Hong Kong Guy And A Durian

It was a couple of years back during one of my precious trips back to Singapore when a good friend JL, tagged along.

Playing the good host, ambassador and tourist guide, I introduced the fun and interesting aspects of Singapore. It wasn't long before we arrived at the topic of durians and casually mentioned that this is a fruit not for the faint hearted.

JL, which I failed to mentioned earlier, has quite the big ego for that small framed body of his, boasted that he has not only eaten quite a few durians in his day but has also self-proclaimed to be a connoisseurs of sorts.

Perhaps it was his bad luck to have me as a friend, for I was most skeptical with such an audacious proclamation. Well, as I thought to myself, that if have a needle in hand and someone shoves a balloon in your face, it's really hard not to be a prick (no pun intended) under such circumstances.

Without a second thought, I suggested going for durians after dinner and he readily agreed.

The gauntlet was thrown....

Pistols at ten paces....

Showdown at high noon....

We pulled up to the red temple (Tua Pek Kong?) at Balestier Road, just a little further down from Quality Hotel. Correct me if I am wrong but the stall is called Sindy Durian? Can't remember.

Anyway, after I seated everybody down at the table, I went up to the stall and choose my pickings. Ahh.... D24. No brainer there. A shake shake here and a sniff sniff there and I picked a durian each for all of us. Like I said earlier, being the perfect host and ambassador, I saved the biggest durian for JL.

Actually hor, I knew he was boasting based on Thai "Tasteless" durian lah. So hor, I was just 拿人家来消遣. It's like playing poker with him while he was seated back against the mirror. I is guai lan. Hur hur hur....

The durians arrived shortly after and we all tucked in. JL stopped at the very first seed. He was a goner. Habis. Game Over.

The power of Malaysian durian claimed its first victim at the very first round. He was going all red struggling to swallow the slimy morsel. I was going all red struggling to stifle my laughter.

So for the rest of the evening, he just sat there sipping his aqua-plastic-cup-mineral-water while I heartily devoured my share of the durian and his.

I can be such a prick sometimes. Hur hur hur....

- Voxeros

1. OLLie left...

Tuesday, 29 August 2006 5:25 pm

wah lau eh. hahaha.. His huge ego surely kena crushed by you on that day.
I would only do that if I don't really like that someone. I'm evil in that way.

2. aloe left...

Wednesday, 30 August 2006 8:33 am

I can only say poor (NOT) guy... =P
U know how to chose durians?? =O ooo.... maybe you can write one on how to chose durians... hehehe!

3. JayWalk left...

Wednesday, 30 August 2006 8:57 am :

OLLie: Aiyah.... just a prank only lah. Only good friends do that to each other. *evil*

Anna: Just a few rules of thumb lah. Not say I super expert. First is look at the thorns. Must be sharp. Blunt thorns suggest that the durian has been lying around the stall longer than it should be. If other customers are avoiding it, then perhaps you are better off choosing another.

Shake to see if you can see the seeds rattle. This would indicate if the flesh inside is dry or mushy. Not say one is better than the other as it is a matter of preference. Myself for example, prefers the mushy ones but it is risky considering the fact that it could also mean over ripe.

Same goes for smell. It mustn't be overpowering suggesting over riping. Must ooze out little bit by little bit, machiam like seducing you with a bit of teasing here and there. One shot strip naked hor, people will straight away sian half.

4. sunflower left...

Wednesday, 30 August 2006 9:28 am

He deserved that. IF I am you, I will do the same thing.

Anna har, you still ask him to blog about how to choose durian. Luckily he included in this comment.... =.="

Jay, how many durian post to go... :D Even I like durian but too much liao, start to feel heaty le! :P
*BIG GRIN*

5. JayWalk left...

Wednesday, 30 August 2006 10:48 am ::

sunflower: I think no more durian blog liao. If I have 2 more hor, I would have made this into a series.

Feeling heaty liao? Got drink lotsa liang teh lah. That should settle your backside pimple. :P

6. aloe left...

Wednesday, 30 August 2006 1:35 pm

sunflower: cos cos... I dun know how to chose mah. I always ask them to chose for me.

hahaha! So far no probs yet but when I get older... I doubt those durian sellers will be so willing to help me chose good durians liao. hahahahahahah! =P Must Learn!!

Anyway, with his durian blogs, do you feel a sudden urge to buy durians? :P yummm... drink more liang teh loh... heheh!

Jay: So if the flesh is mushy, it means that you should not be able to hear the seeds rattle?

7. akk left...

Wednesday, 30 August 2006 11:52 pm

hmmm....you'll scold me one, but actually as long as sweet and creamy, i like all kinds of durian and cannot differentiate one from the other....i wun even know if i ate a d24 or not...

8. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 31 August 2006 12:09 am ::

Anna: What d'ya mean get older then they won't help? You must teh the uncle mah....

Yah. Mushy can't hear rattle but it may mean over ripe instead of just being nicely mushy. You will need to call on your other findings, like smell to help determine.

Akk: Won't angry one lah. As long as you willing to come out go eat durian, I happy liao.

9. aloe left...

Thursday, 31 August 2006 9:09 am

Jay= When u are old with wrinkles and everything, you think they will be so willing to help meh. =P Think they will just say... aiyah auntie! All our durians very good one. Specially selected. You see which one you like then take loh... =P

10. spinnee left...

Thursday, 31 August 2006 10:32 am

*grin* great minds think alike...like the rest i'll DO the same too.
these pple just need someone to whack them jialat jialat (mentally) *GRINZ*

11. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 31 August 2006 1:50 pm :: 

Anna: You neber heard of Lao Chio meh? You just need to teh harder, that's all!
Either they will continue to be mesmerised by you or they would beg you to stop. Either way you still win mah. kekekekeke

12. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 31 August 2006 6:37 pm :: 

Spinnee: JL is good friend lah. I was just messing around with him only. As to the so called "crushing of ego", it is not as malicious as it sounds lah. :)

13. serendipity left...

Sunday, 3 September 2006 7:52 am :: http://goodshithappens.blogspot.com

hey i have moved to goodshithappens....no longer using skybellzz. some old guy took over tt link, which seems a little gay if you ask me. haha
-serendipity

14. JayWalk left...

Sunday, 3 September 2006 9:03 am ::

Serendipity: Gay meh? Ok wat, judging by the fella's one and only entry. At least it's not written in aLtEnAtE cApS though. Thanks for the update anyway.

Speaking Of Durians...

Continuing from yesterday's entry, our bill came up to over $300 and a proud consumption total of 30kgs. Heh heh.....we is hardcore one. D24 all the way.

Durian is one of my favourite fruits for a special reason that bore close to my heart. It is a fruit that brings people together. Back during the days of when we were kids, the whole family would gather round the kitchen eagerly waiting for a perspiration-dripping dad as he laboured to open the durians for everybody. It was a labour of love, a perspiration of love and indeed it was a fruit of love.

