the cookiedough speaks

the entry pumps puma archive

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 04:44:00 +0000

i've been struggling with my sabbatical of partying and events and having my social calendar shrinking to the very least. these days, it is common to find me coming home after a hard day's work of meeting clients and follow-ups, ripping off my toe-jammed socks and attempt a paltry effort to hoop them into the laundry basket, collapse into bed with a decent book, and wake up the next morning with eye poo the size of a diamond carat.

so it was without hesitation that i attended puma's archive event that was at scape. for the uninitated, the puma archive range is a cherished collection of styles inspired by 60 years of sports history and re-issued in up to date colourways and materials. it was pretty much the hyped up event it promised to be. there was loud music, a great line-up of entertainment, awesome people soaking up in each others' awesome-ness, drinking awesome free-flow alcohol.

of course, with yours truly swaddled in quasi-work attire and shorn-off crowning glory, don't expect much pictures of me to begin with. photos were taken with my blackberry that had no light mode function, so they're kinda soft focused. apologies!

armed with buddy jem on my left ..

and eric on my right ..

even the ceiling lights were adorned with pumps. tad of a literal touch.

self-proclaimed school player jun playing in puma's mini table-tennis-off:

he didn't make it through the first round.

how to look hot when you're not: refer to above (just kidding!)

a big thanks to gabe who extended the invitation. i'm so gonna scour for my first archive pumps!

the entry about zara's fall line 2010

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 05:23:00 +0000

look it, peeps! this is the new collection for zara fall/winter 2010.

in this picture, this is some clothing pieces obviously fixated on the younger men who are able to go out wearing so many garments on their bodies: there's drapes on the waist, on the head, on the neck… basically it's a no-brainer for asphyxiation, and sometimes it looks a little like a shop-window mannequin.

it seems the supreme elegance implies the use of ties or bow ties with vests. that is a great thing for those men who like to wear in a formal way even if they attend an informal event.

this time, the vintage aesthetic is represented by a pilot look that reminds us of the first years of the aviation. it includes quilted vests and high boots.

and finally, the urban look includes denim jeans, t-shirts, jackets covered with fur (on the neck), and long variegated jackets made of wool.

and whatever happened to singapore's version of zara? i wonder why, i wonder why.

the entry a random cognition

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 18:56:00 +0000

if i stocked my booger in a jar, would a jar be 'nuff?

the entry about a second coming

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:10:00 +0000

every family has that one person that keeps the genealogy in check -- and that's my brother. in no less than two years, he has my sister-in-law knocked up twice. if these statistics were extrapolated, i'd be having a dozen nephews and nieces in ten more years!

so, baby niece danielle was celebrated in no less of a big way like her elder brother declan was a year ago. she was deigned to be celebrated in an affair of a "baby shower" during her one-month old of existence.

for the uninitiated, "baby shower" is a singaporean euphemism for something supercilious and unpleasant involving young parents showboating their infant decked in branded baby overalls and cushy strollers, soiled diapers and incessant loud-pitched bawling. anyhows, this particular "baby shower" was held at a tea reception at swissôtel, a reaffirming tribute to illustrate how much parents would pay through their nose to baby-off each other.

she's beautiful, isn't she?

declan with his woo-hoo wavy, superman-esque hairdo

did i forget to mention that this was a christening session for danielle too?

declan wanting to bless his sister too.

she looks pretty precious and all, and i can't wait for her to mumble her first words, which technically should be uncle des, but in the meanwhile, i'm still besotted with declan like a g6.

the entry about the young and the restless

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:07:00 +0000

although young is idiot-adjacent and right smack in the middle of rage-ville, as much as i'd hate to admit it, it does have its advantages. here's why: a couple of my cronies started a weekly badminton ritual of late. in the the first week, it was really challenging. my legs buckled from lunging too far out and i was practically running the court panting. this never occurred to me a couple years back!

i am guessing age is really catching up. of course, aging doesn't quite rank up there with romeo & juliet on the tragedy scale, empirically speaking, but those of you dudes who have gone through this know how excruciatingly infuriating it is.

so, do you think i made it through the games without falling down? of course i didn't. my flailing arms were inhibited by chronic inertia, and i lost my balance as i stretched a tad much for the shuttlecocks. and as i struggled myself upright, brushed the dirt off my ass, and floundered onwards, i could make out the sniggers and grimacing countenance of my badminton partner. epic failure!

but of course, if any future parties wants know if i'd be keen in future shuttlecock games, the answer is undeniably hell yeah! badminton anyone?

the entry baring scalp

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 08:22:00 +0000

follicle exodus! all kinds of bald pate-ness.

the entry of a holiday well deserved

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 15:13:00 +0000

at the whim of a fancy, i booked a flight to tokyo over the weekend. i'd just lumbered back home after a terribly tiring and stressing day at work, and decided to join the passport control queue of pot-bellied passengers and anxious first-time travelers for a much deserved break. yokoso japan!

all packed for a japanese ramen romp.

here's a couple of tips when traveling though:

1. steer clear of bassinet-laden cabin areas. i'm not big on crybabies, and the infants really do a great job of tearing up on the crying front that anyone in their vicinity trying to sleep would be deprived of it. after that, you have this enormous amount of expletives in your head that you want to shout out but you can't. social manners.

