Gary @ Malaysia VS Gary @ Singapore

Comparison between Gary Chaw's concert in Malaysia and Singapore

Gary in Malaysia. This is Putra Indoor Stadium, looks larger than Singapore's, but gives a tacky and cheap impression. Look at those plastic chairs!! Imagine paying RM300 to sit on those!! Photo courtesy of assitant blogger / roving photographer Crispy.

Gary in Singapore. This is Singapore Indoor Stadium, honestly Singapore doesn't have many choices of concert venues, unlike Malaysia which sometimes hosts big-scale outdoor concerts. Of course, the stadium looks newer (although it is actually older than Putra indoor Stadium) and the seats are more presentable.

QQ's trick

Instruction : QQ! Sit! Shake Hand!

Look at those eyes deep in concentration... and the love in those big brown eyes. Never seen such an obedient stare from a mutt before. QQ sure is such a good boy, he can't keep his eyes off those he loves!


Cheh! It was those treats he was lookin' at..... Yummy... the drive of his life comes from foods in all forms and shapes.

And after the trick is performed, and empty hands shown to him, he'll walk away.

King of Songs

Another concert! This time it's Gary Chaw's Welcome To My World concert. I've been waiting for him to start his concert tour ever since i laid hands on his very first album and thought to myself, "wow, this fella can really croon!"



As with most of other concerts, it was held in the Singapore Indoor stadium. I'm always early for my concert appointments eventhough concerts NEVER start on time , unlike musicals.

Look how happy i was, cos i got a great seat! Right a smack in the middle of the stadium! This time i decided to go for cheaper tickets, but turned out to be a blessing in disguise cos the view was not obstructed and i got a very whole look of the whole stage, along with all the screens. Previously when i sat at the sides, i couldn't see the lyric boards.

Concert has started! A little disappointed with the stage design and props, which were way inferior compared to Jolin and Show's concerts ( they must have had really big budgets). Gary sang a string of his cheeky songs, but in these faster songs, his powerful voice was drowned out by the loud live band, what a pity.

My favourite part of the concert was when Gary appeared with a change of costume, sitting on a throne a'la Phantom of the Opera singing 无辜. It was too dark at that time, with just a light shining on him and lots of dried ice, so i couldn't get a proper photo. However, i'm glad these 2 photos turned out well. After getting off his throne, some entwined twigs were lowered down and these twigs changed colours as he belted out 单数 and 背叛.

After a series of ballads by his own piano accompaniment, followed by a guest spot by Jet Yi, Gary reappeared in Bruce Lee's get up to sing 'Superman'. I like how this concert was a little like a mini musical where there were storylines acted out according to the song he was singing.

In Superman, Gary saved his damsel in distress and a dog appeared in the lower stage ( Top pic, don't ask me why the dog appeared, i don't know) and the next two songs were performed with this princess of his. First song was their courtship and the 2nd song was their marriage (bottom pic)

Later, a real-life princess Genie Zhuo appeared. Oh just to side-track, she's the main lead in the idol drama i'm watching right now heh heh. I wish she hadn't appeared cos during her solo stint, she almost killed everyone with her shrill voice.

Another notable performance was when Gary sang some of his favourite oldies, including Moon River, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and My Way. He has always said that even though he is famous for his high-pitch voice, it has always been his middle-range ( tenor) which he is most proud of and he showed it off to great effect in the oldies.

A fun part. The audience bouncing several rubber balls, one landed on my head. I didn't see the balls coming, so i thought i was attacked by terrorists or something. Gary took out his camcorder during his performance of 'Super Sunshine' and threatened everyone to sing along or he'll 'focus the camera on your face for everyone to see!'. Look at the two unfortunate people he zoomed on. Aska Yang also attended the concert and when he focused his camera on him, the whole stadium erupted with cheers...blah...

Awww... soon it was encore already. Gary was wearing his GFC shirt, he claimed that Singapore was the first country in the world to start a fan club for him. Before this, i thought Gary was a really reserved person but after this concert and looking at how cheeky he was, hmmm..i changed my mind. He spoke really good English throughout... i guess he thinks that most Singaporeans are english-speaking. He ended the concert with 世界唯一的你... and what a fitting end, for without doubt it is one of his best songs, to date.

Full of Felines

The entrance to...? This is my first time attending a cat show. I've been to several dog shows and i enjoyed myself immensely looking at all the friendly dogs. Unlike the dog shows which are routinely organised at the huge EXPO, the cat shows are always in a modest-sized hotel ballrooms.

