Adios

Today marks another probable turning point in my career, the end of Public Relations stint with a little consultancy known as Wordsmith. Almost 2 years ago while I was a student doing my diploma, I was roped in to intern for the company, at that time it was a real eye opener.

I got to do stuff which I never knew, saw things, which I never dreamt of and mingled with society’s bigwigs. Then came the slap in the face. I brought home a paycheck that was lower than your average road sweeper, ok, to be precise; a construction bangala earned double more than me.

I endured the ridicule thrown at me by my bunch of friends, things like “your nuts”, “no one can live with that amount” were commonplace in my conversations with them. I thought I knew better of course. After all I was in it just for the experience, the salary didn’t matter. Even though I was being exploited time and again, I thought it was for a good cause.

A year down the road, and I was none the wiser. Thinking I would leave the forsaken office and find nirvana in Perth and where upon my return I would get a decent paying job. Then like a bolt of lightning hitting a gliding seagull, I was given a shot at fame out of nowhere. A publishing house had chanced upon my blog and thought that I was of substance.

They didn’t think I deserved that token salary I was given, and believed my talents could be put to good use in their magazines. I was tempted. I agreed almost immediately. Good riddance to the damned place, to hell with that measly pay and most of all, Up yours! You damned bosses! You can’t use my designs and you can’t shove your insane work mannerisms on me anymore, cause why? I Fcuking QUIT that’s why!

Ownage

The Ignis Sport

Guess what? I clinched the JOB!!! Woohoo~!!!!!!!!

I was struck down with gastric intestinal flu last Wednesday, it was horrible! After lunch I came back to the office seemingly tired and out of breath, don’t know why, rested on in my office briefly when this killer tummy ache crept up and reeked havoc in my abdomen.

It literally turned me blue inside out. I did a 20m dash to my toilet in a record 3 seconds and nearly passed out from a numbing effect that raced through my whole body. I took half the day off and went to see the doctor who diagnosed it. Great I thought, I have a super important meeting tonight with the magazine people and now this.

Erin told me not to go but I was persistent, no intestinal flu is gonna strike me down, at least not for this once of a lifetime event. Barely rested I made my way to Ubi Avenue 2 to meet my future bosses. After what seemed like an eternity, I was finally down to the discussion table.

The proposition was simple, buy a car and the job is yours. They vetted through my 3 articles and were suitably impressed, writing style was RAW, trainable but raw…design was impressive but they got like 5 graphic artist. They needed a second man to back up their head honcho editor.

With a starting pay of 1750 for the first 3 months, it was a little above my expectations of what they would offer me though I was hopping it was a little higher. Anyway, this amount will suffice for me to survive and maintain a car. I will cover the car part later. My job scope will involve writing at least 5-6 articles for the car magazine and a few others every month bearing in mind that deadline I have to meet.

Those special featured cars will have to be hunted down, I’m counting on a few friends and their contacts to get me these, accessories will be reviewed when they are installed directly to my car, another perk? I get to keep them (evil laugh) When the boss are out of town, I will be in-charge of the writing. Big events like car and motoring exhibitions must also be attended, and I have to bear one thing in mind…I’m writing for an audience now!

Ok the car…ah yes…the important deciding factor. I can’t just buy your average typical Jazz or Vios for this job. Nope this budget wheels simply won’t cut it as a review model for car parts and will surely make me look puny infront of greats like Ben Lim or other Kallang Rally racers. I need a performance vehicle. Besides the obvious WRX which is totally beyond me, the editor suggested the Ignis Sport.

Now here’s a car I never, not even once considered. Why? As far as looks go, I only saw the normal Ignis, and its one hell of an ugly car. The back resembles some Kangoo Van while the front looked like a timid hamster. How on earth could this be considered a performance car?

Unconvinced I went for a test drive at Champion Motors to find out why my editor swears this car is one heck of a drive. I parked right outside AutoMobile Megamart, walked into the showroom and there it was, clad in Chilli Red, sporting 15inch rubbers in white rims, the Ignis Sport.

I bolted around the car. Wow I thought to myself, this is WAY different from the miniature pet I had envisioned. Those foglamps were almost illegal. It’s a 2 door coupe!!! Well almost. Recaro seats! The car was wide though a little on the high side. It’s powered by a 1.5L 16-valve DOHC engine, you can’t go wrong with that. The best part? It goes from 0-100km/h in 8.9 FREAKING SECONDS!!! Yup! Read that again! 8.9secs!!! This is as close as I can get to a turbo-charged car beyond exceeding the insurance limits.