2. wear thick mitts and overalls for delta airlines flights. it's either the tragically thin blankets or the copious amounts of air-conditioning. i was getting cabin shivers throughout the flight.

3. eschew pre-dawn flights. you wouldn't want to drag your tired ass up the plane at four in the morning, resplendent with eye booger and a heavy dose of halitosis.

anyhows, i slept as much possible through the flight, despite the cacophony of crying babies, so that i could feast like a pig when i got there. after a while's wait through the necessary customs and carousel pickup for the luggage, an hour and a half's trip on the dizzying bus to the city area, and another twenty minute's cab ride to my holiday crony jun's abode, i was almost feeling faint. i almost yielded to any food in my hunger-addled state when after dropping our luggages at his place, but no, my friend jun had to get his phone card fixed and that meant another hour of waiting. thanks for the love bud.

the incessantly talkative jun, my travelling buddy

jun's humble abode, which was featured in some interior design's magazine.

a look at the myriad offerings of mobile phones

our first ramen stakeout: guang mian ramen

kyushu jangara: he best of the lot!

during my four days there, i was on a ramen pilgrimage and attacked all the various flavors and stalls. nothing beats the real mccoy back in its own homie-ground; the ramen was off the charts delicious. honors goes to jun, who went out of his way ushering me to the more popular ramen ghetto spots.

day 2.

home to famed football superstar nakata

the intricate web of railway stations. it didn't help that everything was in japanese symbols.

tokyo bridge by day.

tokyo bridge by night.

ramen bowl no. 4 @ kujukyu.

and on to number 6.

a little break from ramen intoxication:

a breather of hot chocolate, courtesy of bvlgari

tokyo is an eccentric's haven. i saw a weird contraption that was to contain a banana, an old lady talking into her gunnysack of a bag, tons of ass-flashing folksies in their ultra short kimonos. i tried to make a camera movie but my iphone ran flat before i could do so. thankfully, i managed to snap some shots (shorts).

a banana keeper?!

condoms for your finger.

mega-sized cloth peg. who even needs that?

this lady was seen talking surreptitiously into her bag. apparently, talking on the phone in public transport is met with disdain, hence the awkwardly comical disposition.

and we saw some butts.

ramen no. 7 at azabu's

and finally, one for the road. my final ramen at the airport.

the entry of two pence perth

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:12:00 +0000

it would have been presumptuous of me to liken perth to that of a sleepy town without having experiencing it first-hand, but after this trip down under with my family, i can tentatively place my bets on that. when i got back to singapore, i was almost positively beaming. never again, perth. goodbye!

i spent the mornings there waking up groggy-eyed, halitosis et al, and then lapsed into a unhurried traipse around the city area and meals in the afternoon with nary a thought in mind, only to slumber back to our service apartment at five in the evening. could anyone ever possibly imagine life like that? apparently, if one were caught loitering around the city area after the unspoken curfew, they'd be accorded the titles of homeless-shelter-seekers or hooligans-on-the-run.

ugh! the only indulgence i enjoyed was the sampling of wines at vineyards en route our one-day farmstay and splurging on nut-rich nougat. during the night, my brother and i boozed, digged into an abyss-esque packet of nougat, and fattened ourselves with an bounty of instant noodles.

did i mention that i was driving an over-sized vehicle that was twice the size of any car i had driven, and that i was doing over 100 kmph along the bends? it was an exhilarating ride and a refreshing welcome to an otherwise sedate trip, but was only met with disapprovals by my dad, who thought i was nonetheless a crappy driver.

our respite for the trip, mantra on hay.

our portly receptionist,

who's got the look of someone surfing porn when no one's around.

shopping at the local walking street was a stupendous bore-fest. i ended up feasting my eyes on trinkets of eating knick-knacks, playing with my awesomely cute baby nephew declan, and resigned to watching street performances, which weren't that many to begin with. the day ended as quickly as it could have begun. perth: 0, singapore: 1.

my adorable nephew

more pix of the little rascal, with my brother, his dad.

dad takes a little pic with grandson.

my brother, sis-in-law and me. any signs of resemblance, people?

dad and mom, still at it even after 35 years.

a stiff coffee to perk up a boring day.

this street peddler sells her impressions of people for charity.

and she hails all the way from japan.

the van that i will be in charge of driving my family around.

the second day saw us meandering across the rural areas to a region called bindoon, that was approximately a forty-five minutes drive away from city. along the way, i witnessed lush greenery, rows upon rows of vineyards that stretched on forever, and finally pit-stopped at a windmill farm for a day's stay. it was great. the day was beautiful, and the scenery, breathtaking. perth: 1, singapore: 1.

a word of warning though: eschew the path that marks the wood-cordoned farm housing for bulls and cows alike. the air around is thick with overwhelming dung scent. steer clear or bring cologne. you've been warned.

yours truly piloting the journey to bindoon

spotted: a traveller decked in hazmat outfit on his scooty. majorly weird!

the cottage-esque hovel where we will spend the night.

seems familiar, folks? ...

