Orders teh-peng & nasi briani...
Dinner @ Furama Riverfront
There was dinner with my army battery yesterday, courtesy of my boss, at Furama. Having been away for so long, it was a rather, a pleasant surprise I must admit, nostalgic meeting for me and my colleagues. I never expected to miss being in camp, but I do.
Well, this chapter of my life is coming to a close, and as like everything else in life, it must be used as a vantage point to look forward, appreciate the path traveled, and learn. There ought to be no regrets. That's life.
We made it!!
The trio had our much-anticipated audition with Christel, today. Congratulations, we made it. And apologies, for the world has to listen to us at the Esplanade come Apr 17. Of course, we hope nothing derails us from now till then. Esplanade will be THE destination.
Nonetheless, we have much raw potential to explore with this setup, and much to work on to increase our repetoire by twofold. But our sound is nice. Wonder if Ms Se will agree to that.
But we have had our blessings, from above.
Inwards, not outwards
The eyes naturally set yonder,
Counter-intuitive to do otherwise.
Yet, often-
The landscape to behold,
Lies within.
Truly, where lies this beauty of
Silence?
Seeking, peering,
But finding is inadequate.
This fine point has to be devoured,
Appreciated in its full palate.
Which bears the superiority;
Silence, or Sound?
Or does this inequality
Exist yet?
Uncle T
28 Jan 2006
25 Jan 2006
Where is this coming from? 10:16 pm
Orders (lousy) kopi-peng and Chinese mixed rice...
The day has been tiring. These past 2 days has seen an increase in my inward soliloquies.
I find myself spending quite a bit of time, and a sense of tranquil satisfaction, these past couple of days in my garden. Of course, fussing about my 4 new fighting fish (even tried to get them to breed. mad!) and watering the plants.
Indeed, I am, too, very taken into the Eliot's "Mill on the Floss", which I'm reading now. Maggie Tulliver's enigmatic nature seems to be one which I can somewhat identify with. The dichotomies we face through polar emotional stands we take, are familiar.
Where is all this coming from? This world is obsessed about the superficial, and forgets the intrinsic value of things. Is it to be Man's bane? Or just mine?
Uncle T
The day has been tiring. These past 2 days has seen an increase in my inward soliloquies.
I find myself spending quite a bit of time, and a sense of tranquil satisfaction, these past couple of days in my garden. Of course, fussing about my 4 new fighting fish (even tried to get them to breed. mad!) and watering the plants.
Indeed, I am, too, very taken into the Eliot's "Mill on the Floss", which I'm reading now. Maggie Tulliver's enigmatic nature seems to be one which I can somewhat identify with. The dichotomies we face through polar emotional stands we take, are familiar.
Where is all this coming from? This world is obsessed about the superficial, and forgets the intrinsic value of things. Is it to be Man's bane? Or just mine?
Uncle T
22 Jan 2006
Excellent Joke! 1:59 pm
Orders teh peng...
Something someof us may identify with. But other than that, this is purely for a good laugh:
"Rabbi, what about all these matzo purchases? What do you do with all the crumbs from the matzo?""Ah, yes," replied the rabbi calmly. "We actually collect up all the crumbs from the matzo and when we have enough, we send them in a box back to the manufacturer;
and every now and then they send us a box of matzo balls."
"Oh," replied the auditor, thinking hard how he could fluster the rabbi."Well, Rabbi," he continued, "what do you do with all the foreskins from the circumcisions?"
"Yes, here too, we do not waste." The rabbi answered. What we do is save up all the foreskins,
and when we have enough we actually send them to the Internal Revenue Service."
"Internal Revenue?" questioned the auditor in disbelief."Ah, yes," replied the Rabbi, "Internal Revenue. And about once a year, they send us a Little Prick like you."