As we grow older, the fruit shifts in its role to bring friends and kakis together as we would make it a gathering to enjoy these heavenly gifts from Mother Dearest Nature.

Eventually, when we have children of our own, it would be our turn, as parents, to go through the cycle again as we etched a new page in the memories of our kids' childhood.

Do click on both pictures to get an enlargement in order to read the write up. My ideal durian would be one of gooey and wet texture that is bitter sweet. The Thai variety (that is available here in Ch1na) simply cannot make it for they are too dry, less fragrant and less flavourful to tickle the palate into sensory orgasm. I am very particular with my durian. Call me a snob for snubbing the Thai "Golden Pillow" over here in Ch1na, despite the fact there is no alternative. It's a matter of principle. Either go for the best or not at all.

Here's a trivia for everybody who has seen durians overseas in unexpected places like Ch1na, Hong Kong, Taiwan and even the US. These are obviously imported durians but they only come from Thailand. You can forget about finding durians originating from Malaysia/Singapore out there. The reason is this. Our local varieties don't ripen after being plucked from the trees. As such, we need to wait for the fruit to fall to the ground before it is suitable for consumption. By then, it would be too late for export for they would already have been over-ripened by the time they reached these overseas market. The Thai variety on the other hand, will continue to ripen even after being plucked. That's why you find only the Thai varieties in overseas market as they would have been perfectly timed to peak when they reach their respective markets.

Anyway, D24 has always been my no-brainer first choice and reluctantly D2, D13 or Hong Xia in the event the "Sultan is out of town". However, after reading the write-ups, it seemed that the Merah would be my perfect fruit. Strangely how this has been overlooked all these years. Perhaps I would have to make it a point to check it out when I return at the end of the year. Be sure to see Durian Session in my upcoming timesheet.

Anyway, as far as opening durians, I guess I'd have to disappoint OLLie for I am unable to rip the durian apart with my bare, rippling and veiny hands.  A glove is definitely useful and instead of the usual "durian knife", my weapon of choice would be that of a ch1nese cleaver. The big blade area makes it ideal for slapping of the durian to blunt the thorns while the inside corner of the blade edge is perfect for the very first strike to split the fruit open at the "anus".

Here's a little more on the durians.

If anybody is in the Thomson area, check out the row of shop houses in the vicinity of Soo Chow Gardens Road (next to the now-defunct Thomson Yaohan and opposite a Catholic church). There is a UOB branch there and a few doors down, there is a pastry cafe serving the most heavenly Durian Wells (a kind of durian puff). I wonder if the cafe is still there after all these years. Let me know. Yah?

Also, in the heart of Changi Village hawker centre, in addition to the famed Nasi Lemak stall and Charlie's Corner, it is a little known secret that the dessert stall there serves the best Durian Chendol. The durians comes from Pulau Ubin, just a ferry ride away to ensure the fruit's absolute freshness. I remembered the days when I was working in Tuas and this was the place for my "tea-break". How's that for eating snake durian chendol?

- Voxeros

1. OLLie left...

Monday, 28 August 2006 9:50 pm

hahahaha.. Cannot use gloves la! Must use bare hands! Very macho leh (using bare hands I mean). Already got rippling and veiny arms le. So must train to use bare hands. Then I can swoon further. haha..
Where's your timesheet? I wanna go durian'ing!

2. Pam left...

Tuesday, 29 August 2006 1:37 am

hey, welcome back! didn't know that the durians we get here are the Thai variety. I'm not a big durian fan (btw, which Edward got married?! not the one that I know?! and was it that long ago?!)... but we wanted to get some durian for our angmoh friends over here. might be the case of beggars can't be choosers. rather unlikely that SQ will let me pack durian back here..hahahaha! we did import bak chang (fresh ones) when we were in Tokyo and re-sold them to the Singaporeans there for a whole load of yen. it was fab.

3. sunflower left...

Tuesday, 29 August 2006 8:52 am

So Faith loves Durian?

4. aloe left...

Tuesday, 29 August 2006 9:22 am

yah.. I saw the frozen durians in Aus supermarkets/chinese store when I was still there. My friend bought one to try (I din) and commented that the flesh is hard and tasteless. So unlike ours. sigh...
I've never heard of Merah or the other durians!! I always see XO, Mao Shan and D24!! I like the XO and Mao Shan varieties though. Yummmm..... =P~

5. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 29 August 2006 12:20 pm :: 

OLLie: Don't want to train lah. I scared later I set the bar too high for you, other guys all no chance to tackle you liao. Must pan chance a bit for them lah.

Pam: Yup, those that you have are the Thai variety. Speaking of which, I have another anecdote to share in tomorrow's entry. Akan datang.

Anna: You didn't miss anything when you skipped the durian while you were in Australia. Likewise, I also didn't like the Thai durian coz the taste and smell, tak power lah. Same thing as Pam, stay tuned for tomorrow's anecdote.

Sunflower: Haven't tried on Faith yet. We'll see but given the durian-loving genes from both mom and pop. I think shouldn't be problem lah.

6. Gary left...

Tuesday, 29 August 2006 10:36 pm

wait a min.. hope my eyes didn't see wrongly on this post.. you work in Tuas and go all the way to Changi for a durian chendol??? how long is your tea break??

7. Jaslyn left...

Tuesday, 29 August 2006 11:51 pm :: http://precious-jas.blogspot.com

Wah lau! Today, I entered the house and I smell DURIANS! *yikes* And now I read DURIANS!

8. aloe left...

Wednesday, 30 August 2006 8:34 am

Good luck on trying it on Faith!!
We tried it on my niece and she simply refused to take any bites at all!

9. JayWalk left...

Wednesday, 30 August 2006 9:05 am :: 

Gary: My tea break har? No limit one. Heh heh.... But mostly also because of the fact that I have customers in Changi area and so swing by after the appointment lor. :)

Jaslyn: Don't say you read and smell durians lah. In a way, you also like durian. On the outside like damn tough like that. Then inside all sweet and mushy one.... :P

Anna: Well, we'll see how it goes. Will post update about it eventually. Akan datang.

10. akk left...

Wednesday, 30 August 2006 11:47 pm

i use to know how to open a durian leh...now i can only vaguely remember aiming the cleaver at the stalk area while my mum watches nervously....but i confirm still remembering that we always eat durians in the kitchen floor piled with newspapers. it's always at grandma's place where all the cousins and uncles and aunts gather and at the end of it, we'll throw the durain husk from 3rd floor directly down to the trash bin on grd floor in those old HDB flats and hear the satisfying loud thud echo thru the whole block.
that was, till one day, we saw a homeless old woman sleeping there...wah lau, almost threw the husks onto her....

11. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 31 August 2006 12:13 am :: 

Akk: You cleaver at the stalk one har? I do it at the opposite end, the supposed "eye" or we like to call it the "anus".