... a fellow farm-stayer who bears an ominous resemblance

to the hazmat rider we saw on the roads.

a family portrait atop the tractor.

cheers, toast to an orange farm.

my sis-in-law tucked in between the shrubs attempting the sexy look.

a pet kangaroo by the name of whistle

braving it up for the camera, despite the pungency.

and what it really smells like

as we made our way back on the third and last day to the city, we made several stops along the way. our agenda in mind was the varying vineyards, and we ended up slightly inebriated by the nth stop. my dad, brother and i were light-headed and we case-ordered half a dozen bottles of sparkling chardonnay from the nicer folks at edgecombe brothers vineyard.

we toured around an area called fremantle, affectionately shortened to freo and tucked into the best fish & chips at cicerello's, ever. like the operating hours of shops in perth though, the fun was short-lived and we packed our asses back onto our mini bus by the stroke of five. perth: 1, singapore: 2.

final verdict: wine tasting and road trips, aye perth. for anything and everything else, there's the world to see.

one of the wineries, a disappointing and bland one though.

a hummer? checked. a limo? checked. a hummalimo? never heard of? see above.

our table of five festooned with fish & chips, squids & mussels, and garlic prawns.

ever paid for chilli? this tiny tub goes for aud$ 1.70.

treasure your free condiments folks!

the entry of hovel lockdowns

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:40:00 +0000

it was a traumatic one month for my favorite aunt, what with her cancer diagnosis and a major operation to remove the tumor. the fact that she is in her sixties and her being borderline corpulent didn't really help matters as well. thankfully, after the operation, the doctors informed us the cancerous cells have not spread beyond the locale and her condition has stabilised. no chemo!

being the devoted nephew, i offered her my room for a post-hospitalization luxury-esque recovery (it was a nice gesture, at least i thought so). thus i'm relegated to a pitstop makeshift hovel in the living room. life, as i know it, just went one notch more primitive; i am tethered to the wall by my laptop connected to the wall whilst attempting sleep with only a fan and its jarring blades. despite it's disdainful austerity, i'm totally digging it.

on another note, i am taking a much needed break tomorrow to the land down under. i'm praying they have no sluggish internet connection in that dingy service apartment my family folks and i paid for. i live for the internet and i expect broadband-equivalent speed nonetheless.

so, it's officially early bedtime for me tonight. here's some photos of my chambers whilst aunt is snoozing away on my top-of-the-crop swiss-made crib.

i'm usually sprawled across this area.

my only consolation: the plasma flat-screen tv.

nice much?

the entry about douchebag-ism much

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 01:00:00 +0000

we all like to think that we are better than the next person; nary one would ever think of himself as a, for the lack of a better word, shithead. but admit it, from time to time, we mess up and end up being the epitome of a sorry loser. what are the tell-tale signs of being a douchebag you say? well, read on.

1. whilst some things could go hand in hand, texting and conversations just do not. it's hard to have a decent conversation when half the time you're looking down at your mobile and rapidly thumbing away. whilst you're trying to impress the other party that you're capable of multi-tasking, the implicit fact to them is, you're just a douchebag. (i'm guilty of that too.) douche-meter: 2 out of 5

2. movie talkers are a classic breed of what i would call, platinum douchebags. they express their thoughts out loud or revel in revealing the plot-lines, or explain the storyline of the movie to their fellow movie-mates. here's some examples: "ok, here's where julia's going to take the knife and stab him from behind.", or when watching a comedy, *points* "haha! that's so funny!" douche-meter: 3 out of 5

3. while some looks are a precarious fence-sitter between fashion fineness and fashion flop,

over-the-top embellished prints on shirt and trucker caps courtesy of ed hardy are clearly way off the spectrum when it comes to fashion faux pas. if you're caught like a deer in headlights donning these sequined, campy graphic gear and think you're cool, you're in line to be the next giant cosmic douchebag. douche-meter: 3 out of 5

4. somewhere between fluffy light-heartedness and extreme hedonism, there's an entire caste of people who, for a better reason or not, choose to use animal/cartoon/scenic pictures in place of their profile pictures on social networking sites. whilst you might be clueing to others you're as cute as elmo or like a summer breeze in spring, a profile picture is called a profile picture for a good reason. spare us the agony of metaphorical decipherment of your level of douche-ism. douche-meter: 2 out of 5

5. oh-so-haughty elitists ought to be shot in the gonads. period. they think everyone is beneath them when in fact, they really need to be looking hard at themselves. if you subscribe to such ideology, congratulations, you have the hallmarks of being a major douchebag. douche-meter: 5 out of 5.

the entry about passing the thirty-first hurdle

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Tue, 25 May 2010 08:50:00 +0000

am i experiencing stockholm syndrome or did the trappings of adding another year to my being thirty-something passing by was kind of good? i would have expected an epic wipeout, but i let out nay a whimper. i know for a fact that many would celebrate their thirties, earmarking it as the arrival of their "maturity", or as my sane world calls it, "insane". but forgive me, for i am a little tardy with getting old.

well, this birthdaytestant, a.k.a yours truly, had the honor of having a surprise party thrown for me (major thanks eric!). and it was a swell time of merrymaking and jollification with my cronies who made it to the party, although the initial done-to-death "surprise!" greeting by party guests with me blindfolded sent me positively reeling; i'm never much one for clichés.

