Happy Happy Day . . . Not

A friend of mine did this painting.
She tells me it is a picture of a
Happy Happy Day,
even though she is feeling anything but...

My Best Christmas Gift of 2006

What I Reallllllly Wanted !!!!!!!!!!!!
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For Christmas this year, I was really hoping for a good gift - something I really wanted. Yes Yes, I know Christmas is about Christ yada yada yada but who doesn't like a good gift right? Now that I'm 27, most of the gifts I've received are pretty safe - things like shirts, name-card holder, more shirts, BUT what I really really wanted was along the lines of DVDs, Cookbooks, Grill-pan and the much sought after Big Mouth Billy Bass (Wall Mounted Version). I tried so hard to look for it everywhere but they just do not bring it in anymore. I mean how cool is it to have a wall mounted singing fish who wags it's tail and body as it grooves with the song. I think it is pretty cool. There is another version where billy is standing up with a microphone in front of him - well... cool too but not as cool if yah know what I mean.

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Just when I thought all my presents would pretty much suck this year, along comes my sister who surprised me with the best gift yet, seriously, the very best. *Drum roll please* Presenting Plankton ( A character from the cartoon Spongebob Squarepants ). This present is super cool. There is a thumb-sized button at the back of the Plankton, push it and it'll make it's eye buldge out and his tongue stick out.

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I'm placing it outside my door. Note to self - Be extra nice to my sister until 2006 ends. muahahhaha, only need to be extra nice for 1 more week.

What I Got Instead.

So Many Trials Ahead

4 Days in Malaysia for a short holiday
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BBQ on Christmas Eve
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Dinner on Christmas Day
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New Year Eve's Celebration
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This is a serious test of my Resolve to lose weight man...
Sucks to be Me

Damn the Birthdays & Holidays

Oh man, I'm so G-Darned Pissed. My weight is up again. I know the reason why. All the buffets and food food food. That's it, I need to refocus on my weight loss plans.
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I guess it is also good in a sense. Now all my cravings have melted away, so the urge to binge is gone. Sometimes, for someone like me who needs to lose a lot of weight, letting go for a meal or two (ok...fine it is three) will help me to run the long race. Afterall, this is a marathon, not a 50 meter dash, so to speak.
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Ok. I must make a pact with myself. No buffets, no high teas, no cakes, no rice for 3 months. Time to head to the gym to reduce the damage. But seriously, all these while, although I let myself go 3 times, on all those occasions, I've put in extra effort in the gym on that day itself. Instead of 2 hours on the cardio machine, I do 3 hours. At the end of it all, the outcome is still the same. Really goes to show, it takes me 3 weeks to lose 3 Kg but all it takes is 3 meals to lose them (literally).
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ARRrrrrrrrGGgggHHhhhhhh.....
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Name: Fredizzle Weight: 107Kg Blood Pressure: 122/69

The Enabler

Today I had a meaningful conversation with my parents. The conversation revolved around my father's distaste for my sister's attitude - specifically her tardiness and general attitude of taking everything for granted.
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My dad was complaining about a few things:

1. Whenever my sister wants to use the car, she gives him the feeling that everything must be in order. Petrol must be topped up, Cash Card* must have sufficient funds, etc.
   
2. My sister's tardiness. She is seldom on time, and if she is, it would be the result of a mad rush out of the house. She always fails to give some "cushioning" when she plans her time, never factoring in the unforeseen/uncontrollable circumstances like traffic, weather, bus waiting times, etc...
3. She takes for granted that Saturday is the day which she gets exclusive use of the car for the better half of the day.

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I told my dad straight to his face " This will be the first and only time I'll say this to you: You are the enabler, so don't complain. "
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Seriously. He complains almost every other week regarding this matter but continues to allow my sister to push him about, so what's the point. Every week he tops up the petrol and cash card for her, every week he allows her to borrow the car whenever she wants it, so really, he has no right to complain. It is like a mother who frets about her son's obesity but continues to feed him fast food just because he kicks up a fuss.
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At the end of that conversation, he along with my mom was laughing away, they found the word "enabler" to be rather amusing. I just let it go. He has a choice to do whatever he wants, after all it is his car, and his daughter for that matter. I guess he got my point, but understanding my dad, I believe that he would rather just let it be.
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How do I know? Well, before we headed home to pass the car to my sis, he stopped by the petrol station to top up the petrol and cash card. It's pretty clear from where I'm standing.

