Random & Spaced

I had a random celebrity sighting as I was walking down Sunset Boulevard earlier this evening.

His name is Tahmoh Penikett, and he plays the popular character Helo on the new Battlestar Galactica, which has had quite a solid run on the Sci-Fi Channel in the US. The 5th (I think) and final season airs next year.

And on an equally random note, I just read that Fox is developing an American version of cult UK comedy series, Spaced.


Before there was Hot Fuzz, before there was Shaun Of The Dead, there was Spaced. Equal parts clever, funny, witty and random, Spaced only ran for 2 seasons on British TV, but the series is so well-written and pretty timeless that repeated viewings do nothing to dull it's tongue-in-cheek, movie-referencing, Star Wars-bashing sparkle.

Fans of the series will understand me when I call it fried gold. For the uninitiated, here's a sample of why I love Spaced:



I'm curious what the Americanization of Spaced will look like. Will it end up in the wilderness of failed TV ideas, or will it succeed the way The Office has in the US?

We'll see.

LA Weekend Update

I didn't expect another delay with the flight into Los Angeles, but with the wild fires in the San Diego area, the smoke had caused visibility problems which led to outbound flights being delayed, which meant that my flight into LA was affected too. I'm beginning to understand why Americans get so riled up over delayed flights - it's almost a certainty in the larger cities.

Anyway, after a long drive to our hotel, we cleaned up and headed to Santa Monica to attend Nicole Scherzinger's album showcase - she is of course the lead singer from the Pussycat Dolls. The crowd was very much industry - record label and media executives, and contest winners. And Busta Rhymes & Dane Cook were the only B-list names that I saw in the audience.

From this thoroughly LA-flavoured first pit-stop, to the Eagles' concert at the Nokia Theatre on Saturday night, my weekend in LA has been pretty much low-key and laidback. In between meals and catch-ups with friends and brief shopping stops, LA's looking very real to me. Which is good.

And the sunsets here are breathtakingly beautiful.

From LA

And meeting up with Mike & Maureen (who I had met in Bangkok in June) was especially heart-warming and settling. And I'm glad that the chorus of support is singing the same tune all throughout.

The call is not coming from inside the house.

Clarity In San Francisco

My 2-night stopover in San Francisco comes to an end in a couple of hours and I could not have asked for a better return visit.

SF was the first American city I visited 8 years ago in 1999. I had over-packed, was slightly over-planned in terms of my itinerary, and I was woefully under-dressed for July in San Francisco. I spent something like 11 days on my own, and also traveled down the coast to Half Moon Bay, Monterrey and even Carmel. It was a lonely trip framed with beautiful scenery. For some reason, I cannot find any of the few photos that I took on that visit.

8 years later, en route to LA (I fly out in a couple of hours), I thought I should come and say hi again. And the past 2 nights have been very nice - I walked around the city and found some of the places that I saw/ate at/hung out in 8 years ago, and it made me smile. Not much has changed, I guess, but then again, I don't have a local reference.

From Return To SF

I wasn't stressed out about anything this trip, and didn't feel like I had to fit everything in over a short period of time, which was what I did on my first visit. Maybe it's the confidence that I've gained over the intervening years that have seen me do a lot more traveling. Or perhaps it's just me feeling a whole lot more comfortable with myself.

Those of you who know me know that meeting Stephen earlier this year played a big part in re-awakening a side of me that had laid dormant (or suppressed?) for too long. It's a joyful, painful, challenging, reaffirming adventure that continues to inform my journey.

And I also became friends with his friends who came to Koh Samui for his 40th birthday - and this SF stopover reunited me with Keith, and gave me a chance to meet his wife - the lovely, lovely Marites, and their daughters, Anikka & Teah. I had a lovely home-cooked dinner in their cozy, cozy house in North Berkeley on my first night back in SF.

On the drive back to the city, Keith and I chatted some more about what's happened since we last met in June. As we talked, it dawned on me that on some levels, my trip to Koh Samui wasn't just to celebrate a friend turning 40.
It was to initiate new friendships that would give me new perspectives and a better handle of the man that I'm becoming. Good stuff.

I can't wait to see Maureen & Mike and of course, Stephen in LA.

Recap - Last Day In NYC

The last time I was in NYC in June 2002, it was hot, I was sweaty and for some reason, everything just seemed rushed. I'm sure the fact that I was kinda working throughout my trip added to the feeling of not quite being in NYC.