at the surprise birthday party, i was wearing a design inspirational of a hamburglar costume. as anyone can attest, i looked a little out of place, considering the venue being al fresco et al, and me donning on layers -- curse you, tropical climate!

it was a tacit misogynist soiree, judging by the number of female guests who turned up. i am guessing the birthday planner didn't want to run the risk of emaciated lassies raining on my parade. other than that, everyone was unmistakably beaming and gushing about the multi-tiered cake made of cupcakes. my god, people. i was swamped with swigs of alcohol left and right i swore i was experiencing triple vision.

a surprise party, numerous birthday wishes and one too many drinks later, the proceedings of the party was adjourned to mimolette, which by then i was so stoned out with champs i was practically doing the zombie club stroll. but what a day it was! happy me thirty-one day!

surf's up!

orgy-fest of party folks

patrick, thrueno, sebastian & louis

ben & i, and some others in hindsight

the party's never complete without gabriel, ben, jem & of course duncan

bestie ray and his trusty heineken

the ethereal sisters, lisa and june, in tow

my business partner and nonetheless buddy kevin a.k.a tw

not forgetting dear eric, who made this event an event.

and our official photographer, tj, kudos!

the intricate birthday cake that was made up of entirely cupcakes and little booklets ...

... that had pictures and words in it too!

ever the bashful me, hogging the spotlight

thanks to the skillful folks, pauline and husband, who made the cake.

the colorful gin gang. to many more years!

the entry through the year

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Sat, 22 May 2010 06:37:00 +0000

this entry is all about deluging you people with a selection of pictures i have amassed over the past year. no caption fillers, just death by pictorial haranguer. enjoy!

the entry about a stork revisit

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Wed, 12 May 2010 08:52:00 +0000

i'm not much one for resolutions but i've managed to stick onto my current one like a sticky note-pad. so it is lesson six of powerplates, and i'm feeling great about it. i am never much of a person who sweats, but every time yours truly steps on that damned machine, i'm drenched head to toe in my own perspiration after every session, without fail.

anyhows, i was browsing in sephora (skin care conglomerate) and i careened into an aisle which sold a line of baby skin care products, aptly called babies only. i thought only adults were privileged vain shitez, but apparently this entitlement has been extended to crawling infants who would like to fawn over themselves as well. the series boasted serums, shampoos, balms, wash, etc, ie. another commercial gimmick. like anyone would buy them. bah!

well, i scooped out a couple, thinking it would make a nice gift for my niece-in-the-making. yeah, incoming! come september, i would be a reluctant-albeit-chirpy uncle of two. or at least until the insatiable duo couple otherwise known as my bro and sister-in-law decide a few more is in order.

the entry of ecstatic aesthetics

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Wed, 05 May 2010 07:00:00 +0000

know this: the area within the vicinity of my lips has become a treasure trove of pustular breakouts and whiteheads, creating the illusion of a white moustache all fuckin around. it is times like this that you really appreciate infomercials peddling products like proactiv. any takers on that?

speaking of which, i'm a freaking vain shitez, it's crazy. i am constantly purveying new skincare products that guarantees to be the creme de la creme, as though my already bursting arsenal of products i've procured isn't enough to begin with; i could practically do different permutations of skincare regimes.

this pro-epidermis attitude had me swiping a few items off the counter at the malls today just because they, according to the persuasive salesgirl, were "good for the skin". i racked these up in a matter of exactly under 30 mins (and i'm praying they take even shorter to work their magic):

my new facial routine, clockwise from left: lab series age-less face cream, a daily moisturizer that erases the signs of aging, peter thomas roth glycolic acid hydrating gel, a mild exfoliant to clarify lifeless skin tones, peter thomas roth hyaluronic acid, a must-buy serum that attracts moisture to the skin up to 1000 times its own weight, and ole henriksen lift eye gel for tired, insipid eyes like yours truly.

on other news, i did a little brow-threading at browhaus, and it was a total disaster. the folks decided to administer a perpetually surprised look for me that i'm looking a little k.d.lang-ish, and i totally can't rock the andro look. i am a disgruntled customer, so no pictures of me furtively hiding my face. man, i feel emasculated.

the entry of lean mastications

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Sat, 01 May 2010 10:00:00 +0000

so i've developed a real compulsion with my diet regime, seeing how much time i'll be investing in powerplating over the next month. i now have a tenacious four-meal-a-day protocol, which will see me guzzling down 1) cereal/power lunch with half portion carb 2) fruit platter 3) protein shake 4) fish soup, or anything to that extent which does not involve any carbs. if you must know, which i am pretty sure you don't want to, to make sure i really stick to my guns, there will be no booze weekends for me to look forward to if i do let slip.

this is, by far, the strictest diet i've ever embarked upon, knowing how much of a sucker i am for fat-rich, nutrient-poor nosh. already, i'm feeling stymied without my usual fried fanfare with hoards of kway teoh and the likes of it. how comforting it is to know that there are magazines and media that celebrate cadaverous bodies or steroid-boosted adonics and indirectly denouncing us couch-potato pudges.

harrumph, if only obtrusive love handles and beer bellies were celebrated in this part of the world.

