farewell '09

and just like that, 2009 will soon come to an end.

as i grow older, the years begin to feel much shorter, time starts to fly faster but i still feel like i'm standing still. feels like just a week ago when people were still fussing over whether planes will fall, computers malfunction or the world translates into chaos with coming of Y2k. while physically i've grown, mostly horizontal, but mentally i've remained still in my teens. maybe still clinging on to hopes of eternal youth where minds are generally carefree, wishing time would go by slower so i would be able to catch up.

life is filled with many significant events which acts as stepping stones that sets the path of your journey. 2009 was one of that stepping stone for me. with the completion of my bachelors degree, it was somehow a crossing of borders. one where the life of a student ended for me and hopefully soon, the life of a working adult begins. uncertainty is one of my biggest fears and i won't deny the surge especially with my future being as clear as a bottle of coke. but alas, i guess that's just how life seems to be. you never really get the whole picture, just pieces of jigsaw that you slowly learn to put together.

they say god created everything in pairs, men and women, good and bad, and, ups and downs. 2009 was definitely not just filled with ups. there were many downs as well. i won't discuss any of mine here as i feel negativity should just be bottled and kept locked in the cellar, not shared like flutes of moet.

it has become customary to set goals and objectives everytime a new year approaches. i guess there's just something about a new year that people associate with clean slates. the ability to steer reality into desirability cajole millions into concocting a cauldron of resolutions. likewise with myself.

1) to eat and live healthy.

2) to dress fiercely.

3) to appreciate the present.



and with that, i would like to take this opportunity to tell all my cute and sexy readers, wherever you may be, that although i don't understand why you continue to visit my boring blog, i do appreciate you all for it. in a way, its nice i guess, to know that there is somebody out there willing to listen to all the random crap i blog about. and for that, i love you.

wishing you health and happiness for 2010!







xoxo
ALI JOE

pink is her favourite color

the second half of the year is usually filled with so many of my friends' birthdays. its always such a challenge to think of interesting things to do and fun ways of celebrating birthdays. i mean like extravagant parties are a lot of fun but a simple hangout with your close friends is equally great.

it was cecilia's birthday and we thought it would be a great idea to celebrate it at our favourite hangout place, Serangoon Gardens! i love that place. its like somewhat near where we all stay, the area isnt too crowded and they've got lovely places to chill!


we had dinner at this yummy place called Astons. the food is really good and very very reasonably priced too! its like a kopitiam setting but i've heard that they're quite popular. got like a few branches in Singapore.


walked around the area a little bit after dinner because its always nice to walk around after eating. i hate to sit down after i eat, i'll feel damn lethargic. like you know that sick feeling. like you feel damn fat and full and all you wanna do is just sleep. so i NEED to walk around after i eat. it's also a good excuse to camwhore!!


we ended up at this place called Liquid Kitchen. the place is so-so lah. they sell finger food, desserts and drinks. the only good thing about the place is that they open till late so you somewhat have a place to chill out with your friends. but then again i dont think this place will be winning any top service awards any time soon, so dont raise your hopes. luckily i brought poker cards so we can play!


and when cecilia was least expecting it, we suprised her with her birthday cake. and its not ordinary cake okay, we got her a mooncake. infact, a PINK mooncake cause that's her favourite colour! ok, i think by now you can somewhat guess how ancient this birthday celebration was right?! hahaha!!!

we even made her a DIY card!! sheryl even drew a picture of the 4 of us at the top of the card!


time for a group photo! urgh!! my hair looks damn ugly here!! looks damn PONG can!! omg!! please ignore it thank you.

(>.<)


after that it was more camwhoring at random places around serangoon gardens!! i love camwhoring!!! its like damn fun to just do retarded stuff and funny faces in front of the camera with your friends. i simply cannot understand how come people hate to camwhore. dont you guys just have friends who refuse to make funny faces or like hates to take photos. when you take photos with them its like you owe them money or something. i dont get it lor!

and you know the worse thing is they give the excuse that they're not as vain as you. i mean yes, lets be honest, i am vain. i can spend hours deciding on what to wear or just styling my hair. but then to a certain extent, everyone is vain. i didnt say everyone is as vain as me though but everyone has like a degree of vainess in them.

