Shanghai Shopping!

Spent the weekend in Shanghai. A bit sian since i had to miss my golf game.

Decided to get up from my fat butt and went to search for some Grohe sanitary fixtures.

After numerous haggling and currency conversions, i decided to buy them!



Here's me doing a stock take:


All packed up and ready to leave the shop:


As per my previous post, i also took so much toiletries as i could from the hotel and put it in the box. Hee hee.

I was actually afraid that id be taxed for my purchases in Singapore. Heng never.

Tada! Opened it at home.



After clearing out the Grohe stuff:

Plunge?

i recently took the plunge and submitted my resume to a headhunter who had an opportunity for me.

It wasnt so much of a plunge because my resume is always ready but it seemed quite daunting psychologically.

I really hate the feeling at this stage. The one where i cant concentrate on my current job and feeling restless to hear back on the new opportunity.

Bleah.

Weird Gifts

In a continuing series of weird gifts following four dozen mangoes from s mumbai client,



someone gave me two pairs of shoe trees. And they're used ones. But i figured it's fine as long as i didnt go licking the trees.



After looking at the pic of the trees again, i realised that they look like mangoes too.

Contracting

Finding a right contractor is very difficult.
It's almost like finding a fling or an escort. You're trying to find the
right person whom you're comfortable in having a short-term relationship
with, and having a creative mind to come up with fanciful ideas and yet
attend to your every whim and fancy. All these at a price that you hope
to be as low as possible.
Tough sia.

Greener Pastures

Its slightly more than 7 years since i have started working.

My first day of work was 15 June 2004. I waned to blog about it on the day it happened but i was too busy.

On 15 June 2011, it marks the seventh anniversary of my working life but at the same time, quite coincidentally, it also marks the day whereby ive worked the same amount of time in my current and previous job.

*im not sure how much sense the last sentence makes*

Somehow i feel like i need a change.

Furniture Shopping

We have somewhat begun our furniture search in a rather haphazard manner. Looking here and there for things that we like and trying to fit the pieces together and trying to make sure that they are compatible.

It wasnt a step in that direction when i bought this stool at the spur of a moment. Haha. I just thought it looked really cool and it'd be nice for me to sit on it while i polish my shoes.



I think a lounger would be nice in the house and we saw this the other day:

The evergreen Eames Lounger and Ottoman


And then quite coincidentally, i noticed a miniature model of it on my boss's mantle. It has been there for the last 4 years but i never really connected it.



I think it must be good.

Long Weekend!

Im on leave this week from Wed to Fri, thus making it a super duper long weekend bonanza.

As Someone was away on worktrip, i spent my birthday meeting contractors, getting a massage and dinnering with the boys.

As can be expected i also arranged for two golf sessions over this long weekend.

Played the first one today.

Quite coincidental that i wore red to the golf course and they were having a national day promo:



Won myself three pairs of adidas socks.



I had such a lousy game that this was the best thing about golf today.

New Camera!

Someone bought me a new camera for my birthday because she was sick and tired of holding her breath while trying to focus using my camera.

It was quite difficult getting a good focus with my previous camera that only i could use it properly and as a result, i dont have nice pics of myself. Haha.

Hope this one solves the problem.

Gifts

My birthday is coming and i was pleasently surprised that two groups of colleagues bought me gifts.



It's been a long time since someone bought me cufflinks.

Then another came in this package on my table.



Inside:



I guess everyone knows i love to play golf and bought me this set of tights. It's great because i have been wanting to buy a new set cos my current set is rather worn out.

w00t!

Housekeeping

Rare opportunity to be home on a Saturday night.

Took the opportunity to clear my drawers.

I have so many different currencies due to my past travels. However, due to the majority of trips only to China of late, the other currencies are left un-utilised and they're too small to be changed.

Very soon, the US-SG exchange rate would reach parity and i'd be able to use it in Singapore to buy bubble tea.

Owners!

After many months of searching and visiting units, followed by three months of waiting for the transaction to go through, we finally collected the keys.


So now, we are home owners! Renovations start soon!

Wrong Direction?

Saw this in the Parkway Parade car park. The car park management team must be a joker, cos ever since they revamped the car park system, it's a joke!

Dream Home?

Where does Ikea find all these people, whose dream home is a 35sqm apartment?

Head in the Clouds

Took this the other day. It was some pretty scary rain that day.

Car Plate

Saw this car plate in JB the other day.

Overdose?

I played golf again yesterday. This means that ive played 4 golf games
in the last 6 days. To be frank I feel a little overdosed with golf and
a little tired. Should I cancel my golf game this Saturday?

I drove a friend to JB for the game yesterday. He was a little concerned
that my tank was a little below the three quarter mark. I usually have
three quarters full but nowadays when I see that they don't check, I
don't really bother anymore. But since my friend pointed it out, we went
to pump before entering JB. I decided that $8 would be enough to get me
past the mark but alas when I got back to the car after paying, it isn't
enough. So I had to re-pump another $10. Kwa kwa.