the entry shanghai-ed my glutes

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 02:43:00 +0000

it was criminally lax of me to allow my fitness activity to glide at a glacial pace. i've mentioned before in my resolution to frequent the gym conscientiously. my attempt is more than deplorable. the only pizazz i've added to my list of noteworthy achievements of late is to slump over in bed, scroll down facebook, and listen to miley warbling about being almost able to see the dream that she's been dreaming (hint: vertical ascent), whilst knocking down enemies in final fantasy xiii. someone award me a trophy for multi-tasking already.

confound me, but have i lately broached the exercise phenomenon known as vibrate-till-your-ass-muscles-buckle? the nomenclature of this form of exercise, a.k.a power plates, is the latest craze which has taken over hollywood by storm led by the honchos of celebs like madonna and clint eastwood. power plates uses the principle of acceleration training to simulate the body's natural response to vibration. a 25-minute workout is equivalent to two to three hours in the gym!

cookiedough needs to feel his abs.

four more abs to go to an adonis body.

the solution to it all: power plates!

me with paul in tow.

the folks at croyez studio (pronounced as 'krwah-yay'), which is located at dempsey road, invited me and my intrepid crony paul to give a shot at being a powerplater. verdict: fifteen minutes into the exercise and i was sweating crazy my underarm deodorant smelled like fresh pine that was one day too old. not pleasant at all. my forecast for next few days is intense muscle aches with high possibility of torrential cramps.

a myriad of power plate regimes to cater to different individuals.

jane, our sprightly coach, feigning niceness. devil incarnate!

power plates proves to be not as easy as it looks.

a big thank-you to gwendolyn, the owner of croyez.

am i going back for more of this? you betcha. i just need to invest in more potent sweatsticks. to find out more about this revolutionary exercise, call 6474 4133/6474 4140 or visit their website at www.croyez.com.sg.

in other news, my office is piling with trash. evidently, there isn't a system for taking out the dump. our office has three waste bins and no one clears it fastidiously enough that fruit-flies have been growing amongst them. this morning i went digging through the pile and fished out a wrapped sandwich that went bad almost a week ago. i am going to go all pep-talky on these spudhead staff real soon.

the entry of gleeful quotes

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 00:04:00 +0000

by now, i'm sure everyone has caught onto the bandwagon of the whirlwind hit tv series that is glee. it's a culmination of high school musical-meets-mean girls with a tight script that's fun, funny and has heart. already, i've developed an irrepressible foible for the characters like self-idolizing sue sylvester, or emma pilsbury, whose case of ocd is a tad, well, obsessive. the series' gotten to me so much, everytime i hear i kissed a girl on the airwaves, i have half a mind to slap my thigh like how stutter-y tina does it in the series.

so here's a tribute with my top ten quotes from the show:

10. "your resentment is delicious". - sue

9. "anything less than a four-hundred thread count and i could break out into impetigo!" - sandy

8. "eavesdrop much?" - quinn

7. "i swear to you i will stick my fist so far down your throat you'll taste my armpit hairs!" - ken

6. "my body is like a rum chocolate souffle: if i don't warm it up right, it doesn't rise." - kurt

5. "we just sold all seventeen copies of your cd!" "i didn't even have to show any of them my bosoms!" - will's folks

4. "take what away?" - brittany, who else?

3. "who is josh groban? kill yourself!" - sandy

2. "i'll often yell at homeless people, 'hey, how's that homelessness working out for you? give not being homeless a try, huh?' " - sue

1. "have you ever liked somebody so much you just wanna lock yourself up in your room, turn on sad music and cry?" - rachel "no." - emma (segues into car scene of emma alone, crying and hysterically singing along to the stereo "all by myself")

the entry about coming back

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:57:00 +0000

it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know i've been sleeping way too long on composing a new entry. the thing is, i didn't even have a chance to do anything more than just run-of-the-mill work, let alone contemplate the prospects of hibernation.

for the past three months, i have taken on a two-pronged approach towards work: quasi-slaving in prudential as a business development officer, whilst unabashedly earning on the overrides of my agents i brought in, and also fronting a new company doing telemarketing consultancy that took up a bulk of my time.

that has inevitably brought about a dearth to the activity rate in this blog. but now that my new company's shaping up after months of fine-tuning, it's time to get back into the swing of things. infinite props to all ye commenters: your words of encouraging verbal mojo certainly kept things afloat and i am exultant.

this is a quickie entry and i'm rusty, so there's not a lot of thought and effort put behind this. but i reckon by the next one i should be back on track. meanwhile here's some photos. it's little.

me donning on my shirt-tie ensemble.

a famous chinese eatery near my office that serves delectable delights.

be forewarned of snaking crowds.

the dough-kneading damsel in the eatery who chooses incognitus.

look how much fun we are having playing hide and seek. best friends forever!

the entry mons

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 05:43:00 +0000

i'm never that much of an epicurist, so when it boils down to fine-shitez-dining, i am pretty much alicia silverstone circa clueless days. cutlery placement, goblet codification, and the pretentious petite nosh displayed in an aesthetically albeit inexplicable composition, i had to play pretend throughout the entire session.

just to backtrack a little for the misinformed, i was invited to a posh restaurant for a luncheon, exorbitant et al, because, well, i had the providence of being the achiever in the top three producers in prudential. so, it was meant to be, that i plumped my ass at one of the fanciful eatery du jour, fifty-three, where they served modern euro cuisine. setting-wise, it was perfect, but i am never much of a conversationalist when it comes to such affairs. so my pictures did the talking. here's some:

exquiste feed at fifty-three with colleagues

no, it's not a footrest, but a bag rest for the ladies.

did i mention it was pretentious?

ever wondered what it's like to be caricatured? i've got one of myself and my friends vellene and hock yong. courtesy of chivas!

bugs-bunny-meets-elvis-coiffure

the entry flea by day, fly by night.

