CNY songs

The other day (which was like ... oh, only yesterday ...), I sms my friend with this:

"If I ever hear yet another song about/on the CNY on the radio, I'll scream yyyyYYYaaAAAAAArrrrrRRRRRrrrrrrHHHHHHHhh ..."

I'm talking about those festive CNY that the various radio stations broadcasting in Mandarin will do during this festive season. Obligatory? Perhaps ... I don't know & I don't want to know.

What frustrates me is that ALL FIVE stations do it, no exceptions.

1. I switch on to FM8xx, it's there ...
2. Switch over to FM9xx, it's STILL there
3. Tweak it to _FM1xxx, there & never gone

Somewhere along in the CNY-themed song being broadcast, one can usually hear this "dong dong chiang" ... until my head goes "ding dong". Throwing my hands up in the air out of frustration, I finally had the guts to switch it to BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) news ... NEWS ... on the THIRD DAY of CNY - the Doggie Year.

WOOF ... who let the songs out? WOOF ... woof!!

Hair cut for the DOG Year

Chinese New Year is in about 2 weeks' time & I STILL HAVE NOT BOUGHT STUFF yet. Things like: shoes, clothes, innerwear, bag ...

About the only thing that I've done so far is to cut my hair. I had to queue up at this "$10 hair cut" shop. These kind of shops are a good thing for people like me, who do not like paying cut-throat prices for a simple hair cut (pardon the pun).

I do not really blame the owners of hair cut shops. Not that much anyway.

This phenomeneon had an early start this year. CNY rings in on 29 January 2006.

• About 1 month prior to the big event, when my mom went for her haircut, she was charged more.
• She told me that in the years gone past, it was 2 weeks BEFORE the actual date that hair saloons up their charges.

Why else do you think I went for a "$10 hair cut"? Mind you, these hairstylists are good. How to get a profit at $10 ... I still haven't go calculate yet. Mebbie the below might help:

• These "$10 hair cut" places only do HAIR CUTS, nothing else.
• There are no "steamers" to steam your hair
• There is a metal compartment beneath the chair for the cut hair
• You (the customer) get a comb to take home (hehe, rhymes don't it?)

This is what happens when you go cut your hair in such places.

1. You MUST prepare a S$10 note (the red colour one)
2. Slot it in the vending machine
3. Out shoots a card (name of shop & branch)
4. You queue up (can't run to buy a kopi ... you would lose your queue numbering)
5. The next available hairstylist (man/woman) will cut your hair
6. All done in 10 minutes flat
7. Collect your belongings (kept in the compartment behind the mirror) & you get your disposable comb
8. They say "good-bye" (in Japanese) & you (for goodness' sake) say "bye-bye"

Easy enough to register in your mind? Cool? You tell me.

I got a new BLOG

Dear JR (you know who you are),

I know that I will get hammered for this but I had to tell you this:

I got a new blog

Haven't written anything in there as of now 'cos I'm lazy. Writers have their "writers' block" & musicians their "inspiration". Where does that leave us, bloggers?

Go do the maths. When you are done with the calculations, tell me.

Until then, I shall persevere in trying to come up with a good start to it. Meanwhile, I'm going to give you, my friend, a peek.

This 2nd blog of mine, I've decided, shall be music-based. ANYTHING that catches my fancy. It could be reviews of CDs that I bought, instruments' descriptions (like a bass guitar) and/or going to concerts.

I want to do something, other than being an arm-chair admirer of music. Make sense to you?

My 2006 resolution

Dear Blog,

It might be late, it might NOT be late but anyway, this is my 2 cents' worth on the annual ritual known as "resolution".

IMHO, in front of everybody in my department in the company where I work, I boldly said this:"


I wish to get fit in 2006 (nothing unsual there ...) so that I can TRY to run a mini-marathon in 2007 (VERY very Very UNSUAL here ...).


I do not regret saying that. EVER. However, it might have not been a very good idea to say it in front of so many people, especially now that I know that there will be many pairs of eyes on me each time I bit/munch into something.

Like if I don't eat breakfast before coming to work, I know that I will get hungry at about 10am ... mumbling ... grumble ... mumbling ... shove food into mouth. Something like that.

It is not "Mission Impossible" but rather I think "Mission Nearly Impossible". This is based on the following reasons:

1) What the heck do I know about running, let alone marathons???
2) Considering the sendentary lifestyle I've led so far ... MNI is a good moniker
3) Marathons start early ... at 5.30am/6am ... I am not a morning person (not good, not good)
4) The diet eschew stuff that I'm partaking now
5) This cannot be a half-hearted attempt but a damm serious one

They say "mind over matter". HA!! Easier said than done.

The sort of exercises that I've done so far is "free", meaning: I walk a lot AND I do mean "a lot".

• I walk to the MRT instead of taking the bus, except on rainy days
• After my lunch, I walk about the surrounding shops
• In the name of "retail therapy", walking from The Heeren to Centrepoint for a pair of shoes is "no sweat".

The above not applicable in hot sunny weather ... kidding only. Even then, I will find ways & means to get that.