Ah Peng Kor Series (Ep.01) - Chow Private's First Exercise

Some glossary is in order to aid those who aren't familiar with army lingo.

1) This is a Kevlar Helmet. Kevlar refers to the carbon material of which the helmet is made up. Much lighter in weight compared to the steel ones that I had when in Tekong. The other one we call the bowling ball.

2) This is a mosquito coil tin (or can or holder) where it allows you to carry your mosquito coil everywhere you go without breaking the coil or burning yourself.

---> AhPengKor Series Episode 01 - Chow Private's First Exercise

- Voxeros

1. ris left...

Thursday, 1 September 2005 3:00 pm

ahahahaha! burnt his hair! today's newspaper came out a feature on alcohol. seen under the description of the waterfall was 'don't burn your hair' nice, the many uses for kevlar helmets :)

2. akk left...

Thursday, 1 September 2005 11:56 pm

u sure the commanding officer said wat the HELL happened? or wat the **** happened? heheheh...must relate the exact dialog hor! I shall expect F words and hokkien swearwords in the 2nd episode..eheheh

3. lancerlord left...

Friday, 2 September 2005 2:51 am :: http://lancerlord.blogspot.com

When you mention bush, I can only think of that bush. Chia lat. Mind corrupted. :)

4. JayWalk left...

Friday, 2 September 2005 8:01 am :: 

ris: Yeah, that was definitely an unforgettable moment for us as well as for this Ah Tang guy. 

akk: Seriously, you are starting to scare me... 

lancerlord: If it is that "bush", that WHAT the heow am I doing lying behind it looking here looking there? hahahah.....

R&R In New Orleans

I spent my morning walking from my hotel to the Riverfront where I signed up for a boat tour to the Battlefield of Chalmette for a history lesson of that land that I am currently standing on.

As I was walking, I was very fascinated by the architectural designs of the old buildings. I realised that it is old cities like this they captivates me more than those spanking new emotionless cities. I like to be at a place where there is a story to tell.

The weather was almost like home and I was melting under the intense heat even at 9am in the morning.

I boarded the Creole Queen that was a Paddle Wheeler like the Natchez shown below and on the right is a close of up of the Paddle Wheeler. Nice colour of red. No?

As we paddled towards the Battlefield, we pass by a couple of old factories and it made me wondered how many people's lives and passed through those front doors all these years. The one of the right is still in operation and it's the Dominos Sugar Mill as one of New Orleans' agricultural crop is that of the sugar cane. Back in the old days, the slaves were brought in to work in the sugar cane plantations. The unique thing about this plant is that we can smell the sugar in the air as our boat passed by.

We got off the boat at Chalmette and were greeted by a park ranger dressed as a Free Man Of Color. He explained that this was the place where the British forces were mostly heavily defeated in the Battle of New Orleans. It was a significant moment for the Americans as for the first time, the Native Indians, Free Men Of Color, local pirates, local militias and the American forces got together as one people and repel the attempt to capture New Orleans by the British.

In a way, I couldn't help but be reminded of our own Fort Siloso. Both are historical landmarks of war commemorating the cock-up of the British forces.

That's our park ranger don in the clothes of a Free Man of Color then while on the right is the Battlefield of Chalmette. The vast open land back during the battle was a harvest sugar plantation, which means total open area without any cover. The American has the cover of mud banks to protect them while the British were foolish enough to march towards them in total open space. The battle was over in just under 3 hours as the British were repelled. Casualty count was 13 on the American side versus 2000+ on the British side.

There is so much more that I haven't see but alas my R&R was only for a single day as I need to rush back to Ch1na to take care of work. I will definitely make another trip soon to cover more ground.

For some strange reason, I am suddenly craving for a big serving of leafy salad. I wonder why.....

Anyway, my flight out is 6am tomorrow morning which means that I need to check in at the airport at 4am which means that I have to leave the hotel at 3:30am which means that I have to wake up at 3am. Nah Beh....

I hope I can wake up.

As usual, goto my flickr account if you are interested to see these pictures in larger size.

Afternote (29 Aug 2010): Now five years later as I look back at this entry. I realised I was very lucky to be able to leave New Orleans just mere days before Hurricane Katrina hits. I remember watching the hurricane on the news at the airport prior to my departure. It just left Puerto Rico and heading in Florida.

What I didn't expect was for the hurricane to make a roundabout turn and slam straight into New Orleans. I didn't expect the magnitude of damage sustained by the city as hurricanes (we call it typhoon over this side of the Pacific Ocean) over here are very common every year.

In a way, I was one of the few who saw New Orleans before it got punched in the face by the hurricane.

Very lucky.

- Voxeros

1. akk left...

Thursday, 25 August 2005 2:23 pm

free men of colour? is that why the uniform is all in white? and anyhow, that big leafy salad craving must have stemmed from ur fried seafood fiesta...

2. Lynne left...

Thursday, 25 August 2005 8:42 pm

You and I are "linked" by the Mississippi River ...

3. Vandice left...

Thursday, 25 August 2005 11:29 pm :: http://twiuc.blogspot.com

Good hurried R&R for you... Thks for the picts bro. Now you make m gian New Orleans liao... Hope you get over your jetlag soon ok?

4. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 25 August 2005 11:34 pm ::

Akk: Let me take a stab here. Given that the black (African American to be politically correct) people were refered to the whites as colored people, I am thinking that Free Men Of Color were black people freed from their slavery. 

You are right about the leafy salad cravings. I think I ate enough oily stuff to warrant a pimple outbreak soon! Oh no...... 

Lynne: Yeah... but we are now linked by the Pacific Ocean since I am now back in Hong Kong. 

Vandice: Not getting over the jet lag may not be a bad idea, it means that I will be awake all night when I am back in Singapore. Very convenient if you are going to cheong. ~LOL

Final Day In Mississippi

Was finally done with the Tupelo Market before driving down to Columbia (not the South American country) to visit a client. It was a charming little town that played a significant role during America's Civil War.

I was at my client's factory and it has lost the bustle of activity as the current management has switched over their business more and more towards importing rather that manufacturing. Gone are the hey days of the 1950s where it was moved from Louisiana to Mississippi. Owing to growing competition to foreign imports, manufacturing as become more and more difficult to carry on due to their higher labour cost.

