Happy New Year 2010

Earlier in the year, some asshat dissed us by calling the CowBoyBar a hive of scum and villany.

That is a lie!! The truth is that we are just pricks. That's all! We ish frenly one!

The New Year's Eve celebration at the Haus Of Tiong is a much subdued affair as compared to a week ago where we rang in Christmas day.

New addition to the BarFlies was Junkey who awed everyone with her fierceness.

I hereby christen her the title of 千酒观音 - Goddess Of A Thousand Shots.

Happy New Year everybody!

- Voxeros

1. siren left...

Friday, 1 January 2010 2:54 pm :: http://yourroyalsiren.blogspot.com/

Steady lah Junkey! I love this woman more and more

2. JayWalk left...

Saturday, 2 January 2010 5:28 pm :: 

Junkey: I think you have a stalker problem liao.....

Hello Kitty Cake

(Click To Enlarge)

I was at some kiddie party (again!) and the highlight of the day, other than the bouncing castle, was the cake cutting.

It was highlight for me coz after cake cutting, yay.... CAN GO HOME LIAO LOR!!!

Ok ok.... it wasn't that bad as kiddie party is a time for old friends to get together and catch up. Except this one he got 4 chewren and means 4 kiddie parties a year. Alamak!

It got to a point where I realised.... eh, why all the parents all drop their kids off then drive off one?!! OI!! COME BACK!!!

So last Sunday was just Jules and I as we tok kok the whole afternoon.

When the cake (Please click to enlarge to see the cake in detail. Exquisite. Really.) was brought out, we were wondering where to place the candles.

Got space meh?

Then I was thinking if we stick the candles on top of the castle then we can go....

"THE ROOF! THE ROOF! THE ROOF IS ON FIRE! WE DON'T NEED NO WATER LET THE......."

oh wait.... I forgot, we are at a kiddie party. Must keep it G-rated. Haha.

Then I was telling Jules if the Kitties were the candles, it would totally freaked the kids out and scarred them for life as we set them Kitties on fire and watch their heads melt. MUAHHAHAHAA.....

Ok, I think they should ban me from all future kiddie parties.

- Voxeros

1. Mistress Grace left...

Friday, 1 January 2010 3:24 pm

Thats a lot of Hello Kitties!!!!!!!!!! iRike!!!!!!!!!

Sentosa With The Kiddos

Took the kids out to Sentosa last week.

Initially, I brought a book along thinking I was able to catch up on my reading only to realise that I didn't have a chance to open the book as I needed to be constantly on the lookout for Gabe.

So in the end I did a Vandalin.

Instead, I took the opportunity to start taking more pictures to practice my HDR.

Click here for the rest of the photo set.

p.s. Btw, Gabe had a little misadventure in the wading pool. Gaaah!!!

 

JayWalk Gabe just peed in the wading pool. I think he ejected half the kids in the pool. Haiz.... I hope the - #30wbtj via kwout

- Voxeros

KingMeng The King of Lisco Lisco Goot Goot!

You don't see KingMeng under normal daylight chartao chartao stone stone one hor. In actual fact this pinafore pole dancer is sibeh happening one hor! He akin to Peter Parker by day, SpiderMeng by night!

Check out the moves!

Lisco Lisco Goot Goot!

- Voxeros

1. siren left...

Sunday, 27 December 2009 6:52 am :: http://yourroyalsiren.blogspot.com

KM damn sporting! Woot!

2. JayWalk left...

Monday, 28 December 2009 12:20 am :: 

Siren: Indeed. Now I really look forward to him doing the Nobody on New Year's Eve party!!

View From The Esplanade

(Click To Enlarge)

Was at the Esplanade last week doing my Christmas shopping when I saw this while I was walking out into the open.

It is interesting how sometimes I already have the shot in mind before I took the picture.

As it turned out with a little HDR massaging, the photo came out just the way I had imagined.

