thomas ng thiam syn

i'm sure you would've deleted contacts from your phonebook for many reasons... and i've done so whenever i'm bored and decide to 'springclean' my contact list.

but i had to do it for an altogether new reason that i hope won't happen too often. i did it because i saw ts's obituary in the straits times today.

ts was my section mate during bmt in ns. we weren't close and had not kept in touch after that. some time this year when my buddy from bmt caught up with me over dinner. he said that ts was recuperating at home from his cancer treatment.

he gave me ts's number and i told him if he's going to drop by to see ts, to ask me along. i did not call nor sms ts since i only ran into him once since bmt. it was his familiar and distinctive voice in the not-so-familiar australian outback. he was part of the training troops while i was in the admin team.

we had something else in common too, we were from the same junior college. but regrettably, we didn't quite hit it off or kept in touch. i guess chemistry is important for friendships to blossom and effort is needed to keep it going. both were sorely missing in this friendship. :P

still i can't help feeling a sense of loss when confronted with his picture in the papers. you can't help but wonder what unfulfilled dreams or wishes that he had since he was still so young. a life in its prime dramatically cut short by a scary disease caused by mutated cells.

knowing that cancer is so prevalent nowadays... it's something that could happen to any of us and probably would had happened to a close or loved one. a very sobering thought indeed.

again, a wake-up call to myself to adopt a healthy lifestyle and live a life without regrets because you can't afford to take anything for granted.

my condolences to ts's family.

ipod nano

tried to send my ipod nano for repairs on sunday but the service centre at wheelock was closed. had to do it fast since i need it for my 2.5 hours flight to and fro bangkok next month. yup, i'm flying on jetstar so have to provide my own in-flight entertainment.

when my turn came, the lady at the counter tried very hard to plug into my nano using the connector but didn't succeed. of course she couldn't have done so otherwise i wouldn't be here in such a sorry state.

i had dropped my nano outside shaw tower some months back and somehow, murphy's law had to apply to my poor nano. it had to hit the curb with the end that was not protected by the silicone and plastic casing! the connector port was dented rendering my nano dead since it can't be charged anymore. sigh...

and so the counter lady happily announced that ipod nano cannot be repaired since everything is integrated and is replaced with a new unit if under warranty. however, since mine has expired, they would provide me with a new unit sans accessories and warranty if i pay $x. hmm... sounds good, i'm impressed with the offer and service.

that is until i hear the amount that i need to pay! i looked at her with incredulity.

the amount she quoted was more than enough to buy a new unit with full accessories, warranty and whatever freebies the store is offering at the moment. gosh! and she didn't even know that until i told her so.

lousy policy... what's the point of having that? when they could have given me a discount on a new unit, retaining my loyalty...

then again, i bought another even without any discounts 'cos i needed a replacement. and that's how i ended up with a new, sexy and curvy black ipod nano.

12-day old

babies are just adorable, aren't they?

well, ethan is still very much a sleepy head like when he was a day-old. had to rouse him abit from slumber land just so that i can capture some shots with his eyes open. he kept yawning. hehe...

and was rather annoyed by the bright lights from the window. :P

cute...

meet up

after more than a week from my birthday, amy, the busy bee from ssc finally has time to meet up for dinner with ml and i today.

by the time i arrived outside sushi-tei at paragon, there was already a queue waiting to be seated. amy was late as usual... somehow, ml and i weren't surprised and kind of expected it.

but she was forgiven when we found out later that she was actually having an 'off' day but had to be back in the office for an important meeting. work mah, what to do?

first time at this outlet since they moved from another location within the same mall. still the same subdued lighting but lots of latticed wood in a much bigger place. yet there's still a queue outside! wow... business must be good.

as both of us were too hungry, we ordered our food first while waiting for amy. and it's my regular negi-toro don and sashimi salad.

yummy!

franky

received an sms from tracy this afternoon informing me that eric's dog, franky had finally succumbed to lung cancer.

i remember franky to be a very well-behaved and caring dog who just loves to herd. my condolences to eric and tracy.

eric posted this in the jcgang mailing list. i thought it was especially moving.


THE RAINBOW BRIDGE

There is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth. It is called theRainbow Bridge because of its many colors.

Just this side of theRainbow Bridge, there is a land of meadows, hills and valleys withlush green grass. When a beloved pet dies, the pet goes to thisplace. There is always food and water, and warm Spring weather.

Those old and frail animals are young again. Those who have been maimed are made whole again. They play all day with each other.But there is only one thing missing. They are not with their special person who loved them on earth.

So, each day they run and play until the day comes when one suddenly stops playing and looks up. The nose twitches, the ears are up, the eyes are staring, and this one suddenly runs from the group.

