The One on Old Place

After a whole busy week of of packing and unpacking (which accounts for the absences of so many posts over the past few days), Sotongball has successfully shifted to his new fridge. And he want to give thanks to the Old Fridge that has housed him for one and a half years. 

Let me give you a little tour of the old place especially to those of you who did not have a chance to visit me before, for one reason or another ;) :

Once you walk into the house, you'll be greeted with a rather empty but spacious living room. Of course the PLU magazines on the rack at the bottom left hand are at your disposal to entertain yourself as a guest in STB's place.

A slightly different angle from the door, toilet on your left and kitchen on your right. STB's room is just right to the kitchen door.

Yet another different angle on the living room. You can see the dining table and of course the infamous balcony where Romeo meets Juliet... not.

Here's the balcony where STB used to smoke at, I mean, get smoked. No no no, STB don't smoke cigarettes, and neither is he adventurous enough to "smoke" at his balcony too.

Now here's something true: that's the white "Glass House" whose occupant is a bachelor in his early 40's tops. During Christmas the guys were standing at the balcony overlooking a bunch of guys who were in the Glass House. I guess either side is just waiting for each other to display their rainbow flags so that we can cross over.

Here's Sotongball's room, it is as neat as it can get and I'm sure a lot of the BWers has seen the worse of it. Really, why STB likes his room so much is because he rarely spent any time in the room. It's for him to sleep, change, surf, TV and tabao sex. 

Last words to my old place,

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to experience what is it like to pay for my rent and expenses.

Thanks for being very close enough to town yet spotting a low rent.

Thanks for giving me a neighborhood full of queers, especially the good friend living diagonally across.

Hope the next tenant will love it as much as I did.

Farewell

Sotongball wants to thank the friends who had helped him to move: Chat, Buaya, Seekstock, LupCheong and OralB.  And also NFB for giving STB a gift for his new house ( of course more gifts are always welcomed from the rest ;P )

The One on Chat's Birthday

Yes he does not want me to interview him for whatever reason, but Sotongball thinks this good friend of his deserves to be mentioned in STB's Blog during his birthday.

Of course it's none other than Chat, aka Btm40/41/now 42 :) Those of you guys who do not know him probably do not go into the IRC channel. As Chat is not a registered member in the Blowing Wind Forum but he is always logged onto the chatroom thanks to 3G connection and Nokia E Series.

So, the four of us went for dim sum brunch in 幸福飲茶 (Fortunate Restaurant) in Toa Payoh on a Sunday morning, after torturing him to stay up together with us who were playing MJ. In the evening, bunch of us went to having 崇慶火鍋 at Beach Road. Followed by coffee in Starbucks.

Here's the makeshift "cake" we came out with for him:

As secretive as he is about himself, even the closest 3 of us did not know about his birthday till half an hour before midnight, well it also revealed how "unconcerned" we are, so the other Two please tell me your birthdays like NOW. I hope Chat has truly found a place where he belong, no more loitering alone in Orchard Road (as we can always hang out with him), no more church hopping (he's too occupied to do that now).

To make up for the absence of Singing Saturday this week, Sotongball will dedicate a song for Chat my good friend. May you prove to other gay men in Singapore there is a happy ending for singles over forty afterall. :)

光良－勇氣

Verse 1

终于做了这个决定
别人怎么说我不理
只要你也一样的肯定
我愿意天涯海角都随你去
我知道一切不容易
我的心一直温习说服自己
最怕你忽然说要放弃

Chorus
爱真的需要勇气
来面对流言蜚语
只要你一个眼神肯定
我的爱就有意义
我们都需要勇气
去相信会在一起
人潮拥挤我能感觉你
放在我手心里 你的真心

Verse 2

终于做了这个决定
别人怎么说我不理
只要你也一样的肯定
我愿意天涯海角都随你去
我知道一切不容易
我的心一直温习说服自己
最怕你忽然说要放弃

Chorus
爱真的需要勇气
来面对流言蜚语
只要你一个眼神肯定
我的爱就有意义
我们都需要勇气
去相信会在一起
人潮拥挤我能感觉你
放在我手心里 你的真心

Bridge
如果我的坚强任性
会不小心伤害了你
你能不能温柔提醒
我虽然心太急 更害怕错过你

Chorus
爱真的需要勇气
来面对流言蜚语
只要你一个眼神肯定
我的爱就有意义
我们都需要勇气
去相信会在一起
人潮拥挤我能感觉你
放在我手心里 你的真心

Happy Birthday, STB will make an effort to remind you of your "mission" by singing this song every KTV session we go to. ;)

The One on Rent (the movie)

For any modern musical fans, you should have heard of Jonathan Larson's Rent. Sotongball is not those atas and civilized type who attend all these productions in the Esplanade, (though he had the privillege to perform in the concert hall numerous times) but he does enjoy a couple of good cinematized encores of musical productions.

Sotongball first chanced upon Rent's Seasons of Love in his college choir farewell practice. The intro never fails to captivate you right at the start:

link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Py_HRW-zg6k

Then, like any gay man with good taste, STB's soon-to-be-ex housemate has a vast collection of non-porno gay materials. So on a bored Sunday afternoon, STB decided to borrow his Rent DVD.

Rent reminds me of the camaraderie in the sitcom series Friends, it talks about the lives of 8 friends staying in modern New York City. Instead of the hehe hahas all the way, Rent encompasses a darker tone with bunch of outcast characters.

The story touches on the harsh reality of life. From the fear of eviction (we know how burdensome rents can be when we live outside), to being a carrier of HIV/AIDS from drug abuse. In the midst of all this abyss, it is comforting to watch the characters not living in despair and whine about their sad sad lives. But they are filled with hope and even the motivation the make a song out of every situation (duh, it's called a musical...)

