WWE in Singapore, 28 July 2007

Finally, The Rock has come back... to Singapore!

Not exactly, as The Rock doesn't really wrestle anymore. But WWE is coming back, on 28 July 2007! I am so going to be there.

Details have not been released yet, but there are some big names on tour. The Smackdown and ECW brands will be coming, and the wrestlers slated include: Batista, Chris Benoit, Bobby Lashley, Rob Van Dam and CM Punk!

I was there for the very first WWE show in Singapore ever, almost 6 years ago. It's been so long that I don't remember exactly when it was, but I think it was in 2001. Honestly speaking, the production values of that show were pretty low: low-impact fireworks, dimmed yellow lights that made everything hard to see, limited roster of wrestlers. But hell, I didn't care cos it was FUN! Everybody was up and jumping and screaming, and the atmosphere was electric. There was an excitement in the air that was palpable, and for that moment, everyone felt vindicated for even liking pro-wrestling; there were so many other crazy fans there.

Tickets go on sale 21 May 2007, at SISTIC

Original Sin

Audrea and I went out to dinner last night at a rather decent restaurant: Original Sin, at Jln Merah Saga. It's located near Chip Bee Gardens, near Holland Village. It serves vegetarian food, done in a mostly western style, meaning pasta, pizzas amongst other stuff.

Decor

It has a very pleasant decor, with a slight Mediterranean feel to it. The walls were painted a warm orange, tan coloured floors and dimly lighted with candles on each table. The kitchen and bar are both visible to the dining area. There's also an alfresco dining area. The overall setting makes the dining experience a more relaxed and comforting one. The thing I didn't particularly like were the seating arrangements, particularly the indoor seating. What I didn't like was that there were a couple tables set right at the door, and there'd be people milling about at all times.

Service

Service was excellent, and each person that served us was very attentive. They were prompt with requests, and were very polite. Plus they were easy to pick out in a crowd, as they were dressed in blue. Their uniforms clashed in colours with the rest of the restaurant, but it did make them easy to spot.

Food

They had quite a varied menu, which slightly surprised me as I didn't really think you could do quite so many things with vegetables. The appetisers looked rather interesting with a selection of bruschettas and salads. They also had a couple novel items like an Eggplant Tofu Gratin. Mains included vegetable stew, baked tomatoes, and moussaka. Audrea ordered the lasagna, and I had the Quattro pizza.

The lasagna was layered with spinach, onion, zucchini, mushrooms and capsicum amidst sheets of pasta. It was quite tasty, though I did find the tomato sauce a little over-powering. When a particular mouthful wasn't full of veges, you could only taste the tomato and pasta. But overall, a decent dish.

The pizza was quite good. It was served with 4 quarters of different ingredients, including feta cheese, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, asparagus, roasted capsicum, tomatoes and olives, on a tomato sauce and mozzarella base. The pizza bread is not the super thin type that you find at some Italian restaurants (like Al Dente Trattoria), but it was still quite good. Having 4 distinct flavours was quite delightful, and I enjoyed this one very much.

Overall

The meal was quite a good one, within a comfortable setting and excellent service. The entire meal cost us $52 (including tax). It's not overly expensive, but it does place itself in the upper tier of eateries. One other review I read noted that the ambience was a romantic one, but I'd have to disagree; it feels more casual, relaxed, and unassuming. A good choice for a quiet evening, and pleasant conversation. Not a place to impress the ladies with, but it real nice place to get to know someone. But do not get that table by the door; it's a real buzz-killer.

Virginia Tech

My heart goes out to the friends and families of those killed in the shooting at Virginia Tech. It is a real tragedy, and I can only begin to understand the pain and sorry that they are going through at the moment.

And not to make light this particular tragedy, but it brings to mind all the other tragedies that occur daily, that do not garner the same sort of news coverage that this one has. Stories of abuse, destitution, hunger, and suffering that affect thousands of people everyday. And you don't see these stories being covered in the news, not on the level that the VT incident has.

And why not? Because the news isn't sexy? Because it happened in a place that no one knows, let alone cares about? Because it didn't happen in the biggest country in the world?

My heart is heavy with sadness for those affected by the VT shooting, but it is also weighed down by the many that suffer daily, without a voice to speak on their behalf.

On leave

I'm on leave at home today. It's 10.30am, and I only just got out of bed. I haven't brushed my teeth even. I love days off.

Last week was particularly long for me, and I'm glad that it's over. I had to put together another event, and I was very anxious regarding the success of it, considering that there were significant problems 2 weeks back.

But things went smooth, and I'm glad that it's over. But the week had taken it's toll on me, to a point that I wasn't even looking toward organising SOG this weekend.

But I'm glad that I did. Because despite having to run around a little to put things together, SOG was another extremely enjoyable experience. We had a total of 47 people turn up for games, and there were all sorts of games being played. I met with some old friends, and met a bunch of new ones. One of the new persons to come game actually lives in the same block as me. I've see her a number of times in the morning whilst going to work, so I was surprised to see her stroll in on Saturday afternoon.

I managed to play a game of Imperial (though I got a major rule wrong), which I've been wanting to do since I bought the game a while back. I also managed to play a bit of Pitchcar and A Game of Thrones. All in all, I'm glad that SOG went on without a hitch. Of course, I gotta thank Mark for coming by to help out.

I'm meeting Alexis to play Combat Commander tomorrow. Ah... Good times.

Thinking about what I just said...

Wow. That post beneath just sounds like a sales pitch, no? But I am keen on that game, and am looking forward to it.

Pacman VS

Namco will be releasing a collection of their classics for the DS in a few months time. Usually I'm not too concerned with such compilations of classic video games, but this impending release has me quite excited.

Pacman VS. will be a part of this compilation, and I'm really keen on getting my hands on it. Originally released for the Gamecube, Pacman VS was a multi-player version of Pacman whereby one player plays as Pacman, and the other players played as the ghosts. Whilst one player attempts to eat as many dots as possible, 1-3 other players try and hunt that one person down. What made is difficult to play on the Gamecube was that it required each player to own a Gameboy Advance, which was linked to the 'Cube.

With the upcoming release, and through the use of its Wi-Fi capabilities, I'll be able to enjoy multiplayer mayhem on my DS with my friends. So I'm watching this one really closely.

Meanwhile... here's a geeky image for your enjoyment.

Super Mario 2

Some friends and I will be going to Play! A Video Game Symphony sometime in June, and in view of that, I present to you here, a percussionist performance of a musical piece from the old classic game, Super Mario 2.

Enjoy!

April Fool's Day

I hate April Fool's Day. Absolutely abhor it. I can't stand it, and I detest it, and I think it's a horrid day.

Why? Mostly because I'm a stupid gullible fellow who gets tricked easily.

As we all know, people take this opportunity to play tricks and pranks on friends, and to have a good laugh. That, in itself, is a worthy endeavour. I'm fine with that. One should always take amusement at someone else's expense. Unless the victim is me. Then it's just not right.

I've had friends tell me tall stories and I totally believe them. Because I trust them, and wouldn't have expected them to tell me a bald-faced lie. I've had people pull tricks on me and it would totally work. Because I'm not quick enough.

But the one I hate the most is when people take my stuff and hide it. That just burns me up. I really can't stand it when people do that. Because it takes me forever to find it, and I never do. I'd be scrambling up and down, and I never could figure out where it is. And the longer I take, the more frustrated I become, and the more pissed off I get.

April Fool's Day is the culmination of all those things that I hate, and as such, I hate this stupid day. Death to the pranksters! Unless I'm the one pulling the prank. Then... Yea Ken!!