As I stepped into their factory floor, I was mobbed by curious stares from the workers and I wondered if they are staring because I am Ch1nese or if they knew I was there to take away their jobs with my cheaper exports?

That appointment lasted 2 hours before officially calling my business trip over as I head over to Timburton Golf Club in Hattiesburg for a round of golf to officially kick off my R&R.

The golf course was beautiful and very very well maintained. Those tree lined neatly in a row, are pine trees. I asked my host how did they make it such that all the trees lined up to be the same height.

My host replied, "They planted all the trees at the same time."

Brilliant answer for a damn stupid question. Ouch.

After golf, we drove further down South out of Mississippi and into Louisiana or more specifically, New Orleans.

Finally, a decent hotel after spending a week in motels. The Hilton Garden Inn was a pleasant surprised as I was given a mega huge-assed room. The irony was that at USD 60.00 a night, it was even cheaper than the motels that I stayed in Tupelo and Columbia.

Unlike Tupelo, the towels here do not have yellow patches that felt quite stiff in your hands. Sheesh.

Ahh... finally, I good night's rest.

But before we hit the hay, we headed over the Deanie's for a seafood dinner. We had crawfish, catfish, oyster and crab, all deep fried. I think I not only ate enough seafood to last me my year's intake of iodine, but also enough oil from the deep fryer to make sure Singapore gets their petrol prices back to under SGD 1.00 (if the gahmen can help it,that is).

The interior decor of Deanie's reminded me very much of our Seah Street Deli and their ceiling fan is very interesting. Only a single motor to power all 5 ceiling fans by way of interconnecting fan belts.

After dinner, we felt so guilty with the binge that we decided to walk it off by taking a stroll along the famous Bourbon Street. As it was a Monday night, it wasn't too happening, unfortunately.

Bourbon Street is located in the heart of the French Quarter and it was no surprise to see the influence of the French on their architecture. The area was named French Quarter is it used to be a French settlement in the early days of the 1800s. Another interesting trivia was that New Orleans was also at one time ruled by Spain for 40 years, when they succeeded the French before handing back to the French again. All these before New Orleans was finally sold to the Americans and USA declared their independence thereafter.

Goto my flickr account if you are interested to see these pictures in larger size.

- Voxeros

1. Lynne left...

Wednesday, 24 August 2005 8:31 pm

OMG, you went to the Big Easy, I've always wanted to go there, to have an authentic bowl of gumbo! Did you enjoy the hot/sticky weather there too? Bet it reminded you of SG! :)

2. a crunchy green apple left...

Wednesday, 24 August 2005 10:02 pm :: http://greenappledelight.blogspot.com/

Beautiful pictures! =) And yes...hahaha i would have asked the "stupid" qn if i was in your shoes too. Enjoy the rest of your stay at this exotic place!

3. akk left...

Thursday, 25 August 2005 2:21 pm

huge room....:)

4. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 25 August 2005 4:29 pm ::

Lynne: Big easy indeed. Very much like Mohd Sultan except that the bands are much much better. As the wind blew, you can smell the dried puke, piss and crap in the air. I guess it is part and parcel of Bourbon Street.

Ironically, Bourbon is Tennessee whiskey and yet this street is in the heart of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Go Figure.

5. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 25 August 2005 11:29 pm ::

CrunchyGreenApple: Yeah. Thanks. It was a beautiful place. Seafood was very good also but I still think our seafood more shiok. 

Akk: Yah boy... I expected the small as the motels given that the room rates were similar. Have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.

WebChat With Gabriel

Was doing a webchat with Gabe earlier. He has grown quite big since the last time I saw him. He is 8 kg at 3 months. He will grow up to be a big boy.

It was a pretty quiet chat since Gabe hasn't figured out how to read yet, much less how to use the keyboard.

Anyway, it was only for 5 minutes before he crapped in his diapers which explained why he was crying. Oh well, will be back in 10 days' time.

Counting down the days....

- Voxeros

1. akk left...

Sunday, 21 August 2005 8:18 pm

Arrggghh!! so cute! must...resist....cheek-pinching!

2. JayWalk left...

Sunday, 21 August 2005 9:38 pm :: 

akk: Which cheek? Whose cheek? :P

3. hitomi left...

Monday, 22 August 2005 10:02 am

Wah, he's big for a 3-month old. Are you sure it wasn't Papa who scared him to tears? :-P

4. JayWalk left...

Monday, 22 August 2005 4:50 pm ::

hitomi: *poke your eye* x_-"

5. kIm left...

Monday, 22 August 2005 4:59 pm

Oh my!! Cute baby!!!!!! I love cute babies!!! But I don't like them once they grow older like my mei mei. Wahahaha.. I'm evil

6. JayWalk left...

Monday, 22 August 2005 5:46 pm ::

kIm: I haven't been back since Gabe was born. Probably won't recognise me when I go back. sigh....

7. pam left...

Monday, 22 August 2005 6:40 pm

gabe is sooo sweet!

8. JayWalk left...

Monday, 22 August 2005 8:21 pm :: 

Pam: Makes you want to have your own hor? Soon lah... soon.

9. Jaslyn left...

Tuesday, 23 August 2005 12:25 am :: http://precious-jas.blogspot.com

Big round eyes..beautiful.. Must spend more time together when u're back. Not able to recognise Daddy is not a good thing wor!

10. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 23 August 2005 10:25 am ::

Jaslyn: True lah.. but I got back up plan. By the time he old enough and need money from his old man to put in the down payment for the car, confirm sure recognised his daddy liao.

11. deek left...

Tuesday, 23 August 2005 2:19 pm

looking more and more like ah pek....... just like his lao pei.....

12. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 23 August 2005 8:09 pm

Deek: TMD..... -_-"

13. jaschocolate left...

Wednesday, 24 August 2005 6:43 pm

Ahhhh.. soooo cute... like Mercer Machine's baby.. heehee... Where is Gabe? Singapore?

14. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 25 August 2005 4:26 pm

jaschocolate: Yeah. Gabe is in Singapore. Couldn't travel up yet since he has all these vaccinations that he has to complete first.