Then on the way back from JB to Singapore, I pumped again to full tank
at the cheap JB prices. W00t!

It was Tuesday yesterday. It'd be three days of driving around before I
head to JB again. Three days is roughly three quarter tank for me. So I
went to pump petrol last night again so that when I go JB on Saturday,
im near the mark.

So in total, I pumped petrol four times yesterday.

Ive no idea why im typing all these. Maybe cos I don't feel like
working.

!!?!

Another post on the absurdity of golfers.

What possessed him to buy a pink belt, turquoise tights for the arms and a lime-green shirt and wear them all on the same day??!?

Packed

After playing golf on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, followed by
badminton on Sunday, I came to work aching all over man.

New Tool Addition

A colleague who just got back from Switzerland got me this.

My very first Swiss Army knife.

This will go into my new toolbox! w00t!

Provence Lust

After Someone and I got somewhat better from our various bouts of ailments, we started our usual dietary habits again.

It was a long time since we had this provence roll because it was always sold out.

This time, we bought three. One to eat there in the shop and one each for us to bring home. Typing about it now makes me hungry.

W00t w00t!

Someone is offering to pay me S$1000 to give a 1hour presentation about
branding and development strategy. Im thinking of making it 30 minutes
for presentation and 30 minutes for Q&A. Wahahaha..

Manhatten??!?

I saw this condo showroom in the middle of the Simei heartland the other day.

Manhatten??!?

Gosh.. have they run out of idyllic names that they had to name a condo after a New York borough?

Cheapo

I made a resolution: From now on, i will take as much shampoo, shower gel and soap from the nicer hotels i stay in so that i wont have to buy little bottles of toiletries for my golf games as well as for the guest toilet in my house. Wahahaha..

Toolbox!

I got my very first toolbox the other day! So fun!

Brainwashing?

My polling station in the recent elections is at a primary school.

Long time since i entered one and this is what i saw at the courtyard. I just found it odd to see these big banners proclaiming slogans. So boring and it almost feels communistic! I remember back in my day, it's all banners of the various ECAs. Although i wasnt big on ECAs, i thought it would have been more fun than these "inspirational" banners.

Birdie!

Ever since i bought my new clubs, along with the increased frequency of games, ive made great strides in my game, which has made golfing more enjoyable, which has in turn increased the number of games also.

I made my first birdie at the Bougainvillea course of Poresia, Hole 30, 127m, Par 3 on 10 April 2011.

The ball landed this close to the hole on the first shot! w00t!



Second birdie was at the Hibiscus course of Poresia, Hole 8 , 134m, Par 3 on 23 April 2011. Didnt take a picture for that one.

Third birdie was a chip in from the green on the Orchid course of Poresia, Hole 17, 162m, Par 3 on 7 May 2011.

Because it's still a novelty, i have kept the balls with which i birdied and never used them again:

Hee hee

In the continuing series of golf-related posts, here's what i saw in the men's changing room at Orchid Country Club the other day.

Roller Coaster

I saw this the other day at a HDB estate.

I have a feeling i know what they're building but it sure looks very complicated and very much like a roller coaster ride, dont you think?

Gateway to India

I didnt take many pictures when i was last in India. Whilst i saw many interesting things, there was just too much rubbish (literally) that made me want to take out my camera.

I did however, take a picture of the Gateway to India. This is in Mumbai. It looks blurry because i took it from the window of the Taj and it has a mosquito netting.



A clearer one can be found here:



Here's an internal shot of the corridors of the Taj after it was restored back to its original design:



A friend told me to stay away from the two hotels that were besieged by terrorists but i ended up specifically going to them to check them out. Kwa kwa.

Here's the shot of the Oberoi:

Rally!

We went to the WP rally the other day! This is a picture of the rally venue before proceedings started.



We managed to find a spot to sit that allowed us to see the stage. We even brought apple pies and drinks to enjoy the show.

It got so exciting when the rally started that i didnt take more pictures. Haha.

Golfer's Mentality

Just another example on how warped the golfer's mentality is:

Golfers hate long weekends because it means customs will be jammed by people heading up north or returning to Singapore. The situation is exacerbated if it's a common holiday shared by Msia and Singapore. Bleah.

Recently there has been reports of the haze coming back from Sumatra. I voice my concern that itd affect the golfing experience. My golf kaki said "Haze even better! Less people will come play. No jam!"

!!!

Vintage

I saw this car the other day on the road.

Looks tiny and in the blazing hot day, the windows are down. The car probably doesn't have air-conditioning. The girl, beside the driver, presumably his girlfriend wasn't looking like a happy camper.

Without sufficient boot space for a set of golf clubs, no air-conditioning and an unhappy female passenger, why would anyone drive a car like that?