Not even a Lancer Ralliart Turbo could take on the IS. That was it! I asked the SE I wanted a test drive NOW! And off I went chugging around Ubi. The engine note was sweet, the exhaust was sweeter. Pickup was lightning quick and the road holding from the Yokohama tyres were like glue. The suspension was rock solid, and I felt in total control all the time, driver inputs were exactly the mark and the car was damn responsive. I was blown away.

I must have this car!

First

We faced the Balrog of Moria alongside Gandalf the Grey.

Part 1

2 nights ago I travelled into a world long forgotton by modern man, a land imbrued in sword and sorcery, inhabited by a dozen different races, where majestic castles stand etched into mountains and valleys surrounded by never ending grassy plains. I went back to Middle Earth…

Mounting my steed, I, Benethor of the Gondorian Guards has thus been assigned to trace the whereabouts of my lord, Boromir, son of Denethor, Steward of Gondor. My investigation led me into the westen continent of Eregion, where word has it my lord had joined a fellowship in a quest to stop Sauron, a long banished evil from returning, his followers have already amassed in Mordor, preparing for a final strike that will eclipse all of Middle Earth.

I was intercepted while on my way there by one of Sauron’s dark knights, Wraiths as many would call them. These fiendish creatures, once proud horsemen ride who rode under the Gondorian flag were now reduced to bitter empty shells of their former-selves corrupted by the power that which is Sauron. I escaped death just barely thanks to bravery of a She-elf called Idria, who came to my aid, by vanquishing the Wraith with light magi.

It seems our chance encounter was more deliberate than a coincidence. Elfs have an uncanny ability to look into the immediate future. Idria required my assistance in protecting her envoy from possible Orc skirmishes in the area, I naturally obliged as a means to repay my debt to her. In return she would accompany me on my journey to search for my lord.

On this quest, I’m joined by Elegost, a ranger of the Dunedain, the same order which King Arragon hailed from. Hadhod, the dwarvern axe-bearer, one of the sons of the great Balin. Morwen, a Rohan orphan whose family were slain by the vicious Wargs and lastly Eaoden, A Rohan pikemen who fought alongside Emoer during the Crusades of Rohan.

Throughout this experience, my conscious is battered through darkness and light as I fight the voices bellowing within me to keep my sanity. Sarumon speaks to me from his tower in Isengard determined to engulf my senses with the teachings of Sauron while Gandalf constantly steers me in the right path towards the light. I’m lost. My motives seem to blur into the background as I pass through battle after battle slaying Orc, Uruk-hai, Wargs and Trolls with a vengence.

To cross over to Rohan, we took a detour into the mines of Moria, the once great city of the Dwarfs now left in utter ruins. The great Balin, lord of Dwarfs once ventured into these mines only to lose his life along with others while trying to purge the environs of goblins and trolls. The fellowship too were here, just only ahead of us by a few steps, we had to make haste, no harm must come to the ring bearer! The narrow and winding route took us almost to the centre of Middle Earth and along the way we came face to face with Moria’s guardian the Balrog. A fiery beast engulfed in hellfire brandishing a sword made of molten magma and a whip laced with searing brimstone.

We fought hard and long with Gandalf by our side, the beast was not to be taken lightly, a single blow nearly wiped out most of us, fortunately we had the white wizard, who saw through with us this ordeal. Gandalf paid the ultimate price, plunging into the abyss with the Balrog so as to slay the menace once and for all. Deeply saddened by what we thought was the passing of an old friend, we ventured on as Gandalf would have wanted us too. Boromir was so close I could feel his presence echoing behind the next pass.

Our journey mirrors closely the one followed by the fellowship. No sooner had I approached the grassy plains of Rohan did news of Boromir’s passing reach us. During a heated exchange between Uruk-hais, my lord was brought down by archers while protecting the ring bearer. Without an ensign, I was free to choose my path, the path to Gondor had been cut off by Sarumon’s 100, 000 strong army. Faced with eminent doom, I stayed on and evacuated Rohan’s surrounding villagers and proceeded with King Theoden’s plan: to barricade ourselves within the great walls of Helms Deep.