The Charm Of The Tupelo Regional Airport

The Tupelo Regional Airport was right outside the Furniture Market where I am currently attending. As we were in the car getting from one exhibition complex to another, we drove by, with the airport in full view when Wilson started his funny story about the airport.

While most of us came to Tupelo by car, Wilson flew in direct from Atlanta. The Saab-340 (pictured above) is a small plane that carries only 30 passengers and he was bitching about the fact that it took him over 30 minutes just to get off the plane when it landed. What happened was that Tupelo airport got their first ever aero-bridge and was supposed to use it to receive this flight.

Problem is that the aero-bridge was so new that the operator was still struggling to figure out how to work it. As a result, with everybody inside standing and waiting in anticipation to get out, the poor operator just couldn't get the aero-bridge to mount the plane correctly. Wilson was saying that the aero-bridge keep missing the door of the plane like a drunken snake.

In the end, another ground crew got fed up, walked to the plane with the portable staircase and voila! Problem solved.

Then John joined in with his anecdote from the last market. He was leaving Tupelo that fateful day when he was served by this African-american woman at the check-in counter. Then later, as he was at the waiting area looking out of the window at the Saab-340 that he was about to board, he saw the same woman outside loading the luggage into the plane. Then later, when the last piece of luggage got loaded, he saw her running back into the airport via their departure gate to pick the PA system microphone announcing that the plane was ready for boarding. There she proceeded to collect and validate the boarding passes.

The real kicker here is that where the last passenger was on board, the door closed and the plane ready for push off from the gate, John couldn't believe his eyes and burst out laughing like a mad man when he was looking out through the window.

There she was, the same woman, waving the luminous sticks guiding the plane out of the gate.

Talk about bao shuar, bao hai man..... Limbeh five body throw floor (五体投地) siah. RESPECT.

Image Credit: http://www.wetwing.com

- Voxeros

1. lancerlord left...

Saturday, 20 August 2005 2:37 pm :: http://lancerlord.blogspot.com

She could be the CEO. Simi mah pow kar leow! :)

2. JayWalk left...

Saturday, 20 August 2005 2:38 pm :: 

lancerlord: Sekali she is!!

3. akk left...

Sunday, 21 August 2005 12:29 am

that was funny! Although i shouldn't laugh, the poor woman...

4. JayWalk left...

Sunday, 21 August 2005 2:33 am :: 

akk: The great thing about this woman is that she is doing this everyday as part of her daily task.

No complaining, no whining, no bitching. Just do it. Si beh stay-dee.

5. Leapin_Toufu left...

Monday, 22 August 2005 10:56 am

I WANT to employ her now!!! heh
Was there an union strike action that day? I've seen some airline agents in US with multiple roles but this is extreme :D

6. JayWalk left...

Monday, 22 August 2005 4:55 pm :: 

Toufu: There is a strike going now in Northwest but only by the mechanics' union. The ground crew, flight attendants' and pilots' union all refused to join in the "sympathy strike" which means that the mechanics are very much on their own.

While they are striking, NW is contracting those mechanics who were laid off from other airlines to fill the gaps.

Hopefully, my returning flight will not be affected.

7. Lynne left...

Monday, 22 August 2005 8:39 pm

How about Cayman Islands airport? I bet the guy who man the counter, who loads the luggage, who makes the announcement, who shuts the door, who signals the plane, who flies the plane, who serves the drinks ... is also the guy who runs the gift shop, who runs the surf shop, who runs the fishing outfit, who conducts the scuba diving tour, who drives the taxi ... Ulu place lah, wat to do?

8. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 23 August 2005 10:23 am ::

Lynne: ~LOL

9. Aston Villa left...

Wednesday, 24 August 2005 9:16 am

What John described is quite true at small regional airports in the U.S.

10. JayWalk left...

Wednesday, 24 August 2005 10:28 am ::  

Aston Villa: Er... who's John? 

Next Stop - Tupelo

Greetings from Tupelo, Mississippi. This is the birthplace of the Elvis although there are more of him now in Las Vegas then anywhere else. :P

I had a layover in Memphis last night and hopped onto the shuttle in the morning heading South. It was a 90-miles trip crossing the state line of Tennessee into Mississippi. Strangely, we had a lot of cops waving their speed radar that day and we ended up reaching Tupelo in 2 hours rather than the usual 1½ hours. Any longer, and I would just have to pee in the car liao.... big difference what an miscalculation of 30 minutes can mean!

To save a couple of bucks, it was decided to have instant noodles, that I've brought, for breakfast instead of going downstairs for the all american breakfast buffet, which there is no way I can ever eat enough to justify my money's worth.

I had to use the in-room coffee maker to boil the water but the strange thing about these coffee makers is that the taste of the coffee from the previous brew will always be there no matter how thoroughly you washed it. Coffee-taste instant noodles anyone?

Good thing I brought a fork along or I may have to eat my noodles with my toothbrush again. Right, Chris?

When I stepped into the market, it was machiam a ghost town. Where everybody go? As I had expected, the market in Las Vegas, two weeks ago, had severely affected this market.

The Las Vegas market was a new market, which made its maiden debut just 2 weeks ago. Obviously, with Vegas itself being a natural draw, all the visitors flocked to Las Vegas at the expense of this Tupelo one.

It was quiet everywhere even though today was supposed to be the official opening day. Folks are worried about covering their rent (about USD 4 per sq ft) even though it was significantly cheaper than the Las Vegas market (USD 38 per sq ft). The last time I saw such a pathetic turnout was the High Point market in October right after the 9-11 incident. That was one market where the salesmen outnumbered the customers. Real sad and sorry sight then.

Good luck to the people of Tupelo!

The way I see it, with Las Vegas market here to stay permanently, I think this Tupelo market is as good as dead and buried. I, for one, will not be returning again unless for some miracle turnaround which I think is highly unlikely.

I kind of worried about the local folks in the event of the demise of the market. Lots of jobs will be laid off, loads of service stuff, nearby restaurants and hotels, etc. will suffer too.

- Voxeros

1. akk left...

Friday, 19 August 2005 8:14 pm

that's quite bad...and the place looks pretty nice....

