THE GOLDEN PATH ( 黄 金 路 )

5Portrait of home (from left): Kaijie (Tay Ping Hui), Kaida (Chew Chor Meng), Xiaogu (Chen Liping), Kaiqi (Joanne Peh), Jinfeng (Joey Feng) and Jinlong (Li Nanxing).

MediaCorp Channel 8's blockbuster serial THE GOLDEN PATH, produced in conjunction with and celebration of the station's 25th anniversary, is now midway into its run. Things are getting really exciting and staunch viewers can definitely expect more dramatic developments from this primetime 30-parter in weeks ahead!

Turbulence

A powerful jet of oxygen-ated air is enough to throw these goldfish into a state of disarray. Can you believe this was photo-graphed outside a ten-cent public toilet and not an aquarium ?

Wet Cat on a Rainy Day

Why are cats so afraid of getting wet? Aren't they supposed to be such 'fearless' creatures who are not easily frightened by dogs, humans or even ghosts? Methinks it has to do with vanity more than anything else. After all, a drenched and dishevelled coat of fur is worse than death - considering they have nine lives to spare.

Plesiosaur?

This giant, decomposing carcass was fished out of the New Zealand waters by the Japanese trawler Zuiyo Maru on April 25, 1977. While Japanese scientists were convinced it belonged to a prehistoric plesiosaur (hurrah!), analysis later indicated it was most likely the remains of a basking shark. KNN.

Just 粥

(Above left): There's a pretty high probability that Tiong Poh Road's Ah Chiang could be referring to 'rice congee'.

(Above right): Another nondescript 'porridge' stall subsisting somewhere in old Tiong Bahru.

The Replacement Heater

I hate it when electrical appliances malfunction. About a week or so ago, our shower heater went koyak and we experienced the life of a Siberian eskimo. Imagine waking up in the morning and being doused with 5-degree-Celsius water. That'll knock the cobwebs out of anyone, for certain. Anyway, we had the implement replaced and I can tell you this - Aerogaz is not one of my more trusted brands. Ha! But never mind. At least, for now, we get to enjoy 'therapeutic' warm-water baths.

Sharapova in Singapore

Former Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion and current world number 5 Maria Shara-pova will be gracing the Singapore Indoor Stadium tomorrow evening at 8.00 p.m. for a special best-of-3-sets exhibition tennis match against compatriot and world number 6 Anna Chakvetadze. Tickets, available from SISTIC, are priced at S$80, S$180 and S$280.

Wax On, Hair Off!

The Ministry of Waxing advocates disrobement and nudism. Bobby-soxers yearning for baby smooth skin over the entire body better take heed. (Parental guidance strongly advised.)

Sooo Tired!!

He's fallen into a deep, deep sleep. He's the 12th most tired passenger in the 20-year history of SMRT's East-West Line. He's now dreaming that he's a sperm whale swimming in the ocean and shooting water through his blowhole.

What Time Is It?

Tiger: My dear son, do you know what time it is?
Cub: I dunno, dad. Time for you to do some hunting and not let mom do all the work? I mean, all you do is act tough in front of a coconut tree. How about doing something constructive for a change?

Tiger: Er, no. Guess again.

Cub: I'm tired of playing your stupid guessing games, dad. Sorry, but I really am.

Tiger: It's TIGER TIME!
Cub: Whatever. Just leave me alone.

Istana's Unidentifiable

i'm out of wits here...shall we just christen it 'horny cluster' and move on with our lives?

Look What the Wind Blew In

A piece of joss paper (AKA kim chua). Out of nowhere. Onto my balcony floor. Haiyah, how I wish it was banknotes, instead - but not the incinerable ones, okay! "I'm dreaming of a wild windfall..."

MARTHA

Forgive my feministic tendencies, but I do tune in to MARTHA once in a while (when time and schedule permit). It's a nice little program centering on modern living and contains several segments related to cooking, gardening, arts and crafts, and interior design. Watch it, fokes! :-D

Ties That Bind?

Went for a movie with Scaredy Cat on the Eve of Boxing Day. Afterward, it was 'photopography' along Bras Basah Road. (Shout-out to Saff: Thanks for the ties!)

C L O V E R F I E L D

1 - 1 8 - 0 8

The Blazing Trail

After blazing trails and setting world records in international terrains, cross-continent automoblist Lionel Leadfoot learns that parking without a valid coupon in Singapore warrants a summon.

Mistletoe

fancy stealin' a smacker under this parasitic plant? arriere-pensee?

