AstroBanana Trilogy Part I

It all began with Omega, circa mid-2006.

A friend of Eric Banana's, Omega has *erm* just ended a long-standing exclusive arrangement with a preferred partner at that time. While she is a pretty and smart lass, she was quite disillusioned with the notion of love, quite understandably so. In his attempt to cheer her up and distract her a bit, Eric Banana told her that there are (probably) better guys out there and encouraged her to go out to meet new guys. For no particular reason, Eric Banana pointed her to a dating portal called gomoviedate.com.

(The operating concept behind gomoviedate.com is simple. Gals sign up for free, while guys have to pay to sign up. They are matched based on their profiles and their selection criteria. No photographs or contact information are posted. A guy can ask any girl on his match list out for a movie, or the girl can ask the guy out. The guy will always pay for the tickets, so it's probably win-win for the gal. He will pay online for the tickets, which will then be couriered to the guy and the gal. On the day of the movie, the guy and the gal will show up at the cinema, where they will get to meet each other.)

And so Omega *really* signed up and before long, a guy asked her out for a movie date. Not sure of what to do, she turned to Eric Banana for advice. Eric Banana was not particularly helpful actually - "I don't know - I am not a member of gomoviedate.com so I don't know how a typical movie date is like." Not unreasonably, Eric Banana was swiftly rebuked by Omega for introducing a dating portal that he has not personally experienced himself.

In an act of good faith, Eric Banana decided to sign up for a three-month membership at gomoviedate.com to get a feel of what it is all about. As it turned out, a gal did ask him out for a movie date. They tried to chat a bit after the movie but Eric Banana really could not sustain a proper conversation with her despite his best efforts. Okay, Eric Banana shall not comment any further on that particular harrowing experience except that he developed a really negative view of blind dates after that.

Everything deserves a second chance, so Eric Banana agreed to go for another movie date in September 2006. This time round, it did not materialise as the portal could not deliver the movie tickets on time after Eric Banana has made the payment. After that, Eric Banana got really busy with work and did not think about gomoviedate.com anymore...

On 8 January 2007, Eric Banana received an email from gomoviedate.com stating that a gal has invited him for a movie date. This was extremely weird because his membership should have expired more than three months ago. And since he had an unutilised movie credit which he could use, Eric Banana decided to go for it.

Movie Name : Pan's Labyrinth (NC16)
Date and Time : 1/14/2007 6:50P.M
Venue : GV Plaza

On 14 January 2007, Eric Banana arrived for the movie early. He generally likes to be on time, or if possible, early. The gal reached the cinema right on time. The gal is otherwise known on this blog as Astro Girl. And so this is the story of how Eric Banana and Astro Girl met!

Character Notes: "Omega" is obviously a fictional name, meant to protect the identity of the actual person. She describes herself as "the once-hopeful in love but is now a cynic who has managed to make Eric an uncynic in love".

Footnote: Eric Banana is eternally grateful to Omega and hopes to return the favour one day. Well, *ahem* Omega is still currently single...

From Omega To AstroBanana

My Best Friend's Wedding

On the 26th day of the month of July in the year 2008, Eric Banana's best friend Voon Ee Huei took the plunge and became a real man. This was the day he solemnised his marriage with his fiancee Hwang Ying Chien. 

The solemnisation ceremony took place at Loof, a rooftop bar at Odeon Towers, which is within walking distance from Raffles City. It was a simple ceremony, pebbled (literally!) by thoughtful details.

   

The solemniser conducting the ceremony:

The couple reading their wedding vows to each other:

The couple's family members looking on in joy:

Welcoming Mr and Mrs Voon!

The solemnisation ceremony was followed by a 10-course dinner at Asia Grand Restaurant in the same building. It was a delightful dinner and the food was simply scrumptious.

Eric Banana and Astro Girl would like to thank Ee Huei and Ying Chien for inviting them to witness their wedding solemnisation  and wish the couple eternal bliss in their marriage :)

Back In Black

For his wedding suit, Eric Banana just wants something ridiculous...ly simple, but it must be in black colour. The reason is obvious - black is not just a slimming colour; it is THE slimming colour. Eric Banana is currently considering the following as an option:

Of course,  besides having to overcome the stigma associated with wearing spandex, Eric Banana would have to figure out how to breathe through the mask as well. 