This time around, it was much nicer and more laidback. The weather was cooler - which I know helped - and I also had my Blackberry with me, which meant that I didn't have to rush back home or to an internet cafe at various points throughout the day to check on work.

On my last day in the city, my friend Stevie and I met with Mitchy (another friend who used to work in HK too and is Stevie's ex-flatmate) for lunch at a uniquely NYC location. It's called the Burger Place, is a tiny diner that's located behind a curtain next to the hotel reception counter. It was a different world from the hotel's genteel and proper-ness. It's the oddest location that I've been to for a burger but it was cheap, fast and yummy and thoroughly charming in a dive-y sorta way.

Lunch over, we walked through Central Park - a first for me, given that I had skipped this iconic location on both my previous visits. The walk through the Park was a great way to work off the burger lunch, and also gave me lots of photo opportunities.

From Last Day In NYC

Later in the evening, we met with Sabina for drinks at a tiny bar for a major catch-up. Sabina is ex-colleague who lives in NYC and through the years that we've lived apart, we've kept in touch through the occasional phone chats and more regularly on Facebook. But I hadn't seen her in almost 3 years, so there was much to to talk about.

I really don't have a very good reason to not visit more regularly. But the airport congestion at JFK really needs to be fixed. 2 hours on a runway is no fun.

Jetlag's A Bitch

I had 3 hours sleep on my last night in NYC - and I left for the airport at 9am. Everything went smoothly until we boarded the plane and then had to wait. And wait. And wait.

The flight was originally scheduled to take off at 11am but due to delays, the 6-hour flight to San Francisco was stuck on the JFK runway for 2 hours before we could fly out of NYC.

My hotel room in SF is pretty nice, and dinner with my friends Keith & Marites was even nicer. I'll write more tomorrow, cos right now, I'm gonna give in to jetlag.

New Stuff In New York

2 days down and my last day in NYC looks set to be just as full and random, even though I've been watching TV for the past 2 hours.

So to pick up from my last blog entry, my friend Curtis and his wife Linda took me on a blazing pace through some of the key must-sees in NYC. We drove thru Harlem, went on the TriBoro Bridge, ate pizza in Brooklyn, went by the Verrazano Bridge (which was made famous in Saturday Night Fever), checked out Yankee Stadium in Queens, Coney Island...it was cardio borough-hopping!

Of course, given that I don't where everything was in relation to the boroughs, I'm just rambling all these out in the random way that my jetlagged-addled mind processed the information.

In the past 2 days, there's been karaoke, Starbucks, Old Navy, catching up with Mark & William in the East Village, H&M, more Starbucks, meeting up with my new friend Yee San at the yummy Pizza Gruppo with Stevie & crazy Jimmy, more Starbucks and oh, the best shopping I'd done in a long time at Woodbury Common.

It's a good day when you can get 2 Gap shirts & 2 pairs of Levi's jeans for under US$100. And the views there and back were gorgeous!

From Back in NYC

More updates on my last day later.

Back in NYC

5 years after my last visit to NYC, I'm back. The 16-hour flight didn't seem that long. Maybe cos they kept feeding us in business class - wine at 4am? Hello? - or maybe it was because I was watching Bruce Willis (who I still love) in Live Long Or Die Hard (classy, huh?).

Either way, I'm here at Stevie's apartment. It's great to be back and I got a bit verklempt when the cab drove up Broadway. I'm sure there'll be more aw-worthy moments over the next few days, and weeks, for that matter.

I'll keep this brief cos I'm about to meet my friend Curtis to go borough-hopping. For now, here's a view from Stevie's 22nd floor apartment.

From Back in NYC

Scared Shirtless

Yes, I am supposed to be on a plane at the moment. About 10 hours before I land in JFK International Airport in NYC. More of why I'm still here later.

I came across Improv Everywhere, 'architects of unscripted spectacles', who have taken the concept of flash mobs to new poetic heights, turning the spotlight on well-accepted norms in the everyday lives of Americans with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Their latest headline-maker was No Shirts, which saw 111 shirtless men throng the Abercrombie & Fitch store in NYC's 5th Avenue. Most of you will know A&F as the clothing retailer most-known for their homo-erotic/soft-porn flavored catalogues, and for hiring shirtless models to stand outside their stores across the US.

