Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in xiangwei279's LiveJournal:

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Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
1:02 pm	taipei 2009 yay. going for a week! :) alishan and taipei.. 7singaporean folks plus Josh. should be fun.. can temporarily put down the stuff i'm thinking about. except i need to keep my phone on and roaming in case i get calls... but ya. if u'll just calling me for a chat and i dont pick up, dont get mad ok? heh will be back 7jul night (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, June 26th, 2009
9:40 pm	MRT.. for real? ( future MRT map ) (18 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, June 13th, 2009
3:51 pm	music from clubbing in bkk after going to all these local clubs in bangkok, i've been addicted to all their happy pop songs... currently i really like this particular one, kon jai ngai by Ice: (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
6:56 pm	5 days in bangkok heh. another bangkok trip. of massages, shopping, clubbing, eating and gogobars. heh. quite a nice trip. i stayed in my most expensive accommodation ever. 500baht per person a night (that's $23 sing). haha. cheapo me. anyway, the flight was $105 only. so still managed to keep within my $500 all-in limit for this trip. heh and in bangkok, i received several sms-es, one of which said, "do you want to go to bangkok?" (that guy didnt know i was already IN BANGKOK!) haha.. viscious endless cycles of bangkok trips.. :p (24 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
8:25 pm	gayest news ever- in singapore, heh Singapore gays in first public rally Sharanjit Leyl BBC News, Singapore Many participants described the rally as "a landmark event" Halfway across the world, as police moved in to break up a gay rights protest in Russia, another country known for being equally as restrictive on liberal ideals was holding its first gay rally undisturbed. Some 2,500 pink-attired supporters of gay rights gathered in a park in Singapore on Saturday, to form a pink dot, which was photographed from a nearby building. The organisers of the event, pinkdot.sg, say the event was held to commemorate love in all forms and between people of every orientation. It came after Singapore loosened law on public gatherings last year. Currently any gathering can be held that does not touch on topics of race or religion. Multi-racial Singapore last saw race riots in the late 1960s. The city-state still has a ban on homosexual sex that has been in force since its colonial days under the British even though many countries in the region, and the UK itself, have repealed the law. According to Jack Soh of pinkdot.sg, there was no overt political message being sent to the government. "It was not a protest or a political rally. The event was for Singaporeans in general - to affirm our respect for diversity and the freedom to love, regardless of sexual orientation. "We recognise that many Singaporeans are conservative... so we planned an inclusive event that would reach all Singaporeans, straight and gay," Mr Soh says. 'Defining moment' Participants - ranging from families with children to men and women from different orientations - added to the carnival atmosphere of the event. Meeting together and seeing each other is empowering and liberating Gilbert Cheah, magazine publisher Many picnicked, danced and clapped to cultural performances from Singapore's various ethnic groups. Gilbert Cheah, a magazine publisher who was a gay rights activist in the US before returning home, was at the event. He says Singapore was repressive and homophobic just a decade ago but that it has come a long way. "The space given to gays has grown: there are clubs, bars, businesses that were unimaginable in the 1980s and 90s. "Meeting together and seeing each other is empowering and liberating, and for many - who grew up feeling isolated and fearful - this is an important and defining moment." 'Strange anomaly' Many at the event shared his views. Ivan Heng, the Singaporean actor and producer who recently played Lady Bracknell in a local version of Oscar Wilde's "Importance of Being Ernest", was one of the many familiar faces in the crowd from the city's theatre community. 'This is really a landmark event," he said. "I do feel that in spite of what the government says, that Singaporeans have a great understanding of diversity." Still Mr Heng acknowledges that it is a "strange anomaly" that gay Singaporeans are being allowed by the government to live their lives but still be "criminal under the law". Singaporeans and permanent residents were also for the first time free of worry that authorities would monitor their activities. However, the earlier restrictive rules requiring permits to hold public gatherings still applied to foreigners. According to Singapore's National Parks division, in charge of events held at Speakers Corner where the gathering took place, local organisers can now register online and carry out their activities immediately. "Our officers do not patrol the area any more often than they would patrol other parks. Activities can be held round the clock," says Kalthom A Latiff from the National Parks Board. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 17th, 2009
