This is all the rage amongst my friends on Facebook recently.



Cool. Livened up my day/week. From a low base admittedly.
A good reply nonetheless though.

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Call me lazy or what but finally I'd found the time (and motivation) to upload photos and update on the massive backlog of events that'd taken place the past few weeks. Hopefully it'll be enough to satisfy readers (sans those who chanced upon this place searching for bubble tea outlets) for another week while I retreat back to the seclusion that is the workplace from tomorrow onwards.

15 JAN - 79/10 OCS COMMISSIONING PARADE

So the weather deteriorated from this..



To this..



And finally this.



Kudos to our President for inspecting the parade even as the showers grew into a thunderstorm. It was also a grand show of resolve and determination from all the Officer Cadets who stood there throughout in spite of the inclement weather. And also to Aaron, Jtay, Louis for taking the photos despite our makeshift tentage being flooded with mini waterfalls. At least the dinner afterwards with Judy and SIlu was conducted safely indoors within JP.

22 JAN - PITSTOP CAFE



Watched Hereafter with Aaron at the Cathay before proceeding to meet up with the rest at Jaben/the Adelphi/City Hall. That said, Hereafter really provoked me into thinking about the sanctity of life and also life after death. Poignant indeed, and not one for the action/thrill seekers.

We spotted 2LT YK TAN loitering about the river having lost his way somewhat and together we proceeded on to Pitstop Cafe which was located on the second floor of a row of shophouse along Circular Road - the precise reason why it is hard to locate in the first place for the uninitiated.

And thus we managed to play Citadels, Saboteur and finally Taboo(pictured) in three hours and effectively scraping the original plan to proceed to Timbre.

29 JAN - GRAND OPENING OF THE SENTOSA BROADWALK


The Broadwalk - We got into Sentosa for free that weekend

Proceeded to meet up with SY, Silu, Jtay, Linyi and Aaron over at Vivo before we made our way to the Broadwalk. We did not participate in the Foot-to-Foot Challenge (which aimed to make it into the Singapore Book of Records by.. Having the most people connected foot to foot in an unbroken chain across the Broadwalk).

I missed 'The Crane' performance over at Resorts World in the evening due to Aaron's aversion to rain and also the fact that we were sharing a single umbrella. The golden coins I received from the Gods of Fortune roaming the place were scant consolation though. Afternote - I forgot to take them out of my pockets and they landed up in the washing machine. Not very fortunate after all then.

And of course 29 Jan was someone's birthday.
So here's wishing that you'll have a fantastic year ahead. LOL.

2 FEB - CATCHING 'THE GREEN HORNET' AT SHAW BUGIS.

My unit had a cohesion yet again at the same venue as the previous one on the eve of the Lunar New Year.
The movie itself was not bad, though Jay Chou's English really left much to be desired.

4 FEB - CLASS GATHERINGS @ William's/Louis', 5 Feb - Sherwyn's/Louis'

Transited between so many places in the two days with plenty of drama in between as well involving taxis, Silu's mobile and William running up and down the 24 storeys of his flat 4 times in total.

Had dinner over at Louis' on two consecutive days, and we all ended up watching Big Bang Theory on both occasions as well.

Had more people over on the second day though. And Sherwyn's house and the amount of tech/audio stuff he possesses is simply eye-opening. Rock Band and card games were in order throughout the day.


Us at Sherwyn's

6 Feb - Huyuan's


We Monopoly Deal-ed,


And Bridge-ed

All in the space of three hours over at Hu's. Of course there was another group of people imagining themselves to be Rockers in the living room..

Was supposed to stay for a buffet dinner at Jontay's but had to leave early due to my commitments that evening at the Istana.

CHANGE-OF-GUARD CEREMONY @ THE ISTANA, FEB 2011

Same performers, same drill due to the previous month's performance being scrapped due to inclement weather caused by the monsoon winds and El Nina.


All jovial at the FUP behind the Heeren.. :D


Marching down Orchard Road. It was more crowded than usual due to the long weekend.


Performing in front of Orchard Central.


The New Guards at the Istana.


The main event of the evening - Note the flying rifles.



12 Feb - BBQ @ LAKESHORE

Jtay invited all of us over to his condo for a BBQ (in the afternoon) as he opined that the last BBQ we had was.. a very long time ago. One year to be exact. Oh, Aaron our class shirt is still non-existent after three years..

Turnout was not bad, and we managed to see Hanzhe as well after so long - She was there to give tuition though. ^^


How often is it do you see an officer fanning people?


Flying solo..


Oh behold the joy of multiple shots all in a row..


Ok, this was pretty instinctive after someone forgot to switch back to single shot mode >.<

***

Photo credits go to Jtay, Aaron and Sherwyn for their imba high-end photographing equipment and spontaneity in taking shots everywhere in almost any setting available.