Same with the kitchen with the newspapers spread out. The only irritating part is sometimes you kena quite a lot of ants along with the durians.

12. aloe left...

Thursday, 31 August 2006 9:11 am

er... why is the homeless old woman sleeping in the trash bin in the first place??!! So smelly wor! cannot imagine... =S

13. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 31 August 2006 1:52 pm :: 

Anna: Perhaps that is one place that the town council people won't go, which means that she won't be spotted and shoo-ed away. Also, rubbish chute usually have a water tap which she probably needs for drinking and washing.

717 Trading

Picture of an old friend popped up on the $traits Times dated 6 Aug 2006, which my wife cut out and brought it back to Ch1na for me. We knew the Gohs through Deek, who was the first to bring us up to Serangoon for durian. That, at a time when we were only familiar with areas like Napier Road (carpark opposite Botanical Gardens), Geylang (Sims Avenue) and Balestier (next to the temple besides Quality Hotel).

That was almost a decade ago where we were in our 20s and Deek only need to shout "BRUDDER!" from a distance and they knew "Deek Is In Da House".

There were a lot of good memories coming from that little place in Serangoon (almost Punggol) and I remembered how we always get the good durians, all thanks to Deek's special status in the "Brudderhood". I also remembered how we used to struggle to figure out the tap in the toilet. Here's a tip for the uninitiated. To get water to flow, step on the black button on the floor to get the water out.

As modest as the stall appear in the night, it was nonetheless in the forefront of the internet realm. They were not only among the first to have a website, but one that can take orders online. Check them out at http://www.717trading.com .

Here's a funny story from a page of memory lane.

It was Edward's wedding that night and we were all dressed to the nines to attend the wedding banquet at some hotel (Deek: Can you recall which hotel?) and at the end of it, we were strangely still left pretty hungry and the whole gang of us decided to all drive up to 717 Trading for durian. Deek called ahead to make sure the good durians were set aside for us as we cruised up Braddell, Brickworks, Serangoon and finally 717.

As we walked up to the stall...

Deek: Eh BRUDDER! (I believed that would be the secret handshake between the two of them.)

Hong (Looking somewhat jaw-dropped) :  哇! 有没有搞错? 穿到这样美来吃榴莲啊?

We were still in our shirts & ties and gowns & heels when we got there.

- Voxeros

1. Jaslyn left...

Monday, 28 August 2006 1:27 am :: http://precious-jas.blogspot.com

Wah lau! Never take pics of that scene! Million dollar pic leh! Hahaha

2. JayWalk left...

Monday, 28 August 2006 2:55 am ::

Jaslyn: Bor bian. This was a time before we had digital cameras. All that we had with us then is our vivid memories.

3. sunflower left...

Monday, 28 August 2006 9:08 am

I am sure still got good buddy of your group has not married. Do it again when he get marry.
Show us the 1m pics :D

4. JayWalk left...

Monday, 28 August 2006 9:16 am ::

sunflower: Why not have the wedding dinner at 717?? Now's THAT'S a good idea!

5. aloe left...

Monday, 28 August 2006 11:05 am

wah raoz! then his wife will prob humtum you!!

6. JayWalk left...

Monday, 28 August 2006 12:02 pm ::

Anna: Eh... D24 not cheap ok! Quite high class leh. Ang pow will still pao big big ok! Some more no sharks fin so more environmentally friendly leh.

 

I'm Back

After all the travelling, I am finally back...

... to the balmy weather.

... to the comfy bed.

... to the whiny Gabriel waking at 12am, 3am and again at 5am.

... to the drama queen Faith with the sweetest smile when she woke up to me looking over her.

I am back.

- Voxeros

1. sunflower left...

Friday, 25 August 2006 8:56 am

Why no "To wifey"?
Is the bed referring to wifey, :P

2. akk left...

Friday, 25 August 2006 9:59 am

I'd love to give someone a sweetest smile when i wake up, but I'll probably scream. in any case, he gets up later than me...

3. JayWalk left...

Friday, 25 August 2006 11:41 am ::

sunflower: Ahh... that's for me to know and for you not to find out. :P

akk: Ahem... there are "ways" to make your man wake up. *cough cough*

4. Chocolate left...

Friday, 25 August 2006 11:48 pm

Great!! I bet the kids miss you lots lots..

5. Jaslyn left...

Saturday, 26 August 2006 3:20 am :: http://precious-jas.blogspot.com

Faith also drama queen? Jia liat... Hahhaa

6. JayWalk left...

Saturday, 26 August 2006 5:15 am :: 

Chocolate: Yeah they do missed which makes me look forward to coming back sooner.

Jaslyn: Yah lor. Haiz....

7. heather left...

Saturday, 26 August 2006 9:56 pm :: http://disenchantedprincess.wordpress.co

Oh i like this comment box.. it seems easier to post, I don't have to click so many buttons. Oh, you back to Sg or china?

8. JayWalk left...

Saturday, 26 August 2006 11:19 pm :: 

heather: It's a new feature with the latest upgrade to the blog engine. I am still getting used to the comment box. I prefer to have it as a pop-out. Oh well.
Anyway, I am back in Ch1na which reminds me that I have to start making air tickets booking for Christmas back to Singapore liao.

9. aloe left...

Monday, 28 August 2006 11:08 am

yah, I prefer the pop up comment box too. heheh!

10. JayWalk left...

Monday, 28 August 2006 12:03 pm ::

Anna: Yeah, me too. But the new upgraded version of the blog engine dun have leh. So I guess we just have to make do. Sorry.

 

Monday Mission

I headed down to Newport Beach, but before anybody start thinking that I was out again to have fun at the beach like my last trip to Redondo Beach. It's not. I was there for an appointment which is quite a long distance away to have a 2-hour meeting and then having to drive all the way back.

The meeting ended at about 4-something in the afternoon. Smack right into peak hour traffic. (You need to click the picture to enlarge it in order to see all the cars properly.) Took me 2 hours just to drive home. Fortunately, I had a tube of sweets and a pretty good radio station to keep me company. Also, I made the wise decision to go to the bathroom prior to getting into the car. Heng ah....

- Voxeros

1. Gary left...

Thursday, 24 August 2006 6:36 am

wah.. the way you show us the route from point A to point B is like the MRT route from north to south.. lol..

2. sunflower left...

Thursday, 24 August 2006 9:26 am

The map make me more blur.

3. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 24 August 2006 9:33 am ::

Gary: I also do not how to plan the route one. All I did was key in origin and destination into the system and it would automatically churn out the directions for me. I just follow lor. 

sunflower: Same goes for the on-board GPS navigation system. Just key in the address and it will calculate the shortest route to go. Pretty no brainer.

Suay 365

Well, I just touched down at Los Angeles and pick up my rental car to drive back to my uncle's place. Was caught in the peak hour jam which gave me the time to take the picture of this car ahead of me.

I can't help but laugh at the number plate "5UAY 365".