People like us will love this movie for the fact that it features two homosexual couples, two men with AIDS, 1 black + 1 drag queen); and a bisexual slut with her Harvard grad lawyer girlfriend. Their relationships are quite apparently not the perfect happy-ending ones but one that most of us can identify with: tolerance for your bf's compulsive behavior, acceptance for who your other half is and sticking together no matter how bad the current situation is.

Besides, the soundtracks in the movie are quite listenable and each fits into the mood of different scenes nicely. STB's favorite soundtracks from the movie includes: Seasons of Love, No Day but Today, I Should Tell You and I'll Cover You.

In conclusion, Rent touches on many aspects of emotions. For sure, it might not be everyone's cup of tea. Nonetheless, if you're interested in watching the movie or listening to the soundtracks, do feel free to drop STB a message.

The One on Rating

On the scale of 0 to 10, 0 being a total put off and 10 being an object of worship, how would you rate Sotongball in terms of him in bed?

Yes, similar question had been posted to me during the potluck on Sunday and of course I would not answer the question in front of everyone especially when the person is around too! So in the end I had to do the alternative forfeit which is to gobble down two curry puffs.

It is rude, utterly RUUUUUDE to rate someone. Because to each his own, one can be a 10 in someone's scale and a 0 in another's. It all boils down to the evaluator's taste and preference (and fetish perhaps). To make life more interesting, even someone's taste and preference can change over time as he grows more experienced, accepting, wise, self-aware or even desperate.

Ok morality aside, sometimes we just want to know how Sotongball rates his beaus (kaypoh!).

So I've came out with a template that you can follow too, let you guys rate yourself lah:

===============================

First impression
Physically, is he my "type"? +2

If he is my type and I am his, does he play hard to get? +1 if no

During the sex, does he...
Have a clean minty breath whether or not he smokes? +1 if yes

Know how to use less teeth and more tongue? +1 if yes

Flexi? +1

Moan manly at the appropriate time? +1

Have cheesy hotdog? +1 if no

Have backsides that give skid marks? +0.5 if no, +1 if no and hairless

Have a gold mine? +0.5 if no

Know Sotongball's 2-flexis-who-top-who-btm rule? +2 if yes

Bite my titties? -1 if yes

Tickle me at the wrong time? -1 if yes

Have BO and do not know how to mask it? -1 if yes

Only expect me to "service" him and just lie there like dead fish? -2 if yes

Say he's flexi AND he's scared of pain so don't do anal or that sort of excuses? -1 if yes

Even suggest to do it raw? -2 if yes

After I came, does he...

Cum quickly shortly after? +1 if yes

Want me to jerk him off and take his own sweet time to cum? -2 if yes

Ask me whether want to swallow his cum? -1 if yes

Ask me to swallow or lick my own cum? -10 for "swallow" or -5 for "lick"

After the session, does he...

Give me a really good, satisfying and not too long smooch and say "I enjoyed it" +1 if yes

Just disappear into the shower? -1 if yes

===============================

Score capped at 10, there you go, now you see how can some people get a zero from STB. But that does not mean that STB hate you, it just meant that you're not his type and stop trying to hit on him. Well, you'll be surprised how some of STB's zeroes turn to out to be more close to him than STB's 10s.

The One on Nintendo Wii

If you do not know what is the Nintendo Wii (pronounced as "Weeee", not "why"), you must have probably been living under big gigantic rock for the past 2 years or so. Even old folks around the world are hooked onto the Wii (I'm dead serious!) Sotongball is so proud of his mum who has zero IT knowledge and interest when she finished her first game of Wii Bowling.

Since its worldwide launch in December 2006, the Nintendo Wii has sold more than 10 million units up to date, Nintendo outsold its competitors (namely the PS3 and Xbox 360) to become the leading console of this generation's console war, walk-in-a-park style. It is also the only console that has sticked to its US$250 price tag since launch day.

A quick look at this humble console's specs does not really explain well why is it selling like hotcakes everywhere:

• Outdated graphics card only on-par with XboxV1 and PS2
  
• Lack of High-Definition image - maximum output of 480p resolution
  
• Only a SD Card slot, lack of storage
  
• Limited multimedia capabilities
  

The points just mentioned above shows the Wii's limitations in even catagorizing itself as a next-gen console just before it was launched. However, Nintendo took the term "next-gen" towards a different direction, by introducing the motion sensing controller aka WiiMote.

Just like how the click wheel of the iPod does to MP3 music players, the Nintendo WiiMote make new interactive ways of controlling games feasible. The WiiMote can be a sword, gun, baseball bat, steering wheel, golf club, tennis racquet, magic wand, cue... ya you should get the drift.

I may as well just let the video below do the explanation:

For graphics whores like STB, the Nintendo Wii is definitely out of the question because the graphics are nowhere near the realistic HD graphics of the PS3 or even the Xbox360. Wii truly shines in the games that utilises its motion sensing WiiMote, games like the bundled Wii Sports will get you hooked for a week or so and can easily entertain your guests at home, hence the term "casual gaming".

For serious gamers, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime Corruption, Super Mario Galaxy, Smash Bros Brawl, Mario Kart and Resident Evil 4 will keep your lust for the AA list games fulfilled. Full backward compatibility with all the classic Nintendo and Sega consoles allows you to relive the nostalgia of playing Street Rage or Golden Axe via the Virtual Console in Wii.

Though much cheaper than its counterparts in countries like the US and Japan, the Nintendo Wii is not that much cheaper than a PS3 or a Xbox360. A Wii bundle in Singapore can easily cost SG$500 while Xbox360 Arcade and Pro sets are only SG$399 an SG$499 respectively, while a PS3 40GB cost SG$570~599.

All in all, if you like hosting people for parties at your place or you want to get yourself or just anyone into the gaming world, get a Wii and hope that you won't accidentally break a jaw or two with the violence swinging of the Wiimote.

The One on Hosting

Having invited the BWers to his place for potluck and dinner a couple of times, plus going to others' place for gatherings. Sotongball realised the importance of being hospitable to the guests that you invited to your place for any kind of events. It ensures that everyone is having a  good time, and more importantly new guests will feel welcomed.