Uncle T
Something someof us may identify with. But other than that, this is purely for a good laugh:
The Internal Revenue Service sent an young auditor to a synagogue. As the auditor reviews all the paperwork, he turns to the Rabbi and says, "I noticed that you buy a lot of candles.""Yes, we do," responded the Rabbi.
"Well, Rabbi, what do you do with the candle drippings?" He asked.
"A good question," noted the rabbi. "We actually save them up and when we have enough,
we send them back to the candle maker and every now and then, they send us a free box of candles.""Oh," replied the auditor somewhat disappointed that his unusual question actually had a practical answer.
we send them back to the candle maker and every now and then, they send us a free box of candles.""Oh," replied the auditor somewhat disappointed that his unusual question actually had a practical answer.
"Rabbi, what about all these matzo purchases? What do you do with all the crumbs from the matzo?""Ah, yes," replied the rabbi calmly. "We actually collect up all the crumbs from the matzo and when we have enough, we send them in a box back to the manufacturer;
and every now and then they send us a box of matzo balls."
"Oh," replied the auditor, thinking hard how he could fluster the rabbi."Well, Rabbi," he continued, "what do you do with all the foreskins from the circumcisions?"
"Yes, here too, we do not waste." The rabbi answered. What we do is save up all the foreskins,
and when we have enough we actually send them to the Internal Revenue Service."
"Internal Revenue?" questioned the auditor in disbelief."Ah, yes," replied the Rabbi, "Internal Revenue. And about once a year, they send us a Little Prick like you."
"Internal Revenue?" questioned the auditor in disbelief."Ah, yes," replied the Rabbi, "Internal Revenue.
And about once a year, they send us a Little Prick like you."
And about once a year, they send us a Little Prick like you."
Uncle T
19 Jan 2006
What joy is there in a beautiful film, when the seat aside, empty? 5:13 pm
Orders kopi peng & mee pok...
I borrowed movies from the library, and settled down, amid the trecherous discomfort of the afternoon humidity, and watched a french picture.
It was nice, not in that it triggered the feel-good emo, neither did it cajole tear ducts, it was well scripted, great acting and cinematography (as if I know what that means technically).
Like all things pretty beautiful, perhaps a sickness of Man (or some of Man), the full beauty of the film was not felt. For the seat aside mine yearned for The Lady's presence.
Uncle T
I borrowed movies from the library, and settled down, amid the trecherous discomfort of the afternoon humidity, and watched a french picture.
It was nice, not in that it triggered the feel-good emo, neither did it cajole tear ducts, it was well scripted, great acting and cinematography (as if I know what that means technically).
Like all things pretty beautiful, perhaps a sickness of Man (or some of Man), the full beauty of the film was not felt. For the seat aside mine yearned for The Lady's presence.
Uncle T
13 Jan 2006
O What a Life! 11:54 pm
Random thoughts.
Muscle fatigue; gym work.
Do visit or find out more of Miho Museum (Japan); IM Pei, a world-class senstive and
harmonious architect.
Happy; A lovely day with a loved one is beyond paradise.
Quiet contentment; A beautiful morning walk through a quiet estate with little secrets round the bend.
Gratitude; What more can a man ask for?
We did not have a choice to be born into this existence, this life. Before we even learnt to love, there were those already loving us before we came to be.
Uncle T
Muscle fatigue; gym work.
Do visit or find out more of Miho Museum (Japan); IM Pei, a world-class senstive and
harmonious architect.
Happy; A lovely day with a loved one is beyond paradise.
Quiet contentment; A beautiful morning walk through a quiet estate with little secrets round the bend.
Gratitude; What more can a man ask for?
We did not have a choice to be born into this existence, this life. Before we even learnt to love, there were those already loving us before we came to be.
Uncle T
11 Jan 2006
Finally Chugging Along 9:17 am
Orders a MacDonald's Big Breakfast...
@ Burgandy Crescent
The newly-formed trio is finally progressing towards a tangible direction; preparing for our rehearsal, due end of this month.
