Good Morning Singapore!

I was interviewed on the morning of 21st November 2006 on "早安你好"... Good Morning Singapore; Channel 8. I was chosen by the the National Library Board to appear on television; not to promote the celebrating libraries book but to have my views heard. Prior to the interview, about a week ago, i received a call from Karen; a representative from Edelman; a public relations firm which the National Library Board has enlisted to help coordinate media related events such as the interview. I was informed that i had been chosen to be interviewed on a news programme. At first, i thought it was for Channel News Asia, but it turned out to be for “早安你好”, I was kind off apprehensive as the interview was to be in Mandarin. Since, i am not particularly conversational in Mandarin, i voiced my apprehension to Karen. However, she was encouraging and she offered to help me with the translation. The good thing was that i received the interview questions prior to the interview.

Morning: At Mediacorp...


The "infamous" vending machine located at the base of the Mediacorp Media Centre; where one can find the names of Season 2 "Singapore Idols" scrawled all over it!









The surroundings of the mediacorp studio...this is to help me relieve my mind from the stress of having to speak mandarin on national tv...





Moments later i saw a "STAR"...well, not Zoe Tay...Marcus Chin (if you even know who he is)....hah...anyway, there was nothing truly fascinating about the place, in fact, there was no glamourous aura about the place. The only thing that struck me was the studio at which my interview was held. There were only 3 people in there; 2 presenters, 1 aunty(runner), and a couple of robots(camera). There was not a single camera man in sight! All the cameras are robots! How cool is that?! Thankfully, i was in awe, hence, my mind was taken away from the impending interview. In fact, i appeared quite a natural on tv....and that my delivery was rather smooth...well, those were the feedback i got from friends and family alike! Thank you all, for getting up early just so you could catch me on tv.

THE INTERVIEW (LIVE)

The interview many of you have been waiting for.... (especially for Constance, Su Ann and many other supporters).....pardon the poor quality of the video shoot...it was done at my aunty's place with Ryan, and Randall in the background...they simply could not contain their excitement seeing their uncle(me) on national tv! This was filmed at about 9 am after i made my way to my aunt's from Mediacorp. And guess what...i filmed myself!!....albeit during the re-run of “早安你好".


Pardon the inferior quality, thats what happens when you capture things on tv over your handphone. But the best thing is, Mediacorp has promised to send me the interview clip! Will post it online once i get hold of it, yar?!


Meanwhile bear with me....Enjoy...9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1.....A.C.T.I.O.N




Inside the book....
"Celebrating Libraries"...The much talked about book in town at the moment! It retails at the National Library Book Shop for SGD35. This photo is courtesy of Ivone; my best gal pal from Varsity. She held out the book (the fingers you see are hers)and took a snap shot of the page my article is on, just so she could show her friends. To Ivone, i just wanna say, thank you for all the publicity!!

Forging Ahead...

The picture on the left is a showcase of the portfolio that i received today at the very first session of the University Personal Development Programme.

Yes! Thanks to all who has prayed for me; i managed to secure a place on the programme.

2 days before the programme:

I got up on a thursday morning to check my mail; got a really pleasant surprise as i received an e- mail from the university administration; informing me that i have been selected for the programme. I was so excited that, i shared with my parents the good news on my way to school in my dad's car, and they were very supportive of my being accepted into the programme. Thank you Mum and Dad for the support!

Today: My Experience

Course :Communications 101

Today, being the first session of the PDP, I got the opportunity to make a couple of new friends. And i felt that it was a truly enriching and fulfilling first session on Communications. The learning journey was highly interactive and very fun-filled. I got many opportunities to air my thoughts and engage in a very lively discussion with both the facilitator and my peers. I even had the opportunity to role play; albeit volunteering myself. It was fun! The more i do such things, the more confident i become. Afterall, this is all part and parcel of prepping myself for the advance communications class which is to come in a couple of weeks time!