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:10:00 +0000

i had amassed a huge amount of clothes after schlepping up articles of apparels from one too many impulse buying. eventually, i decided to rent a stall in pseudo flea market milieu and hawk my clothes with jeremy, who had an equally bulging closet.

first things first: we trudged down to ikea to snag some aesthetitically appealing chattels and, being endowed with a finite amount of good taste, one of them being able to source for the likes of furniture, i took front stage. we got ourselves a couple items to display our wares, and nursed our stomaches with some economical freshly-blanched frankfurters at the same time.

jeremy a.k.a popthemusicdrug

setting up stall is crazy tiring. we dragged, heaved, lifted, employed every possible permutation of moving the huge wad of clothes from one point to another in the least amount of time; we had to be present at the stall on time. it was sorry-ass tedious. our stall looked promising enough though. proof:

some of the brands we hawked: ice cream, anything, trainerspotter, etc.

more offerings from stussy and the hundreds.

i must say, even i was impressed with the entire setup.

guess who i am?

it's our dearest sherlyn!

the following day began promisingly enough: we sold our most expensive item, a pair of dsquared high-cut kicks. and with helpers duncan and felix to help us out (thanks guys!), we ended with quite a handsome sum of profit from the two-day sales. nevertheless, nothing beats the fun of selling our clothes whilst having a great time with friends.

after that was over, i made way to meet gabriel to collect some puma items (more sponsored gifts!) and free-doodled my version of a masterpiece that best represented what i thought of puma for their campaign. creativity, apparently, isn't my forte.

felix and duncan put their best foot forward

we've got some good-looking customers as well.

although not obvious, i drew a huge palm and plastered my hand over it.

did i mention creativity isn't in my blood?

new kicks from puma

happy with the purchase and all.

calling it a night with some drinks with duncan and gang.

the entry ups taiwan part. 2

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 10:30:00 +0000

plucky fashion sense sometimes maketh a macabre fiasco, as demonstrated by this spritely lady who ups the ante further in the following ensemble:

or check out legendary ximen denizen who stakes out in the locale jiggling to his own choreographed spasms. better known as the ximen san bao (literally translated as "ximen's three treasure troves"), this corpulent lad is one third of a famous trio in the locality's site.

it's already day four! i'm off to the suburbs of taipei, dan shui. the hangover from yesterday was terrible. i woke up with a croaking voice, hit the showers, and pigeon-toed in new adidas multi-neon high-kick pumps that was so ludicrously tight, i was limping half the time.

another singaporean friend, jarrell, joined our posse today for a late lunch, and it was late for the mere fact that traveling was a motherf***ing bitch. we were crammed in two korean-fabricated clunkers for almost a whole good two hours of the journey, and that's not counting the time for the voyage back. by the time lunch was over, nightfall had taken over. heartiest meal ever in taipei though.

jarrell cameos for the day.

getting lost and consulting his gps?

nah, just looking at the menu, and something else.

frank's texas bbq, a good two-hour journey drive away.

a hungry man is a puzzled man,

or not.

taiwanese cronies: luke and owen.

a little apparel procurement after a satiated meal.

this ramen could knock your socks off, even on a full stomach.

the broth is doused in garlic through and through. yummy-licious!

another day, another attire.

what's left of my turned-out pockets.. less than 500 NT$.

and the repercussions after knowing it... hapless!

day five started to prove to be an uphill battle against spending senselessly. i had reached into my pockets and shelled out less than five-hundred taiwan buckeroos. i experienced a mild panic attack, while random wild thoughts were coursing through my brains. i was cracking my head hard, thinking what i could have spent all my money on in the course of halfway through the holiday.

my day was beginning to look bleak, until i spotted an envelope, folded neatly in half by the bedside table. it was the same envelope that i kept all my remaining taiwan dollars, and upon fishing it out, there were a few thousand-dollar bills stashed inside. after some csi-esque probings, i gathered it was house-keeping who left it there, because it sure hell wasn't there when i last saw it. thank god for honesty.

moving on then, karaoke!

time for some out-of-tune warbling.