We worked out a song yesterday at Dilane's place, which took an amazing 2 hours. I consider that pretty time efficient, considering the lack of initial musical momentum. A good start. We finished the arrangement for "I got Rythm". Rather excited about this new music endeavour that I've embarked on. The chemistry is good, and so is the sound of this trio. Kudos!
Sound System...yeah...
Deciding to purchase a 2.1 system, under a 100 bucks. Have set my eyes on either an Altec or Sonic Gear. Deciding to check out Challenger today first before making the final call. It's gonna be exciting! This system shall double up as an amplifier for my guitar.
Sigh, no money, heart pain. Why must tech toys be so costly (a rhetoric, considering the amount of research that goes into such things)? Hopefully, I can afford a decent home recording setup before flying in September.
Bertrand Russell's frightful outlook...
Completed his book yesterday. The closing chapters paints a world governed by a scientific government, a rather bleak and frightful one, and apparently one that served as inspiration for Huxley's novel and many other science-fiction books in the similar vein (I would say even Matrix parallels the ideas Russell puts forth, back in 1930s).
Russell envisions: A ruling class of scientific experts ruling over a working class specialising in maual labour. In order to provide amusement for the latter (as boredom is seen as a possbility of mutiny, revolt and scientific enquiry, which the governing class would not want the working class to acquire), the governing class, in disguises of democratic forms, provides social benefits (such as short working hours) to keep the majority in adequate satisfaction, and therefore not questioning authority.
Sounds like Europe. Frightful.
Uncle T
@ Burgandy Crescent
The newly-formed trio is finally progressing towards a tangible direction; preparing for our rehearsal, due end of this month.
We worked out a song yesterday at Dilane's place, which took an amazing 2 hours. I consider that pretty time efficient, considering the lack of initial musical momentum. A good start. We finished the arrangement for "I got Rythm". Rather excited about this new music endeavour that I've embarked on. The chemistry is good, and so is the sound of this trio. Kudos!
Sound System...yeah...
Deciding to purchase a 2.1 system, under a 100 bucks. Have set my eyes on either an Altec or Sonic Gear. Deciding to check out Challenger today first before making the final call. It's gonna be exciting! This system shall double up as an amplifier for my guitar.
Sigh, no money, heart pain. Why must tech toys be so costly (a rhetoric, considering the amount of research that goes into such things)? Hopefully, I can afford a decent home recording setup before flying in September.
Bertrand Russell's frightful outlook...
Completed his book yesterday. The closing chapters paints a world governed by a scientific government, a rather bleak and frightful one, and apparently one that served as inspiration for Huxley's novel and many other science-fiction books in the similar vein (I would say even Matrix parallels the ideas Russell puts forth, back in 1930s).
Russell envisions: A ruling class of scientific experts ruling over a working class specialising in maual labour. In order to provide amusement for the latter (as boredom is seen as a possbility of mutiny, revolt and scientific enquiry, which the governing class would not want the working class to acquire), the governing class, in disguises of democratic forms, provides social benefits (such as short working hours) to keep the majority in adequate satisfaction, and therefore not questioning authority.
Sounds like Europe. Frightful.
Uncle T
9 Jan 2006
Do our bit for this crazy world 1:33 pm
Pours a glass of fresh milk, and grabs cheese dip with olive crackers...
www.thehungersite.com
Do visit the site. Do our bit for the hungry and the less fortunate.
Uncle T
www.thehungersite.com
Do visit the site. Do our bit for the hungry and the less fortunate.
Uncle T
A Magical Evening 8:43 am
Orders a Riesling and calamari...
The SSO Spectacular...where was the audience?
Indeed. Yong and I attended the SSO's 27th Anniversary Concert, feat. Schumann, Strauss (Richard Strauss, mind you) and a Violin Concerto by local composer, Prof Tan.
