Mini Shout Out

Hey all, just wanna post a tiny hello to readers of the (in)famous P.I.D.

Am honored to be a part of this establishment and will try my best to contribute what little knowledge I possess to the well produced web publication that is this blog. Though it has taken much (and when I say much, I mean little) negotiating for me to accept this new position I firmly believe that this'll be the definitive place to start my frequent posting in the upcoming year.

Happy 2008 Everyone.

Excelsior!

An Addition to the P.I.D Family

Over here at the Photogs In Disguise offices, there was always room for extending our stable of young talented writers and photographers. And with the lack of posts recently due to some very busy writers and editors, an executive decision was passed down from somewhere up there to add another writer to the mix. Not too sure if any of you noticed, but there has been an addition on the writers list.

After an exhaustive search through alot of writers, we narrowed it down to an unlikely journalism student all the way in sunny Singapore.

Hans Christian Anderson
Wrong target audience... and kinda dead...

J.K Rowling
Stuck up bitch who refused us... (quote: show me the moneh!!)

Stephen King
Would probably scare you all shitless...

An executive order was issued to send a P.I.D representative to bribe him with a bag of Cookie Time Cookies!! So it was up to our ever faithful Personal Assistant to the editor - Yvonne Mak, (whos birthday is like TOTALLY TODAY!!) that this assignment went to. HAPPY BIRTHDAY YVONNE!!!

You'd say yes too after 9 of these...

Upon Yvonne's arrival at Changi Airport, our new writer received the cookies and agreed to an interview lunch on Boxing Day. And was hired after showing the girls around his hometown.

Photogs In Disguise is proud to present to you their newest writer - Benedict Wee. Currently residing in Singapore, Ben is in the midst of completing his degree in Journalism. His irreverant humour and careful observation of life in the Big City lends Photogs In Disguise a new, refreshing outlook fittingly as we approach the new year.

Yvonne: Aww, the big teddy bear thinks its human...

Stay tuned for more posts in the not too distant future!!!

It's Over

Yes it's Christmas, and I know I should be off doing other things, not writing on here. The crowd has gone, I smell like I've just been in a forest fire, my skin is lobster red, and my throat is parched from all the Bundabergs Ive downed.

But... I haven't gorged on a fuckload of food like I used to in previous years (yes, proud proud achievement!!) and well the Christmas glow has worn off. It's not so much a special day for me, probably been through one thankless, giftless, working Christmas too many. Working at where I work, it's enough to turn any saint into a cynical, loveless, jaded Scrooge McDuck. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones.

This being my blog, Im'a gonna blog about me for once.

Yep, you read it people... It's Over. My education in New Zealand has come to an official end as of 21 December 2007. Allan is officially a Bachelor of Science in Geology.

Regalia hire - 85NZD (late fee... *sniffles*)

Flowers - 20NZD

Canon 400D for technologically astounding shots - 2000NZD

Graduation Teddy - 50NZD

Tie/Cuff Link set from Tie Rack - 50NZD

Shirt and Tie for Portraits - 150NZD

Tuition fees for 4 years - 20,000NZD

(one very very expensive piece of paper...)

Air Travel for most of the Fam - 10,000NZD

Being the centre of Attention for once - Free

Clueless for the next year - Free

Stopping Christchurch traffic for an hour - PRICELESS!!!

Well, what can I say? Everything is happening so fast. After looking back, the blood, sweat and tears shed during these years, as hard as they were to endure, are very much worth the trouble. God knows when I'll be back to this country after my departure. I had a good run, I have no complaints. Every incident during these years has made me the man that I am today. It's hard to let go, but sometimes, thats the only thing a person can do to stay sane.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to ya'll. I'll see you guys when you get there...

A Very Public Apology

As all of you know my previous post was received with mixed feelings. Some felt it was too incendiary, some felt it was a light hearted nudge, and there are some that felt it was long overdue.

I understand whatever damage tehre was, it has been caused already, and I deeply regret my actions. For what it's worth, I apologise. My previous post was unacceptable and i have now pulled it from my blog in the hopes of rectifying the situation.

Again, I'm deeply sorry to the people i have hurt and disappointed....

Man Lurve Moments Awards 2008

You all have Andrew to thank for this one...

Hes been keeping score of all the gay things we've said/done, so this is a bit of a backlash i guess. Also, it's some pis which i never got to show so, if you want em', feel free to download em!! Without further adieu, I am proud (maybe not THAT proud...) to present to you all - the Man Lurve Moments Awards of 2008!!

This will be fairly interactive, everyone is invited to vote in their comments for the moment with the most Man Lurve. Whats disturbing is how many pics I've got depicting Man Lurve...