Backed against an impenetrable wall of stone, Helms Deep will be the final stand for all of Rohan. We either survive the onslaught or die trying. The air was tense; the battle drums of the Uruk-Hai could be heard in the distance. They will be here by nightfall.

Helms Deep was also the place my motley crew of warriors came face to face with the fellowship. Arragon was down by the stables nursing his wounds from a rather dreadful encounter with Wargs, Legolas stood unmoved by the watch tower looking out into the horizon while Gimli was in the keep, muttering about how the ales served in Rohan were stiff as rocks. The fellowship seemed determined to defend the place despite Rohan not being of their own.

A small battalion of Galadriel’s elven archers came just before sunset to join the ranks at the request of Legolas, prince of Mirkwood. But this didn’t cure the atmosphere that befell Helms Deep castle. Without Emoer’s Riders of Rohan, Helms Deep was sure to fall. We must do all we can even if the odds are stacked against us.

By Midnight, the Uruk-hai army had already assembled right outside Helms Deep, I scoured the terrain, there were at least 10,000 veteran trolls, 50, 000 Uruk-hai berserkers and the remaining consisted of footmen and archers all armed with stolen weaponry from our very own lands. Sarumon will pay for this. I clinched my 3rd Age Gondorian Long Sword tightly, did a silent prayer as my allies readied themselves for the first wave of attacks. Now is time to prove our worth, now is the time we show these savages that Middle Earth will not be overrun so easily!!!

(to be continued)

Slurpz!

Dramatic weekend I had, yes…car show I visited..mmm…yes….Race queens I photographed…yes…(Ok enough yoda!)

Last Sunday I found enough energy to drag my laxy butt over to Suntec jostling with the crowds to get in on some Hot Race Queen errr…no wait I mean hot car action at the annual Motorshow. No this isn’t the modified car expo I attended a few months back, the majpr showcase here were the biggies like Toyota, Honda, etc etc cutting their teeth with concept cars and accessorizing them with vivacious race queens.

I was there for the cars of course! (ha!). The moment I stepped in, it looked like I walked into the holy grail of cars. Left, right, center, back, I was engulfed in all manner of automotive mayhem. There was the mazda booth…ok booth is underrated, try mazda showroom, complete with an RX8 and Mazda3 revolving around spin tables. I noticed people won’t particularly paying attention to the metallic beasts but their eyes were transfixed on sultry babes clad jaw-dropping, low cut, cleavage-enhancing pieces of cloth. They literally stole the thunder from the real stars, the rotary Renesis Engine is no match for C-cup maximisers.

Ok..I won’t go on, cars and babes are such an illicit mixture, it bordering on criminal! Under all that latex and metal shells, the true gist of the show was to tell the average Singaporean motorist what to expect in the coming future. It goes to show that people at Toyota are not just contented churning out visually sleep-inducing corollas, they can think out of the box too! I took a tonne of pics in my album section, go have a look-see and you know what I mean.

I caught Shark Tale yesterday much to the delight of my girlfriend and her sister. Reading the reviews, which ranged from plain boring to so bland it hurts, I was hoping the critics were proved wrong. But it’s true! Trust the critics on this one! Not only is it a Nemo rip off, the characters are so flat that even being rendered in 3D didn’t help bring them to life. If there’s one thing Dreamworks can never do its animation! Save the cartoons to Disney and stick to your SFX. I almost fell asleep, through sheer determination I sat through the 90 minutes armed with sambal tapioca chips. *Phew! Rating: 1/5 Your gonna regret this!

Was shopping around Tampines Mall after the show, chanced upon a shop selling 2nd hand Xbox games! At $30 a pop that’s a steal! I got a relatively brand new SIMS: Bustin’ Out game. Didn’t expect much at first, thought it was some girly game, cause Erin wanted to play it, but after awhile, I was hooked! My gf and I play together as a couple trying to earn enough money to refurbish our house, upgrade ourselves and hopefully get married and all that stuff! Together with a wacked out sense of bizarre humour, (think: eating stuff off the floor, wetting yourself, setting your kitchen ablaze while having breakfast) I was in stitches almost all the time!

Oh oh, my HOTstuff application is coming along nicely I think. Spoke to them at the Car show and they told me I would be contacted in about a weeks’ time to discuss the package. Here’s hoping I get through!

