How to Make it in America...

Having been indisposed these past few days, I have nothing to do at home after checking my work mail but finish this book I'm currently reading and check the blogs I usually visit.

That's how I stumbled upon this HBO series "How to Make It in America."

It's a comedy-drama series following the lives of lead characters Ben Epstein and friend Cam Calderon as they try to break into the NY fashion scene with their brand Crisp NYC.

Season 1 aired last year. Season 2 premiered last October.

It's actually quite interesting, and easy to watch since there are only eight episodes for both seasons.

To a certain point, I could relate to it because I am also trying to make it in another foreign country. Of course, New York and Singapore are very much different but the aim is the same - to make it.

Good weekend despite being indisposed...

Despite being unwell, the last few days have been really good because two really good friends from Manila were in town for holiday - my former boss/mentor and really good friend Aimee and my best friend Tey.

It was really good catching up with both of them. And I was really, really happy that my best friend finally met PG Boy. I really want for them to meet each other already.

Yey!

Savas, Serangoon!

The last few Sunday mornings have been spent on a dragonboat with a bunch of other paddlers under the scorching heat of the sun.

For about two grueling hours every Sunday, we would do various training exercises to prepare for a competition almost every DB team in Singapore is looking forward to.

That competition - the Singapore River Regatta 2011 - happened yesterday.

It is my second DB rowing competition, and I was more confident about this one. During the training days leading up to the race, I really saw the difference in how I rowed. There is still so much more room for improvement, but I've got a number of things already figured out thanks to Coach Yosef and my teammates who constantly remind me how it is to be a good rower.

The Singapore River Regatta is also special because it is said to be the mother of all DB races in town. For me, getting to be part of it was already such an honor and a privilege.

I was also extremely happy about this race because my best friend from Manila, Tey, was here for holiday so I had my very own one-man cheering team. Hehe!

Our team, the Serangoon CSC DB team, was slated for the 11:25 race. We would be competing against the PLK Paddlers, the Punggol North Dragons and the Kebun Bahrun CSC Team. I wasn't sure how good the other teams were but our edge for sure was that we were really determined to do our best during the race.

I arrived at the race venue by 9AM. Ian was already there. We secured our area. Competition was definitely in the air. All around, you would see hundreds and hundreds of paddles, floatation devices, and other gear. You'd see men and women, teens and adults, walking around clad in their team uniform and shorts all excited for the race.

Thirty minutes before the race, we did our warmup and the mandatory pep talk. We talked about our strategy and did a simulation.

Close to the race time, our team was called to head to the pontoon to get on the boat.

The next thing I know, the usual commands were given and we were off paddling like there was no tomorrow.

A little over a minute and it was all over.

It's amusing, huh. You spend hours and hours on the water, at the gym to train and the actual race would only take about a minute or so.

We didn't get to win first place. But we did get into the semis.

I wasn't able to join the semis anymore because I had to take care of something.

The Singapore River Regatta was definitely one more experience that made my new life in Singapore much more memorable. We may not have won the race, but I was just really happy to be able to do the race.

Never did it cross my mind that I would one day be a paddler. Haha!

Savas Serangoon, savas! :D

Nice, nice...

Liking this Ivan Leung cover of Katy Perry's The One that Got Away.

New Youtube "star" discovered. Hehe. My other fave Youtube artists (if there is such a phrase) are Jason Chen, Gerald Ko and of course, Filipino Joseph Vincent.

Woohooo! 0=)

Mountain up ahead...

Lordy prolly thought that my life is in need of a little more excitement.

It's the only reason I can think of for this mountain that's been placed in front of my path right now.

Things have been going on pretty smoothly in terms of almost everything, so the heavens must have realized it's time for an obstacle again. Hehe!

The sudden roadblock was definitely unexpected, and has been daunting. But surely, there is a reason for the challenge that came my way.

And what's to be done right now is carry on with the journey and conquer that mountain.

I found the following words in one of the spiritual books I used to read when I was still in the university.

"Let those very obstacles give you strength. God's grace will not fail you: 'Inter medium montium pertransibunt aquae! You shall pass through the mountains!'"

It couldn't come at a better time.

Movie date night...

Movie date night tonight.

Planning to watch this flick - You are the Apple of My Eye. Looks like it's a good one. I wonder if it will be Dawson's Creek-ish or Tabing Ilog-ish. Hehe!

I'm starting to like Chinese cheesy films, eh.

What's your plan tonight?

P.S. Go to Youtube for the subtitles. Dunno why the subtitles aren't appearing when embedded. :-/

The terracotta warriors were in town...

One of the things I really love about Singapore is the effort the government puts in advancing cultural knowledge by providing extensive support to its museums and similar institutions.

The Asian Civilisation Museum in Raffles Place is one of my favorite places here in SG. In addition to its highly interesting permanent exhibit showcasing Southeast Asian history, the ACM also holds exhibits that are always a treat for anyone hungry for history and culture.

From June to October, the ACM became the home of a number of pieces from China's well-renowned Terracotta Warriors discovery. Through the exhibit entitled Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor and His Legacy, I was able to see up close the magnificent archaeological pieces.