Disclaimer: All pictures do not accurately potray the act of REAL 'Man Lurve'... they damned well look like it though...

VOTE NOW!!!

Lick It!!

Coppin' a Feel

I Like It THAT Way

I Never Meant To Hurt You

I Miss You (and your jandals)

Bedroom Acrobatics

The Afterglow

Do It Like You Do It To Me

Smell Dem' Pits

Spread Dem' Butt Cheeks

Enter your votes soon people!!! Entries close... erm... soon... Winners will be announced in errr.. a few weeks...

Let's See How Far We've Come

WARNING!!! EBE AHEAD!!! (Emo Blog Entry Alert)

*Sigh* Another one bites the dust...

These days, it's been easy to feel left out of the loop. What used to be a close knit bunch of rag tag misfits has been reduced to a mere remaining few.

In between leaving for our extended summer holidays, managing our summer jobs, bumming around and being general nuisances in the land of MMORPGs, there rarely is any time for any of us to be together. And with a core few gone for the rest of the year, it isn't going to be any easier.

Sure we've been at each others throats...



Eaten shitloads together...



Yes, we've made messes...



(and NOT clean up Allan's place)...


We've bossed our loved ones around...



Pushed their buttons...



Gotten bored with the occasional rant...



And sometimes, dealing with our loved ones just makes us want to fall to the ground and surrender...


But in the end, what makes us, 'Us' is our ability to stick, our ability to be there for one another. Be it a failed love, the need to satiate late night cravings, desperately needing volunteers for an event, impromptu Nintendo DS parties, ridiculous Eat-Off Challenges, or even if we just need a chill out space till our next lecture, we've always been there for each other to stick it out as a family.



I hope everyone has had an awesome year doing what they do. Hopefully in 5 years time, when life gets to be hectic and youre overwhelmed with your new job, you'll look back on 2007 and think about what an awesome year it was, remember the high-lights, and in doing so, remember the people that made it special...

See how far we've come together?

Best Friends Fo'Eva'!!!

U.G.L.Y

The Other Team...
L - R : Andrew aka Mc Ugly, Pan aka Big Ugly, Joseph aka Supa Ugly, Vinny aka Incredi-Ugly

[C] OK! I'm a cheerleader now!
[Chorus]
[D&C] U.G.L.Y.
You ain't got no alibi you ugly
Eh! Hey! You ugly [X4]

[C] I saw you walking down the street just the other day
[C] I didn't see your damage from that far away
[C] I should have got a clue when the kids started screaming
[C] You walked up to me with your buck teethe a gleaming
[C] Your hair was all frizzy and your face was a mess
[C] I thought it was a sack but it's your favourite dress
[C] You hurt the trees feelings and the birds all flew
[C] I don't mean to insult you
[C] Oh wait! Yes I do.

[D] Your teeth are yellow, they're covered in mould
[D] You're only fourteen you look a hundred years old
[C] When looks were handed out you were last in line
[C] Your face looks like where the sun don't shine
[D] Did you fall off a building and land on your head
[D) Or did a truck run over your face instead
[C] There ain't no pill cos you ain't ill

[D&C] You're ugly!
[D&C]
U.G.L.Y You ain't got no alibi you ugly eh! Hey! You ugly [X2]

[D] What you really need is to wear a mask
[D] And book that plastic surgeon fast - (Girl)
[C] You're scary - You're hairy I heard about you
[C] You're the main attraction at the city zoo
[D] You're so fat and ugly with a belly full of flab
[D] When you wear a yellow coat people shout out cabH
[C] (So funny)

[D] You got eyes like a pig and your nose is big
[D] And with hair like that you should be wearing a wig
[C] Uncle Fester remember him? I never knew that you had a twin
[D] You can't disguise your googly eyes
[D] In the Miss Ugly pageant you win first prize
[C] Yo mama says you ugly -
[D&C] You ugly!

[D&C]
U.G.L.Y You ain't got no alibi you ugly eh! Hey! You ugly [X2]
[D]
Get busy [X9]
[C] Yo mam says your ugly
[D] Get busy
[C] Yo mam says your ugly
[D] Get busy
[C] Yo mam says your ugly
[D] Get busy
[D&C] Your ugly!

[D&C] U.U.U.U.
[D] Now I feel like blondie

[D&C]
U.G.L.Y You ain't got no alibi you ugly eh! Hey! You ugly [X2]

[D] Quasimodo
[C] Camel breath
[D] Squarehead
[D&C] Ugly!

[C] Chicken legs
[D] Pig face
[C] Chin like bubba
[D&C] Ugly!

[D] Fish lips
[C] Toad licker
[D] Poindexter
[D&C] Ugly!