2:48 am	pinkdot went to pinkdot today sort of on the spur. i knew that it was going on but i had been wondering if people would actually bother to go. i was skeptical. but i went. and i saw lots of friends. and the feeling was so good. especially when i saw the balloons in the air. so many of them. so pink. i felt like i was part of something important. now, having come back home, i decided to read up more about it (had been procrastinating) and when i saw the campaign ad, i actually cried. haha. so emo. i really like the ad. the "new" one. it's really hard to explain why i've these feelings. the gist of it is that i've been wanting to leave singapore whenever i think about its discriminatory and conservative landscape towards gayness, as well as how the majority of gay people are indifferent to see change for the better. after all, i've been in california. in berkeley. in a gay co-op. and the atrocity of bigotry i experience and see every day here, not just towards gayness, but towards non-chinese races, for example. yea. i really hope that we will move towards something better. please. i may be weird. (but IMHO i'm asking for the simplest of things). i just want to get married and have kids and lead a normal life. is that so hard? http://www.pinkdotsg.blogspot.com/ (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, May 11th, 2009
10:50 pm	gym should i: join cali for $600 (can join classes and just downstairs from work) join atas gym for $3000 (never have to wait for machines, got nice spa and jacuzzi and all that) (continue to) say "NEVER" to gym culture (29 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, May 4th, 2009
6:28 pm	shocked and amazed! of all people, my MUM was at the AWARE thingy! (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, May 1st, 2009
11:14 am	bibi last night i went for a super long walk with bibi and found out many things about him. first of all, maybe he's not as cowardly as he always seems. he actually went to chase after a cat. the first time i've seen it. had always thought that he would get scared of cats, with his that blur blur look and always running away from everything. he runs away from any body he's unfamiliar with. and also dogs! crazy. never seen behavior like that. is that even normal? then he peed the manly way for the first time. haha. it only happened once for a short while though. wondering if it's an accident. we shall see.. i was also glad to see him running around back and forth so happily when we went at the more parkish part of fort canning. apparently this was the first time in his life he's been to a real park! i think the only places i've been with him are SMU plaza (quite urban still), clarke quay (not really) and esplanade area (maybe just grassy). oh yes, the other thing i realized is that he's not as low stamina as I assumed. when i was running, he was only a bit behind when i had down slope advantage (fort canning!) but then he would catch up etc. made me change my mind about him. i think he'll be fine going jogging with me. heh. after the 2 hour walk and many realizations, we had mcwings (past midnight, 24hr mc, what to do?). me the meat, him the bones. heh. all good, all good.. (18 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, April 19th, 2009
4:57 am	anyone going? Do you support the freedom of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people to love? Then show your support by joining our smart mob at Hong Lim Park on 16 May, 4.30pm! This is NOT a protest nor a parade, just a simple call for open-minded Singaporeans to come together to form a pink dot, of which aerial photographs will be taken. This pink dot is a celebration of diversity and equality, and a symbol of Singapore's more inclusive future. Venue: The field at Hong Lim Park Date & Time: May 16 (Sat), 4.30pm What to wear: Pink (caps, hats, glasses, sunglasses and accessories are recommended.) What to bring: Anyone who supports the freedom of LGBT Singaporeans to love. What to expect: Pink balloons will be given to early birds; the human pink dot will be formed by around 5pm and a photograph will be taken from a vantage point nearby. To pledge your attendance, please click here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=41037205735#/event.php?sid=181a9978badf2a0c4c765bd6ca335ebc&eid=106116639688&ref=search For updates, please join Pink Dot Sg on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=41037205735#/group.php?gid=41037205735 For queries, please e-mail pinkdotsg@yahoo.com   This event is 100% legal; no registration is required. (Comment on this)
Thursday, April 9th, 2009
6:22 am	the terribleness people who don't know me have always thought me irresponsible, bo chup etc. I've never bothered dispelling- I prefer to just know that i'm not like that. after being asked into the office late last night, the director and supervisor tells me about how other colleagues seem to think i'm not doing anything , i was a bit bothered. and now this. i just managed to miss my flight by waking up late. a $300 mistake because i just woke up to book a flight for tomorrow morning. The original flight is in 5min.. i woke up like 40 min ago. feeling the inevitability and all.... argh.  and i know how you people are going to respond- "so typical of him". (18 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, April 6th, 2009
11:29 pm	a potential simple criteria assessment of a future boyfriend I saw this so long ago but i still think it's funny. suddenly thought of it, so decided to post it. Being a typical right brained lazy guy, i'm not going to explain. but i think it'll be cool if my future boyfriend would be able to appreciate this kind of humor haha. (30 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
10:14 pm	weeknights burnt! The combination of RT and thai classes on weeknights mean that i have limited social life.. finally it's come to an end. yay! hopefully will find life again. only once a week i have thai classes heh. (ok ok so it didnt stop me from going to zirca twice but blah) also randomly wondering, now that i stay at bugis and no longer have easy access to my lakeside pool, i can't randomly go swimming in the night. so, does anyone know of any nearby alternatives? is YMCA at dhoby ghaut any good? seems to be pretty cheap and also walkable from my bras basah place.. is it nice? is it gay? haha (11 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, February 13th, 2009