To be honest, STB must thank his grandmahler for giving him the opportunity to learn, so really STB is just posting on behalf of his grandma. As his grandmahler holds house parties (CNY, Birthday, Mid-Autumn, Xmas) every quarter of the year and lucky STB is forced to be the receptionist every time. Nonetheless, STB wants to share with you guys a few pointers to ensure that your guests enjoy the house gatherings that you plan to hold.

Here's how you can be a better host/hostess:

Do's

• Send out invitation in advance, about 1 week for casual events like impromptu gatherings and up to 1 month for important dates such as Birthdays and Festive seasons.
• Intro each and every guest to one another, you won't want any particular guest to spend the whole evening trying to figure out the perfect pick-up line for this new stranger at your place that he fancies
• Entertain your guest so that they won't feel bored or leaving. If you don't know where to start, read this. Alternatively you can just buy a Nintendo Wii.
• Use disposable plates and utensils. Yes they are not really environmental friendly and costly. But you want to washing up at the end of the day - washing up CAN be very depressing
• Serve your guests the first drink as soon as they arrive, it's basic gesture to acknowledge their arrival.

Don'ts

• Do last minute cooking. No point inviting people over and you spend half the time in the kitchen trying to prepare the food. Cater or organize a potluck.
• Allow your guests to go into your bedroom unless you're OK with them knowing which brand of condoms and lube you use.
• Try to cram 40 people into a 4 room HDB flat. Manage your guest list and invite only those who matters.
• Spread around that you're having a BIG party at your place, unless you want people to hate you for not inviting them.
• Openly give out the details of where you stay

There you go, hope you find this useful. The rest I guess it's left up to your experience and service level. Do remember to invite STB over when you have your house parties. :p

This post is again dedicated to one of my close friends who happens to be having a mini potluck at his place this afternoon. Hopefully he reads this in time and do try not to be too conscious about it k?

The One on "Who Can I Love"

我大概花最少時間寫作禮拜六的內容。我想介紹的第一首歌是蘇東丸的最愛K歌 －許志安 的《我還能愛誰》

為何是蘇東丸的最愛？大多數是因為他可以輕易地唱出歌里的每一个音調，而不必冒著走聲之險。更因為曲子可讓你以歌聲情緒化，而不用耍一些誇張的動作。最後，歌詞描述的是一個人被甩了，不知所措，無法再愛另一个人。聽本人言：只有懂得放開，心才有空間來容納下一個。

我還能愛誰 - 許志安

睡梦中的人  不了解我的累

我也不原谅你的美

它让我体会  这个世界真的有

十全十美  却无所谓后悔

会妥协的人  不明白我自卑

就像我不容许我气馁

我真的以为  要感动最完美的玫瑰

如果要奉献我眼泪

除了你谁都不能给

[Chorus]

见过你的美  我还能爱谁

我一路的追  意冷却不心灰

我的世界  走不出你背影的范围

没有你  会面目全非

会妥协的人  不明白我自卑

就像我不容许我气馁

我真的以为

要感动最完美的玫瑰

如果要奉献我眼泪

除了你谁都不能给

[Chorus]

见过你的美  我还能爱谁

我一路的追  意冷却不心灰

我的世界  走不出你背影的范围

没有你  会面目全非 

我还能爱谁

[Bridge]

放弃其它玫瑰

这是一种愚蠢的智慧

困在只有你的堡垒

享受讨好你的滋味

[Chorus]

见过你的美  我还能爱谁

我一路的追  意冷却不心灰

我的世界  走不出你背影的范围

没有你  会面目全非

没有你  我还能爱谁

For English readers, this's the rough translation, please don't expect Sotongball to translate the whole song!

I probably spend the least time to prepare for Singing Saturdays. The first song that I would introduce to you guys is of course Sotongball's all-time KTV favourite: Andy Hui's Who Can I Love.

Why is it STB's favorite song? Well mainly it's because STB can hit every single note in the song comfortably, without straining his throat like how a chicken is strangled. And with this song you can be very drama with your voice and yet to just sit poise on the chair. Also the song talks about one in his post-breakup state, lost and hopeless in finding ways to move on. Well, all I can say is, once you learn to let go, you will make room for the next one.

The One on Half-Boiled Eggs

We shall start Foodie Friday with Sotongball's favorite breakfast staple, the humble and yet satisfying half-boiled egg, dare I to say "just like fried sotongballs"? :p

It has served Sotongball well during his junior college days in providing him the protein that he needed to replenish, whether it's good or bad protein it really didn't matter. I remember when I was young my mum used to discourage me from eating too much half-boiled eggs because it is not fully cooked and unhealthy. But I guess since young Sotongball has realized his liking for the texture of the half-boiled eggs or something similar.

In Sotongball's humble opinion, half-boiled eggs taste the best when they are runny, the yellow egg yolk must be in whole and the egg white is white yet not so volatile. Neither should both the egg yolk and white be hard at all. A perfect example would be the picture shown below:

Sotongball has visited a few local coffeehouse chains such as Ya Kun. I would say most of the outlets has mastered a SOP of how to prepare the perfect half-boiled eggs up to STB's standard. Places like Ya Kun and Toast Box never failed to deliver so far. But STB has been very very disappointed with Killiney's eggs, the egg size is small and the yolk is hard and powdery, and it costs frigging 1.50, most expensive of all! 

If you're boiling it yourself in your neighborhood coffee shop or at home, just put it into boiling hot water enough to cover the whole of each egg, and set your timer to between 4 and 4.5 mins. And voila! you get a STB's approved pair of half-boiled eggs

Just like how to approach a man, there are many ways of eating the half-boiled eggs. Some like to beat it till everything is a mess of yellow and white (can really look like cum with pus :p), some like to dip their toast into the beaten half-boiled egg (does sweet kaya toast even go with salty half-boiled eggs??), some like to use the teeny-weeny spoon to scoop their eggs, while some simply like to slurp it all the way till the last drop.

