alive , to have family and friends , to have people who loves
me so much , a future , something tangible was within my grasp.

perhaps its all too easy to mistaken my positivity for my failures
to realize that i am all alone , all alone , trying to let go all of my
past behind and helplessly trying to get to know who i really am.

my mind ran , a thousand miles to see your smiles once more ,
even when its just a distant memory of us together , holding on ,
letting go.. it seems to be the natural choice after all that had
happened between us.. i guess i am just a failure.. in everything.

getting up , i walked towards the washroom , relieving myself
of all the pain and hurt , repeatedly.. washing my face in shame.
looking past the mirror , all i could see was me. myself. sigh.

trying to make sense of the logic of my life ; dried up and in my
fbt shorts and hoodie - went down to buy the morning and useless
Sunday papers.

whilst walking along the endless seams of people ,
i was stopped in my track when i noticed how appreciative an
old man was with what he had. a small bundle of vegetables ,
tofu , small fishes and he had a wrinkled yet overjoyed look..
blessed is he - i thought in my mind and quickly bought the papers.

a quick walk to the local stalls , a waft of freshly cooked nasi
lemak , fried chicken wings and the subtle aroma of sweet tofu
filled the air. making a purchase ; i bought the nasi lemak and head
on home in a rather pleasant demeanor. perhaps.. perhaps all is not
lost , in my mind and heart i had hope for love..

a love that could be with me for who i am.. just another girl

END

0955 am
Sunday , 24 July , 2011

In plane to Chicago 02.24 Singapore time

Chicago , IL , United States.
A cold Monday morning, a shudder of excitement and a tinge of restlessness as Davon accompanied me to the airport lounge , us sipping coffee whilst he was looking bored - relentlessly pressing the buttons on his PSP, playing the new Ass-sas-sin Creed, God of War and Thor. Men and their toys never seems to separate themselves from the reality of what's around them. So be it - as i hack and jab away on Davon's mobile notebook. Its seems familiar, a reminiscent feeling of being homey yet outdoorsy. 


I'm in a grey tank, a dark blue cardigan, dark blue jacket, plaid scarf, black skinny jeans and sneakers, cuddling up on the soft and cushion-like sofa listening to Taeyang's song : " I need a girl ". The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafts over my nostrils as harmony of caramel sweetness, nutmeg and a tinge of sweet cinnamon and chocolates engulfed my taste buds. A pleasantry and sultry surprised i never noticed as i chat away on Davon's mobile notebook.

Looking through the wonderful and cute MSN Messenger chats i had with my special love ones, never seems to bemused me nor amaze me at how i really do miss them. A heartfelt love and tug session told me that i should tell them something. Perhaps its not the right time, perhaps i am not ready for it, perhaps.. perhaps.. perhaps.. was all it ever came to. Davon is back to his games after finishing his drink and i'm here still, should i post or should i wait, alas it came to final conclusion that i should post this out.

Chicago, IL, seems rather far away from home. Enduring a 19 hours flight was no mean task even though i have done my fair share of long distance travels. Singapore is 13 hours forward of Chicago, IL. Yet its familiar in a sense that its like i'm back home. Whatever it was, Davon is now sitting beside me, drooling, smearing about his cheeks and chin. What a mess he is, i guess.. looking at how tired he was. Its seems like its been ages since i have boarded a plane to somewhere I don`t even know, meeting a few friends before heading back to Singapore for the General Elections.

Today, i had the wonderful and beautiful opportunity to chat with a rather lovely and beautiful girl. Our innocence and childlike discussions exudes a maturity level and desire or should i say thirst for knowledge, affirmation, relationships, love and perhaps experimentations. She is indeed beautiful from within and her basic charms of sponge-like intellectual thoughts and rather outspoken mannerisms belied a shy, quiet, troubled soul much in need of proper guidance and perhaps a real friend whose unpretentious and not bothered about her past life or issues at hand.

There is so much more to life and joy to be found through this harsh, rocky and at times turbulent road and path to self-fulfillment. Even though she seems to be more open and free in her expressions through the internet - deep down i knew and have felt the same way as she did. A gender dysphoria and the confusion. drowning in a world fast approaching as we age. I just want to tell her this ; no matter who, what or why, if i could i would love her and be with her through all the pains and burden. A rather ideal and lofty quest some might say but i am who , what and why i am so. If love made me the fool, a fool i have become.

Davon sitting beside me, still half asleep and bored from all the clouds that seems to flutter and dance about the plane in an euphoric expression of restlessness and sensual tangos of migrating birds that some what filled my time as i gawk at its grace and beauty. Or perhaps i have been rather naughty and sipping small bottles of vodka and whiskey or brandy, i don`t remember which one now. How i wished someone would hold onto me tightly as i bury my face in their chest or them holding on to my cardigan with arms around me. A whimsical and surreal notion i supposed.

As yet again perhaps now is the time for me to end this post.

If i could love and hold onto you ; i'd never ever let you go lest you push me away. And a fool you have made me once more, rushing, loving, wanting.. you. Not a girl in this world can be compare to you ; if your heart is above your sights. Baby i know you know that we knew where we are heading, so why wait.. Girl, i need you.. got to make you mine and i will treat you right.. a nobody's confession..

Back with a new vengence with elegance ?

Saturday 23 April 2011
10:45 am , Singapore Time Zone

The cool morning breeze , sunny disposition and my ethereal world seems to be popping everywhere to  get a bite of breakfast or early grocery shopping never seems to amaze me as everyone is moving and working like a clockwork.