This afternoon was spent visiting my late parents at the temple where their ancestral tablets were housed. It's been exactly a year since my Dad passed on after a struggle with oral cancer. I really miss dear Father and Mother...

For the past week, since my home PC monitor broke down, I have made no effort to get back online. Wanted to give myself some space and some time to reflect on my life, and being offline gave me some much deserved respite. My PC is still in limbo, and I am presently typing at one of Chills Cafe's internet stations..

But no worries, my dear friends, I will be back in full force come Monday when I get my PC fixed...

Just a quick recapitulation of my past week's activities...

1) I have completed the filming for the Traffic Police's upcoming "Don't Drink and Drive" TV commercial. Photos will be up soon...

2) Rehearsals have gone underway for Bridgemobile's 1st-year dinner & dance, which looks to be a blast with a wacky cast including Darius Tan, Lily Nuris, Chermaine Ang, Benjamin Ng, Cathy Kee and yours truly...

3) Friends of Loretta Tan staged a surprise birthday party for her on 1st Dec at Whatchamacallit. It was the eve of her actual birth anniversary, and folks from "Ten Brothers" made up most of the guest there...

4) I will be shooting a new episode for Channel U's docu-drama, "Hooked", tomorrow for a few days. I will play the lead character, who's a habitual drug-addict. Having a closely cropped crew cut helps...

5) I rented and watched the entire "Ten Brothers" series. Nope, Toy Factory played no part in this, as this series was by Hong Kong actors. It was a great way to spend two free days, sitting and watching the series non-stop...

6) Friends and families of Annie Ferrao and Sean Yeo attended their wedding dinner at The Regent Hotel, and it was quite a reunion for some of us from the SAF MDC...

7) Tomorrow will also be our gorgeous Amy Cheng and Chandran's Oriental wedding dinner, and for the event, we'll all be decked in Shanghai-styled attire. Should be fun, and I'll bring my camera along to capture some glamourous moments...

So, all the more reasons to stay tuned here in the coming week!

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My PC monitor is still giving me problems...

So I am still typing this from Chills Cafe. Will have to buy a new one tomorrow if I were to catch up with my internet activities and photo postings...

Anyway, I have just completed filming for Channel U's "Hooked - Episode 8" in which I played a drug addict who spent most of his life under the influence of drugs...

(Photos pending...)

This episode should be aired on 29th Dec 2005, 10pm on Channel U, please do watch out for it!

Last night I also performed for Bridge Mobile's Interactive Dinner Show at Shangri-la Hotel, together with Darius (Henri), Benjamin (Moneybags Lim), Chermaine (Mimi), Bridget (Cindy), Cathy (Chi Chi), Andrea (Cha Cha) & Kat (Chu Chu). I played the poor busboy Bobby...

The set was very nice and Moulin Rouge-ish, and although the performance was wrought with stress due to the highly interactive nature and last minute changes to the script by Peggy & Nicholas Lee, it was quite a fun show on the whole...

(Photos pending...)

With these shows back to back, I was having lots of problems sleeping or getting enough rest. Coming up in the pipeline is a series of new film and tv projects, which means more media exposure for me and more income too. No rest? No biggie, there's over a week of Australia for me to enjoy, coming this Christmas season!!!

Really looking forward to that!!!!

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Finally...

After enduring a lousy PC monitor which breathed it's last some weeks ago, I have just bought a new LCD monitor, an LG Flatron L1750HQ, 17", 8ms response time, DVI etc., which cost me S$428 after some bargaining...

So here I am, surfing the net and keying in this entry at home. Finally... 

Loads of stuff to post here. Do stay with me... 

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Here are the rest of the pics taken during the filming of the new Singapore Traffic Police "Anti Drink & Drive" TVC...

The last pic was taken during the recording session of the voiceovers in which I read the part of the narrator...

Was pleasantly surprised to find Uncle Sam involved in recording the final tagline of the ad...

Watch out for this commercial from around 20th Dec 05 through to the festive seasons...

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After playing a traffic accident victim due to drink-driving, I was cast as an incorrigible drug addict, "Ah An", in 360 Productions' current TV series "Hooked - Episode 8" to be aired on 29th December, 2005 (Thursday) on Channel U...

Siew Ping acted as Ah An's mother. Playing my buddy and fellow drug addict, "Ah Hai", was Ckay Lim, who also acted as my elder brother in this year's "Missing" series...

This episode was directed by Qing Liang, and the team included Nicole, Ben (who was also involved in the Traffic Police TVC), Nathan, James, Jason and Kelvin...

Here are the photos taken during the filming over three days earlier this week... 

Do watch out for this episode at the end of this year! 

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On 7th December 2005, Nicholas Lee of XXX Productions and Peggy Ferroa got together the previous cast for the "Fuji Xerox Roadshow" to put on another event for Bridge Mobile, which was celebrating its first year anniversary, at the Shangri-La Hotel...