I gave it a Winter's Day look when in fact, it was a sunny and blazing hot weather of 33 degrees Celsius when I took the picture!

Enjoy. Hope you guys like it too. :)

p.s. Those floating balls in the water are Wishing Spheres in conjunction with the coming Countdown to 2010.

- Voxeros

1. An left...

Tuesday, 29 December 2009 3:02 pm

thanks for ur pic, wanted to use it as wallpaper, at first sight, I thought the floating balls were waves. cheers, enjoy reading ur blog.

2. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 29 December 2009 11:36 pm :: 

An: Glad you like the pic. Go ahead and use it as long as it is not for commercial purposes. :)

3. starmist left...

Sunday, 3 January 2010 3:48 pm

gorgeous!

4. JayWalk left...

Sunday, 3 January 2010 5:05 pm

Starmist: thanks! glad you like it.

The CowBoyBarFlies Illustrated

We had a blast at the Haus Of Tiong celebrating Christmas and as usual, it was funny as hell. We even sang the BarFly Christmas Carol loud loud! Lucky police no come and catch us.

Anyway, mega kudos to Ahtiong73 for splendid clip above which probably sums up the CowBoyBar to a certain extent.

You will definitely need to refer to the BarLingo to understand the inside jokes.

Haha.

Enjoy!

p.s. So who is the cute xmm? *points at RachelTeo's friend*

p.p.s. Ok, that should be Elizabeth. Am I right?

- Voxeros

1. siren left...

Sunday, 27 December 2009 6:51 am :: http://yourroyalsiren.blogspot.com

The video is beyond awesomeness!
And yes, the very cute xmm is Liz. I think it's the name... confirm named Liz one is cute one lor. If I ever hv kids, I'm naming my daughter Liz.

2. JayWalk left...

Monday, 28 December 2009 12:18 am :: 

Siren: I used to like this girl named Elizabeth. *blush*

3. siren left...

Monday, 28 December 2009 4:08 am :: http://yourroyalsiren.blogspot.com

Then if I have a daughter and do name her Liz, I'm keeping her away from you. HAHAHAHA

Merry Christmas 2009

On behalf of the Hive of Scum and Villainy, otherwise known as the CowBoyBarFlies, we wish one and all a Merry Christmas 2009.

Here's our song to you. 

Twelve Days Of Christmas
(Written by the very talented Ahtiong73 .
I wonder if Shirlyn would sing this as we attempt to make an MTV out of it)

On the twelfth day of Christmas, CowBoyBar gave to me... 

The 12th men for the other team (referee kayuuu).*

11 times this week i dun have a seat (on the train).

 

10-Gawd we're almost done. 

Dinner at Mezza-9. **

8 Google Wave invites.

7 NSFW links.

6 hours wasted in office Plurking.

5 PINTS OF SUPERCHILLED KILKENNNNYYY!! ***

4 xmms.

3 Wala furniture

2 MSV headlights

and an AC/DC cd. Hey!

The actual plurk is here.

* Arsenal lost 0-3 to Chelsea on 29 Nov 2009. The refereeing was terrible.

** Ah... the legendary TK carrot chop story. Better to ask the man himself.

*** If 1-for-1, we get 10!

Image Credit: Flickr - Smudie

 - Voxeros

3 Doors

I just closed the door behind me about a month ago and now I am presented with 3 in front of me. Although, none of them are opened at the moment, it doesn't stop me thinking about which one to go to.
For all you know, I may not get a choice if only one door opens for me. Worse, none of them opens at all.