2. JayWalk left...

Friday, 19 August 2005 8:17 pm :: 

akk: This is just one of 6 halls at the market. Imagine 6 empty halls. Damn sad story.

3. Jaslyn left...

Friday, 19 August 2005 11:54 pm :: http://precious-jas.blogspot.com

Hahaa...Coffee flavored noodles and eating it using a toothbrush...Man! Thats funny! *trying to imagine the scene*

4. JayWalk left...

Saturday, 20 August 2005 12:48 am :: 

Jaslyn: Desperate times calls for desperate measures. Bor pian. Hungry mah... :)

5. newocean left...

Monday, 22 August 2005 10:52 am

*sigh* i miss my 'hong-shao niu rou' Kang-si-fu instant noodles!

6. JayWalk left...

Monday, 22 August 2005 4:53 pm :: 

newocean: You like Kang Si Fu? I prefer the Taiwan's Tong Yi, Wei Dan and Wei Li. They are much nicer than Ch1na's Kang Si Fu although the sales beat the pants off their Taiwanese counterpart here.f

7. NewOcean left...

Monday, 22 August 2005 6:00 pm

Kang Si Fu was the only luxury i had during my sojourn at a god-forsaken port in guangxi, china during '95-'98.

8. JayWalk left...

Monday, 22 August 2005 6:03 pm :: 

NewOcean: GuangXi??!! OMG...
鸡不拉屎, 鸟不生蛋, 乌龟也懒得上岸 的地方.
Anyway, glad to know that you are back home liao. Yes?
I still have another 26 years to go... haiz...

9. NewOcean left...

Monday, 22 August 2005 6:21 pm

i was an employee then. quitted in '98 and came back to spore.

10. JayWalk left...

Monday, 22 August 2005 8:23 pm ::

NewOcean: Welcome back home then although a bit belated. :P

I am sure the experience there would have served you well today.

Greetings From Memphis

Finally got to Memphis after flying for more than 22 hours straight. Had to send BM a belated birthday wish coz stuck in the air. Oh well.

The final stretch from Los Angeles to Memphis was the hardest as my knees were starting to ache badly at the joint from being in a immobilised bent position. The legs (no pun intended) from Hong Kong to Tokyo to Los Angeles were fine as I was upgraded to Business Class. Ahh... few would expect the humble footrest to be sooooo important.

Snapped this photo of the First Officer of my flight from LA to Memphis. Damn "unglam" hor? All along we are used to the perception of the "glamourous" lifestyle of flight crew (especially pilots) but the sight in front of me, is probably a more accurate picture of actual reality.

- Voxeros

1. Lynne left...

Thursday, 18 August 2005 8:39 pm

The flight crew himself looked so "unglam", nevermind what he was doing, sitting on the floor! I hope he's a ground crew and not an air steward!

Anyway, welcome to the US, if you see Elvis in Memphis, say Hi for me ...

2. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 18 August 2005 8:44 pm :: 

Lynne: Like I said, he is the First Officer as in the right-hand man to the Captain aka Co-Pilot. You can tell by the 3 Gold Bars on his shoulder ampulet. Captain is 4 while second officer is 2.

As for Elvis, I think you see more of him in Las Vegas these days, then Memphis liao. hhahaha.

3. akk left...

Thursday, 18 August 2005 9:34 pm

hehehe...glamorous? nowadays, airlines can hardly keep afloat, no more glam pilots liao....I feel sorry for him leh...fly big plane but sit on floor of airport...

4. JayWalk left...

Friday, 19 August 2005 12:37 am :: 

akk: Well, it's a good thing that they are not stuck up as compared to some that I have met.

This one is certainly down-to-earth (no pun intended).

5. vandice left...

Friday, 19 August 2005 12:00 pm

Wah bro, lui pai tan ah... jet here jet there. Siong marn. Hang in there!

6. JayWalk left...

Friday, 19 August 2005 12:04 pm :: 

vandice: You being in Chambana should know how painful it is to be flying long haul with numerous connections. 

My record was 13 planes in 11 days. 

I fly from Hong Kong > Tokyo > Seattle > Detroit > Greensboro > Detroit > Atlanta > Detroit > Dallas > Houston > Detroit > Los Angeles > Tokyo > Hong Kong. 

Now that's what I call siong!

"Oil Crisis" In Guang D0ng

Something was really strange in recent weeks when all of a sudden, the whole province ran out of petrol and got the prices soaring like crazy. What originally for Octane 97, was RMB 4.60 (about SGD 0.94) 2 weeks ago, shot up to RMB 6.00 (about SGD 1.23) per litre. Granted that it is still cheaper than Singapore and UK, the percentage increase of 30% in a matter of two weeks. What really got everybody scrambling was the fact that at many pumps, you can't even get petrol even if you have all the money in the world.

I have drivers waking up 5 so that he could drive the truck to the pump and start queuing for petrol. Another driver who woke up late, reach the petrol pump at 8am only to be stuck until 11am to finally reach the pump. It is really really bad.

So was there really an oil crisis? Apparently the word around the grapevine is that there was some conspiracy in cutting off the supply of the petrol as the situation in the other province didn't have this problem. Rumour says that the top echelons of the provincial gahmen have a hand in this profiteering racket.

Anyway, the latest update was that the Central gahmen has gotten wind of this and probably will be clamping down on this really hard. Let's hope not of these greedy bastards get away with it.

Mad scrambling for petrol is causing lots of hardship for everybody especially the taxi drivers, delivery vans, bus drivers, everybody. WTF???!!

Empty dried up petrol stations all over the place are a common sight these days. Nah Beh......

- Voxeros

1. Lynne left...

Wednesday, 17 August 2005 2:12 am

Hey, Guang Dong oso got Texaco! Are Guang Dong drivers very "hiong"? I visited Shanghai last year, and was scared shitless by the driving there!

2. Jaywlk left...

Wednesday, 17 August 2005 7:38 am :: 

Lynne: Yeah, they have Texaco/Caltex as well as Shell and Mobil but only like 1 of them versus 500 of the SinoPecs out there.

It makes me wonder if it is really Caltex or is it just a phony copy? Hmm......

