Lonely rivers flow to the sea...

Oh, my love, my darling,
I've hungered for your touch a long, lonely time,
Time goes by so slowly and time can do so much.
Are you still mine?
I need your love, I need your love, God speed your love to me.

Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea
To the open arms of the sea
Lonely rivers sigh, "Wait for me, wait for me"
"I'll be coming home, wait for me!"

Today I drove to pick Agnes at her place. I took the PIE and ended up 1/2 hour late.So much for the rewards of being adventurous and blazing a new trail. Me seems tardy last couple of days. Was late yesterday to meet Natt and Nads,so too today. Anyway I finally got to her place and found her on a bench at the void deck.

We were initially planning to go to the Baker's Inn at either Plaza Singapura or Fullerton but I suggested TCC at Boat Quay. Had a good time there on Thursday and thought it might be better.Anyway I had a bad experience at Baker's Inn the last time when I was there with Simona. To recollect: the food and tea they served was the worst I ever had. Bleh!

Agnes had a chicken breast dish and I had the dory fish. She had some trouble finishing it so I helped her along but there were still some potato wedges leftover.
She did not seem to enjoy it as much as I had hoped.Probably had more than a little to do with the peculiar seating arrangements (read: bean bags and low tables).

After dinner we took a slow walk down the river through Boat Quay and Riverside Point,and then crossed over to the Clarke Quay and Empress Place side. Along the way we stopped by the G-max ride at Clarke Quay to witness it in action up close. Looks really thrilling. Gotta try it sometime soon. I also got to find out a little about Agnes too. I discovered she does not like thrill rides, and that she is scared of Lion Dances and that she can't swim. Heh heh heh *plots in his mind*

We got back to the car and I was at at a loss where to go next. Agnes suggested Orchard and Suntec, but in the end we went to Mount Faber. Apparently she has never been there before. As the night wore on I also discovered a few other places she has not been to. Lotsa possibilities for future outings. When we got to Mt. Faber it was rather quiet for a saturday night.We soon discovered the reason why. It was because the lookout point was closed for renovations. We then sat and chatted on one of the benches overlooking Telok Blangah for a bit before heading for our next destination...

We drove over to Sentosa! I parked at the lots just outside Dolphin Lagoon and we walked along the road to Palawan beach. It was kinda quiet. We crossed the famous bridge across to the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia. I as usual played the silly monkey and tried making the suspension bridge sway much to Agnes chagrin. It was a really cool and breezy night as we climbed up the lookout post to the top. Up there we chatted again about stuff. Really having fun getting to know this young lady in my life.

After that we got down from up there and made our way across the bridge once more to the mainland. This time I was made to walk up front as she was already wise to my tricks. Clever girl.

We then walked further down the beach towards Bora Bora side. The pubs were already closing or closed so we stopped by the 7-eleven under the monorail station where we each got a blackcurrant Hooch each. I had wanted to venture out to the breakwaters and sit on the rocks but Agnes did not feel comfortable walking on sand with her 'ballet' shoes, so we walked back in the general direction of the car and planted ourselves at one of the wooden tables lining the beach where we slowly sipped our Hooches. We did nothing else, but chat again once more. I guess we are getting more comfortable together now and the initial awkwardness from our first 'date' has slowly dissipated. Having fully consumed our drinks we walked back to the car.

I sent her to her place and walked her up to her flat...

Then took another nice drive back with the music blaring and the windows down. I really enjoy this sort of drives on the TPE back home. ..

babes in bean land

Had a long, frustrating day at the office.So tired after and only got back to the office at 545 pm. Then had to rush down to Beach Road where I was gonna meet my sisters with the mostest. Sin,Hasli and Mr Cheng joined me on my way. I managed to bribe Hasli to join us for dinner on the pretense of 'belanjar-ing' him dinner. As a result Natt and Nadia finally got to meet the ever elusive mr Vaped.

