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Nuffnang Looks Different!

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Just a few days ago we launched a new layout for our Nuffnang site.
If you guys knew the process it went through to get to this. We basically had all the different Nuffnang teams come up with different design on how they thought the Nuffnang site should look like. Then with some 4 mock-ups or so we sent it to the team leaders in each country that Nuffnang is in and they took a vote.
The winner was this one. 

One thing about all our sites is that we thought since we were in four different countries, each site should have its own localized features.
So what we did was… at the bottom of each page, we had the city skyline of the capital of the country we were in. Nuffnang Malaysia looks like this with the Petronas Twin Towers and the KL Tower visible.
(Pay attention to the bottom of the following screenshots and click to enlarge)

Nuffnang Singapore had the Singapore Flyer and some landmark Singapore buildings.

Nuffnang Australia had the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Tower.
And Nuffnang Philippines…

The other cool part that some of you may or may not notice is that…. during the day, the sun shows in the skyline. During the night, the sun sets and the stars come up. These screenshots I took of all the other countries were taken at night. But the screenshot for Nuffnang PH was taken during the day.
You can check out the different sites here.
Notice how they look? 
Cool huh? I know I like it 🙂
If you’re a Nuffnang member login and check out the inside too.
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Should’ve listened to grandma

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Ahh I remember the moment. I was still studying my A-levels back then when my grandmother told me over a family dinner. She said to me in Hokkien “You should study to be a “loke-kun” (a doctor). Doctors make a lot of money”.

I just smiled and nodded. I didn’t want to be a doctor! I wanted to be a banker. Well back then I wanted to be a banker, 10 years before then I wanted to be a postman and when I was 5 I wanted to be a soldier. Look at where I am now… none of the above. I ended up being… Fourfeetnine’s boyfriend. Haha
Anyway today I went to see this skin clinic near Imbi by a doctor named Doctor Ting. I was supposed to see him to get some medicine from my pimples. You normally queue up for 3 hours to see him, then he sees you for like 2 minutes and then he gives you the same medicine he probably gave another 300 growing boys that saw him earlier that week.
You can’t book an appointment in advance for Dr Ting. You have to call the clinic up at 8.30AM when it opens and then rush to get a number. So at 8.30AM, Rina started calling the clinic up for me but she didn’t manage to get through. The line was engaged throughout… you know as if they were giving away free money to anyone who called that number. So about 10AM I decided I was done waiting so I went straight to the clinic. The lady told me that I was the number 56. And I probably had to wait till 6PM or so before I could see the doctor. The clinic was full with a lot of other people waiting.
So there you have it. Every day, people rush to get an appointment and wait all day and pay just to see a skin doctor. Plus you only give them enough medicine for a month so they have to keep coming back to you each month. Damn I would’ve been so minted.
I should’ve listened to grandma. 
 
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Top Hat

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Yesterday Princess and I met Suet, Jia Meei, Li Tat and Barry for lunch. I’m not sure how they suddenly decided that they wanted to go for an expensive lunch on a Saturday afternoon but they initially booked Kampachi’s lunch buffet. 
The buffet though was supposed to end at 2.30PM and Princess wasn’t able to make it in time because she finished work only at around 1.30PM (Yes…. she was working on a Saturday too.) So in the end, we ended up looking for somewhere else nice to go for lunch and to spend the afternoon chilling out. 
Out of nowhere I suggested this place near Jalan Kia Peng called Top Hat. 

Top Hat is a restaurant that know of only because an aunty of mine loves to bring my mum there. It’s apparently won some “Best Restaurant” awards from the Malaysian Tatler and it’s famous for these little things they call “Top Hat”, like the one Jia Meei here is holding.

Everything else on the menu though was so pricey it really made me wonder how the other people at the restaurant could afford to eat lunch there. I later realized that everyone in the restaurant were like “tai tai’s” having late lunch and tea. We were by far the youngest table there in the restaurant and the ones that really looked like we didn’t belong there without our parents. Princess tried her best to put on her ‘tai tai look’ but to no avail.