Driving here is crazy which is why I hired a chauffeur despite having a Ch1nese driver's license myself. When kena accident, the foreigner is always at the short end of the stick and so I was thinking of letting the driver assuming that part of the risk.

3. Meepok left...

Wednesday, 17 August 2005 8:30 am

Bro Jay,
I smell a fish here. There is definitely a conspiracy. At least the Cheena gahmen may do something about it. In Singapore, there has been petrol price fixing amongst the oil companies for as long as I can remember. Gahmen is doing what it does best in these situations: Act Blur. Petrol taxes contribute significantly to state coffers (like ERP). Hence I don't think they'll want to rock the boat by breaking the oligopoly. Maybe this should become an election issue:-)

4. JayWalk left...

Wednesday, 17 August 2005 1:41 pm :: 

MeePok: I can't say for sure (or even if I am sure).
But I heard supply will be back to normal as the alleged guilty parties gave the lame ass excuse that it was the typhoon that disrupted the supply.
Riiiight.......

5. jaschocolate left...

Wednesday, 17 August 2005 7:50 pm

Haha.. then ur chauffeur got wake up early to queue too?

6. lancerlord left...

Wednesday, 17 August 2005 10:14 pm :: http://lancerlord.blogspot.com

Fwah. Petrol suck until dry dry.
Good for those manning the petrol stations, can cho bo. :)

7. akk left...

Wednesday, 17 August 2005 11:55 pm

hmmmm....i bet this only happens in China, cos got too many ppl and too many cars....

8. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 18 August 2005 10:01 am :: 

jaschocolate: Not as often as we used relatively less petrol as compared to the taxi drivers and delivery vans. 

lancerlord: I think the workers' wages are tied to the volume of sales and I guess indirectly they are also affected. Or worse kena retrench until supply comes back to normal. 

akk: This only happens in Ch1na as this place really boh cheng hoo.

Voice Blog - AKK Virgin AudioBlog & Ah Peng Kor Series

The enthusiasm in AngKuKueh's first ever audioblog was so infectious that I also want to do one.

Topic feature AKK's Blog, my up and coming AhPengKor series and pondering about how I should sign off from my blog.

Enjoy.

---> Jay-Cast 2005-08-15 @ Chang An

- Voxeros

1. kIm left...

Tuesday, 16 August 2005 7:47 pm

Hey! I like your voice! Hahaha. Er, but you don't sound too deejay-ish to me. Maybe a newscaster kind of DJ 'cause sound quite polish. Hehehe.

More audio blogs! More audio blogs!!! And please don't sign off with a girly voice. Gave me goosebumps. You can say "Remember to miss me alright?" Muahaha.. Or a simple "Till the next time.." will do too.

2. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 16 August 2005 9:54 pm :: 

kIm: You know the strange is that when I am typing, words just flow freely from my finger tips but when I do it live on the mic... I get all the ooos, aahs, errrs, "and then" (machiam like Martin Yan's cooking show), "you know", etc....
sigh....

3. a crunchy green apple left...

Tuesday, 16 August 2005 10:07 pm :: 

You sound good! :) I'm melting... Hahaha. I'm visualizing a tall, suave guy with shiny leather shoes and.....

Looking forward to your Ah Bin Kor series. I've GOT the stamina you know. ;)

4. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 16 August 2005 11:11 pm :: 

CrunchyGreenApple: Shiny leather shoes. Yup. Tall, suave? Er........
Ah Peng Kor Series is going to be more difficult than I thought as my first crack at it failed miserably today.
sigh....

5. Pam left...

Tuesday, 16 August 2005 11:31 pm

wah...got fan club huh?!?! :)

6. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 16 August 2005 11:40 pm ::

Pam: Fan club? Well, weren't you one of the earlier members who signed up? ;)

7. akk left...

Tuesday, 16 August 2005 11:40 pm

wah lau...how can u assume I'll ask u to talk in the high-pitched girly manner? i wouldn't! I'd rather u sprout hokkien all over! I think it's more you, heheheeh... Make my day! speak hokkien!

8. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 16 August 2005 11:44 pm ::

akk: Alamak girl, you hear wrongly lah... the high pitched girl voice request was Sheena lah.

Make your day, speak hokkien? Oh well, whatever turns you on then..... :P

9. kIm left...

Wednesday, 17 August 2005 10:08 am

hahaha. I like the way you said "machiam". Sounds very Singaporean. I can never say 'machiam' with style no matter how I try.

10. Vandice left...

Wednesday, 17 August 2005 11:53 am :: http://twiuc.blogspot.com

DJ ah? The measured control you have over your voice lah. Like polished you know? And your hokkien very steady lah. Really like from the tip of your tongue type lah. Aniwaz, its a gift.

Lalio DJ, chow everybody is not veli cool way to sign off leh...

11. JayWalk left...

Wednesday, 17 August 2005 1:33 pm ::

kIm: Practice my dear... lotsa practice. 

Vandice: Measured control? Dunno leh... I just talk normally lor although it is quite hard considering the fact that it is a bladdy monologue... no feedback along the way one...

Ciao everybody, not very cool. I think so too... still working on it. :)

LorBert Series (Supplement) - Topper & The Sweet Barracuda

Sorry folks, no story here in case you are expecting one.

Jasmine was sharp-eyed to have noticed that I added an additional "mishap" of my own when in fact it was the omission of one of somebody else's.

Topper has been a long time friend from way back since secondary school days. We were tight and has always supported each other through the thicks and thins of our lives. We went through a lot of crazy stuff together, from crash-and-burns trying to pick up girls, to picking up his first pager. From ruining his guitar while dressed as a woman, by setting it on fire, to ruining my car's paint job with crap quality stickers that wouldn't peel off. Yup. We were there.

Between Topper & I, he was definitely the stronger person for he rode the emotional roller coaster from start to finish while I couldn't even finish writing his story here. Quite ironic considering the fact that it was his sad story and not mine.

Anyway, Topper is happily married (to a wonderful woman, if I may add) but I felt nonetheless that the Sweet Barracuda may have left a permanent scar in some small corner of his heart.

Song that triggered my memory of her each and every time? Love Song For A Vampire - Annie Lennox.

