In all honesty, I haven’t been to a flea market before. I have passed by them seeing the action from behind the bus windows, but never really stepped foot into one proper.

Coupled with this little excitement, we decided to check out two flea markets. The first one at China Square was disappointing. The wares were limited (mostly antiques or replica antiques I would say). Nothing much caught my eye. Perhaps I was just not interested in the wares being paraded.

The second stop at Far East Square fared much better. Being open air, it really gave one the ‘flea market’ feeling. Compare this with the air con flea market at China Square…so so wrong…

The flea market at Far East Square

 
Anything interesting? Just browsing

My eyes lit up when I saw this booth selling books. Being a book lover, I like a good read. When I saw the small yellow handwritten post-it pad stuck on the green mat where the books were arranged, my inner heart leaped for joy. All books were going at 50%. And mind you, they were brand new books, not second-hand nor bootleg versions. It wasn’t difficult to decide which ones to buy. I bought 2 books – “The World Is Flat” and “Rich Dad Poor Dad”.  The final price I paid was $23. This is something I can’t get at the major bookshops.

Show me the money and I’ll give you a 50% discount on all books!

I found many long-lost friends at the flea market. Winnie the Pooh, Tweety Bird, Mickey Mouse, Ronald McDonald, Doraemon, Pokemon, Snoppy, Batman and many more. While some were still in mint condition (with full unopened packaging), others were simply ageing away with faded colours and dusty exteriors.

I found Tweety Bird!

If the books were a good buy, then my next find would be the icing on the cake. Yes, while rummaging through a box of Star Wars toys (all in mint original packaging), I found my hero - Yoda.

Yes, that’s Yoda in my left hand…

Another Yoda figurine to add to my Yoda collection

The price for Yoda? A highly affordable $6.

No wonder I was smiling so much after the flea market trip. You know, I know…:)

One last shot before we leave. Thanks…I’ll be back soon

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We were bored on Sunday and decided to go for a vocal workout. It’s been more than a month since our last one.

Unperturbed by the fact that we couldn’t get any reservation at some much hyped about cheap place with free shark’s fin, we decided to try out luck at the other KTV joints. KTV rates are always expensive on weekends. Today being a Sunday would be no different.

It always pays to ask around before deciding. After a good legwork exercise, we got quotes from 3 different KTV joints and made up our mind to go back to the second one after dinner.

7pm. We were punctual in reporting. Being KTV fanatics (I think we are), every second is a second wasted. What was a four hour package from 7pm – 11pm didn’t end there.

We got more than our money’s worth when we went past the designated time. Past the witching hour we went too…We just continued singing. Song after song, new song, old song, fast number, slow ballad, duet, solo…we didn’t stop and the best part, we didn’t get chased out!

Time always passes so quickly when you are occupied productively. It was thus not surprising to do a quick time check and realise it was already 1am the next day! That means we have set a new record for ourselves by completing a six hour singathon. Wow!

When the bill came, we didn’t quibble much. In fact we were pleased. $29.68 for 2 people with a free drink each. Divide it by 6 hours and we effectively paid only $2.50 per houd. Definitely value for money!

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I was at Plaza Singapura passing time as Mum was only meeting me at 7.30pm. Feeling restless, I went window shopping. I hardly come to Plaza Singapura as it’s not really in the heart of Orchard Road…a bit out of the way…

I walked into John Little without even knowing there was going to be a closing down sale. Only when I saw the notice on the wall and the number of people in the store did I realise what was happening. It was madness. But still, like other Singaporeans, when you smell a good bargain, you just rush in.

The shopping experience was good as I found some daily necessities which were heavily discounted. The offer was too good to resist. 20% storewide discount plus an additional 3% rebate if you paid using the John Little card!

Then I joined the queue and reality struck when I found myself at the main entrance of John Little. This was where the queue ended. Oh my god!

The winding and snaky queue was taking forever. ‘So long….so slow…queue not moving’ people started complaining.

Yet despite the never ending queue, more people joined us in the queue and made it even longer. The impatient ones shook their heads and some walked away. The ingenious ones took turns with their spouses or friends or family to queue. But for me, I chose to remain in the queue.

A quick glance of my watch showed I have been in the queue for the last 19 minutes. Having joined the queue at 4.55pm, I have since moved only 5 steps. It sure felt like eternity. It was a good thing I had some entertainment in the form of two playful daughters with their dad behind me and a bickering couple in front.

5.55pm. It was finally my turn to pay money at the cashier. Phew!!! When I took my purchases out in the red coloured plastic bag, I heaved a sigh of relief and pitied those who were still standing in the queue, either patiently or impatiently.

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There is always a first time in your life for everything. I had my another ‘first time’ today.

We missed the last ferry at 9.10pm back home even though we had our boarding passes. The ferry company refused to let us board citing a full ferry capacity. How can this be when we already have tickets? Despite our attempts to explain the situation, the reply was still a flat ‘no’.