Sotongball's way of eating the half-boiled eggs:

1. It's a given that the eggs usually come in pairs
2. Cover the top surface with a thin layer of pepper
3. Drip one and a half teaspoon of soya sauce all over the eggs, try not to use the super salty one.
4. Beat ONE of the egg yolk and spread all around the other unbeaten one.
5. Slurp half of the mixture, go ahead be unglam and make as much noise as you like
6. Gulp the whole unbeaten egg yolk into your mouth, careful not to smell too much of the pepper and sneeze
7. Rupture the unbeaten egg yolk in your mouth and feel the explosion of taste in your mouth. Mmmmmmmm.....
8. Slurp the rest of the mixtures

There you go, a fulfilling experience of eating the half-boiled egg, a bit blown-up I know... Maybe you can try this method the next time you have your half-boiled eggs, which I'm sure it will be pretty often. ;)

Sotongball initially planned to visit a few coffee joints that sell soft-boiled eggs and take pictures of good and bad examples of half-boiled eggs. But failed to do so because as soon as the half-boiled eggs arrived at his table, he couldn't even remember to take out his camera but to pay full respect to the half-boiled eggs.

The One on Sex and the City

What better way to start Tube Thursday with the movie STB watched for 3 times in the cinema? Once with BWers, once with my fellow hairstylist and once with Mr Not-So-Big (body size-wise), I can almost replay every single scene in my head.

Tell you guys a not-so-secret, STB has never watched a single episode of Sex and the City series before, one of his exes was promoting the series to him but he was still green in the gay scene so  all he wanted then was just men, not some cunts who bitch about how bad their sex are.

So he had not much expectations at all when going into the cinema.

As soon as the movie starts, STB was trying so hard to keep himself from grooving to the catchy opening theme - Labels or Love by Fergie. He sat through the show laughing most of the time, digesting the themes half the time, and almost fight not to tear at one scene.

Laughing is because of the wickedly funny scripts, STB's top 10 favourite lines:

(SPOILERS ALERT! You might wanna skip if you still haven't catch it)

1. "Color? Well I can't color enough. I would color all day...everyday if I had my way I'd use every crayon in the box" - Samantha
2. "But I'll tell you this: When Big colors, he rarely stays inside the line." - Carrie
3. "Sorry my dog ran up your dick... I mean, deck!" - Samantha
4. "Jesus honey wax much? Charlotte is married but she's not growing a nature reserve. I could be on a death roll and not have that situation." - Samantha's triple play!
5. "Am I not a little old to be called your boyfriend?" - Big
6. "From now on you shall be called my manfriend." - Carrie
7. "I guess when you stop trying, things happen" - Charlotte
8. "In some household, fairy tales do come true" - Carrie
9. "I'm 41 and I still don't know what's sex" - Miranda
10. "Good guys screw ya, bad guys screw ya. And the rest of them dunno how to screw ya. Trust me I've done my homework" - Miranda with Samantha

The theme explored was obviously the cliched LOVE, with lots of designer brands at the background makes you think it's actually a fashion show with a storyline. It gives an alternative perspective of really how there's a second, third, fourth, countless chances in every situation, whether with the same person or not.

The tear jerker came with the scene when this song is playing, anyone with similar sentiments?

All in all, Sex and the City is THE gay movie on the year. Anyone who has watched it can't help but feel good and full of hope. Sotongball labels this movie as a Must-Watch for any chick-flick, romance lovers, or just about any gay man who do not wanna feel left out in group outings conversations.

Sex and the City is still showing in the cinemas, with limited time slots (1 per day). STB actually had to produce his ID when purchasing the tickets over the counter. Compliment or insult?

The One on Mr Rebound

For those of us who have gone through a few relationships, this should be familiar to you. For those of us who haven't, it's best that you know about it now first.

Embrace it or hate it: it is totally unwise to go for someone who has just gone out of a long term relationship. More often than not, Sotongball has seen so many friends of his who dated post break-uppers, just to see them being ditched after just a few weeks of dating. These unfortunate friends of STB had just been labelled as Mr Rebound.

People who just broke up are often more emotional, either still missing or hating their ex. Some even just sub-consciously want to quickly get back into a relationship for the sake of being in a relationship, whether they wanna admit it or not. 

The emotional ones should be easy to spot: Those that got ditched will always be talking about how great their ex was and blames themselves all the time for causing the break-up; Those that did the ditching will probably be bitching to you the whole time about what a whore their exes were. 

Therefore, no matter how much you like that person or how long have you waited for him to break up so that you can be with him. Trust me this emotional state of him will be either be a put off for you or you will be most likely discarded after his feelings for his ex die down.

And those that rush back into another relationship probably can't bear to stay out of a relationship for too long. To Sotongball, each break up is a time-off break from a relationship. To really take a step back and examine what went wrong throughout the whole relationship and how we can make the next one better, occasionally I do witness some couples got back together after taking a break. Rushing in to another relationship immediately will just let the same old history repeat itself.

Sotongball's advice on how to avoid having a Mr Rebound situation:

For the break-uppers:

• Take your time to get over the relationship that has just come to an end, before embarking to find a new love. People says the time to get over someone is usually half the time you were together with him.
  
• Hang out with your close friends more, after all ever since you got attached you have been neglecting this group of friends who matter more sometimes and they tend to take your whining better.
  
• Stop wallowing and start reflecting.
  

For the suitors:

• Give them time to heal, DO NOT rush them
  
• Be a passive friend to them rather than aggressively pursuing them. Do not harbor any expectations or you will end up getting hurt the most.
  
• Don't be sad if they find someone else, cause most likely that someone will be Mr. Rebound.
  

This post is dedicated to a friend of Sotongball who just broke up over the weekend. STB almost rushed back to KL to check whether you're alright but decided against it. So I guess the most I can offer will be over the MSN support for now.