... and some booze, nevertheless.

okay, so we aren't exactly the three tenors.

the sixth day marked the penultimate day of our trip, and it has been a big tired blur of japan-inspired cosplay looks, designer clothes (the haberdasher on my jacket speaks dsquared, albeit on sale), and camwhoring, punctuated by the occasional morsel of divine shopping. tonight was also the last night before our big heave-ho back to singapore.

my taiwanese compadres, seeing it so, wanted to meet up for the last time and gave us a call at ten in the morning. i stumbled onto the phone and answered it; no one was there. paul emerged, disheveled, from the bathroom, a huge quantity of soapsuds lingering behind his ears still unwashed from his shower (it happened a couple times). he asked "who was it?" "it's luke, i guess he's asking us out." "ok, that's great. looking forward to it." he said, as he lumbered himself back into the bed. so much for enthusiasm.

i am tired. whatevz. want to see some japan-inspired cosplay looks, designer clothes and camwhoring? that's all i've got left.

beautiful backdrop on our hotel rooftop.

owen taking us to stake out at taipei's latest mall: q-square.

the last day always sucks. it reeks of luggage, both emotional and physical. luckily, i managed to accomplish some quality stuff, for example: downing my last bubble tea, salvaging more memories with some photo-snapping, and looking supremely scholarly and erudite in my getup, geeky glasses and all.

on another note, i never really got comfortable with the taiwanese currency. every time i made way for the cashier, i would be panic-stricken over what banknotes to hand over that i eventually thrust what would be of a magnitude much larger than the purchase. i may be a financial planner, but my arithmetic intellect inexplicably falls short and i end up scooping the change over the counter every time. by the end of the trip, my pockets would most surely be bulging with the taiwanese token of every denomination.

loving this picture, but not the low-end plastic bag i'm lugging.

back at taoyuan airport once again.

i bumped into another fellow singaporean friend, gavin, at the airport. having been bitten by the love bug whilst here, he was unenthusiastic about leaving taiwan. i felt sorry for the poor dude, accorded him the most peerless looks of commiseration, and bought him a cup of hot cocoa. however, said hot cocoa failed to mitigate the situation, and to appear in our photo. bad photog.

putting up a brave front for the camera, gavin, and i.

layover at klia airport brings us on a jungle boardwalk.

one last picture for the road.

adieu taipei.. till the next hols.

the entry ups taiwan part. 1

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:00:00 +0000

if you have been discombobulated, don't be. this is a new entry. it's not deja vu, but i am making yet another trip to taiwan. yes, i have been working a lot for the past four months that i needed a much deserved break to the land-that-is-almost-all-chinese. all that, whilst combating the most comedogenic and cystic breakout i've ever encountered. friends have looked at me, grimaced, and asked quizzically, "what happened to you?", to which my sole reaction would be to ply my face with more acne lotion.

on a personal note, i am real vain, and i packed a lot of vanity-esque shitez in my baggage. honestly, i'd feel stripped if i hadn't packed the following crammed into my fourteen-by-ten roncato four-wheelie rollers: seven undergarments and socklets, four hoodies and jeans, three jackets and shoes, two caps, accessories for accessorizing, and toiletries bag (multiply that by two).

a look-it at cookiedough's wardrobe

paul and i, off to the land of taiwan.

in transit at klia airport, and nothing better to do but camwhore.

finally arriving in taoyuan airport of taiwan.

paul gives a thumbs-up.

i make a conscious attempt to stay in a different hotel every time i am in taipei. this time, we were ploughed in a distant locale within ximen. the hotel, athena, was draped in mediterranean-styled architecture, and it had more space than the previous two hotel rooms i stayed in put together. the only grumble-worth dismay was the less than satisfying shower head, which was a mere trickle compared to back at home. fans of warm, full-throttled nuzzlers be forewarned.

happy for now.

sun sets as early as five in the evening in cloudy taiwan.

one of the famous bubble-tea chain stores, 50 lan,

and its sweet-0-meter for its beverages.

it's day two and a stroke of unbeknownst "fortune" hit me. i was meandering around ximen with pal paul in the afternoon when this nondescript, scruffy-looking passerby shoved a note surreptitiously into my hands as he walked past me. i gingerly peeled it open, thinking it might have been a crumpled up cheque or the winning entry to a lucky draw toto, only to discover this:

a note that consists of creepy stalker's name and mobile number.

a visit to the local temple for luck in work.

and yes, i did pray.

more bubble-tea.

just a sampling of what we ate on the second day.

counting down for the new year is always fun in a foreign country, especially in mandopop, mandarin taiwan. it resembles the big apple in new york no less, except instead of redheads, blondes, and the likes of every racial gamut found in the east coast of u.s. of a, the entire locale at taipei 101 would be drowned in a phalanx of black haired folks, receding hairline and all. of course, the countdown would be in the line of the customary mandarin "shi, jiu, ba, qi, liu ... ". i could somehow envision some of the occasional caucasian revelers at taipei 101 exchanging puzzled looks, wondering which number they were counting down at, till the climatic "xin nian kuai le!", which would be a cue for them to hop up and down in a deranged manner and shout all sorts of crazy to usher the new year's arrival.

eric joining us on the second day.

such patriotism: me and my company prudential, even in taiwan!

the party don't stop.

my taiwanese friends crammed in my hovel for booze and games.

day three, and i suffered from a slight sluggish hangover. nevertheless, my cronies and i trooped down with our taiwanese friends down to shi da night market, famed for book-geek students and their foreign counterparts. the more famous food stalls had long queues, and the even more famous ones sported screens flashing queue numbers.

and the list of food we ate goes on and on.

