It had been a week since I came back from Genting and I must say that it was a wonderful experience. However, I hardly feel that I am in SG now. Why? Because the weather this week is GOOD! Everyday it has been raining and the nights are super cooling. That should be the temperature every night. Even better will be at this temperature everyday without the rain.
Speaking about my trip to Genting, it was really fun. It started with a long jam at AYE to 2nd link from 8am on a Thursday morning. In the end it took us 7 and a half hours to reach the First World Hotel. Upon reaching, it was another 20mins wait for our room keys. My friend and I got our keys finally and went up to our room. 16th floor and its the first room we see once out of the elevator. I slotted in the card and went in. The room was very small but I find it good enough anyway. As I walked in, I saw some clothes neatly hanged on a bar. Hmm.. not bad, they still provide clothes for us to change after bath maybe. As I walked on, I felt something amiss. How come there is a bra hanging as well? haha. My friend and I was wondering and then we saw bags on the table. I walked into the toilet and saw more clothes and undergarments. 'Oh my God!' I exclaimed. The previous woman has not checked out yet!! We got out of the room and went to the reception to request for a change of room. Well at least there is a good and bad thing to greet us on our arrival. Good thing being we got a dulexe room when we change the room. It was slightly bigger than the normal room. Shiok! Bad thing, we did not get to see free show when we barged into the first room. Period. =P
After unpacking, we rested for a good 10mins before going down to meet the rest of the collegues and their spouses for dinner. 1st stop: Kenny Rogers. Its cheap compared to Singapore as the prices are in ringgit. However, lesson learnt: DO NOT EVER EAT AT KENNY ROGERS in GENTING. Their chicken (or chick I would say) is so small that I can barely see their quarter chicken. Moreover, their side dish serving is super small also. It is definitely not worth it. After dinner at around 5pm, we had a free and easy walk around the indoor park cum shopping. Bought some DVDs (original) and went back to the hotel. We met again at 830pm for a magic show called the FLY. To be fair, it was a decent show. However some of the magic tricks leave very much to be desired as they are being performed against a totally black background. Not very convincing I would say. The acrobats in the same show seems nicer to watch.
After the show, its obvious where we went. Late at night, most shops closed, amusement park closed, yet we feel as though we have tons of energy. Yeah, CASINO here we come. We went to the smaller casino at First World and the first thing we did was to go to the drinks counter to get free drinks. If you want to save money, you can always pop in for free drinks. haha. Walked around a bit and signed up for the casino card. Started with 10RM on 2cents slot machine and played. Within 10mins, I struck a small jackpot. Won RM44. As my friend don't play and keep asking me not to stay too late, I cashed out and left. That covers the cost of the DVDs I bought totally. haha. After that we takeaway MaryBrown Chicken and had supper in the room. Lights out.
2nd day started with a free breakfast at the First World cookhouse. Luckily it was not very crowded when we arrived. The food is ok if you are not too choosy, at least to me. :) After breakfast, we went to buy tickets for the outdoor theme park and the start of our theme park day. Tried the cockscrew and Go Kart initially. Fun. But my Go Kart is so damn slow that my friend, who started way behind me, caught up with me in the 1st lap and I never see him again. I am hitting full acceleration mind you. I even have the time to take out my digital cam and took a video of myself driving because it is too damn slow. Tried a few other rides but to my utmost dissapointment, the ride that I wanted most was under maintenance. Crap! How can they do it on a Fri? Can't they do it on a Mon Tues Wed or Thurs? I do not know what the ride is called, but it is the one where they send you up to a great height and drop you down in 1 swift motion. Many have left their hearts up there and did not managed to get it back I heard. hahaha. In the afternoon, I took a ride where you sit on a chair and it swings you 360 degrees and quite fast. After that, I totally felt nauesous along with a few of my collegues. Do not know why also. Went back to the room and nap for an hour after that. Then at 330pm, we went to watch a 4D show. It was the most horrible 4D show ever with outdated graphics, poor effects and bad storyline. (Ali Baba) After that show to forget, we went to challenge the amusement park again. Tried the superman ride and we were laughing all the way. My sadness and worries left me for momentarily there. Thereafter, we took a monorail ride that circles the whole amusement park. Took a good 25mins and I almost fell asleep in there. Dinner was MaryBrown again and taken away for consumption in our room. My friend was MaryBrown addicted. haha Well at least you don't find MaryBrown in Singapore was the only consolation that I can think of for him. At night, my friend and I walked all the way to the Genting hotel where the big casino is. That was a crowded place as well. Went in and lost 20Rm quite fast after trying various slot machines. Walked around and see the table games and tried the slot machines for 1 last time. Found a machine near the entrance at a corner. My lucky machine haha. Within 40mins I played, strucked 2 small and 1 medium jack pot!! Small being 10RM and medium being 20RM. That almost cover my losses eariler. In the end I still lost 4RM but overall winnings for 2 days stands at 40RM. Better than nothing. Back to room and watched the boring TV till I cannot stand it and went to sleep.