My ticket still didn’t allow me to board the last ferry home

It was then that it dawned upon us that we were stranded at Batam. So close yet so far away from home. Stranded in a foreign land with little money left after a day’s fruitful shopping haul. The only consolation we had was the discovery that we were not the only ones who were turned away. There were at least three other families and couples who were also barred from boarding the ferry.

In adversity do you derive strength in numbers. I finally understood the meaning of this statement. We, the stranded people, quickly bonded together. Four of us bunched together and rationalised our situation. We could only make the trip back to Singapore tomorrow. So we were no other choice but to make advance bookings for the 6am (which was the earliest trip) ferry ride back the next day.

With the confirmed placements, we now had a bigger problem. How to survive the next 8.5 hours in a foreign land? We could share a room at the cheapest place or sit along the streets counting down the hours. Weighing our options and taking into consideration the perceived possible danger of being mugged and need to answer nature’s call, the four of us decided to bunk in at the cheapest hotel.

This is the motel we found. Hotel Permata. I wouldn’t call it a hotel at all. The name’s an irony. The room rate for 1 night? 120, 000 rupiah (approximately S$20).

It really looks rundown on the outside but we were in for a bigger ’surprise’ when we saw the room. Room 306 offered little comfort. In fact, it looked sad as the furnishings were definitely from a different era. Reminiscent of the 1980s.

The bed which was dirty and shaky at the same time

Stains on the already dirty towels…

Even the curtains look miserable being hung there next to the water seeped walls

The state of toilet with no flushing system made me appreciate home more

An unglamorous hole in the ceiling. This is just one of many in the room

When I saw this picture hung on the wall opposite the bed, I laughed. This place is not conducive for such passionate nights. I think even Hotel 81 or Frangrance Hotel fares better.

 An amorous night? I certainly don’t think the room sets the mood. Sorry!

 
The sofa which kept me company

On this sofa I sat writing this blog entry. Alternating between chatting, counting ceiling defaults, playing tic-tac toe, napping, waking, we waited till the break of dawn.

Batam. An experience I will never forget in my life time.

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I was experiencing high tide and needed to release it. There was this guy who was also heading toward the same direction as me so I followed him. When he walked in, I followed suit. Little did I know I had walked into the wrong toilet. It was the female toilet!!

OMG!! It was only when 2 ladies told us that we realised we were in the wrong sex toilet. Oh ok. I walked out sheepishly. Not my fault right?

This taught me a lesson. Always check if it’s the right toilet. Don’t assume. Don’t follow the wrong leader.

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I’ve been deliberating for some time now. Finally I decided to just follow my heart and take action.

It’s a deal too good to miss. And as a person who has a penchant for cool, cheap deals, I wasn’t going to let it slip away.

I’m talking about Sitex 2007 – the digital fair dubbed “your digital playground”. It was a digital playground alright, what with a reported 120, 000 people thronging the Expo halls. I was one of the 120, 000.

I reached Expo around 3plus, after my gym. It was packed, but I could still weave through the aisles.

Decisions, decision, decisions. Isn’t life always about making decisions?

Which brand to buy? Which model to buy? What are the specs? What freebies do they have?

After going through one round of brochure collection of almost all the famous brands, I narrowed down to four of them – Fujitsu, Acer, Asus & Toshiba.

The next round was more difficult – weeding out two brands, leaving only two. After much deliberation, it was a one-two fight between Fujitsu & Asus.

Fujitsu, as the brand name sounds, is a Japanese kid. I so like the colour of the laptop – it’s creamy white…so delicious and angelic looking. Aesthetic. Very nice…very cool. After all, most laptops are in boring black right?? My heart leapt at Fujitsu and tried hard to influence my brain to just buy it. When I checked the specs, it was only so-so. Nothing great to shout about. And when I asked for free upgrades, every answer took the form of these three words “sorry, no or cannot”. Kind of disappointed. But the loving looks of Fujitsu lingered in my subconscious.

I hopped over to the Asus booth. It’s a brand which has attained cult status. ‘Tis said Asus, which produces motherboards for Sony, is the leading brand in Europe. I think the accolades speak for itself. 2168 awards won in 2006. Impressive. Compared to Fujitsu, Asus is a plain Jane. It’s a metallic plain Jane with its greyish hues. Looks aside, Asus packs a power punch indeed. It had everything I wanted and more. Best of all, upgrades were possible and free. The logical mind is sure that Asus should be the one to buy.

It’s a battle of the emotional heart versus the logical brain. In some cases, the heart wins. In other cases, the mind overrules.

15 minutes later, I reached a verdict. I chose practicality over beauty, or as some linguists would say, function over form.

I’m beginning to like my Asus

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This has been a week of mistaken identities. I didn’t know I had the ability to morph into someone else – oh well.

An ex-colleague called and asked if I was the one in the Panadol ad. He described the ad he saw in the MRT train – the guy wearing a suit and having a red swollen nose coz he’s down with flu…sneezing away…to the chagrin of his family members who were pictured being blown away graphically.