Princess and I quickly ordered the cheapest thing on the menu. We had the chicken & mushroom pie which cost like RM30… but was absolutely lovely!
Then for dessert we had a slice of Tiramisu that cost RM16 and like 3,000 calories.
We ended up staying there from like 2PM all the way to 5.30PM chatting so I guess we all made it really worth while. The best part about the restaurant is… you know how when you tend to ‘overstay’ yourself in some restaurants, the restaurant purposely turns off the air-con or stops refilling your glass of water/tea as a hint to tell you to f*ck off? 
Well the people at Top Hat just kept topping up our water and left the air-con on even though we were the last ones left in the restaurant for a long time. That’s something I learned to appreciate… and with that I gotta say that it made my RM30 chicken & mushroom pie a little bit more worth it.
That of course… and the camwhoring we did while we were there.
This is a picture of Princess and I from the outside of Top Hat. Taking a reflection of ourselves on the glass doors.

Princess and me!
Princess and the girls
And me and the guys doing the “See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil” pose.
The guy on the left in the white shirt is Barry. He’s Princess’ brother who also happens to be Suet’s bf. You know when I first met Princess’ brother when he came back from the USA a few months ago, we both tried really hard to get to know each other. 
We would be watching TV in her living room and sometimes I would try to make conversation like ….
“So Barry… you went to London right? Where did you go?”
And he would oblige… but the conversation will somehow find a dead end in like 30 seconds after it started. Then on other times he would do the same to make conversation with me too and it would shortly die. After a few attempts, Princess was convinced that we had nothing in common… UNTIL……. haha… after hanging out a bit more we learned of a few things we had in common.
Like the fact that he used to play Magic The Gathering just like I did. Or like today I learned his name as the same Chinese Character “you” (有) that my Chinese name has (hahaha I know that’s a stretch but hey beyond that there is more too). We learn more each day… more and more….

We still have some kinks every now and then though. Today I was at their house showing them a DVD I had bought “17 Again“. Barry saw it and shouted out in disgust “HAH!!! WHO BOUGHT THIS?!?!?!“
He must’ve thought it was some lousy show or something so I nudged Princess 
“Quick quick!!! Take one for me baby… say that you bought it”.
Princess quickly raised up her hand “I BOUGHT WAN!!!”. We later came clean and I told him I bought it… because I like Matthew Perry.
He decided to not make a big deal about it but I think he was probably shaking his head deep inside thinking “My sister’s boyfriend wants to watch 17 Again…. tsk tsk… says a lot about his character”.
And when I turned my back he probably went
“I’m watching you Timothy Tiah!!!! You better not hurt me SISTER!!!!”
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Thoughtful Gestures

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Yesterday was my first day back at the office after a few days of being sick. I got into the office and I saw a package addressed to me on my table along with some other mail that Rina very nicely organizes for me every day.
I opened up the package and found this P1 Box. Inside of it was a P1 t-shirt. I started wondering how and why P1 would suddenly send me a t-shirt. I don’t remember subscribing for P1 Wimax or anything…. until I found this card attached to it.

On the card was a short hand-written note.

“Dear Timothy, It’s truly a pleasure meeting you at MDA VIP Dinner @ Bukit Kiara. Do keep in touch. Keep well.

Signed, Michael Lai, CEO of Packet One Networks (M) Sdn Bhd”.
I had met Michael a few weeks ago at a dinner. We struck up a conversation and exchanged business cards. A few weeks later he sent this little ‘present‘ with a note on it.
I think this is the kind of gesture that we could all really learn from. This one small little thing he did, will make me remember Michael Lai from P1… a long long time.
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Nuffnang Signages

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Got these pictures off the Nuffnang Philippines blog.
It’s a picture of some signages the team in Nuffnang Philippines put up in Bonifacio High Street, where our office in the Philippines is at.
So nice… seeing the Nuffnang logo lit up so nicely at night.

