My Bro Is A STAR!!!

My younger brother Jackson got into the Top 20 positions for Singapore's Star Search 2007 [才华横溢出新秀2007].

He is 1 of the 11 Singaporeans who got into the Top 20 positions out of 1500 applicants from Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan & China.

Way to go Jackson!!! *woOO hOoo OOoo~*

I've known about this for a month or so by now, but had promised Jackson I mustn't tell anyone (including my dear girlfriends which resulted in Senorita-E's spiteful comments on her blog here) till the official announcement in the media on 20th July 07.
Jackson! 二姐我，够讲义气了吧！(^_^)v

Anyhoo... I'm so glad I can finally spill the beans! Calling out to all relatives, friends & pals in Singapore, Australia, Thailand, Japan, UK, US, North Africa & wherever you are! Please give your support to Jackson ok! >.<

Visit here to discuss about Jackson on the MediaCorp forum.

Mediacorp Interviews

In English
The Almost-A-Chippendale
Name: Tan Sia Chong Jackson
From: Singapore
Looks like: Taiwanese actor/singer/host Zhang Shanwei
Age: 23Occupation: Student at Singapore Management University, Economics
Iron Man factor: Timing for his second Osim triathlon (1.5km swim; 10km run; 40km biking) in 2005 was two hours and 35 minutes and was ranked 21 out of 63 participants.

Jackson would be great prancing around in children programmes like his Taiwanese half if it wasn’t for his hulking V-shape build, no doubt a trophy from his participation in triathlons. In an Ally McBeal moment, I could almost see the buttons of his shirt giving up its valiant struggle to keep his tanned chest covered and doing a Chippendale in front of me. Yay!

In Chinese
翻版 张耀扬
陈侠中 Tan Sia Chong Jackson
23岁 大学毕业 来自新加坡

陈侠中身高181公分，身材魁梧、肤色黝黑，是最壮最man的参赛者。乍看之下，发现他长得和香港型男张耀扬很像。他自2004年开始参加三项铁人赛、脚踏车比赛。 陈侠中说自己非常向往娱乐圈光芒四射的日子，曾经有星探邀他当模特儿，他拒绝了，理由是：那个世界太“奢华”了。陈侠中外型非常“熟男”，好在他的个性随和，容易融入大伙话题，不至于显得格格不入。

Also read Lianhe Zaobao's [联合早报] writeup on "Star Search 10 Hot Favourites [本届《才华》男女10强出炉 本地两男生外型最受看好]" here.

It's a pity SOMETHING & I won't be able to head back to Singapore to support Jackson. But we'll definitely be following the progress closely on the media.

弟弟，我们永远支持你！！！

加油！ 加油！ 加油！　

Bon Weekend en Algérie

Yes! Surprising but true!
I spent a fairly enjoyable weekend in Algeria last Friday -Friday the 13th!

A couple of colleagues & I decided to take a late lunch at the nearby harbour - La Madrague.

There were several seafood restaurants along the harbour. But it wasn't too difficult for us to spot which restaurant was the best.

General Rule of Thumb
Crowded Restaurant = GOOD FOOD!

As mentioned, we were taking a late lunch. So some of us were getting very hungry by the time we started ordering. Not to mention that the service was extremely s.l.o.w. . .
p.s. Felix's miserable expression in the bottom right corner of the picture explains it all... ;p

We had mixed salad, fried sardines, grilled shrimps & chilli sauce garlic shrimps. The lunch itself was so-so. Seafood was fresh, but generally, the Algerians don't cook fishes well. They usually fry the fishes. But I prefer my fishes steamed.

Anyhooo~ . . . food wasn't the main attraction for us that afternoon. It was the people and surroundings that caught our interest.

We saw a man whom we thought was our MD look-alike. And we've always joked that our MD look like the semi-retired professional wrestler - Hulk Hogan.

*HO HO HO* Can you hear the crowd!!! *woot*

After lunch, we took a stroll along the harbour. The sun was sorching hot as summer is slowly approaching. I was told that it will get much hotter than it already is once we hit August.

I cannot imagine how it'll be like then. With the average temperature of 37-40 degrees and a roomful of Algerians who shower & change fresh clothings on an average of once every 3-4 days. *yikes*

The kid on the mini-racer bike was riding round the parking lot for the hell of it. And I just thought it was kinda cute so I took a snap. =))

Checked out a couple of dive clubs along the harbour. Thought I could probably go for a couple of dives in the mediterranean sea while I'm 'stuck' in Algeria.

Unlike in Asia, diving was for the rich & the high society here in Algeria. Most of the divers are white collar professionals. They own every piece of dive equipment on them all the way down to the oxygen tank and even the speed boat.

Lastly, here's a picture of the beach. Loads of topless people... MEN! Argh!

MEAT-FEST anyone?! *hahaha*