Clarke Quay

With fetes (namely Christmas, New Year and then Chinese New Year) lining up like freight trains, Clarke Quay will, no doubt, be a popular drinking and gathering place for locals and foreigners alike. What perplexes me is, are there so many Japanese frequenters that we have to translate guideposts for them?

MELLY CLISSMAS

"Ho ho ho... Who wants to ride on my sleigh? Starting fare $2.80. Holiday surcharge $1.00. Heh heh heh... Next stop: Switzerland, where more homes are waiting to be burglarized. Hiak hiak hiak..."

Pre-Kristmas Partee

Here's a classic case of too much food and too few mouths. When Janeck the Maneck placed a $201.10 delivery order from Sarpino's Pizzeria, we were expecting to cater for some 25-30 pax (including our 'long-lost' South Bridge Road coworkers). To our stupefaction, however, only half that number turned up. Downer.

5This was one of six pizzas that yours sickly passed on. (Truth be told, I've reached a saturation point with them.)

5Sides like oven-baked wings and garlic bread sticks couldn't perk me up, either. Salad, anyone?

可 爱 的 鸭 子

她 属 于 青 春 無 敵 的 [黑 涩 会 美 眉]...

同 时 她 也 属 于 魅 力 四 射 的 [星 光 幫]

Get Potty!

In the Marco Polo spirit of exploring new sapidities (I know this analogy takes a stretch), I tried claypot chicken noodles today for $4.00. It must be a psychological thing, I surmise, since food served in a claypot - or on a hot plate, for that matter - tastes better somehow. It was sort of embarrassing to tilt the pot and scoop out the 'residual broth' toward the end, but to hell with rigid table manners!

L-O-V-E

HEY YOU, IT'S YULE! TIME TO PUT AWAY THOSE SAD FACES AND SPREAD THE HOLIDAY CHEER! THE WORLD IS FILLED WITH WAR, DISEASE, POVERTY AND OVER-PRICED PUBLIC TRANSPORT. PERHAPS A LITTLE LOVE CAN HELP MAKE THINGS BETTER?

Madaline Returns

Da Mei appears to be shades fairer these days - or is that Olay's whitening cream working its magic? (Psst...she's single again!)

x No Fishing x

If you ask me, it should be 'No Fishing'. Period. Not on the bridge. Not under the bridge. Not in the canal itself. (See GWOEMUL, which serves as a compelling cautionary tale.) Fishing, in actuality, should be banished as a pastime altogether. Someone needs to contact Greenpeace or revise our Fisheries Act - pronto!

The Prophecy

According to Father Loomis, the congregation of these dark clouds foretells the coming of the next Antichrist. Only problem is, Father Loomis has had one drop too many... Blasphemy!

'The Specter' (Debunked)

As much as paranormal partisans would like to believe that the figure lurking behind the drapes in the background during a scene in THREE MEN AND A BABY is an 'apparition' belonging a boy who killed himself with a shotgun years ago, this urban legend was subsequently debunked and said to be nothing more than a cut-out cardboard of actor Ted Danson (pictured above) wearing a tuxedo. What do you think?

Tannenbaum

x-tra tall x'mas tree (& willy wonka's cane) greeting season shoppers outside plasha shingapura

Cupcakes

Here's an open challenge to all the sweet-tooth peeps out there: finish these four (overly) sugary green cupcakes under one minute and you get to gorge the other five red ones for FREE! (Don't worry, we have EMT staff standing by with insulin shots.)

Animal Fodder

Which do you dickens prefer to have for breakfast - Eucalyptus-flavored Koala Crisps (that dramatically improve your grip for rock climbing) or bamboo-flavored Panda Puffs (that guarantee to give you, er, puffy eyes)?

Bushwhackers

The Battering Ram employed the the wacky Bushwhackers from New Zealand has got to be THE stupidest move - let alone winning manoeuvre - ever in the history of professional wrestling. I get a good laugh every time I see it. I know the fans find them endearing, but I think this tag team is a joke. Did you know that one of them, Luke, actually holds the Royal Rumble record for shortest time (4 seconds!) spent in the ring? 'Nuff said.

One Small Umbrella

C'mon everybody, let's sing together the evergreen Hokkien song <一 支 小 雨 伞> while this Romeo shows us how romantic chivalry can be.

Birdwatch 2

It's Hari Raya Haji today and, still, Mandy won't give them poor flying feathers a break. As reported previously, our numero tres gato ('number three cat' in Espanol) loves/lives to hate crows ('cos they're the same color as she??), mynas, pigeons, sparrows, kites, you-name-it. I know she'd die to have her sharpened talons on/in those volant victims - in her dreams!