I like the way the team in the Philippines signed off on their entry.
To quote them “It’s just our way of saying that, hey, Nuffnang is here to stay”
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What Love Is

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I’m sick again today!
I normally get sick like once in a year but somehow this year is really taking the cake for me. I’ve been getting sick so many times I’m beginning to lose count. Right now I’m down with a fever and flu. Yes Yes I know what you’re all thinking but the Doctor today said he doesn’t think it’s H1N1… at least unless it doesn’t get better in the next few days.
The thing about being sick is that you’re forced to stay at home and rest. For me it’s like putting the brakes on my usual work life and I start thinking less about business and more about my personal life. This afternoon I asked myself the question of where my personal life was going.
Sure I’m blessed with the presence of some really good friends in my life so no real complain there. I don’t necessarily live the life that I used to love anymore. Much less clubbing every weekend, much less going out to bars and a lot more staying at home and watching TV with Princess.

Then I really started thinking about Princess and the relationship we have now.

Love is a really funny thing. While I’ve had many girlfriends before in the past, I think for the first time in my life I think I have finally began to understand what love is. 
Love is when you feel for someone truly for all the good things and all that bad things that come with that someone. Love is not physical, lust is. So while I appreciate how pretty Princess is, 

beauty alone isn’t enough to keep us together for a long time. What keeps us together is how she makes me laugh every day, how she doesn’t mind doing stupid things

how she can make me feel better every time I share a problem with her, how she knows to be strong when I am weak and how I get this little fuzzy feeling when she rubs her head against my shoulder.
Sometimes Princess gets a little jealous when I hang out or talk about a pretty girl but I gently remind her that she’s missing the point. There will always be pretty girls around just like there are lots of guys who are far better looking than me out there. But what she gives me is something I think no other girl can give me.

And that is the feeling that makes me all complete. 
I think that many girls out there will find the same thing in a guy. It doesn’t matter so much if you’re pretty or not. So if you think your bf really loves you like I do to Princess, then there is no need to feel insecure or jealous. 

While I really appreciate her efforts in always making herself look good (you know, the make-up, the hair curlers), Princess will lose her beauty some day sooner or later. But unless the person who she is changes, I don’t think I will ever stop being as into her as I am now. Don’t tell her that though. Every day we both call each other fat and threaten to break up with each other if we put on more weight (just to keep each other on our toes) but deep inside we know that no matter how many KGs we each put on, we’ll still be together.

Princess and I have only been together for slightly less than a year but for the first time in my life, I think I’m settled. Of course time will only tell where it’ll go from here. But right now… my life feels complete.  
So I’m happy with my personal life now. Could I please get well and go back to work?
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The JCI Creative Young Entrepreneur Award 2009

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Last Saturday morning marked the first time in my life I ever wore a suit on a Saturday morning. It was the morning of the JCI Creative Young Entrepreneur Award Ceremony of 2009.

Princess came along with me as my spouse. 

When we registered, the people at the registration counter called me “Mr Nuffnang” and they called Princess “Tai Sou”. Then they asked her how old she was and when she said her age they all went
“Wahh soo young!!!”
The truth was… we were both the youngest of the lot. I was the youngest of the Top 10 Finalists, some of which were Datuks and some of which had wives that reflected a “tai tai” or the “tai sou” that we all see sometimes around Bangsar. Of the 10 finalists, there was going to be 3 winners that would represent Malaysia in the JCI Creative Young Entrepreneur Award Worldwide. 
I was the youngest, but I also thought that I was probably the least successful of the lot.I mean the rest of them had listed companies and big names. We all made quite an entrance too. First they got everyone seated in the hall and then after did they call the names of one by one of the finalists to walk in while a spotlight illuminated the air around them.
Finally it was Princess and my turn and this is how we kinda ended up looking. 
Notice Princess’ small figure right below the light. She so cute.
After we all got seated we went through like an hour of formalities. Speeches after speeches. You know the kind of speeches that went “Yang Berhormat Tan Sri , Datuk … etc etc.”
I left my camera with Jestina who was seated along with Nicholas, Kenny and some of the other Nuffies and I think they got bored. Well it started with Kenny camwhoring with my camera.

Then it went on to include more and more of them.
And there were more pictures that I will save them the shame of showing 🙂
Soon enough the time came to announce the Top 3 winners and to my surprise…. I was one of the 3 winners. The other two were Bob Chua of Pulse Group and Ganesh Kumar of MOL Access. Both entrepreneurs who had in some point in the past listed their companies and both far more successful than I was. I was really wondering what the hell I was doing up there.
Then it was time for me to give the short speech that I had prepared the night before and brought up to stage on a piece of paper” 
“First off, I have to thank JCI and the judges for giving me this very prestigious award.