This reminds him of a conversation he had with Astro Girl on his #1 fashion rule:

Eric Banana: My #1 fashion rule is "If it ain't tight, it ain't right".

Astro Girl (nonchalantly): Uh huh.

Eric Banana (trying to add a smart follow-up line that rhymes): So if it ain't loose, what do you have to lose?

Astro Girl (without hesitation): Fats.

Eric Banana (rolls his eyeballs): Erm... actually you are right. And I hate it.

Pink Sash

With nothing much to do in terms of wedding preparations for the rest of this year, Astro Girl has started to look at bridal gown designs to get some ideas for what she wants for her actual bridal gown next year. She pointed Eric Banana to an eBay site where the gown looks like this: 

   

While Astro Girl thinks the bridal gown is so-so only, Eric Banana kinda likes the gown design because it is simple yet elegant. The pink sash is a nice touch too.

It All Started With This...

Spa-rring Partners

As part of their feeble attempt to lead a healthy lifestyle, Eric Banana and Astro Girl made plans to conquer the Southern Ridges this morning. Although they managed to crawl out of bed at 6 plus this morning, their plans were however washed away by the unexpected heavy downpour. Thankfully, they have not left their houses yet. 

Actually, Eric Banana suspects that Astro Girl secretly wished for it to rain this morning. From their conversation last night, Astro Girl gleefully said that she doesn't mind if it rains this morning because she can go back to bed and sleep some more. While the always-sleepy Astro Girl managed to catch forty winks, Eric Banana was not so lucky - despite sleeping only 3.5 hours the night before, he could not sleep anymore.

Anyway, the Southern Ridges would have to wait. Not that they are likely to go anywhere anytime soon.

As for the other highlight of the day... since it was Astro Girl's birthday, Eric Banana decided to pamper her a bit (*erm* as opposed to a lot on other days *lol*). For this, they went to The Aspara at Goodwood Park Hotel.  In case you are wondering what The Aspara is, it is an award-winning premier brand of spas under SpaCare International. Eric Banana and Astro Girl both opted for the Body Bliss spa package, which starts with Body Glow Exfoliation using marine and plant extracts, followed by Aromatherapy Body Massage. It turned out to be a really relaxing and enjoyable experience for both of them, although it was their first time at a local spa. Furthermore, they got to enjoy a substantial discount as a result of using a 1-for-1 voucher from Amex.

Eric Banana thinks that Astro Girl really looks more radiant after the spa treatment (or was it the coffee from ToastBox that perked her up?):

After some window shopping at a leisurely pace on a lazy Wednesday afternoon, they had dinner at Sun with Moon Japanese Dining & Cafe at Wheelock Place. Incidentally, they had dinner there as well on Astro Girl's birthday last year. Yes, they really like the food at Sun with Moon.

Astro Girl ordered Beef Udon, while Eric Banana had Tempura Soba. They shared a Mixed Seafood Pancake and had Ice Cream Mori for dessert:

   

   

Again, Eric Banana and Astro Girl were both very full by the time they were done with dinner. On a side note, Eric Banana is not too sure that they will lead a "healthy lifestyle" if they continue to eat at the rate that they ate for the past two days.

AstroBanana @ Equinox

First of all, before he continues to blog, Eric Banana would like to wish the lady of his future castle a very Happy Birthday! In Eric-Banana years, Astro Girl would be... 11 years old this year.

To celebrate her birthday, he brought her to the Equinox Restaurant on the 70th storey of Swissotel Stamford for dinner. The view up there is truly breathtaking:

Astro Girl looked absolutely radiant today. An happy Astro Girl = a happy Eric Banana.

   

Astro Girl decided to skip the entree while the incredible eating machine known as Eric Banana had Crustacean Bisque with Slipper Lobster and Grand Mariner. For the main course, they both opted for Beef Rossini with Forset Mushrooms and Puree from Marron Glaces with French Vanilla and shared a side - Butter Mashed Potatoes with Truffle Sauce.

   

The food was absolutely fantastic - and both of them were very full by the time they were done eating. Nevertheless, Eric Banana argued that dessert occupies a different space in the stomach and so they ordered a dessert - Sweet Temptation - which is described as "a selection of tempting desserts for two to share", together with Earl Grey tea.

