Becoming an ah chek part 3

As if the Goldlion shirt and white hair weren't enough, my knees have started to hurt of late. Penny keeps nagging at me to stop jogging but I still maintain the stance that I need to train for my yearly IPPT and starting to run a month before is just a big no-no. Even more so now with all the sudden deaths during 2.4km runs.

Anyway, so I couldn't take it anymore and bought myself a knee brace. It got so bad one day that I had so much problem stepping on my clutch while driving. And to top it all off, I had to kay kiang and join the youths for an afternoon of basketball. Needless to say, my knees were screaming in pain along with other unimaginable parts of my lower body for about a week following that.

It sucks getting old.

Becoming an ah chek - part 2

First it was the Goldlion shirt, now I discovered another sign that is signalling my journey into 'ah chek'-hood (for lack of a better word).

White hair.

Penny had quite a ball plucking them out for me. Now when I look at myself in the mirror, I no longer look out for pimples. Maybe it's the stress getting to me, or perhaps really it's age catching up. Regardless, I can't deny the fact that they'll continue to populate my once wonderful crown of nice, black (albeit a little dry) hair. Hopefully I'll end up with a cool pepperish shade like George Clooney.

Now all I have to do is try my best to imitate that irritating smirk.

Becoming an ah chek

It's official. I'm leaving my youth behind and entering the ah chek chapter of my life. I've always been under the (false) impression that I'll be 21 for the rest my life, staying cool and funky and in touch with the youth of today, hanging out at Heeren, reading comics, blah, blah. But, shocker of shockers, I recently acquired a piece of something that many middle aged men would wear with pride but cool and funky youngsters would avoid like a HFMD infected school.

A freaking Goldlion shirt.

I once told Penny I'd never be caught dead in any Goldlion apparel. So I have to eat my own words now. Truth be told, the design (which was what caught my eye in the first place, not the brand) is quite cool. And, damn, the shirt is comfortable. Unlike new shirts that give you that itchy-scratchy feeling on your skin, this shirt was smoooooth.

Will this be my first Goldlion shirt of many others to follow? I can't say for sure. Maybe I'll drop by a Lacoste boutique next...

Of goats and vegetables

It's been a while since we last visited Hay Dairies. Since Velouria has been on powdered goat milk for quite some time now, we thought it'd be good for her to have some freshly squeezed goat milk.

We made plans to meet Nick and Pat there too (along with Gracie of course). After some breakfast, we made our way there just in time to see the milking process. This was followed of course by the feeding of the goats with the $2 a packet dried grass (or hay or whatever they feed the goats). Nick and I were joking that this was a very smart marketing ploy; getting visitors to pay to do their work. Who knows, maybe they'll come up with a farm stay package soon that allows you the total goat farm experience, i.e. milking the goats, cleaning the pens, etc.

After downing a couple of bottles, we decided to make our way (with vague directions from Pat's father) to a vegetable market that was allegedly on the other side of Lim Chu Kang. Apparently, my mum-in-law had been there before too, but she's directionally impaired so her instructions were as good as naught.

We found ourselves at Kok Fah after a 10 min drive. I was dumbfounded, I never knew that a market actually existed here, right smack in the middle of nowhere! All freshly grown, no less! After a few minutes of walking around, looking at gigantic fish and what nots, I got bored. So Nick and I bought some drinks (honey with fresh aloe vera bits, yum!) and sat down with the kids while the aunties went havoc buying up all assortments of fresh produce.

Finally, about half an hour later, the aunties decided that they too were parched and decided to get themselves a drink. That was our signal that the shopping was over and it was time for us to head home.

Farny Engrish

Saw this box of Wang Wang biscuits while browsing around at CK Department store. Typical Taiwanese English (or Taiwanglish?). Of course 'don't crash', the poor dude is dressed only in a singlet and what appears to be a pair of briefs. And with such a huge head, I'm sure that's a magnet for disaster!

I think they meant to say DON'T CRUSH.

Chewren, do not be copy, okay. Or you teacher will kok you head.

Rocking for the Rock of Salvation

The last concert I attended was when Coldplay and Travis performed at the Indoor Stadium in 2001 (I think; it was soooo long ago I can't even remember the exact year).

So when I heard the Planetshakers were coming again and that some of the youth from our church were attending the concert, I jumped at the invitation to join them. It's been a long time since I did some pogo-ing and punched my fists into the air.

My meeting ended early so I arrived at Sing Expo at 5.30pm. So I milled about for a bit, visiting the 7Elevens around the area. At 6pm I headed for the MRT station and saw Jedidiah there. The rest decided to honour us with their presence at about 6.30pm. After some delay, we finally joined the queue at about 6.45pm. And it was reeaally long. It barely moved and people were getting impatient. Apparently, you could get priority seating by registering on their website so those who had tickets could get in first. Dang.

We finally got in about an hour later and the concert started as promised at 8pm (they delayed it slightly due to the crowd). I never felt so old in my life, being surrounded by so many youths.

After a short prayer by the emcee, the concert got off to a rocking start as the Planetshakers came out singing 'Oh praise Him, Jesus, Jesus' (sung to the tune of the 'Ole, ole, ole!' soccer chant, what a way to get the crowd going). They sang many other great songs, mostly from their new album (but of course; they were selling it at the podium), for about an hour.

Next up was Tim Hughes, who surprisingly also rocked despite having a smaller band than the Planetshakers. He sang many crowd favourites such as 'Beautiful One' and 'One Way', which got many in the crowd (me inclusive) screaming at the top of our lungs.

The concert ended at about 10.30pm with an encore performance by both groups (it was deja vu, Coldplay and Travis did the same thing at that concert I attended) and it was a very loud encore indeed. In the end, we all came out with legs like jelly and Rod Stewart-esque voices from all the jumping and screaming respectively.

The kids were queueing up to get autographs on the CDs they had purchased (idolatry!). Me, I had to begin my long journey home as it was way past my bedtime. An enjoyable evening nonetheless despite the long wait.

Going retro

We love Tiong Bahru. There's something about the architecture and ambience that seems to suggest a slower, more laidback pace than the breakneck speed of society we are so accustomed to these days. We wished we were staying in that vicinity, but given the atrocious property prices nowadays, we knew owning a home there was way out of our league. For now.

The night before, we were chilling out at a small little cafe at Eng Hoon Street with Michael and Cindy after our steamboat dinner. Being the pig that I am, I still managed to chow down a little 'snack' of fish n chips (supposedly Vel's dinner), a sinfully delicous chocolate cake and washed that all down with an iced lemon tea.

The morning after, we found ourselves at Eng Guan Street. Michael swears by the fishball mee here (apparently he has breakfast here every morning before heading to work) and being the connoiseur that I am, I sure had to give this a try! This tiny little gem of a coffeeshop is tucked away in a little discreet corner that we somehow never noticed despite passing through that area umpteen times. A small, cosy place where seats are a premium, we were blessed to get a table within minutes of stepping in there. We ordered some coffee and kaya toast to tickle our palates while waiting for our noodles.

True enough, it didn't disappoint. The noodles had that taste of 'retro-ness' (with wooden chopsticks!) you won't get at swanky food courts. The fragrance of the vinegar hits you first as you take a whiff of the noodles. And the texture of the noodles was just nice; not too soggy (I totally detest soggy noodles that get stuck together!) and not too springy. The fishballs, though a tad tiny, were springy enough without that DoDo fishball kinda taste. And my favourite part - the ingredients are placed in the soup and not together with the noodles, just the way it's supposed to be!

Needless to say, I'll definitely be back for more! Though Penny still prefers the one at Lengkok Bahru.