the lastsplash

Roger won his two years ago. Me? I completed my collection this year - jumbo ball, that is. It started with Wimbledon three years ago , Roland Garros last year, and I got Australian Open from Melbourne Park. The last but not the least, US Open for BBOF day this year. Now they sit nicely on my shelf. Of course, no celebration is complete without food. A memorable lunch at Cream Bristo (Pacific Plaza) - the Tofu salad was bigger than we had expected! My penne... Little drumlets missing their other half... Our smoothies... The jumbo ball is a befitting present from one tennis fan to another - RF's fans (to be more precise). Unfortunately, it is unlikely that I will visit the US Open this year. Otherwise, the final jumbo ball will be more significant. Let's just keep my fingers crossed and hope for miracle. :-p

December, it is the month of weddings again. I attended three, in the span of two weeks. One of those was that of my friend from first-three-month class in JC. It is interesting how this bunch managed to keep in touch all these years and meeting only couple of times yearly. We have all led separate paths, and entrenched in our work and lives. The memories of our goofy times in school, and my most embarrassing moments in life (which never fail to tickle a few funny bones during our gatherings) are still fresh in my mind. But we have grown, old perhaps? Amongst us, I'm the most 'advanced', with the birth of my baby Bertrand dearest. While some of them are already married. So it is about time for our dear friend, Miki, to find her happiness as well. I attended her wedding ceremony at the Church of the Nativity of the B.V.M. in the morning. I had brought along my camera to snap a few shots (the pros had the big day all covered)... Here is one of the pros sharing with us the lis...

Our Cherry Tea Queen , aka Stitchy-Sop , got married today! It was my honour to be part of her big day in a very small way! Thanks my dear Queen! -toast with a cuppa Earl Grey!- My first time as a wedding photographer was relatively stress-free as the couple had many very professional photographers to do the job. In fact, I was able to enjoy myself and immerse in the festivity of the Queen's bliss! It was fun! At the same time, I had the chance to "understudy" in preparation for my own big day. ;-) I will not be able to show you the photos unless the bride gives me the green light to release them to public. In any case, I think it will be better to wait for the official release of the professionals' works lah . Mine are only good enough for my personal appreciation. Hee Hee . However in the meantime, you can enjoy this photo of my gorgeous dear friend, who shared quite a bit of the limelight for the evening as well, as many people wanted to have individual photos take...

There's a saying that goes ' 男人不坏，女人不爱 ' (women will only like nasty men. Perhaps the essence of this statement applies to other aspects of human relationship (friendship, family, etc.) as well. Does the nice guys have to finish last? The longer you hold on to something, the dearer it gets. The longer you are held, the more numb it gets. Maybe it is relatively more difficult to appreciate the goodness of others. Unless one is able to read the intentions of others' action, one will not be able to understand the magnitude of effort or the deliberate actions to be nice. In that sense, it is nobody's fault if one start taking things for granted. If one has never experienced poverty or hunger, how could one truly treasure their wealth or the food on the table? Of course through education, we can learn to appreciate these tangible things. But it is another matter when it got to do with human relationship. You have to feel it, be treated poorly, before the chemistry takes ...

我又老一岁了。。。 Tonight, I had the honour to celebrate my birthday in advance with some good friends and dear wife. We had dinner at the new 7th Storey Hainan Charcoal Steamboat at Wilkie Road. It was somewhat similar to having reunion dinner but with good friends. :-) I thought I would have lots to say about almost reaching the next age milestone... but I guess I don't, at the moment. Just want to thank everyone for spending the evening with me and the very useful presents! I creatively divided the birthday cake into ten pieces. Ha... Whoever said birthday cake has to be equally cut? Life isn't fair and everyone has their preference. Some like it small, some like it big. hee. Some don't know how to cut cake and came up with lotsa crap. :-p And a round of pictures with my wonderful friends! Starting with Dear friend... and ending with Dear wife! Thank you and goodnight!

Blue Basil is a restaurant in the row of old shop houses along Cairnhill Road . Tucked at one corner of Orchard area, amongst the condominiums, it is hidden from the crowd, a perfect place for a nice quiet evening dinner. We only get to know this place from the recommendation of HungryGoWhere . The Occasion? Valentine's is round the corner, but it is also Friendship Day . Celebration with my bestest-best-of-friend . For appetizer, we had Sauteed Mussels . Delicious! Main course, she had Cray fish with broccoli, pilaf and blue basil pesto... and I had Norwegian salmon with bouquet of vegetables, fries and hot garlic... Delicious again! They ran outta lemon sorbet and chocolate. But the vanilla and strawberry gelato made up for it. Overall, I enjoyed the food alot. The sauce was really good. I like the fact that it wasn't crowded and we were free to sit anywhere we like. I would recommend that you give it a try. Please bring along your empty stomach and great company like you...

Blink of the eye, it is Christmas again. And its X'mas-presents-show-and-tell-time ! Remember the present for myself which I mentioned in the Souvenirs Galore entry? Well, I am gonna reveal what it is! It is a RF 2009 Calendar from the RF Shop . It contains beautiful images from the 2008 season and Roger's childhood moments. My favourite is August's photograph - Roger's facial features still look almost the same right? :p Hope there'll be more moments like October's next year! The calendar has all the tournament dates marked out. At the back, there is RF's autograph. And getting this calendar is also for a good cause - part of the Christmas spirit. =) Initially I wanted to get this for the #1 RF fan , KC-XTT . But I got something even better for her... vrrrrroooomm.... heh , so I get to keep the RF calendar for myself! I have already hang it on my cubicle in office. There are also plenty of presents from my friends. Just showing three of them here... The...

The familiar sight of the packed luggage. If you are feeling de javu, that's because you probably have read my entry on the Trip-Of-My-Life , which I have yet to finish blogging -guilty look-. But anyway, time flies, and finally I am going for The-Next-Big-Trip (TNBT) in a few hours' time. There are a few reasons why this is a big trip. Firstly, its a rare opportunity that I can to travel with these three of my very very good friends who are very very busy people. Secondly, similar to TOML, it will be another semi-backpacking trip. But this time it is to a much less urbanized place. Despite some planning, there are still lotsa uncertainties, such as what buses to take to travel between cities, and where exactly are those places we are going. While Google Map helps, there is just so much it can provide us. We need a real paper map! And finally, this trip will be a little more physically demanding, and spiritual for me. For I believe, this is the type of trip where bonds are made...

How did you spend your public holiday? Well, my friends and I did what most Singaporeans would do (at least once in our lifetime) - visit the Istana Open House. For those non-Singaporeans who ain't familiar, Istana is the official residence of the President of Singapore. Situated in the heart of the CBD, it is opened to public during public holidays. $1 per entry for foreigners, and free-of-charge for residents. It was our first time! The beautiful golf course greeted us as we strolled in thru' the long shaded path. When will we ever have the chance to tee off with the President? And moving on, we came to the top of the hill. An old canon faces the Singapore skyline, defending the residence. But from an angle, it looked like being blocked by the palm tree. :p Nevertheless, a significant and symbolic gun. Behind the canon is the Istana House. It is where the President hosts the foreign dignitaries, where cabinet ministers were sworn-in, and other important national decisions ar...