Saturday morning was a sleep in. Slept till 11am. Woke up and prepared to check out at 1230pm. Had a very expensive 'cai fan', 4 dishes and rice, with a bottle of mineral water. 23RM. haha. Bus came at 230pm and we left after that, taking along with me lots of fun memories and leaving some sadness and worries behind.
August is approaching and I look forward to any challenges that comes my way. I shall perservere to the very end. 'Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breaths away.' Till I got the motivation to write again. Next up, chalet at Sentosa next weekend and already looking forward to it =)
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Escaping the warm SG weather
It had been very warm for the past week or so, even at night. The air is warm and there seems to be no wind at all. I tahan from last week till yesterday night, but finally I gave up. I switched on the air con at 12am last night. haha
Another thing I noticed is that the MRTs in the morning are more packed than usual nowadays. I realised that the timings are actually quite long at peak hours and are not spaced out properly. Yesterday, I had to wait for the 3rd train to come before boarding. Its like at ard 820am at Bukit Batok station. Its obviously a peak hour! And when I reached the platform, time for train to arrive = 5 MINS! I was surprised. You know how many people can gather on the platform on a peak hour in 5 MINS?? When the train comes, it was already quite crowded and the people squeezed in. I am not even close. When the train moves off, as usual, the crowd at the center of the carriages is quite spaced out, whereas 90% of the crowd is squeezed at the door (a bit 夸张 but think you will get my point) The next train goes straight to Pasir Ris arrived in 3 mins. I thought I could get in somehow, but the 1001 people behind me had the same idea too. haha I stopped and stood at the side watching the 1001 people squeeze in a space meant for 101. Finally the 3rd train arrived in another 3 mins which is slightly less crowded and I managed to board, but still have to squeeze a bit.
When the train reaches Jurong East MRT, we have to alight to change train. As much as I dislike those who do not move to the center of the train, those who rushed in the moment the door opened without allowing those poor souls to alight first and those who pretend to be asleep while seeing people who need the seats more than they do, there is another cateogory of people I dislike. That is those who already have a seat and when they reach their destination, they want to be the first to get out also! Especially in a crowded train, for example at Jurong East, all will have to go out. Those happily sitting will suddenly stand up and force their way through the crowd. They want to be the first to get out and be the first to board the next train. Why can't they wait for all those poor souls like me standing all the way to alight first? If only they would give up their seats to the needy as fast and as readily.