Nadia was wearing this amusing yellow t-shirt with the words 'freshly squeezed' and 'jugs' emblazoned on the front. It did not take long for us (Hasli and myself) to realise what it meant.*cough*

I was late due to the delay at the office and reached Beach Road about 20 minutes late. Natt and Nadia did not let me forget about that fact.

The guys at the store were particularly enamoured with Nadia for some reason.Must be her bright yellow shirt I think. Anyway my order was kinda slow in coming compared to the others. Nat and Nads shared a beef steak.Hasli had one of his own.

After dinner, we drove over to TCC at Boat Quay. I just absolutely love the place and concept. It is the kinda place a guy like me can get used to. Few things in life come close to the hedonistic bliss of sinking into a brightly coloured bean bag and sipping a coffee. I will definitely come again and maybe bring my 'special' friends there.*wink wink*
I had a good time just chillin' with my sisters and bro. Hasli was kinda underwhelmed by how little we seemed to chat whilst we were there.Maybe it was the laid-back atmosphere. Maybe it is the relaxing music.Or maybe it was the soft lighting. But whatever it was it just made us wanna sit back and soak it all in. Nadia and I played footsies under the table. Hasli was hilarious as he resembled a man in a tub with his pose as he finally lay in his bean bag (he was the last among us to get his). The table was amazed by my amazing array of amazing tricks with not-so-amazing table glasses,particularly Nadia who was close to tears at the grand finale. The Einstein merchandise and art works also added a nice touch to the place. Natt liked one of the paintings of,what else? Elefunts!!

After had our fun, we waltzed back to the car and we made a rather boisterous way back home first to the ladies place and then to Hasli's pad. The car sounded like the Teletubbies and Muppets were in the back seat. haha... Was hard hearing myself think (harder than it is when I think in a quiet room).Hasli never heard such a din before.

Had great fun and it was good to finally let Hasli meet the girls. It was a change to see Hasli being rather subdued jokes-wise rather than the crude,rude and sometimes vulgar guy he can be.

satay n ketupat

After work, Hasli,Sin and I drove over to Lavender MRT where we picked up Agnes. We were initially supposed to go to Changi Village but midway I suggested East Coast Hawker Centre which my passengers readily agreed to.

I ordered 20 sticks of satay and some ketupat. Agnes,Hasli and I had sugar cane juice. For food we also shared gado-gado. Hasli ordered a nice Mee Bandung.

After our meal, we 4 walked along to Bedok Jetty. Was a cool, windy night which was good. We relaxed and chatted for a while at the benches at the end of the jetty.
All the while Hasli was asking Agnes probing questions about what she looks for in guys and about her transferring to our section, which Agnes was keen on neither. *kekeke*

After that we took a slow stroll back to the car,where I sent Agnes home and then dropped the boys off at Yishun before making my own way home.

Messaged Agnes once I got home as I had promised....

the heart of the beloved

Today is tuesday. Nothing significant in that.

Went with Lyn,Mrs Pay and Ana for lunch at Chong Pang.

Been pissed the last couple of days by people asking me for plants and stuff from my import inspection. The worst was when Mrs Pay tried to accuse me of being 'on' when I told her I would report the matter if anyone took any plants. I just cannot comprehend what my colleagues are thinking when they take plants home. Do they not know that it is paramount to corruption to take back stuff meant for official use? And if their indiscretions are found out some day who is gonna get their ass burnt? Ai Khim and I, not them.

As a result I was blacked-faced all morning. These are people who I would consider friends but they just do things without considering their actions could have dire consequences to me.

And all because of this it came about that Lyn got the impression that Ai Khim was the one that made me not bring her bicycle to the bicycle repair shop for some reason. As a result Ai Khim got a bad rap not of her own doing and I was left feeling disappointed that Lyn would imagine that I would forsake her because of something Ai Khim said. And another thing is how Lyn seldom if ever approaches me for help directly but uses Mrs Pay and Ana as mouthpieces. I told her countless times that if she needs anything at all,she can just ask. *sigh*

Lyn has no idea what I have gone through because of my relationship with her. My relationship with Lyn is probably the one I treasure most in this world even though lately we seem to have grown apart due to submission to Poh's wishes. But still...she is my sis,for better...or for worse.

rojak paradise

Had lunch with Hasli, Lyn,Ana and Mrs Pay at A&Z. We were actually supposed to settle the stuff with the guy at Restari for our upcoming staff welfare do, but apparently he closes at lunch and only opens after 3.