BUT, my point here is that camwhoring doesnt necessarily make you more vain then others. its just having fun being silly with your friends. and if you dont do it now, then do it when you're 80 meh.

so to all those people who call me vain for my love of camwhoring, i say, you guys are just a bunch of prudes.

a very wise man once said this and i quote:
'Why so serious?'


i know the Joker is not exactly considered a wise man but that is irrelevant.

ANYWAYS,

i hope cecilia enjoyed herself that night cause we sure did!!


stay cute!







xoxo
ALI JOE

hey neighbour

even though we stay so near each other, that doesn't mean we get to meet up often. especially with her being busy with her dissertation and me with my never ending project submissions, finding the ideal time slot to meet up is almost as rare as the solar eclipse. so whenever when we do meet up, we prefer to spend the time catching up on each other's life over a nice simple dinner.

this time around, we head to Swensen's at Ion Orchard!





i had the chilli crab pasta. they used soft shell crab for this. tasted oh so normal and they charged around $15 for this. not really something to rave about.






fara had the spicy seafood pasta. you know what, both pasta tasted the same. just that one had soft shell crab and the other had slices of fishcake and crabstick. blimey!


if you have a strong penchant for microwaveable food from 7 eleven and enjoy using $10 notes as toilet paper, then i suggest you put the restaurant on speed dial. but if you're looking for excellent service standard then you're in luck, i know an indian rojak uncle at ang mo kio market who has more sincerity than all of the staff here combined.

the only salve factor probably in this place is the ambience. quiet enough for a chit chat but if you're expecting somewhere romantic then i suggest the botanic gardens. hey, at least its free.






xoxo
ALI JOE

dark chocolate christmas

i love christmas!

well, doesn't EVERYBODY LOVE CHRISTMAS!! it doesnt matter whether you pray to jesus, buddha or prada, christmas is a holiday for everyone! i mean i have no idea how the birth of baby jesus has got to do with fancy christmas trees strung along the malls of orchard road but i sure am glad that immaculate conception brought joy to so many people around the world, especially with sales at so many shops.

christmas is so festive and feeling festive makes me feel like baking something festive!



Ingredients

225grams dark chocolate baking bar
85grams butter
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4tsp salt
1tsp vanilla essense
1/3 cup flour
1tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup slightly crushed walnuts


Steps

1) melt dark chocolate and butter and stir it well.
2) in a mixer, add eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla essense. mix at high speed.
3) add melted dark chocolate mixture into mixer and mix at medium speed till smooth.
4) add in flour and cocoa powder and whisk until the batter has no lumps.
5) fold in walnuts.
6) bake 170degrees celcius for 30 - 35mins.
7) when done remove from oven and let it cool for 15mins before removing from tray.




notes:

my brownies turned out really moist, fudgey and ultra chocolatey. the top part of it was quite crispy and crackled when i sliced the cake but the centre was really warm and tasted like melted chocolate bar. shiok to the max!

however, it was a little bit bitter but i love dark chocolate so thats fine but if you don't, swap the dark chocolate with milk chocolate. also, my parents did find the brownie to be a little sweet, so if you're watching your weight or if your family members have a history of diabetes then reduce the amount of sugar as there's already sugar in the chocolate bar. also, if you are allergic to nuts you can always substitute it with raisins or if you dont like walnuts, hazelnuts would be a great alternative.

overall. fucking fantastic!! taste even better with cookie dough ice cream from Ben & Jerrys.



just wanna wish all my sexy readers a wonderful christmas and enjoy the long weekend!! but please take the cab if you're going out for a night of alcohol and partying. the tow truck and the ambulance people would also love to have their long weekend thankyouverymuch.







xoxo
ALI JOE

too cute!

you all have just got to see this!!!



this is just seriously too cute la omg!!!!

i saw this posted on facebook and i simple had to share it with all cute readers. the little boy look exactly like the character in the movie UP. HAHAHA!

certainly made my day!










xoxo
ALI JOE

comeback

i know you guys that i've been neglecting this blog so much lately.