I can safely say that most of us present this morning are enthusiastic and active learners. We have much to learn from each other. And today is only but the beginning of what i foresee to be a very stimulating programme. However, i am hoping to be stretched even more, and like what Andy said to me after the session today, and i quote:" it has to take off from there, to bring us to another level." I totally could attest to that!

Cheers!

Comfort Food!

Bought these delights from Great World City, there was this sale on tibits, candies and even various types of instant noodles. But this kinda sale is of a different sort and apparently, its only available at Great World City. The interesting thing is that the products on sale were imported stuff from Japan.

Just in case, you are wondering whether have i become a nippon-phile...well, lets just say i am no sucker for their products be it perishables like those chocolates in the pic, or items by MUJI... i got to admit that i appreciate the craftmanship that goes into Japanese-made items. Don't expect to find those chocolates in NTUC or Giant...they do not carry such premium items to my knowledge. However, you can find them in the Isetan Supermarket at Shaw House; Isetan Scotts!


My personal favourite!

The packaging is so cool and it screams chic and sophistication. Its dark chocolate by the way, and i happen to have a thing for it.... or to put it in an irreverent manner...a sucker!

The good ol' times...

The Red Team ever ascending....

Happen to chance upon this on one of my mate's photo collection, and had decided to snitch it! I am sure he does not mine...cuz this is free advertising for the team.

Oh well, those were the days when i was way fitter than i am right now! Hope to return to the glory days, but this time it will be a different thing.

Try spotting, moi!

Running!

Foodie's Paradise

Sunday Brunch

Dined at Mad Jack's; a restaurant along Bukit Timah Road. Its very accessible; can be seen from the main road, and is just 10 mins away by bus from church. Went there with childhood friends; Joanna and Lorraine. As you can tell from what is mentioned on the sign ("Good Day Mate"), Mad Jack's is a restaurant selling food from Down Under...And for the uninitiated, "Mate" is an Aussie slang for friend.



My Order: Mad Jack's Fish and Chips


My Verdict:

Good portion for me at least, the meal came with 2 types of fries; unsalted and lightly salted with a hint of spices. The fish; believed to be cod fish has a golden brown batter on the outside and is truly moist and firm on the inside. The freshness of the fruit salad on the side is unbeatable. Instead of getting boring stuff like coleslaw, Mad Jack serves up fresh cut apples, juicy peaches and shredded iceberg lettuce.

Did i not mention that there is a disclaimer on the menu which reads, "MSG banned"? Now that's what i call health food for the downright conscious.

Jo and Lorraine's Order: Mad Jack's Home- styled Grilled Beef Burger

Their Verdict:

The beef is moist and not too oily; almost tender, it is lightly grilled. It comes with lettuce and a slice of Cheddar. Yummy! Sure makes for a hearty meal. Not recommended for the hard-core red- meat lovers, though. This meal is light and fuss-free!

Post Lunch Delight @ Island Creamery

Top left: Blue- Berry ice cream (Lorraine's)

Top right:Rasp-berry ice cream (Jo's)

Bottom: Black Sesame ice-cream (Mine!)... a must try for Sesame loving peepz...this is one healthy kinda ice-cream

The choice of ice cream here is not phenomenal, but they do have some very interesting flavours (Tiger Beer flavour)! On top of that; the texture of their ice cream is light yet creamy. It sure leaves you craving for more, as it does not leave a cloying feel in your tummy!

After all that eating...we were surprisingly not filled! In fact, we had room for some more, but it was time to go back to church for Caroling practise.

Till next time, all you foodies out there!

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Boys uninterrupted...a fulfilling day!

11 NOV 2006

2pm: Din Tai Fung; Wisma Atria

It was a really wet Saturday afternoon, went to town today to meet up with my bestest guy pals from varsity. I have known both Simon (Left) and Yingze (Right) since year 1.