Door #1
This door leads me back to an old door which I closed behind me many years ago. Re-opening it will bring me back to familiar territory. I left because I wasn't ready to settle down and grow roots in one place back then. I left because of two-faced backstabbing assholes which I felt sick just being under the same roof.
Well, that was more than a decade ago and times have changed. I have changed. The asshole has left too.
The pay will be so-so but job will not be difficult as I have already 4 years of experience in the bag even before I step in. If I enter this door, it will be cruising all the way to the finishing line and that's it. No big pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Door #2
Totally new and unchartered waters which I will be like a fish out of water. My survival will depend if I am able develop lungs quickly to replace the gills before keeling over.
The money is very good. Lotsa zeroes at the back but how long can I hold on to it, if at all, remains a question mark. The prospect looks very good as far as personal development is concerned and will be the big break turning point if I make it.
Still, it means leaving behind all the expert knowledge that I have accumulated over the years and starting over. Armed with just the fundamentals of steering, the path ahead is dark and scary.

Door #3
Biggest door of them all and I have everything that I need for this door as this is the same room as my China door, only bigger. Much bigger. This door will mean I will be traveling again but Singapore will still be home at the end of the day.
I believe my battle scars will be the strongest to make it through the slit under the door but there is concern if I am over qualified for it? What if it is merely a big door to a big house but a small room within is where I am headed?
I certainly hope not and the word "Regional" seems to provide some sort of a calming assurance.

Too many unknown variables going on right now and it's the festive period where everything is put on hold until thereafter.
We'll see.
In the meantime, perhaps it is wise not to fret so much and enjoy the fellowship of good kin and friends in the meanwhile, during the festive season.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year one and all!

Image Credit : https://www.istockphoto.com

- Voxeros

1. Hamie left...

Friday, 25 December 2009 10:43 pm

i was looking at your Door 2 and the following are my 2 cents worth of thought. if your business network can't fit into the new door, i'll advise against it with the following concerns.
- you're middle age = ability + speed to develop the lungs reduce as people ages. unless, of course, u're out of the stats - you're a family man = u need to be there for your wife, kids + sundry of what a family entails = u can't focus 100% without tearing your hair out in the process developing your new lungs. unless, of course again, u're the exceptional out of the stats
and bcos of the above, u'll feel far more stress doing it than if u're single, young and without tat much of worries on your shoulders. if u happen to fail in Door 2, would it be easy to go back to the industry where your expertise lies in?
i'm thinking for your family's sake, to go to the Door where you can swim well. =)

2. JayWalk left...

Friday, 25 December 2009 11:10 pm :: 

Hamie: Well thought out points there. I did think of what you've said. Just that a new door is a new challenge and an opportunity to widen one's scope. Personal development is a form of self education and hence it means that this is a perpetual exercise till you last dying breath.

I wonder if there is a age-limit to accepting new challenges?

You are right about one thing though. Stability and security is very important for the family at this point in time. We'll see how it goes.

3. Hamie left...

Friday, 25 December 2009 11:21 pm

for the age limit to accepting new challenges, yes, i'd think so.
for the physical body "depreciates" in all mental and emotional aspects as one ages = there's less amount of stress on the body one can handle as the organs + cells + tissues ages. i feel a good example is lesser level of alcohol tolerance one gets as one ages.
however, this is very individual, subject to genes and the external environment. like, are your folks very garang still in their 60s? then you're likely to have the genes though in all fairness, there're many people who fall out of the stats.
some people have a false perception of their general wellbeing and assume that they can drive on when actually, they're overdriving themselves. i think it'd be prudent to ask if you're in this category. for there're many people who die in their prime leaving their family in tatters this way.
all in all, i'd always advise good insurance coverage for your dependants if one would like to chiong in their lives. so even if hearts are broken at the end of the day (touchwood), their tummies + education won't be hurt.
i'm not an insurance agent, by the way. =)

4. JayWalk left...

Monday, 28 December 2009 12:16 am :: 

Hamie: Many thanks for the input. Will factor what you said when I make my decision.

My folks are very active even in their 70s. Dad and I used to play golf regular when we were back in spitland.

5. JF left...

Tuesday, 29 December 2009 2:30 pm

BRo, i reccomend for Door 1 or 3 depends on which opens up more durign this time. Ultimately the decision to chiong or stay lies with you. But if its me, i would go for door 1.

6. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 29 December 2009 11:43 pm :: 

JF: Frankly, I am hoping Door 3 will open as I will be able to apply my know-how accumulated over the past 8 to 10 years to good application. Can't say the same for the other 2 doors.

7. Ruok left...

Wednesday, 30 December 2009 9:27 am

This reminds me of the band 3 Doors Down. :P
Oops that sounded a little negative. I do hope the right door opens for ya.

8. JayWalk left...

Wednesday, 30 December 2009 10:37 am :: 

ruok: Yeah, I heard of that band too, although the first band that came to mind was 3 Dog Night. Thanks for the well wish. Hope everything pans out well.
 

Monster Turbine Earphones

Blogging 101. Always a good idea to kick-start an entry with picture of chiobus. GUARANTEED cannot go wrong one..... even if picture is irrelevant to content. :P

We were at the product launch of Monster Cable's Heartbeats earphones designed by LadyGaga. Click here and here for the coverage of the event held on 03 Dec 2009 at Clarke Quay.

While the event was meant to launch the Lady Gaga Heartbeats earphones in Singapore, it was, to me, more like Monster Cable's signal of intention to enter the Singapore retail market proper.

There were several test stations with the various models on showcase. I got to try out Beats by Dr Dre headphones , Beats by Dr Dre earphones, Lady Gaga Heartbeats earphones as well as the Turbine earphones.

Granted that the Lady Gaga Heartbeats earphones was the most good-looking one, I like the Monster Turbine best for its best sound overall.

The only unnerving thing was that this was a ear canal phones which meant I stuck those babies into my ears..... as with everyone else's. YUCK!

So anyway, a word of thanks to Monster Cable and the organisers for the generous parting gift of a pair of Monster Turbine earphones for each person who attended.

Back home, my current pair is a relatively much much cheaper Seinnheiser MX 80 Sport which I shall put the two of them on a side-by-side comparison.

Yes, I know. This is like pitting Sengkang Punggol FC against the Brazillians.

Fret not, the various factors, including price, will be taken into consideration.

So here goes. The song I picked to do the test was Push It by Salt-n-Pepa. This was the de facto song to use when I do all my sound tests. Something I learned during my days as a roadie.

The Monster Turbine is definitely hands down, pants-around-ankles down the much better product. The bass was clean crisp and the frequency range was far more than the Seinnheiser MX 80 Sport could cover. Even when you pushed it all the way to full volume, the Monster Turbine was able to handle every single ounce of the gain without distortion.

In short, the Monster Turbine was the Ferrari to the Toyota MX 80 Sport, where granted that the Toyota is still pretty decent, the Ferrari was simply sublime.

Now before everyone go forth and buy without regard, let me finish talking.

You may be surprised that Sennheiser MX 80 Sport is still my preferred earphone of choice for the following reasons.

• The Monster Turbine is retailing at around SGD 300 which is almost 10 times the price I paid for the Seinnheiser MX 80 Sport. The Lady Gaga Heartbeats maybe cheaper to retail at around SGD 240, the more expensive Turbine is still better value-for-money between these two for the performance each delivers against their respective price tag.
  
  At this price, this is not something I would wear on my distance runs. Not that I would get mugged for them but rather the sweat from my body is sure to do some damage to the Monster Turbine which incidentally have metal casing for the drivers.
  
  If I am paying $300 for them, I'd be sure to make the last as long as possible.
  
  
• The Sennheiser MX 80 Sport has asymmetrical cable i.e. the right earphone goes around the back from the neck from the left which is a must for me. The good thing about asymmetrical cable is that during those times where you want to take a break from listening or when someone is talking to you and you just want to take it off for a little while, the cable hangs nicely around the back of your neck, thus freeing up your hands. You can't do that with the symmetrical one as in the case of the Monster Turbine.
  