SORRY!!!

if you didnt know, i've just finished my final semester in uni and my exam results came out postive! WOOOOTS!!!

i was like so freaking out about my Finance paper can!! the paper was like damn tough la and i am like mathematically challenged man. like ever since i was in secondary school i've been sucking at math. did you know i've never passed maths before in secondary school until O levels. i spent 2 mths intensively practicing ten year series with my math teacher after school and THANK GOD my efforts were remunerated.

so yes, 'Hard Work' and 'Practice Practice Practice' does pay off!!


having finally completed uni means the end to late nights of doing projects and mugging for exams. so i've decided to spend my self declared holiday doing stuff i really enjoy.

i've been shopping, visiting museums, reading books, watching planes fly, taking lomo photos with my holga, watching Oprah, baking A LOT and of course catching up with friends.

its been really great having all this time to simply slack and not worry about anything. i mean it would of course be even better if i were at a beach in Langkawi sipping mojitos of course.

anyway

not to worry, i'm back to blogging!!! i simply cant stand to be away from all my cute readers for so long!!! i've got like a gazillion photos to blog about and tonnes of baking recipes to update already.

tune in and tell a friend!!!


muacks!
ALI-JOE

solace

sometimes we dance in the dark because the light casts shadows.


ALI JOE

oral

i opened the wooden door and there he stood with his back facing me.

'ooo, nice bum', i thought to myself.

since it was my first time here, i was a little unsure of what to do. and then he turned around and smiled at me. there was a glint of naughtiness in his eyes.

'hi, my name is derrick', he said.

'hello', i responded, a little coy.

derrick was a very handsome man. he was tall, a little tanned and i guess somewhere around mid twenties. his hair was a little messed up on purpose so that it didnt come across as too rigid. in short, derrick was cute.

i decided to go ahead and lied down on my back. he came closer to me. he took his hands and gently caressed my lips. he grabbed his thing and brought it close to my mouth. his eyes looking directly into mind, almost comforting me that he'd be gentle and promised not to hurt me. naturally, i open my mouth.

'wider', he said.

apparently, i didnt open my mouth wide enough for his thing to enter. slowly, he prodded my mouth with his thing gently rubbing the sides of my mouth at times. it felt a little weird at first but soon i got use to having his thing in my mouth.

i knew this wasnt his first time. he knew exactly what to and how to manouvre his thing in my mouth. it somewhat felt good knowing he knew what to do.

and then it happened, all because of his contant prodding of his thing in my mouth, the fluid now in my mouth was beginning to make me gag. i was thinking maybe i should just swallow but then, i'm not that kind of guy. i looked him and signalled him with my eyes. he understood exactly. what i wanted to do and he smile. i got up and spit out the fluid from my mouth. laid back down and he went at it again, more agressive this time. it did hurt a little bit, but i sucked it up.

then he was done. i spit out the fluid from my mouth. he looked pleased. i felt a little violated but thats okay cause i was the one who wanted to do this. he didnt pressurise me at all into doing this with him.

i sat up, and i looked at him. he was cleaning his thing. he gave me again that boyish smile and said to me, 'okay, i'll see you again in 6months time for your next dental checkup yeah?'

'sure'.





ALI JOE

ALI-JOE hearts COTTON CAROUSEL!!

Advertorial


Christmas is around the corner and as much as everybody is looking forward to the celebration, it's always causing so much headache to alot of people!!


WHY??

2 Reasons

1) Ladies - "I've got so many gatherings to attend and i've got nothing to wear!!!"

2) Guys - "Damnit, what to get my girlfriend for christmas?"


so much tension!! so stressful!!



NO WORRIES!!




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check out a couple of their dresses launched just last night!!!


Peach Ballerina Cupcake Dress.
see even the name is so yummy and pretty!! this dress is made of good quality lightweight cotton is perfect for dates, shopping and picnics. match it with a cropped jacket and a pair of heels and you're all set for the weekend. it even comes in a cool mint color as well!



Black Leather Sash Dress.
i just love how this dress is able to integrate the softness of the drapes and the hardness of the studded leather sash. great for dinners and christmas gatherings, and you can even wear it for work. the slimming shape of the dress is great for accentuating an hourglass figure. and you know what, i saw this dress at Cotton Carousel's website and it even has great details at the back. you have to check it out!


