NYC Half-Marathon

The NYC Half-Marathon is a fundraiser organised by The Fresh Air Fund.

It is a a not-for-profit agency based in the Big Apple whose aim is to "provide free summer experiences" to kids growing up in the city.

A range of programs brings the city children to places across the U.S and Canada to get away from the typical city smog.

Last year's half-marathon managed to raise more than USD125,000. This year, they are still looking for donors and volunteers to join their Fund-racer team.

For more information, visit the organisation's website @ http://www.freshair.org/the-fresh-air-fund.aspx.

They welcome volunteers, host families, donors, children, and referrals.

This has been a public service announcement brought to you by yours truly at the request of Sara Wilson from The Fresh Air Fund.

Beckett who?

Yesterday I went to watch a play - Precious Little: Brief Encounters with Beckett.

It was actually a set of 5 of Beckett's work. Before I went for this play, I had no idea who Beckett was. After I went for it, I still have no idea who he is.

And his work? Not a clue what happened.

The Office Party

In the words of Eunice, we have cultivated an "expensive habit". Indeed it is the third show I have seen recently and the tickets are not cheap.

The Office Party is a sexually-charged play about a group of people working in Chapman and Howard. It was basically about their relationships with each other, their individual problems and how it all interwined.

Overall it was enjoyable, though I sometimes got lost in the thick accent spouted by the Caucasian actors. Some of the jokes also required contextual understanding, which meant that I was left scratching away while the "ang mohs" in the crowd were laughing away. This meant that I wasn't able to enjoy the show as much as I would like to.

Pity. It would otherwise have been a rather witty and fun-filled evening.

Singapore Zoo

I went to the Singapore Zoo yesterday.

The last time I did that was I think 15 years ago. 15 years is a long time. The only memory I have of the last visit was monkeys running away with my packet of tidbit.

It was quite interesting to visit the zoo after so long. There were many things to see. Best of all, it's free. MOE corporate pass, I like.

Russell Peters

Russell Peters came to Singapore! I didn't go and now I regretted it. He has to be my favourite Indian.

This video that I embedded is one of the shows that he did and the one that made me his fan. I have watched it many times and I still laugh at it every time. Support Russell Peters!

Return of the V

Sorry the picture is only half of the poster. It's suppose to read "The Return of the V". It was a hybrid between a play and a stand-up comedy I think. Not really sure what it was. All I know is that it was really funny.

From what I could gather, this latest installation by Fly Entertainment was a sequel to last year's "V Conference", which was about vaginas. This year's V was instead about Villians and Victims. Issues tackled included TT Durai and the NKF fiasco, rising cost of livings, homosexuality, among others.

Right from the beginning, Irene Ang came out spouting Hokkien saying, "Wa Si Guan Yin Ma." For ah bengs like me from working class background and not "jia kandang" one, it was hilarious! Poor Eunice was trying to make heads and tails of what she was saying. So sorry I had thought that it was something "ang moh".

Other than that little technical issue, I really thought that it was a funny show. Of course there were some cliches here and there but still, the fact that it was in Hokkien made it funny. Sadly, Hokkien could not escape its fate of being the crude language, as it was also because of that that it was comical.

In the end I really did enjoy myself. The fact that Tiger went out at $5 plus a mug made things even better!

Beautiful people

If birds of the same feathers do flock together, then I must be a gorgeous person. :)

Sorry for the self-delusion, since I just realised I have not one, but two friends who are in the running for Female Magazine's 50 Gorgeous People. OK, one is and one was.

Littleboy is in the running for this year's contest. Great picture by the way. :) And while I was googling around, I came across last year's competition and found out that Esther was in the running.

How lucky am I to know so many beautiful people. Please vote for contestant no. 27.

Vagina Monologues

I watched the Vagina Monologues on 11 October. After that it was a round of drinks at Paulaner to celebrate Oktoberfest.

I have heard about the show since quite a while ago and when I heard that it's on in Singapore, I decided that it's time to get some cultural kudos.

It was a locally adapted version, with references to Indian, Malay, Chinese versions of the V. Girl issues were also very Singaporean. I now wonder how the original version was and what did it deal with.

Being the non-connoisseur that I am, I went for the cheapest available tickets at $27++. In the end it wasn't such a bad choice, for me at least. The view was ok, the show was funny, and I generally enjoyed myself.

I can't however say the same thing thing for my friends. Jason didn't think that it was funny at all. Shi An asked me why I asked him to spend 30 bucks to watch a CB show, literally. I guess everyone has different preferences. Well at the end of the day it was just another excuse to get all my friends out for a gathering. Everybody enjoying themselves was just a bonus.

Now I am interested in "Return of the V". Anyone interested? Good de-stressor.

MOS no more

So the rumors were true.

According to the news today, Ministry of Sound Singapore, a.k.a MOS, closed down as of yesterday.

The news had been circulating for a while and when it finally happened, it didn't seem such a surprise. I had fun at MOS. I still remember the days when it first opened, when the pioneer batch of staff started furnishing and setting up the place. Every chair, table, glassware, bar mat were put in by us.