• The ear canal phones of the Monster Turbine is both a hit and a miss. I like the fact that it seals off ambient noise to give you a much clearer delivery but it also meant that I walked right pass the blaring alarms at Kinokuniya bookstore just the other day.
  
  The other problem I have is that I have "sweaty ears", meaning that when my ear canals are sealed from outside ventilation, gooey mucus will start to form and accumulate, resulting in a very yucky pair of ear canal phones and not to mention itchy as hell pair of ears. I don't think it is worth the trouble to be carrying cotton buds just so I can wear the Monster Turbine for extensive period of time.

Verdict on the Monster Turbine? It is a great product that delivers great performance. However the price tag is sure to be putting off quite a few people as it is a tad rich for most blood. Perhaps the perfect Christmas present only for the true audiophiles who feels life's too short to be listening to bad headphones.

- Voxeros

1. Ruok left...

Monday, 21 December 2009 9:49 am

I wonder how wld these compare to my SoundMagic

2. Gary left...

Monday, 21 December 2009 8:32 pm

eh, i tot you are deaf at one side of the ear?

3. JayWalk left...

Monday, 21 December 2009 9:34 pm :: 

ruok: I will bring along on Christmas' Eve when I see ya.

Gary: Not deaf as in hearing impaired to handicap extent lah. If you mumble and murmur when you talk, I will have a hard time figuring out what you are trying to say.

4. Steve Kang left...

Tuesday, 22 December 2009 12:30 pm :: http://exabytes.sg

Hi,
We are looking for creative blogger to join our contest. We know that you are creative blogger. Use your creativity to win the christmas present. You may win a Sony VAIO (worth SGD 1499) or get a cup of FREE Startbucks coffee.
Express & Win Contest http://exabytes.sg/promotion/2009/expressandwin/

Curry Pok Expedition II

I have been lunching at Hong Lim food centre pretty often lately but somehow just didn't get the chance to try the Tanglin Crispy curry pok until much later.

In fact, it was the branch at Whampoa Market (6:30am!) that I had my first taste of the curry pok.

So here's the low down on the curry pok.

The skin crust is superb! Very crisp! It is the same shell type that you find on the Airport Road curry pok.
As usual, I bought 1 potato and 1 sardine but unfortunately, the skin was as good as it got. The insides tasted pretty "normal". No big deal leh.

So thinking that maybe this Tanglin Curry Pok branch at Whampoa Market is not so good, I decided to try them at the Hong Lim food centre two weeks later.

So two weeks later, I ate the first one. Hmm..... tasted much better. Got a little spicier kick then a fortnight ago but disappointed not to have any potato chunks for texture.

Then I ate the second one thinking it was the sardine one. Eh. How come this one is also potato?? Then it dawned on me that the first one I ate was the sardine puff. Quite unexplainable why I was not able to tell it apart from the potato? Ingredient cross contamination during preparation? I wonder.

So verdict? Crust is damn good but everything else is disappointing.

Oh and another thing, I was in Melaka last week and stop by Gelah Patah Esso Station to refuel on my way back, when I saw them sell Curry Pok together with the yummy chicken drumlets.

The drumlets were terrible but possibly due to the fact that they were leftovers as by the time I was there, it was around 6pm.

The curry poks? 3 words. Cannot Make It.

In other news, I was pleasantly surprised that to get an email from Sharon  (Aunty Lucy's daugther) from Aunty Lucy's Curry Pok in response to my earlier blog.

FWAH!! AUNTY LUCY CURRY POK GOT PR DEPARTMENT ONE SIAH!!!!

but wait, there is even more...

AUNTY LUCY CURRY POK GOT FACEBOOK PAGE ONE HOR!!! DOUBLE FWAH!!! 

Lai frenly lai. Go check out the Facebook page and maybe add yourself as a fan. (Eh Sharon, add liao the secret stash of chilli sauce must take out liao hor!)

- Voxeros