But I won't forget our promise of making you my beau if you're still single 6 to 12 months down the road! :p

The One on PlayStation2

Many of you guys who are in the know surely would ask why did I kick start my Techie Tuesday with the Sony PlayStation2 (PS2). After all it is already considered the last generation of gaming console and everyone should be talking about the PS3 now. Well, if you're truly a gamer, you would know that the PS2 is far from being extinct or casted into the museum of great gaming consoles, PS2 hardware sales is still going strong.

Furthermore, this is the first gaming console that I first bought, and I think close to 500 hours of my life had been spent on it ever since I bought it in 2003. So definitely there are a lot of sentiments with me and the PS2. Last but not least, it was the only Playstation console that launched with a vibration-enabled controller bundled.

Launched on March 5, 2000 in Japan, the PS2 has climbed into record sales of 127 million units by end of 2007, almost comparable to the combined sales of 140 million units of the iPods which was launched in the same year.

It has gone through 2 major facelifts since the original model, from the squarish PS2 to the PS2 slim to the current PS2 slim with built-in power supply.

What made the PS2 shine is really its vast library of games available, coupled with *ahem* method, literally thousands of video games are available at your fingertips. It has literally any possible genre of games that you can hope for: from the staple Japanese Role Playing Games, Action Adventure, Fighting, Racing, Sports to the quirky Dance Dance Revolution and EyeToy series.

Probably half of you already got put off by the unfamiliar lingos that I have been using, well too bad I already tried to use as simple terms as possible for non-gamers to catch up. Go borrow your nephew's PS2 or better still buy one second hand set to try it out yourself.

A quick search in online second hand market yields the results of a couple of modified Fat PS2's selling for more or less S$150. Why Sotongball recommends you to buy a second-hand set is because the now-discontinued Fat PS2 has less over-heating issue; and also very likely the console is already wallet-friendly as modding had been banned in Singapore.

Below is STB's recommendations for each genre of games for the PS2:

RPG: Final Fantasy X and XII, Kingdom Hearts I and II, Xenosaga I, II and III

Action: Metal Gear Solid 1,2 and 3, God of War 1 and 2, Devil May Cry 1,2 and 3

Fighting: Soul Caliber II and III

Racing: Burnout Revenge, Need for Speed series

Sports: NBA Live, Winning Eleven

I promised myself not to go into details of any games so that I won't go on and on and on for this post :p Well that's the PS2 for you and hope you will find it a enjoyable console as much as I do if you happen to pick it up - it's never too late.

Sotongball sold his PS2 to his colleague last December due to his busy schedule and has regretted that ever since...

The One on Buaya

If you're still wondering how will Menday turn out, you can now think less and read more. The first Menday issue cover man is none other than the ever sex crazed animal in the blogosphere, who happens to be my dear friend and hangs out with me more frequent than ever nowadays. Over a Sunday late lunch, Sotongball got a chance to catch up with Buaya. 

Sotongball: So, why the nickname Buaya?
Buaya: Because I feel like a buaya, in case you dunno what buaya is, go and check out yourself. I like to flirt, flirting is harmless, its just fun, sounds like cool name too!

STB: By flirting, you mean?
Bua: I dunno, some of you guys say i have laser eyes. I like talking to people, you (STB) should have kena some of my flirting before (STB: hehehe *wink*). Oh I flirt with women too. I only started flirting physically recently when i know you guys (BW members)

STB: So how long have you been in BW?
Bua: Can't remember... Since the Bulletinboard days, not under the nickname Buaya though. Met some other guys there, including my first ex. After knowing him, I stopped going there till just before they shifted to Forumer, didn't realise it has changed so much since.

STB: Now that you have retired from BW, is there anything that you miss about it?
Bua: Nothing much, just that things you guys talk about during outings may not very familiar. I've learnt that I spent too much time in the forum: I could use the time to do something else, instead of waiting for the reply of posts all the time. Heck, I don't even spend so much time on my own blog.

STB: Speaking of your blog, what is the motivation in blogging?
Bua: Originally I just wanted to find a place to vent my frustration, and jot down soem reflections. It's a place to write about my past: sometimes things happen to you and you just wanna record it down before you forget, especially who's who in my phonebook

STB: Hmm, sounds like you got alot of FB's...
Bua: I dun have alot of FB's, just alot of experiences.

STB: Ok, just a rough figure, how many new "experiences" per month?
Bua: I HAVE NO IDEA, I'm not Samantha, and i'm not attractive either. It depends on my needs really, but I would say the past one month had been a productive month.

STB: So what do you think is your best asset?
Bua: It really depends on anyone's perception of "asset". Somebody said I have a very nice voice: over the phone he said my voice is totally sexy and he's crazy all over me; There was also this guy in 1-7 who ignored me totally in the pool, then started to touch me all over after he felt up my legs. For those who has gone deeper, they would say the skill and tool is what they have been looking for.

STB: Any testament?

Bua: For example Br, from my FB series said in the end of our first session that I'm a good fuck.

STB: That was definitely a quotable line. So in your case, what usually turns you on the most
Bua: You mean before any physical contact? or after some physical contact?

STB: Let's start with before shall we?
Bua: Mature, clean and manly look. Sometimes you dun even have to have a good look, its just the way you dress. You'll be surprised how some good-looking people can't even dress well. No.4s and executive wears never failed to turn me on.

STB: After?
Bua: Kissing turns me on one hundred and ten percent.

Sotongball: Before we end this session, how do you want people to perceive Buaya?
Buaya: "Sex crazed chub uncle in his 40s, 50s who goes to Fort Road everyday..." kidding! That's a difficult one, I guess I'm not a sex crazed animal. That's what people usually think i am, i really hope people don't just see me that way. Sex is important but its not everything, I'm just this nice decent innocent guy.

At this point of time Sotongball needed to run to the nearest restroom to throw out :p 

Buaya requested for the right to punish STB for any form of misrepresentation. To read more about Buaya's sexual conquest from his first encounter to last night's. Do visit him at http://ibuaya.blogspot.com

The One on the First Week

Wow, didn't know this blog actually lasted a week, most of my dates doesn't even last that long :p Well hope everyone has been gaining some insights on Sotongball's dull and boring life.

