And so we meet again...

We had a blast the last time round, meeting up with our secondary school clique. Back in the day, the boys were known as "The V-Boys" (till today we do not know what that stands for) and the 4 girls called themselves "Aces" (because there were only 4 Aces in a deck of cards). Technically, we were kind of elite and we ruled the school without breaking any rules. That is why till this day, we still reminisce of those days.  How not to when we actually had our own club house within the school that the rest of the school did not know about?

And this post-CNY gathering was ultra special because it is the probably the first time ever we manage to get everyone together.

Our gracious host Murugesh (right) welcomes the guest as they begin to stroll in.

We ruled... 3 decades ago!

On the occasional weekends when we would organize private home parties (no booze coz we were only 16), and I would pursue my dream of becoming a DJ.  We found all kinds of reasons just to throw one... be it the end of the exams or someone's birthday.  We took a photo back then and we decided that since almost all of us turned up today, we recreated it.  A few people are missing because they were either "associate members" or really gone missing.

Not to be outdone, the girls did their own recreation.  What is so cool about them was that despite being the group that the juniors wanted to emulate, they were actually academic achievers and did absolutely no rule breaking.  Heck, one of them was even a school prefect... with dyed hair.  Now go figure how the hell she got away with that?  

And because we are a racially balance clique, our malay buddy Radin brought Yu-Sheng (鱼生).  Now try to wrap your head around that?  Many years on, and we are still mavericks that do not really play by the mainstream rules.

And quite honestly, nothing quite beats having a hearty meal, drinks and a good catch-up conversation amongst best buddies that once shared your formative years.    It is still one of the few things that I look forward to...

And the host has his selfie-moment while the rest of us were soaking in the warmth of old bonds.

And because we always do things that no one expects...

And what's a gathering of long time friends without the music we grew up with?  I do not DJ nowadays... I leave that to my iPod. Thank God for technological advances! Ha ha ha!  But it is kind of cool to know that my peers all think it was awesome that i actually followed my passion and actually made a living out of it.  Till the next one in August... HUAT AH!

My best weekend ever...

Respect My Authority?

I am sure that everyone has at one point or the other, have to deal with some joker who has a mediocre dead-end job that thinks he is above everyone else... i.e. a security guard.

Firstly, you most definitely for either health or academic reasons cannot get a job as a proper police officer... so it is obvious you had to settle for second fiddle.  For some who obviously do not know the proper job description... it entails you to protect property, assets, or people.  YOU ARE NOT PAID TO ENFORCE RULES AND REGULATIONS (simply because YOU ARE JUST A SECURITY GUARD).

But sadly, some people when given some form of authority, find the need to flex their muscle because their lives are that insignificant.  I had to deal with one this week.  For over 3 years, I have been going to work, showing my ID card to the relevant security office at the door and going about my business. However, this week... one particular idiot upon checking my photo ID, asked me to remove my glasses (as my photo was without glasses).  LIKE AS IF I LOOK THAT MUCH DIFFERENT WITH OR WITHOUT GLASSES?  For fuck's sake... do I like like a master of disguises to you?  I wonder if I will be refused entry if I actually changed my hair style.

Anyway, I commented... "You're the first in all these years."

"HELLO!!!  I'm only doing my job."

"HELLO? You don't try to be funny, ok?  You're not getting extra pay for your enthusiasm."

Back in the army, my company sergeant major always had this "advice" for us, "just do what you're asked to do and don't try to act smart!"

Which is something some people ought to adhere.  Before you stick your neck out, ask yourself if by doing so, you are going get some form of monetary reward or job promotion... or end up given the middle finger behind your back.  Remember, by "acting smart", you may in the process also piss off your colleagues for "spoiling market".  Nobody likes a smart ass.

Meanwhile, back in America...

To put it across as bluntly as I can... you are just a "jaga" in a business suit.  You are not the law and you are certainly not above me.  You are just that little cheap rug that I need to clean my shoes on before I enter any premises.  So for fuck sake, behave like one and curb your enthusiam!

Silence... please!

So how's the new year so far?  Horrible so far.  No thanks to the existence of inconsiderate people who think the whole world rotates around them.  Does it hurt just to think of the rest of the people around you?  Apparently, not for them.  If you think about it, they exist because we allow them to. 

"Bear with it."

"Let it pass."

"Aiyah, nevermind lah!"

And so they continue with their ways without knowing that they are actually pissing people off.   Tell them off nicely?  How many would do that without the fear of a conflict as a result?  That is the problem with society today.  

For the past four mornings, I have been rudely awakened by the new neighbours... THREE times in the morning.  One as they walk pass the common corridor (speaking loudly) to go for breakfast at 8 am in the morning, two as they come back from breakfast and finally number three as they leave for work at 9 am.  I am not denying that it is broad daylight and etc but spare a fucking thought for others that might still be sleeping due to whatever reasons (i.e. shift work, sick and etc).  You do not own the entire block.  Yes, it is part of community living but do we continue to turn the other cheek and let these people get on with their socially inconsiderate ways?  Do we send them a nice scented letter saying "please keep quiet" and hope that they will be more understanding?  I do not know what the best solution is. By the way, the two loudspeakers are not local.

And to add icing on the cake, on the way home from work on the subway... this Pinoy father with two kids in prams simply allowed the brats to make a ruckus, not bothered if they are actually irritating the rest of the passengers.  Do not tell me the train itself is already noisy or tell me that "kids are like that". It is the behaviour of the father that is in question here.  If dogs can be disciplined, I do not see why one should let your kids behave like they own the entire fucking train.  And because of this sort of upbringing, these kids will grow up to be the very assholes that walk pass my bedroom window every morning and talking as if they own the fucking country.