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NO lor!

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and the best thing is postage to local adresses is absolutely FREE!!!



now, i know most of my readers are either students and you've just started working, so right now you're kinda broke. so i've negotiated a deal with the lovely people at Cotton Carousel to get you all a DISCOUNT!!!


WEEEE!!!! EVERYBODY LOVE DISCOUNTS!!

haha i know, cause i'm one of them too. (^_^)V

for all my cute and handsome readers out there, just quote 'ALIJOE' when making a purchase and you'll be entitled to a special 5% discount!


SO WHAT YOU WAITING FOR?!

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ps: dont forget to quote 'ALIJOE' to get your special discount!









xoxo
ALI JOE

judgement day

my final semester results came out today. exam results day always makes me so damn nervous especially this one, since it determines whether i can finally graduate from university.

the days leading to the 3rd of dec were filled with so much tension. uncertainty was never one of the traits i can handle best. especially being a perfectionist, i like to plan everything and make sure everything goes accordingly. uncertainty only throws me off my comfort zone.

the night before the results, rumours were flying around regarding the actual time that the results will be announced. most of my friends were online and almost everyone was feeling the effects of anticipation. especially me as i knew i did very badly for my finance paper. it being a tough paper was one thing but me being so terrible in all things math made it even worse. finally at almost 4am i managed to fall asleep.

not even in sleep did i manage to escape the tension though. i had bad dreams of failing and i kept waking up at random intervals. at around 8+ am, i received an sms from my friend alerting me of what i've been dreading. it was time.

switched on my computer and i stared blankly at the screen as it was loading. my heart palpitating fiercer than Sasha Pivovarova's walk. as i keyed in my password and waited for the results to load, no words could explain all the emotions i felt at one time. i felt like a virgin on the first night of my wedding to a very pretty thai girl. very horny and very excited but praying to the heavens that a cock doesnt pop out when i rip off her panties with my teeth.


and then i saw it. the results to the five subjects i took.



all the emotions built up to this moment and the first thing i did was let out a 7 octave scream. my mother rushed to my room wondering whether Mariah Carey has just made another comeback only to see the look on my face, not the one Jenna Jameson was famous for, but a look of a different kind.

still trembling, i turned to her and said, 'mummy, i passed.'

no, Mariah Carey did not make a comeback and no, ah lians haven't yet given up on the bow headband trend but this was definitely better news.

the smile on her face was that of pride, joy and i guess part relief that she no longer has to pay the exhorbitant school fees. and then she said to me, 'lets call your father and tell him the great news'.


i dialed the numbers to his mobile and set my phone to loudspeaker. both mother and son eagerly waiting for the ringing tone to come to an end so we could convey the happiness to the other side.

'hello?'

i let my mother do all the talking. yes, it was my moment but you could see it in her face and hear it in her voice that it was her moment too. she was enjoying this.


my father's reply came across as abrupt and rather nonchalant. all he said was 'oh okay. thats good.' it might have seemed as uncaring or cold to other people. but to me, that was just how my father is, a man of few words. he's not somebody somebody who shows his emotions much. once while watching Big Momma House on dvd at home i realised he didnt even laugh once during the movie. i asked him whether the movie was funny. all he said was, 'Yes'. and until the movie ended, his face maintained the same expression. thats just how he is.

my mother noticed though that i was probably feeling a little let down from the phonecall. so she just smiled at me and said, 'maybe he's very busy at work'. she then went ahead to kitchen and made me a hot cup of milo.


that night, which was tonight, my father came home from work. my mother made him a cup of coffee as he sat in the living room watching the news on tv. he lighted up a ciggarette and asked me to pass him his briefcase which was on the chair next to me.

he unzipped the bag and took out a big box of Fererro Rocher and passed it to me. with a funny smile on his face especially with the ciggarette still in his mouth, he said to me, 'well done'.