A sensitive orchestra, a intensely passionate conductor, a beautiful concert hall, a brithday cake (SSO's), appreciative audience, great repetoire. The only missing fragment to attaining perfection was a full house. Admittedly, I am no cultured appreciator of the Classical genre, yet I decided to learn and appreciate the wonder of having a piece of music, over a 100 years rich in circulation, being carefully played and felt by a group of dedicated musicians, playing different parts, to create a symphony for the mind. Yet, how I wished there were more amongst the ubiquitous town-goers to spend on this concert, rather than have night snack at a coffee joint. Ah well, its beyond my means!
For the rest of the evening,
there was food...
drinks...
& (diva) company.What an evening!
Uncle T
7 Jan 2006
Yesterday, all my troubles seem so far away... 2:35 pm
Orders teh peng...
Marine...
What a morning. Dad drove us to breakfast (profitable & entrepreural soon kueh along Upp Serangoon), then to a fish farm, Tampines. While it poured outside, we surrounded ourselves by wholesaled fish, ranging from $0.80 to $2,000+.
Not bordering on insanity (all due respect to collectors), we went for the longang fish. I, finally, selected 11 beautiful guppies; 2 breeds, one with a fiery orange tail, then other regal turquoise. To top it off, I grabbed, my first, a local deep crimson with turquoise streak-on-back fighting fish.
The fish look lovely in the pond at home. Our dear fighting fish, being a solitary entity, jumped out, and was MIA (out of the pond, mind you!) for 2 hours. Dad found it later and plonked it back.Man!
<-- The guppies at home
Simply...
Beautiful. Evening found me
Amongst the urban throng.
But amidst civil chaos,
Stood I, and Her.
Cloths, plastics, buildings
Held our (or Hers) attention (mainly, cloths)
As I simply,
Reveled, snug,
In her presence.
Small talk small its not
When with this Maroon gem.
Small talk we had,
Small joys we shared.
Bought shoes;
Mine, green, Hers, white.
Beautiful. Night found me
Amongst the urban throng(Bugis, ultimately) .
But amidst civil chaos,
Stood I, and Her.
<-- Green to rule them all!
Uncle T
Marine...
What a morning. Dad drove us to breakfast (profitable & entrepreural soon kueh along Upp Serangoon), then to a fish farm, Tampines. While it poured outside, we surrounded ourselves by wholesaled fish, ranging from $0.80 to $2,000+.
Not bordering on insanity (all due respect to collectors), we went for the longang fish. I, finally, selected 11 beautiful guppies; 2 breeds, one with a fiery orange tail, then other regal turquoise. To top it off, I grabbed, my first, a local deep crimson with turquoise streak-on-back fighting fish.
The fish look lovely in the pond at home. Our dear fighting fish, being a solitary entity, jumped out, and was MIA (out of the pond, mind you!) for 2 hours. Dad found it later and plonked it back.Man!
<-- The guppies at homeSimply...
Beautiful. Evening found me
Amongst the urban throng.
But amidst civil chaos,
Stood I, and Her.
Cloths, plastics, buildings
Held our (or Hers) attention (mainly, cloths)
As I simply,
Reveled, snug,
In her presence.
Small talk small its not
When with this Maroon gem.
Small talk we had,
Small joys we shared.
Bought shoes;
Mine, green, Hers, white.
Beautiful. Night found me
Amongst the urban throng(Bugis, ultimately) .
But amidst civil chaos,
Stood I, and Her.
<-- Green to rule them all!Uncle T
5 Jan 2006
True Sign(s) of Ageing 1:49 pm
Orders a ice kosong. Do add any other points to this list...
Uncle T
- When you have an elaborate opinion about ANY and EVERY topic
- When you start calling in on every programme on Gold90.5
- When you think that the only happiness is watching TV the whole day
Uncle T
Frow wherest dost thou cometh, O Charity? 1:18 pm
Orders a teh peng and Hainanese beef noodles...