I had chicken briyani which was rather good. After that we went over to Hua Hng to get some gardening stuff. As usual the aunties tried to haggle down the already discounted prices and use their being AVA staff to get discounts. sigh...such silly behavior. Sometimes I just do not know here to put my face when people over step the boundaries of decency. With great power comes great responsibility. I do not believe in using my position as an AVA officer for self gain yet these women do it so wantonly it is embarrassing. The thing is they are not even in a position to leverage for discounts but 'mere' CSO's and they go around using their position to get discounts. Luckily the guys at Hua Hng are good natured about it with their eye-rollings and stuff as these 2 miscreants go about their shopping.

After work it was off to the car park next to Specialist centre where I was gonna meet the girls(Natty and Naddie). We then got out of there and drove to Adam Road hawker centre as Nadia had a craving for indian rojak. The place was closed for cleaning! Darn...

So we needed a Plan B and after flipping through my trusty (and by now outdated) Makansutra book we decided to go to Tekka for it. We managed to find a parking lot by the road and then walked to the stalls. We managed to find a stall that served good indian rojak. It did not hurt that he was overly helpful to the ladies.It is amazing where boobs and an ass can get you these days. *muahahaaa*

I also ordered mutton steak which was not too bad (though it lacked 'something'). Me and Nadia had our obligatory Milo Dinosaurs and Natt had her 'booooring' iced lychee. Amusingly Nadia and I had a share of Natt's 'boring' lychee despite our 'cooler-than-cool' Milo Dinos which were rather disappointing to be honest.

After dinner we got back to Sunny and drove around(quite literally at that) to get to Al-Amin where we were gonna get real Milo Dinosaurs and prata. I rather enjoyed this one better. I ordered ice cream prata and the ladies shared a banana prata.

chat...chat...chat....

Like nadia said the lady in the BMW was a real bitch. It is bad enough to horn at the shop owners to come take your order whilst you are IN your car like it was some sort of drive-thru. When that failed she just got out of her car and walked to the counter to place her order. This was while her car was parked in the middle of a one way street and a row of cars had formed behind! The entire sequence took close to 5 minutes.What a bitch! She did not even bother to turn to the drivers behind and wave an apology even. Let me say it again: BITCH! BITCH! BITCH! (ok 3 times...). And then the BITCH!! BITCH!! BITCH!! drove around and came back later to pick up her order. Thinking that good sense would prevail and that she would actually park her car and then dash in to collect her order, but she did the eaxct same thing again! As with the first time, she did not even apologise for the inconvenience caused. I wonder how the drivers behind her did not horn in rage at her. Maybe they did not realise the extent of her selfish behavior. Bravo to them for keeping their cool.

One thing I hate most in this world are selfish people who spare no thought for their fellow human beings.

After dinner natt settled the bill and we were off on our merry way home. I sent the ladies home eventually after some wrong turns and a hair-raising U-turn. We then took a moment to chat about going to the zoo on the first day of CNY. What a delicious scandal it would be...

Drove home...this time by BKE and SLE to home.

Can you think of any puns using the word 'faith'?

The day began much like the day before with me succumbing to the puppy dog eyes of Camou and bringing him out for his walk cum run.

We went this time to Bishan park near the Dog Run area. As usual Camou cavorted with the other dogs there,in this case a Golden labrador retriever. I also scoped out the dog run which was closed at the time. Really thinking of bringing Camou there next sunday for his 'temperament test'. He seems well behaved enough to be with other dogs and I would figure he would breeze through it given his size. Fingers crossed. I feel like a worried parent now at Primary One enrolment. haha..