Sweet Temptation turned out to be  a good idea because they got to try four different types of desserts. After the meal, Astro Girl was basically "stoning" while Eric Banana worried about how many dishes he would have to wash to pay the bill.

    

Thankfully, the bill turned out to be quite affordable, thanks to Eric Banana's Feed at Raffles card (valid for one year), which came complimentary with his Amex Platinum credit card.

Conclusion? Yes, this will not be the last time at the Equinox for AstroBanana :)

Why Astro Girl Never Posts

It was one fine day not so long ago when Astro Girl suddenly asked Eric Banana, "Eh, how come you don't blog anymore har?" You see, Eric Banana has a personal blog titled "Holy Farglesnot ® !!" and it's *erm* terribly excitin". Although the promising tagline screams "... the utterly uninspired & totally irrelevant chronicles of jouste", the blog does have many "classic" entries.

There was only one small problem - the personal blog revolved around Eric Banana when he was a swinging bachelor, musing about his days of being singularly single and chronically unattached. After he got attached to Astro Girl, the personal blog got relegated to no man's land. 

"But I like to read your blog entries," said Astro Girl. Consequently, Eric Banana tried to find a reason to write again - that was when he decided to start a wedding/couple blog. And because the whole idea is to allow Astro Girl to be able to read Eric Banana's blog entries again, he does all the writing on the blog, albeit with consent from Astro Girl. This also allows consistency throughout the blog.

This couple blog detracts from the personal blog in at least one other aspect - Eric Banana's personal blog has almost no photos and doesn't name anyone in real life as a result of his preference for privacy. The couple blog, however, tends to be photo-rich (although Astro Girl is quite camera shy) and names the characters as they are accordingly.

And that was how The AstroBanana Chronicles came about.

Meeting The Emcees

Eric Banana and Astro Girl met up with their wedding banquet emcees, Joel Teng and Celine Tan, as well as their pre-wedding photographer, Danon The, last night. Dinner was at MOF in Marina Square and drinks were at Ink Club Bar in Fairmont Singapore.

An introduction is in order - Joel and Celine are Eric's juniors (although he likes to call them his seniors), whom he has convinced to emcee for his wedding (read: he volunteered them). Astro Girl has met Celine before. Last night was the first time she met Joel.

Price negotiation in progress (Joel: "$2 for appearance fee?"; Eric: "20 cents. Take it or leave it"):

A group shot of AstroBanana (yes, the new collective term for Astro Girl and Eric Banana) with Celine and Joel:

A shot of two volunteers forced to smile in spite of their reluctance:

A shot of DGT with his WMD (weapon of mass distraction) - the 1st-generation iPhone:

Somehow, Eric Banana is obliged to post a single pic of Celine and wonder out out loud why this pretty and smart lass is *still* single. (Oei, you still don't get the hint ah??)

P.S. For the photos above, some were taken by DGT and some were taken by Eric Banana. No prizes for guessing who took which ones. It is clear who has better photography skills and is more adept at using Adobe Photoshop. By the way, Eric Banana was using his 7.1 megapixel Canon IXUS 850 IS while Danon was using his 2.0 megapixel Apple iPhone. 

From Now On... The AstroBanana Chronicles

Please be informed that the title of this blog has been unceremoniously and unequivocally renamed.

When Eric Banana created the blog out of thin air a couple of months ago, he struggled to find an appropriate title for the blog. Deciding on the sub-domain name back then was already a headache, so he just conveniently used "The Banana Chronicles" as a placeholder.

With a title like "The Banana Chronicles", people will invariably think that this blog is Eric Banana-centric, which is so not true. To rebalance the communication with regard to the focus of this blog, the title has been changed to "The AstroBanana Chronicles". Mainly, this is to emphasise the importance of Astro Girl over Eric Banana. Also, "AstroBanana" comprises elements of their names (the other combination - "Eric Girl" - is unsuitable for obvious reasons).

*Eric B raises the cue card to prompt applause*

2.0ed iPod Touch

Responding to a reader's request, here's a picture of Eric Banana's 16GB 2.0ed iPod Touch (which, by the way, is partially funded by Astro Girl):

It's no big deal actually - it just has more icons than before. Prior to this, Eric Banana also did the January software update which added five apps for a ransom of US$19.95.  The iPhone 2.0 software update cost US$9.95. That's the price to pay for being an early adopter. Along with the pain of having to watch Apple releasing a 32GB model right after Eric Banana has bought the 16GB  model. Geez, Eric Banana hates technology *grrr*

Anyway, the iPhone 2.0 software update took a long time to download due to overwhelming demand from all over the world. So far, Eric Banana has not been crazy enough to pay for additional apps. He did try out some free apps though - and deleted some really rubbish ones. Some apps caused the iPod Touch to reset, which is not a good thing.