So what happens when the purveyor of shirtlessness meets real men without shirts? This picture sorta summarizes the experiment.


Here's the full report for what actually went down when the shirts came off.



So you will probably not hear from me for the next 36 to 48 hours, as I'll be flying to NYC tonight. I will be meeting my friend Curtis for brunch when I arrive, which will be followed by a day of boro-hopping. Great way to catch up to the time difference.

And how did I miss last night's flight? For some reason, I thought that 9:50pm, which was my arrival time in Bangkok (where I'm connecting to NYC) was my departure time from KL. Ugh, 'nuff said.

You have a good weekend.

Gossip Girl

There's a huge buzz on the new TV series Gossip Girl in the US, and after watching 4 episodes last night courtesy of my friendly bittorenter, I'm a convert.

It's eye-candy, it's drama, it's set in New York City (which some of you might know is one of my favourite cities in the world), and it's shamelessly trashy and fantastically cool, complete with a hit music soundtrack and great camera work that makes NYC look cooler than it already is.

It goes without saying that it's my current guilty pleasure. And a certain Penn Badgley has also been instrumental in my heaping unashamedly swoon-tastic praise on Gossip Girl.


Need I say more?

Just more reason why this NYC trip (I fly out at 9:50pm Friday night) is so meant to happen. Or is that hapPenn?

I'll stop swooning in time to pack for my trip, don't you worry.

It's About Time

My US trip could not have come at a better time. This week's been one of those weeks where I really want to thwack people upside their heads.

First there was the cold and the cough which means I'm starting at cranky and tired, which was made worse by that stupid incident at work. And another one that kicked in before I could fix the first. Oh, and then that other thing that happened today that totally turned me into an angry bundle of agitation.

And then there was the call to Mum about money (again!)...I so need to not be at work and not thinking about bills or family (sad, i know) and just be my centered self for a bit. I need Me time so bad. Maybe the 18-hour business class flight will help me unwind.

T minus 24 hours to the beginning of my 2-week US adventure...can't wait!

Bugs & Nerves

I arrived back in KL yesterday, fatigued and stuffed from a pseudo-cold and a sorta-flu. 8 hours of sleep didn't quite do it so this morning, I popped over to the pharmacy and got myself some Difflam for my throat, Clarinase for my running nose and from HK, I'm popping Coltanin, which is a super-duper flu med that I swear by.

Suffice to say, I'm a bit numb and fuzzy.

But the thought of seeing Stevie and the rest of my buds in NYC in about 48 hours, and my onward journey to SF and LA where I'll get a chance to see the Suess posse, is making me very excited.

Even if all I wanna do now is sleep.

Things I Don't Understand

I'm feeling a bit fuzzy from the cold/flu medication I'm taking to stave off whatever bug it is that's beginning to rasp up my throat. And just 5 days away before I fly to NYC, so you know, being sick would not be ideal. In the meantime, here are some pictures for you to ponder on.

A friend bought this for me from Canada. I wonder how many units of these have been sold.


This drawing was on the wall of a deli I ate at not too long ago. I have never understood why this bird is wearing a turban.


I found this box of biscuits in Hong Kong. D'asses look kinda good, huh?


Fuzzy Monday, everyone.

Le Sigh

Sometimes, all you need is a towel.

Wrap up your weekend with some love and hotness, my friends.

Happy Eid to you if you're observing the celebrations.

Friday Goodbyes

When I first moved to HK in 1996, I used to find it a little bit unsettling that there seemed to be farewell drinks every Friday for staff who were either moving to greener pastures or just generally moving out of HK.

It was the year before Hong Kong was to be handed back to China, and there were a lot of uncertainties about what the territory was gonna be like post-handover. 1996 saw a lot of movement of staff at work and in Hong Kong in general.

For someone who had joined the company at such a volatile time, it was rather unnerving. But I soon got used to it, plus given that I worked for a big media company, staff turnover was a given, even without the handover factor.

I got so used to saying goodbye that it almost became routine. Perhaps this is where I began to learn to let go, to get a bit cold and move on, but at the same time treasure the connections that can happen in any given situation.

So it's Friday in Hong Kong and I'm about to attend another farewell drinks for a good friend at work who's moving to Singapore to take on a majorly huge new assignment. I'm very happy for her and at the same time, this place will not be the same without her.

On a personal note, she's taught me a lot about certain aspects of what I do for work, and for that, I will always be grateful. See you in Singapore, Karen.