Image Credit: http://www.allpage.com

- Voxeros

1. Jaslyn left...

Monday, 15 August 2005 12:45 am :: http://precious-jas.blogspot.com

Woah! Something that I haven seen for the longest time! :p

2. JayWalk left...

Monday, 15 August 2005 9:31 am :: 

Jaslyn: That picture took me almost half an hour to find.
If only I remembered that it was called the Motorola Bravo Plus. It would have saved me 28 minutes of searching....

3. Vandice left...

Monday, 15 August 2005 1:12 pm :: http://twiuc.blogspot.com

Limbeh had one too... It was similar. A later model with a grey button in front to answer the page. It had a strong vibrator... Wah thks bro. You just gave me an post idea.

4. JayWalk left...

Monday, 15 August 2005 5:32 pm ::

Vandice: I think all of us have that during our *ahem* younger days.

5. Lynne left...

Monday, 15 August 2005 8:52 pm

OMG, I used to carry one of those when I was "on call" for ex-OUB. The bank was too cheap to get us those mini alphanumeric ones. It used to scare me to death when it vibrated on a hard table top in the middle of the night.

PS: Orh, you married, OK lor, I shall "save" my cousin Lynn for some other lucky single guys! :D

6. JayWalk left...

Monday, 15 August 2005 10:03 pm :: 

Lynne: The only gripe with the stoopid numeric pager is that some idiot friend will page me and then leave me his own pager number. Arrrgghhh.... 

p.s. Yup. Whoever the guy you are saving for will be one heck of a happy bloke. That I have absolutely no doubt.

One Singapore Minute

Just wanted to take part in mrbrown's One Singapore Minute meme and here's my contribution from the deep troughs of Ch1na.

Click on the photos to go to my Flickr account for additional notes.




Toys go in first...


... everything else is secondary.

All set and ready to come home...

... just counting down the days.

See all the photos taken by others so far under the onesingaporeminute Flickr tag here.
Details on how to be part of the One Singapore Minute project.
Technorati tag: onesingaporeminute

- Voxeros

1. Jaslyn left...

Saturday, 13 August 2005 10:53 pm :: http://precious-jas.blogspot.com

Wah..so many toys one ah? :p

2. JayWalk left...

Saturday, 13 August 2005 10:57 pm ::

Jaslyn: Heh heh....
Eh? Sat night never go out and cheong ah? So guai stay at home har?

3. Jaslyn left...

Saturday, 13 August 2005 11:26 pm :: http://precious-jas.blogspot.com

I'm very guai one what..haha..wkends are usually quiet for me...everybody got their gf/bf and own group of friends(I wonder why I aint of the FRIENDS) :p

4. akk left...

Sunday, 14 August 2005 1:22 am

hahaha....i saw vandice's comments to be Godson. 1 m teddy bear for him, would u do it? I easier! half-m teddy bear gao liao. :) *angelic face*

5. JayWalk left...

Sunday, 14 August 2005 1:28 am ::

Jaslyn: Dounch worry. Stay at home relak relax also buay pai.

akk: Half-m teddy bear. How about 1.72m teddy bear? I show up, you make sure don't run away har!
hahahaha....

6. JayWalk left...

Sunday, 14 August 2005 2:05 am :: 

akk & vandice: Where vandice's comment? I don't see it anywhere? 奇怪了!

7. lancerlord left...

Sunday, 14 August 2005 2:35 am :: http://lancerlord.blogspot.com

"Toys go in first...everything else is secondary."
Muahahaha. This is a common practice to me too.

8. JayWalk left...

Sunday, 14 August 2005 2:38 am ::

Lancerlord: Gives TGIF a whole new meaning.

LorBert Series (Part 5) - Jay & The Chaplin Chick

Chaplin's, located at Holland Village, was home ground to me as I lived nearby and knew everybody there. As a result, I never needed to call anyone to arrange to meet there. I just needed to show up and "my people" would already be there ahead of me. Such, was the pinnacle of my social life but yet, I was incredibly lonely then.

It was a couple of months after my separation from Tiffany when I met Lynn. I was introduced to her via Hoon, whom was my close girl-buddy back in school.

As the exams neared, Lynn would travel all the way to NTU to join us in the library to study. Thereafter, I would drive her home, before heading back to my own.

Come Friday, after we were done for the day of studying, we would all hopped into my car and we would all go partying the night away. We often partied so hard that we always ended up crashing at my place. Perhaps the good thing about living alone is that I could do whatever I wanted, have whoever I wished, and whenever I desired, at my place. Before anyone know it, Lynn was spending more and more nights as my place to the extend of having her own toothbrush in my bathroom.

Contrary to what everybody is thinking right now, nothing happened between us. I just got out of a crash-and-burn and wasn't really ready to get back onto the saddle again. Still, I appreciate having an additional person in the house.

Then one night at about 2am in the morning, my phone rang. It was her friends calling to tell me that she got pissed drunk at Chaplin's and they were on the way over to dump her at my place. I took the elevator down to my lobby shortly after and there they were waiting to unload her over to me. I carried her back and laid her on my bed.

A thousand questions must have been racing through my head then.

"What the hell is she doing on my bed at this very moment?"

"Why me? Why of all places, come to my place? Why not go back to her own home? Why here?"

"She REALLY drunk?"
"Is this some kind of an open invitation?"

"Should I take her?"

Frustratingly, there were not a single answer to any of those questions as I found myself sitting in the dining room playing back the questions over and over again.

I couldn't sleep as I was struggling mentally. Ended up sitting there until the sun came up. It was a beautiful sunrise but I was too distracted to appreciate it. She woke up, washed up and left without a word.

I blew it.

I was too stupid/scared/chicken/thick to have seized the invitation laid out in front of me. I may have played the gentleman that night, but I certainly didn't come out feeling like a winner.

She soon graduated a year ahead of me and starting working for a Japanese company in a sales position. She struggled initially to meet her monthly quotas and I had to jump in to help her by stringing some of my contact together for her. Her office was near my place and unknowingly, I got sucked into the role of the enslaved chauffeur again. Whenever she needs me to pick her up, I would be there within a single phone call. Ahh.... what a nice "friend", I was.