Stuffed

On our last day in India, we met someone who kinda liked us immediately and brought us out for dinner.

We went to this hotel which supposedly had pretty good food.


He was quite a fat ass and i wasnt surprised he liked to eat. But i never expected that he wanted to go to one restaurant for starters and another for mains. At the starters restaurant, he ordered enough for a full meal before we proceeded to the other restaurant. The other was a naan restaurant. Some of the best naan ive ever eaten.

This is the open kitchen of the naan place but it seems like they were lobo-ing when the picture was taken.

India

*For some reason, this post didnt appear on the blog. I only just realised this.*

I leave for Mumbai, India tonight. First time going to India. We are targeting India this year because the traction in China is going quite well.

Whilst im fearful of the filth of India, im a little excited because it’s my first time in a new country. I haven’t gone to a new country for a long time.

Im bringing lots of charcoal pills, some Pocky and some tic tacs for fear I might be hungry. I heard I shouldn’t put ice in my drinks either.

Gulp.

Full of Themselves

You know some people are so full of themselves when their email address is Mr.Clark@xyz.com or Dr.Rao@xyz.com. The Mr Clarke dude’s email address is a company address somemore. Haha.

001

You realise you are being obsessive when you reach the golf club and you're the first person there at 645am.

Regular Guests

I was eating dim sum lunch at a restaurant in Hong Kong the other day when i noticed in the other table that there were special cups and mineral water bottles on the adjacent table.



I asked the waitress and she told me that this family came for lunch at 1pm everyday, except race days, to their restaurant, so they have their own cups and mineral water bottles there set for them before they arrive. That's hiong!

Oh What Joy

On a seemingly common street in Hong Kong...



there lies a little gem of a shop....



The pure bliss in a cup that is Xu Liu Shan! YAY!

Style

Ever since i got more serious with golf, i havent gone to my tailor. Which means i havent made a new shirt in a year or more now. That's pretty scary.

It's been so long that i even forgot the pet phrase of my tailor. I couldnt believe i could have forgotten it.

I was in China the other day and i saw the cover of this magazine. The phrase was caught my eye cos it sounded so Singaporean. Such a stupid catch phrase.



Then it came back to me. My tailor always said "style!".

Interesting Sign

By now, i am hardly impressed by hotels i stay in but this hotel that i stayed in Hangzhou touts itself to be a smart hotel. Other than a power socket, internet, phone connection panel that swivels at a touch of a button or the bathroom window which frosts up with a button, i was quite impressed with the fact that once you tap your key card in the lift, when you reach your floor, the signs leading to your room will light up and indicate the direction of your room. The various signs along the way also light up. Pretty cool!

What a Rock!

I saw this at the beach the other day. Interesting.

Hangzhou

Hangzhou is always beautiful, except for the person of unidentified gender in my pic. Damn.

Medical School

Just saw this on FB. Quite funny.

Home Sweet Home

I cant wait to go home tomorrow.

 

I have arranged a golf game on Friday to make up for the one I missed last saturday. Then of course I have another on Saturday.

 

By the time I return home tomorrow, I’d have taken 10 flights in the past 3 weeks. That’s crazy.

 

Shagged

As posted earlier, my Chairman and I have been flying around China for the last few days. From morning meetings, to site visits to dinners with clients. By the time we landed in Hong Kong this afternoon, we were all shagged out.

 

We were in our elevator getting to our respective rooms. In my haste, I followed some other guests out and got off at the wrong floor. After I realized it, I took the lift to my correct floor. Then I saw my chairman on MY floor! Haha. Turned out he thought that the next floor after I got out was his and he simply got off too without seeing. Haha.

Bleah

I know it’s a busy period when I have to take out my laptop and work on the plane. I think I have done this less than 5 times in the last three years in my company. In my previous company, I did it all the time. It’s just as well because with all these travelling these days, I have watched all the shows in onboard entertainment already.

 

Actually I think this might be a lobo trip because im just tagging along with my Chairman who is visiting Asia and would like someone who speaks Mandarin to tag along with him. And because I’ll be spending the weekend in Hong Kong, there’s a chance I can go buy some golf balls in Kowloon, drink some Xu Liu Shan and maybe eat some Yong Kei. Hee hee.

Guilin

I was in Guilin for the first time last week. Quite scenic really. The whole city is made up of these scenic small mountains/hills.

Bubbly Bath

I saw this in someone's bathtub today. Wow! That's a lot of bottles of shampoo!

Tripping

I realise that all my posts that talk about my long trips are called "Tripping". I'm very uncreative that way.

After rushing through Guangzhou, Chengdu, Guilin, Shenzhen and Hong Kong the past week, I'm back for the weekend for some golf.

Then its back to the road next week to Sanya, Boao, Haikou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Shenzhen. Man, typing it out is already scary.

Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!