Entry 1500 - Short Walk to Twilight

Yes, Madden, only 50 yards more before I score the final touchdown of the day. This out-of-form quarterback is now thoroughly spent and could certainly use a scalp-to-toe sports massage set to the husky voice of A-Do.

Seven Princesses / 七 公 主

Twenty years ago, when it was SBC (Singapore Broadcasting Corporation), or ten years ago, when it was TCS (Television Corporation of Singapore), a prodigious and high profile stable like the Seven Princesses would be unfathomable.

For starters, there weren't enough A-listers to go around; all we had were a couple of 'Queens' who ruled Caldecott Hill and that was it. Moreover, TV-philes wouldn't buy such a gimmick given its conceit and contrivance.

Today, where packaging and marketing are the keys to a successful commercial product, MediaCorp has boldly taken a leaf (along with the whole branch) from KBS's book and rolled out it's own version of what it feels could generate a great impact on the local TVscape, thereby propelling the industry beyond the new frontier.

Felicia Chin, 23: The unofficial – rather, de facto – ‘Crown Princess’ of the Magnificent Seven. Being the only Star Search Champion of the septet, this entire assemblage, one might even go as far to assert, was more or less created for and built around Her (Impish) Royal Highness. Felicia can be seen weeknights in Channel 8’s 9 p.m. drama THE GOLDEN PATH.

Jesseca Liu, 28: Arguably the most popular among her counterparts, this tall and lanky charmer from Langkawi, Malaysia, captured and forever cemented her place in the many hearts of local viewers with her plum role of Ruan Mian in PORTRAIT OF HOME. Likewise, Jesseca can also be seen weeknights in Channel 8’s 7 p.m. drama KINSHIP II.

Rui En, 26: Also an accomplished crooner under Ken Lim’s music label Hype Records, once SingTel’s ‘Running Girl’ scores the distinction of performing ‘live’ at the 40th National Day Parade. Indisputably the coolest cat of the batch, Rui En is also one of the more consistent honorees of the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes award – having brought home the bacon for the last three years.

Fiona Xie, 25: Her six years of tenure with MediaCorp puts her ahead of the pack in terms of showbiz experience and exposure. Voted Sexiest Woman of 2005 by FHM Singapore, the versatile and effectively bilingual ‘Genie’ conjured up not one, but two Star Awards – for Best Newcomer and Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste – in 2001, a feat not since repeated by her palatial peers.

Joanne Peh, 24: Primed for a ‘monster(-sized) push’ by the company after participating in Miss Singapore Universe 2002, the Miss Elegant and Miss Personality sash donner seems to have lost much of her glamor – and that purported push – over the years. These days, Ah Lian-type parts seem to find the sprightly LUX spokesperson like bees to honey, whereas the coveted Top 10 trophies have eluded her for the past two years. That single-dimpled smile, though, still sells.

Jeanette Aw, 28: My favorite and, IMHO, the fairest of them all. Talent-spotted by MediaWorks (anyone remember them?), this academic high-flyer attended Raffles Girls’ Primary School, Crescent Girl’s School, National Junior College and National University of Singapore. Whoever said beauty and brains cannot coexist? In a somewhat surprising outcome, Jeanette was shut out of the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes glitterati for the first time since 2002.

Dawn Yeoh, 21: The unabashed baby of the group, this ‘Little Princess’, detractors may readily dismiss, could be roped in just to make up the numbers (seven is lucky, after all?). Whether or not the Fann Wong glimpse-alike is worthy of her divine appellation remains to be seen. At present, Dawn has only figured in four MediaCorp productions while headlining her first (THE SHINING STAR).

5Swim team: Felicia, Jeanette and Fiona take a dip in THE CHAMPION.

My (LKK) Radio

For most of you who may not be aware of, I actually sleep with my 3radio (and two bedroom lights) on every night (due to some reason I shan't delve into right now, but let's just say it really scared the bejeezers out of me). My (portable) laylio is of the lao kok kok Aiwa brand (model CSD-A190), but it's still serviceable, playing me melodious 93.3 FM music throughout my seven-hour slumber.

DISTURBIA

5Peeping Tom: Kale (Shia LaBeouf) the juvenile under house arrest spies on his unsuspecting neighbors (e.g. the shady Mr. Turner) through his rear window as next-door-girl Ashley (Sarah Roemer) watches on.

"The quieter the street, the darker the secrets" is the tagline to this year's surprisingly tense and subtle thriller that topped the U.S. box office for three consecutive weeks. It's one of my favorite movies of 2007 and I thought the whole Hitchcockian scenario played out very well.
David Morse and especially the young LaBeouf (who's tons better here than in TRANSFORMERS) deserve kudos for their work.