The last day we were together was a Friday. I was to go partying at Chinoiserie while she was to be meeting her friends for drinks elsewhere. We had an early dinner and got a couple of hours to kill before our separate appointments. As we were walking and window shopping in Wisma Atria, I tried to hold her hand for the first time.

She flinched.

The message was deafeningly clear. It was over and the simple withdrawal of her hand was all that she needed to do to get the message across.

I never called her again after that day and neither did she since.

Song that triggered my memory of her each and every time? Love, Me - Colin Raye.

- Voxeros

1. vandice left...

Friday, 12 August 2005 3:21 am

Love, me? This one not lorbert leh... This smells like true love to me, one-sided unrequited though it is. You must have had deep affections for her, or did you paint her wrongly?

Aniwaz, after all these years, are you glad both of you chanced upon each other in this haphazard game called life?

2. Lynne left...

Friday, 12 August 2005 4:59 am

Funny, I was just singing to "Love, Me" last week ... almost everyday during my drive home. Makes me want to run away with the one who ran away from me ...

3. JayWalk left...

Friday, 12 August 2005 6:08 am :: 

Vandice: It was Lorbert, believe me. Yes, I painted quite a mild picture of her in the blog. I just didn't have the heart to up the intensity of the negatives, closer to what reality.
Just couldn't do it.

Lynne: Funny how your name and affinity to the song are so freakily similar. I hope Lynne and Lynn are different persons.
Fate can be pretty cruel at times.

4. kIm left...

Friday, 12 August 2005 10:46 am

You are incredibly sweet. Sigh. If only I can have such a 'friend' in my life.

5. akk left...

Friday, 12 August 2005 3:53 pm

u are too nice already lah...

6. Pam left...

Friday, 12 August 2005 4:41 pm

oh jay........................ let's speak soon.

7. JayWalk left...

Friday, 12 August 2005 4:41 pm :: 

kIm: Lucky never met you or else it would have been...
LorBert Series (Part 6) - Jay & The *cough* Sexy *cough* Little Smile.
 
akk: Good guys get trampled on. That is one lesson that I learnt.

8. JayWalk left...

Friday, 12 August 2005 4:49 pm ::

Pam: Hmm... you miss my "comedy talk show" already??!!! wow.... heh heh

9. Lynne left...

Friday, 12 August 2005 8:32 pm

Hahaha, I am not your "Lynn" lah, plus I am about 10,000 miles away from SIN, so can't be me. Tho', I have a female cousin named Lynn ... might be her?

I just listened to Collin again this morning ...

10. JayWalk left...

Friday, 12 August 2005 10:07 pm ::

Lynne: What a relief! Hmm, 10k miles away, North America or Europe?
"Lynn" should be 31 yrs old this year. Your cousin?

11. Lynne left...

Friday, 12 August 2005 10:51 pm

I am in the US, Minnesota.
Hmm, I think my cousin Lynn is younger than that, she should be 29 this year, so she can't be your "Lynn" too. But she's single, slim, pretty and very sweet, maybe she replace your "Lynn" one day?

12. JayWalk left...

Friday, 12 August 2005 10:59 pm :: 

Lynne: Hmm... I am seeing your comments here for the first time.
Oh dear, where are my manners? Welcome to JayWalk! Bon Lecture!
Better don't ask your cousin come and replace "Lynn" or I will have to write
LorBert Series (Part 7) - Jay & The Minnesota Replacement

13. JayWalk left...

Friday, 12 August 2005 11:00 pm :: 

Lynne: Then again hor, got picture? :P

14. Lynne left...

Saturday, 13 August 2005 12:17 am

Mr Lobert, please make up your mind leh! My cousin Lynn is back in SG lah, I am the only one in the family who is living in the US. She works in the Tampines Central area, if you hang around there, you might bump into her. Long (rebonded) hair, fair-skinned, big eyes, and very sweet-mannered gal ... Oh BTW, she graduated from NTU too (like you)!

15. JayWalk left...

Saturday, 13 August 2005 7:10 am :: 

Lynne: sigh.... thanks for the offer. That's very sweet but then hor, given that you only recently come aboard and hadn't the chance to catch up on my archives. Need to let you know that I am already married liao i.e. game over.
You studying in Minnesota?

16. jaschocolate left...

Saturday, 13 August 2005 2:22 pm

Sugar daddy got some many daughters liao.. still want one more ah.. GREEDY PIG!!! Anyway, i thought you wanted to write only 2 of ur stories, how come got 3? Hee..

17. JayWalk left...

Saturday, 13 August 2005 5:02 pm :: 

jaschocolate: Do I hear a thinge of jealousy?
Harlow, I never ask for more daugthers ok? Don't anyhow greedy pig hor...

I originally plan 2 of my own and 3 of other people. But there was that one (The Sweet Barracuda) that was so heart wrenching that I had to stop halfway. I couldn't finish it despite the fact that it wasn't even my own experience.

And so, I had to fill it in with The French Ballerina which I originally, didn't want to reveal coz too many people in my circle would know who I am talking about and would luuuurve to get their hands on the "inside story".

But in the end bor pian. Gaping hole must be plugged and so I 牺牲了!

18. vanna left...

Saturday, 13 August 2005 5:35 pm

so sweet & nice guy that you are.
not many nice guys exists in the world today.. lol.
and if they are nice, they are attached or married already

19. JayWalk left...

Saturday, 13 August 2005 8:01 pm :: 

vanna: You see me too up already lah. For that I thank thee.

I definitely no way near the "perfect man" benchmark that you are referring to as I too, have my fair share of quirks and flaws.

If I am really that "good", then I would still be, on this very day, the proverbial doormat that girls trample on.

20. Sheena left...

Sunday, 14 August 2005 3:17 am

Wah lau. THE FUCKING BITCH!!!
But you know something, that song "Love Me" always brings back memories of my ex-boyfriend (the one before Andy), because once he did something very sweet for me - he strummed the song on his guitar, sang it, recorded it down on a cassette tape and gave it to me. Awwww... everytime I hear that song I think of him.

Anyway, back to the bitch. You know why I say she's a bitch? Because she couldn't even reject you in a nice, classy way. Trying to act "gu niang" when she goes to your place and spends nights and sprawls on your bed... yeuch. I may be liberal, but there are some things a girl shouldn't do, and one of them is spending too many nights at the place of a guy who isn't your boyfriend (once or twice, under unavoidable circumstances like no transport home is ok lah).