Back to the title, I am going GENTING this coming Thursday to Saturday! I have not been there for donkey years! The last actual time I was there, the amusement park was not even built yet. 3-4 years ago, I was in KL with my friends. We actually took a cable car up Genting for a good 3 hours, solely for casino only! All I saw was cable car, casino and cab back down to KL. All in 3 hours, like in Ocean's 13, the heist is done in 3 mins. Its a company sponsored trip and I am going with a friend along with some of my collegues with their spouses and some other staff from Aviva. I really look forward to it and its a nice break after the hetic months. First, the weather should be super nice compared to the warm SG weather. I am going to enjoy the weather there. Secondly, the casino. This is only the 2nd time I've been in a casino and though I know that chances of winning is not very high, I still want to try. Last but not least, I am going to fully enjoy myself and leave all my frustrations and worries at the back of my head. It is the last thing I would want to remember in Genting. Hope to take nice pictures too and I would post them in Friendster when I am back :)
A happy news at least for me, my all time favorite band, the SCORPIONS (refer to my 1st blog entry) are planning to come to Singapore (as well as Korea, India, Japan, Jarkata, KL) as part of their Humanity Asia Tour somewhere in Oct/Nov. I thought I was dreaming when I first saw the news in their offical website. Though nothing is finalised yet, I really hope they will come. They have been around for 30 plus years and they have been to Singapore for concert only twice! Once is 1995 I think and once in 2001. I went for the concert in 2001 ALONE and I regretted one thing. Not that I went alone, but to save a bit of money, I bought the 2nd most expensive ticket. I ended up quite at the front, but at a corner! This time I am going to book my tickets early and get the most expensive ticket, no matter how much it cost! (a word of caution though: the most expensive tickets may not be the best seat afterall, be sure to check the seating arrangments when you book any concerts) But then again, as not many of my friends I know actually like the Scorpions or even heard of them, I may have to go alone again. But its really a rare treat and if I have to go alone, I will go alone. Anyone wants to go with me? haha They have been in Asia now and then, but I am not too crazy yet to even KL just to catch them in concert.
Till I come back from Genting, please take good care of yourself and do not fall sick. Remember to treat the people around you nicely and respect the elderly. The time is always right to do the right thing.
Cheers, Benny
Another thing I noticed is that the MRTs in the morning are more packed than usual nowadays. I realised that the timings are actually quite long at peak hours and are not spaced out properly. Yesterday, I had to wait for the 3rd train to come before boarding. Its like at ard 820am at Bukit Batok station. Its obviously a peak hour! And when I reached the platform, time for train to arrive = 5 MINS! I was surprised. You know how many people can gather on the platform on a peak hour in 5 MINS?? When the train comes, it was already quite crowded and the people squeezed in. I am not even close. When the train moves off, as usual, the crowd at the center of the carriages is quite spaced out, whereas 90% of the crowd is squeezed at the door (a bit 夸张 but think you will get my point) The next train goes straight to Pasir Ris arrived in 3 mins. I thought I could get in somehow, but the 1001 people behind me had the same idea too. haha I stopped and stood at the side watching the 1001 people squeeze in a space meant for 101. Finally the 3rd train arrived in another 3 mins which is slightly less crowded and I managed to board, but still have to squeeze a bit.
When the train reaches Jurong East MRT, we have to alight to change train. As much as I dislike those who do not move to the center of the train, those who rushed in the moment the door opened without allowing those poor souls to alight first and those who pretend to be asleep while seeing people who need the seats more than they do, there is another cateogory of people I dislike. That is those who already have a seat and when they reach their destination, they want to be the first to get out also! Especially in a crowded train, for example at Jurong East, all will have to go out. Those happily sitting will suddenly stand up and force their way through the crowd. They want to be the first to get out and be the first to board the next train. Why can't they wait for all those poor souls like me standing all the way to alight first? If only they would give up their seats to the needy as fast and as readily.