[C] Spaghetti arms
[D] Limp butt
[D&C] Freak shown -ugly!

[D&C]
U.G.L.Y You ain't got no alibi you ugly eh! Hey! You ugly [X1]

[D&C]
U.G.L.Y - [C] You could make an onion cry

[D&C]
U.G.L.Y - [D] Like an alien chased by the F.B.I.

[D&C]
U.G.L.Y [X6]
U.G.L.Y You ain't got no alibi you ugly!

Marathon Challenge: X-Box 360 Edition Pt. 2

'Lets grab some lunchies guys...'

Previously, on Marathon Challenge: X-Box 360 Edition...

After lunchies from various fast food outlets, each of them just as heart-attack inducing as the next, the tournament commenced.

Red Team - Vinny, Andrew, Pan, Joseph.

Vinny Missing...

Blue Team - Allan, Jacob, Horst, Reuben.

Allan Missing...

For a while, it was a one sided match in Red Team's favour. Blue team was uncoordinated (the individuals... mostly Jacob... not the team...) and there was always no clear plan of attack. Blue Team was obviously suffering from a lack of leadership and directive.

What started with an exasperated sigh ( due to the 10 - 0 loss at one stage), Blue Team hunkered down and began gelling together, not straying too far from each other, and actually fought like a team, exploiting Red's weaknesses. Allan (Big Black Guy) provided cover fire and flanked when the opportunity provided itself, Jacob (Goggle Dude), the hunter... did his own Lone Wolf thing, Horst (Goatee Dude) and Reuben (Bandana Dude) were on point as a mini team. This strategy worked well. Blue Team eventually evolved into a slick, organised, motley crew of killing machines, calling the Canal maps, Rooftop maps and Gridlock maps their Happy Hunting Ground. And Red pretty much just disappeared into nothingness and self imploded into their Locust skulls.

"Whatchu lookin' at huh? PUNK!!!" "RAWRRR!!!"

It was fun while it lasted guys, we came, we saw, we kicked your Red asses. I'm sorry to say, the best team eventually broke through. Yes, there were difficult times, moments where we were close to giving up, moments where we just wanted to throw our controllers at Red. But in the end, what matters is that we pull through when it counts, especially in the end. Booyah!! We make miracles happen!!

C.O.G.S for Life

L - R : Jacob aka Goggles Mc Gee, Allan aka Big Black Guy, Reuben aka Marcus Bandana, Horst aka That Guy

Remember this proud moment guys... never have we overcome such impossible odds to conquer a bunch of 'prozors'!! Mark this day in the history books, the day the C.O.G.S took back the world, and kicked Locust ASS!!!

Kimchi Dumprings!!

Food review time!!

Its pretty difficult to try to head in to this restaurant. Its the Korean restaurant (not the noodle house) on the Wind Mill Mall. I think those 2 Korean restaurants have an agreement or something. One of them specialises in rice dishes and kimchi dumplings and the other restaurant specialises in noodles (esp Cha-Jang Myun). Being so close to each other, I guess it makes sense to sell different stuff.

First time I went there was kinda by accident. Wanted something light, so a friend asked if I wanted to try kimchi dumplings. Was reluctant at first, but 'adventurous Allan' took a hold of me and we had a steaming plate of kimchi dumplings and regular dumplings in front of us. This review was done during a crave session during exam week. So Reuben and I went.

What can I say? Skip the regular dumplings and go nuts on the kimchi dumplings. They are AWESOME!!! Fresh out the steamer the skin on the dumplings have the perfect texture, slightly on the chewy side, but once u get through to the kimchi filling... PERFECTION!! For maximum enjoyment, have it fresh from the store, I've had it reheated and it just doesnt do the fresh ones any justice. These dumplings (from what I can observe) are freshly hand made every time, so they may take while to prepare. Each serving of dumplings come with servings of various pickled veg and tofu skin dishes and compliment the main dishes well. A DEFINITE MUST-HAVE!!!

Legendary...

On this occasion, Reuben chose the kimchi soup with rice dish. Apparently quite spicy but YUMZORS!!! I didnt try it so I'll take Reubens word for it.

Hot Hot Hot (Reuben's order)

Wheres my egg?? (Allan's order)

I chose a clay plate rice thingy... Rice, veg, mince meat served on a hot bowl with very hot (but yummy) korean spicy red chilli sauce. I dont quite remember being quite so satisfied with a meal before.

One complaint though, there was an egg in the picture, but no egg in the bowl that I was served... That's FALSE ADVERTISING dammit!!!