And here's the fabulous cast...

The inhabitants of the "Bridge Mobile Music Hall", with the creator Peggy Ferroa

ps: The colourful costumes were courtesy of Moe Kassim, winner of the Best Costumes Award in this year's Life! Theatre Awards...

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The entire yesterday was spent shooting the pilot episode for an upcoming supernatural themed series called "Paranormal Fables" (aka "The Mission" ) for Arts Central...

I play "Mike", a lady-killer... literally, and I get to reprise my recent characterisations of drug abuse as well as drink-driving (we even filmed at Marina South, the same location for the Traffic Police TVC!)

In a scene, I got to "drive" a car, which was managed mostly by trick shots as I do not have a driver's licence... yet...

Magdalene See, who was also in last year's "24 Pieties", play the protagonist who became my last victim, "Lynn"... until spooks start flying...

Here are some of the shots taken during the shoot...

(From L-R: Bo, Irene, Magdalene and I)

Watch out for Part 2 of the shoot, which will take place in another week's time or so... 

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Was surfing the TV channels this morning and came across a new MTV of the four Project Superstar winners, William, Junyang, Kelly and Sin Huey welcoming in the Christmas season with "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"...

I am not a PS fan, and neither am I that enthusiastic about Christmas (what snow?!), but I am pretty much sold by their chirpy rendition of this ditty...

I actually feel HAPPY listening to them... 

Kudos to the music arranger for making it hip and non-irritating...

I actually do miss singing and carolling with Es'Choir...

Oh well, by-gones... 

Anyway, I think it is a wonderful thing that the local music people are giving these singing contest winners more and more opportunities to SING! Even the finalists get their share of media exposure...

They might not be superstars yet, but only with such extensive media support and marketing (and their own hardwork of course!) can they improve and evolve into true superstars and classics for our future generations... 

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Just a recap...

On the 4th December 2005, I faced two wedding invitations, and finally chose to attend that of Amy Cheng and Chandran's at Grand Hyatt Hotel...

Only my name disappeared from the guest list, even though I had agreed to attend when Amy called to invite me early-early. Oh well...

Anyway, Ben's partner didn't turn up after all, so I was assured of a seat at the "Ten Brothers" table...

The entire buffet dinner was spiced with a continuous performance by ACT3 actors and friends of the wedding couple...

The theme was Shanghai Night and everyone came garbed in exotic oriental attire...

The Wedded Couple

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Yesterday morning was spent tidying up the voiceover recordings for the Traffic Police TVC at AMX Audiophiles...

You can catch a glimpse of the TV commercial on the screen above...

The actual TV commercial will be telecast from 20th December 2005 over Channel U and Channel News Asia as well as major video walls and cinema screens...

The radio commercials will also be aired the same day over the Mediacorp Radio channels...

Will see if I am able to upload the radio versions here to remind you guys that "Drink Driving Shatters Lives"!

Coincidentally, Uncle Sam was also involved in this recording although we recorded separately. And yesterday, just before the recording, I had already met up with him to watch the movie "Perhaps Love" starring Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhou Xun and Jacky Cheung...

The movie was pretty good except it tended to be a tad too indulgent and left the important aspects under-resolved. The songs were not all memorable, with the exception of an old classic by one of my fave singers, Chyi Chin...

Of course, Jacky Cheung's singing was superb, but sadly underused...

The Moulin Rouge setting and costumes were all very mesmerising, but the most touching moments for me were those focusing on the eyes of the lead actors, all of which reflected the sorrow and dilemma in their unrequited love and sacrifices...

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*Pui pui pui!!!*

*Deep breaths*

Okay I feel a bit calmer now. Since I can't do much while waiting for my foot to reduce swelling except blog, let's change subjects...

Last night was spent at Chermaine's place where we had a really hilarious time hamming it up as characters of recent movies for our very own "Golden Dog Awards"...

Host: Chermaine

Bartender (still practicing): Soon Kiat

Presenter: Bao Feng

Cameraman: Debbie

Judges: Bao Feng + Debbie + Peter + Ching Ling 

Contestants:

1) Edric (Viktor Krum - Harry Potter)

2 & 3) Pierre & Victor (Indian Girl & Bird Seller - VISA ad)

4 & 5) Chermaine & Soon Kiat (King Kong & Damsel-In-Distress - King Kong)

6 & 7) Pauline & Shou Chen (? & ? - The Promise)

It was really wild, man! 

Next time we'll all come in full costumes and make up lah, which will be even more fun!! 

After the "awards presentation" (I laughed so much that I can't remember who won what where and how now!), Gilbert arrived and we sang a be-early "Happy Birthday" to him...

