We’ve also invited fellow bloggers and friends for a BBQ on Wednesday night. It was a simple affair and everyone had fun (right?). I love gatherings like this. Fuss-free and casual.

As the team was occupied with “tasks” on hand that night – Kris and me at the BBQ pits, Eevon the bartender and Diana ensuring everyone gets food to eat, we didn’t have extra pair of hands for photo taking. Thanks to those who came and brought home happy photos from that night!

My best shot from that night thanks Chin for this!

More of his photos can be found on flickr.

Eevon and Kenneth, shot taken by Amanda

Leshane and Kris, shot taken by Amanda

More photos by Amanda can be found on facebook.

Group shot by Chin

Group shot by Geng Hui

Thank you all once again for coming by that night! We’ve got to do it again soon!

This one week of reflection and resolution will end on 31 December 2008, just in time to welcome the new year.

For a start, here’s a reflection of (some) events and gatherings for the people by the people.

(Did a calendar for myself with the collection of photos over the year. Looks pretty nice so I’m using them here in my first post…)

Chinese New Year celebration with blogging friends

Pizza Anyone?

Yebber’s Anniversary Party

Social Media Breakfast | Singapore at ACM

Hei! Hei! Hei!

Ping.sg 2nd Anniversary Party

My Birthday Celebration with friends

Craving for hotpot?

Friends, beer, snacks, and laughter

SMB at URA Gallery

SMB at Samsung

SMB at Samsung

So much have happened and changed within a year. What’s in the past, should be kept in the past. Its time to move on and have a better year ahead in 2009!

Merry Christmas!

And ever since my family learned and acceptable that I’ve stopped consuming pork, I feel guilty when we gather for family dinner. Being a Chinese, pork is an essential dish on the dining table especially during Chinese New Year. I’m not asking everyone to stop serving or having this meat because of me. I just don’t touch them and eat all other dishes that have no pork in them.

I grew up living with my grandma. My favorite food prepared by her are ngioh hiang, a peranakan dish that has pork, onions, chestnut and some other stuff wrapped in a dried beancurd skin, and rice dumplings. Because of me, she started preparing these two food with chicken meat instead so that I can still enjoy them. I love grandma very much! She’s always loving and caring and never complain about the trouble she’d to go through to prepare two versions of rice dumplings with the chicken one specially for me and the pork meat one for everyone else in the family.

I’ve stopped consuming pork for more than 5 years now. And many have been asking me if I’d gone halal. My answer is no. I still drink, gamble and eat non-halal food. I’m a Chinese and no I’m not a Muslim. Whether or not I will eventually become one, is still unknown. And I hope people will understand that this is a choice that I’ve to make on my own. If I’m not ready to convert, no one should force me to just because I’m going to marry a Muslim. I respect all religion and I do believe that there’s god. And I also believe that god will never force anyone into devoting oneself to them if the person isn’t ready to. So I hope everyone around me and my Abang will understand this. And I really hope to get everyone’s blessing when the time is here, no matter if I’m one of them or not. Abang and I have come a long way together, going through much obstacles and adventures together. No matter what we decide to do, I sincerely hope everyone will understand and respect our decision.

Together always…

one fine friday night, a group of plurkers from singapore gathered at

i started flashing at everyone and kris gave me that WTH stare

while ben was waiting for his turn, i flashed and spinned at him

and i got the best flashed and span shot of the night

i love doing the flash and spin as the result of the photo
surprises me everytime
it may turn out sexy or ugly
but still i enjoyed it
it was fun!

i even tried flashing myself

ridz got curious and wanted to try it himself

so dk and I tried to set the right setting on his camera

while we continued our experimental flash and spin
kris was playing five-ten with a pretty lady with his gf watching

he tried to get the pretty lady to dry bottom-up a huge glass of hoegaarden

than the rest of the group started learning five-ten too

with uncle willy as the instructor

david with the big gun arrived later that night

my flash cannot compare to his lah!
(watch out for amazing photos from willy on facebook)

here’s the group shot by the big gun

(photo by david)
with many others who had already left

willy did something which he’d not done for awhile

he made us all looked down at the big gun

(photo by willy)

i got tired of all the flashing, i left

saying goodbye to everyone there

it was a great night with great people and great fun!