The judging of the cats. I witnessed a few results announcement where they brought out the cats and told us what were the cats specialties and why they won. One very grouchy cat hissed throughout the judging and tried to land his claw on the judge, and he escaped, cowering under the tables until his owner went to pick him up.

Another judge, this time a Japanese. I didn't stay long at her judging table because i couldn't understand her Japanese accent haha. I love this cat, though. i love cats with big faces...

The proud owners adorned their cages with all sorts of OTT decorations and pictures. Others who have won displayed their winners' ribbon on the cages.

One very comfortable cat resting in his cage. His thoughtful owner provided him with a very comfy-looking cage that came along with some soft blankets and a mouse chew toy.

Nick Heidfeld Hits F1 Medical Car

I have only one thing to say : Thank goodness the doctor did not walk out of the medical car sooner.

Conquering the Southern Ridges

Last Sunday, i was proud to say i conquered the Southern Ridges, a series of park connectors in the rolling hills in Southern Singapore. I was up 6.30 am on a NON-WORKING day (haha!) just to be there early to beat the intense July heat.

Here i am, atop Mount Faber. The first 10 minutes of the walk was spent walking up hundreds of steps up Marang Trail. I thought i was going to die, and i got sort of discouraged by my lack of finesse, but later i realised only that part of the long walk was punishing. The rest was a breeze, heck i feel even more tired after a day of work. Can you spot the cable cars and Sentosa Island ? What a panoramic view from 70 metres above ground level..

I walked around Mount Faber trail looking at the park and the plants there before carrying on to the 2nd phase of the trek. Nice backside there!


Here i am at the Henderson Wave. Well, according to the National Park website, it is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. Just below the bridge is Henderson Road. Looking down at the cars zooming by is downright scary for those afraid of heights. Also, there are gaps on the wood used for the flooring. Not for the faint-hearted but still a majestic architecture to be enjoyed by all.

Just a small distance away is the Forest Walk, the best part of my exploration that day. It is a long series of raised walkway above secondary forests in Telok Blangah. Although it was a hot day, being in the forest made the weather seemed cooler than it really was. Notice the different elevations of the walkway. It offered a great bird-eye view of the flats around Telok Blangah and the forested areas.

That minuscule figure far away is Kenny, enjoying the sprawling forest view right ahead of him. A great photo to just see for yourself how high it is from ground level.

This is Alexandra Arch, right at the end of the Forest Walk. When i was there, there was a huge group of tourists from a tour snapping photographs and gawking at the bridge. I was puzzled to see this place buzzing with tourists, because i don't think it is a tourist draw at all! Oh well, whatever rock their boats....

Alexandra Arch from another angle, taken from the Floral Walk leading up to Hort Park. A nice rest area that comes equipped with vending machines, food and microwave for joggers' convenience.

Hort Park, 'Hort' i think short for 'Horticulture'. This big stop is a place for everyone. There is a nice and modern garden with playgrounds and a fantastic greenhouse. This place is like an gardening hub to educate the people how to decorate their living places with plants. There is even a model house here which people can go in to see how plants are incorporated into living spaces, even toilets!

The final leg of the walk comprises of the Canopy Walk, also of dizzying heights. One thing i did not enjoy about this part is the swarm of mosquitoes that planted kisses on various parts of my body. Apart from that, everything was nice and dandy.

Great views from the Canopy Walk.

The Canopy Walk ended at Kent Ridge Park (near NUS), with a museum, Reflections at Bukit Chandu. After that, i walked down to Pasir Panjang Road and headed home. In all, i completed the 9 km walk in just under 2 hours. Pretty impressive, considering the amount of time i spent taking photographs, and stopping for a break at Hort Park.

The Neighbourhood

I grew up in the same street virtually all my life. However, during my years there, the road expanded from a mere 500 metres to now, it is linked to the next street. From 8 houses to now about 40 houses, one getting bigger with the next.

Here's a photo taken at the midway of the street. Most of the neighbours have several cars, that's why most of it has to be parked outside the houses. Hey look! A self-made hump on the road, a norm on Malaysian residence roads.

Ahh...obviously a Chinese neighbour... with those red lunar new year lanterns. Those fences are so 80's don't you think? It gives a sense of privacy to the house owner and yet still able to peep outside to observe the going-ons on the other side of the fence.

A Malay neighbour who wears his patriotic heart on his sleeve haha....Ohh.. look! He still has his raya lights hanging around. Now, there's a number to buy 4D with...