Back to the title, I am going GENTING this coming Thursday to Saturday! I have not been there for donkey years! The last actual time I was there, the amusement park was not even built yet. 3-4 years ago, I was in KL with my friends. We actually took a cable car up Genting for a good 3 hours, solely for casino only! All I saw was cable car, casino and cab back down to KL. All in 3 hours, like in Ocean's 13, the heist is done in 3 mins. Its a company sponsored trip and I am going with a friend along with some of my collegues with their spouses and some other staff from Aviva. I really look forward to it and its a nice break after the hetic months. First, the weather should be super nice compared to the warm SG weather. I am going to enjoy the weather there. Secondly, the casino. This is only the 2nd time I've been in a casino and though I know that chances of winning is not very high, I still want to try. Last but not least, I am going to fully enjoy myself and leave all my frustrations and worries at the back of my head. It is the last thing I would want to remember in Genting. Hope to take nice pictures too and I would post them in Friendster when I am back :)
A happy news at least for me, my all time favorite band, the SCORPIONS (refer to my 1st blog entry) are planning to come to Singapore (as well as Korea, India, Japan, Jarkata, KL) as part of their Humanity Asia Tour somewhere in Oct/Nov. I thought I was dreaming when I first saw the news in their offical website. Though nothing is finalised yet, I really hope they will come. They have been around for 30 plus years and they have been to Singapore for concert only twice! Once is 1995 I think and once in 2001. I went for the concert in 2001 ALONE and I regretted one thing. Not that I went alone, but to save a bit of money, I bought the 2nd most expensive ticket. I ended up quite at the front, but at a corner! This time I am going to book my tickets early and get the most expensive ticket, no matter how much it cost! (a word of caution though: the most expensive tickets may not be the best seat afterall, be sure to check the seating arrangments when you book any concerts) But then again, as not many of my friends I know actually like the Scorpions or even heard of them, I may have to go alone again. But its really a rare treat and if I have to go alone, I will go alone. Anyone wants to go with me? haha They have been in Asia now and then, but I am not too crazy yet to even KL just to catch them in concert.
Till I come back from Genting, please take good care of yourself and do not fall sick. Remember to treat the people around you nicely and respect the elderly. The time is always right to do the right thing.
Cheers, Benny
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Hectic Week
Finally its the weekend again. This brings to an end a hetic week at work for me. Due to the ongoing project at work, everyone has been very busy for the past weeks and it will get worse in the coming weeks. Hope everyone can stay sane and work together to achieve what is required.
Come think of it, I have been watching many movies for the past few month or so, from Pirates 3 to the latest Die Hard 4. I must say Die Hard 4 is very nice and for those who wants good action movies, this is the show to watch, though I really cannot rem what happened in Die Hard 1-3 haha. With all these blockbusters aside, a movie left a good impression on me. It is not the usual blockbuster affair, no stunning visual, no special effects, just simple acting and a good story. 13: Games of Death, a Thai movie.
I have personally not watched many Thai shows. However, I realised that they are actually good. One very fine example will be that of the show 'SHUTTER'. A fine production, good scares, good storyline and a wonderful ending that will catch many off guard. I watched the show 13: Games of Death with Celeste last Saturday. It is only showing at Cathay cinemas. We both enjoyed the show although the ending leaves you to wonder and think. This show is about a man named Puchit, who was just sacked from his sales job. His collegue has poached his regular customer away and when asked why by Puchit, he gave a curt answer 'You are too slow'. Armed with loads of debts and frustrations and in the midst of coming to terms with his immediate sacking, his received a phone call that will change his life forever.
The caller seemed to know everything about him, even his sacking which he himself just knew minutes ago! The caller introduced him to join a game, where he can win 100 million baht if he complete 13 challenges. After all the inital suspicions and hestitaion, he decided to play the 1st game, that is hitting a fly with a stack of newspaper. He successfully did it and got 10,000 baht immediately transferred to his account. It is easy to guess how the rest of the challenges progresses. However, there is a catch. The game will end if: you quit, if someone knows you are playing this game and if you fail to complete a challenge. Either way, all the money will be forfeited. As he got sucked into this exciting but deadly game, he wonders if he is still human afterall. This show ends with a good twist, what if actually many people are playing this game at the same time?
