While others usher in the new year by downing a drink or two, yours truly is seriously in danger of doing a merlion at the stroke of midnight. For the second year row, the last day of the year was spent pigging out at Kuishinbo (that restaurant with the Jocie Guo Mei Mei-sque irritating "bom bom bom" jingle) crippling and devouring the flesh of Alaskan crabs and basically stuffing myself silly with food. So if you smell something reminiscent of puke, congratulations, you are on the cusp of a new technology. One of transmitting smell over the internet.

Better make this post a snappy one before I really puke on my keyboard. At the start of the year, I was about a month into my first ever job. After going through the initial learning and acclimatisation phase, work became pretty blah. Thank goodness for the wonderful colleagues, past and present (and hopefully future too, chio bus please come join my department!!), for making it a fun place to work in. However with the desire to continue in this current role waning by the day, let's hope the new year would bring along a brand new job opportunity.

Oh wait, the urge to puke is gone. Thumbs up for the overworked digestive system!

2007 was also a pretty good year in terms of personal health. 2006 provided a few health scares but besides the few times earlier in the year when I almost blew my lungs out from my nostril and also the torrid LS Monday, there was a much welcomed absence of any major ailments. No hemorrhage from ruptured piles, no third nipple, nothing of that sorts. YAY to good health!

This one is for those who have expressed genuine concerns for my love life. 2007, as with previous years, had been a barren year. Not that I haven't been trying, just that square pegs will never fit into round holes. Love to me, is something best left to fate. No point going around looking for companionship just to fill that void in your life and end up both parties. Just my personal thoughts. For those who have been asking whether have I been hiding in the closet all these years, don't worry, I won't be going around seducing your boyfriends and husbands. At least not yet! Lastly, thanks to those who are always trying to match make me or recommend some nice gals to me. I'm not such a good person as you all perceive me to be, so unless you want to wreck the lives of your gal buddies, it's advisable to steer them away from me lah!

Shit...this is taking more time than I wanted to. Better chop chop finish this and nap.

Year 2007 did not see me becoming a milli-millionaire as I originally hoped for. A huge chunk of my pay went towards paying for my CFA examinations and buying earning my class 3 driving license. Despite a heartfelt plea to the God of Fortune, I wasn't one of the lucky winner in the Chinese Toto draw. This year I resolved not to work harder and earn more money, but brush up my Mandarin so as to write a Chinese letter appealing to God of Fortune to hand me some of the bountiful windfall.

This is fast becoming the longest blog entry ever...

Here's my favourite part of the new year, coming up with an "annual report" for the previous year. First off, lets review the resolutions made for the previous year!

Resolutions 2k7

Exercise more

It is amazing that I managed to stick to my (sometimes bi/tri) weekly gym regime, even at times my old creaky knees are protesting against it. But I guess it's a case of mind over body since this is like the only (healthy) way to shed the kilos.

Project 90 in 365

When I hit 94kg sometime in July, it seemed that the lofty aim of reaching 90kg wasn't such a far-fetched delusional thought as initially perceived to be. However the weight loss plateaued after that and an additional 3kg crept back into my frame after the gastronomically pleasing trip to KL. Subsequent binging at Swensens (thanks Ooof!), dim sums at East Ocean and the above mentioned Kuishinbo meal signaled the cracks in my determination in breaching the big 9-0. Now I'm where I was back in July. Who is willing to bet that the 7 kilos can be shed in Y2K7?

Learn Driving

27/11/07. Haha.

Learn to cook

Seriously, I can't remember lighting up the stove in 2007.

Find the courage to shave my hair for Hair for Hope 2007

Sorry, I chickened out on this. Not that I have much affinity for my hair. Just that a huge part of impressing at work is through your image. I'm not sure an Orge-like figure would impress others. I thought of compensating by shaving my armpits, but Tang Wei make bushy pitts fashionable again. Too bad.

Be actively involve in community service again

Had a fun and fulfilling time volunteering at the Read-with-Me program. Hur hur, Mr. Stammering Incoherent Mumbler teaching kiddos reading. What irony. However with CFA Level 2 on the horizon, I wonder if I still have the time to actively participate in volunteer work in this coming year..

Be a regular blood donor and hopefully an apheresis donor

I felt real bad for not donating even once this year. The first time I was turned away due to a niggling sore throat. I forgot that the Blood Centre doesn't operate on public holiday when I dropped by during Hari Raya.

Rekindle my interest in photography

Nuff' said.