P.S. Thanks to Celine for lending her iTunes account to Eric to upgrade his iPod Touch.

Mobile Blogger On The Loose

Eric Banana has just acquired a mobile blogging device - a 2.0ed iPod Touch :) Expect more updates.

Posted with LifeCast

What You Have Wanted To Know For The Longest Time...

...  but just cannot be bothered to ask.

Presenting...  The AstroBanana Trilogy

Part I: For two persons whose lives will probably never cross each other, how in the world did Eric Banana and Astro Girl meet in the first place?

Part II: How did Eric Banana manage to convince Astro Girl to be his steady girlfriend? (Seriously, Eric Banana never really understood the meaning of "going steady". What? Everything before that is in turbulence?!)

Part III: The proposal. 'nuff said.

Part IV: Oei! You know simi si (read: hokkien for "what is") trilogy or not har?!

Note: Eric Banana will eventually write the stories but he cannot guarantee how fast he will write them since he is the top citizen in the Procrasti Nation. If comments keep flowing in, and there is reader demand... *erm* let's just say when there is demand, there will be supply somehow.

More From DGT Studio Photoshoot

As he checked his email earlier, Eric Banana was delighted to find more photos from Friday's photoshoot. This set was taken by Kenneth Ong.

Some shots of Astro Girl:

   

Going hand-in-hand:

Eric Banana and Astro Girl rehearsing for the day when they rest on the sofa together after a hard day's work:

A shot worthy of becoming a classic family portrait:

Eric Banana and Astro Girl kidding around (read: Astro Girl unveiling her violent tendencies and she's lovin' it):

DGT Studio Photoshoot

Despite a minor hiccup *hic*, Eric Banana and Astro Girl managed to do the studio photoshoot with Danon The, aided by his friend Kenneth Ong, yesterday. Eric Banana was impressed with how much photography equipment Danon keeps at home. Anyway, it was a great session - very fun - lasting over three hours. Eric Banana and Astro Girl are still seeing flashes of light, especially that of the strobe ring-light engineered by Danon and Kenneth. They are particularly grateful to Danon for staying up till 6 a.m. this morning to edit the photos. Okay, without further ado... presenting the photos!

Some couple shots:

   

Some shots of Astro Girl (you can see the ring-light effect in her eyes):

   

Some shots of Eric Banana (sullen as ever):

      

A shot of the classical proposal scene (which never took place in real life, by the way) - silhouettes are used so that *erm* they cannot be identified... and Eric Banana's knees really hurt afterwards ('cos it took many many attempts to get this one shot):

A shot of Eric Banana and Astro Girl discussing their future on the couch (actually, they are talking about what to eat for dinner - and they both replied "up to you lor" simultaneously):

A series of shots capturing Eric Banana and Astro Girl laughing away on the couch (yes, Eric Banana knows his foot looks very gigantic in the second pic):

A "fly me to the moon" shot which turned out to be really good:

Anyway, Eric Banana and Astro Girl found out about some things during the photoshoot:

• Astro Girl is very photogenic.
  
• Eric Banana needs to smile more.
  
• Eric Banana needs to open his eyes wider.

Eric Banana discovered an additional thing after seeing the photos this morning:

• All hail the wonders of Adobe Photoshop!!!

It's July Already?!

Eric Banana so cannot believe that it is already the month of July. Time really flies. Thankfully, he believes that most of the wedding preparations that can be done this year have already been done. Of course, there are still things that can be done... but eh, what's the big hurry?

Anyway, here's a picture of Eric Banana and Astro Girl at the Rocky Master outlet in Orchard Delfi:

This was actually taken a few weeks ago. Astro Girl had to kick Eric Banana's donkey hard before he remembered to post the picture *Eric Banana's donkey brays at being mentioned*

Oh, it is likely that Eric Banana and Astro Girl will do a studio photoshoot with DGT this Friday! Hope it turns out well...