(:

i've always wanted to go to la salle or shatec to pursue a more creative career but i chose a to study business instead in a polytechnic and then to university. it was never about the passion but more about the promise of a well paying stable job. the future well being of my family rested on my laurels and squandering it away just to fulfil a passion wasnt what i deemed appropriate.

in life, we always have choices. sometimes we steer our choices to what we think is best for the ones we love. i neglected my heart and made a choice with my head.

those 2 smiles i saw today were smiles of pride from the two people i love the most in the world.

those 2 smiles today was the confirmation that i had made the right choice.




ALI JOE

resolution

its official. i'm f a t.

i decided to do a little of spring cleaning since i've been doing nothing else but bum at home. the first thing i did was rearrange by 'bottoms' drawer. bottoms here includes jeans, pants and berms. you know, stuff i wear to go out. so i had to sort the pile of bottoms into Keep, Maybe and Throw cause darlings that drawer was gonna burst at its hinges.

first thing i did was to weed out the the passe ones. the cargo pants, the corduroys, the jeans with the holes. since that's out of the question, the next thing i did was to see which of the bottoms i tend to wear most. you know how sometimes you have like 10 different shades of blue for jeans yet you keep wearing only 3. and this 3 are the ones that matches everything and you think you like nice in them. so i kept those that receive higher usage frequency.

after that, all that is left are the 'Maybes' pile. somewhat the undecided bunch. stuff that you wear occasionally. they're not exactly ugly but somehow you just do not gravitate towards them. to solve this pile, what i did what to see which fit. those which did were kept and those that didnt made the trip to the 'Throw' pile.

and lo and behold. out of the 8 in the Maybe pile, only 2 of them fit me. i realise what the problem was. i bought most of these Bottoms when i was still in NS. i mean of course i do realise the main problem here is i've gotten more full figured but the thing about buying clothes during national service is that they will only fit you when you are still in the army. once you've pass that stage where you no longer run 6kilometres everyday or do jungle warfare every other week, your body does not maintain that same svelte fingure.

it gets frustrating i guess seeing all these bottoms that i bought using my savings and the meager NS allowance all go into the Throw pile. so thats that. i need to get back in shape. obviously i know its close to impossible to regain what i had during my heydays but at least a slight reduction in fat retention could ease the frustration.

not gonna embark on a strict diet cause i know these diets don't last. what i'm gonna do is include little changes into my life, think stairs and low carbs.

if not for fashion, at least for my health.


do i hear an Amen?







ALI JOE

2nd roll

today i finally managed to collect the photos from my holga that i sent for developing last week. the thing i like about having a film camera in the day and age of digital ones is the anticipation that builds up from wondering how the photos will turn out.

when i was young i always looked forward to accompanying my dad to the photo developing shop. it's always a treat to see how the photos we took during hari raya or a recent trip to Malacca turned out. and then we'd go home, look through them again and carefully slot them into a photo album. and whenever somebody comes to visit, we proudly present them with the photo albums while we eagerly explain each picture and laugh at those that didnt turn out nice. well, i kind of miss that now. digital cameras has somewhat numbed up from this excitement we use to feel from film cameras. now photos go directly into the computers and the once deemed unsatisfactory are deleted with a simple mouseclick. then they're uploaded onto facebook while people comment on them. in a way, the whole process is still somewhat similar. its just that it has lost its warmth.

so here are the photos that were developed from my holga which i received today.


double exposure of a spiral staircase and, some clouds and the sun on a sunny day.


a view of the mosque opposite my house from my corridor.


double exposure of the clouds and a monument


fountain outside swissotel


outside raffles city. i liked the complexity.


SIM atrium. i've always found the roof of the atrium fascinating. reminded me somewhat of wheelock place. whenever i take the escalator from the basement to level 1. i love to look to the top, the glass roof is so pretty, especially in the day.


taking photos in a way is like a red traffic light. you make the moment stop by capturing it on film.


clarke quay. depicting movement in stillness.


row of colourful houses along the Singapore river.



*Photos taken on Holga 120N using Fujichrome Provia 100F film developed at Triple D Mini Lab Centre.


alright thats all folks. i hope you like them!