First things first, since I'll try to update my blog on a daily basis. It might be quite boring if I just post about sex all the time... or list down my wish list of gadgets from Monday to Sunday. So, Sotongball decided to roll out a new feature in his blog: starting this week, Sotongball's Crispy and Crunchy blog will have themed days. Yeah just like the saunas baby!

Tentative Fixture:

1. Menday - Tired and filled up to the brim with Monday Blues? Come and read more about that Man you've been dying to know better! Every week Menday will feature a Special Guest who has crossed path with Sotongball's life, one way or another...
2. Techie Tuesday - STB is a closeted geek - he doesn't wanna admit being a geek but he carries at least 3 gadgets when he gets out of the house. So Tuesdays will be reserved for STB to comment about the latest gadget that he got his hands on, or sometimes good video games that stimulate him more than some guys that he had met
3. Wet Wednesday - There are many ways to get wet, from getting caught in the rain, practicing yoga on the bed, to break-ups that make you wet your pillow. STB hopes to touch on topics close to any gay man's heart - Sex and Relationships on Wednesdays
4. Tube Thursday - Anything from the TV, to the silver screen. STB will try to give his recommendations of all the Big Screen, DVD, TV releases. To give you an idea of what STB like to watch on the idiot box
5. Foodie Friday - Sotongball being a food himself, loves to eat other kinds of food. Foodie Fridays will recommend all the good restaurants, food stalls and eateries that has helped STB gain a fair bit of weight
6. Singing Saturday - One music video will be posted every week, more than half of the time is STB's hits in the KTV lounge. You can judge for STB how bad his singing is compared to the original singer if you ever have a chance to catch STB in a KTV lounge
7. Smutty Sunday - Yes, yes, Sotongball like to interact with people a lot. In order to encourage audience participation, STB urges anyone to send in their recommendations on just about anything: Men, Saunas, Budget Hotels, Gadgets, Albums, Makan Places and the list goes on. Send your entries to sotongball@live.com with the details like price rates, address, opening hours, photos (whichever applicable)

There you go....

Thank you for reading up thus far. Hopefully in a year's time I can come out with a list of favourite entries of all-time.

The One on Will & Grace

I'm surprised quite a number of queer folks do not know about this comedy series. Set in modern day New York City, Will & Grace features the lives of 2 gay men and 2 fag hags, namely Will, Jack, Grace and Karen.

Will Truman is an anal-retentive clean freak high-flying lawyer. His apartment is where most of the scenes are filmed, in Sotongball's opinion, it sets the standard of how a gay man's 

love nest should look.

Jack McFarland is a care-free talentless artist-wannabe who is quite the every bit of a gay man's stereotype: loud and proud, flamboyant, promiscuous and superficial. He always likes to hang out with 3 other characters in the series for free meals and shopping spree.

Grace Adler is an interior designer who likes to eat her hearts out. She is likened to behave like Will's wife sans the sex. Her design firm office is the next most frequent spot where scenes are shot after Will's apartment.

Karen Walker is a filthy rich socialite covered with only designer brands. Her high pitch voice is unmistakable and she has the very lovable wicked sense of humour. Karen works in Grace's firm for zero wage just to find excuse to not be at home with her unseen husband Stanley Walker. Karen has a side-kick called Rosario who hails from El Salvador, she's a domestic helper whom Karen can't live without.

The series ran 8 seasons long with many wonderful Guests Stars appearing in different episodes, such as Elton John, Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, Cher, Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson and many more. With unheard main actors and many famous guest stars often appearing as themselves, you can't help but identify with the feelings these guys have when meeting their idols.

What makes this show outstanding is that it highlights the lives of two types of gay men, one who believes in monogamous love and another who has a different partner every episode. They are both out to their parents and friends around, with almost zero discrimination from their parents and peer. Something we would like to see happening in Singapore but sadly not achievable for all in the next 10 years or so.

Like any other good sitcoms out there, Will & Grace are filled with lots of quotable lines and never fail to make you laugh even if its a funeral scene. So do give it a try and have a common gag with your queer peers from the Award-winning series. Heck, even my straight ex roommate watches it too.

Here are some clips from the series:

Thank you Akated dar for passing me the whole series! Feel free to ask Sotongball for the videos. Now we just need to cross our fingers for Will & Grace The Movie.

The One on Saunas (part 2)

The previous post has already covered on what you can do in a sauna. Next I'll tell you more about what to expect in which sauna and hopefully you will make an informed decision in your next visit to a particular sauna. Disclaimer: It's not that I am defaming any of the mentioned establishment, I will just give my opinion on it as objectively as possible.

Going to sauna is just like going to your neighborhood food court:

sometimes you eat one dish, sometimes you eat a few dishes;

sometimes you eat alone, sometimes you eat with your friends;

sometimes you need to eat with strangers, sometimes you da bao;

sometimes you straight-away buy from the first stall that you fancy, sometimes you walk around for long time and yet can't make up your mind;

sometimes you eat already, then on the way home you see another stall that makes you regret not looking around longer

The only difference is that you pay a flat entrance fee for any sauna, so it's really up to you to decide how to make your money worth.

Here are 4 of the saunas that sotongball has visited (not in order of preference):

1) Ten Mens Club

Intro: Short for TMC, this is how some of us start to codename saunas as "church" because for TMC's proximity to Fairfield Methodist Church near Maxwell Market. It welcomes all sizes and shapes and carries a flat rate of S$10 for all registered members. Crowds usually come in on Tuesday nights and weekend afternoons.