So many nights I spent pouring, mixing, throwing, scrubbing, cleaning while the guests were dancing, drinking, socialising away. I made many friends there and learnt many new things, some things that I might never use again in my life, some I might.

Even though the pay was meagre and the hours long, at least MOS helped me pay for part of my living expenses during my uni days. But as whole however, I still feel that my Mdm Wong's days were more fun. We had a stronger camaraderie and understanding.

Even so, I did have my share of laughter and fun at MOS. Like all the places I worked in, I will miss it. All is not lost, since the parent company retained tenure of the space and will be setting up a new club. I hope my friends are not adversely affected.

A Little Something

2 Saturdays ago I did a little something for the environment. Something insignificant when compared to how much I have done to it.

I participated in the International Coastal Cleanup organised by the Nature Society. I was part of the BV contingent made up of teachers and students. Together, with participants from various other schools as well as organisations, we made our way to Pulau Ubin to help clear the Chek Jawa area of rubbish.

Alighting from the boat.

Seaside houses

View of the jetty

View of the coastline

It's been almost a decade since I last set foot on this beautiful island up in the north. I must say, it's still as beautiful. It looks exactly like it was 10 years ago, as if time stood still on the island.

Resting place in the town centre

Restaurant by the sea

Bicycle rental

Roadside shelter

The island has not yet lost any of its rustic charm as wooden houses and pavillions lined the muddy road, with bicycles lining up the side instead of cars after cars.

Hungry man caught on tape, notice the Sheng Song plastic bag

Because the programme started early in the morning, I did not have a chance to grab breakfast before going. Instead I bought some baos from a shop right on the island. Home-made wholesome baos that were still steaming hot as I bit into them. Interestingly, the plastic bag used by the auntie were Sheng Song bags. Everyone was surprised to see it and had thought that the supermarket chain had made headways into the island.

Briefing by NSS

Let's get started

Disposing off the body bag

Teamwork, recording finds while standing on lush green seaweed

Collection point. Look at all the bags filled. Always remember to hydrate.

More work to be done.

At the Chek Jawa area we quickly sprung into action after some briefing by representatives from the Nature Society. The amount of rubbish that we saw was shocking. Man-made items of all shapes and sizes were strewn along the coastline as regular tidal movements washed them ashore. More peculiar finds included tyres, car air filter, toilet flushing system, sleeping bag/ mattress/ jacket look-a-like thing filled with sand.

View of Singapore from Chew Jawa

Chek Jawa

Apart from the rubbish, Chek Jawa was a beautiful marshland. The view, the flora, and the fauna make it a treasure we should all learn to cherish. I'm glad that I came on this trip. Seeing Ubin again after so long is so surreal. It's amazing how the rampant development going on on the mainland has not spread its claws here.

On the way back we saw monkeys picking food out of a rubbish bag, a family of wild boars running across the road. Such scenes are lost in the concrete jungle of ours. We must preserve this last bit of kampung life.

A quote to remember:

Olympic Spirit

Congratulations to the Singapore table-tennis team for bringing back the first Olympic medal in 48 years. Well I had hoped for a Gold, I can't say that they did badly. China was and is still the dominant force in the world of ping-pong. In fact I'm tempted to say well-done for bringing back our first medal ever, seeing how the previous one was won 48 years ago, and we just celebrated our 43rd birthday. Does the previous one really belong to us?

Anyway, the Olympics is not the only major sporting worth taking note of. Support Youth Olympic Singapore 2010! There is a logo compeitition coming up. For those artistically inclined or whoever is interested, the prizes are pretty sweet.

The New MacBook Air

I have been a mac user since 2005. My trusty iBook has never given me any real trouble, at least nothing not covered by warranty. Recently, I find my heart straying, however. It went to this cute little thing that, though looking less classy is absolutely delicious. When I first saw the advertisement, I knew I'll never look at my faithful iBook in the same way again.



Being a minimalist who likes everything simple and fuss-free. The new MacBook Air was exactly what I would imagine in a notebook. Its main features; lightweight 1.36kg design, wireless-oriented capabilities, and metallic feel matched me in every way.

The only misgivings I have with the MacBook Air is the shape, which tapers off at the edges, a divergence from the classic squarish design, which I felt was a trademark of Apple notebooks. Adding on to that is the hefty price tag of nearly SGD$3000, a price clearly out of my range.

For more details visit the Apple website.

human-age

Even wondered how life was like in pre-historic times?

Join me in Human-age, a simulation game that brings through time from pre-historic time to the 21st century.

Please add my name Ng Wee Loon when joining so that I'll reap the benefits of referral. =D

Travelogue

Dear Friends,

I am now in Paris. I have taken some pictures and started a new blog.

They will soon be available on looninparis.blogspot.com.

See me there.

Amities,
Parisien Lune

Mundane blogs

Remembered that I read somewhere
Somebody said that
Singaporeans blog about the most mundane things
What they did for the day
What they had for dinner
yada yada yada.....
blah blah blah....

And so
I've decided
My blog will be intellectual

I will post my essays from my studies in the uni
Not that they are any good
Only average stuff
Judging from my grades.......
Haha

Enjoy =)