After that I headed home and cooled off before showering.

Had my car washed at the Mobil opposite my house.

Then rushed to Suntec where I was to meet Faith for the last service. She got there before me although she had the presumption that she was the one that would be later. The auditorium was not fully filled (is that even grammatical?) and once the message started I found the reason why. Pastor Prince was away again and Pastor Joshua was giving the message for the day. As much as I adore Pastor Prince and have been greatly blessed by his preaching since I joined New Creation,I cannot fathom how people can skip church just because he is not preaching for that week. I think those that skipped service again this week are shallow and do not really have their hearts where it should be.

Faith enjoyed service better this week.

After service we went to the cinema next door to see if we could catch something good. Faith wanted to watch Constantine but it was not out yet. Release date: 8th February. We then took a walk over to Marina to check out the movies over there with much the same results. In the end it was a choice between Finding Neverland and The Aviator. I chose the former.(I noticed I am more assertive and make decisions more readily nowadays.Wonder if it has a little something to do with not having an oppressive bitc..I mean...'female dog' by my side? )

After getting the tickets we still had time to spare so we went to Marina Loft for a drink and maybe a small bite at my behest (I am on a roll now...). Faith got the drinks.Good girl. She was momentarily fazed by my request for herbal tea but managed to get my order right. She agrees that the view is not bad. You can see the Esplanade and the city scape from the outdoor seating area. Not a bad place to go on a date whilst on a budget. *wink wink @ hasli*

Anyway..I just loved Finding Neverland. Faith thought it was just 'very good' but 'not great'. I think it ruled. Nadia feels that they could have focused more on the relationship James and Peter but I think it was done right as James drew his inspiration from the many characters he met although Peter was the muse for the titular character. I was expecting a slow paced story as most period dramas tend to be, but was pleasantly surprised how well the story flowed and managed to remain engaging throughout. Well done. I was nearly giving a standing ovation as the credits started to roll but thought better of it.

Think Finding Neverland is my favourite movie of 2005 so far (of course it helps that it is only January).

After our movie, we made our way back to the car. I proposed Bark's Cafe for dinner (or in my case breakfast, as I had not had breakfast or lunch yet).Wow... I am on a roll today. Imagine me being decisive for once..almost..

At Bark's I ordered lamb chops (me fav!!) and Faith had the sambal fried rice. Actually the fried rice should be renamed. One can hardly taste the sambal in the SAMBAL fried rice. They helpfully provided a little dish of sambal on the side, which is what I would consider 'ang moh sambal' as it did not burn the mouth of the patron or have an overpowering 'sambal-ness' to it as any true-blue (or is it red and white?) sambal would.

I had a great time with Faith just talking about stuff. I know it may sound corny but I feel like I known her for a long time even though today was only the second time we met.I guess she is a truly nice girl which makes me feel comfortable in her presence. I do not normally warm up to people as fast as with Faith...normally.

After our meal we sat and chatted a bit as I nursed my Corona. Faith seems to like the open air chapel concept. Maybe one day we can drop by in the day so she can take a look in.

Dinner was on Faith as I had paid for the tickets. Not fair I know...but sometimes these things even out over the course of time.

We then drove to the SPC service station at Pasir Ris where Faith got some stuff and I topped up petrol. I had wanted to end the day with a Ben n Jerry's ice cream but they only had the bigger tubs and since we were not gonna go someplace to sit or walk after that (and also that Faith was adverse to feeding me as I drove!) I passed on that idea. I sent the by-now-tired Faith to the bus stop near her place and said our goodbyes. I then revealed to her that I could have unlocked the car doors at any time during the day as she got off. Faith now has to come up with a forfeit if I ever let her fumble with the door latch the next time. hahaha.... wonder what manner of retribution shalt be visted upon me.

Drove home with the music up and the windows down along TPE to home. One of life's simple pleasures... ahhhh....

Back home I smsed Faith thanking her for a wonderful day and promised that next time we will go on a drive at night and that in return I would get my ice cream dessert...