Simon is a Vietnamese who can speak a couple of chinese words!!! his enunciation of English is good, thanks in part to having attended a really expensive English course at the British Council. And Ying Ze whom is also known as Teh (surname) is a Singaporean brought up in Malaysia; his parents run a business there! Both are great guys! Never failing to lighten up my life!

However, due to our different majors; both of them do Banking and Finance while i am in Business, we rarely get to see each other at school.

We have decided to meet up to do some catching up which is long overdue. It was great meeting up! We had a ball of a time doing what guys do best...to rib each other and stuff!! The picture you see here is taken at Din Tai Fung at Wisma Atria. It was a fulfilling and meaningful experience. And on top of that i get to live it up (all the good food)!

Food galore!
Braised Sichuan Beef
The dish on top left hand corner was ordered by me; Braised Sichuan beef. The meat is thinly sliced and has a smooth texture that literally melts in your mouth! A thumbs up from one and all. The meat is lean coupled with fine layers of fat! Heavenly!

Salted Roasted Peanuts with Seaweed Shavings
The dish on the bottom left hand corner is salted roasted peanuts with seaweed shavings; provides a nice crunchy texture which acts as an appetizer for what is to come.


Xiao Long Bao

My all time favourite dish and i can safely say the rest of the denizens who dine at Din Tai Fung!
A must have and perennial favourite dish that ranks high on the priority list! Need i say more?

A word of caution: One has to adopt a certain finesse when eating the "Baos", according to my brother, you got to "burst" the dumpling first, slurp up the soup then eat it! I had attempt to eat it in a dainty manner, which came to naught when the dumpling burst and the soup leaked out of it onto the table! Argh!

Shrimp and Egg Fried Rice

Yummy! Thats my verdict! The shrimps looked kinda fake though, because of its apparent glossy look! Had this dish many times before, but today, Simon had this as his main course, while i decided to have something else.










Prawn Dumplings

The workmanship is good, however its lacking in the taste department. The prawn dumpling does not have as rich a taste as the Xiao Long Bao.










Not really sure what the name of this dish is, but its tasty because of the very rich sauce replete with vinegar. And i dub it the "Din Tai Fung" bak chor mee! This happens to be Ying Ze's main course!

** Its "Zha Jiang Mian"..... Thanks Teh for the input.











Meat and Prawn Cracker

Cool name for a cool dish but its texture is nothing like your "Calbee" prawn crackers! Overall, we thought it was an interesting dish with an interesting texture and great tast to boot!








Shredded Pork and Egg Fried Rice

That's my main course, and admittedly i made a good choice. Its yummilicious to say the least! The pork is lean and tender! And the rice is fragrant, and being the health conscious freak that i am, its not too oily at all!








Steamed Layered Cake

To top it all up, we ended our dining experience with a couple of steamed cakes. There are about 3 layers to each cake and the layers come off nice and neat! Contrary to popular belief, the cake isn't sweet; good for those more health conscious ones out there i.e; yours truly.






We had our fill and i have both Simon and Ying Ze to thank for...hey bros, thanks for queueing for a table at the ever crowded Din Tai Fung, yar?!


3:00pm: Takashimaya
My first glimpe of the Christmas light up; ain't it uplifting?! Cant wait for Christmas; a time for remembering the birth of Jesus and also spreading good cheer!

3:30pm: Orchard Cineleisure

After this, it was off to a movie. We caught The Covenant at Cineleisure...not knowing what it was and since, it was the next earliest show, we took the plunge. It was not too bad a movie, cool special effects which came off as kinda "Matrix-y"...anyway, it is of a high school kinda setting plus a good looking cast that made it a winning formular for me at least!...not to mention, its dark kinda setting....go watch it! i give it 6.5 popcorns outta 10!

5:30pm: Heeren then off to Muji @ Paragon

Yes! A new Muji outlet in the heart of Orchard, and at my favourite hangout! P.A.R.A.G.O.N.

Don't need to go all the way to the Muji @ Bugis just so that i can add to my ever budgeoning collection of stationery from there!