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* Cash Card = This is a card with an embedded chip which electronically stores a monetary value in the card. This card is used to pay for road tolls and it is becoming an increasingly popular method of paying for parking, amongst other things.

Logan Revisited

The garfield comic strips below really reminds me of Logan. Even though he too is a fat cat, that was not the point I was trying to make. My point is this - Logan has a way of edging his way into your heart and sofa and bed and room and a mayriad of other things. I remembered it was the case for my parents and sister, as it is with Richie's parents, grandmother and girlfriend as well (once again, Richie is my ex-housemate and ex-co-owner of Logan). Our families dislike cats, because most of the cats we see in Singapore or Malaysia are strays, so cats are stereotyped as being filthy, flea filled felines. They would visit during our vacation breaks and when they did, they would put up in a spare room in the house. Logan would be a little wary of them at first and that was fine because the feelings were mutual. But Logan quickly warmed up to them. So much so that at the end of their visits (which is anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months), they would often show a lot of concern for Logan. I guess it is hard not to notice him if he keeps hogging your couch space, taking over your bed or constantly at your feet hoping he'll score big on the food section by giving his trademark "pitiful hungry" look - which I myself have grown accustomed to. Ah... Logan, I miss chasing him around the house.

TCC Column #4 - Coffee Master Cafe

TCC was a little curious about this small cafe located at the heart of the Katong District. He wanted to check it out so I decided to tag along. I was rather pleased with the decor of the cafe, it is rather pleasing to the eye. I'm an avid coffee drinker so my expectations for a good cup of coffee is a notch above social drinkers. I started by ordering a cup of their recommended Banana Nut Latte. It was pretty good although the milk foam was not frothy enough. TCC warmed up to the feel of the cafe and decided to take the plunge and order a plate of Spaghetti and Cesar Salad.
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So here's the verdict. The coffee is pretty alright, there are many unique flavors to choose from but they have to hone their coffee making skills - good coffee beans can only do so much. The food they serve is pretty alright too, nothing fancy, but portions are substantial. Their prices are affordable. TCC kept saying their food was "alright" but this is not to shed a negative light on them, what one must understand is this - this is a Cafe, not a restaurant. So one must lower one's expectations when one patronizes a place such as this. Once again, TCC is not saying their food is lousy. What TCC will say is this - This cafe provided a nice environment to have an affordable meal in. The food and beverage is as good as one might expect for a cafe of this size.
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This small corner cafe was established many years ago. I remember driving past countless times before with my dad, but never entered the establishment because it was out fo the way. From the start, we kept saying that it'll probably close down, judging just from the facade of the place, it's size and location. However, the place began to attract a stream of faithful customers and soon, the place was expanded to incorporate an alfresco area. I must say, the Cafe really reminds me of Australia, because the drinks menu had items like "Flat Whites" and "Long Blacks" and I hardly see those in Singapore. I wonder if the owner got his inspiration from there? So in my final note I will say this - give this Cafe a try, you too might be pleasantly surprised by what they have to offer. As for me and TCC ... ... we are definitely going back, there is just something about that place that is appealing to us.

Coffee Master Cafe
112 East Coast Road
#01-25 Katong Mall
Singapore 428802
Tel: 6346 5751
{ Reservations Not Required }

Lookie What Me Dad Got Me for Me Birthday

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Lookie what me dad got me for me birthday...
A Friggin Mini Cooper S baby. Wooohoooo... ...
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Hope your jaws didn't hurt too bad when it hit the floor. To be more precise, it is a 1:18 scale model of a Mini Cooper S. My dad isn't senile enough to splurge SGD$130,000 on a car like the Mini Cooper.
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I really like this model, there are heaps of intricate detail. When you turn the steering wheel from within the car, the front wheels actually move. Cool huh. A picture of things to come.
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Weekly Update + Good News

"Simmering Summerlilies Batman, We're One* Dimensional"
- Robin

This artwork was drawn on a pavement by Julian Beever using chalk. His other realistic works can be seen here.
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I got back my test results from my cardiologist. Turns out that I am normal, no high blood pressure.