And another neighbour who has achieved enlightenment, judging from the flourishing Bodhi tree outside her house. But before achieving Nirvana, she probably should coat her house with new paint first =P

Get Smart : Cone of Silence

One of the scenes from a TV series from my childhood, Get Smart. Maxwell (Agent 86) always uses out-of-this world gadgets. In this scene, he uses his Cone of Silence, which is also featured in the movie Get Smart ( in cinemas now ). But the Cone of Silence in the movie is much slicker. One comment from me after watching the movie, "After so many years, Maxwell hasn't gotten smarter. No wonder they still call the movie Get Smart"

Yong An in Malaysia

Do you guys recall my expanding business which ran from Singapore to Japan all the way to Hong Kong. Besides jewellery, insurance, shopping center and a saloon, this time i'm doing my business at my own backyard in Malaysia, and in more down-to-earth industries.

Ahhh... the lucrative transport/travel industry. On a second thought, it may not be that lucrative anymore, since diesel's price has ballooned more than normal petrol price. Still, i've got a Benz... haha...

And i am a rubber dealer here! hmmm... This might not be the right business to go in. I should've gone into the palm oil business, since biodiesel is the way to go. Anybody know of any palm oil estate for sale? Then i should be trading away my rubber estate...Ahh... (Photo courtesy of shutterbutter.com/blog/)

F1 Biggest Pit Stop / Pit Lane Jokes

Kung Fu Frosty : The Secret to the Cat Stance

The hilarious movie Kung Fu Panda has given me an inspiration to make something similar out of my pet cat, the also black and white Frosty. He's as fat as Po the panda, and loves food to the point of obssession. Little known to others, he also has a hidden talent in Kung Fu. Here are some shots i've taken in private :

The super-eye stance. The eyes glow to a scary greenish colour and works like a laser to harm any predators in sight.

The heavy-weight champion. I suffocate enemies by putting my weight on them. Most cry for mercy within 3 seconds...muahahaha....

Practising my feline-knockout-punch on the horizontal bars. Haiyaaa...kapow!

This is a negative demonstration, a posed picture to educate you on what not to do. The biggest no-no in Kung Fu is to NEVER reveal your belly to your enemies. If they do pounce on you, you do not have ample time to react.

I may look like i'm sleeping, but the truth is i am training my flexibility. Flexibility is one of the most vital things about Kung Fu. Humans are useless, most of them cannot even perform this simple trick, touching their noses with their feet. Look, i can even do this in my sleep.

And finally, if all fails, curl yourself into a tiny ball. Cover your eyes and pray the hardest that your enemy is not able to spot you.

Which One Lasts Forever?

Hiya folks! Look closely at the photograph above. Three rings... three that comes with a different price tag... one is an authentic diamond ring, one is a substituted diamond ring ( made with another precious stone) and lastly, one is a stone ring bought for less than $10 from a stall in a shopping center. Taken from my sisters' collection, for answers if you're curious which is which please approach me =)

For the past few days, there was a frenzy of complaints coming from my friends, colleagues and family members about the hike in price for Malaysia petrol. With the price now standing at RM2.70/litre, it looks worrying what this increase will do to the price of other essential goods. A Domino Effect is expected, i guess it's time to tighten our belts.

Recently i've been tuning in to 2 drama which revolve around food. First, i started on 'Wasabi Mon Amour', a TVB drama about a woman wanting to make it big in showbiz, and having to cheat her way by lying about her cooking prowess. TVB presented this drama partially as a cooking show, with every instruction and food processing explained articulately. I particularly love the sight of all the Japanese food featured.

The second one is a Taiwanese idol drama called 'Rolling Love'. The story is about a fine dining chef who is competing for a blind girl's affection with a fried rice stall owner. Every time i watch this drama, i would be craving for a plate of egg fried rice, cos in the drama, the hawker can only make 100 plates per day as he roasts his rice with charcoal every morning. Blaaahhhhhhhh..... i want egg fried rice!!!

Akakakaka...i'm dying for a break. Haven't been on leave for some time, and my annual leave is piling up! Help!!

Sheau Ching's Birthday Picnic

Our group hasn't had an outdoor outing for about 7 months, until last month when Sheau Ching requested that we celebrate his birthday outdoors. And here's the gang ( minus Jeremy and Melissa who joined us later) walking into Bukit Batok Nature Reserve ( yes, Crispy...the one you read about on the SPI website)

And we finally reached the end of the park... so we split up..some of us walking to exercise our legs, some brought Daisy (the dog) for a drink, some were chatting and some ( like Anne and Ann here) posed for photos.


After Jeremy and Melissa found their way there, we had our food which we all brought from either home or bought. Here's Sheau Ching's birthday cake!

Hey, we didn't forget to feed Daisy her share as well. More birthday cake? Look at Yee Kuan spoon-feeding her.

Happy birthday Sheau Ching!