Worked

I love this week! 2 public holidays almost side by side, what more can an office dweller ask for. Celebrated my Ah Ma’s Birthday on Wednesday, this year was slightly different, we managed to get the entire family present to commemorate my grandma’s 78th year! We booked 2 tables at the HK Street Resturant and we treated to a very filling 10-course dinner that bordered into overkill. I looked like a whale after the feast.

Managed to catch-up with some of my cousins, seems like everyone is doing well. A surprise came in the form of Nathan, my cousin, Meili’s soon to be husband. They are expected to tie the knot next year. Thank goodness no one asked me when will it be my turn haha! There’s a nice warm feeling in the air that night, seeing how the family turned up in numbers gave my grandma a big big smile on her face. (Note: last year nobody turned up – the infidels!)

November the 10th is also when my first year anniversary falls on. Of course I didn’t neglect my baby, rushed home and celebrated it with her after the dinner. I bought for her a pair of couple rings from Moshi Moshi at Wisma the other day, engraved with the words Gong on hers’ and Ger on mine (altogether now say “Awwww…) and together with a 12 Rose bouquet.

She got for me 2 smiley face boxes, which are so cute!!!! Can’t wait to wear them! And 2 small beanie piggies to add to our collection. Spent the whole of yesterday lazing at home, I finally had a chance to take a break. Phew…and a well deserved one at that. Yesterday marked another milestone in my illustrious life when I tried my hand at cooking steak for my beef-craving girlfriend. Sadly it didn’t turn out as expected.

Marinated the steak with Worchetshire sauce and red wine, I put it into the pan for about a minute before popping it into the oven for 10mins. According to my friend’s recipe that should make it about medium rare, mine came out ULTRA DONE =( bummer….oh well, I will try again and again till I get it right so that my baby will never go hungry.

Sent my articles to HOTstuff finally. The guys there seem embroiled in the current motorshow so won’t able to comment on my work. Here’s hoping I land the job! That’s about it. Cya!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DARLING! MUACKS!

XxX

Yowzers! It’s been like 2 weeks since I last posted anything…hmm…been up to my neck in things to do, *sigh…Well reading this is proof that I was consumed by the monsoon season in Malaysia and I’m happily back home in the comfort of Singapore. More about my trip in another post, I haven’t done up the pics, so they aren’t for viewing yet.

Erin got me an XBOX for our 1st anniversary last week (*awww…) and I haven’t been able to keep still since when at home. The last time I played this much video games was when I had a Playstation, but 7 years down the road I sort of lost touch with that world, blame it on a lack of time, I can’t devote so much time to playing them any longer.

Anyway back to the XBOX, I simply adore the 5kg monster, encased in a crystal clear plastic body (instead of the normal black) it now sits underneath my 29 inch TV which has since moved house from my living room downstairs, replaced by a sleek Sharp Flat Screen TV. Oh boy, I’m getting all dreamy like a schoolboy whenever I think about the graphics the XBOX is capable of.

I bought 2 games so far, Sudeki a VERY traditional RPG along the lines of Final Fantasy and WWE:RAW2, WWE’s wrestling game. 3 words sum up the transition from 32bit to pure gaming heaven, Drop Dead Gorgeous…I’m looking at The Rock and Triple H like I never seen them before, its almost photo-realistic…sans their voices though… But that’s not where the real meat is, I have the most fun creating a wrestler from scratch, from the gender right down to what toe-nail polish to use, everything is fully customizable, which means…I get to create fantasy wrestlers to bash the likes of Goldberg into oblivion. Woohoo!!!

Yesterday I spent a total of 9 hours creating and play testing my first creation, Rayne, a female wrestler from Singapore (YES! They even recognize SG and say it during the ring intro) who believes that minimum is optimum. (I would leave you perverts to figure that out yourselves haha) Anyway control took a getting used to because the XBOX is vastly different from my PS. But the controls fell into place after awhile, I starting arming myself to the teeth with weapons such as the barbed wire 2x4 (my fav weapon) and unleashed my fury on Stacey Kiebler, Trish Stratus and Lita, turning them into diva pulp.

Ahh…nothing like total carnage early in the morning, Going off now…I’m feeling ULTRA sleepy…zzz..zzz