Thank you Aaron for introducing me to the world of UK Top 40.

Lastly, a very HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to all couples, especially those in our class May your relationships last through the tests of time come hell or high water (or the army) and we look forward to collecting our red packets from you all very soon

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HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL.

If you're a Chinese in China enjoy your 15 days of holidays away with your family somewhere in the vast countryside notwithstanding the massive jams, crowds and the freakish weather.

If you're a Chinese in Singapore have fun hopping from house to house and do not forget to report back to school and work on Monday lest you go AWOL and end up in DB.

In any case do drop by the Istana as the iconic residence will be holding an Open House tomorrow and you can have photo opportunities with the President as well as the guards performing the thankless task of standing along Orchard Road everyday.

Feb 6 is the first Sunday of the month. After getting washed out by the rain in January, the drill squad is gearing up and raring to go again. Of course the music this month's nicer as well.

Things will get pretty busy after this long weekend though. This is the last redoubt and things will definitely go downhill from here. Welcome to an endless streak of five-day work weeks.

Something random to share, since 2010 has ended.
The 'Best Year of My Life' Index (starting from 2004) goes something like..

1. 2008
2. 2009
3. 2006
4. 2004
5. 2010
6. 2005
7. 2007

The year of the Rabbit is supposed to be peaceful, unlike the Tiger and Dragon years that flank it. Hence its quite apt that the Cold War has ended we have restored diplomatic ties with each other.
Wonder if it'll turn out to be Pyhrric though.

Its 0000 hours now, so..
HAPPY (SECOND DAY OF) CHINESE NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL.
恭喜发财万事如意心想事成再见告辞了

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Isolated - So near yet so far away from the past, present and future..

Oh, anyways to begin with, in case anyone's wondering, its actually pretty easy to get the code for the previous post. As in literally, since there's only like a certain number of options to choose from.

For fear of offending sensibilities I'd decided to stop here of the rambling on and on about some never ending downward spiral I jumped into - I guess I hitched a ride on the wrong roller coaster at the very beginning on a one-way journey down to no-man's land.

Life is full of lots of up and downs,
And the distance feels further when its headed for the ground,
And there is nothing more painful than to let your feelings take you down,
It's so hard to know the way you feel inside..

According the the calendar, my phone, the computer toolbar and the DJ over the radio its been 17 days since hell froze over IMO. And it all still seems like yesterday because, you know, the whole thing's akin to some kind of temporal vortex that I keep subconsciously revisiting time and time again.

So who's calling who's bluff still? ^^

Tommy Page remains prescient decades on - that people like me still need a shoulder to cry on. Guess those timeless lyrics will reverberate throughout the ages as long as humans know how it feels like to be consumed by a palpable sense of helplessness from time to time.

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Be it extremely emotional, controversial, messed up, or whatever, this entry has been password protected.

If you know it, enter it; or, ask me for it.

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After a long long time I finally had the energy (and commitment, not to say a rare spot of sanity) to churn out a post that's not what someone living in the doldrums will come up with.

Then again, its been a week since -------- Alright let's not get started again. Maybe the next post (Stop groaning at that thought ^^)

Many will not fail to recall the massive bubble tea craze in the beginning of the millennium, the bubble which ballooned to such size before the SARS virus single-handedly burst it and left many shop-owners badly burnt. There were SIX establishments selling this beverage along the street outside my house at the peak of the boom. None of them survived to see me past the O's.

Then again, like a Skeleton King in DOTA, the whole fad resurrected once more. Trendier, more technologically advanced and placing more emphasis on service than their predecessors, bubble tea franchisees have been busy crossing swords all over shopping malls and suburban centers in the past year or so, winning customers over from the eponymous bland Sweet Talk 甜言蜜语 franchises that monopolised the market after the bubble tea crash of 2003.

Sweet Talk, KOI, Gong Cha or.. That new shop at nex - Drink Tea? Funny name, but true.

Here're just my two cents adding to the already vast amount of literature already present in the blogosphere.



The grand-daddy of bubble tea franchises. This behemoth is so well-entrenched in Singapore that you will be dead-pressed not to find them at any suburban shopping mall or just simply.. A cluster of flats.

It still offers the cheapest fix around though, with a bucket-load of ice in each cup as an added compliment. Great for people with a very sweet tooth though.



This photo was taken way back in 2009 when Jewel and Sharon were working at omg *gasps* a Sweet Talk outlet, of all places. Not the best place for a holiday job I'd say. Anyways, this menu is standardised across all outlets, along with the artificial flavourings, ice, and palm trees. Its ok if you do not know what a palm tree is. Not many people do. So, seriously, its alright.