ALI-JOE

Bottletree Birthday

it's always so frustrating when it comes to somebody's birthday and you can't decide on a place to celebrate it. i mean like going for dinner is just too common, we do that every time we meet up. birthdays have to be more special. so for sheryl's birthday, we decided to go prawning (prawn fishing) at Bottletree Park.


it was our first time prawning so we didnt really know what to expect. so when we reach the prawning place, we realised that prawning was simply people sitting around a drain of stagnant water while holding rods. OMG, so boring can!! why on earth do people find this kind of thing entertaining?!


so we decided to have dinner and explore the place instead!


they had some nice cool places where you can take photos. the whole bottle tree park was actually quite big.


there were even random bones structures lying around. i've seriously no idea how the bottle tree concept integrates with the bones. maybe the owner bought it on impulse.


we found a nice spot to sit down so we told sheryl to turn around cause we've got a surprise for her.


tadah!
birthday muffins!!


the muffins from Starbucks were so yummy, the girls couldn't stop gobbling them up!


after the birthday muffin it's time for presents!


we got Sheryl some stuff from Body Shop and also made her these lovely cards! handmade cards are lovely. i personally HATE those ready made cards sold at gift stores or bookstores, especially those with corny words already printed on them. bleah.

continued munching on the muffins and later, decided to call it a night since it was getting a little late. i'm sure everybody had loads of fun!

clutter

there was a period of time where i looked forward to blogging everyday. there was a period of time where amount of readerships mattered to me. there was a period of time where i spent hours editing every single photo that i wanted to publish.

right now, to be honest, i don't really care.



i need to sort out my life first.





ALI-JOE

preview

ali joe

muse

i like to look at runway shows and spot outfits that somewhat speaks to me. its ability to capture my intrigue works in creating the vision that assists the direction i wish to emulate. from there, i interpret the look by factoring in the weather, budget and its ability to complement other pieces that i already own.


3.1 Phillip Lim


Yves Saint Laurent


this time around, these 2 looks from the Spring 2010 collection strikes my fancy.



au revoir


photo credits : men.style.com

translation

happiness is a choice.
its is merely your ability to reduce the discrepancy between your actual and desired state.
in theory it sounds deceivingly simple to attain what others spend a lifetime seeking.
but reality proves otherwise.

often we are faced with many barriers and challenges that life propels.
so we seek comfort in the reasoning that life is unfair to us.
but come to think of it, whoever said life was meant to be fair.

in the end, happiness is only an expectation that prevails in theory.
the meaning to such an illusive word can only exist in dictionaries.
not in real life.

to be free

in 7 days, i shall be.





ali joe

desire

i've been thinking about making this decision for quite a while actually. in fact, ever since i saw the picture, i couldnt stop contemplating about it. in the end, i decided to just go for it.

so i brought the picture along with me. placed it nicely in my wallet and slotted it into my backpocket. put on my tshirt and made my way to the building. this building was located in a discreet part of the area. not many people were around at that time which is good for me as it means i wouldnt wait long.

i stood in front of the building, contemplating my decision one last time. i told myself to just go for it. i've come all the way and to turn back would only make my efforts futile. pushed open the big glass door and there she was, Nurul.

Nurul is a malay girl around 1.6metres in height probably around her early twenties. now you wouldnt call her chubby nor was she skinny. i guess fleshy was the only appropriate word that came to mind. her hair was dyed copper brown and heavy eyeliner lined her big almond eyes. one thing that separated nurul from the rest of the girls in the room were her bosoms. so big and prominent she made all other girls look like flat chested teenage girls.

when i came into the room, nurul looked at me with her eyes and i smiled. she smiled back. i didnt want to waste any precious time so i went straight to the point. i took out my wallet and passed her the picture that i kept inside. i told her what i was here for and she was only too please to adhere to my wants. she knew i didnt do this often so she guided me slowly what to do.

i was thankful that i met nurul. she was polite and always had a smile on her face. i took one look at her again and i couldnt hold it in any longer. so i told what was on my mind.

"hmm, can i... mm.. i want.. both breasts"

she looked at me again with her eager eyes

and without her smile wavering she replied..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"crispy or original?"






ali joe

eternally 12

the battle will soon begin

triumphant or nay, we shall soon see.



ali joe