Oh man, this is definitely one car I won't want to be in. Hope Feb 29 is a lucky day for the poor fella.

- Voxeros

1. sunflower left...

Wednesday, 23 August 2006 8:58 am

ha, lucky not suay 369!!!!!!
shhhhhhhhhhhh

2. heather left...

Wednesday, 23 August 2006 5:26 pm :: http://disenchantedprincess.wordpress.co

LOL.. so funny.. :D

3. OLLie left...

Wednesday, 23 August 2006 5:42 pm

No leh. The car looks all nice and shiny. Not so suay till kena buanged. So still not too bad la.

4. Gary left...

Thursday, 24 August 2006 6:35 am

i think to the Chinese, we all know what it means.. but to the Ang Mohs, i doubt they know what 'suay' means..

5. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 24 August 2006 9:28 am ::

sunflower: Wah, sar lark gao. Piangz, you think secret society har? 

heather & Gary: I am sure the number plate hold no significance to the ang moh. But it just such a coincidence that we, as Singaporeans, were able to do so otherwise. Hence the urge to take this photo while driving. 

Ollie: Dunno suay in which department lah. Let's just hope nothing life threatening.

GetWell Road

Spotted this road sign with I was in Memphis en route to Tupelo. Looks like a road for all sick people to exit?

I wondered if there is a DropDead Street on the other side of highway?

Sibeh Sian would definitely want to know if there is also a GetLaid Avenue somewhere. I will keep my eyes opened and keep him posted. =P

- Voxeros

1. Chocolate left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 5:02 pm

Wow, you very good to sibeh sian hor.. never see you help zhebin or other ppl :p

2. JayWalk left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 11:25 pm ::

Chocolate: Why? You also want to get laid har? =P

3. sunflower left...

Tuesday, 22 August 2006 9:17 am

ha, got sunflower road?

4. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 22 August 2006 9:46 am :: 

sunflower: I will keep a lookout for you. Won't be surprised if they have.

5. Chocolate left...

Tuesday, 22 August 2006 1:53 pm

Dot dot dot... no need cos female virgin is still acceptable in real life.. Male, on the other hand.. heeheehee

6. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 22 August 2006 9:44 pm ::

Chocolate: This is where I disagree. I think virgins of either gender is socially acceptable. There is absolutely nothing wrong with staying a virgin.

7. akk left...

Wednesday, 23 August 2006 8:43 am

i'm sure america is full of weird street names. in fact, there are stories about travelling on them, ie. American Gods by Gaiman.

8. Chocolate left...

Wednesday, 23 August 2006 9:35 am

Maybe i phrase it wrongly, what i mean is some men don't want ppl to label them as virgins.. They will feel malu and all..

9. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 24 August 2006 9:23 am :: 

Akk: Actually over at Memphis, there is a city called Bluff City, was looking out of it to take a picture but alas no luck. :(

Next January perhaps. 

Chocolate: I know what you mean but I still think there is nothing malu-ating (is there such a word?) about being a virgin. It is a choice of the individual. We must learn to respect it.

Being a virgin doesn't mean you are a lesser person than the next guy who is not.

Room Service

Before anyone gush "Wahhh.... room service... I also want!" Let me tell you that I would rather go out to eat with someone rather than getting stuck in the room eating all alone.

Sigh....

Staying healthy with a grilled chicken caesar salad with coconut shrimp.

What's going to America without eating american breakfast right? Burp!

- Voxeros

1. sunflower left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 9:00 am

Seriously speaking, sometimes I prefer to stay in the room service rather than going out.

2. JayWalk left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 9:45 am :: 

sunflower: Originally, I planned to go downstairs to makan but once I checked into the room, I sian half about going down for dinner alone. Hence the room service not only for dinner but also the subsequent breakfast.

3. Kelly left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 11:58 am :: http://www.kellchan.blogspot.com/

I always pack some cup noodles for situations like these...
Room services are too expensive and dining alone is too boring...

4. JayWalk left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 1:20 pm :: 

Kelly: Cup noodle damn leceh since the styrofoam cups would probably end up crushed.
Cup noodles would still be dining alone. No?

Anyway, given in US that the only way to get boiling water is the coffee maker, let me warn you that they probably hadn't wash it properly the day it was first brought into the hotel.

Here's a test. Turn on the coffee maker without adding coffee powder. Let the water come to a boiling and drip into the pot. Now drink the water in the pot. Tell me if you can taste the coffee despite the fact that you didn't add any. I rest my case.

5. OLLie left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 10:06 pm

The grilled chicken caesar salad looks damn delicious. I'm currently craving for salads. ahhh..
By the way, I never call room service 'cause I'm cheapo. muahaha..

6. Gary left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 10:06 pm

haha.. i did this test before when go overseas with my family.. after that test, no one ever touch that coffee maker again..

7. JayWalk left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 11:13 pm :: 

OLLie: It is generally 20% more expensive then going downstairs due to the extra service charge.

Gary: The lesser of the evil is go to the ice machine and drink water from the melted ice. Still that is tap water and old building plumbing can be quite the horror as well.

8. aloe left...

Tuesday, 22 August 2006 8:40 am

er... I tot all water from coffee makers will smell like coffee... even without the coffee beans or powder... and even if the machine has been cleaned...
Perhaps you can consider investing in a small travel kettle next time bah.

9. Gary left...

Tuesday, 22 August 2006 9:34 pm

my family rather spend the money to buy mineral water or ice than to DIY ourselves in the hotel.. imagine brownish water coming out from the tap..

10. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 22 August 2006 10:47 pm :: 

Gary: Of course, mineral water better lah.. but you are assuming that there is mineral water available for purchase.

Some of these dingy hotels/motels that I stayed are exactly just that. Given that in the US, you need a car to go anywhere at all, we were basically locked in and left to our own devices.

I Love Waffles!

First stop was Houston, Texas and I checked in the Wingate Inn. Crappy hotel but certainly much better than the Days Inn in Tupelo where you get bugs showing up in the sink, better a beetle or a black silverfish. Every time coming back to that hotel is a surprise. It's always a wonder what the "Catch Of The Day" was whenever I step back into the hotel at the end of the day.

Anyway, back to Wingate, I saw this fabulous contraption when I went down for breakfast. It is a self-service kind of arrangement before I spotted this waffle maker. The batter mix is all prepared and in cups. All I have to do is take the cup, pour the mix into the waffle iron, close it, turn it over to start the 2-minute timer.

2 minutes later, voila! Waffles!!! Load it up with butter and syrup and mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.................

- Voxeros

1. Chocolate left...

Saturday, 19 August 2006 11:41 pm

Mmmmm... yummy.. haiz, must go pay Prima Deli 70cents for this liao..

2. Gary left...

Sunday, 20 August 2006 1:47 pm

Prima Deli's waffles not hard enough.. i like those from A&W with ice-cream and syrup.. but is no longer around..