21. JayWalk left...

Sunday, 14 August 2005 7:33 am ::

Sheena: We meet all kinds of people don't we? Funnily, I mini-cringed when I read the word "bitch". Perhaps I am a softie for I can't really get myself to really call somebody a "bitch" with such a gusto of hatred. 

Oh well, it's over and in the deep past liao.

LorBert Series (Part 4) - Wee & The Teenage White-Musk

Her name was Clara and it's the same girl from my Tuition Series though I was not the "Carrot-Top" in question here. After the thwarted attempt to "capture my hands" over Christmas, she had since moved her sight to the next target. Wee, from my earlier blog entry who happened to be tutoring Clara's cousin, was it.

How they got to know each other? I have no idea and I guess I'll never know.

The week before school started for new school year was the week we resumed our tuition. It was there that I found out about their clandestine affair when she pestered me to guess what Wee got her for Christmas. Initially, I refused to play her game but soon relented as I realised that the tuition wasn't going to get started until I accede to her demands.

First, was the Christmas card that she insisted that I read. I cringed internally at the amount of sweet diabetic mush that was penned inside. My skin crawled so bad that I had to grit my teeth to finish reading it without frothing at the mouth. Ahh... I began to realised what this was all about. She wanted to spite me for rejecting her advances earlier and she was trying to rub that in my face. Well, it didn't work as far as I was concerned coz I really bor chup about the whole ding dong. Please lah, she was only 14!!! Tuition KID some more. Well, obviously Wee thought differently but hey, it's none of my business.

Next, it was the pestering to see what gift he got for her. It was a little square box with a pink slip of paper inside. The paper turned out to be a receipt that you usually get from the old Chinese jewelers, and beneath it, was a pair of gold earrings. WTF??!!

Perhaps I was the swakoo one for I didn't know that it was appropriate to buy jewelry for a 14 year-old girl as a Christmas present? "Oh well," I murmured to myself, "thou shall not judge."

Here's the thing. This happened just 2 weeks after the thwarted Operation: Hand Capture. Boy, how fast she did move!! OK, so they became an item. No big deal although I quite disapprove of it, due to her age. However, I kept this to myself before being guilty of appearing holier-than-thou.

Then one Thursday evening*, I received her page when I was about to reach her place. She called to cancel her tuition that evening as "something at the last minute came up". I was quite peeved with the late notification for I had already traveled from Bukit Panjang via Woodlands via Mandai via Nee Soon via Upper Thomson and almost reaching her place already only to find out that she was going to call it off. Nah beh….. Si beh doo lan…

It wasn't days later, when I found out that she went to Fire with Wee that Thursday evening. WTF??!! I don’t mean to impose a double standard here against going to a nightspot but for fuck's sake, she is only 14 and still schooling while we are in NS. What the fuck is a 20-year old army boy bringing a 14-year school girl to Fire? Did I forget to mention that it was a fucking SCHOOL NIGHT??? WTF??!!

Anyway, the relationship lasted only a few more months thereafter when she kena potong jalan by Wee's campmate. I later found out what happened and boy, was it a lame-assed story.

Apparently, she called the camp looking for Wee, one fine evening, to chit chat since Wee was on guard duty that night. Wee wasn't around and so campmate David took the call. David, the weasel, chatted her up and the rest, they said was history as Clara jumped ship for the next guy. One phone call was all it took. Wow!

Poor Wee was in pieces when he got dumped. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't eat. Even to the extend where his folks had to call us for help.

For a 20-year old guy who got played by a 14-year old girl, I slap my forehead. *piak*

Song that triggered my memory of her each and every time? Don't Miss That Party Line - Bizz Nizz

* Knobby: That was the same night I ended up hiding in the TPH nurse's wardrobe. Heh heh... another story, another time if *cough cough* I am ever drunk enough to pen it down *cough*.

- Voxeros

1. Vandice left...

Thursday, 11 August 2005 2:30 am :: http://twiuc.blogspot.com

ONE call? Clara out window shopping ah? She is out looking for older lorberts to bring her to cool places lah. Classic case of using men as 'tools' But ain't it a lil too young at 14 to start? But I must say she has intuitive understanding of dicks, urm sorry, men.

2. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 11 August 2005 9:00 am :: 

Vandice: ONE was a figure of speech lah as in it all started with that ONE call. Not literally ONE call lah. At least that's what I thought.

I mean, this type of thing how to ask? It is pretty humiliating history liao and you still want to go dig for details? I didn't have the heart to do it leh.

In Clara's defence, the "using men" was probably unintentional lah. Ask any girl out there if they too were fickle at the tender age of 14. Can't say for the kids these days though. Back during our time, we were more innocent that the "monster brats" of today. *tongue in cheek*
 
However, it probably was through those experience that the girls start to learn and discover the fine art of chopping Roberts. Yes? No?

3. vandice left...

Thursday, 11 August 2005 9:26 am

Muahaha. Yes, bro. Willing lorberts though.

4. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 11 August 2005 9:30 am :: 

Vandice: I am sure that you are aware that the human DNA has been fully decoded. Yes?
I bet, upon closer look, there will be that one chain of protein that marks "Lorbert" in the Y-chromosome. Confirm sure got one.
sigh....

5. akk left...

Thursday, 11 August 2005 3:35 pm

sorry lah, but nice young girls aren't like that...damn! how i wish i was a bad girl last time...

6. Pam left...

Thursday, 11 August 2005 5:26 pm

maybe the 'Lorbert' DNA chain will one day be Darwin-ised...?? :) not sure if that's good or bad for man (woman)kind.

7. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 11 August 2005 5:37 pm :: 

akk: You know hor, nice young girls these days are hard to find liao loh....

Pam: We'll never know. Would we?

8. akk left...

Sunday, 14 August 2005 1:26 am

muhahahah...thank u hor, so now i nice OLD girl liao leh...sighz..:)

9. JayWalk left...

Sunday, 14 August 2005 1:46 am :: 

akk: You ah? Like I said, you animal animal one... how to be nice young girl? wahahahaa....