See the vicious cycle and where the problem begins?  

And so I come to the end of my otherwise shitty day... with a migraine.  This song sums everything up in four simple syllables.

p/s and there is a reason why the military psychologist diagnosed me as "lack of patience" and "trigger happy", thus I was not allowed near a weapon for almost the entirety of my operational military service... but instead, they trained me to assemble and dismantle explosive devices.  No wonder I can relate to Achmed.  Silence! I Kill You!

My resolution(s)

'This coming new year I will be slightly less useless.' 

 Not really. It is said that New Year resolution(s) are bound to be broken. This is the reason, why most of the New Year resolutions are considered funny in a stupid way. If you are making one out of sheer seriousness, I bet that you will probably break it before 2015 is up. 

But for the sake of tradition, this is what I resolute to do... 

1. I will do less laundry and use more deodorant... screw the ozone layer! 

2. On that note, I will regularly wash my boxers... use more water, yeah! 

3. I will not hang around girls because all of them think I love them. Actually I do. 

4. I will not eat medicine just because it looks like candy... there goes the hallucinations. 

5. I will stop sending a text to someone sitting in the next room… or the same room. 

6. I will take more naps instead of doing work. 

7. I will stop stalking my favourite celebrity after G.E.M.'s 3-day Singapore gig. 

8. I will only use profanities as adjectives in constructive sentences. Fuck yeah! 

9. When I hear a funny joke I will not reply, "LOL!" 

And lastly... 

10. Learn what the hell "resolution" means. 

Good luck with yours. I know mine will be a fail. LOL. See what I just did there? I just broke no. 9.

Asian Potatoes

I really do not know what is with Asian youths who put on a FAKE Western-speaking accent. Ever so often on my train rides to work, I will come across a handful of such people (girls, especially), who are so oblivious that others can spot that it is a fake accent. I know that some of the Western accents can be quite unique but seriously... "YOUR ACCENT COME FROM WHERE?" 

Sure, most of them will ARGUE that it is because they have been studying abroad and exposed to a foreign culture and blah blah blah!   I worked in Hong Kong for well over two year and I did not come back speaking English with a Hong Kong accent. Although I do know how to fake it.   And it is not the only accent I know how to IMITATE. 

My point is, accents do not just "develop" over time. You would actually CONCIOUSLY need to make an effort to observe and to replicate. So to say it is natural, that is bullshit. Thus I say, it is a "put on". And for what purpose? God knows. Are you so ashamed of where your roots really are? Do you seriously think it puts you in a better social level?  The only thing it really achieves is that you stick out like an ugly sore thumb because everyone else knows you are just faking it. And it is bloody irritating, ok? It is like you are yellow and yet from another freaking planet. Hey, if you are Asian but born and raised in foreign country, that I can understand. Otherwise, who are you trying to impress?   It is not even close to being "cool".

I have tons of friends who have studied or worked in Australia, Canada, Dubai, England, States, Japan, China and even Russia. NONE of them returned with an accent. Sure they make have picked up the local language or slang, but not the accent.

Apparently, I am not the only one that finds it irritating.

One of my ex-classmate said to her daughter who was heading for further studies in Australia, "if you come back from Melbourne with an Aussie accent, I'll either slap the accent out of you or send you to Mumbai for 3 years."

Signs that you were an 80s kid.

Looking at my ex-classmates' kids, it is for sure that kids today have a vastly different childhood than we did.  Back in the day, the Internet did not exist and there were no iPads or Smart Phones, but growing up was still awesome.  Here are some dead giveaway signs you were a part of Generation X in Singapore :

YOU CAN SPEAK ONE OR MORE DIALECT FLUENTLY.

No thanks to the government policy of killing off dialects and their speak Mandarin campaign. Not many kids today can carry a proper conversation in their mother tongue.

YOU KNOW WHAT "TWIST" MEANS.
Also applicable as "chope"... an all important "time-out" hand-sign feature for most of our childhood games, especially when it comes to "Police & Thief".

TV WAS AWESOME!
Whether you understand Cantonese or not... Man In The Net was a must-watch weekly ritual back then.  And having the ability to sing TV advert jingles became a skill most of us developed.  Who can ever forgot the Kodak one?  Heck, even that stupid "Courtesy Is For Free" song was unforgettable!
 

CENTREPOINT OR FAST EAST KID?
Over the weekend, you were either a Centrepoint Kid or a Fast East Plaza Kid.  It was so legendary that it is even on WIKIPEDIA.


MUSIC SO AWESOME, IT'S STILL ALIVE TODAY.
Music from the era had individual character... whether it was campy or otherwise, each one was in a class of its own.  No two songs sounded similiar.  Radio's still playing it, and some clubs still swear by it.

THE WAY IT WAS...
You know which MRT this was before it became the labyrinth of crap it is today.

COOL STUFF
They do not make them anymore... like pencil sharpeners that came with a small vanity mirror.

COMPUTERS

Because the internet did not exist and we practically had to invent our own social games with the kids in the neighbourhood, the only time we actually used our parent's computers were to play mind numbing games like this...

 

These were just some of the things.  If we were to compile a comprehensive list of things synonymous with the era we grew up with, I truly think it would be take up the space of an entire book.  Nostalgia, something none of us will actually get over.