looking forward to the next time we meet again soon

thanks daphne, robert and ingrid for organizing this outing

more of my flash shots will be uploaded to facebook shortly are up in facebook

Click here to view photos taken with Canon Ixus 950IS

Updated
For those of you who would like to try flashing it too, here’s how you can do it (depending on your camera)…

• Turn off any AF-assist light (the red/green light that is flashed whenever you try to take a photo in the dark). You can do so usually in the camera setting
• Set your camera to manual (M) mode
• Set your ISO to the lowest (usually ISO80)
• Turn on your flash (if you have SLOW flash setting use that one)
• Take photo of your subject with flash and spin your camera as you please immediately after pressing and releasing the shutter button. DO NOT SPIN TOO MUCH

This should give you the effect above. Best used at night. For day shots, it’ll be probably not possible with an point and shoot. I tried spinning my camera (DSLR) before too.

HAVE FUN flashing and spinning!

Claud loves throwing party! If she had a huge house with unlimited dollars to spend, she’ll throw one every Saturday! But in reality, Claud cannot afford to do that. But she did throw one last weekend! And it was a blast!

Claud’s birthday was around the corner, and she had planned a gathering for her friends to do two things that she’s always wanted to but has no time. She invited her closer friends for a night of boardgaming fun at Decoder’s Cafe and a dance and drink till they dropped party at St James Powerhouse.

She is very very happy and she felt the love from everyone there. The party wouldn’t have been this GREAT without any of them…

Claud’s BFF for 10years! (aka Claud’s mahjong pals aka polymates)

With hot babe Diana aka molemole
(aka host of the show!)

Claud’s favorite Kitty, Daphne!

Claud’s favorite Yebber babe! Bobo!

3 hot babes (Bobo, Kitty and Rinaz) + 1 ugly duckling (Claud)

Group shots taken at Decoder’s Cafe… with some who’d gone to St James and some who had left earlier…

Some of the Yebber gang at the party

Same gang but now with Claud’s Abang

More of the gang joined in this shot

And here’s everyone who was around at the end of the boardgaming party.
SC, Daphne, Claud, Vanessa, Rinaz, Ladyironchef, Abang, Andy, Leon, Andrea, June, Mervin, Susanna and Bobo.

(MIA from this shot: SY, Krisandro, KKNN, Diana, D’s F, Jon, Christine and HFB)

Next stop… St James Powerhouse!

It was Claud’s first time at St James. She had not been clubbing for very long and she missed it quite a lot. When some of her friends suggested partying after the gaming, she got excited and had been waiting for that night since then.

Claud is a mambo girl, but St James Powerhouse wasn’t any close. Still, she managed to let her short hair down and danced the night away. Claud can dance almost to all kind of music, as long as there’s a beat and rhythm. Ha!

That night was the first where she had that much drink on her tables. There was a bottle of Johnnie Walker, two small baileys, two tower of Tiger beer and a jug of vodka ribena. With help of her friends, they managed to cleared all within 3 hours.

Like a BOMB! (The capsule NOT Claud!) Nice isn’t it?

Some shots of the red faced Claud with the fun party people that night…

Claud’s dearest dearest Abang!!

Despite him being SUPER tired after booking out from his reservist few hours before, he came and stayed till 3.30am with Claud! Claud is super touched and happy that he stayed. Although most of the time Claud was having fun at the dance floor, Abang just sat there, looking after everyone’s things and the drinks. Claud wants to tell Abang how much she appreciates his company and really really am very happy that he was there all the time. Claud loves Abang very very much!

Claud with pretty pretty KKNN (aka Krisandro’s GF)

Claud with red faced Krisandro

With Diana at Powerhouse

Marc joined in the party too!

Claud with long time neighborhood friend, Bing

Claud’s brother! (Kinda drank after almost 3/4 tower of beer)
Hunsome or not? Someone said he kute loh! :S

That was the night long party from 7pm to 4am! Claud wants to thank everyone who came and celebrated her birthday with her. Claud also wants to thank all for the birthday wishes and pressies!! OMG! The pressies!! Love all of them!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!

So what did Claud receive from her friends? Stay tune to find out! :P