I half expected Lianhe Wanbao to trash the interview I did with Miaoyin. She had called for the reasons behind my month long break. I didn’t have anything juicy to offer. There were no secretive reasons (eg. plastic surgery or liposuction), nor any scandals (eg. shotgun wedding). The truth is really boring. With Jay Chou in town last weekend, they had plenty of content and need not have allocated space to tell their readers that some silly person was overworked and therefore was taking a break. Well, thank you.

I vividly remember that night in Taipei. We had just attended Elva Hsiao’s concert and were sitting in a hotel function room in the wee hours of New Year’s Day. I offered Miaoyin some champagne, “Here’s to a great year ahead. In the event that any controversy arises (yet again), do not write about it. Only publish good things about me, please!” Hahaha.

I launched a podcast titled WOOHOO! Universe on Monday. The first episode was easy, but I sort of regretted starting this little CCA while working on Episode 2. I forgot that I wasn’t in a professional recording studio equipped with professional facilities. It was a tedious task to piece together movie trailer soundbytes and interview extracts using some amateur software.

The contents of this blog entry should have went into a third podcast, but I thought I would just stick to words and images for now. Speaking about pictures, you’ll have to put up with grainy photographs taken with my near-obsolete iPhone 3G (yes, 3G, not 3GS) for the time being. A friend working in one of the telcos had offered to put me on their VIP list for iPhone 4, but I’ve decided to wait for the white iPhone scheduled to be shipped here at the end of the year.

I stumbled onto a website a few days ago. It had my picture and a detailed profile. Someone must have been in a prankster mode.

Cruz Teng- Hobby: Blogging.

*weak smirk

No, my hobby isn’t blogging. Other than playing mahjong, my other hobbies include doing nothing, and sleeping (excessively).

A game of mahjong on Sunday night started the week of doing nothing and sleeping (excessively). It helps that I have friends with very flexible working hours.

I didn’t RSVP in time for the preview. I was glad they had some extra seats for After Shock. Feng Xiaogang presented a fine piece of work- powerful, emotional, and heart wrenching. I reviewed the movie in the podcast, so I’m not going to repeat myself here. You must watch this movie (once you’re done with Inception).

Some of the mundane things I did included:

- shutting off my phone completely when I slept. I used to snort, “Why this person always never pick up calls one? Don’t answer the phone, then carry the phone for what?!” I realised it’s really unnecessary pressure to rush to pick up the phone whenever it rings. Having a mobile connection shouldn’t render us to be on 24/7 standby.

- shutting off the office mail service on my phone. I’d be so tempted to open up the inbox when I see the number of unread emails. I decided I shouldn’t do so.

- dropped the idea of a Bangkok trip. I had wanted to book an air ticket on Tuesday and fly the next day. Then I reckoned that I shouldn’t spend unnecessarily, since I’m not working (and therefore has no income) for a month.

Met up with Lingzhi and a couple of friends that afternoon. She mentioned my name in her programme and prompted an influx of SMSes.

“你说的是那个933DJ吗？”

“他的脸看起来好欠揍。”

I was so pleased to know what listeners from a rival radio station think of me. Really.

I like breakfast food. But I don’t like getting up early. And if I do wake up early, it’s usually for work. I am so glad that Wild Honey serves morning food all day. The English Breakfast should be renamed English Breakfast-Lunch-and-Dinner. There were generous portions of mushrooms and potatoes hidden beneath the fatty bacon. Full as I was, I had to sample the Belgium Breakfast H. ordered.

Meiwen from I Weekly called when I was driving to Plaza Singapura. “We can chop chop finish this (interview) right? I’ve got a movie to watch in 10 minutes. It’s free seating, and I don’t want to end up in the first row.” Verdict: Her comprehension and dictation skills are excellent.

It was refreshing to see Jet Li in a movie where he doesn’t beat up anyone. And Wen Zhang gave a credible performance as Li’s autistic son. Note: Wen Zhang is the other guy you see in the poster. Not the Taiwanese singer.

I saw people tearing as they left the cinema hall. While the filmmaker’s intentions were good- raising public awareness of autism, I don’t really appreciate the cinematography and how the story was handled. And Gui Lunmei? Merely to up the glamour stakes?

Over coffee after the movie, someone dissed me, “You didn’t like the movie? You need a lot of action one is it? Don’t tell me your favourite movie is Anaconda?! Or Godzilla? Or King Kong?!”

Hahahaha. Shut up.

An hour later, I was at Marina Bay Sands. Contrary to popular belief, it was my second visit to a local casino, after Resorts World Sentosa during Chinese New Year. I haven’t quite got used to the notion of using Singapore Dollars to bet. Somehow, gambling with foreign currency gives me a sense of detachment, and less heartache if I don’t win.

We were at the Rapid Roulette section when I heard Jolin Tsai’s Love Love Love over the PA system. “Jolin! We must bet on 9 and 10.”

(I didn’t make that up ok. Remember I was at Beijing for her contract signing ceremony with Warner Music? The event took place at 9.10pm, because Jolin = 9,0 and 依林= 10.)

To our utmost astonishment, 10 was the winning number that round. Hahahaha.

Having made one visit each to the integrated resorts in Singapore, I think MBS does a better job in feeding their customers within the casino. Let’s not talk about the eateries outside. The last time I was at RWS, I had to put up with cold dim sum at 3am. I didn’t expect MBS to serve reasonably appetising carrot cake, siew mei and roast meat at that hour.

The above ticket isn’t mine. I did my best in convincing my friend NOT to redeem his money. “You don’t xia suay me, can or not?!” Hahahaha!

Because someone in the group won money, we had breakfast (overdose of breakfast food, as you might have realised) at one of the five star hotels along the bay.

By 6.30am, I was very sleepy. That simple bowl of congee, with (way too much) shallots, floss, peanuts, youtiao and spring onion was very comforting.

I listened to 933就是万人迷 on my way home. Hahaha. Please continue to tune in over the next three weeks.

I must have been the most rejuvenated person at dinner earlier. The gathering of 12 or so, somehow diminished to a cosy meet-up for 7. Well, we’re all busy with things. Uh-huh, not everyone has month long breaks right? Hahaha. It was really good to see them- people whom I knew since I was 16 (!).

Scroll through your phone book and think: When was the last time you had a meal with your childhood friends, ex-classmates, or former colleagues? Don’t forget the classic line- 时间就和乳沟一样，挤一挤就会有。

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星期一：4am – 1pm

星期二：7am – 5pm

星期三：6am – 2pm

我沒跟任何人說我又恢復愈夜愈美麗的生活，但是很顯然的，我的朋友們對我十分了解。

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Just look at the adjectives they used on me!

The correct answer is BLING!

Then a pig appeared on the screen. And they typed in my name immediately.

The correct answer is ANIMAL!

I can’t remember this answer. Whatever. They can go ahead and play among themselves behind my back. HAHAHHAHA.

Now, let’s move on. The answers for yesterday’s quiz:

Congrats to Gerlynn! Please email me your mailing address.

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They love me to bits, as you can see.

It’s simply “Pictionary” or “Win, Lose or Draw” with your friends! Draw or guess. Simple.

Here are some of my drawings.

The first person to come up with all six correct answers will get a prize.

Note:

-Please leave your answers in the comment box below.
-People reading this via Facebook Notes are not eligible.
-Closing date is 2359 hrs, Tuesday. You want to know the answers really soon, don’t you? Hahaha.
-And the prize isn’t something expensive lah. I’ll probably have someone from the station to send you an exclusive Y.E.S. 93.3FM premium.

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