Facilities: TV lounge, wet sauna, lots of private rooms, vending machine for can drinks

Address: 21 Tanjong Pagar Rd #03-01 (1 floor below previous location of Mox)

2) Shogun http://www.shogun.com.sg

Intro: After changing venue twice, Shogun settles down at Clarke Quay for the time being. The open concept of the place with minimum private room (1 lockable at most) brings out the exhibitionist in you. The owner is pro-active in promoting the establishment to ensure steady flow of patrons around the clock. Check Shogun out on Friday nights or you can opt to stay overnight during the weekends too, chances are you won't be disappointed.

Facilities: TV lounge, wet sauna, and lots of open space

Address: 18A Hong Kong St, S059661 getting there

3) Diamond Health Center

Intro: Diamond used to have a thriving business, with good turnout of crowds, coupled with attractive massage packages. But seems like it is all in past tense now (to be fair I haven't been there in 6 months, even the last visit was less than satisfactory). We came out with a nickname for this once happening sauna - OFH (no prize for guessing the full name). All I can say is: go if you want to enjoy the full facilities of dry and wet saunas, and jacuzzi; or if you're in the mood for fulfilling your social responsibility.

Facilities: Karaoke lounge, gym, jacuzzi, dry and wet sauna, private rooms, TV lounge

Address: #05-01 Sultan Plaza, 100 Jln Sultan

4) One Seven http://www.oneseven.com.sg

Intro: If there's any ideal sauna model to follow, 1-7 is the benchmark for now in Singapore. It probably has all the criteria for a good sauna that Sotongball has listed in his previous entry. The only sad thing might be the police raid case that took place about 5 weeks ago, this might have detracted the regulars from their frequent visits to 1-7. Oh, another sad thing is that the patrons here are less tolerant, don't bother going there if your BMI is above 27 (stocky, cubby, chubby) unless you enjoy 罰站ing.

Facilities: Everything STB ask for in a sauna, with a cafe that serves food too!

Address: 17 Upper Circular Road S058415 getting there

Of course there are a few more saunas in Singapore, just that they never caught STB's interest. Just remember to wipe your mouth after eating.

Sotongball is retired from the sauna scene till further notice

The One on Saunas

Some people like to call it Spa, sounds more high class and atas. Others might call it cruising place, church, temple, bathhouses, you-name-it.

In Sotongball's humble opinion, a good sauna should possess the following attributes/facilities:

• Dry and wet sauna
• Hot and Cold jacuzzi
• Private rooms with mattress and toilet rolls
• Shower points
• Condoms and packet lubricants
• Clean and white towels
• Drinks and snacks bar
• CLEAN!
• Centrally located
• Affordable and reasonable rates (student/NS rates is a must)
• Slings (optional)
• Theme nights (optional)

Of course the good mix of crowds will come when most of the above requirements are fulfilled, yeah you can't expect your inner circle of friends to go there and support you week in week out.

Used to be one of my favorite haunts, every man with raging testosterone will go there for a sole purpose - sex. (Whether they get it or not is totally a separate issue) on top of enjoying the facilities if any. So, sometimes you might hear people snoring in there, people trying to climb up the doors to peek at others, watching TV shows, or even knocking on other people's door!

Clueless of what to do inside? Haven't been to one before? Let me share with you my SOP (sotongball's operating procedure) in there

1. Arrive at doorstep, ask whether is there any student rate if applicable.
2. Make payment, get the keys and towel.
3. Enter and head straight into the locker room.
4. Find your local and strip (including your underwear!)
5. Wrap the towel around your waist.
6. Take a shower (IMPT!)
7. Explore the place and crowd
8. If you see someone your type, try to establish eye contact
9. If he notices and give you a signal to follow him, mai tu liao!
10. If he bo chap, don't waste your time, you're probably not his type. Next!
11. Repeat step 7-10 till you get your money worth either in the open or in one of the private rooms.
12. When there is no one your type, either lower your expectations, widen your taste buds, or simply enjoy the facility.
13. Leave the place back to your wife, girlfriend, boyfriend or family. smile

Trips to saunas can get a bit unpleasant, when some of the facilities like the steam room is not functioning well, the staffs were too lazy to clean the stains off the mattress, or some persistent ass who can't stop harassing you despite multiple gestures of saying "NO"

Things to note in saunas to make your visit as worth it as the rest:

• Do not linger in your civilian clothes for too long, dress code in saunas are usually birthday suits w,w/o towels and you should respect it
• Do learn how to take "NO" as an answer (its not that you're too ugly or anything, its just that the other guy is more picky)
• Do be considerate and wipe off any visible stain after you release your load (never do it in the pool!)
• Men are on a first cum first serve basis, so don't operate in a communist system

That's all, coming up next will be the review of Saunas that sotongball has been to

The One on Guess the Number

No man is an island. Is that why Ah Chat, Buaya, Seekstock and I have been meeting rather excessively for the past couple of weeks???

Other than foursomes or orgies (which rest assured we haven't done anything of that sort together yet), there are so many things we can do. Like to dress up Ah Chat, listening to Buaya ranting about his boy, or applauding Seekstock's yet another conquest in his sauna skirmish.

There's only that much sexual encounters with strangers we can share, that many hunks we can look out on Fridae.com personals, that few cuties we can point out and say "your type?" during our almost-daily-people-watching session.

More often than not, there are some more friends who join in our almost-daily get-together. To spice things up a little, and in the spirit of getting to know each other more, one evening I suggested a game: Guess the Number (or 終極密碼 in Chinese)

Game is pretty straight-forward:

1. Game-master sets a secret number ranging from 1 to 100 on a handphone, eg. 69
2. The person on the right make the first guess, say... 50
3. Game-master says "50 to 100"
4. The second person on the right can only choose a number from 51 to 100 as a guess
5. Second person may choose any number, say 70
6. Game-master says "50 to 70", limiting guesses to that range of numbers
7. The game goes on until someone guesses "69" and he shall do a forfeit.

Forfeit comes in a form of Truth or Dare, loser picks either one.