Marathon Challenge: X-Box 360 Edition Pt. 1

With our dreaded exams well and truly over, we decided to wind down and relax while we were still together. Vinnys suggestion - a Gears of War tournament at a local gamers lounge called Respawn. A bus ride and 2 road crossings later,we arrived at the lounge. Paid 30NZD for access to their System Linked X-Box 360's (1pm - 10pm) and started warming up with 3 on 3 matches before we waited for the rest to show up.

Contact!!!

The set up was super comfortable!! The System Link Suite itself featured 8 X-Box 360s all linked together, Lazy Boy chairs, HUGE AZZ Samsung flatscreens side tables for beverages and stuff. My goodness!! I swear my ass never wanted to leave those seats! The TV and the chairs were positioned so that our heads are just about the right distance from the TV, but we were reclined and essentially lying down. It was very comfortable for the 9 hours we were gaming for.

The Reclining Gamer...

Not all of us had been on an X-Box 360, let alone played Gears of War, so it was fairly new for some of us. Well... mostly me... but PHAAAAAAAARK!!! Gears of War should be renamed 'Gears of PHWOAR!!!' I was absolutely gobsmacked for the entire game with its graphics. And the gameplay reduced me to a shouting, ranting, raving lunatic, where normally, I just do my own thing and just hi five my team mates. Yes people, it's THAT good.

AHAAA!! Totally just sawed you in half you DIRTY LOCUST HORDES!!!

It's a very innovative game, with it's over the shoulder camera and the 'hide and seek' play. Never have I been able to half duck while running, roll into cover, empty a cartridge blindly, reload quickly and smart aim at my intended UGLY LOCUST HORDE targets. Its uber pretty as well, marble lights up in the sun, our power packs glow in the dark, veins pop up from Big Black Guy's arms, and you can see the scales on the Locust Horde as they chainsaw you to death. All that detail, Halo 3 aint got nothing on this!!! Truly, TRUELY, AWESOME!!!

10/10 rating for GoW from me. Stay tuned for more to come!!!

Elation

Hey y'all, Raging Bull is back!! Just sat my last exam... EVER!!! The feeling is hard to describe... Anyway, this marks the return of my blog entries!!! Hope you havent missed me too much!!

Elation

Is there a better feeling right now?

I dont think so

Closing Time

Just a notice of a temporary hiatus to my blog entries because of exams.

Photogs In Disguise will be temporarily shut down from 1/11/07 - 15/11/07.

Exams are here, the end to the academic year (for those not going on to summer school) is nigh. Remember, you get the marks that you deserve. So, work hard, study smart, and pass those exams!!

Good luck, and see you all again soon!!!

XOXO,
Allan T.

Bad Analogies #1

Her date was pleasant enough, but she knew that if her life was a movie this guy would be buried in the credits as something like "Second Tall Man."

Russell Beland, Springfield

Eat Off Challenge: KFC Edition

The rules are simple. First to finish his/her share of food wins. If contestants are unable to finish them, rules revert to 'Last Man Standing' or 'Most Consumed'. The winner.. well, doesnt win much actually.. (will get that sorted next time round)

This editions contestants were: Allan, Reuben and Vinny, after a late pull out from seasoned veteran Joseph Kwak.

Allan 'I'm gonna eat you for lunch' Ting

Reuben 'Are you gonna finish that' Lo

Vincent 'I'm hungry' Baker

The Challenge was to finish off a 'Wicked Bucket' Meal (consists of 10 Wicked Wings, 8 pieces of Original Chicken, 6 Nuggets and 4 Large sides of competitors choice) in 6 hours, while watching gross - out movies. 'Fast Food Nation' and a horrible Korean thriller/comedy/horror/slapstick shit case of a movie - 'The Host' were rented out for this purpose.

Enough chicken to feed a village in Ethiopia...

The eat off started well. Everyone was pumped and hyped and everyone else slagging off each other. There was so much trash talk to psyche out opponents. Vinnys approach was interesting. Citing concerns of disqualification from the panel of judges, he opted to rip his chicken into pieces so that they were deemed a 'clean' eat. Allan and Reuben opted for the more conventional method. All three contestants started off strong... for the first 30 minutes... Then died off after that. Nothing much happened, besides a lot of moaning and groaning from full stomachs. 3 hours elapsed and there was a revival, a pathetic attempt at finishing the meal off, but still the contestants were far too full.

Official Cheerleaders and Judges...

830pm came, and none of us were able to finish our meals. The closest to finishing was Vinny. With only 1 large side remaining, making him the unofficial champion of this Eat Off. The aftermath was not pretty though, he ended up sick and a case of chronic constipation for a few weeks. The smart ones were left with only bruised egos and the aftertaste of chicken in their mouths.

So, KFC - 1, Challengers - 0.