Funny how some things never change.

X Made My Heart Beat Rock

I listened to Kylie's new album 'X' (legally, streaming only so don't ask me to email you the songs) and I really like it.

The first single "2 Hearts" is very reminiscent of Goldfrapp and I'm not totally digging it yet, but I know that it'll have killer remixes that will have the dance floor heaving. Here's the brand new video that I'm also not totally into.

Other notable songs on the album are Heart Beat Rock, Sensitized, In My Arms, The One and Wow.

Here's a teeny-tiny picture of the album cover. So 80's, no?







Note to self: Having 4 glasses of vodka after 4 glasses of red wine is not good.

Re-Connections

I'm back in HK for a week, and as much as my mind's on work-related matters, I catch myself thinking about my upcoming trips to NYC, SF & LA and can I feel myself breaking into a min-smile.

It's a good feeling but there is that slight bit of trepidation - ok, maybe trepidation is too big a word - about seeing my friends after a long break. Some of them I've not seen in more than 3 years, and some, get this, I've never even met.

In NYC, there's Stevie and his posse who I met 5 years ago on my last visit. I'm in regular contact with Stevie and Sabina, but the rest, not so much. But it's NYC, so it'll be fine.

And I'm really keen to meet up with Stephen's friends in SF, there's Keith (who I met in Koh Samui) and his wife Marites (who I've not met but feel like I know). Then there's Troy, who wrote me a sweet note to say thanks for taking care of Stephen in Malaysia. It'll be interesting to see how we click when we meet for the first time.

Los Angeles will be a nice reunion for the rest of the Koh Samui group - Maureen, Mike and Stephen, who will also be in LA when I'm there. I'm really looking forward to the reunion. Seriously.

But right now, I'm most looking forward to meeting my friend who's arriving in the morning from Italy, a friend I met a year ago in HK and had a great connection with. I need to sleep now. I need my energy for the morning.

There's that smile again...

My Baby's All Grown Up

5 years ago, just after I had moved to KL, I flew down to Singapore to audition new video jockeys (VJs) from my home town.

The day began at 10am and we saw something like 52 people by the time we wrapped at 6pm. It was a long, long day. I learned later on that the auditionees were sent by their modeling agencies, and they had not been informed that we were looking for presenters. I'll leave you to imagine the fun I had through the day's screening process.

There was a lovely young woman who just stood out from the rest of the crowd. Sarah was the 2nd person to walk through the studio door that day, and looked 14 even though she was 22. She was confident, well-spoken and thoroughly sweet. She had come back to Singapore after finishing university in the UK, and had sorta stumbled into modeling by accident.

We called her back for a 2nd audition and screen test in KL and roughly 3 months after we first met her, Sarah become the very first VJ we hired from Singapore. She was also a first-time presenter, so in a way, we discovered her, which made me feel very responsible for her.

The early days were tough as it was a steep learning curve for both of us: for me, it was taking charge of the operations at the channel, and for Sarah, it was transitioning from model to presenter for a regional audience, and the attendant highs and lows that came with the territory.

Over the months, through time spent talking about work and the dinners that we had, Sarah and I became very close and to this day, she holds a very special place in my heart. I am immensely proud of her in how she's grown up into a level-headed and funny woman, and in her role as a VJ/presenter.

We've grown closer over the past 5 years, through disagreements and drama, but we've never ever had a period where we could not be honest and just tell each other how we really felt about work and beyond. Well, it might have taken us (me, usually) a few weeks, but we've always had a very safe space where we could come back to.

Last week, Sarah told me that she was engaged and getting married to her boyfriend, Jien, who I'd known for a couple of years before I met Sarah. I cannot be happier for the 2 of them, and wish them nothing but continued honesty and love, and growth as a couple and as the wonderful people that they are.

Sarah, you've come a long way, baby, and I am so proud of you that I could explode! But I won't, cos you know, that's just messy.

It's Britney's New Video, Y'all!

Whether she's gone back to rehab (her 3rd stint, for those of you who are counting), or fighting a court order for the custody of her sons, or trying to avoid jail time in an alleged hit and run, Britney Spears' new album "Blackout" is ready to hit the stores, led by the first single "Gimme More".