Today's New Paper carries a cover-story of a Mediacorp artist who got injured during rehearsal for an upcoming televised charity show. And she has had enough; stepping up to question the need for artists doing dangerous stunts to solicit donations (Yet, I am uncertain if she said all she did in an arranged interview).
I end up at a moral junction when rethinking using such means to gunner charitable acts: do the ends justify the means? Charity, (perhaps influenced by my moral education) is an individual's desire to give with no material gain in return. Yet, knowing this as but an ideal, the use of "gimmicks" (eg. winning a b****y luxury condo by the waterfront if you donante) is probably overstaying its initial intent to give charitable donations a kick-start locally.
Indeed, some may argue, that so long as society's less fortunate are cared by this "guided" charity, there is no cause for arguement. But perhaps as an educated, progressive, and cosmopolitan populace, we should slowly dissociate ourselves from this form of charity, and aspire towards the ideal.
Why, then, have ideals when inadequate effort is made to constantly work towards it? The inertia must be overcome, and it is timely to consider a paradigm shift from third world to first world.
Uncle T
Today's New Paper carries a cover-story of a Mediacorp artist who got injured during rehearsal for an upcoming televised charity show. And she has had enough; stepping up to question the need for artists doing dangerous stunts to solicit donations (Yet, I am uncertain if she said all she did in an arranged interview).
I end up at a moral junction when rethinking using such means to gunner charitable acts: do the ends justify the means? Charity, (perhaps influenced by my moral education) is an individual's desire to give with no material gain in return. Yet, knowing this as but an ideal, the use of "gimmicks" (eg. winning a b****y luxury condo by the waterfront if you donante) is probably overstaying its initial intent to give charitable donations a kick-start locally.
Indeed, some may argue, that so long as society's less fortunate are cared by this "guided" charity, there is no cause for arguement. But perhaps as an educated, progressive, and cosmopolitan populace, we should slowly dissociate ourselves from this form of charity, and aspire towards the ideal.
Why, then, have ideals when inadequate effort is made to constantly work towards it? The inertia must be overcome, and it is timely to consider a paradigm shift from third world to first world.
Uncle T
Today... 4:14 am
Orders a kopi peng, along with sambal BBQ sting-ray and roasted duck rice...
Mos Burger vs. Mac's
Found out today (when Yong had MOS for dinner) that one only saves $0.15 if one buys a rice burger meal, as opposed to buying the individual constituents seperately.
However, one saves far greater coins buying a Mac's meal, as opposed to buying the items individually.
But in my court of value-for-money-food, I still rule in favour of MOS anytime.
The Retro Elemental
Recently bought a "Best of..." compilation of Earth, Wind & Fire from the HMV sale. Despite it spinning in my player (on repeat mode, mind you) for a good 4 hours this evening, still think its worth another listen. Well worth my cash on these jiving disco powerhouses.
My band's opening piece was also a song originally done by them "September".
Can't Wait!
Saturday. Esplanade. SSO playing Strauss & Schumann. Excellent company (learned too!): Yong. Can't wait! And truly, it was the concession tickets I got that makes me realise the benefits of serving NS.
Uncle T
Mos Burger vs. Mac's
Found out today (when Yong had MOS for dinner) that one only saves $0.15 if one buys a rice burger meal, as opposed to buying the individual constituents seperately.
However, one saves far greater coins buying a Mac's meal, as opposed to buying the items individually.
But in my court of value-for-money-food, I still rule in favour of MOS anytime.
The Retro Elemental
Recently bought a "Best of..." compilation of Earth, Wind & Fire from the HMV sale. Despite it spinning in my player (on repeat mode, mind you) for a good 4 hours this evening, still think its worth another listen. Well worth my cash on these jiving disco powerhouses.
My band's opening piece was also a song originally done by them "September".
Can't Wait!
Saturday. Esplanade. SSO playing Strauss & Schumann. Excellent company (learned too!): Yong. Can't wait! And truly, it was the concession tickets I got that makes me realise the benefits of serving NS.
Uncle T