I have a little confession though. I am just one person, one entrepreneur…. one 25 year old boy dressed in a suit.

I could not possibly be where I am today, if it were not for the people who supported me. These people were the ones who put me where I am today and these are the people whom this award collectively belongs to. I am merely accepting this award on their behalf.

So to both my parents, to my partner Ming, to my fellow colleagues in Nuffnang, to the wonderful blogger friends that I have made, to my clients and to my friend and mentors who have held my hand along the way.

Thank you for giving me the blessing of your blessing.” – end of speech

Then after the other two winners gave their speeches we had a photo session.

This is us on stage. I’m the 3rd from the left. On my right is Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew, the Founder of Country Heights and also the man responsible for building the Mines Resort. 

Then towards my left is Bob Chua, Ganesh Kumar and the Minister of Science Technology and Innovation (YB Datuk Dr. Maximus Ongkili).

After the photo session we each took turns to get interviewed by 8TV for the news segment. Look how awkward I looked. I’m not used to all the attention. 

After my awkward interview though, we all went for lunch and ended off our day 🙂
Let me end off with a picture of the KY, Cheng Leong, Kenny and the Nuffies.

Thank you for coming guys. And thank you for always supporting me.

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2 New Updates: Churp Churp & iPhone 3Gs

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There are two things that are new in my life this week.
1) The first one is the result of my recent passion for Twitter. It’s called ChurpChurp and it’s a Twitter Advertising Network meant to help Twitterers earn a little bit of money. Of course I think it’s going to take some time before Churpers start earning as much as some Nuffnangers do but Ming and I thought it would be a fun venture to go into.  
ChurpChurp was also featured in an article on Marketing Magazine on the day it launched. Man those guys work fast!
2) The next thing of course was something I just got today… my new iPhone 3Gs. 
Yes everyone… after the long debate on Twitter and after so much pressure from everyone pressuring me to get a Blackberry instead of an iPhone, I decided to go for the iPhone. They’re both really really good phones but I guess…. I’ve grown used to everything Apple.
Today was the first day that the iPhone 3Gs was being launched so I went to the Maxis Center in Gardens at 10.00AM sharp just when it opened. There were already a few people there waiting but I managed to get a number 8.
Then I sat down with my book and started reading away… patiently waiting. I also started looking around at the people who were waiting for their iPhones. Trying to see if a theory my friend told me about iPhone users is correct. The friend said that Blackberry users are business people who are important or cool and stylish. 
He went on to say that most iPhone users are teenagers and nerds who wear jeans, t-shirt and carry a bag pack around and who probably never gotten laid before. I’m an iPhone user so I naturally got very offended by that comment.
But shocking enough I saw so many of them waiting for the iPhone with me. They were all dressed in jeans, some random sports t-shirt, sports shoes and with pimples all over their faces.
Then I looked down at myself and realized that… hey… that was exactly how I sometimes dress and how I look!!!

Later on a good looking working man dressed in a smart long-sleeve shirt came in to collect his iPhone though.. so that made me feel better. Kinda made all of us “unpopular kids” look popular again. 
After close to an hour my name was finally called and after giving my details they brought out the box that kept my iPhone.
I felt so much joy in myself. I wanted to grab the box and hug it but I didn’t want to look weird. So I did a more ‘manly‘ show of affection to the box. I picked it up to look at it, grunted like a Warcraft Orc and nodded with approval as if everything was okay.
But in my showcase I accidentally fumbled, slipping my fingers off and tossing the iPhone box into the air. My eyes opened wide like dinner plates and I grabbed it with panic, fortunately catching it before it hit the ground. 
The two ladies at the counter gasped as if I had just killed a puppy. I then just calmly put it back on the counter and smiled. 
“No worry… I drop my iPhone all the time”.
I smiled coolly at them like nothing bad had happened.
I realized after that though that I just indirectly told them that I’m going to abuse my iPhone and I could almost see the sadness in their faces. So once I got my iPhone I quickly ran over to the nearest store to buy it a screen protector and a cover that everyone even in the store refers to as “The Condom“.