I've always wanted to go to Xian in China to see this. Thanks to ACM, I can delay that trip. Hehe!

It was on a Sunday some months ago that I checked out the exhibit. I just got back from a morning trip to the Sungei Buloh reserve park, I asked PG Boy if he wanted to check out the exhibit. I've been planning to really visit the exhibit, but haven't found the time to go. Good thing PG Boy wasn't that tired yet and he said yes.

After grabbing lunch at Marina Square, we walked to ACM.

I read that this was the first time the statues were showcased not just in Singapore, but in Southeast Asia as well.

The statues that were on display included a general, two archers, infantrymen, a cavalry officer, a charioteer, a strongman and a horse.

What made the exhibit more interesting for me was an iPhone app was developed especially for the exhibit. The app featured Augmented Reality experiences and mini-games and I was just wowed by it. Seriously.

PG Boy and I spent a good two hours roaming around the exhibit. Whereas I was busy taking photos (one more thing I love about ACM - photography allowed!), PG Boy followed the guided tour and listened intently to the museum docent. Hehe! He looked like a schoolboy who was very eager to learn about the pieces on display because an exam might be given. Hehe! Really cute.

The other thing that never fails to amaze me whenever I go to ACM or to most museums is how the exhibit was set up. I'm always interested how a painting or a sculpture was mounted, or what materials were used for the accompanying literature. It comes from the fact that I did events in my previous job. Hehe! I just never got rid of the habit. I seriously think working for a well-funded museum would be a job I can take. Hmm, why didn't I consider that when I was filling up my university application? Hehe!

The next exhibit I'm eyeing to visit is Dreams and Reality: Masterpieces from Musee d'Orsay, an exhibit at the National Museum. I'm really, really excited about this one because works by great painters like Van Gogh, Monet will be on display. Wooohooo!!!

Loooong Sunday aftie...

While Saturday was quite a relaxing day, I couldn't say the same of Sunday. Haha!

PG Boy and I got home from the boys night out just before midnight. I fell asleep close to 1AM.

I got up around 6AM, because I wanted to catch the 730AM Mass at the Lourdes Church in Ophir Road. Given the activity/errands for the day, I knew it was my only chance to have my QT with Lordy.

From Ophir, I took the bus ride to Bedok Reservoir Park for dragonboat rowing. Two hours of rowing under the scorching heat of the sun.

Wahlau! I die! The day was so hot meh! Hehe!

It's our second to the last training before the river regatta. Good luck to us! I think I've gotten stronger, and I'm more determined to race this time. Yosef did very well in motivating people. Though there were just six rowers plus him, I actually felt quite good after that training day.

From Bedok Reservoir, I grabbed a quickie lunch before heading back to PG Boy's place. Afternoon to evening was allotted for the birthday get-together with friend Desmond.

Headed to Bugis Junction to pick up a gift for Desmond. Walked to Purvis to get the cake from Garibaldi. Then walked to Fairmont to meet up with Melvin. He booked a room for the celebration. Nice, nice hotel!

When PG Boy and Desmond arrived around four, we left the hotel and drove to Marina Bay Sands for the Titanic exhibit. It was impressive, very impressive. The setup was really good. Check it out if you can. We also checked out the Dali exhibit. Not a huge fan of Surrealism, but it was still okay. No photos of the exhibit because I was told no photography allowed. Boo. :-(

From MBS, we headed to Pepes at Ngee Ann City for Indonesian dindin. By the time we got there, I was really tired and I was slightly nauseous. Perhaps it was because I didn't have enough sleep and I was just really tired. Really, really grateful PG Boy was there because I got to lean on him during the drive back to Fairmont.

We surprised Desmond when we brought in the cake while doing a lousy job of singing him the birthday song. Hehe! He looked genuinely surprised that there was a cake for him. Yeeey! Success!

It was a very looong day indeed, but it was a very good one!

Boys just wanna have fun...

Last Saturday, I found myself having a great time at a boys night out with PG Boy's friends (most of whom I've met before because of dragonboat rowing).

We were like an ASEAN gathering. Haha! Three Indonesians. One Malaysian. One Singaporean. One Aussie-Chinese. Two Filipinos.

It was the first time that I've seen the entire group gather together. There were about eight of us. The usual get-together would be composed of about three to five people.

The night started with dinner at Casa Latina. The food was quite okay. I particularly loved the fish dish which Andi ordered. The margaritas were also quite good. What was even better was the conversation among the guys. Topics ranged from Erik's recent trip to Nepal, the new house of Ken, house hounting for Erik, Andi and PG Boy, among others.

After stuffing ourselves with enchiladas, burritos, fajitas, and so on, the group decided to walk to Bugis Junction for coffee, tea and dessert at TCC.

We called it a night an hour before midnight. It was really an enjoyable evening, I must say.

Stupid me, I didn't bring my camera. :-/ Lots of nice photo op moments that evening.

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree...

Check out this nice tree at Vivo City.

Woohoo! Starting to feel Christmas-y here!

Yey!