I told him no, it’s not me. He insisted it was me. What can I say?

Bumped into a friend’s friend on Sat. He asked me if I acted in “Pleasure Factory” recently. Btw, “Pleasure Factory” tells an intimate and seductive tale involving pleasure seekers and pleasure providers in Geylang, Singapore’s red light district. He said the guy in the film looked 80% like me.

I told him no, it’s not me. He insisted that he really looked like me. What can I say?

If I was really given an ad to shoot or a movie to act in, it is of course a good thing. But in both instances, it’s really not me.

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I could feel the symptoms of it coming. And now it’s official. Yup, I’m down with a flu. It’s probably the result of not having enough rest from my jiangnan trip.

That’s one of the downside of going on a packaged tour. And especially a tour covering 5 chinese cities. You’re always rushing from one place to another. Not to mention early morning calls, bad breakfasts (there were some mornings where there was no food left), late nights and fluctuating weather temperatures.

Whatever it is, here I am, resting at home on a Sunday and watching my DVDs. It’s just as well. Let’s hope I get well soon. Gym tomorrow? Nah…guess I’ll pass. Thanks.

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今天是星期天。一起床就开始计划。。。本想约 XX 出去，但约会不成功。后来想去按摩，但时间不配合。大后来又想去健身房，但天不作美，下了一场大雨。真无奈!

于是我就在家里过了一个懒洋洋的下午，听着外面雨打的声音，一边看电视，一边和妈闲聊。

后来，妈自个出去了，独留我一个人在家。闷得发慌时，突然想到要做什么了。。。练歌吧！

最近听到了一首我很喜欢的歌，曾国辉的<<下一片天空>>。这首歌励志中带点伤悲无奈，好比我这个星期的心情写照一样。

试想想，不如就学唱这首歌吧，以后到卡拉OK时，就可以大展歌喉了！

<<下一片天空>>你说看不见未来在哪里
其实未来一直在你手里
听仔细 心中的旋律
那是最诚恳的声音
要为自己呼吸
至少还有我懂得关心
*别在乎我的爱与愁
我只是一个路过暂停的小人物
喔~ 只要你快乐就够
别在乎我的爱与愁
不要害怕继续勇敢地往前走
走向世界下一片天空
我可以为你画出美丽的彩虹
新的总要来 旧的总要走
停留不一定永久
请珍惜你依靠的所有
如果有一天你还记得我
我还是你最高的高峰

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It’s been ages since I last queued. No, I don’t mean I always jump queue but queue for cheap deals. Yes, it’s been really long. I think the last time I did queue early was for the registration of some modules in first year varsity before the online allocation was introduced. Yes, it’s been that long.

So when E called me yesterday asking me if I was keen to queue, I thought why not? It’ll be fun.

6.30am sharp. I was already at Marina Square. E came a few minutes later. We were already the 11th and 12th persons respectively queuing to purchase the 8 day 7 night holiday package to Shanghai and Jiangnan for a steal of $99. $99 for the air ticket, hotel accommodation , 3 meals per day and all attraction fees. Wow! So cheap where to get? I thought I was early but the first guy came at 6am. Good deal mah – how will Singaporeans miss it?

There were 100 packages at $99 each. But the most difficult task was that only 10 people could go on any 1 of the 10 allocated dates. That was the catchy part. What would happen if the date I wanted was taken? That was a possibility. But a quick headcount meant that I still stood a good fighting chance of getting my dream date.

The queue starts here!

Waiting seemed like eternity. The moments trickled by so slowly that seconds became minutes and minutes became hours. It was a torture waiting. Aiyoh!!! Time stood still. But at least, we had decent stools to sit on. For me, I chanced upon a foldable chair behind the counter and borrowed it too. So I had a foldable chair and a stool to rest my feet. Smart boy! I was enjoying my little piece of heaven until an uncle in the queue behind came along and stole my stool…Mean uncle!!

I guessed I must have napped off and on. E fed me with soya bean milk and kaya roti. In between eating and napping, there was really nothing else to do but wait. Wait and wait.

9.05am. The snaking queue had increased to 58 people. I started counting heads. Hehe…

Singaporeans are really such a civilized lot. There were no disorderly queues, no brawls, no catfights. No $6.50 free show to watch. Boring lor…

Everyone queued patiently waiting, with only one aim in mind – to clinch the dream date.

9.45am. The queue reached 84. I was so free that I went to count heads while E secured the fort.

9.59am. All staff in position. Get ready in your respective positions.

10.00am sharp. Lights at the exhibition area light up. Some in the crowd cheered.

10.30am. E and I got our $99 tickets and dream date, grinning from ear to ear.

10.45am. E couldn’t take it anymore and left for home. Me stayed for the lucky dip and won a haversack. The counter girl said “you very lucky leh…people try 10 times also cannot get. You one time get already…” I just smiled. Today is my lucky day.

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