Wet dog

I have been guilty of not doing this enough, but today the wife and I made the drive to Sentosa and spent the morning at the beach. Yes and our puppies totally loved it. Granted only Rus hit the water and swam like there was no tomorrow, our youngest was not as willing. It was his first time so I suppose that really was the reason for his reluctance. But I must give the little one credit for jumping in once, but before we could heap praise on the silly boy, he must have freaked out with the soft sandy seabed. You guessed it, he didn't come back in again after that, even with all the encouragement and ball throwing, he just refused to go back in. Thankfully the old boy didn't disappoint as he just dived right into the waves like he swims everyday. Any way the wife and I will have to make the trip again soon because we really want the young boy to get into the sea and swim some.

Oh best point today, all the puppies were having a great time and having like 10 puppies swimming all around you. Coolest!

Star Wars Over

Watched the latest and last instalment of the Stars Wars movie 2 weeks ago. It has taken me so long to write a comment because I was disappointed. I was really enjoying the first half of the movie then it just sort of lost me. Events seemed to be glossed over and the battle scene with Anakin and Obi-wan was just no where close to being as good as Darth Maul in episode 1. Oh well, I shouldn't complain... I always wondered what the first three movies would have been like since growing up with the Star Wars trilogy and now I know. I still love the older films, the characters were so much more engaging. Oh hum, its over.

Bowling heaven

Ohmigosh! I totally forgot to update everyone of my bowling breakthrough. It was last thursday, bowling at my monthly bowling league with colleagues from work. Now I have been bowling on and off for over 4 years now. Self-taught and a no-frills straight down the lane kind of bowler. My first game was so-so... four strikes, four open frames littered between each strike, and a couple of spares. Needless to say, I was in little frustrated as I wasn't able to string a run together. But as it so often happens, I normally get all worked up inside and I just lose the plot and throw it away at this stage. But for a change, since I missed my previous month's bowling league because of my gout, I just wanted to enjoy my bowling. I kept smiling and joking with colleagues and refused to beat myself up over it. It helped that playing next to us were these four oldish dudes who had just received just about every prize up for grabs from last month's league game and they were good. My colleagues and I were congratulating each other when we managed spares, but these guys were really only interested in strikes! We really felt like we had to raise our game. But my team *yes I am the team captain* was really having an off day. So the first game came and went... and I think my team were all too happy to see our scores wiped as we started game 2.

Yay game 2. My big breakthrough cometh. I started sadly enough, slipping and only hitting the ten pin. I didn't know where to hide my face. I told myself, relax... its game 2 and you can do this. So I focused and went for it... SPARE! Woohoo it was starting better already. Yup that was what I thought, but I then repeated the story of my bowling life and left myself open on the next frame with a split. So what if I just missed a pin, it was an open frame. I was disappointed to say the least, but I got on with business and my next frame was a SPARE, followed by another SPARE... I was on a roll finally I thought! But no... my fifth frame was open again with just one pin eluding me. Sigh! But I was more relaxed than ever, normally at this stage I'm all tense and all hyped up. It must have helped that I was really buggered from work but I was very relaxed for a change. My sixth frame and I SPARE again. I'm all smiles at this stage as I'm doing ok, I kept telling myself, it could be worse with all open frames.

Then something happened. My seventh frame saw it all fit together. I got a STRIKE! Woohoo a run... I could get a run going I thought and boy was it a run! I ended with 5 strikes in a row and ending with 205. I know to many seasoned bowlers out there, 205 ain't shit... but for a guy who has only ever got doubles... never a turkey. 5 STRIKES in a row is a dream run and all done during a league game. Big smiles and I can just hope that no other guy managed over 205 on game 2 because I want to win something! Hahahaha No seriously, I've already won. 5 strikes is amazing, now I just have to aim higher for more consistency because my third and final game, I was brought right back down to earth as hit my average of 130+, but who cares, I was still high on my 200+ game after 4 years of bowling.