1:56 pm	sweet melancholy the possibility of us might not be high. and we're not at all close to being together. but hey. doesn't stop me from walking around trying to buy something. a gift? a card? finally decided against buying into the corportization of the celebration. maybe it's more important if i get to spend a little time... hopefully i'll be able to.. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, February 5th, 2009
12:16 pm	summary of singapore vs bay area I think many people were too lazy to read my last post. So i'll do an executive's summary for the lazy. heh.   Bay Area, California Singapore Plus points for Cali Perfect weather. Good for outdoors stuff like Snowboarding, Hiking, Beaches, Kayaking. Hip hop in gay clubs. Nice food. Political sensitivity to discrimination (including gayness). More likely to find a boyfriend. More varied and interesting career options. Car! Too hot for most outdoors stuff and just too hot in general.. Apathy and insensitive singaporeans is a cause of anger. Less likely to find a boyfriend. Career likely doomed. Plus points for Sg Many friends but lack in depth of friendship. Got to fit into culture. No family.. Gay karaoke pub ebar. perfect food. Feel of home. Family is here. Many friends who are nice is possibly the anchor point. (50 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009
11:35 am	Pros & Cons of living in the Bay Area, California versus Singapore A friend had asked me to write about this. So here I am. The context is that I had lived in the bay area for 5 years, mostly studying, working a little bit and hanging out chilling a little bit. The rest of my life (about 23 years) I’ve been living in Singapore. One of the experiences I have lacking in making this comparison is that I’ve not worked full-time hardcore for a substantial period in the bay area, so what comparisons I make of that is half-imagined. Keep that in mind. So here goes:   Bay Area, California Singapore Weather/ Physical Envinronment Excellent! 15-25C for summer time and 5-15C for winter. T-shirt and jeans in the summer, one more jacket for winter. No snow, not too much trouble, cooling and sunny mostly. Good air quality to add. Too hot and humid. Tries to stay indoors and air-conditioned, but because of that I experience stale air. Swims only at night. Some evenings/nights are nicely cool, especially during end of year, or when it’s strangely chilly (for Singapore). Air quality so-so. Entertainment- Outdoors Snowboarding! Although now that I’ve been to Niseko, Hokkaido, I think of Lake Tahoe’s snow scenery as pretty ugly. It’s still functional for snowboarding though. At least for my standards. Hiking is also nice in California during summer time, relatively cool and lacking in mosquitoes, and rather pretty. I loved randomly driving to the windy marina and the foggy Berkeley hills too. No snow. Japan is not that near, and probably too expensive for me to go twice a year. Hiking is not for the weak-hearted (i.e. me) because the tropical heat or humidity or both will kill you. And if that doesn’t do it, there’s always the huge variety of insects, typical of tropical forests that will get to you. Mosquitoes are commando-type, fast and furious! I’ve also had my fair share of leeches.. not painful, just a little gross. Entertainment- clubbing/pubbing Lots of variety, of course. But I tended to go to café a lot, for its hip hop music, the gayness and the randomness. Lesbians and people of all color come together. Perhaps only the straights and some white people will feel uncomfortable there. Then there’s dragon on Friday nights. All the Asians, many who are dating other Asians are there, and there’s the upstairs hip hop place. There are several options too, it’s just unfortunate that there’s no club that I like to go to. This is summarized in what some queeny man once told me, “girrrrl, gay and hip hop do not go together!”. So yea, hence my lack of interest in Play or Taboo or St James. I’ve found ebar quite a nice place to chill and sing karaoke though. And I don’t think I’m going to get that in the bay area, though I haven’t tried, really. Entertainment- food Lots of different types of yummy food, lots of asian stuff and fusion foods too. Not a fan of Mediterranean/greek food, but the other stuff is pretty good, from thai, Vietnamese, Italian, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and even jack-in-the-box (fast food). But every once in a while I miss Singaporean food, which if available, feels like a mimic. Cheap yummy food readily available. Have also discovered Ramen and Yakitori haha. Don’t really miss anything most of the time, that I can’t get. Entertainment- others I remember playing all sorts of games with friends. There’s badminton, there’s nerdy board games, there’s multiplayer computer games. I even got to play Bridge on a regular basis! However, this was probably a student life thing. May not be easily replicated for working life? Still playing games even though I’m working. Have found several groups of friends who are into board games and all. Back to single player computer games when I have time (Civ4, Galciv etc). Have found people to play badminton on a regular basis as well.. All pretty good stuff Friends Lots of friends. But somehow I always had the feeling that if I one day had a problem and needed help, I may not get help. I also get the feeling that friendships formed are not as deep, possibly because everyone is expected to be more independent rather than interdependent. Lots of friends too. I like friends here better, though they probably think I’m weird. I also think that they’re nicer to me than I am to them. Which is a good feeling, regardless