Reinvent myself

Do remind me to show you the state of the art 34631654 in 1 utility gadget that I have stored in my belly button. You can do things ranging from listening to mp3s, surfing channels, trimming your nostril hairs to even spellchecking with this mini-extension of my belly button. Quality stuff!


Movies that I enjoyed 2K7

The Simpsons Movie

Doh! Simpsons. Big screen. Mmmm..nice...

Ratatouille

After this and the Simpsons, I will break the neck of the next person who proclaims animated features are for kiddos.

The Lives of Others

The poignant ending alone is worth the ticket price.

Half Nelson

The role of a disillusioned teacher who find solaces in drugs is terrificly fleshed out by Ryan Gosling.

The Last Kind of Scotland

Forest Whitaker won an Oscar with his interpretation of the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, who alternates between endearing to psychotic. Personally would have preferred Ryan Gosling to clinch the award.

Fracture

Oooh, I just love how Anthony Hopkins engaged in a battle of wits with young legal attorney Ryan Gosling in one of the more enjoyable suspense thriller of the year.

Grindhouse

Campy acting, checked. Lousy dialogs , checked. Exploitation of skimpily dressed chicks, checked. Helluva fun, checked.

Hot Fuzz

Heh heh heh. One of the funniest movie this year. Definitely put a new twist to the copper and partner genre.

Lust, Caution (the uncensored version)

You saw this coming, didn't you. Yes, the movie is dominated with talks about the sex scenes. But by putting those scenes in context with the whole story, it is an intense story of love and betrayal between Tang Wei and Tony Leung.


Albums that I enjoyed 2K7

张震岳 - OK

一致以来就很欣赏阿岳的歌曲。这张专辑少了些态度，但也增添了许多柔情。

推荐曲

路口
ＯＫ
思念是一种病

陈绮贞－花的姿态演唱会经典实录

还记得在演唱会前的几个星期几乎每天都听着这张ＣＤ来酝酿看　ｃｏｎｃｅｒｔ　的　ｍｏｏｄ。听她现场，跟录音室没差别。她的音质就是那么的好。

推荐曲

全部！好啦，就推荐以下两首

灵感
旅行的意义

陈奕讯－Listen to Eason Chan

听陈奕讯，还是听唱粤语歌的他比较动听。要听到真正的Eason,就必须听他诠释动感的快歌。这张收录了许多然你随着音乐而舞动的快歌，会然你从头High到最后第二首歌。因为专辑最后收录了一首和整体概念非常不match的电影主题曲《兄弟》。

推荐曲

演唱会
乜嘢啫
Crying in the party

蔡健雅－Goodbye and Hello

买这张专辑时并没抱着太大的期望，但期望越小时，surprises也毕竟更多。非常喜欢第一首的《达尔文》所描述人如何经过每段感情而成长。我想Tanya也是这样的吧。刚结束了一段感情和换唱片公司的他，这张专辑也交出非常好的成绩。

推荐曲

达尔文
空白格
当你离开的时候

曹格-Superman

个人觉得曹格和Eason的音乐路线非常相像。两位都拥有吧辣脍炙人口的Ｋ歌，但演唱起快歌时也非常动感，非常的Ｈｉｇｈ。就拿这张专辑Superman来说吧，里面所收入的《天使嫉妒的生活》和被杨综伟与萧敬腾拿来PK的《背叛》，不懂在ＫＴＶ里被点播了数万次而快歌如《三－七－二十一》也诠释的非常有Ｆｅｅｌ，非常的Ｈｉｇｈ！

推荐曲

背叛
天使嫉妒的生活
三－七－二十一

苏打绿－无与伦比的美丽

往往听到独立音乐这四个字时，普罗大众们总会掀不起怎么兴趣来。个人觉得听众们被那些电台所播放的较容易接受的主流音乐给宠坏了吧。独立并非属于inferior quality。翻着来说，主流也并非一定是好音乐。因害怕加入了大公司后会compromise了他们对音乐所拥有概念，热诚和执着，他们以独立音乐人的生份发专辑。一向很有ideas的他们在这张碟里的整个concept做的非常好。从第一首歌到最后一首的音乐都是linked起来的，非常有画面感。特别需要提到《白日出没的月球》，整首歌的曲很有层次感，很多不一样的编曲，不仅然我连想到Queen的Bohemian Rhapsody。苏打绿并非只有一首《小情歌》而已，恳请大家走出你的safety zone而尝试听一听他们的其他用心所创作，演绎的歌曲吧！