Blue

I think the blue has got the better of me today…never felt so blue for a long long time. And thanks to Nora Jones’s new album I was listening to…makes my Monday even more moody. It was suppose to make me feel relax and all…but its not happening. I wonder if it’s the stress at work that I’m experiencing? Thought I can handle stress quite alright…then again…maybe not…maybe its not the stress altogether…my guess is…its the accumulation of lots of stuffs that leads me to feel this way on a Monday…the boredom and restlessness on the weekend surely adds up to some percentage.

One can only get out of the unhappiness only if one stop dwelling in the misery…hmm wise words indeed…did I just made it up myself or have I heard it from somewhere? Rolling Stones has a song that goes like this…”you can’t always get what you want…but if you try sometimes you just might find…you get what you need”…nice…depicts my feelings exactly…on a Bluey Monday.

Rain Rain Go Away

Other than Friday night…Saturday and Sunday have been rather uneventful. Thanks to the weather…it makes the weekend look gloom…dampens the mode. Still remember the verse we used to recite when we were young ? Rain rain …go away…come again another day…little children want to play. My version would be…rain rain…go away…you can come any day…but not on Saturday and Sunday.

Sunday has just ended…beginning of a new week is here…will have to slog for another 5 days…hopefully next weekend will be better.

Foreign Talent

Big Ken has been working in Australia for a couple of years after he graduated there…he now holds an Aussie PR status…and is working for an Engineering Firm. His back for vacations and we met up together with the rest for dinner and coffee. His got a better paid job than us Engineers here…which he complains that his underpaid…a car…a place to stay…occasional holidays back in sunny Singapore or other states in Australia and a Taiwanese girlfriend…he seems to be doing good there.

Many have asked why didn’t I settle there after I graduated…well the question I’ve asked myself many a time even before I graduated was why should I settle there after graduation. And the answer is very simple…everything is here…home is where I should be. I don’t want to be a 2nd Class citizen…I don’t want to pay 20% tax for my whole year of earnings and I certainly don’t want to loose my sense of belonging.

That was back then…now…it kind of sway a little…I can do with a little relax pace sometimes. Actually our own country is employing lots of so call “foreign talents”…so it isn’t that bad…after all working in another country and being called foreign talent is something really sophisticated. 20% tax isn’t that much I guess…we are paying lots of taxes ourselves…GST…income tax…tv and radio tax…road tax. Come to think of it…there is no looking back now…I am now part of the working colony…working for the country that I once so love…

Walkathon

These days…walking long distance isn’t a treat anymore…especially not on a Saturday afternoon in the crowded Orchard Road. Maybe age is catching up…maybe I’m just tired after a long week’s hard work…maybe I’m just being lazy. Whatever it is…this will be the last time I’m walking up and down Orchard Road on a Saturday afternoon.

Sweet Sue pointed out that we’ve walked 6 MRT stations altogether…3 along the way and the other 3…the same ones…on the way back to the car park. Sure felt like we’ve completed a walkathon…or something like that. We’ve endured the drizzle and the crowds…the later I think made the walkathon harder for us.

Can’t remember when I actually started to hate crowded places…a street full of people…a phenomenon that can only be seen in Orchard Road…well maybe in China and India as well…can’t stand the noises…its like annoying chattering ringing around the ears but you can’t grasp if it’s a language you understand. Its only after we left Orchard that I felt a sigh of relief…at least the noise is far behind my ears.

Peaceful Weekend

What can I say…been out almost every night after work. I’m enjoying every moment with JJ. Breezing through the heavy traffic in the morning and cruising the raining evenings. Driving in the rainy nights can be kind of scary when you can’t see clearly…some occasional horns here and there…but all is well. Hope I didn’t scare any of my passengers though.

Thanks to my mates…who showed me the direction to Villa Bali last night…a place to wine and chill…at the corner of Depot Road. I couldn’t help but feel a kind of peace and tranquility when I stepped in. Able to get away from the crowds on the weekend is the best thing I can ever dream of. And on Sunday…we made our way to Upper Pierce Reservoir…another place where not many people will go on a rainy Sunday evening.

It’s a quiet and peaceful weekend for me…it sure helps keep my mind focus and get ready for a hectic week ahead…and I’m not able to do it without JJ.

Smooth

The past 2 days have been full of activities….Friday night coffee at Changi Airport…Sentosa on Saturday…East Coast on Sunday. Thanks to BRN (Bernardo Ronaldo Ng) and IWJ (Iron Woman Jacquie) for giving me driving tips and road direction and encouragement. Without them…these 2 days wouldn’t have been so smooth sailing or should I say…smooth driving.

Already 2007 is looking good…let’s hope the year will be as smooth sailing…not just for me…for BRN and IWJ…for those reading my blog…for those not reading…in fact for everyone. A year as smooth as Santana and Rob Thomas.

Begin To Hope

The name Regina Spektor is totally new to me…but after listening to her album and reading up some information on her…she is not new at all. She is only 26 and has already released 4 albums…abundant of songwriting talent there.

Her music is associated with the anti-folk scene in New York. Originated from Moscow Russia…she migrated to New York at the age of 9 with her parents. Her vocal style is somewhat quirky…yet delightfully whimsy…sets her apart from the other female artistes. The album is expertly crafted…touching…and refreshingly honest with a sense of humour. There is abit of everything in the album…folk…jazz...soul…pop…a little hip hop…and some classical perhaps. I watched “Fidelity” MTV on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NBArHgZntE …really unusual and cool I must say.

Impatiently Waiting

3 more days…yup 3 more days. Am I excited or what…been busy today…checking out my music library…getting ready songs that I would like to listen…burning compilation cds…with a mixture of easy listening…hard rocking…soul…as well as chill out tunes. This is the first time…as always…there is always a first time. I’ve applied for leave come Friday…but my boss only allowed me to take half a day. I thought maybe I can go cruising after collecting my JJ…but I guess half a day will do just fine.

3 more days…yup 3 more days…I can say goodbye to the dreaded bus waiting and MRT crowding rides. I can go anywhere I want and not worry about the timing of the public transport…early morning breakfast…evening jog…midnight supper…weekend at the beach…and the list goes on and on.

Then again there is the niggling fear…I haven’t been driving for quite awhile…am not familiar with the car …the road…and of course the drivers on the road…anyway…the excitement should supercede the fear…hmm…we shall see.

Big Bang

Celebrations across the globe…not in Bangkok. Sends a chill down my spine when I heard the news last night. How could these people be so despicable as to do such a thing on the eve of the New Year. This is not the first time of bombing…but every time the bomb goes off…it brings fresh wounds…to the Nation…to the people…to the casualties…to the families and friends of the casualties…to everyone across the globe. Well…they sure start the celebrations with a bang. Reminds everyone of us that 2007 will still be a year of turmoil…with terrorists act and unpredictable natural disaster.

But it is not all gloom here…countdown party happening around the country. I still have my fare share fun. I would have had more fun if I haven’t heard the piece of news earlier. I guess subconsciously…there is something holding me back.

Anyway…the parties ended…the bombs blasted…lets put 2006 well behind and move forward…as Pope Benedict XVI prayed at a New Year’s Eve service in the Vatican City that 2007 would bring the world “peace, comfort, justice”…lets all pray cause a year of endless challenges awaits…