crispy crepes wedged with banana slices and chocolate sauce.

and then, it was adjourned to more drinking. have i lately mentioned the phenomenon alcoholic as my game? the sheer number of top-quality booze being guzzled by my gang and i. if i had a nickel for every bottle i downed. the stretch of watering holes along hong lou maketh my haven.

expired pine tree sits atop the mudan.

the entry about a year-end getaway

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:57:00 +0000

i'm whiling away at a foreign airport, listening to the intermittent public announcement that commences with "tuan tuan dan puan puan" and other incoherent bahasa melayu-esque bulletin. the morning airport is littered with the occasional traveller who is either a) beleaguered with huge loads of carrying luggage b) burdened with children in tow.

two hour hours in transit till my destination holiday. hands outstretched, yawn beckons.. so thus, i've hogging on the public terminal so long a snaking queue is forming behind me. i swear someone's sticking their middle finger at me. can't wait till my fiesta of a holiday begins.

peace out!

the entry about christmas presents and such

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:21:00 +0000

it's christmas eve and i can hardly contain my excitement about the hols. i was never a sucker for festivities. in plain dumb english vernacular, it's depressingly boring. however, i fathom that this year might be a tad different. what with me turning three-tenths of a century, i might have a disparate perspective about caroling around pine trees lit with gazillion bulbous lights.

there are always hordes of people thronging the city streets clamoring for a little bit of the feverish christmas-season-gift-buying bug, and i had to bludgeon my way through get a crowd deep to get my own fair share of presents for my cronies. these are the list of gifts i got in reciprocation (and in no order of price-worth):

a clam card-holder from paul that doubles up as a marquee standee

avant garde spoon kartell rollers from eric

a puma-inspired printed pumps from gabe

stussy bomber from kevin

thoughtful thrift gifts from my family.

every shrewd christmas shopper knows that buying of gifts doesn't stop at just for friends, or for family, so logically, i schlepped around a little longer and after much consideration and tenacious conviction, i got myself a real nice present that is da bomb, practically.

pimp my new ride.

a mercedes benz c180, finally!

a juxtaposition of my old car and my new one.

and in all truisms of truths, the saying you'll never know what you're missing out on till you've really lost it couldn't be farther from the, well, truth. i'm missing my old car already. so, in remembrance of it, here's a look-it before it's sent away to the scrappers. thanks for all the good-old fond memories, old car.

once mine, the volkswagen golf 1.6 fsi

adieu, old car...

the entry puma rocks k.l.

noreply@blogger.com (iruffcookiedough) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:46:00 +0000

i've been moping around doing anything other than work too much it's disgusting. being on the ball during office hours is one thing, but practically thwarting my gym sessions and thus, throwing caution to the wind about my nonetheless expanding waistline, and virtually flat-lining my blogging activities is quite another. gone are the party-boy days; behold, herald the incoming workaholic.

so, anyways, i've decided to take some time off my 24/7 business-as-usual dogma of a spiel, and spend some quality me-time with the puma folks in upstart fashion city, kuala lumpur. if you know your sports apparel well, you'd be in the loop about puma's crazy-ass of a world campaign called "create your own style". what it entails is essentially this: randomly grabbing folks off the streets and getting them to pen their ingenious creativity about puma onto a white board and pose a picture with it.

this way to budget-ville

prepping up for a fiery year of the tiger 2010.

suffice to say, i was put up at the millennium grand hotel, albeit being hoisted via the third-class-meets-cargo-friendly airline. it was an atrociously short shuttle between the two cities (singapore and kuala lumpur), but the journey from the airport to town was so unbearably long it lulled me into a deep slumber.

by the time i arrived, it was a little past midnight, and no sooner i had checked in, i slipped on my eyeshades and knocked myself out. so much for day one of sabbatical.

the next morning, it was meeting with some of the regional celebs who would be gracing the event the following evening. first on the list: the doyenne of asia models aka leon lai's wife, gayle lai. a phalanx of people, otherwise known as the entourage, or unceremoniously known as nannies, surrounded her whenever she went. well, or at least for the first fifteen minutes.

then, there was the up-and-rising taiwanese star eddie peng. you might think he's your typical poster-calibre, mega-watt grin, sunshine boy-next-door, but he's so much more than that. it was an awesome time hanging out with him, we drank some awesome beer (well, i drank), and soaked up in each others' awesomeness. here's pictures:

third from left: doe-eyed gayle

me with puma marketing manager gabriel

good things come in small packages, nicole

last look at meself before my locks get chopped off by the banger of a prepubescent stylist

me and the ever efferverscent eddie

day three was pretty unfortunate for me. with half my follicles snipped off (no thanks to the stylist at spa@esprit; seems like a trim and a cut was just a fine line she couldn't distinguish), i was too busy speed-running through the day's itinerary to get a more representative example of the event per se. anyway, this is how i spent my day. in eyelet 'n' denim pieces, muted grey dukes, preppy yellow-meets-blue tie. blogging, photog-ing, posin' a grin. dignified-like. expect little photos of me showing bald-pate-esque hair.

get that guy out of the concrete already.

the one and only picture i took of myself during the event. i hate my hair!

supper with pal sk low before calling it a night.