Well that's all I want to say about this show. Please do watch it if you are interested. After watching this show, it sets me thinking. Will I play such a game in desperate times? Will you? What happens to us if we are driven to the edge, with no one around to help us? Money is the root of all evils. Will we do anything to get it? This is just for self reflection. 錢不是萬能的, 但沒錢萬萬不能！Can money buy happiness? Yes and No. However, I hope everyone can be happy with or without lots of money, especially my loved ones. Learn to forgive and forget, be a filial son/daugther and be kind to people always. I am still learning all these and I am glad someone had given me a foundation to build on. We are always learning and as the saying goes, ' Learn as if you are going to live forever, Live as if you are going to die tomorrow'.
1 week into July and so far so good for me. Busy with work, but still finding time to meet up with some friends. Having a JC class outing tonight. It had been a long long time since I last saw them. Though the turn out is not very good, nevertheless, it still takes much effort for those who can make it to be part of this simple outing. Hope we can catch up and have a nice dinner. I hope I am able to find my happiness in times to come and also to live a good life. Remember, anything worth doing, is worth doing extremely well.
Come think of it, I have been watching many movies for the past few month or so, from Pirates 3 to the latest Die Hard 4. I must say Die Hard 4 is very nice and for those who wants good action movies, this is the show to watch, though I really cannot rem what happened in Die Hard 1-3 haha. With all these blockbusters aside, a movie left a good impression on me. It is not the usual blockbuster affair, no stunning visual, no special effects, just simple acting and a good story. 13: Games of Death, a Thai movie.
I have personally not watched many Thai shows. However, I realised that they are actually good. One very fine example will be that of the show 'SHUTTER'. A fine production, good scares, good storyline and a wonderful ending that will catch many off guard. I watched the show 13: Games of Death with Celeste last Saturday. It is only showing at Cathay cinemas. We both enjoyed the show although the ending leaves you to wonder and think. This show is about a man named Puchit, who was just sacked from his sales job. His collegue has poached his regular customer away and when asked why by Puchit, he gave a curt answer 'You are too slow'. Armed with loads of debts and frustrations and in the midst of coming to terms with his immediate sacking, his received a phone call that will change his life forever.
The caller seemed to know everything about him, even his sacking which he himself just knew minutes ago! The caller introduced him to join a game, where he can win 100 million baht if he complete 13 challenges. After all the inital suspicions and hestitaion, he decided to play the 1st game, that is hitting a fly with a stack of newspaper. He successfully did it and got 10,000 baht immediately transferred to his account. It is easy to guess how the rest of the challenges progresses. However, there is a catch. The game will end if: you quit, if someone knows you are playing this game and if you fail to complete a challenge. Either way, all the money will be forfeited. As he got sucked into this exciting but deadly game, he wonders if he is still human afterall. This show ends with a good twist, what if actually many people are playing this game at the same time?
Well that's all I want to say about this show. Please do watch it if you are interested. After watching this show, it sets me thinking. Will I play such a game in desperate times? Will you? What happens to us if we are driven to the edge, with no one around to help us? Money is the root of all evils. Will we do anything to get it? This is just for self reflection. 錢不是萬能的, 但沒錢萬萬不能！Can money buy happiness? Yes and No. However, I hope everyone can be happy with or without lots of money, especially my loved ones. Learn to forgive and forget, be a filial son/daugther and be kind to people always. I am still learning all these and I am glad someone had given me a foundation to build on. We are always learning and as the saying goes, ' Learn as if you are going to live forever, Live as if you are going to die tomorrow'.
1 week into July and so far so good for me. Busy with work, but still finding time to meet up with some friends. Having a JC class outing tonight. It had been a long long time since I last saw them. Though the turn out is not very good, nevertheless, it still takes much effort for those who can make it to be part of this simple outing. Hope we can catch up and have a nice dinner. I hope I am able to find my happiness in times to come and also to live a good life. Remember, anything worth doing, is worth doing extremely well.
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