See the black condom around my iPhone?
It’s supposed to absorb shock when you drop it. Of course it doesn’t absorb shock as well as say.. . strapping the iPhone to a pillow but lets be practical here.
The condom reminds me of the old mobile phone protectors we used to have for the old Nokia 8310. The RM20 ones that look like condoms as well. 

So this weekend I have a new toy to play around with. And something to show off to Carol who used to make fun of my old 2G iPhone when she bought her iPhone 3G. She used to say how it sucks and all that. HMPH.
CAROL… COME MONDAY… YOU WILL REGRET MAKING FUN OF MY OLD IPHONE!!!
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2 New Updates: Churp Churp & iPhone 3Gs

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There are two things that are new in my life this week.
1) The first one is the result of my recent passion for Twitter. It’s called ChurpChurp and it’s a Twitter Advertising Network meant to help Twitterers earn a little bit of money. Of course I think it’s going to take some time before Churpers start earning as much as some Nuffnangers do but Ming and I thought it would be a fun venture to go into.  
ChurpChurp was also featured in an article on Marketing Magazine on the day it launched. Man those guys work fast!
2) The next thing of course was something I just got today… my new iPhone 3Gs. 
Yes everyone… after the long debate on Twitter and after so much pressure from everyone pressuring me to get a Blackberry instead of an iPhone, I decided to go for the iPhone. They’re both really really good phones but I guess…. I’ve grown used to everything Apple.
Today was the first day that the iPhone 3Gs was being launched so I went to the Maxis Center in Gardens at 10.00AM sharp just when it opened. There were already a few people there waiting but I managed to get a number 8.
Then I sat down with my book and started reading away… patiently waiting. I also started looking around at the people who were waiting for their iPhones. Trying to see if a theory my friend told me about iPhone users is correct. The friend said that Blackberry users are business people who are important or cool and stylish. 
He went on to say that most iPhone users are teenagers and nerds who wear jeans, t-shirt and carry a bag pack around and who probably never gotten laid before. I’m an iPhone user so I naturally got very offended by that comment.
But shocking enough I saw so many of them waiting for the iPhone with me. They were all dressed in jeans, some random sports t-shirt, sports shoes and with pimples all over their faces.
Then I looked down at myself and realized that… hey… that was exactly how I sometimes dress and how I look!!!

Later on a good looking working man dressed in a smart long-sleeve shirt came in to collect his iPhone though.. so that made me feel better. Kinda made all of us “unpopular kids” look popular again. 
After close to an hour my name was finally called and after giving my details they brought out the box that kept my iPhone.
I felt so much joy in myself. I wanted to grab the box and hug it but I didn’t want to look weird. So I did a more ‘manly‘ show of affection to the box. I picked it up to look at it, grunted like a Warcraft Orc and nodded with approval as if everything was okay.
But in my showcase I accidentally fumbled, slipping my fingers off and tossing the iPhone box into the air. My eyes opened wide like dinner plates and I grabbed it with panic, fortunately catching it before it hit the ground. 
The two ladies at the counter gasped as if I had just killed a puppy. I then just calmly put it back on the counter and smiled. 
“No worry… I drop my iPhone all the time”.
I smiled coolly at them like nothing bad had happened.
I realized after that though that I just indirectly told them that I’m going to abuse my iPhone and I could almost see the sadness in their faces. So once I got my iPhone I quickly ran over to the nearest store to buy it a screen protector and a cover that everyone even in the store refers to as “The Condom“.

See the black condom around my iPhone?
It’s supposed to absorb shock when you drop it. Of course it doesn’t absorb shock as well as say.. . strapping the iPhone to a pillow but lets be practical here.
The condom reminds me of the old mobile phone protectors we used to have for the old Nokia 8310. The RM20 ones that look like condoms as well. 