You have been seen, and when you and your special friend meet, you take him or her in your arms and embrace. Your face is kissed again and again and again and you look once more into the eyes of your trusting pet.

Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together, never again to be separated.

night festival 2009

was looking forward to the night festival at the museums this year 'cos of the fabulous pictures that i've seen both online and in print of last year's event. but it was let down by the weather. almost totally washed out by the heavy downpour in the early evening. :(

as a result, the outdoor performances were all postponed till a later timing and i had to duck indoors into the national museum instead. come to think of it, it's my first visit to the national museum.

and i was greeted by a huge installation art 'love tank (the temple)' by s. teddy d. (indonesia). a very loud and pink stack of 7 tanks adorned with lotuses. an expression of the interaction and clash between the eastern and western cultures. an attempt to transform killing machines into symbols of love and peace to humankind with the juxtaposition of red lotuses on the hull.

being a turret mechanic during ns, i thought the heart-shaped barrel was way too cute. :) haha...

several galleries depicted many things of the bygone eras. there's one on local hawkers, another on fashion and also one on films and wayangs. you really do get a blast from the past... and if you're old enough, remember some of the things from your childhood.

things like the f & n signs and glass bottles. thick coffee mugs with matching saucers. the almost antique ice-shaver used to make ice-kachang.

i still remember how my parents will pour the hot drink onto the saucer to cool it before letting me sip it from the saucer. a night of nostalgic fun.

ethan chua

the much anticipated arrival of ethan finally happened on 7th july at 1447hrs, just 1 day after my birthday.

when i dropped by at mount elizabeth, the proud parents showed off their new bundle of joy. they even brought along the laptop containing cayden's baby pictures for comparison. hehe... :)

and he does really resembles cayden. cute with lots of hair just like his brother, but bigger and more 'vocal'. :P

my mum asked me what did we do to ethan after i showed her this video... nothing, i swear that we didn't pinch his rosy cheeks or anything like that. it's just his usual crying. :)

vital statistics:

• weight: 3205 g


• length: 50 cm

happy birthday to me

another year, another birthday, another cake from my dear sis. :)

i just want to be happy and healthy always.

cheers!

tea @ central

found an alternative to having tea at crystal jade kitchen.

and it's pretty economical too! it's just nice if you're feeling just a little peckish or simply need a place to rest those feet tired out from shopping.

check out this tea time special set of hk-style milk tea, fried chicken wing and of course the must-have 菠萝包with butter. and they bother to serve the butter properly iced which is a nice touch. not sure if this promotion will be permanent.

dinner @ palm's asian brasserie

today marks the beginning of the monthly birthday feastings for my ns group of friends. ky suggested this rather ulu hotel featuring a steamboat buffet to celebrate my birthday.

doris and thomas were invited too. the steamboat was quite good with fresh seafood and mushrooms. cooked dishes were pretty ordinary. i think all of us were slightly disappointed that there weren't oysters or sashimi included in the spread.

however, it's the company that counts, right? cheers!

tea time

was craving for hk-style milk tea for a week when doris ask if i'm free to meet up today since she's not working. so i suggested going to crystal jade kitchen at taka.

later, we realised that janet is having her gynae appointment today so we asked her along. she's complaining that ethan is later than what she had expected and she can't go for maternity leave earlier. hehe...

had the usual instant noodles and 菠萝包with butter set at crystal jade. yummy!

since i was feeling greedy today, i suggested going over to shimbashi soba for desserts.

what a leisurely afternoon!

samsung jet

had been looking around for phone ever since m1 sent me a $100 voucher last month. yeah, my 2-year contract is up for renewal this month. as a sign of the mobile telecoms intense competition, they had sent me the voucher even without me asking for it.

although there's absolutely nothing wrong with my nokia e65 and against my usual environmental-friendly sensibilities, i just couldn't resist laying my hands on a newer, better and hopefully sexier phone.

after scrupulous research online and careful evaluation, the shortlist came down to the following from the 3 major mobile manufacturers:

• nokia e71
• sony ericsson c905
• samsung jet

nokia e71, a smartphone that has won over many casual users. a comfortable choice since it will be mostly flat learning curve. but i didn't really like the landscape orientation and the dated qwerty keyboard. maybe good but definitely not sexy.

the sony ericsson comes with good review of its cybershot camera function. but the phone was rather thick and featured a so-so screen. again, not very sexy.

samsung jet is the latest offering from the korean manufacturer known for producing slim and beautifully designed phones and it's the only touch screen phone in the shortlist. the user-interface has been updated. the screen was a bright but energy-saving amoled. 5.0 megapixels camera with autofocus. i was sold when i knew it comes with wi-fi. the best thing? it's within my budget of around $300.

all in, with a $100 trade-in plus the m1 voucher, i paid only $118 for the new phone. can't wait for it to be delivered. :)