Now that there is an outlet at Paragon, you will find me there more often, ever scouring for the lastest uber chic stationery from Muji! Interestingly, the eraser is made in Japan, the hightlighter; Indonesia, the pens; Thailand and the mechanical pencils; Japan and the pencil case; Japan...cool eh? i guess only a self-confessed fan of Muji such as i and oh yes...my marketing lecturer Patricia Chia take notice of such minute details! She shops for her clothes at Muji! How cool is that?!

Do not be mistaken, i was not issued an invite to the grand opening! But at this rate i am advertising for them...they odd to invite me to the grand opening of their third store...that is only hypothetically speaking...heck, i am their walking advertisement, not only do i use their stuffs and i extol the wonders of their stuff...on top of that, i managed to sell the idea of using such premium items as their stationery to Simon and Yingze. Me being influential here!

Guess what?! Simon blew like SGD20 on stationery alone! hahaz... thanks to, yours truly!

As for the ever faithful Muji fan here, i have a pencil case load of Muji stationery! I have spent close to a mind-boggling SGD 40 on stationery...and that is only but a fraction of the other items i have gotten from there over the course of time!

Yes!...the items you see here on your left is worth about SGD 35....hence, my pencil case is really precious to me...its never out of sight.











Thats the whole plethora of items i have in my pencil case!!! I am gladly self sufficient! But this is seriously transient, as i have the strong urge to let loose my inhibitions whenever i am inside Muji!










6:30 pm: Time to say goodbye.....

It was a great afternoon well spent, had a totally awesome time with my buddies!

Really thank God for such great friends whom i can count on, they may not be always around, but i am assured that they are always there in spirit!

Cheers to many more years of great friendship. Thanks bros!

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Back to reality:

Yes, it was a really fun-filled and meaningful time out with my buddies from school. However, the sobering reality is that Vernon is a very busy boy. Do i enjoy the kind off life i am leading right now? Well, its a downright yes!!....i like it when i am busy, admittedly, i appreciate the quieter times too, but i like to be constantly stimulated both mentally and physically **(pun not intended) hence, i am always looking for a worthy challenge!

Update:

I did my IPPT recently, and guess what, i became 100 bucks richer! Yes, i passed only missing out on a SILVER by 4cm!!! my standing broad jump...argh....oh well, better than nothing...well, i am going for SILVER...in a couple of weeks time, yes, you did not hear wrongly, i cleared my IPPT for the year, but i am gunning for a silver, hence, i am doing it again!

Other activities i am pursuing..........

NUS creative writing competition

MAS-ESS Economics Essay Competition

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (no, not a marathoner yet...but a route marshal) wanna feel the heartbeat(pulse) of the running community, afterall, i will be running in next year's Singapore Marathon!

Taking more Accounting subjects next year (FM, MA, AUDIT)..yes, wanna major in that...after that, i will do the ICPAS Professional Exams when i graduate. On top of that, am planning to do a Masters in International Relations at the University of New South Wales.

for now...am really busy with student life at school, currently marketing the Career Forum at school to undergraduates for the Biz club and trying hard to keep my head above the water with regards to m studies! Driving has taken a back seat, not gonna do it for now....

oh yes...i have applied to join my Varsity's Personal Development Programme; won't know the outcome till like next week...please pray for me, yar?! Will update you guys asap! Its a 2 year programme based on academic achievement and personal drive to succeed...hope the panel of administrators select me!

And the London School of Economics Summer School from 2 July - 2o July....i am counting down!
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Published!

Just thought i give you people out there a better idea of the book launch.

Thanks one and all for your great support!

Special thanks to Ivone for spreading the word!

The book is available for sale at the Library Shop at the National Library HQ (Victoria Street) for SGD 35.

"Celebrating Libraries"

Yes, i will be looking to volunteer of my time as a friend of the library! Going for an orientation course soon. Do drop by at the library @ Orchard, cause you may just find me there doing some shelving and maybe answering your queries.