1. The multitude of blood tests came back normal.
2. The 24 hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure (ABP) monitor shows that I have normal blood pressure readings throughout a 24 hour period.
3. The Electrocardiogram (ECG) showed that the rythm of my heart is normal.

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The doctor that saw me had quite a hard time convincing me that I was indeed normal, because these few months, everytime I had my BP tested, it was over the roof. He explained that over the period of 24 hours (babies excluded) a person will experience highs and lows in his/her blood pressure. That's just the way the body functions. A person with HBP (or hypertension) will have high blood pressure readings over the entire length of 24 hours. So then, I find it incredibly puzzling, why I always have a high reading whenever I visit a doctor? Maybe I'm too tense. I think so. I always get very tense before a test or an examination, and visiting a doctor to have my blood pressure tested also makes me very tense, it's like I'm afraid of getting a bad mark or something. Anyways, I may be out of the woods, but I'm still by the edge of the forest (so to speak). At my age, I ought to be able to sustain the perfect reading of 120/80. So I will continue toward that goal.
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On that note, I would like to pat myself on the back. This week marks the 10kg milestone. Here's a recap.

1. Starting Weight : 115Kg
2. Ideal Weight : 80Kg
3. Current Weight : 105Kg

That means I accomplished approximately 28% of my goal. So yay! Another 72% more to go. Sigh...
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* In his website, it says his chalk drawings are ONE dimensional. I tried to just let it go but that is just bugging me so much. NO, it is not one dimensional, it is actually 2 dimensional. Let me elaborate briefly, mathematically speaking:

1. ZERO Dimension - This can be demostrated by a Dot (or Point).
2. ONE Dimension - This can be demostrated with a Line. There is a length.
   
3. TWO Dimensions - This can be demostrated with a Plane. There is Length and Breadth.
   
4. THREE Dimensions - This can be demostrated by a Space. There is Length, Breadth and Height involved.
   

So from the above definitions, the chalk artwork that is being drawn on the pavements are clearly TWO Dimensional. I know, non-Engineers/Mathematicians will go "Whatever". Nevertheless, I'm glad I cleared that up.

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Name: Fredizzle Weight: 105Kg Blood Pressure: 123/70

Weekly Update + Interesting Observation

~ Warning Placed At Edge of MRT Train Tracks ~

This warning sign is a little unnerving. This just shows that jumping off the platform onto oncoming trains is the latest method chosen by people who want to end their lives. Off the top of my head, I recall at least 4 such incidents in a very short span of time.
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My parents were speculating the reasons why. One theory they came up with was this: There was much publicity surrounding the last person who jumped off the platform to commit suicide, the public showed an unusual amount of empathy and compassion for the widow in that particular case because she lamented about her financial woes, stating that she did not even have enough money to take a bus to the morgue to identify her husband's body, and through that newspaper report, approximately SGD$500,000 was raised to aid her family through that tough time.
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Perhaps others thought that the same formula would work twice. Fat chance. 26 years of being a Singaporean tells me that we are not a compassionate bunch. There is no why? It is just the way it is. Fine... there are some good people out there, but I'm pretty sure they too are not compassionate 100% of the time. So there you have it, Jumping off tall buildings OUT, Jumping onto tracks of oncoming trains IN.
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On a totally separate note. I have just partially recovered from a bout of food poisoning. Which is good and bad in some ways I guess. This whole week, I have been walking around with Miss Yaliooh. She is in town for a week so I brought her about. Her company was nice, the shopping part was not. She shopped around so much for shoes and bags and clothes, I actually got a mental picture of which stores are 'men' friendly - stores which actually provide chairs for the men to sit while the ladies check out their wares. That experience in a single word - Agonizing! On the second last day, I must have ate something wrong, I had a fever that night and food was coming out (in different forms) from every orifice. The whole week I was eating carbohydrates and I had my doubts that I would be able to meet my one kilo a week target, however, the food poisoning totally made that possible. I seriously do not know whether to thank God or not... ...

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Name: Fredizzle Weight: 106Kg Blood Pressure: 127/74