By now, most of you have seen or heard about her lazy lip-sync performance of the song at an award show in Vegas a few weeks back. It was an embarrassing, half-assed effort (by her standards) but she did make a video for the song, and it's already available for sale on iTunes. You can catch a preview of it here, or watch the full thing, while it's still available online.

How long ago was this video shot? These screen shots shows a much slimmer Britney doing her thing with a pole. What happened between the filming of this video and her lacklustre Vegas turn?




And will the video, which I think is super lame, help fight the chorus of "She's over" or just add fuel to the fire? Will there be enough of a curiosity factor that will allow her to make that (however tentative) comeback that I'm sure her record label is sooooo praying for?

Next!

No Way!

You'd think that with all the traveling that's coming up for me, the last thing I'd wanna do is to plan for another trip.

Well, guess what? A very good friend told me a few days ago that she just got engaged and is getting married this December in, get this, Bali. The big party takes place on December 21 which means that I'll aim to get in a couple of days before to hang out and just get in the mood.

So I'm checking on costs for flights to Bali, and given that it's peak season, even the budget carriers' flights are pretty costly. But thanks to my ever resourceful office manager, and the business class flight to the States, my travel agent has agreed to throw in a complimentary return ticket for KL to Bali!

I figure it's because of the huge margin that he's making on the ticket that's allowing him to show such generosity. Pretty sizable, given that Mr Travel Agent has also agreed to cover the costs of my connecting flights from NYC to SF and then to LA. This trip is so meant to happen!

And what will Bali bring this time around? I'm just as excited about it as you!

Let's Take A Pregnant Pause

2007 has been an interesting year for me - from dealing with emotional baggage that keeps coming around - like a misplaced bag on an airport baggage carousel - to rediscovering the beauty of self-emulsification (not as messy as it sounds), it's been an eventful years, with sweat, tears and lots of good music.

And this year is also noteworthy for the fact that I am surrounded by such wonderful, fertile women friends. 2 of them have given birth, 2 are due very soon and one just found out that she's pregnant. That's a record number of pregnancies for me in a year. Ever.

Which leads me to think about my very first friend who had a baby. June and I were classmates when we were 17-year old know-it-alls, and what started out as guarded friendliness has grown into a warm, mature and unconditional friendship over the past 20 years. We've seen each other go through crushes, family drama, heartbreak, coming out (me), medical allergies (her), and marriage (her again).

And then came Danial, her first-born son, who just turned 8. It was such a big deal for her and for me, because I felt a strange responsibility to him on some level. It's a beautiful thing to see him grow and question things and hearing about him saying "Mummy, I am so stressed!" is too cute for words, and too painful to think about.

And I'm super proud of June, who's been nothing but honest about her fears, open to what's best for her son and daughter, and strong in her convictions whatever the outcome may be.

Here's to all you life-givers - may you be strong and continue to keep it real for the kids, so that they'll be ready for life, no matter what comes along.

Great Sample, Bad Example

Maybe Uranus is ruling me this week (isn't it always?), cos I've had somewhat of an angry week (don't get me started) but this took my mind off things for a few minutes.

Wil.I.Am, the man behind the mega-successful Black Eyed Peas has a solo album out and he's done an even cooler remix of his infectious 1st single "I Got It From My Momma".

He's sampled huge chunks of Daft Punk's hit single "Around The World", and even made a video for it. Liking it, very catchy. But here's the thing - apparently Wil.I.Am didn't get the proper approvals to use Around The World, so enjoy this before it gets yanked off the internet.

will.i.am and Daft Punk - REMIX

For Burma/Myanmar

The news out of Burma/Myanmar seems to indicate that the military junta has won the upper hand against the pro-democracy activists who took to the streets in a big way last week.

My friend Alan was in this broken country in July this year and took some beautiful pictures that give us a glimpse into the everyday lives of the people who are caught in a political system that is totally dysfunctional.


While the world waits and its leaders dither on how best to change the situation in Burma/Myanmar, here's a message from Jim Carrey that was released some weeks before the current imbroglio we have witnessed on the streets of Yangon.



And from 2001, this is U2's "Walk On", a song about and dedicated to the country's detained pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.



"It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it." - Aung San Suu Kyi

Love Song For Ahmadinejab

By now you must have heard or read about the President of Iran's claims that there are no homosexuals in his country during a speech at Columbia University last week.

Here's the musical response from SNL's Adam Sandberg to that presumptive assertion. Happy Monday from Singapore, everyone.