Cheers Happy Bowler *signing off*

Flick part 2

Nose pickers. Gold diggers, Goo extractors whatever you call them. They are really awful. I know this topic is really gross. But hey, tell me you don't have the same sick fascination as I and I'll say you're liar. Why? Because its human nature. We are strangely attracted and some even glued to grossness. Take for example our love of being terrified, we pay to be scared out of our wits with roller coaster rides, extreme sports, horror movies or we find ourselves intrigued by motor accidents. To this last point though, I must say I am only guilty of if I am a passenger in a car. I really can't stand other drivers slowing to a crawl to catch a glimpse! Bloody hell to these people, many a time they almost always trigger another accident because they will suddenly slam on the brakes to try to see an accident or to take down the car's licence number in the hope that they will win big in the next 4D draw. Bloody morons.

But that is a pet peeve of mine, other drivers who appear to be doing everything but driving that is. Now back to the nose, why have I pick this to discuss again? Well a friend just smsed me today and admitted to having one such explorer sitting next to her on the bus. What a man! No car, no private space... no worries! Just do it! Bloody hell, no wonder so many Singaporean ladies are attracted to foreigners. Any hoots, I had to ask my friend if she was strangely attracted to watching this disgusting event. She never replied, tisk tisk. Well I am still waiting my dear and be honest now.

Cheers all and if you have had similar cases, please write and share. I love to hear about such gross encounters and try to figure out what I'd do in such circumstances.

Update: My friend has replied and yes she totally observed the whole gruesome affair and found herself grossed out but glued to the whole procedure. All this while sitting next to this dude. Amazing! I would I have bolted right out of that seat!

Back ache

What can I say about Paris except I love it! Okay it was a real bolt and 2 days really just isn't enough, but it got me a taste and I must say I like. The wife and I had great company too which really helped to make the experience all the more enjoyable. Sigh... this was another holiday which my wife and I really didn't want it to end, but alas our six day London and Paris express vacation came to an end and we arrived back in Singapore only to hit the roads the next day and back into the office. So I'm back and here to report on my trip and life after Europe. I know I wanted to visit museums but at the same time I didn't really want to go into them. I really don't know what is up with me. I guess perhaps I was unwilling because it was a reminder of how far away I am from making art at the moment.

Anyway it was a great vacation. I enjoyed London more this time round but everything is so expensive. Still I may give the UK another go in the future. I definitely will go back to France and this time I think I will spend more than just two days. I wish I could have gone to D'Orsay but it was closed because it was a Bank Holiday but I did go to the Louvre for a sniff. Its crazy huge that place and just too many artworks to see in a day, I seriously think if I spent a week there every day (but it'll cost too much) I may be able to get a taste. Still it was great to see some fantastic artworks and the Louvre... ah the Louvre itself is simply spectacular! Oh and I saw the Mona Lisa. Yes yes yes... I braved the crowds and looked upon one of the greatest artworks of the West. It is a lovely painting but I think I was more in awe that an artwork could cause so much emotion in people. So many people we jostling against each other to see it, to take a photo of it or beside it. Art what passion it stirs, I really must get out of my job and back into the studio and start making and creating again. It has been too long and I have been admittedly very lazy about it. I've been too caught up with making a living but not living my life. So I'm back at work and I should be rested and raring to go after a fantastic European holiday, but I'm not. I'm empty at work, I don't see what difference I'm making and I feel like a robot. I have been in a week long training workshop at work from 9 to 5 everyday on curriculum, assessment and accreditation. I found the information very interesting and see truly interesting and exciting times a head for global education, but I don't feel part of it. I understand and see the promising horizon but I long to be in a studio, dirty hands and holding on to tools making art. I want to be outdoors, with overalls or just worn denim jeans and boots and carving, chipping, digging, sanding or polishing an artwork. So I'll end this blog with a joke a colleague shared during the week long workshop.

Try this on for size, I know its so tacky but it makes you think, it makes you smile, maybe laugh alittle and most importantly, it makes you remember not to take life too seriously... so here goes. Enjoy!

What did Sushi A say to Sushi B?





What's up B? (if you are thick as... see translation below.)



wasabi


Smile and happy trails