Eskimo is currently found at three places, though only one of which is well-known. It seems on hindsight a rather short-sighted decision to open one at Esplanade Xchange though - They would've been better off at nex or something. Its gotten so dire over at the Esplanade outlet that even the vouchers they sponsored for HC's Open House this year are only valid there.

Then again, the Raffles Place outlet is the darling of many-a-temp staff working at the various office towers there. Long queues snaking all along the road are a common sight come lunch time. The Mini Bubble Milk Tea is classic IMO - My first introduction to 'boutique' bubble tea outlets.

You can visit their site here to find out more.

Verdict - Great size for a good price ($3.50 tops?). Needs to work more on branding and getting more outlets in more prominent places in and out of town. Nice if you happen to find yourself at Esplanade Xchange (not that a lot of people know where the hell it is in the first place).



First up, the 'Gong' in Gong Cha, as Samuel reminded us over on New Year's Day, is pronounced as 'Gong4' and not 'Gong3'.

Back to the point - Their 3P Bubble Tea is heavenly indeed! And they are canny enough to have franchises sprouting out all over town, from City Square Mall (Who goes there..), The Central and Raffles City to Vivo.. At least their latest outlet at Bedok Point marks their first foray into suburban housing estates.

Verdict - Portion size is the smallest for the same price. Less bang for buck it seems from the onset. Yet the pearls and jellies pack a punch (what else do they throw inside!) and make it rather worthwhile after all. Seems like the cup sizes are larger in Hong Kong. No idea why they shrunk it.



I finally had my first cup of milk tea from Drink Tea today one month after nex's soft launch. There were not many in the queue at 3pm yet evidently it has won over many students who study in the vicinity with its wide range of products along with its unique Roselle pearls which are pink in colour. The price for a large cup of tea starts from $3.50 though, which can be considered steep outside of town.

Verdict - This chain allows patrons to choose the ice level as well as the usual sugar level. There seems to be no extra charges choosing the 'No Ice' option so that's pretty nice. Do try their bubble teas if you're a sucker for pink pearls (pun not intended whatsoever). Potential for more franchises after they correct their horrendous 'Chinglish' in their promotional banners.


Loving their KOI as much as each other..

And finally.. What would a discussion about bubble tea outlets be without mentioning KOI Cafe? The absurdly long queues have made headlines and attracted even more curious onlookers to try out their beverages. A great marketing tactic indeed.

We tried the one over at Clementi the day after Aaron's 19th, and yes, we arrived early before the outlet's opening hour and yet got stuck behind four others who were there even before us.

Verdict - Great choice price, quality and quantity-wise, though unfortunately many others think the same way too. So be prepared to wait under the hot sun for up to an hour on really bad days. The milk tea itself is not very different from Gong Cha's or Eskimos'; and the pearls lose out slightly to Drink Tea's - So its up to the individual to do a cost-benefit analysis to determine if its worth queuing for.


Of course there are plenty of smaller outlets popping out nowadays, yet these are the biggest and most prominent ones out there dominating the forums and discussion boards in endless debates about the best bubble tea in Singapore.

In conclusion, franchises such as KOI and Gong Cha have spearheaded a mini-revolution in the industry with the adoption of sugar levels, queue counters, catchy names and rejuvenated an increasingly jaded market niche. It is now once more a case study to highlight monopolistic competition in Economics lectures. Now whether this bubble bursts a la its predecessor remains to be seen though. From the looks of it, this bunch of plucky upstarts definitely have the tools and pizazz to make their presence permanent. Also.. There something known as social media nowadays which was non-existent ten years ago.. And we all know how capable these are in building up brand awareness and loyalty..

Looks like Taiwanese bubble tea's going to be here for the long haul. Not that we're complaining too much about it, maybe except the queues.

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...

The seemingly vast blue ocean stretched out in front of me, to the endless horizon and beyond - A deep shade of indigo; A foreboding harbringer of uncertainty and despair.

And then the seemingly nicest person that I imagined I'd ever encountered turned out to the meanest of them all.

Thank you for the reassuring 107 min convo though. It did help me put some things into perspective as well as to formulate the above statement? And thank (another) you as well for your rather encouraging smses.. Even if you did not reply after a while. ^^

I tried what Zan suggested in the comments to the previous post while away.
Then again that only led as far as the opening sentence of this entry. An allegory, yes, but a fitting one indeed given where I was the past few days.

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Did not sleep well at all last night - at best probably only a good 30 mins?

Its pretty open right here, especially since this site received an upsurge of traffic following the publication of the previous post. Even then, I managed to replace a vulgarity without anyone stumbling upon the site yet, even if both replacement and replaced words convey the exact same meaning.

What irony.

And the tagboard's still dead. Now that's a surprising development.

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