3. Chocolate left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 12:25 am

Gary: Got, you go overseas loh.. haha.. :p

4. JayWalk left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 2:14 am ::

Chocolate & Gary: Yah, I remember A&W Waffles with ice-cream. Don't forget the Root Beer Float too! Yum!

5. sunflower left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 8:59 am

wow, your Waffles, so well done!

6. JayWalk left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 9:46 am :

sunflower: The waffle iron was pretty no-brainer. Just take the cup of the waffle mix and just pour it in. That's it.

7. sunflower left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 10:16 pm

ha, your reply make my question sound toopid ^_""

8. sunflower left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 10:16 pm

opppsss is my comment

9. JayWalk left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 11:22 pm :: 

sunflower: The way you say me until like I like some kind of a chef like that. I paiseh mah...

10. aloe left...

Tuesday, 22 August 2006 8:41 am

the waffle looks nice! *slurppp!!*

11. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 22 August 2006 9:50 am ::

Anna: It tastes pretty good too. Too bad no ice-cream but mai hiam buay pai lah!

 

An Oasis Of Calm In The Desert Of Bustle

Right after passing through immigration and the first stage of security screening, I made a right turn and headed for the lounge to grab a light bite prior to boarding. It's the usual tomato juice, coffee, sandwiches and the newspaper.

Immediately after the hustle and bustle of all the people jammed at the security screening, the walk towards the far side of the lounge plunges me into the deep ocean of quietness and calm.

A good break to regain my sanity but only for that 1 hour before it's time to go back and head for the boarding gate to embark on my 5th trip to the US of the year.

Sigh....

- Voxeros

1. Lil Dow left...

Sunday, 20 August 2006 12:21 am :: http://littledowager.blogsome.com

mm, very nice and calming picture. Not something I would expect to see from an airport =)

2. JayWalk left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 2:17 am :: 

LittleDowager*: Actually, there are quiet sanctuaries everywhere. More often then not, we are so caught up with the hustle and bustle that we overlooked them.
The Courtyard at Chijmes is a very good example. So is the ex-SJI, now Singapore Arts Museum. You should go check out the latter if you can find the time.

3. sunflower left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 8:58 am

At least, here is better than HK airport

4. JayWalk left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 9:48 am :: 

sunflower: I wonder if anyone from Singapore heading to the US can share with us his/her recent experience at Changi Airport?

5. sunflower left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 10:14 pm

Too bad, my hubby not travelling recently, aibo, he can take pics for us. ^_~

6. JayWalk left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 11:24 pm :: 

sunflower: Hubby in US now? He left before or after the terror alert?

7. sunflower left...

Tuesday, 22 August 2006 9:15 am

ha, coincidently, he is supposed to traveling to Houston too. But he trip got cancelled due to other commitments.

8. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 22 August 2006 9:50 am :: 

sunflower: I doubt if it is canceled. Probably just postponed to a later date. Keep us posted ok?

9. sunflower left...

Tuesday, 22 August 2006 1:32 pm

ok. Hopefully, I can follow him.

10. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 22 August 2006 9:45 pm ::

sunflower: Hopefully? What don't you just ask your hubby can or not? Need to hope one meh?

 

HK Airport Security

Sorry for being missing for so long. Apparently the internet in Memphis didn't quite agree with my blog for some reason.

Anyway, here it is.

Well, since the security has tighten up at the airports, I got there earlier than usual only to be greeted by quite a number of people there already. Luckily since I was upgraded to Business Class, I have my own check-in counter instead of having to join the queue.

Unfortunately, when I got the boarding pass, I realised that I kena the dreaded "SSSS", which essentially means I will kena extra checking and screening. Haiz..... I look like terrorist meh? How come always kena one?

Security has really tightened as all the US-bound flights were separated from the rest of the boarding gates by assigning all of them to one corner of the airport where, they conduct a second security screening. Oh well, like I said, better the hassle than the horror.

- Voxeros

1. Chocolate left...

Friday, 18 August 2006 11:42 pm

Sorry, i is suaku.. but what is the "SSSS" about ah?

2. OLLie left...

Saturday, 19 August 2006 2:14 am

muahahaha.. Ay, must be 'cause of your messy hair and veiny arms. The officers were jealous, thus make you go thru the extra screening.
Or it could be 'cause female officers wanna look at you for a longer period of time. So nevermind la. Provide them a source of messy hair and veiny arms as entertainment la. :D

3. JayWalk left...

Saturday, 19 August 2006 6:29 am :: 

Chocolate: Read this, I wrote about this before.

OLLie: Bor leh. They never strip search me leh. Then again, if really have hor, I hope I kena at the Tokyo airport. Hur hur hur....

4. OLLie left...

Saturday, 19 August 2006 11:29 am

Ay, not all Japanese women are pretty one lo. All the pretty ones are either actresses or singers or pron stars liao, leaving no more for airports. hahaha..

5. Everton left...

Saturday, 19 August 2006 12:46 pm

You're a terrorist? Show the stupid TSA ang moh monkeys you eat pork chops. I hate the stupid, useless security measures because they make my air travel a pain in the you know where. The Memphis airport is one ugly airport. Oh, put the stinky St. Louis airport on the list too.

6. sunflower left...

Saturday, 19 August 2006 2:13 pm

so, such a chaos in the airport.
hmmm.... i never see you before le....maybe lor... from pic you look very fierce. 很有杀气！

7. JayWalk left...

Saturday, 19 August 2006 8:54 pm ::

OLLie: Well, those that I saw at the Narita airport not bad leh.... hur hur hur...

Everton: Like I said, better the hassle than the horror but I certainly would appreciate if some of these TSA people stop treating people with a condescending manner and start respecting.

As for lousy airports? Add LAX to the list too.

sunflower: Killer Gas? Eh, the "killer" is another type of "killer" lah... *blush*

8. Chocolate left...

Saturday, 19 August 2006 11:45 pm

Ohhhh... so you get a pat-down ah.. haha.. my mind only register that from the whole article.. lalalala :p

9. JayWalk left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 2:15 am ::

Chocolate: Yah, that's when they spotted my eye drop in my pocket that I've forgotten to remove.

10. Kelly left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 11:55 am :: http://www.kellchan.blogspot.com/

At least you didn't have to spend the night in Hong Kong just like me the other trip...

11. JayWalk left...

Monday, 21 August 2006 1:17 pm :: 

Kelly: Here's the thing. All my US flights departs at 8:30am in the morning which means I have to check-in at 6:30am. 

Since I am based in Ch1na, there is no way, I can get to the HK airport before 6:30am. As such, I usually come over to HK the night before and stay at the airport hotel.

 

Not A Great Way To Fly

Following the successful sting operation against the terrorist, who otherwise would have blown up 10 transatlantic plane in mid-air, killing thousands, the TSA has since stepped up and tightened security measures.

Great. Just when I am about to embark on another trip to the US.

Still, better the hassle than the horror.