Then there was a mahjong session by those potential IR-goers amongst us (Soon Kiat was overall winner!) while those who've already depleted their beginner's luck (me!!) watched TV...

Chermaine surprised us with an old VCD of a movie she acted in ages ago as the sexy "flower of Newton Circus" (hurhur!) but was never screened in the cinemas. We were all tickled by her 3 power scenes, the third of which showed her being hacked to death by a jealous lover!

Funny also was Irene Ang in the opening scenes, also being hacked to death within a few seconds of her appearance!! 

After Chermaine's scenes were over, we switched to watching "Crayon Shin-chan", and laughed at his irritating-ness so much till my abs were sore...

After the mahjong-ers have won/lost and concluded their game, we chatted on about old SBC TV series and their wonderfully nostalgic theme songs all the way till sunrise... 

Very tired, but had loads of fun! Thanks to Gilbert for sending me to MRT... 

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The swelling on my right foot came down about an hour after I gave it some cold water treatment and Lavendula Vera essential oil, and I felt able to make it to Jin Lian and Jia Jun's place after all...

Besides the hosts, Xiang Hua, her 3-year-old son Xue Yan, La Vonda and Hui Hui have already arrived earlier...

Here's a reunion portrait of us folks whose paths once crossed in the 80s at River Valley High School...

Hui Hui and La Vonda brought Christmas presents and gave me a year planner for 2006 and a series of Christian Dior toiletries (meant for my sister) respectively...  

Dinner was served shortly and praises to Jin Lian's culinary skills were all justified. The dishes were all delicious and flavourful, and I had second helpings...

Above: Main Course Dishes

Left: Salad                                  Right: Dessert

We watched the DVD copy of "Ten Brothers" that I performed in recently, but we got pretty distracted by little Xue Yan, who was restless and unwilling to sit still. Problem finally solved with a little Rum and Coke...

It was a fun reunion, with plenty of catching up to do since our last dinner many months ago, and lots of casual banter...

Looking forward to our next one already!  

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Yesterday, after rushing to and fro Dance Circle Studios to meet Richard Tan to discuss my role in "Baba Nyonya Mari-Go-Round" Peranakan musical by Main Wayang, I headed over to Cutting Edge Studio to record the voiceover narrations for my episode of "Hooked"...

It was completed rather swiftly, and Ckay arrived soon after to dub his...

While recording the narration, I was aided by the script
and monitor screen showing the scenes...

This is the small but well-equipped recording studio booth.
The padded walls are excellent for keeping stray sounds out
and perhaps for mental cases to vent their frustrations... kidding!

That's Cutting Edge's Ming De at the console,
weaving studio magic to make us sound good...

From L-R: Me, Qing Liang (director of the episode) & Ckay (co-actor)

I won't be in town by then, but if you are free, do watch out for this episode next Thursday, 29th Dec 05, on Channel U at 10pm yeah!

And oh yeah, the Singapore Traffic Police ad, "Drink Driving Shatters Lives", is officially out now!!!

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Yesternight was a big occasion for my ex-colleague Teck Guan (aka Ezekiel) and his lovely wife Elaine... their wedding dinner!

Congratulations!!! 

And I am very honoured to be their Master of Ceremony (Emcee) of the evening...

It was some feat trying to figure out the right words to say (in view that Teck Guan's family is still in mourning for his Dad's recent passing...) and juggle some last minute instructions to keep the event in order. But I think I did a reasonably good job on the whole. Hehe!

It was a beautiful event, with a beautiful stage setting contributed by the wedding couple's friends, and the food was excellent. All in all, it was a successful dinner...

Met so many of my ex-colleagues from NovaSprint, an IT company where I worked for about 3 years before fully embarking on my acting career... 

Many of them have since moved on too, while some remained stoically. I think I have done well so far and proud to be where I am now...

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I didn't sleep much over the last couple of days, especially yesterday. It was the remaining film shoot for the pilot episode of "Paranormal Fables - The Mission", which took ages to complete due to a constant change in plans. The wet drizzly weather didn't help...

Nevertheless, the skies decided to take a break from the weeping after some hours and allowed us to proceed with our filming, which took place at a lallang field in Punggol... 

We finally wrapped around 8am, having over-run by several hours, and we're all famished, grubby, mosquito-bitten and badly in need of a shower and sleep...

Here are some of the photos taken throughout the shoot. Brace yourselves for some chills...

That's all for now, for this year. Stay tuned for more, come 2006!!! 

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Watch me on

"迷幻人生"

Hooked - Episode 8

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Hey folks, just before I fly off to beautiful Australia in a couple of hours' time, I'll like to wish all of you...

A MERRY CHRISTMAS

and a

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I'll try to update whenever I can, but in case I get too busy enjoying myself... see you all again come 5th January 2006!!!

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