of whether it’s true or not. J Culture More or less I can fit in. But it’s that, fitting in. My home. Totally at ease. Gayness/ Political awareness Super sensitivity to discrimination of all sorts, gender, racial, sexual orientation. People speak their minds and I have many vociferous friends. Most people don’t seem to have issues with gayness, some don’t even care. I imagine there are lots of conservative people too, but at least they’re not saying things like, “oh, there are no gays in California, that’s only in Asia, not in US of A” (Note: Sarcasm) Lots of apathy. Which sometimes makes me angry. Also lots of ignorance, which is the basis for homophobia, strangely even among gays themselves and people who have lots of gay friends. I wonder what the other people’s level of ignorance is like… makes me want to leave Singapore sometimes. And then there’s the intolerance of other things.. sigh..There are some key figures who are wanting to change, but I just sense that regular people are still so ARGHGH. Makes me wonder if it’ll ever work out. Family No blood relatives. Just me, myself. The entire family is here. And though I don’t enjoy living in close quarters, it’s nice to feel the support nearby (not too nearby). Plus it may be important to have support around when I have a boyfriend etc. Boyfriend I imagine this to be some American-born Asian guy of my age, at ease with himself and got a nice accepting family. We’ll get married and maybe adopt kids, flying to Singapore every year to see my parents with our kids. I have no idea how this will work. There seems to be a lot more possibilities here, but then this guy must be relatively accepting of himself first, and then of my liberal attitudes. The plus point is that my family will be supportive, (assuming I’m dating someone relatively decent. Heh) Work Probably lots of types of interesting work for someone with both Economics and Statistics background. The laid-back attitude and autonomy which I reckon I’ll get will be wonderful for me. I enjoy doing interesting work, without being watched closely. Limited work for me. I keep seeing “banks”, “government policies”. At best I can work in a business consultancy firm. Is it the local culture that encourages bosses to micromanage their workers, or am I just unlucky? Living Costs For what I imagined to get paid, even though costs are slightly higher than in Singapore, I think it’s fine Costs are fine. In fact, lower if I live with my parents (though I really don’t want to) Commute/ Travelling I love the autonomy of the car. Hop in and out and you’re at the club, your friend’s place, or the grocery store. Or late nights, jack-in-the-box. Heh. With my car, there’s also the road trips to take. I also enjoy the random going to the marina and Berkeley hills and wakeboarding in sacremento river and musicals in san Francisco and beaches slightly south and sea kayaking among the kelps. Without my car, I wouldn’t be able to do these random things. I really hate the commute in the MRT, with so many people in the rush hours. That’s quite a major chunk. The rest of the time it’s quite convenient to get to places, and it’s also a hub for travelling to lots of interesting places in SE Asia, and relatively cheap too!   (18 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009
4:12 pm	Obama's advisors quite interesting choices... I think for the 35 key positions or so, about 25% of those named are female, not bad for the USA.  There are like 3 republicans only so far, quite moderate, but then again the democrats chosen are also quite moderate. in fact it seems to me that there are a lot more technical people being chosen.. it's quite interesting. and it also seems like there's going to be a lot more green-ness... heh racial diversity is also definitely there. Steven Chu from Berkeley labs is of Chinese descent, Eric Shinseki is also asian, and then there's Ray LaHood who's of arab descent, Hilda Solis who's of central american descent, and quite a few blacks, including Ron Kirk, Susan Rice, Eric Holder, Lisa Jackson. Sanjay Gupta, who's indian, may also become the new Surgeon General... on a related sidenote, Christina Romer (from Berkeley), who's going to be leading the Council of Economic Advisors, is my last time teacher's wife! (Dave Romer, also from Berkeley) (3 Comments |Comment on this)
3:51 pm	laptop i've been thinking for a while if i should get myself a: 1. asus eee pc 700 for $398 (super cheap!) 2. dell inspirion mini 12 for $888 (12 inch screen!) 3. some other random thing that's not the cheapest, but has a bigger than 7 inch screen, that's cheaper than the mini 12 yesterday i just found out that the eee pc 700 is sold out! sadness. so i still haven't decided. but likely i would go for the mini 12, even though the guy selling it (yes the guy selling it) was telling me it's not that good... (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, February 2nd, 2009
11:10 pm	word challenge argh! how are there so many people who play word challenge on facebook. i'm not even top 10 in my own friend's list! i've been playing and i'm still lousy. how can people like kevinexx  andxiaogou  get such tremedous high scores! rrrrrrrrrrrr.... pissed pissed pissed! :p (12 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, February 1st, 2009
8:35 pm	new year purging me quite a procrastinator. purging only now... and guess what i found? Lots of pieces of clothing that does not belong to me... heh. have i been *that* scandalous? 2* jerry's 1* jamond's 1* don's 1* zy's 3* bs's 3* dylan's 1* albert's 5* ongyu's That's 17 articles of clothing that does not belong to me that has been accumulating this year.. haha.. i need to return so many people.. potentially, i have at least 17 articles of clothing out there! (14 Comments |Comment on this)