I am so not looking forward to this coming trip as it is a gruelling one with 8 plane boardings in 10 days. Here, let me show you.

15 Aug 2006 - Hong Kong to Tokyo
15 Aug 2006 - Tokyo to Los Angeles
15 Aug 2006 - Los Angeles to Memphis
15 Aug 2006 - Memphis to Houston
16 Aug 2006 - Houston to Memphis
20 Aug 2006 - Memphis to Los Angeles
22 Aug 2006 - Los Angeles to Tokyo
23 Aug 2006 - Tokyo to Hong Kong

I am going to feel sorry for those travelers who aren't aware of this new restrictions. As all liquids have to be either consumed or thrown away prior to boarding, those clueless folks who went ahead and bought themselves bottles of duty-free liquor, confirmed HONG KAN.

On the day of the flight, I think I shall bring along a cup to see who needs my assistance in helping them finish drinking the duty-free liquor prior to boarding. Hur hur hur....

- Voxeros

1. OLLie left...

Sunday, 13 August 2006 4:25 pm

hmm.. why the ban of liquids and gels ar? Bombs ar?
If that's the case, can't people put in the bombing materials in a medication bottle labelled with his name and stuff? This should be able to trick the security at customs ma. No?

2. Gary left...

Monday, 14 August 2006 1:12 am

"sir, i think you are drunk from all those free liquors that are banned from bringing to the plane.. can you kindly stay overnight at a nearby transit hotel so that you are sober enough to fly?" lmao...
hik.. did i say liverpool won 2-1 in the charity shield? hik..

3. JayWalk left...

Monday, 14 August 2006 1:26 am ::

OLLie: Apparently certain elements of making explosives are in liquid form. Currently airport security screener, at present, aren't able to detect them. So outright banned until a time the updated screeners are in place.

The duty-free shops will be hard hit but this new measure. No liquor and no cosmetics.

Gary: Not say, I will drink everything lah. Just see if lucky enough to spot a person with a bottle of Louis XIII mah....

Also, please do celebrate your Charity Shield. That would be the only silverware, you guys are going to see this season. :P

4. sunflower left...

Monday, 14 August 2006 8:52 am

Be careful1

 

5. spinnee left...

Monday, 14 August 2006 3:37 pm :: http://spinnee.blogspot.com

HONG KAN la.. i wanna go into ur suitcase, but looks like I can't be in it... or i'll be deem as a terrorist! somemore I have fluid in me (blood, water, pee anything... WHAHWHAHWHA)... darts. ;P

6. Jaslyn left...

Monday, 14 August 2006 11:47 pm

Wah lau.. So ma fan!! Only go US then so ma fan right??

7. Pam left...

Tuesday, 15 August 2006 12:39 am

hey, have a safe trip! it'll probably be fine, since you're flying from HK to America - not to the UK (or vice versa!). they've downgraded the security levels, which is great. I was at Stansted picking up a friend on Friday (the day after it all happened) and they'd cordoned off the drop off/pick up point with police vehicles, and had the police dogs, and police with big machine guns. surreal.

re the comment about 'tricking' the authorities by putting the liquid in medicine bottles - you are required to taste the liquid in front of the authorities to show that it is what you say it is.

8. aloe left...

Tuesday, 15 August 2006 9:22 am

wah!! U will have very long waits at the airports. U sure u can catch all the planes on your itinerary?? Take care!

9. Lynne left...

Wednesday, 16 August 2006 12:51 am

Wear sandals, easier to slip on and off ... and remember, no liquid this time! Coming by MSP or not?

10. JayWalk left...

Wednesday, 16 August 2006 2:26 am :: 

sunflower: Thanks. I think I will do ok.

Spinnee: I think I need to blog about my suitcase. Or else how you know if you are able to fit inside?
Alternatively, I think I shall just declare you as my stuff doll and bring you on board as hand carry. You think they'll buy that?

Jaslyn: Yeah only to UK and USA. Not sure about Canada though.

Pam: Well, I totally forgot to remove my eye drops from the pocket and they threw it away even though I wanted to demonstrate applying a few drops in my eye. Oh well.

Anna: I am typing this at the Los Angeles airport. So far so good. Not too bad except that ONE immigration with the bad and condescending attitude. Ptui!

Lynne: Mai lah.... if wear slipper hor, that I need to wear bermuda shorts and singlet to match. Very Ah Pek leh.... cannot!
As for MSP, I think it will happen sometime next year. No chance this year leh. :(

11. Jaslyn left...

Wednesday, 16 August 2006 7:31 am

I got ask about Canada meh? *grin*

12. JayWalk left...

Wednesday, 16 August 2006 1:45 pm ::

Jaslyn: Aiyah. Mai geh geh lah... you know I know that you want to ask about Canada one lah...

13. wennie left...

Thursday, 17 August 2006 8:51 pm

erm.. thats only for US right? wont happen in sg yet ya? im flying to indo soon x_x dont wanna get stopped at customs T_T

14. JayWalk left...

Friday, 18 August 2006 6:51 am :: 

Wennie: Nah. I think only flights to/from US/UK are affected. I think you should be fine.
 

Hole In The Firewall?

I can't believe it. I can actually access all the blogs without "special means"!!

Here's the story. As many are aware, I am based on Ch1na and being a country with super tight controls over information flow (second only to Singapore), almost all the mainstream blog hosts were blocked. I guess it was their blanket strategy against political dissidents from airing their views deemed undesirable by the central gahmen.

A few years back, it was worse. News websites like CNN, MSNBC, BBC, etc were blocked as well.

Well, I am happy to report that CNN and MSNBC (BBC still blocked) have since been unblocked and it was only 2 days ago that the various blog hosts surfaced to see the light of day too.

I started off using Blogger (that was before Blogspot came along) and only switched to Blog-City after the prior kena blacklisted.

Well, the good news is that Geocities, Livejournal, Xanga, Blogger, Blogspot, Blog-City, Blogsome and Lah.cc have all been unblocked.

The not so good news is that Blogdrive, Liquidblade and Wordpress remained banned.

Granted I am able to get around using certain "maneuvers", it is nonetheless a great welcome to be able to access directly without all the hassle.

Now this can mean one of 2 things.

1) The Cheena Gahmen is slowly letting up with the anal blocking of websites.

or

2) Someone in the Great Firewall of Ch1na control room forgot to turn off the tap.

Either way, I am still going to enjoy this delightful treat while it last.

- Voxeros

1. sunflower left...

Friday, 11 August 2006 8:57 am

wow, really good news for you.
Btw, the pic you used in this posting, shown tat you are very creative leh...

2. OLLie left...

Friday, 11 August 2006 7:38 pm

har? I thought u said lah.cc wasnt blocked?
Hmm.. Try again a few days later see get blocked back not. haha..

3. heather left...

Saturday, 12 August 2006 2:50 am :: http://disenchantedprincess.wordpress.co

they block wordpress?! gosh..