So this weekend I have a new toy to play around with. And something to show off to Carol who used to make fun of my old 2G iPhone when she bought her iPhone 3G. She used to say how it sucks and all that. HMPH.
CAROL… COME MONDAY… YOU WILL REGRET MAKING FUN OF MY OLD IPHONE!!!
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Karaoke with the Nuffies!

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Announcement for UP: Whew. After 3 days of looking through all the e-mails and reading all your stories I’ve finally picked the winners of the tickets. It was so hard though.. because there were just too many good stories.

The winners will  get an e-mail from Nuffnang in the next few days ok? If you don’t… hope you win something the next round ok?

————-
Just a few nights ago we decided to go for a karaoke session after work for Lee Meng’s farewell. It was also Rina’s birthday so we planned a little surprise for her.
It started with us rushing out of the office after work to get to the karaoke in time before they gave away our reservation or something. Half of us ended up coming late due to work but we eventually gathered around and sang!
Among the songs t I die die must sing at any Karaoke session are
“Mungkin Nanti by Peter Pan (All the Nuffies LOVEEE this song)”
“Zui Jing by Lee Sheng Jie”
“Hai Guo Tian Kong by Beyond”
“Flying Without Wings by Westlife”
“Any Beatles or Elvis song”.
The best singers in the Nuffnang team are probably Shun Yau and Jestina. The rest of us aren’t too great. We haven’t before heard Rina sing though. Before we went there Firdauz was saying that Rina probably can’t sing because she’s already so pretty. He thought that life wouldn’t be fair if she was pretty and could sing well.
He was wrong though… Rina picked up the mic and sang “Underneath your clothes” by Shakira and all of us awed in silence. Except for Firdauz, who constantly kept saying to himself “Fuck my life fuck my life… life is so unfair… “
We then put Jestina and Rina against one another. They both took turns to sing “Menghitung Hari”… and they were both so good we couldn’t decide who was better. So we did the most diplomatic thing.. clap for the both of them equally as loud. 
Halfway through the session we decided that it was time to surprise Rina with our birthday cake we bought for her. So I left the room and told the waiter to bring the cake. Then went back into the room.
Suddenly Rina said that she had to go to the restroom. 
I panicked for a while. Started thinking… what if she walked out and bumped into the waiter bringing the cake in. My mind thought of the option of telling her
“No wait Rina! Don’t go to the toilet yet!!!”
But I figured that it would’ve sounded very weird so I let her go and crossed my fingers. After she left I rushed out of the room to tell the waiter to hold the cake. I made it in time and had them bring the cake right when Rina was back into the room.

She was surprised… not just by the cake being there but also by the size of it. She said it was probably one of the biggest birthday cakes she had ever had.
Yes… Nuffies love cake… we’re all fat.
We also tend to be overconfident of how much we can eat. All of us there only managed to eat like.. half the cake. Rina had to bring the rest back home at the end of the night.
Here are some other pictures from the night.
This is me and Nicholas. The man who now manages the Nuffnang Malaysia team. 

This is Jestina… the other really talented singer that makes the rest of us look bad.

Carol and Tim2. 

Two people that I depend on so much… and two people who have helped shaped Nuffnang to what it is today.
This is Lee Meng, singing one of his Jay Chou songs.
I thought it was really funny how the Karaoke place gave us these little “mic condoms” to keep the mic clean. See the yellow thing bag thing on the top of the mic.
Nicholas and Jestina… laughing about something. 

Not sure what.
Nicholas, David and I.
David is known as one of the two “players” in Nuffnang. David is the more charming one that sweeps girls off their feet with his words and body language. The other guy on the other hand is unlike David, he goes for the “cute” factor instead. Girls like David because he’s charming… girls like the other guy because he’s “cute“.
Here’s me from the left… (not sure what I saw that gave me that expression on my face. Maybe I saw a poodle with a bazooka or something), Doria, Vernice, Rina and Lee Meng.

And of course… a group photo of all of us there that night.

We missed out some of the Nuffies that night…
4 hours passed really quickly and soon it was time to go home. We were all tired and looking forward to going to bed. Jestina on the other hand… refused to leave without singing one last song!

Nicholas had to drag her away.
I think she wanted to practice for her next 1 vs 1 against Rina.
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