Truth:

Anyone can ask the lucky guy any one question; and in the spirit of the game the person must provide an honest answer. (Suggestions: which common friend you did with, when was the last time you cummed, most kinky encounter)

Dare:

The loser will be subjected to any kind of action proposed and agreed by everyone, indecent or not. Ranging from taking off a piece of clothing to giving another guy 1-min long smooching session.

And, in return for the loser being honest or sporting, now will be his turn to be the Game-master to set the number and gain one round of immunity.

Trust me, we've gotten to know one another soooooooo much more intimately after one game, saving the need for orgy.

The One on iPhone [update]

Looks the same as the previous iPhone? Yeah... so what? What's inside this new baby is:

• 3G chipset - quite confirmed no front camera...
• GPS modules - kicks N95's ass
• App store - no more illegally jailbreaking your iPhone, now it's more Mac than a phone seriously
• (we have yet to find out whether is it carrier locked or not)

More than we can hope or dream of, Steve gave it all to us! You did me proud, mister! Now let's move on to more details...

• It's gonna launch in 22 countries (including US) on 11th July 2008
• Available in 70 countries for the next several months. Singapore will probably get it by September... but but... (click me) does that mean sooner?
• Comes in 4 flavours: Black or White, 8GB or 16GB
• Most exciting part? US$199 for 8GB and US$299 for 16GB tops!

Implications implications:

• Soon, every Tom, Dick and Harry will be using iPhones in the streets of Singapore.
  
• No more resale value for current-gen iPhone as it will be discontinue and 8GB iPhone 3G is selling for even cheaper price than an 8GB iPod touch! (US$199 vs US$299)
  
• Does that spell discontinuation of iPod touch? maybe not, price for iPhone should come with 2 year contract

That's all I have this morning, I should hit the bed. Hope everyone is as excited as I am about the new iPhone 3G!

The One on iPhone

On 29th June 2007. Steve Jobs introduced to the world the highly anticipated iPhone. it carries the traditional minimalist Apple industrial design DNA, while sporting yet another new innovation in its interface, namely the Multitouch.

One year has passed since, we have probably familiarized ourselves with the Multitouch interface somehow, through your friends' imported jailbroken (read: hacked) iPhones or the locally available iPod touch. We know that you can scroll through contact list or emails with a flick of your finger, resize photos by pinching them. It is simply too user-friendly and desirable.

Web-browsing on the iPhone was made an Experience with Safari, webpages appear desktoply crisp and uncompromised, like no other smartphones out there. Music was made good-looking (if it's even necessary) through Coverflow.

You have probably heard this a dozen of times: its the best iPod ever, it surfs the internet, it plays music, videos, photos. Oh, it makes calls too! And yet somehow Carrie Bradshaw does not quite know how to work that thing, not that trendy afterall, Parker...

Yet there are some flaws that hurdles the iPhone from attaining the Nokia 3310 status 8 years ago:

• Expensive - introductory price of US$599 for 8GB model? I rather invest in a PS3 then... it plays games too!
• 2.5G - no video calls, no high speed mobile surfing, still 10 years ahead of other phones?
• Carrier-locked - to AT&T? no official launch in Singapore puts you in a risk of getting an expensive paper weight anytime.
• "Revolutionary" keyboard - I half expected the iPhone to read my mind! kidding!
• 2MP camera - my 3 year old Sony Ericsson K750i does a better job at this department

Hopefully by tonight, all will improve as Steve Jobs is expected to introduce an all-new iPhone in the WWDC, unless he wants Apple stock price to tumble... Watch this space for more updates!

The One with the Opening Theme

If Blogs were like a movie... they will all have an opening theme! So why not I start with mine?

Finding a perfect opening theme is really hard if you:

1) Take 5 mins to name your favourite song at the moment
2) Have less than 1GB of songs in your PC
3) Do not own an iPod
4) Do not know what the hell you are writing about

For me, its pretty painless and quick.

As the lyrics suggest:

I'm sotongball, an impressionable person, just following the trend in blogging and hope to make some waves by adding yet another perspective into this already saturated blogosphere.

Contents might be rated R, so if you chance upon this URL, decide for yourself whether you wanna f*** off or read on. What is it about? Please take some time to interpret my upcoming posts.

Meanwhile, enjoy the Opening Theme, cause there will be only one. Will leave it to you all to figure out which movie I watched for 3 times. *wink*



Labels or Love - Fergie (not Britney!)

Shopping for labels, shopping for love
Manolo and Louis, it’s all I’m thinking of
Shopping for labels, shopping for love
Manolo and Louis, it’s all I’m thinking of

I already know what my addiction is
I be looking for labels, I ain’t looking for love
I shop for purses while I walk out the door
Don’t cry, buy a bag and then get over it
And, I’m not concerned with all the politics (?)
It’s a lot of men I know I could find another one.

Oughta know that I’m always happy when I walk out the store, store
I’m guessing Supercalifragi-sexy, nothing to be playing with
I love him, hate him, kiss him, diss him, tryna to walk a mile in my kicks

(Chorus)
Love’s like a runway but which one do I love more
No emotional baggage, Just big bags filled with Dior
Love’s like a runway, so what’s all the fussing for
Let’s stop chasing them boys and shop some more

I know I might come off as negative
I be looking for labels, I ain’t looking for love
Relationships are often so hard to tame
A Prada dress has never broken my heart before
And, ________
I’mma do the damn thing, watch me do the damn thing
Cause I know that my credit card will help me put out the flames
I’m guessing Supercalifragi-sexy, nothing to be playing with
I love him, hate him, kiss him, diss him, tryna to walk a mile in my kicks

[Chorus]

Gucci, Fendi, Prada purses, purchasing them finer things
Men they come a dime a dozen, just give me them diamond rings
I’m into a lot of bling, Cadallic, Chanel and Coach
Fellas boast but they can’t really handle my female approach
Buying things is hard to say
Rocking Christian Audigier, Manolo, Polo, taking photos in my Cartier
So we can’t go all the way, I know you might hate it but
I’m a shop for labels while them ladies lay and wait for love

[Chorus]