4. JayWalk left...

Saturday, 12 August 2006 11:55 am :: 

sunflower: Me creative? I didn't draw that cartoon leh.

Ollie: You are right about that one. My bad. Oops.

Heather: Unfortunately yes. That's the other gripe to an otherwise very versatile blog platform.
My main gripe is still the fact that my comments always end up in the spam folder. Haiz.

5. heather left...

Sunday, 13 August 2006 1:42 am :: http://disenchantedprincess.wordpress.co

Thank god i don't live there. I will die if I can't use all the versatile blog platform especially with my design addiction!

6. JayWalk left...

Sunday, 13 August 2006 9:00 am :: 

heather: Once thing I've learned is that there is no such thing as a perfect place to live. For every good thing about the place, there is a not-so-good thing to even things out.

I supposed if there ever was a perfect place, I doubt if they have internet, cell phones and/or TV.

Oh well, we'll just have to make the best out of whatever's in front of us. *sigh*

Dumbass Of The Week III

I was reading this article on TodayOnline (read this first before proceeding with the rest of this blog) and it really got me all seething with anger.

Lately, the bladdy PAP has been getting better and better at what they are current doing best. Pissing people off.

Here we have a F*CKING STUPID PAP-man Sitoh who leased a plot of land to erect a few solar-powered street lamps. The smarter folks would have known better and to see through the whole charade as mere wayang ploy on the PAP part to want to win over the people of Potong Pasir, ahead of the elections, rather than a genuine desire to want to do something good for the Potong Pasir residents (whom if I may remind the PAP, are Singaporeans too). Well, at the end of the day, the fact that Mr Chiam is still MP of Potong Pasir only comes to show that the residents of Potong Pasir are generally a smart bunch not falling for such cheap tricks.

Ok, so the elections are over and PAP lost. A few months later, these fancy street lamps are spoilt as a result of vandalism and the arsehole who put it there now refused to do anything about it citing reason that the lease is due to expire later in October.
Now let me ask you this.

Where got people put up street lamps and then have no plans to maintain it? If like that, why bother to put up the street lamps in the first place? Sounds to me like Mr Sitoh just openly admitted that he did indeed put up the lamps as a wayang show just for the sake of the elections?

You think we all stupid har?

Unless the $20,000 that was spent putting up the lamps come from his own pocket, did Mr Sitoh NOT F*CKING WASTE $20,000 OF THE TAXPAYERS' MONEY???!??

The residents of Potong Pasir were right in the first place for not voting for PAP. The men in white are not sincere at all. All f*cking wayang only!!

During this election, there were actually more people who are du lan with the PAP than before. The reason PAP still won is because these du lan people didn't vote for the opposition. The du lan-ness only pushed the voters towards spoiling the votes as the opposition candidates have yet to proven themselves worthy of these precious votes either.

Trust me. The opposition parties aren't going to just sit idly by until the next election. They will be actively seeking worthy candidates of good standing to stand in the next election. At the rate PAP is going, these spoilt votes will actually turn into opposing votes in the next election. Mark my words.

One more thing. Potong Pasir will still go to the opposition in the next election. Any bookie want to take my wager on it?

Granted that PM Lee has quite a few good news to report during his National Day Rally e.g. record number of jobs created, economic growth exceeding forecast, etc, I have one thing to say.....

... Mr Lee, I think your gahmen has done a commendable job so far. However, the achievements are not something other people cannot similarly accomplish. The gahmen is good but not good enough to justify the votes of the people who entrusted the country in your care. You have 4+ years to do something about it. If not, the people of Singapore will find someone else to do your job for you. Should that happen, don't come complain to your MP how you can't find a job or how the street lamp outside your block isn't working.

You have been warned.

Sir, I bid thee good luck.

Image Credit: http://www.stupid-idiot-club.com

- Voxeros

1. Pam left...

Thursday, 10 August 2006 12:49 am

OMG - this is really taking the p!ss!!

2. sunflower left...

Thursday, 10 August 2006 8:59 am

Sir, I wish you good luck too.... POWER SIA!
^_~""

3. aloe left...

Thursday, 10 August 2006 9:06 am

although the lease is expiring in Oct, that's still like 2 mths away!! and thus the onus is still on him to repair the spoilt lamps mah!! Wah raoz!!

4. kelawar.kilat left...

Thursday, 10 August 2006 2:32 pm

Jaywalk Sir,
When are you joining the opposition? You're targeted to stand for Phua Chu Kang constituency and we think you have a good chance of winning.

5. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 10 August 2006 10:06 pm :: 

Pam: The way I see it, I think this Sitoh guy just burnt his bridge with the Potong Pasir residents. I don't think we will see him in the next elections. Not Potong Pasir, not anywhere. His political career is as good as over.

Sunflower: Wish me good luck? Yah, I think I'll need it. Hope to have my ass intact at the end of the day.

Anna: I just hate people who can't finish what they started. I mean it going to be doing a shitty job, why start in the first place? In the end, still need people to clean up the mess.
So what happen after the lease? SLA take back the land? Then I supposed SLA will have to fork out money to either repair and continue to maintain the lamps or take it down altogether.

Guess whose money SLA will be using to do the clean up?

ARSEHOLE!!!

Kelawar: My main obstacle is that I am stuck overseas. Had I been able to continue to live in Singapore, I may just seriously consider doing something about this.

Happy National Day, Singapore

Happy 41st National Day, Singapore!

- Voxeros

1. sunflower left...

Wednesday, 9 August 2006 1:53 pm

oh boy, you are so creative! ^_~

2. JayWalk left...

Wednesday, 9 August 2006 2:18 pm ::

sunflower: Thanks for the compliment. I hope "they" won't buah goo yew on my backside.

3. Chocolate left...

Wednesday, 9 August 2006 5:53 pm

How do you manage to do this ah... so interesting.. :P

4. Zhe Bin left...

Wednesday, 9 August 2006 10:44 pm

Brown ribbon sia. Hahaha.

5. aloe left...

Thursday, 10 August 2006 9:03 am

Abit dangerous leh... cos it's like disfiguring the flag...

6. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 10 August 2006 10:09 pm ::

Chocolate: Just a bit of software trickery.

ZheBin: I wonder what is the meaning of this brown ribbon? Hmm....

Anna: I don't see it as disfiguring and neither do I have this intention to begin with. I think I will just leave it there for now until my backside kena butter.

What The Phish!

Got a Yahoo Messenger message from a friend today that showed a link to a Geocities photo album. Unknowingly, I click the link and it led me to a Yahoo login page (since Geocities was acquired by Yahoo, I didn't suspect anything amiss) where I stupidly keyed in my userid and password.

Minutes later, I got an email from Yahoo notifying me that I have changed my password.
Right away, I knew I've been phished.

I have to admit, I was fooled despite being technically savvy and have not gotten into any virus trouble in the last 5 years. All it took was a moment of letting my guard down and poof! goes my clean record.

Had it been in an email, I would have been more vigilant since spam, trojan and phishing emails are plenty abound on a daily basis.

I have to say this is a first for me from instant messengers and I guess I learned my lesson the hard way.

I am one of those people who uses ONE userid and ONE password for everything. What this means essentially is as long as one of my accounts kena compromised, I have to change everything. I lost a day of work just changing passwords.

Looking on the bright side, it's about time I changed my password for I have been using it for 10 years already. What better than a kick in the ass for me the get the wheels of change in motion.

Anyway, here a write-up about a Yahoo messenger phishing attack. <--- It's safe to click lah!

- Voxeros

1. Gary left...

Wednesday, 9 August 2006 11:20 am

so is your yahoo mail is gone??

2. JayWalk left...

Wednesday, 9 August 2006 12:44 pm :: 

Gary: Fortunately, I reacted fast enough to reset the password and get a new one mailed to my alternate email, thus locking both the perpetrator and myself out. After that, when I received my new password, I was able to log back in and change to another password.
Here's a tip for all Yahoo mail users. Always assign another email address as an alternate email, in case of emergencies like this.

3. sunflower left...

Wednesday, 9 August 2006 1:31 pm

oh dear, please dont adopt ONE userid and ONE password for everything. Change change change change, all userid with differ passwords please...

4. JayWalk left...

Wednesday, 9 August 2006 2:17 pm :: 

sunflower: If every one of them is a different userid and password, I doubt if I can keep track of all of them.

I probably lose the account as a result of not remembering which userid/password I used!

5. Chocolate left...

Wednesday, 9 August 2006 5:54 pm

Poor daddy..

6. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 10 August 2006 12:18 am :

Chocolate: The consolation is that I got away pretty much unscathed albeit slightly inconvenienced.

7. Chocolate left...

Thursday, 10 August 2006 12:22 am

Okie loh.. i hope i wont be so blur blur.. lucky i dont have yahoo messenger.. :p

8. aloe left...

Thursday, 10 August 2006 9:01 am

Wah! Heng u noticed it earlier and managed to get away. =)

9. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 10 August 2006 10:11 pm ::

Chocolate: I doubt if this is exclusively a Yahoo Messenger issue. I have heard of other messengers getting malicious payload albeit in a different form.

Anna: Good thing that Yahoo Mail has this feature where it notify of change of password to my alternate email right away. Hence I was able to react immediately. I guess I was lucky to be online at that time when the attack took place.

10. hitomi left...

Friday, 11 August 2006 11:28 am

Good thing I read this before I received a Yahoo message from my sister to check out her new profile... almost kena...

11. JayWalk left...

Wednesday, 16 August 2006 2:18 am :: 

hitomi: That's the main purpose of that blog entry. Glad it'd helped you. :)

Wank The Elephant

Q: What do you do when an elephant comes through your window?

A: Swim for your life!

---

Got this article from TodayOnline (Click and read it first!) and I couldn't help but snigger as I read on. Man.... I really need to get my brain out of the sewers.

I can see it now... all the elephant keepers huddling in a corner playing Oh-Beh-Somp to determine who gets the unfortunate honour of wanking the elephant.

I can see it now... the keeper, during his high school reunion, responding to the "So-what-do-you-do-for-a-living" question (for the millionth time) with a deadpan expression, "I give elephant hand-jobs".

I can see it now...  the keeper's son engaging who-has-the-greatest-dad debate with his fellow classmate, "Oh yeah? My dad says he can hold 2 trillion elephants with just one hand!"


I can see it now...  the keeper ordering only Kopi-O during his break. Condensed milk reminds him too much of his job.

I can see it now...  the keeper taking the MRT on his way home from work. As it was peak hour traffic, only standing space were available. The keeper cultivated the unexplainable habit of needing to hold on to the metal pole with both hands. Hmmm... strange.....

I can see it now... the keeper fainted the moment he stepped into his house after his saw his wife with face cream on.

---

OK OK, I was being a ripe bastard to be making fun of the keepers for ultimately they are of a noble profession. Sorry lah! Their painstaking efforts that most of us take for granted is vital towards the preservation of the species. They should be saluted for their hard work. While we only see what the zoo display in front for the visitors, how many of us actually know the blood, sweat and tears put in behind the scenes to make the zoo running smooth operationally?


What about all the research efforts and collaboration with zoos around the world so that we may save each and every species from extinction as a result of human's destruction of the planet?


Salute!


p.s. I still think it's pretty funny though. Sorry!

- Voxeros

1. LD left...

Monday, 7 August 2006 2:46 am :: http://littledowager.blogsome.com

The "xianshen,yaobuyaospecial?" really killed me.

2. akk left...

Monday, 7 August 2006 8:40 am

i wonder if the elephant will get traumatised. i mean, when he wanted it badly, they keep him from the females and then when the heat's all over, his trusty human keepers start touching him....eeewwwwww........

in any case hor, he is starting to go ga-ga liao, judging by his temper tantrums. a few more years and they'll need another elephant. is his semen really that valuable?

3. zeenie left...

Monday, 7 August 2006 9:33 am

Dunno if you've seen this one about the worst job in the world: http://www.blog.co.uk/main/index.php/wulfweard/2005/11/25/worst_job_in_the_ world~337482
warning: confirm chio kao peng one. =)

4. sunflower left...

Monday, 7 August 2006 10:09 am

This was featured in the news. There was one year, the elephant nearly kill the zoo keeper due to his sexual heat!

5. JayWalk left...

Monday, 7 August 2006 11:34 am :: 

LittleDowager*: Heh heh.... hope that brightens up your Monday. =)

AKK: Actually, the animals are not milked by hand, if I am not wrong. I saw this documentary once where they were "milking" a pedigree bull. They had this machine shape like a cow with the appropriate orifice for the bull to mount.

I supposed they would have something to a similar effect for the bull elephant?
Anyway, it was reported that this particular elephant was one of the few elephants that was born in the wild before being capture and put in the zoo. In zoology speak, this is supposedly a very valuable thing.

Zeenie: Yeah, I know of this list when I blog this elephant job.

sunflower: Yeah, it was mentioned in the article. However, I think it is best to highlight that the near death was due to goring by the elephant and not because the elephant try to "do" the zookeeper. Yikes!

6. OLLie left...

Monday, 7 August 2006 6:14 pm

Condensed milk. Wah lau. I just remembered I drank teh peng just now. Next time I drink teh peng I will be reminded of what you said. ew.

7. aloe left...

Thursday, 10 August 2006 9:00 am

Poor elephant... it's just survival / mating instinct for him... If he understood, I think he will trample all over you.. hehehe! :P

8. JayWalk left...

Wednesday, 16 August 2006 2:17 am :: 

Ollie: Don't forget to savour the taste! 

Anna: I think getting trampled would have been the more dignified way. Better that than kena poke backside. :P